Inside the box

[A/N Thanx 2 all you guys who have reviewed my stories, though you are a select group. Please R/R becuz I want ur take on my work. If you have any questions, put them in your review or email me. Just so you know, Terri and I share a birthday!]

[Disclaimer!!! All characters belong to the one, the only, J.K.Rowling!!! and do not belong 2 me @ all, k?]

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Terri had discovered the hole in the corner quite by accident. She had been eight years old, and obsessed with dressing up. Of course, the Malfoys never let her have friends over, so she had to play dress up by herself.

On that fated day, Terri had been going through her closet looking for something to wear while she waltzed to the music of Gianni Kristoff's Concerto No. 8. The music hummed in her head, and she started dancing right where she was. She danced all over the closet, and suddenly bumped in the far left corner of it. Her foot fell through the carpet and she had screamed from terror.

Quickly, she had removed her foot from the hole and pulled back the carpet, only to find loose floorboards that had caved into the hole. Then, she had gasped and smiled, for she finally had found a place where she could hide her most secret possessions, and keep them away from the Malfoys and all their servants and house-elves.

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Returning from her trip down memory lane, Terri opened the biscuit tin. Inside was the only proof of her crush, Peter Raciti. Terri gushed as a black and white Peter smiled and winked at her. She could feel her heart thump loudly in her chest as she held his school picture from last year. That didn't matter, though; he was still just as cute–maybe cuter.

She placed the picture on the carpet beside her and reached once more into the tin. This time she drew out a newspaper clipping. It was from the day before yesterday's Daily Owl Herald; for some reason the Malfoys prohibited the Daily Prophet in their household.

She read the clipping quietly to herself.

The clipping has moved! --- Please see chapter 3: the clipping.

So, not only was he cute and smart and–, he was ever the helper of mankind, too. Terri could never find the patience to tutor young children; just living with Draco was quite enough!

If only he noticed her other than during Quidditch games. But since that Morgana Delacourris girl wasn't alive… Peter had been pretty much obsessed with her (meaning Morgana, not Terri); he'd always be holding her hand or meeting her out someplace. But after she was murdered during the summer holiday, Peter had seemed a little preoccupied as he walked to and from classes. Sure, Terri felt sorry that Morgana was dead, but now Peter was all alone…the least Terri could do was help him deal with the death, right?

Terri shook her head as she rid herself of the thought. What a selfish thing to think! Quickly, she placed the clipping next to her and pulled out from the tin birthday cards her best friends Cassie and Evan had sent her last March twenty-third. She laughed as she looked at the back of Evan's postcard: a red ballon that said 'Happy Birthday!' blew up, and the smoke turned into 'Oops…' It was exactly the card Evan would send. On the front he had written 'Happy b'day Terri! Have a gr8 1.' Cassie's card was a little more professional: plain Happy Birthday in lilac on the front and a birthday poem inside. She read it and sighed; she missed her friends now more than ever.

"Teresa? Teresa! Where are you?" Terri heard Draco calling her. Quickly, she stuffed everything back into the tin and lowered the tin into the hole. She placed the floorboards in their original positions and pushed the carpet so it covered the corner of the closet.

Standing up and smoothing down her hair, Terri then opened the closet door and replied, "I'm coming, you fool!"

Then, Terri unlocked and opened her bedroom door. "What?" she asked.

"Mother told me to come and tell you that dinner is ready."

"What? Already?"

"Yes! It's already seven o'clock. what did you think it was, four?"

Silently, Terri agreed, but she said, "Of course not." Gazing at Draco's formal shirt and pants, she added, "Gimme a minute, I have to change out of my jeans."

"You need not change–"

"Yeah I do. I bet we're having company or something; why else are you dressed up?"

Draco glanced down and said, "Because I wanted to." He turned to walk away, and just as he stepped on to the stairs, Terri could have sworn she heard him say, "By the way, I think your hair looks quite dashing." Of course, it was totally unlike Draco to say 'dashing' or pay Terri a compliment.

Either way, Terri turned and locked her door once more. She went back to her closet and sifted through her the hangers. Within seconds, she chose a knee-length lavender skirt with a sheer layer over it and a sleeveless lavender blouse. She pulled off her jeans and t-shirt and pulled on her formalwear.

Then, Terri glanced at herself in her mirror above her vanity drawers. Her hair was at shoulder length in a neatly trimmed layered style. It had been highlighted with dark and light brown streaks; a definite plus and even more so because she had easily convinced Narcissa to let her get them while Narcissa was in her once-in-a-lifetime 'nicey-nice' mood. Terri grabbed a brush off the vanity and pulled it through; she might as well try to tame her hair.

Finally, Terri was ready. She glanced at her silver plated wall clock; it had taken her all of five minutes to get ready. Well, better get down to dinner, she thought.

She walked out of her room and slammed the bedroom door. Taking the stairs two at a time, she reached the dining room rather quickly. Rushing in, she found Narcissa and Draco sitting and waiting for her; Draco staring at her and Narcissa staring into space.

"Where's Lucius?" Terri asked.

"He's not Lucius to you," Narcissa said in a voice barely above a whisper. "Call him Mr. Malfoy." [A/N in part 1, Narcissa goes thru mood swings: nice/mean ;-). I think this is how I'll keep her: dazed]

"All righty, then. Where's Mr. Malfoy?"

"Important Ministry Meeting."

"Oh. Anyway, who's coming to dinner?"

"Coming?" Narcissa asked, confused. "Just some of my old friends."

"Oh," Terri answered as Narcissa went back to her previous status: staring into space.

Terri looked at Draco. He glared back at her. Rolling her eyes, Terri took a seat at the table and toyed with her silverware.

A few minutes later, the doorbell could be heard through the house. Terri heard the footsteps of Ralph, the butler, go to the door and open it. She heard him greet whoever was at the door. Then there was silence.