Right so at the moment it seems the first option is more popular from the PMs I've received and your reviews. I have decided to go with that one, although I may tweak it slightly and I may (not quite sure yet) put off the point where they pretend to stop being friends and make it like second or third year. Thank you so much for your reviews, keep them coming!

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 13

After a week with the Granger's, although Harry still missed Celeste, he was having too much fun to be upset about it. The Christmas break was only two weeks and a half weeks long, and Christmas day fell on the Wednesday of the second week so the family spent the first day at home decorating. Christmas at Gateshead had been very hectic and not too special. The carers and Mrs Harris tried their best, but the staff weren't really into it as they would sooner have been spend their Christmas at home with their own families and friends. The decorations were probably as old as the orphanage itself, and the tree was pathetic, covered in broken ornaments and strange objects such as toothbrushes and crayons added by the younger children. The food was plain, the cheapest they could buy and usually cold by the time you'd fought your way to the table. Harry and Celeste had always been shoved to the back of the group, since no one liked them. Presents hadn't been great either. Each child got one new item of clothing, fresh from the shelves of Primark. Then they got a medium sized item that the carers thought they'd like, and probably came from poundland. It wasn't great, but in a strange way, Harry sort of missed it. He still preferred Christmas with the Grangers but he had spent all of his Christmas's but one at Gateshead and it was a bit weird.

The Grangers made Christmas awesome. Harry didn't know how else to put it. Mrs Granger was very warm and welcoming, fussing over him none stop and asking questions about his life like she really cared. Mr Granger had been slightly weary of him at first, but soon warmed up to him and talked to him about the wizarding world, or what Harry knew about it so far. They had an action packed week, the Grangers taking Harry everywhere he'd missed out in his limited childhood. They went ice skating, swimming, to theme-parks and restaurants. Then at the weekend it snowed heavily and they spent the days outside in the yard until their noses were red, their fingers were numb. They came inside trailing snow all over the kitchen with flushed cheeks and bright eyes. Mrs Granger placed two steaming hot chocolates in front of them as they took off their outdoor clothes.

"Oh Harry, a letter came for us today!" Mrs Granger said, pulling out a piece of parchment "It's from your headmaster. He says he's going to come over tonight to talk to you about something. We said that was fine"

Harry choked on his hot chocolate and Hermione had to thump him on the back. Mrs Granger looked concerned.

"I'm sorry, what does he want to talk about?"

"Probably my friendship with Celeste" Harry said glumly and the smile slipped from Hermione's face. Mrs Granger bent over and leant her elbows, her head in her hands as she stared intently at her daughter's best friend.

"Who's Celeste?" she asked carefully.

"She's our friend. I've known her forever. We live in the same orphanage." Harry said in an evenly flat voice, but Mrs Granger saw the way his eyes lit up.

"Why is Professor Dumbledore coming to talk about your friendship?" Mrs Granger asked again.

"Well… Celeste is the daughter of two very powerful dark wizards. They're currently in prison for torturing two people to beyond insanity. Everyone thinks that she's just like them, pure evil, just because she looks exactly like her mother" Hermione explained.

"And is she?"

"No!" Never!" Harry insisted but he couldn't quite meet Mrs Granger's eyes. When she gave him a look he admitted "OK, well Celeste is a bit of a psychopath. But only slightly. She just sometimes goes a bit funny and does bad things with her magic."

Mrs Granger stood up and put the now empty mugs in the dishwasher. "Well" she smiled "If that's all then I'm sure all you need to do is explain to Professor Dumbledore. He'll be here at seven!"

Celeste liked Malfoy Manor. It was big and luxurious and her family were lovely towards her. Her aunt took her shopping in London and other places to buy a whole new wardrobe for school, although Celeste kept some of her old Muggle clothes, just in case. Her uncle began to teach her all about her family and wizarding politics, explaining how they were the highest of the wizarding aristocracy and very rich and powerful. She spent her days with Draco, running around the grounds and sneaking into the kitchen, no need to pretend that they were mature and respectable at home.

Celeste missed Harry, and surprisingly Gateshead, even though Christmas there was nothing compared to it at the manor. She wrote to Harry and he replied, telling her all about the fun Muggle activities he was doing with Hermione. When she read about ice skating and swimming and theme parks she was hit with a sudden strike of jealousy. It burned in her chest even though she couldn't quite figure out why and made her ball up the parchment in anger, chucking it across the room with a scream.

Who did that mudblood think she was, going out and doing things with her Harry? Celeste backtracked her thoughts a moment and considered what had just crossed her mind. Since when had Harry been hers? And why couldn't he go out and do fun things with Hermione and her family if she'd basically ditched him for the Malfoys? Also, Hermione was one of her closest friends, why would she call her a mudblood? Celeste felt that she was the only family Harry needed, but she'd abandoned him this Christmas for people she barely knew, just because they said she was related to them.

A knock on the door brought Celeste back to her senses and realise she was shaking. Quickly compassing herself, Celeste stood up and said "Come in." Draco came in the door and grinned.

"Shall we go explore the dungeons?" he offered and Celeste smiled and nodded "First, my dad wants to see you, I think it's about Potter." He led her down dark corridors and flights of stairs until they reached Lucius Malfoys study. He knocked three times, before her uncles sharp voice called "Enter"

The office was square, with the wall opposite the door bearing three tall windows that overlooked the front drive. Shelves lined the wall the door was on and on the wall the windows were on, that contained strange artefacts and a few books. On the wall to the left of the door as you came in was a large fireplace with two armchairs and a small table set in front of it, and in front of the other wall was a large desk. Mr Malfoy sat there now, writing something with a large quill. Celeste crossed the room and stood in front of the desk in silence, waiting for him to speak. After a few minutes he put the quill down and looked up at his niece.

"Ah, Celeste, I wanted to talk to you!" he said "Draco has informed us of your… friendship with Harry Potter" his lip curled at the name.

"Has he now?" Celeste said as politely as possible through gritted teeth.

"Yes he has. Now I must tell you that you simply cannot be friends with him." He informed her like it was the simplest thing in the world.

"Why? Look, Uncle, he's my best friend. I've known him forever. I know that had we both not gone to Gateshead I would hate him but I don't and there's no changing that. I- I…" she trailed off, unable to say what she wanted to. I love him. She knew it was true, but couldn't bring herself to admit it. Not to people who might take him away from her.

"Child, your parents," Lucius tried to say but he was swiftly cut off by Celeste interrupting him with her own opinion once more.

"I know who my parents are and what they did. I also know what they would think of my friendship with Harry but let's face, my mum and dad have been pretty crappy parents for the last ten years. I know they had their reasons, and I forgive them for that, but it still doesn't change anything. I won't lie to you and I say I'm not disturbed by what they did to the Longbottoms, but I also couldn't say I wasn't proud of them, even though I was raised to believe what they did was completely wrong. I think you forget that even though there are dark parts of me and a can behave like my mother; I was raised in the Muggle world. My opinions of certain things are different. I want to get along with you Uncle Lucius, but that is how I see things and I am warning you, I am seriously stubborn. I'm not dumb and I like this world. If you try and force me to think one way I will stay closed minded and refuse to see any other possibility. However, if you are patient, I might eventually start to agree with you. Harry has been my companion for most my life and no matter who you are, what you say, nothing but time and Harry himself will change my opinion of him."

Lucius listened to his niece in stunned silence. Had it been Draco, he would have immediately snapped at him for being insolent, but this child was different. Lucius hadn't really gotten on with Bellatrix, but he had been great friends with Rodolphus. This girl was her mother in looks and a lot of attitude, but after a few days of careful study it became more obvious that she was not just a copy of Bellatrix LeStrange. There were parts of Rodolphus in her, the wit and logic. As she stood there and reasoned with him, producing and passionate speech off the top off her head, while not revealing how she felt through her eyes at the same time made her seem very like her father. Bella wasn't patient enough to think things through. She'd just curse the first thing that pissed her off. From what Draco had told him, Celeste would probably come to the same conclusion eventually but she put her point across first.

"Very well, you may go" Lucius finally said, and his niece exited the office. Although he hadn't manage to convince her Mr Malfoy was pleased, very pleased indeed. Celeste LeStrange was only 11, and she already showed more power than her parents. She was undoubtly going to be on their side when the Dark Lord returned, and with Bellatrix's skill and passion and Rodolphus's brains, the LeStrange's daughter was going to be absolutely lethel.

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