A/N: Standard disclaimer, as always. I only own the characters of Renee Sanderson, Clara Bradley, the rest of the Bradley family, Gill Bellis, Kaylee Parkinson, Ariana Gordon, Morgana Fletcher, Sandra Ballias (mentioned), and Tomasz Ruddernot (mentioned). All of the other characters belong to Rick Riordan or J. K. Rowling. The main location, Diagon Alley, also belongs to Rowling.

Enjoy!


Renee POV

As soon as we reached the house after Percy's birthday party, something seemed off. Only one car was in the driveway, but that was completely normal. I knew Annette and John had a faculty meeting at the university, and David had mentioned something about a job interview, so it made sense that only the old, beat up car that the twins used and that Steven would be learning to drive with was at home.

It was also not the fact that the yard was barren; because we had vacationed all of July we had decided not to plant a garden this year. Whatever it was, Clara noticed it too. She tensed and reached for my hand. Nico looked cautiously between us, and Clara extended a sunbeam out to him.

Then it dawned on me. Clara's sunbeam protection on the house was gone. It had been a very faint glow to begin with, but there was no question now that it wasn't there. Clara had her key out and was pulling us to the house before I could think.

"Clara, no, it might be dangerous!"

"My family is inside!" Clara insisted. "My brothers… only Steven knows martial arts. If something happened…"

"Nobody's dead in the house," Nico said. We stared at him for a minute, forgetting he was the son of Hades. "Come on. We're probably the best bet if anyone is there."

I nodded reluctantly and squeezed Clara's hand tighter.

The sight that greeted us in the living room was not at all what we expected. Four of Clara's brothers were there, but only three of them were Bradleys. The fourth was Draco Malfoy, and he appeared to be duct taped to a chair with a piece over his mouth. Ross, Dallas, and Steven were glaring venomously at him.

"What the hell is going on?" I demanded.

"What did you do to Tony?" Clara screamed, looking murderously at Draco.

"Tony's fine," Ross said icily. "We sent him to his room when he showed up."

"What?" I said. "Why?"

"Tony," Steven said, "kept insisting we hear him out. But we know who he is, and there could only be one reason why he's here. Obviously, Clara, he wants to kidnap you and take you back to your mother. He looks too much like you for him to be anyone other than Draco Malfoy, that kid you've said is so horrible at school." Steven looked at Clara with a crazed look in his eye. "Your evil half-brother."

He raised a hand to Draco and stood in a karate stance.

"Did he say that?" Nico said, narrowing his eyes. "Did he say that he wanted to kidnap Clara?"

The older Bradleys stared at him, and at that moment, Tony came barrelling down the stairs. "I told them not to do this!" he insisted. "I told them he wasn't a danger to anyone… is he?"

"Ross," I said venomously. "Draco is not an enemy. Let him explain why he's here, and then we'll decide what to do with him."

"But Clara's always said-" Dallas spoke up.

Clara looked between her brothers. Draco wore a deer-in-the-headlights expression. She seemed to decide that this time, her blond brother was to be trusted.

"Let him go!"

Steven stopped mid-stance. Ross and Dallas looked shocked. Nico and Tony just looked confused.

I took charge of the situation. "Tony, why don't you and Nico go get the air mattress from our room? Nico's going to be staying with us tonight, and I hope you don't mind if he stays in your room."

Tony's eyes lit up, and he motioned for Nico to follow him up the stairs. Steven glared at us. "If crazy death boy is staying with us, then I'm moving in with the twins."

I hoped Nico hadn't heard that, but he and Tony were already making their way upstairs, and Tony spoke loudly to drown out his brother. I'd have to thank him for that later.

"Steven, can you get dinner started?" I asked with charmspeak. "There's some vegetables you can chop up, maybe put that karate energy to good use?"

"Fine," Steven grumbled.

The twins would be the hardest to shake off. I'd have to use even more charmspeak. "Ross, didn't you have some article to work on for the school paper? And Dallas, wasn't there some scholarship or something you were supposed to be working on?"

If the twins knew I had made that up off the top of my head, they didn't show it. They looked at each other, shrugged, and stood up. Clara was already working on ripping the duct tape off Draco, and I surged forward to help.

Draco swore as we ripped the duct tape off his mouth. "Why the hell would Muggles come up with something that sticky? Is it supposed to be a torture device?"

Clara laughed. I narrowed my eyes. "Sorry about our brothers. They're a little overprotective, with the whole Hogwarts thing. But what are you doing here, Draco?"

Draco looked around, as if to make sure nobody was secretly listening. "I had to warn you," he said quickly. "Kaylee…"


A few hours earlier - Draco POV

There were many perks to being a member of the pureblood elite, but dinner at Parkinson Mansions was definitely not one of them. I was dragged along every time and forced to do whatever Pansy wanted while I was in her house. When I was younger, that had meant playing with dolls with her and Kaylee, or occasionally letting them give me a makeover. It was actually kind of comical.

Now, though, Pansy had taken a genuine interest in me. She dragged me up to her room and made me kiss her, often practicing coercive spells when I tried to resist. She always threatened me if I told anyone, and I wouldn't have believed her, except for Kaylee.

When Pansy Parkinson's younger sister had been about seven, she started hanging around with these girls, Ariana and Morgana. They claimed to be American pureblood wizards, cousins with the last names of Gordon and Fletcher. Somehow, they'd gotten the powerful ministry families to believe them, including Father and the Parkinsons, but I wasn't so sure. There was something about them that didn't seem quite human. But they were supposedly orphans, and the Parkinsons took them in.

That was when Kaylee started to change. She had been rude before Ariana and Morgana, but after they showed up there was a permanent, evil glint in her eye. Her attitude, and the other girls' influence, only seemed to worsen when she started Hogwarts, a year after Pansy and I did. The same year as Renee Sanderson and Clarissa Bradley, who would come to mean so much to me in the coming years. And the younger Parkinson and her two best friends seemed to have a personal vendetta against my half-sister and her best friend. Even Pansy didn't seem to understand it.

So anyway, we arrived at the Parkinson Mansions, and Pansy, Kaylee, and Ariana greeted us, but Morgana was nowhere to be seen. It was a little unnerving, because Morgana, with her towering height and her stark-white hair, was easily the scariest of the three of them. If she was absent, this couldn't possibly be good for their enemies- my sister and her friends. My friends.

After dinner, Pansy told me she had a couple of messages she had to send, and she was going to get ready for our night. I didn't like the sound of that.

As the adults pulled out the after-dinner Firewhiskey, I made my way up the stairs, ready to do Pansy's bidding once again. I stopped short at Kaylee's room, though, when I heard them reference someone who sounded a lot like Clarissa.

"It wasn't her sunbeams," Morgana was saying. "It was that boy. His cast iron sword. You weren't there."

"How can you be sure he's the same one?" Kaylee asked with concern. "How can you be sure he's not some random wizard?"

"Luke's spies at the camp are reliable," Ariana snapped. "You should know this, Kaylee, you've been working with them for as long as he has! They know what happened! Besides, the damage has already been done. Her sunbeam ward was nothing a simple alohomora couldn't crack."

"What did you do?" Morgana's voice said faintly. She sounded weak. "Luke believes we need one of them to enact the prophecy, you know."

Ariana sighed. "It's just fire. Sun will survive. As for the other two…" Ariana made a retching noise. "And as a bonus, your sister will finally have Draco to herself, with love's daughter out of the way."

Kaylee cackled. Before the girls could realize I had heard anything, I slipped into the room that I knew to be the Parkinson library. All I'd need was an old quill or inkwell, or even a book if I couldn't find anything quickly. I'd learned the portkey spell two years ago when I'd been grounded for something our previous house elf did. Apparently, I'd let him escape when he was supposed to be under my watch. But Pansy had managed to score us invitations to Melanie Pucey's party, where there would be Firewhiskey, and I had to get out that night. Melanie was a seventh year, and her brother Adrian from the Quidditch team had always raved about her parties. So I had learned the portkey spell when I needed to get out.

I found a broken inkwell and muttered the incantation. If I didn't get to the girls quickly, my half sister, her best friend, and some random American wizard would die at the hands of Kaylee, Morgana, and Ariana. I'd explain everything to my mother later, and hopefully she would cover for me. It was, after all, her daughter I was going to save.


Present Day - Draco POV

Of course, I left a few details out when I told the girls my story. I didn't, for instance, mention the part about Pansy having me all to herself, as if I was a commodity to be passed around. I was still trying to figure out what Ariana had meant by "love's daughter," but I was pretty sure that was Renee. I also wasn't sure what they meant by "sun," but I had noticed Clarissa surrounded by beams of light sometimes, and once, in Care of Magical Creatures, I had seen her seemingly holding something that she was going to throw at me.

That was before. Before I knew she was my sister. Before Renee had shown me another path I could start to take. Before she told me she cared, before we started talking in the foyer between the boys' and girls' hallways, before she became my rebirth. I wanted to believe I truly had changed. Would the Draco Malfoy from last summer have created a portkey to a country where he'd never been to save two girls he didn't even know that well? I doubted it.


Clara POV

Renee pulled Draco into a hug. "I'm not the only one who should have been sorted into Gryffindor," she whispered. "That was so, so brave, Draco."

"No," I argued. "That was an act deserving of all the houses. It was brave and a little bit reckless, like a Gryffindor. It was extreme loyalty, like a Hufflepuff. Coming here, escaping the Parkinson Mansions, that was definitely cunning and ambitious, the mark of a Slytherin. And you really figured out the portkey charm when you were twelve? That's definitely Ravenclaw, Draco." I looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry I misjudged you, Draco. When I first saw you, a few weeks after meeting my mother for the first time, you made fun of Ginny and Harry in Flourish and Blotts. A couple months later, you set a snake on one of my housemates when we were supposed to be learning to disarm each other. The next year, you insulted Ron on the train, and you laughed over Harry fainting with the dementors, but you weren't there. You made fun of Hagrid, and then you nearly got him fired after day one."

Draco started to interrupt, but I wasn't finished. "But you let Renee take your place at Quidditch. You came and visited her in the hospital wing. You found out about me, and instead of spreading the rumor in a harmful way, or hurting someone for information, you sent us chocolate and asked us to meet with you in a nonthreatening situation. You warned Renee when Snape was looking for her after the Hogsmeade incident. You wrote to the Committee on Hagrid's behalf. And the whole time, I believed you did it because you wanted something from us. But now you're here, and Draco, I'm so, so sorry. It wasn't very Hufflepuff of me to believe that you hadn't, that you couldn't change."

I stepped over to him. "Hi. I'm Clarissa Jeanne Bradley, but you can call me Clara. All my friends, and all my brothers, call me that."

Draco looked confused for a minute, and then he seemed to get it. "Are you… are you willingly calling me your brother? And your friend?"

I laughed. "I suppose I am. But only here, okay? In the company of those who know we're related."

"I wouldn't dream of telling anyone else." He turned serious. "Do you have a way we can communicate with my… with our mother? I should tell her where I am; she must be worried."

I frowned, but Renee spoke up. "I still have a few of those Egyptian communication coins from the Weasleys."

I frowned. I knew she had used that lie with Sandra, Gill, and Tomasz that night where she needed to come into the Hufflepuff room after an attack from Kaylee and her friends. But I had no idea that Draco knew about the drachmas as well. Renee pulled one from her pocket.

"I'm really sorry about my brothers," I said loudly, realizing I needed something to distract Draco while she sent the message. Renee smiled in my direction. "They're not usually like that. And yeah, I never did tell them that you weren't evil. I mean, I don't think I said you were evil, but, I, well-"

I was saved from any further awkwardness as Narcissa's voice spoke through the Iris message. "Well, well, well. Renee Sanderson. This is a surprise. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Draco stepped up to the message. "Mother, I'm sorry I left, I had to warn them, I-"

"Draco?" Narcissa said incredulously. "Are you in America?"

Draco told our mother what he had overheard. "She's my sister," he insisted. "Mother, I had to warn her."

"Wow, Draco, I don't know what to say. I'm very proud of you, my son." Narcissa lowered her voice. "Please don't come home tonight, Draco. Your father, he's angry, and I don't want him to hurt you. Give him a chance to cool down. He's upset because Pansy interrupted a very important conversation to say that you tried to do something to her in her bedroom and then you ran away so you wouldn't take the blame. I saw through it immediately, of course, but your father and the Parkinsons are furious. If there's a way for you to stay in America tonight-"

"Of course there is!" I insisted. "He's family. I'm not going to turn him away at the door! What kind of sister would I be?"

I had no idea who was more shocked by my outburst. Draco stared at the ground while Narcissa floundered for words. Even Renee looked surprised.

"We were going to go to England tomorrow anyway," I continued. "We can take Draco back. Maybe we can meet you at Diagon Alley?"

"That's very kind of you, Clarissa, but are you sure? I wouldn't want to be a burden on your family."

"You are my family," I said without thinking. "You and Draco, just as much as the Bradleys. Besides, we already have Nico staying over tonight, what's one more? The four of us can travel to Diagon Alley tomorrow."

"I'll get the Knight Bus from there," Draco agreed.

"If you're sure," Narcissa said, looking at me.

Outside, a car horn sounded. I wasn't looking forward to explaining the presence of two strange boys to my parents, but if the alternative was Draco being severely punished, I would gladly take the explanation.

"We need to go," I said. "The rest of the family are coming in, and I believe we have some introductions to make."

I waved my hand over the message just as the door opened. Somehow, David and my parents had come in at exactly the same time. A minute later, Tony, Ross, and Dallas came down the stairs, with Nico trailing nervously behind them. Steven poked his head out of the kitchen and narrowed his eyes when he saw Draco sitting on the couch.

"What is that still doing here?"

Draco reached for his wand, but Renee put a hand on his shoulder. "Everyone, sit down," she said, taking command of the situation. "Some stuff has come up since we went to Percy's party. These are two people we've talked about before, so you should know who they are. They'll both be coming with us to England tomorrow, but they need a place to stay the night." She introduced Nico first. "We only recently found out he's a wizard, but he doesn't have anywhere to stay the night."

Tony moved closer to Nico on the couch. "He's my friend," my youngest brother said. "We already decided he could stay in mine and Steven's room tonight."

"Who's 'we?'" Steven snapped. "Anyway, I'm staying in with the twins. He's-"

I cut him off with a look. I wouldn't have Steven insulting my friends.

I looked over at Draco. "This is my brother," I said firmly. "From the wizard world. Draco Malfoy."

"So you're just going to accept him here?" Steven demanded. "Even though he came to kidnap you? Even though he wants to get rid of you?"

"I don't know where you're getting that idea," I protested. "Draco, tell them why you're here."

Draco repeated his story about Kaylee. "Do you see any reason for me not to believe him?" I demanded after he had finished his account. "Was all that duct tape really necessary?"

Draco made a face at the mention of the duct tape.

Ross looked at the ground. "I'm sorry. We really should have figured out the whole story before jumping to conclusions."

"That wasn't very objective of us," Dallas agreed. "Not a great start to our journalism career."

Draco smiled, and it was a real, genuine smile. I'd only ever seen that from him once before.

"I forgive you," Draco said. "A strange teenage boy comes into your house and you've heard he's not a good person. I would have done the same thing. Well, maybe not with something as horrible as duct tape, but something similar."

He looked between Ross and Dallas. "Journalism, huh? Well, just as long as you don't turn out like that awful Rita Skeeter."

I shook my head. Tonight was kind of like last Christmas, I realized. There were people here from all three of my lives, and somehow, everyone fit together like a puzzle where I was the final piece.


That night, we had a board game night, as was tradition before we left to Hogwarts every year. Renee offered to team up with Draco for Scattergories, because "being a wizard, he wouldn't know a lot of the Muggle references."

"Yeah," Tony argued. "But Nico's, like, three hundred years old. If Renee gets Draco, then I get him on my team!"

"Hey!" Nico protested, with a glance around the room. Aside from Tony, only Renee and I knew about the age thing. But surprisingly, Nico was smiling. "Alright, I'll join you, but only because you asked so nicely."

"Well, if you get Nico, and you get Draco, then I guess I get the twins," I said. "That should be fair."

"I call David," Steven spoke up.

My parents exchanged a glance. "This is not how the game is supposed to be played," Annette said. "But if you insist, I guess I'll have to take John as my partner.

It was the best night I'd had with my family in quite a while. I knew I would look back on this night for years to come, as the night my family was finally all together. What I didn't know, though, was just how important the memory would become.


The next evening, Draco, Nico, Renee, and I departed by way of a portkey to Diagon Alley. The time difference would give us plenty of time to shop around the Alley before evening in London, when Draco would take the Knight Bus back to Malfoy Manor, and Renee, Nico, and I would use Floo Powder from the Leaky Cauldron to get to the Burrow. The day after that, we would be picking Harry up from the Dursleys, and then we would go to the World Cup.

The plan was for us to split up at Gringotts, and we would do our own shopping. However, I was in such a close discussion with my brother that we felt we sort of needed to stick together.

Chiron had provided us with one and a half times the money he gave us last time, in order for us to include Nico in our vault. While Renee and Nico went to exchange the Muggle currency and change the vault name, Draco and I talked about how different our lives were, and yet how similar. We both, for instance, enjoyed family game nights, although Draco only played wizard games, and the Bradleys played Muggle games. I knew Draco's family was rich, and ours was on the lower side of middle class, but we really did have a lot in common.

"You could use our vault, you know."

I stared at Draco. "Use your vault?"

"Yeah? Why not. You're a Malfoy. I mean, you're my sister, and-"

"Draco," I cut him off. "Ours is fine."

Renee seemed to be arguing with one of the goblins, and Nico looked like he was trying to get my attention. I sighed. "If you'll excuse me," I said to Draco. "This might take a few minutes. Why don't you get your money out."

Draco nodded and we parted ways. I walked over to the booth where my friends were.

"What's up?"

"Vilnuk, here," Renee said sourly, "is trying to insist that my vault needs investigation, because of a mysterious transaction from a vault that they've been monitoring, but he won't tell me the name of the vault."

"Circumstances being as they are," Vilnuk said, "we have reason to believe Miss Sanderson, if that is indeed your name, has been engaging in some illicit transactions to her vault."

"I haven't been!" Renee insisted. "I don't know anything about these transactions!"

I closed my eyes. If only my father would send me some sort of vision right now, that would be great. But everything in my mind was black.

And, I realized, that was it. "If you'll excuse us," I said to the goblin. I pulled Renee over to the bench where Draco and I had been talking a few moments prior.

"Sirius left you a stipend," I muttered.

"Why didn't he tell me?"

"No idea, but that's what I got. So it will get out that you're helping him-"

"Not if I can help it." Draco was back.

I glared at him. "How much did you hear?"

"Enough. I don't know what's going on, but if you're helping Sirius Black there must be some gallant and noble reason behind that. I do have reason to believe you helped him escape that night in June."

Renee scowled at him. "Shut up, Draco."

Draco smiled. "Be like that. But I could offer help. My family is a rich and powerful pureblood family. We have influence here. If Sirius Black truly did transfer money to you, I can find a way to explain that to the goblins." He stood up. "You two stay here, while I work my magic."

Renee started to protest, but I silenced her with a look. "He offered to let us use his vault," I said. "Let him try it, Wren."

Renee raised her eyebrows, but nodded for Draco to go ahead. I watched as he pulled Nico to the side and had a hurried, whispered conversation with the younger boy. Then he sauntered up to Vilnuk and spoke in a low voice that we couldn't hear. A minute later, he walked back to us, Nico on his heels.

"Miss Malfoy," the goblin announced. "I am so very sorry. I did not realize you were a Malfoy as well. Of course you may proceed to Vault Half Blood."

"That was your grand plan?" Renee snapped at Draco. "Tell the whole world-"

"It will be fine," Draco said quickly, stealing a glance at the goblin.

Renee gulped, and I remembered how crazy the ride had been the last time. She hadn't even come.

"You three can wait out here, if you want."

"I want to come," Nico said. "I love the underground." He glanced warily at Draco.

"Okay, then, let's go."


Renee POV

A black boy walked up to the counter a few minutes after Clara and Nico left. "I'd like to access the Bellis vault," the kid said, presenting a key.

"Gill!"

Gill turned around. "Renee!" My boyfriend ran toward me. He stopped short when he saw Draco, though.

"What is he doing here?"

"Getting money," Draco said icily, coming up behind us. "It's a public bank."

"Yes, but why was he sitting next to you?"

"Is there another bench?" Draco said coolly.

"You were talking, though."

"I had a question about the summer Care of Magical Creatures homework," Draco said quickly. "Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy didn't know how to answer it, and I haven't seen anyone else all summer. I just wondered if Renee could help me distinguish a Bowtruckle from a common fern."

"That's so stupid," Gill said meanly. "Anyone should know those basic distinctions. Only a mudblood-"

"Don't you dare use that word! Gill Bellis, I thought you were better than that!"

"He uses it, yet you still talk to him!"

"Gill," I sighed. "I'm a half-blood, and I didn't know the answer to that before I did the homework. I was just telling Draco that it's at the back of the book, or he could talk to Hagrid or Sprout for further information."

Gill muttered something under his breath. "Just… be careful, Renee." He glared at Draco.

Thankfully, I noticed Clara and Nico coming back from the tunnels.

"Oh," Clara said, oblivious. "Gill. Nice to see you again."

"Clara, hey," Gill said, showing no sign that he'd just argued with Draco. While Clara introduced Nico, Draco whispered, "meet you at Ollivander's in ten minutes." Then, he left out a back door.


Nico POV

I don't know if I'd be here if I hadn't met my father. Why Lord Hades encouraged me to go to Hogwarts, I have no idea. But I've figured out a lot about myself over the last few months. I now know that Percy needs to bathe in the River Styx and take a mark of Achilles to be able to defeat Kronos. I've read a lot in the last few weeks too. I pored over many of the old myths. My father and my stepmother aren't happy with all of my investigating, and Lord Hades claimed I need to get out more and that being in the Underworld so much wasn't good for my health. But what does he know about health? He's the god of the Underworld.

We went to the bank, and I actually enjoyed being underground again and seeing the vaults. Gringotts modeled some of my father's wealth chambers in the Underworld. I wondered briefly whether this was on purpose.

I saw something of myself in Clara's brother, Draco. He had obviously had a troubled past, like me, and he had secrets, that was obvious. I would never admit it to anyone, but he was also kind of cute. But I could tell there was tension between the siblings as well. I wondered what their mother was like.

Clara and Renee were both really excited for me to get my wand. Apparently, this was a big deal in this world. Draco had slipped out a back door while Renee and Clara talked to a black boy who I gathered to be Renee's boyfriend. There was something I didn't like about him. But Draco was waiting for us at the wand shop, Ollivander's.

The door to the shop swung open, and the professor who was apparently a daughter of Demeter stepped out, followed by a black girl with golden eyes and frizzy, cinnamon-brown hair. The professor smiled warmly when she saw Clara, Renee, and me, and she raised her eyebrows at Draco, but didn't say anything.

The girls ran to hug their favorite professor, and she looked around before introducing the girl she was with. "This is Hazel Levesque," the professor said. The girl waved shyly. She looked almost familiar, but I had definitely never met her before.

I looked around uncomfortably while the girls caught up with their teacher. I had thought I would finally get a day about me, but I was wrong. I would still always be a minor character in the stories of everyone else.

Draco seemed to notice my discomfort. "We can go ahead and go in, if you want," he said.

The older woman raised her eyebrows again, but went back to talking to Clara and Renee. I looked back at the girl, Hazel. She looked slightly older, but I assumed she was a first year, because she was with a teacher.

"I just got my wand," the girl said. "That was an interesting process."

"Should I be nervous?" I asked, frowning.

"Only if you don't like loud noises. You should be fine, though." She smiled, and I immediately liked her. Maybe we could be friends.

Friends. That was a foreign concept to me. Before I learned about demigods, I only had Bianca. And then she died, and I was completely alone. But Percy, Clara, Renee, and Annabeth had shown me kindness when nobody else would give me a chance, when I didn't even give myself a chance. And then Clara's brother, Tony, had said it outright. "He's my friend." But what did that word actually mean?

The shopkeeper, Ollivander, frowned when Draco walked into the shop. I wondered if Ollivander had had bad history with Draco or his family. It seemed like a lot of people did.

"Mr. Malfoy, isn't it?" Ollivander said, looking up. "Nearly destroyed my shop when I said this could take a while. I knew you had a bendy wand, but I'm surprised to see you back so soon."

I had been hiding in the shadows. This wand shop was a perfect place to practice bending them. I stepped into the light.

Draco wavered for a minute, but then seemed to regain his composure. "Actually, sir, I'm here with a first year student, the cousin of a friend of mine. This is Nico di Angelo."

Ollivander's eyes rested on me. He looked at Draco again, then back at me, and then nodded slowly.

"Well, then, Mr. di Angelo. Let's get started."


After about half an hour of trying wands that didn't work or made things explode, Draco and Ollivander were exchanging worried glances when they thought I wasn't looking. Clara and Renee were watching from the window, their expressions growing increasingly unhappy. Clara held Dede the dodo bird, the one from Pan's underground hideout. I assumed the bird was humming some melancholy tune like always.

It made me mad. For a moment, I was sure I could actually have a place to fit in. Clara, Renee, and the professor might have been demigods and witches, but I certainly wasn't a wizard. They had to realize their mistake by now. If Clara had been pranking me, I would make sure she saw the Underworld firsthand.

"Mr. Malfoy," Ollivander said, startling both of us. "If you go to my office in the back, there's a few wands on the top shelf. Bring me the box made of obsidian, please."

Draco raised his eyebrows, but it was clear he wanted to see me succeed, so he walked to the back of the store.

Draco came back, and the box looked heavy. Ollivander frowned as he took the box out of Draco's hands.

He held the deep black wand in his hands for a moment before passing it on to me. "Well," the wandmaker said slowly. "Give it a wave."

I moved the wand around a little bit. It was heavier than most of the other wands I had tried, but it felt right in my hands.

Black roses bloomed from a jar, and Draco gasped. "Oh!" It was almost as if the older boy was piecing something together. Ollivander looked far more pale than he had a few moments ago.

"My entire career as a wandmaker, I have not sold a single wand with a thestral tail core," the shopkeeper muttered. "I do not use them; the wands are left over from my father or grandfather's days as wandmakers." He paused, thinking. "Today, for the first time in living memory, I sold two of them. Curious, very curious indeed."

Ollivander seemed lost in thought as I paid for my wand. Just before I stepped out the door, Draco asked who the second person was.

"I really shouldn't tell you, Mr. Malfoy, as this information is supposed to be confidential. But I believe you have already figured it out. The other customer was, of course, Miss Hazel Levesque, who left the shop just a few moments before you came in."

Draco nodded curtly, and he held the door open for me. Clara and Renee stared, and I wondered if Draco had acted like this toward anyone before. Like an older brother, I guess. For the first time since Bianca died, I smiled.


Renee POV

"Nico, we need to get you out of all this black," I said as we walked into Madam Malkin's robe shop.

Nico laughed nervously, and Draco looked curiously at us.

"Come on," Clara said. "The three of us should get our robes tailored, we've each grown at least two inches. And Nico, you should get fitted."

Draco's eyes wandered over to some of the dressier clothing. He looked between me and Clara, and then his eyes settled on me. "Renee, will you come with me for a moment?"

I shrugged. While Clara and Nico waited in line to get the robes fitted, I followed Draco to some of the suits. "What's this about?" I asked.

Draco smiled mysteriously, in a way that signified he knew something I didn't. He had an infuriatingly adorable smile.

"Fourth years are asked to bring dress robes," Draco explained. "You have an eye for fashion, Renee. I was wondering if you could help me pick one out."

This was a ridiculous request. I was tempted to argue, but Draco looked so serious.

"Go for dark," I said. "Nothing too bright, or that would clash with your hair."

"So, like this?" Draco held up a set of deep purple robes.

I studied them. "No. Too flashy. Try these."

"Red?" Draco groaned. "I'm a Slytherin, Rebirth, not a blasted Gryffindor!"

I smiled. "What about this?" Draco asked, holding a bright green suit.

"Again, it's too much."

Draco muttered something about me sounding like his mother. I held back a laugh.

At the same moment, we both noticed a navy blue three-piece suit with tiny, faint stars in a pattern on the jacket. We reached for it at the same time.

"Oh!" I gasped as our hands brushed against each other.

"Do you think…?" Draco asked.

"It's perfect."

"My Rebirth."

"Not here."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Clara glanced in our direction, and we self-consciously realized our hands were still touching over the jacket. We both pulled away quickly.

"It's perfect," I said again.

"You're perfect."

"What?"

Draco blushed. "Sorry. Thank you, Rebirth."

"Don't call me that."

"Thank you."

Clara rolled her eyes. "Are you two finished?" She looked between us, amused.

Nico and Draco went over to pay for their robes, and Clara raised her eyebrows at me. "What was that about?"

"Just helping him pick out dress robes."

"Okay, then."

We stopped to buy books and potions supplies, and then Draco offered to treat everyone to ice cream at Florean Fortescue's. I was surprised that we didn't really see anyone else we knew.

We met up with Professor Sprout and Hazel again at the ice cream place. As we talked and got to know the first-year girl, I almost had the urge to reach out and touch her. Something about her seemed semisolid and faded.

The girl held a black cat. "His name is Sammy," she said, stroking the cat.

"Where did you get him?" Nico seemed genuinely interested.

"Magical Menagerie," Hazel said, pointing over to the right.

Clara smiled at me. We'd had interesting experiences there every year in the past. After we finished our ice cream, she and Nico went over to the pet shop. I had thought Nico would return with something small, like a cat, but when they came back, he was carrying a very large owl cage. It held a large black screech owl.

"Bianca," Nico said firmly when we asked about the name. "Her name is Bianca."

It was getting late, and the Weasleys would be expecting us. Draco summoned the Knight Bus from the Leaky Cauldron. While we were waiting, he asked me to step into a corner with him.

"Thank you, Renee. My Rebirth."

"For what?"

"So, so many things. I'm going to try harder this year, okay? I've actually been writing to Daphne and Blaise a bit too, and, well, I apologized for some of my earlier behavior. They're willing to give me a chance. And really, Rebirth, it's all because of you. It's all because you gave me a chance. You showed me I can change, and that I don't have to be my father. And I promise, I will try so, so hard not to be him, okay? I want you to see that I have changed."

I sighed. "Draco, Clara and I are both infinitely grateful for what you did yesterday. Clara's apology to you, well, I believe that more than anything shows that you truly have made the first step. She was unwilling, before you saved our lives, to think you could be anyone other than your father. But you changed her view, and that speaks volumes. She is willing to see you as a brother. We are both willing to see you as a true friend. I'm the one who should be thanking you, Draco."

The Knight Bus pulled up to the tavern, and Draco put his arms around me. "I'll see you at the World Cup, my beautiful and talented Rebirth."

We hugged tightly for just a moment longer than we should have. I thought I was finally starting to understand why he called me his Rebirth.

And his fresh pine cologne smelled so, so good.


A/N: Well, I definitely didn't plan to write this much for my first Children of Darkness chapter, but I'm glad I did. Now I feel like a weight is lifted from my shoulders and I will be able to focus better on school because I wrote this Diagon Alley scene. I think writing on the weekends is actually going to work for me, at least until things pick up. It might be a little while before the next chapter, though, because I'll probably wait to start writing it until I have my own copy of Goblet of Fire with me, which will be a couple of weeks.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I am looking forward to continuing the saga. Please review!

~Celia