Unofficial Portkey Archive

Disclaimer: I don't own any of this, it all belongs to the great author J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 5

The next morning Draco woke up feeling as if he'd only gotten about an hour of sleep. This was a definite possibility considering that he hadn't been able to fall asleep, and once he had fallen asleep, it had been restless and interrupted. He had woken up about every fifteen minutes. He'd been thinking about all that had happened the night before.

*Flashback*
After Dumbledore introduced the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, everyone had gone silent. They were either staring disbelievingly at the new teacher, or shooting confused glances out of the corners of their eyes at him. Then everyone started talking all at once, speculating about this strange occurrence. Dumbledore raised his had for silence, and almost immediately everyone stopped talking, most in mid-sentence, to hear the Headmaster's explanation. Many, including Draco, were upset when none came.
Instead Dumbledore said, "Prefects lead you houses to your Common Rooms, and don't stay up too late, classes start tomorrow." Draco was about to lead his House to their dormitories when Dumbledore continued, "Everyone except Draco Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy, follow me."
Draco got up, and followed Dumbledore out of the Great Hall, feeling every eye on him. He walked behind Dumbledore through the long corridors until they arrived in front of the stone gargoyles guarding the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore gave the password, (Reese's Pieces) and the gargoyles sprang apart revealing the spiral staircase leading to his office. Draco and Dumbledore ascended the staircase, and entered the office. Dumbledore took his seat behind his desk, and motioned for Draco to sit in one of the two chairs in front of it. Draco obeyed, and waited for Dumbledore to say something. He didn't say anything, but stared intently at Draco.
After a few moments, he couldn't take it any longer, and cried in a frustrated voice, "With all due respect, could you say something, and stop staring at me." Dumbledore was about to answer when there was a knock at the door and Professor Malfoy's head popped through the door. "You wanted to see me, Headmaster," she said, somewhat nervously.
"Yes, come and take a seat," Dumbledore replied warmly.
"Why did you call me here?" Professor Malfoy asked timidly. She looked around and noticed Draco staring curiously at her.
"I wanted to explain to you both the situation. I can see that Draco has many questions, and I'll try to answer them all, but first let me tell you both a little about the other," Dumbledore replied calmly. He pointed at Draco and said, "This is Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. He's sixteen years old, and is in his 6th year at Hogwarts. He is in Slytherin House, a prefect, and will turn seventeen on December 2nd." Then he pointed to Christina and said, "This is Christina Malfoy, daughter of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy. She's twenty-five years old, and is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. She grew up with the Delacour family, and never aroused any suspicions from anyone, but knew since she was very young that they weren't her real family."

"She's my sister?" Draco asked absolutely shocked when Dumbledore nodded, he continued in the same shocked voice, "but how?"

"How much do you know about why you're parents got married?" Dumbledore asked.
"I know that my father put the Imperious Curse on my mother and got her pregnant. When the Blacks found out, they forced them to get married to keep the honor of the Black family name," Draco stated.
"Exactly," Dumbledore replied.
Draco gasped, finally getting it. "You mean that my mother was pregnant with her?" Draco asked putting the pieces together. "My parents always told me that she got pregnant with me. Now I see that's not true. But wait, why didn't I know about her, why did she live with the Delacours, and if Narcissa had already produced a child, why did Lucius make her have another and how?"
"Mr. Malfoy, take a deep breath. Good. Now, the reason that Christina didn't live with you, and you never knew about her was because she was a girl. Lucius didn't want a daughter so he sent her away. He was going to kill her, but Narcissa talked him out of it. Lucius made Narcissa have another child because he wanted a son. He beat, threatened, and cursed Narcissa, until she gave in, and produced another him, this time a son. That's you Draco. I think that answers all of your questions," Dumbledore replied to all of Draco's frantic questions.

"That still doesn't explain why they didn't tell me after she was gone, what could I do?" Draco asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"Lucius didn't want you going to look for her. He also didn't want you to think of him as the `bad guy' because he needed you to trust him so when you were older you'd follow in his footsteps and become a Death Eater. He wants you to take over his place in the inner circle of Voldemort when he can't do it anymore," Dumbledore explained to Draco.
"I know that he wants me to become a Death Eater, and it'll never happen! And how could I think he's the `good guy'? He uses the Cruciatus Curse on me for God's sake!" Draco yelled indignantly. Then in a softer voice he added, "He's been a bad father to me since the day I was conceived, why on earth would I every, under any circumstances, trust him?"

"His logic was distorted, but that is what he felt was the best thing to do at the time. Now he may think differently, he may not, but whichever way, what's done is done. He can't change it now. Draco, you probably don't want to hear this, but I think you need too. Even if you don't like him very much, and he is a bad father, you should still show him a little more respect. Without him, you wouldn't be you," Dumbledore said to Draco with a knowing nod of his head. He braced himself for the yelling to begin, but it never began. Draco did something very different. Instead of yelling and screaming and getting mad at Dumbledore, he did pretty much the opposite, his eyes began to mist, and one lone tear fell down his cheek. Draco irritably brushed it away, and looked at Dumbledore.
"He doesn't deserve my respect. He's made my life a living hell. I'd rather have not been born than have him as a father. He's beaten me, cursed me, and threatened me. He's drilled into me the `Malfoy Rules of Conduct'. Malfoys don't show emotion, Malfoys don't fall in love, and don't need love either, Malfoys don't need friends, they don't need anybody or anything, anyone or anything is disposable. That may be true for him, but not for me. All the things I need, I don't have because of him. I don't have a loving father to teach me wrong from right or play Quidditch with me because he's to busy being the mean, cold-hearted father who teaches me the Dark Arts. I don't have friends because everyone's scared of my father, except the Slytherins, buy they all hate me because I'm soft and don't want to become a Death Eater. I don't have an older sister to help me with my problems because he sent her away to live in France before I was born. I don't have any of it, and it's all his fault," Draco said this, not in an angry tone, but in a resigned voice that suggested that those were the facts, and there was nothing he could do to change them.
"Well, you may not have had an older sister before, but now, if you want, I can try my best to make up for all those lost years," Christine offered flashing a sympathetic smile.
Draco gave her a long scrutinizing stare and then after examining her, he said gratefully, "I'd like that."

Dumbledore watched their interaction, and smiled. Once he had found out that Miss Malfoy had been looking for a teaching job, he'd offered her the job of DADA professor at Hogwarts. He'd hoped that bringing her here would help her brother. He did fine in school, but whenever Dumbledore saw him, he was skulking alone in the corner. He was never with anyone unless it was his cousin or the Parkinson girl who just seemed to annoy him. Even Crabbe and Goyle had come to their senses and deserted him. So by bringing his sister Dumbledore thought that Draco would be a happier person if he had someone to talk to, and it seemed to be working out nicely.
"Now, you two may go in a minute, but first I want to tell you something. I anyone asks, tell them that you're brother and sister and that Christina didn't go to Hogwarts for whatever reason you can come up with, just not the truth. That is all, you may go now," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

Draco and Christina got up and left together.
*End Flashback*

The more Draco thought about it, the more he was dreading going to class. He would never be able to pay attention in class. He also didn't like being the center of attention as much as everyone thought he did, and was intensely dreading telling everyone over and over again that Professor Malfoy was his sister, and that she had attended school in France.
Once Draco was dressed and ready to go, he grabbed his books, took a deep breath, and walked out of the Slytherin Common Room towards the Great Hall for breakfast. After walking through the dark corridors of the dungeons, he arrived in front of the Great Hall doors. Draco then called to the other end of the room, and sat down at the end of Slytherin table. As he waked, he could feel every eye in the room focused on him. He pretended to ignore them. After awhile, everyone lost interest in him, and turned back to their breakfasts.
Draco looked at his schedule and groaned. Today he had:
• Herbology with the Ravenclaws
• Double Divination with the Gryffindors
• Charms with the Hufflepuffs
• Care of Magical Creatures with the Gryffindors
• History of Magic with the Ravenclaws
He had been hoping that he would have either Defense Against the Dark Arts or Potions, with no such luck. He was already having a bad day, and it had now gotten worse. Potions and DADA were his favorite classes and now his favorite professors too.

*~*~*~*

Ginny's day started much better than Draco's had. She woke up feeling well rested, and ready to face the first day of school. She was looking forward to seeing her schedule. She was hoping to have Charms and Potions everyday this year because they were her two favorite subjects, and she was good at them too. Even if she didn't like Snape much, and he didn't like Gryffindors, he still treated her fairly because she was the best fifth year potion student. He had even said she could go ahead a year, but she had declined wanting to stay with her friends. She also enjoyed taking the class, and wanted to take it every year.
Now, as Ginny got ready, and crawled out the portrait hole she crossed her fingers. She entered the Great Hall, and quickly went to sit down at the Gryffindor table. Looking at her schedule she was pretty satisfied. These were her classes for the day:
• Transfiguration with the Hufflepuffs
• Charms with the Ravenclaws
• Double Potions with the Slytherins
• Defense Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws
• Herbology with the Hufflepuffs
She had her two favorite classes today, Charms and Potions. Not only did she have Potions, but she had Double Potions which was even better. To top it all off, she didn't have Divination today either, which in her opinion was the stupidest subject ever. I should have taken Hermione's advice and signed up for Arithmancy, she thought regretfully. Oh, well, at least I don't have it today.
Satisfied with her schedule, Ginny quickly finished her breakfast and got up to go to her first class. Upon entering the Transfiguration classroom, she noted that she was early, and there weren't that many students there yet. She took a seat near the front of the room next to Shannon.
"Hey Gin, what's up?" Shannon asked cheerfully. Shannon loved school and studying period, but Transfiguration was the subject she found the most interesting.
"Nothing much, how do you like your schedule?" Ginny asked.
"I'm pretty happy with it, what about you?" Shannon replied.
Ginny opened her mouth to answer, but didn't get a chance to. Professor McGonagall came into the room, and was about to start the class.
"Good morning, students, and welcome back for another year of Transfiguration. Your fifth year is a critical one at Hogwarts. This year you will have your O.W.L.s. They will determine what N.E.W.T. courses you will take next year. This year you should begin thinking of what careers you'd like to get into. The career you're interested in will also determine what N.E.W.T. courses to take. You'll want to work harder in those classes that you want to take the N.E.W.T. courses in. Many teachers, like myself, are strict about who they let into their advanced classes. This year I will be grading your homework at O.W.L. standards. This will show you if you need to do better in this class or if you don't have to worry about it as much. The grades for O.W.L.s are O for Outstanding, E for Exceeds Expectations and A for Acceptable are the passing grades, and then there's P for Poor and D for Dreadful. I personally only accept students who receive Exceeds Expectations or higher on their O.W.L. into my N.E.W.T. class. Now, today we will be reviewing key points from past years, but first, does anyone have any questions?" McGonagall finished her speech with the question.
McGonagall answered a few questions, and then they went on to reviewing things that would show up on the exams.
After that, Ginny and Shannon made their way to the Charms classroom. They sat down next to Michelle and Mackenzie. Flitwick gave a lecture similar to McGonagall's, and then they began to review some Charms they'd learned in past years. Ginny suspected that every class that day would go about the same.
Her suspicions led her to be surprised when she got to Potions class. Snape told them who he accepted into his N.E.W.T. classes (only students who received an O) and told them he would also be grading at O.W.L. standards. After his quick announcement, he handed out a quiz asking questions about past potions they'd made and learned about. The quiz was fairly hard, but Ginny didn't have much trouble on it. On a few she wasn't entirely sure, but otherwise she knew all of the answers.
They handed in their quizzes, and then Snape told them what to do. They were to make a Peace Draught, and he had the instructions on the boars. It was a complicated potion, but Ginny completed it with ease.
At the end of class, Professor Snape collected a small amount of the potion from all of the students. Looking at what colors the potions were and what color it was supposed to be, not many of the students appeared to have completed the potion correctly. At this Snape commented dryly to the class, "Many of you will have to improve their potions skills if they wish to receive passing marks in my class and on you O.W.L.s. Many of you left out ingredients or measured incorrectly, but Miss Weasley here, on the other hand, has made a perfect Peace Draught. You appear to be the only one to do everything exactly right, five points to Gryffindor. Class dismissed."
Everyone filed out of the classroom in a shocked silence. No one had ever seen Snape award points to Gryffindor for anything. Although everyone was shocked, Ginny was by far the most amazed. She was also extremely pleased.
Ginny made her way to the Great Hall to go and eat lunch. After that, she only had two classes, and then she would be free to practice Quidditch. She had promised herself that she would practice everyday until the day of tryouts.
Scanning the Gryffindor table, she saw Harry and Hermione sitting with Shannon. She went to join them.
"Hey Harry, Hermione, Shannon," Ginny greeted them as she sat down.
"Hey Gin," they all replied.
"Did Shannon tell you what happened in Potions?" Ginny asked Harry and Hermione eagerly.
"No, I was waiting for you," Shannon replied as Harry and Hermione shook their heads.
"Well we were supposed to make a Peace Draught, and Snape wrote the instructions on the board, just like usual. Once class was over, he collected some of the potion from each of us. Mine was the only one that turned out right, and he actually awarded Gryffindor five points," Ginny finished dramatically.
Neither Harry nor Hermione said anything right away. They were both pondering this strange phenomenon.
"What has he been smoking? He must have had a momentary brain lapse or something. Snape's never given points to Gryffindor no matter what the circumstances. Wait till we tell Ron," Harry said.
"Where is Ron anyway?" Ginny asked curiously. She honestly hadn't even noticed that he wasn't there.
"Firenze got mad at him for disrupting the class, and told him to talk to him during lunch," Harry replied sniggering a bit. In actuality, it had been both Ron and Harry, but Firenze had always been partial to Harry and chose to ignore him.
"Oh," Ginny replied.
Hermione asked how Ginny's day was going, and while Ginny was telling her, Professor McGonagall came over to where they were sitting.
"May I speak to you a moment, Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked, her voice clearly leaving no room for denying.
"Alright," Ginny replied as she followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall, wondering what she'd done.
"The girl chose to be one Gryffindor's prefects has transferred to Beauxbatons. The Headmaster and I have talked it over, and decided that you would be the best replacement. Will you accept the duty?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Me? Prefect? Yeah, of course I'll be a prefect," Ginny said enthusiastically. She'd always wanted to be a prefect, no matter what the twins said. She'd always wanted to do as much as she could to distinguish herself from everyone else at school, being prefect was one way to do it.
Professor McGonagall gave Ginny one of her rare smiles, and handed her the prefect badge. Ginny pinned it on her robe. She went back into the Great Hall, and sat back down by her friends. She wasn't going to tell them she was a prefect, but see if they noticed the badge.
"What did McGonagall want?" Harry asked curiously.
"Nothing really," Ginny replied casually. She saw Hermione looking at her, trying to figure out what was up. When Ginny had re-entered the Great Hall she had seemed much more cheerful. Then Hermione spotted it.
"Since when are you a prefect, Ginny?" Hermione squealed happily.
"Since about two minutes ago," Ginny replied, smiling widely. "I'll tell you about it later, but I've got to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts."
Ginny got up, and left the Great Hall. She made her way through the many corridors to the DADA classroom. She was eager to learn about the new teacher. She also wanted to see if she was anything like all of the other Malfoys. She could only hope that she wasn't. Ginny also hoped that she wasn't anything like their previous DADA professor, Professor Umbridge. She had by far been her least favorite DADA professor. Her favorite had been Professor Lupin who had actually taught class, and was actually who he said he was. "Professor Moody" had been pretty good too, even if he was a Death Eater in disguise. Anyone who turned Draco Malfoy into a ferret was definitely a good person in Ginny's book at least.
The rest of the class had piled in by now, and it was time for class to begin. Professor Malfoy entered the room, and smiled at the class. Ginny could tell right away she would like the new professor. She was definitely not a traditional Malfoy, no Malfoy Ginny knew would smile warmly at anyone.
"Hello everyone, my name is Professor Malfoy, and I'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. If any of you were wondering, yes I am related to Draco Malfoy. I'm his sister. Now, you are fifth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws. So, now that you know who I am, and I know who you are we can get started. This year is O.W.L. year. I'm not exactly sure how they work here, I went to Beauxbatons, but I know what the tests are like. I will be grading at O.W.L. standards. Today we will be reviewing a little of what you learned in the past years. What are the signs that someone is a werewolf?" she asked. Ginny's had shot up, along with many others to give the answer.

*~*~*~*

After the day's bad beginning for Draco, it got better. He wasn't exactly a morning person, and the mornings were never good for him. That's why he usually chose to sleep through them. Once he woke up though, he always felt a lot better.
His classes weren't that bad after all. Most of the class time had been quickly reviewing the important themes of previous years.
Now though, he was done with his classes, and it was time to relax. He decided he would check if Fierysprite was online. If there was anything that relaxed him, it was chatting with her. He logged on, and to his disappointment, she wasn't online. Oh well, I can just stay online, and see if she logs on, Draco thought optimistically. That is, until he saw Pansy was online. He suddenly changed his mind, and logged off.
Now what am I supposed to do? he asked himself miserably. He thought about it for a minute, and then settled on reading a book. That was another thing many people didn't know about him. Draco loved to read. Especially old Muggle books, from things from Charles Dickens to Jane Austen. He also liked reading Shakespeare. Right now he was reading Macbeth.
As always when he read Shakespeare, Draco was totally immersed in reading the book. He was completely unaware of his surroundings. Draco was halfway done with the play when his stomach growled. He hadn't realized how much time had passed, but looking at the clock saw it was time for dinner. Draco put a bookmark in his book, and headed for the Great Hall.
He reached the oak double doors, and then went to a seat at the Slytherin table. He scanned it, and to his dismay the only spot left was right next to Pansy Parkinson. Crap, if only I hadn't read for so long, he thought in frustration. Now he would have to endure Pansy hanging all over him all through dinner. It was enough to make anyone lose their appetite, but she had already spotted him, and was waving him over. He decided he might as well sit with her. After all, it was only one meal.
So he sat down next to Pansy, and not five minutes later he regretted it deeply. She talked non-stop about absolutely nothing. Plus she would try to flirt with him subtly, but it turned out to be not so subtle. Draco ate his dinner as fast as possible, and then quickly retreated to his dormitory.
He sat down on his bed, and logged onto the internet. Fierysprite wasn't on so he laid down on his bed, and started to read Macbeth again. He was so immersed in it a half an hour later that he didn't notice Fierysprite was online, and trying to IM him.

*~*~*~*

Ginny had practiced her Quidditch skills after he last class all the way until dinner. Then after dinner, she had returned to the Common Room, and decided her homework could wait. She took out her laptop, and went online. She was happy to see Hotdragon was online, and quickly Instant Messaged him.
Fierysprite: hey
She waited a couple of minutes for a response, and when she didn't get one, she tried again.
Fierysprite: anyone there?
Still no response. She decided to start a conversation with him anyway.
Fierysprite: I was made prefect today
As soon as she realized what she'd done, she could've kicked herself. Duh, she thought hitting herself in the head. He'll be able to figure out who you are now. She waited for him to respond, and start bragging about how he knew who she was. There was still nothing. She tried once more.
Fierysprite: hello? It's me, Ginny Weasley
She tried to bribe him. He still didn't respond. Oh well, I'll just log out then. That's what she did. I wonder why he didn't respond she thought dejectedly. Maybe he'd mad at me. Or maybe it was
it was a trap to make me think he wasn't there. Oh well, I've got homework to do.
So she shut down her laptop, and got to work on a two and a half foot essay for Snape about the importance of the different ingredients of the Peace Draught. Although her brother always complained about writing Potions essays, she didn't think it was so bad. Potions essays were the easiest homework she was ever assigned because knowledge of potions and their ingredients came naturally to her. The only time she had trouble was when it was on the history of a potion or ingredients, but this didn't happen very often.
She quickly finished her essay, with and extra half foot than required. Ginny then moved on to her essay for Charms. After completing this, another of her favorite subjects, she had nothing more to do. She decided to go to bed for the night so she would be fully rested tomorrow for the second day of classes.

*~*~*~*

Draco was nearing the end of the play when he realized how late it had to be getting, and he had yet to do his homework. He reluctantly put down his book, and started writing his essay about the goblin rebellions of 1842 for History of Magic. After finishing that essay, he made his "predictions" for Divination, and wrote an essay for Care of Magical Creatures.
About an hour later, Draco had finished his homework, and was debating whether to go to bed or read the rest of Macbeth when he noticed his laptop was still on. He also noticed that Fierysprite had tried to chat with him, but had already logged off. Without looking at what she had said, he logged off line, and shut down his laptop. Not knowing that if he would have looked just a little higher in the message Fierysprite had sent, he would have known her true identity.
Draco picked up his book again, and finished the rest of it. Then, he went to bed. He fell asleep almost immediately into a peaceful slumber.

*~*~*~*

The next morning Draco got up, feeling much more rested than the previous morning. He quickly got ready, and went to the Great Hall for breakfast. Today he had a much better schedule. He had Defense Against the Dark Arts with his sister first. It was a weird thought. His sister. Draco Malfoy had a sister. He still couldn't believe it was true, but knew it had to be. Draco quickly finished his breakfast, and went to class.
When he arrived in the right room, he wasn't surprised to see no one else was there. He was quite early. He sat down in the front row, which never did if he could help it, and took out his DADA book. After about five minute, Professor Malfoy entered the classroom. "Hello, you're. Draco, isn't it?" she asked cheerfully.
Draco nodded in response as he examined her. There was no doubt about it, she was definitely a Malfoy. From what he could tell, lookwise, she resembled Lucius more, but her personality was definitely from Narcissa. Draco was overcome by grief suddenly. I should be finding this out now, he thought bitterly. I should have known her my entire life. We should be best friends.
Draco opened his mouth to say something to his sister when he realized other students had already begun to file in. He quickly shut it, and waited patiently for class to begin.
"Hello, I'm Professor Malfoy, and I'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts professor this year. Now, you are the Gryffindor and Slytherin sixth years, correct?" the students nodded. "Alright then, any questions before we begin?" Christina asked, smiling brightly at everyone. Almost every student's hand was up immediately.
"Well, how about you," she said pointing to Ron. "Say your name, and then your question."
"Ron Weasley. Are you Malfoy's sister?" he asked.
"That depends on which Malfoy you're talking about. I am a Malfoy's sister," Christina replied patiently. He must be a Gryffindor. "How about you."
"Pansy Parkinson. Are you Draco's sister?" she asked.
"Yes I am," Christina replied. Almost as quickly as they had gone up, almost everyone's hand went back down. "Now, I'm going to use most of the class period to get to know you guys. So, when I point to you, give your name, your house, and your favorite subject. Let's start with you, Draco," Christina said, smiling encouragingly at Draco.
"I'm Draco Malfoy, I'm in Slytherin, and my favorite subjects are Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts," he replied quickly. He heard Ron whisper something to Harry. He couldn't hear exactly what Ron said, but it sounded something like, is he sure it isn't just the Dark Arts, not Defense Against them. Professor Malfoy heard it too.
"Alright that's enough. I will say, there is one thing I will not tolerate in this class, and that is making comments like Mr. Weasley just made. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all. You go next, Ron," she reprimanded sharply.
She went through the rest of the class period in the same fashion. No one dared make any snide comments. Even if she did seem nice, she was still a Malfoy, and everyone was too afraid to say anything mean.
For everyone, but Draco, the class period seemed to drag on forever, and most of the students were never more glad to get out of a class. Draco stayed behind the others though. "You didn't have to stick up for me, I can handle myself, but thanks anyway," Draco said to his sister before he left.
"No problem, and I know you didn't need me to stick up for you, but everyone kinda takes for the granted the fact that I'm a nice, cheerful teacher who never yells. This isn't true, and Draco, before you leave, I wanted to tell you something," Christina started with a smile.
"What is it?" Draco asked curiously.
"If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. Don't forget that," she replied.
"I won't," Draco said as he made his way to his next class.

*~*~*~*

The day had gone be relatively quickly for Draco, compared to the day before. He was now heading back to his dormitory, where eh would amuse himself until dinner. His first thought was to read, but decided to e-mail Fierysprite instead.
He logged online, and was about to write the e-mail, when a pecking sound came from the window. Outside of it was the Malfoy family owl, Lucifer. It was a raven colored, and it had yellow eyes that seemed to almost glow with malice. Draco untied the letter form it's leg, and it quickly flew away.
The letter said:
Dear son,
I hope your school year has gotten off to a good start. (Draco rolled his eyes. Yeah right, like he really cared.) I expect only top grades from you. The Dark Lord has no use for followers who are stupid, and the Dark Lord has uses to you, so do I. Don't let me down or you know what the consequences you'll pay. I have written this letter to inform you that the Dark Lord has set your initiation to take place during you Christmas holidays. Right after your seventeenth birthday. You will be there.
Signed,
Lucius Malfoy
Draco found a piece or parchment and a quill, and wrote this letter to his father:
Dear father,
Not that you really care, but my school year has begun fairly well. I believe I have found a friend that I can confide in, my sister. That's right, my sister. Professor Christina Malfoy. She is the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. You thought I'd never find out about her, didn't you? Well, you thought wrong. In regard to the reason of your letter, I will state once again that I don't, nor will I ever, want to be a Death Eater, which means, I will not be one. I don't care what the consequences will be, disown me for all I care. It would make my life so much easier. Having stated this, I have nothing else to say to you.
Your son,
Draco
After he sent his own owl out with the letter, he had planned on going online, but decided to go and talk to Christina about his father's letter. He needed her advice. He really, really didn't want to become a Death Eater. It was the last thing on earth that Draco wanted to do.
He got up off his bed, and made his way out of the dungeons, where the Slytherin dormitories and Common Room were located, to where the teachers had their quarters and offices. He knocks don Christina's office door, and waited for an answer. It came a few seconds later when Christina opened her office door. She smiled when she saw who it was, and said cheerfully, "Draco, what's up? Why don't you come in?"
"Alright," Draco replied, and quickly stepped into the room. He then followed her through a connecting door that lead to her "house." Usually, students weren't allowed here, but Professor Dumbledore had made a special exception to the rule for them. Through the door lay a bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a small living room. It was fairly big, at least bigger than what Draco had expected. Christina lead him into the living room, and motioned for him to sit down on the couch. He obliged, and she sat next to him.
"So, is there anything in particular you wanted to talk about or did you come here just so you can gloat to all your friends that you've been in a teacher's quarter?" she teased gently.
"I couldn't do that because I don't have any friends," Draco said miserably. He sighed longingly, wishing it weren't true.
"Of course you have friends," Christina said optimistically. "What about Blaise and Pansy?"
"Blaise is my cousin, he has to like me, and Pansy just annoys me," Draco replied stubbornly. He knew she was only trying to help, but he couldn't help it.
"Well, what about me? I'm your friend, aren't I?" Christina asked, still as cheerful as ever.
"You're my sister, and besides you're like ten times older than me," he said.
"I am not that old, I'm only twenty-five years old, that's only nine more years than you, but this isn't what you wanted to talk about, was it?" she asked desperately wanting to know what was bothering Draco, other than his lack of friends. She may not have known him long, but he was still her little brother, and she wanted to help him.
"I need your advice about something. I got a letter from my father today, and he said that Voldemort had set a date for my initiation as a Death Eater," Draco began slowly. He continued to tell her all about his life, about how his father wanted him to become a Death Eater, and how he cursed and threatened him. He mentioned Fierysprite briefly. He then finished with, "but I don't want to be a Death Eater, and I have no idea what I should do."
"Well, you certainly have a lot on your plate, don't you? I would love to help you Draco, but there's nothing I can really do. I wish I would have been there for you during all of this. I fell I could have prevented it someway," Christina cried when he had finished. She couldn't believe all the things he had endured through the years, and he still managed to stay sane, and not turn to the Dark Side. She didn't think she would have ever been able to do it. She was most impressed.
"It's alright, you've helped enough already, just by listening, and being here for me. No one's ever here for me, not even my mother. She's too afraid of what Lucius would do, but I guess I don't blame her. She's been through a lot. You're here now though, and that's the best comfort I've ever had in my life, knowing I have someone to confide in," Draco finished his short speech with a weak smile.
His words and his failed attempt at a smile broke her heart. "I'm glad I could be some comfort, but what about that girl you mentioned before, the one you met online? What's she like?" Christina asked with interest. She had seen his eyes light up when he had talked about her before, and knew talking about her made him happy.
Immediately his eyes lit up as he began to tell her everything about Fierysprite, and how he wished he knew who she was.

*~*~*~*

Ginny had finished all of her classes, and had then taken her broom out to the Quidditch Pitch to practice. She usually stayed out for about an hour, but had decided to stay out until dinner today. She knew that if she had the time to do it, she would go online, but that was the one thing she didn't want to do. She wanted to avoid Hotdragon the best she could, and since no one had approached her and told her that he was Hotdragon, it was the best way to do it. Now, looking back, what she'd done had been incredibly stupid. He might not have figured it out if she hadn't blabbed it.
When dinnertime came, she entered the Great Hall tentatively. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself. She didn't know why she didn't want to have Hotdragon approach her. She guessed it was because she was beginning to believe him when he said that it would ruin what they had.
When no one approached her, she quickly sat down by Shannon.
"How was your Quidditch practice?" Shannon asked once Ginny had sat down.
"It was pretty good. It's so much fun to be out there fluting around by yourself. It feels so awesome, like everything is right in the world," Ginny said dreamily.
"See, that's where I disagree with you. I hate flying, and it gives me the worst feeling. I'm terrified to death of heights," Shannon said, shuddering at the thought of flying.
"I don't see how. Flying is one of my favorite things in the world to do. I don't see how anyone could not love it as much as me," Ginny exclaimed disbelievingly.
"It's the same thing with me and studying. You hate it and think of it as a chore, but I love it and do it all the time," Shannon pointed out.
"That's true, everyone's different I guess. I bet you could pick anything in the world to do, no matter how stupid, and it would be someone's favorite thing to do," Ginny said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Shannon consented. "So, anything exciting happen to you today? No run ins with Malfoy or anything?"

"No, as a matter of fact, he hasn't bothered me since the day on the train. That's odd for Malfoy," Ginny said, surprised at her revelation.
"Wow, that's surprising. I never thought he was capable of such a thing. Then again, I never thought him capable of apologizing to anyone either, let alone a Weasley," Shannon reasoned. "Do you think Malfoy's gone soft?"
"No, I don't think he could ever change. Not even if he wanted to, not that he wants to anyway. He wouldn't be so bad if he weren't so hot," Ginny said wistfully. Then realizing what she had said, gasped. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks, and knew they were bright red.
Just then there came a drawling voice behind her saying, "Hello, Weasley."
"Malfoy. How much did you hear?" she demanded coldly.
"Oh, I heard enough. So Weasel, you think I'm hot do you?" Draco asked, smirking at her.
"So what if I do? What's it to you anyway? I bet you one out of every ten girls here feel s the exact same way," Ginny said defensively, but she could feel her cheeks turning an even darker shade of red. Stupid cheeks, she thought angrily. Why did she have to have such fair skin? If she had darker skin, her blushes wouldn't be so noticeable.
"You're probably right," Draco consented, still smirking away. God, I hate that smirk, Ginny thought. No you don't, a voice in the back of her head said, you think it's sexy.
"You are such an arrogant git," Ginny spat at him.
"No I'm not, it's the truth," Draco replied coolly. "Why Weaslette, when your face matches your hair, you're almost cute." Draco walked away with a harsh laugh.
Ginny finished her dinner as fast as she could. Then she raced back to her dormitory. She sat on her bed thinking about Draco Malfoy, and what he had said. "Why Weaslette, when your face matches your hair, you're almost cute." She didn't know why the comment bothered her so much, but it did. Was it because she was developing a crush on Malfoy? No, I can not possibly have any feelings except hatred for Malfoy. His family is my family's worst enemies, of course she didn't like him.
I've got to talk to Hotdragon about this, without using any names of course, she thought suddenly.
She logged onto her laptop, and online. She was happy to see Hotdragon was on too.
Fierysprite: hey
Hotdragon: hey
Fierysprite: why didn't you talk to me last night?
Hotdragon: sorry about that, I was reading and didn't realize that you were trying to IM me
Fierysprite: id you read what I sent you?
Hotdragon: no
Fierysprite: hallelujah
Hotdragon: why? what did you say?
Fierysprite: I gave you a huge clue to who I am and then admitted who I am
Hotdragon: no way, you're joking
Fierysprite: I am not, I really revealed my identity
Hotdragon: no! I can't believe I missed my chance all because I was reading!
Fierysprite: I can't believe it either
Hotdragon: ah man
Fierysprite: can I ask your advice about something?
Hotdragon: if you tell me your name
Fierysprite: never mind then
Hotdragon: I'm kidding, what's up?
Fierysprite: I think I might have a crush on my worst enemy
Hotdragon: you think?
Fierysprite: yeah, what should I do?
Hotdragon: that depends on what you think, you kinda have to trust you instincts with this, sorry I can't help you more than that
Fierysprite: that's alright, I didn't expect you to be able to help me anyway, thanks anyway though
Hotdragon: no problem
Fierysprite: I've got homework to do, but I'll talk to you tomorrow okay?
Hotdragon: alright
(Fierysprite has logged off.)
Ginny got out her first assignment, and got to work.

*~*~*~*

After talking to Fierysprite, Draco shut down his laptop angrily. He could not believe he was that stupid. I should have read what she had wrote, that way I would have known who she was, Draco thought, running a hand through his hair. Oh well, it doesn't matter that much anyway. I'll find out eventually.
Draco sat down on his bed, and got out his school books. He had decided to do his homework as well. It wouldn't take him that long, and then he could read. He didn't know what to read yet, but he'd figure it would when the time came.
Draco finished his homework with ease, and flopped back on his bed with a book. He continued to read until ten thirty, when he decided to go to bed. Draco changed out of his school uniform, into his pajamas. Then he turned off the light, and crawled into bed. After laying in bed for a couple of minutes, he realized he was not going to fall asleep very easily. He was too busy thinking about Fierysprite, and how he could have known who she was. Things would be a lot different if he did. He could actually talk to her in person. He finally fell asleep around midnight.

A/N: Don't forget to review! Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! You guys are awesome!