He should have known what she looked like. She'd been on the covers of newspapers and magazines since the day she was born. His family never bought newspapers though, because more often than not they also contained snide comments or rude articles about them as well. His family didn't talk much about the Potters either. It was still a bit of a sore point that Draco owed his freedom to the boy who'd been his enemy for his entire scholastic career.
Pardus was shocked, but he managed to nod his confirmation. "I thought so. Everybody worships my family, and they worship me just because I'm his daughter, but I don't like that. If anybody is going to worship me, I want it to be because of what I've achieved, not because my surname is 'Potter', or because of what my father has achieved. I can never tell if somebody is being honest when they compliment me, or if they're just being curious when they ask me questions.
Once, I had a brief conversation with a pleasant lady in a shop in Diagon Alley. I thought she was just a random stranger, but the next day everything I'd told her was on the front page of the Daily Prophet. Luckily I hadn't told her anything important, or any secrets or anything, but what if I had? I can't trust anyone. They're all just sucking up to me, or using me to get to my dad. Even if they're being genuine, it would be impossible for me to tell the difference, so I have to push everyone away just to be sure.
Even my family never had time for me. James and Albus didn't want to play with girls, and Lily was old enough that she had her own friends, and having her baby sister around was a nuisance. I reckon I've been about as lonely as you have, Pardus." He'd been staring out of the window at the countryside the entire time, but she could see in his eyes that he'd been listening to every word.
"Do you think there'll ever come a time when we don't have to be lonely anymore?" Aurora smiled at his question. "I don't know about you, but I've stopped feeling lonely already. We're friends now, aren't we?" Pardus whipped his head around to face her so quickly that he was mildly surprised that he hadn't pulled a neck muscle. "Are you serious? You really want to be my friend? You honestly think that a Malfoy and a Potter can be friends?"
Aurora didn't stop smiling. "I don't know if Pardus Malfoy and Aurora Potter could ever be friends, but you can look at me and see just me, rather than seeing my surname, and I can look at you and just see you, rather than seeing your relatives. What do you think? Can just Pardus be friends with just Aurora?" Pardus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Even if we could forget each other's surnames, would you still want to be my friend when I'm a Slytherin?"
Aurora looked a little taken aback. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess it just never crossed my mind that the Sorting Hat would put you in Slytherin, when you're so unlike one. If I thought about it, I'd have to say that if I were the Sorting Hat, I'd put you in Gryffindor. In my mind, that's where you'd fit the best. I mean, do you even want to be in Slytherin?" Pardus smiled sadly. "Even if I didn't, my entire family has always been in Slytherin. The Hat will take one look at me and shout out 'Slytherin'."
Aurora shook her head. "That's not true. First of all, one of your distant relatives, Sirius Black, was a Gryffindor. He was your grandmother Narcissa's first cousin. When he ran away from his family, my dad's grandparents took him in. Secondly, what you want matters a lot. My dad told me that the Hat wanted to put him in Slytherin, but he asked it to put him in Gryffindor, so it did. The Hat takes requests, you can be in any house you want.
My dad said that it was because our choices are what make us who we are, more than anything else. Who our relatives are, or what our abilities or talents or personalities are; those things are only a small part of it. The most important thing is our choices. But Pardus, whether the Hat calls you a Slytherin, a Gryffindor, or the new Assistant Grounds Keeper, I will still want to be your friend, so what do you say?" Pardus smiled gently. "Okay then. From now on we're friends." Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Anything off the trolley, Dears?" The trolley-lady was somewhat ancient, but she still claimed she would never retire. The two children quickly walked into the corridor. Pardus selected several Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills. Aurora chose a Pumpkin Pasty and a fistful of Liquorice Wands. When Aurora tried to pull out her purse and pay for her goods though, Pardus stopped her with a hand on hers, and a shy shaking of his head, which made them both blush.
