Disclaimer: I don't own anything

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Forever Never Ends

Chapter 3

Eleven years later

Rebecca woke up that bright spring morning feeling oddly different, but try as she would, she just couldn't figure out why. She sat up from her bed and threw the smooth silky sheets aside. Something, something evidently important, was nagging incessantly at the back of her mind. Frustrated because she still didn't know what was wrong with her, she, in a fit of childish anger, punched one of the nice full pillows that adorned her bed.

"Misty!" she called, and instantly, a small cheery little house elf donned in a clean white sack appeared at her side.

"Yes, Miss Rebecca, what can I do for you?" the house elf, who was called Misty, asked merrily as she approached her master.

"I feel strange…what's wrong with me?" Rebecca asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Misty knows not what is wrong with Miss Rebecca! Misty is a bad girl. Misty is bad because she doesn't know what's wrong with Miss Rebecca! Misty is bad, bad, bad!" and with this, Misty began to hit her head against the wall, causing a rather loud racket.

Rebecca sighed deeply. House elves, although sometimes helpful, were also annoying. Why did they always think that they did something wrong?

"Misty, why don't you go back to the kitchens now."

Misty, upon hearing the order, quickly vanished into thin air. Rebecca sat there for a moment, scratching her head, before she finally settled on what she was going to do. She flipped over on her soft bed and rang the small silver bell that hung from her bedside. A moment later, a woman dressed in black and white attire appeared at her door.

"Yes, Miss Rebecca, you rang?"

"Oh yes, Julie, would you mind helping me find out what's wrong with me today? I feel a bit…peculiar and I don't know what's wrong!"

Julie stepped into the rosy room and giggled heartily. "Miss Rebecca, that might be because you're turning eleven years old today. How absolutely darling, you forgot your own birthday!"

"Yes! That's it! I can't believe I've been so stupid! Today is my birthday. I'm eleven!" Rebecca exclaimed with clear delight, her blue eyes sparkling with energy. "Oh Julie, won't you help me dress?"

Rebecca swung her legs off the bed with the grace of a princess, her two feet landing directly in her cushy lavender slippers. Without further adu, she scurried to her closet and began to flip through it for something appropriate to wear.

Julie entered the closet and approached her side. "Miss Rebecca, what do you plan to wear?"

"Oh, well I don't know."

"Miss Rebecca, might I suggest this blue robe over here. They'll bring out the color of your eyes." Julie held up a simple silky blue robe that Rebecca had never seen before. Of course this was common because she received regular shipments of designer robes, dresses, gowns, jeans, shirts, and other extravagant clothing every few days, and they were delivered right to her closet.

Rebecca observed the robe that Julie was holding up. Usually, she detested having to wear robes, but today was her birthday and grandfather just returned from a business trip. At the age of eleven, she knew well enough that her grandfather was not one who fancied muggle clothing. She wanted to please her grandfather, and besides, this robe was rather lovely. "Oh, yes, they're perfect. Help me put it on, won't you?"

For the next ten minutes, Julie helped her young master put on the flowing robe and adjust everything so that it looked no less than perfect. Then she brushed Rebecca's shiny golden hair, which naturally curled just slightly at the ends. Finally, she was done with her work, and Rebecca was ready for another day.

"Miss Rebecca, you look like an angel," Julie said adoringly, looking down at her with beaming eyes.

Rebecca giggled. "You always say that!"

"It's the truth."

Rebecca giggled again and then continued on. "Where's mother and father?"

"Oh well they're downstairs waiting for you, of course."

"Oh thanks, Julie! I must be getting myself down there then. After all, it is my birthday!" She straightened her robe and then ran down the hall, her dainty slippers clicking tenderly on the sparkling crystal floor. She descended down the stairs until she was standing right in front of the large, nicely polished French doors that led to the dining room. She quickly straightened her dress again, ran a hand through her silky hair, took a deep breath, and pushed open the doors.

"Good morning, mother, father, grandmother, grandfather," she said and in turn nodded at each of them. Then she hurried to her seat at the table, which the servingman pulled out and pushed in after she sat down.

"Happy birthday, sleepyhead," Lucius said, teasing her, as he stirred his coffee. "Eleven years old and still can't wake up on time."

"Oh but..." Rebecca started saying to defend herself, but couldn't finish because just then, dozens of owls fluttered by the window and dropped countless letters into a basket by the window. She hastily scrambled out of her chair and picked up the whole bundle of letters. This was her favorite job to do in the morning, passing out the letters to the person it was addressed to.

"Here's eleven for you, grandfather. And one for you, grandmother. And twenty seven for you father. And three for you mother."

She stopped momentarily, and studied the last letter in her hand and was quietly debating about whether or not she should tell her family about it.

"Too much Ministry work! They've been flooding me with owls!" exclaimed a very exhausted Draco in his usual annoyed drawl.

"And even I've got a letter!" said Rebecca, finally having decided that she should probably tell her parents. She held the envelope out for them to see. "Look!"

They all gaped at what they saw. It was a big thick envelope, made of yellowish paper and the address was forged in green ink. On the other side there was a purple wax seal with a lion, a snake, an eagle, and a badger surrounding a letter H. Pansy gripped Draco's hand tightly and everyone in the room had their fingers crossed. Maybe, maybe after all, Rebecca did have a bit of wizarding blood in her.

Rebecca ignored the silence and tore open the envelope. Beads of sweat were starting to gather on Draco's forehead as he watched her scan the letter, hoping that it brought good news. Rebecca's face lit up as she read what was on the piece of parchment.

"Oh father! It says I've been accepted to Hogwarts!"

Silence.

And then everyone started jumping with joy and Pansy gave her loudest squeal and Rebecca was hugged a million times and smothered with a billion kisses. And everyone was crying tears of joy, because their greatest fear was that she wouldn't get the letter and now she did, and they had passed through that obstacle.

~

Rebecca knocked quietly on her parents' door and it opened a moment later.

"Mother, father, could I sleep with you tonight?"

Pansy hugged her young daughter, "Of course, baby."

The two of them crawled into the bed next to Draco and then Rebecca started talking about her worries and such.

"Father, did you and mother also go to Hogwarts?" Rebecca said curiously. "And if you did, how come you never told me about it? Will there be other children at Hogwarts too?"

"Yes, Becca, we did go to Hogwarts, but we didn't think that you wanted to know about it, which is why we never told you." Draco hated himself at that moment. He loved his daughter, and yet he lied to her. But he couldn't tell her the truth. He couldn't tell her that she was not their real daughter and that she was a muggle. Especially since she grew up in the manor and had heard numerous insults to muggles.

"There'll be plenty of children your age. You'll have plenty of friends," said Pansy, trying to reassure her. "And in a few days we'll take you to Diagon Alley to buy some books and wand for you!"

"Diagon Alley! I haven't been there for ages, Mother! Father, will you come too?"

Draco smiled. "Sure, Becca, anything you want."

"So, mother, how do I know who I should be friends with. What if people are mean to me? What is Hogwarts like?"

"Well, you'll be sorted into a house. There's four houses, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor."

"What house were you in?"

"We were both in Slytherin."

"So does that mean that I will be too?"

"Most likely, yes."

But Draco had some doubts about it. Becky did not act like a typical Slytherin house kind of a girl. But still, she grew up in this manor, and if they had stamped some magic into her, they probably stamped some darkness into her also. Draco and Pansy were convinced that the only reason Becky received her letter was that they had raised her and some of their magic had rubbed off on her.

"Oh yes, and if you see any kids with flaming red hair dressed in rags, you'll know they're a Weasley. You want to stay away from Weasleys, do you hear?" Pansy added.

"A Weasley? What a funny name!" Becky said, trying to suppress a giggle. "Are there lots of Weasleys at Hogwarts?"

"Probably. One thing you must know about the Weasley family is that they try and have as many children as they possibly can. Draco, dear, do you still remember that wretched Granger? Hermione Granger? Do you know what happened to her?"

This struck Draco like a lightning bolt. It had been more than eleven years, and her name still brought fresh memories. Hearing her name was like opening a deep wound again, like someone ripping out his heart. For years he had tried to cover this wound, but upon hearing her name, his wound was opened again. This brought anger. Anger that he could not suppress. He gritted his teeth.

"Granger? Probably married to Weasley and punching out their tenth child."

"Draco! You know perfectly well that Ron Weasley is married to Parvati! He works in your department, doesn't he?"

By now, Becky had already fallen into a deep sleep.

"Pansy, can't you just let me sleep?"

"Fine, go to sleep." Pansy turned off the lights and fell into a deep sleep.

But Draco could not sleep that night. Her image and their memories played over and over again in his mind. After a very long time he looked over to the clock sitting on the wall. Four fifty-seven, it said. Draco sighed, he closed his eyes and was pulled into a dream. A dream of his past. A dream of her.

TBC

A/N: ok, another boring chapter. But I think the next chapter will be better. I hope, anyways.