Blackeyed Girl

@Daughter of a serpent:

Hey it is not polite to just assume the worst of such proper people like Lucius Malfoy (cough) ;)

Yeah, I am not sure what Snape will say about her new wardrobe, but I think he might be more angry about what is unfolding at the end of this chapter...if he hears about it.



About Draco and Ellie, Draco will remain to be a part of this (as the cliffhanger of this chapter might tell you). I think that Draco did not mind Eleanor at school. She was no Gryffindor or muggle born so she was not a natural enemy for him. I think he just saw her as some little girl, which was too much of a freak to be interesting to him as a love interest. Now things are a bit different as she is living with his family. I think he starts disliking her instantly when she came to Malfoy Manor because he is used to being an only child and his father is giving her a lot of attention so he is jealous. He does not like to share his father. Eleanor of course had a soft spot for him the entire time, but I am not sure what kind of effect what happens in this chapter will have on her feelings for him. But there is definitely stuff to be sorted out with the two.

However at the moment his father is busy with her.



@Hi Ari!

Great to have you back!



P.S.: Anyone who has read my other fan fic Pains of Becoming might notice that I seem to have a thing for Lucius buying his little girlfriends dresses. It’s strange, I’m not sure why ….





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Chapter 16

Little black Swan can kill



Eleanor was strangely relived discovering at dinner that night, that Lucius was not there. Mrs Malfoy explained to her that her husband was not going to join them as he was out late. Eleanor could not make sense of her contradicting feelings, but somehow she both dreaded and looked forward to spending time with him. She did look forward to going to Diagon Alley with him-no, looking forward was an understatement. She was more excited than she had ever been about anything and yet she knew the moment she was alone with him she was going to die of fear. But why she did not know. She did not know what she was afraid of. He was such a polite man. No one had ever treated her like this before. Perhaps it was because she enjoyed his company so immensely that she grew so terrified of something going wrong, of the possibility that she could do something to spoil it all. She had looked forward to seeing him at dinner from the moment he had left her after they had returned from their walk but right now, as she sat down at the dinner table, she was just as glad that he was not present as she had been about their walk coming to an end earlier that day. Why did his presence have to stress her out so much? She did not understand. She had never experienced anything like it before.



After she had gone to bed she closed her eyes and thought back to her walk with Lucius Malfoy. In her imagination it was less frightening, but also not as thrilling. She imagined being his fiancée and he was showing her the park that was going to be hers as well. Only for a moment she felt slightly ashamed, wondering what Ginny would say if she knew her fantasy. She found herself and Mr Malfoy surrounded by trees again. She felt him taking her hand again and kissing it and she remembered that look in his eyes with which he had looked at her. It inspired her to let her fantasy move away from reality and he leaned in and kissed her cheek. She shivered and tried to push her shame and the thought of Ginny and Harry out of her mind to make more space for him. He slowly put his arms around her and kissed her cheek again, this time a little closer to her mouth. She remembered that look again he had given her and it made her feel warm and fuzzy and as though life all of a sudden had meaning.



Early morning the next day she nervously excited the gate with Lucius. He waited till she had closed the gate behind her and offered his arm again. She took it carefully and stood beside him.



“You will have to hold on more tightly if you do not want to be pulled away during apperation”, he said and she tightened her grip around his arm. And a moment later Malfoy Manor disappeared in front of them and they were pulled away.



Seconds later she steadied herself still holding on to the taller man as they appeared in Diagon Alley.



“Shall we?” he asked and guided her along. Secretly she loved holding onto his arm and walking beside him. She felt like people were noticing them. Strangers nodded to Mr Malfoy as they walked down the alleyways and he nodded back or replied a “How do you do?” Eleanor looked at the people who passed them. She liked herself in the role of the mysterious stranger beside the important man. She wondered if Mrs Malfoy always felt this way or if she had gotten used to it.



“Here we are already”, Mr Malfoy said and walked towards a door. It was a polished looking, grand dressmaker studio. He opened the door and made her enter before him. An elegant looking lady with peals around her neck came towards them with a smile.



“Gwendolyn, how are you today?” Mr Malfoy asked.



“Very well now”, she smiled and looked from him down to Eleanor, “and who do we have here?”



“This is Eleanor Prince, the ward of a family friend. She is staying with us over New Year and as you can see, she is in need of a new wardrobe to blend in with the right kind of people.”



“Well of course”, Gwendolyn replied and looked Eleanor up and down, “I am sure we can made someone out of you, darling.” She stepped closer and pulled a hand through Eleanor’s thick, black hair, “she could do with an entire make over, couldn’t she?”



“My thought exactly”, said Mr Malfoy.



Eleanor was not quite sure what was happening to her but she was willing to just let it happen. She did not dare to go against her generous friend anyway.



Gwendolyn pulled Eleanor with her into the middle of the room where she left her and quickly walked off into a back room. Mr Malfoy took a seat and watched Eleanor who stood there as though she had missed a train at the station. He gave her an encouraging smile.



“Well”, called Gwendolyn from the next room, “I have some things right here that we can work with…” she reappeared, several pieces of clothes on each arm. She dumped them on the counter and then shoved Eleanor behind a paravent. A moment later Eleanor was wearing something that looked like a shopping bag, only incredibly soft. Gwendolyn circled her, applying a spell quietly here and there. She stepped back and looked at Eleanor critically, then continued. After about 15 minutes she said: “Well.” And pulled Eleanor out from behind the paravent. Mr Malfoy, who was just drinking a glass of something looked up.



Gwendolyn pushed Eleanor in front of him and started pulling and fiddling on her clothes.



“How do you like this, Mr Malfoy? I was thinking for a general outfit we should go with her stern demeanour, but I am going for quality.”



Eleanor looked down at herself to avoid Mr Malfoy’s intense gaze and wondered what this lady meant with ‘stern demeanour’. What she saw when she looked down was a slightly shimmering black blouse with pretty buttons and a big white collar with a cute little satin bowtie. She also wore a knee long pleated skirt that fell feathery light around her.



“She will need some white or black stockings and black leather mary janes”, Gwendolyn explained.



Mr Malfoy nodded slowly: “Yes, good. She could do with a variety of shirts as well.”



Gwendolyn pushed Eleanor back behind the paravent but Mr Malfoy called her back.



“Gwendolyn, she will need appropriate undergarments as well.”



He said it with casualty, but Eleanor still blushed. Gwendolyn however did not seem to find anything odd about the man’s request to provide her with underwear. Gwendolyn went back to work and created a couple more shirts with short and long sleeves for Eleanor. Everything felt amazing on her skin and seemed to hug her body comfortingly. Her old dress was like cardboard compared to the materials Gwendolyn was using. Eleanor particularly liked a white blouse with thin black stripes and a collar that closed like that of Professor Snape high under her chin. She got another skirt as well which was beautifully gathered at the back and gave her skinny body more of a female shape. She felt very serious and grown up in these clothes. She got some beautiful black mary janes with a small heal and another pair of two coloured oxfords and knee socks in different colours and a few pairs of black and white stockings. Gwendolyn showed her how to attach them properly to the suspenders and made her several combinations of silky grown up and yet cute underwear, mostly French knickers and little shirts to go with them. Eleanor noted with relive that Gwendolyn did not choose to drag her in front of Mr Malfoy to show him the underwear she had chosen. But also she never considered to ask Eleanor for her opinion. Then again Eleanor didn’t mind. She was not paying for the items and she was amazed by every single one of them. After verifying with Mr Malfoy Gwendolyn also made Eleanor a winter coat from thick black velvet and a new cloak.



Finally she put Eleanor into another long dress and after working on it for a moment she pulled Eleanor in front of Mr Malfoy again.



“And now, for the main event I was thinking nude with a touch of peach and fine silver lines. And the focus on neck and back.” She turned Eleanor around roughly so that Mr Malfoy could see both sides of the dress.



“Interesting choice”, Mr Malfoy said and stood up slowly.



Eleanor frantically wondered what she had meant with “nude” and hoped she was just talking about colours.



Mr Malfoy started slowly walking around her. She fixed her eyes on her feet. This dress was arm free and cut out a lot more deeply than she was used to from her high buttoned dress. And she could feel that it was even more deeply cut on her back. She felt a bit naked.



“I was thinking this colour as she has an extraordinary skin tone, have you noticed that?” said Gwendolyn almost in a whisper.



“Indeed I have”, answered Mr Malfoy also rather quietly as though they were both talking about an amazing object in a museum. Eleanor shivered slightly.



Gwendolyn continued adjusting here and there but Eleanor twitched when she felt the rather different touch of Mr Malfoy’s hand on her hip. With only the thin and sleek satin-like fabric between them his touch felt electric. She would feel the warmth of his hand through it. She quickly realised that he had touched her to turn her towards him slightly. She looked up at him, her heart beating hard. He gazed up her body into her face.



“She is so pale, isn’t she”, he said, apparently to Gwendolyn.



“Yes, but without looking ill. That is the trick of the peach tone of the dress. It enhances the brightness of her skin. It is a very comforting contract for her tone, especially with the silver spark.”



“Not even my wife has such marvellous pale skin”, Mr Malfoy continued in the same quiet snarl, softly tilting her chin up and still observing her as though she was an object. He did not seem to realise or care that Eleanor’s big black eyes stared back at him slightly alarmed. She still felt his hand resting on her hip.



“Will you do something to her hair and face?” he suddenly asked, taking his eyes off Eleanor.



“Well”, Gwendolyn started, still working on the dress, “of course but I don’t want to do much. She is quite a type. All she needs is a little glamour and class. If you give me fifteen minutes I have her transformed into a lady who will pretty up your party quite a bit.”



Mr Malfoy smiled at Eleanor and nodded to Gwendolyn.



Gwendolyn took Eleanor back around another paravent, which had a chair. She placed Eleanor in the chair and started concentrating on her face, muttering charms while pointing her wand at different parts of her face and her hair. All Eleanor could notice was that her hair was pulled out of her face. She was not sure she would like this. She needed her thick wave to hide her eyes behind.



Gwendolyn gave Eleanor another pair of mary janes that fit the colour of the peach dress and a scarf of the same material. Then, after pulling and adjusting here and there she looked Eleanor in the eyes for the first time and spoke to her directly:



“There, look what we have created. You still need jewellery. I will ask Mr Malfoy to get you some lovely silver hair clips for when you wear your hair the way you do.”



“I don’t want him to buy me jewellery as well…” Eleanor said quietly. Gwendolyn smiled and shook her head.



“Darling, if a wealthy man wants to buy you things you be quiet and sweet and accept anything he gives you.”



She looked her over one more time then she said: “Now go make an appearance for your sponsor.”



She pushed Eleanor out from behind the paravent. Eleanor did not know where to look and what to do with all her limbs when she sneaked back into the room, her almost naked shoulders pulled up awkwardly and her eyes like black holes in space as they shyly flickered at Lucius Malfoy.



Lucius watched her as she emerged. Only her stiffness and the darkness of her eyes reminded him of the girl he had brought here. That convent girl had turned into an elegant little lady, a bit odd yes, not the average beauty, no, but never the less he saw something quite extraordinary female.



“Well, well”, he whispered, gazing her slowly up and down. The dress had become a shimmering and feathery long evening dress, which gave her long thin body angelic grace. Her skin seemed to glow, reflecting the shimmer of the pale, peach coloured dress.



She turned her head away from Lucius, not able to hold his gaze any longer and she found a mirror on the wall across from her.



Her thick, black hair was pulled out of her face and combed back. She had never seen her face so bright and intensely. She had preferred to hide it behind a thick wave of locks. Her skin was smooth with a dust of a spark. Her eyes seemed brighter and even bigger with a bid of red and nude sparkly eyeshaddow. Her lips had a stronger shade. She had always found that her mouth was rather big but now it was elegantly formed. Her lips remained narrow but the red was soft and yet distinct. Her cheekbones were more dominant with some red-brown blush. She didn’t look that different and yet she seemed to be a different person. She felt different too, a little insecure in her thin dress but she still liked it.



Lucius noticed it and smiled. He got up and stepped behind her. She did not look up at him but kept her eyes fixed on her image in the mirror.



“Now this is a different picture”, he said quietly and she saw both his hands reach out and rest on her hips. She forced herself not to look down at what his hands were doing there and kept her black eyes fixed on their reflection. But she could feel his hands softly caressing the fabric of the dress on her hips and it felt amazing and terrifying at the same time. She did not dare to breath.



“Do you like it?” he asked with a silky voice.



Eleanor was not sure whether he meant her new outfit or his touch but she nodded as it was true for both.



He looked at the reflection of her face: “Now you look like the pure blood you are. Now you only need to learn how to carry yourself.”



His hands left her hips and he laid them on her shoulders. She felt his fingers carefully massage her naked shoulder to make her relax them. She thought if he did not stop instantly she was just going to turn into jelly and drop as a mess to the floor. His right hand reached under her chin and tilted her head up a bit.



“Show some pride in what you are. We sometimes forget in everyday life that it is not common to be pure blood. It should be, but as it is these days, it is special to be young and not tainted with impure blood. So be proud of yourself.”



“I don’t think…” Eleanor started insecurely but Lucius interrupted her.



“This is a fact. You are not some convent runaway, are you? No, look at you now, you are a little black swan, and as such you will turn a few heads. Would you like that? Would you like to be treated like a beautiful young woman? Or would you rather be the Potion’s Master’s little scruffy orphan?”



Eleanor did not reply and resumed staring back at her own image. No, she did not want to be a scruffy orphan anymore. She wanted to be a grown up, someone who would not be treated like a little schoolgirl but with respect… and yet she felt as though she was not quite ready to match the glamour of her new appearance.



Before they left Gwendolyn’s studio Eleanor changed into one of her more casual new outfits and asked for her hair to be changed back.



Gwendolyn had no objections and gave Eleanor a booklet with all the charms so she could change her hair and makeup herself.



To Eleanor’s embarrassment Gwendolyn also reminded Lucius to buy her jewellery to go with her outfit which he did right away. He took her to an exclusive jewellery shop and bought her a small silver bracelet and three different beautiful hair clips of which one she choose all by herself. When he mentioned that it was time to go home after this Eleanor was more than relieved. As exciting as it all had been, now she was exhausted and could take no more of feeling his hands on her back or her hip and his dazzling light blue eyes piercing into hers.



Back at the manor Eleanor returned to her room to look for Molly and found her still sitting as though frozen in fear under the bed.



“Look at me, Molly. Do I look different?” Eleanor smiled, not taking Molly’s strange behaviour serious anymore.



She started laying out all her beautiful new clothes and wondered just exactly how expensive it must have been for she had not seen any of her friends at Hogwarts wear such wonderful stuff. She would probably never know and she would never ever get such clothes again, so she was going to look after it as well as she could. She folded each piece up very carefully and sorted it into the wardrobe, which only contained her uniform and old school dress. She took off her bracelet and put if safely away into its little box.



When it was time for dinner she went downstairs. She had carefully selected her outfit. She had decided on the dress that was the closest to her old one, just because she felt the most comfortable in it and selected one of those lovely hair clips to pin back her thick hair. But when she arrived at the dinner table, Lucius was missing once more. She was disappointed but did not show it. She sat down opposite Mrs Malfoy who looked up at her a little coldly as usual.



“I understand my husband has taken you shopping?” she said neutrally.



“Yes, he was very generous”, Eleanor replied quietly. Mrs Malfoy did not reply. Draco entered that moment. He seemed moody as so often lately and did not look at either of them when he sat down.



“Will father be back late tonight?” he asked his mother while focusing onto his meal.



“No, I am expecting him back in two hours or so.”



Eleanor looked carefully up at Draco. The three of them ate in silence. Eleanor felt Mr Malfoy’s absence. Mrs Malfoy was not very interested in talking to Eleanor. She asked the polite questions of how her day had been and if everything was still to her liking but she clearly did not want to deepen their conversation. And Draco did not seem to be up to talking to either of them. As she watched him secretly through her thick wave of hair she started to feel sorry for him. He seemed upset even and grim. She was wondering what it was that made him feel that way and she wanted to make it better. His mean joke he had made the first night at dinner did not bother her anymore when she looked at him now. But she was scared to talk to him. He surely did not want her pity or her help. Eleanor was aware that perhaps his father had given him quite a row for what he had said and though she had been upset about it at the time, now she wished Mr Malfoy would have just let it go if that had meant that Draco would now be in a better mood. But perhaps this was not about her at all? But even if he had been in a good mood, he had never given her any reason to believe that he cared to speak to her. She focused back on her food.



Draco left the table first without a word. His mother looked after him, worried. When Eleanor returned to her room later she noticed that the opposite door that led to the first floor corridor stood open, which it had never done before and when she turned to look at her room she knew something was wrong. Her bedroom door also stood open. She hurried inside.



“Molly?” she crawled onto the floor to look under the bed. Molly was not there. She jumped up and looked inside the bathroom, but the cat was not there either.



She knew instantly that this was no accident. Someone had been in her room and had left the doors open. She had always made sure all doors where closed.

She hurried out of the room and for the first time entered the main first floor corridor. She stood on a wide corridor with portraits, expensive carpets and large doors.

“Molly?!” She looked around but there was no sign of the cat. Her heart started beating hard. If something happened to the kitten she could never forgive herself.



“Molly, sweety!” she heard her voice shacking. She hurried down the corridor around a corner. She had no idea where this corridor let to, she knew she was in a rather private aria of the house but as she turned the corner she heard dogs barking angrily, she started running, following the noise, up another pair of stairs reaching a slightly higher level and then she saw two large dogs in front of a cabinet, barking and trying to snap for something underneath it. She could see a small black bundle of bristled fur squeezed into the far back of the cabinet hissing bravely but terrified and trying to squeeze further back against the wall to not be caught by the large fangs. Only out of the corners of her eyes she saw Draco, who was casually leaning against the wall and watching the animals in mild amusement.



Eleanor had no time to take real notice of him, she charged at the dogs and with a furious cry she kicked one of them in the head. The dog jumped back with a squeak while the other only stopped his attack of the kitten to growl angrily at Eleanor.



“Hey!” shouted Draco and advanced on her to push her away from the dogs. But Eleanor was too angry to let him push her, she leapt at him and grabbed him by the throat and screamed at the top of her lungs:



“What the hell are you doing?! What have I done to you?! What has my cat done to you?! Are you crazy?! If you ever hurt my cat again I’ll kill you!”



Tears streamed down her cheeks but she didn’t care. She was blind with rage and hurt: “I can kill!! It comes easy to me, do you hear?! I kill you if you hurt my cat!!!”



“What the…. What are you doing?!” Eleanor turned around and saw Mrs Malfoy, her face white as a sheet.



She stared at Eleanor who instantly let go of Draco’s neck. Mrs Malfoy snapped her fingers and the two dogs hurried over to her and sat down.



Eleanor hesitated, but as Mrs Malfoy was still only staring at her she jumped to the floor to pull Molly out of her hiding place. The cat was so frightened that she even tried to back away from Eleanor’s arm, who was fishing her out. When Eleanor took the kitten into her arm she felt the terrified heartbeat in the tiny chest and squeezed the kitten to herself who hid it’s small face in her arm as though it had seen enough of the world.



With Molly now save Eleanor stood and looked back at Mrs Malfoy. Draco stood there not moving a muscle. Everyone seemed to be in shock. Then Mrs Malfoy breathed: “Were you just threatening to kill my son?”



A tear rolled down Eleanor’s cheek and she shook her head in denial but she knew that Mrs Malfoy had heard her.



“He let my cat out of my room and let your dogs loose on her”, she cried, holding Molly tightly, who’s little heart was still hammering.



“And you threatened to kill him?” she repeated.



Eleanor shook her head again. She wanted to deny it desperately. She wished she could make it undone if she only denied it hard enough.



“You just wait till my husband comes home.”



Eleanor still shook her head trying to make it all go away.



“You both go to your rooms till he gets back”, he commanded sternly and gave Eleanor another outraged look, “he will deal with you.”



Eleanor squeezed Molly tightly to herself, run back down the corridor and locked the door behind her. She sat down on the bed and now looked at Molly properly.



“Are you alright, sweety?” The kitten was still shaking and looked around the room in alarm. As soon as Eleanor loosened her grip on her she tried to get away again but Eleanor held onto her.



“No Molly. I won’t leave you alone again.” She got up and entered the bathroom. She closed the door behind her and crawled into the corner behind the bath in wish Molly used to hide before, holding the frightened cat close to her and starting to cry bitterly.



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if you care to see some impressions of what kind of clothes Eleanor got from Lucius and what the evening dress looks like, I have some links with pictures here for you. They are not exact copies but the over all style is that of the 1930ies and 40ies and these are some examples that come close to what I had in mind:



http://fuzzylizzie.com/myPictures/sports/middylhj1941.jpg



http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GPm7x50Hj40/SdSLP35q5LI/AAAAAAAAAV4/LGTYMHC4_g0/s400/31dress_sm.jpg



http://adrianasassoon.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/twiggy1.jpg



http://www.fashion-era.com/images/Wedding/1930s_weddings/1930dressstyles.jpg



http://www.coutureinthecity.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/project2.jpg