Year 4

When Daphne had suggested that she wanted to visit Draco, her father was surprisingly pleased with her interest.

"I wasn't sure if you liked him that much. I mean, I can see why people like you would think he's spoiled or selfish, but he means well." Lennox said as he fixed his coat for work that day. Daphne stood beside the fireplace diligently, her heart pounding in her chest.

"No, I don't find Draco anything like that; we became very close after he was hurt in Care of Magical Creatures," Daphne said meekly, fixing her hair a little in the mirror above the mantle.

"Yes, Lucius told me about that; what a clever girl you are to do such a thing. You know, that's why you have new clothes; he gave me a big promotion after that." He said, giving her a rare, genuine smile.

Daphne felt her own smile beam in return. Ever since Daphne had outted her sister for her 'loose' ways, as her father called it, he had been paying extra close attention to Daphne, praising her for how smart she was. Daphne knew this was because he wanted a spy for his youngest daughter, and who better than her own sister. Although she was enjoying being the favourite, she knew it was probably temporary.

"What will you and Lucius be doing today?" she asked, pretending to be interested in whatever he would reply with.

"Oh, nothing you'd be interested in Daphne; Ministry stuff," Lennox replied in a patronizing voice.

Daphne smiled sweetly, knowing what that meant; illegal stuff. It was one of Daphne's worst fears that someday her father, or worse Lucius, would be caught smuggling something or 'obtaining information' from someone, and he would be sent to Azkaban. Her mother, however, was only pleased with her husband when he came home with lots of money, which only happened when he did Lucius's dirty work. Thus, the endless cycle continued.

"Ready to go?" he asked, handing her the jar of Floo Powder. She nodded her head, feeling her heart beating even faster as she thought about going to the Malfoy Manor for the first time. Taking a big handful of powder, she watched her father go first, and then she followed shortly after, calling the same name as he.

When she popped out on the other side, she was shocked to see that the room ahead of her was evidently a library, covered every inch in books. If she had been in Ravenclaw, perhaps she would have gone mad with curiosity. But because she was in Slytherin, and had a plan in her head, she exited the room and into what appeared to be a gallery. All along the wide hallway were mirrors, statues, and moving portraits who watched her walk past curiously. One woman in a portrait, wearing a diamond tiara and a royal blue ball gown, asked her if she was lost.

"Oh, uh, sort of. Have you seen Lucius or Draco? Or know where I can find them?" she asked, dusting the soot off her shirt.

"You mean my Grandson and Great-grandson?" she corrected her proudly "At this time, they would be in the dining room, eating lunch. Down to the end of the hall and to the left." She told her. Daphne thanked the woman and walked more briskly down in the direction she had been instructed.

She arrived at a door that was at least 10 feet high, made of the darkest wood she had ever seen. She wasn't sure if she should knock, or just walk in. Luckily for her, while she was thinking about what to do, she heard her father call her name from the opposite end of the hallway.

"Which room did you end up in? I found myself in the drawing room." He asked as he walked over to where she was standing.

"The library, I would imagine." Daphne smiled a little "It was filled with books on every wall."

"That would make it a library then, wouldn't it?" Lennox remarked in a deadpan voice. But, he changed his tune when he saw Daphne looking around the room. "Fantastic house, isn't it?"

"Oh yes! It's amazing!" she said, looking up at the gold-painted ceiling that was painted with pictures of centaurs and griffins battling.

"We're very lucky to be clients of Lucius Malfoy, and don't you ever forget it." He said and suddenly took her arm firmly in his grasp. "Do not make me regret bringing you here today. Behave yourself, and I'll buy you more clothes."

"You don't need to bribe me, father; I want to be here, remember?" Daphne said, slightly offended by his offer. "I'm not Astoria..." she added under her breath.

"Oh, right." He said, releasing her arm "Well, I hope you and Draco have fun then." He said, and then he pushed on the giant wooden door, revealing a room that could only be described as a ballroom with a giant table in the centre. The table, which was about half the length of the Hogwarts house tables, was made of solid oak and had ornate legs of griffins again. There were about 24 chairs around the table, and at the far end, below a portrait of a knight (probably a Malfoy ancestor, Daphne thought) standing victorious over the fireplace, sat Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco.

"Ah, there you are Lennox." Lucius said casually as he sipped from a teacup, reading the Daily Prophet "Have you read the paper this morning? Usual trash, of course..." he added, drifting off in his own reading. Lennox walked swiftly over to his side so he could read whatever article it was together.

"Draco, your friend is here too," Narcissa remarked, gently tapping his hand as he ate his lunch. Draco looked up from his plate and gave a small smile.

"Daphne, come and sit." He called to her across the room. She silently nodded her head and walked over, taking a seat beside Draco, watching him eat for a few seconds.

"My Daphne, how you've grown; I haven't seen you since you were about 4," Narcissa said, picking up her own teacup and looking at her over the top of it as she drank.

"Oh, thank you..." Daphne replied nervously; she had never met Narcissa to her recollection but decided that it was better to play along.

"And how are your mother and sister?" she added, setting the porcelain teacup and saucer down on the table gently.

"They're fine. They're actually with my aunt in London right now; another shopping adventure." She said, secretly annoyed that Draco's mother would bring them up.

"And you didn't want to go? Odd for a girl your age." Narcissa said lightly, reminding her for a moment of Pansy, with her secretly condescending tones.

"Oh, I have plenty of clothes for now. And I'd much rather spend my holidays at home, not traveling about the country spending my father's money." Daphne said shyly, rubbing her hands on her legs, feeling the material of her smooth new denim skirt under her hands. She had picked her outfit carefully and had settled on a denim miniskirt and a green blouse with buttons up the front, which her father said brought out her eyes.

I certainly hope they do.

"Well, what do you children intend to do today? Your grandmother is coming over today, and I don't want to be disturbed if you don't mind." Narcissa said gently to Draco as if she was asking for his permission.

"Daphne's never been here; I was going to give her the grand tour of the house, and then maybe try out her broom skills or something," Draco said, evidently disinterested by his relative's visit

"Well, make sure you're a good host to your friend." Narcissa reminded him gently, patting his hand again before she rose from the table, gave her husband a quick kiss goodbye, and floated out of the room.

"We'd best be off too," Lucius announced, folding his paper and snapping his fingers. In a flash, a house elf (the replacement elf for the one Potter had lost for them) appeared and began to clear the table of the Malfoy's dishes "Make sure Minnie does a good job, Draco. And don't bother your mother all day." Lucius said as he passed his son, tapping his cane on the floor as he walked past. Daphne nodded a goodbye to her father, and both her and Draco watched as their fathers left, leaving them alone for the first time in months.

"Merlin, I'm happy you're here." Draco sighed, pushing his food away from him and snapped his fingers; the house elf began to clear his plate "Between my mother flittering around with my crazy grandmother, and my father being all secretive in the library, I'm afraid my summer has been rather boring."

"Sounds better than mine," Daphne smiled "I have to deal with my sister all day, crying about whatever, and my mother consoling her..."

"Well, can I give you the grand tour first? Or are you not interested in that at all?" he asked, standing from the table and throwing his napkin on his house elf's head. Daphne could think of about 7 things she would like to do, but none of them were very civil or proper.

"Actually, I would love to see your house," She said, standing from the chair and fixing her skirt.

"Well, I should probably get dressed then," He smiled. Daphne now took notice that he was wearing those same black silk pajama bottoms that he did at Halloween and an old Quidditch World Cup sweater.

"Probably," She said quickly before she pretended to be interested in something that was outside the French windows facing into the yard.

I really wish I control how often I blush! It's so obvious...

"Alright, follow me." He said, heading out the door at the opposite end of the room. Daphne stood there for a moment, wondering if he meant to show her his room already. Curiosity got the better of her, and she ran to catch up.

The Malfoy Manor was in the Malfoy family for generations, according to Draco, who half-heartedly pointed out famous relatives on the walls as they walked through the gallery hallway, towards the library.

"... when the grandfather died, he left my father this house. And of course, I get it after my father." He said casually as he rounded a corner that Daphne did not see earlier, revealing a giant, marble staircase that led up to the bedrooms. "No one but a Malfoy and their spouses has ever spent more than 3 nights in this house." He added as he climbed the stairs. Daphne followed, amazed that he knew all this information on his own family and house; she could barely remember her great-grandparents names. "So, on the left and right you have the guest rooms if we should ever need them," Draco said, walking down the hall and only raising his hands lazily at the doors as he passed. "At the end of the hall on the right is my parents room; obviously we can't go in there...or would want to," he added, pointing at a door in the distance, almost hidden by the light that was streaming in the window that went from the ceiling to the floor at the end of the hall. "And this is my room," He said, sounding a little more interested as he opened the door and walked in.

Daphne froze at the threshold; was she supposed to follow, or wait for him to change? "You can come in." Draco laughed.

"Oh, uh, thanks," She said, feeling her cheeks go a little pink. She stepped into his room and felt her jaw drop. "Wow!" was the only thing she could think of to describe it.

"What?" he asked as he was digging clothes out from a massive wardrobe that was about as wide as Daphne's bed was long. Everything in the room was massive; his bed was at least a king, and it had a giant canopy atop its four-posts; he had his own stone fireplace in the corner, with dark blue leather couches and mahogany end tables; and in the other corner, there was his own miniature library, complete with a mahogany desk, a leather armchair, and bookshelves that reached the top of the 9 foot ceiling.

"Your room is about the size of an entire dorm room!" she said, shaking her head in amazement as she now noticed about 4 brooms propped up against a window, which was actually a French door, leading out to his own balcony.

And his room is about as valuable as my entire house... she thought, still shaking her head a little.

"Try the bed." He said as he dug through the wardrobe a little more.

"What!?" she flustered, feeling her cheeks go scarlet again. Did he really just ask me to 'try his bed'?

"Try it; jump on it or something. Trust me, it's worth it." He repeated, apparently un-phased by her reaction. "I'm going to change in here." He said, pulling clothes out of the wardrobe. Daphne was sure she was going to faint, but then he walked towards a doorway that was hidden by a royal blue curtain, evidently the bathroom.

Calm down! You're going to give yourself away when he takes one look at you! She told herself as she walked slowly towards his bed. So, this is where Draco sleeps... With no further hesitation, she jumped onto the bed and felt like she had landed in heaven; it was the softest, and yet firmest mattress she had ever felt!

"Draco, this is amazing!" she called, lying on her back and closing her eyes; she could spend an eternity in this bed, Especially if it's with him... she blinked and shook her head a little Wow, that was a little wicked! She scolded herself a little.

"I know, right? Father had it made by elves somewhere in Sweden; it's one-of-a-kind... well, except for the one my parents have." He said, throwing his clothes on the floor beside the bed and leaning against one of the four-posts. "So, are you going to spend the whole day testing out my bed, or do you want a tour of the grounds?" he smirked.

"I suppose I should take a tour of the grounds." She sighed a little as she attempted to climb out of the bed without messing up the sheets that were made.

"Don't worry, I'll get Minnie to fix it." He said once she was off the bed. "Want to see the forest?"

"Are there any big creatures in it?" Daphne asked automatically, recalling that perhaps he had never heard the speech about her being terrified on anything bigger than a normal dog.

"Define 'big'." He said, tilting his head as he thought for a moment "We have peacocks, and there may be a stag in there or something, but nothing the size of a dragon, if that's what you're asking."

"Alright, I guess I can deal with a peacock." She sighed, glancing out the window that she passed as they walked out of the room; the forest was dark green and brown, looking rather sinister.

Get a hold of yourself, Daphne. Remember what father said; not every forest has a giant, bloodthirsty creature lurking in the trees. It didn't help her feel much better...

The Malfoy's had a property that could rival that of the Royal Family; ponds with rare migratory birds, with intricate fountains in the centre; a marble pavilion that with a glass roof that made most people's houses look shabby; a forest that was practically stolen out of a painting. Draco certainly was living in a fairy tale of riches and privilege, which was something Daphne could only imagine experiencing.

"How do you feel about peacocks again?" he asked, not slowing his footsteps for a moment.

"I'm good with most birds, thank you," Daphne said quietly, looking up ahead at the small mound that looked like snow.

"Good, because here's one now," Draco said, clapping his hands to wake the bird into attention. The white bird jumped, startled by its rude awakening, and flexed his pure white feathers at the challenge. Daphne was quite taken aback by the perfection of the bird and felt a small, amazed smile cross her lips. "Father loves these things. Never understood why."

"Because they're beautiful?" Daphne pointed out, a small laugh at the end.

"It's a bird, Daph, not a human," Draco chuckled.

"Please don't call me that," She said in a low tone, barely audible.

"Why not?" he laughed lightly, teasing a little.

"Because what can I call you in my defence? Drakey-poo?" Daphne teased back.

"Ew! Please never say that again."

"My point exactly," She smiled, satisfied that she had managed to get her point across.

"Well, how can you and my father say that something like this, a bird with a big, bushy tail, is beautiful? It's a bird." Draco asked, tossing a piece of whatever food he had stashed in his pocket at the animal, which gracefully walked over and picked it up.

"Some of us understand the true beauty of nature. I'm glad your father and I share that gift," Daphne smirked. Draco only rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Guess who?" he grumbled, nodding his head towards the front gate. Daphne had automatically that perhaps it was her father, coming to fetch her home already. Then the idea of Pansy crashing their party came next, which made her temper flare a bit. Instead, she saw a woman, wearing a long, blood-red dress that dragged on the ground, and long gray hair tied back with a jewelled clip "Good old Grandmother Druella," he groaned "No doubt my mother will soon call us inside and demand that we sit in the drawing room and listen to them yap about the Dark Lord all afternoon."

"They're going to make both of us sit there?" Daphne whined, not really wanting to meet his grandmother, who was most likely as rigid as her daughter.

"If we're lucky, they'll just forget we're here," Draco said, craning his neck to see the old lady go into the house. "Let's go in here; she'll never come out here looking for us." He said, taking off into the trees. Daphne protested, but he didn't listen.

"Damn it." She mumbled to herself as she also ran in the same direction as him.

When she finally caught up to him, he was sitting high up in a tree that hung over a small brook. Panting, she leaned against the trunk of the massive tree, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath."How did you get up there so fast?" She managed between breaths. Draco hardly noticed; he was staring ahead at the view through the parted trees.

"Come up here." He said, nodding his head towards the low branch that he had evidently climbed, Daphne looked at it, a little wary of having to climb up in a skirt.

Oh well. If it gets me closer to Draco... she thought as she hoisted herself up onto the branch and managed to join Draco on the large limb overhanging the water. She stared ahead and saw what he had been staring at; far off in the distance were the large, ancient landmarks of Stonehenge, built as a primitive means of astronomy by early wizards (as they had learned in History of Magic).

"Cool. Nothing exciting is near St. Edmundsbury." Daphne sighed as she gripped a branch above her head for support as she stood on the limb beside Draco.

"We could fly over if it was nighttime. To Stonehenge, that is. But I'm afraid flying in broad daylight is frowned upon by the ministry," he said, perhaps more to himself.

"Our fathers used to do it all the time; that's where all the ghost stories of 'ancient spirits haunting the site' are from. It was really my father and his friends, making noises and throwing things about," He explained with a smirk. Daphne cocked one of her eyebrows and looked at him quizzically.

"That place has been haunted for hundreds, if not thousands, of years; you can't tell me your father is responsible for all the strange activity," she replied smartly, chuckling to herself with amusement.

"You forget my family has lived here for hundreds, if not thousands, of years." Draco smirked, looking up at her as she still stood beside him "Where do you think my father got the idea? And my Grandfather before him? Trying to keep the damn Muggles away. Of course, now they seem far too interested to stay away."

"Well, when you put it like that..." Daphne mumbled as she knelt down and sat on the limb beside him. "So what do you do with all your time here? Aside from terrorizing the locals," Daphne sighed, now taking the time to look down from their height; it was much higher than she had originally thought. "And climbing unthinkably high in trees!" she added, gripping the limb she sat on a little tighter.

"I probably should have told you not to look down, but I thought you had more sense," he chuckled to himself. "Well, there is one other thing I do..." he said in a low voice, pulling out his wand and shouting an incantation. Daphne missed what exactly he yelled because she very nearly fell off the branch when he waved his wand.

"Sorry, I missed that. What did you say?" she said feebly as she tried to rebalance herself on the limb.

"Just wait." He said slyly.

"I'm not sure I can!" she shouted as she felt herself lose the battle, and she fell backward from her perch, down about 12 feet to the ground.

Daphne hadn't known that she had knocked herself out until she felt her eyes blinking the bright sunlight that filtered down onto her from between the leaves. The first sensation that came after the feeling of warmth was the throbbing pain of her back, and then the matching feeling in her head.

"That looked painful," Draco said, stepping into the light now and smirking a little bit.

"A little," Daphne grumbled as she attempted to sit up. She was happy that none of her bones were broken, and nothing felt sprained or twisted. "How did I manage that?" she wondered aloud, flexing her fingers and turning her neck slowly to make sure everything was in working order.

"Lucky you picked the pile of leaves and mud to fall on or you would have had a broken back." Draco pointed out, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Lucky..." she mumbled to herself. She repeated what he said in her head and felt a bit of anger rise up in her "Mud!?" she breathed, turning her neck a little too fast to look at her behind; she felt a crack pass through that sent a sharp pain down her body "OW!" she shouted in pain, holding her neck with her hand "Oh, this is perfect! I'm covered in mud, my neck messed up..." she paused and watched Draco chuckling to himself "And you seem to find my pain hilarious." She said, narrowing her eyes, very annoyed by his reaction. He now burst out laughing and pointed at her hips, and she now noticed that her denim skirt was hiked up on one side, stuck together with the paste like mud. Daphne yanked it into place and felt her cheeks go hot pink. "Thanks..." She grumbled irritably.

"I've got brooms." Draco laughed, holding out two broomsticks "That's what I called before you decided to drop out of the sky." He teased, handing her his old Comet 260. Daphne looked at it curiously for a moment and then glanced at the one he had; it was, of course, his Nimbus 2001.

"And what do you propose I do with this broom with a broken back?" she grumbled as she examined how the handle had several chips in the side. Daphne wouldn't have been surprised if he had put them in himself to convince his father that he needed a new broom... along with the rest of the Slytherin team.

"Play Shuntbumps? Surely your back can't be that bad; you were only about 10 feet up." He teased. Daphne widened her eyes at him like he was insane.

"Shuntbumps?" she repeated, her eyes wide with disbelief "I just fell out of a tree and you want us to try and knock each other off our brooms?!"

"Oh, C'mon! You can't be hurt that bad!" he rolled his eyes and mounted his broom "This is why we don't let girls play on our team; they're too wimpy." He added with a smirk as he took off into the air above the trees

"Excuse me!" Daphne scoffed, mounting the broom at that comment and shot after him "I'm going to make you regret that comment, even if I break my back trying!" she hissed as she chased after him.

By the time the sun was setting, Draco and Daphne has spent most of the afternoon either attempting to wrestle each other off their brooms (which Narcissa shrieked at them to stop from the balcony, for fear Draco would get hurt), or racing in circles around the backyard, still kicking and pulling at each other each time they passed one another. Daphne had beat him at the first race, having kicked his broom hard enough to steer him off course for the split second she needed to get ahead. But by the last round, Draco had completely yanked her off her broom, causing her to skid along the ground, adding grass stains to her already filthy clothes.

"Well, that wasn't unfair at all." She called to him as he flew back towards her after crossing the finish line. He laughed and landed his broom, picking up the other one as he passed it.

"Don't be a sore loser, Daph." He smirked, and then took a moment to polish some dirt off his broom. Daphne smirked and took the opportunity to launch at him, throwing him to the ground. As he tried to wrestle free, she managed to snatch his wand from his back pocket and pointed it at his face.

"What did I tell you about calling me that?" she said, her eyes glaring but her mouth smirking. He tried to snatch it back from her, but she threw herself on top of his chest, holding down his arms with her knees. "Hmm? I didn't hear you? What did I say about calling me Daph, Drakey-poo?" she asked, laughing a little as he struggled. She pointed his wand at him threateningly. Draco stopped trying to squirm out of her pin and sighed in defeat, then started to laugh.

"Not to call you Daph?" he said, glaring but smirking all at once. Daphne let up her hold a little, satisfied with his response. Now Draco took the chance to overthrow her, sitting up so fast that he knocked her back onto her back; now he was sitting on her chest, the same maniacal look that she had, and was holding his wand again.

"Might I suggest you not try that again, Daphne?" he offered smartly. Daphne struggled to get free, but found that his weight was just in the right spot that she was utterly helpless.

This was also the moment she realized how bad this looked. She felt her cheeks going a little pink, and she tried to squirm out from underneath him.

"Draco, get off!" she laughed awkwardly "This looks much worse than it did before." She said, nodding her head towards the house so he would catch the hint. He glanced at the house and stared for a moment, then stood slowly and offered his hand again to help her up.

"Like my mother would do anything," he laughed, handing her a broom to carry "Although with the state of your clothes, she may jump to a variety of conclusions." He added with a grin, taking a few steps ahead of her as he headed back towards the took the moment to breathe again; she had been having so much fun until that moment that she had almost forgotten how awkward, and yet fulfilling, playing with him like that had been. And Draco had a very valid point; their parents were going to wonder what they were up to with her being so dirty.

"Well, let's hope that I can get some of this out before my father comes..." she said as she caught up to him. Draco said nothing at first, his gaze fixed on the balcony ahead.

"Too late." He said, nodding his head towards the house. There, on the balcony, stood Lennox and Lucius, watching them as they crossed the lawn. Daphne felt her cheeks go red again with embarrassment and her chest tighten for fear of the oncoming confrontation.

He probably thinks I'm a brute if he saw me wrestling him like that! And when he sees how dirty I am, he'll jump to the completely wrong conclusion, as usual...

Once they were inside the little area that could be described as no bigger than a closet, Draco put the brooms into a cupboard in the corner and took off his muddy shoes. He looked at Daphne and laughed to himself

"I would tell you to take off your muddy shoes, but I don't think it makes much difference." He said, snapping his fingers. Minnie appeared at once and glanced at Daphne with a look of bewilderment, she ran around her once, her tiny old make-shift dress (which had once been placemats, Daphne gathered) flapping as she moved. Then, with a snap of her fingers, she watched as the mud and leaves dissolved off her clothes and skin, leaving only faint traces of green from the grass stains. As soon as the house-elf cracked a small smile to Draco, their parents appeared from the inside hallway. Narcissa was flittering around behind Lucius, trying to peer around him to make sure Draco was alright. Lucius and Lennox looked slightly amused, much to Daphne's surprise.

"Having fun out there?" Lennox teased, clapping his hand on his daughter's shoulder. She flinched a little at the action but gave him a weak, agreeing smile.

"Daphne and I were having a little disagreement over nicknames." He smirked at her. Daphne shook her head slowly and narrowed her eyes.

"I think he learned his lesson," Daphne teased with a dark voice.

"Well, you didn't need to tear each other apart!" Narcissa breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there wasn't a scratch on her son. "Not to mention tearing about the yard trying to wrench each other off brooms!" she added, looking to Lucius for some reinforcement.

"Draco, Daphne is a young lady; you shouldn't treat her like one of your boy friends." Lucius warned. Daphne stifled a small laugh when Lucius said 'boy friends', which she covered with a cough. Draco, however, caught the innuendo and narrowed his eyes warningly at Daphne.

"I wouldn't have if she didn't put up such a fight." Draco said, looking back to his father "She fights better than most guys I know."

So much for being a wimpy girl... Daphne smiled to herself a little

Lennox let out a booming laugh that made Draco and Daphne jump a bit. "My daughter fighting like a boy? I always knew you would be like a son to me, Daphne." He said, pulling her into an awkward half-hug with his one arm. Daphne felt her cheeks going pink again.

"Great..." she mumbled as she watched Draco now trying to hold back a laugh.

"And where do you get all your practice?" Lucius asked, not really seeming amused by her actions.

"Surely not with Draco!" Narcissa chimed in from behind her husband.

"No, I have all the practice I need at home; a spoiled sister who needs dealing with," Daphne said, smirking at Draco because she knew how much she would get for that comment.

"Watch it, Daphne," her father warned, no longer laughing. "Your sister is not spoiled."

"No father, she deserves everything she gets..." she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes to Draco, who was trying not to laugh with her.

"That's enough, Daphne," He warned again, gripping her arm firmer. "Well Lucius, I think we'll be heading off now," Lennox announced graciously. Daphne rolled her eyes and waved a small goodbye to Draco.

"Come back soon, please. I get bored enough here without someone my age to talk to." Draco said, not meeting his parents' eyes.

"I'm glad you think so highly of us, Draco," his mother said stiffly. "And your grandmother is waiting to see you."

"Joy..." he mumbled as he was led off by his mother. Lucius stayed behind to give Lennox instructions for tomorrow, but Daphne was barely listening; she was watching Draco shuffle away with his graceful mother. She had a great day with him, and although it was rather short, she would have gladly endured falling out of a hundred trees to do it again.

She was now confident of their friendship and felt that she had the advantage she needed to steal him away from Pansy.

It will take a bit of planning, and a lot of practice with Tracey, but I'm sure it can be done now. I have more stories and activities to laugh with about then she certainly will.

"C'mon Daphne, let's get moving. Your mother is waiting for us." Lennox instructed, pushing her in the direction of the drawing room.

They disappeared from the Malfoy Manor via Floo Powder, and as Daphne felt the green flames take her away, she felt her mind working, planning out how she would make this home her own someday...