Pansy had stormed over with her jaw clenched and eyes blazing, but the second she got a proper look at Draco's arm resting protectively behind Estelle, she faltered. Her gaze darted between them several times before she let out a loud, disdainful huff.
"So this is Miss Belling?" she said, voice dripping with fake sweetness.
"…Hello?" Estelle offered politely, completely lost.
Pansy's eyes narrowed at the hand still curved behind Estelle's shoulders. With an angry little stomp, she dropped onto the sofa on Draco's other side, refusing to be ignored.
Draco shifted a fraction of an inch away without even seeming to move.
"Draco, you haven't written to me in ages," Pansy pouted, crossing her arms.
Of course he hadn't. Between secretly practising spells every spare minute to finish Estelle's bracelet and spending every night coaxing his sleepy little sister into bed, he'd barely had time to breathe, let alone write letters to the usual pure-blood crowd.
Blaise Zabini sauntered up behind Pansy, taller than Draco and moving with effortless grace. He gave Estelle a small, elegant bow and offered his hand. "Blaise Zabini. A pleasure, Miss Belling."
Estelle blinked at the offered hand, cheeks pink—she wasn't used to anyone asking for a kiss on the knuckles yet.
"Hey," Draco cut in, tone sharp. "None of that."
Blaise straightened with an easy shrug, though his dark eyes lingered on Estelle's face a second longer. "As you wish. But I have to say… Miss Belling is truly lovely."
"Thank you," Estelle murmured, suddenly shy.
Draco's lips pressed into a thin line as he made the rest of the introductions, voice clipped. "That's Daphne Greengrass and her little sister Astoria. Theodore Nott's over there. And you already know Crabbe and Goyle."
The children greeted her warmly—Blaise with open interest, Astoria staring with wide-eyed curiosity while clutching Daphne's hand, Theodore offering a quiet nod. Daphne kept glancing at Pansy, while Crabbe and Goyle immediately zeroed in on the plate of honey cakes and tuned out the entire conversation.
"Wow, your bracelet is so pretty!" Astoria gasped, eyes lighting up as she spotted the obsidian on Estelle's wrist.
Everyone's attention snapped to it. The faint, living shadows inside the stone swirled like tiny galaxies under the candlelight.
Blaise raised an eyebrow. "Runes? You enchanted that yourself?"
Draco coughed modestly, lifting his chin. "It's just a Scourgify charm on a bracelet. Nothing special."
Daphne's mouth fell open. "Draco! You only had your magical outburst this year! How on earth did you manage proper enchantment runes already?"
Crabbe and Goyle, mouths full of cake, cheered through the crumbs. "Draco's brilliant!" "Yeah, we haven't even had our outbursts yet!"
Draco's chest puffed out, the picture of pure Malfoy pride. "It's basic, really. Anyone could do it if they tried."
Estelle couldn't help smiling at his slightly arrogant little smirk. She gave his hand a gentle tug, eyes shining with genuine admiration.
The soft squeeze brought him back down to earth. He glanced at her, smirk softening into something warmer, as if to say, *See? They're all jealous of the gift I gave you.*
Estelle's happy little grin answered, *Brother is the best!*
Draco: *Hmph.*
Pansy, watching the silent exchange from the corner of her eye, felt the flames in her chest roar higher.
She was only six, but the Parkinson family had drilled pure-blood politics and marriage alliances into her since she could walk. She had always made sure to stay close to Draco, quietly certain she would be the future Lady Malfoy one day. Even without the family connection, she simply *liked* him—handsome, noble, always so gentlemanly.
She'd thought her only real competition was the Greengrass sisters. Now, out of nowhere, this Belling girl appeared—a family that had hidden away like frightened mice for years. They probably weren't even proper pure-bloods anymore. Maybe they'd run out of money and were crawling to the Malfoys for protection…
The more Pansy stewed, the angrier she became. Her dark eyes flicked to Daphne.
Daphne swallowed hard. She'd never dared openly cross Pansy—the Parkinson name still carried more weight. Remembering the whispered plan Pansy had hissed in her ear earlier, she gave a tiny nod.
*It's just a talk,* she told herself. *Nothing bad will happen. And even if it did, the Parkinson-Malfoy friendship would protect us…*
When Draco finally stood and announced he was taking everyone to see the new Nimbus 1 broom Lucius had bought him, the whole group followed eagerly.
"Draco, is it really the latest model?!" Blaise asked, eyes wide.
"Merlin's pants, can you already fly it?!"
Draco puffed up again. "Father got it for me to practise. I still have to finish the theory first—such a bore—but yes, I'll show you. You're going to lose your minds."
Surrounded by Daphne, Astoria, and an excited Blaise, Draco strode off toward the back gardens without a backward glance.
Estelle deliberately slowed her steps until she fell behind. She had her own reason for lingering.
Mammon had told her to wait by Swan Lake when she got the chance. He and Pegasus had prepared a special birthday gift together this year, and the big misty-blue cat wanted a quiet moment alone with her first.