Draco Malfoy stalked down the dark, dank corridors of Azkaban. Being an ex-Auror gave him a healthy amount of privileges such as visiting the inmates. He was on a self-assigned mission this time; which was why he walked right up to the bars of one Death Eater's damp cell and glared into the gloom.
She was barely visible against the dirty stone walls, a mere lump of shadow that would have been indiscernible had he not expected her to look that way. Her pug-like face was drawn up in a sneer as she stood up to face him, her once-plump body now thin and her features sunken like so many other prisoners'. Gone was the glory she had once held back when they were at Hogwarts. Gone was the woman he had been half-expected to marry when they graduated. Now she was nothing more than a wretched wraith, standing so pompously before him.
"Draco," She said acidly, glaring at him.
"Pansy," He sneered.
They looked at each other without speaking for many more moments. Draco could not help but be somewhat pleased that Azkaban had not agreed with her. He also could not but feel rather triumphant that he was responsible for her demise; hers and many others, due to her foolish mouth. He had learned the names of countless Death Eaters during the five years he had been married to her, due to an Auror operation. All of those people were now in cells or in graves.
"I thought you said you would never come back." She snarled.
"I wouldn't have, if I had not met my daughter at Hogwarts this year." Draco growled. "How was I not informed?"
"She was born in Azkaban, after our divorce." Pansy informed him with a smirk, "Thus, you were never her legal guardian."
"She's as much my daughter as she is yours!" He snapped.
"She looks more like me than she does like you." She replied in kind, "Or do you want to take all my children and convert them?"
"I only show them reason, now that the war has ended. There is nothing left for those who supported Voldemort." He growled.
"Ah, so you dare to speak his name now." She said smoothly, though he had seen her twitch when he spoke.
"I refuse to fear what will never return."
"Ah, but you fear someone that is still out there, don't you?" Pansy cackled, "Your dear father, Lucius, is still out there and escaping the Ministry, along with so many others."
Draco whipped out his wand and pointed it at her, breathing heavily.
She laughed, "Poor little Draco, still unable to swallow his pride and admit that his father is the best wizard there is."
"There are better wizards." He breathed, trying to murder her with his gaze.
"Are there? With Potter and Granger gone, I would think there is nobody left to stand against him." Pansy sneered.
"You forget the Weasleys and Potter's children. They are more powerful than any adults." He hissed.
"Yes, you would think that wouldn't you?" She taunted.
He turned away from her, pocketing his wand, "Just you wait, Pansy. He will be caught and then what will those that remain do? What will they think? They'll come crawling to our feet, leaderless and defeated. They will finally admit that it has ended."
"Oh no, Draco," She whispered as he walked off, "It never ends."
Zoë looked at Dante with pure disgust. "Look at her, being all... all friendly with a boy!" She winced as if it caused her pain to witness such, "It's just not right."
"You're friends with Abe, Nate, Liam, Xander and James." Dante pointed out, though Zoë knew it was just because she felt like standing up for Zephari.
"But I don't go around hugging them and giving them presents!" Zoë retorted, glaring at Zephari and Sirius, who were talking animatedly in the living room.
"You would if you trusted them." Dante said evilly.
Zoë rolled her eyes, "But I don't trust them so I don't hug them. So your argument is useless."
"Too true," Dante agreed, "Come on; let's go see if Grandmum needs help preparing the feast."
Zoë nodded and followed her friend down the stairs and to the kitchen. As soon as they entered, she noticed two men that she had never seen before. She knew them from pictures, however; Albus and Harry Weasley, Zephari's real uncles. She stared at them until Dante grabbed her sleeve and dragged her over to where her grandmother was bustling about the kitchen.
"Need some help, Grandmum?" Dante asked sweetly, looking adoringly up at her.
Molly Weasley smiled down at the two of them, "No, everything is fine here, dears." She assured them, "Why don't you two go play outside with the other children? We had a good snowfall last night."
Zoë beamed at Dante. "Great! C'mon, let's get our cloaks and mitts! And scarves and hats!"
Dante grinned and followed her back up the stairs. Zoë pulled on all her warmer gear before bouncing down the stairs. She nearly hit a rather snowy Amanda on her way down.
"Oomph! I was just coming to get you two! Snowball fight, girls versus boys, in the backyard." The littlest Weasley said eagerly.
Zoë smirked. "The boys won't know what hit them!" She announced.
"Strange, that there's only two more boys than girls in our generation." Dante observed.
"Must be the genes from other families," The Potter girl said dismissively, bounding down the stairs with Amanda and Dante in tow.
They had a furious battle in the snow, even joined by Zephari and Sirius halfway. Despite the boost to their team, the girls lost in the end when the boys swarmed over their protective battlements and tackled them all to the ground. In such a situation, it was obvious that they had to surrender. So, Willow announced their surrender as none of the other 'junior hellcats', as Draco Malfoy dubbed them, would admit defeat.
Zephari shoved Sirius off of her when their surrender had been accepted. He was sneering. She decided his ego needed deflating. Thus, she took a handful of snow and shoved it right in his superior face.
"Argh!" He cried, falling backwards as she pinned him to the ground.
Zoë and Dante giggled slightly, watching but not helping him. In fact, all the Weasleys were amused and no one thought to rescue the helpless Malfoy. Zephari released him and stepped deftly out of reach before he shoved the snow from his reddened face.
"I'll get you, Black." He mock-challenged as he picked up another handful of snow, "Yeah, you had better run!"
Zephari smirked, "Not like you could get me if you tried, Malfoy," She replied, still staying out of reach, "Your aim's worse than the Slytherin Seeker's, and that's saying something."
He threw the snowball at her and it hit her full in the face. He sneered again, "What were you saying about my aim?" He asked casually.
Another snowball hit him right on the nose, "That it sucks." She shouted.
"Bloody hell, Weasley," He muttered, wiping the snow off his face and chasing after her.
Zephari saw Zoë raise an eyebrow at Dante. "Regular foul-mouthed little ferret, isn't he?" She asked loudly. "Guess he finds it easier to mutter obscenities against a Weasley than against a Black."
"Bet Professor Malfoy wouldn't like to hear him say that." Dante agreed, grinning.
Zephari dove into a snow bank to avoid his next projectile. She gasped at the cold but snuggled in farther, trying to make herself vanish. She obviously failed, as Sirius grabbed her by the foot and pulled her out of the snow bank. She stared at him as he smirked.
"Gotcha." He informed her, dropping her leg.
Zephari was about to make a witty retort, but Molly's call of 'Supper's ready, come wash up now dears!' distracted them all. Sirius helped her to her feet and they walked back to The Burrow side by side. He took her cloak, acting every bit the gentleman he was supposed to be, as they took off their winter things so they could dry by the fireplace.
They sat at the table together, Zoë, Dante and Amanda across from them. The adults were at the other end of the table, so that left the children to their own devices for serving themselves and making conversation.
"So, Sirius, what's it like up in the land of ice and snow?" Aleanor asked courteously, her fork buried in her mashed potatoes.
"Cold, with lots of ice and snow," Sirius replied evenly, smirking slightly, "Durmstrang's rather obsessed with the Dark Arts and everyone there is rather cranky. I had to learn Bulgarian to understand my year-mates, though I kind of which I hadn't so I wouldn't understand what they say to each other. A rather... open... bunch of people, Bulgarians."
"So they actually teach you the Dark Arts?" Alexis demanded, sounding untrusting.
"Well, they start off with hexes and jinxes, but by your last years you know as many hexes as a grown dark wizard or witch." He admitted.
"I knew they were loony." Alexis muttered, taking a bite of turkey.
"I wonder what Beauxbatons is like." Zoë said suddenly, "I mean, they have to be different from Hogwarts and Durmstrang, no?"
"From what I've heard about the Triwizard Tournament thirty-five years ago, they don't seem to be as unified as Hogwarts." Alexandre informed them, "Maman says that all those who were not chosen as champion were rather put-out and some even started crying. They're an elegant group, though."
"Say, Alex, are you visiting France again this year?" Leif asked curiously.
"Probably, Tante Gabrielle has been badgering us about visiting again." He sounded somewhat bored with the notion, "I think Dad wants her to come here for once. Gabrielle's daughter might start to work for the Ministry, so it would be a good idea for her to try to learn a bit more about England beforehand."
"I don't see why so many people want to join the Ministry nowadays." Felix announced, "It must be pretty boring to be anything but an Auror, and those will soon be out of work when the last few Death Eaters are caught."
"Actually, Felix, working at the Ministry is a very good thing," Aleanor began pompously.
"Good God, you've got her started now, Felix. Soon enough she'll have you thinking that reporting too-thin cauldron manufacturers is a noble thing to do." Alexis muttered sourly.
"I'm simply saying that he shouldn't dismiss that range of careers so lightly!" Aleanor snapped.
"Bloody Ravenclaw; why does my twin have to be such a know-it-all?" The youngest of the pair muttered fervently.
"At least one of us has to have a sense of purpose." The elder growled, looking away and stabbing viciously at her food.
"Are you two going back to Romania this summer?" Zoë asked plaintively, drawing their attention away from the arguing twins.
"Yeah," Zephari answered, thinking slightly longingly of the reserve, "Everyone goes to their real home for a bit during the summer holidays, no? Even Uncle Harry did, and he hated it there."
Zoë looked a bit hurt at the reference to her father. "Well, hopefully we'll see each other before the train-ride back." She said sharply, making Zephari feel rather guilty.
"Ugh, I'll have to be Sorted when I get there won't I?" Sirius muttered after overhearing Felix and Leif talking about the Sorting Hat's song.
"Of course, but you'll probably be Sorted first as you're older and all." Dante informed him.
"I don't see the point of the formality, as he's obviously a Slytherin." Zoë said acidly, still obviously hurt.
Zephari sighed and ate the food that was on her plate dejectedly. Why did she and Zoë always get into fights when parents were involved? It was not as if Zephari was happy that her mother had died before her dad did. And she certainly was not happy that Zoë's dad had died either. Why did Zoë have to be such a selfish brat at times? She fumed silently until she finished her meal, then tuned back into the conversation.
"Well, my brother Chance works as a dragon researcher, my sister Wynifred works as an Auror and my other brother Seamus works at our uncles' joke shop," Dante was saying, "But I don't want to do any of that. I want to be an author, maybe write a few Defence Against the Dark Arts books or other such useful things."
Zoë still looked like she had sat on a nail, but she answered – as somebody had obviously asked a question to provoke their revelations – as well, "Dad was an Auror and Mum works for the Ministry, in the Transportation area," She said curtly, "But I'm going to be an Auror."
Sirius nodded, "From what Zeph has told me, you two could probably succeed in those goals."
Both girls looked at Zephari, who blushed, but they both played along as if they had known about their correspondence. Dante smiled and blushed slightly, while Zoë nodded curtly.
"What about you, Zeph?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Mum and Dad were both Aurors and so are Uncles Harry and Albus," She said simply, "But I think that by the time we graduate, the few dark wizards and witches left out there will have been caught. I want to do something with magical creatures, though being a Cursebreaker would be neat too. I'm keeping my options open, really."
He nodded. "Well, my dad was an Auror, as you all know, and my mum... Well, she was a Death Eater pretending to work for the Ministry. I suppose I could be an Auror, but that would be rather dreary and repetitive. To be honest, teaching wouldn't be that bad." He said truthfully.
Zoë was visibly grinding her teeth in an effort to remain polite, "Why are we thinking about this now anyways? We can wait 'til at least third year, when we have a choice about our classes. Besides, we get careers advice in fifth year." She snapped waspishly before going back to her pudding.
Zephari grit her teeth so as to force back her reply. Instead, she ate her pudding as well. When that was done, the large group of Weasleys moved to the living room. The children were left to do as they pleased. Sirius was dragged into a game of wizard's chess versus Alexandre, who was determined to beat him and show how much better Weasleys were and that Malfoys were full of hot air.
Zephari seized the opportunity and grabbed her two best friends' arms. "C'mon." She hissed and dragged them up the stairs to their room.
Zoë whirled on her as soon as the door was closed, "You write to him?" She screeched, "You send him weekly letters and you mention us? I thought you were better than that! I thought boys didn't matter to you! I thought we were your best friends!"
Zephari was rather taken aback by the explosion and realized that Zoë had inherited both her parents' fiery tempers, which were infamous in the Weasley household. She ground her teeth together and let her angry words pass by without paying attention to them. Zoë was just angry, she told herself. She had to let her anger run its course or the final outcome would be even worse.
"Why didn't you tell us, Zeph?" Dante asked quietly as Zoë panted for air at the end of her tirade.
"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this." Zephari growled, "And I was right, wasn't I? You would have exploded in the Great Hall if you knew that half the time you thought Athen was bringing me letters, it was Sirius's Alba. So I kept it a secret."
"Why?" Zoë spluttered, unable to form any other coherent word.
"Why did we write to each other, you mean?" Zephari asked nonchalantly and continued at her cousin's nod, "We have a lot in common. We understand each other. Now, I'm not saying we three don't. I don't tell him everything, but there are some things that you two can't relate to that he can."
"So you talk to him about things only another stuck-up Slytherin git would understand?" Zoë snapped.
"Well... yes." Zephari answered truthfully.
"Ha! So you- Wait. Yes? You agree?" Zoë faltered.
Zephari nodded, "I talk to him about things only another person raised by a pureblood as a pureblood could understand. He talks to me about the same things, because he obviously can't talk to his brother about it now can he?"
Zoë was at a loss for words. Dante took up the slack, "We still would've liked you to tell us, Zeph." She said calmly.
"And I would have, I definitely never intended for him to tell you before I did. I was planning to tell you today, but it slipped my mind." Zephari admitted sheepishly.
Zoë sighed in exasperation, "Well, now that we've admitted that a pureblood's mind is as slippery as a certain few's hair is with all that grease and oil in it, can we get back to Christmas cheer?"
Zephari laughed, "Nice to have you stop acting like you have a wand up your arse, Zoë."
"If anyone heard you say that, Zeph..." Dante warned.
"Honestly, Dawn, your mum has the foulest mouth out of the adult Weasleys and purebloods are notorious for their bad-mouthing." Zephari chided, "You should know that by now."