Harry Potter sat in his seat with an armful of snacks from the cart of sweets that made its rounds up and down the Hogwarts Express train.
"I wonder what's going on at Hogwarts that's such a big secret." he said.
"You're joking right?" a drawling voice said by the door of the compartment Harry shared with Hermione and Ron. "You're honestly saying that you don't know?"
"I knew those were going to show up sometime." Ron said disgustedly.
Draco Malfoy's cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, cracked their knuckles in a threatening manner.
"My father told me ages ago." Draco Malfoy explained. "I'd be damned if even she didn't know."
"She?" Harry asked. "Who's she?"
"Goodness Potter, you're more behind than I thought." Malfoy sneered. "Don't you read the Prophet?"
It was then that Harry noticed a clipping from the wizard paper, the Daily Prophet, clenched in Malfoy's right hand.
"Tell us what you're on about, or leave." Hermione snapped.
"For your information, mud-blood, the Dark Lord's daughter was at the Quidditch World Cup." Draco explained. "She killed a muggle when he got in her way."
Ron dropped the chocolate frog card he was holding and looked at Malfoy.
"She's just a myth." Hermione snapped in annoyance. "He can't have a daughter. He didn't even have a wife."
"That just shows how smart you really are, you filthy waste of blood." Malfoy sneered.
Harry and Ron made a move for Draco, but Hermione stopped them.
"Oh please, he isn't worth the time or effort. Now sit down!"
Draco smirked.
"I don't believe you, Malfoy." Ron said quietly.
"Then take a look for yourself, Weasel-bee."
Malfoy thrust the clipping into Ron's hands.
"If I heard correctly, you three had a run-in with a "Death Eater" while you were running for cover.."
Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stalked away laughing.
Ron's eyes slowly traveled over the clipping and his eyes widened with each new line he read.
"That's what Mum and Dad were talking about." he said whispered to Harry and Hermione after finishing the article.
"What?" Hermione asked.
"You-Know-who's daughter." Ron explained. "Dad was saying how he always tried to convince himself that she was nothing but a myth, and Mum kept mentioning 'murder' over and over again."
"Malfoy's right. That was her!" Harry exclaimed suddenly.
"What was her?" Hermione demanded.
"That Death Eater we ran into at the World Cup." Harry replied. "That's what Malfoy was talking about. Voldemort's daughter was the Death Eater we ran into."
Hermione covered her mouth.
"Why didn't she attack us then?" Ron asked. "I mean, if she's his daughter, I'm sure she would have wanted to try to... well you know, Harry.."
"Yeah, I know." Harry answered. "I wonder why too."
The three friends sat in silence for the ride to Hogwarts.
If that was Voldemort's daughter, why didn't she attack me? Harry thought to himself. Wouldn't that have been the first thing she would have done?