"There are Malfoy's tails," a voice whispered behind Rachel and Leah in the
library. Rachel shot the brown haired Ravenclaw a dirty look and stuck out
her tongue. The boy, aghast, turned around, obviously making a rude comment
to his colleague about the girls.
Leah was finding it more and more difficult to be around students that were not Draco Malfoy or Ginny Weasley-Malfoy (or just Weasley - sometimes she forgot.) She tried her best not to be abrasive, but it was difficult. The kids tried not to ask too many questions, but a redheaded girl with a teensy blonde always drew attention. They stared occasionally, and sometimes a brave few tried to befriend them, but usually Leah spent her time sitting in Gryffindor Tower, waiting, or they, as a pair, tried scoping out "the pile of rocks" (her father's words) Hogwarts was built on. Rachel, on the other hand, had taken to young Draco like a pixie to mischief. She counted the minutes until Draco was out of class and ran to Slytherin Tower, and begged (pleaded!) with the portrait to fetch Malfoy for her.
Other nights were spent reading one of the fifteen books Leah had checked out on time travel from the library. It took a great deal of effort to summon a being (let alone two!) from another part of time. Leah did not doubt it took the efforts of not only Dumbledore, but also Professors Snape, Sprout, Flitwick and a few Centaurs, as the right combination of Potions and Charms had to be precise and done in the right phase of the moon.
"Time travel, time travel," Leah muttered to herself looking for a copy of 'Time Travel Secrets Revealed' by Pina del Tiempo. If Dumbledore, whom she had seen twice seen their initial meeting, would not answer her questions about why the girls were here, she decided to take a page out of her mother's book - research, research, research ("I stole the idea from Hermione, but try it sometime. It just may help you raise these grades," her mum would smile upon seeing her marks from Hogwarts.) Her fingers brushed across the last name "del Tiempo" and she knew she had found it. Handing it to Rachel, she went in search of the next book on her list.
Why would Dumbledore need to save them? And save them from what? They were just normal girls growing up in wizarding England. There was nothing special about us, Leah reasoned, except, of course, we are the last Malfoy heirs. Perhaps the most unexpected Malfoy heirs, seeing as how their father was such a playboy. What? Was he banging three girls at one time? Parkinson, the Hufflepuff, and at some point their mother.
'Time Travel Secrets Revealed' revealed no secrets. Slamming the book closed disgustedly, she whispered to Rachel, "This is not working! What can time traveling save us from?"
Rachel looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you don't need to look up what time travel does, but who jumped time."
"What?"
"Look up Malfoy. Maybe we were brought here for a reason. Something in our blood, something in Dad's past. We know about the Weasley line, there are no secrets there. Grandpa doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut, but what do we know about Dad's side of the family?"
"Rachie, that's a great idea!" Leah said enthusiastically. "What DO we know about Dad's side of the family?" Grabbing a piece of parchment, she started writing down everything she could remember her father ever said about his side of the family. The two discussed as they wrote:
'Malfoy family. Pureblooded.
Draco, father of Leah and Rachel Malfoy, married to Ginny Weasley-Malfoy, formerly employed at Ministry of Magic before creating Widikul Enterprises.
Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco, husband of Narcissa, son of Lucian and Marilla Malfoy, employed at Ministry of Magic and on Board of Governor's at Hogwarts. Death Eater, follower of Voldemort.
Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Draco, wife of Lucius. Nothing more known.
Grandparents' status in our time unknown. Father does not speak of him. Grandkids have never asked.'
Rachel read that last line over. "Do you think its weird that we never actually bothered to ask Daddy about our granddad?"
"No, I don't. I mean, everything we have ever needed from grandparents we got from Grandpa Arthur and Granny Molly." With that, Leah got up and walked over to Madam Pince, who was busy magicking books back to their places on the shelf. Her wand waving back and forth, a book following its path, Pince was none too pleased to see Leah back to ask her more questions. "Madam Pince, where can I find books on wizarding history?"
"History of what?" she asked frustrated at being interrupted. "Famous wizards, famous witches, important events in wizarding England - or any other European countries for that matter. . ."
"Important wizarding families," Leah decided.
"Back corner nearest the Restricted Section, shelves three, four and five. Which family?"
Leah took a breath. It couldn't hurt to tell her. Pince didn't know she was a Malfoy, after all. "The Malfoys."
"The Malfoys are included in 'Purebloods: We Are Better Than You!' by Pierce Shnozinaire and 'Blonde and Beautiful: A Study of Flaxen Hair in Wizarding England.'" Pince's face softened. "And don't worry, dear, you aren't the first girl to come looking for information on the Malfoys - or one Malfoy in particular. Apparently, a lot of girls feel just as you do. Don't be embarrassed."
Oh, disgusting! I do not fancy Draco Malfoy! Leah wanted to yell, but instead, keeping a tight reign on her emotions, said a polite word of thanks, and headed to the section on wizarding families. She grabbed a few generic books that chronicled a majority of England's most prominent families along with the specific titles that Pince had told her.
Some Slytherin underclassmen were staring at her again. Leah just could not take it anymore. Taking hold of Rachel, they walked out of the library and back to Gryffindor Tower. As was scheduled, the girls met Ginny for the first time in a few days after Advanced Divination with Professor Trelawney. She was with Ravenclaw Sholeh Krishnamurthy, also in that class with her.
"Hey, Leah, Rachel," Ginny greeted, hugging the two girls. "I swear, Trelawney is as crazy as Snape is anal-retentive. Can you believe that Trelawney gave us a quiz - but refused to give us the questions?" Ginny's voice went a high and breathy exaggeration of Trelawney. "'Students, we have been studying the techniques of foretelling the future for almost three years now; I need you to feel my thoughts - and my thoughts shall tell you questions. Just focus on your Inner-Eye.' Inner-Eye, my a. . ."
Sholeh ribbed Ginny. "Icks-snay on the earing-sway." Her eyes swiped towards Rachel and Leah. "Ids-kay."
"So, Leah, Rachel, what do you want to do? The rest of my day belongs to you," Ginny promised, a smile alighting Rachel's face. Leah found it extremely ironic that it took Ginny's two children traveling thirteen years bygone in order to spend time with their mother. In truth, she was a little bitter towards Ginny - in the future, granted. "Sholeh, will you honor us with your presence?"
"Sorry, sisters and Weasley, I have to study for Snape's Hilliard's extract examination tomorrow."
"Come on, Sholeh!" Leah said, grabbing her hand. "Stay!" She steepled her hands in a sign of begging.
"Seriously, Sholeh, who comes to school to study? Stay, please!" Ginny added, imitating Leah in the hand gesture.
Sholeh took a step back. "Leah, are you sure you aren't a Weasley? You two look way too alike to be genetically isolated from each other," she observed before walking away. Leah's eyes darted from side to side as she brought her hands down. I guess I do look like my mother, Leah thought. Weird.
"Let's go to Hagrid's," Rachel volunteered. She had a soft spot for Fang the Boarhound, who, almost as tall as her, proved to be something that could play substitute for the dearly missed Harriette. Rachel, exceptionally familiar with Hogwarts by now, skipped ahead of the pair of redheads.
"McGonagall told me last night that she wanted you to start attending class with the other Gryffindor second years," Ginny revealed. "She said she would come talk to you about it later. Said she had copies of the textbooks since you have no way of getting to Diagon Alley."
"I mean, sure, it gets boring roaming freely about Hogwarts, but what about Rachel? There is no one to watch her," Leah reasoned.
"I don't know. McGonagall was kind of rushed. Something about letting Rachel become Hagrid's assistant. It seems like a good idea to me. She loves that slobbering mutt of his almost as much as she loves him."
"Did you say slobbering mutt? You MUST be talking about me," came a deep voice from the back of them.
"Leah, is it just me or has He-Who-Scores-More-Than-The-Gryffindor- Quidditch-Team arisen from the dark recesses known as Slytherin House?" Ginny quipped almost bitterly, rolling her eyes at Malfoy.
"Cute, Weasel, real cute." Malfoy walked up towards them. "Judging from the amount of orange in this hallway, either Longbottom screwed up and set a carrot charm on your heads. . ."
In unison, the girls shouted, "Shut up, Malfoy!"
At the sound of their voices, Rachel looked behind her, surprised to find Leah and Ginny had stopped following her, when she spotted Draco. Running backwards, she interrupted their conversation by throwing herself around his neck when he bent down to greet her. "Rat, how are you doing?" The name now held a more affectionate quality to it. He ran his fingers through her hair, and like his, it glistened in the sunlight - but unlike his, it moved.
She took his hand and led him down the hall, her mouth going full force the whole time. "Come on, Dad. We're going to go visit Hagrid - and FANG! Have you met Fang? He's this really huge dog, and he slobbers, and he's cuddly. I think you'll like him. And Hagrid? He's tall, like super tall - he's bigger than Uncle Greg! - and he has a long beard. . . ."
Leah and Ginny could hear her voice as it faded with the distance between them. Ginny looked at her. "Did she just call him Dad?"
****
Hagrid was none too pleased to have a Malfoy in his home. This, after all, was the same prig who had tried to get him fired numerous times, and caused him to give up his two most precious possessions, his baby dragon Norbert and beloved hippogriff Buckbeak. "Me wee sprite, why doncha come with me back there'n feed Fang?" he asked Rachel, eyeing Malfoy with contempt, desperate to be out of the royal sneer's presence. "Leah, 'd'you like the come?" Leah nodded, and off they went. Rachel and Leah exchanged a look - their parents would be alone, together.
Not that Draco was having any better of a time in this thing Hagrid called a "house." It smelled like that blasted dog, and Draco was pretty sure that the man had never employed the services of a house elf. And judging from the things passing as biscuits that Hagrid offered earlier, his cooking technique was no better than his cleaning. Draco had half a mind to tell the gamekeeper this, but seeing the smile on Rachel's face gave incentive to keep his mouth shut.
"So, Malfoy, what kind of mood are you in to accompany a Weasley to Hagrid's?" Ginny asked smartly.
"A benevolent mood, much to your benefit," he said, smiling.
Malfoy was almost appealing when he was smiling, Ginny thought. "Gee, thanks for your wonderful gesture. Allow me to retire to Gryffindor Tower and ponder today's good fortune." She sat up. "The little one adores you, you know that, right?"
"She holds me in her favor. The older one though - I'm not so much in her favor as on her 'to kill' list," Malfoy replied honestly.
"No, no, she really does like you. It's just your insistence on being an ass that stops her from acting like it."
Draco made a disapproving sound as Hagrid and his two girls walked in the door. "Malfoy, yer still here." Hagrid's observation was tinged with disappointment.
"Not for much longer, Gamekeeper." He got out of the unusually large chair with some difficulty, but proceeded to the door. "Rat, I have no doubt I will see you sitting outside Slytherin in an hour or so, waiting for me to accompany you to dinner. Leah, you're welcome to join her in her quest for my attention, but if not, good night."
"If you don't mind, Draco. . . I'm heading back to the castle anyway, I wouldn't mind walking with you," Leah informed, almost shyly. She could use the opportunity to quiz her father about his parents.
"Yes, sure, of course," he replied, shocked. His older daughter did not much care for him, this was a given, but then he had not exactly endeared himself to her either.
"Ginny, you'll bring her back to Gryffindor some time before dinner?" Leah asked.
"Definitely. An hour at the max," she replied. "Bye, both of you."
A muffled sound resembling "G'bye" came from the tiny girl whose face was buried in the neck of a large boarhound and the large man who was tending to his cauldron in the fire.
Walking out the door, two sets of gray eyes stared at the other. Leah decided to just jump into the third degree. "Rachel and I have been trying to figure out why we were transported to the past. Dumbledore and McGonagall - the only members of the faculty who know who we are - won't answer any questions about it. Some kind of big secret, our lives might be in peril in our time, we don't know. We think the reason we were transported has something to do with the Malfoy line."
He digested the information. "So, what are you telling me this for?"
"Our father - you in the future, or grown up, whatever - has never talked about your parents. We've never even met our Malfoy grandparents! Never seen pictures - nothing. As a result, we know nothing about the Malfoy family. So who better to question than the biggest, baddest, snottiest Malfoy there is?"
"You know me too well, Leah. Flattery will get you everywhere." Draco pretended to blush. "So what do you want to know?"
"Grandmother Narcissa. Tell me about her."
Draco looked at the dark lake, still for the moment but, like the Malfoy family, had something far more sinister underneath. He did not care for this line of questioning, but took a deep breath. "Your grandmother is. . . a dedicated woman. Dedicated to me, dedicated to my father. She has always wanted the best for me, but always wanted me close to the nest. I am her only child, after all!" He laughed. "My father and I wanted me to attend Durmstrang, another wizarding school, but Mother insisted on keeping me in England, so I was Hogwarts-bound. Let's see, what else? She is the only child of my Echelon grandparents, a prominent wizarding family. She married my father in her twenties, and I guess being a wife and mother fills her days. That's about it."
"What about Grandfather Lucius? You're heir to his vast fortune."
"Oh, yes, the privilege of being the heir to the great Lucius Malfoy. That's me. Luck abounds." His words were splattered with sarcasm.
"You don't think I know how it feels?" Leah asked impetuously. "I am the very female heir of the incomparable Draco Malfoy. Called a great disappointment, my gender that is, according to 'Wizarding Patrician' Magazine."
He looked absolutely startled, but his gaze became more sympathetic. This was another thing he had in common with his eldest daughter. "Successful in the future, am I? Good to know, good to know," he whispered, internally elated that his future held some promise. "Like me though, you will learn to work with your father's legacy, as I intend to do. My father is a terse man, very aware of his role as a Malfoy and a wizard. A great man, mind you, but very aware of his social status. Expects the same thing out of me. I've learned to adapt."
"What about his parents?"
"They were Marilla and Lucian Malfoy. He was their only child. Lucian was quite old when Father was born - he's been dead a few years now. My grandmother died years before Lucian despite the fact that she was years younger. Funny thing about my father was that HIS father was nothing like him. Looks, disposition, everything. On the few times that Father felt we needed to visit the 'old codger' - his words, not mine - I remember him being quite playful."
It was Leah's turn to look shocked.
"Oh, don't look at me like that! Not all Malfoys are like us - acting as though we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders; you unfortunately inherited my enchanting temperament," he said, winking, the sun setting over the lake. "Luck abounds again."
Leah quietly took his hand as they entered the castle. "The more time I spend with you, the more you resemble my dad in the future." She stopped and looked him in the eyes. "I realize that you have no obligation to baby- sit Rachel or answer any of my questions. I really appreciate what you are doing for us . . . Dad."
A/N Just a quick note to anyone and everyone reading this story - all of you who have given me 18 reviews. Thank you so very much! I know a few of you come back and review (ahemIsaandCosmozahem) time and time again, and for your dedication, thank you so very, very much. (And I am very proud of those 18. None of my stories has EVER had anything like that. If I reach 30 by the end of this story, I will be on Cloud 9!) As you can see, any appreciation from anyone regarding these works is music to my ears (and ego!) I love you guys so much! I have about 10 chapters written, but I post a little at a time, so be assured of at least 10 chappys for my little brain bi-product!
Just a note on some names: The name "Sholeh" comes from the Farsi word for flame (she's my favorite character in this story so far, and I planned her kind of spunky - you'll see more of her in later chapters!), while Leah and Rachel are named for a particular story in the Bible where some character (I THINK Jacob, but I'm not sure) wanted to marry a woman (Rachel) but was tricked into marrying her older sister (Leah) instead. In this case, (my) Leah believes she is an unwanted child, where, in the Bible, Leah was the unwanted wife. See how these things come full circle? It's a beautiful thing!
Leah was finding it more and more difficult to be around students that were not Draco Malfoy or Ginny Weasley-Malfoy (or just Weasley - sometimes she forgot.) She tried her best not to be abrasive, but it was difficult. The kids tried not to ask too many questions, but a redheaded girl with a teensy blonde always drew attention. They stared occasionally, and sometimes a brave few tried to befriend them, but usually Leah spent her time sitting in Gryffindor Tower, waiting, or they, as a pair, tried scoping out "the pile of rocks" (her father's words) Hogwarts was built on. Rachel, on the other hand, had taken to young Draco like a pixie to mischief. She counted the minutes until Draco was out of class and ran to Slytherin Tower, and begged (pleaded!) with the portrait to fetch Malfoy for her.
Other nights were spent reading one of the fifteen books Leah had checked out on time travel from the library. It took a great deal of effort to summon a being (let alone two!) from another part of time. Leah did not doubt it took the efforts of not only Dumbledore, but also Professors Snape, Sprout, Flitwick and a few Centaurs, as the right combination of Potions and Charms had to be precise and done in the right phase of the moon.
"Time travel, time travel," Leah muttered to herself looking for a copy of 'Time Travel Secrets Revealed' by Pina del Tiempo. If Dumbledore, whom she had seen twice seen their initial meeting, would not answer her questions about why the girls were here, she decided to take a page out of her mother's book - research, research, research ("I stole the idea from Hermione, but try it sometime. It just may help you raise these grades," her mum would smile upon seeing her marks from Hogwarts.) Her fingers brushed across the last name "del Tiempo" and she knew she had found it. Handing it to Rachel, she went in search of the next book on her list.
Why would Dumbledore need to save them? And save them from what? They were just normal girls growing up in wizarding England. There was nothing special about us, Leah reasoned, except, of course, we are the last Malfoy heirs. Perhaps the most unexpected Malfoy heirs, seeing as how their father was such a playboy. What? Was he banging three girls at one time? Parkinson, the Hufflepuff, and at some point their mother.
'Time Travel Secrets Revealed' revealed no secrets. Slamming the book closed disgustedly, she whispered to Rachel, "This is not working! What can time traveling save us from?"
Rachel looked at her thoughtfully. "Maybe you don't need to look up what time travel does, but who jumped time."
"What?"
"Look up Malfoy. Maybe we were brought here for a reason. Something in our blood, something in Dad's past. We know about the Weasley line, there are no secrets there. Grandpa doesn't know how to keep his mouth shut, but what do we know about Dad's side of the family?"
"Rachie, that's a great idea!" Leah said enthusiastically. "What DO we know about Dad's side of the family?" Grabbing a piece of parchment, she started writing down everything she could remember her father ever said about his side of the family. The two discussed as they wrote:
'Malfoy family. Pureblooded.
Draco, father of Leah and Rachel Malfoy, married to Ginny Weasley-Malfoy, formerly employed at Ministry of Magic before creating Widikul Enterprises.
Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco, husband of Narcissa, son of Lucian and Marilla Malfoy, employed at Ministry of Magic and on Board of Governor's at Hogwarts. Death Eater, follower of Voldemort.
Narcissa Malfoy, mother of Draco, wife of Lucius. Nothing more known.
Grandparents' status in our time unknown. Father does not speak of him. Grandkids have never asked.'
Rachel read that last line over. "Do you think its weird that we never actually bothered to ask Daddy about our granddad?"
"No, I don't. I mean, everything we have ever needed from grandparents we got from Grandpa Arthur and Granny Molly." With that, Leah got up and walked over to Madam Pince, who was busy magicking books back to their places on the shelf. Her wand waving back and forth, a book following its path, Pince was none too pleased to see Leah back to ask her more questions. "Madam Pince, where can I find books on wizarding history?"
"History of what?" she asked frustrated at being interrupted. "Famous wizards, famous witches, important events in wizarding England - or any other European countries for that matter. . ."
"Important wizarding families," Leah decided.
"Back corner nearest the Restricted Section, shelves three, four and five. Which family?"
Leah took a breath. It couldn't hurt to tell her. Pince didn't know she was a Malfoy, after all. "The Malfoys."
"The Malfoys are included in 'Purebloods: We Are Better Than You!' by Pierce Shnozinaire and 'Blonde and Beautiful: A Study of Flaxen Hair in Wizarding England.'" Pince's face softened. "And don't worry, dear, you aren't the first girl to come looking for information on the Malfoys - or one Malfoy in particular. Apparently, a lot of girls feel just as you do. Don't be embarrassed."
Oh, disgusting! I do not fancy Draco Malfoy! Leah wanted to yell, but instead, keeping a tight reign on her emotions, said a polite word of thanks, and headed to the section on wizarding families. She grabbed a few generic books that chronicled a majority of England's most prominent families along with the specific titles that Pince had told her.
Some Slytherin underclassmen were staring at her again. Leah just could not take it anymore. Taking hold of Rachel, they walked out of the library and back to Gryffindor Tower. As was scheduled, the girls met Ginny for the first time in a few days after Advanced Divination with Professor Trelawney. She was with Ravenclaw Sholeh Krishnamurthy, also in that class with her.
"Hey, Leah, Rachel," Ginny greeted, hugging the two girls. "I swear, Trelawney is as crazy as Snape is anal-retentive. Can you believe that Trelawney gave us a quiz - but refused to give us the questions?" Ginny's voice went a high and breathy exaggeration of Trelawney. "'Students, we have been studying the techniques of foretelling the future for almost three years now; I need you to feel my thoughts - and my thoughts shall tell you questions. Just focus on your Inner-Eye.' Inner-Eye, my a. . ."
Sholeh ribbed Ginny. "Icks-snay on the earing-sway." Her eyes swiped towards Rachel and Leah. "Ids-kay."
"So, Leah, Rachel, what do you want to do? The rest of my day belongs to you," Ginny promised, a smile alighting Rachel's face. Leah found it extremely ironic that it took Ginny's two children traveling thirteen years bygone in order to spend time with their mother. In truth, she was a little bitter towards Ginny - in the future, granted. "Sholeh, will you honor us with your presence?"
"Sorry, sisters and Weasley, I have to study for Snape's Hilliard's extract examination tomorrow."
"Come on, Sholeh!" Leah said, grabbing her hand. "Stay!" She steepled her hands in a sign of begging.
"Seriously, Sholeh, who comes to school to study? Stay, please!" Ginny added, imitating Leah in the hand gesture.
Sholeh took a step back. "Leah, are you sure you aren't a Weasley? You two look way too alike to be genetically isolated from each other," she observed before walking away. Leah's eyes darted from side to side as she brought her hands down. I guess I do look like my mother, Leah thought. Weird.
"Let's go to Hagrid's," Rachel volunteered. She had a soft spot for Fang the Boarhound, who, almost as tall as her, proved to be something that could play substitute for the dearly missed Harriette. Rachel, exceptionally familiar with Hogwarts by now, skipped ahead of the pair of redheads.
"McGonagall told me last night that she wanted you to start attending class with the other Gryffindor second years," Ginny revealed. "She said she would come talk to you about it later. Said she had copies of the textbooks since you have no way of getting to Diagon Alley."
"I mean, sure, it gets boring roaming freely about Hogwarts, but what about Rachel? There is no one to watch her," Leah reasoned.
"I don't know. McGonagall was kind of rushed. Something about letting Rachel become Hagrid's assistant. It seems like a good idea to me. She loves that slobbering mutt of his almost as much as she loves him."
"Did you say slobbering mutt? You MUST be talking about me," came a deep voice from the back of them.
"Leah, is it just me or has He-Who-Scores-More-Than-The-Gryffindor- Quidditch-Team arisen from the dark recesses known as Slytherin House?" Ginny quipped almost bitterly, rolling her eyes at Malfoy.
"Cute, Weasel, real cute." Malfoy walked up towards them. "Judging from the amount of orange in this hallway, either Longbottom screwed up and set a carrot charm on your heads. . ."
In unison, the girls shouted, "Shut up, Malfoy!"
At the sound of their voices, Rachel looked behind her, surprised to find Leah and Ginny had stopped following her, when she spotted Draco. Running backwards, she interrupted their conversation by throwing herself around his neck when he bent down to greet her. "Rat, how are you doing?" The name now held a more affectionate quality to it. He ran his fingers through her hair, and like his, it glistened in the sunlight - but unlike his, it moved.
She took his hand and led him down the hall, her mouth going full force the whole time. "Come on, Dad. We're going to go visit Hagrid - and FANG! Have you met Fang? He's this really huge dog, and he slobbers, and he's cuddly. I think you'll like him. And Hagrid? He's tall, like super tall - he's bigger than Uncle Greg! - and he has a long beard. . . ."
Leah and Ginny could hear her voice as it faded with the distance between them. Ginny looked at her. "Did she just call him Dad?"
****
Hagrid was none too pleased to have a Malfoy in his home. This, after all, was the same prig who had tried to get him fired numerous times, and caused him to give up his two most precious possessions, his baby dragon Norbert and beloved hippogriff Buckbeak. "Me wee sprite, why doncha come with me back there'n feed Fang?" he asked Rachel, eyeing Malfoy with contempt, desperate to be out of the royal sneer's presence. "Leah, 'd'you like the come?" Leah nodded, and off they went. Rachel and Leah exchanged a look - their parents would be alone, together.
Not that Draco was having any better of a time in this thing Hagrid called a "house." It smelled like that blasted dog, and Draco was pretty sure that the man had never employed the services of a house elf. And judging from the things passing as biscuits that Hagrid offered earlier, his cooking technique was no better than his cleaning. Draco had half a mind to tell the gamekeeper this, but seeing the smile on Rachel's face gave incentive to keep his mouth shut.
"So, Malfoy, what kind of mood are you in to accompany a Weasley to Hagrid's?" Ginny asked smartly.
"A benevolent mood, much to your benefit," he said, smiling.
Malfoy was almost appealing when he was smiling, Ginny thought. "Gee, thanks for your wonderful gesture. Allow me to retire to Gryffindor Tower and ponder today's good fortune." She sat up. "The little one adores you, you know that, right?"
"She holds me in her favor. The older one though - I'm not so much in her favor as on her 'to kill' list," Malfoy replied honestly.
"No, no, she really does like you. It's just your insistence on being an ass that stops her from acting like it."
Draco made a disapproving sound as Hagrid and his two girls walked in the door. "Malfoy, yer still here." Hagrid's observation was tinged with disappointment.
"Not for much longer, Gamekeeper." He got out of the unusually large chair with some difficulty, but proceeded to the door. "Rat, I have no doubt I will see you sitting outside Slytherin in an hour or so, waiting for me to accompany you to dinner. Leah, you're welcome to join her in her quest for my attention, but if not, good night."
"If you don't mind, Draco. . . I'm heading back to the castle anyway, I wouldn't mind walking with you," Leah informed, almost shyly. She could use the opportunity to quiz her father about his parents.
"Yes, sure, of course," he replied, shocked. His older daughter did not much care for him, this was a given, but then he had not exactly endeared himself to her either.
"Ginny, you'll bring her back to Gryffindor some time before dinner?" Leah asked.
"Definitely. An hour at the max," she replied. "Bye, both of you."
A muffled sound resembling "G'bye" came from the tiny girl whose face was buried in the neck of a large boarhound and the large man who was tending to his cauldron in the fire.
Walking out the door, two sets of gray eyes stared at the other. Leah decided to just jump into the third degree. "Rachel and I have been trying to figure out why we were transported to the past. Dumbledore and McGonagall - the only members of the faculty who know who we are - won't answer any questions about it. Some kind of big secret, our lives might be in peril in our time, we don't know. We think the reason we were transported has something to do with the Malfoy line."
He digested the information. "So, what are you telling me this for?"
"Our father - you in the future, or grown up, whatever - has never talked about your parents. We've never even met our Malfoy grandparents! Never seen pictures - nothing. As a result, we know nothing about the Malfoy family. So who better to question than the biggest, baddest, snottiest Malfoy there is?"
"You know me too well, Leah. Flattery will get you everywhere." Draco pretended to blush. "So what do you want to know?"
"Grandmother Narcissa. Tell me about her."
Draco looked at the dark lake, still for the moment but, like the Malfoy family, had something far more sinister underneath. He did not care for this line of questioning, but took a deep breath. "Your grandmother is. . . a dedicated woman. Dedicated to me, dedicated to my father. She has always wanted the best for me, but always wanted me close to the nest. I am her only child, after all!" He laughed. "My father and I wanted me to attend Durmstrang, another wizarding school, but Mother insisted on keeping me in England, so I was Hogwarts-bound. Let's see, what else? She is the only child of my Echelon grandparents, a prominent wizarding family. She married my father in her twenties, and I guess being a wife and mother fills her days. That's about it."
"What about Grandfather Lucius? You're heir to his vast fortune."
"Oh, yes, the privilege of being the heir to the great Lucius Malfoy. That's me. Luck abounds." His words were splattered with sarcasm.
"You don't think I know how it feels?" Leah asked impetuously. "I am the very female heir of the incomparable Draco Malfoy. Called a great disappointment, my gender that is, according to 'Wizarding Patrician' Magazine."
He looked absolutely startled, but his gaze became more sympathetic. This was another thing he had in common with his eldest daughter. "Successful in the future, am I? Good to know, good to know," he whispered, internally elated that his future held some promise. "Like me though, you will learn to work with your father's legacy, as I intend to do. My father is a terse man, very aware of his role as a Malfoy and a wizard. A great man, mind you, but very aware of his social status. Expects the same thing out of me. I've learned to adapt."
"What about his parents?"
"They were Marilla and Lucian Malfoy. He was their only child. Lucian was quite old when Father was born - he's been dead a few years now. My grandmother died years before Lucian despite the fact that she was years younger. Funny thing about my father was that HIS father was nothing like him. Looks, disposition, everything. On the few times that Father felt we needed to visit the 'old codger' - his words, not mine - I remember him being quite playful."
It was Leah's turn to look shocked.
"Oh, don't look at me like that! Not all Malfoys are like us - acting as though we carry the weight of the world on our shoulders; you unfortunately inherited my enchanting temperament," he said, winking, the sun setting over the lake. "Luck abounds again."
Leah quietly took his hand as they entered the castle. "The more time I spend with you, the more you resemble my dad in the future." She stopped and looked him in the eyes. "I realize that you have no obligation to baby- sit Rachel or answer any of my questions. I really appreciate what you are doing for us . . . Dad."
A/N Just a quick note to anyone and everyone reading this story - all of you who have given me 18 reviews. Thank you so very much! I know a few of you come back and review (ahemIsaandCosmozahem) time and time again, and for your dedication, thank you so very, very much. (And I am very proud of those 18. None of my stories has EVER had anything like that. If I reach 30 by the end of this story, I will be on Cloud 9!) As you can see, any appreciation from anyone regarding these works is music to my ears (and ego!) I love you guys so much! I have about 10 chapters written, but I post a little at a time, so be assured of at least 10 chappys for my little brain bi-product!
Just a note on some names: The name "Sholeh" comes from the Farsi word for flame (she's my favorite character in this story so far, and I planned her kind of spunky - you'll see more of her in later chapters!), while Leah and Rachel are named for a particular story in the Bible where some character (I THINK Jacob, but I'm not sure) wanted to marry a woman (Rachel) but was tricked into marrying her older sister (Leah) instead. In this case, (my) Leah believes she is an unwanted child, where, in the Bible, Leah was the unwanted wife. See how these things come full circle? It's a beautiful thing!