"Vivaen!" The yell wakes me up. It's meant to, as I happen to be Vivaen…Vivaen Ilsie Malfoy. The call is sharp, cold, and demanding, but I'm accustomed to this tone of voice, so it's nothing new to me. I sit up as fast as I find possible, to see my mistress, and my legal mother, Narcissa Malfoy, standing over me, holding a large knife. Most people's first thought would be death, but mine is rather "Breakfast."
I must be late. I must have forgotten to make breakfast. I jump to my feet, and take the knife, walking quickly to the kitchen to make the morning meal. It's quiet in there, and it's warm from the fire, which is charmed not to go out.
"Viv…" I turn around to see a pale, sort of skinny blond boy with light colored eyes. He's the opposite of me, with my black hair and dark eyes, and my skin is tan to a cinnamon shade from working outside.
"Draco." I whisper, and he smiled, taking the knife from a drawer and starting to help chop up onions.
"I'm going back to school tomorrow…that's why I can to see you." His eyes were wet with what he claimed to be onion-made tears.
"I get it, Draco. I know. I can't come. I never can. I never will…" he nods, a silent apology. I'm not hurt. It's been like this for four years today, since we both turned eleven. Every year, he runs off to Hogwarts and leaves me behind-what good was I to a school of witchcraft and wizardry when I was technically a squib? I shouldn't have been, but no magical qualities seemed to have shown themselves, at least by Lucius's standards. I mean by my standards, sure, but the only standards that matter in the Malfoy household are Lucius's and by his, this is all I was worth- a servant, and no one knows but them and Draco that I was a part of the family. Since after all I looked nothing like any of them. And rumor has it that I was a squib that they had taken in as child and I was given food, shelter, and a family in return for being a servant. The truth is that besides Draco, no one even speaks to me except to call me names or boss me about. No matter what, I am not going to that school. Not that I don't want to, I really did. In my opinion I really am a decent witch, like everyone else, but I never even considered saying it, and have Lucius think I was calling him a liar. I would get a beating like no other. I know better… But I still hope- someday I would prove to them that I am as a matter of fact worthy. I look back up at Draco.
"I'm sorry." He says quietly.
"I know." I say "you are every year." I speak softly, but I can't seem to keep the bitter tone from my voice. He is the best man I know, sympathetic, and a gentleman… And he cares about me. I smile.
"Hey- Viv, someday I'll make sure you get to go to that school." He says as he walks out.
"I wish." I whisper. Something is burning, I smell it. I've ruined breakfast- Lucius's breakfast. I try to fan the smell, willing the ham with all my might to fix itself and stop burning and suddenly, a pig is sitting in the frying pan, quite alive. I'm too shocked to even panic, and it's too late to fix this, because Lucius, who must've notices the burning smell, is standing in the room staring at my pig.
"What is this?" He says in an almost whisper. "Why do you feel like you have to get my son to help you try and look like you're a witch?" he's voice gradually gets even quieter, which honestly terrifies me. "if you want it so bloody bad, I'll send you to the ruddy school. I'll let you find out that it isn't so nice on your own. Get out of my house. Get out. You're going on the blasted train with my son- That's what you want, so that's what you get. Get out, get out!" The last word is the opposite of a whisper-a demonic, terrible scream. I'm speechless, but I dare not argue. I pack my small amount of belongings in one bad, and follow Draco out. In silence, we leave for the train station. He leaves me on the platform, casting one sad glance back. I'm alone; Lucius's whispered words to me as I walked out, were orders. "You are not my daughter- I'll not have you tarnish the name of my family. You'll pretend to be someone else, and you'll not tell anyone who you are." I silently decide I'll be Vivaen Thomas. A muggle name. I'll pretend to be half-muggle- a half-blood. Then no one will ever dream that I'm a Malfoy. I board the train alone, and sit down in a relatively remote compartment, with three girls who appear to be ignoring both each other and myself. But I like the quiet. I don't want to answer questions.
I look around. I'm sitting on one side, next to a dark haired girl who is leaning against the wall with her knees drawn to her stomach, her hand clasped and resting on her knees. She's glaring across the compartment, at a girl with frizzy brown hair and sort of large front teeth, her long hair is falling in her eyes, I assume she can't see me. She's quite pretty.
"Thank you." Her hair swishes quietly as she turns as she turns toward me "for what?" I ask her eyes are literally gold. Yellow-gold. "You said I was pretty" she says. Her accent is smooth but harsh, and clipping. Her voice almost has a growl to it. Soft and underlying though, not raspy at all.
"No… I thought it…" I reply. She quickly looks back at bucked-tooth girl. She doesn't say anything more. I don't either. The buck tooth girl looks at me.
"Who're you?" She asks, sort of loud.
"Vivaen M-Thomas." I reply. Then I look away already for some reason I don't like her.
"I'm Hermione Granger." She says, again loudly.
"No one cares." The golden eyes girl says, monotone. The buck toothed girl falls silent, and I think she's probably got tears in her eyes. I'm not sure I like gold-eyed girl either.
"Why haven't I seen you before?" I feel her eyes boring into my skull, but I don't turn my head.
"Everyone thought I was a squib." I replied simply. She laughed harshly.
"A squib. So you're pure-blood or what?"
"Ye-no." I quickly change my answer- I'm sticking to my story.
"You're a Mudblood." She growls, accusing. "A stinking Mudblood." Both of the girls gasp, and look at me, I guess expecting a reaction. I don't react. "Or do you even know what that means?" I don't respond. I'm used to absorbing insults. "I'm pureblood." She says prideful.
"No one wants to her you run your mouth, Parkinson." Snaps a redheaded boy, she sort of snorts at this.
"More then they want to hear you, Weasley" She says. He glares and stalks off.
"Parkinson?" I turn to her. "I know that name…my br- I mean my neighbor knew a Parkinson." It sounds stupid, and fairly ridiculous.
"Shut up, Mudblood." She snaps. Then with a lazy flick of her wand the compartment door slams closed. We sit in silence for a few minutes then the door opens. I look up, and see Draco.
"Viv! Hey! How are you?" he smiled quite broadly.
"So far, I've been called a Mudblood three times…" I reply, quietly.
His girn disappears, turning his face stormy. "By who?" he snap, in a dangerous tone. He immediately steps closer. I don't' get a chance to respond. The Parkinson girl stands up quickly, standing close to a centimeter away from him. "By me." She say, as if this is funny, but her voice definitely holds a deadly tone. She gives a flirty-sexy little laugh, but I can tell it's also dangerous, possessive. Her hand is suddenly on his chest and her gold eyes hold fire. Her pretty nails trace swirly patterns on his shirt. "how do you know her?"
Draco looks at her, and falters. I know his about to forget I'm his sister. I raise an eyebrow, amused. I didn't know he had a girlfriend. He gives a smile like I've never seen before, and grabs her hand, in his own two. He pulls her close, and kisses her on the cheek, at her jawbone. He whispers something, and she seems to be pleased with his answer. She tilted her head to accommodate his kissing. "all right, but don't scare me like that again." She warned, he pulled her even closer, kissing her again.
"Never, Rella." He whispers. I snort.
"Rella, really? Like as in umbrella? And may I say 'rella' you're really easy. That took like nothing to get you to leave the matter." I see her muscles tense. She's offended. Why don't I know better? Stupidly, I keep going "I mean, he's a nice catch, considering how he's so much better looking than you. And how you're so slutty…" This sets her off, she turns her head slightly stepping back from Draco.
"I don't dress like a slut." She says, warningly. I give a catty laugh.
"I never said you dress like one." I reply. She whirls toward me, hand out, and I receive quite a stinging back hand slap to the cheek, of which the force literally knocks me to the floor. She pulls out her wand, and aims it at me.
"Crucio!" she says, and at the same moment, Draco grabs her arm causing the spell to bounce off the window, and aim itself at the door.
Of course theres someone standing in that door, and that someone happens to be a professor, thankfully the spell narrowly misses his head, and goes unnoticed, but me lying on the ground, with Draco's girlfriend standing over me doesn't. And it looks extremely suspicious, even since her wand flew from her hand after the spell back fired. "may I ask, Miss Parkinson, what exactly is going on here?" his voice is smooth and oily, and I don't like it. (nor do I like his hair, which is the same way.) I don't answer, but look back up at Draco's girlfriend. She gives me a look, which isn't a glare, but a sort of a smirk, with one eyebrow raised. It's a dare. I have to look away- it scares me. I look back at the professor.
"I slipped, sir. She was helping me up." His eyes move from her to me, and a flash of something crosses his face. I'm too late to recognize what exactly it is, but he nods, and pulls her wand from his pocket.
"be careful who you use this on, Parkinson. That could've been a deadly mistake. "
She waits until the professor has left, then she closes the door and advances on me. "Now, Mudblood, Now you've really done it." she says with a dark laugh. "now im REALLY going to kill you." she shakes her head, flipping her hair back, and gives a coy smirk. "you almost got me expelled, Mudblood." she aims the wand at me again. i guess it slips her mind that im the reason she ISNT getting expelled... I Just close my eyes, like i always do when im punished, but when nothing happens, i open my eyes again, and draco's hand has clamped onto her wrist. i feel myself take a sharp breath.
i cant lose him- he cant leave me like this... i cant let her do this to him- cant let her kill him, cant let her take him away from me like lucius took away my sister so many years ago... but thanks to fearful stupidity, i stay silent, because i cant think of the words to say, i dont know how to stop her from doing this. I've never told anyone not to Something- its not my place to. i try to form words, and in my mind im screaming- screaming things that will make her stop- but no words will come out of my mouth into the crisp cold air. i can only watch. she turns to draco, her eyes full of fire. "WHAT, MALFOY?" she screams, eyeing his hand in disbelief, astonished. he winces, and clears his throat. for a moment, i think hes going to stand up for me, save my life. oh, and save my life he does- stand up for me, not so much...
"she isnt worth it, rella." he says. im shocked, torn, destroyed.
"shes not?" the girl repeats, obviously pleased that he said this.
"shes a mudblood." he replies, giving me a nasty sneer. i feel like i've been stabbed in the heart.
"thats why im going to kill her, Malfoy." she says, as if the word Malfoy is an illness. She obviously doesnt like to be disagreed with. She turns back to me. "Avada kedav-" suddenly I hear a new voice, small, quiet, and clear, cut through the air.
"arella dont." the voice belongs to a small redheaded girl. so i finally know the gold eyed girl's name- arella. "we arent even at school yet." arella's wand lowers, and goes back in her pocket. draco is standing a few feet back, and i cant bear to look at him. the redhead walks over and helps me up, then turns back towards arella, who looks conflicted- she obviously still wants to kill me, but thanks to my redheaded savior, she backs away, to stand with draco.
"good point, ginny. i dont want a dead body on my hands before the year has even begun..." she and draco walk off, to find somewhere private and mudblood free.
"he always like that?" i ask the girl whose name is apparently ginny. she nods.
"sorry about him. hes just a bigheaded arrogant jerk." she sits down next to me.
"he thinks since hes a pureblood, he can treat everyone however he fancies" she rolls her eyes. "Vivian, right?" she pronounces it VIV-EE-in. i Shake my head.
"Vivaen. Viv-AY-NA." i say
"thats pretty... i noticed your luggage..." she motions at my one bag. "is that all?" i nod. "oh- im sorry- i didnt mean- we're poor too-" she claps a hand over her mouth and starts muttering apologies, but i motion for her to stop, i dont care. I see the door open again out of the corner of my eye, but when i get up to check, theres no one there at all...
"hullo!" i jump back like three whole feet- a small blond girl is standing there, and her eyes keep changing color.
"whats wrong with your face?" i blurt, and she looks hurt. "i mean your eyes- your eyes..." i say quickly. she smiles and pulls a box out of her pocket.
"irissa heartbrooks gave them to me- dolphus mudpot's everchanging eyecolor contacts." she grins "want some?" i shake my head and start to shut the door, but she ducks under my arm and comes in anyway, sitting next to hermione. she starts talking like shes known me forever or something- about "noggles" or the like... what Exactly a "noggle" could possibly be escapes me. she suddenly stops. "do you agree?" i have no clue what shes asking, but i nod.
"who... are... you...?" i ask slowly. "luna" comes her matter of fact answer, like i shouldve known. she doesnt ask for my name, but instead looks out the window and says
"oh we're here!" then she jumps up and leaves. im still in shock, trying to let the whole noggle thing register. ginny laughs.
"dont worry- its not normal to know what shes saying- no one ever does." i nod. thats all i can really manage to do.
Its humiliating to have to go to a new school after everyone else in your year has been going there since they were eleven. This is ironically even worse when you have to walk up with a bunch of eleven year olds and put a filthy old ruddy hat on your head, and then have it scream at you. Especially when that hat, and what its screaming, pretty much determine your destiny.
My destiny just to happens to be Slytherin, the one house i was hoping not to get- Arella and Draco's house. As im walking to the table, already close to tears, i hear someone shout something. None of the Slytherins seem to be glad they've got me in their house, and the shout just makes this fact hurt even more.
"Hey, Mudblood, why couldnt you stay in the kitchen where you belong?" Its Draco. I bite my lip, but i still hiccup a little, almost crying. Arella joins in.
"You think I dress like a slut? Where did you get your fashion sense? The fourteen hundreds?" I keep walking, but a tear escapes my eye. I wipe it off, trying to stay strong,.
"Oy, Slave girl! I've got a little chore for you to do tonight, if you dont mind getting dirty." Its a brown haired boy, with a nasty smirk, who receives a high five from Draco.
"Shut up Evrett, cant you see shes hurting?"a girl with short dark hair sidles over. There doesnt seem to be a place for me to sit... She gives me a sickly sweet smile. "Shes not taking orders from the likes of you anyway, Griswell." He sneers at her back, as she plays with a lock of my hair. "You're gonna die here, you know..." she says almost brightly. "You shouldve known better than to come..." I choke back a sob. "Mudbloods arent worth anything here... go f*** a Gryffindor." She smirks, as i burst into tears.
"Enough, Pansy- shes mine." Arella walks over. "find your own d*** mudblood." The short haired girl sneers at her.
"You'd do yourself some good to take the same advice, Rella dearest, Go f*** a Gryffindor." She hisses. Arella raises a hand and smacks her.
"Be glad I didnt kill you, Pansy." She growls, spitting out the word Pansy like its a curse. Draco walks over, linking arms with Arella.
"Rell, Babe, why dont we go out in the hall...?" he says, combing his fingers through her hair. Then he sneers at me. "Out of my way, Mudblood." he growls. I step out of his way- way out of his way. I burst into tears, and run out of the room, and down the hall, to what looks like a bathroom. I'm sobbing now, and i cant see straight. I stumble into one of the stalls and throw up in the toilet.
"How RUDDEE!" says a whiny voice, and a girl comes out of the toilet. A transparent girl with dark pigtails, and circular glasses.
"Sorry..." i mutter, wiping my nose. "Didnt know you were in there..." she looks indignant.
"You've never heard of MOANING MYRTLE?" she gives a long whiny... well.. moan. "Why're you crying?" she asks, gleefully. "Oh PLEASE kill yourself! Then ill have company!" she claps her hands together. "Whats your name?" i glare at her, but mutter "vivaen" quietly. she smiles. "Oh, thats lovely... yes, we could certainly do with that..." i feel like smacking her, but shes already a ghost. That wouldnt work that well.
"shuddup" i mutter.
"Moody, are we? no one EVER wants to talk to poor moaning myrtle..." she whines. "shes a ghost, and annoying. why should anyone care about poor moaning myrtle..." Great, just what i need- a moodswingy bitchy ghost girl.
"shut up please." i repeat. she mocks me.
"This is my toilet. you shut up." she retorts. "Im not sure i like you much..." this is the best news i've heard in ages. suddenly she falls silent. "They tease you too, dont they..." I choke on my tears. she sits down as best she can. "im sorry..." she whispers. I smile as best i can.
"You may be the only one..." i mutter, then i tell her everything.