Mariposa's POV :
Mariposa had always wondered if she could've lived a normal life, one where she wouldn't be forced to go through so much. But her very short, wonderful life ended, when she saw the light in her mom's eyes leave. She was only 9, a tender age, the middle of a childhood. She didn't know what the word childhood meant.
"Mari? Are you ok?" the soft voice of Melanie Cerpa whispered.
"Yes of course. I was just zoning out for a second."
Melanie Cerpa was her bestfriend, the one girl she trusted with her life. She met her 5 years ago on the train, little did they know that they would be inseparable after that train ride.
She starts to scavenge through her books, Mariposa dreaded History of Magic. Why do we learn about dead people? It's not like we can do something with them!
The ear piercing bell ring goes off, meaning the end of class. The end of the day, Mariposa rushed out her class, all she was waiting for was that releasing bell.
"Not bad for our first day of 5th year!" Melanie exclaimed.
I shrug, "School is dreadful Melanie, I don't know how you're so optimistic."
"Cheer up Mari! At least Malfoy didn't say shit today."
"I thought he would, I have all classes with him, the stupid ferret."
Melanie and Mariposa let out a laugh that made the whole hall go quiet and stare. Melanie's face goes red and Mariposa laughs even more, pulling Melanie towards the dorms.
"I didn't think we laughed that loud." Melanie muttered.
"Very embarrassing for our first day."
"Yeah, everyone could hear your bloody laugh!" a familiar voice jeered.
Malfoy.
"I thought you forgot about me Malfoy."
"I didn't want to spend my words on you Ackerman!"
"A bit... Contradicting don't you think? You are wasting your precious words with me right now..."
"Forget it!" scoffed Draco and stormed off.
Mariposa walks off to her dorm, she had lost sight of Melanie. She would probably be at the library, that girl sure got her nose stuck in a book.
Draco Malfoy, was on her mind, no explanation why. She blamed it on the bickering they were doing a few minutes before, but it came from something more deep.
That scrawny figure had always caught her eye, especially after year 4. She loathed him, but deep down, she found him very attractive. If only he wasn't such a asshole to her.
flashback to year 1 -
"The name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." the expensive boy said.
Mariposa stared, that Draco, the one she was supposed to stay away, because of her brother, the maniac that attacked Lucius Malfoy.
"Mariposa Ackerman."
Draco gave her a look, and laughed. "Ackerman! I finally met one, just like my father said 'stupidity in a person' "
"I'm not like my brother."
"Who guarantees that?"
"I'm not crazy, so before you bash on me, get your bloody facts straight."
"Sure." He teased as he walked away.
Present time -
I understand that he hated me because of my brother almost killing his father. But he shouldn't hate me, I haven't done shit to him.
Mariposa was abused by her brother, her father was never home. Adrian, her older brother was in charge of her. But while he was busy sitting on his ass, Mariposa had to be locked away in her room.
One time she had asked for more food, that granted her the scar under her neck. Knife scar, her brother told her she didn't need food. She was thin when younger, her bones poked out her skin. Her brother cursed that scar, everytime he was near it would burn. Which led her to, drift away from her brother. She would go days without food or water, living in a castle didn't guarantee happiness for her.
Mariposa wakes up, she had dozed off to sleep between all her thinking. Right before dinner time, she runs her hands through cold water and splashed her face.
"Malfoy shouldn't run through your mind, he's just a bloody loser." She reassured herself while looking at the mirror.
She heads down to the Great Hall to eat her dinner. She spots Melanie, Melanie waves at her, a cheerful look always plastered on her face. I wonder how she always has it on her face, why can't I just smile like her?
"You're late!"
"I know, I fell asleep."
"Ugh, just eat!"
I grab a piece of chicken, Melanie does the same. Melanie carefully used her fork and knife, while I just ate. I felt like a slob but I was never taught proper manners, and if I was taught some, I lost them.
"Quit eating like a pig Ackerman!" Malfoy groaned.
"Just don't look at me! Wait- Why were you looking at me eat?" I give Melanie a look and she snickers.
"I- I wasn't looking at you!"
"Yes you were, you in love with me Malfoy?"
"UGH! Over my dead body."
"Then let me eat ferret boy."
Draco mumbled something and kept eating, Melanie says the fights between me and Malfoy are the reason she comes down to eat. He has always say near us, no matter what. Tends to surprise me.
Mariposa starts to zone off again, while Draco continues to stare at her. A glare, but it isn't like always, there's less hatred in his eyes.
"What are you doing after dinner Melanie?"
"Staying in and studying! You know we can't be outside!"
"IT'S THE FIRST DAY! WHY ARE YOU STUDYING ALREADY?" Mariposa blurted out.
"Could you tone it down a bit? No one needs to hear your bitching." Malfoy sneered.
"Fuck off Malfoy!"
"Mari, we should leave..."
"Melanie go ahead, I'll be fine."
Melanie walks off, worrisome, but she knows nothing will happen to Mariposa. She knows how to defends herself, to Melanie, Mariposa is her heroine, while Mariposa could differ from her thinking.
"What do you want from me Malfoy?" Mariposa asked, slamming her hands onto the table, standing and leaning into Malfoy's side.
He proceeds to stand up too, "You know, it's fun, getting you mad."
Draco gets close to her, breathing the same air, Mariposa glares into his eyes, puddles of blue and gray, mixing together. His hair falling into his pale fair skin.
Time slowed for both of them, until Mariposa noticed what was happening.
She shakes her head and gets back to reality, "I hope you rot in hell."
"Fuck you!"
"You'd love to Malfoy!"
Mariposa walks off, her hair flipping, it doesn't touch her shoulders, it hangs above them. Dark brown, wavyish hair, very thick, she had impulsively cut it over the summer. Her brother had told her girls with long hair were supposed to be pretty, but she wasn't.
"What is this?" He said, holding her hair.
She trembled at his voice, "My hair." Mariposa stuttered.
"Pretty girls have long hair, you are not pretty."
Those words hurt her like hell, so she simply nodded and locked herself in her bathroom and snipped at her hair. It was long, it touched her waist. She started cutting and cutting, until she looked up. Her hair was gone, it barely brushed against her shoulders, she looked down at the ground. Tears started to pool in her eyes, her hair was uneven, short and messy.
Her brother walked in her room and went into the bathroom and glared at her.
He pulled at her frail hair, "That's more like it."
He walked out, and she was left cleaning the hair. Sometimes she wondered, why does her brother hate her so much...
She continued to walk upstairs to her room, and there she found Harry Potter waiting outside her door, what could he want?
"Hello Mariposa!"
"Um, hi?"
"How are you?"
"I'm fine, I suppose..."
What does he want? I don't have anything against the boy, but what the fuck does he think he's doing right now.
"Sorry if I'm scaring you, but here, you left this in History of Magic." He says, handing me my notebook.
"Oh, I had forgot about it, thank you."
Harry walked off, and I just stood there. Why was he so kind? And he never wanted anything back, I just wish he didn't act so naive.
Mariposa walked into her dorm and layed on her bed, it was 8pm. Nothing much for her to do tonight, especially with the new bitchy Umbridge rules.
I changed into sweatpants and a hoodie, I slipped out my room to the Astronomy Tower. The Slytherin halls have always been cold. I go up the stairs that seem never ending.
Mariposa always goes up to the tower because of the breeze and freedom feeling she gets. When it rains, the splash of the drops against the floor, and the rain smell brings her comfort. On a starry night, it brightens her eyes and reminds her that everyone has a special star. Even the worst of people.
Tonight was a cold night, the fall breeze making her hair sway back and forth. She sits down, and writes in her notebook.
september 1st , 1995
another year, same thing, same place. nothing has changed, the same daily bickering, the same classrooms, except, there is a change. something with him. he was so fucking close. i hated it, but at the same time, i didn't, for some reason my bloody body stayed still. i couldn't move, until i came back to reality, we hate each other, and that's how it's supposed to stay, right? -mariposa
As Mariposa is mesmerized with the night sky, and someone approaches her.
"I didn't know anyone else came up here."
Draco? "I didn't either." I stand up and shake off the ground dust.
"Leaving so soon?" Draco sneered.
"I'd rather leave than stay and be here with you."
"I promise I won't bother you."
"Fine. If you say something I will throw you off the tower." He raises his eyebrows, that's his sassy touch.
I scrunch my nose and plop down onto the floor again. I can feel Draco's presence, it's heavy, but soft at the same time.
tragedy -
it struck like a lightning bolt, making everything catch on fire. burned my childhood and freedom to ashes. once it cooled down, i was covered in ashes. there i was staring at the pile of what left of my life. i couldn't build it up again, it was too late. tragedy, unexpected and hurtful. - Mariposa
Draco kept staring at Mariposa, what could he ever mean? Why was he there? Why did he stay? Why did he want her to stay? Those were the questions that roamed in her head.
After an hour of awkward silence between the 2, Draco blurted out "Why would a scumbag like you be here?"
"I am a human being Malfoy, I enjoy being here. Why would a ferret be here?"
"I am also a human being, I like being here too."
"You like stuff?"
Draco chuckled, "Yes I do."
"I find that hard to believe, but this is where we part ways."
"Oh yes, the typical walk off in the middle of a conversation Mariposa."
"Did you forget about Umbridge, you stuck up bitch."
"Oh yes, but she certainly doesn't have anything against me! All you have to do, is bribe her or act like you care about her stupid rules!"
I raise an eyebrow, "Take it as an advice." concluded Draco.
I walk away, leaving Draco alone at the tower.
"Hey Ackerman! I hope to see you more this year." Draco jeered.
She let out a soft chuckle, nothing surprised her more than this strange encounter with Draco. Could this possibly mean something?
Mariposa enters her dorm to be surprised with her best friend, and Pansy, Melanie has liked her for 2 whole years.
flashback -
"Mariposa, I've known you for a couple of years. I think you should be the first one to know about this." Melanie said, you could hear the fear in her voice.
"Go on..."
"I'm bisexual, and I like Pansy Parkison." Melanie trembled.
"Melanie, don't fear being yourself. Now tell me when did you start liking her?"
Melanie was amazed on how Mariposa took the situation, they were bestfriends, Melanie's sexuality wasn't going to change the connection they had.
"Just recently, I don't know. It just happened." Melanie explained.
"Interesting..."
"Well, it was Potions class. I got paired up with her, and we immediately clicked. It was like we've known each other for years."
"When was this Potions class?"
"Um, a week ago." Melanie concluded.
Both of them started laughing, and they shared an embrace. They trust each other with their life, nothing could separate them.
Present Time -
Mariposa walks in, and is startled to see Pansy and Melanie sitting on her bed.
"How did you guys get in here?" Mariposa asked.
"Umbridge favorites Slytherin, so we can walk around carelessly." Pansy argued.
"I suppose." Mariposa scoffs, Pansy and her never really got along, but it's her friend's crush.
"Anyways! How was everyone's day?" Melanie sighed, each time Mariposa and Pansy were together, it would have exchanges of nasty looks and mumbles that Melanie should never hear about.
"Mine was fine!" Pansy exclaimed.
"My day was pretty, um, basic."
Mariposa avoids touching the topic of her and Draco's encounter. Especially since Pansy is present.
Pansy and Melanie slide onto the floor, while Mariposa lays on her bed. Pansy and Melanie get caught up into their flirting and their conversation, and Mariposa just third wheels in the background.
She grabs her Walkman, and starts playing her favorite song. "Beautiful Boy" According to her, it portrays a real father-son relationship.
Mariposa starts to slip away into her own world, full of questions.
Why did my father not give 2 shits about me?
Why does my fucking brother blame me for our mother's death?
Why did Malfoy suddenly become less bitchy earlier this evening?
What the hell did I even eat today?
Why was I named after a majestic bug, if I can't live up to the standards, a butterfly should fly, and all I do is fall?
"EARTH TO MARIPOSA!" Melanie shouted, taking Mariposa out of her world.
"WHAT?"
"We were asking you a question." Pansy mumbled.
"What's the quote of the day?" Melanie asked enthusiastically.
Mariposa had always make up a quote by the end of the day, most of the time, there was sometimes where she felt very much like shit and didn't have inspiration.
Mariposa thinks and grabs her notebook, she starts jotting something down.
"Sometimes, memories are the cause for not moving on." Mariposa said, she wasn't really proud of this one. It seemed boring to her.
"You don't seem very happy about this one!" Melanie said.
"I just came up with it, and it's not very convincing to me." Mariposa sighed. "I don't want to be mean or rude, but could you guys leave? I'm tired today." Mariposa mumbled.
No one heard her, as usual. Melanie and Pansy were laughing, and that was causing Mariposa to get a massive headache.
"I asked, if you guys could leave?" Mariposa muttered.
"If you didn't want us here, you should've at least said something, or say it nicer." Pansy groaned.
Melanie and Pansy walk out the room, giggling and laughing. She wasn't jealous of Pansy. But she felt a little left out. Pansy had spent the summer with Melanie. Mariposa loves seeing Melanie happy with the girl she wants but she completely forgot about her. They had always written letters to each other over the summer, but this year, there was none. Pansy and Melanie came with jokes only they understood, and Mariposa was left in the dust. It feels like she was replaced, but that was partially her fault. Last year, Mariposa felt like shit, she didn't want to do anything, didn't show up to classes, hid in her dorm, and isolated everyone in her life. It was a very lonely time for her, but it felt somewhat nice.
Maybe that's what she needed, to be isolated. To be alone again. Our witch had already been taught to not depend on anyone. To not get attached, because in the end no one is there for you. To not trust, trusting just weakens the person. To manipulate, not be manipulated. But Mariposa was different, she was a kind soul, but she had those lessons engraved in her.
Mariposa looks around her dorm and starts unpacking, due to it being the first day she didn't really spend time in her dorm. She started to look through her suitcase, just a few things.
Starting off her hygiene stuff, followed by her box of cassettes, she cared for that box because it was the only thing left of her mother. They both shared the love for music... She finds her notes from years past, always holding on to them.
"They'll help me one day!" She thought.
One thing she does carry hidden, is her snake plush. Her mother had got it for her when she was just a small child.
Mariposa places it gently on her bed, gently rubbing her hand on it, it had lost the scent of her mother.
As she continues to unpack, there's a note stuffed into the pockets. Strange. Who could've done it?
Have a great year at Hogwarts, I'll miss you, come home soon! - Your Father
It's the first time her father acknowledged her after her mother's death. He had been affected the most, just like Mariposa. Marco Ackerman, the smartest man, had lost himself in grief for months. He neglected Mariposa, as if she was the one to blame for her mother's death.
Mariposa stared, she was so confused. She shook it off and kept the note in the pocket. Lastly, she takes out a necklace, with a key on it. It had no special meaning, just a remembrance to her ancestors. She swore to wear it, she had put it in her suitcase because she didn't have time to put it on before she headed to the train.
Mariposa stood in front of her mirror, she put the necklace around her neck. It had always held memories, everything. It had no meaning, but it did have a power. Every memory was remembered if the key was in the presence of it, but only the person who swore over it could unlock them. Mariposa wished she could've showed her family how she had no option than just to stand while her mother died.
Tears pool in Mariposa's eyes, as a tear strolls down her face, she wipes it off and looks down.
"Stupid feelings."
Mariposa shuts herself out again, like she always has. Never showing weakness, vulnerability. She can't, after all she's seen and gone through.
Mariposa heads to her bed, and starts to slip into her slumber. Every night, wishing that slumber would last forever.
- hi guys I'm the writer, I hope you guys enjoy the first chapter. I started getting into writing just recently. I don't think this will blow up like other fan fics I've read but oh well, it's useful for practicing my writing skills. I hope you guys have a good day :D
PS : Mariposa is me <3 but not really, you guys can replace your name in it if you want, I just like having a name because I tend to read " y/n " as yn not my name lol
Anyways, have a great day my butterflies <333