Secrets Revealed

Secrets Revealed

It had been many years since the Golden Trio and the evil ferret graduated from Hogwarts, the Dark Lord had risen, and was consequently defeated. The wizarding world was not a perfect utopia, though, because it continued to live with the knowledge of those dark days and the knowledge of what could have happened if two unlikely people had not fought side-by-side during the final battle.

But those days were gone, the war was over, and people had managed to move on with their lives. Harry Potter, one of the war heroes and the Boy Who Lived, fell in love with and married the “crazy” Luna Lovegood from Ravenclaw. Some say that he probably went crazy during those final battles and that's how he fell in love with her, but his closest friends knew that the falling had happened long before that. The Weasley clan had survived and managed to almost triple their numbers through marriage and births. Bill married Fleur Delacour and had four children. Charlie married Althea, a healer at the dragon camp he worked at. They had two children. Percy married Penelope Clearwater, his Hogwarts sweetheart, and had three children. Fred married Angelina Johnson and George married Katie Bell, and between them they had eight kids, two sets of twins each. Ron of course married Hermione and to date they had four children. All of the Weasley boys had managed to produce Weasley boys, but the big shock, in multiple ways, came from the youngest Weasley.

Shortly after the war, Ginny announced that she had been having a secret love affair with none other than Draco Malfoy. Her family of course immediately forbade Ginny to date the git, but stubborn little Ginny didn't listen and a few short months later Ginny and Draco were married. At first Ginny's family was appalled by the marriage, but once they saw for themselves how happily in love the strange couple was they grudgingly accepted the marriage. A short while after that, Ginny gave birth to the Malfoy heir, Damon Malfoy. Her mother-in-law, Narcissa, was thrilled, but her own mother was a little disappointed that she would not have a granddaughter to spoil. Luckily for Molly, two years later Ginny gave birth to a beautiful, baby girl, Arianna Malfoy.

Upon seeing his beautiful, little girl, Draco immediately exclaimed, “I will lock her in a closet until she is thirty-years-old. No boy will hurt my precious angel.”

To which Ginny quickly responded, “With one older brother and twenty one older male cousins, do you really think she will have issues with boys?”

Little did they know what fate had in store for precious, little Arianna.

~ * ~

Eleven years later, the entire Hogwarts staff debated some form of retirement while looking at the student list for the following year. The list included all twenty one Weasleys, the Potter boy, and the two Malfoys. The world would definitely be coming to a terrifyingly horrible end. On the other hand, many of the professors, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin specifically, could not wait to see which house Draco and Ginny's daughter would be sorted into. The Malfoy son, Damon, seemed to follow in his father's footsteps and was sorted into Slytherin. Draco could not have been more proud. But Arianna, she was an interesting case. She had her father's blonde hair and the darkest, smokiest eyes anyone had ever seen. Beyond those few characteristics, unless one paid very close attention, ended the similarities between father and daughter. She did have some of her father's personality quirks, but for the most part she was Ginny reincarnated: the same promising beauty for later years, same startling smile, and same fiery spirit. All of which only made her family love her more.

It was this strange mix of her father's and mother's genes that made Arianna such a dilemma. Would she be a Slytherin because she was sly and cunning like her father? Would she be a Gryffindor because she was courageous and strong-willed like her mother? Would she be a Ravenclaw because she showed more promise and spell ability than her Aunt Hermione? Or, would she be a Hufflepuff because she was incredibly loyal to friends and family? Oh, strike that last one, a Malfoy could never be such a thing as a Hufflepuff, no matter how loyal they were. So these questions had become a main topic of discussion and bets between friends and family a like. Severus had bet against Remus 100 house points on whether Arianna would be a Slytherin (Snape's house) or a Gryffindor (Lupin's house). Draco had bet against Ron and the details of the bet were amazing.

“I bet you that she'll be in Slytherin just like all the Malfoys. If I'm wrong I will play an entire game of Quidditch without any charms on my broom,” Ron stated about a week before term began. This was a major bet considering how painful a broom could be to certain parts of a male's anatomy during a Quidditch match, especially when the rider is the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons.

“Hmm. Interesting. Alright. I'll take that bet. I say that she will be in Gryffindor just like her mum. And I'm not going to say what I'll do if I lose because I know I won't. A Malfoy is always right,” Draco said back. Secretly, deep in his heart, Draco hoped she would be in Gryffindor just to keep her safe from the sly Slytherin prats like himself.

“I will think of something for you to do when I win,” Ron retorted.

“Whatever, Weasley. I would say at this point that you, without a doubt, know nothing about your niece.”

Obviously the animosity between the brothers-in-law had not alleviated over the years.

~ * ~

Diagon Alley was a zoo, as always, a few days before the Hogwarts Express left. Everyone was there ensuring that their children got all the supplies they needed to make it through the year. The Malfoys were no exception and were currently at Madame Malkin's buying new Hogwarts robes for Damon and Arianna. Arianna definitely needed robes since this was her first year at Hogwarts and Damon needed new ones considering he had grown four inches over the summer. As always, buying brand new things was quite an experience for Ginny considering how ingrained the Weasley ways were. Even after many years of being happily married to Draco had not made Ginny feel any easier about spending lots of money.

After Madame Malkin's, the Malfoys decided to head to Flourish and Blotts to buy books. Damon and Arianna ran on ahead nicely bickering and fighting about who was the better flyer. Draco and Ginny decided to take that moment as a time for just themselves amongst the chaos of Diagon Alley.

“When did my life change so drastically?” Draco thought out loud as he grabbed his wife's hand.

“What do you mean?” Ginny asked slightly confused. She thought Draco was happy with how their lives had turned out.

“Oh, I was just wondering how a boy raised alone with hate and evil could turn into a man with a family, love, and happiness. I'm just trying to figure out when it all changed,” Draco replied.

“Draco, you know exactly when it changed completely, even though no one talks about it or what exactly happened.”

“Gin, please don't bring that up,” Draco pleaded.

“I just want to know what happened in that final battle. I know you were one of the four people there, but I don't know why you never talk about it.”

“Don't worry about it Gin, I'm still alive. That should be all that matters. Come on, we should probably catch up to the children. I am seeing a lot more red in that store than I am used to,” Draco said as he pulled a little on Ginny's had and successfully closed the conversation yet again. Ginny could only heave a sigh and follow after her husband while wondering when she would know the whole truth about that dark day.

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Thank you to all of you who revealed. I realize that I do not have the Harry/Hermione pairing, but I am hoping that will not be a problem as the story is not really about the parents, but the children. Don't get me wrong there will be parts from the parents' points of view, but the will mostly be Draco/Ginny. If this offends any of you, I apologize. Thanks again to all who reviewed. I hope you enjoy this next installment. Please read, enjoy, and review!

Chapter 2: Delving Deeper

As soon as Arianna entered Flourish and Blotts she saw her cousins, not all of them but most of them. It was always a bit of a shock to see the sheer multitude of the red-headed masses, with a few browns and blonds for good measure. Damon immediately went off to talk to Fred's youngest twins Dave and Brian and George's youngest twins Sean and Mike. Now all alone, Arianna decided to have a look around the store and see if there were any other books she wanted besides those that were required. She walked up to the second level to look through the stacks.

A while later, when she was thoroughly engrossed in a book about the ancient founders of Hogwarts, she was interrupted with a, “Hello…” Arianna started and looked up to find herself looking into a pair of extremely blue eyes. “Uh, hi,” she eloquently replied.

“Shouldn't you be with someone older, like some form of an adult?” the strange boy-man asked.

“No, my parents believe that I am capable of taking care of myself. Thank you very much. Unlike other people I don't need to be led around and told what to do. I can think on my own,” Arianna snippily replied. She knew she didn't know this boy but instantly didn't like him because he was just so rude.

“Well, didn't mean to offend, but I know there is a bit of a search party going on downstairs for some little girl who wandered off without telling anyone where she was going,” the demon child, as Arianna had decided he had to be, replied back scathingly.

“Ari!” cut off the sharp reply Arianna was making in her head. “Oh, hi Damon,” she called to her older brother.

“Mum and Dad are ready to leave if you are, so we should probably…” the rest of Damon's sentence would never be known as he looked at who it was with his sister. “Potter.”

“Malfoy.”

“Wait, you're a Potter, no wonder you looked familiar. Your family-”

“Not now Ari. Let's go. NOW!” her bother yelled softly through clenched teeth. Arianna nodded and mentally told herself to ask her brother later what all the fuss was about.

Damon waited until his sister was safely on her way downstairs before turning back to the Potter boy, “You stay away from her. I mean it. If you don't heed my warning you will not only have to answer to me but also to my father.”

“Oh sure, go hide behind Daddy. When are you going to learn that my family couldn't care less about what your family does. Run along now, mustn't keep poor Daddy waiting,” Evan Potter replied quickly.

Damon turned on his heel and left the Potter boy to his own thoughts. Evan wondered what exactly it was that caused all the hatred between their fathers. He knew it had something to do with the war or school or both. Evan decided then and there he would find out, especially if he ever wanted to look into a certain pair of smoky gray-black eyes again.

~*~

That night at the dinner table Evan kept looking at his father quizzically. Harry, noticing his son's sudden staring problem decided to ask what was going on. He only hoped his son wasn't trying to figure where the random creatures his wife desperately feared were found.

“What can I do for you, Son?”

“Oh,” said a startled Evan, “I had a little talk with someone today, and I was just wondering if you could tell me why you hate the Malfoys so much.”

Harry dropped his spoon into his soup, he was so surprised by the words that came out of his son's mouth. “What did you just say?!” Harry asked as he tried, unsuccessfully to get some of the soup off of him. Luna tried not to laugh at her husband's expression.

“Why do you hate the Malfoys so much?” Evan asked again.

“Yes, Harry, why do you hate them?” Luna chimed in. She had been wondering for years why two grown men such as Harry and Draco could not look each other in the eye. Harry had no problem with Ginny or the children, but when it came to Draco, things got shaky for some reason.

“I do not hate the Malfoys. I love Ginny Malfoy, she is like a little sister to me. The children are nice, but I just don't care for their father. It's ancient history between Draco and me only - nothing for either of you to worry about,” Harry stated firmly as he looked pointedly at his son and wife, hoping desperately for this conversation to end.

“Well, if you don't hate them what is that they hate about us? As you know, Damon and I have never gotten along while at school and Arianna didn't even know who I was and she seemed angry with me. It could've been what I said to her but that is besides the point. Why do they hate us?”

“They don't hate us and we don't hate them. Now I have work to go do.” Harry stood from the table and looked at Luna, “Thank you for a beautiful dinner.” He then turned on his heel and stormed out of the room.

“Did I do something wrong?” Evan questioned his mother.

“No, Evan, you didn't. There are just some things your father refuses to talk about. Draco Malfoy happens to be one of them. Actually, come to think of it, he hasn't talked about Draco at all since the war ended. Don't worry about it. Now hurry up and finish eating so you can go upstairs and make sure the leprechauns haven't messed with your trunk and check your bed for bed bugs before bedtime.”

“Yes, mother,” mumbled Evan, at the rate he would never be able to talk to Arianna Malfoy because of her bloody brother and this secret.

~*~

Arianna stood outside Damon's bedroom wondering if now was a good time to talk about this afternoon. Damon would definitely tell her what was going on, they had always been thick as thieves together, but they'd be darned if they let anyone know it. “Oh, bugger the consequences,” she thought as she knocked on the door.

“What?!” was the muffled reply.

She carefully opened the door a crack and poked her head in, “Hey Damon, its only me can I come in?”

“Oh Ari, sure. What's up?”

“I just wanted to talk to you about this afternoon. What was with all that `Potter-Malfoy' nonsense?”

“Don't worry about it Ari. It's not a big deal.”

“It seemed like a pretty big deal. Come on Damon we always tell each other everything.”

“Alright, but don't tell Dad that I told you. I don't even know that much.”

“Okay, so spill.”

“From what I've gathered, with my wonderfully honed skills…”

“You mean eavesdropping.”

“Do you want to know or not?”

“Yes, sorry.”

“Well, I've found out that Dad and Harry Potter or Scarhead, as I've heard Dad call him, didn't really get along at Hogwarts. Actually they pretty much constantly tried to kill each other. I also think there was something that happened during the war and something to do with Mum, but those are purely speculation. No one will talk about either.”

“So you hate Potter because Dad hated/hates his Dad? What is this, some sort of family tradition?”

“No I don't hate Potter. I just don't like him. When I first started going to Hogwarts I was a little wary of him, but I thought I would push judgments aside until I talked to him. It was the first thing he ever said to me that made me not like him.”

“What did he say?”

“Come on Ari, I don't want to tell you that. It will only make you as mad as it made me.”

“Oh, just tell me,” Arianna did her best at making puppy dog eyes at her brother.

“Fine, but once again this stays between you and me,” Damon demanded.

“I know. Everything we tell each other stays strictly between us.”

“I went up to Potter and introduced myself shortly after arriving at Hogwarts. He then responded with, `Evan Potter. Say aren't you that famous Death Eater's grandson?' I almost punched him. I hate when people bring up that man. He was not a father to Dad so he is not our grandfather.”

“How could he say something so mean?” Arianna then remembered how superior Evan seemed in Flourish and Blotts. It was official - Evan Potter had to be pure evil.

“I have no idea, but he did. I didn't seem to faze him at all.”

“Maybe I should ask Dad about all this, you know how good I am at getting information out of Dad.”

“No, Ari. The one time I managed to even glimpse interaction between him and Potter was at a Christmas party when I was 6. Mum and Dad were talking to Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron when this new man came up. Everyone seemed so excited to see `Harry' except of course Dad. I watched Dad as Potter hugged Mum then bent to talk to me. He didn't get two words out before Dad was telling him to stay away form his family and anything else belonging to the Malfoys. Dad then took Mum and my hands and started walking away. Mum tried to ask what was wrong but Dad quieted her with just a look. A look, Ari. I've never seen him so mad, even when we put blue dye in his shampoo as a joke - he wasn't half this mad.”

“Oh,” was all Arianna could say. She knew at that point exactly what was meant by Malfoy family secrets.

~*~

The fateful day had come. Draco stood in his daughter's doorway and watched her sleep. He was not ready for this. How was he supposed to keep her safe so far from home? She was too innocent and little to be sent away right now. He didn't remember Damon being that little when he went off to Hogwarts. Damon had been ready, Arianna was still his baby. He couldn't let her go yet. Draco was about to walk in and wake up his baby when he felt his wife behind him.

“We have to let her go. It's time,” Ginny whispered sadly as she wrapped her arms around Draco's waist.

“I know, but I'm not ready. Whoever it was that decided to send young witches and wizards away from their parents at age eleven needs to cursed into oblivion.”

“That may be true, but we still need to wake her up so she can eat and get ready to leave.”

“Can't we just say that we forgot today was the day the train is to leave?”

“No. Especially not when Damon is already awake and eating his breakfast.”

“Fine, I'll do it. She'll be downstairs shortly.”

“She better be or I'm coming back up here.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Draco sneered before kissing Ginny and watching her walk down the hall. “Alright, time to begin one of the worst days of my life.” Draco crept over to the edge of his baby's bed, stroked the hair back from her face and murmured, “Arianna, sweetheart, it's time to get up. You have to get ready to go to school.”

~*~

Arianna was dreaming, or at least she hoped she was. She was standing in the middle of a dark forest with no clue of where she was or where she was going. All Arianna knew at that moment was that she was scared to death and wanted out of there, but she didn't know where there was. She decided to start walking in the direction she was facing. She didn't know if it was the way out but she certainly hoped it was.

After walking about five minutes, Arianna began to hear voices ahead. There were four male voices and at least one sounded really familiar. She walked towards the voices avoiding branches and leaves just like her brother taught her. Finally she came to a point where she could see into the clearing. She hid behind a bush so as not to be seen, then began surveying the scene before her. First she saw two older men dressed all in black. One looked nonhuman while the other looked like someone she had seen before but only in secret, hidden pictures or portraits. Then the two men moved a little and Arianna saw something that had to be impossible. Standing before the two darkly robed men stood a young man who looked a lot like the boy she had met in Flourish and Blotts except the eyes were different. This man's eyes were green and not blue. Then Arianna looked at the other young man and silently gasped in shock - no wonder she recognized one of the voices.

“Malfoy, get out of here. You don't belong here,” the Evan look-a-like spat out of the corner of his mouth.

“Oh, get off it Potter. You really don't think you can handle the darkest wizard of the world and my father at the same time do you?” Draco retorted and glared at the semi-familiar older man.

“You stopped being my son months ago, Draco. As much as I hate to say it though, Potter is right - you don't belong here right now. We will come for you later, along with your little whore.”

Arianna suddenly knew why the man seemed so familiar - it was her grandfather, Lucius Malfoy! The scum. What was he doing in the woods with her dad though?

“Hush, hush Lucius. Having young Draco here will only make things more interesting. Maybe now he will learn how stupid he was when he decided to change sides,” the creature next to her grandfather hissed out.

“Yes, father,” Draco spat, “let me learn my lesson, but leave everyone else out of it.”

Arianna couldn't believe what she was seeing. What was going on? Who was the fourth man and why did he want to teach her father a lesson? Who was the other person they were talking about, surely not Mum?

“Alright. Let the games begin,” her grandfather proclaimed as he drew his wand. The three other men followed suit, and the standoff began.

“Arianna, sweetheart, it's time to get up,” a distant voice said and startled Arianna. “You have to get ready to go to school.” Arianna opened her eyes to stare into the silver, loving orbs of her father's eyes; which only moments ago had been filled with hatred and defiance.

~*~

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I had difficulty uploading Chapter 2 in its entirety, so here is the rest of it. It is much shorter than what was previously published, but I wanted to get the whole chapter up at once. I apologize for any confusion.

Delving Deeper (continued)

Platform nine and three quarters was a hotbed of activity. Arianna could not believe the number of people shoved into so small a place. She looked in every direction, trying to get acclimated to her surroundings. Then she saw it - the sea of red, blond, and brown that meant her family was there. Having her brother and all her cousins at school with her was such a comfort. She knew she wouldn't be alone, but she also knew she had to pull her brother aside for a private conversation as soon as possible. Arianna looked again at her family and began doing a mental checklist to see if everyone was there. Mum and Dad were talking to Uncle Bill, Aunt Fleur, Uncle Charlie, and Aunt Althea. Then surrounding them were four redheads and two blonds. Next she saw Uncle Percy and Aunt Penelope and three more redheads, then all the many sets of twins (some of which Damon was talking to). Finally, she saw Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Arianna really loved her family, partially for just the sheer number of them. As Arianna moved towards her parents, she saw two blackheads and a blonde walk up to and embrace her Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione. Arianna had no idea who the people were that were talking to her Aunt and Uncle. Then the taller of the two black-haired men turned around and Arianna could not believe her eyes - it was the man from her dream! He was older but it was definitely him.

Arianna changed course and headed towards Damon. She needed to talk to him right now. “Damon,” she semi-yelled at him as she pulled on his sleeve. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Hang on Ari, Dave was in the middle of a great joke. Can't it wait until…” Damon broke off as he turned and saw the look in his sister's eyes. “What's wrong?”

“I just really need to talk to you privately. It's very important,” she pleaded as her eyes diverted over to the dark-haired man again.

Upon seeing where his sister's eyes looked, Damon started moving her to someplace they could talk. “I see you have spotted the great Harry Potter,” he spat as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else.

“That's Har…Wait just a second. He was in a dream I had-“

“Come on you two let's get you on the train before it leaves,” Draco unknowingly interrupted his daughter. “Are you two alright? You look as though you've seen a ghost or something.”

“Now why would a ghost scare us, Dad. There are tons of them at school and everywhere else,” Damon quickly recovered from the shock of having his father interrupt the important conversation he was having.

“Good point. Well let's go say good-bye to your Mum. I want her to get the crying over and done with as soon as possible.”

Arianna and Damon followed their father, and soon all thought of Harry Potter was gone as they hugged and kissed all their relatives good-bye. Damon, Arianna, and the rest of the group boarded the train, found compartments together, and waved to their parents out of the window.

“Well you did it. You let her go,” Ginny murmured to Draco as she snuggled into his side.

“I know. The house is going to be really quiet now. How long until Christmas?”

“Honestly Draco. Relax. It will all be okay. She has Damon to protect her.”

“I know Gin, but… Oh never mind,” Draco said as he looked down into his beautiful wife's brown eyes. Just then a thought occurred to him and he gave her a roguish smile. “What do you say we go home and use the quiet, empty house to our advantage?”

“Why, Mr. Malfoy, I never,” Ginny tried acting appalled as she blushed slightly.

“No, my dear, you haven't, but you will shortly.”

With a pop they were gone to enjoy their new found freedom.

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Once again thank you to all who have been reviewing. I really appreciate it. I have finally made it to Hogwarts in this chapter and can start getting down to the nitty-gritty.

I hope you all enjoy this one and let me know what you think. I really enjoy getting reader's input and sometimes if you are lucky it can help change the plot that I have in mind. Read and enjoy.

Oh yeah, and since I haven't done one yet - I don't own anything that you recognize, but I will claim all the kids as mine.

Enjoy!!

Chapter 3: Train Rides and Sorting Hats

The Weasleys, Malfoys, and Evan separated themselves into four different but very close compartments. Damon, Arianna, Dave, Brian, Sean, and Mike were all in one compartment. On one side of them were Chris, Alex, Ben, and Daniel, Fred and George's other sets of twins along with Charlie's Andrew and Mark. Beyond them were Bill's four children Aaron, Garret, Jared, and Seth with Percy's three: Philip, Paul, and Peter. On the other side of Damon and Arianna's compartment were Ron's four: James, Chad, Henry, and Luke along with Evan Potter.

A half hour into the train ride, Arianna was in a ball on the floor of her compartment laughing hysterically at her brother and four cousins. If they didn't stop soon she was never going to be able to stand up straight again. She had to get out of there if only for five minutes just to catch her breath. She began to crawl towards the door, hoping not to be seen. When she made it to the hall, she sat against the wall and took deep breaths as she wiped away tears. It was amazing that that group had not been kicked out of school yet for all their crazy antics. Oh well, for now she had some piece and quiet.

Meanwhile, in the compartment next to the one which Arianna had just abandoned, Evan Potter was enjoying hanging out with his friends for the first time in a month. He got along with Chad and Luke the best because Luke was in the same year as him and Chad was one year below them. Henry and James were just two and three years ahead of him but there was still a difference in how they treated one another. Evan, Luke, and Chad were known as The Three Musketeers around school and definitely believed in the motto “one for all and all for one.”

Evan was in the middle of a deep conversation about the House Quidditch Team when he saw a flash of blonde in the hall. He chanced a quick look at the door and saw that it was Arianna Malfoy. Evan quickly tried to tune back into the conversation before his friends realized he wasn't paying attention. After about another thirty seconds of trying to pay attention, Evan decided to just give up and go into the hall to see if he could talk to Arianna.

“I'll be back shortly,” Evan mumbled to his friends and quickly left the compartment. As he closed the door on the noise he had just left, he heard a hysterical giggling coming from behind him. Evan turned and saw Arianna with her face covered, shaking uncontrollably. “What's so funny?” he blurted out without even thinking.

Arianna's head popped up and her giggling stopped immediately. “What does it matter to you?” she snapped at Evan for interrupting her fun. What was it about this boy that immediately put her on edge?

“Well, you are sitting in the corridor by yourself. I didn't know anyone could find something funny when they were by themselves unless they weren't right in the head.”

“Are you implying I am psychotic or something?” Evan stared at her completely dumbfounded. “It's not any of your business but I just left my brother and cousins who were making jokes. It was because of them that I was laughing and I think I will return considering my present company is not funny at all, unless you go by physical appearance - in which case, you're hilarious.” With that she stormed back into the compartment with her brother and cousins.

“Well, that went beautifully, Potter. You bloody moron,” Evan yelled at himself. “At this rate she will be the one throwing spells at me in the hallway and not her brother. Just bloody wonderful!!”

~*~

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmeade Station, Arianna began to feel extremely nervous. Soon she would find out what house she would belong to and then she would begin to learn all she needed to know to be a great witch. As she walked off the train she was left alone for the first time since she left her parents.

“First years this way please.” A voice boomed along the platform. Arianna moved in the direction of the voice and was confronted with a massive man. He was much taller than anyone she had ever seen and probably bigger around too. “Right this way Young Malfoy,” the giant said to her.

“How do you know who I am?” Arianna asked clearly while trembling greatly on the inside. Her father had taught her well to never show fear.

“Well, you have the Malfoy hair, but yer a spittin image of yer mum, you are. You would have to be Ginny Weasley's daughter or I am not Hagrid,” the behemoth smiled down at her.

“Hagrid? Oh, I've heard about you. Mum tells me great stories about you - do you still teach Care of Magical Creatures? I think that class will be so much fun, but Dad says to steer clear of Hippogriffs.”

“Oh, yea, Draco would say that,” Hagrid replied chuckling slightly. “Yes, I do teach that class still, but don't you worry. I would never hurt Ginny's little girl. Come on, let's get you into a boat and up to the castle.” Hagrid picked her up and put her into one of the little boats next to a small dark haired girl.

Arianna turned to look at the little girl. “Hello, I'm Arianna Malfoy, but most people call me Ari or Anna. I prefer Ari.”

The girl turned, “Oh, I'm Kayle Longbottom. No nickname sorry. Nice to meet you Ari.”

“Nice to meet you too. What house are you hoping to get sorted into?”

“Gryffindor. Both of my parents were Gryffindors, so I wouldn't want to disappoint them. What about you?”

“Oh, umm…” Arianna trailed off and really thought about that question. Her dad was a Slytherin, her mum a Gryffindor, and some of her cousins were Ravenclaw. The more she thought about it the more confused she got. No matter what, she knew she could not be in Hufflepuff - that would disappoint her dad too much. She remembered when Dad found out Damon was in Slytherin - he was so happy and proud. What if - “Ari..?”

“Oh, sorry. I just zoned out for a minute.”

“That's ok. So which house?”

“I don't know. I guess we will find out soon.”

“Yes we will, because here is the castle. Don't worry Kayle, you don't have to be in Gryffindor. I'm sure Neville and Lavender will be happy no matter which house yer in. Same applies for you Arianna.” Hagrid said to try to ease the girls' minds. The boat hit a dock. “Alright ladies out you go, and into the castle,” Hagrid said as he lifted them onto the dock.

Kayle and Arianna walked side-by-side into the castle and up a huge marble staircase where a man was standing smiling at them. “Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am Professor Remus Lupin and shortly I will take you in to be sorted. Feel free to talk and get to know each other before you are sorted.” Arianna looked around at her fellow first years. Everyone looked so scared. She didn't feel scared, maybe a little nervous because she didn't want to disappoint her parents, but definitely not scared. Almost her entire family was on the other side of those giant wooden doors.

“Alright, let's head in,” Lupin yelled from the front of the group.

The big doors opened and Arianna saw the Great Hall for the first time. She saw floating candles against a dark blue, star filled sky. It was beautiful. Then she looked down at the four, long house tables. As she looked at the tables she saw her family and became a little more comfortable. She saw the Ravenclaw table first and at it was Aaron, Garret, Jared, Seth, Philip, Paul, and Peter. Next was the Gryffindor table with Andrew, Mark, Chris, Alex, Ben, Daniel, James, Henry, Luke, and Chad. As she looked at all her cousins she saw Evan Potter looking directly at her form between Luke and Chad. Maybe for that reason alone she didn't want to be in Gryffindor. Her eyes moved to the next table and since she had no family in Hufflepuff, she moved on to the Slytherin table. She saw her cousins first: Sean, Mike, Dave, and Brian. Then her eyes landed on her brother. She smiled at him and he just smiled and nodded back. She now felt completely comfortable. Her brother would never let anything bad happen to her.

“Come on, Ari, we have to keep up,” Kayle whispered from beside her.

Arianna stopped scanning the tables and looked ahead at the table full of professors. She saw Hagrid who smiled warmly at her, and she saw Professor Snape who nodded in her direction. By then the first years had reached the front of the hall and Professor Lupin was unrolling a piece of parchment.

“Please come up and sit on the stool when you hear you name called,” Professor Lupin told the first years. Arianna couldn't help but ignore the Professor and look around at her fellow classmates. These people would be her friends or enemies for the next seven years of her life. She just couldn't believe it.

“Kayle Longbottom!”

Arianna snapped out of her thoughts as the girl next to her jumped. “Wish me luck,” Kayle whispered as she moved through the group.

“Good luck,” Arianna whispered as she watched Kayle sit on the stool. The hat was placed on her head and about ten seconds later, “Gryffindor!” the hat yelled. Kayle jumped off the stool with a smile on her face and walked towards the Gryffindor table. She winked as she passes Arianna. Once the cheering had somewhat subsided Professor Lupin said the next name on the list.

“Arianna Malfoy!”

The Great Hall went completely silent. All eyes watched as the little blonde walked up to the stool. Arianna felt like she was in a fish bowl because so many people were staring at her. Professor Lupin put the hat on her head and she heard it talking to her.

“Hmmm, another Malfoy I see, but you aren't like the rest are you? No, I can see you are not. You are sly and cunning like your name implies, but you are also greatly brave and daring. Where should I put you?”

“I don't know,” her thoughts replied.

“Ah, I see that now. You don't want to upset anyone, but you want to go where you truly belong. Alright, I have it. I know exactly where to put you.”

“Where?”

The hat paused then yelled out, for all to hear, “Gryffindor!”

Silence no longer existed and multiple things happened all at once. The Gryffindors erupted into cheers, the Slytherin table looked shocked, Lupin turned and winked at Snape who scowled at the table, and Arianna took the hat off her head. As she walked towards a seat that was open next to Kayle, Damon and her cousins stood up at the Slytherin table. Sean, Mike, Dave, and Brian looked over to their Gryffindor brothers with meaningful looks and Ben, Daniel, Chris, and Alex nodded back at their Slytherin counterparts. Damon glared at Evan who completely missed the menacing look because he was watching Arianna get enveloped in a hug from Kayle. Headmistress McGonagall sat back and watched the whole exchange with amusement. It was indeed going to be an interesting few years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Much more interesting than anyone could quite anticipate.

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Here is the next chapter, I hope you all like it. I have enjoyed reading all of your reviews and I hope to hear more out of all of you after this chapter. I will do my best and take in mind some of the suggestions you guys have put forth. Anyways, thanks again for all the reviews!! Please read, review, and enjoy!!

~*~

Chapter 5: Rememberings and Letters

That night, as Arianna sat on her bed looking around her dorm room that she shared with Kayle and another girl named Magdelena (Maggie for short) Finnigan, she thought about all that had happened that day. She had left her family home, traveled a long distance with her cousins and brother, fought with Evan Potter, made a new good friend, and was sorted into the house which her father hated, all in one day. Arianna didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. After the feast, she had followed her prefect up to her new home in Gryffindor Tower. Then she went to the Owlery to send letters to her parents. She had written one for each of them, and she hoped they didn't compare notes. Arianna decided to quit worrying and go to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a big day and she needed to sleep, everything else would take care of itself.

~*~

Ginny Malfoy sat on a sofa “reading” a book, but in actuality she was watching her husband pace back and forth in front of the fireplace. She was beginning to worry about the safety of the rug, because soon Draco would wear through and be walking on the wood floor. While it was mildly disturbing to see him anxious like this, Ginny always found it cute and somewhat endearing. It had always been a mild fear of hers that Draco wouldn't allow himself to get close to the children, because then they could be viewed as weaknesses.

Ginny knew how that kind of rejection could feel. When her and Draco had managed to stop fighting and throwing hexes at each other long enough to realize they felt something for one another, Draco had refused to admit it and give into it. He always kept pushing Ginny away when she began to learn things about him because he didn't want her to get attached. She vividly remembered the night they had had their knock down, drag out fight over it…

It was during the war, and Ginny had just had one of her hardest days yet. All she wanted was to curl up in Draco's arms and act like the wizarding world wasn't falling apart around them. So, she silently crept from her tent, which she shared with Hermione and Luna, and walked towards the back of the camp where the “secret weapons” had their tents. The “secret weapons” were a select group of Death Eaters and almost Death Eaters that the Order had convinced of changing sides or captured and made them change sides. Draco was a Death Eater but when the Order captured him he was not one anyone wanted to deal with it. He refused to listen to Harry and Ron, for obvious reasons, and he only mocked Hermione, so Dumbledore decided to employ a last resort, Ginny Weasley. Dumbledore thought maybe since Draco knew less about Ginny he wouldn't be able to put up good defenses against her.

Ginny went into their first meeting together with very little fear but also very little hope of converting Malfoy. He was right next to his father in the list of Voldemort's right hand men. There was no way this high ranking Death Eater would allow himself to just flip sides at the drop of a hat. Ginny knew this, but she also knew that she would try her best because she wanted to prove herself. She no longer wanted to be just little Ginny Weasley or Ron's little sister or the girl who always made goo-goo eyes at Harry Potter. She wanted to be Ginny Weasley, the one who converted a Malfoy.

The meetings at first were cold and full of verbal assaults, but just when Ginny began to give up all hope, Malfoy began to ask her questions. Not just any kind of question, but questions like, “Why do support the order?”, “What do you think of Voldemort?”, and “What was it like to have him in your head?” These questions puzzled Ginny, but she answered them anyway. She didn't know why but she did it, but she thought it might help him to understand. Ginny Weasley did not fight with the Order because of Harry, Dumbledore, her family, or Voldemort. She fought with the Order because she believed in keeping your friends close and your enemies closer. Ginny knew Voldemort; he shared her brain for a year. Voldemort no longer scared her. No what scared her was the nonchalance of her friends and family over the whole situation. Ginny had been alone her whole first year at Hogwarts, Percy was busy with being prefect, Ron was busy hanging out with Harry and Hermione, and Fred and George were just causing trouble. Tom had been her only friend. Even after everything had happened and been revealed her family didn't care. They watched Ginny but never really saw the new her. Part of the little girl they knew had died in the chamber with Tom, her innocence. Ginny no longer feared evil because she had seen and been a part of the greatest evil. It was supposed friendship that she feared, because when she needed everyone the most they abandoned her - not in the chamber but afterwards when she tried to heal. It was this fact, that little Ginny Weasley did not fear Voldemort, that made Draco think about his alliances. He saw a strength in Ginny to stand up to the monster that even his father feared, and he wanted that strength too. Draco wasn't scared per say of evil, but he respected it and therefore had supported it for a long time.

It was after his switching sides that Draco began to see the true Ginny Weasley and liked it. It was that relationship that had Ginny creeping to the back of the camp that fateful night. Ginny was tired of not being able to hear how Draco truly felt about her, how she knew he felt but was too scared to admit. Tonight she would find out once and for all, or she would give up what she wanted most, Draco. Ginny moved through the flap to his tent and watched his reaction at seeing her.

“Gin, what are you doing here? It's not safe.”

“I don't care, Draco. I want to be with you right now so I am. I don't care what could happen or probably will happen, I just need to be near you right now.”

“Ginny, we can't do this anymore. It is too dangerous for you. Just go back to your tent.”

“No, I will not leave. Why is it so dangerous? I know there is a war going on, but I am in a safe camp with a great fighter. Why should I feel danger?” Ginny demanded of Draco.

“I'm not saying you aren't safe in camp. I'm saying you're not safe with me,” Draco responded his ire slowly rising. They had had this conversation before. It wasn't that he didn't care about her, but it was because he did. He had never told her that but had always changed the topic or left the room. She couldn't know how he felt, no one could, or she could die.

“So, what? Are you going to hurt me? Are you going to return to big, bad Death Eater ways and hurt me, Draco?”

“No!”

“Then what? Why am I not safe with you? I lov..”

“Don't say it. Don't you dare say it. We both know this has to be just a fling and nothing can come of it,” Draco said, scared that she might actually agree with him.

“Why? Why is it so wrong for us to be together?” Ginny raised her hand to stop Draco's reply. “Let me finish, and don't interrupt. I fought hard today. I almost died a couple times, but luckily I got a counter curse off fast enough. But when I felt outnumbered or thought we wouldn't win, do you know what I thought about? You, Draco. I thought about how much I love you and how I owe it to you to stay in the fight, because I was the one that made you change sides. So, tell me please, how I am not safe with the man I love?”

“You can't love me.”

“Why not? Is it because you have never been loved before or because you don't love me? Tell me, Draco. Tell me right now whether or not you love me. If you don't I will leave right now and never bother you again. Just tell me the truth.”

Draco stared at Ginny and contemplated lying to her just to save her. The only problem with this logic was that by lying to her he would lose her forever - a thought which didn't necessarily appeal to him but would be in her best interests.

“Wow, maybe with that scintillating response I should just go,” Ginny remarked with tears forming in her eyes as she turned to leave the tent. She hoped he would wake up from his stunned silence before she left the tent, but he didn't. She walked through the door and into the cold night without even a goodbye from him. Ginny cried as she walked back to her tent and then proceeded to cry herself to sleep.

In the early morning hours, before the sun even began to rise, Ginny was startled awake by something touching her face. Puzzled she tried to climb out of her depressed stupor, and when she fully came awake it was to the feel of someone's lips pressing against hers. Ginny moaned in her throat and opened her mouth on a sigh, which only allowed the captor of her lips to move his tongue in to touch hers. Ginny moved her hands up to run her fingers through her “assailant's” hair and hold him in place. After a while though, Ginny realized she needed air and reluctantly released her grip.

As his lips separated from hers, Draco murmured, “I love you, Ginevra. Without you I don't think I would ever be able to find happiness in this damned world. I pushed you away because I love you. If anyone knew that, they would come after you to get to me and make me pay for my transgressions. But after you left last night I realized that I had hurt you more than they ever could. I'm sorry.”

Ginny opened her eyes and allowed her tears to fall again, only this time they weren't tears of sadness, but rather of joy. “Say it again,” she murmured as she looked into the slate eyes she loved.

“I'm sorry. Please don't cry.”

“Not that you prat. The other part. Say it again until you get used to it.”

“I love you, you silly, little bint,” Draco said as he smirked at her.

“That's better, and more like the wanker I love.” Ginny laughed. She was too happy to do anything else. “Don't worry either. I can hex and protest myself with the best of them. We will just take things as they come.”

“I should know, love,” Draco whispered as he relaxed besides her. They stayed like that until the sun started to shine through the tent. Draco said his goodbyes and left before he would be noticed…

That morning was the morning of the final battle. Ginny knew some of the things that happened that day and then knew there were parts she would never be told about. That was something Draco had to decide if he would tell her.

Just then there was a pecking at the window. Draco rushed over to let the owl in, and Ginny sat back smiling to herself. Draco took the letters from the owl, gave it a treat, and shooed it away. He then turned to his wife with a huge grin on his face.

“Letters from Arianna,” Draco said as he handed Ginny hers and tore into his own. “She's in Gryffindor!”

Ginny startled at this, but once she looked up and saw the pure joy on her husband's face, she relaxed. “Miracles can happen,” she thought to herself. “A Slytherin who is proud to have a daughter in Gryffindor - hmm, stranger things have happened, I guess.”

~*~

Draco kept looking at the clock and thinking that the feast had to be over by now, so why hadn't he heard from Arianna? He was dying to know what house she had been sorted into. He was just about to floo McGonagall when he heard a peck at the window. “Those damn well better be from Arianna,” he thought as he took the letters off the owl's leg. One was addressed to “Mum” and the other “Daddy”. Draco walked over to Ginny, handed her her letter and said, “Letters from Arianna.” He then proceeded to tear into his. The first three words made him extremely proud. “She's in Gryffindor!” he exclaimed at his overly complacent wife, and then went back to reading.

Daddy,

I'm in Gryffindor. Please don't be too upset with me. I know how much you would like me to be Slytherin, but I guess it just didn't work out that way. I love you, and I promise not to become a “pompous Griff” like you call Uncle Ron.

I also made a couple new friends, but their parents were also Gryffindors so I don't know if you know them. Kayle Longbottom, I met on the way to the castle while in the boats. Then I met Magdelena a.k.a Maggie Finnigan when she was the third girl sorted into Gryffindor. It's just the three of us. The cousins tell me to tell you not to worry because they will take care of me. Hogwarts is beautiful. I thought I had a good idea of what it looked like based on the descriptions you, Mum, and Damon have given me, but I was wrong. Well, I should send this off so you know I am ok and being well taken care of.

I love you,

Arianna.

P.S. Hagrid promises to keep me away from Hippogriffs.

Draco laughed at his daughter's last statement and then sat down to pen a reply.

“Draco, make sure you let her know you aren't made that she is in Gryffindor. She's scared about that,” Ginny told him.

“I plan to love. I couldn't be more proud.”

My little Angel,

I am so happy to hear that you are in Gryffindor. I could not be more proud of you my darling. Don't worry about me being upset. I am sure I will be happy with anything you do as along as it doesn't or shouldn't get you in trouble. Don't take notes from your brother and cousins in that area. I'm glad to hear you are going to be well taken care of. Take care sweetheart and write back whenever you want or when you get a chance.

Love you lots,

Dad

P.S. Stay away from all Slytherin boys except your brother and cousins.

Draco folded up his letter to go out on the owl in the morning, and then went to find his wife to find out why she hadn't said anything all night long.

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Hello all. Sorry about the extremely long update. I know I should've updated sooner, but now here it is finally. Reviews are appreciated but not required. Thanks to Nectaris for the update.

Chapter 5: Demise for One, please.

Mum,

I'm in GRYFFINDOR! Now I get to be just like you. I know you wanted me where Damon could watch over me, but I think I have enough Gryffindor cousins to take care of me. I really hope they keep Evan Potter away from me. I don't know what it is about that boy that gives me the creeps. Also, supposedly his dad is a prat, but I thought his dad was this famous hero. Do you know anything about this?

I have two other girls that I get to live with in the tower. One I met in the boats and the other I met after the sorting. Kayle is really fun. I think you may know her parents, Neville and Lavender Longbottom,. They were Gryffindors too. The other girl's name may sound familiar too, Maggie Finnigan. I am just getting to know her, but she seems pretty fun too. I think we will all get along well. Why didn't you tell me Gryffindor Tower was so pretty? I know my favorite color has always been green, but the red is really pretty too. Don't tell Dad.

Alright, one final thing and I'll stop babbling. Will you make sure Dad's not mad at me? I know he really doesn't like Gryffindor, but I actually feel like I belong here. Does that make sense? Please don't let him be mad at me. I don't know what I am going to do if he can't accept it.

Lots of love,

Ari

Ari,

Don't worry about your Dad, I am sure he is proud of you. Be strong, my sweet, and know we will always be proud of you and always love you. I am so happy that you are in my old house. I trust your cousins to take care of you, but if you have any problems please go to Professor Lupin, your Head of House. I'm sure he will be able to help you figure things out. Also, I am always only an owl away.

I'm glad you found some friends. I was afraid that if you were put in a house different from your brother that you would be scared. I guess that is not the case and good for you. Yes, I do know your friend's parents. They are great people. I will talk it over with your father, but if you want to start making plans with them for Christmas Hols - go ahead. They are more than welcome at the Manor.

One last bit before I cut this off because you know how longwinded I am. Don't use words like prat, and Potter can't be that bad. His dad, Harry was a good friend of mine, so relax around Evan. He may be able to look after you too.

I love you, Sweetheart,

Mum

P.S. Have fun with your first day of classes.

Ginny read over her response to her daughter one last time before folding and sealing it for tomorrow's post. “My baby is in Gryffindor,” was all she could think as she smiled proudly to herself. Ginny had waited years to see whose footsteps her little girl would follow in. She always knew Damon would be in Slytherin, because, even at a young age, he was just like his father - cold and calculating on the outside but loving, loyal, and warm on the inside. She knew from experience that it was difficult to break through that frosty exterior, but the end result was always well worth it. Arianna, on the other hand, had always been a puzzle. Ginny's mum claimed that she was just like Ginny and had multiple aspects to her personality, but Ginny didn't see it. Secretly she had been jealous that Draco had someone who was just like him, she wanted Arianna to be just like her. Fortunately that looked like it might actually happen.

Ginny was mulling over those thoughts and turning down her and Draco's bed when Draco walked in. “Is everything alright, love,” Draco asked her. Ginny just looked up at him and smiled. “You haven't said much tonight. What's wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, Draco.”

“Then why the silence? Is there something bothering you?” Draco slightly snapped because he was getting irritated. This had to deal with his baby girl for goodness sake.

Ginny suddenly felt like she was playing twenty questions. “Draco, I'm fine. I think you have done enough worrying for the both of us today. Why don't we just go to bed and call it a night?” Ginny clipped off the end of the question as her temper began to rise.

“I am not going to bed until you explain to me how you can sit around the manor all afternoon as though nothing has happened. You were worried sick when Damon left, but when your `precious little girl' leaves - you act as though nothing has happened. What is going on?!” Draco's tight rein on his emotions finally slipped. This had to deal with his family and he'd be damned if he just let it go.

“You know I love both our children dearly and equally. I only worried over Damon because you weren't going to. He was the son, the Malfoy heir, therefore he didn't need to be worried about. Well bollocks to that. He is still your child and deserves attention. Besides what does it mean to you if I don't tell everything about how I feel. You keep secrets from me. We don't tell each other everything.”

“Since when do we not tell each other everything?”

“Since the beginning, Draco. Something important happened that day and yet you refuse to tell me. I have never lied to you or not trusted you with anything. Do you have any idea about how much it hurts to know you don't trust me enough to tell me about that day?” Ginny's voice cracked, tears filled her eyes, and she had to turn away from the hurt look on Draco's face.

“I don't tell you because you don't remember, and I don't want you to have to remember. I don't even want to remember! I wish I could forget everything that happened after I left that tent. Do you want me to tell you what happened?” Draco grabbed Ginny by the arm and made her look at him. He felt his gut twist at the tears silently rolling down her face, but knew there was nothing he could do without causing her even more pain. So Draco just continued to yell because anger was easy to admit to then the fear he had felt all those years ago. He had come way to close to losing her. “Do you want to hear what they said they did to you? Do you want to know the fear I felt when I couldn't find you? Do you…” Draco finally broke. He collapsed into his wife's arms as all the emotions and memories from the past caught up to him.

Ginny held Draco as comprehension dawned on her. She started to piece together the fragments of her memory with what she inferred from what Draco just told her. He was right - she didn't want to remember and now she felt horrible that she had made him remember. “Draco, I'm sorry. I understand, you don't have to tell me. Merlin, forgive me. I never realized how much you went through to save us and so many others,” Ginny whispered into his ear as she stroked his hair. “I love you.”

Draco looked into her eyes then, the same eyes that had saved him from darkness so many times. “I love you too, Gin. I had just realized how much I cared about you, and I couldn't let them take you away from me. I couldn't have it. You are everything and always have been.”

“I know, love, I know. I'm sorry. It's ok now. You did it, and we are safe. You have kept us safe. You did it, Draco. You survived. You don't have to worry about it anymore. I won't bug you to find out what happened that day. If you want to tell me, I will listen, but it has to be your decision.”

“I will tell you. I don't know when or how, but I have to tell you. It's been too hard keeping it from you. You deserve to know.” Draco gathered his wife into his arms, kissed her on the head, and carried her to bed.

That they stayed like that for minutes or hours didn't matter. What mattered is that they both had survived. What they didn't know though, was that they were just beginning to have to live with it.

~*~

Arianna woke, on her first day of classes, happy and excited. Today she would get to use her new wand for the first time. Today she would get to learn new spells and all kinds of stuff about magic. She just couldn't wait. She sat up, pulled the curtains back from her bed, and skipped off to the showers.

“Is she always going to be this cheerful in the morning? If she is, I vote for a calming potion as quickly as possible,” Kayle mumbled while she put the pillow over her head.

“Oh, get off it, Kayle. She's probably just excited for the first day of classes. C'mon, let's get a move on then,” Maggie replied as she tapped Kayle's pillow covered head and headed towards the shower.

“Bugger it all. Fine I'm getting up. Besides who ever heard of a bloody 11-year-old who was excited to go to class?”

“Kayle, watch your mouth. You sound like me Dad when he's listening to a Quidditch match.”

“Sorry, some parts of me just aren't awake this early in the bloody morning. You know, like that filter between your brain and your mouth.”

“Do you even have one of those?”

“Oh, shut it,” Kayle yelled as both girls walked into the showers.

An hour later, once the girls were showered and dressed they were ready to head downstairs to breakfast. Since Hogwarts requires its students to wear uniforms the greatest debate came on what to do with their hair. They all decided Arianna would look best with her hair down, Kayle with her's up, and Maggie with a half ponytail. After all that fuss the trio was good to go. They went out the portrait hold and down the stairs laughing about Kayle's potty mouth in the morning, Arianna's chipperness, and Maggie's tendency to be mom-like. Even after such a short time with her dorm mates, Arianna knew it would be her and Kayle getting in all the trouble and Maggie trying to get them out of each mess.

Once the girls made it to the Great Hall, they went through the big doors to find seats together. As Arianna sat down on one side of the table with Kayle and Maggie across from her, she heard a ruckus at the entrance. Arianna turned to see what the commotion was about and saw her brother walk in flanked by her cousins. She smiled and waved at him to let him know she was alright and he nodded in response then moved towards the Slytherin table. Meanwhile the other sets of twins, the Gryffindor ones, walked in behind their brothers and then took up seats flanking Arianna. The Slytherin twins nodded in approval and took seats next to Damon facing the Gryffindor table. Arianna chuckled at their protectiveness then tuned back into the conversation her friends were having.

Arianna was in the middle of a deep conversation and eating her meal when the morning owl post came in. Arianna looked to the ceiling expectantly and saw her father's eagle owl heading towards her. She had been waiting eagerly for her parents' responses to her letters. The owl landed, Arianna took her letters, gave the owl some food, and watched it take off for her brother. Arianna quickly ripped into her Dad's letter first and smiled at what it said. He was actually happy she was in Gryffindor. The last part of his letter confused her though - why should she stay away from Slytherin boys? He dad had been one and her brother was one, along with her cousins. She pushed those thoughts away to read her mum's letter. Her mum was happy too. The interesting part of that letter was the bit about Harry Potter, but Arianna shrugged it off and went to talk to her friends again. She was about to speak when she heard a quiet “Ahem” from behind her. Arianna looked at the shocked faces of her friends and gave them a quizzical look as she turned to see who the interrupter was. As she was turning, she caught her brother and cousins standing up at the Slytherin table, and she felt her flanking cousins stand as well. Arianna looked up and directly into the clear, blue eyes of Evan Potter.

~*~

Evan Potter finally decided to roll out of his bed and get ready for class after a sleepless night. All night he could only think about Arianna Malfoy. He thought he had gotten the strange girl out of his head, but when the first years initially came into the Great Hall last night he had subconsciously sought her out. He had watched her face go from wonder while looking at the night sky that the ceiling emulated to calculating and confused while looking at her classmates. He had wondered if she was sizing them up and deciding who was worthy of being a friend, a scale on which he had been sorely lacking. Then she began to scan the House tables, looking for family, he presumed. When her eyes landed on his, he saw confusion flash into her eyes before she hid her thoughts behind the façade of an indifferent girl. Any sane man would've stopped watching after getting that unenthusiastic greeting, but he just couldn't pull his eyes away from her. As she waited for her name to be called she seemed to be deep in thought. Then when she sat on the stool and the hat was placed on her head he saw fear flash in her eyes before she closed them and concentrated on talking to the hat.

Evan had been just as shocked as anyone when the hat had yelled, “Gryffindor!” He stood like an automaton and watched the young witch move closer. As he had looked back at that moment several times throughout the night, he realized that he had not been shocked into silence because a Malfoy had been put in Gryffindor. That could easily re be reasoned away by the fact that her mother was a Weasley. What had shocked Evan was that she looked to be happy in his house and not disappointed. Evan had expected at least some disappointment, and it was that puzzle that had kept him up all night. Who exactly was this little witch that so intrigued him and why was he so drawn to her?

Evan decided to try to forget these thoughts and went to take a shower. Once he was dressed and ready to go he realized he was rather early for breakfast, so he ran away from his dorm room to relax in the common room. Ten minutes later he was sitting in one of the windows staring at the Quidditch pitch when he heard giggling coming from the girl's stairs. He turned to see the reason for his sleepless night along with two other girls. He quietly slipped out of the window and decided to follow them down to the Great Hall. He followed at a close enough distance to hear parts of their conversation but far enough away to not be noticed. He listened to see if he could figure out some aspect of the girl, but he seemed to be fighting a losing battle. Sooner than he wanted, they were at the Great Hall. Evan dropped back and sat down the table from the trio of girls. Soon he was joined by his friends and sat back to enjoy breakfast.

When the Owl Post came, Evan received a letter from his parents, which he tucked into a pocket on the inside of his robes, and his class schedule for the year. “Great, double Potions first thing in the morning with the Slytherins,” he thought to himself. “At least they get the same torture with double DADA with Lupin.” As he was smiling and looking at the rest of his schedule, he realized a second piece of parchment behind it. He looked at the second sheet and could not believe what he saw. He somehow had gotten Arianna Malfoy's schedule by accident. Evan sat and stared at the parchment before deciding to go deliver it to its proper owner personally. Evan stood up and walked down the table to stand behind Arianna. She was busy reading a letter, so he decided to wait until she was finished. As soon as she was finished, he cleared his throat to let his presence be known. When he did this, Arianna's two companions looked up at him in wonder, then the Slytherin Goon Squad (as he liked to call them) and the Gryffindor twins stood to stare at him. “This is not going to end well,” he thought to himself. “So much for being a Good Samaritan.” Evan then looked down into puzzled silver - blue eyes and lost all thought completely.

~*~

Damon had always enjoyed Hogwarts. It had become like a second home to him. This year would be even better than the last two years. His sister was going to be here. Yes, they had their quarrels, but when they got along, they were a force to be reckoned with. When they were younger they had been the ultimate pranksters; needless to say, they made their Uncles Fred and George proud. With age they had become more talented and sneaky in their operations, so now their trickery was a true art form. He couldn't wait to see the kind of pranks they would be able to pull off with Sean, Mike, Dave, and Brian's help. This was going to be great, but first he had to hope his sister got into Slytherin. It would be much easier to protect her that way.

Once Damon made it into the Great Hall, he walked over to the Slytherin table to sit with his cousins. As he was sitting down, he saw Evan Potter walk in. Right there was another good reason for having Ari in Slytherin - she would be far away from that awful prat. “Sean,” Damon said as he elbowed his cousin. “How do we keep that bugger away from Ari if she winds up in Gryffindor?”

“Relax, mate. She's a Malfoy. She will be in Slytherin for sure.”

“But Mum's a Gryff, so how do we know for sure? We have to have a backup plan, just in case.”

“Alright. Well what about my brothers? I'm sure they will take care of her if need be.”

“Good plan. I had forgotten about them for a minute. She will be fine. Alright here they come.” Damon watched his little sister walk into the Great Hall. He was proud to see her hold her head high and not look scared. “Good girl, Ari,” he thought to himself. When she scanned the House Tables, Damon waited for her to catch his eye. She smiled at him, and he could tell she was nervous so he smiled and nodded in return to reassure her. He had to keep her safe - her dad had told him that was his one and only job this year. Damon knew he would definitely do it to the best of his ability, no matter what kind of obstacles got in the way.

Damon watched Ari climb the stairs once her name was called. She looked a little nervous but like she was holding together well. Damon expected the hat to be quick in its decision like it usually was, but for some reason it took longer than usual. Just as he was about to get scared for Arianna, the hat yelled, “Gryffindor!”

“Bugger,” Damon heard from around him as he thought it himself. As Arianna walked down the steps and towards her new house table, Damon scanned the table for possible threats. He was almost done scanning the table when he spotted Evan Potter. “Buggering hell,” he thought to himself. The nitwit had his eyes on Damon's sister. Damon elbowed his cousins on either side of him, nodded towards the problem and stood up. “Look at me you prat. Look at me just once so you know to stay away,” Damon thought as he glared at his nemesis. Evan never turned and saw Damon, but Damon made eye contact with his cousins and the message was clearly received - Evan Potter was to never be anywhere near Arianna Malfoy.

After the feast and much glaring at the Gryffindors, Damon and his cousins convened in the Slytherin Common Room to make a plan. This plan would later be carried out by the Gryffindor counterparts who were all too willing to help. Once a suitable plan of action was in place, Damon decided it was safe to go to bed. The next day would be fun even if Evan Potter didn't stay away from his sister.

When Damon woke the next morning he heard his cousins still snoring, so he got out of bed to beat them into the showers. After a long shower, Damon felt prepared to face his first day of classes and first day of protecting his sister. Once he and all the cousins were dressed, the group headed up to breakfast. Damon scanned table all the while looking for Ari. He saw her already sitting at the table with two other girls, who he new to be her fellow first years. Damon started to relax until he looked down the table a little ways and saw Evan Potter staring at Ari.

Damon stopped dead in his tracks which caused his cousins to bump into him. All of them looked at Damon's stunned face and then in the direction he was staring. As all five boys stood like deer in headlights, the Gryffindor cousins walked into their twins. A bunch of yelling and shoving covered the whispered relay of last night's plan against Potter. As all this was going on Damon caught Arianna's eye and nodded in response to her wave and smile. With the knowledge that his sister was safe and comfortable for the time being, Damon moved towards the Slytherin table and silently beckoned his cousins to follow.

By the time Damon reached his seat, the Gryffindor twins had settled in on either side of Arianna, ensconcing her in a blanket of safety. Damon then relaxed and sat back to enjoy his breakfast. When the owl post came, Damon grabbed his schedule from the school owl and looked over at the Gryffindor table to see his father's eagle owl delivering a couple letters to Arianna, and then take off towards him. Damon was undoing his letters from the owl when movement caught the corner of his eye.

Damon looked up to see Potter heading down the table towards Arianna. Damon immediately stood which made his cousins pay attention. Damon stood glaring at Potter trying to talk to his sister as his cousins prepared to do damage control. Operation Destroy Potter was now ready to be put in action.

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