A tall man in dark green robes was standing in the hall patiently, his white-blonde hair slicked back, his cloudy blue eyes lazily studdying a dusty painting on the wall. He turned when he heard Dawn and Crescent enter, and his eyes sparkled slightly when he saw Dawn.

"Lucius?"

"Hello, Dawn," he grinned. "It's rare that I come here unmasked."

"Quite," she replied, raising her eyebrows. "So how are we getting to Diagon Alley?"

"Straight to the point, as always," laughed Lucius. "Well, first we'll be Joint Apparating to my manor. My son, Draco, goes to Hogwarts as well. He's a fifth year, like you'll be. Your belongings will be brought over while we're gone; you'll be staying with us for the remainder of the holiday. Then we'll be taking Floo Powder to Flourish and Blott's. You are okay with Floo Powder, Dawn?"

"Of course. I love the stuff," she grinned. "Traveling like that is so fun."

"Good," Lucius said briskly. He held out his arm to Dawn. "Hold on tightly; don't want you to get dropped off in some filthy Muggle street."

She took his arm firmly, and barely had enough time to call out a hurried, "Good-bye, Crescent! I'll miss you!" before she and Lucius Disapperated.

They reappeared seconds later in the huge drawing room of the Malfoys' mansion. Dawn stared around, releasing her grip on Lucius's arm. She'd never seen such luxuries before in her life.

The furniture was elegantly carved out of mahogany wood, and the seats were covered in a cushiony, deep green velvet. Gauzy white curtains hung lazily in front og the huge windows, letting in a trickle of the morning light. Glass cases were placed almost randomly around the room, showing off their rare and collectable items. Portraits hung over the huge mantel of the even bigger fireplace; puzzling, abstract enigmas to Dawn.

Lucius grinned, his blue eyes twinkling, seeing Dawn's astonishment. "Stay in here; I'll go fetch Draco."

"Um, Lucius--"

"I've told him you're a distant relation that needed a place to stay," he said, reading her mind. She grinned.

"Alright," she replied, plopping down into an armchair. Lucius smiled, then turned and walked out of the cherry wood double-doors. Dawn curled up Indian-style on the armchair and spent a few minutes looking around the study.

When she heard footsteps drawing nearer to the study, she jumped off the chair, rain a hand quickly through her hair to smooth it down, and straightened her robs as best she could before the doors opened. Dawn didn't want to make a bad first impression on Lucius's son.

Draco Malfoy had the same white-blonde hair as his father, the same pointed chin, and the same smirk constantly tugging at the corners of his lips. His eyes, however, were a deep, thoughtful grey. Dawn, realizing she was staring, blinked and said hurriedly, "I'm--"

"Dawn Sundance," interrupted Draco in a smooth, drawling voice. "I know. Father's talked of nothing else for the past few days."

Lucius yanked on his son's ear as Dawn blushed--not lightly, because Dawn could see Draco wince. Chuckling softly, Lucius stated, "Now, Draco, there's no need to make her feel uncomfortable. Let's get going, shall we?"

He lit a fire in the grate using his wand and pulled down and extravagantly carved box ffrom the mantel. Opening the lid, Lucius took out a pinch of the coarse powder and tossed it into the flames, instantly turning them a brilliant emerald green.

"Would you prefer to go first, Dawn?" inquired Lucius graciously. Dawn grinned.

"Sure." She stepped into the flames, basking in their warmness for a moment, then yelled out, "Diagon Alley!" and was gone in a whirl of green light.

The Floo Poweder journey was over all too soon, but Dawn didn't have the time to miss it. She had to scramble out of the way as Draco slid out of the fireplace soon after her. He stood up, brushing soot off of his shoulders disdainfully. Dawn nearly laughed at the scowl on his face.

"Don't you like traveling by Floo Powder, Draco?"

"No," he spat. "It's nauseating."

"I think it's quite fun. But to each his own," Dawn shrugged, brushing her hand lightly through her haird to shake out bits of ash. A soft pop announced the arrival of Lucius behind her. Turning a little to glance at him, Dawn asked, "Where to first?"

"Here's as good a place to start as any," Lucius replied, glancing arouond at the shelves upon shelves of bookcases. "We can get your schoolbooks."

"I'll probably end up buying more than just schoolbooks," warned Dawn good-naturedly, peering at the nearest bookcase. "I just hope I won't blow all my money........."

"How about we make a second trip here after we've gotten all your school supplies?" suggested Lucius.

"Sounds good to me." Dawn, with an effort, pulled herself away from the bookcase.