Alya stirred slowly under the comfort of her sheets. The sun was streaming through the gaps in the curtains lighting up her bedroom and alerting her that it was time to wake.

A lazy smile spread to her lips as she thought of the last two weeks and Draco's friends. She liked the studious and sometimes silly Theo. Daphne was fast becoming her best friend, someone she could talk about clothes, boys and gossip. While she had her own friends at school, they were few and she missed the possibility of spending time with them since they came from all over the world.

Blaise. Blaise was something else entirely.

She remembered the electrifying sensation that run through her hand and whole body when he first touched her. It was like her entire being recognized him and made her yearn for his company.

She was confused and uncomfortable at first with that situation. She was not used to feeling nervous about boys, much less blushing or giggling! But as the time passed she found herself greatly enjoying his presence. He was smart, sarcastic and charming. He could make her laugh as well as he could hold a conversation about theories of magic. She had to admit too, he was very good looking.

With his wavy black hair, richly tanned skin and captivating whiskey colored eyes, she found herself tempted like a moth to a flame.

She would go slow though. Not only she was still thirteen, but she preferred to study a situation in depth before taking any decision. There was no chance that she would fall head over heels for him in such a short time.

Nope. If he wanted her, he would have to earn her attentions.

During the past two weeks the group of teenagers had spent their time between school work, studying dark arts, training and dueling and flying. Alya was greatly enjoying the novelty and was grateful that Draco decided not only to trust his friends with her secret but to share them with her.

He was such a good and devoted big brother. Though at times he could be overprotective. Many times he had caught Blaise lightly flirting with her or staring at her while he thought she wouldn't notice, proceeding to scold the Italian wizard and warn him off. After that Blaise would up the hand or exaggerate his seducing just to make him mad. Alya found their antics highly amusing.

Sighing a little she decided to get up and start the day. Narcissa would take Alya and Daphne to Paris after breakfast for a morning full of shopping followed by some relaxation at the magical spa and they would finishing with the hair salon.

Alya knew that Narcissa had always wished for more children, especially a little daughter of her own, and while she was not born to her, she was happy to let her Aunt dote on her to her heart's content.


"What do you think of Mr. Zabini, my dear?"

They were at the spa getting their manicures done and her Aunt had wasted to time to get to the point

"Aunty!" she tried to complain but a look from the woman made her pause and resign "What should I think exactly?"

"Do you like him?" asked Daphne

"I suppose." She admitted making the female's eye shine "as a friend" she corrected herself quickly

Narcissa huffed "Why not as something more? He's certainly a handsome boy, rich.."

"I'm simply not ready for this kind of things… Maybe it will change in the future, maybe not"

"But would you give him a chance if he wished to court you?" she prodded

Alya made to reply before closing her mouth and thinking about it "Maybe. It depends on a lot of things really."

"You're so difficult"

She shrugged "I know and I know that even if I was open to a courtship with him, he would have to work hard to earn it"

Daphne giggled "That's right! Make him sweat it" she said "The boy has too much charm for his own good and knows how to use it. He makes all of our years witches swoon and a lot of the older ones too. Show him that you're hard to get and he'll do anything to make you his"

"Men, my dear girls, are all the same." Narcissa told them with a little smirk "That little trick works every time on every man. Especially If they think that they can get any girl they want"

"Could it be that you used it on Uncle Lucius?" Alya sniggered

"I don't know what you're talking about dear. It was Lucius who insisted so strongly for our betrothal" she said with a sniff, making the girls giggle loudly at her admission.

"I know you won't admit it yet" the woman said to her niece while Daphne was busy with her attendant "but you do have a little crush on the boy, I can tell" she stated making Alya blush "I won't say or do anything but If you wish for a talk or advice, you come to me, alright sweetness?"

"Yes, Aunty. Thank you" she smiled


While the girls were enjoying themselves in Paris, the boys were having a special tutoring in politics and wizarding laws with Lucius. It was all very interesting and very soon the lesson turned into several debates on different subjects.

Lucius used the opportunity to study the Zabini boy, having seen the special attention he bestowed on his niece. So far he approved of the boy, he came from an upstanding family of pure blood, was smart, cunning and had a good head on his shoulders. Should the boy ask for permission to court his niece, he would probably agree. That is, if this happened before his Lord return. He was sure the boy would have a much harder time gaining his Lord's approval and permission to court the Dark Princess.

A sadistic and highly protective part of him almost wished for it to happen. After all Alya was like a daughter for him and what father wanted for a boy to taker her away from them?!

He smirked, lazily stroking the slowing darkening mark on his arm above his clothes.


Draco smiled as he saw the girls. They had just returned from their girl's day and were all flushed and giggling, even his mother was acting like a school girl. He was glad that his sister Alya was able to find a good friend in Daphne and that his mother could enjoy this moments of mother-daughter quality thanks to the girls.

"Dray!" Alya called him smiling widely and running into his arms to hug him, something that took her a whole two years before being comfortable doing it.

"Yes?" he asked arching a pale eyebrow

She pouted "Shouldn't you tell me how I look pretty?"

"Should I?" he mocked

"Yes! What an awful brother I have" she lamented detangling herself from him and bringing a hand to her forehand in despair

"What do you need him for when you have an handsome Italian more than willing to shower you in compliments, bellissima?" Blaise asked coming from behind her and speaking near her neck

Alya jumped both from being startled and from the sensation of his warm breath on her skin

"My, aren't we forward Mr. Zabini?" she drawled

"Subtle doesn't always apply, I find I prefer being direct in such matters"

"A girl could think you're being serious" she commented off her shoulder before leaving the room, leaving him to stare at her bewildered.

"Translation" Daphne offered "don't flirt with anything that moves or she'll never take you seriously"

"I do not flirt with anything that moves" Blaise corrected her "I've been raised to compliment a beautiful woman when I see one."

"So you're not flirting with my sister" Draco commented relieved

"I never said that" the Italian smirked before retiring to his own bedroom leaving behind a stunned and gaping Malfoy.

"Close your mouth Draco. Such idiotic look does not suit you" Theo commented from behind his book "Makes you resemble the Weasel, actually"

Draco snapped out of it quickly glowering at his friend while Daphne giggled.


"What do you mean I can't come with you to the Quidditch World Cup?" Alya screamed

Weeks at passed and it was finally the day of the match. The Malfoys had tickets for the Minister's box and extras to take their guests.

Alya had assumed that she had been included in the family, wrongly so.

"I mean that it's too dangerous for you to come" Lucius stated "We can risk any of those light fools recognizing you and putting you in danger."

"Oh, because they would take a look at me and just scream at the top of their lungs!" she scoffed "Or maybe you think I'd walk around with a giant sign stuck to my forehead saying 'Beware: heir of the Dark Lord'?!"

"Do not get sassy with me, girl"

"Then don't give me shit excuses!"

"It's not… The Weasleys will be in the top box too. What do you think they will do when they see an unfamiliar witch with my family?" Lucius asked "They will run right to Dumbledore and he will demand to be shown the memory. Do not think for a single instant that he wouldn't recognize the similarities you share with your father"

"Dumbledore taught the Dark Lord, he knows perfectly well what he looks like, unlike the majority of the wizarding world who saw only his snake like glamour." he continued "He saw you when you were born, he already knows what you look like."
"Right now he thinks you're in the muggle world, miserable and unaware of magic or maybe dead. What do you think he will do if he discovers otherwise? Powerful and smart you may be but you are nowhere near ready to defend yourself from Dumbledore!"

Alya shrunk back frowning at the injustice of it all. It was not fair.

After all those years suffering in the orphanage she had found a family, but still she could not fully enjoy them. Why must she be denied the simple joy of a family outing, unless it was outside of Britain? Time and time again she had seen her family going out together and come back home happy and smiling, and she had tried her best not to show how much it hurt her. But enough was enough. She was older now, she was powerful and being trained by the most powerful wizards on the planet, why was she still left behind?

She clenched her fists tightly, enough to draw blood with her nails.

She heard Lucius sigh, before being enveloped in his arms.

"Please don't cry, princess. I loathe to hurt you, and believe me I know how you feel.. how you felt every time. I'm just trying to protect you. I wouldn't take it if something happened to you, if you were put into danger because I overlooked something. It would kill Narcissa, if we were to lose you. And Draco would be heartbroken." He said soothingly against her hair while stroking her back with his hand "I would be too"

Alya sniffed "It's not fair" she whimpered

"Life is seldom fair, my dear" he agreed "Soon. Just be patient for a little more"


Here is the new chapter, what do you think of it?

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