A/N: WOW - I was not expecting such a response after having the first bit up for only an hour! Thank you so much to Gray Blazar, Imightjustwishiwasaweasley, Moony0402, Musicluver225, SJHP, The Eclectic Bookworm, alegram, sthrnpanther06, whirlwind29, FairyTaleWolf6, & amberdee63 for the follows/favorites, & to Musicluver225 & The Eclectic Bookworm for the reviews! They all made me really happy.

Here's chapter 3 - time to meet the final member of our trio! JKR owns everything Potterverse; Phantom of the Opera is a musical by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the book of the same name by Gaston Leroux. Please R&R, & enjoy! :)

Lily hummed softly to herself as she made a cup of her favorite tea. Nobody else was in the house at the moment, and she was enjoying the rare bit of quiet. Of course, she wouldn't trade her unconventional family for anything in the world, but it was nice to have an occasional quick break from the loud conversations, scraped knees, and guaranteed trouble that followed them everywhere.

Padfoot, of course, was every bit as mischievous as he'd been at school, and he seemed determined to make sure his adopted children were highly trained in the art of marauding before they went off to Hogwarts. He thoroughly enjoyed playing pranks on everyone whenever he could, and he encouraged the boys to retaliate – if they could think of something clever, that is. Granted, at the tender age of seven, Harry and Draco hardly came up with anything elaborate or even remotely sneaky, but their attempts were fun to watch.

Harry was looking more and more like James every day – while the constant reminder of her deceased husband made Lily sad, she knew James would have been proud of the boy Harry had become. He was talkative, full of mischief, loved to have fun, and flew like a natural – he'd gotten his first real broom for his most recent birthday and was hardly seen without it. However, it was her son's inner qualities that made Lily smile the most – Harry was smart, polite, caring, and thoughtful. Being stuck in a safe house meant he didn't have too many people to interact with, but Lily could tell he'd be well liked when he went to Hogwarts – she wasn't being prideful; Harry was just that kind of person, and she couldn't have been happier.

In some ways, Draco was Harry's polar opposite – he was much more quiet and reserved, and he didn't jump into the pranks with quite the same gusto as his foster brother. Lily suspected he was still somewhat stuck in the world he'd inhabited in his earliest years, and it saddened her – living in the Death Eaters' headquarters had obviously had a profound impact on the boy, and it had taken nearly a year for her to get Draco to even talk without being afraid. It was a shame it was taking him so long to come out of his shell – he was unfailingly polite and incredibly intelligent, and what Lily wanted most was to see Draco really enjoying himself. He seemed to like flying, and he loved the music lessons she'd enrolled him in at the request of his mother, but a genuine smile from the boy was a rarity. It was a pity, really – Draco was an attractive child, as he'd inherited the Malfoys' fair coloring and the Blacks' classic good looks, and his beautiful smile only enhanced that image. Lily could only cross her fingers and hope that something would come along soon to help her out on that front.

Unbeknownst to Lily, that something – or rather, someone – was actually in her front yard at that very moment.

Draco was perched in the lowest branches of a tree near the front walk, deeply immersed in a book. He didn't hear the newcomer approach, and as such nearly fell out of the tree when she spoke.

"What are you reading?" Draco hastily grabbed hold of the nearest branch to steady himself and looked down. Standing at the base of his tree was a girl who looked to be about his age. She was wearing a flowered sundress and a worn pair of sandals, and she had an impressive quantity of thick brown hair, which was restrained in a plait that hung down between her shoulder blades. Her brown eyes peered up at him inquisitively, and she bit her lip after she'd spoken, revealing overly large front teeth. Disoriented by her appearance as he was, the only response Draco could manage was, "Who are you?" It came out rather ruder than he'd intended, and the little girl looked rather put out.

"I just asked what you were reading; no need to get offended," she huffed, sticking her nose in the air. She turned her back on him and made to leave.

"No, wait!" Draco called. "Don't go!" He hopped down from the tree, landing catlike on all fours, and stood up, crossing his arms as the girl turned back to face him again.

"Why shouldn't I?" she replied, placing her hands on her hips.

"I didn't mean to be rude, I'm sorry. You just…startled me, that's all." The girl's eyes widened slightly – this boy had an impressive vocabulary.

"Well, I'm sorry for startling you, then," she replied. She sat down on the grass, twirling the end of her plait around her finger as she gestured for Draco to join her.

"What's your name?" Draco asked as he leaned against the tree. "And where did you come from, anyway?" The girl laughed.

"I came from there," she said, pointing at the house next door. "We just moved in yesterday. As for my name – you can call me Lotte."

"Lotte…is that short for 'Charlotte'?" Draco asked.

"No – it's the nickname of a character from my mum's favorite musical," she said. Draco perked up at the last word, and the girl smiled. "Do you like musicals, then?"

"Haven't really heard many, to be honest, but I love music," Draco replied. "Which reminds me – I have my piano lesson soon, so you know I'm not being rude when I have to go."

"If you haven't heard many, you've got to hear this one," Lotte said. "I'll be right back." She dashed off towards her house and returned a few minutes later with a portable cassette player in one hand and a pair of headphones in the other. She rewound the tape, pausing to listen a few times before she finally found what she was looking for, and handed the headphones to Draco.

"Just listen to that." Draco did as she said and was hooked within the first few notes – whatever this was, it was incredible.

"That was amazing," he said when the song ended. "I've never heard anything like it! But I didn't hear anything about anyone called 'Lotte'."

"That's because she's only called Lotte in one song – this one," the girl replied, rewinding the cassette even further. "Her real name is Christine."

"Well, that's not confusing at all," Draco muttered, but he accepted the headphones again without complaint. This song was light and airy in the beginning, with much darker tones as it progressed – if he had to hazard a guess, Draco would say the two males in the song didn't like each other very much. Even with the darker nuances, however, Draco still found himself hanging on to every word, and he was disappointed when the track ended.

"We'll have to listen to the rest of it sometime," Lotte said.

"Yeah, sure." Draco paused to look at his watch. "I have to go in for my lesson now, but maybe we can play later?"

"I have to help unpack later – but I could do tomorrow," she replied, smiling slightly.

"Tomorrow sounds good."

"You never told me your name," Lotte said suddenly as Draco was standing to leave.

"Well, what makes you think I'm going to tell you my real name when you haven't told me yours?" he asked with a slight smirk. Laughing a little at the look on her face, Draco said, "Call me Dragon." He supposed it wasn't nearly as creative as Lotte's nickname, but it was accurate, at any rate – he knew enough astronomy to know that.

"Alright, then," Lotte said, giving him another smile. "See you later then, Dragon."

"Later, Lotte." Draco answered the smile with one of his own and made his way back to his own house. When he got to the front stoop he turned in time to see Lotte wave, and he smiled again as he opened the door and went inside.

"Oh, hello Draco," Lily said as Draco came into the kitchen. "I was just about to come get you – Mrs. Peterson should be here any minute. Who's your new friend?"

Draco felt his cheeks heat up at Lily's question – he hadn't realized she'd seen what was going on. He should've known – she hardly missed anything that went on around here, after all – but it was still a little embarrassing to have been caught talking to a girl. Even more embarrassing was the fact that he couldn't really answer, as he didn't know Lotte's real name.

"Um…she and her mum and dad just moved in next door," he said.

"What's her name?" Lily asked.

"Um…"

"Draco Black, do you mean to tell me you were so busy chatting up the little girl that you didn't ask her name?" Lily said teasingly. When Draco turned a shade of pink that she was impressed his fair complexion could even produce, she smiled and pulled him into a hug.

"I'm glad you were having fun," she said sincerely. "Maybe we can all go over and meet her properly tomorrow." Draco nodded, and Lily smiled to herself when he returned her hug, something he'd rarely done before. Whoever this little girl was, she'd already worked wonders on Draco, and Lily was beyond grateful. Maybe she was just what Draco needed.

The next day, Draco learned that his Lotte's real name was not Christine, but Hermione Granger. They'd met at the age of seven, but it would be quite a while yet before he'd realize just how important she really was to him.