Nichole paced back and forth in the common room, her wand twirling absentmindedly in her hand as she moved. Her friends were watching her wearily as her face morphed rapidly before their eyes: anger, frustration, annoyance, incredulous, back to anger- but never anything related to calm.
Mystique wanted to stop the dark haired girl's path before she wore the carpet out but the look on Nichole's face worried her- she'd never seen her best friend so agitated before. Blake, Gabe, and Bianca were watching her with nervous eyes- Blake anxious to get up and stop the girl, but also afraid to get too close. He'd seen how dangerous Nichole could be when she was 'in a mood'.
Finally Nichole let out an angry snarl and rounded on her friends. "I can't believe he gave me an A!"
Mystique and Blake exchanged a look before the former stood up and asked, "An A on what?"
With a growl Nichole withdrew her essay from her robes and thrust it at them. "My essay on identifying a vampire and how to rid of one. I studied my ass off and-."
"Didn't you copy off me?" Gabe asked finally speaking up, his voice a little shaky. "You said you'd been up late reading about apparation and needed some last minute notes for your essay and-." He gulped as Nichole took a menacing step towards him.
"Are you saying it's your fault I got such a shitty mark?" she spat, her face going red. Gabe quickly shook her head. She let out a huff and leaned back until she was standing upright and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'd have expected my father to treat me better than that, is all. Doesn't he want me to get a good education?"
Again Blake and Mystique exchanged looks. "But- he has to be fair as well, Nichole. You can't expect him to treat you different just because-."
Nichole threw her essay into the fire and stormed off to her room before they could finish their sentence, too enraged at the entire situation. If she was honest with herself, she wasn't just angry at her father because he gave her a low- albeit deserving (not that she'd admit it)- grade on her essay. She was angry because she'd been writing to her mother for the last few weeks begging her to allow her to bring Christopher to the upcoming Weasley wedding, and her mother had finally replied to her requests with a firm 'no'.
If the Ministry discovered a muggle accompanied us to a Wizard Event as thus I could lose my job, Nichole. I'm sorry but this is for the best. I've talked it over with your father and he agrees that until you're older and have graduated from Hogwarts we can not allow a muggle into our realm so easily. It may be dangerous for him.
Nichole had had a hard time concentrating on her classes all day after receiving the letter and had planned to confront her father about it- until he handed back their essays and she had seen her grade which had caused her to spiral off the deep end.
She understood where her mother was coming from, but it didn't seem fair to neglect Chris just because of his linage- shouldn't her mother know what it feels like to be rejected because of where she came from? Hadn't she experienced enough prejudice as a muggle born? Even she, Nichole, got some backlash for being a half blood in Slytherin- albeit less since her father's identity was discovered.
With a sigh she flopped on her bed and drew her curtains, casting a silencing charm and ensuring her friends wouldn't bother her. She needed time to think- somehow, someway, she'd make sure Chris made it to that wedding.
Draco knew his daughter was displeased, he'd seen her face when she saw the mark she'd received- she was lucky he hadn't failed her. He was clearly able to identify the similarities between her essay and that of her friend Gabe's, but the beginning had been well thought out and provoked. He suspected, as well, that there was a chance she knew what he and Hermione had decided on in regards to her inquiry of bringing a guest to the upcoming Weasley wedding- Hermione had written to him that very morning stating her disapproval and decision and he fully supported her. Unfortunately he was the one who would have to handle their daughter's temper.
"Mr Malfoy?" He looked up from his desk to see a second year Slytherin standing nervously in the doorway. His office was located in the dungeons, even though his classroom was floors above- he couldn't deny he enjoyed the dark and dreary atmosphere, it reminded him of his days at the very school he now taught at. "Sir, the Common Room- it- we- she-."
Draco sighed and set down his quill; he had a feeling he knew what the child was trying to say. "Thank you, Mr Thorp, I'll take care of it."
The second year scurried after him as he strolled towards the common room and entered it to see feathers flying in the air from demolished pillows, stuffing sticking out of couches, and paintings torn off the walls, their occupants huddled together in a single portrait in the corner of the room. His eyes glazed over the destruction until they landed on his daughter standing in the middle of it with a sneer on her face, the room otherwise empty.
"Miss Granger." He decided to be formal, professional- calm, despite the fact his insides were boiling and all he wanted to do, in that moment, was punish his daughter for the damage she was inflicting on a century's old room. "I'm afraid this will mean fifty points from Slytherin and a weeks worth of detention."
Nichole's sneer turned into a snarl as she raised her wand, remembering how she'd knocked him out that very first DADA class. "You dare to punish your own daughter?"
Draco's face hardened. "I will do what is necessary. I took an oath when I accepted the position and I'm not about to break it now."
"What sort of oath?" Nichole growled flicking her black and green hair out of her face.
"An Oath to withhold the rules and regulations of the school to the best of my abilities- and that includes not signaling out students. Had you been any other student the same punishment would be fallen to you."
Nichole took a single step towards her father, flicked her wand at a table and watched as it exploded, splinters flying everywhere. Draco stood there unblinkingly as he raised a shield charm to avoid being hit by the flying pieces. "That's another ten points."
"Fuck you," she snarled spinning on her heel and marching away before slamming into an invisible barrier in front of her. She bounced backwards and turned her narrow grey eyes on her father. "Let me go back to bed."
"It's late- your peers are likely still sleeping. I won't allow you to damage any more school property. You will come back to my chambers; I have a couch I can sleep on." Nichole raised her eyebrow challengingly. "Either that or you get sent to the Headmistress to choose your punishment. I'm sure Professor McGonagall would only be too pleased to do so."
Nichole wanted to snap back, she had a tide of retorts on the tip of her tongue, but she'd already lost their house sixty points within fifteen minutes and wouldn't risk losing anymore. So she swallowed her words but refused to say a thing as she spun and headed towards the door, waiting for him to follow.
He swished his wand once allowing the room to repair itself then, with a long sigh, retreated to his room, tracing his daughters angry footsteps.
"I don't know what happened Mione; I'd never seen her like that before."
Hermione sighed from the living room where she sat huddled next to the fireplace speaking to Draco's head nestled within the green flames. She'd been expecting to hear from him but hadn't thought it would be something as catastrophic as Nichole destroying the Slytherin common room. "I should have warned you, Draco. I'm sorry."
"I knew she was upset." Draco raised a hand and ran it through his hair, "but to inflict the damage she did- if McGonagall finds out-."
"Oh I'm sure Minevra already knows." Hermione replied with a heavy sad. "The House elves likely would have told her. You punished her accordingly?"
"Detention for a week, fifty- nay- sixty points taken-."
"Oh Draco."
"What?"
Hermione nibbled her lip, "did you at least have a conversation with her? Explain why what she did was wrong and how she could fix it?" He stared at her blankly. "Maybe I should come down there-."
"No." Hermione looked taken aback at his sharp reply. "I want to handle this myself, Mione. But- what do I do?"
Hermione allowed a soft smile to grace her face, "she needs to know that you still love her despite your anger and disappointment. Where is she now?"
"Asleep in my room."
"Are you sure about that?" Hermione raised her eyebrow challengingly. "I bet you five galleons she's listening at the door."
He withdrew his head with a pop, spun for a second as he exited the floo, and stormed to his room, swinging the door open and causing Nichole to fall backwards with an 'omph'. He crossed his arms as he stared down at her with a very Malfoy like smirk on his face. "Eavesdropping, are we?"
For a moment she was speechless, unsure what to say, but it didn't take her long to recompose herself and stand up to face him. "So, what are you going to do? Summon McGonagall? Have a civilized 'talking to' with me?" She raised her eyebrow and waited for him to respond.
Draco studied the sixteen year old girl in front of her and couldn't help but flash back to himself at sixteen- he'd felt terror, pressure, insurmountable expectations from The Dark Lord to complete an impossible task. He feared being reprimanded for his actions and kept his head down that year, staying out of trouble- lest you counted the illegal activities he did in the Room of Requirement to mend and smuggle in Death Eaters. But it was that fear he always went back to- that fear of punishment, that fear of wrong doing, that fear of discipline.
He swallowed hard as he shoved those memories away from his mind and stared at his daughter a moment longer before softly embracing her in a hug, wrapping his arms around her delicate frame and holding her as close as he could. At first she was confused but as her father held her the anger she was feeling inside began to melt, and slowly she raised her own arms to his back and returned the embrace.
They stood like that for a minute, neither one speaking, and as Nichole's father held her tears began to spring to her eyes- tears she forced not to fall, tears she prayed he wouldn't see. Crying was for the weak- Slytherins didn't cry.
A quiet sniffle altered Draco to the actions of his daughter and carefully he pulled back, placing his hands on her shoulders so he could look her in the face. "What is it?" he whispered.
"I'm sorry." The words were difficult for her to say, least of all to her father, but somehow she managed to choke them out. "I shouldn't have-."
Draco took her hand and brought her towards the bed, gently pushing her down to sit as he sat next to her. "Tell me what happened."
Nichole heaved a big breath and let it out, causing her hair to blow around her face for a moment. "Mum owl'd me today and said Christopher wasn't welcome at the Weasley Wedding and I-." she hesitated, licked her lips, then continued. "I just got so angry- least of all when she said you agreed with her!" He lowered his head slightly, acknowledging her anger towards him. "I just don't get why it's such a big deal for him to come!"
Draco thought about the question and she stared at him, waiting for him to answer. Finally he spoke. "Nichole, to bring a muggle to such an event would be breaking the code of secrecy. The Ministry will not allow any witch or wizard to reveal his or her magic to any non-magic being without first going through extensive tests and a pile of paperwork. It is also illegal for an underage witch or wizard to reveal such a secret. Typically muggles are obliviated, their memories wiped clean- it is the way of the Minsitry.
"However, your mother realized how much you care for your muggle friends and coming from a muggle heritage herself she knows how difficult it is to keep such a secret from your friends. She is risking her job at the Ministry by restraining herself from wiping their memories- plus she knows how important it is to you. But this wedding- it is going to have countless Ministry employees- Weasley is an Auror after all and his family has worked for the Ministry for decades- it would be impossible for them not to detect a muggle in such a crowd, least of all a muggle who hasn't signed such a contract to keep our world a secret.
"It kills your mother to have to do this, Nichole- it was not a decision she made lightly. But in the end she decided to protect your secret- the fact that you revealed magic to a muggle- in order for you to keep your friends."
Nichole was silent for a while after her father stopped speaking, taking in his words. It hadn't been what she expected. She thought they were doing it to keep her away from Chris, to make her life miserable. Like any other teenager she thought her parents were out to ruin her life- not protect it.
Finally she nodded, a single tear slipping down her cheek which she quickly wiped away. "Thank you for telling me."
"You will get to see this Christopher fellow though," Draco added as he stood and began to retreat back to the door, confident his daughter would remain in the room and finally retire to bed. She looked at him with eyebrows high on her forehead in surprise. He chuckled, "obviously we will be returning to your mothers place at some point during the Easter holidays. Your mother has already arranged a day for him to come over for dinner."
With a happy squeal Nichole jumped off the bed and threw her arms around Draco's neck, forcing his body to bend downwards as she held him. "Thank you dad," she whispered. "Thank you."
A/N
What did you think? I sort of like the connection Draco and Nichole have at the end of the chapter.
Also, if there are any fans of Beauty and the Beast here, I'm attempting to write my own portrayal on it featuring Hermione and Draco entitled Draco and the Dragon. Check out the first chapter :)
Thanks everyone, please R&R!