I looked on in sheer fascination at the little creature that was known simply for his bravery. Some may view Dobby to have been selfish in his desires and methods, but can you really fault him? All he truly wanted was to walk free amongst the rest of us and not be shunned for it. He had the right to stand up for what he believed in…even if that was to eventually go against the very family that I now am a part of.

I watched on as the little elf cleaned the floor with a mop. I asked myself, why would a house elf not use their magic when attending to their duties, then I realized that it was probably some punishment my father placed on little Dobby here for not doing something or failing at his duties, or simply because my father would like someone to kneel and get dirty while he stands tall. I shrugged and was about to speak up, but when I moved forward the floor groaned for but a second and the sound signalled the house elf towards my presence.

Dobby quickly turned around and gasped when his eyes came upon my youthful form, the momentary surprise was apparently too much for the elf and he dropped his cleaning utensil towards the ground. For about a few moments there was an echoed silence followed by the occasional clacking sounds the grounded mop provided. His eyes widened like saucers and he backed up slowly towards the wall behind him.

I followed slowly in pursuit. I decided that he might've gotten frightened at my sudden appearance, so I might've had to calm him down. I stopped my steps and attempted to look as unintimidating as possible. "Hello there. I'm sorry to have given you a little jump there, but who are you? If you don't mind me asking that is." I asked softly.

He started sputtering incoherently. Finally something coherent passed his lips. "You-you shouldn't have come here…I should not have been seen. Master…oh dear, why is Dobby so stupid?!" Dobby said frantically while turning his head rapidly. His eyes roamed the surrounding area, possibly to ensure he was not seen by another. I could see little tremors resonating throughout his little form.

'Why is he so worried?' I thought to myself. Was Dobby's existence to have been kept a secret or something? My eyes glazed over the little elf and noticed that Dobby was sweating profusely. I could see little red bumps on his sickly skin and the source seemed to have been his very own nails, scratching himself in a way to release some inner tension.

I decided to figure out why Dobby was so worried. I cleared my throat which caught his attention. "Look, I do not know why you are so worried? If you are afraid that I'm going to hurt you, let me assure you that I will not hurt you." I said calmly, gazing intensely at Dobby.

He opened and closed his mouth a few times as if he was in doubt, but he soon settled for conversation. "Dobby must not have been seen…young master should not have seen Dobby." He let out worriedly.

I narrowed my eyes. "Why? Why must I have not seen you Dobby? What is the purpose in hiding your presence from a mere child? Dobby, who gave these orders to you?" I asked him slowly.

His eyes widened incredulously. He obviously thought he let out something he should not have. "Dobby…no…why must Dobby say such stupid things." He sputtered out. He began to slap himself, but the hand he launched never reached its destination. He opened his eyes in disbelief when the expected pain never came and saw his own limp being grasped by my own.

"Listen Dobby, I told you I wouldn't hurt you, thankfully for you that also means ensuring that no harm is inflicted on your person while I stand guard. That also means protecting you from yourself." I informed him seriously.

I let go of his appendage and watched him carefully. He rubbed his arm as if to sooth it of its aches. His eyes were downcast. I decided to speak up once again. I approached his small form and placed an arm on his shoulder and when he lifted his head, I greeted his face with a warm expression. "Listen Dobby, I know you may not wish to speak of whatever you are concealing from me, but I must know the truth." I told him.

He hesitated, but let some information slip from him. "Dobby can't young master, Dobby just cannot betray the orders of his master." He said while looking sullen.

I looked at him concerned. "Dobby answer me this, is it my father that is the master you speak of?" I asked and he widened his eyes. "I have met all of my mother's elves and they had no issue meeting with me. The only possible explanation would be that you are in the service of my father." I pointed out.

He looked incredulous for a moment. "Dobby carries the shame of master's family, he cannot be seen by such innocence." He said sadly.

I looked at him. "Dobby, listen to me, you may be compelled to withhold certain secrets from outsiders, but know this, I am a member of the family that you serve…at least in name if not in your heart, so you shall treat me as such. Now reveal to me which you keep closely guarded." I said clearly.

His shoulders slumped, a sign that I had been victorious in my argument. "Dobby is the personal slave of young master's father. Dobby is responsible for sick things that should not be revealed. Dobby's only reward for following his master's nefarious plots is humiliation. Dobby is to do what he is told and nothing more. Once the task at hand is complete, Dobby should disappear for no one should gaze at such a wretched creature." He said shakily.

I stood in disbelief. I knew my father was not necessarily a good man. Although he was not necessarily a bad man either. He was a Slytherin through and through. I always had a feeling that Lucius joined the death eaters simply because it was convenient and because it would help stabilize his position of power. Lucius simply wants to be on what he views as the winning side. As soon as Voldemort 'died', he immediately switched sides like a snake. I knew he was not that nice of a man to other people and especially to other species, but for the life of me, I just could not put it in me to hate the very man that raised me. He helped me every time I asked for help and stood by me every step of the way. He never pushed any of his bias or hatred onto me, not even once. He never raised a finger against me, hell he did not even raise his voice at me once. I just could not help, but feel compelled to develop feelings of compassion and love for my father. A sniff broke my thoughts.

My eyes travelled and met Dobby's own. He was crying. I could see that he was trying to hold his pain inside, but as he let a little out, the rest seemed to pour out of him like a flood. "Dobby, it'll be alright." I said compassionately.

"How? Dobby's *hic* sorry that Dobby *hic* asked that of you. But *hic* how can Dobby be ok." He let out.

I stared at him for a few moments and brought myself close to him. "Shhhh it'll be ok, I promise." I said soothingly while rubbing his shoulders.

After a few moments he calmed down and we both stood up. "Dobby is sorry for unleashing his misery upon you young master, it was not Dobby's intention." He said worriedly.

I waved his concern away. "Bah it is no problem Dobby. Listen I will keep your secret, but know this Dobby, you cannot be alone in this world. It is a cruel thing to be left without some kind of companion and positive contact. I offer you this Dobby, be my friend and I shall help you in your endeavours and those to come."

Dobby looked thunderstruck. "What…young master can't, should not associate with a lowly being like Dobby." He let out aghast.

I stared at him intensely. "Look Dobby I do not look down on any race as if they were lesser than my own, I would not look down upon you for your heritage. I promise to only judge you based upon your actions." I said brokering no argument.

His eyes raced around the room, then looked back at me. "But…but what about master, surely he would contest to such companionship between his son and slave. Also, Dobby's actions have not been entirely pure."

I met his eyes directly. "As I said, it doesn't matter what my father says about a sort of friendship between us Dobby, but for your sake I will make sure he does not know that we have met and would continue to meet. As for your past mistakes, forget about them, unless you have done something nefarious on your own accord or have placed my family in some sort of danger, I will hear none of it." I let out.

He looked at me in shock and soon his eyes began to water as if onions were placed beneath him. "Such kindness young master, Dobby does not deserve such a thing." He cried out.

I smiled at him. "No Dobby, I know you are a good person at heart." I told him. "Look, I need to get going now and you'll need to get back to fulfilling your duties before my father catches wind of this momentary lapse in your work ethic." I said.

I nodded at him and began to clear from the hallway. "…Goodbye kind master…" Dobby let out softly.

I looked back for but a moment. "Goodbye…friend." I told him and continued to walk forward as I heard distant sniveling in the background.

I walked and did not stop till I was safely in the confines of my own chamber. I treaded across the room and decided to rest my weary body on the comfy, cushiony contraption known to me as a bed. As my head landed on pillows, easing physical tension, internal mental tension still remained. I ran my fingers through my hair and decided to digest all the information that was dumped upon me like an icy bucket of water.

I sighed deeply. "Where do I begin?" I asked myself. "The part where my father might be abusive towards his subjects, or the part that I somehow forgot about trying to find Dobby. I mean when I first figured out that I was Draco, he did momentarily cross my mind, but his significance was much more implanted into the future than at that moment. I did try to look for him when I met my mother's servants, but he was not among them. I had assumed that maybe he would've gotten hired later on and replace one of my mother's elves, but I guess it kind of makes sense in a way that he was always here. My father probably uses Dobby for political purposes such as spying on his fellow Wizengamot members to dig up blackmail so they would support the policies that he implements. Dobby probably has no doubt been part of some more nefarious plots as well, but I think my father has probably distanced himself from the more evil aspects in life. It makes sense why he would want nobody to realize that Dobby exists and the reason is that he wouldn't anyone to connect Dobby to him because if they did he would most likely be indicted." I analyzed.

I shook my head in resignation. I looked at my window and noticed that night was fast approaching. I walked over towards the large wall sized window that dominated the majority of my room and decided to take in the peaceful rays of moonlight. Whenever I looked at the moonlight I felt oddly calm. After a few moments, I decided to disrobe and prepare to meet with the sandman. As I slipped out of my robes, something fell out of one of my pockets. In my peripheral vision, I could make out a small weightless object floating towards the ground. I did not remember placing anything in my robe, so the action was quite a surprise to me.

I bent my knees towards the ground to give me a better magnification of the item. It was a strange leaf. It was very odd for a leaf to have been amongst me simply because I did not go outside my house for three days now, as I was studying magic. I could only remember one moment of foreign contact that was recent. 'Dobby.' I thought. He must've dropped it into my pocket accidently when I was consoling him. I cannot return this leaf to him now, but I can after a few days. I guess I can keep it on me as I sleep, so I remember about the leaf.

I made my decision and soon made my way towards the vehicle that would transport me to the sleepy plane. I laid in the bed with the leaf over my chest and let the sandman take me for the night. That night I dreamt of something that reoccurred in most of my dreams, fire. For years now I would always dream of fire burning a grassy meadow and it would always end before I could see anything more. When the first dream happened I was confused, but when it kept on replaying constantly, I became worried. What did the dream mean? Was it a vision of something to come? These were questions I had asked myself time and again. This very night however, something more happened. Instead of a black oval cracking, the inferno did not stop and soon came upon a tree in the distance. The vortex engulfed the wood and it burst into flames. I was shot out when the first barrage of screams were heard from the tree.

I shot up in a gasp. My breathing was ragged and my body was caked in sweat. This dream seemed to be stronger than all the rest. Never once have I been booted from my slumber from the vision. Something was different, but I could not place my finger on it. I walked over towards my cupboard and grabbed a flask within. The concoction was given to me by my mother when she first heard of my dreams, it granted you a sleep without any visions. I had yet to use it, but seeing my hands tremoring slightly while grasping the bottle solidified my resolve and I downed the potion. I was granted a shadowy slumber.

I awoke to the glittering rays of sunlight. I thanked the potion silently for its effectiveness. I decided to ponder the meaning of the dream later on, as very soon it was to be my eight birthday, a day which would herald a significant change in my magical education. After my birthday I would receive my very own wand and truly begin my journey in the mystic arts.

Before I left, I noticed a green leaf on my bed. For a moment I was confused, then soon after I realized that I would need to return the leaf to its owner. It was doubtful that I would come across the house elf today, but I would rather be prepared if I did face him today. I slipped the leaf into my pocket and made my way to the breakfast hall.

I was soon greeted by the warm smiles of my parents. "It's almost time Draco, I can only imagine how excited you must be." My mom said excitedly.

My father took a sip of his tea. "Hush dear, he'll probably stay up all week if you keep reminding him of the special day to come." My father told her while smirking.

A smiled graced my features. "Ah you are right guys, I can hardly sleep as it is." I let out a half truth. I wouldn't worry my parents from having a nightmare, how childish would that be? "I still can't believe the day that I, Draco Malfoy, shall wield a wand has almost arrived. Just imagine how much more I can do with a wand." I said with starry expression in my eyes.

"Yes…how much more you can do." Anna drawled out. I looked over to her and smirked. Ever since I've stopped my constant assault on her sanity, she has grown much too bold. Perhaps a prank or two will liven her up a bit. 'Hmm perhaps her toothbrush shall fly away from her this time, just imagine how funny a cranky Anna running after a toothbrush when she has yet to finish her morning ritual would be.' I thought which caused my smirk to deepen. This only served to make Anna more suspicious. "What are you up to?" She asked while narrowing her eyes.

I began to chuckle. "Nothing really Anna, all good things happen to those who wait for them." I told her mysteriously.

She eyed me warily. "I've got my eye on you young Draco, so do not try anything funny." She declared.

I looked over to my parents and they looked amused. They would sometimes give me tips on how to use politics in everyday life and really approved of the constant spats between Anna and I. They called it training for the future, as it is better to know how to debate and have fun doing it while you are still young.

After breaking my fast with my family, I headed towards my study to once again begin my training. As I sat down on the desk, the torches beside the table lit themselves. It was a neat enchantment that served me well. After half an hour, a crack was heard in the room. The sudden noise caused me to unbalance myself and I crashed into the torch beside me.

I quickly freed myself and rolled away from the grounded flame, but as I kicked away, my hand touched the fire directly, or so it seemed to me. For a moment I was in denial, the expected sting of a burn never came. I turned my hand over and gazed at my palm. It was free of any scorch marks or any blemishes. That was extremely odd to me as I had sworn I had seen my hand come into contact with the flames. I guess maybe I was lucky enough to evade the flames somehow. I had no more time to ponder on what had just happened as the source of the original noise spoke.

"Dobby is so stupid! Why must everything Dobby does end in misfortune." Dobby cried out while smacking his head against the wall.

So it was Dobby that made the noise. I guess that crack was him apparating into the study. I studied him closely and realized he had probably come to test if I really meant what I declared to him earlier. "Dobby it's alright. You can stop hitting yourself now, it wasn't really your fault that I knocked the torch to the ground and stumbled after it." I said and he ceased his self-assault. I showed him my arms and palms. "See there is no burn that mars my skin. Since there is no injury, there is no point in punishing yourself over an accident that was not detrimental to the victim." I told him seriously.

Dobby looked on in quiet. I decided to change the topic before everyone got more uncomfortable. "So Dobby, what brings you here to me today?" I asked of him.

He stumbled a little bit when I spoke up, like he was forgot his original purpose in confronting me. "Ah…well you know, young master did tell Dobby that he should interact with other people…so Dobby thought." He said quietly.

I smiled. "Yes Dobby you were correct. I did tell you that you could meet with me, although for your safety, next time maybe wait until the night and even then be careful in meeting me, for we need to keep this contact a secret. Perhaps when you are done your duties for the night you can meet me in my chamber and we can just talk about life, magic or anything really." I told him.

He looked sheepish. "…Yes Dobby shall keep that in mind sir." He said while blushing slightly in embarrassment.

I looked at him. "Also, you don't have to address me as sir or master, Draco will do just fine, thank you very much." I told him seriously.

He looked scandalous. "Certainly not master! Dobby wouldn't dream of addressing his betters as anything else." He cried out aghast.

I sighed and rubbed my temples. Clearly this was an argument for another time. "Alright Dobby as you wish, but let us get to the topic at hand here, did you need something?" I asked.

He greeted me with a curious expression and suddenly I remembered that I had something I needed to give to Dobby. "Hey Dobby." I said while pulling out the leaf from my pocket. "Is this leaf yours by any chance? I mean from what I remember I could only have gotten it from you." I asked.

I passed the leaf over to Dobby and he began examining the leaf before him. I got impatient as the minutes passed by. "Well?" I asked.

He stared at me. "…The leaf does not belong to Dobby. I cannot say where young master has received such a valuable gift from." He informed me.

"Wait, what? Dobby what are you talking about being valuable. That is just a leaf, I mean it is pretty weird, but it still is a leaf after all." I asked incredulously.

He was silent for a few moments, but then decided to speak his mind. "This is no ordinary leaf young master, you as a wizard in training should be aware of that." He admonished. "This here is a very special leaf of a very rare plant indeed." He said.

I looked confused and stared at the leaf. "Is it really? Is it magical in some way Dobby and for the love of all things good in this world, please tell me what it actually is." I asked fascinated.

He granted me a toothy smile. "It is magical in nature and a treasure to some. Dobby does not know how young master came across such an incredible thing, but in your hands you hold the leaf of a mandrake plant." He revealed.

I stood back shocked. "What? Are you serious?" I asked while gazing intently at the leaf held in my grasp.

He smiled. "It is. Dobby is sure of it, Dobby remembers many things in his life and the mandrake plant is one thing Dobby will never forget." He said and I winced when I remembered how annoying mandrake plants could be.

I stared at the leaf and subconsciously held it closer to myself. I heard someone clearing their throat. "Well young master, Dobby can only say that you were extremely fortunate in finding that leaf, Dobby can only tell you a few wise words…guard that leaf like a treasure because it was probably no coincidence in you coming to possess it." He said

I opened my mouth agape. "Dobby…I." I soon was soon cut off by sounds outside the room.

Dobby frowned. "Keep it safe, we shall meet again soon young master. Goodbye." He said and apparated away just in time as the door flung open.

"Ah Draco what are you still doing in here? You should be helping your mother prepare for your birthday." My father said.

I quickly stood up and slid the leaf into my pocket. "For sure father. I will be out in just a second." I said.

He looked at me oddly and nodded. "Alright son, hopefully the party will actually be fun this time around." He joked and left.

When the door closed I sighed. "This week just keeps on getting weirder by the second." I said and soon rushed out the door.

The day soon passed and the party soon came. I was currently dressed in the finest acromantula silk robes that I owned and as I was walking towards the ballroom, I sighed at the possible amount of guests that would undoubtedly be thrown at me this year. When you were the future head of one of the oldest and most powerful family, people tend to try to worm their way into your circle.

I touched the door knob and sighed one last time. I pushed it open and was awarded with music and people dancing. Even though this was a children's birthday, most of the guests here were adults and they seemed to dance around my father like monkeys at a circus. I shook my head in resignation and decided to go towards the punch.

As I poured myself a drink, I noticed a few presences nearing me. I looked out of the corner of my eyes and when I saw who decided to grace me with their presence, I sighed deeply. "Hello there sir. Care for a second glass of punch, I can pour it for you if you want." Crabbe chattered.

I rubbed my temples, this was going to be a long night. "Listen Crabbe…oh to hell with it! Vincent how many times do I have to tell you not to call me sir, for Merlin's sake, we're the same age." I said with just a little too much passion.

He stood agape. Goyle looked outright scandalous. "Don't Crabbe, it's a trick!" The creature known only as Goyle shouted. When I gave him a glare he became sheepish. "I-I mean…I think my father said something about tests and all that. Right?" He said like he uncovered some big mystery.

I smiled at him. "You're right Goyle, you're a bloody genius." I told him.

He blinked rapidly and looked at Crabbe for a moment, then back at me. He straightened up and looked oddly smug. "Really now? I'm not surprised, father always did tell me that I was the brains of the family." He stated proudly.

I looked at him in mild disgust. I can only imagine how challenged the rest of his family may be if he is the 'brains' of his family.

He faltered when he met my glare. "No you idiot. Why would you think that an eight year old would play some elaborate game of politics with other eight year olds? Listen Gregory…" I said while looking at Goyle. I turned my head and faced Crabbe as well. "And you too Crabbe. The both of you do not have to and should not have to play as your parents puppets in order to gain my affection. If you want to be my companions or friends, you should do it of your own accord." I told them seriously.

They both started sputtering incoherently. "No sir, I mean mister Malfoy sir, we did not mean any harm…" Crabbe said worriedly.

"We would die for the chance to be your friends. We would travel across the seven hells to even spend a second with you. I would lick your spit off the ground…" Goyle groveled.

I held up a hand to put a stop his ridiculous claims. "Alright, that is enough." I sighed deeply and took a deep sip of my beverage. When it lacked a certain kick that I was familiar to in a past life, I sighed even further. "Would it kill these guys to serve something a little stronger? Even butterbeer would suffice at this point." I said to no one in particular.

"Well said." A deep voice said behind me.

We all turned around as the sudden voice startled all of us. The owner of the voice was a young man. He had silky black hair and smooth white skin. He looked really young except for his eyes, they looked like they had seen hell itself. He also had a big, hooked nose, but for some reason it just seemed to fit his face, like it belonged. All in all, the man before me was a pretty decent looking fellow.

"The selection of beverages available to the attendees of this celebration is awfully dull." The man drawled out.

When we all stood confused he continued. "Have you lot become too enamored with my form to have actually retained the ability to move the muscles in your mouth to produce a modicum of intelligent communication?" He asked sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

Crabbe and Goyle starting speaking incoherently. "What…I-I mean…what?" Crabbe said incredulously.

The man stepped forward and grabbed Crabbe's glass. He brought it up his face and instead of drinking it, he instead smelled the liquid. "…What are you doing?" Crabbe questioned the man.

He placed the glass on the table and granted Crabbe a narrowed look. "I was simply checking to see if your glass in particular was contaminated with a concoction that was much stronger than simple juice. I was checking to see if your drink contained anything extra that would take away one's mental acuities from them." He let out and Crabbe faltered under his stare. "Now to my great surprise," he said sarcastically, "I found nothing that suggests that your drink was altered in any such way. I have proved my earlier hypothesis in declaring that you are a person of feeble mind." He let out sharply.

Crabbe and Goyle yelped. "Now you two fools run along." He shooed them away.

As I watched the two stooges run away, I was slightly amused, even though I did not know the man who admonished my so called minions. "That was quite comical." I said after a few moments.

He raised a brow. "You would laugh at some injustice being played in front of you by some dark shadowy figure?" He asked sarcastically. "I had thought you would go rushing after those two dunces like a knight in shining armour."

I rolled my eyes and he started to chuckle. "Ah it looks like you two have already met." My father suddenly said. I looked over at him confused, was this another one of his friends that he wanted to introduce me to? "I see you've met young Draco here, Severus." He revealed.

I was thunderstruck. This was Snape? I mean technically Snape was supposed to be around thirty when the story started, so it would make sense that he looked so young. I would imagine that he was around twenty-eight or so right now.

"Yes clearly I have made such an impression on the boy that he is lost for words." Snape said amused.

I stood agape. My father chuckled at my current state. "Well Draco I would like you to meet your godfather. You guys have actually met before, but it was when you were but an infant. Today is the day we decided to officially introduce both of you to one another."

"What?" I questioned.

They burst into laughter. "I mean we did spring this upon the lad so suddenly, it is only natural for him to feel a bit confused. Ah well Draco enjoy the festivities, Severus and I shall not take up any more of your time." My father said.

Snape passed me a book. "Here. That is your gift from me, I had heard from your father that you craved knowledge above all else, inside that book contains notes of various advanced recipes and concoctions that I have created or improved during my mastery of potions. Hopefully it'll serve you well." He said seriously and smiled when my eyes widened at the treasure.

"Thank you." I let out.

He started chuckling and moved on with my father. I sighed, maybe this night wasn't so bad after all. I heard a bump from the table behind me.

"…Is he gone?" Crabbe asked quietly from underneath the table.

I sighed deeply and started to rub my temples once again. This was going to be a long night.

The next day was an exciting one. Despite the rather long night I experienced the day before, today was the day when I would finally receive my Excalibur, my very own wand. I rushed my parents out of the manor and soon enough my mother, father and Anna were all walking with me down Diagon Alley.

"I cannot believe the day has finally come." I said excitedly.

Anna rubbed her temples. "Yes, I also find it hard to believe that the day that you would get even bolder would arrive." Anna sighed deeply.

I ignored her. I skipped ahead to the shop where I would be able to purchase a wand. My parents laughed at my childish joy and hurried along after me. We soon reached Ollivanders and we settled outside the shop for a second.

My father cleared his throat. "Alright you three go on in then, I have some business to attend to at Gringotts, something about a certain investment opportunity." My father revealed.

My mother frowned at him, but nodded her head. "Alright we shall meet up with you at the bank later on." She said.

I could not wait any further and burst right into the building with peeling golden letters. My mother and Anna quickly followed suit. My eyes came upon various messy boxes scattered across the room. The room looked devoid of any life, at least any lifeforms that appreciated cleanliness. A sudden creak was heard and my attention shifted towards its location.

"Ah hello there young child. Now who are you? No wait a moment, ebony fourteen inches with a hair of unicorn." He said while looking at my mother. "Ah yes Narcissa Black, I mean Narcissa Malfoy, I apologize for the momentary lapse, when I recall people it is always how they were when they first purchased their wands." He explained and then stared at me. "Which means that you are the Malfoy heir, Draco right?" He asked.

I looked weirdly at him. "…Yes…" I said slowly.

He started laughing. "Ha, ha, you no doubt must think I've gone mad. Do not worry lad I just possess an eccentric personality."

I looked back at my mom and I could see that she was rubbing her face. She signaled to me that he was just annoying and not completely mad. I looked back at the wandmaker and decided to get this over with, at least for my own sanity.

"So…sir, I have come here today to be able to purchase a wand. May I browse your current stock?" I asked.

He grinned at me. "Certainly!" He shouted with enthusiasm. He ran into the back and fetched tons of boxes. The rest he levitated using his wand. He waved his wand and started analyzing me. Tapes and measures appeared and measured me. "Ah why don't we try this, thirteen inches, oak with a dragon heartstring and rigid."

He passed me the wand and mud launched out of it coating Ollivander with the slimy disgusting sludge. I burst into laughter, I stopped when I saw his thinned lips. "Ok maybe not that one…" He stated and snatched the wand before cleaning himself with a spell.

I smirked. "I don't know, I kind of liked that one." I said with some cheek.

He glared at me and handed me the next one. "Try this wise guy, twelve inches, ash with unicorn hair and surprisingly swishy." He said.

I grasped the wand and before I waved it, Ollivander jumped out of the way. I chuckled and gave it a wave. Nothing happened, but a small airy noise was heard. "Perhaps that wand will serve you well." He joked and passed me another wand.

My cheeks reddened slightly at his jape. I quickly took a hold of the other wand. This process continued for over an hour, sometimes I would break something in the shop and the other times the wands would simply do nothing. At the end of it Ollivander was quite restless.

He breathed deeply. "I have dealt with difficult customers before, but this just takes the cake." Ollivander let out in frustration.

I sighed in resignation. "Are there any more wands?" I asked.

He sighed and got up. "Yes there is one last wand, here, ten inches, hawthorn with unicorn hair and straight." He said and passed me said wand.

I touched the wand and it glowed for a second then made a wet sound. "Is…is that it?" I asked incredulously.

Ollivander did not look amused. "I'm afraid that was the last of my wands lad. I've never seen something like this before."

I began to protest. "Surely you have some other wand in the back? Maybe you forgot." I suggested.

He smiled at me sadly. "I wish that were true lad, I really do, but I'm afraid this is the end of the line." He said.

I fell to the floor, but after a moment a chirp was heard.

"What have you lost your mind, I cannot give that tainted thing to anyone. My reputation would plummet faster than a snidget." Ollivander said.

I looked up and was shocked to see a little twig like creature jumping on top of Ollivander's head. "What is that?" I asked.

My voice caused their argument to be placed on hold for a moment. Ollivander smiled at me. "This right here is Terry and he is a bowtruckle. They are invaluable for helping locate wand woods, also they help to deter any of the native bowtruckles guarding their trees to become hostile." He said.

The bowtruckle looked at me and started to chirp. Ollivander smiled. "He likes you. He doesn't usually come out when anyone else is around. Here why don't you hold him for a while." He said and slowly deposited Terry into my palms.

The Bowtruckle felt oddly warm and pleasant to hold. "Aw aren't you just the sweetest little thing. You're certainly much cooler than old Ollivander there." I told him and he cooed.

Ollivander cleared his throat. "Ah yes, well I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do for you today, maybe on another day I shall have a wand that is more suited towards you." Ollivander let out.

"Come on! I just heard you talking about some tainted wand earlier. Surely that means that there is still some wand left to try out." I said trying to convince the old man.

He waved me off. "Bah that is but a mistake I accidently created…eight years ago…" He said slowly and began to view me oddly.

"Tell me boy when were you born?" He suddenly asked.

"What?" I asked confused.

"The date boy! Tell me when you were bloody brought into this world." He shouted.

My mother spoke up. "You shall not speak to my son like that, apologize at once!" My mother admonished him.

He looked a bit sheepish, but shrugged his embarrassment off. "I apologize for my outburst, but I must know when the child was born." He answered.

"June fifth, nineteen-eighty. Why?" I said.

His face carried an odd look and he looked at me worriedly. After a minute he wordlessly went to the back and with no witty remarks this time, he was deadly serious. After five minutes he returned with a leathery wrap. He unsheathed the wand and passed it over to me silently.

The wand looked like it was dyed a blackened red, it was bendy and rough. The strange part was that it felt incredibly warm and wet in my grasp and I could feel constant pulses beating through the wand. It felt alive. When my hand grasped the wand a bright light shined throughout the room and I began to levitate in the air. Around me, all the candles in the shop suddenly lit themselves. A fiery aura soon surrounded the wand and we began to dance across the room. It soon escaped from my grasp and flew by itself and we just continued to dance across the room. After ten minutes we both landed and a strange marking appeared on my skin. I looked at the marking and the wand flew back to my hand. I looked around the room and saw its occupants were agape.

I approached Ollivander and a frown marred his face. I thought it was odd, wouldn't Ollivander be happy that I was successful in finding a wand? I looked over to my mother. She was eyeing me worriedly. I looked over at Anna and noticed she was knocked over from shock. Clearly she was not expecting my wand purchase to have gotten…complicated. No doubt she has seen so many things float in the past, she might've doubted this incident of me basically asking my wand to the prom even happened.

The wand pulsed strangely in my grasp. It stretched, bended and twirled around. It was changing colours, turning green and red. Fire seemed to coat the wood, but as I grasped the handle, I felt no heat emitting from the life-like wand. Soon as the fire died out, the stick calmed down and settled in its place. As the show was over, Ollivander strut over to me slowly.

He eyed me wearily. "Boy, do you feel any different, does anything feel wrong both in your body and in your mind? No extra arms or anything? Perhaps you've grown an extra toe? Do have any psychotic or aggressive thoughts running around your head. I've never seen anything like that in all my years in this business, I can tell you that much. In this business you see lots of funny things. Sometimes you will see interesting things and very rarely you see amazing things." He said and paused. He looked at me seriously. "I have never thought that something I thought impossible would happen...and yet here we are."

I stared at my new favourite foci and back at the grumpy salesman. "I look pretty good…actually screw that!" I shouted. I pointed an accusatory finger at the old man. "I have grown no extra appendages, thank you very much, but I can tell you one thing old man, if you don't start talking about why you were about to deny me the very vessel that would choose me as its captain, I can tell you some 'aggressive' thoughts will soon make its way towards my mind." I said while gripping my wand tightly.

He looked agape. "I...I do not know. Although it is painful to discuss this particular topic, I'll make an exception this time around as I doubt you would broker argument." He dropped to the floor as if the memory he held was too powerful.

"Well, let us hear of this tale." I said.

His gaze travelled throughout the room and he sighed deeply. He opened a drawer and pulled out a wooden pipe that was made from chestnut. He brought it towards his lips and placed his wand on top of the chamber and he inhaled deeply. The tip of his wand glowed slightly as he pulled, bringing the flames from his wand to light his herbs. He held the breath in for a minute and then released it slowly.

As the smoke danced in the air, he began his tale. "Well for one thing Draco, I actually created that wand eight years ago and let me tell you…I created that wand on June fifth, nineteen-eighty." He let out while eyeing me carefully.

I narrowed my eyes. "My birthday. What exactly are you trying to imply?"

"You know what I'm trying to imply boy! I know you're thinking that the relationship is purely coincidental and that I am spouting nonsense, but hear me Draco, in the magical world there is no such thing as a coincidence. Things happen for a reason, and sometimes something happens to someone which is only meant to make it so that another person experiences something else. That fact only makes this story even uncomfortable." He warned me.

"…I'll keep it in mind." I said after a while.

He sighed. "It all began a stormy night eight years ago." He inhaled and exhaled smoke. "Terry and I had just come back from a successful scavenging of a particularly good cedar tree, which I can tell you has been difficult these days. So many amateurs have started to breed them and almost entirely destroyed quality everywhere." He trailed off. Clearing my throat helped convince the man to get back on track. "Ah, apologizes, we essentially got the wood, but…but that night while I created that wand I made a mistake and botched the job." He said slowly.

At my questioning gaze he continued. "You do not see the significance in that dent in my record? I do not mean to brag, but I have never once botched a wand, not even when I was still learning from my father." He said.

My eyes twitched. "So you mean you would've hid the wand from me simply because you didn't want your public reputation to fall for making a mistake." I accused.

He frowned. "It is more than that and you know it." He said.

I threw my arms in the air. "So what are you saying? That fate personally guided you into making a mistake." I asked loudly.

He gave me a stare. "Yes, that is exactly what I'm saying." He stated.

I eyed him warily. "Do you not think that kind of thinking is even remotely arrogant in believing that you could only make a mistake if there was supernatural powers at play?" I asked carefully.

He ignored me. "You see, I had just finished carving the wood into a mighty vessel for its magical core. I had not had the chance to work with cedar for some time, so that very moment I was very happy. I had carved a particularly swishy wood down to size, thirteen inches to be exact. I had finished with the carvings so I placed it on my workbench. I grabbed the core, which was a dragon heartstring. I mostly work with dragon heartstrings, for they seem to be more accepting of wizards than the other cores. You see, I had gotten a little cocky and I thought I could skip the journey towards the dissecting table and just work at my workbench. I had grabbed the heart and as I was making a careful incision, thunder roared and lightning smashed through my window. I was shocked at the scene and at that momentary lapse, my hand swayed and cut deeply into the heart causing it to spurt blood everywhere. I did not react in time and the wood had gotten soaked from the blood. Its once woody brown color had turned into a blackened red…a bloody red." He said and continued at my silence. "I still tried to save the wand. I quickly extracted the heartstring and placed it within the wand to complete the ritual, but it did not work for me…I felt no magic emit itself from the vessel." He said.

I narrowed my eyes. "So what? I did not feel any magic from the majority of the wands here." I exclaimed.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "Boy, there is a significant difference in us, I do not mean it as an insult, but trust me on this matter. Wands will always signify if they'll allow you to use their magic or not, remember all those plates you broke, that was a sign that it rejected." He said.

"I already know that meant rejection, I'm talking about the times that the wand failed to do anything." I stated.

"You may not have seen or felt anything, but that does not mean an experienced wandmaker would fall into the same trap." He admonished. "You see, all those wands exuded an aura around them, when you've been around wands for as long as I have, you pick up these things. Some wands are just subtle. That wand however was completely quiet, like it would not even register that I existed. It wasn't just me, I've asked countless wizards to try that wand out and nothing happened. Hell even Albus gave it a swish when he was escorting a muggle-born around the alley. You however, have somehow managed to make it respond to you. Dragon heartstrings are notorious for being the most disloyal cores that we sell, so it was a surprise that it was suspiciously loyal to someone, that someone now revealed to have been you, almost if it was made for you. I oddly feel like it should not exist." He stated.

I paled at that. Just like I was not really supposed to exist as Draco. "Well I'm glad it does." I eventually said.

"Aye, I guess you would." He agreed. He paused for a second and looked slightly reluctant in parting with his thoughts.

"Anything you would like to say?" I raised a brow.

"…Listen Draco, I know this may seem like a silly question, but did anything strange appear on your body." He asked mysteriously.

The mark. It no longer marred my skin, but for a second it was engraved on my wrist. "A strange marking appeared on my wrist." I answered.

He rushed over to me and grabbed a hold of my wrist. "Where?! I see no marking." He cried frantically.

I pulled my wrist away from him and started to massage it. I gave him a glare. "It has since disappeared." I let out.

He eyed me carefully. "So it has." He drawled out.

"So…does the wand do anything special, any traits?" I asked changing the topic.

He scratched his chin. "The true holder of a cedar carrier shall have the most strongest of character. They are also unusually loyal to what they care for and will go to any lengths in protecting what they think is right. Throughout my life, I've only come across five people that really possessed the full potential of that wand, and I have long since learned that it is truly foolish to challenge a carrier of cedar as they shall never waver in their resolve. The length usually signifies a wizard's height, but can sometimes signify the wizard's potential. You'll either be really tall or really lucky, maybe both." He chuckled. "Dragon heartstring signifies power and the wand is flexible meaning it is adaptable to change in your personality. Now the extra ingredient, the blood, I do not know what it would spell for your wand. I can only imagine that it would be quite well at transfiguration as its very own nature has been altered." He revealed.

I was speechless. "I need to ask you a personal question." He said after a while.

"Go ahead." I granted him permission.

"Did anything strange occur during your birth?" He asked.

My mother spoke up. "How can you ask something like that?! Have you no shame?" My mother admonished him.

He sighed deeply and drew his wand and walked over towards my mother. "Listen Narcissa, I will promise never to reveal anything that is said in this room." He said while staring into my mother's eyes.

She narrowed her stare. "Promises can be broken. Words are just that." She told him.

He took out his wand and extended it. "Handmaiden, come here and be our witness." He commanded Anna. "Narcissa extend your wand." He told my mother.

Narcissa looked shocked. "Really? You would go to this length to learn something of non-use to you? So be it." She stated and extended her wand.

They clasped arms and Anna pulled out a wand and pointed it the entangled limps. Soon a glowing light appeared. "I, Garrick Ollivander swear to keep what is revealed to me today about Draco a secret and I shall guard it with my life. So mote it be." He made his vow and a wispy light struck his heart momentarily and disappeared.

My mother nodded towards the old man. "So mote it be. Alright, I think you've earned the right to learn the secret regarding Draco's birth. He had complications when he was born. He was born still." She revealed.

I was thunderstruck. "What…?" I questioned.

My mother frowned sadly. "I'm sorry my boy, but I cannot change the past, or else that horrific moment wouldn't have occurred." She said comfortingly. "But you did end up waking which is all that matters." She smiled sadly.

I guess it makes sense that in order for me to have received this body…the original occupant would have to be booted from its shell first. I shuddered and decided not to think too deeply on the child who was born still. "Ok…" I said.

Ollivander cleared his throat. "Well, that maybe of significance, but I cannot seem to grasp what makes it so. All I can say is that I am very curious of what will come of you Draco. I only wonder what you will choose to protect and stand for, I guess someday I might find out." He said while looking at my wrist.

I nodded my head and began my journey out of the shop as we had already paid in advance. He called me back for a moment. "Wait, I know it might be a little too much to ask, but if it would not trouble you, would you be able to help little Terry here return home. I mean you don't have to take him home right away, but maybe eventually." He asked.

I raised a brow. "Isn't he your assistant? Why pass him to me?" I asked.

"For years I have been promising young Terry that I would eventually bring him back home, but I am now old and probably cannot make the journey. You are the only other human that he has felt comfortable around, you must be the one to bring him back." He explained.

I began to protest, but the speech never left my mouth. The bowtruckle had made its way into my palms and began to fall asleep. In that moment I chose not to be cruel. "Alright, I accept. Goodbye Ollivander." I said while marching out.

"Remember that sometimes bad things happen to some people in order for another's story to continue." He warned me before I left.

I looked back and shook my head and continued on. This was certainly an exciting day.