(Raven's POV)

"Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass. By any chance, Raven are we going to learn about your accidental magic in this chapter?" Draco asked me.

"You'll have to read the book to find out, Draco," I said smirking, earning me an eye roll.

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their niece on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all. The sun rose on the same tidy front gardens and lit up the brass number four on the Dursleys' front door; it crept into their living room, which was almost exactly the same as it had been on the night when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls. Only the photographs on the mantelpiece really showed how much time had passed. Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball wearing different colored bonnets — but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large blonde boy riding his first bicycle, on a carousel at the fair, playing a computer game with his father, being hugged, and kissed by his mother. The room held no sign at all that another child was living in the house too.

Yet Raven Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, but not for long. Her Aunt Petunia was awake it was her shrill voice that made the first noise of the day.

"Up! Get up! Now!"

"I'm may not be a parent… but even I know that's no way to wake a sleeping child!" Charlie said shaking his head in disappointment.

Raven woke with a start. Her aunt rapped on the door again.

"Up!" she screeched. Raven heard her walking toward the kitchen and then the sound of the frying pan being put on the stove. She rolled onto her back and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been a good one. There had been a flying motorcycle in it. She had the funny feeling she'd had the same dream before.

Her aunt was back outside the door.

"Are you up yet?" she demanded.

"Nearly," Said Raven.

"Well, get a move on, I want you to look after the bacon. And don't you dare let it burn, I want everything perfect for Duddy's birthday."

Raven groaned.

"What did you say?" her aunt snapped through the door.

"She didn't say anything, you bitch!" Snape growled glaring at the book in Draco's hands. There were a few nods in agreement at that.

"Nothing, nothing…"

Dudley's birthday — how could she have forgotten? Raven got slowly out of bed and started looking for socks. She found a pair under her bed and after pulled a spider off of them, put them on. Raven was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that is where she slept.

"Wait! You slept where?!" Parkinson screamed.

"The book just said, Parkinson… and I'd like not to repeat things from the books right after they are said."

"No, I get that… but do you have any idea what that could do to your figure for an extended amount of time?!" She asked shocked. I sighed.

"Yes, Parkinson, I know. It's called neglect on their part." I said agitatedly.

"Once more I get that… but we all thought you were raised properly. In a nice, safe environment… this, this is definitely not that! I guess I'm just shocked that they would treat someone of high standing this way." Parkinson said shaking with anger and shock.

"Yeah well, what can you expect from a bunch of magic-hating muggles," I said shrugging and turning towards Draco so he could keep reading.

When she was dressed, she went down the hall into the kitchen. The table was almost hidden beneath all Dudley's birthday presents. It looked as though Dudley had gotten the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television

"What!? Second television?" A first-year muggle-born Hufflepuff asked. "This kid is more spoiled than even Draco Malfoy, and that's saying something!" He continued. I smirked over at Draco who was also smirking.

"I'm not going to disagree with that. I do act pretty spoiled, but this is outrageous. I would never ask my parents for a second of anything unless it's needed."

"Oh really… may I remind you of second year, of how you got yourself on the Slytherin Quidditch team?"

"Okay, point taken on that one, but if it makes you feel better, I did try out that year as well, at least I was planning to, but your team had to go and ruin it with already being on the field." He said.

"Oh… I didn't know that one. If I had known that then I would've told Wood to let you have the field until the tryout was done. Sorry, but you have to admit the wording of that letter was off, we couldn't have known that's what you were up to."

"I get it, and I'm sorry for using that word to describe Granger. I know it may not bother you anymore, but…"

"No you're right it won't, however, my mom was one, so don't say it to anyone else, okay?" I asked. He nodded his approval and began to read once more.

and racing bike. Exactly why Dudley wanted a racing bike was a mystery to Raven, as Dudley was very fat and hated exercise unless of course, it involved punching somebody.

There was a load of gasps and growls from a lot of people in the Great Hall. "He better not have done zat to you, my dear, sweet Raven," Fler said. "Or he will be meeting zee business end of my wand." She said pulling out said wand threateningly.

"She's not the only one either, Raven," Bill said glaring at the book. Malfoy looked at the book and gulped.

"In that case… get your wands ready…" He said.

Dudley's favorite punching bag was Raven, but he couldn't often catch her. Raven didn't look it, but she was very fast.

Perhaps it had something to do with living in a dark cupboard, but Raven had always been small and skinny for her age. She looked even smaller and skinnier than she really was because all she had to wear were old clothes of Dudley's, and Dudley was about four times bigger than she was. Raven had a thin face, knobby knees, black hair, and bright green eyes. She luckily didn't have to wear glasses. The only thing Raven liked about her own appearance was a very thin scar on her forehead that was shaped like a bolt of lightning. She had, had it for as long as she could remember, the first question she could ever remember asking her Aunt Petunia was how she had gotten it.

"In a car crash when your parents died," she had said. "And don't ask questions."

"Don't ask questions?! Miss. Potter is that why you're so quiet during classes? You think you're not allowed to ask for help when needed!" Professor Snape asked me. I looked down at the table in front of me. Professor Snape must have taken this as a 'yes'. "Miss. Potter, at this school…we employ our students to ask questions, so that they may further their learning. If you are having difficulty in any of your classes, please go to that teacher or your head of house and ask for help. I knew your parents and they would not want you to waste your education like this by not asking questions when you need help, of any sort, alright." I had begun to cry silently so not trusting my voice I just nodded my head. "Mr. Malfoy, I want you to tutor her in any classes she is having trouble in this year, understood?"

"Yes, Professor Snape, but what of her electives?"

"I'll handle finding a tutor for those, you just focus on her core classes."

"Yes sir," Draco said smiling at me, and once more I mean a true smile, not his usual smirk.

Don't ask questions —that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen as Raven was turning over the bacon.

"Comb your hair!" he barked, by way of a morning greeting.

About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Raven needed a haircut. Raven must have had more haircuts than the rest of the girls in her class put together, but it made no difference, her hair simply grew that way — all over the place.

Remus laughed, "It's the Potter hair, your father had it too." He said as he calmed his laughter.

Raven was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. Dudley looked a lot like Uncle Vernon. He had a large pink face, not much neck, small, watery blue eyes, and thick blonde hair that lay smoothly on his thick, fat head. Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel — Raven often said that Dudley looked like a pig with a wig.

Everyone in the Hall burst into laughter (except some of the Slytherins) at that, even the more serious of the staff members… well all except for those who had been silenced.

Raven put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, which was difficult as there wasn't much room. Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. His face fell.

"By Merlin, this kid really is more spoiled than me, even I don't do that!" Draco said. Everyone looked at him disbelievingly. "I don't. Ask my mum." He said looking up from the book "and wait until you find out just how many this kid got! and his face still fell."

"Well, keep reading then," I said nudging him gently.

"Thirty-six," he said looking up at his mother and father. "That's two less than last year."

"Darling, you haven't counted Aunt Marge's present, see, it's here under this big one from Mummy and Daddy."

"All right, Thirty-seven then," said Dudley, going red in the face. Raven, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down her bacon fast as possible in case Dudley turned the table over.

Aunt Petunia obviously scented danger, too, because she said quickly, "And we'll buy you another two presents while we're out today. How's that, Popkin? Two more presents. Is that alright?"

Dudley thought for a moment. It looked like hard work. Finally, he said slowly, "So, I'll have thirty…thirty…"

"Thirty-nine, sweetums," said Aunt Petunia.

"He'll never learn if they keep giving him the answers like that" A Ravenclaw said shaking their head in disgust.

"Oh." Dudley sat down heavily and grabbed the nearest parcel. "All right then."

Uncle Vernon chuckled.

"Little tyke wants his money's worth, just like his father. 'Atta boy, Dudley!" He ruffled Dudley's hair.

At that moment the telephone rang, and Aunt Petunia went to answer it while Raven and Uncle Vernon watched Dudley unwrap the racing bike, a video game, a remote-control airplane, sixteen new computer games, and a VCR. He was ripping the paper off a gold wristwatch when Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone looking both angry and worried.

"Bad news, Vernon," she said. "Mrs. Figg's broken her leg. She can't take her." She jerked her head in Raven's direction.

Dudley's mouth fell open in horror, but Raven's heart gave a leap. Every year on Dudley's birthday, his parents took him and a friend out for the day, to adventure parks, hamburger restaurants, or the movies. Every year, Raven was left behind with Mrs. Figg, a mad old lady who lived two streets away. Raven hated it there. The whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made her look at photographs of the cats she'd ever owned.

"Now what?" said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Raven as if though she'd planned this. Raven knew she ought to feel sorry that Mrs. Figg had broken her leg, but it wasn't easy when she reminded herself it would be a whole year before she had to look at Tibbles, Snowy, Mr. Paws, and Tufty again.

"We could phone Marge," Uncle Vernon suggested.

"Don't be silly, Vernon, she hates the girl."

The Dursleys often spoke about Raven like this, as though she wasn't there — or rather, as though she was something very nasty that couldn't understand them, like a slug.

There was a resounding of eww's and yucks coming from all of the younger girls, as well as the fashionistas in the Hall.

"What about what's-her-name, your friend — Yvonne?"

"On vacation in Majorca," snapped Aunt Petunia.

"You could leave me here," Raven put in hopefully (she'd be able to watch what she wanted on television for a change and maybe even go on Dudley's computer).

"Yeah, like that's going to happen, Raven," Neville said, shaking his head.

"I know that now, Neville."

Aunt Petunia looked as though she'd just swallowed a lemon.

"And come back and find the house in ruins?" she snarled.

"I won't blow up the house," Said Raven, but they weren't listening.

"I suppose we could take her to the zoo," said Aunt Petunia slowly, "…and leave her in the car…"

"That would have been child abuse anyway." A sixth year Ravenclaw said narrowing his eyes at the book in Draco's hands. Most of the muggle-borns were nodding along with him.

"That car's new, she's not sitting in it alone…"

Dudley began to cry loudly. In fact, he wasn't really crying — it had been years since he'd really cried — but he knew if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would him anything he wanted.

"Dinky Duddydums, don't cry, Mummy won't let her spoil your special day!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

"I…don't…want…her…t-t-to come!" Dudley yelled between huge, pretend sobs. "She always sp-spoils everything!" He shot Raven a nasty grin through the gap in his mother's arms.

Just then the doorbell rang — "Oh, good Lord, they're here!" said Aunt Petunia frantically — and a moment later Dudley's best friend Piers Polkiss, walked in with his mother. Piers was a scrawny boy with a face like a rat.

"Now, who does that remind you of, Raven?" Remus asked me in a whisper, I giggled with a nod.

"No kidding, after 12 years as one, I wasn't all that surprised he looked like that." Draco looked at us questioningly but shrugged it off knowing we'd all find out eventually anyway.

He was usually the one who held people's arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them. Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once.

Half an hour later, Raven, who couldn't believe her luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursley's car with Piers and Dudley, on the way to the zoo for the first time in her life. Her aunt and uncle hadn't been able to think of anything else to do with her, but before they'd left Uncle Vernon had taken Raven aside.

"I'm warning you," he had said, putting his large purple face right up close to Raven's, "I'm warning you now, girl — any funny business, anything at all — and you'll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas."

"Raven, when is your cousin's birthday?" Percy asked so suddenly, I nearly jumped out of my skin, having forgotten he was here.

"June 23rd, I believe," I said once I recovered from the shock. There were a resounding of 'What?' and 'That's child abuse' and Madam Bones was furiously writing in her notebook of all the things the Dursleys had said, threatened, and did to me. Remus was very close to letting Moony out. I gulped. "If it makes you all feel better, I made it here before then, so he didn't actuarially do it for that long," I said nervously.

"That does make us feel tons better, Prongslette," Remus said motioning to Draco to continue, but I saw the Weasley twins look curiously at me to Remus.

"I'm not going to do anything," said Raven, "honestly…"

But Uncle Vernon didn't believe her. No one ever did.

The problem was strange things happened around Raven and it was no good telling the Dursleys she didn't make them happen.

Once, Aunt Petunia, tired of Raven coming back from the hairdresser looking as though she hadn't been at all, had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut her hair so short she looked like a boy. Dudley had laughed himself silly at Raven, who spent a sleepless night imagining school the next day, where she was already laughed at for her baggy boy's clothes. The next morning, however, she had gotten up to find her hair exactly as it had been before Aunt Petunia had sheared it off. She had been given a week in the cupboard for this, even though she had tried to explain that she couldn't explain how it had grown back so quickly.

Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force her into a revolting old sweater of Dudley's (brown with orange puff balls).

There was a resounding of 'gross' or 'eww's from the fashionistas in the room, making me smile.

The harder she tried to pull it over Raven's head, the smaller it seemed to become until finally, it might have fitted a hand puppet, but certainly wouldn't fit Raven. Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash and, to her great relief, Raven wasn't punished.

On the other hand, she'd gotten into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley's gang had been chasing her as usual when, as much to Raven's surprise as anyone else's, there he was sitting on the chimney. The Dursleys had received a very angry letter from Raven's headmistress telling them Raven had been climbing school buildings. But all she tried to do (as she shouted at Uncle Vernon through the locked door of his cupboard) was jump behind the big trash cans outside the kitchen doors. Raven supposed that the wind must have caught her in mid-jump.

After reading that, Draco turned to me. "You do realize now that, that was apperation that you performed at who knows what age, and lived right?"

"Yes, Draco I'm aware of that now, however, be that as it may, it was still a bought of accidental magic so there may be that to take into consideration."

"I say, the fact that you did do that and live means you are a very powerful witch, Raven," Remus said smiling at me. I smiled back at him and nodded. Padfoot nuzzled my hand, I smiled down at him and patted his head.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. It was even worth being with Dudley and Piers to be spending the day somewhere that wasn't school, her cupboard, or Mrs. Figg's cabbage-smelling living room.

While he drove, Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. He liked to complain about things: People at work, Raven, the council, Raven, the bank, and Raven were just a few of his favorite subjects. This morning, it was motorcycles.

Padfoot growled and glared at the book in Draco's hands, making everyone look at him confused, but Remus and I looked down at him as I patted his head trying to soothe him…it worked to an extent.

"…roaring along like maniacs, the young hoodlums," he said, as a motorcycle overtook them.

"I had a dream about a motorcycle," said Raven, remembering suddenly. "It was flying."

Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. He turned right around in his seat and yelled at Raven, his face like a gigantic beet with a mustache: "MOTORCYCLES DON'T FLY!"

Dudley and Piers sniggered.

"I know they don't," said Raven. "It was only a dream."

At that Remus turned to me and winked at me, which I returned with a smile.

But she wished she hadn't said anything. If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than her asking questions, it was her talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn't no matter if it was in a dream or even a cartoon — they seem to think she might get dangerous ideas.

It was a very sunny Saturday, and the zoo was crowded with families. The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice creams at the entrance and then because the smiling lady in the van had asked Raven what she wanted before they could hurry her away, they bought her a cheap lemon pop. It wasn't bad, either, Raven thought, licking it as they watched a gorilla scratching its head who looked remarkably like Dudley, except that it wasn't blond.

At this everyone laughed, including Draco and his Slytherin friends (this time).

Raven had the best morning she'd had in a long time. She was careful to walk a little way apart from the Dursleys so that Dudley and Piers, who were starting to get bored with the animals by lunchtime, wouldn't fall back on their favorite hobby of hitting her. They ate lunch at the zoo restaurant, and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory didn't have enough ice cream on top, Uncle Vernon bought him another one, and Raven was allowed to finish the first.

Raven felt, afterward, that she should have known it was all too good to last.

"Noooooo…!" Fred and George screamed suddenly at the same time. "Her optimism just flew out the window again!" They explained dramatically. We all gave them a 'really? That's what's going on with you two?' look. They seemed to have gotten the message because the next words out of their mouths were simply "Yes, it is."

After lunch, they went to the reptile house. It was cool and dark in there, with lit windows all along the walls. Behind the glass, all sorts of lizards and snakes were crawling and slithering over bits of wood and stone. Dudley and Piers wanted to see huge, poisonous cobras and thick, man-crushing pythons. Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. It could have wrapped its body twice around Uncle Vernon's car and crushed it into a trash can — but at the moment it didn't look to be in the mood. In fact, it was fast asleep.

Dudley stood with his nose pressed against the glass, staring at the glistening brown coils.

"Make it move," he whined at his father. Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn't budge.

"Do it again," Dudley ordered. Uncle Vernon rapped on the glass smartly with his knuckles, but the snake just snoozed on.

"This is boring," Dudley moaned. He shuffled away.

Raven moved in front of the tank and looked intently at the snake. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had died of boredom itself — no company except stupid people drumming their fingers on the glass trying to disturb it all day long. It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, where the only visitor was Aunt Petunia hammering on the door to wake you up; at least she got to visit the rest of the house.

"That is sad Raven, comparing yourself to a snake in a zoo," Charlie said frowning. Those who heard him nodded along with what he had said.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. Slowly, very slowly it raised its head until its eyes were on a level with Raven's.

It winked.

Raven stared. Then she looked quickly around to see if anyone was watching. They weren't. She looked back at the snake and winked too

I smiled at the thought of my first friend, well… animal friend, while everyone around me was either stunned into silence or looking at me concerned. "My first animal friend, I shall never forget thee, even if I never learned thy name," I said smile still firmly playing on my lips. This just earned me weird looks from everyone except for Bill and Charlie.

"Only you, Raven, and Charlie of course," Bill said chuckling. Charlie and I looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"YEP!" The two of us yelled.

"Can I start reading again?" Draco asked still a little freaked out by what I had said.

"Why yes," Fred said smirking.

"Of course." George finished for his twin also smirking.

"Thanks."

The snake jerked its head toward Uncle Vernon and Dudley, then raised its eyes to the ceiling. It gave Raven a look that said quite plainly:

"Get that all the time."

"I know," Raven murmured through the glass, though she wasn't sure the snake could hear her. "It must be annoying."

"You were having a polite conversation with a snake," Bill commented a tad bit shocked. "Did you not think this was strange in the least?" He asked, at that, I shrugged.

"Strange things happened to me all the time, this just happened to be the strangest," I answered. While we talked everyone, who didn't know I was a Parselmouth was freaking out, saying things like… 'Dark witch.' 'How is she not a Slytherin?' Soon, I got annoyed with the comments about me being a dark witch. I took a deep breath, stood up, and screamed… "SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! Especially the ones whispering about me being a dark witch or the next Dark Lady! If you haven't noticed… I'm nothing like Tom Riddle! and for those who don't know who Tom Riddle is, wait until the next book it will all be explained then. Now, let's all just shut up, and continue reading these damned books, so we can get on with our normal lives!" I said breathing heavily. This earned me a few wide-eyed expressions from the younger kids as well as from teachers and adults but smirks from those who knew about what and who I was talking about. I sat back down and curled up against Oliver's chest.

The snake nodded vigorously.

"Where do you come from, anyway?" Raven asked.

The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. Raven peered at it.

Boa Constrictor, Brazil

"Was it nice there?"

The boa constrictor jabbed its tail at the sign again and Raven read on: This specimen was bred in the zoo. "Oh, I see so you've never been to Brazil?"

"That poor creature… how could the muggles allow such a thing?" Hagrid asked close to tears. "I mean an animal's got to have the fresh air ya know?" There were a lot of heads nodding at that statement mostly from the animal lovers in the room. "If I'd been ya, Raven I'd have set 'em all free." He continued.

"As much as I would've liked that, Hagrid… I don't think that would've been safe, some of those snakes are venomous and could've harmed someone."

"I quite agree with you there Miss. Potter." Madam Bones stated.

As the snake shook its head, a deafening shout behind Raven made both of them jump. "DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"

Dudley came waddling toward them as fast as he could.

"Out of the way you," he said, punching Raven in the ribs.

There were two growls from two certain canines at the mention of that.

Caught by surprise, Raven fell hard on the concrete floor. What happened next happened so fast no one saw how it happened — one second, Piers and Dudley were leaning right up close to the glass, the next they had leaped back with howls of horror.

Raven sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor's tank had vanished. The great snake was uncoiling itself rapidly, slithering out onto the floor. People throughout the reptile house screamed and started running for the exits.

As the snake slid swiftly past her, Raven could have sworn a low hissing voice said, "Brazil, here I come…Thanksss, amiga."

The keeper of the reptile house was in shock.

"But the glass," he kept saying, "where did the glass go?"

The zoo director himself made Aunt Petunia a cup of strong, sweet tea while he apologized over and over again. Piers and Dudley could only gibber. As far as Raven had seen, the snake hadn't done anything except snap playfully at their heels as it passed, but by the time they were back in Uncle Vernon's car, Dudley was them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, while Piers was swearing it had tried to squeeze him to death. But worst of all, for Raven at least, was Piers calming down enough to say, Raven was talking to it, weren't you, Raven?"

Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house before starting on Raven. He was so angry he could hardly speak. He managed to say, "Go — cupboard — stay — no meals," before he collapsed into a chair, and Aunt Petunia had run and get him a large brandy.

There were several growls and yells about how outrageous Vernon's punishment was for me for a simple bought of accidental magic from those who both liked and disliked me, all except that is for Umbridge. She seemed to be oddly quiet through all of this. I narrowed my eyes at her trying to figure her out. What was she playing at?

Raven lay in her dark cupboard much later, wishing she had a watch. She didn't know what time it was, and she couldn't be sure the Dursleys were asleep yet. Until they were, she couldn't risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food.

She'd lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, as long as she could remember, ever since she'd been a baby and her parents died in that car crash. She couldn't remember being in the car when her parents had died. Sometimes, when she strained her memory during long hours in her cupboard, she came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on her forehead. this, she supposed, was the crash, though she couldn't imagine where all the green light came from. She couldn't remember her parents at all. Her aunt and uncle never spoke about them, and of course, she was forbidden to ask questions. There were no photographs of them in the house.

When she had been younger, Raven had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take her away, but it had never happened; the Dursleys were her only family. Yet sometimes she thought (or maybe hoped) that the strangers in the street seemed to know her. Very strange strangers they were too. A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once while out shopping with Aunt Petunia and Dudley. After asking Raven furiously if she knew the man, Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed in all green had waved merrily at her once on a bus. A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken her hand in the street the other day and then walked away without a word. The weirdest thing about all these people was the way they seemed to vanish the second Raven tried to get a closer look.

At school, Raven had no one. Everybody knew that Dudley's gang hated that odd Raven Potter in her baggy old, boy's clothes, and nobody liked to disagree with Dudley's gang.

"That is the chapter. Damn, Raven… I hate to say it but, your life… it sucks."

"Gee…thanks Draco," I said with a smirk playing on my lips.

"So, you really didn't know anything about the magical world, how your parents died, or anything really, until first year?" Parkinson asked.

"That would be correct, well more accurately until Professor Flitwick came to get me." It was at this point that the Minister tapped Draco on the shoulder.

"I would like to go next, if you don't mind, Heir Malfoy?"

"Of course, Minister," Draco said, handing the book off to Minister Fudge.