12 | ﴾ We're Going Gardening ﴿

                                    

                                          
I snapped my fingers, "Nibbles!" I cried in a tight voice, still reeling from the slap to my face. A popping noise next to me made me jump slightly in my still nervous state. She looked up at me with big, concerned eyes, "Mrs. Malfoy is hurt! What is been happening to Mrs. Malfoy? What should-"
                          
I cut off her typical rambling with a wave of my hand, "Nibbles, et is fine. Mr. Malfoy and I 'ad a fight. I said some tings I probably should not 'ave." I smiled weakly at her, knowing my face was probably a horrifying scarlet red on one side.
                          
She played with her bandaged fingers nervously and I was afraid that she would cave to the urge to bite under the distressing circumstances. I moved my hands into the pockets of my cloak just in case. "Mrs. Malfoy wants Nibbles to comfort her?" She asked looking tearful and unsure of why she had been summoned.
                          
"No, Nibs. We're going gardening," I stated, removing one hand gingerly to pat her head softly. Her ears went down with the wanted affection and she smiled as though she was a cat being cuddled in a warm bed. She followed me out into the halls and I rolled my eyes at her loud chatting, gripping my lantern before my face.
                          
"Mrs. Malfoy is still the prettiest lady Nibbles is ever being seen. The master will be saying sorry, Nibbles is sure of it. The master is very protective of Mrs. Malfoy, he is always talking about the things Mrs. Malfoy is been wanting, and-" I spun to shush her loudly, as several paintings in the dark hallway had woken up and starting complaining in bleary protest. If they left to their sister portrait frames in the house and warned the other Malfoy's that we were wandering around after nine pm it would not be a happy ending.
                          
"You need to whisper, Nibs," I cautioned and she nodded. I winced, not really trusting her to remember to be quiet as we continued moving. "Besides," I whispered back to her, "Mr. Malfoy is not protective of me." I said it with distaste.
                          
Nibbles suddenly looked shaky and upset at the argument. We were now on the second floor landing when she rapidly blurted, "No! The master is being so fond of his Madeleine. He is always asking if you is being happy when he is away."
                          
I stopped and put the lantern down, wrapping my hand around her tiny mouth. It was a risky move because if she was ever going to bite it was at that moment. "Nibbles, if you don't whisper, we are going to both be reprimanded badly for being out of bed after hours." I gave her a desperate look and slowly moved my hand back.
                          
"Okay," she said in a breathy little tone and I nodded, feeling bad that it had to be that way. If we were the only two inhabitants of the building than I'd let her shout everything she said without a care in the world. But heavens knew where Malfoy had run off to. He could be in any room on any level and he was in an exceptionally foul mood from my hurtful words.
                          
Outside of the Manor fog clung low to the damp landscape and it was cold. Hedges barely a few meters away were difficult to see. The icy-moist temperatures instantly penetrated my cloak and I felt terrible for Nibbles that I couldn't give her anything better to wear than an old potato sac. If I did free her, it would surely mean the death of both of us. 
                          
Nibbles wasn't the type to survive in the wild anyways, and she was better off being assigned as my elf. None of the Malfoy's seemed to ever want to see her and Narcissa had made it clear that Nibbles would only cook and be my elf from then on, evidently thinking she'd found a way to dispose of the elf from her own life. Nibbles' bandages were getting thinner by the day and some had been removed entirely as her body healed in my presence. I was proud of her progress and her increasing mental and physical health.
                          
We drifted around the tall manor as Nibbles rambled about not being able to find one her favorite cooking pans that day. She was apparently convinced that Gardie, a stout and apathetic elf whom I'd only seen once when I'd gone to get the thick knife to cut my dress, had stolen it and hid it from her. "Hmm," was all I said in a tired hum, not really paying attention.