After nearly two years of Narcissa Malfoy's absence, there has finally been a funeral. It seems Lord Malfoy has finally given up the pretense there is any hope of ever seeing his wife return, though it remains unclear whether she actually is dead.

Certainly, Dear Readers, the socialite's children were the very picture of grief. Draco, age 14, was dressed in black wool robes, utterly stoic and dignified. But, of course, our readership will be far more interested in young Evanna, age 13, who we all know to be romantically involved with young Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and Triwizard Champion. Potter was nowhere in sight, and what a sight young Ms. Malfoy presented. Dressed in black silk, she also wore a French lace veil and gloves as she laid her mother's soul to rest. Like her mother before her, Evanna is sure to become one of the great style icons of Wizarding Society.

One can only assume that this tragedy would put a strain on the young couple, or, perhaps, it was the presence of the looming Lord Malfoy that kept Potter at bay? Dragons are one thing, dear readers, fathers of one's girlfriend is quite another. Especially if, as some detractors have said, Lucius Malfoy had a hand in his wife's disappearance and supposed death.

The family has said that in lieu of flowers one can make donations to the Wizarding Arts Endowment, a charity which meant a great deal to the late Narcissa Malfoy (if she is indeed passed)...

"That Skeeter! How dare she?" Eva was saying on the other side of Evanna at the breakfast table. "Making your family tragedy out to be some sort of conspiracy!"

Evanna merely frowned at the newspaper, watching concernedly as Draco got up and left the table after reading his own copy. The picture of the siblings could not be more stark; Draco so pale and silver, looking as though he was holding back tears. Evanna with a somber expression, her long black hair flowing down past her torso.

I look like a bloody banshee, she thought. Maybe it was time she cut her hair…

More than being annoyed that Skeeter had implied Narcissa was still alive (which was true), Evanna was aggravated that the woman kept up with the notion she and Harry were in some sort of illicit romance. If "as some detractors said" her father was a part of her mother's disappearance, which was true, would it not follow that maybe they should not keep insisting on this ridiculous relationship between her and Potter?

"Are you alright, Evanna?" Elin said, a little more softly than Eva's angry admonishments of the article. Evanna blinked at her friend.

"Yes. Yes, I'm alright," she said after pausing a moment too long. Her roommates looked at each other, obviously not buying it.

"We know how hard you've been taking this whole thing," Eva said. "This is the first time you've been to a meal in the Great Hall in weeks! I'm sure nobody would fault you if you stayed back from classes for a little while."

"I think I've missed quite enough of class," Evanna insisted. "If you'll excuse me."

Thoughts and suspicions followed Evanna out of the hall. Though she was getting many looks of sympathy from the Slytherins, and even some from the Hufflepuffs, she felt the Gryffindors glaring after her.

….poor girl, she's just too delicate for…

….probably helped her Da' do her Mum in….

….say she didn't even cry at the funeral….

….must be in shock still….

….traitor Malfoy would be pissing his pants if he knew how soon….

The thought caught Evanna's attention. Could that be the same person that was actively bringing Voldemort back? She closed her eyes, trying to concentrate on the person.

….must deal with Father soon. He is entirely too suspicious for comfort. I…

"What are you doing?"

Evanna's concentration was shattered by her brother's voice. She opened her eyes to see him glowering at her.

"Hasn't our family been in the news enough without someone accusing it's daughter of being crazy?" Draco demanded.

Evanna blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"Get out of the hallway acting like you're Looney Lovegood," he sneered.

"Did I do something to offend you?" she said mildly.

I think you did…. I just can't figure out what.

The thought Evanna heard from her brother made her nervous. He couldn't be suspicious, could he? But that was crazy; she nor her mother had seen fit to share with Draco her powers. He had no reason to suspect her.

Draco sighed heavily. "Just… Just try not to call more attention to us, okay? I thought that the funeral would put all these rumors to rest…"

Evanna felt a pang in her heart, seeing just how distraught her brother looked. Though her mother had not been happy with it, Professor Snape had determined it was best that Draco did not know she was alive if he was going tell Lucius. Narcissa only agreed after Evanna threatened to keep wiping her brother's mind until one or both of them were vegetables.

"Give it time, Draco," she said.

"The reporters are accusing Father of something nefarious," he said.

Evanna pursed her lips. The reporters, for once, were wholly correct in their assumptions that Lucius had done something to his wife. Draco rolled his eyes.

"I know Father can be less than pleasant, Evanna, but really? To murder his own wife? The mother of his children?"

Evanna didn't say anything, which seemed to make Draco angrier.

"You just have to see the worst in him, don't you? It doesn't matter that he's fed and clothed us-given you more training than any second-born daughter deserves-you are just determined to hate him, aren't you?" Draco demanded.

"He hardly treats me the same as he does you, Draco," she said, trying her best not to get angry herself. After what she had done to him, she deserved his anger. But, it still stung that after all this time, her brother still had no idea of how much their father had done to her. She swallowed, refusing to think on it.

"Sometimes I wonder if the rumors are right," Draco sneered.

"What rumors?" Evanna said.

"The ones that say you're not a Malfoy at all," he said, a malicious glint in his eye. Evanna could hardly believe what she was hearing. "That you're just a bastard child and Father would have been well within his rights to-"

Draco cut himself off abruptly as Theo Nott walked out of the Great Hall. The other Slytherin looked from one sibling to the other, obviously having heard their conversation. Evanna looked away from both of them, mortified to realize there were tears on her cheeks.

Bloody bastard, making a girl cry…

"You might want to take this somewhere private, Malfoy," Nott said slowly. "You know how Snape dislikes infighting where the other Houses can see it."

"Bloody Snape," Draco muttered, turning on his heel. "Well?" he snapped at Evanna.

"I think you've said enough, Draco," Evanna said quietly.

Draco opened his mouth to say something more, but Nott raised his eyebrow. Draco snarled again and stalked off.

"Y'know, I do think your brother makes a better ferret," Nott said slowly. Evanna had a hard time holding in her snort. "I'm sorry for your loss, by the way. I wasn't able to offer my condolences at the funeral."

Evanna blushed. Everyone was giving their condolences, but she knew her mother was alive and mostly well in Professor Snape's quarters.

"Thank you, Nott," she said. The boy nodded awkwardly and went on his way.

Draco seemed to avoid Evanna for several weeks, though every time she did see him across the Common Room or in the Great Hall, he was looking at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes. It reminded her of how he had once regarded Harry the year previous, after a floating Potter head had been spotted throwing handfuls of mud at Draco in Hogsmeade.

She did her best to ignore her erstwhile brother, instead focusing on the book her mother had given her on the léitheoir aigne, as well as a few tomes she had retrieved from the Chamber of Secrets after reading something about the powers of the violet eyes being in some way related to animal magicks of all sorts, including Parseltongue. Though she had not found anything else useful to her in developing her powers, she learned more about her House's founder. He had kept fastidious records of his life in Hogwarts, as well as the lives of his immediate family members. Some magic translated the diaries from Old English into something she could read. She suspected if someone who wasn't a Parselmouth was to try and read the would not be able to; they may even be treated to a rather unpleasant privacy spell.

Her headaches ebbed away as she regained a hold on her powers, though she still had a hard time differentiating the voices she heard while in crowds. Whoever it was trying to bring back the Dark Lord must have been as busy as any of the rest of the students as the end of the year approached, for Evanna hadn't heard anything from him (or her) for awhile. Professor Snape had warned her on multiple occasions to let it lie, but her curiosity and her determination to keep things the same would not let her. She still went out frequently, walking all through the castle, hoping to find the culprit alone so she could figure out who it was. But, it was all to no avail.

Bridget and Luna were constantly in the Castle Centre, as were Evanna and Ginny, studying for their finals. Evidently, even though they were two years away from taking their OWLs, the teachers believed they needed to be studying constantly, greatly reducing Evanna's ability to seek out the would-be Dark Lord helper. At least Harry was not asking her for any help on the Third Task, as he had yet to hear what exactly the task was to be.

"Evanna," Ginny suddenly said as they were sitting in the Castle Centre. There was a distinct whiny edge to her voice. "I'm boo-oored."

Evanna finished the paragraph she had been reading in Slytherin's diaries. His interactions with his twin sons were most interesting.

I worry as my progeny grow more powerful, their ambitions will grow as well as their small brotherly rivalry. Though I doubt either of them would commit patricide, fratricide is not completely out of the realm of possibility. So I have taken such measures that I would not have to choose between protecting a live son and avenging a dead one. The Curse I have devised should protect my progeny from each other for generations to come….

"She's ignoring me, Bridget," Ginny whined again.

"Maybe she just thinks you are a fourteen year old witch, capable of entertaining yourself, instead of a toddler," Bridget said dryly from her corner where she was working on an essay for Transfiguration.

"Oh, who asked you?" Ginny scowled.

"I believe you did, Ginny," Luna said from her perch on a beanbag, reading the newest edition of the Quibbler.

"Haven't you any homework? The Slytherins are buried in it," Evanna said, finally closing the diary.

"Of course we've got homework," Ginny said. "I just don't wanna do it."

Evanna shook her head. Gryffindors really needed minding every moment of the day.

"Is that homework you're working on?" Luna asked, a strange knowing look in her eyes. Evanna slid the diary into her bag.

"Perhaps we could take a study break," Evanna admitted slowly.

Ginny let out a little 'whoop' and charged forward out of the room, leaving the other three no choice but to follow her out of the castle and onto the quidditch pitch. Somehow, Ginny knew how to pick the lock to the broom shed and was soon passing out the brooms to the other girls.

"How did you do that?" Bridget said, gesturing to the shed.

"You don't live with Gred and Forge Weasley and not learn a thing or two," Ginny said. Evanna made a note not to underestimate any of the redheads.

Soon, all of them were in the sky. Though Evanna had never been the quidditch fanatic her brother was, flying was rather enjoyable and tossing the quaffle back and forth with her friends was a good way to let off steam after so much studying.

You've got to be kidding me.

Evanna looked back down at the ground and saw her brother with a few of his friends-she thought she recognized Zabini, along with Theo Nott and the Slytherin quidditch captain, Marcus Flint. Flint was cursing.

"What's got a bee in their bonnet?" Ginny said as she caught the quaffle from Bridget. Her friend had quite the aptitude for the game, though she had yet to try out for the Gryffindor team.

"Probably that we're using the pitch."

"Well, we were here first," Ginny said, before pointing the old school broom down and zooming to the ground. When Evanna and the other two girls finally caught up, Ginny and Draco were already arguing.

"...not even on a team! You aren't even all in the same House!"

"In case you haven't noticed, Malfoy, there's no Quidditch this year," Ginny shot back, stepping up to Evanna's brother. Evanna hadn't quite noticed, being so short herself, but her brother had rather shot up in height and towered over Ginny as well.

"Just because you Gryffindors have no strategy-"

"Yeah, that's why we've kicked your slimy Slytherin arses the past three years!"

"Get off our pitch, Weasley!"

"Make me, Malfoy!"

Evanna likely should have stepped in, but she was rather enjoying watching her brother being obstinate to someone other than herself for once. Bridget, however, seemed to be getting tired of the arguing.

"Look, the pitch is plenty big enough for all of us-"

"We're not letting you all go back to your Houses and give information on our strategies," Flint said scathingly.

"I'm in your House," Evanna muttered, but was overshadowed by Ginny narrowing her eyes.

"We'll play you for it."

The four boys looked at each other, before laughing.

"We're not playing against you," Draco said. "You're girls."

Evanna found herself rather offended. "Excuse you-"

"What, you chicken, Malfoy?" Ginny said. "You have nothing to lose, after all. Unless you're a coward."

Evanna had to repress her snort. Her brother could not deny a challenge like that. "You're on."

The game lasted over two hours, as Draco and Ginny kept outdoing one another in more and more outlandish scores. After awhile, it was only those two playing, the rest having gone over to the sidelines to watch.

"If Gryffindor doesn't put her on the team next year, they're even more of idiots than I thought," Nott leaned over to Evanna to say. She nodded solemnly.

"Ginny is a force to be reckoned with," she agreed. The little group stayed until it got dark, forcing Draco and Ginny to come down, still arguing fiercely over who won and who lost. Evanna and the others had completely lost track, instead just chatting amicably.

"Didn't see that one coming," Bridget said as they all marched back to the castle.

"See what coming?" Evanna asked. The Hufflepuff gave her an odd look and then shook her head, chuckling.

"Nothing. It's nothing, Ev."

A/N: A little filler-y, I know, but it's Christmas, so I needed a little fluff :). Don't worry, next chapter will probably feature murder and the like. I'm feeling only four or five more chapters until we get to the summer before OotP. Big things are coming, y'all, so keep an eye on your alerts.

Also, a reviewer mentioned wanting to see Evanna have a little romance that's not end game-would anyone else be interested in that? I have some ideas as to how that could play out, and have started weaving some more guys into her interactions, but am not married to any one thing. Of course, one of the ideas to start a little romance that I have in my head is not something that any of you would necessarily be able to guess at... Yet... *evil grin*

Okay, I need to stop myself before I completely give something away, though I know some of you have guessed it already. Urghhhh, I just can't wait! It's the whole reason why I wanted to write/post this story!

Anyway, Merry Christmas, read & review, enjoy, yada yada. I really must stop talking (writing). :D