And if we dream - Draco Malfoy/ OC

Chapter 23- Change

Summary: Like some magnetic force, like some unbreakable bond she was drawn back to him again and again. And now, staying away was an inconceivable notion. "Always." she murmured, one hand finding his, the other tangling into his platinum hair, "Always."

-….-

Hey Poppets, thanks for such an enthusiastic response, it feels good to be updating so regularly(ish).

Thanks again Saskia!

I know you guys want more A/D interaction but its getting there, bear with me! it's a slow burner they hated each other for years! Aha! Much love poppets!

Also another note- please remember I'm rewriting!

-….-

The journey to safety seemed to take no time at all but also far too long. Lupin's house was small, two bedrooms rather empty but for Tonk's possesions scattered around. It was not ideal and they couldn't all stay but it was safe for now. Hidden. The depressed silence was deafening , no one spoke, there was really nothing to say, Avery knew that there were ways to replace the possessions lost in the fire, the Weasley's would be okay and get there things back eventually. They could get back sentimental things if need be as due to Molly's magical prowess a lot of things were charmed to be safe through most disasters. More importantly though, everybody was safe and alive, barely injured. Ginny sat, forlornly huddled into her mothers side, Arthur and Molly held hands tightly, all of the Weasley's in fact produced a united front that screamed, 'We will not be beaten!'

Avery sat beside Harry, head leaning on the be speckled boys shoulder, Dragon purring softly in her lap, Hedwig cooed quietly from somewhere in the room. Remus and Tonks were in the their small kitchen, no doubt making enough tea to hydrate a small army.

Avery couldn't bring herself to close her eyes, the brightness of the fire still flickering behind her lids when she did. Molly's distressed sounds as her house burned around her, the loud crackle and creak of burning still rung ominously in her ears and louder than all of them, Bellatrix's laughter the epitome of evil.

"You okay?" Harry whispered into her hair.

Avery nodded in reply, "Yeah." She fingered the reassuring weight of the her wand up her sleeve, summoned from the fields by Arthur as they left the burrow behind.

She asked Harry the same question and he answered in much the same way. Avery watched as Molly murmured reassuringly into Ginny's ear. The twins, for once sat quietly, not returning to their own home, a unit.

Avery stood slowly from her seat and moved towards the bathroom in the hall, no one spared a glance in her direction.

The bathroom was small, only big enough to hold a small bathtub and toilet. Enough for the two of them. Avery leaned against the small half sink and glanced up into the small mirror that hung above, her reflection looked pale and haggard and her hair shone brightly underneath the florescent light, powered by electricity and not a spell as Avery had expected. Remus had always been familiar with the muggle world though.

She tugged at a lock of fire red hair that fell into her eyes and scoffed in disgust.

"Such lovely hair, like your mother, you can always tell a death eater from their hair."

"I'm not like you." she hissed towards her reflection.

-….-

Avery found herself back in the bathroom that evening, wand in hand, pointed towards her head.

"Colovara." She whispered.

Nothing happened, she sighed and repeated the charm again. She remembered Pavarati mentioning it once. "Colovara."

"Damn it!" She sighed, "Colovara."

Se shook her wand angrily and jumped back as a spark shot against the door, a large bang in its wake. She froze with abated breath hoping she hadn't woken any of the sleeping inhabitants of the house and sighed in relief when nothing stirred after some time.

She looked into the mirror again, determined, "Colovara." Nothing.

Perhaps she had heard it wrong or perhaps she was pronouncing it wrong.

"Calovara." she amended, "Calovara!"

She shrieked as the smell of singed hair filled the small room.

"What the-" she murmured, cupping her hands under the cold tap and rubbing splashing it over her hair. She groaned loudly and sat onto the water speckled floor.

She couldn't get Bellatrix's words from her mind.

"Avery?" A quiet voice called through the thick wooden door, Ginny.

"Yeah?" Avery called back, wiping furiously at her tear stained cheeks.

"Are you-"

"I'm fine!" she said, wincing as her voice wavered.

"Let me in Avery or I'm letting myself in." Ginny threatened. Avery moved in time for the door to open behind her. She pulled herself off of the tiles and brushed her singed hair from her face.

"What are you doing Avery?"

"I was trying to change my hair colour." Avery stated avoiding eye contact.

"Really? After everything that happened tonight and you're worried about your hair?" Ginny scoffed.

Avery choked on a sob and bowed her head, "It's not that. Bellatrix said - and I'm not- Ginny I don't want to be like her! I cant be like her in any way."

"Like who?"

Avery turned to face her knowing that Ginny would eventually realise, the eerie similarities, hair like fire, blue eyes lighter than most shades, pale skin, ginger skin as Ron called it. The same nose, similar lips. Simply a younger version of her mother.

"Oh." Ginny said, "Oh okay."

The younger girl pulled her wand from her dressing gown pocket, "What spell were you using?" she asked.

"Colovara? Calovara? I don't know, they kept going wrong" she gestured towards the burnt ends of her hair.

Ginny grinned, "Well you're lucky I have friends who are girls. It's Colovaria."

"I have Hermione." Avery stated.

"And what does she know of beauty spells?" Ginny giggled, "She studies too much to know those things."

Avery laughed gently as Ginny unknotted some of the singed hair, "You're nothing like her Avery." Ginny said quietly. "You're good."

Avery shook her head.

"Ok. I'll do it for you." Ginny smiled, raising her want towards Avery's head, "Colovaria" she whispered. Avery watched as the natural red of her hair slowly faded to a soft brown colour.

"There," Ginny said. "No you can be your own person."

-….-

"Avery dear!" Mrs Weasley cried the next morning, "Your hair."

Avery tugged on her ponytail self consciously, "Ginny did it." She mumbled, "I felt like a change."

"We all do darling." Came Mrs Weasley's soft reply.

-….-

The holidays passed in a quiet depression, Christmas darkened by loss and the heavy weight of something more terrible to come, Avery found herself relieved to be stepping through the wall onto Hogwarts platform. Lupin and Tonks had been caring, attentive hosts but she felt they all needed the joyful carelessness that came with Hogwarts even in such dark times.

The platform was teeming like usual and Avery, by now, should be used to the hustle and bustle but still felt her heart pick up in excitement every time.

The moment the whole clan were through the barrier and shrill scream pierced the air. Avery spun around to defend herself but found herself instead with an arm full of bushy hair. "Avery! You're all okay!" Hermione pulled away, moving on to Harry. "I tried to contact you all but I had no way of tracking you and it was obvious that you wouldn't still be at the Burrow." She hugged Mrs Weasley, "Sorry Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley." She said sincerely, pulling Ron into a hug without the thinking. Avery caught Harry's eyes and smiled as he raised his eyebrows in a confused gesture. The following silence was tense and Hermione pulled away wide eyed.

"Right," she coughed, stern, "We should be getting on the train."

They bid the Weasley's goodbye, including Fred and George who had felt the need to accompany them this time.

"So nobody was hurt right?" Hermione asked as they hoisted their trunks towards the train.

"Couple of small burns, nothing major." Ron shrugged.

"You could have died Ronald!" Hermione snapped, then lowered her voice, "The death eaters openly attacked you. I'm sure you know its been all over the Daily Prophet. It was an open attack. Everybody knows about It!"

"Is that why everyone is staring?" Harry asked glancing around as he stepped onto the train.

"People always stare at you Harry." Avery laughed.

"No I mean-" Harry indicated around and Avery noticed that people were in fact staring more than was normal for their group.

"Well what do you expect?" Hermione hissed, leading them confidently towards an empty compartment, "You were all at the ministry then you were all attacked by death eaters. You're names and pictures are all over the Prophet."

"Just in case people didn't know who we were anyway." Avery groaned.

"Here." Hermione said, pulling said Prophet from her jacket pocket. The bold headline read 'Ministry students in fire attack.'

Harry's picture stood out in the middle of the page, the Weasley's and Avery pictured in a smaller size along the bottom of the page. Avery did not recognise the pictures.

"Are these-"

"Yes." Hermione said, "There's some of myself, Luna and the others inside, all new."

"We're being followed?" Avery asked.

Hermione nodded, " I think so. They were taken after the ministry at least." the bushy haired girl frowned at Avery, "Your hair is different."

"Felt like a change." Came the custom response as Avery read through the paper article, resolutely ignoring the picture of herself, tucking a wayward strand of red behind her ear, and ignoring the glaring caption of 'Avery Greenwood, estranged daughter of well known death eater Mary Greenwood.'

"I like it." Hermione smiled.

"Thank you."

-….-

That night Avery moved swiftly to the tower, the prefects and teachers always patrolled more on the first few days back, more mischief happened those days.

The sky grew darker quicker these seasons and she could not see much of the grounds below, the think shape of the whomping willow, and a dim shimmer of the lake under the waning moon. Hogwarts truly was beautiful.

Avery shivered, wondering how long she had been out here, and wrapped her robes around her tighter, strangely she found herself missing the familiar presence beside her, almost missing the snarky comments and interrupted peace.

She frowned, and ignoring the rising sense of disappointment in her gut she left the tower, feeling strangely tense. The halls were empty, she didn't know the exact time but probably even the patrolling staff and students were sleeping by now.

Her footsteps echoed loudly around her in the silence but nothing moved.

She stopped dead at the sound of another noise, another footstep possibly? "Hello?" she whispered, wincing even as she did so, hoping it was no one who could hand her a detention.

No other noise sounded so she continued walking, all senses on alert for another student. A flash of platinum streaked down the hall opposite her and she gasped, heart pounding. Malfoy? She ran forward, "Malfoy?" She hissed as she turned into the hall, "What are you doing?"

No one occupied the hall as she let her eyes scan, nothing moved.

"Malfoy?" She whispered again.

She shook her head when she saw or heard nothing for a few moments and turned back to her own dorm room.

If it were Malfoy she had seen, if she had seen anything at all then it was really none of her business what he got up to. She ignored the disappointment that still lingered in her chest.

-….-

Red, or should I say not quite so red anymore, the parchment read the next morning in a familiar script, I must say, I'm rather disappointed in you for such a drastic change, if not for your decidedly ginger complexion and rather distinct, well, everything else I might not have recognised you. I thought you said you didn't like to stand out? Well a change of that calibre will do that, it's all Pansy and the girls can talk about. They say it makes you look more Slytherin. Possibly that's what you were aiming for? Of course your hair is less of a story than the fire you survived, congratulations on that by the way. Gryffindor's, terribly difficult to be rid of I would imagine.

If possible, try not to injure, maim, curse or kill me or whatever our project may be in Herbology today.

How did you get on with that book by the way? I researched and I believe the word Dummy definitely applies to you more than it does for me.

Avery shook her head and her eyes flew to Draco Malfoy who sat smirking in her direction, she gestured at him incredulously and pulled her quill from her bag.

Malfoy, she wrote, shut up. See you in Herbology. (The lesson we both failed)

She sent the letter back with a grin and watched carefully as Malfoy read through it and scoffed a laugh. Glancing at the letter again she felt almost fond towards the Slytherin, and struggled to reconcile the laughing boy she sat beside in Herbology and who sent her amusing letters and guidebooks, who mocked her in the tower and called her fond names with the sneering Slytherin she had known throughout her years here, who showed nothing but animosity towards her and her friends and skulked around in dark halls and whom Harry believed to have cursed an innocent girl with a curse meant for their headmaster. It was like Draco Malfoy was two different people, the one everyone knew and the one she saw, and she had no idea which was the real one.

A/N -Colovaria is apparently the spell for changing ones hair colour or style so says Harry potter wiki spell list!. Avery says Colovara cause she's wrong, she' not exactly one to care about pointless charms like that!

A/N- I have a new fic out! it's a walking dead Daryl/OC fic Check it out if you're a fan! Lots of love! X

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