4th December 1998

Marianne Greengrass sat by the conservatory window, sipping Lapsang Souchong from a slightly chipped china cup. She sighed, more with frustration than sadness, as she looked around the room at the cracked floor tiles and peeling wallpaper. There were no house elves to maintain the crumbling mansion and she would die rather than perform menial tasks such as house repair; preparing her own meals was bad enough.

Her eyes landed on the Daily Prophet, folded neatly on the sofa beside her. She slammed the cup down onto the saucer, causing the latter to fracture and the handle to separate from the cup. Her irritation accelerated to anger within seconds as she suddenly stood and knocked the tea tray over in her haste to exit the room.

Entering her study, she paced in front of the empty fireplace as her scheming mind went into overdrive.

Her stupid husband had backed the wrong hippogriff during the Second Wizarding War, splinching himself to death trying to apparate through protective wards designed by that bitch, Granger. Idiot. Following the demise of the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters, Marianne was allowed to keep Greengrass Estate but her vaults were vastly diminished and her lack of ability to save or budget was only causing more financial distress. But the thing that almost killed her with inner rage were the faces on the front of the newspaper she still grasped in her long fingers - the Malfoys.

Time had been kind to the parents but the son - well, he was a vision to behold; tall, blond, athletic, with eyes like stormy seas. Witches fell at his feet, both young and old, but he remained single. The family were the darlings of the wizarding world due to their chosen positions as double agents before, and during, the Second Wizarding War. Once that information was published following the ultimate defeat of the Dark Lord, the public welcomed them with open arms. Pictures of Draco, his best friends Theo Nott and Blaise Zabini, and his fellow Aurors Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Neville Longbottom were frequently in the papers as the group of friends played Quidditch weekly, drinking afterwards at the Leaky Cauldron.

Marianne realised suddenly that the solution to her problems lay right in front of her - the Malfoy heir. His financial future was secured by the ownership of both Malfoy and Black vaults and access to his galleons would keep her in comfort for a very, very long time. True, the Nott and Zabini vaults were quite full themselves (the families having stayed away from the Dark Lord and his pure-blood delusions) but they were nowhere near the Malfoy prize.

A gloriously devious plan began to formulate and she laughed out loud at the simplicity. Leaving her study, she made her way to her room to retrieve her travelling cloak.

"Mother, are you going out?"

"I'm planning to call at Malfoy Manor, Astoria. You can prepare the dinner for yourself and Daphne, I expect to be invited to stay."

"Not tonight, you won't," her youngest daughter remarked. "Have you read today's newspaper?"

In her haste to scheme within the walls of her study, Marianne had not read the article about the Malfoys; the picture alone had had her up and pacing. She took a deep breath before continuing onto her bedroom.

"Best get started with dinner, Astoria, I shall be down in thirty minutes."

The young dark-haired beauty groaned inwardly before making her way down to the kitchen to prepare another barely edible meal.

Marianne sat heavily on the ottoman at the end of her bed, shivering slightly from the dampness in the room, before turning to the front page of the daily newspaper.

HIGHEST HONOURS TO BE PRESENTED TO THE MALFOY FAMILY

The Order of Merlin, First Class, will be awarded to Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy tonight to celebrate their brave actions before and during the Second Wizarding War which saw the ultimate downfall of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

The Award will be presented by the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and our beloved heroine, Hermione Granger, will host the evening at the esteemed Hotel Delacroix.

The Daily Prophet will have an exclusive feature tomorrow along with pictures and interviews.

Well, she would just have to wait twenty four hours before, hopefully, eating a decent meal.

.

The following morning saw Marianne sitting alone in the dining room. Astoria and her elder sister had left to visit friends and weren't expected back until evening.

"At least they'll have a nice lunch," Marianne muttered to herself.

Tapping at the nearest window announced the arrival of the Daily Prophet so she rose promptly to let the courier owl in. Dropping the newspaper into her hand, and collecting a knut for its service, the bird hooted politely before soaring gracefully onto its next destination. Spreading the newspaper out in front of her, Marianne almost lost her breath.

"No, no, no," she cried, collapsing back down on her chair before gritting her teeth in fury. "Not her, he will not have her!"

DRACO MALFOY IN LOVE?

Yes, readers, you have read the headline correctly. The heir to Houses Malfoy and Black was the centre of all female attention last night as he gracefully, and most humbly, accepted his Order of Merlin, First Class, from the Minister of Magic. His parents, Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, stood alongside him to receive their awards for services to the Order of the Phoenix, the Ministry of Magic, and the entire wizarding world. But the highlight of the night was the dance he shared with our Golden Girl, Hermione Granger. Onlookers commented on the way the two, dare we say, lovers gazed into each other's eyes as they glided effortlessly across the floor. The ceremony, which was held at the luxurious Hotel Delacroix, was a resounding success with the once-misunderstood family now firmly ensconced in our hearts. Ms. Granger had nothing but praise for her colleague as she addressed the audience prior to the official ceremony:

"As you all know, Malfoy and I had a rather colourful relationship during our Hogwarts years. Harry, Ron, and I genuinely believed he was a follower of Voldemort and the fact he willingly accepted the Dark Mark only fuelled our suspicions. It is now widely known that I referred to him as a 'foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach' before breaking his nose in our third year. (She paused here as the audience broke into laughter, including the three recipients.) You cannot imagine our shock when Minister Shacklebolt approached us after the Battle of Hogwarts and explained the Malfoys' role in the downfall of Voldemort, following his return in 1991. Today - and I know I speak for Harry and Ron here too - today, we are in awe of this silent hero for all he had to do at school to maintain his persona. He played his part so well, there was no way we could have known he fought, along with Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, for our secure future.

We now work side by side, as friends. Malfoy is one of the finest Aurors I have ever known and I would trust him with my life. (A loud 'hear, hear' was shouted out by Harry Potter at this point.) He is a role model for us all and I-I am proud to know him."

Did we notice a slight wobble in her voice towards the end? This reporter thinks there is more to this relationship than just workplace camaraderie. Watch this space readers!

For more pictures, along with an interview with Narcissa Malfoy, turn to pages four through twelve.

Marianne dashed to her study, whistling on her way for her horned owl. It was dispatched with two hastily written notes and she spent the next hour preparing. By the time her first reply was received, her new, and even more Machiavellian, plan was in place.