Disclaimer: Sorry I forgot this on the first two chapters. Nothing of J. K. Rowling's belongs to me. Everything I'm pretty sure does. Except the Island of Crete, of course.
Chapter Three The Hogwarts Years
A mansion lay in the remote island of Crete. The building held many rooms, and inside one particular room laid two little children playing. A boy with stark white hair and captivating grey eyes rolled a ball with frog legs sticking out to a girl with shining blue eyes and straight brown hair. As ball approached her, the legs suddenly shot around then caused the ball to jump straight over the girl's head. Her laughter immediately filled the room.
From the doorway stepped two men, one, an older gentleman with grey hair who went by the name of Merlin, and the other a middle aged man named Lucius Malfoy. Lucius, who was undoubtedly the father of the little boy, with the same hair, strong cheek bone and aristocratic chin and nose. Merlin, one could only guess, belonged to the little girl, though they looked very different, the sparkle in their eyes was the same. If one looked close enough into their eyes you could see the tiniest hint of a sunflower sitting there, soaking up the sun and dripping with happiness. The mark of an inner child always at play.
"You know, Merlin, that we would be happy to have her stay here with us. No one would bother her here on the island. We would raise her as our own. You could come to her any time you wished." Lucius said in an endearing voice.
"Ah, yes, I know you would Lucius. But she has family to return to. I'm sure you understand that. Her muggle family needs her. Her spirit, demeanor, and protection. They miss her; but most of all, they need her. It's not as if she won't be in touch. She will even be allowed to visit. But it is for the best. If you love her, you will let her return to her family. She has been with us for long enough." Merlin replied, a tear making a slow journey down his weary chin.
"And what of her magic? It is very strong, who will nurture it? Surely you don't propose we ignore it?" Lucius asked anxiously. "Of course I don't plan on ignoring it. I will teach her. Maybe someday she will return to our world permanently, but as of now she must return to America." Merlin stated.
"Very well, shall we go break the news to our young ones?" Lucius asked, the answer already known.
Merlin simply nodded his head, then walked over to his beloved niece. Lucius followed briskly behind, a sinking feeling in his heart weighing down his steps. Finally the two men approached the children playing frog ball. The two men then spoke to the children. All of a sudden the children burst into tears, the boy, Draco, saying nothing, and the girl, Icelle, simply spurting off how it wasn't fair. After a few minutes the children quieted down, then huddled together.
Having said their good-byes, Icelle walked over to Lucius and hugged his leg. He reached down and picked her up, hugging her the whole time. He then handed her to Merlin, who, with a pop, apparated leaving the two males to themselves.
Draco looked up to his father with tears still streaming down his face. His father picked him up and simply held, the best thing he could do for his son right now.
-
"She should be here by now, Father. What could be taking so long?" Draco asked, anxious for his guest to arrive.
"She will be here any minute now. Give Icelle a chance. You know Merlin; he never arrives anywhere on time." Lucius replied to his son, a small smile on his face.
"Yes, you're right, but that does not make it any better." Draco said, a pout still evident on his face.
Draco, now eleven, had already received his Hogwart's letter that December. His hair was slicked back much like his father's shoulder length hair, with the only difference being Draco's hair was much shorter. He had on grey, slender robes, the style for this century, while his father's robes billowed out and were silver in color.
Draco, short for his age, paced the room, which was furnished in Mahogany, imported straight from Africa. He paced on a one of a kind Persian rug, which lay on a strong, hardwood floor. The room had a view of the ocean, and if he had stopped and listened, the sound of the waves lapping against the shore would have soothed his nerves. His father, Lucius, sat in a whicker recliner, watching his son with an expression of soft amusement. Lucius was at least six feet tall, with white slicked back hair and an aristocratic face. Usually uptight, at the moment he was eased back, waiting the arrival of his son's best friend, a female named Icelle.
Patience was never one of Draco's strong suits, which was quite evident now. Just when Draco was about to go off once more, there was a loud pop, and two people, a girl of Draco's age and an older man, were suddenly standing in the middle of the room. Upon the relieved look upon Draco's face, the girl burst out laughing, then ran up and hugged him. The man stood there, a broad smile playing on his face. Lucius chuckled as they finally arrived. He then walked over to the man.
"Merlin, how very nice to see you." Lucius said politely.
"Oh, stop with polite small talk Lucius, you know me better than that." Merlin retorted, chuckling all the while.
"What ever took you so long? Draco about tread a hole in my irreplaceable Persian rug." Lucius asked.
"Oh, you know, the usual." Merlin replied secretively. The focus of the two men then turned to the almost teens who stood before them catching up on old news.
"Drakie, how have you been? I've missed you ever so much." Icelle asked, only half sarcastically.
"How many times must I tell you not to call me DRAKIE? My name is Draco, use it." Draco said in an admonishing voice, joking all the while.
"Okay, I will call you Draco from now on Drakie." Icelle said in an innocent voice.
"Err. I will never win this battle, will I?" Draco asked skeptically.
"Of course not silly. So, tell me how life has been treating you?" Icelle asked. The two began talking vividly then walked out of the room. They had a lot of catching up to do.
-
"Get dressed for dinner, Icey." Draco ordered as he stepped into the room.
"Why, are you having company?" Icelle asked.
"As a matter of fact we are?"
"Well, who is it then?"
"Professor Severus S. Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts and my devoted Godfather." Draco said in an admiring tone.
"Oh, just him? I thought it might actually be someone important?" Icey replied rolling her eyes at the same time.
"What is it between you two? Why do you always have to fight?" Draco asked, annoyed by her sarcasm.
"I don't know, but I do know that he started it." Icey said simply.
"So like you. At least try to get along with him, even if he baits you up." Draco said, pleading with her on some level.
"I'll try, but just for you Drakie. Does that mean I can't bait him though?" She asked naively.
"Get dressed." Draco said, and then walked out.
Icey looked at the wardrobe, its doors standing wide open. It accented the room nicely, the wardrobe did. It was made of some dark, varnished wood, most likely Cherry. The wardrobe had snakes of various species engraved on it, a common garden snake standing at the very top, guarding its temple. A desk made of the same dark wood lay in the center of the room, with a chair made fit for a king, or in this case queen, accompanying it. Minor rugs lay scattered throughout the room, giving it a cozy and comfortable theme. A Queen size bed stood against the back wall, dressed in Egyptian cotton. A body-sized window stood beside, offering a view of the grand landscape below it. In the distance, sheep could be seen grazing, black and white sheep dogs herding them along. Pixies kept the room lit in a gentle light, trapped in glass imprisonments. The walls held pictures of faraway lands, where unicorns roamed freely in wild prairies.
Done admiring the design and layout of the room, Icey walked up to the wardrobe and pulled out an old-fashioned dress robe. She chose for its black color and flowing fabric, trying to get on the good side of Draco's Godfather's fashion sense.
"If he has one." Icey spoke aloud to herself.
Having changed, she quickly made her way down stairs, noticing she was the last one to arrive.
"I see you are finally ready to grace us with your presence at dinner?" Snape asked, quickly reaching her bad side.
"Indeed, isn't it wonderful?" She replied, then stepped up to Draco.
Lucius interrupted them before they could truly start and said, "Since we are all here, let us begin dinner."
Dinner proceeded without trouble, Icey keeping her word to Draco. Once they were excused from dinner, the two children went upstairs, back to the room Icey was occupying during her stay.
"How did I do?" Icelle asked Draco.
"Very good, I'm proud?" Draco replied distractedly, making it clear that something else was on his mind.
"You're nervous, aren't you?"
"Yes. Hogwarts will be a totally new experience. One I'll have to go through without you." Draco said, truly opening up.
"I'm sure it will be fine. Remember how nervous I was when I first entered public school?" Draco nodded. "But then I went through with it and realized it was nothing."
"Everyone likes you though. What if no one likes me?" Draco asked.
"No one like you? Draco Malfoy? You have lost your ever lovin' mind, haven't you? Of course they will like. They can't help but like you Draco." Icey replied encouragingly.
"I will be going in all alone. You knew people before you went to school." Draco argued.
"You won't be alone. You'll have Crabbe and Goyle Junior." Icelle said half- heartedly.
"As if they count."
"And you will always have Snape to rely on. You know he'll be there for you one hundred percent." Draco nodded. "So go in there like the Malfoy you are and show them what you got."
-
"Do you have to go so soon, Icey?" Draco asked, even though the answer was clear.
"Yeah, I do. You may not start school until September, but I start tomorrow. So yeah, I have got to go." Icelle replied insistently. The two kids hugged each other, then the girl stepped up to her uncle, who apparated them back to America.
-
Back in America, two people suddenly appeared in an unoccupied living room.
"I will be going now, Icelle. Write often." Merlin said to his niece.
"Always Uncle Merl. Love you." Icelle replied, reaching up and hugging her uncle. With a wink, Merlin was gone.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home." Icey yelled as she stepped toward the dining room. Her parents looked up from their dinner.
"Did you have a nice trip, Hun." Her mother asked.
"Absolutely Mom. You should have been there. Y'all know they always invite y'all." Icey said.
"Thanks anyway, but I would rather keep my feet planted firmly to the ground." Her father replied, acknowledging her magic ever so slightly. They never talked about magic or her uncle. They acknowledged its presence, and that was it. No discussions or debates or shows. Nothing. They simply avoided the topic. It was the only way Icelle's parents could grasp the idea that their little girl was a normal middle schooler.
-
At the same time every year, Merlin and Icey made the trip to Malfoy Mansion. There she would catch with her lifelong best friend, Draco. They would talk for hours on end while Merlin and Lucius talked about the Ministry of Magic and random magical theories. While there, Severus Snape would always come, to check on his Godson and to irritate his best friend. Though Severus at first had highly disliked Icelle, he now looked upon her fondly, just as he did Draco. But she would never know that.
Draco was going into his Sixth year at Hogwarts, sixteen years of age. He was pacing yet again in the study, waiting for his best friend to arrive. Though his father was not there to watch him go through the ritual. This time, however, he wasn't pacing because he was impatient. He was pacing because he had something very important to ask of her.
It was a known fact that the Malfoy family was in fact a Deatheater family. His father, Lucius, and Severus Snape, had joined the Dark Lord at a young age, but quickly realized their mistake. Since then, they had been working for Dumbledore against Voldemort. However, in Draco's Fifth year, his father had been sent to Azkaban, the most feared of all places, because he was exposed as a Deatheater. That was all fine and dandy because it was clear that the Order of the Phoenix would get his father out, but they hadn't. Dumbledore turned his back on Lucius, no matter how much Snape argued with him. Now Draco was left to himself. Yes, he had his mother, but that was really nothing. She was so obsessed with herself that she paid Draco no mind. So Draco was on his own, with no one to turn to except Icelle, whom he waited very anxiously for.
Finally, there was a loud pop, revealing that Merlin and Icelle had entered the room. Draco heaved a great sigh and ran up to them, anxiety written all across his face. Just a quick glance at Draco let Icelle know that something was up.
"Drakie, what's wrong?" She asked, noticing that Lucius was not present.
"Father. Azkaban. Dumbledore. Betrayed." Draco managed to say.
"Hun, slow down. Don't forget to breath." Icey said.
Taking a deep breath and sitting in his father's whicker chair, Draco continued. "As you know, Voldemort sent father out to get the Prophecy." Icey nodded. "Well, it turns out that Potter and his gang was there. There was a fight and Dumbledore showed up, along with Voldemort. The Golden Trio and their army won the battle, which was a good thing, but of course that left father exposed as a death eater. Yet everything was still good because we expected Dumbledore to get him out." Here Draco paused uneasily, not wanting to continue.
"Go on." Icey encouraged, with Merlin simply in the background listening to Draco's tale.
"But Dumbledore didn't." At his statement, Icelle gasped, her face s shade paler. Draco continued. "Dumbledore just left him for Voldemort to take care of. Severus tried to get Dumbledore to change his mind, but he simply threatened to expose Severus too. The plans have changed. Dumbledore is up to something, and no one knows what it is."
"How will Lucius get out?" Icey asked, afraid of the answer.
"Voldemort. On Halloween Voldemort is going to break into Azkaban and release all of his followers. He needs them all for some new plan to kill Potter. And the Dark Lord still believes Father to be loyal to him."
"Well, this is unexpected," was all Icey could think of to say.
"That's not all?"
"It isn't?" Icey asked.
"No, he wants me to join his ranks upon my next birthday." Draco said, disgust dripping off of every word.
"Not good, not good at all." Icey murmured, distress echoing its alarm inside her head.
"So here is my next point." Draco said, then waited to make sure he had her attention. When she stared directly at him he resumed where he had left off.
"I need you here, Icey."
"What?" She asked, clearly confused by his statement.
"I want you to come to Hogwarts. To help me get to the bottom of everything. I have to know what Dumbledore is up to and you are the only person that can find out."
"Why me?"
"You are the Heiress of the Wizarding World. No matter what his plans, Dumbledore will try to use you. Besides Potter, you're the greatest pawn to have. He'll want your powers, so he'll confide in you, or, if not confide, make a mistake in front of you."
She nodded in acceptance of what he said, then waited for him go further. "You can get into their ranks. Inside the Order of the Phoenix. And expose whatever plans Dumbledore has. "
"Wait a minute. Dumbledore decided to drop Lucius, right?" She asked. Draco muttered his agreement. "Then why didn't he drop Snape as well, knowing how mad he would be?" She asked, making a strong point.
"I honestly don't know. Perhaps Dumbledore still needs him."
"Merlin, do you think you could explain to my parents the situation?" Merlin shook his head, a sad look crossing his face.
"Thanks. Okay Draco, I'll come.
Author's note: Sorry it took so long to update. I had one idea then decide upon something totally different so I had to rewrite this chapter. It wasn't as long as I hoped it would be, but I'll try harder on the next one. Please review and send any ideas you have. Thanks.