Someday, I will own something of great value. This will not be Harry Potter, as J K Rowling already owns it.

This is the second section of the story. It was both getting two long, and too violent to stick with a PG-13 rating. If you want to, you may read the first section first, or just start here. If you start here, this is a summary: Ryua was raised in an abusive family, with her only real friend being her brother. She became friends with Harry, Ron, and Hermionie in the third book, and has been standing (innefectually) up to her father more and more.

Lucius is Happy

Draco looked slightly green when Ryua managed to get him conscious again, although whether it was from the spells or worry about the Dark Lord, she couldn't tell. Lucius looked downright cheerful standing at the platform, and if Narcissa was slightly pale, that was her natural state of being. In fact, he didn't even remark on his children's less-than-stellar marks, just praised them for what they did do well. The twins knew by now not to ask for trouble when they were given a free ride, so they just accepted praise and went upstairs.

It wasn't until later that night that Draco really showed any emotion about recent events. By unspoken agreement over supper, they both went to bed early, and stayed up in Ryua's room (by far the cleaner, although the house elves were supposed to clean it anyway) to talk over what had happened. "So. He's back. I never really thought about it, I mean, I knew it'd happen, I just never really expected it, you know?"

"Yeah." Ryua hugged her knees to her chest, leaning back on the headboard of her bed. "I wonder what's going to happen to us? Are we going to stay in school? Or become full-fledged Death Eaters? Maybe nothing will happen for ten years, or maybe the war starts tomorrow."

"Creepy thought. Although, this does have one really excellent effect."

"Really? I hadn't thought of any."

"Oh, come on. This is the first time Father hasn't welcomed us home with curses. He's happy."

Ryua sighed. "Oh, you may have a point there, but do you honestly think it'll last?"

"Last? Why wouldn't it?"

"The spells father uses on us are legal, at least to a point. The Dark Lord has no such inhibitions. Before long, even father'll be getting cursed, bad, and he'll be coming home in an incredibly foul mood. And guess who he'll take it out on?"

"Oh..." Apparently, Draco hadn't thought about that little snag.

"You're probably pretty safe, as things go. There're what, two inner-circle women? And a dozen men? And there aren't many witches even in the lower ranks. The Lord likes his wizards, thinks they're more useful. It has to be a very, very good witch to keep Him at all happy. He'd probably be endorsing father 'teaching me my place'. He'd want you to learn how to curse on me, as 'good practice', or something."

"Ouch. You really think so?"

"That's what I've puzzled out, yep."

"But you'll have no problem." At her quizzical look, he went on, "Oh, come on. You can beat me two times out of three, you positively absorb anything you read about the dark arts, and you never settle for anything less than best. By the time it's our turn, you'll have absolutely no trouble, I'm sure. And, you're close to the Gryffindors, that'll be valuable, I bet."

At that mention, Ryua felt an odd churning in her stomach. She liked her Gryffindor friends. The thought of betraying them so casually felt kind of wrong, somehow. "I don't know. It's really to early to worry about it, it's not like anything we try to do about it is going to make much of a difference to a wizard like that."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Of course I'm right. So, what should we change the subject to, then?"

He grinned evilly. "What did you do to Blaise, anyway? He's been slinking around like a beaten dog, or something."

"I bit him."

"Bit him?"

"Then threatened him with the foulest, most painful death I felt like donating my energy to at that moment."

Draco smothered a giggle in one of her pillows. "Oh, I should have known you'd do something like that. But why'd you bite him, instead of hit, or kick, or curse..."

"Well, he had his tongue halfway down my throat. It was the most convenient way to cause him a lot of pain in a very short amount of time."

He got a rather disgusted look across his face. "Eww. I did not need to hear that."

"Well, you asked..."

"That doesn't mean I wanted to know... gross!"

Ryua smiled serenely. "Well, he won't ever get close enough to do it again. If he touches me, he dies."

"Hmm, just a bit bloodthirsty, are we?"

"Me? Nooo..."