Summer

When we arrived at the platform mother was there to greet us. She warmly embraced me and Pansy. "Pansy dear, your parents are a few days abroad for business for the ministry. They'll join us later in Portugal. Draco, honey, your father agreed there were some things he needed to attend to this summer. I'm sure you will see him later, sometime this summer, okay Draco? Unfortunately he'll not be able to join us in Portugal, Severus will though, a few days at least."

I only notice that she does not seem very sorry that father is not joining us.

She then gently grabs our shoulders and apparates us to Portugal. The weeks in Portugal pass by quickly. The sun feels hot on my skin, but there always seems to be a cooling breeze. The first few days are quiet.

Mother is very happy to have us home, or at least to have us close to her and is trying to squeeze as much stories about our time at Hogwarts as possible.

Pansy is happily chattering away about Greg's bow truckle. ".. and ever since Draco gave Greg those horrible wood lice and a few fairy eggs, that bow truckle has taken to ordering Slytherins around in the common room. Draco actually listens to that thing."

My mother gives me an appalled look. "Since when do you like anything other than a puffskein or an owl?"

Pansy snorts. I pull an affronted face. "I cannot help it magical creatures do not like me," I say. Pansy snorts a bit too loud, which annoys me. "Besides, the little guy is called Kevin and he is been very loyal to Greg. Plus I would not want to get on its bad side." Pansy looks at me as if she thinks I just said something ridiculous.

Mother laughs. "Surely you can handle a mere bow truckle?"

"Kevin is quite hot-headed," I say defensively, "He is a biter, when he gets mad."

Pansy gave me a look. "Just fling the thing around the room."

"He is tiny," I object.

Pansy gave me the look again. "Since when are you such a magical creature lover?"

I sigh. "I am not, Greg is. I can not just fling it's pet around the common room. And it is loyal to Greg."

Pansy looks exasperated at me. "It just wants some more fairy eggs."

"No, it.." Geez, I never told her. We had been occupied by the attacks and choosing our next year's electives. "Harry and Weasley had used some polyjuice potion to see if I knew who was the heir of Slytherin, of course, at that time I had no idea," I snort. "I have never seen Greg and Vin act so weird and idiotic." Softly I mutter, "Dunderheads." I laugh, looking back at it, I did not feel angry anymore, no, really, it was quite funny. "They put a sleeping Vin and Greg in some cupboard and little Kevin was furiously drilling me toward them. Even recognised that polyjuiced Potter and Weasley were not Vin and Greg. I think he bit Weasley quite bad." I snort. How utterly ungraceful. "Kevin's not so bad."

Mother smiles fondly at me. "Still, you not are not taking care of magical creatures?"

I give them both a look of how utterly ridiculous that would be. "Of course not," I say, "I will take the only two decent electives: arithmancy and study of ancient runes."

Mother looks proud. She always does, but now more like peacock-proud. "That is my little book-smart boy," she then adds, "Severus has said that he will join us in a few days. He is also very proud. He would have been very upset if your talent would go to waste on something like divination or care of magical creatures. It's a good thing Lucius sometimes listens to others, he just seems to get the most distasteful ideas. And he can get so hot-headed about it, like he is some idiotic Gryffindor." She looks like she just smelled something horrible. "Let's not talk about him, for now." She then looks very determined. "Oh look at that," she then changes the subject, "Pansy, dear, that dress would look wonderful on you dear. Don't you think so, Draco?"

I look from Pansy, who is fluttering her eyes at me a bit, seriously does she have something in her eye, to a petite, elegant-looking dress. "I guess so," I shrug.

My mother looks pointedly at me. "Well, Pansy dear, the boy you will wear that dress for, will be an extremely lucky boy."