Happy Birthday, Draco Malfoy.
It was the summer of '91 when I first remember discovering how intense my feelings for Draco Malfoy truly were. It was the summer before my elder sister Daphne was to start her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I remember feeling so jealous of her, being able to go to school with Draco and be far away from mum and dad while I had to be stuck at home for another two years.
It was June fifth and my family and I were currently at the Malfoy Manor in celebration of Draco's eleventh birthday. My sister was off in the courtyard with her friends. They liked to consider themselves a gang of sorts. They would always tell me that one day if I was ever cool enough that I could join the gang when I started Hogwarts. I, however, had no intentions of joining. In their gang there was Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott, and Millicent Bulstrode. They were also to start their first year of Hogwarts in September.
I never really did fancy my sister's mates, especially Pansy and especially not today. Every time I was to look over at their group I could catch her stroking Draco's arm or giggling loudly at something he had said. I had always known that she fancied Draco; my sister would tell me when she spoke of her. However, I wasn't truly intimidated by her. She was not by any means an extraordinary beauty. In fact she was rather pug faced. She happened to remind me of a Persian cat, with her squished face and her wild hair. She was always rather nasty with me
It wasn't that I was an exceptional beauty myself, though that I have been told otherwise, but I knew enough about beauty to know that I was indeed better looking than her. I was always told that I had resembled my mother very closely, and I would sometimes hear Narcissa's name as well. With Mrs. Malfoy and my mother being cousins; distant cousins, their shared similar traits were never questioned. I was rather fond of Narcissa or Cissy as she let me call her. Sometimes during the year when my parents were off on business with her husband Lucius, my sister and I would stay at the manor. I always loved when she would brush my hair after my bath. She always would tell me how much she adored my hair, my long black and white hair. My sister would always tease me and call me Cruella, because my half black and half white hair mimicked that of the famous Disney villainess'. Cissy told me not to let her get to me, and that she thought it was beautiful.
We would often gather here at Malfoy Manor being that our parents were all friends, and either Death Eaters or Dark Lord Supporters. It was here where my sister made all her friends. I never really got along with most of them, being that I was the youngest at them all being two years my senior. Draco, however, would always take the time out to say hi to me. He had a way of making me smile like no one else I have ever met could. I know that it sounds silly that at nine years old to know or have some sort of understanding of what love is, but I knew then on that day that he was the one I wanted to spend my life with.
I perched myself in the corner of the front yard, underneath my favorite tree. I could not stand to watch Pansy flirt with Draco any longer so I attempted to put as much distance between us that I could. I would have went inside and found a corner to hide in, but the adults were having a meeting. My mum had told us all to stay outside until it was time for cake. I took a deep breath and let the fresh Wiltshire air fill my lungs. I then pulled my sketch book out of my bag and continued to work on the sketch I was working on before I had left my house this morning.
"That's rather good," I heard a voice from behind me. My heart started to beat a little faster. "A little morbid don't you think?"
"Nothing could ever be too morbid, Draco." I replied with a smirk. "Or too gruesome in fact. The gorier the better I always say."
"Well how about you draw a portrait of me, if you think your pencil can capture my devilish good looks," that famous Draco Malfoy smirk that I have grown to love was suddenly plastered upon his face. In the background, however, I could hear Goyle calling for him. "Well maybe another time then."
"Hey Draco," I started and he turned to face me. "Happy Birthday."
"Thanks, Astoria." And with that he headed back towards the back yard to reconvene with his gang.
I turned my attention back to my drawing. It was of that stupid whore Pansy being torn apart by zombies. Being much smaller and younger than her, I knew I would never really get to claw her eyes out like I so long to do so this drawing would be the closest I would get. It was rather therapeutic actually. In fact, this sketch book that I had started is filled only with pictures of Pansy dying horrific deaths. Machete to the head, by the guillotine (that one was my favorite), and there were many, [i]many[/i] more.
I was rather taken by art. Well that and music, being that I was a rather good singer. While Daphne and Draco would be headed for Hogwarts this September I would be headed to an art school for children in London. I was not to speak of it to anyone, however, not even to my sister. It was a muggle school, and being that my family was of pure-blood descent and supporters of the Dark Lord it would not be received well if anyone were to know. Being that I was rather quiet, and hardly ever spoke to anyone including members of my family they did not see my attending school as much of a threat at all. They enrolled me under a false name, so that there would be no paper evidence that I had ever attended, and paid the tuition with money they had taken from unsuspecting muggles in our neighborhood. I could not wait to attend. I also could not wait for this day to be over.
I continued to sit out in the yard for a bit beginning to add the finishing details on my drawing when the sky opened up and it started to rain. I quickly threw my things back into my bag and hurried towards the front doors of the manor. I ran around the first floor looking for my mother and Cissy to let them know that it had begun to rain and the children would be coming inside, but I could not spot them. I began to make my way towards the library, where they would usually meet, but stopped suddenly when I heard my father's voice in the distance. I quickly hid in the shadows, and began to listen.
"Have you heard the rumors, Lucius?" I heard my father ask Mr. Malfoy.
"What rumors, Astraeus?" Lucius responded rather flatly.
"That Harry Potter shall be attending Hogwarts this year." My father responded. Was that maybe what he was telling my sister in private before we left the house?
"And where was it that you've heard these things, Greengrass?"
"All around the Ministry, Lucius. There have been whispers of all sorts of things. There are even rumors that he's a Parselmouth!"
"You are delusional Astraeus."
"Apparently just last week he sent a snake at his cousin at the zoo. Dumbledore apparently has spies around where he is being kept and they saw it themselves!"
"Interesting," Lucius said obviously lost in thought, as he began to inch his way closer to my hiding spot.
"Maybe we could use the children to get to him Lucius. Have them befriend them only to destroy him. If he has trust in one of the children it could make it all the more easier." My father began to explain but was suddenly thrown off when the sound of children began to fill the halls.
"Come Astraeus, the children have come indoors let's go somewhere else, where we can talk more freely." With that both my father and Mr. Malfoy disappeared down the hall and towards what I assumed as Mr. Malfoy's study.
Once I was sure that the adults were gone; I slowly emerged from my hiding place and began the search for my mother once more. I made my way towards the kitchen where my mother and Cissy normally would spend their time when we visited here. When I made my way inside I was delighted to find that mum and Mrs. Malfoy were indeed sitting at the table within.
"Astoria, what are you doing inside?" My mother asked as she noticed my presence in the room.
"I came looking for you. It's raining outside. I believe the others have made their way indoors as well. I heard voices coming from the sitting room."
"Why aren't you with the others Tori?" Cissy asked me as I came and climbed upon her lap by her request.
"I don't really get along with the others, Cissy. That and Pansy is never very nice to me, always getting the others to gang up on me and call me names all because I'm younger. Besides I much rather be in yours and mums company."
"Well Tori, Cissy and I have some grown up things to talk about. Didn't you bring your sketch pad? Why don't you go sit in the dining room and draw?"
With that I slipped myself from Cissy's lap and made my way out of the kitchen and towards the dining room.
I found myself alone at the rather long table. I had always believed this house to be way too large for a family of three. However, that seemed to be what pure-blood wizarding families of wealth tend to do, buy a rather ridiculously large home to show off your wealth to all and fill it with enough house elves to clean every corner.
There was one house elf here at Malfoy Manor that I really seemed to enjoy. He was my only friend here, well besides Cissy and Draco. His name was Dobby. He was a rather strange elf, but friendly none the less. He, like myself, also found himself with a dreadful eavesdropping problem. We would often chatter about the things we've accidently overheard here in the manor halls.
Today while he was helping me pick up my colored pencils from underneath the table, since Pansy had thrown them around, was telling me that he heard my father and Mr. Malfoy conversing about Professor Quirrell. Professor Quirrell was the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts. He was saying that it had something to do with the Dark Lord but Mr. Malfoy had ushered him out of the room before he could find out more. I wonder what it could be.
All I knew was that if something was going on that surrounded around the Dark Lord and Hogwarts that the school would not be safe. I knew that Draco and my sister would be safe their coming from Death Eater families and being raised to be Dark Lord supporters themselves, but something just didn't seem right to me.
It had been said that after the Dark Lord had toiled with Harry Potter, the boy who lived and the same boy that was rumored to be attending Hogwarts this year, and lost that he had died. That a young infant had destroyed the Dark Lord, but that just didn't seem right to me. A wizard that dark, and that powerful could never be defeated by a baby. Weakened? Well sure, but I had never been convinced that the Dark Lord had perished. I had always believed that he was out there lingering in the shadows, that he was doing whatever he must to survive, and was simply waiting for the right time to reemerge. If that was true, as I believe it to be, the Dark Lord would not be happy with our parents for not looking for him. He would not be happy with them with not aiding in his survival, in his second rising.
I tried to push those thoughts away from my head. For as long as professor Dumbledore was still the head master at Hogwarts, they would be safe there. He was the only wizard that the Dark Lord did fear, and may I be so bold as to suggest the only wizard he might have possibly respected.
Call it a sixth sense if you will, but I had a feeling that things were going to change this year. There were dark things a midst.
It was around five in the evening when the cake was served. We had all gathered around the great dining table to sing happy birthday to Draco. The cake was huge and decorated beautifully.
"What did you wish for Draco?" I asked him after he had blown out his candles.
"Well Tori, if I told you, then it wouldn't come true now would it?" His signature smirk played across his face, making me return the gesture.
It was around seven when the rest of the families had left the manor, leaving only the Malfoys and my own kin.
"Draco," Lucius' silky voice cut through the room like a knife, causing his son's attention to break from his recently opened birthday gifts and to his father. "Why don't you have Astoria help you bring your gifts up to your room? Once you get her settled, I need you to come back here. We have something we need to discuss with you and Daphne." He spoke then turning his attention towards me, "Astoria, I will have Dobby collect you when we are finished."
Draco had given me the lighter of his new things to carry. He had gotten a new broomstick and a few books on Quidditch. I knew that he had been playing a lot with Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, and Theodore this summer. He wanted to make the house team at school. He told me that first years rarely ever make the house team, but he was going to try to do so. He really was actually quite good. I had gotten the chance to watch him play a few times and even for a bit today. His mum and dad had given him the broomstick earlier on this morning and he wanted to test it out right away of course.
The two of us made our way down the hall and up the stairs towards his bedroom. I had only been in his bedroom once before, when he had enlisted me to help him find something in the mess that was his room. However, when we entered the green accented room it was not the mess that it normally was. Everything seemed to have its own proper place. Maybe he had grown tired of always never being able to find anything.
He had me place the gifts on top of his bed for the moment, and told me that I could find proper homes for them if I wanted. I thought it would be fun to find homes for his new things. This way whenever he would look at them he could think of me and how I was the once that placed them there. I told him that I would find them the perfect homes, and smiled while he made his way to the door.
"Hey, Draco?" I spoke and he turned around and smiled at me.
"Yea?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.
"Happy birthday, again." I said as I ran up to him from my spot on his bed and ran into his arms.
"Thanks, Tori." He replied as he wrapped his arms around my small frame. I could tell that he had his signature smirk plastered around his face, but I didn't care. In fact as he squeezed his arms tighter around me, I found I didn't have a care in the world.