Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world, all rights go to J.K Rowling. I do however own my original character Nova Malfoy and her background.

Dear Snuffles,

I am terrified and you are the only person that I can talk to yet, I fear that you might misunderstand.

Ever since I broke into his head, I have been reliving his memories over and over again. I feel like I am obsessed. I am trying not to say too much in writing as you have warned me about that before but I have been dreaming about moments in his life but that is not what scares me…

I am petrified because I like the power that it gives me. Is that wrong? It feels wrong.

I hope this finds you well.

- NM.

As Nova watched her owl fly across the snow-coated hills that cradled the castle, she took a deep breath and tried to rid herself of the dark clouds that seemed to herd around her, following her and threatening to ruin her day with another bout of turmoil. Pigwidgeon screeched for her attention as she stepped away from the window ledge, the tiny grey owl sticking out its leg and offering her a letter.

Nova,

Update as promised.

Dad is recovering and the doctors say that he will pull through however we might be in St. Mungo's for Christmas.

We hope this ratty little owl gets to you, it's as stupid as its owner.

- Fred and George.

Chuckling slightly, she watched Ron's owl fly away and stuffed the letter into her pocket. Smiling to herself, she descended down the steps of the owlry – careful not the slip on the thick ice that layered them. Her heart went out to the Weasleys after learning that their father had been attacked. It angered her to think of the good-natured and kind hearted family spending Christmas in St. Mungo's hospital due to the sheer audacity of one egotistical wizard. Nova would never understand the workings of Voldemort's mind and that was perhaps what drew her into his memories, kept her watching his life in the comfort of her own mind. However, her lack of understanding was also her problem, the simple thing that caused the gaping rift in her relationship with her mother and father. Faith is a powerful thing, the foundation of values and belief and the young witch had realised at a very tender age that hers could not be moulded by the hands of another, could not be wrought and altered. From a very tender age, Nova Malfoy realised that she had been born different and unfortunately for her, no amount of pureblood manipulation could change that.

As she entered the deserted common room, she absentmindedly picked at the burnt skin on the palm of her hand as she gazed out of the window into the fields of magical white. In the silence, she soon began the dangerous trek into the depths of her mind as it pulled at something she had heard Dumbledore mutter during their meeting the previous night: "Whilst the other is no stranger…the mind walker from dying a martyr…". The words themselves held little meaning to the girl but something within the depths of her conscious felt the need to remind her of them:

"Professor…the notebook in my dream," Nova began, choosing her words carefully and slowly. "I have seen it before. In my father's desk." Having piqued Dumbledore's attention, the young witch sighed and continued, "It was during the second year of my home-schooling, I had run out parchment and I found the empty book in his office…He was furious when he found out that I had taken it but his eyes…I have never seen such terror."

"And what became of this book?"

"My father got rid of it when he took Draco into Diagon Alley for his books…I don't know what he did with it but it wasn't in his robes when I went looking." The girl answered plainly, "But I do know that it found its way back to Hogwarts and that it was destroyed."

Leaning forward in his chair slightly, Dumbledore raised an eyebrow and pulled the diary out of the top drawer of his desk. "Nova, how do you know that?"

"I saw it." A deep set frown appeared across her brow as the old wizard watched fear muddle with the confusion in her eyes. "Since meeting Voldemort – since I used legilimency on him – I feel different."

"When two forces of a similar magnitude meet, they leave a mark. A scar. It is my belief that when you fought him, he left a mark in your mind – a footprint, if you will and perhaps time will allow us to determine, if you stepped just as hard." Comprehending the sheer possibility that the young girl had left a mark on the Dark Lord, was something that had produced a budding seed of hope for the old headmaster and as she sat in front of him with an emotionless expression and power radiating from her, he began to recall something that he had been told long ago… Through silent calculation and recollection, accompanied by blocked attempts to infiltrate the witch's mind, Dumbledore knew that the only way to prove his theory was to ask and so he finally spoke once more: "Miss Malfoy, it is imperative that you remember. When you found this diary, did you write in it?"

Fiddling with her fingers whilst avoiding eye contact, Nova shamefully remembered what it had felt like to have someone to talk to, someone (or rather something) that appeared to understand what it was like to feel like an outsider; a freak. Three years prior when she was too lonely to care about the consequences, she had ignored all instinct that told her to stay away from the mysterious boy in the book and so as she looked back at the bright blue eyes of the brilliant wizard in front of her, she nodded.

Watching as the man jumped from his seat and began pacing, stroking his beard as his eyes flashed with recognition. Muttering incoherently with the occasional "of course!", the wizard soon stopped and looked at her before turning away and whispering to himself: "the other is no stranger…the mind walker."

"Um…professor?"

"Perhaps it would not be unwise to suggest that when you wrote in the diary, you created a kinship between your soul and Tom Riddle's" Dumbledore rambled, wide eyed before turning his back once more, "Perhaps that's why…"

"Your brother is terrorising Hufflepuffs in the corridor. He's supposed to be a prefect!" Hermione announced as she stormed into the common room, followed by Harry. Receiving nothing but a brief 'hm' from an unconcerned Nova as she drew shapes in the condensation that had collected on the window pane, prompted the older girl to growl and storm into the dormitories before reappearing with a pile of books. "I'm going to library to get some last minute reading before the holidays. You two ought to do the same!"

Silence fell over the raven haired pair as they grinned at their friend's outburst, avoiding eye contact until one of them dared to speak. It was a problem that the pair had often had around one another, yet there was no reason for it. Being tongue-tied around someone who ought to be the only person who understands your plight is something that befuddled the youngest Malfoy however, actions are said to speak louder than words. She continued drawing her spiralled maze on the common room window as Harry moved to stand beside her, a frown grazing his brow as his green eyes caught the soft red burn on the palm of her hand.

"It was an accident." Nova muttered, catching his questioning stare. "I heard about your nightmare…are you okay?" She studied the boy for a moment as he bit the inside of his cheek and looked out of the window, nodding unconvincingly as an agonising silence cradled the pair. Having felt conflicted about the boy's feelings for the Ravenclaw girl, Nova had opted to avoid him – therefore leaving the oblivious boy in a state of insecurity and confusion as the nerves pounded in his gut.

"I'm not going to see you over the break, am I?"

"Dumbledore thinks that it's better if I stay out of trouble…" She admitted, keeping her gaze firmly on the droplets of water as they ran down the window pane. "I feel like I can't breathe." Nova sighed as she tucked a darkened curl behind her ear, having finally found the words that she needed to say aloud. "Like everyone expects something of me and…and I don't know what I'm supposed to do." She continued, "I threw myself into this mess without thinking about it. I don't know if I was just rebelling against my father but, it was stupid."

Carefully, Harry wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. "You are doing what's right." He whispered, reassuring her as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you ever get the feeling that Dumbledore isn't telling us something? That the Order know more than they say?"

"Yes. I hadn't thought about it until last night…" Nova sighed, pulling back to look at him again. "When I told Dumbledore about what I had been seeing in my nightmares, he had this look in his eye like he knew something. He then started pacing and muttering under his breath…I have an awful feeling that whatever they know, affects not only you but me too."

As the boy looked at her closely, he nodded in agreement. The uneasy feeling bred insecurity between the pair of teens who seemed to be a lot more important that they would ever realise. "So what do we do?" He asked as he let his hand drop from her arm.

"I don't know but we can't fight a battle that we know nothing about and if I know one thing, it's that I will not be a pig sent to the slaughter." As anger began to beat through her blood with every thump of her heart, an odd sense of madness seemed to warp itself around her brain. She could feel it in the depths of her subconscious as it twisted her thoughts, yearning for her to yield to it. Harry watched closely as a hurricane torn through her grey eyes. Her hand clenched as her frustration formed an alliance with her inner torment and the darkness that had been ebbing at the corners of her mind began to swallow the light, starving it of hope as it slowly began to extinguish. There had been many a time that Harry had relied on that hope, relied on that spark that shone in her eye to pull him through the darkest of days and so it scared him as he watched it visibly fade. "There's a storm coming." She muttered, jumping from her reverie as his hand was place on top of hers. "And I'm not sure that we know how to dance in the rain."

It felt odd being back at Malfoy Manor, like she was a gladiator in a pit of lions; a fly caught in a spider's web. A lion pretending to be a snake. It had been a week since she had left Hogwarts and she was missing it more than she could ever have imagined. Her stomach lurched as her mother tossed her dresses to try on and warned her to behave herself when her grandfather visited and she felt nauseous as she imagined the accusatory glances and the questions regarding her Hogwarts house. Her hands trembled as the anxiety took a hold of her, a million possibilities of ways in which she could slip up and reveal her indiscretions flashed through her mind. Nova knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she could trust Draco to remain loyal to her but she was beginning to doubt if she could trust herself as she spent the two entire weeks with her family – two entire weeks without contact from anyone else.

"Nova! That is the third dress." Her mother scolded as the mirror in front of the young witch split down the middle with an almighty crack, causing her to jump and realise that she had been holding her breath. The sleeves of the dress that had resembled her mother's, had been licked with flames and were nothing but a tattered mess. "You need to control it." Narcissa continued as she used her wand to repair the dark green dress.

"Sorry." The youngest Malfoy mumbled before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Go and find your brother." The older woman ordered as she planted a chaste kiss on the top of her daughter's head before slapping her hand away from her neck as she desperately pulled the dress upward. "Stop tugging at the collar! You'll rip it."

The family stood, positioned like one of their numerous paintings, as Abraxas Malfoy entered the Manor. Nova couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance that her father and brother had to the older man – a resemblance that she did not possess in the slightest, even the shade of grey that coloured her eyes appeared to differ, as if she weren't a Malfoy at all. The aging man made his way to the four, chin raised as he exhumed the infamous Malfoy pride and formally greeted his grandchildren with a strong but steady handshake.

The family sat at the large table in the cold dining room as the house-elves fluttered around, serving extravagant courses, and Lucius spoke with his father; it was the type of family Christmas that would truly appal Molly Weasley. Nova pushed the food around her plate as she thought of all the places that she would rather be, namely with Sirius, Harry and the Weasleys.

"Your father tells me that you have been excelling in potions class. You must be very bright." Abraxas spoke coolly, drawing the girl's attention as she nodded. "Pity that you hadn't the sense to have yourself housed where you belong instead of mingling with tainted blood." Clenching her jaw, Nova's fists clenched under the table and her nails dug into the palm of her hand. Her mother's and father's eyes widened as they glanced to her, terrified that she would lose control. "I assume that you can reassure me that you haven't had any relations with any of those mudbloods? Awful sort of people. If I were you, Lucius, I would have taken her straight home rather than force her to share air with such filth."

Nova's eyes hardened as the candles on the table began to flicker violently and her nails dug deeper into her skin, drawing blood as her knuckles whitened with strain. Her teeth clenched ferociously as the flames grew higher, her glass shook aggressively, and her parents glanced warily at one another. The tension around the table formed a great icy wall, freezing everyone to their seats and yet it had gone unnoticed by Abraxas Malfoy who had continued to lecture about his granddaughter whom had broken the long line of Slytherins – blaming both Nova and his son's ability to bring up two children at the same time. As Nova fought for control over her emotions which consequently controlled her magic, Draco grabbed her hand underneath the table and held it tightly.

"Don't." He whispered, inaudible to everyone but his sister who sat to his right as the glass in front of them began to crack under the pressure. "You're stronger than that."

After a moment, Lucius let out a sigh of relief as the flames dimmed back to normal and his daughter's glass had stopped vibrating. Draco's face showed a sliver of a smile as he felt her fist unclench and she looked to him with a thankful expression.

"May I be excused?" The young witch asked, clearing her throat slightly and placing her napkin on the table as she looked directly to her father for support. "I am not feeling very well."

Nova Malfoy was a hurricane. A nuclear weapon that was almost impossible to control. As she closed her bedroom door, she slid down to the floor. Controlling magic as strong as that was something that drained her completely yet where does it go? When a bomb explodes, it sends out a shockwave of energy around it, destroys everything in its path with a wall of fiery red flames but what if that bomb was to continually force its energy inwards? Those were questions that no one had ever bothered to ask regarding the force of nature that was the youngest Malfoy twin. Perhaps it was because they did not want to know the answer but everything has a breaking point. As her heart pounded ferociously, Nova realised that she was beginning to crack, physically and mentally; there was a limit to the number of internal explosions that her body could withstand, a limit to the mental anguish that she put herself through daily. Living up to her namesake, Nova's magic truly did flourish brightly and repeatedly.

Pulling her head from her hands, the witch's eyes finally landed on a pile of presents that were hidden under her bed. Frowning, she pulled them out to find a note from Dobby:

Dobby was sorry to miss Nova Malfoy but he has delivered her presents. Dobby thought it was best to keep them hidden. Dobby would also like to thank his friend, Nova Malfoy for the socks and the scarf as he likes them very much. Dobby now has thirteen socks!

Despite her sombre mood and extreme exhaustion, the girl grinned genuinely as she opened the gifts. Beginning with the large parcel that had been terribly wrapped in pages from the Daily Prophet, she unwrapped a framed painting from Dobby and although she was completely oblivious as to what it was, she was grateful nonetheless. Next came a scarlet and golden quill (that reminded her of one of Fawke's feathers) from Hermione followed by a matching hat and scarf from Ginny. A small box with scrappy handwriting caught her attention next and she immediately knew it to be Ron's:

Charlie finds these rather useful!

A frown grazed her brow as she wondered what he could have possibly given her but as she ripped away the paper, a laugh erupted from her. Fireproof gloves.

Next, Nova opened a brown leather journal and a pair of Extendable ears from Fred and George which had been wrapped with a picture of the pair grinning cheekily with the deeds to 93 Diagon Alley after she had gifted them the deposit.

Chuckling, she opened a mokeskin pouch from Dumbledore which held the message: "Some things are best kept hidden" and the large parcel wrapped in bright red paper which contained a knitted burgundy jumper with an N on it from Mr and Mrs Weasley accompanied by a letter:

Merry Christmas Nova! Everybody in the family has one and so it is only fitting that you do too. You didn't think that we would forget about you, did you?!

Arthur is feeling much better and we all miss you dearly.

Lots of love, Molly

She smiled softly, as her fingertips grazed the parcel that had Harry's writing scrawled across the top of it. Opting to open the present first, she frowned when she found a peculiar little item that seemed to resemble a net with feathers attached. Her frown grew deeper as she picked it up to examine it closer and drew the conclusion that she had absolutely no idea what he had given her.

It's a dreamcatcher. Muggles use them to keep away nightmares, I am not sure if it actually works but I thought that you might like it. I wish I could have seen the confusion on your face!

Merry Christmas, Nova.

I miss you. I feel like the others don't want to be alone with me after what happened with Mr Weasley and I am scared that if Voldemort is controlling me, he will use me to hurt them. Does that make sense? I tried to talk to Dumbledore about it but as always, he won't tell me anything!

I am so angry all of the time, I can't help it.

Please be careful if any of his followers are near you. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt.

- Harry

Finally, at the bottom of the pile was a letter that she had been desperately waiting for over the past week

Nova,

I received your letter and although your thoughts have troubled me, I have complete faith in you. You may have power beyond your comprehension but you are nothing like him. You are kind and you are pure, never let anyone take that away from you.

Not everyone who has tasted power is dark. The world is going to need you and you are one of the bravest people that I have ever met; you are a guiding light with the strength to stand against those that you hold dear and it is an admirable quality. You are good. Never forget that.

On a lighter note, I have enclosed a gift for you. Promise me that you will never take it off.

Merry Christmas.

Love, Sirius

PS. Thank you for the pocket watch, it is beautiful. Yes, it was opened early but you have Buckbeak to thank for that.

A single tear escaped her eye as she folded the letter and put it straight into the mokeskin pouch for safe keeping before reaching for the tiny little box that sat beside it. Carefully tearing the paper away and opening the black box, she was met with the most magnificent pendant that she had ever seen. A sleek hand-carved dog made of jet stone swung gracefully from a silver chain, reminding her of Sirius' animagus form. The sheer beauty of it left her at a loss for words as she gently clasped it around her neck, allowing it to hang across her breastbone.

She loved it with all her heart. Almost as much as she loved the man who had made it.

The sun shone through her window and illuminated her face, waking her from her slumber. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and stretched her hands above her head before stepping out of bed and onto the soft carpet that covered her bedroom floor. After washing her face and dragging a hand through her unruly curls, she quickly changed out of her pyjamas and ventured out into the corridor that connected her room to Draco's. Echoes of voices danced up the marble staircase, drawing her attention and prompting her to make her way to the source; the library.

The black marble fireplace was lit with a flickering flame that highlighted the numerous terrifying shadows that moved fluidly throughout the large room. The bookcases stood from the floor to the ceiling, all packed fruitfully with every book that the young witch could imagine and she was positive that she had read all of them. Turning the corner at the far end of the library, Nova was met with her parents and her brother whom had been sitting with a pot of tea; a spare cup sat on the tray waiting for her arrival.

"How are you feeling?" Her father asked as she sat down in the velvet arm chair across from him. His cold grey stare surveying his youngest child. "We felt it best to leave you to sleep."

"Better, thank you." The girl muttered as she sipped at the tea that the house-elf had handed her. "What are those?" She asked, nodding toward a large pile of parcels that a second house-elf was struggling to carry towards her. She bit her lip slightly as she refrained from helping the poor elf, knowing that it would only result in their punishment.

Exchanging gifts at Christmas was something that most families did and the Malfoys were no exception, however Nova always noticed that they were not gifts from the heart and rather the most expensive of things that money could buy. The witch was guilty of this herself as she had given her twin a very expensive pair of platinum cufflinks which had unintentionally matched the bracelet that he had given her, perfectly. Jealously was another element that shone through the Malfoy family Christmases and birthdays as Nova had always preferred Draco's gifts to her own - an aspect to her personality that she was admittedly ashamed of. This year, however, the tables had been turned.

After opening a pile of books and new cauldron and potions supplies, Nova was presented with a much larger gift from her father and upon opening it found her first broomstick. Yet it was not any old broom, it was the fastest and most expensive broom in the world – a Firebolt.

"Father! I am the Seeker – Nova doesn't even know how to fly!" Draco complained, his face full of envy as he stared at his sister. She could almost feel the rage seeping through his pores as his face contorted into a scowl and he complained about his Nimbus.

"Don't be jealous, Draco." Narcissa scolded lightly, prompting the boy to storm out.

It was unusual for the older twin to leave without an argument and so Nova knew that she would hear about it later but she could never have prepared for how badly it would go. All siblings argue and the twins were no different but with countless near accidents over the holidays fusing together and brewing for destruction, that argument was one that neither of them would win.

"I doubt father would be so set on buying your affections if he knew what you had been up to with Potter."

Nova's eyes closed as she sighed through her nose, the twins were alone in the large entrance hall of Malfoy Manor and the witch had hoped that her brother wouldn't take his envy out on her.

"I haven't been up to anything with Harry." She spoke through gritted teeth as she headed toward the staircase in an attempt to avoid an argument. Or rather to avoid anyone overhearing them.

"Really? Hanging around with him, Weaslebee and the Mudblood…" He continued, following her down the hallway. "Cosying up with Dumbledore?" Nova continued to ignore him, maintaining a distance. "He'd call you a traitor!" Draco spat.

It was if a switch had been flicked within the young girl's mind as she halted in her spot and her face grew darker. Memories of her aunt flashed through her mind as she recalled the blinding pain that had soared through her collarbone on the awful afternoon. Clenching her jaw tightly, she used every ounce of control that she had to give her brother one last chance to change his mind: "What did you say?" She asked in a low and threatening tone, her hands clenched into fists and her chin raised slightly.

"He'd call you a traitor."

Before the boy could blink, he found his back against the wall. Rage was the only emotion that Nova could feel as the numerous internal explosions wired themselves together and erupted as one. The cracks that had been forming since she had come home from Hogwarts were deepening as she held her brother against the wall with one hand. She could not see anything but the fear in his eyes as a magical whirlwind whipped her dark hair around them. The silver chandelier that hung in the hallway, crashed to the floor sending shards of glass into the hurricane and allowing them to tear and their faces. Yet Nova felt no pain. The power that flowed through her veins and darkened her face, caused a slight smirk to manifest as her grip on her brother tightened. The pictures that lined the walls and the candelabras that sat pretty on the sideboards flew around the room as the chaos increased. Draco gasped for air and pleaded with the girl that no longer resembled his kind and caring sister as their parents rushed into the eye of the storm. Their words fell on deaf ears and as Lucius tried a number of spells to render her unconscious, she easily deflected them. For the first time, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy were terrified of their daughter – they had seen her lose control before but the magic that they were experiencing was like nothing they had seen before.

Nova's eyes were almost black as she choked the life out of her brother. With the reminder of her ordeal fresh in her mind, she had had no will to fight for control. No power to control the sheer force of magic that she had locked deep within her. As she completely lost herself in the whirlwind that had smashed their hall into tiny little pieces, Nova realised that she had been weak. She had allowed herself to lose.

"You are nothing like him. You are kind and you are pure…You are good."

Hearing Sirius' words as they fought their way through the thick, black evil that had consumed her, had felt like a slap to the face. Like a fire had been lit to scare away the shadows. As the light within her began to combat the dark, the storm inside the Manor slowed to a stop. Nova gasped in despair and her heart sunk as she blinked back the tears furiously and she dropped her brother. She gazed at her trembling hands as she backed away from the terrified looks of her family members, her mouth opening but finding no words. Blood trickled down her cheeks from the numerous shards of glass that littered her skin as she looked at the chaos that she had created.

Many held the belief that Nova would bring light to the war but as she stood in the hallway under the fearful stares, she knew that she was only meant for destruction.