I immediately sat upright when I recalled what I had seen. Yes, I remembered seeing that stupid Potter boy and his mudblood pal
trying to protect the criminal Sirius Black. I had also seen Potter and Granger come out from behind some trees. Potter cast some kind of
spell... I had only seen the two Potters for a moment, then the second one ran off with the second mudblood close behind. I wasn't
crazy. My father believed me. Lucius Malfoy had told his son about time-turners...also telling me not to tell anyone. Then again, just
knowing my own father believed me wasn't much of a comfort.
Sitting up in bed, my bare skin shown pale in the moonlight cast from the window. I always slept shirtless when I was at home.
My bed was a silky white phoenix feather mattress, very expensive, with black silk sheets and pillowcases. Of course, the pillows were a match to
the mattress.
Reaching my arms above my head, I stretched out my body. Muscles rippling, I looked myself over. My pale skin and almost
white blond hair seemed the perfect combination. Looking at my clock, I decided to go for an early morning stroll, perhaps even go over to
Tikal's place for a bit. My father wouldn't mind. Mother was gone, at a spa place...she needed a vacation...she stayed home too much.
Slipping into my cloak, I headed out the door. Shoes. I grabbed some boots from beside the fireplace. I was tired, so before leaving, I
ordered a house-elf to get me some hot chocolate.
Sipping the melted chocolate, I was surprised to find that the new house-elf had it exactly the way I liked it; just between warm and hot.
Staring in surprise at the house-elf, and without knowing so, I said,
"Good work, Jingle." I was sure the name of the elf was Jingle, though it wasn't. The elf's name was Pip. She had been hired in Dobby's place.
The elf bowed in respect, and hurried away to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Shaking my head, I started toward the door. Just as I was on the threshold, my father came down the steps.
"And where do you think you're going, young man?" he said, his voice echoing coldly around the foyer.
"For a walk, why does it concern you?" I retorted, heatedly.
"I have to speak to you over breakfast. Get in here now, boy." his eyes penetrated the back of my skull, twisting like corkscrews into my mind. I
hated my father.
"Fine. Over breakfast, then leave me alone!" I was angry.
For one morning, could I just get away from my father and his ravings, for one morning? Of course not. My father had too many business deals
to take care of in the afternoon so the morning was the only time he could try to convince me to join the Dark Lord. Lucius was also going to
be arrested soon for what had happened at the Ministry. He was fleeing the country that very day, sending me to some relatives. He wanted
me to follow in his footsteps and be a loyal follower to Voldemort.
I did not want that. I wanted nothing to do with my father when I got out of school. I would leave for...somewhere. Anywhere but
London. Perhaps Paris. Or Italy. Maybe to Japan and live with a family of wizards there. Or I could just stay with Tikal...
Sitting down at the table, Lucius began to speak.
"You will begin your 6th year at Hogwarts in one month, correct? I thought so. This year, you will do something at school. The Dark Lord
wishes you to dispose of Albus Dumbledore. He says he will have to deal with you personally if you fail. You must get the Death Eaters into
Hogwarts, Draco, to help you. Severus Snape will also aide you, if need be."
"Why can't Snape do it?"
"Why do you think? The Dark Lord still needs a spy at that ruddy school, you should know that!"
"It's impossible! You know that he's trying to get revenge, he wants me to die in the attempt! I won't do it!" I jumped up and strode out the
front door, not caring when Jingle (I was sure that was the name) brought a large tray of food to me before I left.
Cramming food into my mouth, I looked over my options.
"Let's see, I could go find Dumbledore and warn him, but than I'd be to much of a hero, not to mention he'd think I was a lunatic. Why would I
help him anyway? (crunch crunch) Or, I could go to Hogwarts on my broom and wait there for a month. The best thing to (mmmm ) do is to
hide until it's time to go to the station." I found out where Tikal lived now from a certain someone whom I had not intended to meet on his
journey, and brought with me all I would need. The certain someone seemed only too pleased to bring me along with him, which only made it
worse. It would be a long month.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I, Tikal Black, the one and only daughter of the late Sirius Black, was in Slytherin, though I had every trait of a Gryffindor, including
friends from that and the other Houses. I had recently discovered why. My mother, Merope, had died giving birth to me and had been in Salazar
Slytherin's blood line. This also made me a pure-blood, not to mention Lord Voldemort's only living relative, a fact no one but I, surely, knew. I
thought it was funny; he, a powerful dark wizard, half blood, and I, his unknown sister, not even an eighth as powerful, yet pure-blood. What
would he think? I was also the only living Black left.
The painting of my grandmother in the hall had been thrilled, and Kreacher, the old house-elf, had not uttered a word of disrespect. I
had burned the canvas on the painting and poisoned Kreacher. It was, after all, his fault that Sirius was dead, and I never liked my grandmother
anyway.
I had inherited number 12 Grimmauld Place in the event of my father's death, and let Dumbledore continue to use it as the headquarters
for the Order of the Phoenix. People rushed in and out constantly, and I, Harry, Hermione, the Weasleys (save for Percy), and several others
were staying there, and Bill and Charlie dropped in when they could.
The little house was now normal, no wierd creatures lurking anywhere. The new house-elf, Bobbit, was much younger and much more cheerful
than Kreacher, and she had helped out a great deal.
One cold day, on the fourth of August, just nineteen days after my sixteenth birthday on the thirteenth of July, there was a loud knock on
the door.
"I shall get it, Mistress!" squeaked Bobbit. Harry looked puzzled.
"Who d'you think it is?" but Ron's question was answered by Hermione's shriek of "Dumbledore!" from the hall.
"There you go." I announced waving my hand. Dumbledore lead a pale, silvery-blond boy with a pointed face in after him... There were
simultanious shouts of "Malfoy!" and the one of "Draco! It's great to see you!" as I threw my arms around him.
Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred, George, and Lupin were shocked, but then rauceous laughter rang out as Fred, George and Ginny
howled with pleasure. Ginny had tears of joy in her eyes. She was pointing breathlessly at me, thinking it was a joke.
"Oh, really, you folks are immature." I was angry. Harry and Draco exchanged last names and a handshake maliciously.
"Potter."
"Malfoy."
Hermione would not even aknowledge him. I realized with a jolt that Harry and Ron were staring at me with disgust. I hadn't told them about
Draco and I...
"Oh...heh heh...whoops...guess I forgot to tell you...er, Draco and I have been together since the middle of last year, that business with
Umbridge and my refusing to be on the Inqusitorial Squad kinda made him like me, for my spunk, he said...The whole Ministry thing..." I
trailed off. Harry was looking angry.
"His father was there, Tikal, and how could you mention that in front of me? You know damn well that Sirius was my god..."
"HE WAS MY FATHER! You think it doesn't hurt as much, even worse, to me?! Huh!? Because I don't remember you being excited
about him until you heard him offer to get you away from the Dursleys! You think I knew more about him, knew him better than you, Harry?! I
got to see as much of him as you, little more, so if you think that since he was 'your godfather' you were more emotionally attached or that it hurts
more than you're wrong! I lived in a god damn orphanage from 1 to 14, dammit, which is a hell of alot worse than having an actual home, no
matter how bad it is! And don't start with me about 'don't mention it in front of me'. You know as well as I that that's a load of bull. You're
forgetting, Harry, that I didn't know he was my father until you knew he was innocent. Maybe a few days sooner, ok? And losing a father is
worse than losing a godfather. How d'you think I feel, being his daughter, knowing only for about 2 years. I didn't know my last name or
anything about my past, no one did. So shut up! you don't know how it feels to..." Harry cut me off.
"MY MUM AND DAD DIED TOO! YOU CAN'T SAY I DON'T KNOW HOW IT FEELS TO LOSE SOMEONE THAT IMPORTANT! AT LEAST YOU KNEW HIM! AT LEAST YOU..."
"Don't you think that knowing that they're dead and that you can't do anything is better than wondering whether they're dead or alive, whether
they actually care about you or not, whether they need you or never even wanted you? Not knowing that only one parent was dead and the other in
jail? And no, Harry, I didn't know him. I only came to live with him summer before fifth year. I only got to see him one summer more than
you. More like two weeks." I said this quietly, and Harry stopped shouting.
"You got to spend time with him, why didn't you two get to know eachother?" He asked.
"We didn't because of you, Harry. He was worried about you. He still didn't give a damn that he was abandoning me. He always liked his
godson more than his own daughter, and he always like his best friend more than his own daughter as well. He wnated you to be like James, so
he never talked to me much. Didn't notice me at all. All because he cared about you, Harry." There was a silence that wasn't awkward only
to me.
"Come on, Draco, I'll show you to the room. You'll be sharing with me, on the top floor." I never broke eye contact with Harry as I spoke. I
started swiftly to the entrance of the room, Draco at my heels.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tikal, please..." Potter had been trying to get Tikal to talk to him for days now, since my arrival. Tikal had enjoyed the time she spent with
me or with Witherwings, a hippogriff that looked stunningly like the one that had attacked me.
"God, Tikal, please! Just talk to me!"
"Piss off." she said and walked up to her room. I looked at Potter, smirked, and hurried off after her.
"I can't believe the nerve of him! He does something wrong and expects me to apologize to him! Then, when I don't and I stop talking to him, he
says it's my fault!" She was seething and I was trying to calm her.
"I know, Potter is a git. He's the world's biggest arse."
"Don't you talk about him that way!" she snapped.
"Woah, ok, ok, I'm sorry!" I said quickly. She seemed to be set off by the smallest thing lately.
"Harry is a great guy. He really is. But he can be the biggest friggin' prat…"
"Yeah, well, you know him better than I do. I can't start hanging out with the Gryffindors and I doubt they'll be to pleased to hang out with
me. So I guess there's no real chance of me getting to know him at all. I can't agree on anything much about him… What use is telling me this stuff anyway?"
"We can agree on one thing, at least."
"Oh, yeah, what's that?" I asked, sitting on her bed.
"Harry can be the most horrible, insufferable, unkind, and Stupid person you will ever meet!"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an unfinished story, of course. Draco's Delima will be updated ASAP.
Please Reveiw, this is my first story and I want to know if it sucks lol
Thanx! Soul of Shadow