Once Upon A Time...

Draco Malfoy stood in his large room in the famous Malfoy Manor. He was getting ready for another of his parents tedious banquets they always seemed to hold at the Manor during the Summer holidays. He was slightly thankful for this particular one though because teenagers around his age would be in attendance. It did mean he had to see Pansy but he didn\'t mind as long as he saw his two friends Crabbe and Goyle. Also he had heard that a few families from abroad and different parts of the country where going to attend so at least that was going to mean a few new faces.

He took one last look of himself in the mirror. He had chosen one of his finest robes made out of a delicate material which his father had shipped in from some weird sounding country in the east. He didn\'t really care for details like that though. He slipped the robe on his shoulders and took one last look of himself in the mirror. He had decided to leave his hair down rather than slicking it back as he usually did. His father had always taught him from a young age that appearance was of course everything.

He was trying harder this year more than any other to look his best because his mother had told him one of his old friends was going to attend. He hadn\'t seen Anastasia since they both started school, his father of course sent him to Hogwarts and her parents had sent her to some fancy boarding school on the coast of England. He fondly recalled their last summer together.

She had spent the entire summer at his house in a room next door to his. They spent many a night wandering around the grounds or having midnight feasts down in the kitchens. A faint smile was visible on his lips recalling the good times he had with her once upon a time. The last time that he saw her she had long frizzy, curly red hair with eyes that seemed to be a mixture of blue, grey and green. Almost teal in colour, she was a definite tom boy back than which her parents didn\'t approve of one bit.

He quickly made his way down to the ballroom hoping to be able to spot Anastasia the second she arrived. He was incredibly nervous; they had of course kept in contact over the years. But her father was always so insistent about sending her to her Aunt\'s in Florida\'s each year to try and teach her to be more lady like in the way she acted.

He had ed hed her a lot though; the summer after that last happy one. things seemed to change around the manor. His father started training him in the dark arts and when he thought back, that seemed to be when he lost his childhood and he was made to grow up. He stood at the door meeting and greeting people as he was supposed to at a banquet but not at one point did he manage to spot her. His mother walked over to him and smiled.

\"You look nervous darling, what is wrong?\" she asked him

\"Nothing Mother\" he replied trying to bite back his nerves.

\"Oh yes I remember your little friend tasitasia is allowed to join us this year isn\'t she?\" she said with a knowing smile.

\"Yes she is but that isn\'t why I am nervous\" he tried to protest

She just smiled knowingly though and started to walk into the banquet hall.

\"Have you thought that you might have missed her? She has done a fair bit of growing up like you have you know\" she said walking off into the crowded hall.

He thought about what she had said to him and than deciding that he had probably missed her he entered the hall and started making his way slowly around the hall hoping not to miss her. He talked to a few acquaintances he knew on the way round. He sighed he couldn’t spot her at all; eventually he went outside on the balcony for a breath of fresh air.

He looked out over the large rose garden and the beautiful delicate rose plants all around. They where so beautiful to him, he couldn’t explain why though. He loved seeing them in all thfferfferent fazes of growing.

While looking around he saw two figures in the rose garden one of them was a young women, he couldn’t see her face and the other was a young man. He recognised the man as Daniel Vigneault Son of Sean Vigneault a distinguished member of the Canadian Ranks of Death Eaters. They seemed to be arguing about something, whatever it was it was a fierce argument by the looks of things.

The next thing he saw was Daniel hitting the girl, knocking her to the floor. Than after that he started tugging at her dresses trying to pull it up while the girl struggled to try and fight him off. These sort of things where common place at a Death Eater party but he never liked to see them actually go on. Daniel hit the girl again and she seemed to go unconscious. That was enough; he had seen enough of the act of brutality going on.

He quickly ran down the stairs that came off the side of the balcony and than made his way across the lawn towards the rose garden as quick as he could. Then when he finally got to the entrance of the rose garden he quickly made his way to where he thought he saw them as quickly as possible. He looked around every corner as quickly as he could trying to get to them before the girl was done any real harm. He turned one of the last corners near to the exit of the rose garden and finally spotted him.

“You Leave her alone” he said approaching them

“What are you going to do about it Malfoy?” hesed.sed. “Is your ring on her finger Malfoy? No didn’t think so and my friend if there is no ring on the finger she is fair game” he said arrogantly.

“Step away from her Vigneault, this is my final warning” said Draco in a serious tone of voice.

But Dan ignored Draco again carrying on with the undressing of the girl. Draco was furious, his blood was boiling no one EVER ignored him; he made his way towards Dan. First of all he punched him hard in the face. Then as Dan lay dumbfounded on the floor Draco quickly put him into a full body bind. He turned to the girl on the floor, to check if she was ok. neltneltn onn on his knees beside her limp form. He looked at her dress, the once beautiful floor length baby blue dress now lay in tatters, he pale skin red and swollen in places.

He pulled a small piece of her hair away from her face. What he saw shocked him completely. Her face was such a pale colour it was almost translucent in colouring. Her hair was long, if fell in ringlets all the way down her back but a lot of her hair was now matted with mud and dirt. Also her hair was a deep red in colour which made her hair shine like the sky at sunrise.

There was something familiar about her, like he had seen her long ago in his dreams. Than something caught his eye, there was something around her neck. He carefully took hold of it and pulled it up to have a better look at it, he held it up hoping to see it clearer in the light of near by fairies. He looked in the pendant in his hand trying to get a better look at it. He felt almost like he was winded. The hair, the skin, the face it all made sense now. He looked at the pendant in his hands it was a small locket with a silver dragon engraved into it with small green gems for its eyes.

Before he had a chance to take any more of the facts in he quickly scooped her up into his arms trying to be as careful as he could. He held her close to hif, lf, like his life depended on it, like she was the very last thing in his life that held meaning for him moremore. Heriedried her up the stairs and through a different doorway to the one he originally used to try and avoid detection of everyone else. He carried her up a few flights of stares and along a few corridors. He finally arrived at his room and kicked the door so that it would open for him.

He walked inside with her in his arms still and walked over to his bed placing her down on it as gently as he could. She groaned slightly but went quiet again. He quickly rushed out into the corridor.

“Lupe where are you” he said in a desperate voice.

A small house elf wearing a small potato sack came running out of one of the other rooms along the corridor.

“Yes sir?” she squeaked

“Lupe I need you to go and get my Mother and tell her to bring a Mediwitch and to bring them to my room as soon as possible” he said urgently

“I will do sir” said the small house elf running off down the corridor.

Draco went back into his room and walked over to where the bed was to watch Anya laying on the bed. He sat there looking at her, her skin was so sore looking, and he barely wanted to touch her again. Lying on his bed she looked like she may break like some sort of fragile china doll. He sat down gently on the side of his giant four poster bed and gently with one hand he caressed her smooth pale skin. He wanted so badly just to scoop her back up into his arms, he had missed her so much over the years. She had been like a sister to him the they where younger. Then as they gradually got older something more developed between them. But that all changed when her parents decided against sending her to Hogwarts and sent her somewhere else.

He turned around when he heard steps coming up the stair case and along the hallway to his door. It was his Mother, she took one look at Draco and then the girl on the bed.

“Draco what happened?” she asked

“Vigneault’s oldest Daniel tried to attack her, I intervened” he said looking back at Anya

“That’s not who I think it is? Is it?” she asked

“Yes it’s Anya mother, this is where she has been all the time Daniel took her out their first thing this evening” he said

“The mediwitch is on the way. I think it would be best to tell her parents what’s happened get them to get one of the house elves to fetch her some things so she can stay here for a while. I doubt she will be strong enough to travel for at least a week” she said looking worriedly at Anya.
“I think it might be best in the mean time to get the Elves to fetch some of my old night clothes to use, when she comes round she will be far more comfortable in something like that than what she’s wearing” she said

Draco got up and walked out of the room. After telling one of the house elves about his mothers wishes and going down to the hall to inform Anya’s parents about what had happened he returned back upstairs to see her again. His Mother wouldn’t let him in straight away because while he was away the Mediwitch had arrived to tend to Anya. He sat down his back aga the the wall just beside the doorway to his room.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been sat there it seemed like centuries he was just waiting the minutes seemed to drag by. After what seemed like 4 hours but was actually 1 ½ the Mediwitch and his Mother appeared at the door.

“She’s very weak at the moment, she’s lucky most oe dae damage is superficial. If you have any more problems just let me know and I will come straight back” said the mediwitch.

“Thank you a lot again” said his mother escorting the mediwitch down the corridor. As she passed Draco she whispered to him. “Go in, keep an eye on her, you know you want to” she said before walking off

Draco didn’t need to be told twice to go and watch over her. He walked into his bedroom and sighed. He couldn’t believe he didn’t recognise her when he first saw her, she had grown up….alot. She was no longer the little tom boy with frizzy red hair but now a sophisticated young women. He sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked a lot better now that the Mediwitch had been and gone. The majority of the cuts and bruises on her skin where gone along with the red swollen marks everywhere. All that showed any sign of what had happened was the small bandage around part of her hair and blood staining part of the bandage.

He moved to lie down on the bed next door to her, to try and get some rest. He looked at her and gently ran a hand through a stray lock of her hair it was so silky and smooth. He closed his eyes and after a while fell into a deep sleep.