Discovery



By Inspector-Javert

Hannah sat cross-legged on the green-carpeted floor right across from Draco. She flipped seven pages of the pink photo album in her lap. She stopped on a picture of a sandbox. A four-year-old Hannah was sitting in the sandbox in a little pink dress. Draco was with her, wearing jeans and a blue striped shirt. The photo was moving, and Hannah was laughing and Draco was smiling at her. He gave her a black bucket and yellow shovel, which she traded for a green bucket and grey shovel.

Draco chuckled at the sight. They had been friends for a long time, more time than he knew, and this picture proved it. He was twelve, visiting Hannah at her home on 5 Privet Drive, celebrating the anniversary of the day they met. They met when they were mere toddlers, only two. Hannah was giggly and always cute, and Draco was shy and always hid behind his mother whenever they went to Hannah's house.

Draco reached up a hand and felt his hair. Then he looked at the picture. He had always done it like that. He never noticed.

"Draco, it's kind of weird seeing all these pictures." Hannah's voice dropped him back down to earth. Then she giggled a bit and said, "Remember those bullies on the playground that made fun of you because you talked with a lisp?"

Draco laughed. "I definitely remember."

Flashback

Shy, 4-year old Draco Malfoy stood before the bully, tears threatening to take him over.

"Poor wittle baby! Can't even talk right! Ha, ha, ha! Can't even talk right, can't even talk right, can't even talk right, poor wittle baby!" The bully sang, dancing around Draco. Just as he started to cry, Hannah jumped to his side. Her little pink dress was brushing his knees, and she grabbed his hand.

"Shut up, you meanie beanie! I'll bet you talked funny when you were little! Well, we're little! It's not our fault! If I were bigger than you, I'd pound you into the ground, Marcus Flint! Just because we're four and you're nine doesn't mean you're better than us, so there!"

Hannah's overprotection was magical but almost comical. She knew Draco had a lisp, and he was almost always teased for it. Her grip on his hand reassured him that she would never tease him for it. When Marcus Flint walked away, Draco buried his face into Hannah's little shoulder. Hannah began to sing:

Raindrops on roses, And whiskers on kittens, Bright copper kettles and Warm woollen mittens, Brown paper packages tied up with string These are a few of my favourite things.

Hannah rocked Draco back and forth. Then he pulled out of the hug and sniffed a little bit.

"Thankth, Hannah," he whispered with his childhood lisp.

"You're welcome, Draco. You'll always be my friend."

End of Flashback

Draco looked at Hannah. "And we always have been friends."

Hannah looked confused, "what?"

"That day you saved me from the bully. You said you'd always be my friend."

"I always will be."

There was an almost awkward silence. Then.

"Hannah?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

~***~

The next day, when they stopped at a special wizard's store hidden in town, Draco took interest in a sign that hung from the bulletin board:

KARAOKE CONTEST FRIDAY NIGHT

Friday night this store is having a karaoke contest. All participants must pay a 2-galleon entrance fee. The age limit for participants is 12-18 years of age. Please sign your name and the song in a space below and we'll sign you up! The winner gets a prize of 100 Galleons!

Obviously, Hannah was looking at it, too, because she said, "I am so going to sign up!"

She grabbed a quill out of her purse and wrote:

11.Hannah Abbott-Born to Entertain

~***~

It was the night of the contest, and Hannah was dressed in her best robes. They were pale pink with silver and gold lining. Her hair was done up in a halo of pure golden curls, and her eyes sparkled with blue anticipation.

Nine contestants had all ready gone, and the tenth was ready to sing. That would mean Hannah was next. All of them were very good, not to mention obviously older. The tenth contestant's name was Yolanda Ananda. Draco thought it was a very strange name. She must have been at least seventeen. She was also very, very talented. She was singing "All Star" by some Muggle band.Bash House or something. (A.N.-I know it's really Smash Mouth.)

Finally, she sang the last round of the chorus, and the crowd cheered and clapped. Hannah began to look a bit nervous. Draco couldn't blame her. This audience was gonna be tough.

Hannah got up to the stage and grinned. Draco knew he wouldn't have been able to smile. His knees would be shaking so hard he would have collapsed. He suddenly found himself wondering all sorts of horrible things. He had never heard Hannah sing before! What if she was really horrible?

Then the music began, and Hannah started to sing.

"Some girls like to cook and sew When I cook, it's in a show I was born to entertain!

Some girls prefer to help mom clean, Ha! I'd rather learn a dance routine! I was born to entertain.

Instead of walkin' I go flappin' When I tap I make it happen. Mum says I have Broadway on the brink.

Don't get too comfy in that seat When I strut my stuff you'll be on your feet! I was born to sing and dance! Break!

Not every show is Cinderella Has got to come from Boebatella My stuff flies like bubbles in champagne!

By now you've guessed my one ambition It's not to be no mathematician. I was born to amuse From the tip of my nose To the tap of my shoes To strike up the band And hand me my hat and my cane 'Cause I was born to enter-TAAAAAAAAAIIIINN!!"

Hannah took a huge bow and the crowd went wild. Draco stood up and cheered. Hannah beamed.

The announcer walked onstage. "Now, I would like to have the rest of the contestants hop onstage (this procedure took no more than 4 seconds) and we'll have the judges choose, and they'll hand me the envelope.ah, thank you.and we'll see the first place winner, winner of 100 galleons, and the second place winner, winner of 75 galleons. We have had the most outstanding contestants we've ever had. But now we'll pick the winners. The winner of second place is.Miss Yolanda Ananda! Now, the winner of the first prize is.Padma Patil!"

The crowd went wild for Padma, and Hannah clapped politely. Then all the contestants ran offstage.

Hannah ran right to Draco. Draco tried not to give in to the need to burst into tears or the quivering of his chin.

"What's the matter, Draco?" Hannah's voice held so much magic that he had to start to cry. The tears coursed storm like down his cheeks.

"You should have won, Hannah! I was hoping so much that you'd win!"

"Draco, Draco, Draco! I didn't care if I won or not, I just wanted to perform. It's what I love." She pulled him into a tight hug and sang to him like she had sang to him the day she stood up to the bully.

"Raindrops on roses And whiskers on kittens Bright copper kettles And warm woollen mittens Brown paper packages Tied up with strings These are a few of my favourite things."

Her song left him settled, and Draco was going to help her get noticed. This girl deserved to be noticed. There was going to be a way for her to be discovered, and Draco was going to search for it, no matter what it took.

~**END**~

Disclaimer-I don't own Harry Potter, though if I did I would be rich and famous. The character Hannah is in Harry Potter, but her personality is based on mine. Okay, I own the plot, 5 Privet Drive-sort of-and I own the flashback.