Something strange

I've always liked Christmas day. It was not the presents. I was a Malfoy. Malfoy's always got what they wanted. Galleons were plentiful. It was my mum. Mother wouldn't stop humming music and father would try keep looking sour, but always failed, ending up slightly drunk and endlessly twirling my mother around the room. Christmas was different from other holidays. There was no Ball. It was just father, mother, Severus and me. Of course, a day later we'd have a fancy dinner with the Parkinson's, Goyle's and Crabbe's and following that there would be a Ball to which every important wizard of magical Britain would come.

Now this Christmas I was at Hogwarts. Normally at Christmas I would sleep in, waking up to my mother singing or trying to get my father on board of some strange spur-of-the-moment thing. Like the time she told him she had cold feet and wanted to go to a hot spring in Iceland. It smelled of bad eggs, but it had a beauty that could not be ignored. Of course, at Hogwarts I had no chance of sleeping in. Greg and Blaise would loudly wake the rest of us up, Vin, Theodore and me. Time for presents, apparently.

From father I got a book on wizarding lineages, which I immediately threw in the corner. Could it be any more boring? Mother send me cookies Dobby had made. I threw those away too. Dobby was the strangest house elf you could imagine. It did not like to serve our family. Dobby was no fan of 'the little Malfoy heir', as it liked to call me. Truth told, I was not that nice either, but father was very clear about his feelings towards house elf. The cookies would probably not be that good, but I will tell mother that the cookies were nice either way. Even if I hated Dobby, the thing probably didn't deserve to bang its head. Snape however got me a book on astronomy. I carefully laid it on my bed. I got candy from most of my dorm mates. Pansy got me a quidditch poster of Krum. Blaise actually got me some hair product. I scoffed, then noticed Vin looking confused at the elegant notebook I got him.

"Not that big of a writer, Vin?" I asked laughingly. He grunted in response. "That girl you have been ogling this year is writing in the same dirty book all year, must get full sometimes, huh? It looks a lot more elegant, plus it automatically gets extra pages when its almost full."

Vin blushed, then quickly looked to the floor. "Thanks, Draco."

"Don't mention it." I quipped happily.

Greg also seemed happy with his present. "Fairy eggs and wood lice, thanks mate!"

I smiled. "Would not want to see my friend bitten again by a bow truckle."

To Blaise I gave a silver-green hair comb and to Theodore a book on potions used in magical medicine. They seemed pleased as well, but to be honest, only Pansy was difficult to buy presents for. Ginny I got some broom polishing kit, so if she'd get on the team next year, she could take good care of her broom. Millicent I got some gobble stones and Daphne I got some jewellery my mother picked out.

When I walked down the stairs, Pansy half tackled me in a hug. Nailed it, I thought. We skipped breakfast together, mostly eating sweets I got, looking at pictures I had put in a photo album as a present for Pansy. The rest of the day we mostly spend in the common room, talking, playing chess and reading together.

That night the feast is exquisite. I tap Vin on his shoulder. "Certain red-head liked the book?"

Vin looked happy, sitting next to that certain red-head, that albeit still a bit pale and nervous, seemed to actually really enjoy herself in a long time. "Loved it, thanks, look at how happy she is." Vin then quickly started talking to Ginny, who seemed almost quite comfortable.

Greg actually succeeded in befriending the bow truckle. He even had given the still slightly aggressive creature a name: Kevin. But according to Greg, Kevin was just a little nervous and really quite sweet when you spend a little more time with the little guy. Really, I was happy for Greg, but animals and me were just an awful combination and felt relieved that he was not sitting next to me. I even was bitten by a duck once. I was six and it hurt. So much for feeding it pieces of bread. Then in anger I turned the duck pink, which I thought was not a very flattering colour for a duck. Still the feast was great. I stuffed myself with sweets. It was great. Then things got weird.

I was back in the common room. In the Daily prophet was some good news: Weaselby's dad was fined for hexing a muggle car to fly. Father would be pleased. Pansy was engaged with Daphne in some sort of girl talk. Greg and Vin were nowhere to be seen. It did not make sense. Ginny was actually in the common room talking with Astoria about some assignment for transfigurations and the slightly aggressive bow truckle seemed to expect me to follow him.

I felt crazy taking orders of Kevin. I then found Greg and Vin near the girls bathroom, regarding the Gryffindor prefect warily. "Greg, Vin, I have been looking all around the grounds for you, are you guys coming?" Kevin seemed less than pleased with Greg being here, and Greg looked a bit warily and confused at the bow truckle in my hand and not keen at al to coo at it as he'd earlier done. Kevin seemed quite sure that we should go to the great hall, not sure if I wanted to get the little guy even angrier I spurred the guys along. "What's up with Kevin, Greg?" Greg mostly looked confused and grunted.

Vin then started asking me about the chamber of secrets and the heir of Slytherin. What is going on? "You know I have no idea who it is. My father could only tell me that it has been opened once before and that a mudblood was killed." I barely got any response. What got into those two? I wanted to say something rude, maybe then they'd be a bit less annoying. "I hope this year it's Granger." Greg actually looked at me like he'd want to attack me for a second and Vin looked merely annoyed. Seriously? No, you are not your father. Or, don't be like that, you actually would not want to see anyone hurt.

I felt a bit annoyed. Great, now I have got an angry bow truckle which is yours, Greg, and your barely helpful or caring about what seemed to be earlier your new best friend. And even worse, you both seemed to have completely forgotten how decent I am. I even thanked Granger.

Still, it got worse. "Well, brother, seems we have found some slimy Slytherins. What should we do about them, George?" Fred easily disarmed me, before I had time to defend me. The bow truckle jumps of my hand and quickly hides in the cupboard.

George looked nastily at me. "Well, dear brother of mine, it seems we might need to teach these extraordinarily nasty three Slytherin students a lesson of not messing with our dear sister."

George then disarms Greg and Vin, who seem to be momentarily stunned.

The twins look at each other, then simply fire some curse, which result in painful pink pimples on our skin. Then look a bit contemplating at each other. "Just don't mess with our sister again, our you'll find those pimples all over your body and not just your face," Fred threatens.

I wince. George face actually softens. The twins then hesitantly walk away. Letting our wands clatter on the ground loudly before disappearing into the hall.

I am going to kill Ginny.

Then the bow truckle reappears and again tries to get me to follow him closer to the great hall. Greg then interrupts. "I uhh have to go.. loo."

Vin looks as uncomfortable as Greg. "Me too." Then both of them run away.

Weird.

Then I follow the bow truckles wishes. It does not want me to go into the great hall, but instead is pointing furiously at a closet that is near the great hall. I open the doors. There lie a sleeping Vin and Greg.

Well if it were Potter, he will not get away with it. I am going to get Severus. Now.