- Lucius, I warn you, you won't like what you'll see, - said Severus Snape grimly walking Lord Malfoy to the place where the Magnificent Eight used to gather.

- I will take care of it myself, okay? - he smiled while twirling his cane. - By the way, what can you say about this, uh, young lady?

- Surprising as it may sound from my side, she's not bad, - Snape said, thinking. - It's true, she's making up some pretty strange fun, though what can we expect from a Muggle-born girl?

- Well, I'll try to make up my own opinion about her, - Malfoy smiled. - But, I'm afraid, in your presence, children will not be so frank.

- Yes, yes, I have already left, - Snape snorted.

Malfoy appreciated the snowy, ice-covered figures on the shore (naturalistically made giant hand showing an indecent gesture stood out among them), then looked at the snow drift where children was rolling around.

- Draco! - he called.

The squealing and laughing ball of children fell apart, one body fell out, picked up the mantle from the piled up piles of clothes and rushed to Lucius. It was seen that the Draco was running as fast as he could, but he suddenly slowed down, invited his hair, straightened and said:

- Hello, father.

- It seemed to me that you wanted to greet me quite differently, - Lucius smiled. - Go back to your initial position and repeat it.

At first Draco didn't believe, then he wiggled his head, moved back a little, and then he scattered and with a shout "Daddy!" he hugged Lucius.

- Son, come on - he said.

- Adderley said that even boys shouldn't be ashamed to cry! - the heir sщииув. - Her father said so. Daddy, I missed you so much!

- Draco! - Malfoy hardly unhooked his son from himself, put him down, shaken him up, looked into the grey eyes that were already pouring tears... - Merlin, I love you so much!

- Really? - the tears dried up instantly.

- Really. Now tell me what you have here. You wrote that everything is okay, but now the director sent me an owl, so I have to sort it out!

Draco was silent.

- You froze, - Lucius tried to hold his son's hand, but he pulled her away. Previously, if his skin'd been so red, the boy would have already been lying in bed and swallowing potions for a cold!

- It's okay, - the boy snorted. - It is not convenient to make snowballs in gloves!

- What if you get sick?

- I won't die, - Draco looked at him.

"Oh Merlin, he's not even wearing a hat in this frost. If Narcissus recognizes..."

- Son! What's wrong?

- Dad, - Draco raised eyebrows, nobody could resist this grimaces. - Dad, I became friends with the Mudblood...

- Merlin, I thought you had killed some professor, - Malfoy exhaled. - I suppose she's in that pile?

- Yes, Dad, - Draco ruffled up, this meant he would stand on his own until the end. - Professor Snape paired us in the class, and... Anyway, we all became friends.

- All?

- Well, me, Nott, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, Finnigan, and Thomas. They're from Gryffindor. Adderley is also from there, - Draco said quietly, gunwittingly hanging his head. - But she could have learned with us if it wasn't for the blood.

- Don't make excuses, - his father told him. - Straighten up. Have the courage to be responsible for your decision!

- She says so too, - Draco boasted. - Dad, she's terrible, she always terrors me. Everyone else also obeys her!

- Do I have to get rid you of this Adderley once and for all? I can put pressure on the right people and she will be expelled.

- No!

- Then call her.

Draco turned around, gained more air and screamed:

- Adderley! Come here!

- Have you forgotten about Sonorus? - said his father.

- No, it's just more fun this way, - said his son in a grim way.

The girl came up, she was on the whole neat. Malfoy Sr. liked the look of her.

- Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, - he nodded at her.

- Catherine Louise Adderley, - she answered in the same tone and extended her hand.

- It is a pleasure, - they said in one voice. Lucius barely touched her fingers, the girl immediately hid her hand in the pocket.

- Son, I want to talk to Miss Adderley alone, - he said, Draco went away. He looked scared, but Catherine didn't.

- I am listening to you, sir, - she said very, very calmly. However, he knew very well what was usually behind such calmness.

- What kind of views do you have on my son, miss?

- I think we will build an ice fortress, then, we will draw lots for the besiegers and defenders, - she answered thoughtfully. - We will organize a big battle. In spring...

- Miss, you understand my question...

- I'm not going to marry Draco, if that's what you mean, sir, - Adderley said. - I want to become a healer, so I will need connections to get a good place. Getting it immediately without protection is impossible even in Muggle world. I hope Draco or someone else will help me.

- Miss Adderley...

- You see, Mr. Malfoy, - she said softly, - connections are bonus. I will cope myself somehow. I don't have any views of Draco, as you said, I don't have. First of all, it's too early for us, two - I know very well that the Pure-blood won't marry the Mudblood. I don't intend to spoil my or his reputation. So you don't have to worry about it.

- Um, - Malfoy said. - You are... For your age, you are an unusually reasonable person.

- Dad's upbringing, sir, - answered Adderley. - He doesn't come home very often, so his upbringing turns out to be... mm-hmm... very concentrated, like with recruits. Well, my mother adds, of course.

- Noticeably, - the man nodded favorably. The girl differed from most students of Gryffindor he knew for the better. - Tell me, miss, did you dissuade Draco from serious Quidditch studies? He mentioned something like that in the letter, but very briefly and without details...

- Me, sir, - she didn't deny it.

- Why, may I ask?

Adderley sighed.

- Even if he is a good flyer, there are other, more dignified ways to satisfy ambition, - she said.

- You speak a little bit of a book, miss, - Malfoy said.

- I like to read, sir. In addition, this world... hmm... has a nineteenth-century vocabulary, not the twentieth, - she answered. - Since I am here, I try to match the environment.

- Reasonable... So what is the story with Quidditch?

- No story, sir, - shrugged Adderley. - I just saw this play and thought that it was a very dangerous sport. People fall from a height and get hit on the head, the players don't always behave correctly. I understand that Quidditch is popular in magic Britain, but I think it is not something a noble wizard should do.

- If memory serves me right, the current Princess of Wales insisted that her children should go to a regular school, - Malfoy tried to impress with knowledge of Muggle reality.

- I am not sure that this is an ordinary school at all, sir, - she replied, - I think that every step of the princes is watched by bodyguards. Not clearly, of course, but there are snipers on the rooftops. Otherwise, what if some bandits will decide to take the children for ransom? Or for some other reason... The staff must have been warned, trained and all that. It's not what we have here.

- What does you mean by "here"? - he was wary.

- Well, here trolls are walking along the corridors like at home, and there's Cerberus, - said Adderley calmly. - Draco told you about the troll, didn't he?

- Y-yes...- Malfoy answered. - And why did he keep silent about Cerberus?!

- Because he swore an oath. I took his word that he would not tell anyone and would not go there himself. If others want to risk their life, it's their business, but...

- I think I'll talk to the headmaster, - the man whispered clutching his cane. - This is not a school, this is...

- Sir, maybe it's best not to. - asked Adderley carefully. - He would then immediately wonder how you knew about this monster, it would be logical to assume that from Draco or his friends. How did they find out? Either they climbed into the forbidden corridor, or overheard someone's conversation... and so on. Everyone will get in trouble, including me, but what's the use? The dog is sitting on a chain, I know for sure, it will not just run away. And none of ours will go there for sure.

- But I will talk to him about the troll... - Malfoy smiled unpleasantly.

- Well, a troll is another thing, - the girl shrugged her shoulders. - Everyone knows about it. However, they never found out how he got to the castle.

- We will sort it out. Miss Adderley, you've got gumption, I'll give you that..

- Thank you, sir, - she replied with dignity.

- Okay, - Malfoy calmed down a little. Snape seems to be right: Adderley can keep Draco from reckless acts and keep him from getting into trouble. - Let's get back to the beginning of the conversation.

- Yes, sir?

- Draco has dreamed of being a seeker since childhood. So, now he is not interested in it?

- Why is that, sir? He and the boys play when the stadium is free and the weather allows.

- What about you?

- I am afraid of heights.

- However, as I understood from Draco's confused letters, did you teach him and other boys to play some kind of Muggle games?

- That's right, sir. It's just that my father always demanded that I play sports, and there are no opportunities for that. We sit down for our lessons, then, we do our homework... In general, after all this, I really want to stretch, - she finished. - I hope that there is nothing wrong with playing ball? True, the window was broken, but it was an accident...

- I think our family honour will survive such a trial, - Malfoy sighed. - Professor Snape speaks quite positively about you. In his opinion, you have good intuition, flair, if you want. But I did not tell you that!

- Of course, sir, - answered Adderley, but she smiled with obvious satisfaction. - However, I have nothing to be particularly proud of so far: boiling a potion from the first year's textbook is not something new to invent.

- Professor McGonagall is not happy with you.

- I just don't fit the image of a perfect student of Gryffindor, sir. I am not drawn to dangerous adventures, I have no friends among girls, and I am constantly hanging out in the company of Slytherin. This is already enough. - she added, - But I don't care.

- Did you come up with this exhibition? - Malfoy pointed to the snow installation with his cane.

- I just showed how to make snowmen. The rest is collective creativity.

- The slide is also your work, - he continued.

- Well... yes, sir. I think it's fun. Everybody likes it.

- What if the ice on the lake breaks, will you be able to pull out the failed one?

- Of course, - said Adderley. - We take turns for a ride, and two of us are sure to stand ready with wands, we follow the safety rules. We checked, even a simple Leviosa can lift any of us. In such a case, the rest of us will immediately help.

- I will show you another spell, - Malfoy sighed. - It is more reliable.

- Thank you, sir. You know... - she was silent. - It's very good that you came. I certainly should told you that Draco loves you so much. It's so crazy. He loves his mother, too, but he worships you. For him, the most terrible thing to hear is that he disappointed you. He goes out of his way to prove that he is worthy of such a father... - Adderley sighed. - Draco will do anything foolish to make you proud of him. I understood it right away. Probably, you already know about it, but I'd better say it again...

Judging by how instantly the face of Malfoy Sr. changed, she made it stick.

- I love my dad very much too, - Adderley said quietly. - I don't even know where he is now or what his task is. But I know that he wouldn't forgive me if I signed up for special forces without asking him. He might have let me go, but he would have yelled at me first.

"She is terrible," Malfoy remembered the words of his son.

- I will not interfere with you, - he said. - You, Miss Adderley, understand everything even too well. Tell me your mother's maiden name, - Malfoy said.

- White. She's from the Yorkshire farmers, her grandfather had a big farm before the war, and now there's not much left, - said Adderley calmly. - Why do you need this, sir?

- Not much, - he answered uncertainly. - In general, I understand everything, miss. Go to your comrades and tell Draco to come to me. I hope, while my son is with you, nothing bad will happen to him.

- I will try to look after him, sir, - the girl nodded and walked away.

The heir came closer looking with clear suspicion. Malfoy Sr. decided to go on a rather cruel experiment.

- Son, - he strictly said. - I talked to the girl.

- So?..

- I forbid you to communicate with these... Gryffs.

Draco squinted and it was unclear whether he was angry or just trying to hold back the tears that came up.

- I won't obey, Dad, - he said with a suddenly broken voice. - Know it!

For several seconds they looked each other in the eyes.

- Did I live to the day when my son started to cross me? - Lucius asked.

- Yes! You can even beat me, but I still... - Draco paused. - If you decide to transfer me to another school, I will put on hunger strike! Dad? Dad, what's going on?!

- Merlin the Great! I haven't laughed like that for a long time... - answered Malfoy Senior. - Go to your buddies. I will visit the headmaster...

- Are you kidding me? - A boy frowned.

- Let's say, I arranged a small check-up, - father answered in the same manner. - Go. You are already waiting!

- Dad... - Draco hugged him quickly, received a hurried kiss on the top and run away as a whirlwind.

"They are still such children," Lucius thought with longing, watching as the heir flew into the snowdrift, got out, and with a yell rushed for the offender. Then, he intercepted the cane and moved back to the castle.

- Guys! - he heard a scream behind his back. - Let's build a snowman tall as Hagrid! Can you imagine, he will wake up, and the lady of his dreams is looking out the window!

- ...I don't see anything wrong with that, - Lord Malfoy told to the headmaster. - The children are just playing. However, I would like to discuss the troll story with you in more detail.

- Gentlemen! - Adderley knocked a fork on the table. - Wait a minute, pay attention! Thank you. So, on the nose of the vacation. I ask you very much to take care of the purchase of sportswear. If someone knows for sure that he will not be able to get to Muggle London or his parents will not let go, pick up some of your things that are not pathetic. I don't know what Pure-bloods do except Quidditch, but maybe hunting or something else.

- Those clothes won't go, they are for riding, - said Malfoy.

- Then give me the money, write the size, I will buy by myself, - she decided. - Even as the colors of the House. Something warm is a must.

- And what is this for? - Crabbe asked with unexpected interest.

- It's uncomfortable to be lying in the robe in the snow, it's confused in the legs, - explained Adderley, - and you can't even clean it. We have learned the warming spells, so we won't freeze in sweaters, but it would be better to wear jackets. Thomas, Finnigan, will you take the winter outfit? It is not so easy for me to get!

- No problem! - Dean answered. - Usual jackets, pants... and sneakers, I guess, huh?

- Yeah. Then, for both winter and the hall. Calculate how much it could cost, - she said. - That's what we will proceed from, or if it's too expensive, we will have to give up something. Yes, write down the balls! Basketball and one more for soccer. I don't know about tennis...

- I want to! - Finnigan said. - Tennis is awesome! I have racquets, they are not new, but so far will go, and the balls are inexpensive! And we really can pull a sheet instead of the net, think, or ropes crosswise!

- Well, it will be in spring, - Adderley cooled down his fervor. - In our hall, we can't play tennis... But you can play badminton, you can't knock out the window with a flounce.

- Oh! I'll bring everything I find, guys will at least try, huh?

- Okay, - she nodded. - Well, did you guys count it, no? Malfoy, help them, otherwise we'll be stuck here till night, and soon the feast...

- Yeah... - Draco took an eternal feather from her, cleaned up the bony calculations and quickly count the total amount. - Now, this is divided into all... Give money, guys!

He was the first to pour a handful of coins on the table. He was followed by the others. A pile of cash was moved to Adderley, along with a sheet of paper, where the measurements of those who could not exactly buy Muggle clothes were written down.

- And a shoulder bag to me, please, - she said poisonously. - Malfoy, can you exchange this for our pounds?

- I can, of course. Let me take the money, and I'll send my owl to you, he'll bring your papers.

- That's what we'll do, - Adderley took the list with her. The money having been counted poured into Malfoy's dimensionless wallet.

The day after, everyone was seated in the coupe. The Golden Trio, how people nicknamed the Gryffindor gang (Draco liked the former name better, especially since he had learned the meaning of the name), it was noisy.

- Give me your suitcase, - said Crabbe and took Adderley's belongings.

- Well, you are with us, - Malfoy reminded to her and dragged her into his compartment. - Can we fit in?

- It's easy, - Zabini said. - Crabbe and Goyle will climb on the top shelves, they're not talking, but they can hear well from there. We're gonna fit in downstairs.

- Hey... - Thomas slipped through the door. - May I come in?

- Okay... - Malfoy's sighed pushing Adderley into the corner. - Have a seat. Really, one more year and we're not gonna fit in anymore. We need to find some spells that expand space, here! I will ask my dad! Guys, you will also try to find out, huh?

- Sure, - the others answered.

Other students tried to slip into it a couple of times, but they saw that it was already clogged, so they just went away.

- This is not how I imagined the first semester at school, - said Adderley when they were already approaching London.

- What did you expected?

- It doesn't matter anymore. In my opinion, it turned out even better than I imagined, - she smiled.

Malfoy gave her a hand helping to get down to the platform. Goyle threw the suitcase to Crabbe, who put it at the girl's feet.

- We'll all be met at home, - Draco said as he looked at her.

- My mom is waiting for me behind the portal, - Adderley smiled. - Come on, I'll see you later!

Finnigan and Thomas patted the others on their shoulders and left. Adderley looked at them afterwards, saw the others disappearing with port-keys, sighed and went to the exit from the platform. Right in front of her, Granger came out and immediately rushed to her parents with a squeal.

- Hi, Mom, - said Adderley.

- Hi, Kate, - replied a slender middle-aged woman, kissed her and helped her throw her suitcase in the trunk. - How's it?

- Mom, you won't believe this. No, let's have some ice cream first! Can you imagine, there is no normal ice cream!

- My God, how did you survive, my poor girl! - Mrs. Adderley sincerely said. - Are there boys?

- Oh, Mom, we have to do everything in order... Listen, will Daddy come for Christmas?

- He said that his superiors promised to let him go, - she nodded. - Why?

- It's been a long time since I've seen him, I missed him, - Catherine sighed. - Okay, let's buy ice cream and go home. I will tell you everything and show you the pictures!

"I am home..." Draco opened his eyes and immediately screamed:

- Dad, no water! Well, why wake up so early? Vacation! - Draco said hurtly. - Dad, what's going on?! Dad!...

- Don't shout, you'll wake your mother, - said Lucius quietly. - It's okay.

- It's not true, then you'd have a normal face. Daddy, I love you so much, I will do everything for you.

- Stop it. Never throw such words.

- Okay.

- Draco... - Lucius hugged his only son. - Draco, you're already adult, I thought you should know. Narcissa had two miscarriages before you. No one believed that she could still have a child. But you were born... We will not have any more children. You are the only one. You are the last one.

- Well, why didn't you tell me before? - he sobbed. - I was always climbing somewhere... If I knew, I would be sitting in our living room and would not move from my seat...

- It seems that you were always pulled out of trouble by the Mudblood, - Lucius answered poisonously.

- Do not you dare to call her that! - he came up. - Although she is not offended, don't do this...

- We will look for, maybe, there were some squibs in her family, - said Malfoy Sr. - And wipe your tears, your mother will be upset.

- She doesn't have any squibs or wizards, either, - Malfoy Jr. clenched his teeth. - She is Muggle-born, Dad! So... so...

- James Potter married Muggle-born, - he said for some reason.

- Yeah, and they were both killed, - Draco smirked his nose. - Dad, I am not going to marry her, but if something happens to her...

- What?

- I will take revenge, - Draco answered quietly. - Whoever touches Adderley will regret that he was born!

Lucius looked with great interest at his weak, capricious, spoiled and painfully loved son. Something new, unfamiliar appeared in him, Malfoy Sr. couldn't say that he'd not like it.

- Dad, can you buy me skis? - Draco asked taking his eyes away.

- What...? - Malfoy Sr. frowned, then remembered what skis were, understood where his son had such a strange idea and asked: - It seems that you dreamed about a racing broom, didn't you?

- I changed my mind, - the heir said. - It is possible to fly on my "Comet", it is still very good, and I want to ski very much...

- Aren't you going to try out for the Quidditch team? - Lucius insidiously asked.

- No, Dad, - Draco honestly said. - I don't want to waste any time.

- And these skis are not a waste of time, then?

- No, of course not! - he was offended. - We want to have a magic biathlon!

- What?! - said Lucius.

- Well, it's such a Muggle race on skis, they shoot targets with a special gun. We decided that we can use spells. Fun and training at the same time... Do you mind, Dad? - Draco asked anxiously.

- No, not at all, - he took a hard breath. - Just don't tell mom. I will buy you skis... Or do you all need them?

- Gryffs will get it themselves... Except for Longbottom, he won't even talk about it in front of his grandmother, - the boy frowned. - It is good that you reminded about it, Dad! Maybe, Adderley will get it for him, but it is better to have spare ones! I remember how to select by height. Well, if anything, we will transfigure a little bit. Here we go... Dad, why are you laughing?

- Me? Laughing? - Lucius said it very seriously. - I didn't even think... I am just surprised how in one semester you turned from a domestic boy into a rabid bully.

- I am not a bully, Dad! I don't break any rules...

- But you have stopped being naughty, right?

- Yeah, because Adderley is very painful to fight if I start... - ...he's stopped.

- Apparently, my grandfather was right when he said that children must be upbroughten stricter, - Malfoy Sr. responded seriously. - My ancestors knew life better.

- Yes, and they didn't spoil their heirs, - Draco gurgle.

- Did Adderley say that too?

- Who else?

Lucius took a breath.

- Draco, you understand...

- Yes, Dad, - he interrupted, -I understand very well that she is Muggle-born. - he added with amazing self-control: - But it doesn't prevent us from skiing and playing ball, right?

With amazing because Lucius was waiting: his son will cry again any minute. Well, they didn't give him a new toy!

- Of course, it doesn't. Ask her to write to her parents. For sure, they know more about their roots.

- Dad, it seemed that you wanted me to marry the younger Gringrass, - my son said poisonously. - So, why do you need relatives of some kind of Adderley?

- Dear heir, that Gringrass is certainly a good family, but their daughters are brought up in the old traditions, - Lucius answered seriously. Maybe he had been making the worst mistake of his life then, but if he wouldn't speak frankly with his son, then how could he keep him from reckless actions? - Any of the Pure-blood girls will be a good wife for you, but no one can smack you upside the head and forbid you to climb into the mud. Maybe one of the Black could, but only...

He is silent.

- Mom is also Black, - Draco said quietly.

- She didn't take after them, like Bellatrix, - Lucius sighed. - You went to your mother.

- Weak, ain't I? - the one who squinted.

- Is Narcissus weak characteristic? - His father was amazed. - Well, son, tell her yourself! Only prepare a broom in advance to get away on time!

- Well, I don't know, Daddy, what do you want from me then...

- All Black have some problems with self-control, - said Lucius in a streamlined manner. - Your excessive emotionally is from the same place. Narcissus has learned to hold it on to herself for a long time, we really spoiled you. By the way, a couple of hits really won't hurt you.

- Couple?! - the one who snorted. - Adderley constantly beats me!

- That's right, Black's blood, - he nodded seriously. - It always reached them better through the back mind, and the stubbornness is a family trait...

- Dad, you have got to be kidding me! - Draco said.

- Of course, - he smiled. - Why are you sulking? You look like...

- Like a blond Trevor!

- Who...? - Lucius was worried.

- That's Longbottom's toad's name, - said Draco. - Adderley once compared me to this muck, now the whole school knows.

- You are not a blond toad, you...

- Yes, I am platinum or a little ashy, - he interrupted father. - Dad, did we agree on skis? It's much cheaper than brooms, really, really!

- Maybe you should also buy bicycles? - Malfoy Sr. asked.

- Dad! You are a genius! - exclaimed Draco, and Lucius groaned. - Although no, it is better not. We have nowhere to keep them, but to ride in the woods... We can't even walk there... Let's buy these... dumbbells!

A trip to the Muggle store Malfoy Sr. didn't inspire. However, he was pleasantly surprised by the prices: compared to the cost of a new race broom, these skis, he could say, got for nothing.

- Dad, - Draco said softly when they returned home. - I wanted to ask you something else. Not in front of my mother, she doesn't need to know, she will worry.

"Isn't it a little early?" - Lucius thought, but nodded, and in the afternoon he called his son to his office.

- What did you want? - he asked.

- It's about the Dark Mark, Dad, - said the boy directly. - Many people say that the Lord will come back, which means... - He took up more air and continued: - Muggle-born and Half-blood will be tortured and killed again. So, Adderley, Thomas, Finnigan, Longbottom... although he is Pure-blood, my aunt made it with his parents... Dad, I can't really ask! You understand better... What can I do?

- To give me an oath, - after a second hesitation, he answered.

- What?..

- You'll never take the Dark Mark. Under no circumstances, even if Narcissus, and I, and your friends are tortured and killed in front of your eyes. Simply because otherwise you will have no choice. If you manage not to get the Mark, you will be able to come up something, save somebody...

- Dad, the Mark can be put by force, you said it yourself!

- There is nothing I can do here, - honestly Lucius said. - But about the first one... You started this conversation yourself, so bring the Vow. I am waiting, son!

- Okay... - Grey eyes usually reminiscent of melting ice suddenly sparkled as steel. - I, Draco Lucius Malfoy...