Know That I Can't

Know That I Can't

By Michelle Malfoy

Chapter Four

Found myself today

I leaned over my desk, scratching away at a note I was to send to Dumbledore. Then I would send something to ol' Severus, making sure he knew that he was not to be cruel to my daughter, Weasley or not.

Oh, I found myself and ran away

I walked outside as I finished, seeing the sunrise in the distance and was surprised at how early it was. I saw children running, playing, and had a sudden urge to run away, to be free to run as I pleased. All the pressure I had felt lately would be washed away.

But something pulled me back

Voice of reason I forgot I had

I heard Ginny's voice in my head, telling me not to give up, to love Angel forever, no matter what happened to Ginny, and to take care of her. I felt a tear slip down my cheek as her face materialized in my mind.

All I know is you're not here to say

What you always used to say

"Don't give up, Draco," she had said to me one night. Then I remembered the night when she died. "If I die - if anything happens to me, please raise Angel..." I sighed and looked further out into the sunrise.

But it's written in the sky tonight

A cloud further into the distance was heart-shaped, resembling the all-too-familiar shape of Ginny's all-too-familiar face. I remembered her words and sat on a large boulder.

So I won't give up

No I won't break down

Sooner than it seems, life turns around

And I will be strong

Even if it all goes wrong

When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe

[Ginny's] watching over me

I remembered how she would smile, how she would promise to be with me as long as I loved her, which I knew would be forever. I would never stop loving her.

Seen that ray of light

And it's shining on my destiny

My destiny... she had pulled me away from the darkness.

Shining all the time

And I won't be afraid

With her, I was never afraid.

To follow everywhere it's taking me

Even siding with Potter had felt awkward, but I had always done it for Ginny.

All I know is yesterday is gone

And right now I belong

To this moment to my dreams

I remembered dreams of her, dreams of her in danger, that always ended with me rescuing her. That wasn't real life... real life never ended happily. Not in my life.

So I won't give up

No I won't break down

Sooner than it seems life turns around

And I will be strong

Even if it all goes wrong

When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe

[Ginny's] watching over me

She was watching over me, and would be forever. I didn't doubt that. And she would always watch over Angel.

It doesn't matter what people say

It didn't matter what Potter or Weasley thought.

And it doesn't matter how long it takes

Years had passed, and I still loved her. I wouldn't give up, and most of all, I would never love anyone else.

Believe in yourself and you'll find

And it only matters how true you are

I was true to her and never kept secrets from her.

Be true to yourself and follow your heart

I had followed my heart... straight into her arms.

So I won't give up

No I won't break down

Sooner than it seems life turns around

And I will be strong

Even if it all goes wrong

When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe

That I won't give up

No I won't break down

Sooner than it seems life turns around

And I will be strong

Even if it all goes wrong

When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe

That someone's watching over

[Ginny's] watching over

[Ginny's] watching over

[Ginny's] watching over me

[Ginny's]

I sighed and headed back into the Manor, thinking of all the things she had told me.

Angel's POV

I turned on my radio, which had been a gift from Dad to me last year. It was playing a song by Hilary Duff, a muggle American singer, which surprised me.

I'm an angel I'm a devil I am sometimes in between

I listened more attentively, thinking of how true that was for me. I could be all three of those things easily - it was what I was born to be. Angel, Devil... Weasley, Malfoy...

I'm as bad as it can get and as good as it can be

I grinned, remembering the time I had tripped Carolyn Johnson and she had landed face-down in the mud. Then there was the time I had helped Daddy calm down when he was crying once at the zoo.

Sometimes I'm a million colors

Sometimes I'm black and white

I am all extremes

Hey, this song really was pretty good. It matched my emotions perfectly, and I couldn't help dancing a bit to the catchy music.

Try to figure me out you never can

Nobody could really get me. I would trip someone and then calm a wailing baby in the Wizards' Market in Diagon Alley. "That Malfoy girl," people would mutter as I walked by.

There's so many things I am

There were a lot of things people could say that I am.

I am special

Harry had told me that.

I am beautiful

I knew that; I was a Malfoy, after all.

I am wonderful

Completely true, of course.

And powerful

I mean, I am Lucius Malfoy's granddaughter.

Unstoppable

When I was set on doing something, nobody could ever stop me.

Sometimes I'm miserable

That happened frequently, actually.

Sometimes I'm pitiful

Harry had said that too.

But that's so typical of all the things

I am

I sighed and turned off the radio, hearing footsteps.

"Angel?" a tentative, rather unfamiliar voice asked. I turned around, and it was Harry. Of course. "Can I come in?"

"Sure," I said, jumping onto my bed and leaning against the headboard. I quickly pulled the blankets up so he would think I had been sleeping rather than dancing to American muggle music.

"Hey," he greeted me. "I was talking to your dad."

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yeah. You're going off to Hogwarts next week, you know. There are going to be a lot of people with a grudge against you. The Gryffindors are notorious for hating Malfoys, the Slytherins for Weasleys."

"I aim for Ravenclaw," I told him solemnly.

"Well," he laughed, "at least Hermione'll be proud. Just not Hufflepuff - Draco'll go mad."

"I look awful in yellow anyway," I informed him.

"What a surprise," he said dryly. Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, do you play Quidditch?"

"Never tried," I told him truthfully. His jaw dropped.

"B-b-but... but your mum was - "

"A Chaser, I know. And dad was a Seeker, Slytherin's best." I paused. "The irony, really. People think of the Malfoys and the Weasleys when they hear the word 'pureblood,' and yet I've never been on a broom." Harry laughed.

"That," he told me, "is about to change. Right now." He beckoned for me to follow him out of the room.

Draco's POV

A knock on the Manor door sounded, and I ran to open it. As I did so, I checked my appearance in a pocket mirror and scowled. My hair was disheveled, my eyes still that darkish white color.

"Draco?" an anxious voice asked. "Draco, are you in there?"

I knew that voice all too well. "Yeah," I said, and opened the door as my younger sister Michelle Elisabeth Malfoy walked in.

* * *

"Is she your daughter?" I asked Michelle politely, gesturing to the small blond girl next to her, as a house-elf made us tea. Tea, that is, for me. Michelle had always been a fan of hot cocoa, which was rather odd for a witch. [A/N: I'm not sure if hot cocoa is a wizards' drink, so I'm just putting it that way.]

"Yes," she said, running her fingers through her hair which, unlike mine, as I was surprised to see, was just as sleek as it had always been.

"What's her name?"

"Katherine Ashleigh Margulis," Michelle replied. [A/N: Her last name is pronounced Mar-gu-lis, not Mar-go-lis or Mar-go-lees. Just thought I'd make that clear because my beta asked.]

"Margulis?" Draco asked. "Who's her father, then?"

"Daniel Margulis," Michelle replied.

"Doesn't 'Margulis' mean 'pearl?'"

"Yeah, I guess," Michelle said unconcernedly. "Look, Draco, there's something important I need to - "

A loud bang sounded, and then I recognized the sound of Angel crying. "Wait," I gasped, dashing out of the room to look for my daughter. I saw her sprawled on the ground outside, Harry positioned next to her.

"What did you do?" I roared, directing my wand at Harry's chest.

"Nothing," he replied. "Move your wand, Mal- Draco. C'mon."

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

"Nothing," he repeated. "I was just teaching her how to play Quidditch - "

"LIAR!"

"Daddy, please - " Angel began, but I was already on the ground, checking her for injury.

"She fell off her broom," Harry explained.

"She doesn't have a broom," I pointed out.

"My Firebolt," he told me simply. "It's really old, so I thought it'd be nice and safe."

"What d'you fly now?" I asked, more calmed down now.

"That new model, you know. The Jetningbolt." Just then, Michelle ran over to us, Katherine at her heels.

"Potter," she snarled.

"Mini-Malfoy," Harry growled back. [A/N: Epsilon2Delta, I know you liked that nickname, and since you're my only faithful reviewer, I thought I'd put that in. Although I know you don't much like Michelle as a character. No HP/MM in this one, though, I promise. ]

"Get the hell out of my way," she ordered, shoving him aside. Then she turned to Angel, solicitude gleaming in her still-silver eyes. (Mine had washed away, but hers were still as bright as ever.) "What hurts?" she asked calmly.

"My back," Angel croaked. "I landed flat on my back. Harry tried to catch me - "

"Bet he didn't," I muttered.

"Mummy," Katherine said, tugging at her mother's cloak.

"One minute, sweetie," Michelle said.

"MUMMY!" Katherine wailed. "MUMMY!"

"Silencio!" I hissed, pointing my wand at the bawling child. Turning to Michelle, I asked in disbelief, "How old is she, anyway?"

"Eleven, if you'd believe it," Michelle sighed. "Look, Draco, is it alright if I get Daniel over here? He knows more healing magic than I do."

"Fine, if he'll help Angel," I said softly.

Michelle nodded and muttered a charm. A moment later, a blond-haired man appeared, looking at Katherine affectionately.

"Is that a Silencing Charm?" he asked himself. "Finite Incantatum!" Instantly, Katherine began to wail unstoppably in her father's arms.

"MAKE HER SHUT UP!" I bellowed, pointing my wand threateningly at the spoiled brat.

"Katherine, dear," Daniel cooed, "would you mind being a bit quieter so Daddy can help your cousin?"

Katherine stopped shrieking at once and looked down at Michelle. "Yes, Daddy," she said tonelessly.

"Thank you," Michelle added as she and her husband examined the eleven-year-old.

"She's fine," Daniel informed me several minutes later. His eyes flicked over to Harry. "Harry Potter?" he asked me in disbelief. "What on earth is he doing here?"

"Apparantly Hogwarts delivers its letters in person now," I drawled, stepping hard on Harry's foot so he wouldn't say anything that Daniel could report back to my father.

"Daddy?" Katherine said, tugging on her father's robes.

"Yes, darling?"

"I wanna go home. I don't like him." She pointed unnecessarily at me, smirking behind her father's back.

"Then let's take you home. Michelle - "

"I have to talk to Draco," my ever-charming sister interrupted.

"I see," Daniel said delicately. "I'll leave you to... chat, then, shall I?"

"That would be nice," Michelle replied, uncharacteristically blunt. And with that, both Katherine and Daniel disappeared with a pop.

"Angel, honey, would you mind going inside and playing with Samantha?" I asked my daughter, looking pointedly at Harry. "And Harry, if you wouldn't mind - " He nodded and scurried inside, Angel at his heels.

"Draco," Michelle breathed the moment the two of them had left, "I have something very important to tell you."

"What's wrong?" I asked, immediately concerned. "Is Voldemort back, or - "

"No," Michellle laughed hollowly. "Nothing like that."

"What is it, then?"

"Lucius," she said softly, "is after your daughter."