Midnight Grace

Chapter Two: The Prefects


The boy sitting across from Thane and Draco in the Great Hall winced and grabbed his shin beneath the table. The dusty blonde looked aggravated to say the least, but soon caught on as to what Thane meant him to do.

“Laelonatia,” Thane called out just as the redhead passed. “Please, sit with us,” he smiled as he stood, gesturing toward the recently vacated seat across from him. “My name is Thane Purefoy, the Third and this is Draco Malfoy,” he said, introducing himself and his white-haired friend with a flourish.

“Please, call me Tia,” she said, smiling and placing her hand in Thane’s offered one, but her eyes moved slowly to the blonde standing next to him. Both boys were tall, nearly matched in height, and both were terribly handsome. “Draco is it?” she asked, offering her hand openly to him.

“Draco Malfoy,” he said with a confident smirk. “Slytherin Prefect.”

“Pleased to meet you, Draco Malfoy, Slytherin Prefect,” Tia repeated, smiling brightly with green eyes sparkling. She was desperately trying to ignore the feeling that she’d never before met a boy.

Draco had watched the stunning redhead, his grey eyes flicking from her face to her hair to the way the Champagne robes clung to her curves, all the while thinking that if she were sorted Gryffindor it would have been the biggest mistake the sorting hat ever made. No Gryffindor would ever look like THAT!

But Draco was not disappointed, and soon the ratty old relic had called out “Slytherin” as applause erupted and he felt a smirk dance across his lips. Apparently that hideous thing wasn’t as daft as he’d supposed it to be!

Before he was quite sure what had happened, Thane had called to her and soon they were both standing, leaning across the table to take her hand in turn.

Draco stood for a moment, a smirk painted on his face, her small hand in his, and momentarily lost in the sparkling emerald depth of her eyes. An elbow nudged his ribs and pulled him back to reality and he turned his head to see one of Thane’s eyebrows cocked in curiosity.

“The pleasure is all ours,” Thane assured the girl, bowing slightly at the waist as Draco released her hand. “It isn’t every day we get a transfer student in her seventh year, let alone one so beautiful.” He gave her a wink as she sat down on the bench.

Draco sat down and saw her looking curiously at the two large boys seated next to him. “That’s Crabbe and that’s Goyle,” he explained. “Don’t waste your time talking to them. You’ll get better results from a brick wall or a Gryffindor,” he snickered.

“Gryffindor? Isn’t that one of the houses?” Tia asked, all the while McGonagall was still finishing up her welcoming speech.

“Yes,” the blonde prefect sneered, “the idiots all the way across the room. It’s the house Saint Potter is in, no doubt you’ve heard of him? We’ve been unfortunate enough to have to see him on a daily basis.”

Before Tia could even reply to this, a dark haired girl appeared behind Draco, smiling broadly, “Oh! You’re welcoming the new girl, Draco! Let me help!”

Draco’s eyes went wide at the sight of Pansy. “No, we can handle it quite well without you.”

“But I AM a prefect too!” Pansy insisted, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the beautiful new girl.

“You’re only a prefect because it gets rid of you for most of the night,” Thane yawned. “Buzz off Poochy!”

“You’d better watch talking to a prefect like that!” Pansy snapped. “Besides, I need to talk to Draco.”

“You can talk to me later,” he waved his hand to dismiss her as the Headmistress’s speech wound to a close and applause erupted once more through the room.

“No, I want to talk to you NOW!” Pansy demanded, stomping her foot. “I’ve waited all summer to see you Draco and-“

“Then you can wait longer!” He sneered at her.

“Why? So you can flirt with the imported trash?” Pansy demanded angrily.

“If anything, I’d be recycled trash,” Tia commented dryly, unfazed by the girl’s tantrum. “I was born here,” she said, her native-born accent returning. Turning to Draco, she raised an eyebrow. “A scorned ex-girlfriend?” she asked him with a coy smile.

“Pardon?!” Pansy scowled, her face looking even uglier if that was possible. “I’ll have you know that I’m not an ex anything!” she said emphatically.

“Hard to be an ex when you’ve never been one in the first place,” said Thane, smiling as he picked up a dinner roll from the recently filled bowl in front of him and taking a bite. “Pity though,” he said thoughtfully, “think of all the stories you could have told your grandchildren.” He looked up at her appraisingly. “Well, someone’s grandchildren anyway.”

Tia raised a hand to her mouth to stifle a snicker, feeling the heated gaze coming from Pansy Parkinson. She looked up from her plate to Draco, who she was surprised to find looking at her and not paying any attention to the ranting pig-nosed girl standing beside him. Settling herself, she regained her composure and began taking food on her plate as if the girl wasn’t even there.

Pansy stood there furiously looking from Draco to Tia to Thane and back to Draco. “Is no one paying attention to me?”

“Not really, no,” said Draco flatly, smiling across the table at Tia. “Why don’t you find something else to do,” he said, not even bothering to look at her.

“Yes, perhaps chasing your tail could keep you occupied through the course of dinner,” Thane chimed in with a snicker. Both Crabbe and Goyle began to chuckle until she stared them down vehemently.

Jo looked down the length of the table as the new girl took a seat across from Draco Malfoy.

“Looks like Purefoy will be busy for awhile, after all, Marianna,” Liz smirked.

“I’m much prettier than HER!” the Spanish beauty huffed, her fork brandished threateningly.

“All a matter of opinion,” Jo pointed out. “Besides what happened to what’s-his-name?”

“Damien? He GRADUATED last year, remember?” Marianna rolled her eyes.

“He was only a rebound anyway, after the great Purefoy abandoned you,” Liz snickered, reaching for a dinner roll.

“So what do you think is up with her?” Jo asked, nodding towards Laelonatia at the other end of the table.

“What do you mean?” Liz followed the blonde’s gaze, her roll forgotten in its basket.

“Think about it. Beginning of seventh year she transfers in, isn’t that weird? One year?” Jo thought about her own reasons for being at Hogwarts and couldn’t help but feel an immense curiosity.

“She’s probably just here because Hogwarts has such a reputation,” Liz shrugged.

“Or because she got pregnant at her old school,” Marianna added, eyes narrowed at Thane’s obvious attempts at a flirtation with the redhead.

“You don’t even know her yet,” the dark haired English girl pointed out, retrieving her roll and the butter dish.

“And there’s Poochy,” Jo smirked, nodding to the head of the table. “So do you think the new girl will be in with us? We have an empty bed left…”

“Oh I’m sure,” Marianna muttered darkly. “What a wonderful welcome present after my horrible holiday!” she moaned dramatically. “First the mold and the wet and now this!”

“Oh put a sock in it,” Liz rolled her eyes, suddenly smirking as Pansy stormed away from the table. “Looks like they got rid of her,” she commented.

As Tia watched Pansy stalk down the length of the table, after Thane had unleashed a barrage of politely worded insults at the prefect, she noticed a girl with long blonde hair looking her way inquisitively.

“Are all the girls so friendly here?” asked Tia with a grin, nodding towards Pansy. “I’m not sure what to do with such a warm and inviting house.”

“Don’t mind her,” said Draco, waving off the remnants of Pansy’s presence.

“Who is that girl own there,” she asked curiously, careful not to let the blonde girl see she was talking about her.

“Which one?” asked Draco, casually glancing down the table.

“The blonde with long hair, about half way down,” said Tia, taking a bite of some sort of beef stew. “My God, this is horrible! Pass me the salt shaker, would you?” she asked Goyle, who seemed a bit flustered that she addressed him directly. The short-browed boy attempted to pick up the requested item but fumbled and sent the shaker directly into his bowl of stew.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake,” Draco huffed, drawing his wand and pointing it at the larger boy.

Tia sat back with an eyebrow raised and watched Draco carefully. Hexing the boy wasn’t exactly what she had in mind, but she did think it was a sweet thing to do for her at any rate.

Goyle shrank back with a look like he had just wet himself, and to most everyone’s surprise, Draco lifted the shaker from the bowl of stew, and holding it in his napkin, he muttered a spell that cleaned it off and handed it to Tia. “Thank you,” she said, taking the salt from his hand, letting her finger brush over the back of his hand as she did so.

“Well, that is Jo Constantinescu,” said Draco, answering Tia’s previous question, reacting inwardly to the girl’s touch. “Thane fancies her. Has for some time,” he said, smirking at his friend and receiving a scowl in return.

“Has she refused your advances, Thane?” asked Tia, smiling as she seasoned her stew. “That surprises me from someone with your obvious... well… talents, as it were.”

“No one knows if she would refuse him since he’s never directly approached her,” added Draco, a wry smirk on his lips.

“And you’d think after seventeen years of friendship, one would learn how to keep his mouth closed,” said Thane, glaring at the blonde boy next to him.

“That’s okay, Thane,” Tia consoled. “You’re secret is safe with me.”

“That’s not likely to mean much in this House,” Draco grinned.

Thane watched the interaction between Draco and Laelonatia. It seemed that he had been bested by the most unlikely of opponents, his best friend. But that made no matter to the Slytherin boy who had had no shortage of female partners and prospects throughout his years inside these castle walls. In fact, he was rather impressed with Draco for taking the initiative. In the six years they had attended this school, Thane had not once witnessed the fair-haired boy approach, accept or even notice a girl attending Hogwarts. He felt them all beneath him and wouldn’t waste his precious time or attention on something he felt to be sub-par. The closest he came was taking Pansy to the Yule Ball their fourth year and that was only a matter of convenience. A Malfoy couldn’t possibly be seen unaccompanied at such an event, and with Pansy trailing in his shadow incessantly, it was simply the easiest solution.

Dinner ended quickly, as it always seemed to on the first night of the new school year, and Thane stood and took leave of his friends. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Laelonatia,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. “I’m sure that you will be well taken care of in our prefect’s more than capable hands.” He turned to grin at Draco. “And with that, I take leave of you now as I have more pressing things to attend to.”

“Yeah, something with a Slavic flavor to it, eh, Cousin?” Draco smirked, nudging his friend’s arm.

“I feel it’s time to play my hand and see how I fair,” said Thane, a mischievous light in his dark blue eyes.

Draco snickered, “It’s likely Pomfrey will be putting him together after she’s done with him. A boy hasn’t approached her successfully yet.”

“There’s a first time for everything, Cousin,” said Thane, a crooked grin turning up the corner of his mouth as he walked away.

“How do you think he’ll do?” asked Tia as they watched him approach the blonde girl who was now just walking out of the doors.

“I’m sure I’ll find out later,” said Draco. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour on the way to Slytherin,” he said, motioning for her to join him. “Of course, I may have to show you the way a few times. Wouldn’t want you getting lost in a group of First Years.”

“Of course not,” she said with a knowing a smile. “I’d love a tour.”

Outside the Great Hall, Thane managed to snag Jo away from her pack of roommates and pull her toward a statue just down from the entrance.

“What do you think you’re…” Jo began nastily then quickly softened when she realized who had her arm. “Oh, hi,” she said, not quite meeting his eyes.

“Now is that a proper greeting for an old friend?” said Thane, smiling down at the girl. His tall frame towered over her as he let his hand slip down her arm and take her hand.

“Old friend?” Jo asked, her voice puzzled. Thane and she had spoken so few times she could probably count them on one hand. They weren’t in the same social circles, and they didn’t circulate in the same places. Acquaintance she would agree to, but friend? That seemed a little… wait a minute… was he after something here? What could she possibly have he’d be interested in? He had a reputation as a manipulator when the mood suited him, though really what he’d be out for she couldn’t imagine.

"Of course," he said, allowing his fingertip to glide over the soft skin of her palm. "Please tell me you've forgiven me," he said with a pathetic sort of pout.

“Forgiven you?’ she blinked at him, her mind lost on the realization he was caressing her hand. “You mean the dragon incident?” She felt her face turn red. “I already told you that last year…” she trailed off, shaking her head and collecting her thoughts. “Okay, what is it?”

"What is what?" he asked with a crooked grin, his head cocked to one side.

“This?” She nodded to her hand and then to him. “What do you want?”

"To see how your holiday went, of course," said Thane, continuing to take advantage of her hand. "I must say that I was quite pleased to see you on the train today. I was afraid you wouldn't be attending Hogwarts this year."

Jo narrowed her eyes at the boy, trying to think of a tactful way to reclaim her hand from his obvious efforts. “My holiday was fine, yes, I’m here again, and now what do you REALLY want?”

"I can't imagine what you're implying," said Thane, feigning hurt. "I simply wanted to say hello... but, if my company isn't desired, I’ll leave," he said, taking a step away but careful not to release her hand too soon.

Jo stopped, not sure whether she’d really hurt his feelings or not and torn between a reply. Her arm stretched out in front of her, her hand still wrapped in his. “I didn’t say that,” she sighed. “Look, just get to the point, okay?” There, that was fairly tactful, right?

Thane laughed as he watched the blonde shift her weight from one foot to the other. "Do I make you uncomfortable?" he asked abruptly, his dark blue eyes penetrating.

”Uncomfortable? No, wary is more like it.” She forced herself to meet his gaze head on.

Her crystal blue eyes caught him. She was an enigma that captivated him as no other had. "I assume you're referring to my reputation that clearly precedes me. I won't deny it," he said, meeting her gaze firmly. "But, that’s not why I’m talking to you now."

She continued to eye him somewhat suspiciously, “Then I assume you won’t be offended if I ask WHAT your intention is? You’re not vying for Marianna again, are you? Because if so I’m hardly the person to talk to…”

"Marianna?" he laughed with a look of puzzlement. "Hardly…" He paused, his eyes narrowing as he studied her for a moment. He wasn't sure, but he could almost see a crack in that fortress she seemed to have built around her. "This has nothing to do with her. I try desperately not to make the same mistake twice.”

Jo snickered, despite herself, “You might want to tell her that. She seems to have plans for the two of you that include naming your first born.”

"Which is precisely the reason she no longer holds my interest," said Thane matter-of-factly. "Now, you on the other hand... you have held my attention without any effort at all," he grinned. In fact, Jo had held his attention for the better part of their sixth year together. Yet, for some reason he hadn't felt the need to approach her without ambiguity until now.

“Riiiiiight…” Jo took a step back, tugging at her hand, which Thane had a firm grasp on. “Where did you go for your Holiday? The Jungles of Borneo? Did you by any chance catch a brain fever?” She gave him one of those “where is the real Thane Purefoy and why am I talking to an alien” looks. She’d no more held his attention than a tea kettle had! What WAS he up to?!?

Thane, truly befuddled by her offhanded remark, held her hand refusing to let it go. With narrowed, suspicious eyes, he said, "I'm not sure if those types of remarks are common Stateside, but my holiday was spent at my family’s compound and nothing much of interest happens there. I'm afraid I have no tall tales to tell of jungle adventures or surviving any sort of brain-ravaging fevers." Unable to suppress a smirk, he found himself drifting toward her again and wondering what exactly she would come up with next. It was almost like a game.

She shook her head, “If you don’t have a brain fever to blame this on, you must have been replaced by aliens OR you’re up to something. Care to guess which of the two I’m currently betting on?” She raised her eyebrows at him. “What is it? A bet maybe? How about a joke? Or maybe you want me to do something? Tell you something? Which of these are closest?”

"You are impossible, woman," he commented, smiling at her all the while. "I can only imagine what you're wagering on, but I have no bets with anyone," he said, his eyes drifting to the ceiling for a moment. "Well, unless you consider having a discussion with myself over the outcome of this very conversation a bet," he said with a boyish grin. "Still waiting to see if I can overcome the odds."

“The odds?” Jo blinked. “Mmmm. So, is that what this is? One of the few Slytherins you haven’t bedded yet, seventh year, graduation coming and all.” She rolled her blue eyes. “Well, thanks, but no thanks. Afraid I don’t need someone to keep my pillow warm for a couple of nights,” she tugged on her hand once again, her brow furrowing when it didn’t come loose.

"Hmmm," he said thoughtfully, the tiniest of grins still on his lips. "My reputation is well circulated, and I've already said that I won't deny it. But, I'm also sure that it is well known that I don’t lie about my intentions or what my ambitions are." He paused, taking the time to soften his hold on her and run his thumb across the back of her hand. "Now, I'll tell you this honestly and without hope or agenda, but the odds I wish to overcome are my own. I have set the stakes against myself and you are only playing by the rules that I have laid out. But, let me also say, and this with quite a bit of hope and most definitely with agenda, that I find you different than any other girl I've ever...” he coughed, “bedded. And I have no intentions of you becoming part of that particular not-so-exclusive group."

He looked deeply into her pale eyes, studying them, searching them, wanting to make it known that he was serious. "And now I'll bid you good night," he said and lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it chastely. "Forgive me for my abruptness. Have a good night, Iosifina."

Jo blinked at him, still digesting his speech and unable to come up with a suitable reply. “Um, yeah, okay, good night too, but it’s Jo, huh?”

"Very well then, Jo," Thane smiled as he released her hand and stepped away. "I look forward to tomorrow." He turned and walked away toward the dungeon staircase, smiling and nodding at a group of first year girls as he passed. It didn't go exactly as he had planned, but it wasn't a total failure. No, there was definitely a chance and he planned to seize every opportunity she would afford him.

Jo stared after Thane, still blinking, her hand held up in midair, unsure what to make of the entire encounter.

“What’s wrong with you?” a sarcastic voice sounded, and she looked up to see a Gryffindor sneering at her.

“Bite yourself,” Jo snapped irritably and stalked away towards Slytherin dungeon, taking her steps slowly and pondering on the episode in question. “Rules HE’S laid out?” she murmured to herself. Well that was just slightly odd! No, not slightly - very. What rules? What odds? Maybe he HAD flipped his lid during Summer Holiday?

Different from every other girl he’s bedded? Um, yeah, that was an understatement in more ways than he knew. The list of differences was a mile long and started with her being in the wrong social class and then moved all the way down past her NOT hanging on his every word and gesture and ended somewhere around what she’d discovered last year. That one detail her parents had neglected to mention all of these years. Shaking her head she tried to push it from her mind and prepared herself for the chaos that would be the Slytherin common room.

Sure enough, the carpeted dungeon room was a picture of bustle and disorder beyond the hidden stone door. Jo made her way past the chirping, happy groups all exchanging summer stories and dodged down the corridor and stairs, seeking the safety of her bedroom. She made it just in the door and stopped, looking at the bed that had been previously empty. Sitting at the foot of it was a large, expensive trunk.

“There you are!” Liz’s voice sounded and Jo turned, looking at the brunette. “What was all that?”

“Purefoy? I have no idea. Something about rules and odds. I don’t know. I think he’s up to something, personally,” the blonde strode across the room and opened her wardrobe, rearranging the things the house elves had put away already. She was still unclear what he thought he was doing. She wasn’t his type and they both knew it – Marianna, now that was his kind of girl. All painted nails and perfume, and very little brains. All the wealthy boys liked those kinds, especially the ones that came with a hefty family fortune!

“Maybe he’s finally, oh I don’t know, picking up where he left off?” Liz suggested, dropping onto Jo’s bed.

“Hardly,” Jo murmured, not wanting to discuss it with her. She wasn’t sure yet that Liz wouldn’t run her mouth and the last thing she wanted when she’d just started school was a bunch of rumors going around! “I see we have a new roommate?”

“The exchange student,” Liz nodded. “She’s being shown around by Draco now, I hear.”

“Better Draco than Pansy. After that display at dinner I think Poochy would just drown her in the lake,” the blonde snickered.

“No better than what Draco will be doing,” Liz grinned.

“Somehow I don’t picture him attacking her in the corridor,” Jo rolled her eyes.

“Who said attack? You can’t take advantage of the willing you know! Did you see the way they looked at each other?” her eyes glowed.

“Oh please, not this already! The poor girl just got here!” the blonde shook her head.

In the corridors outside of Slytherin, Draco’s personalized tour of Hogwarts was coming to an end. They walked the corridors of the dungeons all the while the white-haired Prefect giving Laelonatia bits of history as it pertained to the Malfoy family and, more directly, his father, Lucius.

It had been more than a year since Draco had last seen his father, and he was still struggling to fill the noticeable void left when Lucius Malfoy had been sent to the wizard’s prison, Azkaban. The care of his mother had been his first and most important responsibility, and as it turned out, it also became the first to be exploited by the Dark Lord himself. Lord Voldemort had wasted little time before taking advantage of Draco’s precarious position, the boy being barely sixteen and still trying desperately to follow in his father’s footsteps. The boy’s loyalty to his father had made it easy for the Dark Lord to manipulate him ever so cruelly by threatening the welfare of not only his mother, but his father as well. And shortly after the end of his sixth year, Lucius had mysteriously disappeared from Azkaban. With the loss of the Dementors’ loyalty, not even the Ministry of Magic could pin down his whereabouts. And many who believed the Ministry to be corrupt also believed they had turned a blind eye to his escape. But, regardless of the circumstances, neither Draco nor his mother had heard from him since.

“You mean you don’t know where your father is or even if he’s alive?” asked Laelonatia, somewhat taken aback by Draco’s frankness on the matter, as well as his seemingly infinite admiration for his father.

“Oh, he’s alive. I’m sure of it,” answered Draco confidently without even the slightest hint of doubt.

“But, how do you know for sure?” she asked delicately, not really meaning to press the issue, but he had piqued her curiosity.

“We would have heard one way or another if he had been hurt in any way,” he said, his eyes catching the torchlight when he turned to look at Tia.

She looked up at him, seeing only for a shadow of a moment the depth of passion behind his icy grey eyes. “Well, I wish someone would make my mother disappear,” commented Tia abruptly, changing the subject for her own sake as well as his. In reality, she could sense the ominous cloud bubbling just beneath the surface and was unwilling to let herself be exposed to it just yet. It wasn’t that she thought he would divulge anything he shouldn’t, in fact, quite the opposite was true. He was obviously skilled at keeping his mind closed and his feelings buried, but what disturbed her was his ability to speak so freely of his awful experiences without so much as a flicker of emotion. But, more truthfully, his openness had triggered a bubble of her own emotional instability and she knew that right now was not even close to the right time let that part of her be seen.

“All is not well on the home front?” asked Draco, an eyebrow raised.

“Not really,” she answered honestly. “My mother is the whole reason we’ve moved back to England in the first place. Not to mention she’s the reason I’m finishing school here and not at the Academy in Toronto,” she shrugged.

“It’s not really so bad here, now is it?” he asked, his eyes glinting expectantly.

“Well, no…” answered Tia with a coy smile. “Not now anyway.”

Draco smirked and offered her his arm, which she took without hesitation. “How long have you been back?” he asked, guiding her around a corner and into another corridor.

“At the end of June,” she said, moving closer and putting her other hand on his arm as well. “We moved back into the same house I was born in.” She stopped, her thoughts suddenly sweeping her away to her childhood at the home. She was only eight when they had moved to Canada and she just realized how long it had really been since she actually thought about this place.

“Are you still with me?” asked Draco, interrupting Tia’s reverie.

“Hmm?” she muttered, looking up at the tall blonde. “Oh, yeah… sorry. Just remember what it was like to live here before. I guess I really haven’t let it sink in until now.”

“I’ve never lived anywhere but Wiltshire…”

“Wiltshire?” asked Tia with a bit of surprise.

“Yes, why?” he asked with surprise of his own.

“Our estate is just outside of Wiltshire,” she commented, not really sure what to say next.

“The Kavanaugh Estate?”

“Yes. You know of it?” she asked, her eyes narrowed in slight suspicion.

“Of course I do,” Draco smiled. “I had no idea you were a Kavanaugh.”

“Well, how could you? You’ve known me for exactly one hour,” she smiled back at him.

“Well, we’re almost there,” he said, smiling as they rounded the final turn. “It’s just down this corridor.”

Stopping just before the tapestry marking the secret entrance to Slytherin, Tia took Draco’s hand and moved to stand in front of him, looking up into his stormy eyes. “Thank you,” she said quietly, lifting up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

“For what?” he asked, smiling at the warmth left on his cheek from her lips.

“For being so kind,” she said, her smile suggestive.

“Now that’s something I’ve never been accused of before,” Draco chuckled, taking hold of her hand and lacing his fingers with hers.

“That’s good,” said Tia, her smile turning to a smirk. “Neither have I.”

Tia took his arm again as he muttered the password to gain entry to the Slytherin Common Room, a smug look painted on his face. The pair strode down the stairs into the common room proper and they were greeted with stares and whispers, most students with wry smirks on their lips.

“It seems I’ve stirred the cauldron a bit, haven’t I?” said Laelonatia, feeling a bit smug herself.

“As it should be,” answered Draco. “It’s not everyday a lovely lady is escorted through the common room by a Malfoy,” he said smiling, looking down at her from the corner of his eye.

Tia smiled as she looked up at him. There was something very charismatic about this Draco Malfoy. And despite his obvious arrogance, and the blatant abuse of his influence and power, she found herself enjoying his company a bit more than she probably should. He was very much like her – rich, spoiled, and an only child. He was confident and didn’t let his weaknesses show, just how she had been taught to be by her mother. But, one thing did set them apart. There was something decidedly dark that surrounded the blonde Prefect. And it was much darker than anything she had ever felt before. Draco had not disclosed to her the reasons for his father’s imprisonment, nor had he told her the circumstances of his “escape” from Azkaban, but it didn’t take a divination expert to figure out that this darkness was somehow related.

As they walked through the room, Tia noticed Thane sitting off to the side in front of the fire, a small gaggle of girls trying to earn his attention. He smiled at her and nodded toward Draco, and it was obvious that the two friends had exchanged a knowing look before he returned to his admirers. Oh yes, Tia thought, Thane Purefoy was definitely the type of boy her mother had always warned her about.

“Looks like your friend keeps himself busy,” said Tia once they had moved past him.

“I believe it’s the other way around,” Draco commented with a wry smile. “Thane has never lifted a finger to earn the admiration of the lovely ladies in this school.”

“You mean even the girls outside of Slytherin?”

“Indeed,” Draco chuckled. “Thane Purefoy IS the school unity that McGonagall is always prattling on about.”

“Come one, you can’t be serious?” Tia teased.

“Trust me, I’ve spent the past five years watching girls throw themselves at him in the most shameful of fashions,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Since you were twelve?” she asked, arching a cynical brow.

“Without detail, yes,” he said with a huff. “And it isn’t always pleasant to watch.”

“I expect not,” Tia laughed.

“Well, here we are. The girl’s dormitories are just through here,” said Draco, indicating the door beside them. “The seventh year dorms are three levels down, same as the boys’. Seventh Years have the entire level to themselves.”

“Well then, I expect I should get settled,” said Tia reluctantly. She was very much enjoying her chat with her Prefect. “Will I see you at breakfast then?” she asked, her green eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Of course,” said Draco with a smirk. “Eight o’clock, sharp. Points are deducted for tardiness,” he added, the implied meaning quite different than the literal.

“Understood.” Tia nodded, unable to suppress a grin as she caught his meaning. “Then I’ll be careful not to oversleep.” She moved in close to him, reaching up to again kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you again,” she whispered, the warmth of her breath against his skin. “Until the morning then,” she said, bringing her heels again to the floor.

“Until the morning,” he said, turning toward his own dormitory after watching Tia retreat down the marble staircase.

Behind them, from a far corner across the common room, Pansy Parkinson watched the whole scene unfold before her disbelieving eyes. Something snapped inside of the girl and a quiet rage consumed her. In her mind, Draco Malfoy was meant to be with her, and she wasn’t about to let anyone get in the way.

Pansy climbed from her seat slowly, her eyes narrowed as she moved across the crowded common room, shoving people out of her way to reach the white-haired prefect.

“What was that all about?” she demanded.

“I was just showing her around,” Draco smirked. “Not that it’s any of YOUR business,” he added, looking down his nose at her.

“I’m a prefect too,” she hissed. “And from now on I’LL show her around anywhere she needs to go!”

“I doubt you could manage the mental process for such a task,” he replied, his voice bored.

“Yes I could!” Pansy cried suddenly. “She’s just import trash trying to get –“

“Don’t you EVER call her trash again,” Draco snarled, his eyes slits, his face as close to Pansy’s as he dared go without fear of catching rabies from her. “I realize it’s easy to get confused considering YOU belong to that group-“

“How dare you say that?!” Pansy shrieked! “I’m telling my mother!”

Draco leaned back, smirking. “Go right ahead, Poochy. I’m no more scared of your pit bull of a mother than I am of you.”

Pansy’s hands balled into fists and she raised one as if to strike.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” a smooth voice said calmly as Thane grabbed her wrist, holding her arm up in the air. “Now, now, cousin. You know better than to upset the wildlife.”

The blonde boy snorted, “Someone needs to keep this wildlife on a leash.”

“Sounds like a job for the truly gifted,” Thane replied, dropping Pansy’s arm and wiping his hand on his robe as though he’d been contaminated.

“You just leave me alone Purefoy!” Pansy snarled, rubbing her wrist with her free hand.

“Or what, Poochy? You’ll kiss me”’ Thane mocked. “I have to admit that IS a terrifying proposition.”

“I’d rather sear my lips off than kiss you!” she growled, her head jerking back to Draco, and her hand going to his face, despite his efforts to pull away. “Just you wait. That little bit of..” she paused. “That GIRL will be the ruin of you and make you the laughing stock of the entire school!” She cast Thane one more disdainful look before flouncing off.

“What was that all about?” Thane asked, once Pansy had disappeared towards her dorm.

“Who knows,” Draco asked, his nose still wrinkled. “I feel contaminated,” he muttered.

Jo was flopped on her bed reading a magazine and thinking about her Summer and how lovely the peace and quite would have been if she hadn’t had her parents breathing down her neck every time she moved when the red-headed transfer student came walking into the room, looking around uncertainly.

“Hullo,” Jo called at last, poking her head through the emerald curtains that hung around her bed. “Your bed’s right there,” she pointed to the previously vacant bed near to her own. “The house elves put all your stuff in your wardrobe already, but you’ll probably want to rearrange it. They have a strange idea of organization.”

"So it would appear," said Laelonatia as she opened her wardrobe. Life at Hogwarts was certainly going to take some getting used to. House elves, no electricity, and writing with ink on parchment. It was almost like they didn't want witches and wizards to come out of the dark ages. "Is that an American accent?" she asked, walking over to her trunk.

“What’s left of it,” Jo answered, closing her magazine and sitting up, her feet on the floor. “I’m from Connecticut, to be more precise. My parents sent me here last year.”

"Really?" said Tia in surprise. "I spent the last 9 years living just outside of Toronto." Connecticut wasn't exactly close to Canada, but it was a right bit closer than Britain, that was for sure. At least there was a possibility that someone here could understand her.

“I was in Toronto once,” Jo grinned. “When I was twelve, we went on a school trip up there to see something… I can’t remember what it was, some kind of monument.” She laughed. “I don’t know if anyone’s warned you, but they’re backwards here. Everyone says this is the top wizarding school, but I have my doubts on it. They don’t even check your bags! And you should see the hexing wars people get into right in the corridors!” The blonde didn’t know a lot about Canadian schools, but she expected they were a great deal closer to the education system in place in America than this place.

"Well, it's quite beyond me why they refuse to use electricity," the redhead commented dryly. "I can't see what possible lesson we can learn from that. It's not like an electric wand will help your spells along at all."

Jo snickered, “I think it’s because they’re all terrified of Muggles! Don’t want their tidy class systems and social layers disrupted by including them or anything they created or harnessed, you know!”

"My family's never had a problem using Muggle items," Tia shrugged. "Even my family here uses what they can get away with." After rifling through her trunk for a few minutes, she finally produced a small leather sac. "Ah, there you are," she said aloud. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said as if she just realized where she was. "My name's Tia Volusia."

“Iosifina Constantinescu,” the blonde sighed, standing and walking towards the new girl. “But I prefer just Jo.”

Tia laughed. It wasn't often she heard a name that could rival hers. "That's nearly as long as my full name!" she said laughing.

“Let me guess,” Jo asked, pausing next to the girl and her trunk and trying not to let her eyes dart around at it’s contents. “You have a parent with a flair for the dramatic? Mine was my grandmother.”

"Mine happens to be my mother," Tia rolled her eyes. "She drives me absolutely mad. Insisted that I had a name that came from my British roots."

“You’re lucky, mine’s Romanian,” Jo sighed. “A good, strong Romanian name! All the Constantinescu’s have had Romanian names!” she imitated her grandmother and then grinned. “God forbid they tried to make it so I fit in anywhere!”

“Oh, will you two give it a rest already,” Marianna interrupted, poking her head out from behind her curtains. “I spent all last year hearing about her fine Romanian name,” the dark-haired girl scowled.

Tia turned to Jo with a look that read “What’s with her?”

“That’s Marianna, the amazing Spanish beauty,” Jo snickered. “Just ignore her, she’s bitter at the moment.”

“I am not!” Marianna scowled.

“She was cast aside by the infamous Purefoy, I think you’ve already met him?” she continued, ignoring the dark haired girl’s outburst all together.

“Ooh!” Tia smirked knowingly. “Yes, I’ve heard all about him…”

“What have you heard?” asked Marianna, her interest suddenly piqued.

“Well, nothing about you,” said Tia flatly.

“I heard he wasn’t making THAT mistake again,” Jo remarked, unable to help herself.

“And where did you hear that?” Marianna demanded angrily.

“From Thane himself,” Jo smirked. Really she didn’t give it any credence since it was sandwiched between a lot of strange drivel, but the look on Marianna’s face made it worth recounting.

Tia snickered as she watched pure elation cross Jo’s face at Marianna’s reaction. Perhaps life here wouldn’t be so bad. “Draco said Thane had a change of heart. I wonder if that’s what he meant,” she said, cruelly egging her on.

“That’s what he said to me, too,” Jo nodded, her evil grin broadening. “I reminded him that she had their children’s names picked out already and he was really quite horrified.” She tried to control her laughter. “I suggested he’d better tell her that before she bought the wedding dress.”

"I can't say that I know Thane well at all, since I've just arrived," the redhead commented, "But I can't imagine that he's the marrying type."

“No, I wouldn’t think so,” the blonde agreed. “I don’t know him very well myself, afraid I don’t like the playboy types, unlike SOME people. I prefer men who haven’t already had the rest of the female student population.” She gave Marianna a smirk.

“You’re just jealous he hasn’t given YOU the time of day!” the Spanish girl snapped.

“No, he just gave me a cloak,” Jo yawned, not wanting to discuss her name coupled with Thane’s in that way least rumors start up again– though it DID annoy Marianna, and really that was one of her few entertainments at this drab place. “Pity he dumped you just before the ball last year, wasn’t it? And after you’d bought that dress and all?”

Tia's eyes widened at Jo's words. After watching the way Thane kept watching her throughout dinner earlier that evening, it was hard for her to determine whether or not the girl was dense or if she truly had no interest in him at all. "Oh, do tell," Tia interrupted. "You say Thane gave you a cloak?"

“Yeah, after she lost hers,” Marianna sneered happily.

“There was an incident in dragonology,” Jo said slowly. “Thane did something to the dragon and it got a little excited…”

“And it burned off every stitch of her clothing!” Marianna howled.

“Anyway, he bought me a new winter cloak as an apology,” the blond shrugged, casting Marianna a dark look.

"Can I see it?" she asked, curious now to see what kind of cloak she received. She knew all too well what boys of Thane's status were apt to do, and she wanted to see if it was a gift of obligation or one with something else in mind. She couldn't help but smile. This girl, Jo, seemed like she was going to be quite a bit of fun this year.

“It’s the only stylish thing she owns,” Marianna threw in, her voice bored.

“Sure,” Jo shrugged, once again ignoring her roommate, and headed to her wardrobe, digging through the clothes and tugging the sky blue cloak out. “He did remarkably well, being male and all,” she added, holding it up for Tia to see.

Tia laughed as she took the cloak from Jo and held it up to examine it. It was a fine, expensive fabric, very soft and very durable. The color itself Tia knew to indicate its value as well, because it was rare for this kind of spun silk. "You know that this was more than an apology, don't you?" she asked, looking at Jo from the corner of her eye.

Jo blinked at her, “Oh not you now! Liz carried on for months about it!”

"You've got to be kidding," said Tia incredulously.

“No, she’s not kidding,” Liz chimed in from her bed. “The girl is as thick as Hagrid’s beard.”

“I am NOT thick!” Jo defended, taking the cloak back as Tia handed it to her. “For crying out loud HELLO! I’m not exactly his type!”

“Right, then what was that little conversation after dinner about?” Liz teased.
Jo shot her a dirty look. This was why Liz wasn’t on her list of people to trust. “I’m not sure, I already told you that!”

“Oh, is that when he supposedly informed you of his future plans?’ Marianna quipped.

“Yes, it was, as a matter of fact, and he had a lovely Summer Holiday, so he said, and didn’t incur brain fever in the jungles either.”

“Brain fevers and conversations aside, it’s kind of hard to deny that such an expensive gift was a mere apology,” the new Slytherin said, walking back to her wardrobe and rummaging through it looking for her pajamas. “I haven’t met this Hagrid yet, but he must indeed have a very thick beard,” she laughed, producing a plain white nightgown from one of the drawers.

“What about you?” asked Marianna snottily. “Didn’t take you long to get your hooks into our Prefect.”

“Hooks?” Tia laughed. “Hardly takes a hook when the fish jumps into your boat.” The truth was that she didn’t know exactly what to think of Draco, but she wasn’t about to let Marianna have an advantage over her. It was quite clear that this Spanish girl was out for status and wealth at any cost. Tia wanted no part of that. She did have her own status and wealth after all, why would she need someone else’s?

“Oh lay off,” Jo rolled her eyes, tugging her own white nightgown out of her wardrobe. “Just because you spent your Holiday covered in mildew and no one wants you is no reason to turn into a flaming bitch. It’s about time someone got hold of Malfoy anyway; I don’t think I can take another year watching Parkinson skulk after him. It’s too sickening.”

"Parkinson? Is that the dark-haired girl that came over to us at dinner?" the redhead asked. "If so, I can completely see why Draco has remained single all these years," she laughed.

“Poochy,” Liz snickered. “Yeah that’s her.”

“Watch out for her,” Jo advised, gathering up the accoutrements for a bath. “She’s insane. I wouldn’t put it past her to try and do something to anyone she thought had Malfoy’s favor. Though you could probably take her,” she added.

“I’m certainly not worried about that,” said Tia, climbing into her bed and pulling the covers over her.

“She’s mad all the same,” Liz confirmed, lying back in her bed again.

“Okay, girls. It’s been a fun chat, but I really need to get some sleep,” the new girl said, a tiny smirk on her lips. “I’ve been informed that it would be unwise to be late for breakfast tomorrow. Something about points.”

Jo grinned, trying to decide whether or not to tell the girl that she’d skipped several meals and no one had ever noticed, let alone docked points, but decided to save it. “I’ll be back, off to take a shower in Hogwarts lovely, antique facilities. Nice to meet you Tia, glad to see some sanity around here for a change!” And then she ducked out before the other two girls had time to grasp the insult.

When Jo returned, her hair hanging wet down her back, everyone was already in bed with the lights out, and she slipped quietly beneath her own blanket. Flicking her wand to close the curtains around the bed, she then secreted it under her pillow. Closing her eyes she thought to herself that maybe this year wouldn’t be quite as terrible as the last one before drifting off to a dreamless sleep.