Catherine looked around. Six years ago, she had been here for the first time shopping for her books for Hogwarts. She walked into a book shop and saw Draco Malfoy. He noticed that she was staring at him and he glared at her. She was kind of taken aback by this. Obviously he didn't know that she was on his side. Not like she had much of a choice though. Her uncle had told her to do it. And now her grandfather.
She walked out of the bookshop and decided to sit down and wait. She thought for a minute and then realized she didnt know how the hell she was supposed to get Harry to drink this. Maybe she could buy him a drink or something. She walked into the Coffee and Tea House. Oh. Just her luck. Harry was in there with Hermione and Ron. She kind of froze for a minute. Even though she had gone to the same school as him for 5 years, she still got star struck whenever he was near her. Like one time in her fourth year, he ran into her in the hallway. They both dropped all of their books and all she could do was say, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry" very fast and run away.
Catherine took a deep breath. Then it hit her. She could pretend to be a waitress. Her friend Teresa's mom did own this place so maybe she could ask her this one favor. It was decided. She went over to the front and asked for Mrs. Arredondo. Soon a very tall woman with blonde hair came out with a smile on her face. "Oh Hello Catherine!"
"Hi Mrs. Arredondo! I was just wondering if I could um, I know this may sound stupid but you see, I, um, I have a crush on, " she lowered her voice to a whisper, "Harry Potter. And I was wondering if I could be the waitress for his table for a bit. You don't need to pay me or anything I just-"
"Okay Cat. My gosh you and Teresa both have just gotten so boy crazy." She laughed. She went in the back to get an apron for her. Catherine put it on and went over to his table.
"Hello welcome to the Coffee and Tea House. I am Catherine and I will be serving you today. What can I get for you guys?" She asked. Teresa, Michelle, Kevin, Erik, and her had taken jobs here last summer. She just tried to imagine she was serving someone else.
"Um I will have a Mocha Frapuccino," Said Hermione
"I will have coffee." said Ron.
Catherine looked over at Harry and prayed that he would order something. "I guess I will have a coffee also." Harry said. Catherine took a deep breath and then realized they were looking at her funny. "Um I will be back with those in a sec."
She got the drinks and put the potion in the coffee. She then put them on a tray. Catherine brought the drinks to them. She gave the Frappuccino to Hermione and the coffee to Harry. Wait...she thought 2 drinks, 3 people. Oh crap!
"Oh sorry! I forgot a coffee. Its my first day." She said. Then she turned around.
"Here Ron you can just have mine." Harry said.
"NO!" she almost said it loud enough for the whole cafe to hear. "I mean no, just wait. Just one sec. I will bring out his coffee. You can just drink yours." Right then another waitress came out with a tray full of coffees. Catherine took one and put it in front of Ron. "There you go. I am sorry about that."
Now they were really looking at her like she was weird. She just bit her lip and felt like she was going to cry. She just turned around and gave the apron back and left the coffee shop. But before she went she took one look at Harry. He was sipping his coffee. She sighed in relief. At least that part was over now. While she was walking, someone grabbed her hand and covered her mouth. She almost gasped when she saw who it was.
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Harry sipped his coffee. It tasted different, but in a good way. Every sip made him feel better. Who was that waitress? He looked around for her but he couldn't find her.
"Who was she?" asked Harry.
"Catherine?" Ron kind of answered in a question.
'That was Catherine Bruns. She is in our class you know. In fact, she is in our house, she's a Gryffindor. Haven't you ever talked to her before?" Hermione asked.
"Oh yeah. I think I ran into her in the hallway once. She looked really embarassed though and ran off." Harry said.
"Oh its the old Harry Potter The Boy Who Lived charm then. Probably why she was acting so weird." Ron said.
Harry just kind of looked dazed. "Harry are you okay?" Hermione asked.
" Huh? Oh yah. I am fine."
They finished their coffee and went out into the streets.Suddenly there was a streak of light that went through the crowd. Everyone screamed and was running away from one area of Diagon Alley. Harry, Hermione, and Ron went to go see what happened. They saw a man lying on the floor though they didn't recognized who it was.
"Oh my goodness!" a lady exclaimed. "That's John Mckimpsey. Real rich man. He used to own a castle out somewhere near London. They use to called it 'Coluber Castle' but I don't know what the hell that means." Apparently she was talking to herself.
Ron looked very shocked and Hermione covered her mouth. Harry saw Ron grab onto Hermione's hand and start to step back. Harry began to wonder who did this and why. Ron and Hermione both looked over to Harry and saw that look in his eye. It looked like he was up to something.
"Harry, no! This is serious. Some just died. We can't go on and get ourselves involved in something like this. " Said Hermione.
"She's right you know." Ron added.
"But guys, what if we can figure out who killed him? We can help prevent other people from dying?"
"Harry, you are already enough of a hero as it is. Just let this one aside for the Ministry. Ok, Harry?" asked Hermione as she held on to her arm. He could tell that she wasn't going to let this adventure happen.
"Alright, alright."
But Harry wasn't going to just let this one aside and everyone knew it. That was part of Harry's character though. He wanted everyone to be safe and thought of others lives before his own. Just like in the fourth year when he rescued everyone in the lake in the triwizard tournament.
After the Ministry had arrived, the crowd started to break up. Hermione, Harry, and Ron decided it was best if they just started buying their books for school again. I mean school did start tomorrow. They went into the bookstore and immediatly regretted it.
"Well, well. Potter isn't it? And his two little cronies with him. Do you pay them to hang out with you or just blackmail?" Malfoy said with the famous Malfoy smirk.
"Hey, that's funny Malfoy." Harry said with a fake smile. "You know, I thought you weren't supposed to come out in the daylight."
"Oh wow. Did you come up with that all on your own? Nice to see you can use your brain instead of using THAT mudbloods." Draco said fiercly.
"You just shut up!" shouted Ron. He was about to punch him but Hermione held him back.
"Oh I'm sorry. Did I just insult your girlfriend? Well I have to go. I have better things to do than to waste my time fighting with freaks like you." Draco said. Malfoy turned around to leave.
"Yeah go Malfoy. Go get a tan. Stupid albino." Ron said.
This made him turn back around. He lunged for Ron. But before he could hit him, Lucius Malfoy grabbed him by the arm.
"Now Draco, that is no way to treat your classmates. Go home now. Someone wants to have a word with you in the parlor."
Draco walked away and Lucius glared at the three of them. He turned around and left the shop like nothin happened. This man was a complete mystery to all of them.
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Lucius had grabbed Catherine.
"Did you do everything alright?" He asked.
"Ye-Yes" she said.
"Okay. Report back to the manor by 4:00 so you can get ready for dinner. It will be served at 5:30. It shall be formal." Then he left. That was pretty scary to Catherine. He had never acknowledged her before and now he was just grabbing her randomly during the day. She decided that she should continue to get all of her books. Later that day, when she was done getting all her supplies, she went back to the Malfoy Manor. It was only 1:00 so she was ahead of her schedule. She made her way around the manor and found the library. Narcissa was in there reading a book. She looked up and saw Catherine.
"Oh hello dear." Narcissa said.
"Hello Mrs. Malfoy" Catherine replied.
"You can just call me Narcissa. Come here." Catherine walked over to Narcissa. She looked at her as if she was her own. "You know, I've always wanted a daughter so I will treat you like my own. This year they plan to have a Yule Ball at Hogwarts. Would you like to go shopping for a gown to wear? We can also pick one up for the dinner tonight."
Catherine just nodded and said okay. She did have 3 hours left until she would need to get ready. So they went to a place she had never heard of. Madame Heraldi's Gowns in Ferlux Alley. They had so many dresses, it was unbelievable! They picked about 20 dresses and she took them to go try them on. While in the middle of trying on her 5th dress, Catherine decided to ask her a question that she had been wondering all day.
"How did it happen?" Catherine asked.
"How did what happen?" Narcissa asked looking very confused.
"How did you end up being married to Lucius. Surely you were not a Slytherin."
"Actually, I was a Slytherin. I remember when I was little, I knew it was either going to be Slytherin or Ravenclaw. I was smart enough to be a Ravenclaw, but when i was little I was a demon. I wanted everything my way and I was very sneaky. I grew out of it though when I entered my fourth year."
"Why? What happened?"
"I don't know, I just matured. Unfortunately I was the only one in my house to do so. But Lucius stuck by me even when the others called me the 'Traitor Slytherin'. I don't know how I could've gotten by without him. I know there are times when it seems he has no feelings, but he does. I am sure he does. You can't lie when you tell someone you love them because you can always see it in their eyes." Narcissa was staring at the ground for a minute. Then she looked up when she heard Catherine come out of the dressing room."Wow. That dress looks beautiful on you. You should wear it to the Yuleball." It was a white halter dress with silver outlining the top. At the hips, there was a thin silver belt. The dress was floor length and had little diamonds at the bottom. The back was open.
"Wait, I don't have any money." Catherine said looking sad. She really did love this dress.
"I told you I was going to treat you like my daughter. You didn't think I was going to let you buy these dresses on your own, did you?" Narcissa said with a smile.
"No, I couldn't possible--"
"Not another word. Now go in there and try on dresses for tonight."
"Wait, why are we having a formal dinner tonight?"
"Its tradition. Last dinner at the Manor is always formal. Lucius invites a couple of his friends over and he always has to impress. And Draco should be there. Wait, have you even met Draco?" she asked.
"Well, not formally." Catherine came out in another dress. This time it was silky, royal blue and it went down to floor with a slit to her knee. It was also a v-neck halter dress.
"Oh. If I was 20 years younger I would buy that. You should wear that tonight. You look gorgeous." Narcissa looked at her watch. Oh dear. We have to get back."
They bought the dresses and went back to the Manor. Catherine rushed to her room to get ready.
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Draco walked to the drawing room and saw the dark figure. He slowly walked towards him.
"Draco, you know Catherine, my heir?"
"Well, I don't exactly know her but-"
"Get to know her. You two shall get married at the end of your seventh year. You must make her fall in love with you. No more of that Alicia crap."
"Yes my Lord."
Draco couldn't believe this. He had to marry this girl he didn't even know and she was in Gryffindor! But it was going to be okay once everyone knew that she was The Dark lord's granddaughter. His father would be proud.
"Draco, please take a seat at the table and eat dinner with me."
"But I have-"
"NO! You will eat with me. Your father will understand."
The rest of their conversation was just strictly Malfoy-Voldemort business. Voldemort told Draco what he expected of him and so on. After the conversation and the dinner, Draco went to his bedroom.
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Catherine looked in the mirror. She had never been considered absolutely gorgeous, but on certain occasions she could look at least a little pretty. And this was one of them. She didn't know why she had gotten all dressed up. It was just a bunch of adults, and Draco. Maybe she just wanted to look good the first time they met. Or maybe she was developing a little crush. After looking at all the pictures of him in the hallway, she did he was rather cute. She shook the thoughts of Malfoy out of her head.
Catherine looked at her watch and saw that it was 5:15. Fifteen more minutes. She thought that she should better make her way to the dining room since she did tend to get lost in the Manor, although she was getting a good sense of where everything was. She walked down the hallway and made a left. Right after she did, she couldn't remember if she was supposed to make a right. Or maybe she should go straight. Oh DAMMIT! They should have maps on the walls in this place, she thought. after 5 minutes of walking down the hall, she decided to ask one of the portraits. Maybe they knew. They had only been there probably forever. So she walked up to one.
"Excuse me. Can you please tell me where the dining room is?"
"Aren't you a Gryffindor? I don't think I want to tell you where the dining room is. Find it yourself!"
Okay, the Malfoys were never known to be the nicest people in the world, but she didn't they could be that rude. Most of the portraits just ignored her. She began to panic. The clock on the wall read 5:24. Catherine started running down hallways. It started to look a little familiar after a while.5:27. Finally she was on the right track. Almost there. 5:29. She went up and opened double doors. 5:30. Perfect timing. Everyone in the room was looking at her. She felt a little embarassed. Lucius couldn't say anything though because she had been prompt. Narcissa looked at her and smile.
"Take a seat, dear. This is Catherine Bruins." Narcissa said introducing her to the group of men. They all introduced themselves. She recognized all the last names. Crabbe, Goyle, Zabini, Parkinson. Wait a minute she thought. Where was Malfoy. Then it was as if Narcissa read her mind.
"Lucius, where is Draco?"
"The Dark Lord wished to eat with him tonight. He wanted to talk to him about the, " Lucius paused and looked at his guests," plans."
They all just nodded and began to eat. The talk in the dining room was very dull to Catherine. Just a lot of talk about the plans and what was to happen during the term. After dinner she said her goodbyes and went to her bedroom. When she got there, there was a letter on her bed. She walked over and picked it up. She lost her breath for a moment when she first saw who it was from. Draco.
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Draco thought this was bull shit. He had liked Alicia since they were little. He finally gets his chance with her and he had to fucking break up with her. And for someone he hadn't even met, some Gryffindor. But the Dark Lord had said that love was a bad emotion to have and that he must learn to never feel it. He thought it to be a weakness which made someone vulnerable to hurt and pain. Draco didn't know what girl fucked up his love life but he didn't want to think like that. His mother had always taught him the complete opposite when he was little. But his father was different. He needed to please his father. Last time he stepped out of line with his father he had a broken ankle and a wound in his leg.
Draco sat down on his bed and thought. He had to make Catherine fall in love with him. He could have charm. He always could think of all the right things to say. All that Malfoy charm. But then towards Gryffindors he could always think of the worst things to say. He would just have to pretend. Then he wrote a letter to Catherine and decided to go to bed. He had to get up early in the morning again and stand in front of platform nine and three quarters to help the first years. He had the first shift. 6:00-6:45 with Alicia. That would be when he had to break up with her. God, he thought. Life sucks.
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Dear Catherine,
I am sorry that we have not been able to meet just yet. In the morning I have to get to the platform by 6:00 and I don't want to have to make you wake up at that time. So I will just meet you on the train. I will be in car #29. Sweet dreams.
Love Draco
Okay that was kind of corny at the end. But he said LOVE Draco. Yes. She was beginning to like him a lot. All the stories Narcissa had told her about him made her think of how adorable he really is. But something still didn't quite match. At school he was an ass hole, but here, he was a 16 year old boy. This is going to be a very interesting year, Catherine thought.
The nighttime came and went and time to go back to school was here. Catherine looked at the clock and saw that it was 7:30. She quickly got up and ran to the bathroom to get ready. Narcissa had told her that she would come to her room at 7:45 so she could take her to the station. Aah she was so excited, she thought as she was brushing her teeth. She then heard a knock at the door. Oh Shit! She wasn't ready. I really need to work on my punctuality, she thought. Catherine went to go open the door.
"Are you ready?" Narcissa asked.
Catherine quickly put her hair up in a pony tail and said, "Yeah" with a sigh.
When they arrived at the trainstation, Narcissa looked at Catherine. "Aaw I am going to miss you. It was nice having another girl around the manor." She said and gave her a hug. "Be sure to watch over Draco for me. Made sure he keeps out of trouble. And take care of yourself."
"I will. And I am going to miss you too. Thank you so much for all that you have done for me." Catherine said. She then gave Narcissa a last wave and ran through the wall and into platform nine and three-quarters. She immediatly saw her Uncle Kevin standing there with her cousin, Ryan.
"And where have you been, Catherine? We've been waiting here for a bloody hour." Ryan said. He was a Slytherin like his dad. "I wouldn't have waited but dad made me." Then with that he just walked off onto the train.
"Aah, just ignore him. He will grow out of it someday. Maybe. Well, I just wanted to make sure you were going to make it here. Make sure not to tell anyone any secrets you might know except for," this he whispered, "Malfoy."
"I know, I know." Catherine said.
"I know, I know." He mimicked. "Go get on the train."
Catherine followed what he said and got on the train. She then made her way to car #29. She took a deep breath and opened the door.
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Harry, Hermione, and all the Weasley's had just made it to the train station. All of them ran to platform nine and three-quarters, except for Ron, Hermione, and Harry. They had walked into a shop they had at the station.
"Skittles and M&Ms! I haven't these in ages." Harry said.
"Well, we can get some for the trip then." Hermione said.
"Oh no I don't have any real money with me."
"I do. My mum gave me some before I left. She said it was just in case." replied Hermione.
So she took the candy to the cash register and bought it. Then Ron looked at the time.
"Oh shit! we are going to be late!"
The three of them started running like crazy. They then made it to the wall and Hermione went first. Harry and Ron watched her as she crashed into the wall. Oh no, Harry thought. They couldn't have closed the portal. There was still 6 minutes left. Then he saw Ron have a try. It wasn't working. All of a sudden, Hermione just started laughing and a security gaurd came over.
"Excuse me, but if you are going to do that I suggest you leave." said the officer, sternly.
"Oh we are sorry officer." Hermione said, still trying to fight her laughing. After the security guy left, Harry and Ron looked at her weird. "Guys, look at the sign. This is eight and three-quarters not nine. Oh no we better hurry though."
They ran over to nine and three-quarters and made it through the portal just in time. The train started to make the choo choo sound. They jumped on the train while the train-elves took care of their luggage. The three of them then opened car #30. Of course it was full of 6th year Slytherins: Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, Alicia, and Flint.