To: Drucilla Bulstrode

Thank you for your invaluable input into the practical application of the Butterfly Maker. The version released to the public will incorporate an automatic shutdown after approximately twenty minutes and a written warning that excessive butterflies may pose a slight risk of ignition. Meanwhile, if the problem occurs again, we recommend you attempt the Deletrius spell.

In gratitude, we hope that you will accept the enclosed gift of a small box of Cheering Chocolates – made from the finest milk chocolate and enchanted with a genuine cheering charm! Make a blue day bearable or a lovely day extraordinary! Officially endorsed by the Ministry for treatment of mild to moderate Dementor attacks.

Thanks again,

Ron Weasley – Marketing Department and Department Head of Quality Control, Weasley Wizard Wheezes

Drucy spent the next several days mostly in her room, practicing with the basilisk wand. The days continued to be rainy and miserable, and she had a great deal to think about. She was a little disappointed that her sister was too busy to sit and talk to her. Esme was definitely hiding something from her.

The two sisters had always been close, for as long as Drucy could remember. Esme never had complained about Drucy getting into her drawers or toy box. The few things that Esme owned that her sister could damage had been kept out of reach, but never out of sight. Even when Esme first prepared to go into Hogwarts, Drucy had been allowed to play in her trunk, feeling the robes and looking curiously at the beetle eyes in her potions kit. Now, however, the trunk was not only closed, but locked! Drucy did not bother to look up the unlocking skill or try to learn it, because her sister had never locked anything from her before, and now she felt that it would be a breach of trust. Meanwhile, Esme had started talking about that Slytherin kid again as the family sat together for mealtimes, and it frustrated Drucy to no end.

"That's a Muggle name," Drucy finally grumbled, earning a sharp rebuke from both her sister and her mother. "'Brian' is a perfectly good name. It was one of Dumbledore's names, you know," Esme retorted. Her mother's words were sharper. "Don't you say things like that, don't you ever say things like that. We have no problem with Muggles or Muggle-borns whatsoever." Indeed, Millicent Bulstrode had been very careful to keep any anti-Muggle sentiment away from her daughters. Unfortunately, her reaction to even the slightest hint of anti-Muggle sentiment taught them more than if she had simply ignored all but the most egregious kinds.

Drucy was both hopeful and nervous on the bright morning of the day that they would reach the Hogwarts Express. Her own trunk was packed with her clothing, her uniform, her school needs, and the Butterfly Maker. She spent a half hour deciding between the clothing to wear beneath her school robe before finally selecting a green dress. She knew she needed to be Sorted into Slytherin, and she felt that wearing the House colors on the train couldn't hurt, even if she preferred blue. Finally, as her sister was racing about trying to find her favorite hairbrush, Drucy took a moment to eye her green snake, which she'd been able to hide from her mother for several weeks now. "I can't leave you here," she decided. "You're tame now, and I can't bring you back to the wild." Drucy shrugged. "Come on then, Jade," she ordered, and the little snake obediently crept up her arm, settling on her shoulder.

Her mother was very quiet on the trip to the platform. Her father had actually agreed to venture out from their home, and he was full of cheer. It seemed that seeing both of his girls at Hogwarts meant a lot to him. Drucy drew closer to him as they reached the platform, and suddenly wished she could go back home. "Daddy," she said quietly, hoping that her mother and sister would not hear. "What if Hogwarts is the wrong place for me? What if they hate me? What if I can't make it there?"

Her father squatted slightly to reach her height and smiled at her. "Oh Sweetheart," he said consolingly. "You'll have a lovely time. Hogwarts is a lovely place. I saw it myself, when I was a student at Durmstrang, during the Triwizard Tournament. I always wished I'd have gone there myself. You've got your sister to look after you. You'll be alright."

"What if I'm not?" Drucy persisted. "What if I can't..."

He smiled. "Honey, give it... give it at least until Christmas, alright? If you come home for Christmas break and you can't bear to go back, then we'll find another option, I promise you. We'll enroll you elsewhere, or teach you at home."

Drucy looked up at him, one lingering fear in her mind. "But if Mom won't..."

"Listen," her father told her, his gaze changing. She was used to seeing him smiling or brooding, easy-going or tired, all edges soft. Now, though, she suddenly saw a strength that she hadn't even guessed that he'd had. "I let your mother run the household because it pleases her, and she's very good at it. Mind, you, though, I am lord of my own manor, and I do have the final say. If she sulks and won't teach you, I'll do it myself... but if you need to come home, you will be home." Then he smiled brightly. "You'll be okay. Don't be afraid. Enjoy yourself! Now go on..."

Drucy suddenly gave her father the biggest, tightest hug she could, and she felt Jade the snake shift quickly out of the way as her father held her tight just for a moment longer. Then it was time to climb aboard and hurry through the train, looking for a place where she could wave to her parents until she could no longer see them.

As the train chugged along and the platform shrank into the distance, Drucy withdrew from the window and started looking for a compartment. Most of them were already full. She looked for her sister, but she couldn't find her. Finally, near the end of the train, she peeked into one compartment to see a familiar sight. Daniel Jacobs was sitting alone on the cushioned bench, swinging his legs slightly, already wearing his Hogwarts robe. He was the only person she'd recognized, and she slipped into the compartment with a deep sense of relief. Unfortunately, the relief was short-lived.

Daniel looked up at her and his eyes instantly narrowed. "It's you," he said. "I know what you were doing. I don't need your charity. I don't want your pity. You spoiled rich girl, you thought you could just throw some money around and make everyone grateful to you?"

Drucy stared at him for a moment, her mouth open. "How did you know?" was the first thing she managed to say. Even then, she was pretty sure it wasn't the right response.

"I'm not stupid, Drucy," Daniel told her fiercely. "I can do math. I knew I didn't have enough, and the shopkeepers just gave me this pitying look each time they told me it was fine. Old Ollivander just outright laughed at me and told me I could pick out any wand in the shop, it was already paid for! He laughed at me." His eyes narrowed. "My friendship is not for sale."

Drucy felt hot. "I wasn't trying to buy your friendship, you idiot," she told him, stung to insulting him and only feeling half as sorry as she thought she ought to be. "I wasn't buying anything. I just wanted to make your way a little.. well..."

"Easier?" he challenged. "I'm not a wimp." That was it, she realized. His pride was hurt.

"...Like mine," she finally concluded, and it was his turn to stare at her. He opened his mouth again, and just then the door to their compartment slid open to reveal a boy who was a head taller than Daniel and two heads taller than Drucy.

"New kid, are ya?" the boy guessed, looking at Daniel. He was nearly as broad as he was tall. "And Muggle-born by the looks of you. You'll want to stay away from the riff-raff. The garbage. I can help you out there," he sneered, risking a glance at Drucy.

Drucy glared back. Garbage? "Excuse me," she retorted. "Who are you?"

"I don't talk to slimy Slytherins," the boy answered, and Drucy felt herself getting hot again. "They're beneath you too, kid. Stick with me and I'll keep you away from them. They'll just chew you up and spit you out."

Daniel spoke. Drucy looked at him wonderingly, because he had been nearly shouting at her, but now his voice was cool, calm, and quiet. "This girl has been nothing but kind to me," he told the newcomer, "and I haven't heard anything out of your mouth but ugliness."

The boy bristled. "I'm going to be in Gryffindor, just you wait and see! And when she's in stinking Slytherin, you'll see for yourself who's the better friend!"

"Sorry," Daniel responded, his voice still scarily calm. "I missed the part where I asked you for your help. I can figure it out for myself, thanks."

"Matt Briar!" With a throb of hope, Drucy recognized her sister's haughty voice. "Matthias Briar, are you causing trouble again?" Esme stood only slightly taller than the boy, who turned to face her in the hallway. He muttered something about 'slimy Slytherin' again, and Esme promptly answered him. "That's right. And I am Bellatrix Lestrange's granddaughter, so just think about that for a moment. I won't hesitate to light you up if you are that desperate to fight. And if you continue to harass my little sister, you'll get more fight than you bargained for."

It worked. Matt Briar scuttled away, and Esme entered the compartment with a satisfied grin on her face. "Drucy, you need to learn to fluff out your feathers a bit, kid. We've been dealt a bad hand, but nothing's stopping us from playing it to the hilt." Then she sighed, sprawling down in the corner. "I know you won't take that advice, you're not built for it. I'll take care of you."

"I don't understand," Daniel admitted, sounding a bit less sure of himself now, as he sat down opposite Esme. "Why does he think you're going to be in Slytherin, Drucy?"

"Hoo boy," Esme said, mildly amused. "We're going to have to start from the beginning with this one."