24th of December 1986.

Christmas wasn't something that Heidi cared much for. It wasn't that she didn't like spending time with her family or getting presents, she in fact enjoyed both of these things as any nine year old girl would, what she didn't like that much was the annual Christmas Eve party her aunt and uncle would hold. Heidi's aunt would force her into an uncomfortably tight dress that weighed twice as much as Heidi herself did, lace her up in a corset that was far too emphasizing in certain areas that weren't there yet, and paint her face up like a circus clown to parade Heidi around like a common farm animal.

Heidi had many faults. She would never deny that, but her saving grace, in her own opinion, was her love of making people smile. She'd sacrifice her own happiness just to see even the slightest of smiles grace someone who she loved face. That was why she endured all her aunts needless fussing and fretting over the smallest and most insignificant details. Narcissa would guide her niece around each of these parties, her chest swelled with pride, as she introduced her beloved niece to business partners of her husband, a few of her sisters friends that had escaped the Auroras and possible suitors parents for her niece and son.

Up till the age of eight Heidi only had to attend her aunt's parties on certain occasions. But on her eighth birthday a string of beautiful and elegant dresses had been given to her rather than the usual twenty or so books. Confused at first Heidi had enjoyed the striking colours, even if most of them were green and silver, the soft feel, even though most of them would be too tight when worn, and the amazingly detailed designs to them. She had yet to realize that they would be her down fall come later years.

It was on the second Christmas party she had been forced to attend, when she was but only nine years old, that Heidi made her first real friend outside of her family. Although the way Pure-bloods went about marriage they probably shared some ancestry at one point or another and would be rather easy to find if Heidi really wanted to. Her name was Astoria Greengrass and she had social graces that left everyone around her in slight awe.

Slightly taller than Heidi, Astoria's had a much more regal presents to her rather than Heidi's bright bubble of light that people, no matter how snobbish, couldn't help but love. Apart from a few subtly differences, the two could easily pass as sisters, much like many pure-blood families could. Where Heidi had stormy grey eyes that were uncommon in the Black family women, Astoria had the much more common green eyes from the old pure-blood lines. While Heidi's hair was as black as the void and untameable, Astoria held it loosely just below her shoulders and unnaturally straight. Both though were remarkably pale, as all good pure-blood women were.

The circumstances of their friendship may have been odd to many people in modern society, but being a Pure-blood was a throwback to days gone by. Barley anything changed, and when it did, it was so small and subtly that people though it was always there, just hidden in the back ground.

Heidi's aunt, who had been dragging her around like she did at every party that Heidi attended, had caught sight of someone who she didn't want Heidi associating with. So being the kind and loving aunt she was, had simply given Heidi to Draco, who had always been in attendance at the pure-blood parties, while she went and associated with said person. For a few moments Draco had been attentive of his beloved cousin, who he worshipped, before catching sight of Pansy Parkinson and racing after her. Leaving the very charming, if slightly awkward, Hydra LeStrange to the sharks.

Within a few seconds of her solitude Heidi had been swarmed by people wanting to fix her up with their sons and in one case, daughter. The LeStrange name carried great weight, even if the current heads of house were locked away in Azkaban prison, and with that weight came the bottom feeders, there to suck poor innocent Heidi dry. That was until Astoria Greengrass came to her rescue.

The pressure of the drones of people was weighing on poor Heidi when she felt the lightest of touches on her shoulder. Without even waiting for her to turn around, a slight push was given to Heidi and she was directed away from the crowd and into a more privet area of the full swing, for pure-bloods, party.

Heidi had turned around ready to snap at the man who had stolen her, even though she was grateful for being away from the mooches, only to stop short at the tender face of a young girl. She was smiling at Heidi, not the way her mother would smile, deranged and derailed, or her aunt, subtle happy or rather coy, or even her uncle Sirius, who always had the darkness of his incarceration hanging around him, but a true smile. The kind Heidi herself would offer people. Happy.

Not even a full second had gone by and Heidi already saw a friend in the unnamed girl. Someone who despite the darkness that surrounded them, or perhaps because of it, helped someone in need and then offered a gentle smile as if to say, "Hey no biggie I'm sure you'd have helped me out if it was me."

"I'm sorry if I've upset you Ma'am," the girl said as she curtsied a little, obversely knowing who Heidi was. "But you seemed in a little trouble back there and I wanted to help. These things can get rather over whelming if one is not use to them."

For a few seconds Heidi just stared at the girl, taking her in. But she quickly shook it off and slipped into the role of heiress as her aunt had taught her. "It's fine Miss. Obversely I wasn't doing see well and I am happy to see that a friendly face was the first to notice. If it was one of them," a quick flick of her hand towards the men and women who were eyeing the two girls with hunger set a little laugh form Heidi's yet to be named saviour, "I would have been eaten alive. So thank you Miss…"

"Oh how rude of me. Greengrass, Astoria Greengrass," Astoria said as she held out her hand to Heidi. Without a moment of hesitation, Heidi clasped it and shook. Astoria's eyes seemed to linger on her small hands for just a moment before her they flicked back upwards.

"If you don't mind me asking Ma'am, why are you here," at the clear shock on Heidi's face Astoria quickly rushed on. "Not that you shouldn't be here or anything, I'm just curious as to why you are in attendance now, when you never were before. I'm sure there are things you'd much rather be doing then standing around getting trotted about like cattle."

With those few words Heidi's good nature had turned dark. Her aunt had taught her the game that Pure-bloods played with each other. Words some times, were more deadly than the wand or sword, and if she wasn't careful, she could very well destroy her family's name.

"My mother and father were sent to Azkaban as I am sure you know. My aunt believed the shock of lousing both my parents in the same night was too much for me to handle, so thought it best I avoid these events for a while. But I am much better now."

"Hmmmm. In truth I'm not much of a fan of these things. I'd rather be at home doing something more beneficial to my learning as I'm sure you'd rather be reading," Astoria said as she sipped a drink that a House-elf had offered her.

"How did you know I like reading?" Heidi asked, her head snapping from her little cousin racing about to the girl in front of her.

Smiling kindly Astoria pointed towards Heidi's unglove hands. "You're hands are far too perfect for you to play any sports or musical instruments. Plus you are very pale. Don't go outside much I'm betting. You have a lovely voice, but it is too low for a singer. You look amazing, but don't have the balance or stick skinny figure for a dancer. When we shook hands you clasp was far too light for a drawer either. Plus if you painted at all you would have known how to remove the makeup you don't like and fix it easily, rather than the brush up around your eyes. As we are too young to learn magic you must have some sort of hobby to occupy your time. After ignoring all those, the only thing acceptable left is reading. It wasn't that hard to figure out Ma'am," as soon as Astoria spoke her last word, the smile fell from her mouth as she gapped in horror at what she had said. She obversely hadn't meant to say it all, if any. "Oh Ma'am I am so sorry! Pleas-"

But Heidi cut her off with a slight laugh. Her face, which had remained blank as per request of her aunt was now a wide grin. "Oh Astoria, is that your Hobby? Figuring things out?"

Nodding sheepishly Astoria turned her eyes to Heidi, deep in her green orbs, Heidi saw amusement. "Father taught me how to observe. He says the best way to win people over is to control the conversation. If I know all about someone before they even open their mouths, I'm in control."

"How interesting. I'm never able to pay that close of attention to things. I easily get distracted –ARUGH!" the rest of Heidi's sentence was cut off as Draco ran into her, pushing her into Astoria and into a House-elf that was carrying some rather…Messy foods. As their elders looked on in horror, Heidi and Astoria shared an amused look before bursting out into laughter.

And thus began a friendship that, while not everlasting or iron-clad, was strong for people in their position. The two girls saw something in each other at the time that people like them didn't see often; kindness. Neither wanted anything from the other apart from their friendship and compony. Throughout the two girls lives it would be a constant tug-of-war over who they were. Both not the same one hundred precent and both not completely dissimilar. Fate had decided to inter-tangled the two girl's lives for the moment, whether or not they would stay friends was yet to be seen.

(Okay Astoria Greengrass was Draco's wife and I wanted to give Heidi a friend in Pure-bloodness, so that if she's not in Slytherin, she still had a connection to that house for the two years her cousin isn't there. I felt like Narcissa would be a loving aunt, but very set in her ways, so she wouldn't let Heidi near any parties for a while, but would be happy to strut her around when she went.

I hope you liked it, I'm going to work on Christmas next, a very sappy Draco Heidi cousin love there. Draco's going to Hero worship her because she has the Dark-mark like his father.

Remember to feed the Author. As well as tell me what house you want Heidi in. She's got a little bit of everything in her.

Ravenclaw: 3

Hufflepuff: 2

Slytherin: 1

Gryffindor: 1)