Disclaimer: I do not support Rowling's views. All Harry Potter characters and the Wizarding World, unfortunately, belong to she-who-must-not-be-named.
25 August 1994
Ophelia carefully exited the fireplace of the Warrington Estate that was reserved for travel, the short journey from the Leaky Cauldron was a great relief to the Warrington's. Instead of using an international portkey, they much preferred using Muggle means to travel from Greece to their ancestral home. So they were rather exhausted from the four-hour flight.
"Tilly, Jory!" Nicholas called.
The two house-elves appeared in front of the Warrington's with a crack. "Yes, sir? How may Jory help Master?" Jory, the head house elf of the Warrington Estate asked.
"Thank you, Jory. Can you and Tilly help us with our belongings?"
"Certainly Master Nicholas! It's Jory and Tilly's pleasure to help," the house-elf grabbed suitcases from Amara and he vanished with a pop.
Tilly took the suitcase from Nicholas and the few gift boxes they returned with. She then tried to take the suitcases that Ophelia and Cassius each held.
"It's alright Tilly, Ophelia and I can carry our things," Cassius kindly said to the house-elf.
"Master, Miss, it is no problem for Tilly to do Tilly's job!"
"Tilly, you're holding too much already. And how many times do we have to tell all of you that you may call us by our names?" added Ophelia.
"Mister Cassius and Miss Ophelia are so kind. Welcome home." The teary-eyed Tilly vanished with the last of their things.
"You're so glum, Cas. Missing Thalia?" Ophelia teased.
He looked at his sister and opened his mouth, ready to snark back. But he decided against it, opting for the truth. "Actually, yes."
She was surprised at her brother's candor. "I'm sorry. I'm just as disappointed as you are, I really like her."
"You do?" Cassius questioned.
"Of course! She's the coolest girl you've ever been interested in. Not to mention how romantic a summer love in Greece is," she reassured her brother.
"I just wish I could see her sooner than next summer."
Ophelia remained quiet for a second. "If it's meant to be, you can last a couple of months. Maybe she can come here for the winter holidays!"
"Yeah, maybe." Cassius began to climb the stairs, heading towards his room.
"Hold on, Cas! Don't forget that we're leaving for the World Cup tomorrow morning at 7," Nicholas informed them.
Cassius nodded and went along his way.
"Is he okay?" Amara asked.
"He's missing Thalia, but I think he'll be fine eventually. Cas doesn't know about the Triwizard Tournament yet," Ophelia responded.
Nicholas gasped. "And how do you know about that! You aren't supposed to know either."
"Thalia told me. Well, more like I caught her apparating, and I had to convince her not to Obliviate me! We devised a plan to surprise Cas if she ends up coming to Hogwarts for the Tournament. Unlike certain headmasters, the Beauxbatons headmistress informed the eligible students of the event," she explained to her parents.
"Well-informed as always, Lia," said Nicholas.
Ophelia laughed. "One of my best qualities! Besides, Draco told me as well. He overheard a meeting Lucius had in his study." But it wasn't the only overheard topic Draco heard at that meeting.
"That's really what you're focused on, Nick!" Amara proclaimed, "Thalia's really a witch?"
"Yes, mother, I swear. And if that is all, good night, mother, father. See you in the morning," Ophelia said.
She left the foyer for the kitchen.
Behind her, the sound of Amara's voice echoed, "The whole summer we thought she was a Muggle!"
Ophelia chuckled, she found out that Cassius's girlfriend was a witch, very early on.
Upon entering the kitchen, she was greeted by the wonderful scent of spices and cooking. A bowl of soba noodles and a plate with onigiri were laid out on the counter.
"Goldey, I love you so much! You always know what I want to eat," she exclaimed to her favorite house-elf, the resident cook.
Avoiding the First Wizarding War, Amara and Nicholas lived in Japan after they got married and didn't move back to the UK until Cassius was six. Goldey was a house-elf that they brought with them from Japan. Unlike the house-elves at the Warrington Estate, Goldey knew how to take care of Cassius and Ophelia.
Ophelia sat on the stool in front of the counter and tucked into her food. From her seat, she could only see house-elf ears moving around until they were beside her.
"Miss Ophelia loves Japanese food late at night!" Goldey prompted.
She patted the house elf on the head. "You know me so well. They only serve British food at school, Goldey. And you do get pretty tired of eating it nearly ten months out of the year," she said. Ophelia looked down at the year-old apron that Goldey was currently wearing. "I'll be sure to make you a new apron come Christmas time."
"Miss Ophelia is very nice," Goldey thanked.
"You deserve it, you've always treated us well. It's the least I could do."
Ophelia couldn't help but think how incorrect Goldey was. Although Ophelia was kind to house-elves and those who treated her well, she was a menace to her classmates that had the nerve to do terrible things to her friends or housemates.
She finished her food and stood to leave. "Thank you for the food, Goldey. Also, can you include korokke for tomorrow's lunch? I know Father and Cassius have been craving it."
"Yes, Miss Ophelia! Goldey wishes you a good sleep."
Ophelia smiled. "Good night, Goldey."
The next morning, the Warrington's arrived at the camping grounds. The family continued past rows and rows of tents. Halfway up the field stood an extravagant confection of striped silk like a miniature palace, with several live peacocks tethered at the entrance.
"Merlin's beard, are those Malfoy peacocks?" Ophelia said. She walked closer to the entrance of the tent.
"Lia, look! It's Champagne and Adonis." Cassius recognized two of the peacocks.
Draco exited the tent and he was startled to be met with the Warrington siblings.
"Would you look at that Cas, Draco Malfoy spotted in his natural habitat!"
Ophelia and Cassius doubled over in laughter.
Draco rolled his eyes, used to the siblings' relentless teasing. "You know that you're staying with us, right?" Draco pointed up.
Two flags were flying at the top of the tent, one with the Warrington family sigil and the other with the Malfoy sigil. Upon further examination, Ophelia and Cassius realized that the garden Champagne and Adonis were grazing was vaguely reminiscent of the one at the Warrington Estate.
Cassius and Ophelia groaned.
"Dad! What the flipping hell is this?" Cassius complained.
Ophelia and Draco quietly chuckled. Ophelia and her brother reserved 'dad' for times that they were extremely agitated with their father.
"Sorry, kids! When Lucius said we were sharing a tent, I wasn't expecting this either," Nicholas looked up at the small building in front of him. It was easily the largest tent in their vicinity.
"So it's not our fault Dra," Cassius declared to the younger Malfoy.
"Keep telling yourself that Cas! The two of you can call me Richie Rich all you want, but you love to forget that you're just as comfortable. Do I need to remind both of you about the annual Warrington New Year's Gala?" Draco quipped. Because the Warrington's have a large social network that extends around the world, even a party hosted by Narcissa Malfoy paled in comparison.
"Did I hear that right? Pureblood Draco Lucius Malfoy using a muggle reference?" Cassius emphasized, ignoring the jab that Draco made at them.
"Well, dear brother I think you're correct," Ophelia continued, joining her brother's lead.
"All I do is make one little joke and that's the only thing you focus on. I swear th–" Draco muttered under his breath.
She interrupted him, "Draco, if you weren't such an arse, Potter would've shaken your hand first year. You're a closeted Muggle-lover!"
"And you and your brother corrupted my mind! Making me watch those ridiculous muggle movies and shows over the years," he grumbled.
"At least I didn't cry at the end of The Outsiders. Stay golden, ponyboy," Cassius teased, adding a fake sob at the end.
Draco's cheeks reddened. "And at least I wasn't the one who wanted to practice karate after watching The Karate Kid once!"
Cassius put an arm around Malfoy's shoulders, "Draco, Draco, Draco. . ." He shook his head. "You really need to work on your comebacks, is that the best you can do?"
An idea came to Draco. "Hm, I wonder what Thalia would think if she knew your favorite movie was The Neverending Story?"
"Yes, Cas! We can show her our duet of the theme song that we've perfected," Ophelia added.
He was shocked but proud. "Well done, Malfoy. Embarrassment and childhood anecdote. But if you don't mind, I'm going to find people my age? I can't be hanging out with my kid sister and her boyfriend all the time." Cassius winked and ran away.
"He's not my boyfriend Cas!" Ophelia called after him, but it was too late.
Ophelia looked back at her best friend and gave him a once-over. Draco was taller than at the beginning of the summer. His white-blond hair was slightly tousled due to the early morning, and his black suit fitted his now broader shoulders.
She thought he looked good, but that was short-lived. It was Draco. Slytherin asshole, Draco Malfoy. The same boy asked his mother to tuck him in until they were ten. The same boy she shared birthday parties with since they were six.
Ophelia shook her head, trying to get the absurd thoughts out of her mind. "Do you wanna check out the rest of the campsite?"
"Since there's no one else to keep me company, I guess you'll do," Draco taunted, their usual banter back to normal.
She set down her's and Cassius's belongings in the Malfoy's tent, empty suitcases. The Malfoy's had informed the Warrington's what would happen after the match.
They set off across the campsite, a comfortable conversation between the two of them. "Do you know if Daphne and Tracey are going to be here?" Draco asked Ophelia.
"No, the Greengrasses are still in Spain, and Tracey decided to have a sleepover with Pansy and Millie–she didn't want to be home alone tonight. Anyway, what about Blaise and Theo? We spent a weekend in Milan and I met up with Blaise, but I haven't spoken with him since. And I wrote to Theo a fortnight ago but no response."
Draco sighed, "No Blaise. His mother wanted to stay in Italy until the end of the month. And I quote, 'Husband number six was a great loss.'"
Ophelia stared at Draco, then giggled. "Please tell me that husband seven is already lined up?" she asked eagerly.
"Without a doubt. No loose ends with Mrs. Zabini," he replied.
She smiled with contentment. "I have to see her before we go back to school. I need to know how the last one croaked."
He hummed in agreement. "Oh! And Theo, you know how his father is." Draco and Ophelia gave each grim looks. "He's okay though. Since his father was busy planning for tonight, Theo has been keeping to himself. You know Theo, a book and some food and he's set. That leaves us with Vince and Greg, they couldn't get tickets for the game. Sold out."
"Damn, so it's just us."
"Like it's a bad thing?" Draco questioned.
"No, it's just like old times! Besides, we are the only ones out of the group that plays Quidditch," said Ophelia.
Draco smirked. "And who's Seeker?"
She elbowed his rib. "It's been nearly two years! It's like I even wanted to be a Seeker anyway. So if the damn Seeker won't shut up, he'll get a Bludger when he least expects it."
He raised his hands in defeat, conceding to the Slytherin Beater. "Alright, alright you win, Lia," he joked.
Ophelia smiled at her small victory, but someone caught her attention in the distance. "Is that Manon Baudelaire?"
Draco narrowed his eyes to find the girl that Ophelia was referencing. "And Gabriel." He pointed to the boy, Manon's twin brother.
"Wanna go say hi? I was pretty bummed that we weren't going to see them this year."
The Malfoy's had to cancel the annual gala because it coincided with the World Cup. "Sure, I don't mind catching up," said Draco.
Ophelia smiled and dragged him to meet their French friends.
Draco looked down at their interlocked hands, his heartbeat a little faster.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione were walking back to their tents after retrieving water for the Weasley clan. Here and there, they saw familiar faces. Oliver Wood, who had just left Hogwarts, dragged Harry over to his parents' tent to introduce him and told him excitedly that he had just been signed to the Puddlemere United reserve team. A little farther on they saw Cho Chang, a fifth-year who played Seeker on the Ravenclaw team. She waved and smiled at Harry, who spilled quite a lot of water down his front as he waved back. More to stop Ron from smirking than anything, Harry hurriedly pointed out a large group of teenagers whom he had never seen before.
However, he noticed two familiar Slytherins, Draco Malfoy and Ophelia Warrington. Malfoy and Ophelia looked like night and day. Malfoy wore a black suit with a matching turtleneck, a stark difference from his pale skin and white-blond hair. On the other hand, Ophelia was wearing a flowing, white sundress that complimented her tanned skin and black wavy hair that cascaded down her back.
Harry was shocked at how beautiful Ophelia looked. In retrospect, she was always beautiful, but everything about her was radiant. Harry wouldn't admit it, but he developed a crush on Ophelia during their second year.
As the trio passed the group, he heard Ophelia. "Sans blague! Gabriel et toi iront-ils à l'école avec nous cette année?"
"Ouais! Nous nous étonnons plus de la nouvelle. Mais–" the words of the brunette girl next to Ophelia faded out of Harry's reach.
"Who d'you reckon they are?" Harry said. "They don't go to Hogwarts, do they?"
"'Spect they go to some foreign school," said Ron.
"By the sounds of it, French. Maybe Beauxbatons Academy of Magic?" Hermione added. Harry glanced at Hermione, no doubt she had run across the news about other wizarding schools in some book or other.
He took one last look at Ophelia and Malfoy. She was laughing and looking up at Malfoy, an earnest smile lighting up her face.
Harry let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He finally tore his eyes away from the happy group and followed Ron and Hermione.
Sans blague! Gabriel et toi iront-ils à l'école avec nous cette année?: No way! You and Gabriel will be going to school with us this year?
Ouais! Nous nous étonnons plus de la nouvelle. Mais-: Yeah! We were surprised by the news. But-
Soba noodles: thin Japanese noodles made from buckwheat, served with a dipping sauce
Onigiri: Japanese rice ball
Korokke: Japanese croquette, mashed potato cakes that are coated with panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried, can be filled with meat or vegetables
Richie Rich: a fictional male character that is known for two things, being extremely wealthy and blond
The Outsiders, The Karate Kid, and The Neverending Story are movies that came out in the 1980s, so it's a recurring joke between the siblings and Draco to reference movies that they've watched
A/N: Hello! Welcome to year four! I have so many things planned, so I'm excited to get the ball rolling. I'm terribly sorry for the French! I took French for six years and I barely remember a thing, so I'm sorry if the translations are wrong.
Next week: the Quidditch World Cup!
Contains content from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Chapter 7: Bagman and Crouch