Draco entered the hall to the infirmary and saw Kristin leave with Harry,
hands interlocked. He groaned as he watched her laugh with him and touch
him affectionately, before they disappeared behind a corner.
He opened the door to have Madam Pomfrey practically pounce on him with concern.
"Mr. Malfoy," she fretted, "what happened to you?"
"I- uh- punched a mirror," he admitted, staring at the floor in embarrassment.
The nurse sighed audibly and mumbled something under her breath. Draco could make out the words "temper" and "no sense" but didn't let it get to him.
Madam Pomfrey cast a restoring spell and Draco saw his hand stop bleeding and the cuts disappear. He thanked her and walked to potions.
As he reached the dim, musty hallway of the Potions dungeon, he could hear a light giggle over the muffled voices in the classroom. He recognized it instantly as Kristin's.
"That's why I'm in such a good mood." Her earlier words echoed in his head. 'Of course,' he thought, 'I would never make her so happy.'
He paused at the door, breathed in deeply, and forced himself to go in. He tried to avoid looking at her but he couldn't help it.
She had her hand on Harry's arm flirtatiously and laughed with him. With her other hand, she played with her tawny colored hair. The shiny tresses shifted slightly at her touch, toying with the little light in the room.
Draco passed her as he made his way to his table next to Blaise. Kristin looked at him fleetingly and went back to talking with Harry as if she had never glanced up.
"Where were you?" Blaise snarled at him.
"None of your business," he snapped back.
She glared at him and turned back to her front of the room where Professor Snape began his teaching.
-----
"You know," Harry's green eyes gazed into her own. "I used to hate this class." He smiled at her.
"You're so cheesy," Kristin laughed at him, pushing his arm lightly. She rested her hand on top of his arm and played lightly with her hair.
Draco walked by slowly and unsteadily, paler than normal, almost sick looking. He looked weak and unstable, as if he was going to collapse at any moment.
Kristin could bear to look for tool long and quickly turned back towards Harry.
'He didn't look like that before.' She reflected on their last meeting and struggled to remember it was only ten minutes ago though it felt like an eternity. It was much too long to cope without her best friend. 'I've been without friends since I was four,' she reminded herself. 'Why should he be any different?'
-----
Her mind drifted back to when she was a child, playing with her best friend, Jessica, in the playground of Saint Agnes à la Maison pour de Seuls Enfants (St. Agnes' Home for Lone Children) in Muggle Paris. She and Jessica were jumping rope and giggling happily, when Trish, a girl who picked on her all the time, jumped in the twirling ropes. Kristin fumed as another friend was pushed to the ground in Trish's attempt to play with them.
The rope moved under her hands as its soft rubber handle started feeling cool and scaly. The rest of the children screamed. Kristin looked up and saw that the rope had transformed into a large green snake. It had bitten Jessica, who was bleeding severely from the puncture wound on her neck, and it was heading toward Trish. Kristin screamed as well and dropped the serpent.
The jump rope hit the ground harmlessly with a soft thud. It was no longer the venomous jade snake it had been before, but a anodyne black canvas jump rope with rubber handles.
But Kristin could not handle it. She continued screaming and jumping on the rope until she was certain that all serpentine characteristics had ceased to exist. She cried helplessly late into the night after the headmistress had told her that Jessica was dead. She didn't know exactly what it meant. Dead. She just realized that she would never see her best friend again.
She didn't speak to anyone for almost a year, except for a few words to an imaginary Jessica. In time, Kristin began talking again but none of the other children wanted anything to do with her. The blame for Jessica's death placed itself on the shoulders of the girl who mourned her the most, who knew as much as anyone else what happened the afternoon that would set the example for the rest of her life.
-----
"Kristin," Professor Snape was making his rounds, checking on everyone's progress, "you're doing it perfectly."
"Really?" she smiled, gesturing towards Harry slightly with her head to remind Snape that he was there. Snape scowled at her slightly, showing his disapproval to her interest in the boy-who-lived.
"Yes, uh, you didn't screw up, Harry. Aren't we all happy?" Kristin smiled at his attempt but he still gave her dirty looks as she and Harry held hands and talked tenderly.
-----
The silence drove Kristin mad. It was so hard to be so little and lose a friend and have no where to turn, so she turned to the door. With a few of her belongings and a couple of Jessica's, Kristin sneaked from Saint Agnes à la Maison pour de Seuls Enfants into the dark cold November night. The full moon was shining brightly overhead casting shadows in which she could hide from passers-by.
She walked all night. Daylight broke beautifully with sunbeams exploding everywhere. Kristin saw people start to rise and head about their day. No one paused to watch the six-year-old wander the streets of Versailles that morning. She strolled around, not sure of her direction, dragging her pillowcase stuffed with her belongings behind her.
She walked until afternoon before she summed up what cash she could find and bought herself some lunch. She had grown used to not being noticed and quite appreciated the lack of attention, but it didn't last long. Someone detected something odd about her and she could feel his eyes prying her mind looking for answers.
This was a strange part of town that Kristin had never seen the likes of. People were wearing cloaks and strange things were happening. She looked around warily to find the person so interested in her.
"Miss Riddle," a tall, blonde man addressed her. She trembled slightly. Who was this man? Why was he talking to her? Most importantly, how did he know her name? "I've anticipated meeting you for a long time."
"You've what?" she struggled to understand his word but they were too complex for her to understand.
"I've have been waiting to meet you." He knelt down to her and said the words she had been waiting six years to hear. "I'm a friend of your father."
Kristin gasped audibly as wonderment overtook her features.
"My-my-my father?" she asked, stunned. She had never heard anything of her parents. The sisters at the orphanage found a note with only her name and birthday and a one-year-old little girl in the church of Saint Agnes.
"Yes, dear, your father." The stranger held at his hand from above her. "Come with me."
"You're taking me to him?" She hoped beyond hope. Her parents must be able to love her- no matter what happened at Saint Agnes. Maybe they could tell her what happened with the snake.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't do that," Kristin's smile faded, "You see? He's very sick. But he'd like you to come live with me and my wife and son." His dark robes hung down exotically and unfamiliarly. She had never seen anything like the garb of this kind.
She warily took the hand of the tall, proud stranger. A house elf reached for her pillowcase. Kristin screamed and pulled away at the strange sight. A pair of huge eyes stared back at her.
"It's ok. That's my house elf, Dobby. He's here to assist you with anything you may need." She suspiciously handed the creature her tattered old pillowcase carrying her few earthly possessions. "by the way, my name- is Lucius Malfoy."
He opened the door to have Madam Pomfrey practically pounce on him with concern.
"Mr. Malfoy," she fretted, "what happened to you?"
"I- uh- punched a mirror," he admitted, staring at the floor in embarrassment.
The nurse sighed audibly and mumbled something under her breath. Draco could make out the words "temper" and "no sense" but didn't let it get to him.
Madam Pomfrey cast a restoring spell and Draco saw his hand stop bleeding and the cuts disappear. He thanked her and walked to potions.
As he reached the dim, musty hallway of the Potions dungeon, he could hear a light giggle over the muffled voices in the classroom. He recognized it instantly as Kristin's.
"That's why I'm in such a good mood." Her earlier words echoed in his head. 'Of course,' he thought, 'I would never make her so happy.'
He paused at the door, breathed in deeply, and forced himself to go in. He tried to avoid looking at her but he couldn't help it.
She had her hand on Harry's arm flirtatiously and laughed with him. With her other hand, she played with her tawny colored hair. The shiny tresses shifted slightly at her touch, toying with the little light in the room.
Draco passed her as he made his way to his table next to Blaise. Kristin looked at him fleetingly and went back to talking with Harry as if she had never glanced up.
"Where were you?" Blaise snarled at him.
"None of your business," he snapped back.
She glared at him and turned back to her front of the room where Professor Snape began his teaching.
-----
"You know," Harry's green eyes gazed into her own. "I used to hate this class." He smiled at her.
"You're so cheesy," Kristin laughed at him, pushing his arm lightly. She rested her hand on top of his arm and played lightly with her hair.
Draco walked by slowly and unsteadily, paler than normal, almost sick looking. He looked weak and unstable, as if he was going to collapse at any moment.
Kristin could bear to look for tool long and quickly turned back towards Harry.
'He didn't look like that before.' She reflected on their last meeting and struggled to remember it was only ten minutes ago though it felt like an eternity. It was much too long to cope without her best friend. 'I've been without friends since I was four,' she reminded herself. 'Why should he be any different?'
-----
Her mind drifted back to when she was a child, playing with her best friend, Jessica, in the playground of Saint Agnes à la Maison pour de Seuls Enfants (St. Agnes' Home for Lone Children) in Muggle Paris. She and Jessica were jumping rope and giggling happily, when Trish, a girl who picked on her all the time, jumped in the twirling ropes. Kristin fumed as another friend was pushed to the ground in Trish's attempt to play with them.
The rope moved under her hands as its soft rubber handle started feeling cool and scaly. The rest of the children screamed. Kristin looked up and saw that the rope had transformed into a large green snake. It had bitten Jessica, who was bleeding severely from the puncture wound on her neck, and it was heading toward Trish. Kristin screamed as well and dropped the serpent.
The jump rope hit the ground harmlessly with a soft thud. It was no longer the venomous jade snake it had been before, but a anodyne black canvas jump rope with rubber handles.
But Kristin could not handle it. She continued screaming and jumping on the rope until she was certain that all serpentine characteristics had ceased to exist. She cried helplessly late into the night after the headmistress had told her that Jessica was dead. She didn't know exactly what it meant. Dead. She just realized that she would never see her best friend again.
She didn't speak to anyone for almost a year, except for a few words to an imaginary Jessica. In time, Kristin began talking again but none of the other children wanted anything to do with her. The blame for Jessica's death placed itself on the shoulders of the girl who mourned her the most, who knew as much as anyone else what happened the afternoon that would set the example for the rest of her life.
-----
"Kristin," Professor Snape was making his rounds, checking on everyone's progress, "you're doing it perfectly."
"Really?" she smiled, gesturing towards Harry slightly with her head to remind Snape that he was there. Snape scowled at her slightly, showing his disapproval to her interest in the boy-who-lived.
"Yes, uh, you didn't screw up, Harry. Aren't we all happy?" Kristin smiled at his attempt but he still gave her dirty looks as she and Harry held hands and talked tenderly.
-----
The silence drove Kristin mad. It was so hard to be so little and lose a friend and have no where to turn, so she turned to the door. With a few of her belongings and a couple of Jessica's, Kristin sneaked from Saint Agnes à la Maison pour de Seuls Enfants into the dark cold November night. The full moon was shining brightly overhead casting shadows in which she could hide from passers-by.
She walked all night. Daylight broke beautifully with sunbeams exploding everywhere. Kristin saw people start to rise and head about their day. No one paused to watch the six-year-old wander the streets of Versailles that morning. She strolled around, not sure of her direction, dragging her pillowcase stuffed with her belongings behind her.
She walked until afternoon before she summed up what cash she could find and bought herself some lunch. She had grown used to not being noticed and quite appreciated the lack of attention, but it didn't last long. Someone detected something odd about her and she could feel his eyes prying her mind looking for answers.
This was a strange part of town that Kristin had never seen the likes of. People were wearing cloaks and strange things were happening. She looked around warily to find the person so interested in her.
"Miss Riddle," a tall, blonde man addressed her. She trembled slightly. Who was this man? Why was he talking to her? Most importantly, how did he know her name? "I've anticipated meeting you for a long time."
"You've what?" she struggled to understand his word but they were too complex for her to understand.
"I've have been waiting to meet you." He knelt down to her and said the words she had been waiting six years to hear. "I'm a friend of your father."
Kristin gasped audibly as wonderment overtook her features.
"My-my-my father?" she asked, stunned. She had never heard anything of her parents. The sisters at the orphanage found a note with only her name and birthday and a one-year-old little girl in the church of Saint Agnes.
"Yes, dear, your father." The stranger held at his hand from above her. "Come with me."
"You're taking me to him?" She hoped beyond hope. Her parents must be able to love her- no matter what happened at Saint Agnes. Maybe they could tell her what happened with the snake.
"I'm sorry. I'm afraid I can't do that," Kristin's smile faded, "You see? He's very sick. But he'd like you to come live with me and my wife and son." His dark robes hung down exotically and unfamiliarly. She had never seen anything like the garb of this kind.
She warily took the hand of the tall, proud stranger. A house elf reached for her pillowcase. Kristin screamed and pulled away at the strange sight. A pair of huge eyes stared back at her.
"It's ok. That's my house elf, Dobby. He's here to assist you with anything you may need." She suspiciously handed the creature her tattered old pillowcase carrying her few earthly possessions. "by the way, my name- is Lucius Malfoy."