Chapter 13
Wood was completely attached to her. No matter how early she left home in the morning, she would always find him waiting outside the Slytherin common room. Ayala was extremely impressed by his ability to remain calm despite the murderous looks from so many Slytherins.
She was forced to accept Wood, and the seat next to her during class would be occupied by Wood, but fortunately she didn't have to worry about her partner.
Since Slytherin had most of her classes with Gryffindor, she couldn't avoid this Wood at all. He could arrange his time so that he could take her back to the common room and still have time for Quidditch practice, homework, and to show up unannounced when she was in the library.
Christmas is coming soon, so of course she will choose to go home.
Wood was already waiting for her at the door. As soon as she walked out of the auditorium, she saw Wood carrying his luggage and a sandwich in his hand.
"I heated it up with magic, try it."
Ayala took the sandwich while Wood took her luggage. He walked in front and cast a spell on her so that no snow fell on her.
Wood found an empty carriage. This was the first time Ayala didn't ride with Narcissa, but as long as he could get home, nothing else mattered.
No one else entered the carriage until it arrived at the station. Wood said goodbye to her and went to find his family, while Ayala quickly found Isabel.
She still gave gifts according to last year's gift list, but she suddenly remembered two people, Wood and Headmaster Dumbledore. Although he didn't remember what Dumbledore sent her, if he still had a Christmas gift this year, then Ayala should also give one.
Wood chose an exquisite brooch, and Dumbledore chose a beautiful quill.
Christmas.
As soon as she opened her eyes she found the gifts already placed at the door of the room, she began to open the gifts, the first one was from Narcissa, she gave her a necklace.
Dear Ayala,
This necklace is a lucky necklace that can bring you good luck. Merry Christmas!
Lucius gave her a Malfoy family crest... which was useless. Evans' gift was a book on Transfiguration. She said the book was very practical and could help her a lot.
Wood gave Ayala a set of beauty potions... Ayala only used it a few times. This gift would be nice for Narcissa. According to Narcissa, her annual gifts only include two things: beautiful clothes and beauty potions.
But this is normal. Ayala doesn't have anything she likes, so others don't know what to give her. She never expected that Dumbledore would give her a gift in return. And judging from the greeting card, the gift was from Dumbledore himself, a bunch of honey candies.
Isabel gave her a bottle of very light perfume, and just as Ayala finished Christmas dinner, another gift arrived.
It was from Tina, she gave me the signature chocolate from Honeydukes.
The next day at noon.
"I'm going to take you to a small party this afternoon. Wear this dress. I'll call you when the time comes."
"Yes, aunt."
Isabel gave her a pink dress, and Ayala changed into it as soon as she returned to her room, and then used the magic headband to fix her hair.
It wasn't long before the house-elf came up to call her, and when Ayala reached the first floor, Isabel seemed to have recovered for a while.
"Apparate."
After a dizzy spell, she and her aunt landed in a large manor.
"This is?"
"Malfoy Manor."
Did that mean Lucius lived there? Auntie put away her wand and headed for the door, followed quickly by Ayala.
Unlike the quiet outside, the inside of the door was filled with music and there were many guests in formal attire, though not as many as when Lucius and Narcissa were there. She soon saw Lucius, who was wearing a white suit, holding a glass of wine in his hand, and talking to someone.
Unlike his usual expression when facing Ayala, the corners of his mouth remained curved, as if he were wearing a mask.
He was not like this when facing Ayala. He would occasionally mock her and laugh at her when Ayala couldn't do her homework, but he would never face him with such an obviously perfunctory face.
"Hello, Mr. Malfoy. Your father and I were good friends back then. I look forward to seeing you demonstrate your abilities."
"Hello, Mrs. Turner and—"
Lucius's expression changed immediately when he saw her.
"…and Miss Turner."
Ayala didn't see Narcissa. It was obvious that Narcissa didn't come, and Lucius came to find her when he was free.
"I thought your aunt wouldn't bring you."
"Where's Narcissa? Isn't she here?"
"...No, I contacted Malfoy's former partners to organize this party. Narcissa doesn't like this kind of perfunctory party, so she didn't come."
"I haven't seen you for half a year. You've aged a lot."
"You talk a lot too."
Lucius continued to use his sarcastic tone to confront her. This was the Lucius she knew.
"If you feel hungry, go to the second floor. The largest door is the kitchen. Ask the house elves to make you something."
She shrugged.
"You know, I don't get hungry easily."
Lucius then went to deal with the guests, while Ayala began to look around the luxurious hall. The decoration of Malfoy Manor was very luxurious, unlike Turner Manor, which was all in cold colors and as low-key as possible. The black M was the Malfoy family crest, which was everywhere on the walls. The Turner family... didn't seem to have a family crest.
She only knew that she was a pure-blood, and later she gradually discovered the reason why Narcissa Lucius approached her in the beginning. Although the Turner family was not one of the twenty-eight sacred families, it was a family with a long history of three hundred years and had produced many famous wizards. This was why she could still get along in Slytherin even if she didn't like to interact with others.
The party lasted a long time and she was a little sleepy when her aunt took her away.
Soon, it was time to return to Hogwarts. Ayala fell asleep while reading last night, so she didn't pack her luggage. Therefore, she got up early in the morning to pack her things. Seeing that she could hardly open her eyes, her aunt couldn't bear it anymore.
After giving her a radiance spell, Ayala felt much better. After Apparating her to the station, Isabel left. Ayala walked around the platform with her luggage, trying to find Narcissa.
It turns out she met Wood first.
"Good morning, Ayala."
“…”
She didn't respond, but Wood, used to it, took her luggage and walked ahead.
"Together?"
How could he refuse when the luggage was already in his hands? Ayala followed him silently.
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