The Quidditch World Cup had been an event that Aliza was looking forward to. She loved quidditch, but not as much as Draco did. She caught herself thinking about him again and sighed, pouring a cup of tea for herself.

"Something wrong?" Severus asked from his usual seat at the small table in the kitchen.

"Why would there be?" she asked, cooling down her tea with an experimental spell.

"It's the fifth time you've sighed this morning," he eyed her from his paper and added, "Try ending with a flick instead."

"Faciendo!" Aliza took a sip of the tea and frowned. "It certainly cooled it. Now it's stale."

"When crafting spells, your intent mu-"

"Must be a clear path," Aliza finished, sighing once more.

"You'll be able to perfect it, I'm sure," Severus said, fixing his attention back to his paper. "Your mother was just as brilliant."

"My mother?" Aliza remembered the last time Severus had discussed her father with her. It had taken at least two weeks for her to speak to Severus again. The praise for her mother that came from Severus' lips came as a slight surprise, before she remembered that her mother was probably the reason why Severus was her godfather after all.

Severus had folded his paper neatly on the table. "Lily...she lived just down the street. I knew her even before Hogwarts. I still remember her red hair and those brilliant green eyes. She had an incredibly kind heart and never went anywhere without a book. Your mother was my closest friend for years..."

Aliza looked up silently, not wanting to dig up painful memories but hoping to know just a little more about her mother.

He hesitated, unsure of whether he should be babbling on like that. But he saw Aliza's face - Lily's face - and found himself speaking once more. "I was humiliated and embarrassed. I was tired of being scrawny and weak, being picked upon every second by Potter. I called her a mudblood after she stood up for me. I was a fool... I begged her for forgiveness but she never spoke to me for years," Severus looked at Aliza and gave a rare smile. "I was lucky to have been named your godfather. But we lost so much time in between before she died."

Aliza was quiet. She placed her unfinished mug of cold tea in the sink. "You look so much like her," Severus said.

"You loved her," Aliza said rather than asked.

Severus said nothing as he slowly left the kitchen, leaving Aliza wondering if Draco felt the same way Severus did.

"Oh, Aliza! You made it just in time!" Mrs. Malfoy said. The Manor was just as she remembered, a large chandelier hung on the high ceiling in the main hall, with large winding stairs leading up. Draco had appeared at the top of those very stairs, grinning from ear to ear. She had missed him.

As the Malfoys and Aliza apparated to the Quidditch World Cup, Draco's smile didn't fade. The place was bustling with people milling in and out of tents and placing bets on Ireland and Bulgaria. Mr. Malfoy led them into a building that overlooked the quidditch field and up a flight of stairs.

"Fudge himself invited us to the Top Box," Mrs. Malfoy was saying. "He was more than willing to invite a Potter as well."

When they arrived at the Top Box, they were immediately greeted by Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic. As Mr. Malfoy introduced his family and Aliza, three heads turned toward them: Harry, Hermione and Weasley. In fact, all the Weasleys were there.

They found themselves looped into a conversation with Mr. Weasley, who didn't have the best encounter with Mr. Malfoy a few years back. "Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur," Fudge said. "He's here as my guest."

"How-How nice," Mr Weasley replied with a strained smile.

Aliza gave Harry and Hermione a grin and nodded at Weasley, who seemed a little uncomfortable with the changing relationships between his friends, but he returned the nod anyway. The Malfoys shuffled into the seats behind them and for the first time, Draco ignored Harry and his friends.

The game was an exciting one, with Ireland snagging the Cup even though Victor Krum, Bulgaria's seeker, had caught the snitch. They retired to a tent that Dobby had prepared for them. Once they entered the tent, Aliza was amazed at the sheer size of the inside. It was enlarged with a spell of some sort, and held two different rooms, along with a large sitting room.

"Apologies, dear," Mrs. Malfoy said. "I wasn't sure if you would be coming, so Dobby didn't prepare a bigger tent."

"With our plans tonight, I'm sure we wouldn't be needing the rooms, love," Mr. Malfoy said, sitting on an armchair.

"Plans, Mr. Malfoy?" asked Aliza.

Mr. Malfoy's lips curled into a smirk as he made himself comfortable in the chair. "The Death Eaters have prepared a show tonight. You're on the guestlist, Aliza," he said.

Her stomach roiled at his words. A million scenarios ran through her head for what was about to happen that night. She felt a hand grabbing hers and looked up to see Draco excusing them for the night. He led her to his room and sat on the bed next to her. It was a cozy room, the complete opposite of the bleak Manor and her home in Spinner's End.

Draco lit the candle on the table beside the bed and turned to Aliza. "I never properly apologised for the ride back to London," he said. "I'm sorry I disappointed you. You have no idea how much you mean to me, Liza."

"You mean a lot to me too, Draco." She smiled softly. "I'll forgive you. Just this once," she said, eyes not meeting his.

Draco smiled and took her hand, which made her stomach do a loop. "Thank you," he whispered into her hand. He lowered it but didn't let it go. "I think I know what the Death Eaters are planning tonight."

Aliza's eyes snapped up. Draco's face was grim as he spoke. "They're going to make a show of the muggles who run this campsite. A battle's going to break out, and they'll be looking out for anyone with- with-" he seemed to be finding the best word to use. "-muggle-borns. They're after muggle-borns too. Whatever they're planning to do to them, it can't be good."

"A battle? Without Voldemort?" she asked.

"It was his orders. He's preparing for his own return." Draco held her hand tight. "He's coming back soon, Liza. You need to decide where your loyalties lie."

She knew he was referring to her brother and his friends, and the position she had regrettably placed herself in. But there was one thing she needed to know. "Where do you stand in all this, Draco? Tell me the truth." She looked imploringly into his grey eyes, hoping and praying that they wouldn't find themselves pitched against each other.

"I was raised to be loyal to my family. I was taught that pure-bloods are sacred and superior," he said quietly. "But you've shown me otherwise. You believed in me, and you've given me a reason to stand beside you, wherever you choose to go."

Aliza placed his hand between hers. His fingers were long and slender, and were slightly paler than hers. "I will accept the offer," she said. It took Draco a few seconds to register what she had meant. "'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer'. I've dug this hole myself, so it's time to build something out of it."

"It'll be dangerous. You can get killed."

"There will always be risks," she replied. "Perhaps it's time to show the world that Slytherins can be heroes in their own right."

The attack had begun. The night sky lit up with a mesmerising array of spells but the air was filled with blood-curdling screams. Draco and Aliza made their way through the wizards and witches who were running out of their tents. A group of black-clad wizards with silver skull masks were standing a ways away. In the air above them was a family of muggles who were screaming in agony as they twisted and flopped about in grotesque shapes. The ministry wizards gathered around the group of Death Eaters seemed to hesitate to stop them in fear of the safety of the muggles.

People began to scream, running away from the Death Eaters and into the woods behind the campsite. Aliza and Draco pushed their way to a tent with a pile of rocks beside it. "We're too late!" Draco yelled from the inside. He stumbled out of the tent, wand in hand. "They're gone."

"Are you sure this is the right tent?" Aliza asked, looking for signs of her brother and his friends.

"I'm positive. I marked it last night, they were making quite a lot of noise," he said, scanning the crowd.

They moved from the tent and began to run with the crowd. It was dark and everyone was tripping over something, making it hard to tell who was in front or beside them half the time. Behind them, lights began to illuminate the path in front of them. The fighting had begun. They had to hurry.

"Ron! Ron where are you?"

They whipped their heads toward the familiar voice. Aliza could barely make out the silhouette of bushy hair against the flashing lights.

"Oh this is stupid - lumos!" Hermione said, casting a narrow beam of light on the ground. They were just a few feet away.

"Tripped over a tree root," she heard Weasley mutter.

"Hermione?" Aliza called. The light from Hermione's wand fell on her and she squinted in the brightness, walking toward it.

"Aliza?" said Hermione.

"Malfoy," Weasley frowned. The beam of light shifted to Draco who winced and shaded his eyes.

"Sorry," Hermione muttered and pointed her wand down.

Harry was rearranging his glasses as he spoke, "Aliza! Thank god you're safe."

"And you too, Harry. We've been looking for Hermione," Aliza said, nudging Hermione toward a bunch of bushes half hidden among the trees. "You need to hide."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry.

"They're after mud-" Draco paused mid-sentence. "muggle-borns."

"How would you-" Weasley was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream, barely a few feet away from where they were standing.

Alarmed, Aliza pulled Hermione down behind the bushes as the rustle of leaves drew closer. Draco pushed Harry and Weasley behind the bushes just as the Death Eater came strolling into view.

"My, my, what do we have here," the Death Eater drawled as Draco slowly turned to face him. "You're Lucius's kid, eh? Enjoying the show?"

Draco smirked and said, "Entertainment at its finest."

"That Potter girl with you? She was invited to watch, you know," said the Death Eater.

"She prefers a close-up view. I'm catching up with her," Draco replied smoothly.

The Death Eater chuckled, his laughter muffled by the mask. "Glad to hear she likes to be near the action," he said. "Stay out of sight now, Draco. Won't do well to be caught spectating." He turned and began to retreat further into the woods.

Once it was clear he was not returning, Aliza sighed in relief. She stood up from her spot behind the bushes, brushing dirt off her robes.

"What was that about?" Harry asked, grabbing Aliza to face him. "You were invited by the Death Eaters to watch their sick torture?"

"I didn't accept, did I?" She said defensively, shrugging Harry off. "I'm here, helping you."

"It doesn't change the fact that they seem to think your loyalties lie with them, Aliza," said Harry, his hair wilder than before. "This is because of Malfoy isn't it? Or was it Snape? You know he was a Death Eater."

"Severus defected from their cause. And Draco has nothing to do with it!" Aliza said. "I know what I'm doing, I'm just asking you to trust me."

"I trusted you all these years. I've told you everything. But don't think for a second that I didn't realise you've never trusted me enough to tell me anything," accused Harry. "For all I know, you're off learning the dark arts and scheming with the very people who wish to kill me-"

Harry's head whipped to the side with a loud crack. Holding him by his collar was Draco, whose fist was stinging from the punch he just threw. Hermione and Weasley drew their wands and pointed them at him. He ignored them, leaning threateningly towards Harry. "If you knew what she's willing to go through for your worthless life, you wouldn't be spouting this nonsense," Draco scowled.

Harry pushed him away, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth just as the sky flashed green. They looked up, watching as a skull with a snake slithering out of its mouth appeared. It was the Dark Mark. The battle was over.

Aliza took Draco's hand, pulling him away. "Come on, we need to go," she said. They walked away from the trio with a sneer from Draco, trudging through the dark forest.

"He's right, you know," Aliza said quietly. "Eventually, they're going to ask me to prove my loyalty."

"Someone has to make sacrifices," Draco replied. "And they're the stronger ones."

The school year had started with a bizarre announcement that Hogwarts was hosting the reinstated Triwizard Tournament, a competition between the three European wizarding schools with an alarmingly high death toll. Aliza didn't quite understand why the Ministry of Magic or Dumbledore would think it was a good idea to pitch teenagers against one another in a match that would possibly kill them. Shouldn't it be their job to protect those very students? The entire notion of the Tournament was ridiculous, in her opinion.

At the very least, it seems they had finally gotten a rather proficient and practical Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor that year. Professor Moody had demonstrated the three unforgivable curses in their very first class, which sparked a remarkable interest in the Slytherins. It was unfortunate that class was cut short by an outburst from Harry and the cowardly Gryffindor, Longbottom. Aliza wouldn't have minded legally trying a hand at one of the unforgivable curses.

The buzz in the Great Hall died down suddenly, waking Aliza from her moping thoughts. The Durmstrang students seated with the Slytherins shot glares at the Hufflepuffs who were still chattering, quieting them in a second. The students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang had arrived a few days prior, each putting on a remarkable show that had mesmerised Aliza in vastly different ways. The sound of Dumbledore clearing his throat lulled Aliza out of her wandering thoughts once more.

"The champion for Durmstrang will be Victor Krum!"

The hall erupted with applause as Victor Krum stood from the Slytherin table and made his way towards the door at the end of the Great Hall. It was natural for the Durmstrang champion to be him. Nobody would have accepted it otherwise.

"The champion for Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

The hall erupted with applause once more as a beautiful blonde girl elegantly made her way towards the same door Victor had just gone through. The hall went deathly silent again as the most anticipated name was to be called out.

"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory!"

Cheers came from the Hufflepuff table as Diggory stood up, grinning from ear to ear as he followed the other two champions through the door. There were groans and mutters of disappointment from the other tables as the cheers slowly died down.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore exclaimed. Aliza's attention returned to her musings of what unthinkable dangers the champions would have to go through when Draco suddenly nudged her in the side - hard.

"Wha-"

"Shhhh," he hushed, eyes focused intently on Dumbledore. Aliza looked up and realised that the Goblet wasn't done with the names of the champions. In Dumbledore's shaking hands was a small piece of paper that had been spit out from the flames of the Goblet. All was silent when he read the name aloud - "Harry Potter."

What!? Aliza thought she had heard wrong and whipped her head towards Draco. Unfortunately, he and everyone else in the hall were looking straight at the Gryffindor table. Right where her brother was seated, dumbfounded. No. There must have been a mistake. It can't be true.

Harry, urged by Dumbledore, stumbled his way to the door where the other champions had gone through. Aliza watched on as her brother disappeared behind the door, closely followed by many other professors. As soon as the door was shut once more, the hall erupted into chaos. There were shouts of displeasure at a second Hogwarts champion - an underage one at that, and murmurs of confusion and disbelief at what had just happened.

"Aliza! Are you alright?" Blaise called. It seemed that she had not been responding to her friends who had been calling her name. Aliza looked up, blurry-eyed at Blaise. "I'm fine," she said, waving him off. She felt a hand grab her shoulder and turned to Draco, who was staring at her with grey eyes filled with an unusual alertness. Instantly, she knew what had happened. It was not a mistake. It was simply going according to his plan.