Happy Birthday Draco Malfoy, Again.

It was June 5, 1992. Summer always seemed to start the same way for me, at Draco Malfoy's birthday party. It was there that I would find myself isolated from all of the guests and would spent the majority of the party either sketching in my drawing book out in the yard or around the manor somewhere with the house elves. The adults were always too busy gathering in the library or Lucius' study discussing matters of the Dark Lord, and being that I was always the youngest of the kin, Draco and my sister's friends liked to pretend that I didn't exist. Which was just fine by me. Their gang, as they liked to refer to themselves, was made up of some of the worst people. I especially disliked the one Miss Pansy Parkinson in particular. I hated the way she would forcibly giggle at everything that Draco said, I hated the way that she seemingly hung on his every word, and I especially hated the way she hung herself all over him. Every year for as long as I could remember we've gone through this same old song and dance.

I took solace in the fact that I was ten now. If I went to muggle schooling I would be entering grade six and would be headed to middle school. Physically I was developing more into a young woman everyday. Mostly I was excited by the fact that I only had to make it through this year before I would be joining them at Hogwarts. Then I would get to see Draco everyday and would be far, far away from my mother. My father, though rather eccentric, I loved. My mother, however, had within the past few years turned to the drink and has become rather unbearable. I was bloody excited that I would be spending the school year at the Wizarding Academy of Dramatic Arts. I don't know if I was more excited to study the arts among other witches and wizards of my age and the probability of maybe finally having a best mate, or the fact that I'd be away from my mother for most of the year.

Since I would be attending a wizarding school this term I was excited that I could actually tell people where I would be studying instead of making up lies. The school was in London, and thanks to the short time I spent studying in London last year I knew the area quite well and was excited to return. I enjoyed city life, a lot. I wasn't cut out for country side living. I planned on one day moving to the city after I finished my schooling. I found the muggle world rather fascinating but could never speak of it, especially since I came from a family in whom supported the Dark Lord. I believe we are all aware on his stand on muggles and muggle supporters.

"That's rather good," I heard a voice call out to me from my right. I looked up from my current sketch, of course another of Pansy dying in a vicious way and was shocked to see who the voice had come from. "Mind if I join you?"

"I don't see why not," I smiled up at the boy. As shocked as I was, I couldn't say that I was surprised. Blaise and I were both loners. I was sure he was just trying to escape from the idiots that were Draco's gang and happened to run away to the same spot that I had found. I quickly went back to shading my drawing, making sure I got the pained expression on her face just right.

"You really don't fancy her, huh?" he asked with a chuckle.

"No, not particularly. She doesn't quite fancy me either. She's always throwing my stuff around and making me chase after my pencils. It's rather rude. Being that I am much smaller than her and not aloud to use magic yet, I settle for this," motioning to my sketch book I looked up and smiled at him. "How about you? How'd you find your way over to my hideaway?"

"These kinds of gatherings aren't really my thing. I only come because my mother pushes me to. She says that I need to be more sociable and hang out with children of my own year. Honestly I'm just indifferent to all of it. However, it does shut my mother up. How about you?"

"You mean besides my now obvious Pansy hatred?" I asked him and he nodded. "My sister doesn't it like it when I crowd around. That and there aren't any other children my age around. I don't mind really, I guess I prefer being alone. Well I don't know if I prefer it per se, but I am rather used to it." I laughed at myself before continuing on. "And I did mention my distain for Pansy, right?" I smiled up him and he laughed with me.

"Well speak of the devil," Blaise spoke under his breath as he motioned over to the right. I followed his gaze and my eyes landed on Pansy making her way around the house, obviously looking for something. When her eyes landed on us her gaze hardened and she started to make her way over. I quickly shut my sketch book and placed in my bag before looking back up.

"There you are, Blaise," she spoke as he fond us. "Draco sent me to find you."

"Is that so?" He spoke indifferently. I was really starting to like him.

"What are you doing out here with the freak?" She crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at me, trying to break me under her cold gaze, I just gave her one right back.

"If you'd like to see a freak Pansy," I started, venom laced on my every word, "I suggest you look in the mirror." I could hear Blaise stifling his laughter from next me and a smile slowly started to play upon my lips. He huffed and turned to leave.

"Are you coming Zabini?"

"Pansy, I wouldn't willingly go anywhere with you." That remark made me smile, and my smile grew even more as I watched him relax more in his position on the ground next me. She huffed once more before turning on her heels and back from whence she came.

"Pansy, 0; and point to us." Blaise laughed as I brought back out my sketch book. I started going at my sketch more fiercely than before. "She's such a twat."

"Don't listen to a word she says. You're not a freak; she just needs to put other people down is all. She is nothing to write home about."

"Draco seams to think so," I said with a sigh.

"I seam to think what?" I pulled my head to my right and watched as Draco made his way over to Blaise and me.

"Private conversation, Malfoy." I shot a thankful smile his way and turned back to Draco.

"How are you murdering Pansy this year, Tori?" He asked me with a smile as he sat down on my other side looking down at my pad. He laughed when he saw it. "Does she really need that many spears through her head?"

"Well I just added a few more after she called me a freak." I snapped defensively. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"Don't listen to her Tori, you're not a freak." I know that Blaise had just told me the same thing but it meant more to me coming from him, from Draco.

"Oh! Before I forget," I started to dig through my bag before I found what I was looking for, the present I had made for him for his birthday. "Here," I started as I handed it to him. "Happy birthday!"

I watched him closely has he unwrapped it. I had drawn him a scene with all the members of his favorite quidditch team. I knew which one was his favorite from all the posters in his room and since I couldn't buy him anything and I knew he liked my drawings I thought he'd like it.

"Wow, Tori, you drew this?" He asked and I nodded. "Blaise look at this, it looks just like them."

"That's great Astoria; it looks like a photograph not a drawing." He smiled at me, handing the drawing back to Draco.

"Thanks, Tori," Draco said as he leaned over and gave me one of those awkward side hugs. "It's great I'm going to go hang it up on my way back to the nitwits in the back." As he stood he looked over at Blaise. "You coming Zabini?"

"It was nice talking with you, Astoria." He spoke as he stood.

"You too Blaise. Happy birthday, again, Draco." He smiled at me once more before the two of them made their way back towards the house and I found myself alone again. I didn't mind it though. I just might have a friend in Blaise Zabini, and that brightened my mood.


Soon it was time for cake and everyone had reconvened in the Malfoy's dining room. I found myself sitting at the end of the table a lone, sketching out the scene before me. Draco and the way the light from the candles lit his face, the way his parents looked at him adoringly as they placed the cake in front of him. Before long I found myself being joined by one of my favorite inhabitants of Malfoy Manor, a strange little house elf named Dobby.

Dobby was a strange little elf, but I enjoyed his company greatly. We both had a nasty habit of eavesdropping and we loved to gossip about all the happenings together. Though the Malfoy's tended to treat him rather badly, for which I don't approve. In my eyes he did nothing to deserve the horrible treatment that he would receive. The house was always clean, the food was always on the table on time, and I think it's just a rich snobby wizard thing. I never treated him like just another house elf. I always treated him as a friend.

"Miss Tori, it is good to see you," he said to me with a smile as he hid behind me.

"It is good to see you too Dobby. Heard anything interesting lately?"

"Dobby, mustn't tell. It would be bad for Dobby to say what he heard the master speak of, but terrible things, terrible things." He began to slam his head into my chair as to punish himself. Luckily everyone else in the room was too busy eating cake and talking amongst themselves to notice the banging.

"Dobby, stop that. There's no need for that with me. You know I never tell a sole."

"Dobby is sorry Miss Tori. Dobby didn't mean to."

"I know Dobby, it's okay. Tell me what you've heard."

"We mustn't talk here, follow me."

I slipped out of my chair slowly, sliding my sketch book and things into my bag and sliding it over my shoulder. I knew where we were headed, where we always went to discuss matters that shouldn't be heard my others, my favorite corner in the Malfoy library. I slipped through the all the people and made my way down the hall and into the library. It was empty besides for me and Dobby and the book.

When I was younger I used to write in that book, and it would write back to me. My father scolded me most fiercely when he found me with it. He told me that the book was very important. That it belonged to the Dark Lord and that he and Lucius were to watch over it closely. He told me that it held a piece of him. That it was a Horcrux. He told me that I was never to play with it again, even though I found where he hid the diary in the library and would often speak with Tom Riddle who my father had told me was the Dark Lord himself.

After that day I became infatuated with Horcruxes. I took to the library and tried to find all that I could on the subject. A Horcrux is an object, but not just any object you see. A Horcrux can only be created by taking the life of another. It is then when the soul is the weakest and you can use dark magic to slit it and transfer it into an object. The goal being immortality. My father told me that there were many like this book, which only confirmed my suspicions that the Dark Lord was still alive out there.

But this book was special. This book was given to Lucius and my father for a reason. It was meant to reopen The Camber of Secrets. My father told me all about the camber, and what had happened the last time the chamber was open. That he was there attending Hogwarts with the Dark Lord, they had been friends then. My father wanted it to be me who would re-open the chamber. I never wanted that. My father always said that since I was so familiar with the diary and communicated well with the part of the Dark Lord's soul that was left there, not to mention my ability to talk to snakes, in his mind made me the perfect candidate. I didn't want that at all. After the incident with Quirrell at Hogwarts they must be getting impatient.

"Hogwarts will not be safe. Dobby thinks, it will not be safe."

"You're right Dobby it will not be safe."


After my talk with Dobby, I found myself mindlessly making my way back towards the dinning room. I was so heavy in thought and on auto pilot that I did not even notice when I made it back to my seat. Someone else did though.

"Tori, earth to, Tori." My sister snapped her long fingers in front of me.

"Yeah, Daphne?"

"Draco's going to open is presents, aren't you coming?" I shook my head at her and she just huffed as she walked away. I didn't know why I needed to move closer. He was only opening them at the end of the table.

I looked around the room and noticed that the adults had left again. They must have all been up in the study discussing the plans for opening the Chamber. I wonder if Draco knew about this…