Disclaimer: I don't own any of this.
A/N: IMPORTANT! IF THIS CHAPTER SEEMS FAMILIAR TO YOU GO BACK AND READ CHAPTER 3! I ACCIDENTLY UPLOADED THIS CHAPTER LAST TIME INSTEAD OF CHAPTER 3!
Chapter 4
Draco was shaken awake on Christmas Eve morning by one of the Malfoys' many house elves. "Mistress says you
must be ready in an hour to visit your father," the little elf announced before scampering out of the room. It had
had the task of waking up the young Malfoy before, and it usually wasn't very pleasant experience. It usually
involved a lot of yelling and swearing.
Draco cursed under his breath before pulling himself out of bed. The time had finally come and he couldn't wait for
it to be over. He stumbled into his private bedroom and splashed water on his face to wake himself up. It didn't
work very well.
As Draco got ready, his thoughts focused on a particularly odd dream he'd had the night before. In his dream, his
mother and he had arrived at Azkaban to visit Lucius. There, they were met by the Weasleys, all nine of them, and they
all went to visit Lucius together. When they had arrived at the cell, Draco's father had seemed happy to see the
Weasleys. No one in the dream had been surprised at this. It was as if the Weasley and Malfoy fight had never taken
place. That wasn't what the oddest part for Draco, however. The oddest part for him had been at the end, right
before he'd been shaken awake. He and Ginny Weasley had shared a rather non-platonic kiss in the middle of Azkaban,
and his father hadn't even minded. No one in the dream had minded. Even odder than that, though, was that Draco had
enjoyed his dream a little.
*~*~*~*
Ginny woke up on Christmas Eve morning to the sound and smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchen. She quickly got
out of bed. She loved Christmas Eve. Every year she and her mother baked cookies. They would bake and laugh and
remember old times. She loved that time when it was just her and her mother, most of the time. This year, she
wasn't so sure. She still wasn't over the whole memory obscuring thing. Maybe Kiara would want to join them
this year. She was a Weasley woman after all, and baking cookies was a Weasley woman tradition.
When Ginny arrived downstairs, she was happy to note that Bill and Kiara were sitting next to each other. They were
also talking to each other as if nothing had happened. They must have made up, Ginny thought happily.
Ginny took her seat next to Charlie and began helping herself to some pancakes and bacon. If there was one thing to be
said about her mother, it was that she was a wonderful cook. No matter what Molly Weasley made, it turned out
delicious. Ginny hadn't inherited much of her mother's culinary skill, but it didn't stop her from trying
to cook things. The extent of her skills, sadly, was baking cookies. She just couldn't get anything else quite
right.
The conversation swirled around Ginny as her thoughts focused on a dream she had had. In her dream, there had been a
ball planned for all of the graduating seventh years. Only seventh years could attend, unless a younger student was
invited by one of the graduates. In the dream, Draco had asked her to the ball, and she had accepted his invitation.
Then she'd written to Kiara to tell her. Kiara had written back that she had known all along that Draco fancied
Ginny. Then she'd woken up. All in all, it had been a bit strange, and Ginny didn't even want to try to figure
out what it meant. It was probably nothing anyway.
"Ginny," Charlie all but yelled, elbowing her and snapping her back to reality.
"Oh sorry. What did you want?" she asked, blushing.
"I wanted you to please pass the pancakes," Kiara repeated politely for probably the hundredth time.
"Sorry," Ginny apologized once again, passing the plate to her sister-in-law. Kiara raised her eyebrows in
question, but refrained from commenting.
"Ginny, where is your mind lately?" her mother asked lightly.
"She's probably daydreaming about Harry," Ron commented, giving her a look to tell her that it was
revenge for the night before.
"I've been over him for sometime now, thank you very much," Ginny informed him curtly.
"Sure you have," Ron replied, unconvinced.
"I have," she protested casually, before turning to Charlie to engage him in conversation.
"I think you protest too much," Ron teased.
"Whatever, Ron," Ginny shot back before ignoring her brother for the rest of breakfast.
*~*~*~*
When Draco was ready to go, he wandered downstairs to look for his mother. He had a feeling that she would be
waiting for him in the Entry Hall. He suddenly decided that he was hungry and headed to the kitchens.
When he arrived in the kitchens, Draco was dismayed to find that his mother was not, indeed, in the Entry Hall, but in
the kitchens. She knows me too well, he thought bitterly. "Ready to go, dear?" Narcissa asked in a fake
cheerful voice.
Draco's shoulders merely sagged in defeat as he followed his mother out of the kitchens. They were to Floo to the
check-in office, and then take a boat to the island that Azkaban was built on. It was impossible to Floo or Apparate
directly to the prison. You had to check-in and then take a boat.
Draco and Narcissa stepped into the fireplace, dropped in some Floo powder, and yelled their destination. When they
arrived at the check-in office, they stepped out of the fireplace and brushed themselves off. Narcissa walked up to the
check-in desk. "Names?" the attendant asked.
"Narcissa and Draco Malfoy," Mrs. Malfoy answered self-importantly.
"Name of the inmate you're visiting?" the attendant inquired in a bored voice.
"Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange," Narcissa replied.
"Relation to the inmates?" the attendant asked monotonously.
"Husband and sister," she told the attendant.
Draco and Narcissa were then ushered outside and into a boat. The attendant handed Narcissa two slips of paper and
pushed the boat away from the dock. It was charmed to stay on course and take them to the island. When their boat had
arrived at the island, there was a man waiting to take the slips of paper that the attendant had given them. He read
them and then led them into the prison.
The guard then warned them about the dementors and told them where to go to find Lucius and Bellatrix. Draco and
Narcissa walked through many dark, depressing hallways before they arrived at the place that the guard had told them to
go. There was another guard to take their slips of parchment. This guard then went into a room to his right. When he
re-emerged, Lucius, Bellatrix, and four dementors followed him.
Both Lucius and Bellatrix looked like they had seen better days. Both of their clothes were torn, and their faces had
haunted looks. Lucius's hair was even longer than normal and hung limply around his head. He also looked like he
hadn't shaved in quite some time.
Draco stared at his father and his aunt in horror. They looked nothing like themselves. It was somewhat scary to think
that the prison had all but destroyed the great Lucius Malfoy. Draco renewed his resolve to not become a Death Eater.
There was no way that he was going to end up like his father. He knew that this was probably the last time he would be
permitted to see his father. It was only a matter of time before Lucius went insane.
"Lucius, dear, it's so good to see you again," Narcissa exclaimed, her voice faltering. Draco wasn't
sure if it was from Lucius's appearance or the fact that she would rather be screwing her husband's friends
behind his back. "You too, Bellatrix."
"I'm so glad you've come to visit us. It is an absolute bore being locked away from civilization,"
Bellatrix responded. Being bored is the last of your worries, Draco thought cynically. "Oh, and Draco, you came
too, how sweet of you."
"Hello, Aunt Bellatrix, father," he greeted with a nod in the direction of each.
"Son," Lucius answered, not even acknowledging his wife's presence. "How is school?"
"Good," Draco replied, somewhat uncertainly.
"Are you top of your year?" Lucius demanded.
"No," Draco said, averting his eyes.
"Have you beaten Potter in Quidditch?" Lucius demanded.
"No," Draco answered again, hanging his head. He hated when his father did this. It always made him feel so
worthless, but he supposed, this was the point.
"Then what's so good about school?" Lucius roared. He hated when his son didn't live up to the Malfoy
name. It made him, as the father, look bad. "Well?"
"Nothing, I guess," Draco whispered.
"Lucius, leave the boy alone," Narcissa snapped in her son's defense.
"Really, Lucius, were you top of your year or the star Quidditch player in school?" Bellatrix added.
"No, but I was already a successful Death Eater by this time," Lucius snapped. "He should be too.
He's useless, really. What has he accomplished? Nothing."
Draco squeezed his eyes shut. He was now wishing he'd been more adamant about not coming. He pretty much worshiped
the ground his father walked on, and that was what his father thought of him. He thought his son was worthless. If
Draco had not been trained not to cry, he probably would have been fighting back tears.
"Take me back to my cell," Lucius commanded the guard.
The guard led Lucius back to his cell, leaving Narcissa, Bellatrix, Draco, and two dementors alone. "Don't
mind him, Draco. The dementors and isolation are beginning to get to him," his aunt consoled.
"Thanks, Aunt Bellatrix, but I know that's not true. Father's always hated me," Draco spat
bitterly.
"Your father does not hate you!" Narcissa shouted, appalled. Lucius Malfoy hated a lot of things, but his son
was not one of them. "You don't remember the day you were born. Your father was one of the happiest men on
earth that day."
"Yeah, that was before I grew up and started letting him down," Draco pointed out. "I'm not the best
at anything, and there's nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.
Once he had finished his speech, Draco spun on his heel and stalked away. He went outside and boarded one of the boats.
When the boat arrived at the mainland, Draco disembarked and Flooed home. He then ran up to his room and locked himself
in so he could think.
*~*~*~*
After breakfast, Molly cleaned all of the dishes with a simple spell and put them away. "Are you ready to do
your baking, Ginny?" she asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, I'm ready," Ginny answered with a smile. "But I was wondering if Kiara could help too, now
that she's part of the family.
"What an excellent idea!" her mother exclaimed enthusiastically.
"I'll go get her," Ginny replied, going to find her sister-in-law. When Ginny found her, she asked if
Kiara wanted to help back cookies.
"I'd love to," Kiara accepted the invitation. As they walked toward the kitchen, Kiara whispered to
Ginny, "When Ron accused you of daydreaming about Harry, were you thinking about Draco?"
"No," Ginny responded a little too quickly, blushing.
"I'm sure, what were you think about then?" Kiara wanted to know.
"A dream I had," Ginny said before stepping into the kitchen and ending the conversation. Kiara, however, had
different plans, and she shot her sister-in-law a look to tell her that they would continue the conversation later.
"There you two are. Let's get started," Molly said as way of greeting.
Then, for the rest of the day, the three Weasley women baked cookies, talked, and generally had a good time.
*~*~*~*
When Draco had calmed himself down, he tried to sort out everything in his head. Seeing his father like that had
shaken him more than he'd like to admit. He had always been against becoming a Death Eater, but that had just been
so he felt he had a little control over his life. He always assumed he'd become one anyway. Now, he was sure he
never would join Voldemort's ranks. Actually seeing what the consequences were first hand had set off a warning in
his head that he wasn't about to ignore.
Draco was also a little shaken about how angry his father had been at him. Sure, he knew that his father was often that
angry with other people, like his mother, but never at his son. Draco had been yelled at for the same things, but his
father had never been near as angry when he chastised Draco. It didn't make sense. As much as Draco wanted to
believe what his aunt Bellatrix had said, he just couldn't.
Sighing, Draco pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. He had to get ready. After all, the Parkinsons were coming
over for dinner, and it wouldn't do for him to look distressed. The Lord only knew what Pansy would do to try to
cheer him up. Most likely whatever she did, would only upset and annoy him more than cheer him up. That's just the
kind of person Pansy was.
*~*~*~*
When Draco heard his mother calling him to inform him that the Parkinsons had arrived, he went downstairs. He had
expected to see three people, but instead, there were four. Pansy seemed to have found herself a boyfriend.
"Draco, darling," Pansy greeted shrilly, rushing forward to give him a hug.
"Hi, Pansy," Draco replied dully. Maybe she HADN'T found a boyfriend. "Who's your
friend?"
"Oh, this is my cousin, Bryant," Pansy introduced.
"Oh," was all Draco said. He was slightly disappointed that Pansy wasn't dating anyone. That meant she
would keep hanging around him. Narcissa cleared her throat loudly and glared pointedly at her son.
"What?"
"Aren't you being a little rude?" his mother snapped.
"Oh, nice to meet you. I'm Draco Malfoy," Draco replied tonelessly.
Narcissa shot her son a reprimanding look for being so impolite, but didn't say anything. Draco figured that he
would probably have to suffer through a lecture on good manners after their guests left. He DEFINITELY wasn't
looking forward to that.
"Well, dinner is just about ready. Why don't we head into the dining room?" Narcissa suggested like the
good hostess that she was.
Everyone followed Narcissa into the impressive Malfoy dining room. It was almost as big as the Great Hall at Hogwarts,
and had an impressive crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Everyone sat down at the long table, Narcissa at the
head. Draco was, of course, stuck sitting next to Pansy, but he didn't complain in fear of getting an even longer
lecture.
The food was brought out, and everyone began eating. The three adults were talking amongst themselves, where the three
teenagers were silent. Draco would have liked to keep it that way, but his mother had other plans. She urged him with
her eyes to begin conversation. "So, Bryant, where do you go to school?" Draco asked politely.
"Durmstrang," Bryant answered. "From what Pansy has told me of Hogwarts, it's much better than your
pathetic school.
Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise at the boy's gall, and instantly disliked him. He knew it was a little odd,
especially because he would kill to go to Durmstrang. Just because he didn't want to become a Death Eater
didn't mean he wasn't interested in the Dark Arts.
"What has Pansy told you?" Draco asked, coldly indifferent.
"That you have a crackpot Headmaster, a giant oaf of a gamekeeper, and more Mudbloods than you can control,"
Bryant sneered. Draco really didn't like this guy.
Draco shot Pansy a slightly quizzical glance, what Bryant had just said had almost been a direct quote from Draco
himself. "She seemed to forget that we have delicious meals, room service, and the best Potions teacher
alive," Draco shot back with a smirk. Okay, he had exaggerated a little, but Bryant didn't know that. Or maybe
he did. The boy in question snorted in disbelief and turned back to his dinner, ignoring Draco for the rest of
dinner.
*~*~*~*
After baking about a hundred dozen cookies, Ginny and Kiara headed upstairs to talk. They both flopped onto
Ginny's bed and got comfortable. "So, Gin, was your dream, by any chance, about Draco Malfoy?" Kiara
asked coyly.
"Maybe," Ginny answered, just as coyly.
"Come on," Kiara urged.
"Alright it was," Ginny gave in.
"What happened in it?" Kiara inquired excitedly.
Ginny launched into the story of her dream. When she was done, she waited for Kiara's reaction. Kiara was silent.
"So, what do you think it means?" Ginny questioned.
"I think it means that you, Ginny, have developed a bit of a crush on Mr. Malfoy," Kiara replied.
"What? No I haven't," Ginny sounded in protest.
"I don't know, why else would you dream about him?" Kiara asked.
"Maybe because he's been on my mind so much with all my new memories and stuff," Ginny suggested.
"Maybe, but I still think you might like him," Kiara persisted.
"I do not," Ginny protested again.
"Just admit it. You at least think he's a little cute, right?" Kiara persuaded.
"Maybe a little," Ginny agreed reluctantly.
"Only a little?" Kiara prompted.
"Okay, so he's really hot," Ginny admitted after a moment of silence.
"The first step is admitting it. Now, do you have any pictures of him?" Kiara inquired.
"Just the ones from when we were little. Do you really think I would have pictures of my worst enemy?" Ginny
responded.
"That'll work," Kiara said. Ginny didn't have any idea why she wanted the picture, but Ginny handed
her one. "Thanks." she then took out her wand and said a spell that Ginny had never heard before. Then, right
before their eyes, the six year old Draco Malfoy turned into the handsome, seventeen year old one that she was so used
to.
"How'd you do that?" Ginny asked, amazed. It looked exactly like Draco.
"It's a pretty simple spell. Aurors use it a lot to find out what missing people look like since they went
missing or if they're in disguise," Kiara replied. "So, is this him?"
"Yep," Ginny confirmed.
"His is pretty gorgeous, isn't he?" Kiara said, with a giggle.
"You're married, remember?" Ginny reminded her.
"I know, I'm just looking," Kiara defended herself.
"Isn't he a little young for you?" Ginny teased.
"Isn't he a little old for you?" Kiara countered.
"He's seventeen," Ginny stated matter-of-factly.
"You're only sixteen," Kiara shot back childishly.
"That's only a year younger," Ginny pointed out.
"What's your point?" Kiara asked.
"You said he was too old for me, but he's not. I don't fall for guys that are out of my reach," Ginny
said, a note of finality in her voice.
"So you admit it, you fell for him. Ha! I was right!" Kiara shrieked triumphantly.
"That's not fair, you tricked me!" Ginny whined.
"I know," Kiara said, smiling happily.
"Don't tell anyone, please. My brothers would kill me if they found out," Ginny pleaded.
"I won't tell anyone," Kiara promised. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"Do about it? Nothing," Ginny answered, slightly surprised that she would even ask.
"Why not?" Kiara asked, surprised that she wasn't going to do anything about it.
"Well, for one, my family hates his and vice versa. For two, he hates me. For three, look at him, he's
gorgeous. Now, look at me. How could he ever want me when he could have any girl at school?" Ginny explained.
Kiara stared at Ginny for a few minutes before replying, "How can you say that? For one, you know that he
doesn't really hate you, deep down. He was only taught to hate you. You were friends once, why couldn't you do
it again? Besides, you're prettier than I think you give yourself credit for."
Ginny shook her head. "You don't have to lie to me. I know I'll never be a super model, or anything close
to it," she denied.
"Ginny! You've got to be kidding me. You are pretty, especially your hair, but I'm not going to argue with
you. If you don't want to believe it then don't. Anyway, since when does being pretty mean so much? Who says
you can't get the guy? You mother is always saying you're so down to earth, but you're not acting like it
right now. Just believe in yourself, Ginny. When you get back to Hogwarts try talking Draco. You might be surprised at
the results," Kiara advised.
"Alright, alright. I'll talk to him," Ginny conceded. Maybe, she added mentally before she and Kiara
headed downstairs for dinner.
A/N: Thanks to my beta, Aliya. Don't forget to review. Sorry about my mistake if I confused anyone.
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