My Destiny in Those Eyes

Ice Cream and Conversations

It was the perfect midsummer's day. The temperature was warm: there was a gentle breeze blowing and not a cloud obscured the brilliant blue sky. People were out enjoying the weather and those who could not be outdoors looked out of their shop's windows longing to be in the open. Most people seemed high-spirited on this wonderful day, but not Draco; he was in an exceptionally foul mood.

Draco had not slept well the previous night. He felt tired and irritated. He was snapping at everyone more then usual and scowled constantly. One thing he was sure of, though, was that it was that ruddy girl Yesenia's fault. Thoughts of her were the reason why he hadn't slept well. Draco cursed her silently.

His mood lifted a little as the day wore on. He'd decided that Yesenia wasn't worth his worries or his money, so he dismissed her from his thoughts and planned to get the money he'd thrown on the floor back later in the day.

Draco was stuffing his face with chocolate when he realized he should be getting on to the fortuneteller's building. He walked there slowly, not in any sort of rush. He stopped in a few shops along the way, buying his mother a silver hair clip. After making his purchase, he left the shop and continued on his original path.

Around noon, Draco finally arrived at his destination. He pushed open the door and was assaulted with the strong smells of the building. No one was sitting at the small table in the center of the room, but there was a man who was around 35 in a corner sweeping. Draco tried to remember the little Spanish his mother had taught him. He settled for asking where Yesenia was. It wasn't urgent but he did want his money back. He also wanted to give her a piece of his mind.

"¿Dónde esta Yesenia?" Draco asked the man, his pronunciation terrible.

The man gave Draco an appraising look before answering, "No se, she left on an errand for me. She could be anywhere between there and here." The man returned to his sweeping and Draco left.

A feeling of frustration overcame him. He wanted his money. It could even be said that he missed it. And he was also peeved that Yesenia had escaped being told-off. However, Draco also felt somewhat relieved. As much as he wanted to insult her, he was still a bit wary of her blazing temper. He was pretty sure he'd only seen a small glimpse of her temper the day before.

'I'll just have to wait until tomorrow,' Draco thought dully.

~~~~~~~~

The sun beat down on Draco burning the back of his neck. He saw an ice-cream parlor and made his way toward it. All of a sudden, a man came running by, and passing a woman he tried to grab her purse. Instead he got a fist in the face. After punching the man, the woman commenced to beat the man over the head with the very purse he'd tried to snatch. Draco saw this and turned to walk backward so he wouldn't miss a moment of the action. He was chuckling to himself softly when he bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it!" he snapped. "You bumped into me."

In the same moment someone yelped and said, "Excuse..." They broke off abruptly as Draco spun around to face them.

"Yesenia," Draco drawled, "I believe you owe me an apology-and some money at that."

"You bumped into me!" Yesenia said. Her words were as sharp as a razor. "I don't owe you anything."

"Fine then. Don't apologize. It's not like I expected someone so crude to know how to anyway." Draco brushed past her and reached for the door of the ice-cream parlor, only looking back to smirk at her.

Yesenia looked quite different today. No longer was she dressed in gypsy clothes, but a boy's shirt and pants. Her loose ponytail only added to her tomboyish appearance. If it had not been for her eyes, Draco would not have recognized her at all.

"Vanilla on a cone," he said to the clerk, in an unsuccessful attempt to rid his mind of the wretched girl.

"That will come to a total of..." The bored looking clerk began to tell Draco, but stopped, her eyes lighting up, "Nia!"

"Hola, Rosa." The scowl Yesenia had saved for Draco vanished as she smiled at the woman.

Rosa gave Draco his ice cream and change before asking if Yesenia wanted any ice-cream. A light blush rose in Yesenia's cheeks, but she held her head high.

"Rosa, you know I don't," her voice trailed off as she gave Rosa a meaningful look.

"Nia, honey, don't worry about it," Rosa said smiling kindly, "you do me enough favors." She then scooped a cone of strawberry -cream and handed it to her. Yesenia thanked her profusely before she took a seat across from Draco.

She licked her strawberry, sugar and cream concoction then said, "You still owe me that apology for calling me a Muggl-"

"I will not have this discussion here!" Draco hissed

"Okay then," she responded with a nod.

~~~~~~~~

Draco had eaten his ice cream slowly, as if he was really enjoying it, instead of trying to annoy Yesenia. After he'd finished his sweet, Draco swept out of the ice-cream parlor without so much as a look in Yesenia's direction. She jumped up from her seat and rushed after him. He wasn't much taller then her, so keeping up with him wasn't very difficult.

The real issue was that he was ignoring her. Yesenia had tapped his shoulder twice and he had not responded. The third time she tapped him, he stopped so suddenly she almost ran into him.

"What do you want?" he asked. His tone was dripping with sarcasm.

"The apology I've asked you for about a million times," Yesenia replied trying to keep her calm.

"You are one persistent Muggle, but you look smarter then you are in actuality," he spat out at her. He began walking faster than before. "You aren't going to get an apology from me, so sod off. I don't have time for a piece of shit like you."

Yesenia sighed exasperatedly before saying, "Look, you being a dense wizard isn't my fault-but won't you refrain from calling me a Muggle." Yesenia wasn't asking, she was ordering Draco. Of course, Draco didn't like this at all, but he decided to brush it off.

"Oh shut it won't you," he snapped as he stopped walking again. Now seemed like the perfect time to tell her off and harass her about his money. Draco had been so caught up with the idea of finally getting her back for being herself, that what Yesenia said only came to him about a minute after she'd said it.

"Wait. What did you just say?" he asked.

"I said that you being a stupid wizard isn't my fault, but stop calling me a Muggle," she replied slowly as if she were giving complex instructions to a very small child.

"Why?" Draco asked smiling inwardly; he knew this was hacking her off. He had already guessed the answer to his question, but he was making sure.

"Ay Dios ayudame, por favor!" she cried lifting her head toward the sky. "How slow can you get? I'm a witch, not a Muggle." By this time Yesenia was completely annoyed. She quickened the pace of her walk. Draco was now following her like she'd been following him.

"How did you know that I was a wizard?" his voice had a curious edge to it.

"Think about it," she said looking over her shoulder, "you called me a Muggle bitch. Not many Muggles would do that, considering that the majority of them don't know witches and wizards exist. The few that do know, aren't actually aware that we call them Muggles. It only made sense that you were a wizard." Yesenia sped up to almost a jog trying to lose Draco in the crowed of shoppers. He was irritating her and she needed to get back to her home.

"Hey! I'm still talking to you!" He shouted as he noticed the gap between them growing.

"Yeah, I noticed, but I don't really care," was her reply.

"I thought you wanted to talk."

"I wanted an apology, but I've given up all attempts to get one and I've accepted the fact that you aren't going to say you're sorry because you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"That's not true!"

"Isn't it?" Yesenia said as she stopped and turned to look him in the eye, raising an eyebrow. They had reached the entrance to her fortune teller building and her hand rested on the door knob.

"You don't know me," Draco countered, feeling very intimidated by her gaze.

"I'm not sure if I want to either," she sneered, "I have to work, so you have to leave. I have no idea why I'm saying this because you're probably not listening anyway, but if you feel the need to continue this conversation it'll have to be tomorrow or another day. I have other things to do. Adios."

She opened the door and muttered, "Not like I'll ever see him again, thank Dios." She didn't think Draco heard, but he had.

He walked back to the hotel thinking, 'Yet another chance to prove her wrong.' He smiled.

~~~~~~~~

The hair clip he'd gotten for his mother was the last thing Draco placed in his bag. He was tired of living out of a hotel room and was beginning to miss the hacienda. The journey back to the hacienda was spent by Draco thinking of all that had happened over the past three days.

By the time Draco reached the back door of the hacienda-which was one of his many summer homes, he realized he felt different: he felt more liberated, more independent. He had never actually gone this long with out the help of servants, excepting his time spent at Hogwarts. The first thing he did upon his return was seek out his mother. He found her seated in the library, sipping tea and reading a novel. She looked up when she heard Draco enter and they shared an embrace while she whispered kind words into his ear. Narcissa then settled back down to her novel contented that her baby was home.

Having left his mother to read, Draco went in search of his father. He didn't find him so he went to take a hot shower. Draco entered his room after the shower to discover his father waiting there for him. Lucius was sitting in a chair by one of Draco's windows. He rose and addressed him.

"Have a seat son," Lucius' voice was curt and business-like, "we need to have a discussion." Draco sat and prepared himself for one of his father's famous speeches about family honor, responsibility, etc.

Trying to lighten the mood Lucius said, "So, you went to the town to let out some of your frustrations on one of the local Muggle girls?"

"No, I left because of you and Mum fighting that morning," Draco retorted and was immediately horrified that he'd used such a tone with his father.

Lucius ignored Draco's tone and gave a would- be- benign smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Oh, that was my second guess," he said using a light voice. However, deciding to get the point of the conversation, his countenance became noticeably sterner, "Draco, you're almost a man. You can't go running off like a child whenever something upsets you," he paused. " I thought you had out grown your little 'run away from everything' phase."

Draco didn't answer; he only shifted in his chair.

Lucius continued, "I love your Mother even if it is in an odd way. I have never laid a hand on her..." He was cut off by Draco.

"You liar! I heard you smack her the other day! You know that's a hell of a thing to wake up to."

"I did not touch her. She slapped me then threw a vase at my head," Lucius stated calmly. "It may be hard for you to believe because Narcissa and I aren't the most affectionate people, but we do love one another. We fight, then we make up and everything's fine. It's just our way. If I became tired of your Mother, I wouldn't hit her, I would curse her or poison her and she'd do the same to me. Anyway, that is the end of that discussion. I shall give you some advice: Don't speak when you are behind the veil of ignorance, as it only makes you looked foolish."

"Yes sir," Draco mumbled.

'Draco reminds me so much of myself at his age, but I dare say I wouldn't have spoken in this manner to my father-or maybe I would have,' Lucius thought to himself before he said, "On to the original order of business: As you know the ranks of Death Eaters are diminishing due to the increase in battles recently. Many of us have been killed or jailed and not all of us are as fortunate as I am to be acquitted of charges after some... persuasive offers."

Draco watched his father's grey eyes trying to discern what he was getting at. Lucius took a sip from a cup he'd transfigured from thin air before he went on, "We need more wizards who are willing to join our fight, our cause, our Dark Lord. I feel that it is time, Draco, that you start your Death Eater training."

Taking another sip he added, "It is your decision, albeit you know what I would have to say in the matter. Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Theodore Nott have or will be having similar conversations with their fathers. They too will be told to make the decision on their own. The Dark Lord only wants a servant who will come willingly. The training starts after winter vacation, so you have until then to decide. Don't disappoint me, son. Choose wisely." With that Lucius gave Draco a nod and retreated from the room.

'Like I have a choice,' Draco thought furiously upon his father's exit. He frowned angrily out of the window before turning abruptly to cross the room and get dressed.

'He's already bloody decided for me.' A great sigh passed through Draco's lips. 'First that infernal girl and now my dad. I was having a good day until about noon.'

He moved over to his bed and pulled out a piece of parchment and a stick of charcoal from underneath. Sitting on his bed, Draco closed his eyes and began to draw. It was something he did when he was angry and only his mother and a few house elves knew about it. He only drew at home because he didn't feel like having the mickey taken out of him for doing something he liked, plus, he had the reputation of being a Slytherin authority.

Draco had been drawing since he was very young. One day he'd been angry and torturing servants and found that breaking precious things had lost its appeal. Draco didn't exactly remember how he had gotten a piece of parchment and a quill, but there they were in front of him, and he scribbled as hard as he could, almost tearing the parchment as he went. He didn't stop until he had run out of ink. From that day forward, Draco scribbled or drew whenever he was roused to ire.

With each stroke, Draco felt his mind become clearer and clearer. There was only he and the paper. He wasn't even aware of the image he evoked from his brain and translated onto paper, he just kept going.

He knew it had to end, this peace, when he felt himself coming back to his senses. He opened his eyes and was disgruntled by the familiarity of the picture. It angered him, because it was a close to perfect portrait of Yesenia.

~~~~~~~~

Draco was looking down at Yesenia's picture, when it winked at him. He did a double take. He knew wizard portraits moved, but this was only charcoal. Yesenia and he hated each other, so why would she wink? As he mulled this over, the Yesenia in the drawing stepped out of the picture and became solid. He didn't realize this until she touched his arm.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a mixture of shock and anger.

She only laughed at him and batted her eyelashes. Yesenia took his hand in hers and he willingly followed her as if she were a Veela, to the window. She let go of his hand and turned to face him. Draco couldn't help himself; he leaned in to kiss her. As soon as he set a soft kiss on her lips, he felt her smile against his mouth and she moved away. When he finally opened his eyes Yesenia was still smiling, but her eyes were remarkably sad.

A single tear fell from her green eye and traveled along her scar before dying on her upper lip. No tears where shed from her brown eye although it was shimmering with the presence of them. Draco reached his hand out to brush away the tear, but no sooner had he lifted his hand, she began to slowly, ever so slowly, fade into thin air.

"No," he gasped.

Draco sat up bolt straight in his bed, his mind spinning. He fell back to his pillows again asleep seconds later, forgetting the dream and all it could possibly mean.

~~~~~~~~

Draco leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting for Yesenia. She came down the creaking stairs in her tomboyish attire with a soccer ball under her arm and walked passed him, not even stopping to regard him. He called out to her, but she only gave him a pointed look, telling him with her eyes to follow with out argument.

'How does she always do that?' he thought, 'I'm the one who wants to tell her off to get the best of her, but she's bossing me around!' Draco was quite discontented by this thought, but he continued to follow her.

Yesenia only stopped when they reached a field enclosed by short trees. There were nets on either side of the field, so Draco assumed that some kind of Muggle sport was played here. Yesenia sat on one of the low limbs of a tree and looked at him expectantly.

"What?" Draco asked after she'd been staring at him for about a minute.

"We came here because you wanted to talk. So talk," she replied rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"Oh please, like you can actually have a conversation with me that doesn't end in you yelling. You have a horrid temper you know," he sneered in a lazy voice.

"I could if I wanted to," she said her temper once again rising. Draco's eyebrows lifted showing his disbelief. "Really."

Yesenia persisted scornfully.

"Well then, try me. Five minutes, no yelling," his smirk prompted Yesenia.

"How old are you?" she asked, her voice tight.

"I'm sixteen."

"What's your family like?"

"My father is... a business man," Draco figured it wouldn't hurt to leave his father's Death Eater status out of the conversation. "My mother mostly stays home and redecorates the manor or goes out shopping. I don't have any brothers or sisters. My dad is an only child and my mother has two sisters."

Yesenia didn't think he could possibly be finished, but when he didn't continue she said, "Oh! What school do you attend?"

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"Isn't that where Harry Potter goes to school!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, but your five minutes are up," he cut her off giving her a look that told her not to continue the subject.

"See, I went five minutes and I didn't end up yelling. That's more than I can say about you, snapping at me all the time. You're rich and you don't have any siblings, No wonder you're so pushy and spoiled. I should have been the one challenging you to a five minute conversation." Yesenia wasn't so much talking to Draco as she was thinking out loud.

"How old are you?" Draco said in a would-be calm voice.

"Fifteen," Yesenia replied with a sigh as she dropped her soccer ball on the ground.

"What school do you go to?"

She smiled sardonically and shook her head. 'The same exact questions,' she thought. "I attend Luna Azul Escuela de Mágica and I'm gong into my 6^th year."

"What's your family like?"

Yesenia jumped into a long family history. Draco found out-even though he could not have cared less-that one of her ancestors was a Gypsy who fell in love with a local witch and gave up his life as a Gypsy to be with her.

"Okay," he said stopping her in mid sentence. "Maybe I should have said what's your immediate family like?"

"My dad is an accountant in this town. y older brother, Tomás, is one year older than me. My little brother, Eduardo, is a year younger then I am. My mother died when I was three and I don't have any aunts or uncles that are alive or that live near here." Yesenia began kicking her ball around and Draco heard a few quiet sniffs. He watched her for a second and became annoyed by the noise the ball made when she kicked it.

"Stop it, will you?" he said.

"No," she answered as if it were that simple. "I have to get this move right so I can use it against the boys." Draco didn't know or care who "the boys" were; he just wanted her to stop.

"It can't be that hard. You probably aren't doing it properly," he told her matter-of-factly.

"You try then. Maybe you can do it properly," she growled and hurled the ball at him. To her displeasure Draco caught it. He was pushing it around with his toe like he'd seen her do, but when he tried to turn he ended up tripping over the ball and landing on his face. Yesenia blinked once and then doubled over in laughter. Draco got up quickly, glaring at her.

She was laughing so hard she had to make her way over to a tree for support. As she went an unseen root snagged her toe and sent her flying. It was now Draco's turn to laugh. She remained on the ground when he sauntered over with tears of mirth in the corners of his eyes.

Draco saw that she had hurt her toe, so he pointed and went on laughing at her. Apparently, Yesenia thought he was offering to help her up because he felt her grab his hand suddenly he was pulling her up. He stopped laughing upon contact; she only smiled at him and gave a small chuckle.

"I suppose I'll have to teach you to play fútbol," she stated between giggles.

For a minute, Draco stared at her not sure if he should accept the gesture of kindness.

"And I'll need to help you learn how to walk," was his reply as a little smile spread over his lips.