A/N: Another update! I must be spoiling you guys (and dolls [(8)guys and dolls, we're just a crazy bunch of guys and dolls(8)). Now that the music is out of the way, i would like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and story alerted and favourite story'd. it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when i see that in my inbox.

A HUGE THANK YOU TO MY FABULOUS BETA KiyKat0575 WHO IS JUST BRILLIANT. I HEART YOU!!!!!

Please enjoy.

"Malfoy, tell your girlfriend to stop staring at me." Harry Potter sneered at me, glaring at me, and glancing now and then at Gen.

"She's not my girlfriend! She's my cousin. Meet Genevieve Black. Maybe you recognize the name?" I said, keeping my face and tone very innocent.

Suddenly Gen pulled on my arm, and made me turn around to face her. "Draco!" she hissed right in my face. She paused for a second, waved her wand around us, and then nodded, smiling. She turned to face me again, and her smile turned straight into a snarl. She started yelling at me, her voice full of fury. "Draco Scorpius Malfoy! Did I give you permission to tell people who my father was?! DID I?! Because I certainly don't remember doing it! And who on earth ARE these people?! What have they ever done to you that means you have to be so nasty to them?!" She finally ran out of breath, and then added on as an afterthought, "Must you call me Genevieve in front of people?" She started to say the spell to eliminate the Silencing Charm she'd put up, so that no one else could hear us, but I stopped her.

"Wait! I'm sorry. But what else am I supposed to call you? If you don't want to use it, I'm sure Mother wouldn't mind if you started using Malfoy, or you could use your mother's last name. And this is your father's godson. Do you want me to leave so you can ask him stuff about Sirius?" I asked her, softening my voice, being genuinely nice and not just trying to get on her good side. (A/N: I know Draco doesn't seem like the kind to be all nice, but this is the way the conversation went in my head. Maybe Draco was whispering into my ear the way he really wants to be…)

She smiled at me, her eyes threatening to release the tears that had filled them. "Thanks Draco. But you don't have to leave if you don't want to."

"I really think I should. You probably won't get as much information from them if I'm here. I sorta made their lives a living hell from the moment we got to Hogwarts seven years ago. They don't really like me." I laughed softly, remembering all the times I had upset Potter or his friends. "Tell you what; I'll go get your books and things, while you find out what you need to know. That ok?" I said, wrapping my arms around her, giving her a comforting hug.

She nodded, waved her wand, and spoke to the four people still in front of us. "Sorry 'bout that, family stuff. My name is Genevieve Black, but please call me Gen or Evie. I'm just starting Hogwarts this year, I transferred from Beauxbatons. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions about a person I believe you knew you knew very well. Is that ok with you?"

"Give me one good reason why I would want to talk to one of Malfoy's cousins. And who do you want to talk about?" Potter replied, folding his arms. You could tell he meant to be angry, but his curiosity must have gotten the better of him. Stupid Gryffindor.

"You don't know if I am anything like Draco. I could be completely different. And it's Si-Sirius Black. Your godfather." She answered right back, looking him right in the eye.

"Why do you want to know about Sirius?" The Weasel butt in before Potter could do as much as open his mouth. Gen shot him a look of disdain, but answered his question nonetheless.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, dear. However I will answer you as I think your friend was about to ask that same question. I wish to know about Sirius Black, as he was my father." She smirked at the Weasel, while Potter just stared blankly at Gen.

Granger must have decided to step in because Potter was incapable of speech, as she stepped forward. "What proof do you have that you are his daughter? Harry, you should call Kreacher and get him to check the family tree." She looked pleased about this.

"That's all very good Granger, but as Sirius never knew about Gen, she won't be on it. I have a better idea. Kreacher will answer to Gen as well, because no matter what the will says, Gen was, and still is, his real heir. Kreacher was always told to answer any of the Black's, which means my mother and aunts, though not Andromeda, as she isn't on the family tree anymore. Will you let her try to call him?"

They retreated a couple of steps and huddled, conferring. How Gryffindor-ish, checking to see if a plan of action suited everyone, 'Oh, let's wait and see if it's ok with us all, otherwise it might interrupt other plans, like the girly-girly pink party we have to go to later.'

Meanwhile Gen turned towards me, fear and worry in her eyes, yet her voice was calm and distant. "And what if Kreacher doesn't come when I call? How will I prove it then Draco?" She elegantly raised one eyebrow, and I just smiled.

"Trust me Gen. He will come." She still didn't look reassured, but I just winked and didn't say anything else.

We stood there waiting for them to decide, but I had had another idea, so I walked up to them and tapped Potter on the shoulder. He whirled around, his wand out.

"Relax Potter. I just wanted to remind you that we can't call Kretcher to here. We'll have to go somewhere in Diagon Alley that is suitable, so I might I suggest that we go to a room in The Leaky Cauldron? I'll pay, obviously. What do you say?" I offered. Potter looked suspicious, but he slowly nodded. I could see that the other members of the Golden Quartet were looking nervous, but none of them would go against their leader's orders. I turned around and led the way to The Leaky Cauldron.

*Five minutes later, safe in a room above The Leaky Cauldron*

"Go on Gen. Just call Kreacher's name. He'll appear for you." I encouraged. I knew Kreacher would, because Mother and I had asked him if he would. He would do anything for my mother.

"Oh gosh Draco, is that how you call a House Elf? I would never have known, not having been going to a wizarding school for the past seven years." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She didn't turn to face me, but I could tell that it was an act, to hide her real feelings of nervousness. I know, because I do it myself.

"Just do it. We don't have all day, and I'd rather be out shopping than have to spend any more time in a room with Malfoy." Potter sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry, Potter. As soon as Gen has proved herself to you, I'll be gone. I have to pick up our stuff after all. Unlike some people, I don't have all day to wander round." I sneered. I know I said I was going to be nicer, but some habits die hard.

The Golden Quartet opened their mouths to speak, but Gen got there before them, "Oh, just shut up Draco." We all stared in shock at her, and she shrugged.

"What, now I can't tell my own cousin to shut up? Now if you could all stop staring at me… I could get on with calling Kreacher." She looked so comfortable telling us all of for staring at her.

I recovered quickly, and the Golden Quartet did after another minute. They grinned at each other, and I couldn't work out why.

"Kreacher!" Gen's voice carried across the room, very clearly. There was a loud crack, as a House Elf appeared in the middle of the room.

"Yes, Mistress?" Potter and his pals just stared in shock at Kreacher, who stood in front of Gen, bowing so low his nose touched the ground. Seriously, you'd think that after facing the evilest wizard in the world would have made them immune to anything out of the ordinary, but apparently not.

"I was just wondering, Kreacher, if you knew who I was." Gen looked imperious as she said this, as if she was used to ordering around House Elves. For all I know, she was. Beauxbatons was a wee bit weird after all, it was in France.

"Of course I do Mistress. You are Mistress Malfoy's niece, the only daughter of the traitor Sirius Black." Kreacher said, his obvious hatred of Sirius Black coming through in his reluctance to say his name.

"Thank you Kreacher. You can go now." Gen just dismissed Kreacher like she had been doing it all her life. Which I doubted, as I think I remember her mother saying that they didn't have a House Elf.

Kreacher disappeared with another very loud crack, and I could see Granger's bristling as she saw the way Gen treated one of her precious House Elves. All of the Slytherin's knew about S.P.E.W., and we had had good laugh at her when we heard about it, and numerous times afterwards.

"Well there you have it Potter. She really is Sirius' daughter. Even Kreacher admits it." I smirked at him, and he just shrugged.

"I just had to check. So many people could come up with that, every person who had heard about his fortune. But as soon as she began fighting with you, Malfoy, I knew she really was related to you. Only family fights like that." Potter was, for some strange reason of his own, grinning. At me. Which doesn't happen and never should happen.

"Right. Well now that that's settled, I'm going to go get the books we're going to need for the new year. See you later Gen. Just don't go into Knockturn Alley no matter what you do. It's a horrible place." I shivered, remembering the number of times I had had to go in there, either with my father, or for my father, and then last year for my… mission.

I turned to go, calling over my shoulder, "Try not to be become too… distracted, Gen. Try to stay focused on the matter in hand."

I had reached the bottom of the stairs when I heard footsteps behind me. I wasn't too bothered by this, as it could be anyone coming down the stairs, but a small part of me was worried. Malfoy still wasn't a name that held as much sway as it just to do. Some people still hate me and my mother because of what my father did.

I didn't speed up, but I did walk with more of a purpose to my step. As if I was going to meet up with someone, and not just aimlessly wandering. I had just reached the wall that led into Diagon Ally proper, when I heard a voice behind me.

"Malfoy, wait!" I would recognize that voice anywhere, simply because it sounded in class so blooming often.

"Yes Granger?" I turned slowly to face her, keeping my expression neutral.

"I was just wondering… Are you going back to Hogwarts this year? It's just that you said 'the books we're going to need…"

"I know what I said." I interrupted, my voice sharper than necessary. "And yes, I am going back this year. Why do you ask?"

She flushed. "Because you were the only person I could think of that I don't have the ability to owl easily, that would be good enough to get the position of Head Boy. And I was also wondering if you were…" She trailed off, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"I am, so you can quit thinking about me. What were you wondering?" I tried to stay impatient sounding, but to be honest with you, I was glad someone obviously didn't care what I had done to them in the past, and was willing to forgive me.

"Well, we have to share living quarters and a common room. So I was wondering if…" She trailed off again, and looked up at me. I raised an eyebrow at her, making her look down again. She rushed the rest of her sentence. "If we could try to get along this year? Not be friends, just… not enemies."

"Whatever Granger. I was planning on not insulting any of you this year anyway." She looked up, questioningly. "Well, if I insult one of the Golden Quartet, I would be cast from any society immediately. You guys are, after all, the heroes who defeated Lord Voldemort. No one in their right mind would even dare to insult you." I tried to inject the right amount of sarcasm into my words, making them sound like I was repeating what I had heard loads of other people say, but I couldn't. Because it was true. Every single word I had just said was true.

"I didn't do anything in the Final Battle. It was all the other three." She protested, shaking her head. "And I'm surprised you haven't said anything yet. I always thought you weren't in your right mind." Her smile and tone were teasing, something I never would have expected from Hermione Granger, or anyone in Gryffindor.

"I'm not. But then, again, who really wants to be?" I surprised myself by teasing her back, but she took it in her stride. She grinned at me, and I could feel the muscles in my cheeks trying to contract, trying to make me smile.

"I have no idea. Maybe people who don't know what it's like to be insane?" She laughed, and her laugh was just so carefree. Like she hadn't just saved the world a few months before. "Listen, I have to go now. But I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express, yeah? Bring Gen to our compartment when you get on, then we'll go to the Heads Compartment." I was surprised that she spoke with such surety about taking my cousin to her and her friends' compartment, but I suppose that she thought they wouldn't mind. "Besides, I think Gen has a little crush on Harry, and a little close contact would do the relationship good,"

"But I thought Potter was going out with the Weaselette." In fact everyone thought that.

She frowned slightly at my nickname of Weasel Jnr (Jnr Jnr Jnr Jnr Jnr), but let it pass. "They were… But they both agreed that they would stay as friends for now. They both realized that if Gin got with him now, then it would look like she was with him only for the fame, which would mean she would get an awful lot of teasing and name-calling at school. Which neither of them wants."

I was confused. "Do you not want them to get together?"

She frowned. "It's not that. It's just… I don't think they would work well as a couple. Ginny is too… frivolous for Harry. She doesn't always use her head when she gets passionate about something, so I don't think they would work really. Great friends, just not anymore than that."

I was surprised that she was telling me this, but even more surprised by her next words. "I haven't told Ginny. I will, once I'm sure of how she will take it. But I'd hate for her to take it the wrong way, and lose her friendship. Especially over something as trivial as this." She trusted me with something she hadn't even told the person it was about?

She laughed nervously, and ran her hand through her hair. Which I must say wasn't as bushy as it was 7 years ago. "I don't actually know why I'm telling you this, but sometimes I just ramble on and on about stuff, just like now…" She trailed off nervously, before shifting her eyes to floor.

I forced myself to speak, to stop her from feeling stupid. After all, that was the last thing she was. Even I, Draco Malfoy, could admit that without choking. "You shouldn't be nervous around me. I'm not as bad as I used to be. I think I've grown up. And I won't tell anyone what you just told me."

Her expression was a mixture of relief and confusion. After all, it isn't every day that a lowly Muggle-Born gets a few nice words from a Pureblood like myself. "Thanks… I think." Her teasing smile was back, and I was almost… happy to see it. Like it wasn't right if she wasn't happy. Something is definitely not right with the world, if I start thinking that towards a member of the Golden Quartet. Next I'll be asking to join in when they go off to save the world.

The Weaselette came out, and her expression didn't change, even though she says her precious Granger with her most hated enemy. She breezed over, calling out, "Hey, Draco. Come on Hermione, we need to go get our stuff, before the guys descend and try to force us to eat something. I swear, they are such pigs when it comes to food."

Granger looked as shocked as I did that she had called me Draco. Nobody, except my closest family, calls me Draco.

Weaselette laughed. "Oh come on. You didn't seriously think I was going to call you Malferret when everyone is trying to repair relationships this year. I mean seriously, nobody insults anybody else without a valid reason, and that's even shaky grounds. Trust me, it doesn't mean I like you, and when my brother's here, it will be back to Malferret. Ron is so thickheaded that he will never accept that you were immature, and your head was turned by all the promises of fame and glory." I was stunned by her little monologue, but decided that is she could make an effort to be nicer, then so could I. After all, it tied in with the promise I made myself last night.

"All right then Ginny. I'll go along with your little game, for now that is. But I can't promise that your first name won't slip out if I'm talking to you in front of your brother. After all, I should do it at all times, shouldn't I?" I smirked, but she just smirked back. Sometimes I swear that girl is devious enough to have been in Slytherin. She certainly acts like one sometimes.

"You should, yes. And not just to me, if you catch my drift." She winked, and I grasped what she was trying to say.

"Of course. I'll see you later, Hermione, Ginny." I nodded to each of them, catching Granger's blush out of the corner of my eye.

I walked off, almost smiling, when I caught the expression on my face. How was I happy after talking to half of the Golden Quartet? My life is changing rapidly. Maybe too rapidly.

So what do you think? Is the relationship moving too quickly? Is anyone out of character? Please review, and tell me exactly what you think. And to my anonymous reviewers:

Floop:
Here is more for you. Please enjoy.

Rachel_not:
Personally, i blame the Post Office for our leters not getting through yet. 'Must be the damn Post Office. What are they, Irish?' (ahh Friends' rocks) And darlin, when we do EVENTUALLY get to go, Draco Scorpius Black Malfoy is mine. ALL mine. I have a post it note stuck to him, saying 'Property of Genève O'Loughlin.' So ya boo sucks to be you!!

Thanks for reading.

Published: 24/2/2010