A/N- Argh, I've left this for so long (again). Sorry everyone! I know I must be driving you crazy, updating so little. But thanks to everyone who's still being patient, and reading when I actually do update. I love you!
ruweka.j- No, Ginny won't end up with Draco. Its in that section mainly because they are the two people Perdita will interact with the most.
Blackmage718- Hehe, I stole that line from Tommy Boy. I love that movie, and David Spade rules.
Vereniel Greenleaf- Aww, thanks! I'm glad you like my story, even if I don't update as often as I should
Paige- Yeah, I know I don't update all that often, the ideas are just being slow in coming, but I'm going as fast as I can. I'm just glad some of my reviewers have stuck with me for so long, and haven't given up on me completely as far as updates go.
Alynna Lis Eachann- Well, Harry doesn't talk to her in this chapter, but he will in the one afterward. A little, anyway.
Ayla Lupin- Hehe, thanks! You already know more about what's coming than most people ;)
Bobo Blankrune- Hehe, I'm nicer to her later on, I promise. Its just at the beginning that I'm not, cuz of Harry and the gang :)
************
Draco read and re-read the letter in his hand, trying to make sure he had read it correctly. His father's response to the letter he had sent was unexpected, to say the least.
Draco,
That girl you mentioned in your letter is of particular interest to me. From what I've discovered, she is the relative of a high ranking Death Eater. However, the Dark Lord has started to doubt his loyalties. I want you to befriend the girl, and bring her to our side. If we have her on our side, her relative may be more likely to remember where his loyalties should be. She will also make a perfect spy in Gryffindor, and could very well help the Dark Lord kill Potter. Do whatever you have to, just ensure she will join our side.
Your father
"Befriend a Gryffindor?" Draco sneered to himself. "Does he have any idea how impossible that is?"
Not that he was going to argue with his father. He knew better than to do that, especially when it would serve the Dark Lord's own purposes. He had to admit, having a spy in Gryffindor would be useful. It would certainly give him more chances to get at Potter. Maybe they'd even be able to steal a playbook for the Quidditch team. That would certainly give Slytherin House an advantage in the games.
But how to gain her trust...
Draco glanced up from his letter, looking across the Great Hall to where Potter and his friends were sitting. He glared to himself, watching them. He would have loved to hex that ugly scar right off Potter's smug little face. A few seats away, he saw Weasley's little sister talking with the Pettigrew girl, Longbottom, and the Creevey brothers. As he watched, Perdita reached across the table to take something Colin was showing them, accidently knocking over her goblet of juice in the process. Great, Draco thought, rolling his eyes. I have to befriend the female version of Longbottom.
"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry!" Perdita cried, helping mop up the juice she had spilled before it ruined any more of the parchment he was working on.
"Its all right, really." he assured her, grabbing a few more napkins. "Its not like you did it on purpose."
"I didn't ruin your 'omework, did I?" she asked.
"Nah, just got a bit of the corner wet." he said, looking at it. "Nothing smudged. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?" she asked, still feeling bad.
"I'm sure." he assured her.
"Oh, Perdita, we'd better get going." Ginny said, realizing what time it was. "We'll be late for Transfiguration. See you later Neville, come on Colin."
"I'm coming, I'm coming." he grumbled good naturedly, grabbing his bag and stuffing his camera into it as he followed the two girls.
***********
"Ah, finally, lunch time." Ginny sighed happily as Transfiguration ended. "Need some help Perdita?"
Perdita was gathering up her books and parchment as best she could. McGonagall had given them a lot of notes to take down, as well as enough homework to last them all weekend. Most of the class was filing out of the room already.
"No, it is okay, Ginny." Perdita replied. "I need to go to the library anyway. I will meet you in the Great 'all."
"Are you sure?" Ginny asked. Perdita looked like she had a lot to carry, and she still had a bit of trouble trying to find her way around the school.
"Oui, I will be fine." Perdita assured her. "You go on ahead."
"All right. I'll save you a spot then." Ginny grinned as she left.
Perdita walked out of the classroom, a tall stack of books in her arms. She had almost made it to the first flight of stairs that would take her to the library, when the stack suddenly swayed and toppled to the floor. Various parchments that had been stuffed into the books fluttered down around her. Perdita sighed and knelt down to pick everything up again. She reached for a book and was surprised to see someone else's hand reaching for the same book. She looked up shyly to see a silver-blond haired boy with stormy gray eyes kneeling in front of her.
"Need some help?" he asked politely.
"Y-yes, please." she replied. He helped her gather up her books and parchments.
"Where's your bag?" he asked curiously, watching her try to balance the books again.
"It broke yesterday. I tried to fix it, but I am not any good at Charms. It does not 'elp that I 'ave so many books to return to the library either."
"Well, these are way too heavy for you to carry all that way. I'll help you carry them." he offered, smiling.
"Thank you." she said gratefully.
"By the way, my name is Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." Draco said, with a slight bow.
"That's a nice name." she smiled shyly.
"Thank you. Your name is Perdita, isn't it?" he asked. She nodded.
"Perdita Pettigrew." she told him.
"Well, I think that's a nice name, too." he said. She blushed. Predictable, he thought. Flattery always works.
"What year are you in?" she asked as they walked. She noticed, from his robes, that he was a Slytherin. She remembered everyone had warned her not to trust Slytherins, but this one wasn't being mean like they had said.
"Fifth, and if I remember correctly from the Sorting Ceremony, you're a fourth year, right?"
"Yes."
"So, where did you transfer from anyway?" he asked, trying to keep up conversation.
"Beauxbatons." she answered. "I grew up in France, even though my parents were both British."
"I thought I recognized the accent. I have some family in France, too. Maybe you even knew some."
"Maybe."
"How come you transfered here?" he asked. Perdita didn't answer. She ducked her head and fought back tears. The image of her mother dying had crawled back into her head.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, a bit confused by her reaction. "Are you...crying?"
"No. Yes. I am sorry, it is just...I do not really want to talk about it."
"No problem. It's probably none of my business anyway. Forgive me, Madame, for being nosy." he said, with a dramatic bow. Perdita couldn't help but laugh a little.
"From what I 'ave 'eard, most Slytherins would never 'elp a clumsy Gryffindor like me." she said, looking up at him as they continued walking.
"Well, I'm not like most Slytherins." he replied. Ha, yeah, right, he thought. "Just don't tell your friends that. I'd hate to ruin my house's reputation."
"Oh, no problem there. I don't 'ave many friends to tell."
"I'm sorry to hear that." he said. "Well, you have one now. If you don't mind my being a Slytherin, that is."
"Not at all. This whole 'ouse rivalry is new to me; we did not 'ave any of that at Beauxbatons." she said as they reached the library. "Well, thank you Draco, for 'elping me."
"Any time." he smiled, handing his share of the books back to her. "Listen, if you aren't busy after dinner, would you like to do something?"
"Sure." she said eagerly. "I would love to."
"Great. Bring your bag, too. Maybe I'll be able to fix it for you." he grinned.
"Thank you, Draco. I will see you after dinner." she promised.
"Meet me here." he smiled, heading down the stairs. There was less of a chance of the other Slytherins seeing him with a Gryffindor if they met near the library, rather than outside the Great Hall. Perdita couldn't help smiling as she watched him go.
"This is going to be easy." Draco smirked to himself as he walked away.
*********
"I wasn't sure if you were going to show up," Draco said, forcing a smile when he saw Perdita walking towards him, an empty bag hanging off her shoulder. Even from where he was, he could see the large split in the side. As promised, he was waiting in front of the library for her.
"I...got a little lost on the way up." Perdita admitted, blushing. "I 'ope I didn't keep you waiting."
"Not at all." he replied. "Is that the bag you told me about?"
"Oui." she replied, handing it over to him. He inspected the rip closely. It ran down the side, where a seam had once been, and even though it was rather long, it was nothing he couldn't fix. If she was a little smarter, he thought, she could have figured it out herself. Oh well, you can't expect Gryffindors to be intelligent. Draco took his wand from his pocket and flicked it at the tear in the bag.
"Reparo." he said. Instantly, the tear repaired itself, as though it were being sewn with invisible thread. He handed it back to her, smiling. "There you go, good as new."
"Merci." she said, taking it back.
"No problem." he shrugged, trying to think what to do next. A walk, perhaps, he thought. They could go somewhere less public, so he wouldn't have to worry about another Slytherin seeing them. "want to go for a walk?"
"All right. That sounds nice." Perdita agreed, smiling.
"You know, I'm surprised Granger didn't offer to fix your bag for you." Draco commented as they started down the hall. "She'll usually take any chance she can to show off her brains."
"I don't think 'ermione likes me very much." Perdita said quietly, not really looking up at him. Draco stopped in surprise, staring at her.
"Really?" he asked. "I thought Gryffindors were required by law to like each other. Its in the school rules or something, I'm sure of it."
This managed to make Perdita laugh a little. He has a nice sense of humor, she thought.
"I 'ave nothing against 'er." Perdita said as they continued walking. "She, 'arry, and Ron were nice to me on the train, but lately, Ginny is the only one who 'as really spoken to me. Besides Colin and Neville."
Great, Draco thought, she's already making friends with the losers and Mudbloods. I can't believe I have to do this. Still, its better than the alternative, which was disobeying his father's order. Draco knew better than that. He shuddered to think, however, what the other Slytherins would do if they found out he was hanging around a Gryffindor. Not that they would say anything, though. Nobody criticized a Malfoy.
"Why would Potter, Weasley and Granger have a problem with you?" he asked at last. "You seem likeable."
For a klutzy, know-nothing Gryffindor, he added silently.
"I don't know." she sighed softly. "I didn't do anything to them. If I did, I don't know what it was. Ever since the Sorting, they 'ave barely spoken to me. They mostly just ignore me."
That's Potter for you, Draco thought. Thinking he's better than everyone else, getting away with whatever he wants. And Granger and Weasley, of course, following his lead. Bunch of stupid, brainless-
Damn! he swore mentally, seeing who was ahead of them in the hall. Blaise Zabini, the self-appointed authority on True Slytherin Behavior. If Potter thought Draco was a manic about Pureblood mentality, he'd never seen Zabini. The girl was far worse than he was. She disliked half of the people in their own house because they didn't exhibit what she considered good Slytherin behavior. He'd seen her berate first years into tears last year. If she saw him with this klutzy Gryffindor, he'd never hear the end of it, even if he was only doing this on his father's orders. Before Perdita and Blaise saw each other, he steered them down a side hall.
He'd make friends with her, but that didn't mean he wanted to be seen with her. Especially not by the True Slytherin Behavior Maniac.
*********
Ginny hadn't seen Perdita at all after dinner, and was starting to worry about where she might have gone. Perdita still didn't know her way around the school very well; could she have gotten lost? Neville said he had seen her heading for the library after dinner. In an attempt to take her mind off things, Ginny went to her dorm and started working on some Transfiguration she'd been putting off. She wasn't sure how long she'd been working on it when she heard the door open. She looked up to see that it was Perdita.
"Hey." she smiled. "I was wondering where you'd disappeared to after dinner."
"I was meeting someone." Perdita replied, sitting down on her bed, which was next to Ginny's. "I met 'im when I was returning my books to the library today."
"Oh?" Ginny asked, curious. Perdita was meeting a boy? That was a heck of a lot more interesting than some dumb Transfiguration assignment. "What's his name?"
"Draco Malfoy." she said. She tucked the bag that Draco had repaired for her into her trunk and kicked her shoes off.
"Draco Malfoy?" Ginny repeated, surprised. She was meeting Malfoy? Why would he do that? He hated Gryffindors. Something didn't sound right, she thought. "Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin?"
"Oui." Perdita answered. " 'e 'elped me carry my books up to the Library earlier, and offered to fix my bag tonight. 'e was very nice too."
Nice? Malfoy and nice were two words Ginny had never thought she'd hear in the same sentence. What was he up to, being nice to Perdita? He was never nice to anyone, not even his fellow Slytherins. Perdita must have noticed the frown forming on her face, because she looked away, as though she were ashamed of something.
"Dita, are you sure you can trust Malfoy?" Ginny asked at last. "He's not the nicest person in the world."
" 'e was very nice when I was around 'im." Perdita replied quietly. She didn't want to argue with Ginny. Ginny was the only real friend she had.
Ginny sighed silently. Perdita can decide who her friends are for herself, she thought. Its her decision. She had no right to tell Perdita who she could and couldn't hang out with. She certainly wouldn't stop being friends with her because of it though. She'd be no better than Ron, Harry, and Hermione if she did.
"I'm glad you got on his good side." Ginny said, trying to sound genuinely happy for her, though she was still suspicious of Malfoy's motives. "And I'm glad you're making more friends too."
"Thanks, Ginny." Perdita said, smiling.
"Any time. Just because he and I don't get along doesn't mean you and him can't." she said. Just so long as I don't have to be around him, Ginny thought. She thought about asking Ron to keep an eye on Malfoy, then remembered she wasn't talking to him as long as he, Harry, and Hermione were giving Perdita the cold shoulder. Maybe she'd ask Neville instead. He had the same classes with Malfoy, and she wanted someone to watch him. She had a sneaky suspicion he was up to something, and if it had to do with her friend, she wanted to know about it. She wasn't going to let Malfoy hurt Perdita, after all she'd been through.