Author's Note: It looks like I'm clearing out a lot of the stories that have been stuck on partially completed chapters this month. In this case, it's a little bit of my Slytherin side story to Ritually Yours. I'm also at work on the expansion of the Summer Rituals Lavender plot line which I am publishing under Bare Minimum Actions. I intend to start on the sequel to Ritually Yours and Summer Rituals after the completion of this story.

This story is currently in it's next to last arc, the Quidditch arc, which this the next to last chapter of. The next chapter should be the Slytherin/Hufflepuff game. Reforming the Slytherin Quidditch Team is a key change in the Rituals Series. Slytherin House is now on an entirely different course.

I'd like to thank rankokun, J0nas3, and obviated fan (Auto Correct) for their assistance in editing and forming this work.


Chapter Nine Kindling


Severus Snape watched with pride as his Quidditch team practiced. It was a joint practice, a true rarity, with some members of Gryffindor's team helping his team get ready for their match against Hufflepuff. It was something that he'd never thought he'd ever see, but neither team had a full reserve side, in fact Gryffindor was nearly completely missing a reserve. Technically, Percy Weasley was still reserve seeker on the team, but word was he hadn't attended a single practice since Potter had made starting seeker, and didn't really want to be on the team, having just played last year because his older brother had left them in a lurch.

Madam Hooch was seated beside him, carefully watching the teams play. He'd asked Rolanda to help make sure that his new team knew how to play as with proper sportsmanship. He really shouldn't have worried, as Victoria Malfoy had chosen well. They didn't push the lines, they didn't attempt fouls, or worse practice fouls, like he knew that Flint had done. They were still playing hard though. The latest run on the goal with his team working on tactics against the Gryffindor chasers had been every bit as physical as he was used to seeing in actual games.

As the chasers moved to the center to go over the latest runs, Victoria blew her whistle, calling more than just the chasers to her, and heading towards the stands. Snape looked towards where she was leading her team, and spotted Percy Weasley, dressed in Gryffindor Quidditch robes with the number eight on them. Snape quickly cast a listening charm anchored to the post that Weasley was standing next to. Weasley's very pregnant wife waddled into view just as the charm became active.

"I don't know how you convinced me to do this, Penny," Percy mumbled.

"You love playing Seeker, despite what you tell your brothers," Penny said. "I'm getting you back. I'm not letting any of your dreams go because of me. I'm not going to be able to get on a broom this year, but you can, and you will. Charlie gave you that broom for a reason. Use it."

That was when Victoria and the rest of the players on the field came down to stand in front of Percy.

"Draco, I know this is going to hurt your ego, but you'll live," Victoria began. "You need someone different than Potter to fly against. He's catching the snitch too much. Like Wood said, he's a generational talent in the position. Stop blushing and dropping your head, Potter. It's true. He's got instincts that you haven't developed yet, and to be perfectly honest, Diggroy is an entirely different type of seeker than Potter. Potter's given you a good base, but it's time to play against what you're going to be up against soon.

"Weasley, Percy that is, lives in Ottery Saint Catchpole and has played against Diggroy since they were children. His game against Hufflepuff last year was a seeker duel for the ages. They're evenly matched and know each other's moves by heart. From this point on, you'll be against Percy most of practice. Percy, be Diggory as much as possible, but don't be afraid to through a few tricks in.

"Potter, I want you to drop to Chaser for a while. I know you haven't played it, but I've talked to Wood, and you sort of fit in with one of the reserves that Hufflepuff, new, never played that position in competition, and judging from the Ravenclaw Hufflepuff game, put in as a disrupter. Go talk with the Gryffindor Chasers. I think they have some ideas on how to use you to mess us up. We're at the point when it's time to see what happens when the unpredictable happens. Set plays, we're good and will still practice a little of them, but now it's time to see how we handle the unexpected."


Narcissa Malfoy didn't know what to expect when she arrived at Juliet's school. To the school, Narcissa was Juliet's aunt, which to be perfectly honest wasn't far from the role she played to all of Erlene's children with Lucius most of the time. They're agreed that all the children would be treated equally under the same basic rules, no matter which parent was involved. She'd been briefed by Juliet about what to expect, but Narcissa was a pure blood witch, daughter of the Ancient and Noble House of Black. There was a lot of muggle things she didn't quite understand.

Still, she'd managed enough, pulling up and properly parking the Wyvern between the lines. Next to her was someone who had actually straddled the lines. Narcissa gave an strong glare at the vehicle, a black Mercedes Benz, before following the crowd of other parents towards the athletic field. Reaching the gate, she was greeted by Juliet's teacher. It was not the first time she'd met

Mrs. Chou. There had been several meetings that she'd accompanied either Lucius or Erlene to about Julie and the school's action against the impersonating lawyers that she'd met both Mrs. Chou and the Headmistress. So it was no surprise when she greeted her.

"Narcissa!" Mrs. Chou said. "Julie said that you might be the one to come to Athletics Day. I heard that her little sister Judy is sick?"

Narcissa frowned a bit, recalling just how Judy was feeling. "I'm afraid that Judith caught the pox after visiting her friends in Erlene's old council apartment. She is simply miserable, and I'm afraid little Joseph caught it from her. Fortunately Juliet has already had them, and hasn't had much contact as she's not in the nursery. Their mother has her hands full. Lucius wanted to come, but couldn't get out of some meetings at the Ministry."

"Way too many fathers miss these days," Mrs. Chou said. "That being said, he does seem quite involved with his Julie. I don't think I've sent something home with Julie this year that he didn't sign."

"Lucius's daughters have him wrapped around their little fingers," Narcissa smiled. "You know he bought Star Trek: The Next Generation commbadges for the older ones last week. The contortions he went through to get a bit of shiny metal." She shook her head.

"As a Whovain, I will never attempt to understand Star Trek," Mrs. Chou said.

"Doctor Who is much more understandable than Star Trek," Narcissa said, having had the pleasure of going through a large number of recorded episodes while keeping Erlene company during the last part of January and first couple days of February while she was confined to bed having Junior again. She had no problem with time travel and police boxes that were bigger on the inside, and a few of Doctor Who's aliens were obviously inspired by magical species. Mostly extinct ones, but ones that Narcissa knew about. As for the concept of regeneration, that was something goblins did. "In any case, I'm afraid that I didn't understand much about today's events. Juliet was a bit excited when she tried to explain it to me. I'm not sure she took a breath."

"Well, this is an event where the school shows the athleticism of the student body. There are several events, finals of early events, that we've tried to make sure each student has a chance to shine in something. Academics shows up in reports and knowledge, but physical education often doesn't show up to parents, especially in urban areas. Though I understand that the area in Wiltshire that the family has moved to is much more rural."

"Yes, the Malfoy Estate has quite the grounds. I used to encourage Draco to exercise on the grounds, but he wasn't one to get himself sweaty, I'm afraid. I understand that he's taken up football, organizing a team for his year in his house at the boarding school he goes at, much to my surprise."

"Speaking of football, I should let you know that Juliet has developed a crush on one of the boys at the boys school next door. She goes practically speechless and can not keep her eyes from following a Pavel Molodyy when she encounters the boy on the fields we share. He's the ten-year-old son of a member of the staff of the Ukraine embassy that's being set up in Kensington. That's him there over by the fence."

Narcissa looked to discover messy blond hair boy, more of a dirty blond than the platinum blond that Lucius and Draco shared. The boy was leaned up against a fence post, consuming a sandwich. It was just after lunchtime, so that could be expected. Narcissa could see what her step-daughter might be seeing in the young boy, who had an infectious grin between bites, and judging from the cut of his uniform shirt, was quite fit for a ten-year-old. Juliet could certainly do worse for first crush. Still, it was something to watch.

"There is definitely going to a conversation with Juliet tonight," Narcissa stated, as she was lead over to the stands. "And perhaps I should let her, I never can remember what to call him, mind doctor, know."

"Psychologist?" Mrs. Chou said, as Narcissa took a seat in the stands. Narcissa nodded and attempted to commit the muggle title for a mind healer to memory, again. "If you'll excuse me, it's almost time to start and I'm in charge of the finish line."


Millicent Bulstrode was not in a good mood. Everything seemed to be conspiring to make it worse. The first year Slytherin had woke up not feeling good. The cramps that had made it difficult for the girl to even get up to the Great Hall for breakfast had led to her stopping by Madam Pomfrey, and a quite embarrassing conversation about certain female bodily functions that quite frankly, Millicent didn't even want to think about. Unfortunately, the potion she'd been given was wearing off, and if Crabbe kept humming "Fingal's Cave" she was going to curse his mouth off.

It hadn't helped that Crabbe had made the statement that she was just like one of the boys after the Slytherin First Year's five a side football game against a group of second year Hufflepuffs. (They'd roundly defeated them, despite the fact that Zabini and Nott had come in to replace Malfoy and Pansy who were at Quidditch practice.) Millicent had to admit that she wasn't that girly, not having pale skin but skin that showed freckles from her time in the sun. Preferring rough activity over more calm typical ladies activities that most of the pureblood girls and Slytherin considered normal.

She did have a tendency to wear trousers, instead of the skirt when she was in school uniform, but the football teams had universally went for short trousers and a short sleeve shirt that was reversible. Malfoy's younger sister had went and purchased the shirt for all of Slytherin First Years. The color side was an iridescent bluish purple, with six inch high numbers in white on the left breast. The shorts were bright pink, chosen by Pansy.

Since the game had ended right before supper, the whole team had gone to the Great Hall wearing it, and after supper, they'd returned back to the Slytherin Common Room and the study room that the First Years had claimed. It was generally a nice little room that fit all ten of them, but at the moment it was too hot, and that wasn't helping Millicent's mood. Malfoy and Pansy had another Quidditch practice, but the rest of the year was going to get their potion's and herbology homework done early. Millicent had just finished her potion's essay. "Stop that humming now, Crabbe," Millicent growled.

"Sorry, I didn't realize I was doing it," Crabbe replied. He'd taken off his number eight shirt, and looked a lot more comfortable than any of the others.

Millicent's shirt was chafing against her nipples, and her just beginning to bud breasts were a bit tender. She put down her quill and pulled her number five shirt over hear head, tossing it into her bag. Noticing the look that Daphne was giving her at that. "I'm still sweaty from the game and dribbling the ball through the dungeons," she justified. "Plus it's not like I really have anything up here, and Crabbe seems to think I'm one of the boys."

"Won't be long before that's false ," Daphne said. "You'll have to your mother send you a training bra, eventually." Daphne seemed to be thrusting her chest forward a bit to point out that she at least was developing.

"What mother," Millicent said. Her mother, whose petite build she had not inherited, had died giving birth to her youngest brother, who had inherited her mother's petite build. Millicent looked more like her father. "Mine's been dead for four years." Millicent had never been close to her mother. The Bulstrodes believed that children shouldn't be seen or heard, and she rarely had seen either parent, being mostly raised by the family's house elves, along with her four brothers, two older, two younger. Her father had remarried on Halloween, and she had yet to meet her new stepmother.

"Stepmother, then," Daphne said. "I'm sure she'll be willing to owl you some. And you don't really have to wait. They're training bras, to help us get used to wearing them. At least that's what my mum said."

"Remember how I found out that Father had remarried?" Millicent said enjoying the feel of the cool air of the study room on her upper body. It was something she actually did often at home. "Oswald and Rylan didn't even know when I came home for Yule. I'm not expecting anything from the parents beyond what is expected publically. Anyway, it's not like girls haven't gone topless in the Common Room. We've seen Malfoy's sister nursing her baby."

"Yes, but she's nursing," Daphne replied.

"She didn't put it back on when she was done, and neither does Eddington." Millicent had been surprised when she'd seen Eddington letting her toddler nursing in September. She hadn't seen anyone nurse before, and she'd thought that it was something that was done with only little babies. The seventh year had advised her that it was best that magical children not be completely weaned until they were at least a year old, better for two, some as late as four. It made better connections with family magic, which explained a lot to Millicent about her and her brothers.

The door to the common room opened, with Malfoy and Pansy entering, still in Quidditch robes, but judging by their hair, having showered. That didn't mean that they weren't building up a sweat again, as Malfoy trapped the ball that Pansy had kicked towards him as they came to a stop. Dribbling footballs in the halls of Hogwarts hadn't been banned yet, probably because Filch had surprised everyone by getting in on the game. It wasn't uncommon to see the caretaker dribbling his own football in one of the courtyards, and Filch had volunteer to ref a game between third year Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw teams. He just asked that you keep the ball on the floor.

"You got the right idea, Millicent," Draco said, dropping his Quidditch robes to reveal just a loincloth. "I really could use a nice cold Irn-Bru right now."

"Irn-Bru?" Millicent asked. She had never heard of such a drink before. At least she assumed that it was drink.

"Orange flavored drink," Pansy said, sitting down and shrugging off the top of her Quidditch robes. "Draco's little sister Juliet insisted that I try it when I visited over Easter break. It's not bad. You have to try muggle sodas." Pansy was wearing a pink camisole, cropped to the midriff, a tradition choice, one that Millicent had wished she had, but not in that awful pink shade.

Millicent was sure that she wouldn't have heard that from Pansy when they'd first gotten to Hogwarts. It was amazing what Malfoy having a set of muggle raised siblings had changed among Slytherin's first year. Now that Millicent thought a bit more, more than just first year had changed. The almost evenly split third year had been take apart by what had been what had been believed to be a pregnant no-account rare mudblood in Slytherin. That mudblood had turned out to be a pureblood heir, who just needed reason and confidence to take control.

"What happened to the purity of magical drink?" Millicent asked, honestly wondering how the girl who had been so set on the purity of her magical blood and magical products, at least had seemed that way, at the beginning of the school year had changed so much.

Pansy looked at Millicent as if she had just brought up something that was a great surprise, her mouth dropping open. Then her mouth closed, and her expression turned thoughtful. "That was before I discovered sweetened carbonated drinks. I'll take Irn-Bru over pumpkin juice any day of the week."

"Father will be regretting even more getting those 24 packs of Irn-Bru," Malfoy said. "I've seen how hyper Julie gets on them. She's practically bouncing off the wall, sometimes. Mother Erlene said it was the high sugar content, and father should never give it to any child after dinner especially."

"Does that include you?" Millicent asked, a bit curious as Tracy entered. Tracy Davis looked as worn out as Millicent felt. She knew that Tracy had been to Madam Pomfrey that morning as well.

"Probably," Malfoy admitted, something that Millicent was sure he wasn't going to do. "I may have also helped Julie hide those 24 packs. It's good, unlike those crap-a-chinos that Victoria likes. I hate coffee."

"It is way to hot in here," Tracy said.

"Take off your shirt then," Malfoy said.

"I'm a girl who has no intention of going topless like the boys," Tracy said. "Or practically naked in a loin cloth like you, Draco."

"Go on, I'm just like one of the boys," Millicent said. "I grew up with a bunch of brothers, the only girl in the nursery. I'm rough. I'm tough, and everyone thinks I look just like a boy, and am just useful for my brute force."

Bam. The sound of a book slamming shut across the table brought everyone's attention to Daphne Greengrass. "That's it. I will not have any girl in my year in Slytherin have such low self esteem that she believe she's just an almost useless brute. You have ten minutes to finish your work, and then I expect you in our dorm room ready for a night of feminine pampering, Millicent. Tracy, Pansy, be there."

With that, Daphne stood up and marched out of the room, the door slamming behind her. She left her books behind, but that wasn't unusual, since the room had been designated for the year. Pansy and Tracy looked at Millicent. "I'm not going against her," Millicent said. Then she mumbled. "It might be nice to be treated like a girl for once."

Pansy and Tracy shared a look, before turning back to Millicent and nodding.

"Sorry about treating you that way, Milli," Malfoy said, much to Millicent's surprise. "I've just been using you for your strength, and not giving you credit for what else you can do. You're brill in charms. You beat me fair and square in the last practical, and you explained color changing charms much better than I did. I promise to do better."

Millicent wasn't one known for being emotional, but today, well she wasn't going to deny that tears were in her eyes. They were happy tears though. And when she walked through the common room, still topless, she had to shake her head when her brother Caspian asked if he needed to go after Malfoy. As she entered the passageway to the girls dorm rooms, towards whatever Daphne had planned, she sniffled. Her emotions were all over the place, but at the moment, she didn't care. Someone had seen her for more than just her build for once.


Pansy Parkinson was quite surprised that Victoria Malfoy had invited all of the first year girls in Slytherin to a girl's night in her room. She'd expected Daphne to be hosting the girl's night she had called. Victoria had her own room, right off one of the study halls in off the common room, since she had her baby, though, so perhaps that was the reason for the change. Patrick Draco was not in evidence this night, however, resulting in a question that Pansy had to ask. "Where is your baby?"

"For the next few hours, in the hands of my fellow third years," Victoria smiled with a grin that Pansy knew meant someone was deserving of what was about to happen to them. Pansy kept her gaze on Victoria, silently requesting more. There was a moment of silence. "They thought taking care of a baby wasn't that hard, since I was doing it, being Quidditch Captain, and getting good scores in class. So, until about ten tonight, Patrick's bassinett will be next to Orpington's bed. Dobby has orders to make sure she takes care of him properly. I hit her with the lactation charm, so she could handle everything."

"Dobby, that's one of your family's elves, isn't it," Pansy asked. Being a regular playmate of Draco since they were both three, Pansy was quite aware of all the Malfoy house elves' names. Victoria nodded. "They let you bring a family elf?"

"Since I have a baby, I can either call one from home, or the Headmaster will assign me one," Victoria said. "It's been that way since the last Headmaster Black, one of the few good innovations of Hogwart's worst Headmasters." The third year turned to a trunk and dug deep into it. "Now, until recently I was a poor girl from a poor family, so I kept my first bras." She pulled out one. "Millicent, try this one on."

Pansy turned to see that Millicent hadn't put her shirt back on, which made it easy for her to put on the front closing training bra. Looking around the room, Tracey and Daphne had both stripped to their underwear, wearing their bras which had a lot more reason to exist than Millicent and Pansy's did.

"That fits," Victoria said. "I'll talk to my mother, not Draco's, about getting you some more in that size. Now, girls, I'm reliably informed that all four of you have had your first period, though I doubt any of you are regular, yet. If you're like all of my year, I'm pretty sure that you went to Madame Pompfrey, got supplies, and maybe something for the cramps, and didn't hear much of what she said, as you were still recovering from whatever embarrassment that your first time created."

Pansy looked at her fellow first years, took a deep breath, and said, "Actually, I haven't had mine yet."

"Don't worry, it will come, though I think you'll be glad for the delay when they do start," Victoria said. "They're a pain when you have them, and a worry when they suddenly stop. I want to make sure you're all ready for them and what happens as a result tonight. While we have that chat, every onc of is going to enjoy some nice hot chocolate, chocolate truffles, and relaxing in this very nice, very big tub of hot water that exists in off my room that I may have enlarged this evening. We'll also discuss the boys, of course, and probably most importantly, what each of your dreams happens to be, not necessarily in that order. Consider me your big sister for the duration. I know none of you have an older sister, and I think every girl needs one, biological or not."

Pansy wasn't sure she wanted to really discuss every topic on the list, but she thought it might be nice to confide in a big sister. Draco said having a big sister was the true best thing about his father discovering his first wife and bringing her and her children back into the family. Having seen how much Draco had changed for the better when he started to get to know his older sister, in ways that Pansy hadn't known he needed to change, she the idea of having an older sister, making friends with Victoria Malfoy, was something she was looking forward to doing so.

"Time to head to our hot tub, girls. Our chocolate awaits."


Draco was sure that the letter that he'd just gotten from his younger brother Jupiter had been laborious to write, given that the boy was physically three and a half years old. The thick pencil lines certainly showed that the boy's coordination had some way to go before he was good enough to use a quill. The letters were big, and at it was surprisingly long.


Dear Draco

I'm worried about Julie. She's started to moon over this boy at the school next to hers, named Pavel Molodyy. He's some football star who can do amazing things with his foot. I thought it was just her admiring his skill at first, but then she started looking off without paying attention to anything, and doodling "Juliet + Pavel" in the margin of her notes.

I asked her about him, and she said she hadn't even talked to him! Apparently she gets all tongue tied when she encounters him when her and his school swap off the athletic field.

I told her that she should stop acting so silly about a boy she couldn't even talk to. That made things worse. I made her extra determined when I said that, and she's now run into him after school in Hounslow when she was visiting her friends there.

Mum lets her stay with Laura twice a week so she can visit her old friends in council housing. I wish I could visit my old friends Mark and Adam, but they think I'm dead and even when I do get back to my age, I'm not getting back to the age Juliet is, just the age I was before I died.

Anyway, she ran across Pavel when both of them had stopped at Tesco's to get some more Irn-Bru . I'm not allowed to have that yet. Stupid recovery diet. They got discussing Star Trek, his favorite character is Riker, and you know Juliet likes Worf best. They spent an hour and Julie barely made it to meet Mum for her ride to the manor. She spent all evening talking about Pavel. Pavel this and Pavel that. I hate Pavel.

Your Mum saw I was getting upset and took me back to nursery. I'm so looking forward to having my own room after I'm back of the proper age. Seven more weeks and I'll be physically five and out of this nursery. Judy and Joseph are so annoying.

Judy always wants to play chess, and Joseph has learnt that I can read and is always wanting me to read "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot." If I have to read that story to him one more time, I'm going to scream so loud you'll hear me at Hogwarts. Mum says I had my favorite that she had to read over and over again when I was his age, but I don't remember asking her to read "The Lorax" over and over.

At least Judy's chess set will play her when we don't want to. I have to thank you and Victoria for getting her that.

I'm actually kind of bored, now that you're back at Hogwarts. I have started to do Julie's homework and read her school books, I'm so bored. Is there anything in this manor that is fun that I can do? You grew up here, so you should know.


Jupiter had signed his first and middle initials and last name in all caps. It probably was easier to write that way. Draco re-read the letter a couple of times before he replied.


Dear Jupiter

I've never really had to deal with younger siblings, before, but I'm glad you wrote me, even if I have very little advice to give. Take everything I say with a big grain of salt.

I've seen some of my year and the year above me have crushes on the older boys at school, so it's a nice change to see that Julie is at least going for someone her age. I think you're a bit jealous of him. I know that you and Julie have always been close, even after you died you were still her confidant, even if she didn't quite know that you were still with her. Keep being that, even if she keeps going after that boy. He's a muggle, and Julie is not going back to Houndslow next year. My Mum and yours are already looking for more local schooling, now that you've all moved to the manor. Let Julie have her time with him. It will end.

I know you're missing your own friends, who think you are dead. There has to be a way for you to reconnect, some way. I'll look into it, but it might take until summer when I get back from Hogwarts. Chin up, Jupiter.

Now as for our annoying youngest siblings. Play Judy in chess every once in awhile. But don't do so until after you've raided Father's chess strategy books. They're in his office, second shelf, second section, on the right hand side. He got them so he could keep up with your Mum's playing. She's a grandmaster, and I think Judy is on her way to that. The rest of us need to be good enough to at least understand what she's doing. At least that's what Victoria says, and since she is the oldest sister, I'm going to trust her advice to us on that.

Joseph and his book choices, well I went to Daphne Greengrass for a suggestion on that. She says that Astoria latched onto a story and wouldn't let go of it until she turned five. I hope Joseph isn't that bad, because that means we've got several years of that story. I share your less than enthusiastic response to that story. We need to wean him off that story, quickly. I'm suggesting that you get out that book of Julie's, I think it's called Dragonsong and start reading it to him, chapter by chapter. Get him looking forward to the next chapter of a longer work. The book has sequels, so maybe you can keep him going until Summer, by which time he'll have hopefully forgotten that hopping pot.

As for your boredom, unless you want to take up peacock wrangling, there isn't much around the manor to do. You could become a book worm, but I know they want you to exercise, so maybe peacock wrangling might actual be a good idea. Catching up with Julie's lessons, might be a good idea as well, but I think you actually want to do something fun. Let me think a while longer on that, and maybe, just maybe, I might have something.

Do have Father bring you and Judith to the last Slytherin Quidditch game of the year. Victoria's captain now, and I'm seeker, and we both would like to have some family here to cheer us along.

Your older brother,

Draco