That Fateful Night

Chapter Eight

Friendships are made

A/n: Ha! Three chapters within a month.

---

"Ok, so he wants me to just…walk up to him and ask his mother's name. Right. That won't seem dumb." Katie muttered this to herself as she left the dorm room, heading down the stairs leading to the common room. Draco had owled her back during breakfast and told her to find out if Diego's mom was 'Aliza Zanyini.' Ironically enough, Katie had actually heard a little bit about Aliza from her mother. Supposedly, Aliza had been one of the prettiest girls their year and quite popular with the guys (particularly Draco.)

"Well if it isn't the halfblood." A voice drawled from the couch as she went to sit on it. Of course, it had to be Dimitri. And look! What luck. His little fan club was there along with Diego! Oh joy.

"Least I'm not a stuck up pure-blood. I'd have to shoot myself." She opted for a chair near the couch.

"Maybe you should anyway. No one wants you around."

She was about to retaliate but Diego narrowed his eyes at Dimitri. "Leave the girl alone, Malfoy. Just because you despise her doesn't mean the rest of us do."

"Really Zanyini? No one wants you around either. Perhaps you should just – "

But no one got to hear what he was going to say because his girlfriend, Kourtnie, promptly told him to shut up, which lead into an argument between the two. Diego, seemingly uninterested in their squabble pulled up a chair next to Katie's. "I love watching idiots argue, don't you?"

She nodded and tried to avoid his eyes. They were too alluring. "Yeah I always get a kick out of it."

"You know… You two look a lot alike… You related?" For the first time she noticed his voice slid in and out of his British accent, alternating between it and an American one.

"Unfortunately. …Are you from America?"

He nodded his head. "Somewhat. I lived there for… a few years."

"Is it nice there?"

"The cities are full of action… You're never bored. But the places all begin to look the same after a while. I still go there though occasionally. My mother has family over there."

"Lucky you. All my family is in England… Or well, any of my mother's family. I barely know my father."

Diego looked at the fire burning green in the fireplace. "I wouldn't consider myself lucky. You're luckier than me. I've never met my father and my mother won't tell me who he is… Sometimes I wonder if he's dead and that's why she won't tell me."

Here was her chance. "Is your mother by chance Aliza Zanyini…?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"My parents were in her year and when I told my father you had the last name Zanyini he told me to see if your mother was Aliza. He said he hadn't seen her since they graduated."

"Mother said she fell out of touch with all her school friends… I'm not sure if she even talks to any of them anymore."

"Diego!" A high voice called from the other side of the room and his head turned in that direction.

"Well um… I'll talk to you another time. Ica's found something on that alleged chamber of secrets she's been fascinated with." He grinned at her and went over to her, leaving Katie to her thoughts. She figured she should probably write Draco back. He'd be awaiting her owl. So she grabbed a piece of parchment, a quill, and some green ink.

---

"Hello Aliza." A tenor voice said behind the blonde woman, making her jump and drop her glass, spilling red wine all over the rug.

"Draco." She said before turning around to face him. If there was one voice she'd recognize from her school years it would be his.

"So tell me…" He sat on the couch; ignoring the glare she gave him. "How have you been?"

"Peachy fucking keen, Draco and yourself?" She said and he detected a bitter undertone in her otherwise pleasant voice.

"Come now, Aliza. After all we've shared… after all we've done… after how many times you frequented my bed, you needn't use that formal tone with me." He laid back on the couch, putting his arms behind his head, and looked up at her, faking a grin.

"Still the same smug bastard I see. Obviously, you haven't grown up yet. I may have liked your looks those many years ago but those are starting to get boring now… Especially considering I go for grown men and you're still a little boy pretending to be a man. So state what you want and leave."

Draco looked hurt as he sat up, but he hid it in his voice. "That hurts Aliza, really it does. What happened to us? We used to be such good friends and now… Hell, I still talk to Pansy! But the day I try to renew our friendship you go and insult me…" Before allowing her to retort he continued. "But maybe I should excuse you… Taking care of young Diego all by yourself must be difficult."

Aliza gasped and Draco watched her eyes go wide. "How did you find out?"

"Currently, I have two children of my own in Hogwarts this year. Both happened to have joined your son in Slytherin."

"Two? Damn Draco… Twins?"

"No. Different mothers. One was an accident at Hogwarts, the other my forced marriage."

"Seems there were a few accidents at Hogwarts." She eyed the stain on the carpet. "Who are the mothers?"

"Angeli… I'm sure you remember her, and Hermione Granger."

"Granger? But Draco!" She took a moment to digest this after he nodded. "Does Lucius know? I remember he used to hit you and you'd come to school with awful bruises… It'd be a wonder he didn't kill you over that one."

"Don't dredge up the past, Aliza. I do that enough myself. Yes, he knows but it wasn't until recently I told him. Naturally, Narcissa wished to meet the girl but Lucius refuses to see her. …She looks like a Malfoy though."

"What are their names?"

"Dimitrius Decoris Decentis Malfoy and Katalia Skye (I think it was) Malfoy Granger." He noticed the spot on the carpet and muttered a spell, cleaning it up right away. "Sorry about that."

"Its fine and great names. I can tell you chose Dimitrius's. You always did like D names."

"What's Diego's full name?" He asked, hoping for some insight into who the father was.

"Diego Angelo Thomas Zabini."

"Angelo after Angelique right?"

"Yeah. And Thomas, well, you know why."

"Still hurt to talk about him?"

"Too much."

"So…" Draco attempted to sound only mildly interested. "Who's Diego's father anyway?"

"I refuse to say."

---

A pale man sat in a green, high-backed, velvet chair in front of a fireplace, staring straight into the flames. Their orange glow was reflected in his eyes – steel gray and cold from all the years of hidden emotions. His hair was still white-blonde with no traces of gray although he had to be almost fifty now.

He was contemplating something. His wife wanted him to invite their only granddaughter over for the holidays… but she was the daughter of a mudblood, making her a halfblood and unworthy to carry his last name. But he heard she looked like a young Paris. So she was obviously a Malfoy…

All of this confused him greatly. Draco had kept this child a secret for almost ten years so did that mean he had no input in the child's upbringing? That could be a good thing though. Draco was more of a child himself, pawning his son off on his parents while he was out partying and them coming to collect him before the child could be made into a proper Malfoy.

Lucius may have messed up on Draco but Dimitri was cooperating perfectly. Dimitri had stronger views on mudbloods and halfbloods. He had thought Draco's views were perfect but obviously they weren't if he had to go and fuck a mudblood bitch over Aliza (whom he still kept in contact with) and the various others he knew Draco had been with.

Narcissa had proposed the girl come and stay for a few days during the winter holiday with her mother possibly if the woman didn't trust them. Then she had went on to say that maybe Draco and Dimitri could come, along with Aliza and her little boy, possibly even Angeli if her and Draco could refrain from fighting for a few days. He suspected Narcissa missed the days when Draco still lived there and had people in and out of the manor daily.

"Lucius?" Narcissa's voice called from the doorway, causing him to turn his head and look at her. She hadn't appeared to age much either, she had gotten a bit slimmer though and her age showed a bit in her face.

"Yes?"

"Have you thought about it yet…?" She asked tentatively. She didn't want to anger him. She knew what he was capable of.

"I've given it a bit of thought, yes." He took a breath and paused. It might be nice to see Aliza and her son again, Dimitri and Angeli too. But the girl, her mother, and Draco were ones he could do without. "And my answer is… yes."

A smile lit her face. "Oh thank you, Lucius! I'll owl everyone right away!"

---

"May I sit here?" A girl, Italian by the looks of her, asked Katie during lunch.

Katie had been daydreaming and jumped when the girl spoke. "Uh… Sure."

"Thanks. Everywhere else is full or reserved for idiots." The girl said, throwing a glare Diego's way. "Don't trust that boy."

"Who Diego? He's nice enough… What's your name?"

"Oh! Sorry about that! I'm Bleu Fleer and this," she pointed to a boy behind her who looked a bit like her, "is my cousin, Travis Tucker."

He gave a nod and sat down. Katie figured he was probably shy. "I'm Katalia Granger, Katie for short."

"Granger? Are you really?" The boy said, looking up. "My mum said she knew someone named Granger in school. Herm-something."

"Hermione, yeah."

"Wow. Your mum is in the revised copy of Hogwarts a History along with that git's," Travis pointed at Dimitri, "dad for having the highest O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. scores ever recorded!"

Bleu gave a laugh. "You read too much, Trav."

"Draco had high scores too?" Katie asked. Her mother had never told her Draco had gotten high scores.

"Damn morons." A boy said as he took a seat on Katie's right without asking.

"Excuse me, but who are you referring to?" Katie asked as a roar of laughter came from Dimitri and Diego's end of the table.

"Those idiots. Who else is so dumb around here for me to actually bother insulting them?" This boy had spiked hair, dyed blue with dark blue eyes to match. And was that an earring right through his eyebrow? He also sounded American which would explain it all.

"I dunno." She said. "My name's Katie Granger. What's yours?"

"Damon Michaels, who are your friends?"

"Bleu…."

"Bleu Fleer and Travis Tucker." Bleu supplied, giving a laugh, causing the others to join in. And in this moment they were bound together as friends, although none of them knew it just yet.

---

A/n: Finally! Introductions are done! Friends are made! The action starts soon! Hope you guys'll like the plot… This one will follow the adults more but it does tie in with the kids too…

A/n2: I forgot about Damon in the last chap...Uh yeah...He's in Slytherin too.

Please review!