years later...
"Cruella I need you to run an errand for me." Narcissa said with her eyes glued to the piece of parchment she was writing on. Cruella closed the book shed been reading and stood to place it back on the bookshelf before going to stand by her aunt swiping her quill furiously across the parchment at the writing table.
"Shall I take Draco with me to pick up school supplies as well?" She questioned as that time of year rolled around again where both of them would be off to Hogwarts for another tiresome year. She was going into her fifth year while her younger cousin Draco would be in his third.
"No the four of us will be going later on, these are just things I need and quickly." She said handing over the list and looking at the girl pointedly. "Do I need to tell you to be careful?" She questioned and Cruella shook her head before grabbing her black cloak that was hung by the fire place and putting it on, pulling the hood up to conceal her long, coal coloured curls before stepping into the fireplace and being engulfed in green flames before disappearing.
Narcissa stared into the fireplace long after the girl was gone, recollections of the night her sister Bellatrix had brought her home before shortly being sent to azkaban. Her hair had been a light strawberry blond, later bewitched the color of Bellatrix to give them somewhat of a resemblance but that wasn't enough due to the fact she looked almost like an exact replica of her mother Lily and questioning eyes and murmurs followed her wherever she went even though she was rumoured to have either died or still be missing. Funny how some people were still out searching for Evangelina Potter.
She had been sweet but growing up with Lucius and Draco had turned her callous and cold in some ways where she was reserved and quiet in others. There were some things though, that neither men could ever take from her. Her insatiable desire to read anything she could get her hands on, her inability to sell someone out unless absolutely necessary, and the sliver of kindness she still possessed.
"Are you alright mum?" Draco's voice ripped her from her train of thought as she looked to her son.
"Fine darling." She replied halfheartedly before her eyes briefly skimmed the fireplace again. The only good thing she could think of that happened to the girl was that she didnt remember a thing allowing her to live without feeling a single ounce of pain or vengeance.
Cruella maneuvered the streets like a ghost, her hood dipping low to cover her eyes and her cloak floating about her as the wind caught it at her brisk speed before she slipped into the last store, the dark arts. Just as she began browsing around and reaching for one of the items a loud bang came from the fireplace. She ducked behind one of the display cases and could see the blurry, distorted image of someone flying across the floor through the dirty glass. Plucking her wand from within her cloak she stood and pointed it at the figure that she soon realized was Harry Potter.
"Potter, what are you doing here?" She hissed at him as she made her way around the display case, her wand never leaving him, before she stood above him.
"Where am I?" He questioned as he looked around the little shop of horrors before pishing himself up.
"Obviously the wrong alley." She said watching as he walked around to take a second look at all the items. He finally stopped in front of a hand and began to finger it gingerly before it snapped closed around his hand suddenly and he began to panic and try to pry it open.
"Dont touch anything." The older girl said as she walked up behind him and grabbed him firmly by the shoulder of his robe before dragging him to the door. "This isn't a place for children and if you were wise you'd take my advice and get out of this part of the alley as fast as you can before anyone notices you." She said shoving him out the door and onto the street. She turned to continue her shopping, pulling her cloak open to put her wand away, when she heard his cry once more and peeked out the door to see a crowd gathering around him. With a roll of her eyes she raised her wand again and opened the door ready to go to his aid. Why? She had no idea.
"Harry's that you?" Hagrids voice called as she stood concealed in the doorway to the shop where she stopped the minute she heard his voice. When Potter was out of harms way and managed to make it safely away, she grabbed the remaining items and left the store but there was one last thing she wanted for herself before heading back to the Malfoy household. A book. Not a book found in diagain alley by chance, so she headed out to the much brighter and crowded streets of diagon alley.
Obscurus books was packed to the brim with students and their parents buying books needed for classes at Hogwarts. Cruella made her way up to the second floor where her eyes scanned the spines of the new arrival of spell books. Finally catching the title of the one she came searching for, she plucked it from the shelf and headed to the register, only to be blocked by none other then the Weasley twins, Fred and George.
"Well if it isn't Cruella Lestrange." George mocked as they both looked down at her.
"And what brings you to our bright and sunny alley away from your usually doom and gloom?" Fred added making her roll her eyes.
"Move." She stated bluntly as she glared up at the taller boys.
"Fred and George." Came Molly's voice in a stern warning directed at her boys and causing them to part and allowing her to squeeze between them. Finally making it to the register she paid for the book and tried to get out as quickly as possible.
"Hey Fred watch this." George said with a smile at his twin before pulling out his wand. He called out an incantation and flicked his wand over the door where Cruella was about to exit, a bucket formed and tipped as the door flung open and sent slug goo pouring over the unsuspecting girl who let out a shriek before turning to the crowd of people, some laughing and some in utter shock.
"Weasleys!" She hissed eyeing the twins cracking up and as she tore through the crowd of people to get to them she drew her wand and shoved it in one of their face. "I should hex you for that!" She yelled as the goo dripped down her face and landed on the floor causing them both to laugh even harder.
"You boys have done it now!" Molly Weasleys said as she too came through the crowd, a mask of anger in her face as she grabbed both boys by their ear. "Apologize this instant." She demanded tugging on then and making their face scrunch up in pain.
"Sorry...sorry." Both boys said.
"What's going on here?" Arthur said after seeing his wife scolding their sons. With a huff Cruella turned on her heel, fighting back the tears that threatened to fall at being ridiculed when she literally did nothing to deserve it. But the twins seemed to target her the most.
"It was just a silly trick!" She heard one of them say in their defense.
"But you know what she could do to have your father fired from work. You know who her mother is, you know her family." Molly said back sharply. Cruella gave one last glance back as she is opened the door and her eyes locked with Arthur Weasleys.
"Considering who her mother and family are she could have been a lot worse." He said and Cruella left with a slam of the door and ran back to diagain alley, using the dark arts store fireplace to return home.
"What in the hell happened to you?!" Draco questioned as his eyes took in the slick and slimy looking mess that covered her when she entered the dining room in haste where everyone was having lunch.
"Are youbalright dear?" Narcissa asked as she stood and went to her.
"Fine, just some idiot kids playing a prank and I got the brunt of it. I'll be down later." She said brushing off her aunt and heading upstairs for a shower.
"It was those Weasleys again wasn't it?" Draco asked as he leaned in the doorway. She looked at him through his reflection in her vanity as she brushed her wet curls before coming to a sudden stop.
"It doesn't matter." She said placing her brush down and turning in her seat to look at him. He came in and sat on the edge of her bed and looked at her.
"It does matter. Nobody makes a fool out of us. They will get what's coming to them." He said with a sneer that she knew all to well was just a forced expression he often used, especially in the presence of his father. Draco wasn't mean or evil in any sense, he was good at heart, but that was something you could never show in front of Lucius.
"Just leave them be." She said reaching over and patting his knee causing his face to soften and show in reality that he was confused.
"Why do you like them? They torment you." He stated and she shrugged her shoulders.
"I guess they're the closest thing I have to friends then anything. No one else pays me any mind unless something bad is going on directly related to you. No one talks to me, I dont exist until they want me too. But at least with the twins I'm not completely invisible." She replied turning back in her chair and staring at her reflection sadly.
"Well...best pack up, we leave for Hogwarts tomorrow and mum and dad want to head out shopping soon." He said unable to come up with anything remotely comforting after her confession.
"I'll be down in a few." She said watching him leave through the mirror before he turned and cracked a small smile at her.
"I'll always be your friend." He said causing the corners of her lips to curve up as he walked out into the hall and headed back downstairs.