July 15th finds 15 year old Draco Malfoy in a failed attempt to save his father. Alone and Wand less on the muggle streets of London, he must now rely on the kindness of a young muggle child, who may just be more than he sees.
Hobbits Notes: I wrote this a little bit before Half blood prince (the book) came out. I'm a terrible procrastinator though I don't know where Brownie came from, That was weird. Sliante, Hobbit
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Midnight exactly, Draco Malfoy crept from his room down the long shadowed halls of Malfoy Manor. He first checked that his mother was sound asleep. Sure enough she lay still, breathing evenly. Exhausted from all the tears and worry caused from Luscious Malfoy being locked away in the wizard Prison of Azkaban.
'You ll pay for this potter.' Draco thought savagely as he shuffled through the halls. He was angrier at Harry Potter than ever, more for what his mother was going through than his fathers stay in Azkaban. Temporary stay, Draco called it, as he planned to get his father out. The teen grabbed a pinch of floo powder and threw it into the fire. "Leaky Cauldron" He whispered, stepping into the emerald flames.
The world looked different at night, Draco reflected. He walked out to the street and looked about. Draco turned left, heading where he remembered the wizard bank being.
'Once I get to Gringotts I can get a thousand Galeons and Fudge will HAVE to let my father out.' Draco though smugly. He was certain that with enough gold, anything was possible. And in his fathers bank account there was more than plenty.
Growing up in a wizarding household, Draco had never used the muggle entrance to Diagon ally. Even so he was much too preoccupied with other matters to realize he had come out on the wrong side.
"That Potter" He thought as he walked along. "Just wait till I get a clear run at him. This is all his fault." It was just last month, June. When Harry potter had gone to the ministry with that jumped up know it all teachers pet mudblood Hermione Granger, two blood traitor redhead freckle faced Knutless Weaslys Long bottom the brainless bumbling squib and Luna the Loony Lovegood. Under the assumption of rescuing Sirius Black, Harry s godfather, the Dark Lord lead Potter to the hall of Prophecies. There that Imbecile Neville dropped the prophecy and smashed it to smithereens before anyone could hear what it said. and of course that muggle loving buffoon Dumbledore had shown up, along with the minister. And the Dark lord Voldemort was discovered. Luscious was then unmasked and locked away.
But all that was soon to be rectified. Draco Malfoy would free his father and join him at the Dark lords side. And then Potter and his friends would PAY. He had been preparing for this since the day he returned home from school. With only the help of Brownie, a prophetic house-elf, he brewed the darkest, most delicate most forgotten potion. A potion that could protect its user from the smallest curse to the Dread Killing curse, Avada Kadanvra. If brewed properly, the potion could even ward off Dementors.
"We could certainly use Miss Grangers help now." Brownie had said serenely stirring the pot. " Too bad you aren t friends with her yet."
Draco looked suspiciously at the house elf. "Why are you helping me?"
Brownie smiled her serene smile. "It will do you a lot of good."
"Some good." Malfoy thought as he realized he was in muggle England with no idea how to get back to Daigon Ally. Panic over took him and the teen wizard ran blindly along, dashing in front of a car. The driver stopped and honked his horn. Startled, Malfoy tripped and fell to the ground. He was unhurt fortunately, the ring on his left thumb having been dipped in the Protection Potion. Malfoy got up hurriedly and searched his pockets for his wand. But it wasn t there. Now Malfoy was really worried. He had no money, no wand and no idea where he was.
Sunrise found him wandering about, tired hungry and fuming worse than before. So much for all his grand schemes.
The morning haze was burning off and by eleven o clock It was a very hot July 15. An utterly miserable Draco sat on a bench across from a snug little daycare. Presently, the doors opened and out came Muggle children of every age, whose parents worked all day. They ran to the monkey bars and slides and blacktop, forming groups and games as the went. The elder kids stood at the monkey bars and looked disdainfully at the smaller kids. Draco noticed one small girl who hung back. Easily the youngest, who watched the other children s games with piercing blue eyes.
A boy on the monkey bars with a bored face nudged one of his companions and pointed to Draco "Hey. Check out the weirdo."
Another girl laughed. "What a freak."
"Hey everyone check out the Vampire!" The first kid laughed.
The other kids came crowding around Malfoy
"Is he a vampire or a wizard?" Asked the girl.
"Wizard kid wizard kid doesn t know where his father is Turned his brother into a pail sent his mother off to jail found out what his sister did Wizard kid wizard kid"
"Wizard kid wizard kid." The others chanted. Malfoy felt his face turn red.
"Stop it stop!" He cried.
Laughing the others left and went back to their games. Malfoy felt alone and helpless.
"Are you really a wizard?" Draco looked up to see the small girl he had noticed earlier had her blue eyes focused on him. "I bet your a really good one. Can you do lots of magic?"
"Not without a wand" Malfoy answered scornfully before realizing what he said "Oh I mean-"
"Wow!!" The small girl scooted onto the bench beside Draco and smiled.
Are you a dangerous wizard or are you a good Wizard like in Oz?
"What s Oz?.... I m a good wizard." Draco replied. "Its Blood traitors and mud bloods who are bad."
"Whats a bloodtradermublood?" The girl asked curiously.
"Never mind. They re the bad ones and I m good." Draco replied coolly. "Why am I talking to a Muggle?"
"My names Anita, What s yours?" Draco didn t answer, but turned away. His stomach growled loudly. "Are you hungry? I have a cupcake. I traded Laura my apple for it, but I got a dentist appointment so they wouldn t let me eat it." She held out the treat smiling sweetly.
Hunger got the better of him and Draco took the cupcake and ate it in two mouthfuls. "Thanks Muggle." He said grudgingly.
"Anita, My name is Anita. And your welcome, Wizard."
Malfoy smiled in spite of himself. "My name is Draco. I don t suppose you know where I could get something to drink?"
Anita smiled. "The water fountain is over there. " She pointed.
Draco walked over and examined it closely.
"Uhh how does it work Muggle?"
Anita sighed and turned the knob, holding it until Draco had had enough to drink. "Thanks muggle" Draco said, less stuffy than last time.
"Why do you keep calling me that?" Anita asked in a soft voice, pushing a strand of her auburn hair behind one ear. Draco gazed at her steadily. "Muggle is a wizard word. It means someone who isn t a Wizard."
"Oh" Anita s bright smile was infectious. "Do wizards go to school? What is your math like?"
Draco laughed. "We don t have math. We have defense against the dark arts."
"What s dark art? I do macaroni art. Is it like that? Does it involve paint?'
"No its where we learn to defend ourselves from wizards who would hurt others for fun." Draco felt a twinge of guilt as the small girls eyes grew wide with fear. "Do that hurt Mubbles too?"
"Yeah yeah they do."
"That s awful!" Anita s voice quavered as though she were ready to cry. She looked earnestly into Draco s pale pointed face. "You ll stop them won't you Draco? You ll stop them all and you ll do it all by yourself because you re Super wizard!" Anita Beamed. "How old are you?"
"Fifteen." Draco answered, glad to be off the subject of dark arts. "How old are you?"
"I m five!" Anita grinned and jumped up danced around Malfoy. "You re all grown up! You can catch those bad dark art wizards!" Draco tried valiantly to smile. Anita plunked back down beside him. "What else do wizards learn in school?"
"Well lets see." Draco said thoughtfully. There s Potions and charms and astronomy and herbology. Oh and Care of magical creatures.
"What kind of creatures? Unicorns?"
"Yeah we learned about unicorns. There were baby unicorns too. they re all gold."
"Wow."
"Hippogriphs are pretty cool too if you don t make them angry." He added sheepishly. We also have a sport called Quiditch. Its played on broomsticks way up in the air."
"Oooh " Anita listened to everything and anything Draco told her with rapt attention. Draco soon forgot she wasn t a witch, or indeed his sister.
"Anita" Called a soft voice from the fence. Anita smiled and waved. "That s my mom. I ve got to go now. " She stood and hugged Draco tight.
"Oh okay." Draco said, thrown back by the abrupt halt of the conversation. Draco smiled and began to try to find his way home as the others milled to go back inside. Anita s words rang in Draco s ears You ll stop them your super wizard.. No one had ever thought so highly of him before..
He couldn t help but imagine what his father would do to the sweet girl he had befriended. She was a muggle, and therefore meant to be crushed. But she was just a little girl!
Unbidden an image came to his mind, Voldemort torturing the little girl, her agonizing screams. He knew he would dream of her little face, twisted in agony, wondering why her hero, Draco wasn t coming to her rescue.
"Hey hey muggle.. Anita!" Draco called, running back to her. "Here, hang on to this." He said urgently, pulling the ring off his left thumb and placing it in her hand. "Keep it with you no matter what. Never leave it behind."
"I wont." Anita answered solemnly gazing steadily at the small band of protection.
"Thank you for taking such good care of my little girl." Anita s mother smiled." The other kids here give her such a hard time.
"Draco s great mom. " Anita beamed proudly. "He s going to save the world!"
Draco smiled through his fear and guilt as he watched until the small girl was out of sight. He stayed in that spot for what felt like an eternity unaware of the tears in his eyes.
"The Mistress has sent little Brownie out to find Master Draco." A serene voice said form behind him. "And good Brownie does what mistress asked."
Draco turned to find Brownies huge hazel eyes surveying him thoughtfully, with a very human expression.
"I I forgot she was a muggle." Draco murmured. "It was like having a sister. A real friend. Not just some bumbling buffoon to take orders."
Draco walked along as though in a daze. "And they would have hurt her. "
"Them sir?" Brownie asked casually, as though she already knew the answer.
"My parents. But not ME" He said forcefully. "If my father stays in prison, Anita and children like her will be safe." Draco sighed. "But if he were free mother would be happier. I don t know what to do."
"Perhaps its not up to you. Perhaps your real mission today was to protect Anita. And you did that. Nothing can harm her as long as she has that ring. You re her hero." Brownie handed Draco his wand and fare for the knight bus.
As the pair boarded the bus Brownie wondered vaguely how Draco would feel knowing he fulfilled a prophecy. How Draco, only son of Narcissa Black and Luscious Malfoy would feel if he knew he had saved the life of Anita Dumbledore, the muggle daughter of squib Andrew Dumbledore, the great nephew of Albus Dumbledore. Only a week before Voldemort would send Narcissa Malfoy to kill the five year old child.
And Brownie also wondered on the long ride home if Draco Malfoy 15 year old pure blood wizard would ever go down to the Department of Mysteries and take down the glass ball labeled
Brownie the house elf to James Potter
Draco Malfoy and Anita Dumbledore.
Hobbits Notes Someone told me in order to read this you have to suspend your belief of who Draco Malfoy is. But I was thinking, How much of what Draco spews does he really belive and how much is just him living up to his fathers expectaitions? Draco talks big but I always saw him as really just a scared, sheltered kid. completly ignorant of the dark lord and the world he lives in. He never met a muggle so he has no idea what theyre like really.
Well thats the general idea anyway
Sliante,
Hobbit