Know That I Can't

Know That I Can't

By Michelle Malfoy

Chapter Five

Angel's POV

It felt odd, walking into the train station with my father, six uncles, and their children, some of whom were far too young to attend Hogwarts, such as eight-year-old Jamie, son of Nymphadora and Charlie Weasley. My father kept me close to him, as though afraid that if he let go of me, Grandfather Lucius would jump up and kidnap me. His arm was tightly wrapped around my shoulder, swearing silently that no harm would ever come to me.

"Well," came a drawling voice from behind me. "If it isn't Little Miss Potter." I turned around and saw Katherine behind me. Her eyes were fixed, not on me, but on Samantha.

"Shove off, Margulis," Samantha snapped, and her father put his hands on her shoulders warningly.

"Mini-Malfoy," my godfather said, smirking, with a curt nod towards whom I had now learned to be my aunt Michelle.

"Don't call me that," she hissed, tightening her grip on Katherine's shoulders to match my father's grip on myself and Harry's grip on Samantha.

"And why not?" Harry taunted her, continuing to smirk. "Dear, dear, Mini, it seems as though you have yet to learn that not all of us will spoil you the way your murderous father does."

"C'mon, Angel," Samantha muttered, beckoning for us to board the train.

"Not so fast," her father said warningly, and he allowed his palms to tighten even more on his daughter's shoulders. I noticed that he was gripping her so hard that his knuckles were turning white and, as far as I could feel, my father was holding me the same way.

"Dad," I whined, "don't hold me so tightly. It hurts." I knew he was only doing it for my protection, but it really hurt.

"Protective, aren't we now?" Michelle taunted him. The hypocrite, really - she was holding her daughter equally tightly!

"Shove off, Malfoy," Harry snarled.

"Actually," Michelle pointed out, "it's Margulis. Not Malfoy anymore." She looked delighted. Just then, as if on cue, her husband stepped up behind her and put one of his arms protectively on his wife's shoulder.

"Maybe I should go..." I began, but Daniel - was that his name? - cut me off.

"Feeling better, are you?" he asked, sounding rather bored. "Shame, of course, that you had to fall like that. You'll have to improve your techniques if you aim for a spot on the Slytherin team." He glared at Harry and the Weasleys.

"Slytherin?" Harry laughed hollowly. "Of course, Daniel... that would be your ideal House, would it not? Home of the traitorous coward bastards... sound familiar?"

Just then Daniel was saved from retaliating when two familiar people walked over to us - Tristian Cladwine, my fencing tutor, and Severus Snape.

"Ah, Draco," Tristian greeted my father. "Just the person I wanted to see."

I felt relieved instantly. "Have a great term, dear," my father said, kissing me lightly on the forehead and each cheek in turn. "Write, don't forget to write..."

"BYE, Dad," I said loudly, and kissed him on the cheek. Samantha, Nicole, Jennifer, Cassandra and I walked onto the train.

***

"Well, well, well, Malfoy. We meet again." Katherine walked into our compartment on the train, followed by a boy who highly resembled her. He was blond, with startling green eyes that rivaled Harry's and Samantha's.

"Who's that?" Nicole asked quickly, indicating the boy beside her.

Katherine laughed. She jerked her chin towards the boy and introduced, "This is my boyfriend."

"And does your charming boyfriend have a name?" Samantha asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, he does," Katherine replied. "Venenum Acerbus."

"Who?" Jennifer asked in disbelief.

"Vene-something Acer-something," Cassandra replied, equally perplexed.

"Just call me Ven," the boy said irritably.

"Your father said - " Katherine began, but Ven cut her off.

"I don't give a damn," Ven said firmly. That shut Katherine up.

"Hmm, that's interesting," Samantha said thoughtfully. "Congrats, Ven, it seems someone's finally managed to control this little twit here." She jerked her chin towards the Katherine, and the boy grinned.

"Thank you, thank you," Ven said, taking a mock bow.

"I'm Samantha - but call me Sam, please - Potter."

"Nicky Weasley," Nicole said, copying Samantha's use of a boy's name similar to that of her own.

"Cass," Cassandra introduced herself, breaking the trend just as Jennifer introduced herself as "Jenn."

"And... you are?" Ven asked, looking at me. He took in my figure, unique hairstyle, and finally the barely visible scar on my otherwise unblemished forehead. "Hang on... you're - "

"Angel Malfoy," I sighed.

Ven's jaw dropped, and after he had relaxed it into its normal position, he looked rather impressed. "Isn't that an oxymoron?" he asked.

"A what?"

"Oxymoron. Things that contradict each other, like 'jumbo shrimp' or 'intellegent Hufflepuff."' We all allowed ourselves a bit of a laugh at that statement. "So, isn't 'Angel Malfoy' an oxymoron?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I replied.

It was then that Katherine chose to clear her throat loudly. Her arm slinked its way up Ven's shoulder and I was quite pleased to see that he was not at all happy about it.

"Get. Off. Of. Me," Ven commanded.

"Fine," Katherine pouted.

I sighed, relaxing in between Samantha and Jennifer. I knew one thing for sure - it was going to be a long journey.

* * *

Having discussed everything on the train from Wizard Cards to Aurors to Quidditch, I was relieved to see that we had arrived. "Anyone want the last Marshmallow Mouse?" Nicole asked, waving the mouse-shaped marshmallow in the air. Ven made a dive for it and caught it, stuffing it into his mouth as if he had not eaten for weeks. He grinned apologetically as we all stared at him.

"First-years!" a brisk female voice called. "First-years, follow me! Follow me, first-years!" I grabbed Sam's left arm and Jennifer's right, walking towards the owner of the voice.

"Four into a boat, please," she told us, and I quickly walked into one as though eager to see whom would follow.

"Move," Ven snarled to Nicky, making his way into the boat after me. Katherine attempted to follow him, but Sam and Jenn entered before she could get a chance. I instantly felt sorry for Cassandra and Nicole in that they would have to share a boat with her.

"Slytherin or Gryffindor?" Ven asked me, his lips brushing past my ear. A tingling feeling ran through my veins and, recognizing the feeling as it had been described to me by none other than my father describing how he had felt about my mother, inwardly scolded myself. It's just that it's cramped, I tried to assure myself.

"I dunno," I murmured. "You?"

"Slytherin, of course," he whispered back, his lips brushing against my cheek. I wanted to pull away but didn't. "But... of course... the great Angel Malfoy would never harm innocent little Gryffies and Duffers, now would you?"

"Same," I whispered back, and I instantly knew that, what with Ven and Father both intending for me to be placed in Slytherin, I would go into Slytherin, and I would taunt "innocent little Gryffies."

"Oh?" he said, and now I was certain that if another seductive move on his part led to Ven's lips brushing against my face, I would go positively mad.

"Yeah," I murmured, and as his arm slinked around my shoulder ("Oh!" exclaimed Katherine in horror), I made no move to push him away.

* * *

"Acerbus, Venenum!" I crossed my fingers as Ven walked up to be Sorted; Katherine was whispering nonsense words to herself. I needn't've worried, however - within moments, Ven tugged the hat from his head, allowing his blond hair to spill back down, as the hat yelled "SLYTHERIN!"

...Fifteen minutes later...

"Malfoy, Angel Devil!" I was surprised at the use of my middle name. Then I heard the sniggers from the students as I stumbled forward and placed the hat over my head.

Well, this is certainly an interesting young lady, the Hat thought to me. A Malfoy and a Weasley... what a fitting name. You strive to be your father's angel, which you know you already are, and wonder if what he really wants is a mischevious little devil to liven up his life, very like your mother.

'My mother caused trouble?' I thought to myself.

Oh, yes! the Hat exclaimed. She stirred up more trouble than she was worth, believe me, and your father saw that and loved it in her. However, let's not let this turn into a history lesson, Miss Malfoy... which house would you like to be in?

'Slytherin,' I thought propmptly. 'My father - '

So I thought, the Hat replied, cutting me off. However, I think that I am making the wise decision when placing you in - "GRYFFINDOR!"

* * *

I sat huddled on my bed, my scarlet curls tumbling down my back as I rocked back and forth miserably. "C'mon, Angel, lighten up," Nicky said cheerfully. "We're not that bad." Cassandra looked dubiously at her twin, as though wanting to argue that fact.

"Look, Angel, I don't care what you say, you are a Gryffindor." Sam looked at me, anger evident in her jade-colored eyes. "Your father would be proud." Yeah, right, I thought.

"Okay, your choice," Jenn said, shrugging, and she pulled back the curtains to her four-poster bed.

"You can always ask Dumbledore to re-Sort you..." Cassandra said softly.

"No." I turned to see Sam, looking furious. "Look at her grandfather, think of what he's done. And then, think of her father, and the thousands of lives he saved as an Auror when Angel was a baby."

"My dad was an Auror?"

Sam walked up to me, obviously very angry, and pushed my bangs back. Then, turning to the twins, she pointed furiously to the scar burning on my forehead. "Look at this!" she hissed. "Does this look like the mark of a Slytherin to you?!?! Hell, it's even in Gryffindor colors!"

"Let go," I spat at her. "And if you ever touch me again, Potter, I'll have to reconsider ever speaking to you again."

And with that, I turned on my heel and left the dormitory.

No POV, takes place somewhere far away from Hogwarts

"Revivus Necromance," Lucius murmured to himself as he bent over the parchment, scratching away with the quill, green ink splattering the parchment in his haste to record his discovery. "Of course... it was so simple, and so convieniently legal..."

"Lucius." The cold voice, so well-known and drilled into Lucius's mind, was too natural to Lucius for him to properly hear it. The voice repeated itself: "Lucius."

This time Lucius did look up, and upon doing so, he saw nothing. Returning irritably to his work, he heard that familiar voice a third time: "Lucius."

"Who is it? Reveal yourself," Lucius ordered, terrified - although he didn't show it - that the voice might be the person - or, rather, thing - the he thought it was.

"Yes, Lucius, it is I, your former Master. You cannot see me; not now at least, but you will be able to if you follow my orders, exactly as I command them."

"Yes, of course, my lord," Lucius said in a choked tone, and within moments he was on his knees.

"Ah, Lucius... what an amusing sight it is for I, the supposed-to-be defeated Dark Lord of the twentieth century faced with a cowering servant once more, after these long years." Lucius did not reply. "Now, I have several challenges to propose to you, but firstly..."

"Yes?" Lucius asked, a sort of hunger evident in his silver eyes.

"Ah, Lucius, so typical of you. Always jumping to torture, or to kill."

"My Lord, I crave to serve you, to - "

"Lucius, I have one task to assign to you, and that is - "

"Yes?" Lucius repeated.

"Bring me Angel Malfoy. Bring her to me, Lucius, and you shall be rewarded beyond all of your wildest dreams."

"But, my Lord - "

"Bring me Angel Malfoy," he snarled. And with that, he disappeared.