AN: Third Chapter! Draco and Faith reunite and exchange some friendly and some not so friendly words. We're getting to the good stuff very soon, I promise.
Disclaimer: Not mine except Faith and the plot and the other original characters that have yet to show up.
Chapter Three: Reunion
Faith Malfoy looked around her new surroundings. It was a school but not one that she was used to. She had been at two boarding schools in her life but the academy was nothing she had ever seen. There weren't any dormitories for one thing. The students enrolled in the academy were adults and would be living on their own. Some students who lived a good distance away opted to room with some of the local students instead of having to go through apparition on a daily basis. Faith had decided not to play host. She had enough to worry about and didn't want to feel responsible for a border.
Faith continued to look around the halls. A. Academy was attached to the Ministry of Magic. Attached might not be the right word. It was located in the basement and was surrounded by spells, enchantments, and glamours to protect it form those who would do harm to the school and those inside. It spread the entire length of the ministry. There were several training rooms, sparing rooms, class rooms, libraries and rooms no one was sure what to do with just yet. Orientation was at least three hours away but Narcissa had some things to get done at her office so Faith had decided to come early and scope the place out.
"Causing trouble already?" a familiar voice asked from behind her. Faith turned to see her younger brother. She was a few years older then he was but they had graduated together. Faith had transferred to Hogwarts from Durmstang in Draco's fifth year. Due to the focus of the curriculum, Faith had been placed a few years back at Hogwarts. She hadn't mined all that much. Draco Malfoy approached his sister. He hugged her tightly, something he hadn't done since she came home to Malfoy Manor a few years back. "Of course I wouldn't have expected anything less from you" he added as he released her.
"It's good to see you Drake" Faith told him with a smile. "What are you doing here so early?" she inquired.
"I was in the area for lunch and heard Narcissa was going to be in the office and where there's smoke there's fire" he told her. "Besides, I thought it would be nice to see you before the madness that is sure to ensue."
Faith looked her brother over. "Did this lunch include fisticuffs?"
Draco looked confused before remembering the condition of his neck. "Oh that," he said nonchalantly "it looks worse than it is."
Faith scowled. "What happened?"
"It was nothing." Draco said with a shrug. "There was a situation and I handled it." Great, not even five minutes together and we're already locking horns he thought to himself.
"Well, at least you didn't give me some line like 'you should see the other guy'. But seriously Draco, what the hell happened?"
Draco feigned a sense of enlightenment. "Oh, seriously! I thought you were having a spot of fun! But seriously! Well in that case" he said in a more normal, but finite tone "there seriously was a situation and I seriously handled it. Now bugger off."
"There's no need to get snippy just answer the damn question." Faith snapped.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Just let it go. I'll fill you in at another time. Remind me to wear a turtle neck tomorrow" he said slightly annoyed. "Let's go get something to eat and forget about it" he added after a moment of silence.
Faith crossed her arms. "I thought you just had lunch."
"Do you have to catch everything? I lied, now let's go eat." Draco started to leave the besetment but noticed he was alone. When he looked over his shoulder Faith was still standing still with her arms folded and tapping her foot on the ground. "For the love of God Faith, if you must know I was at a meeting trying to resolve all this" he said as he indicated his neck. "That's why I was in the area. It's being taken care of and I don't want to talk about it or give you anything else to worry about unless absolutely necessary. Now pick up your damn feet and take me to lunch!"
Faith saw she was defeated for the time being and began walking towards her brother. "Take you to lunch? You're the one who inherited all the bloody money." She scoffed.
"Oh yes, because you would have kept it if you got it, please." Draco had her once again. They both knew that Faith wouldn't have kept the money.
Draco had learned how to get the better of his sister. He also knew how to manipulate her in their arguments. It came after years of getting pounded in them. He had also managed to hone a few of her tricks. Draco was sure things would be a lot smoother between them as a result.
As they walked out of the building Faith gave her brother a weak smile. She could tell he was hiding something important. If he would tell her what it was she would be more than happy to help. But things had changed. Draco no longer confided in her as he used to. Faith was an outsider in his life. There was a time when they were closer to each other then anyone. She hardly recognized her brother now. As they entered the daylight she saw just how much he had changed over the summer.
His face was hardened, by what she wasn't sure. He looked ten years older then at the time of graduation. His hair had some length to it and fell over his eyes. His body looked tired and run down and his face showed signs of exhaustion. Faith had never been told all the details of what Draco had been doing that summer. Draco's life was more complicated and dangerous than Faith would ever dare to imagine. She had ventured into some risky situations herself but nothing close to what Draco had been doing. He was constantly at risk of being found out by the Death Eaters or mistaken for one by members of the Ministry who didn't know what he was doing. Not many knew of his double agent role and those who did wouldn't admit it. It was for the best. The more people who knew would mean more people recklessly put in harm's way.
Faith and Draco made their way down the streets to a little café that the used to frequent in happier times. It was just as they remembered it. The duo took a table in a back corner not wanting to encounter anyone who might be on their way to the Academy. After they finished their meal and were drinking the tea they had ordered Faith shared her small revelation with her brother.
"You look older Drake" she sad after studying his feature again.
Draco gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not sure I follow."
Faith shrugged her shoulders. "There's no deeper meaning to this one. You just look older."
"Good older or bad older?" he asked as he sipped his tea.
"I definitely have to say bad older" she replied honestly. Draco gave her one of his patented 'what the hell looks'. Faith elaborated. "Life's taken its toll. You look as though you've been through far too much for someone your age. You look as if you have a hundred years worth of stories to tell and you're but twenty."
Draco thought about this for a moment. "Well, you're not exactly as fresh as a daisy either" he told her.
Faith had to laugh a little. "I know. I'm reminded of it every time I look in a damn mirror."
"See, that's why I cover mine" Draco said with a smirk.
They sat in reflective silence for a while. Faith was the first to break it. "Sometime I wonder what exactly we've gotten ourselves into."
"That's a valid question" Draco stated as he pushed some hair out of his eyes. "In all honesty, how do you see this playing out?"
Faith took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "Do you actually want the truth?" Draco nodded. "In all honesty…I haven't a damn clue."
Draco nodded again. "Sometimes I think it would have been better if I had just stayed home, not gotten involved. I'm sick and tired of dealing with it. How shallow am I?"
"Not at all. I don't blame you. I'd be lying if I told you I hadn't felt the same. But yet we fight." Faith said with a sigh.
"We fight, we negotiate, we watch lives get ruined, we ruin some ourselves and where does it get us? It gets us to higher education where we learn how to fight better, to do better in negotiation, to not be bothered when a life gets ruined and to better ruin lives." They were silent again. "Good times ahead" he added sarcastically
"So why are you here if you feel that way?" Faith asked.
"Because it's what's expected" he said frankly. Faith looked at him in frustration. "Well, not just because it's expected. I mean, it's the next step isn't it? And when you get to the step you step you take it and then you're there, on that step and there isn't a step anymore. I mean, there are more steps; there are always more steps…unless it was the last step. But there's not that step anymore because you stepped and then you're there…" Draco trailed off from his rambling.
Faith just looked at him trying not to laugh. "On that step" she added after a moment.
"Shut up Fay." Draco got up to pay for their lunch. Faith followed behind him, teasing the whole way.
"No, no I understand. Because when you step you cease to have need to take that step because in taking it…"
"I said shut up Fay."
"…you are now on that step and are one with it and it no longer exists. Well, it still exists but you don't have to take the step anymore because you took it…"
"I'm not joking, shut the hell up." Draco and Faith exited the café and made their way back to the Academy.
"…and in taking it it's took and then you only have to worry about the next step."
"I'm going to hex you in a minute!" Draco snipped over his shoulder as he continued on his way.
"But what if you don't know where the next step is? How do you know when to take a step even? If you take it too soon then you haven't really taken it because you weren't ready and don't know how to deal with that step. In that case you should go back to the step before the step you weren't ready for"
"Are you done?" Draco asked in annoyance.
"Not even close." Faith continued to mock Draco all the way back to the Ministry.
