After prancing as about backstage for a few minutes, Nikki peeked nervously out from behind the curtain. Her bright, robin-egg-blue eyes searched excitedly through the crowd, and she hoped to see her new foster family. There they were, sitting front row, center. She smiled widely, her nerves giving her a break, but then she thought, 'what if I don't dance well, and they don't like me!' She was very self-concsious, and always worrying, and now, her moment of calmness was at an end. She was a tight bundle of nerves once more.

"Nicolette Bartucci, to your position please!" called the dance instructor, Madame Zeyon. Nikki fixed her fanned out black hair and stood on center stage, with two girls on either side of her. She painted on a big smile, and waited as the curtains opened. Quickly she searched out her new family. They were there, all with pretty blond hair and blue eyes. She smiled to herself, too excited to move. Not good, she had to dance.

The clapping that surrounded her gave Nikki confidence as she straightened up and waited for her cue. Her blue leotards that matched her eyes lay still at her sides, and her white pointes were eager to begin. There was her cue, Madame Zeyon's wave. She went up on her toes on her pointes, followed in a sequence by the girls at her sides. Lifting thier legs all at once the music began. A slow, almost waltz at first, and then growing into something more. The graceful dancing went faster and faster, graceful all the time, until it was time for Nikki's solo.

The music slowed, and Nikki bent down so that her arms were covering her face, the girls all danced off to the side, and different, more mysterious music came on as all the lights faded and left a single blue spotlight to follow Nikki around. From machines off to the sides, a misty smoke blew across the stage, and Nikki kept on dancing. As the song ended, the mist faded, and Nikki was finished. The curtain fell, and she was attacked by her friends.

'Such a fuss for one song,' she thought smiling as she accepted the bottled water from Madame Zeyon. Her crazy best friend ran excitedly over to her and practically tackled her in the middle of one large gulp. Nikki laughed and hugged her back as the girl babbled happily.

"Oh, Nikki, you were absolutely amazing! How do you do it? Nevermind, don't tell me, because then we'll be the same dancer. Oh, and dibs on your new brother--he's the cutest thing I've ever seen! Your new 'rents look a bit snobby, though. Now that I think of it, so does your bro'. Have you ever met them? I bet they're rich, judging by the pearls on the woman's neck. Oh, yeah--"

Nikki cut her off laughing, "Hush, Dana, and let me catch my breath! Your babbling at twenty miles an hour is making me hyperventalate!" They laughed and made their way off stage to where the cool hallway was. Waiting there was the family, the boy having a coy smirk on his face.

"Umm..." Dana was nervous for probably the first time in her life. "I'm gonna go...change out of this leotard." She ran off then, leaving meek, pale little Nicolette alone with a new family.

Nikki cleared her throat, smiling weakly from one face to another. She knew what Dana had meant when she said snobby and rich. "Er, hello. I'm--"

"Nicolette, we know." The boy, who looked maybe a year or two older than me, spoke angrily, almost as if he was jelous. Nikki swallowed hard, glancing at the couple nervously, unsure of what to do. She put her weight on her left leg, and crooked her head to her right side. The woman's hard, cold face broke into a soft smile, pity on the orphan.

"Nicolette," she said softly. "A pretty name, but I believe I heard your friends and teacher call you Nikki. Would you prefer that?" Nikki nodded, almost smiling gratefully.

The man spoke up, and Nikki got a good look at him. He was tall, and though she could tell that he was in his late thirties, early forties, he was still pretty attractive with long blond hair and tan skin. He wore all black, including his thick leather boots, and he carried a cane that had a metal snake with emerald eyes at the top. "Hello, Nikki. I am Lucius Malfoy, and this is my wife, Narcissa and my son, Draco. Before you get too comfortable with us, I'd like to tell you that we are not your foster family. You have been adopted by Thomas Riddle. He does not have a family other than you, but we do like to think of eachother as family."

She had an idea that he wasn't telling the full truth about this whole 'family' thing. Even so, she said, "Well, okay, I guess I'll meet him later?" Narcissa nodded. "Erm...I'd just like to slip out of my leotard. I'll be right back." She practically ran back to the dressing rooms before she got an answer. She also sensed that someone was following her. She shook off the feeling, though and made her way back to Dana.

"Hey, Dana," Nikki said smiling. She expected Dana to burst out in chatter, asking questions about Nikki's new family, but to her surprise, Dana clutched her tee shirt to her chest and let out a squeek. Nikki turned around and discovered that she had indeed been followed. Draco Malfoy stood there with a smirk on his arrogant face.

Madame Zeyon shooed him away in a loud voice, "Go, go! No boys allowed!" Once he was out, Nikki grabbed her clothes and began to undress for a shower. Those lights did make you sweat! She wrapped a towel around her womanly body as she and Dana walked into the showers.

"What an arrogant jerk! How dare he follow me? Oh, and he's not my brother. Can you believe that some Thomas Riddle guy addopted me? Not them? Ugh! He couldn't even come to get me. Mr. Malfoy, the father, was so rude. God, I can't believe I have to go home with them."

Dana patted her shoulder and laughed, "Now you're the one babbling." They took their showers and didn't say anything else to one another until they were dressing again.

"So, you're moving..." Dana seemed drained. She would never see her best friend again!

"Yes you will," Nikki mumbled subconsiously. The girls looked at eachother quickly.

"What?"

"I mean, you'll see me. Didn't you say you wouldn't?"

"I thought it..." The girls stared at eachother and quickly pulled on their clothes, put their dancing stuff in thier bags and left the rooms, quietly.

Draco waited leaning against the wall of the dance studio with a scowl on his face. His cheek was red from the slap he got from that dance teacher, and his parents had left him to wait for Nikki on his own. At least they had a limo. Though how were they getting back to London from Hazlet, USA? Whatever.

Nikki and her crazy friend walked out of the studio and Nikki looked around, spotted Draco, and frowed. Draco, on the other hand, smiled. He thought she looked nice in her black leggings and large tee shirt of the American band, Slipknot. She wore a pair of old, plain converse sneakers, and her black hair was down and all of it piled on her left shoulder. She had on clear lip gloss and black eye liner, shadow and blue mascara. She approached Draco and, scowling, asked him where his parents were.

"They went home. Don't worry, though, we have a limo to take us." He offered his arm, but she refused by hitting it accidentaly on purpose while swining her bag onto her shoulder. He shrugged and began to walk at a fast pace towards the black stretch limo a small ways down the block.

On the way, Nikki got many compliments such as, "Oh, dear, you made me cry!" "Keep at it, young girl, and you'll make it big!" Things like that. Draco seemed to be getting annoyed at all the attention she was getting, so he sped up. They pushed through the exiting crowd and got to the limo soon enough.

Nikki was followed by Draco as they climbed into the limo. She looked around, having been in a limo before, but none this elegant. The seats were made of suade with matching pillows. There were little blue lights that glowed on the ceiling, and a thick black carpet layered the floor. There was a part of the limo with wines and sodas and glasses, and then there was a television on the front side of the limo and a radio just above their heads at the back. "What a gorgeous limousine!"

Draco smirked slightly, "Yeah, get used to it, all us Malfoys and Riddles have one of our own." Nikki must have had an astonished look on her face, because Draco laughed at that point. He poured two glasses of fine wine. "Here. We need to talk. Drive, James," he told the chauffer.

Nikki took the wine glass and thought, 'should a thirteen year old girl really be drinking wine?' She sipped it and made a sour face, putting the glass down. "So what do you need to talk about, Draco?"

Draco sighed and downed his wine, "Well, it's a long story." He sat back in his seat and rubbed his brow. "You see, technically, Tom Riddle, otherwise known as Voldemort, adopted you. You will, however, be living with us. Also, Voldemort will not be your father...rather your...husband."

At this Nikki exploded, "Excuse me? No way am I marrying an old asswipe! Not happening! No! I refuse to get married, and I'm too young anyway! No! I don't even know him! That makes it so much worse!" She was yelling at the top of her lungs when Draco hushed her by clapping his hand over her mouth.

"Listen." She sat back and gave him a chance to say what he needed to say. "You can meet him, and you will have a chance to choose between him or me. Actually, there are a few more men for you to choose from, but you need to go to school, first. Over this summer (it was actually the end of May), you will learn everything you need to know until you can be in my grade, grade five. Of course, we'll be going into our sixth year after that, and then we'll graduate at the same time. You will then wait for the next two years and you will be married to the one you choose tomorrow. We're going to your home right now, you live in a foster home, correct? And we will get your stuff. Then we're going to go to London, where my Manor is. Okay?"

"What can I say?" Nikki took up her glass in her hand, forgetting that she hated the wine. "No? No, I can't. I'm getting a good home, a future husband that will hopefully take care of me...I can't not be adopted..." She took a long gulp and then exclaimed, "yukk!"

The limo had taken them to Nikki's old home, they had gathered her possessions, and once more they were off. She thought for a moment, 'How are we getting to London? Plane, boat? God I hope not boats...' She gulped nervously, how she hated boats. Ever since she was a girl, and then when her mother had gotten attacked by a shark while they were on a fishing trip.

They arrived at another house. Wait. What did a house have to do with this? They got out and the chauffer took Nikki's stuff inside. Draco led her in, and there were only four rooms. A kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom and a living room. In the living room was a rather large fireplace. In it was a roaring fire. The chauffer and Nikki's luggage were gone.

"Now, Nikki, sit down, I have one more thing to tell you." Draco led her to a couch and sat down next to her. "You're a witch. I'm a wizard." She rolled her eyes and scoffed.

"Yeah, right."

"Seriously. What kind of schooling did you think I was talking about? Now. I'll prove it to you." He took out a small pouch and opened it, making her take a handful of the dusty sandy stuff in it. "Throw it in the fire, when the flames turn green, step into them and then say loudly and clearly, 'Malfoy Manor'."

Nikki scowled, "What a load of bull sh-"

"No. Cussing. Please."

"I'll say whatever I want to, thank-you very much!"

"Just do it." He pointed to the fire.

Quite reluctantly, Nikki threw the power into the fire. To her amazment, the flames turned emerald. She put her foot into the fire, expecting pain, but instead she felt a cool, tingling sensation. She stepped into the fire completely and smiled, she looked at Draco who smirked at her. He snapped his fingers, and was gone. Oh, shit.

"Malfoy Manor!" Nikki shouted. Suddenly the cool tingling stopped, and a spinning, sickening feeling came to her. Worlds around her spun and the flames licked at her face. She saw many other families and was about to throw up, when she fell out of the fire place, on her face and on a rugged floor. It definately wasn't the other house. No, no, no.

This house was huge, a mansion. It was elegant, a rich and powerful family must own it. There were two grand staircases, one on the left side of the room, one on the right. There was a thick rug on the floor, and vases and portraits all over the place. The portraits, she noted, were moving. What the hell was going on?

"Nicolette." Nikki spun around. The entire Malfoy family was standing there, with an odd creature at their feet. "Fritzi, take Miss Bartucci to her room on the fifth floor. Draco, help her with her luggage." Nikki looked at the odd creature. It was a light lilac color and wore a worn pillowcase. It had large floppy ears and wide eyes the color of toffee. She motioned for Nikki to follow her.

"This way, Miss." She walked up the right staircase, followed by Nikki, and then Draco who was levatating her luggage in front of him...with a wand? Wow, this was just getting weirder and weirder. In a short time, they reached the fifth floor. "Your room is just across the way from Master Draco's," the creature said.

"Thank-you," Nikki said as she opened her door. The room was beautiful. There was a king sized bed in the center of the farthest wall. There was a fluffy black comforter and many a large pillow. There was a vanity, a bookcase, a wardrobe, a desk and a bedside table. Nikki's mouth dropped open. The main color scheme was silver, black and greens, and there were snake designs here and there, and the wall was blank.

"We're going to get a portrait of you and your future husband and put it in here. For now we just have a picture of dancers over there." Draco pointed above Nikki's bed. There was a long portrait of a dancing class, and of course, it was moving, and the dancers were dancing. It was really quite amazing. "My bedroom is across the hall, directly, if you need to know. You can unpack, and my mother and a few other women will come up later to dress you for your dinner. You'll be meeting Mr. Riddle, and the other three suitors. Tonight you'll be making your descision. Choose wisely."

With that he left Nikki alone in her new, large room, in this new, large house.

Hey, this is my first HP FanFic, so R&R, please. Nothing too horrible. I think this is long enough, don't you? Haha. Okay, so, bye.