12 June 1993
While somewhat unusual--in other words, this has never happened
before--I´m spending the week at Uncle´s and I´m enjoying myself. It´s
interesting how little Father and Uncle get along, even though (from what
Maman tells me) it was his suggestion that he be named my godfather. Maman
keeps telling me that I´ll understand when I´m older, but I´m curious
about it now!
...
Funny...second year ended only a few weeks ago, but I can´t seem to get
it out of my mind. Ever since the Chamber of Secrets incident, I´ve been
suffering annoying bouts of `what if´ syndrome--what if Harry had accepted
my hand in friendship? What if I hadn´t blundered so badly in my attempts
to befriend him? What if he had been sorted into Slytherin rather than
Gryffindor? Would things have turned out the way they did?
Unfortunately, I seem to think about these things and the most
inconvenient of times. Uncle thumped me for nearly adding Hounds Tongue to
the Wolfsbane potion I was helping him brew--now that would have
been disastrous. Could you imagine a werewolf convulsing with laughter on
the floor? I mean, the potion is supposed to make them harmless, so it
would be rather...um, rude or something...for them to laugh themselves to
death, wouldn´t it? Uncle won´t even tell me why we´re brewing the potion;
all he says is that it will be needed for next year. I wonder if we´re
going to be studying werewolves in DADA...I wonder if we´ll have a
teacher for DADA.
You know, one of the most annoying things about being a kid is that
the adults think you´re stupid. Well, maybe not stupid...but they certainly
don´t treat us as though we´re as intelligent as we are. I mean, you´d
think having either first or second top marks in all my classes would make
people realise that I´m not dumb, but Uncle and Maman are the only ones
who treat me like I´m not a kid. And even then they still seem to think
they need to "shelter" me from things, or some such nonsense.
If I knew everything that was going on, I think I´d actually be able
to formulate plans. Instead, I´m stuck making things up as I go along, and
it makes me feel so...so...Gryffindor! I mean, really, with everyone
treating me like I´m stupid, I think it´s beginning to rub off and I´m
actually becoming stupid.
...
This rant has become longer than I expected. Uncle will be waking me
in a few hours to continue work on the potion, so I should probably try to
get a little sleep. I hope that, wherever Harry´s at, he´s having a better
summer than he did school year.
D. S. Malfoy
28 June 1993
Uncle sent me an unusual package by Owl Post today. It´s a porcelain
model of a many-tailed fox, painted iridescent gold. There was no note, no
explanation, no nothing. It´s sitting on top my dresser right now,
looking as though it´s laughing at me.
In case I haven´t said it before, Uncle´s completely nutters.
Draco
4 July 1994
You know, it´s funny that this is the American´s Independence Day. I
mean, if you consider how much people have become slaves to money, pride,
religion, societal standards, etcetera, how can they truly be independent?
...
I hate not sleeping enough. My journal entries--and thoughts--become
rather strange. I think I´m going to find a mirror and make faces at
myself so it´ll tell me that I´m stupid.
Draco
17 July 1994
I found the stash of jewellery that I filched last year in a bag at
the bottom of my trunk. I don´t have a clue as to what I´m going to do
with it, since not only is returning it very un-Slytherin, it´s also quite
embarrassing. I can only imagine the kind of looks I´d receive. "Look,
here´s the jewellery I stole from you last year. I don´t remember stealing
it, though, so please don´t hold it against me or think that I´m odd."
...
Yeah, and Gryffindors will suddenly embrace Slytherins as their
long-lost brothers.
I tried to read that book that Maman gave me for my twelfth birthday
again, but it´s not going very well. All I was able to make out was some
stuff on the inside cover when I used a revealing charm--something about
`children,´ `green lands,´ and `great serpent.´ I swear, my family likes
to give me odd gifts in order to make me crackers.
D. S. Malfoy
30 July 1993
When I woke up this morning, I had to grab my journal to jot this
down; it´s the remnants of the dream I was having before my parents´ icy
argument pulled me from Morpheus´ arms (I´m ignoring them until I´ve
written it all down).
I remember being on the back of an eagle owl, which seems absurd as I
write this, but it´s true. I mean, it´s impossible for a normal-sized
human to fit on the back of an eagle owl, but maybe I´d shrunk or
something.
Anyway, the owl was flying over a forest--an old forest, given that the
trees were all conifers. It was dark, and neither the moon nor stars were
out. I remember the sky being almost breathlessly beautiful, like liquid
blue-black ink, appearing to have a texture like velvet if I´d been able
to reach out and touch it. The owl dipped and swerved above the treetops,
the wind rushing through my hair, past my ears in an audible howl. It was
exhilarating, like playing against Harry on the Quidditch pitch.
Eventually we reached our destination, which appeared to be an
outcropping of rocks, split down the middle as if cleaved by a giant axe.
Suddenly I was on the ground and bird was gone, and I realised that hidden
within the rock face were several intertwined pictographs.
I couldn´t make them all out, but these were the ones I remembered:
- A winged lion, or maybe a griffin
- A winged serpent that
resembled a dragon
- Some sort of raptor, probably an eagle
- A
badger, I think, since it somewhat resembled the Hufflepuff House
mascot
- A regular serpent
- A multi-tailed fox
- An odd sort of
bird-creature with multi-coloured plumage
- A phoenix, I think
All of these creatures were drawn around various objects--two swords, a
jewel, a mirror, a chalice, and, I think, a flower. And up above them was
what looked like a pyramid with a giant eye (it was rather creepy).
But then I got woken up by Father and Maman. I guess I should probably
go and see what´s wrong.
I think that this has possibly been one of the worst days of my life.
My parents were fighting over Harry again, and something having to
do with Father moving Maman´s trunk with her old school things. She
slapped him... I never thought I would see my Maman slap my father like
that. I mean, she always seems so quiet, so calm, so composed... I´d never
want to make an enemy out of my Maman.
Eventually, Father told her where he´d moved the trunk, and that
seemed to make her happy. After a few minutes, I went to look for her, and
found her pouring over an old photo album. She knew I was there, but she
didn´t look up when she first began to speak to me.
"It´s a shame, mon dragon," she said to me, flipping another page.
I edged closer. "What´s a shame, Maman?" I responded.
"It´s a shame that the two of you couldn´t have been friends. Lily was
like a sister to me."
That was all she said, and when I saw a tear slide down her cheek, I
left. It had seemed like I was intruding on a private moment. I wish I
could tell her the truth, tell her that I wish we could have been friends
too. I wish I could tell her that I had to become something else instead;
something that no-one else could be for him. I think she would understand,
but...but I think if I told someone, I might give myself away. And I can´t
let that happen--it would endanger too many people if the truth was known.
And I find myself wondering, now, wondering what kind of friends Maman
and Lily were, wondering what kind of person Harry´s mother was if she
could inspire my Maman to such depths of loyalty, even after her death.
Father was called away to the Ministry just before dinnertime, and I´m
waiting for him to return before I go to bed. It must have been something
pretty bad, since the Minister himself came to fetch Father. Just as long
as it doesn´t concern Harry...
Draco
31 July 1993
Father didn´t return until early this morning; I fell asleep in the
parlour waiting for him. He chastised me for my rumpled clothes, but was
too tired to do anything more than that. Really, I don´t understand all
this need for propriety in our own home...
Anyway, it turns out that a prisoner escaped from Azkaban prison
sometime early yesterday--a really high-profile prisoner from what Father
said, which explains why the Minister was in such a tizzy. That man seems
so incompetent some days, it´s a wonder he even remembers that he is the
Minister.
He gave me a name before disappearing into his room, shutting the door
in my face. (It was rude, but I managed not to say anything.) Sirius
Black. The name sounds familiar, but I can´t remember why. I think I´ll go
at try to get a bit of sleep and then ask Maman when I wake up.
It´s official--Maman is more evil than the Dark Lord himself. She
dragged me out of bed with only two hours of sleep and forced me to go
shopping with her. As if that weren´t bad enough, we ended up
meeting up with Pansy and her mother. Don´t get me wrong, I like my cousin
well enough, but she´s going through this stage where she falls in love
with nearly everything that has two legs and a semi-pretty face. I mean,
she was even talking about how beautiful Millicent Bulstrode´s eyes are,
and though Millie has a...er, nice enough personality, there´s
nothing pretty about her.
So, I had to deal with female nattering all afternoon, and the only
upside to it was that I got to hear all the gossip about Sirius Black´s
escape. Apparently he´s the man who betrayed Harry´s parents to the Dark
Lord and got them killed, plus he killed a whole bunch of Muggles
afterward. I wonder if Harry knows yet...and I wonder what he´ll do when he
finds out. Probably something unintentionally stupid. It always seems to
work out that way.
D. S. Malfoy
9 August 1993
So the latest Harry Potter incident to come through the snake-vine is
an interesting one. In fact, once I was actually able to wrap my mind
around the concept, I had to leave the room in order to howl with laughter
in private.
Harry blew his Muggle aunt up, apparently. He literally blew her up!
According to the Magic Reversal squad´s report, she had filled with air to
the point where she resembled a small whale and was floating near the
ceiling, her face turning all sorts of interesting colours. Really, I
wonder what the stupid woman said to make Harry accomplish that--with a
wand, no less, according to the report. Apparently his Muggle relatives
locked his school supplies away in a cupboard of some sort during summer
hols.
But, as if that weren´t bad enough, after blowing his aunt up he ran
away from home. From what Father told me, he managed to hail down the
Knight Bus and wound up in Diagon Alley. Apparently Minister Blunder--er,
Fudge met him there and made sure that he was checked in to the Leaky
Cauldron. He´s going to be staying there until school starts.
Either Harry doesn´t know yet that Black´s out for his blood--since
that´s the rumour that´s been flying around. You know, since Black killed
his parents, he´s out to finish the job. Probably thinks it´ll get him
back into the Dark Lord´s good graces... Hmmm, I wonder if that´s an
oxymoron?
So, yet again Harry proves to have remarkable skills at staying alive.
I wish I could have been there to see his face when he blew up his aunt.
It´s funny how people still believe that he´s all goodness and light with
things like this... I mean, I´m sure he had just cause for what he did, but
most people would have...oh, I don´t know, thrown a temper tantrum, or a
glass, or just generally broken a lot of stuff. But noooo...not Harry
Potter. Harry Potter has to inflate his relatives.
I wonder if Maman would mind terribly if I inflated my cousin the next
time she talks about snogging Higgs or Goyle. I mean, really! Well, at
least Higgs is a decent-looking sort, even if he is barmy enough to think
Pansy´s cute. She´s a girl.
Malfoy
30 August 1993
I felt a bit like a character out of a Muggle spy story today. I
wonder what Father would have said had he seen me skulking in and out of
the shadows of Diagon Alley, trying not to be obvious as I was stalking
Harry Potter.
I first spotted him at Fortescue´s Ice Cream Parlour, bent over some
book or other, absently wiping his finger around the rim of a partially
melted fudge sundae. It was a bit odd to see him outside of school--even
more odd to see him apparently enjoying his homework. He always complains
bitterly to Granger (along with that great lout Weasley) about his
homework and how awful classes and the professors are. I didn´t think he
enjoyed learning, but apparently I was wrong.
A brief detour to Flourish and Blots to get my new books for the year
proved semi-hazardous to my health. The Monster Book of Monsters,
our book for Care of Magical Creatures, nearly bit my nose off after the
weeping store assistant fetched it from its cage. After we found a piece
of rope to bind it shut, I had a scary premonition: What if the scary,
creepy, huge gamekeeper, Hagrid, is the new CoMC teacher? I´m
hoping that I´m wrong, but I really, really doubt that I am--and it´s not
pride speaking in this case.
Foisting my books off on my Maman (I know, rather rude, but I had more
interesting things to do than hand around while she shopped for gifts and
what not for upcoming occasions), I did a run-through sweep of Quality
Quidditch Supplies and found Harry and a number of other kids drooling
over the new Firebolt model that was on display in the window. It was a
nice looking broom, but I´ll admit that I spent more time watching Harry´s
expression than looking at the broom.
Part of it was the old adage `know thy enemy.´ I mean, I don´t truly
consider Harry my enemy, but he is my adversary, my rival, my not-friend.
He was a thirteen-year-old boy who had brushed death three times now and
lived to tell the tale, twice with the Dark Lord of the present, and once
with the Dark Lord of the past. It was odd how he could seem outwardly so
unaffected by the things that had happened. If it hadn´t been for the scar
obscured by a messy tumble of ebon fringe, he would have been any other
normal Hogwarts student, complete with Quidditch craze and bad study
habits. Well, that and his eyes. Harry´s eyes have always been the telling
tale, always showed what he´s thinking, how´s he´s feeling. Well, at least
to me.
Yes, the venom was still there, cleverly concealed beneath a layer of
good boy smiles and dishevelled hair. It´s not even malicious venom,
really, it´s more of...of...well, in a way, it reminds me of the African
boomslang. It´s an extremely shy snake, tree-dwelling for the most part,
and yet when cornered or provoked, it´s one of the most deadly snakes in
the world. I mean, causing your blood to clot, eventually leading to a
stroke or heart attack... What a way to die!
Anyway, I had to run off to the Apothecary Shoppe to pick up my potion
supplies, and then meet up with Maman at Madam Malkin´s for new robes.
That´s one of the worst parts about being a teenager; nothing ever seems
to fit! So after about an hour of being fussed over by Maman and Madam
Malkin, I left with two altered robes and an order for five more to be
sent to Hogwarts.
Our last stop was purely of my own choice--Imogene´s Exotic Sweet
Emporium. The store owner´s a bit of an odd bird, but she gets in some of
the most amazing things. My favourite are the candied chrysanthemums from
Japan. According to the label, the petals are dipped and preserved in this
combination of sugar and ginger, with "secret ingredients" harvested by
the reclusive ryuujin. The flowers are grown by the youko of Fushimi
temple, and the profits from their overseas sales are used for temple
upkeep, as well as to aid impoverished farmers. Hey, even if it´s not
true, it´s a rather touching story, you have to admit.
So, bag of candied `mums in hand, I convinced Maman to take the long
way through Diagon Alley before we Flooed home.
Again Harry was sitting outside Fortescue´s, this time nibbling on his
quill with a piece of doodled on parchment in front of him. I squeezed
Maman´s hand briefly, nodding in his direction. I ignored her gasp and
continued walking, letting her stay and stare as long as she wanted to--as
long as she needed to.
She caught up to me in the Leaky Cauldron not five minutes later, the
only betrayal of her emotions the faint wetness in her blue, blue eyes. We
didn´t speak until we´d gotten home, and then she hugged me. I was afraid
she´d end up crushing me before she let go, but I let her...because she´s my
Maman.
"Thank you," she whispered, pressing her lips to my cheek as she stood
up and wiped away her tears. "Thank you, mon dragon."
Not knowing what to say--what to do--I nodded, clutching my sweets to my
chest. Making my excuses, I ran to my room and shut the door, diving under
the blankets. After a few moments, I pulled my stuffed fox from its hiding
place, burying my face in the rich fur.
I miss Dobby a lot. And, I wonder if I´ll ever be able to handle
emotions gracefully. Right now I feel like such a coward.
D. S. Malfoy
1 September 1993
So, since this Sirius Black guy is such a big deal, Minister Fudge Up
apparently gave the Dementors of Azkaban free reign at Hogwarts. Not only
are those...things...beyond creepy, I nearly passed out when one came into our
compartment on the train. And of all the people to have witnessed my
moment of weakness, the Weasley twins had to be there. If I could bury
myself, I would--under Hogwarts Castle, preferably.
Of course, Harry did pass out--quite violently from what we
heard. Seems like he went into seizures of some sort. Makes me wonder why...
Oh, and when I went to play my usual first-of-the-term Nasty Prat role, I
found out who our new DADA professor was. A shabby-looking man by the name
of R. J. Lupin, the R. standing for Remus, according to rumour. Actually,
it was only his robes that were shabby-looking. He seemed to be a nice
enough sort of guy, if a little on the thin side and contradictory in
appearance. In some ways, he looks no older than Maman or Uncle, but
there´s grey threading his hair at the temples and lines creasing the
corners of his wide eyes.
Uncle came around towards lights´ out to pass out our schedules. I
have two of my new classes tomorrow, and I´m hoping that I´ll survive
them. (My fear about the CoMC teacher was proved correct, much to my
dismay.)
Anyway, off to sleep before Uncle sees the dorm light still on and
thumps me with a pillow.
D. S. Malfoy
2 September 1993
Arithmancy went rather well. That know-it-all Granger´s in the class,
which could prove to be a bit of an annoyance, but at least Professor
Vector knows her stuff--not to mention her jokes make more sense than
Professor Sprout´s! I have two chapters to read before the next lesson,
but that shouldn´t be a problem.
Unfortunately, I wasn´t as luck with Care of Magical Creatures. Leave
it to me to not only offend all the Gryffindors and the teacher, but to
offend the lesson topic as well. I´m writing this from the hospital wing.
Despite Madam Pomfrey´s best attempts, the wound isn´t healing quite
right, which has me miffed to no end. Already there are rumours flying
around about how I´m being melodramatic about the whole thing, that my
arm´s already better and I´m just playing it up in an effort to get Hagrid
fired. It´s funny how easily children have their parents´ habits applied
to them. If they really think that, why don´t they ask Madam Pomfrey about
it? She´s the one who locked me up in here for observation anyway, going
off about my `delicate condition´ and `odd physiology.´ I don´t know what
she was talking about...
Father´s probably going to make a big deal out of this. What am I
supposed to do? Sometimes I feel as though everyone wants me to just up
and defy him, but they just--don´t--get--it. I´m only thirteen. I mean, sure,
Harry´s already managed to thwart the Dark Lord three times, but there´s
only one Golden Boy, and I´m not him
Hmmm...I think the Dreamless Sleep potion´s kicking in. I´d better hide
this before I fall asleep--wouldn´t want anyone getting a hold of it, after
all.
Malfoy
5 September 1993
Well, call me a Weasley and sign me up for Gryffindor; I think I
managed to stick my foot in my mouth and insert it completely up to my
kneecap.
We had Double Potions with Gryffindor this morning, which went as well
as Potions usually does. I played up my injury, as per Father´s orders,
which felt rather odd given that I´m not really playing it up. I mean, the
gash hasn´t completely healed, and if I´m not careful, it´ll open up and
start bleeding again. It doesn´t really make any sense, especially given
that both Uncle and Madam Pomfrey have tried coagulation potions and
charms to no effect. What really made things bad, though, was that I
didn´t keep my stupid mouth shut about Black; given my luck, I´ve probably
just given Harry the brilliant idea to find the murderer and kill him in
retribution for his parents deaths all on his own. Way to be, Malfoy.
In other news, Professor Lupin seems to be a bit off his rocker, but
he does know his stuff. I´m not sure why Uncle seems to loath him so much
(it´s a bit hard to tell, since Uncle has a tendency to sneer at
everything and everyone), but I kind of like the guy. It´s a shame that
House pretences mean I have to be a royal pain in the arse and give him a
hard time.
I´m off to the library to look up information for my first Arithmancy
assignment--and to maybe brainstorm a few ideas to fix my slip up and keep
Harry Snake-Eyes Potter from causing mayhem and getting himself killed.
Malfoy
1 October 1993
Well, it´s been a month since school started. Classes are going fairly
well, if a bit difficult--well, mostly Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA,
which require a lot of wand work. I really wish Madam Pomfrey and Uncle
could figure out what´s wrong with my arm. I mean, I run around with
everyone thinking it´s just some big sham that I´m putting on to make the
Gryffindors go spare, but I´m really starting to get worried. It throbs
and itches at the same time, and I swear it´s got me hallucinating at
night; there almost seem to be scales surround the wound.
Quidditch practise began today, and I spent most of my time on the
ground, going over plays with Flint. You kind of have to feel sorry for
the poor bugger, failing his NEWTs and getting stuck taking one more year
of school to try and pass.
I still haven´t come up with a way to fix the mess I made with Harry
and the whole thing with Black, but he seems to be playing it smart for
now. A fact for which I´m grateful, mind you. It´s not as though I´m in
any shape to try and keep him from unintentional suicide. Then again,
maybe he doesn´t know the whole story yet...I hope he doesn´t know the whole
story yet.
Pansy´s been bugging me to help her narrow down her list of potential
boyfriend candidates. I saw the list a few days ago, and had to bite my
tongue in order to keep from pointing out that Hannah Abbot and Padma
Patil aren´t boys. I mean, who am I to argue with a girl in love with the
idea of being in love? It´s silly, if you ask me, but no-one often does.
I got a letter and package from Maman today, and for once I decided
not to share my sweets with my Housemates or brag about it at the table. I
mean, candied `mums are sacred, you understand. She hoped I was well and
told me to give her regards to my friends--and told me to remind Blaise not
to get near cold water. I mean, what was his mother thinking, cursing her
child because she couldn´t decide which gender she preferred...
So, other than the fact that my Charms and Transfiguration grades are
shite right now, I´m fairly happy. Or maybe that´s just the painkillers
talking. Belladonna´s a lot of fun!
Draco
31 October 1993
Today was the first Hogsmeade trip, which was fairly uneventful. I
spent nearly two hours trying to drag Crabbe and Goyle from Honeydukes,
and eventually had to resort to have Millie douse Blaise with a bucket of
cold water and point her out to them as she ran past, arms clutched to her
chest. It was almost laughable how quickly they raced after her.
Seriously, I think they need their hormones checked or something; their
`Duh, pretty girl´ syndrome is almost as frightening as their `Duh,
sweets´ syndrome.
The Halloween Feast was nice as well, though Pansy and Millie´s
plotting was extremely disturbing. Whenever those two get together and
"plan," things usually get royally messed up and I´m the one that has to
fix the mess. Higgs is supposed to stop by soon to help me with my Charms
homework, and--
Uh-oh, Uncle´s bellowing. I´d better go find out who broke into his
stores this time...
I´m continuing my writing from underneath a horrendously bright purple
quilt, lying on a matching beanbag. I´m beginning to doubt Dumbledore´s
sanity more than ever--I mean, really, bright purple? Anyway, rumour
is that Sirius Black somehow managed to break into the school and he
slashed the Gryffindor portrait guardian to ribbons. All of the Houses
have been put into the Great Hall while the professors check the halls to
see if he´s still around.
You know, Halloween´s are never dull around here. First year it was a
troll on the loose. Second year, it was Filch´s cat being petrified and
the Chamber of Secrets being opened. This year, a mad Azkaban escapee
managed to enter the castle in order to probably kill Harry. I wonder what
can look forward to for next year--probably something to do with the Dark
Lord trying to kill Harry again. Really, Halloween is bad luck for the
Golden Boy.
Great, here comes Perfectly Nosy Percy. Better pretend to be asleep.
Draco
20 November 1993
So, not only does the entire school think I´m the world´s biggest
faker, they´re also convinced, apparently, that I can summon the forces of
Darkness at will. Ever since the accident during the Quidditch game, I´ve
gotten nearly two dozen accusations that I somehow summoned the Dementors
to the pitch, knowing that they would make Harry black out and fall
forty feet to the ground, and that it would cause Hufflepuff to
win.
Why is I´m the only one who doesn´t think I´m omnipotent?
Madam Pomfrey said that I wasn´t going to be well enough in time to
play in the Quidditch match, and as Slytherin has no backup Seeker, Uncle
petitioned Dumbledore to rearrange the matches. I don´t know why everyone
complained; I mean, they had almost three week´s notice, seeing as how
they were told right after Halloween. And to be told that I´m lying, that
I´m faking the injury...I can´t remember the last time I got so mad. If they
don´t believe me, why don´t they ask Madam Pomfrey and the Headmaster? I
mean, they´re the only reason I didn´t play!
Anyway, the Dementors showed up during the Quidditch match, and I got
to see first hand what happens when they´re around Harry. I swear, I
thought he was going to become a broken doll on the pitch, but Dumbledore
managed to slow his fall and get him to the hospital wing. Unfortunately,
the Hufflepuff Seeker--Digger? Diggory?--didn´t realise what had happened
and caught the snitch. Gryffindor´s going to have to work their arses off
to come up with tactics to win their next three matches if they want to
make up the point spread and get the Quidditch Cup. To top things off,
though, Harry´s broom got blown into the Whomping Willow and smashed to
toothpicks. Wonder what he´s going to do now?
I hope Harry gets this...this...Dementor allergy under control before the
Dark Lord hears about it. He´ll be in trouble--big trouble--if he doesn´t.
D. S. Malfoy
31 November 1993
So Gryffindor had plenty to cheer about today--Ravenclaw completely
flattened Hufflepuff, which was amazing given that they were playing with
their backup Seeker. It´s a wonder that that Chang girl is still playing,
given how many injuries she´s suffered. Snake-vine says that she´ll be
back for their game against us and Gryffindor.
My arm´s finally showing some signs of improvement. Next term´s going
to be a pain the arse, though, since we have to play all three of our
matches then. Oh, well; Flint seems confident about the matches against
Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff at least.
In other news, Longbottom´s only destroyed one cauldron in Potions
this year, so it seems that he´s improving, my Charms´ essays and exams
seem to be balancing out my dodgy practical performance, and despite the
fact that I´ve been a prat in every single class, I tied for top marks
with Lupin in DADA. The only class in which my marks are going to notably
suffer is Transfiguration, but Miserly McGonagall said she´d "work
something out" since my past performance was high and my essays have been
well written.
Maman wrote again, sending yet another box of sweets. I gave all but
the `mums to my year mates to split up amongst themselves. She´s spoiling
me by sending them every time. It´s funny; Blaise still hasn´t forgiven me
for the incident in Hogsmeade. It was my idea, yes, but I wasn´t the one
who actually doused him with the water. And he managed to change back
before Crabbe and Goyle caught him, so I don´t see what the big deal is.
It´s not as though they´d know what to do with him even they had
caught him.
If he doesn´t get over it soon, I´m going to douse him with cold water
and lock him in the dorm with them.
Malfoy
P.S. I thought my kleptomania was under control, but apparently it´s
not. I haven´t got a clue as to where I picked it up at, or what exactly
is etched into the band, or what the creature cut into the seal is
supposed to be, but I picked up a family signet ring from somewhere. My
jewellery fetish is beginning to frighten me...
14 December 1993
So, first-term exams are over, and we´re just waiting for marks to be
posted. We went down to Hogsmeade for some last minute fun--and, in Crabbe
and Goyle´s case, a last-minute sweet binge--and discovered that Blaise and
snow are a bad combination. Really, if it was me, I´d curse my own
mother--and I like my mother.
Did a bit of last minute shopping for Christmas presents, and
eventually found myself alone in Zonko´s. And so I got to thinking about a
few things--don´t laugh, journal, it´s really not that funny--and realised
that I may have been deluding myself about a few things. This whole thing
with my arm and Black and my friends had me distracted from noticing other
things that I should have.
Weasley and Granger have been noticeably what Pansy calls `on and off´
all term, and the snake-vine says that it´s due to their pets, of all
things. Maybe there´s something else going on there, but no-one´s heard
for sure. Also, whatever appears to be going on between them is affecting
Harry as well; mostly he seems to take Weasley´s side, but when I think
about it, he´s torn between them. Weasley was his friend before Granger,
but they´ve both managed to claim equal importance over the years.
I wonder what´s going on in his head. As his foil, I should know him
as intimately as I know myself, but I haven´t been on task in that
respect. It´s time to buckle down again; things are getting serious.
...
No pun intended.
Malfoy
19 December 1993
Father is a crueller man than I thought. Apparently he had the
Department of Magical Creatures place an inquiry on the hippogriff that
attacked me on the second day of school, and after an "investigation," it
was decided that the creature was too dangerous, and was to be taken care
of by the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. I tried to
tell him that it was my own stupidity--and arrogance--that caused the
accident in the first place, and Maman and I both tried to tell him that
my healing problems had nothing to do with the hippogriff, but apparently
he doesn´t care. `It´s all about image,´ he says.
Bullocks.
D. S. Malfoy
P.S. Alcohol and Belladonna are a baaad combination. I´ve been
hallucinating for the last two hours, and it´s disturbing that my stuffed
fox is scaring me senseless--I had to hide it under my pillow in order to
keep it from whispering naughty things in my ear. When I find out who
spiked my late night pumpkin juice, they´re dead--dead, dead, dead, dead,
dead! With blood and gore and--and-- Shite, the fox got out! Now what
am I going to do?!
25 December 1993
Happy Christmas. Now I´m off to hide from Pansy and Millie, who seem
intent that I should be caught under the mistletoe with someone tonight. I
really, really hate it when Father decides to socialise and have Christmas
parties at the Manor. Maybe if I hide in Maman´s rooms...in the closet no
less... I mean, they´ll never think to look there!
I am so brilliant, I could kiss myself.
Draco
P.S. Not only was I found, I was forced to suffer through four rounds
of Avery and Nott´s horrendous idea of karaoke (whoever the New Kids on
the Block are, they need to die!), I had to snog Pansy, Blaise, and some
woman who looked older than the portrait of great-great grandmother Aspina
Malfoy. At least one of us had a good time...
In other news, pink silk is not my colour, and I will be forced to
kill the first person to make `out of the closet´ jokes--very, very,
very slowly.
3 January 1994
So, Happy Late New Year and all that other holiday nonsense. I should
be happy that the new term starts tomorrow, but I´m going through a bout
of winter blahs. Maman says that I need to get out more, that the fresh
air will do me good.
Fresh air is cold in January. I don´t like the cold. I don´t like
January. So, in this instance, I don´t like outside.
Don´t you just love my logic?
I need to start Quidditch practise as soon as possible--our first
scheduled match is on the twenty-first, and I still feel extremely weak in
the air if I´m up there for more than fifteen minutes. I guess this means
I´ll have to take Maman´s advice anyway; drat, I hate doing what I´m told
if I don´t feel like doing what I´m told.
Malfoy
4 January 1994
Classes resumed today, and already the snake-vine is a-hiss with
holiday gossip. Seems that Granger and Weasley had a huge blow-up during
break and aren´t speaking to each other. Not only that, but Granger
managed to drive Harry into a nasty temper as well, and though he and
Weasley are being chummy, their completely ignoring the girl. Rumour also
has it that Harry got a surprise Christmas present that the teachers
confiscated--the betting pool ranges on items from a copy of
Playwitch to a werewolf cub to a charmed flying vacuum cleaner.
Really, I´m not sure where people come up with this stuff...
Started flying exercises last night. I was able to do nearly a half
hour´s worth of laps, so if I keep up at it, I should be able to improve
my stamina in time for the game.
I just hope that Flint didn´t actually buy cannonballs to throw at me
like he said he was going to...
Draco
12 January 1994
Harry´s been spending an awful lot of time with Professor Lupin in the
last couple of days. I hope that Lupin´s trying help him figure out a
solution to his Dementor allergy.
The other highlights of my week? Cannonballs hurt a lot, Flint´s a
demanding pain in the arse, Pansy seems fixated on Blaise in a rather
disturbing way, Higgs is already having problems in Potions again,
Flitwick insinuated that my practical Charms might improve if I learned
how to wave my wand with my ear, McGonagall dropped a book on my head on
"accident" when she was pulling it off a shelf in the library, and I´m
convinced that I need to spend the rest of my life communing with the lake
monster, since that has to be an infinitely more satisfying life than the
one I´m currently leading. I wonder if I could get away with calling this
a mid-adolescence crisis?
Right. Off to take my Belladonna, eat a few `mums, commune with my
possessed stuffed fox, and dream about tentacles.
D. S. Malfoy
P.S. After reading this entry the next morning, I´m beginning to wonder
if I need to seek professional help... I´m actually starting to frighten
myself.
21 January 1994
Okay, so maybe it was a narrow victory, but it was still a victory. I
still caught the bloody snitch, even though that Chang girl nearly knocked
me from my broom twice. I really don´t see where the other Houses get off
calling us liars and cheats when they´re just as bad as we are, if not
worse.
If I ever meet Chang in a dark corridor, I think I´ll push her down a
flight of stairs...or two...or three... I mean, grabbing my arm like that, and
right where the wound was... I spent nearly two hours in the hospital
with Madam Pomfrey clucking and fussing like a mother hen. It was
disturbing--more disturbing than that fact that it took nearly an hour for
the bleeding to stop. Really, I thought the dratted thing was finally
healing.
I really need to get started on my Arithmancy essay for Vector, seeing
as how it´s due in two weeks. Suppose that means I actually need to pick a
topic. Guess I´ll do it the same way I picked my topic for my end-of-term
essay in DADA--sing a stupid Muggle rhyme as I drag my finger up and down
the table of contents until I pick the one that´s "it."
...
And people think I´m logical why?
Malfoy
12 February 1994
So the big mystery´s finally been solved. I´m actually a bit
disappointed that it didn´t turn out to be an enchanted vacuum
cleaner--would have made for an interesting Quidditch match. No, instead,
Harry got some anonymous Christmas present of a Firebolt. Yep, the broom
that everyone was drooling over in Diagon Alley. I heard that even Hooch
started drooling when she chaperoned their practise this evening--and she
still swears by the Silver Arrows!
Uncle´s been even crabbier than usual lately, but he won´t tell me
why. I hope it´s not because of the bath set Maman got him for Christmas.
I swear, he doesn´t know how to take a joke.
Draco
14 February 1994
Looking back, I haven´t had a positive Valentine´s Day entry ever, so
I guess it´s no surprise that this year´s is awful as well.
Pansy´s trying to use me to make Blaise jealous, and all it seems to
be doing so far is make our resident gender-confused Slytherin even more
confused--and I´m tired of playing councillor when I´m the one who
needs a councillor! Anymore, I give people the same advice I give Crabbe
and Goyle--go gorge yourself on chocolate for a few hours, and the
resulting stomach ache will make you forget your other pains for a few
hours.
So, does this make me a cold and heartless bastard? Maybe. I have yet
to see real proof, though, that I´m not just being practical.
Malfoy
P.S. Happy bloody Valentine´s Day. May everyone choke on their
chocolate, be paper cut by their cutesy cards, and prick their fingers on
rose thorns.
Love,
Me
20 February 1994
So, that whole making things up as I go along thing that I was
complaining about sometime earlier this year? Well, leave it to me to have
another bloody brilliant idea the day before the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw
match. Just what was this spur-of-the-moment notion of mine, you ask?
Why, to imitate a Dementor of course. Unfortunately, it appears that I
severely underestimated the amount of time Harry was spending with
Professor Lupin--as well as underestimating just what it was the man was
teaching him. Have you ever been bared down upon by a huge white stag with
lowered horns? If it hadn´t been for the fact that I´d passed out from
sheer fright, I probably would have wet myself. As it was, whatever Harry
set at us scared us all quite witless (well, more witless than we already
obviously were), which led to us giving ourselves away. Mangy McGonagall
shrieked at us for nearly a half hour, and then deducted twenty-five
points a piece as well as assigning us detention. I can´t believe we lost
a hundred points! Well, at least Flint doesn´t seem too upset, nor does
the rest of Slytherin House. As a matter of fact, several people I don´t
even know congratulated me for my "daring attempt at blatant sabotage."
I´ve had this sinking, sickening feeling sitting in the pit of my
stomach since then, once I´ve become familiar with in the past three
years. It´s the one that usually tells me that things are beginning to
line up, that something big is about to happen. And given the way the
year´s gone so far, that can only mean one thing: Someone´s going to try
and kill Harry.
However, given how quiet Father´s been about things, I don´t think
he´s involved this time. In fact, it´s almost as if things are centring
entirely on Black--and I shudder to think about the implications of that.
Malfoy
P.S. Black somehow managed to get into the castle again, as well as
into the Gryffindor tower. Apparently he shredded Weasley´s
curtains--probably looking for Harry so that he could finish what the Dark
Lord began. I hope Harry´s not going to be stupid enough to go looking for
him. That´d be just like him, leaping, then looking, and then having to
bite things and make them die.
...
I really, really need to sleep more.
28 February 1994
In case it hadn´t already been established, I´m intelligent but quite
lacking in common sense. Only I would open my mouth and insert my foot in
such away without making sure that we were alone.
So, there I was, not so innocently bashing Harry and his friends with
Crabbe and Goyle (it was a Hogsmeade weekend, and we were checking out the
Shrieking Shack), when who should we run into but the Weasley himself,
apparently alone. And, of course, I couldn´t resist getting in a jibe or
two; I have appearances to maintain, after all. Then, suddenly, I was the
recipient of a cold, slimy mud ball--several, actually, most of them to the
head. Weasley just sat there and howled with laughter while
something attacked us with mud and sticks, and eventually I caught
on when one of the boneheads tripped.
Harry was there, hiding underneath an Invisibility Cloak.
Now, I´d thought the spirit stag had been scary, but it was nothing
compared to the momentary horror of Harry´s disembodied head. I´m not
ashamed to admit that I screeched like a girl and ran for it (especially
considering the fact that Crabbe and Goyle did the same). Unfortunately,
the first person we ran into was Uncle, and I ended up babbling the whole
story--as ludicrous as it sounded--without stopping to think what kind of
trouble Harry and Weasley would get into. Uncle actually creeped me out
with the smile he gave me before gliding down the halls to try and find
Harry.
...
Right now, I feel sorry for Harry, even if he was out of Hogwarts
without permission. I mean, he´s practically been locked away all year,
not to mention the fact that the teachers and some of the students have
been following him around like hounds in an effort to keep him safe. Don´t
they realise that the only person who can keep Harry safe is Harry?
Well, and me, of course, since I am the anti-him.
...
Grammatically, that last part makes absolutely no sense, but I´m too
tired to care right now.
D. S. Malfoy
9 March 1994
Ah, kleptomania, I have missed thee...not at all!
Just when I thought things couldn´t get any worse, I filched a couple
of books that belonged to Blaise and I´m not sure how to go about
returning them. I mean, he´s sure to notice in a few days that they´re
gone, but I don´t really want to return them. I beginning to think there´s
a reason I steal the things I do, so I should hang on to them until I
figure out why I have robber-bird syndrome.
I´m currently hiding out in the dormitory so that no-one notices the
hand imprint on my face. Who would have thought that mousy Granger could
hit...well, better than a girl? My jaw still hurts...
Slytherin House as a whole seemed happy to hear that Hagrid had lost
his appeal case to spare the hippogriff´s life. However, I´m still upset
that Father didn´t listen to me. There´s really no need to kill the
creature given that I was the one who pissed it off.
Father´s never cared to hear what I have to say though. And that hurts
almost as much as the rejection of fearfully-offered friendship.
D. S. Malfoy
12 March 1994
Well, my arm´s almost as good as new, and we managed to trounce
Hufflepuff; really, that Diggory character wouldn´t have beaten Harry to
the snitch has the Dementors not shown up. He´s good enough on a broom,
but he doesn´t really have the build--or the mentality--to play the Seeker
position very well. Of course, my opinion of Hufflepuffs and Quidditch has
long been known to be rather cut and dry: they don´t mix.
Unfortunately, this means that Gryffindor isn´t very far behind us,
and if they pull a significant enough point spread and Harry catches the
snitch, they´ll actually get the Quidditch Cup this year.
That sinking feeling...it´s been getting steadily worse. I wrote to
Maman about it, asking if there´s any form of precognition in our family,
but she hasn´t responded yet. And I refuse to ask the batty Divination
teacher, Professor Trelawny. Apparently she´d been predicting Harry´s
death at least once every other week. If you ask me, the woman needs
another hobby.
Malfoy
P.S. I think I´ve finally figured out Lupin´s secret thanks to Uncle´s
ranting, but I won´t say anything about it. Well, for now, at least.
2 April 1994
I hate my life. No, really, I completely and utterly hate my life. Not
only did we lose to Gryffindor today, they won by a large enough point
spread to take the Quidditch Cup as well.
I´m now off to drown myself in the showers. If I don´t write again,
that means I actually managed to succeed at something for once.
Malfoy
25 May 1994
This whole day has been one, big...um, what was that crude but
appropriate word that Blaise was using...? Oh, yeah! Clusterfuck, that was
it. The whole day has been one big clusterfuck, what with exams ending,
the hippogriff´s execution, and the Gryffindor Trio´s disappearance from
the school grounds.
To top all of this off, rumour flying around at the moment is that
Sirius Black was caught, he hurt Weasley and Granger and attempted to kill
Harry, and Lupin was in on all of it. I feel so betrayed, finding out that
the man I kind was beginning to like was a traitor as well.
Somehow, the hippogriff managed to break free of its restraints right
before its execution. Father and Macnair were quite angry, but I couldn´t
help feeling relieved; it was a bit like having a sudden weight lifted off
your shoulders. Macnair´s nothing more than a bloody psychopathic butcher,
and it´s about time that Father´s plans get ruined so fabulously.
Uncle was the one to find the Gryffindor Trio and Lupin. Again,
according to the snake-vine, Black´s being held in one of the upper-floor
rooms, awaiting the arrival of Minister Fungus and the Dementors. The
Ministry has declared the Dementor´s Kiss for Black. You know, even if he
did commit all those murders, I´m not sure anyone deserves to die that
way...
On second thought, for helping the Dark Lord and doing what he did to
Harry, he does deserve the Kiss. Maybe a life of soulless hell will make
him see the error of his ways.
Pansy´s been-- What on earth is that horrendous noise? I wonder if a
first year accidentally put Mrs. Norris through a Wringer Hex again.
Stupid moggy. Hmmm...actually, it sounds like a person. I guess I´d better
go and see what´s going on before any more nasty surprises get sprung on
us.
I think I´m in shock. I´ve drawn the curtains tight about my bed to
try and block out the nattering of my roommates, but I can´t seem to get
my mind to focus properly.
Sirius Black managed to escape. That howl of inhuman rage was Uncle
when he discovered that the man was gone. And right now, I don´t know what
to think. We Slytherins pride ourselves on be able to gather knowledge in
the quickest, most efficient fashion out of all the Houses, but I´m not
sure that I completely trust what information our snake-vine has gathered.
Apparently Harry was saying that Black was innocent, that someone else
betrayed his parents, an old classmate by the name of Pettigrew. I need to
remember to ask Maman about him--as well as Lupin and Black--when I return
home, but for now...
Harry believes it. Harry believes that Black is innocent, and swears
that he heard this Pettigrew confess. And, strangely enough, given what I
know of Harry´s nature, this only means one thing is possible: Black
really is innocent. Only a snake would have the ability to weigh venom and
malice and decide if it´s real or not. And Harry is the king of snakes, in
that case.
It´s all too much to take in right now. Good thing I have some of the
Dreamless Sleep potion left or I´d never sleep tonight.
Malfoy
28 May 1994
End of the year and still not much to write. Really, it´s funny how
hard a time my mind is having wrapping itself around the concept of Harry
and Black and...and...
And Lupin being a werewolf. The day after Black´s escape, Uncle was so
upset that he told the entire Potion´s class, confirming what I´d already
suspected. It was rather spiteful and cruel for him to do that, but I
can´t really say anything against it. For one, I´m a student. For another,
I have no idea why Uncle hates Black and Lupin so much, so it´s not really
my place to interfere.
I think I´m going to take the time to re-read this year´s entries when
I get home. I have a feeling that there are a lot of things I missed
noting immediately this year, and I need to be sure that I´m not caught so
off-guard ever again. I will keep Harry Bloody Potter amongst the living,
even if it kills me.
The gods and goddesses know he has little enough care for his life.
D. S. Malfoy
A/N: Go ahead and skip this if you want--it´s my place of
obligatory "thank yous" for the moment:
Kristi: The first review that made me stop and think, `Hey, this
might actually turn out to be a good story.´ Well, that and the fact that
I´ve lurking-ly admired your work for years. ^_^; And thanks for pointing
out my homonym mess up--English major I may be, but perfect I am
not!
Slytherin Goddess: Kya, hazukashii desu wa! (In other
words, your review made me blush.) This story is actually posted at
Fiction Alley as well, but I fear it oft gets buried beneath all the other
good fics there. ::frowns thoughtfully:: Always wondered what a Niffler
would really be like... If it looks vaguely feline-esque, I want
one!
Desertrain: You know what they say, great minds think
alike. ^_^ Actually, I have a fear that our dear Miss Weasley may be the
one to bite it in Book Five, but I really wanted a chance to explore her
character with what little we were given to work with.
Snippy and
Snarky: Here I thought I was the only one who cruised the `net that
early in the morning. I´m glad you like the imagery--and that you don´t
mind my verboseness.
Blake: I´m glad you like my Draco. I like
my Draco too, since I try so hard to make him believable in-canon
rather than fanon. And the inspiration for the `that should be illegal´
line came from a conversation between my roommate and I while watching Dir
en grey´s (Japanese rock band) music video for Yokan a year or so
ago. ::grumbles:: That whole damn band should be illegal...
Anne
Phoenix: Thanks for the nice review. Don´t worry, the joke will be
integrated into the next chapter. As for short...well, to me it was short,
but most people consider that chapter a novel-in-training.
To
everyone else: This was such a daunting fandom to enter into--and
believe me, I´ve been in some pretty daunting fandoms before!--but the
feedback I´ve gotten has been wonderful. I hope you continue to enjoy my
writing.
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