Chapter 3: Hearts Desire

Sarah ran, not look where she was going, eyes practically blinded by tears. Finally, when she was exhausted, she ran into what looked like an empty classroom, and flopped down on the floor sobbing uncontrollably.

You knew it wasn't going to be easy, a little voice in the back of her mind said. You knew that you would be shunned. Did you really think that just being a Gryffindor was going to solve all your problems? At least, if you were a Slytherin, you would have friends. This way, you only have that muggle-born girl, and she's probably being told about how you are going to betray her right now.

Her sobs became stronger. But I wanted so badly to find a new life. She thought to herself. I hate being the daughter of one of the most evil wizarding families of all time. I want to be accepted for who I am, not for my parents or my money. I wanted to make my own life.

And now it's been screwed up by the people who I had hoped would help me.

She had heard about Harry Potter, how he defeated the dark lord, how he helped those in need. She had admired the figure the stories told about. He was so strong. She wanted to be like that. She had thought his sons would be the same, just as noble and good.

She couldn't believe how wrong she was.

At home, she had nothing. She had no friends, her brothers always picked on her, and she was beaten for speaking what was really on her mind. She gritted her teeth and bore it, and spoke her mind again, earning herself more beatings. She wanted to get away, to become a new person, not a Malfoy.

I thought that if I got into Gryffindor, everyone would see me in a new light. Her tears made pools on the floor. I was wrong. Slowly, she began to wipe her tears away. "Very well then, I'll just have to make them see me for who I am." She said. Taking a deep breath, she stopped her trembling. She could do this. She had born the beatings. She had gone through thick and thin, always believing what she wanted to believe. She would prevail. She would be strong.

As she thought this to herself, she began to get a glimpse of exactly why she had been named a Gryffindor.

As she slowly stood, she realized that she had no idea where she was. She had not paid any attention as she barreled her way through the corridors.

She was in what looked like a disused classroom. Desks and chairs lined the walls, and a fine layer of dust covered the floor.

The odd thing was, there was a mirror in the far corner of the classroom. This object looked shiny and new. On the top the words Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi, were carved.

Frowning, Sarah went over to investigate this oddity. As she approached the mirror, she could see figures in it. She turned.

There was nobody there.

Slowly, she turned back. There, in the mirror, was her reflection. Behind her though, were many people, all of them looking at her with admiration and love. Sirius and James Potter smiled at her in a friendly, understanding way. Behind them, a man who could only be Harry Potter grinned at her like a father would. There were others, students and teachers, looking at her proudly, as if saying, "This girl is one we all love, admire, and are proud to know." One figure detached itself from the crowd, and came forward.

It was Lily. Smiling, Lily reached out a hand to touch Sarah's shoulder.

Sarah jumped when she actually felt a hand touch her shoulder. She turned, half expectiong to see Lily smiling at her, but was faced with the twinkling blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore.

"Ah… Sarah. I see you have discovered the Mirror of Erised." He said. Dumbly, Sarah nodded. Dumbledore smiled kindly at her. "And what do you see?"

"I see…" She looked back. "People, all looking at me, like they're proud of me. Like they love me. They actually think that I'm a worthy person." She stared in wonder. "Does it show the future?" She asked eagerly.

Dumbledore looked at her thoughtfully. "No." He said gently, and watched her deflate. "It shows us the deepest desires of our hearts, nothing more, nothing less. You have never known love or friendship, have you?"

Sarah shook her head sadly.

"So you see yourself loved by so many people. You see yourself admired. That is what you most desire."

"I've always known that." She whispered. "I'm not worth anything. I want to be worth something. I want people to know me for who I am, not for who my family is."

"That is a worthy goal." Dumbledore said. "And, not matter what anyone tells you, you are always worth something. Ah…" He smiled. "Hello Miss Wright. Come to find your friend." He was talking to somebody behind her.

"Yes Professor Dumbledore." Came Lily's voice.

"Very well then, here she is. I will lead you both up to Gryffindor tower then." He said. Both girls nodded tightly. Sarah refused to look at Lily.

At the portrait to the Gryffindor common room, Dumbledore stopped to give the password. The fat lady looked very surprised to see the headmaster.

"I should warn you, headmaster…" She began.

"Lionclaw." Dumbledore interrupted. The portrait hole swung open, and Dumbledor walked through.

Immediately, he was soaked with water. Laughter could be heard from the common room, and it wasn't very nice laughter. Sarah felt tears at the corners of her eyes again. That water had been meant for her. From the way Lily's fists were balled, she had realized this too.

The laughter stopped when the culprits actually got a look at whom they had hit.

"Er… Sorry Professor." Came a mumbled voice that sounded like Daniel Longbottom.

"Miss Malfoy, Miss Wright, please come in." Dumbledore said calmly.

Slowly, the two entered. Though she did not look up, Sarah could feel their eyes watching her, hating her even more because she had somehow managed to foul up their trick so that they got in trouble with the headmaster.

Lily glared at the boys. She had decided that she hated them. They were cruel and thoughtless.

"Your dormitory is up those stairs to your left. Your possessions are already there." Dumbledore said mildly. "Why don't you retire for the night? I wish to speak with these four alone." He nodded at Danny, Zach, James, and Sirius.

Lily and Sarah walked away automatically. As they reached the top of the stairs, Lily stopped Sarah.

"Sarah…" She whispered.

Sarah kept her eyes turned on the ground, and walked on.

"Sarah…" Lily said again, and grabbed her just in front of the door to their dormitory. "Sarah, look at me."

On the other side of the door, one person was awake, and listening.

Sarah looked up, and saw Lily's eyes were filled with concern. "Sarah, what is it? Why does everyone hate your family so much?" Lily asked.

"It's because of my grandfather." Sarah said. "He was a Death Eater." Tears welled up in her eyes. "And not just any Death Eater. He was the worst muggle-born and muggle killer of them all." She hastily began to wiper her eyes. "He was considered one of the darkest wizards of the century, next to You-know…" She stopped, and a reckless determination came over her face. "Next to Voldemort." She said.

"What does this have to do with you? You're not him." Lily said.

"No, but I'm his decendant. And…" She lowered her voice a bit. "It's not supposed to be public, but everyone knows how proud my family is of him. Draco… that's my dad… he is always talking about Lucious…er…grandfather. And…" Her eyes hardened. "Whenever I said otherwise, he beat me."

Lily stared in horror as Sarah continued. "But I wouldn't change my opinion, so he kept beating me. He told me I was a stupid, worthless, brat and that I should never have been born. But I wouldn't change, no matter what he did. I wasn't proud of being a Malfoy, and I said so." The hatred in Sarah's voice was strong.

"How did you live?" Lily asked, amazed.

"It wasn't easy. My family was… is so hated, and everyone assumes that I'm just the same. But I lived by thinking about Harry Potter. He was ridiculed, hunted, criticized, hated, and he bore it all. I thought…" She faltered. "I dreamed about coming to Hogwarts, and meeting his sons, and becoming friends with them."

"They don't deserve it." Lily interrupted. "They don't deserve to know you. They're just stuck up prats who think they're better than you because their dad defeated a dark wizard. They don't even know you."

Sarah burst into tears. Lily was shocked. "What… was it something I said?" She asked, confused.

"No… it's just… I've never had a friend before." She said. "I've never had anyone to talk to. I was either treated like dirt, or like I was about to explode."

"You don't deserve that." Lily said. "Nobody deserves that, and you least of all." She went up and hugged Sarah. "Tell you what…" She whispered. "If your family disowns you, I beg mum until she lets us adopt you." She smiled warmly.

Sarah smiled wanly back. "Thanks." She whispered. "This is the first time in my life that I don't feel like a… a…" She fumbled for an appropriate phrase. "Like a Werewolf."

The eavesdropper on the other side of the door stiffened.

"What's wrong with werewolves?" Lily asked.

"Nothing at all." Sarah answered. "They're perfectly nice people who happen to turn into a wolf every full moon. I'm saying that I feel like on because… well… everyone's afraid of werewolves. They're feared and ridiculed, just like me. So, I feel like one, and I feel really sorry for them."

The eyes of the eavesdropped widened.

"Oh." Lily said. There was a silence.

"Thanks for being my friend." Sarah whispered.

"No problem." Lily said. "I'm getting tired though. We should go to bed."

The eavesdropper ran to her bed. She listened as the two walked in, prepared for the night, and got into bed.

Long after Lily and Sarah had fallen asleep, the eavesdropper lay awake, thinking.

"I am disappointed in you four." Dumbledore said gravely.

"But sir…" Sirius began. "She's…"

"She's a nice girl who has had a horrible life." Dumbledore interrupted. "You should be ashamed of what you have done."

"A nice girl?" Zach said. "She's a Malfoy."

"And you are a Weasley." Dumbledore answered. "Does that make you poor?"

Both Zach's and Danny's ears went pink.

"I have to agree with Zach." James said. "She is a Malfoy. And we all know what Malfoy's are like."

"Has it occurred to you that she might be different?" Dumbledore asked.

The boys all snorted.

Dumbledore sighed. "I am disappointed. I thought you four might have a more open mind. I guess I was wrong." He turned and left.

All the boys stared at the floor guiltily.

"Do you think he's right?" Danny asked after a while.

"Nah. You know Dumbledore. He gives everyone a chance." Sirius said.

"Yeah… I guess so." Danny didn't sound convinced.

"Anyway… we have some planning to do." Sirius said slyly. "We wouldn't want the teachers to think we were actually good boys. We need to get a head start."

The others grinned, and the four of them began to lay out their plans as the new head troublemakers of Hogwarts.

AN: This story wasn't supposed to be about Sarah. It started out as a fic about Sirius and James Potter (at least it did in my mind). It was supposed to be funny.

Shows what I know. I look at it now and think that Sarah is actually one of the most interesting characters I've ever made up in any of my writing (I write original fiction sometimes, but it's not very good).

Okay. Chapter one didn't load like it was supposed to, so that may have been a bit confusing. It's been updated, and there was a little mix up with names at the beginning, but it wasn't very big, just 'Hannah' instead of 'Heather'.

Well, please review. Tell me what I can do better.