A/N: Hello friends! I wrote another seven thousand words today. I have maybe twenty more pages to finish first year. So all in all first year will probably be close to fifty thousand words by itself. I find that pretty cool myself. :) And because I wrote so much more I decided it wouldn't hurt to do a double update today. Thank you for your time and patience with this story! It will be worth it.
Upon arriving in the dining room I see Father sitting with Nagini wrapped around his chair, I also notice a slightly pale Draco, with his perfectly poised parents. Draco hasn't met Father yet, seeing as Severus was the one to take me to the Malfoy's home at the end of the summer. As I enter, Draco stands trying to keep his poise and pulls my chair out for me, once seated in it he pushes it in and then sits back down himself. Father raises a suspicious eyebrow in my direction. I just giggle softly. Poor awkward Draco.
"Pardon me my Lord," Lucius begins, "but what, if I may inquire, are the plans for today's Mabon celebration?" Lucius looks less than thrilled at having to celebrate the holiday, but I give him credit for trying. At this Draco looks up intrigued, and looks right at me, fear seemingly gone for now.
"That Lucius, is for me to know, and you to find out. However," Father notices the silks and dressy clothes that the Malfoys are wearing and sighs, "you are not attired appropriately for today's events. That is easily fixed." A toothy grin appears on his face that the rest of the occupants of the room only equate to torture, but I know as something slightly more interesting and sometimes nefarious.
Breakfast ends in silence. I munch happily on my eggs, blood pudding, sausage and croissant, while the guests at the table look unsure what to do, never having been placed in this situation before. At least not with 'their Lord and Master,' I giggle to myself and they look at me like I'm insane. Father simply looks over and winks in my direction. Draco catches sight of the wink and almost spits out the pumpkin juice he had just sipped at. I finish breakfast and smile at Father.
"Done hatchling?" Nagini hisses and lifts her head in my direction.
"Yes Nagini!" I respond and then look at Father who has also finished, "Papa, may I be excused please." I request of him.
"Yes Keket, thank you. Please take young Draco and get him dressed appropriately for the day. It isn't anything outside what we usually do for Mabon." Father responds.
I stand up and turn to go after Draco, and the three Malfoys are trying their hardest to regain their natural color after listening to us talk in Parseltongue. I don't know why, but they are. It is as natural as speaking English to me. Ah well, I go over to Draco and stand next to his chair. He turns to look at me.
"Would you come with me please Draco." I say more as a statement than a question. Draco stands up and excuses himself from the table with a bow in the direction of Father and turns to follow me.
"Lead on Princess," Draco states and I hear Nagini hiss in laughter. I look over my shoulder and smile at Draco who doesn't react at all.
I turn to face forward again and we walk to my room. In my closet I know I have things that would work for Draco. I open the door and walk inside and go right over to my closet muttering about how we need to find something suitable for being outside and getting dirty that I won't care about too much. I hear Draco whistle and I turn to look at him, he is looking around the room with some kind of appreciation on his face. I look around my room and don't notice anything special and shrug turning back to the task at hand. I pull out a pair of light wash painter style jeans, so a little baggy on me, and a royal blue T-shirt. I turn around with the chosen items in my hands and I am surprised to see him still only in the doorway looking around the room.
"Draco, you know you can come in. We are supposed to be acting like siblings at this point. We both have to get more comfortable around each other." I say matter-of-factly and Draco steps inside my room.
"Your room is so cool looking!" He says staring at the bed and the walls.
"It's always looked like this. Well, not always I make updates every few years." I shrug and hand him the clothes.
I take another look around the room trying to see it like he would for the first time. A canopy bed with black velvet hangings to keep my bed warm when I don't have the hearth going while I sleep. A desk situated under a window with a tree right in front of it, currently sporting festive fall colors. The walls carefully charmed to reflect the seasons on the base mural of a forest. My carpet a chocolate brown with patterns of leaves and twigs on it as it is charmed to be concurrent with the seasons on the walls. A currently sleeping dragon painted in the corner. I guess it would be really wicked to see the first time. I love being in my room, I just don't think anything of it. I imagine most kids have something like this in their rooms. Wait.
"Draco, you don't have something like this in your room?" I ask surprised. He looks at me with a duh face.
"No! My room is nothing like this! This is wicked cool! I mean Keket you even have a dragon painted in the corner!" he responds clearly amazed at what I had thought was normal amongst wizarding children.
"Well, the bathroom is across the hall. Change there, I believe the clothes should fit you pretty well. You can leave the ones you are wearing now on my bed once you are done." I say and then sit down while he gets changed.
The day goes very quickly from that point. We meet back up with the adults after I get Draco changed and set out to get things done to celebrate. First we go to the orchard out back and harvest apples manually. There are some house-elves out there already but they know specifically to leave a couple of trees for us to harvest ourselves. It takes us three hours to get the section done that we want to get done. Not without snacking of course. Draco is at first a little wary of this task, but when he sees Father and I getting into it he comes closer and bashfully attempts to help us. The elder Malfoy's remain poised and stay near the baskets to inspect the apples we throw down for any bruises. As we finish our task it is about lunch time so our little entourage makes its way back to the house and Father and I set about making some sandwiches for everyone.
The Malfoys look on confused as we do this but don't question anything. And Draco even asks questions, never having set foot in a kitchen before. After that we head back outside again and go for a walk through the grounds, passing by the lake, the gardens, the outdoor training grounds, that have far too many holes and gouges in them. We find ourselves back at the house an hour or three later and I grin. This means we are getting close to the time Severus will be coming over. That means things are about to start getting even more fun! I race Father and Draco back to the back door grinning like a fool and laughing the entire time, unfortunately Father wins, with me in second and Draco in third. Some years I manage to catch Father off guard and beat him. We walk into the back room and I see Severus and clap before making my way over to him, a bounce in my step. He puts his hand on my shoulder, a rare smile on his face that makes Draco pause. I chatter excitedly to Severus about what we have done so far and walk with him in the direction of dinner.
Dinner is a much more relaxed affair than breakfast was because Severus is here to talk to Father and I. Draco catches snippets of the conversation and joins in with us also. Lucius and Narcissa are starting to relax, however they aren't dropping their guard around Father and I for a second. I don't know why exactly. After dinner and dessert which is delicious Apple Crumble, made from the apples that we had picked earlier, we split in different directions. Severus, Draco and I head into the Potions Lab to work on some potions, and Father hugs me before taking Lucius and Narcissa somewhere else to talk to them about something important I imagine. Maybe even to continue their talk from breakfast, who knows. Severus clears his throat and pulls my attention to him.
"Now Keket, I normally let you pick the potion that you want to work on for our Mabon festivities, however, it is Draco's first Mabon celebration if my memory isn't failing me. Shall we let him have the honor of picking our potion this evening?" Severus suggests.
I look over at Draco and tilt my head to the side, really debating on this, or at least making them think that I am. Draco who was staring at Severus, starts staring at me. Which I can't say bothers me. I'm used to people staring at me, just usually it's out of blind fear not intrigue. After a few minutes of me just staring at Draco he starts to get uncomfortable and I turn around cheerily to look at Severus.
"I don't mind at all Sev!" I say and hop onto the stool to one side of a cauldron.
We both turn to look at Draco expectantly who looks like he has just been given a jar of candy.
"We are really going to brew together?" Draco looks at Severus his eyes blown wide open.
"Yes Draco" Severus places a hand on one of Draco's shoulders, "We are going to brew all together. But only if you give us a potion to work on." Draco blushes and looks at his shoes.
"Draco? Why are your shoes so interesting? They weren't hours ago." I say slightly confused, my head once again tilting to the side naturally.
Draco looks up through his loose bangs and mumbles something incoherently. Severus and I look at each other and then look back at him.
"Didn't quite hear that Draco," Severus says, "remember we don't mumble. I know you can speak clearer than that."
"I would like to make the Star Grass Salve." Draco says a more clearly, his cheeks red at the reprimand from Severus.
Severus raises an eyebrow but does not deny Draco his potion. I look at him confused. Why would he choose a healing potion? There are so many nasty potions that would be so much fun to experiment with. Usually Severus and I make a potion that can help with the torture that usually happens later in the evening. Add a different element to our normal torture routine. This though is interesting. Unable to keep my thoughts to myself…
"Why that potion Draco?" The phrase flies unbidden from my mouth. Draco looks at me as if uncertain as how to say it. Severus continues to gather the ingredients for the potion, but I know he is listening intently to his godson's reasoning.
"Well, I mean, I want to be a healer." Draco mumbles softly, his eyes flicking between the ground and the door.
"Why?" I ask completely confused. Why would one want to heal injuries? Causing them is so much more fun.
"I hate seeing people hurt. I don't know why but, I really hate blood and war. I want to heal the injured." He looks at me specifically, "More than anything though, I just want to be able to protect and help the people I care about."
I look at Draco for a moment, really look at him, and realize that he isn't the bratty asshole he comes off as to everyone else. And the reason he treated me as such before was because he didn't know me, so he didn't know how to handle me. I look at Severus who looks almost as surprised as I do, but he has a soft smile on his face.
"A valiant response Draco." Draco pulls his eyes away from mine and smiles at the praise, "That does however mean that your Potions skills need to improve tremendously before you get to your OWLs young man. I suggest you take up a Potions course once a week in the evening with me to start getting some of the better habits you need to craft the more delicate Potions." Draco's eyes widen in surprise at the extremely positive response and the offer of help from his Godfather. I smile at the look on Draco's face.
"Now, now, I don't think you want to go around and start catching flies do you?" I giggle in his direction and Draco sneers at me, but without the usual bite.
At our antics Severus shakes his head and instructs us on how to go about the potion. He takes care of the more delicate aspects, that require a Potion Masters touch, but allows us to go ahead and do most of the ingredient prep. We spend a good amount of time in the Potions lab together, laughing and talking openly to one another. Just as the clock chimes ten we finish what we can of the potion, and we leave it for the next phase. It just needs to simmer for three days before we can bottle it. If we were to bottle it prematurely it would result in a less potent salve to work with. And that isn't any good at all.
Also at ten, my Father comes into the room, knocking on the door lightly before opening it. Making sure not to startle any of us in case we needed all of our concentration on the potion in a volatile state.
"What do we have to play with this year Keket?" Voldemort asks and walks over. Sniffing as he goes. "Wait a moment, mint." He stops in his tracks. "Is this a healing salve?" He looks to Severus for confirmation.
"Your nose has yet to fool you Tom." Severus says, a small smile on his face. The man could be a potions master in his own right if only he had wanted to pursue it.
"Sorry Father." I say and shrug my shoulders, Draco tenses at what he thinks is coming, his face reverting to its stony, cocky brat one, "Draco wanted to make a healing salve. In preparation for his wanting to become a healer." I respond watching as Draco pulls farther and farther away from the boy I've gotten to know in the last few hours. Voldemort looks at him mild surprise on his face, as he turns to face the Malfoy heir.
"That is a personal choice Draco. But having a healer in our ranks would be a great boon." Father responds knowing the benefit of having a healer completely loyal to his cause. Draco's eyes widen comically in surprise, while I think on what Father said and shrug. Not all of us can like killing and maiming. If we did, there wouldn't be enough torture subjects to go around.
"You aren't offended?! You aren't going to tell me that I have to like killing people?!" Draco looks as though he may pass out, whether from relief or surprise I have yet to discern.
Father looks at me, trying to see if I have figured out why he has given a positive response to this path.
"Think about it Draco. If Papa ensured that everyone liked killing and torturing then there wouldn't be much left for us to do. That and having a personal healer that is loyal to the cause is a huge bonus for when raids go wrong and we have more injuries than Sev can handle with potions alone. All Death Eaters know some kind of healing magic. But normally just the bare minimum enough to get by and get their comrades back to Sev." I respond, remembering Severus complaining about it one night loud enough that I had woken up from my place next to the hearth. I look back at Father, and see the corners of his mouth lift in pride as I say something along the lines of what he was thinking.
Draco seems to think on this, and sit back down at the Potions desk. I turn to face Father completely and hop down from my chair.
"Don't we have a hunt to begin Papa?" I ask a predatory gleam in my eye. I hear movement behind me but pay it no mind, completely enamored with the prospect of hunting tonight.
"We do Keket." Father says and places a hand on my head, "We do have a hunt to start." After a moment of thought he smiles, "Have I told you how much like Fenrir you sound sometimes?"
"Who's Fenrir Papa?" I tilt my head to the side and I hear a choking noise coming from behind me. I turn and see Snape with his fist hitting his chest a couple of times.
"Tom," Severus wheezes, "do shut up."
"What?" Father looks at Severus, mirth in his eyes, "She does sound like him. You have to admit. If I didn't know any better I would imagine her to have been bitten by him." At this piece of information my mind runs through a couple of possibilities.
"Werewolf Father?" I ask intrigued. "I sound like a werewolf?" I had always found them intriguing. "Can I meet this Fenrir person? Is he one of your followers? Can he hunt with us sometime?" I start shooting off questions and Father laughs while Draco turns an odd shade of green.
"We will talk about it later Keket." He promises and rests his hand on my head.
I turn around and say goodbye to Severus and Draco as I leave with my Father to get Nagini and go on our annual hunt. I can't help but to fidget in anticipation and excitement. We collect Nagini and Father informs me that our prey has been set loose. We walk out of the front doors and I see Narcissa and Lucius sitting in a couple of chairs on the grass, slightly heavier robes on than they had on earlier. I imagine they are here to enjoy the festivities and have things prepared for us before we return.
"Happy hunting." Narcissa says. I thank her and turn to Father who has turned into his animagus form. Lucius and Narcissa look on at his form, everyone thinks it is a snake, simply because he is the heir of Slytherin. But it's a Siberian Tiger. One big enough that if I need to through the night I can hop on and ride on his back. The one good thing about being smaller for my age. There is however, a reason I wore my Dragon Hide boots. I slip my wand out of my holster and look at my Father in his Animagus form. Nagini is on the ground ready to start into the forest at a moment's notice.
"Let's do this." I hiss out and at once we three disappear into the forest without a sound.
