1994 (Fourth-year)
She hummed tunelessly with her feet dangling off the edge of Fred's bed, face buried in a thick tome until a colourfully wrapped piece of candy fell between her pages. It was a wonder she could get any reading done at all with the commotion the twins were making from their experiments. She looked up to see them grinning at her expectantly.
"Sorry, I'm not quite dim-witted enough to try one of your inventions, especially if it involves ingesting it"
"Oh come on, Ari. We could really use your help"
"Not as a lab rat you don't" she said, walking towards the door but they cornered her before she could reach for the knob.
"Don't you trust us?"
"What do you think?" she dead-panned.
"It's not particularly dangerous or anything"
"Besides, you're one of our best mates, we would never cause you bodily harm"
"Nothing permanent at least"
"Yea, rest assured we can shrink it right back"
"Shrink?" she echoed, her eyes narrowing in suspicion as she eyed the rainbow coloured chunk wearily.
"You'll see"
"Go on, give it a go"
"I've got a better idea" she said, suddenly lunging towards them and caught both in a firm headlock, one under each arm. She attempted to shove the candy into their mouths whilst they floundered about. George managed to pry himself free and simply sat on the bed as Ari continued to tousle with his twin. In their disarray, Fred slipped on a stray piece of clothing, taking her down with him as they fell onto the floor in a tangled heap of limbs. They shared a look before glaring at George who was pointing at them and having a jolly good laugh at their expense. He held his stomach which was beginning to ache, roaring with laughter until a shadow of a hand went over his agape mouth. He choked on something and to his horror his felt his tongue begin to swell.
"Durgh surhthingh" he burbled indistinguishably over his tongue which had grown to about a foot long by now. Ari and Fred ignored him, choking on their own amusement to be of much help.
"Sturph lurhfing angh helph nge!"
"Leave him, Fred, you'll catch idiocy" she chortled as they left the room arm in arm.
…
I bounded down the steps of the Burrow, skipping easily over the creaky ones and greeted Mr Weasley who was poring over the morning paper before heading to the kitchen where Mrs Weasley was cooking up a storm as usual. She fussed insistently over Harry and me about putting more meat on our bones; and the both of us secretly adored her motherly affections.
"Good morning, Mrs Weasley" I chirped.
"Oh, good morning dear. Have a seat, these are just about done" she said as a heaping plate of pancakes floated past me.
It was the morning of the Quidditch World Cup Final and I had barely slept a wink in my excitement. I had arrived at the Burrow the day before but had been visiting the Weasleys often over summer with my guardians' permission of course. They had been nothing but gracious and warm, words alone could not express how grateful I was to them for it.
I had barely taken a bite of my breakfast when heavy footfalls could be heard overhead. A moment later, everyone had gathered at the table and dug into the delicious spread. The twins were shovelling food into their mouths and squabbling when they kept reaching for the same things while Hermione was nagging Ron to chew his food properly and Ginny had spilled juice over herself whilst distractedly eyeing Harry who was yet again probed by Mr Weasley about Muggle contraptions – it was utter chaos and I loved every minute of it.
…
We trekked our way up Stoatshead Hill and I could hear Ron puffing heavily in front of me. Our climb had been arduous, falling into rabbit holes and slipping on tufts of grass. When we came to the top of the hill, we saw a man standing before a stump with an old boot placed on it. Mr Weasley approached him cheerily while we paused to catch our breaths. I jumped as something, or rather, someone landed behind me. The twins' faces soured instantly as I turned to see Cedric Diggory - it was obvious they were not keen to see him given that his team had beaten the Gryffindor Quidditch team last year.
"Well, what do we have here? A Slytherin? Amongst us regular folk?" he said to me.
"Nothing regular about you lot" I laughed good-naturedly.
Despite his seemingly derogatory greeting, we were actually pretty good friends and had been writing to each other over the holidays. It was the beginning of last year that we had met in the library while researching the same topic for Potions. He had an essay due on it while I was just passing the time. We became fast friends despite his initial weariness that I was a Slytherin and my reputation as a troublemaker, spending quite a bit of time together since then.
At Mr Weasley's urging, we came forward and each touched a part of the boot which turned out to be a Portkey. I had only read about them before and not actually travelled with one. Needless to say the feeling of being flung around in the air on an invisible rollercoaster brought forth a nauseating, queasy sensation I had not been expecting. The spinning seemed to pick up and I held on for dear life, my vision swimming in the myriad of dizzying colours and motions. It was against my better judgement to let go but did as Mr Weasley instructed us to. I landed none too gracefully in a heap, thankfully on a patch of grass or at least that's what I thought it was until the grass moved. I looked up and flushed in embarrassment seeing as how I was sprawled over Cedric's lap.
"You alright? Hurt anywhere?" he asked, concern marring his features.
"Only my dignity but I'll live. Just need a moment for my stomach to come through, might have left it back on the hill I'm afraid"
He chuckled and helped me up. He left with his father once I was feeling better, waving casually as he went.
…
We navigated our way through the crowd and I found a seat quickly. Having met the Malfoys along the way, I wanted to steer clear of them and the tense impasse they were in with the Weasleys - the atmosphere was so heavy you could cut it with a knife. While there were no outright rudeness out of respect for Minister Fudge, who shared the box with us, the laced insults weren't entirely subtle either.
"Fancy seeing you lot, you'd think with how much Top Box tickets cost you wouldn't find your sort here. Of course, such costs are trivial for us" I heard the younger Malfoy say to Ron and I shot him an aggravated glare. After discovering that he had kept my secret last term, he didn't seem as bad as he made himself seem to be. Clearly I had had a temporary lapse of judgement, or I swear he must be bipolar.
"Did I say something wrong, Montaine?" he taunted with a lopsided smile as he took the seat beside me.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Sitting"
"Well do it elsewhere, this seat is taken"
"Oh? I don't happen to see a name on it, do you?"
"I for one intend to enjoy myself watching the match and that includes sitting next to someone other than you. I highly recommend you find yourself somewhere else to sit if you know what's good for you"
He pursed his lips and tutted. "Such manners, Montaine, I see their kind has rubbed off on you in the worst possible way"
He was just about the most pig-headed person I knew and there was little chance of getting him out of that seat once he set his mind to it. Hell would freeze over before I conceded so I simply turned away, determined to ignore his existence altogether.
The match was intense with players from both teams demonstrating great skill. They catapulted around the pitch at high speed, a flurry of colourful specks at times. I watched the Chasers attentively, mentally taking note of tricks and plays I couldn't wait to try for myself someday.
Despite my best efforts, my eyes would drift to the blonde on my right. He was completely absorbed in it, tracking the players with unblinking grey eyes. That didn't stop his mouth from running about it though, he had a habit of narrating the match and pointing out players or manoeuvres that impressed him, though admittedly, his commentary wasn't half bad. It was evident he was an avid Quidditch fan and had done a fair bit of study on it. Much to my chagrin, it was difficult to ignore him when he spoke so animatedly with infectious enthusiasm and I found myself breaking my stubborn vow of silence to exchange sentiments with him throughout the match.
…
"Ari?"
It was some time later that we had returned to our tent. I paused midway at the entrance of it and glanced back at Mr Weasley. "I'm just going for some air" I explained. The adrenaline rush from the match made me restless and I was hoping a quiet walk would appease my sensory overload. The others were preoccupied with celebrations of the Irish team's win to have noticed my withdrawal.
He hesitated for a moment. "Alright, just don't wander past the barrier" he finally said. "And be careful" he added meaningfully. There was no doubt in my mind that he was referring to the attempted kidnapping last year.
I made my way past the crowd towards the woods surrounding the campsite, inhaling the crisp night air as I went, stretching my arms above my head, feeling the cool breeze brush through my fingers. I stretched myself out on a lush patch of grass and interlaced my fingers behind my head. I watched the stars twinkle delicately overhead, quickly losing track of time - until a voice interrupted my repose.
"You shouldn't be out here"
I turned to see Malfoy leaning against a tree nearby with his hands casually stuffed in his pockets, the starkness of his blonde hair in the dim light creating a halo, he looked almost angelic. Almost. The devil is a master of disguise and takes on many forms, as they say.
"What does a girl have to do to get some fresh air around here? Is it a crime to desire some solitude?", I sighed tiredly.
"Fine but don't say I didn't warn you if something were to happen"
"Could it be? Draco Malfoy is concerned of my safety?" I feigned a flirtatious giggle.
He scowled. "Only in your dreams"
"Surely you mean in my nightmares"
He scoffed. "Well, I might be inclined to show concern if you were an attractive damsel in distress. Fortunately for me you are nothing of the sort, so I needn't bother"
"I'll have you know I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. I don't need a phony knight in shining armour to get in my way. Besides, deny it if you will but you know as well as I do with Veela blood running in my veins that I am not unattractive in the slightest" I wiggled an eyebrow teasingly.
"Don't flatter yourself, Montaine, it's unbecoming" he harrumphed but took a seat next to me a moment later.
"You're doing that again" I said.
"What?"
"Sitting"
The corner of his mouth twitched but he caught himself and cleared his throat instead. "I'm a Malfoy, I can sit wherever I want"
"Suit yourself" I replied, going back to my stargazing. He was remarkably more placid now than he had been earlier, a pattern I had taken notice of whenever we were to ourselves, when we didn't have the urge to lunge for each other's throats, that is.
He spoke up after some time. "What could possibly be so exciting about some tiny glowing dots?"
"They are to me" I shrugged.
"Why?"
"My father and I would sit by my window and watch the stars together when I was little, and he would point out the different constellations. As silly as it sounds, when I look at them I like to think that my parents are right here with me"
He said nothing though I could make out from the corner of my eye that he was watching me. "What?" I finally asked, meeting his gaze levelly.
"You miss them" he observed.
I offered him a wistful smile. "Every day"
He said nothing more, so we sat for some time neither of us breaking the rare amicable silence that enveloped us.
"Malfoy?"
"What?"
"Aren't you afraid?"
"Of?"
"Me?" I said quietly, though in the stillness of the night I knew he heard me.
"Should I be?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"After what happened in Hogsmeade, I assumed-"
He sighed irritably. "Clearly you have some serious issues, which I must say doesn't come as a shock knowing how completely mental you are. Evidently you were not yourself and Dumbledore would've sorted you out immediately if you were any real threat, Merlin knows the old fool can't stand for anyone harming his precious students. Besides, if Weaselby isn't afraid after being tossed a foot in the air, I'll be damned if I am"
I searched his eyes and I found only uncompromising frankness in their steely grey depths. Something warm and fuzzy wrap itself around my heart and despite his insult-laced words, I found a sense of comfort in his ingenuous rationale. "Well, I could've killed you" I mocked.
"You think too highly of yourself. If you had any real intention or ability to kill me, you would have done so centuries ago. We've had more than enough spats to warrant it"
"Well, I couldn't very well kill you in school. I'd without a doubt be the primary suspect"
He rolled his eyes. "How reassuring"
"It does challenge me to think of more creative ways to plot your imminent demise and you know how much I appreciate a good challenge" I smiled slyly.
"Look at yourself" he tutted.
Blinking, I almost missed the amusement reflecting in his eyes. "What?" I shot him a puzzled look.
"As I said before, evil quite becomes of you"
"Shut up"
We continued to sit in silence after that, until I spared a glance in his direction and noticed he had begun fidgeting almost nervously.
"Is everything alright? You seem a little skittish"
He became rigid but brushed it off quickly. "You never know what's lurking in these woods that's all"
"Boggles the mind how you can be afraid of harmless woodland creatures and not the pyromaniac witch next to you" I joked. "The campsite is protected by a defensive barrier, I reckon we needn't worry too much. Besides, I can protect you if you're scared. For a price of course" I added.
He bristled. "I am not scared!"
"Could've fooled me"
"You-" he started but was cut off by a loud explosion within the campsite.
I jumped up as spells were fired in the distance. I spotted a group of masked figures and jumped to the worst conclusion - that my father's supporters had somehow discovered my location. I started running towards the campsite but barely made it halfway when a hand gripped my wrist. I tried to shake his pale albeit larger hand, but he had me in a vice grip.
"What are you doing? Let me go"
"We are better off out here"
"I refuse to stay here when there are people being attacked because of me. I have to do something"
"Because of you?" he remarked confusedly. "What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with you. They are after Muggles but they won't hesitate to harm those who stand in their way. There is no need to get involved"
"What do you mean?" I asked suspiciously. I caught a glimpse of mild panic in his eyes before he masked it. He knew he must have said too much.
"You know who is behind this?" I pressed, alarm bells going off in my head at his strange behaviour.
"What does it matter if you simply listen and do as I say" he insisted.
"For the record I have never listened to you and I am certainly not about to start now" I wrenched my hand out of his grasp and ran.
"Stupefy!"
Sure, we had always been at odds with each other, but I never imagined he would actually fire a spell at me. It caught me off guard, hitting me squarely in the back before I could counter. I collapsed, firm arms catching me before I hit the ground and everything went black.
…
"What happened to her?"
"Haven't the foggiest, found her unconscious by the woods"
"Ari, can you hear me?"
Familiar voices flooded in around me. My eyes opened slowly, unfocused. I squinted as I awoke in the brightly lit tent. They were huddled around me, distress etched on their faces.
Thank heavens everyone is alright, I thought as a wave of relief washed over me.
"How are you feeling?" Mr Weasley asked.
"I'm alright. What happened?"
"Death Eaters" Bill replied grimly. "They are still trying to figure out how they got past the barrier"
"You gave us quite a scare when you disappeared like that" Fred added.
"Not to mention whilst Death Eaters were going about having a field day"
"What happened to you out there?"
He was right after all, it wasn't my father's devotees. But how had he known? I recalled how Malfoy had Stunned me and considered retelling them what had happened but I held back, I wanted to be the one to confront him first. "No clue, I was sitting by the woods when I heard the commotion at the campsite. I was headed there when I suddenly blacked out"
"Well, we're glad you're alright. We should all get some rest, we'll be leaving in a few hours" Mr Weasley insisted.
Everyone turned in although we knew none of us would really be sleeping tonight.