Author's note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! Just... Yeah, thank you so much!
I don't own Harry Potter!
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.~ C.S. Lewis
"Wait." I exclaimed, turning to Fred and Geogre. We had just finished waving goodbye to Mr and Mrs Weasley, and a thought had struck me. "Did Harry and Ron get on the train?"
"They must have done." Fred shrugged.
"Chocolate frog?" George asked. I gave him a look which quite clearly said, in my mind at the very least 'how can you think of food at a time like this?'
"Oh, come on, Adele!" Laughed Fred.
"Relax. They probably just got on at another end or something."
"Adele!" Cries a voice. I spin just in time to see Alicia throw her arms around me. "We've been so worried!"
I laughed, hugging here. "Funnily enough, a lot of people have said that to me recently. Like, in those exact words."
"Fred and George said your uncle had taken you hostage, and-" Katie halts, looking at my cheek. I touch the bruise, and then wince.
"It's just- Oh. Nothing."
"Adele, it's not nothing! Honestly, he could go to azkaban for that! That's the third time he's hit you!"
"Yeah, well. He's a pureblood." I replied, as if that explained everything. "Now shut up, because so far as anyone knows, I am an extraordinarily clumsy girl who fell down the stairs for the second time in a year. Alright?" And the determined look on my face seems to stop them saying anything else.
"Adele," Angelina brings the subject up again. "Adele, I think you should go and see someone about this."
"No." I say firmly. "It's only six weeks out of every year, and whatever her faults, I cannot take that away from my aunt."
"You spent practically all of first year crying over the fact that she refused to send you any letters!" George exclaims. I sigh.
"I know. But- ugh, it's complicated. You just have to leave me to deal with this as- as I see fit. If it gets out of hand, okay? If it gets out of hand, I'll tell."
Would I? The Malfoys and, indeed, most pureblooded families of the old class system were renowned for their violent streaks. If this became more than the occasional blow to my face when I had deliberately provoked my uncle, would I be willing to tell someone? For my sake, yes, but for my aunts sake, no.
Ugh, this really was an absolute mess of a family.
Harry and Ron were not at the feast. Nor were they in the common room when we got back, though there were some ridiculous rumours being bandied about.
"I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe they flew a car halfway across the country instead of the school train!" Hermione spluttered, looking at me for support.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." I replied darkly. Sighing impatiently, Hermione scrambled out of the common room and ran off to track down the car flying maniacs. Turning to Fred and George, I bit my lip.
"What do you reckon?"
"Course it's true." Said George, stretching out luxuriously.
"Our brother, isn't he?" Fred laughed.
"Just bit annoyed that he didn't call us back, is all." George.
"Yeah, we promised you a ride, remember?" Fred.
Huffing impatiently, I met Alicia's eye. "You two are completely impossible, you know that? That is not the point, you absolute prats!"
That was the moment Harry, Ron and Hermione chose to enter the common room, Hermione already mid lecture. The common room broke into tumulus applause. I sighed.
"I'm off to bed. See you tomorrow."
Well, it had been an eventful return, that was for sure.
The first week seemed to pass in a blur. Snape, for some reason, was acting even more insufferable than usual, though that might have been because of my treatment of Nott, who was a favourite of his.
"Ten properties of wolfsbane, Lestrange." I fired them all off in about ten seconds flat. His scowl grew a little deeper.
All lesson, he kept trying to surprise me with questions, all of which I answered in split seconds. I didn't know what it was, but potions just wasn't something I found difficult, no matter how hard Snape breathed down my neck.
"Nobody likes a show off, Lestrange." Snape said sullenly, predictably. Forced to conceed defeat, he'd had to return to his other favourite pastime, which, as it turned out, was taunting me.
Adding powdered root of moonstone, I looked up evenly. "And no one likes slimy gits who pick favourites, either. Unfortunate for you, I'd guess."
Of course, I landed myself in detention for about the rest of the year. Fred and George found it hilarious, however, which made it seem almost worth it. Almost.
"Adele!" Called Hermione. I turned to see her and Ron with a stack of toast each in their hands.
"You coming to watch practice?" Ron asked. I grinned.
"Sure, why not? Got nothing better to do than keep you kids out of trouble, have I?"
Those were words I would come to regret, whether I chose to recognise it at the time or not...
Alicia and Angelina had left the dormitory several hours ago, so I expected that they'd be at least nearly finished by the time I, having the leisure to lie in and being the lazy creature that I am, even made it to the stands. As it turned out, Wood was even fonder of prep talks than Alicia and Angelina had let on...
"Haven't you finished yet?" Called Ron. Harry looked at the toast in his hand, a somewhat wistful expression on his face.
"Haven't even started. Wood's been teaching us some new moves." He replied, before mounting his broom and kicking off.
"Uh oh." Said Ron after an interval. "I smell trouble."
"Wonder you can smell anything, your mouth full like that." I teased, but I followed his gaze nonetheless, and that was when I noticed the group making their way onto the pitch. Dressed in green. Oh Merlin.
Quickly, we crossed the pitch to see what was going on.
"What's happening? Why aren't you playing? What's he doing here?" The quick fire of questions had Harry blinking rapidly.
"I'm the new Slytherin seeker, Weasley. Everyone's just been admiring the new brooms my father bought our team." Draco sneered at Ron, but his eyes flickered to meet mine smugly, as if he expected me to proud of me. Funny thing was, in a strange sense of the word, I was. In an I-want-to-kill-you-you-infurtiating-little-brat kind of way...
Draco was a good Quiddich player, no doubt. But the fact that he had bought his way onto the team... It wasn't a victory. It wasn't a decent way to achieve what I knew he had wanted to do since he first arrived.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in." Hermione was saying. "They got in on pure talent!"
Malfoy's face flickered, before his smug smile was firmly back in place... Suddenly, I realised what was going to happen before it did.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little mudblood."
Chaos errupted, but I was reduced so incoherent by outrage that I didn't notice Ron draw his wand until the light erupted from the wrong end.
"Ron! Ron, are you alright?" Hermione cried. For a moment, Ron didn't answer, and my heart stopped. Then, he heaved, and slugs dribbled down his front.
Whilst the rest of the team were busy trying to do something about Ron, I turned on my cousin, who was now on all fours with laughter, banging his fists against the ground.
I did what any self respecting friend would have done. I kicked him upright.
"What was that for?" He cried, sounding like a child.
"That was because I expect better of you, Draco Vladimir Malfoy. I expect better, and yet you only ever deliver the disgusting spiel I expect from my uncle. Was that really the worst insult you could think of? There are much worse things than being muggleborn. I'd rather be a mudblood than a Lestrange, at least then I wouldn't be stuck with you! No wonder you had to buy your way onto the team! Maybe, if your daddy can lend you enough gold, you could buy some decent friends, too! Or, here's another idea, you could buy another cousin, because this one is sick to death of you."
With that, I stormed away. Ignoring the look on his face that suggested I had slapped him...