Hidden Blessings

By SavingAngel8

AN: So if you hadn't noticed already, this chapter is particularly long. They won't always be like this but it should tide everyone over until I update again. I will sincerely try to update this more often but I am a full time college student and this semester in particular is very busy for me. However, I hope you keep reading and please review! I love hearing from everyone, whether it be praise or criticism, so please try to review more often so I can continue to improve my writing. Have fun with this chapter!

Chapter 7: Reminders of Home

"He's my house elf, Headmaster. Well, not my house elf but my family's. He's been with us since before I can remember and played nursemaid for me when I was a child," Awena smiled lovingly down at the elf cowering by her right leg. Pyrtog had his head hung in shame. Awena looked back up at Professor Dumbledore. "My parents must be going crazy without him. He pretty much runs our whole household and is especially close with my mother."

Awena had waited until the morning after she had discovered Pyrtog in her room to go to Professor Dumbledore. Harry had come to her rooms early to see what she wanted to do that day so they had gone up to Dumbledore's office together, with Pyrtog clutching one of Awena's hands in both of his.

At Awena's last comment, Pyrtog looked up at her. "Madame's new house elf's name is Misty and Madame likes her very much," Pyrtog finished in a hopeful voice, trying to distract Awena from any forthcoming punishment.

She smiled briefly before becoming stern again. "That still does not excuse you smuggling yourself into my trunk. Does Mom even know you're here?" Pyrtog gave a wail and buried his head into Awena's pant leg.

"Pyrtog merely wanted to make sure Mistress was going to be safe. Pyrtog couldn't stand that Mistress was going so far away," he sobbed, his words muffled by her jeans.

Despite her best efforts to resist, Awena couldn't stand to see him like this, so she knelt down and opened her arms so he could cry on her shoulder while she patted his back. Harry watched this with an odd fascination, never having seen such an interaction between a human and a house elf like this before. Once Pyrtog had quieted, Awena began to whisper to him and when they finished talking Pyrtog was nodding enthusiastically. Awena kissed him on his shiny forehead before standing up.

"We've discussed it and, if it's alright with you, Headmaster, Pyrtog would be glad to help the other elves in the kitchens and be assigned to taking care of my quarters on his own. He's goodhearted and I know he won't cause any problems."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "Of course he can stay, but I must insist that you inform your parents as soon as possible to make sure they approve of the new situation."

Awena nodded and smiled before looking down at Pyrtog's quivering form and subtly nodding towards Professor Dumbledore. Pyrtog lit up and stood straight immediately. "Thank you, sir," he said, bowing towards Dumbledore. Pyrtog then smiled up at Awena. "Thank you, Mistress," and vanished into thin air.

Harry stood up from his chair with a wide grin on his face. Dumbledore also stood and faced the two teenagers.

"Well now that that's settled, shall we go and have some breakfast?" The two students nodded and Dumbledore moved towards the door. On their way to the Great Hall, Professor Trelawney appeared and fell into conversation with Dumbledore about comets so Harry and Awena lagged behind

Harry chuckled and Awena looked at him. "What?" she asked.

Harry just shook his head lightly and said, "I'm sorry, but I haven't seen a house elf that upset since I walked into the kitchens last year. They would all just come up to me and then couldn't get three words out without stuttering for at least five minutes, poor things."

Awena smiled questionably. "Why were they so afraid of you?"

"They weren't, they were in awe of me or something. House elves around here seem to be fascinated with the fact that I'm Harry Potter. Remember what I told you about Dobby?" he said with a broad grin.

Awena laughed and nodded. "Oh, right, I forgot. Don't worry, Pyrtog won't go around trying to help you in any destructive ways like dropping a cake on anyone's head. Although, when I was younger and threw a temper tantrum he did force me to eat spinach for a whole week." She grimaced at the memory, which made Harry laugh. Awena joined in and soon they were both laughing fools. They entered the Great Hall in this fashion, with Awena holding onto Harry's faded red T-shirt for support while Harry had an arm around her waist to stabilize them both.

"Boy, Potter, you sure move fast in your relationships. But do my stomach a favor and keep the PDA down to a bare minimum," a voice drawled sarcastically from the table in the center of the room.

Awena and Harry sobered up quickly when they heard this, but Harry was the only one to actually get angry. Awena simply stood there, a very contemplative expression on her face. Upon closer inspection, however, there was a spark of amusement and curiosity in her eyes.

"Shut the hell up, Malfoy," Harry spat, walking over to the table with Awena trailing behind him. "You wouldn't know what you were talking about if you knew all the answers in the universe."

Draco clapped slowly. "Oh very clever, Potter. Now I'm going to go sit in a corner and cry."

Harry opened his mouth to retaliate but was interrupted.

"Now, now ladies. Can't we get through one meal without a fight or are you both utterly incapable of being civil while in the same room?" Awena said, a little smug at the open-mouthed expressions the two had adopted after being addressed as members of the opposite sex. She rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Now that's a look the girls will go for."

Draco instantly snapped his mouth shut and stood up smoothly. He smiled as he turned to Awena. "Saucy. Well, at least you have good taste Potter." He winked at Awena before spinning and walking out of the Great Hall.

Harry glared at him as he went before sitting down beside his sister. As he began to pile food on his plate, Awena had to wipe the small smile off her face. Eventually Harry turned to her, visibly calmer but still a little peeved.

"Sorry about that, but I told you I have a bad history with that guy. I'll try harder not to lose my temper next time."

Awena smiled and nodded before reaching over and buttering a bagel. They were eating quietly for a while, each lost in thought, when Harry suddenly sat up a little straighter and turned to Awena with a mischievous grin.

"I almost forgot about what I had planned for us today, but your story on our way here reminded me."

Awena leaned away from Harry slightly, mockingly adopting a wary expression.

"What?"

"You're going to return the favor."

"What favor?"

"This whole morning is going to be devoted to you telling me about yourself."

Awena smiled and relaxed. "Oh if that's all, where would you like me to start?"

After they were done eating, Harry led the way to the Astronomy Tower with Awena's arm looped through his. When they got there, the sun was shining brightly with only a few clouds in the sky. Harry sent up a charm that created an invisible shield to keep them from getting sunburned but still allowed them to feel the sun's warmth. Awena conjured up large fluffy pillows to cover the floor, leaving no visible stone in any cracks between the red and white material of the cushions.

Harry shook his head. "It's incredible how far ahead of us you are. You and Hermione are going to get along great."

Awena's expression became nervous. "I hope so. I haven't had much luck with friends in the past few years."

She was looking absentmindedly into the distance and Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't even worry about it. Everyone's going to love you."

She gave him a small smile but still looked unsure. She moved away and collapsed on top of the pillows, rolling over so she was on her back. Harry propped himself up against the wall closest to her and got comfortable.

"So," she sighed, eyes closed, soaking in the sun, "where do you want me to start?"

"Wherever you want," he said, sitting further into the cushions.

She smiled, eyes still closed, and began. "Well, the first thing I remember from my life in America is dancing. My mother put me in dance classes from the time I was three and I remember twirling around on a big stage all dressed in pink to the sound of Beethoven. Then my memory jumps to being on a big balance beam while a man teaches me how to do a handstand. That was gymnastics, when I was four. My parents wanted me to be as active and have as many friends as possible before I went away to Sowbury. So they figured some kind of sport or art was the best way to do that.

She sighed again, but this one wasn't as lighthearted as the last. "They were right. I had lots of friends, both inside school and through my activities. Up until seventh grade, I was one of the most popular girls in school. My three closest girlfriends and I walked around as if were on a cloud. I was consistently placing in the top three at competitions, boys were asking me to dances, it was if nothing could go wrong. And then, the winter before my thirteenth birthday, I decided to tell my friends about why I wouldn't be coming back to school the next year. I had always known about the world I came from but I was so excited to let my Muggle friends in on my secret. So I sat my three girlfriends down in my room one day and told them all about who I was.

Awena winced slightly as she recalled the next image. "The reaction wasn't what I had hoped for. One of them burst into tears and ran to the farthest corner of my room. The other two looked on in disgust and fear, like I was a monster. They called me a freak of nature and told me never to speak or come near them again. Before they left, my father put a charm on them to make sure they could never speak about what I had told them but couldn't perform a full Obliviate for random legal reasons.

"Things got worse after that. Even though they couldn't tell my secret, they still hated me enough to decide to mess up my life. They spread rumors that I had done stuff with multiple guys, that I cheated in gymnastics, and that I had in some way backstabbed all of them. The first week back after I told them was a nightmare. My name was constantly whispered when I walked anywhere and I couldn't turn to anyone for a friendly face."

Harry had narrowed his eyes at the last part of the story. "They were your friends and they betrayed you so easily."

Awena opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on a distant wispy cloud. "Yeah, well, it only goes to show that the higher you climb, the farther you have to fall. If it weren't for Eric, I don't know what I'd have done."

She smiled but Harry became confused. "Who?"

Awena looked at him, still smiling. "My best friend from back home. We dated for about a month or two in sixth grade before it became very clear we were better suited to being good friends." She looked back towards the sky as she continued. "He was still on vacation that first week back after winter break, but it only took one look at me to see that I was miserable. After his first day back, he came over to my house and practically begged me to tell him what had happened. I was so hesitant to open up, unable to think of anything other than the possibility that I might lose the only friend I had left. But then he said, 'I don't care if you're the biggest slut or the worst friend in the world. You're still my friend and I'll always be here as long as you want me to be.' I finally broke down and told him everything after that, from my being a witch to the scene with my girlfriends and the untrue rumors. Through it all he just listened and hugged me but it wasn't until I stopped crying that he spoke. He said, 'I can't believe they didn't realize how special you are,' and from there I knew everything was going to be okay.

"The next couple of weeks at school were filled with a private war between his friends and my old ones. He convinced his group of friends that my old friends were spreading false rumors because they had grown jealous of me. He never actually spread any rumors about them but Eric was an extremely popular person for all the right reasons back then, and even now through high school, so many people took his word for things. He was a genuinely nice guy, which made the people he hung out with look better than the kinds of people my former friends associated with. My old friends tried to spread more lies about why he was sticking up for me but with no success. While I never rose to the level of popularity I had had before, I also didn't strive to do so and trusted almost no one besides Eric. Even after I went away to school, he was and is the only friend I keep in contact with.

"By this time I had found Arion." Her voice took on a sort of dreamy quality. "It's incredible for a Seer to find his or her familiar. It's like this instant connection that pulls you to that other being, like an invisible bond. It happened when I was eleven and with my parents on Assateague Island. Wild horses live and breed there and periodically large groups of them are gathered up and sold at an auction to keep their numbers from growing too large. My parents and I were watching the horses run and the men try to catch the ones marked for penning. All day everyone had been talking about this young black stallion that continued to elude the catchers. I had wondered up a marsh bank to try and get a better look at the horses when I saw him standing on the opposite bank. We just looked at each other for several seconds before he began to wade through the shallow water. He came right up to me and lowered his head and when I touched my forehead to the white spot on his forelock, the reaction was immediate. Our minds and souls connected in a magnetic way, though not in the sense that I could read his thoughts yet. That came later, after about eight months. My father 'bought' him from the auctioneers, although truth be told Arion would have followed me anywhere from that day on."

They sat in silence for a few moments. A small smile played on her lips at the memory.

"What happened when you went away to school?" Harry asked.

Awena's smile froze and then she cleared her throat. "Well as soon as I arrived, the teachers took a special interest in me. The tutor my parents had hired to help me develop my gift a year prior had prepared me well for the challenges that the powerfully gifted professor, Professor Sirenza, had for me. When she realized my potential, she spread word to the other teachers who then treated me as a kind of pet, a golden child if you will. I was already wary about making friends after the events of the past year and with the attention the teachers shamelessly showered on me, it became easier not to have anyone be too close. Many of the girls resented my abilities and others were constantly asking for favors."

Harry interrupted her as she took a breath. "Sorry, but 'favors'? What do you mean?"

Awena rolled onto her side to face him, propping her head up on her hand. "Oh, you know, things like scrying, reading their fortunes, or predicting the future on command. Professor Trelawney teaches some of the simple stuff that I never really had to learn how to do. It came instinctively once my teachers taught me what to look for, the places in my mind I was supposed to access for different skills."

"You can predict the future on command?" Harry looked alarmed but sounded genuinely intrigued.

Awena laughed. "Not really. It's rare for any Seer to be able to do that and it takes an extremely powerful mind. But after a while some girls were so adamant—not believing I couldn't do it—that I got good at mimicking how a real futuristic prophecy would look and sound and then spat out the most obscure stuff I could think of. Most of the girls took it pretty seriously for a while. One girl even cut off all her hair and jumped naked in the pond by the school because she thought it would bring her the love of her life. Unfortunately some Grindylows attacked her and she almost drowned which prompted the professors to scold me harshly and prohibit any further fake predictions." She frowned. "I did feel bad about that one but interestingly enough, that particular prophecy was real and she ended up meeting a very prominent foreign duke the next week who married her after she graduated. But I didn't really bother explaining that at the time."

Harry shook his head slowly and although he knew he should reprimand her, he actually found it funny and smiled.

"Served them right, didn't it?" he chuckled.

Awena blushed slightly and looked down, running her hand over one of the velvet pillows. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "It was still wrong, but I was amused by it at the time. Other than that, I mainly filled my time riding Arion or in the library. My teachers would give me almost whatever I asked for if I acted sweetly enough and so the restricted books weren't restricted for me. My lack of friends at school caused me to become fairly well-read and every summer I would add more books to the library at home." She paused as she thought of something and then sat up, stretching her arms as she did so. "Which reminds me that I have to get work filling that bookshelf in my room. You said we're going shopping soon, right?"

Harry nodded. "Dumbledore said we'll be taking a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow actually. You can get whatever you need there. I have plenty of money if—"

"Oh no, thank you, but my parents already transferred a substantial amount of money to last me through the year, if not another three." She shook her head. "You'd think that they thought I spend money in every store I come across. It's all in a new account at that bank in town, Gringotts right?

Harry grinned. "Yeah, that's it. I have to go get money from there tomorrow too. It should be a fun trip." He winked at her.

She laughed. "I'm sure it will be. Will Draco be joining us?"

Harry's amused face hardened into an angry expression. "Yes, he will. Listen, I really don't want you hanging around him too much. His family is one that supports Voldemort and his own father is a Death Eater. It was also his father's fault that my friends and I had all the problems we did back in second year. Malfoy is a very nasty and terrible person who will always hate my friends and me. You can't trust him, no matter how charming he may seem."

Harry maintained such a glaring, serious expression that Awena felt she could do nothing but nod in assent. To break the tension, she smiled at him and got to her feet. "Don't worry about me," she said, offering her hands to pull him up. When they were both standing, she shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm a big girl."

Harry laughed but still looked concerned as they walked toward the stairwell. He squeezed the hand he still held. "I know, but I'm your big brother so it's my job to worry."

Awena smiled and flicked her hand behind her, making the pillows disappear. She lightly punched him in the arm as they walked down the steps. "Hey, only by a day."

He grinned cheekily. "Older is older so I'll always win." He stuck out his tongue, making her laugh.

"Whatever you say. Do you want to come down and meet Arion? He's been dying for me to visit him."

Harry frowned. "I actually have to go write a few letters, both to my friends and the Ministry. But I promise to go with you to see him soon." They had reached Gryffindor Tower and he let go of her hand. "I'll try and make it down for dinner, okay, but if I don't then come find me and we'll go to the kitchens or something."

"Okay," she said. She stood on her toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. "You're too tall," she said, grinning.

He rolled his eyes but smiled. "Sorry."

"It's okay, I forgive you. Bye."

She turned back at the stairs and waved before disappearing from sight.

Harry sighed and gave the password to the Fat Lady. As the portal swung shut behind him, he began to worry that he shouldn't have let her go alone but brushed away his fears.

What could possibly happen? he thought, turning his mind towards the long list of letters he had to write before the night was over.

Draco was walking around the grounds in no particular direction when he heard a sound drifting through the air to his left. His curiosity piqued, he began to walk toward the little structure that he saw in the distance. He didn't remember it being there before—nothing had been that close to Hagrid's hut in the past except the giant's garden. As he approached, the voice became recognizable as a woman's voice and, quite frankly, was one of the most beautiful things he had ever heard.

He approached the structure silently, easily avoiding any sticks or rocks that would give him away, before peering inside the large opening in front to locate the melody's source. The strong smell of hay and old horse dung confirmed his suspicions that it was in fact a stable. The inside was divided in half, one side fenced in to create a large stall and the other side dedicated to preening and grooming complete with riding gear, brushes, and a place to chain the horse to make it stand still.

Currently, a sleek black-haired horse was chained to that very spot and had its back turned to where Draco stood at the entrance. Draco smiled when he saw who was grooming the creature, the obvious source of the music.

I should have known. Nothing ugly could come from her.

Draco scowled at himself and shook his head to be rid of the thought. He couldn't be going soft, not now. He sighed silently and leaned against the frame of the archway, watching the girl before him who seemed oblivious to his presence. He closed his eyes and let the music wash over him, making him become more relaxed and forgetting that he probably shouldn't linger too long.

Awena was smiling to herself as she sang and was careful to keep her back to the entrance. She had known Draco was there as soon as he arrived. Arion had picked up the new scent and told her immediately. She decided to be surprised as she 'discovered' him. No need to freak him out. Yet.

She bent under Arion's neck to groom the other side of him and purposefully made her song falter with a gasp. Draco's eyes shot open and he stood rigidly, his hand reaching up to run through his hair in a nervous gesture. Nervous about being caught or nervous about being around her, Awena wondered.

"What are you doing here?" Awena enquired with honest curiosity in her voice.

Draco seemed to realize his exposed appearance and visibly closed up, a smirk appearing on his face.

"I heard some noise and thought I would come investigate. This," he said as he motioned around him, "has never been here before so I thought I'd check it out, too."

He fully entered the stable and approached the horse on the side Awena had just vacated, carefully avoiding its backside where body parts tended to flail out. The horse stamped, almost in defeat, as Draco passed safely by and leaned against the wall next to the tack. Awena chuckled lightly but shot the horse a stern look.

"Where's your boyfriend? He's been following you everywhere since you arrived. I'm surprised you two aren't roped together at the hip," Draco said sarcastically. If Awena hadn't been naturally perceptive, she might have missed the slight jealousy that was mixed in with the disgust.

Awena merely smiled mysteriously as she turned back to Arion and resumed brushing his coat. Time for some freak-out.

"Well he and I have a lot to talk about. I mean, we haven't seen each other in fifteen years."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Aw, how cute. Baby sweethearts. Excuse me while I get sick."

Awena faced him and glared slightly, forgoing the game. "Well wouldn't you want to know everything about your brother if you had never known he existed?"

Awena's glare quickly turned to laughter as Draco's jaw fell even farther than it had this morning. It was truly comical to see his normally composed exterior bare all of his emotions at once, with shock clearly overpowering the rest.

Draco began to babble slightly. "I…uh…I mean…wha…"

Awena smiled. "I'm surprised. Harry made it seem like the great Draco Malfoy always had something to say."

Draco seemed to snap out of his stupor at that and give her a withering look. But inwardly he winced and was again a little surprised. If Potter had told her even half of the cruel things that he and his friends had done or said in the past five years, why wasn't she treating him as if he were a pest that needed to be crushed as her… brother and his friends and always done? Not necessarily without reason, of course. But if she was giving him even a small semblance of a doubt then he was going to use it to his full advantage before she changed her mind.

"Yeah, well people change, don't they? It's pretty hard to stay exactly as you are throughout your whole life, although some people actually manage to accomplish such a terrible thing," Draco said coolly as he cautiously approached the horse again. When he was about three inches away Draco reached out a tentative hand and, upon seeing no movement from the horse, began to stroke its neck in an effort to gain some acceptance from the creature. Almost against its will, the horse seemed to start relaxing under Draco's gentle touch. Draco glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that Awena looked a little shocked. She recovered quickly, however.

"But what's the point of staying the same? That would get ridiculously boring." She wasn't looking at him but was obviously anxious for an answer.

Draco turned to her, excitement in his eyes. "Exactly. You would never explore new ideas or try new things."

Awena smiled at him. "Or go new places."

"Or meet new and interesting people," Draco said more quietly, still staring directly into her eyes. Awena was forced to look away first or risk blushing. Draco smiled slightly before summoning a comb off the wall and beginning to brush out the tangle in the horse's mane. His nimble fingers worked deftly as he chanced another question.

"This is a fine creature. What's his name?"

Awena smiled again as she continued to work. "Arion. My mother picked it out when we got him. She has a passion for Greek mythology and thought it would sound elegant when announcers at competitions had to read out our names together, which it did."

"Well partners should compliment each other in as many ways as possible, not just beauty," Draco said with complete sincerity, not taking his eyes off the mane he was finishing.

Awena couldn't contain the color that flooded her face this time but found her voice quickly.

"Wow, two compliments in five minutes. I'm surprised you're not cursing me into next week for being Harry's sister," she said in an offhanded way.

Draco grabbed her hand suddenly, stopping her motions. She met his eyes and saw the hurt and despair that he was trying to cover up with anger.

"I have changed. I know Potter might never believe that but please don't let yourself be influenced by what you may know of my past."

His voice was steady but his eyes were pleading by the end. Awena was shocked at how open his eyes were and could do nothing but nod in response. Draco took his hand away as if it was on fire and ran it through his hair, drawing in a shaky breath.

"I'm sorry. I'm not normally this… I guess emotional is the word. I've had a rough past couple of weeks."

He looked over at her, seeing that she was still watching him, and gave her a small smile. It was odd that instead of pity, which he dreaded and probably would have lashed out against, all he could find in her eyes was understanding. He quickly looked past her and saw the sky darkening. He sighed in disappointment before going to put the comb back on the shelf it came from.

"You better hurry if you want to ride before nightfall. I don't think it's smart to ride too late, especially this close to the forest, so be careful. Have a good night."

He began to head towards the door when Awena found her voice.

"Wait," she said, which made him stop but he didn't turn back to face her. It was probably better those eyes of his weren't watching her as she found the courage to continue.

"Would you like to come and have dinner with me? Harry had to go and write a lot of letters and said he probably wouldn't have the time to go to dinner. I told him I would wait to ride Arion until he was available so my evening's free. How about yours?"

Draco looked at her, his face guarded and one eyebrow raised questionably.

"Really?" he asked, trying to sound emotionless but failing to keep the hint of hope out of his tone.

She smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, just wait a minute while I get Arion settled."

Because she turned back to Arion to unchain him, she missed the huge grin that flitted across his face and actually reached his eyes where it stayed.

They walked in companionable silence back to the castle after Arion was comfortably situated in his stall. Awena realized that for once, she had absolutely no clue what she was doing. What was she thinking inviting her brother's archenemy to dinner when she barely knew him? But something told her that underneath his hard and sarcastic façade, he was vulnerable and unhappy. Instinctively she had reacted to those underlying emotions and reached out to him and now there was no turning back. The scary part was that she didn't even know if she would turn back if she had the chance.

When they got to the Entrance Hall, Draco made for the Great Hall but Awena grabbed onto the sleeve of his sweater to stop him.

"No way, I don't want to face all those teachers again. Besides, I want to try out my table."

Draco had no clue what she was talking about but was nonetheless relieved. Except for Snape, the teachers didn't generally like him and he was never very comfortable being around them for longer than necessary. He smiled slightly as she pulled him towards a turn. He heard her whisper something under her breath before they had reached the bend and watched in fascination as the hall shifted and rounded out before his eyes.

"Wow," was all he managed to say.

Awena grinned. "I know, right?"

Ella was dutifully arranging flowers once again but looked up as they approached. Her eyebrows rose daintily in surprise at the sight of Draco.

"I knew you would have the boys falling over you from day one, darling. But you better be careful not to bring too many of them back to your room alone or there will be a lot of gossip," Ella teased, winking at Awena but Awena noticed the woman glance nervously over her shoulder into the unknown recesses of the portrait behind her. Awena brushed it away as something she was imagining.

"I can't help it, Ella," Awena said grinning. "This is Draco Mal—"

But Ella interrupted her, saying, "Of course, dear. Everyone knows who Draco Malfoy is." Ella laughed a little and waved her hand casually but Awena definitely sensed that she was anxious. "It's very nice to meet you, Draco." Draco nodded and opened his mouth to respond but Ella hurriedly continued. "Now why don't you give me the password, Awena, so you two can get going."

Awena hadn't known Ella for very long but the way she was behaving seemed uncharacteristic. Awena decided to go along with it for now but before she could give the password she was interrupted yet again.

"Mummy, Mummy!" cried a small voice. Ella shot the pair of students a panicked look but before she could stop her, a small girl of about ten or so with flowing white blond hair ran into the portrait and tugged on Ella's emerald green dress.

"Watch Mummy! Mrs. Q taught me how to do a pirtette." And immediately the girl got into a dancer's pose and did a graceful pirouette. It would have been perfect had she not stumbled three-quarters of the way around upon seeing Awena. Her eyes went wide and she clapped her hands in excitement.

"Oh my gosh! You're the sister of Harry Potter! Oh my gosh! This is so amazing! I've heard all about you! Mummy, is she going to be staying with us?" The little girl turned back to her mother but Ella wasn't watching her anymore. She was staring at Draco with a worried expression on her face and the level of pain in her stare made Awena turn and look too.

Draco's face had gone ashen and his eyes were glassy. As Awena watched, one lone tear fell from the corner of his eye and streaked silently down his cheek. He was staring unblinkingly at the little girl.

"Draco?" Awena asked, reaching out to touch his shoulder.

But it was like he didn't realize she existed and in the next second he took a step towards the painting. More tears began to course down his face, alarming the little girl and causing her to step back and look confusedly at her mother.

"Darling, go back and ask Mrs. Q if you can stay with her for a little while longer. I'll come and get you before bedtime but don't come back until I come for you," Ella said all of this swiftly but in a quiet tone, as if she was trying not to wake a sleeping animal. Her eyes never left Draco's face.

"But Mummy I—"

"No buts, Narcissa. Do as I say right now." A sob escaped Draco's throat at the sound of the girl's name but remained oblivious to Awena calling out his own.

As Narcissa stamped out of the portrait in childish fury, Draco followed her with his eyes and something seemed to break in him when she had vanished from sight.

"No," he said brokenly. "No! Come back, mother! Come back! No!" And he forcibly threw himself at the painting, at the spot where the girl had disappeared. He began to beat on the frame, sobbing all the while and calling out for the girl.

Awena quickly cast a repelling charm on the painting, which sent Draco flying backward partially into her so that they both went down to the floor together. He wrapped his arms around Awena's waist and continued to cry into her hair, letting out all of the pain he had been holding in for so long. Awena looked from Draco to Ella, who had shed a few tears at the boy's obvious sorrow.

"Take him upstairs, dear. If he doesn't explain after tomorrow then I'll ask Dumbledore's permission to tell you myself, but right now he needs to calm down," Ella said sadly.

Awena nodded mutely before saying the password. Her wand came into her hand with a flick of her wrist and she muttered, "Suthio tempra." Draco's sobbing gradually waned as he slowly fell into a calm stupor that sent him to sleep. She cast a lightweight charm on him before slowly standing up, Draco cradled to her chest with his head resting on her shoulder. She walked carefully up the winding staircase and into her living room where she maneuvered Draco so she could transfigure the couch into a bed. She laid him down, conjured some blankets, and put a pillow under his head before releasing the lightweight charm. She thought she had put enough power into her other spell to last through the night but she didn't want to take any chances.

"Pyrtog," she whispered and with a small pop, the little elf appeared. He was facing Awena and did not see Draco as he began to speak.

"Oh, Miss Awena would be so proud of Pyrtog!" he exclaimed with glee. "Pyrtog has been doing so well with the work that has been assigned him and—"

"Shhh," Awena said softly. She couldn't help the small smile that formed on her face as she put a finger to her lips and then pointed behind him. Pyrtog slowly turned around but when he realized the possible danger was only a slumbering boy he relaxed a little. However, as he turned back to face her his face hardened into a disapproving look.

"Miss Awena knows it is not proper to have boys spend the night, especially when Master and Madame aren't here," Pyrtog said sternly. His little foot tapped in irritation as he waited for Awena to explain herself.

"But he became very distraught a few moments ago and I didn't know what else to do. I don't even know where his rooms are," Awena said sadly, playing the part of an ashamed child who was receiving a scolding. She bent down and gave him her best puppy-dog face. "Do you forgive me?"

Pyrtog rolled his eyes at her theatrics and sighed. "Of course Pyrtog forgives Miss Awena, otherwise Pyrtog would be out of the job he so loves."

Awena laughed quietly and kissed him on the forehead for the second time that day. "Oh silly Pyrtog, you know that would never happen because you are too much like family to me."

With that, she rose to her feet before continuing on her previous train of thought. "I was wondering if you could watch over Draco until he wakes up. I wouldn't want him to get scared waking up in an unfamiliar place. Whenever he wakes up, send him up to my room so I can let him know how to get out of this part of the castle. Are you too sleep to do all of that for me?" she teased gently, knowing full well that he had most likely already gotten his hour and a half of required rest sometime during the day.

Pyrtog raised what looked to be a wrinkly eyebrow and she bent down to give him another kiss before turning to leave.

"Thank you! Goodnight," Awena whispered as she disappeared the stairs.

"Pleasant dreams, Miss," Pyrtog whispered back. He turned to the sleeping boy with an exasperated sigh. "You must be special if Miss wishes to see you before you leave." Pyrtog conjured up a stool, a long bit of parchment, and a quill before beginning to work on his To-Do list for the coming day.