ON THE TWENTY-FOURTH OF APRIL, 1995, Ophelia turned fifteen. She woke up in her bed in the room of requirement, and stared up at the pink constellation ceiling, a heavy stone settled in her stomach. In an orthodox pureblood household, she was expected to be out in society, on the market, ready to be wed. Sold to the highest bidder.

But in recent years, only a handful of pureblood families followed this tradition. Thankfully, Lucius and Narcissa no longer followed their ancestors' tradition. Narcissa had broken tradition and married Lucius at the age of eighteen. According to Ophelia, eighteen was still awfully young to get married, but it was still better than fifteen.

But that did not stop the Malfoy heiress from feeling that there were some young girls out there who were pulled out of their education at the age of fifteen and arranged to marry a man they had never met, and it filled her heart with sadness. 

It was then that she concluded that her education was a privilege, and, who knew if the upcoming dark war would come in the way of her education or not? She decided that she would begin attending her classes again, regardless of how depressed she felt inside. 

She got ready, putting on her school uniform. Then, she sat on the bed, and sighed. She needed reassurance, before suddenly attending her classes again.

She needed a hug. 

She needed to talk to someone. 

But... she had no one.

No, wait, not no one.

She had someone.

Someone who had been there for her through it all, someone who she trusted.

She found herself knocking Professor McGonagall's private office door ten minutes later. She waited a few seconds, and was about to turn around, when the Professor opened the door.

Professor McGonagall smiled at her through her glasses. 

"Ophelia, you are spending more time in my office than my classroom, it seems," Professor McGonagall gave Ophelia a tight lipped smile.

But Ophelia didn't reply with words. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Professor McGonagall tightly, waiting for the professor to step backwards and push her away.

Professor McGonagall froze. None of her students had hugged her in many, many years. The least person she would expect to hug her was Ophelia Malfoy. The so called 'Ice Princess.' Professor McGonagall came to the conclusion that Ophelia would only hug her if things were extremely tough on her.

Slowly, Professor McGonagall's lips etched into a rare smile, and hugged Ophelia back, slowly stroking her spine.

Ophelia did not feel awkward, much to her surprise. In fact, it felt like she was hugging her grandmother. But Ophelia's grandmothers had both passed away before she was born.

So it felt new. It felt like something she had felt before, but she knew she had never felt it before. It was... newly familiar.

"Ophelia, would you like to come in?" asked the Professor.

"Yes please," Ophelia whispered.

Ophelia sat on the warm armchair in Professor McGonagall's office, opposite the fireplace. 

"I haven't been seeing you in any of your classes since after the Easter break..." Professor McGonagall began. 

"I know," Ophelia sighed. "I.. I've been skipping them."

"Why?"

"I... I've just..." Ophelia did not want to tell Professor about Theodore. "I've just had a lot going on..."

"Does it have something to do with Nott?" Professor McGonagall asked, raising a brow.

"I should probably stop being surprised how you know everything about me," Ophelia sighed, folding her arms. 

"Actually Professor Umbridge informed Professor Snape that she caught you two fighting in the Astronomy tower last week..."

"Yeah, she gave us detention," Ophelia remarked. "I didn't attend."

Professor McGonagall raised a brow. "Would you like me to make some tea? It's an hour before classes start, and I do not think you plan on eating breakfast in the Great Hall. Am I correct?"

Ophelia mumbled something incoherently under her breath, possibly about how Professor McGonagall knew everything about her.

"Yes please," she finally replied. "Tea would be lovely."

"With milk? Sugar?" Professor McGonagall replied, spooning a suspiciously large amount of sugar into her tea.

"Erm, I don't like English tea," Ophelia replied. "I prefer—"

"Flower tea," Professor McGonagall finished Ophelia's sentence, leaving the the blonde completely dumbfounded, on how, once more, Professor McGonagall seemed to know everything.

"Your mother," Professor McGonagall remarked in reply to Ophelia's expression. "She never liked English tea either."

"Did you know her well?" Ophelia asked curiously, as she made herself a lavender and chamomile tea.

"No," the Professor replied. "But I knew your mother's sister well. And Andromeda and Narcissa would have been considered twins if it weren't for their different appearances."

Ophelia gasped softly, holding in a sharp intake of breath. Narcissa never mentioned her sister's name. Andromeda Tonks was considered a blood traitor, disowned by the Black family.

The next twenty minutes were filled with complete silence. Ophelia drank her tea, and finished it, and Professor McGonagall said nothing either, as she sipped her tea and biscuits.

When Ophelia was done, she thanked Professor McGonagall, and stood up, heading to the door. Then, she voiced the question that had occupied her mind for the past twenty minutes.

"What was she like? Aunt Andromeda?" Ophelia asked, one hand on the door handle of the open office door. Even saying it sounded very foreign.

"She was exactly like your mother," Professor McGonagall smiled, dipping her head down as if she knew the question would come. "Except she was in Gryffindor. And she fell in love with a muggleborn."

It seemed, that when Professor McGonagall said this last statement, it was specifically directed at Ophelia. And she couldn't help but feel that perhaps, maybe, Professor McGonagall knew.

And to Ophelia, that sufficed. They did not need to speak about it, as knowing that Professor McGonagall was there for Ophelia was more than enough.

And Ophelia was back to herself, for the most part, a slight bounce in her step.

Her mother was right.

There was nothing a good cup of tea could not cure.

Ophelia had a free lesson immediately after her first class, and she decided that she would move back into her dormitory. 

She collected her things from the room of requirement, then took everything to her dormitory. She hadn't been in her dormitory for over a month. It looked pretty much the same, except Ginny and Mariana had gotten messier. Their clothes and things were scattered all over the room, and Ophelia's pink blinds around her bed had been closed.

Slowly, she opened her blinds. 

Cleopatra lay curled up on her bed, and... something else.

Presents. All wrapped up and waiting to be opened.

She smiled. She had almost forgotten it was her birthday.

Ophelia reached forward and hugged Cleopatra. "Oh, Cleo," she murmured, kissing her cat's head. "I'm so sorry I've neglected you..."

Her cat sat in her lap, and refused to move. 

Ophelia then noticed something very queer. She slowly lifted Cleo's paws. The front two of them were blunt. But Ophelia hadn't filed them...

And then, she got a good look around the room. There were claw marks on the bed posts of Ginny's bed and Mariana's bed.

Her own things were obviously touched, and... oh— Realization dawned on her. Ophelia's eyes widened, and she slowly giggled. It seemed like Cleo had been very busy protecting her Mistress' things while she was away.

"Aw, I should have been here with you," Ophelia stroked Cleo's head and began to open up her presents.

The first one was the biggest. A large green box with a silver ribbon. Ophelia opened it to reveal a pair of brand new shoes. They sparkled in the spring sunlight that streamed through the window, and Ophelia's jaw dropped.

They were made of diamond.

Each shoe was a one piece diamond, carved and cut into a slipper just for her. It looked delicate like glass, but diamond... diamond was the strongest material to ever exist on earth. They would never break.

And these were the prettiest slippers she had ever seen. It was a pair of diamond stilettos, with a delicate place to put her foot.

When she put them on, she was pleasantly surprised to find them comfortable, and made to her size. She felt like a princess.

A huge smile made its way across her lips as she realized that it was Lucius who sent them. She hadn't been expecting any gifts this year from him, but this... This just made her day. She wiped the tears that trailed down her cheeks; tears that she hadn't even noticed.

She had no idea how many million galleons her father had just spent on her.

But then again, that was Lucius Malfoy. He always went all out when it came to giving his daughter gifts. Any chance to spoil her, he took the opportunity.

She always loved his gifts the best.

Her second gift was from her mother. Narcissa had sent her a box of homemade cookies, and a brand new bag, made of manticore leather. Ophelia loved it, and made a mental note to thank her parents in a letter.

But then, there were two more gifts. One, messily wrapped, and the other, very, very neatly wrapped.

Ophelia's heart flipped.

She recognized that wrapping.

The messy wrapping.

It was from Colin.

Her chest tightened, and her breathing quickened, and there was a swarm of butterflies fluttering around in her stomach as she picked the messy package up.

Her shaking fingers fumbled many times as she tried to open it, and finally, she had fully unwrapped it.

And when Ophelia looked at it, she furrowed her brows, turning the strange curiosity in her hand over and over again, trying to figure out what it was. 

It looked like some sort of muggle device.

A note fell out.

With shaking fingers, Ophelia opened it, holding in a sharp breath as her eyes scanned over the words, and she began to read.

My Dear Ophelia,

Words cannot express how much I miss you. I know things are awkward, but... you're my best friend. I miss you like crazy. I miss your murderous glares, and the threats, and I miss taking pictures of you. I miss your constant death threats and your sarcastic comments. I'm really, really sorry for what happened between us, and I wish I would have been more understanding towards you.

I'm sorry. I neglected you just because I got a girlfriend. I sound like an asshole. (Excuse me for cursing, I'm so sorry, God will punish me later.) But I miss you shaking your head at me when you're amused and you would never admit it, and I miss annoying you all the time.

You're my best friend. I can never replace you. Ever. 

I know we are from two totally different worlds, but I can't help but feel that we make a great team together. I hope you can forgive me.

I also wanted to wish you a happy birthday. I was originally planning a surprise party for you, but then I remembered that you would murder me. And then, you started avoiding me, so I had to let go of the idea.

So I settled for making you a mixtape, and a Walkman. I've attached pictures of how to use it. I hope you like it.

I'm so sorry for being a jerk.

Love,
Colin.

Ophelia's heart flipped. She read the note several times before she smiled, and slowly, following the pictures Colin had taken of how to use the Walkman, she lay down in her bed, facing upwards, and began to listen.

A funny feeling filled her, like an exciting sort of sensation as the first beats sounded through her ears. 

Colin has picked these songs for me. Colin has listened to these. He thought of me....

She tried to follow the lyrics. Muggle music was very different to wizard music. It had... beats, and Ophelia had the sudden urge to dance.

'Cause the boy with the cold hard cash, is always Mister Right...
'Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl...
You know that we are living in a material world,
and I am a material girl.

Ophelia smiled, and decided right there and then that she had a favorite song.

Material girl, by Madonna.

She wore her diamond slippers, and as Material Girl blasted through her headset, she danced around the room, wearing all her pearl necklaces as she danced to the beat.

Yep, Colin knew her well. Once the song finished, she put her shoes and jewelry back, and placed the Walkman in the drawer beside her bedside. She'd listen to the rest of the songs later.

She was indeed a material girl.

Smiling, she turned over the last gift in her hand. 

There was no label. Only a small roll of parchment stuck to the top of the box. She took it out, and unfurled the roll.

Just two words, and initials, Happy Birthday, D.M.

Her stomach did backflips.

It was from Draco.

For the first time, he had actually gotten her a present. She didn't care what it was, as long as he remembered.

She opened the wrapping, revealing a tiny box.

It was definitely a jewelry box, with its velvet casing and sleek design. A wide smile was on her lips as she looked inside the box.

Earrings. They were small, but very pretty. Pearl studded earrings. Instantly putting them on, Ophelia looked in the mirror. They matched her pearl necklace perfectly.

She decided to go look for Draco and thank him, in person.

It was a good thing the blonde had History of Magic next lesson, because she had already studied the whole book, and skipped a half of the lesson to look for Draco.

And then, she saw him. He was sitting by the Black Lake, with all his friends. Ophelia first thought it would be embarrassing to go there and thank him, in front of all his friends.

Then she realized that she was still Draco's sister. His friends could either deal with it, or not deal with it.

She walked quickly to Draco, clearing her throat as she announced her presence to the gang of Slytherins that sat in a circle on the floor.

There was some sort of spinning device in the center, and all the Slytherins were laughing loudly.

Ophelia looked at the gathering. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, Pansy, Astoria, Daphne, and Theodore.

She avoided eye contact with the last one.

They all fell silent the moment they noticed her.

Blaise was the first to notice her. "Draco, your sister's here," he said, before scanning Ophelia up and down with his eyes. "Damn, Malfoy, you got pretty," Blaise cooed with a wink.

Ophelia gave him a small smile. Normally, she would have glared, or ignored that comment, but she was in a particularly fabulous mood that afternoon.

Draco looked up. 

Ophelia then flushed. She had just noticed how Draco was sitting. He had his legs straight, Pansy Parkinson's head in his lap.

His blue eyes, that resembled Narcissa so much looked into hers. "Ophelia," he said curtly, standing up.

Pansy let out a scowl and a small whine, pouting as Draco left her.

Draco approached Ophelia. "What is it?" he asked stiffly.

Ophelia smiled brightly at him, and launched herself all over him, hugging him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, her eyes glazed with tears. "Thank you so much. I love them..."

Draco pulled away quickly, pushing her off him. His expression was one of complete befuddlement. "Sorry, what?"

"The earrings," Ophelia smiled, showing him the earrings she wore. "Thank you for giving them to me, I love them..."

Draco scoffed. "You must be delusional," he remarked. "I did not give you anything," he continued coolly.

"But—" Ophelia furrowed her brows, her cheeks flushing darker at how embarrassing this was getting. "But..." She was stuttering now. "But you sent these for my birthday..."

"Oh, grow up," Draco snapped, getting annoyed. "Stop coming here, in front of my friends and embarrassing me. It's dramatic. Your birthday's not for another—" Draco broke off, then looked at Pansy.

"What's the date?" he asked around his group of friends.

Pansy looked around, then shrugged. Everyone was staring at her. Ophelia could feel Theodore's dark gaze on her back.

"It's the twenty fourth of April," Theodore said, after a full minute of complete silence.

Draco looked at Ophelia. "Your birthday's not for another two weeks," he told her. "What the hell is your problem?"

Ophelia felt tears stinging her eyes. "Draco, my birthday's today! Are you messing with me because your friends are here?" she finally asked. "Are you embarrassed of me?"

Draco said nothing. "Just go, and save yourself any more embarrassment."

"No," Ophelia said, pulling out the roll of parchment from her pocket. She placed it in Draco's hand. "See, those are your initials. You sent these to me!"

Draco looked at the parchment and his brows furrowed. "Ophelia, I didn't write this..."

Ophelia suddenly knew that Draco would never change. He didn't even know the date of her birthday, for God's sake. 

Someone had sent her the earrings under Draco's name.

"Yeah, well, I'll be going then," Ophelia said coldly, turning around. "Sorry for disturbing your party.."

She had taken two steps back when—

"Wait!"

Someone called her back, but it wasn't Draco.

It was Blaise. Next to him, Theodore scowled, glaring at Ophelia, and rolling his eyes at Blaise.

"I sent those to you," Blaise said finally. "I thought... Well, I knew Draco would forget your birthday, and I didn't want you to feel hurt, so I sent them, pretending they were from him..."

Ophelia stared at him through her watery eyes, giving him a sarcastic smile. "I appreciate the thought, but I have come to terms with the fact that Draco is a terrible brother. You don't need to apologize for his behavior as an asshole."

At this, Theodore smirked, while Draco's eyes narrowed.

"And you're such a bitch," he scoffed. 

Pansy Parkinson took this as an opportunity to insult Ophelia even more. "Go away, Malfoy," she remarked. "You're not wanted here. Even your own brother said he wishes you could die."

The rest of the Slytherins gasped at her words.

Ophelia felt her heart crack, like it was made of delicate china. Did Draco really speak of her that way, in front of his friends? Her eyes welled up, and she felt her stomach disintegrating into a thousand, tiny pieces. But she cleared her throat and glared at Pansy.

Then, she looked back at Draco. This time, she was going to hurt him. 

Badly.

"Draco, I hope you know that Parkinson is cheating on you, with Pucey," she said coolly. "Since last year. And Parkinson, Draco is cheating on you with that Ravenclaw girl."

And then, she walked away, leaving the two to fight, back into the castle. As tears spilled down her eyes, she locked herself into a broom closet, and began to cry.

If Draco wouldn't care about her, then he at least cared about Pansy to feel hurt at the thought of her cheating on him.

She was punishing them both, using the other.

A knock sounded at the door of the closet.

Ophelia ignored it.

But to the closet opened, and Ophelia looked up as light flooded into the dark, musty broom closet.

It was Blaise.

"Go away," Ophelia muttered.

"Hey, Malfoy, I know we're not too close, but for what it's worth, I think you deserve a brother better than Draco. I know you have your differences, and it's not my place to say, but damn, he treats you like shit."

Ophelia shrugged. "Yeah, well I'm used to it.."

"Parkinson and Draco are fighting..."

"Good," Ophelia muttered. "They deserve it."

"They do," Blaise remarked, slowly lifting Ophelia up by her shoulders. "Go get yourself cleaned up, you look terrible."

The blonde said nothing, fidgeting with a loose strand of hair that escaped her ponytail.

"Look, it's your birthday, don't let those assholes ruin your birthday..." he remarked. "Okay?"

Slowly, she wiped her tears, and nodded, taking a deep breath. "Do not tell a single soul on what you've witnessed here, or I swear to God, I will stab you with my earrings and let you bleed out."

"Noted," Blaise said. "I'm glad you liked them."

"They're very pretty," Ophelia mumbled. "Thank you."

Ophelia did not let Draco and Pansy ruin the rest of her day. She listened to all the songs on her Walkman again, and wrote her parents letters, thanking them for their gifts.

And then, she wrote a letter to Colin; because she couldn't face talking to him in person.

Dear Colin,

Thank you for your gift. It was lovely.

I know things are still awkward, which is why I propose I'll continue avoiding you until I feel more comfortable around you.

I'm sorry for everything.

Ophelia.

She kept it blunt, and straight to the point. She missed him dearly, and she lied about her feeling uncomfortable, because she knew, that if she stopped avoiding him, she wouldn't be able to control herself.

And so, Ophelia's routine of avoiding him continued.

As the final match of the season approached, Ophelia was getting better and better at Quidditch by the day. The Weasley twins came to all the practices, and cheered on her, placing bets on her, and creating a fanbase of students for her.

Fred and George made her Quidditch practices so much more interesting, and Ophelia delivered sarcastic death threats and murderous glares towards them every single time they said something about her.

Ophelia was sad to see them go, when they turned a corridor into a swamp, set off more fireworks, and set Peeves off on Umbridge.

She would never admit it, but she missed them. Very little.

When the match of Gryffindor against Hufflepuff arrived, the stands were wild. The match was tough as well. Ophelia managed to knock two players off their broom just by hitting bludgers, and her fanbase was cheering wildly for her.

She was strong. Her beaters swing was packed with force, and she was able to manipulate the Bludger into going in any direction.

Never had she ever had this much appreciation before, and she was enjoying it rather well, even though she would never admit it.

When the match ended, Ophelia smiled brightly, as her team members held the Quidditch cup, and passed it from player to player.

Gryffindor won the finals, and Ophelia had been a part of it.

"Well done!" Angelina clapped her on the back.

Even Ginny had nothing negative to say.

But Ophelia did not want any of that fame, or attention, no matter how much she loved being showered in attention.

No, instead, she headed up to her dormitory, showered, put on her pajamas, and curled into bed, closing the blinds around her four poster bed as Cleopatra crawled next to her.

Then, she put on her headphones, and began to listen.

"And I am a Material Girl."

{ thank you so much for all your support so far. i love you guys all so much.
so this chapter was bittersweet. 
what do you think will happen next?
ophelia's fourth year is almost coming to an end. i promise drama...
hopefully, there may be only about two to three chapters left until part three.
anyway, follow me on spotify, my lovelies, at dessertoholic
spam me with comments, votes, follows, and, please, please share.
love you guys so much. take care, and eat healthy.
love, jasmine. }

{OCT 11. 2023}