Chapter Two
The next morning, Draco was awoken by the sound of finely sharpened nails across the fogged glass of his window. He rolled out of bed, trudged to the window, and lifted the brass latch. The others who slept in the same dormitory as him, Gregory Goyle included, continued to sleep soundly, even as the dark eagle owl swooped into the room and landed with a light thud on the back of one of the chairs. There was a scroll attached to the bird's leg by a piece of tied red chord.
Already aware of what it was, Malfoy pulled the parchment from the bird's leg, stroking it absent-mindedly as he sat on the arm of the plush green velvet chair. He unrolled the scroll and looked curiously at the address.
He was going to the States, to a home by the name of Rain Oak Vale. Judging by the name of the place, he assumed it would be very wet and very cold. His mouth thinned to a grim line as he thought of the weeks to come in a rain-drenched land. 'At least' he thought, 'we'll speak the same language.'
He glanced at a clock that sat on his bedside table. It was only eight AM. He dressed in black robes, with the Slytherin insignia embroidered on the left-side breast and went down to the Great Hall for an early breakfast. When he arrived, there were only a few students eating but those at the Slytherin table promptly got up and moved down to the opposite from where he was sitting. He ground his teeth and rubbed his left forearm self-consciously but said nothing.
As soon as he sat down, his goblet filled with pumpkin juice and his plate with a hearty breakfast of pancakes, sausages, eggs, and some fruit he didn't recognize. He ate slowly, avoiding the fruit and the eyes he could feel burning into his skin, as they did every day. He rubbed his arm again. To his left, that day's issue of the Daily Prophet materialized and, grasping for anything to distract himself from the hateful stares, he picked it up and flipped through the pages, not really reading.
Then, he came across an article about four unexplained Muggle deaths outside of London. He really didn't care about Muggles. They could all die and rot for all he cared. Filthy animals. But something about the descriptions of the position the bodies were found in – all facing each other on their knees, hands clasped, as if in prayer.
It was his father's favorite way to kill people. His father fancied himself an "artist of the grotesque" as he had once said to Draco, when he was much younger. He wanted people to think about their deaths and beg for mercy before he killed them. He wanted whoever found that person to think of the afterlife when they saw a person who appeared to be murdered in prayer.
The hair on the back of Draco's neck stood on end and he closed the paper and threw it away from him. Suddenly, the clock tower outside clanged fifteen 'til ten. The abrupt noise made him jump, causing a few of his silent tormentors to snicker and grin at him. Oh, how he loathed them all.
He stood, pulling his robe tighter around him and exited the Great Hall. As he was walking out, he almost ran into a girl with her dark hair pulled back into a single plait that fell halfway down her back.
"Oh pardon me, Murderer," she sneered, shoving roughly past him and into the Hall.
Draco took a deep breath and walked forward, as if she'd never been there. He didn't let it out until he reached the door to Snape's old Potions room some ten minutes later. There was a kind of twinging ache in his chest as he pushed the door open, knowing that his once favorite teacher would not be on the other side, glaring at the Gryffindors and patting halfwit Slytherins on the back as they toiled away over smoking cauldrons.
He was surprised to see that he was the last of the four students to be there, seeing as he was early. He should have known that goody-two-shoes Granger would probably want to get there extra early to take notes or some nonsense. And her ever-faithful companion, Save-the-Day Hero Potter, would of course be right with her. The two of them sat at the table on the left hand side of the room, closest to the front. To the right sat the sleepy-eyed blonde Looney Luna Lovegood. She was fiddling with a reddish-orange turnip on a chain around her neck and looking around as if she'd never seen the place before in her life.
Professors McGonagall and Doors stood at the front, black board to their right, facing the four. Professor Doors looked up at him and grinned, again losing his eyes in the deep lines of his face. "Please, Mr. Malfoy, you're right on time! Take a seat next to Miss Lovegood and we'll begin."
Draco squeezed into the desk, sitting as far away from the blonde as physically possible while still remaining fully on the bench.
"Now," Doors said in an overly chipper voice, "Let us begin! I assume you all received your letters about the location of your new foster homes?" When all four students nodded in the affirmative, he continued, "Very good! To begin, all of your foster families will be perfectly able to speak English so communication should be rather simple. But it will be expected that you learn as much of the language and culture as is possible while you are there. Remember you will be a guest in their homes, and you are to show them the proper respect as such."
So far, all of the students but Malfoy were nodding in agreement. He didn't feel like this actually pertained to him as he was only supposed to be pretending to participate in this foreign exchange program. However, in order to have the Professors just get on with their nonsense, he nodded along as well.
"In each foster family, there is one student, who you will attend all pertaining social events with. These social events included special events, holidays, and going to school. You will be required to sit in on all of that student's courses, and you will be given a special permit to use magic outside of the Hogwarts grounds. It is highly recommended that you keep this permit on you at all times as it has a charm on it that will prevent you from using any forms of magic otherwise."
Granger seemed particularly upset about the holidays and Potter showed only a small amount of ire about the permits for magic. Lovegood was staring at the debris floating in the air as if mesmerized, and mumbling about Dust Skips.
"As mentioned before, you, the student you are staying with, and the family of the student will each be required to send a weekly letter by owl to Hogwarts, in order to provide an update on your status, wellbeing, and any interesting events or challenges that you may encounter while living there. All of the students are around your age, so there should be few problems with the level of maturity and understanding between you.
It is the greatest hope of this school and the Ministry that you represent us well and make friends and social ties that will benefit you all throughout your lives. Most importantly, however, is that you have fun!" At this, Professor Doors threw his hands up and Professor McGonagall cracked a smile. Lovegood, Potter, and Granger all smiled in return. Malfoy rolled his eyes. This conversation definitely did not pertain to him. He was to be in hiding from his murderous father. How was he supposed to have fun for Merlin's sake!
It was McGonagall's turn to speak. "Now, please come up and get your licenses and the pamphlet of information about your foster families. They are just basic demographics, nothing too detailed. The idea is for you to get to know your foster family and establish relationships on your own. The pamphlet will also contain a list of recommended attire in accordance to the season. The students that you are to be paired with were chosen from a list of available and willing families based on personality profiles they filled out. The idea was to best match the families to someone you would be likely to get along with rather than someone who would rub you the wrong way from the start. The families have been given a similar profile of you."
She nodded to the Headmaster to signal that she was finished. All four students had their profiles, demographics, and licenses. The licenses were just blank white cards of heavy parchment.
"Now then," chirped the Headmaster, "with your wands, I want you to tap your permits and say Licentio." The four did as they were told and watched in shock as their name, age, birthdate, and height appeared on the right-hand side of the card, while on the left was a full-color moving picture of themselves. Draco's picture stared at him with a bored expression before quirking an eyebrow, as if in challenge.
"And if you are all ready, please return to your dormitories, pack what you will need, and want to carry with you – pets, brooms, etc, and return to this room within three hours. You will all be Side-Along Apparated to your destinations."
Three hours had passed. It was nearly one thirty PM and Draco Malfoy was the last of the four standing in the room. His trunk was propped next to him against the desk he had been sitting at earlier with Lovegood, and his owl screeched from the rafters overhead. McGonagall eyed the bird warily while they waited for Professor Doors to come back from depositing Hermione Granger somewhere in the Mediterranean.
"Hermes won't bite you," Draco muttered distractedly, trying to keep his mind from the very real possibility of seeing his father again. "He's a prat of a bird who will do everything in his power to annoy you, and make you damn well want to throw a rock at him, but he won't bite you." As if in response to this, the eagle owl moved along the rafters until he was right above Draco's head and began ruffling his feathers and screeching down at him.
Professor McGonagall didn't look like she quite believed him. A moment later, there was a loud pop and Headmaster Doors appeared before them again. He turned to Professor McGonagall and said, "I dare say that she was very pleased with Italy, Minerva. And I dare say that Michelo, her student partner, was quite pleased with her. The two immediately started babbling about ancient ruins and runes and expeditions. It was quite enthralling."
Then he turned to Draco and grinned again. The old man's smile was starting to creep Draco out just a bit. It made him feel like there was a terrible secret joke, and he was the punchline. Every time that Doors looked at him, Draco swore that he was giggling like a child inside.
"Are you ready, Draco?"
The teenager nodded and walked forward, ready to take the Headmaster's arm, though he could well Apparate on his own. As far as Draco was concerned, though, neither of the adults in the room needed to know that.
"Wait. I had my reasons for keeping you here the longest. Because of your… circumstances, I decided that it may be necessary for you to have a companion." He turned and snapped his fingers. Immediately, a little female house elf appeared. Dressed in what appeared to be a child's worn purple dress, the little elf had her hair back in two little plaits. She stepped forward and bowed to Draco.
In a high, sweet little voice, she chirped, "My name is Sunny, Master Draco. Sunny hopes she can assist in any way on Master's trip." She looked at Headmaster Doors as if wondering if she did well in her introduction. When he nodded, she smiled brightly and took a step back again.
Draco turned back to the Headmaster and quirked an eyebrow, much in the same fashion as his photo had done to him earlier. "I'm bringing a House Elf with me? Why? Won't it be likely that this family has one of their own? Most wizarding families do."
Again, Professor Doors smiled that creepy, knowing smile and said simply, "No, Mr. Malfoy, I'm afraid that this particular family has not ever had a House Elf. However, in order to assist you in your adjustment to your new surroundings, Sunny here will be joining you. She is very much a free elf, thanks to the endeavors of Miss Granger's S.P.E.W. campaign. However, she has expressed a willingness to help in any way possible."
Again, Sunny beamed up at him but Draco frowned. What kind of family didn't have a House Elf? Of course, the Weasleys hadn't had one, but who expected that sorry excuse of a pure-blooded family to have anything other than children?
Finally he shrugged and said simply, "Nice to meet you, Sunny."
The little elf squeaked in delight and ran to his trunk. With a single touch, the trunk had shrunken to the size of her palm and she carried it happily up to Draco and stood beside him expectantly.
The Headmaster chuckled to himself a bit before he reached over and grabbed Draco's arm in one hand and Sunny's hand in the other. Then, Draco felt a pulling, sucking feeling at his navel and the world spun quickly. He felt compressed, then stretched, then twisted around and 'pop!' he was standing before a large open field, backed by heavy-branched live oaks. The air was heavy and unexpectedly warm. Somewhere in the distance, an insect of some sort buzzed happily away, filling the early morning with sounds like a reed instrument.
"What time is it here," Draco asked suddenly.
"It is approximately seven thirty AM, Mr. Malfoy, and I believe your foster family may be preparing breakfast should you desire something to eat."
Draco took a deep breath. He could smell dew and dirt and green things, but he didn't smell any cooking. He wondered if the house was somewhere beyond the clearing, hidden by the dense trees. The Headmaster began walking slowly into the field but he didn't follow.
"Professor?"
The Headmaster turned to look at him curiously, before the light of realization brightened his eyes once more. "I am quite sorry, Mr. Malfoy, come right over here, please." Malfoy obeyed. "I would like to present to you Rain Oak Vale, home of the Matthews family." Almost instantly, a two-story wooden cabin appeared at the far side of the clearing, some fifteen yards away. Smoke rolled out of a cheery little brick chimney on the right side of the house, and there was light and movement beyond the lace-curtained windows. The gargantuan live oaks twisted and curved around the back of the house, not touching it, but surrounding it like a lover's embrace.
Again, the Headmaster strode towards the home, this time with Draco following closely behind him. Draco took another deep breath and this time could smell the syrup on the air with the scent of bacon and baking bread. Once they reached the door, the Headmaster reached up and knocked sharply on the weathered wood.
Out of curiosity, Draco asked, "Professor, do most wizarding families across the world eat the same foods? I mean, does this one have the same general foods as we do?" Draco didn't know if he could stomach something completely foreign but the scents on the early morning air were positively delicious.
But then Professor Doors look at him and said something that took Draco's appetite away immediately.
"Dear, boy, you're not staying with a wizarding family."
Draco didn't think he'd heard right. "W-what?"
That creepy smile returned once more and Draco could have sworn he felt his stomach wrench. "Mr. Malfoy, you're going to be staying with Muggles!"
The door opened just then and Draco prayed to all the Gods and Goddesses above to kill him where he stood.