Draco Malfoy's Sister

I sat anxiously on a stool in the Great Hall. The hat was drooping over my gray eyes and it was bothering me.

I could hear it say," Hmm. Definitely not Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff..."

"Hurry up and put me in Slytherin," I yelled at the hat in my head.

"Fine, no need to be so pushy," it muttered.

"SLYTHERIN!" I heard it yell and as I pulled off the annoying hat. I saw Slytherins clapping hard. I gazed around at Slytherin's table and saw my brother gazing at me approvingly. I smiled inwardly because I knew that later he would congratulate me for getting sorted into our house.

"Well, good," I thought happily. I glanced over at the Gryffindor table and saw three people whispering and glancing at me. When I caught the bushy haired girl's eye she turned crimson and immediately stopped talking and her friends quieted too. I wasn't embarrassed. I just looked ahead to my table and gracefully sat down next to Draco, my brother. He smiled faintly at me and tugged my hair playfully. This was the time I liked my older brother best.

When he had sent our family letters he had always given me a letter that made me laugh. I smiled back, and then turned my attention back to the Sorting.

Finally," Yatra, Patria," was sorted and Professor Dumbledore stood up and greeted everyone.

" Welcome new students and welcome back to the old. Notices after we eat, so without further ado, tuck in." I stared at my plate as the food magically appeared on it. I picked up my fork and shook my head in disgust as my brother's friends starting cramming food in their mouth with their hands. He elbowed them and motioned towards me. They slowed down but kept on using their hands. He looked at me and smiled. I suddenly remembered the three Gryffindors who had been whispering about me.

I asked Draco," Who are those two boys and that girl in Gryffindor?" I looked at them to show Draco and saw that they were staring at us. I saw one boy had jet-black hair and emerald green eyes that I noted from my table. The other boy had flaming red hair and blue eyes. The girl who had caught my eye earlier had brown hair that was incredibly bushy but pretty. Her eyes were chocolate brown and I could tell she was smart from across the room. They all sneered at Draco and turned away, the redhead making violent motions with his hands on his neck and pointing to us.

"They're in fifth year, like me. We aren't exactly friendly, though," Draco answered to my earlier question." Their names are Harry Potter, the one with black hair, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger," he elaborated. I knew who Harry Potter was but I wasn't impressed. He had vanquished the Dark Lord, for which I was thankful, but it wasn't because he was all-powerful. It was because of the fact that there was a prophecy, and Voldemort hadn't heard the whole prophecy and rushed ahead to kill a child born in July. I shrugged and continued eating and my brother did the same.

Suddenly Crabbe snorted and mumbled," I wouldn't say 'not friendly'. I would say sworn enemies."

I giggled and stated the obvious, "Draco said that minutes ago." Crabbe just mumbled something incoherent and shrugged his shoulders. I giggled again and continued eating.

An hour or so later everyone was full to the brim with food and desserts. Dumbledore stood and looked around and smiled warmly. I glanced over to Gryffindor and saw most of them had smiled faintly in return. I frowned and turned my attention back to the headmaster. He droned on with announcements and I tuned out. Draco was poking Goyle, trying to wake him up and Crabbe was staring at Dumbledore with his eyes glazed over. A pug-faced girl was yawning and rubbing her eyes.

Finally I heard Dumbledore say, "That is all and now, prefects show the first years where to go." I stood up and stuck near Draco. He was a Prefect so I didn't have to get away from him.

" First years, follow us," Draco and the other fifth year called.

The prefects lead us halfway to the dungeons and then the girl called in a brisk voice, "All first year Slytherins follow me." Then she turned towards Draco and whispered, "Dumbledore said you were off duty tonight and I just remembered." She smiled apologetically and Draco stood there, stunned. The crowd of eleven year-olds left us in shocked peace. I was staying with Draco anyway. I heard footsteps coming in our direction and saw Harry and Ron. Draco suddenly smirked and my stomach filled with dread. This was the time I didn't like my brother. When he teased and taunted I wanted to cover my ears and scream.

" Well, well, now you've got your own cousin to beat up," Weasley hissed. I bit my lip and saw Hermione scurry up behind them.

" I brought the first years to Gryffindor," she whispered loudly. Draco snarled back some insult I wasn't listening to. I was trying to block it out without covering my ears. I hated fighting and furthermore Draco had never hit me. Plus I was his sister, not his cousin. I realized that Harry was yelling something at Draco, and I couldn't stand it.

I scooted up next to Draco and whimpered to no one in particular, "Please don't fight. Please...please..." I was begging but I didn't care. I saw something flash in Hermione's eyes and Draco slung his arm protectively around me. Harry and Ron's eyes looked surprised that Draco was being so nice and that I hated fighting. Draco began to stroke my hair. I leaned on his shoulder.

"Come on, let's go," Draco said, and we left, leaving the three friends in shocked silence. I glanced behind my shoulder quickly and saw Ron muttering and Harry slamming his fist into his hand. I winced and Draco looked at me, concerned.

"I'm okay, I don't know why I winced," I reassured him. We walked in silence and then we were about to go into the dungeons. He took his arm off my shoulders and he had already stopped stroking my hair. We walked in awkward silence. Our family did not often display signs of affection and I knew Draco was thinking along those lines. But I was still thankful he had stood up for me. Being an older brother could not be easy, especially when you had a rebel jerk ego. We reached Slytherin and he smiled softly as he stated the password, Snakesalive, and the painting of a basilisk opened up. We reached the common room where a couple of Slytherins were sitting and chatting quietly. They glanced up at us as we entered and most people's attention stayed riveted on us. He waved sarcastically and I stifled a giggle. A girl with a squashed face stood up and slung her arm around Draco.

She tried to kiss his nose but he jerked away and forcefully threw her arm off and muttered disgustedly, "Pansy!" She shrugged and went back to practicing hexes on chess pieces. Crabbe and Goyle stood up and immediately went to Draco's side and this time I giggled quietly because it seemed like they had been waiting for him. Pansy looked up at me and tried to give me the evil eye but only succeeded in squinting at me. Then she walked up a staircase that twirled to form a snake. Draco held up his hand and I high-fived it. It was obvious he had wanted to get rid of Pansy. Then I noted that Draco's bodyguards were still standing beside him, fighting back a yawn. I poked Draco in the ribs and pointed to his "friends". He shrugged and they went up a staircase that was carved out of stone and in the shape of a basilisk.

As my brother passed me he whispered, "'Night." I smiled warmly and nodded. I turned towards a girl still sitting in the common room; attention focused completely on a book as thin as a CD case.

I walked up and questioned, "Do you go up the snake to get to the girls' dormitory?" She looked up briefly and then nodded. Without bothering to thank her I followed the snake until I saw a door that said on the outside: 'Annamarie Harten, Sierra Malfoy, Leanne Torito, and Rain Youle'. I pushed open the door to reveal two white girls and one Asian. One of the girls had tan skin, reddish brownish hair, and lagoon blue eyes. The other had plain brown hair and dark brown eyes. Her skin was even tanner than the one with blue eyes. The Asian girl had gorgeous almond shaped eyes and fair yellow-orange skin. Her hair was jet black and I couldn't help but to decide she was prettiest of all.

The one with plain brown hair stood up and said sharply, "It is way past curfew. Pay more attention to the time." She frowned then said, "My name is Leanne Torito."

The pretty girl just smiled and said softly, "My name is Rain Youle."

The one with red-brown hair smiled warmly and said in a perky, yet tired voice, "I'm Annamarie. Don't you dare use my last name." I smiled because I see why she said that. Leanne frowned at her and looked at her distastefully.

She sighed and said in an exaggerated voice, "Some people actually sleep in here you know."

I tapped my wand on my shoulder and I was immediately in my silky sleeping shorts and pajama top.

I plopped on my bed and replied, "Yeah. Like me." Rain smiled and Annamarie giggled. Leanne sighed and I looked at her nightgown. It was black and stiff and looked uncomfortable. She gracefully lay down on her bed and snuggled under the covers. She shut her hangings that were dull silver and we all forgot about her.

"So," I said conversationally," where are you from, Annamarie?"

"I'm from Florida," she said, disgustedly, "It is way too hot there and I don't want to talk about it." She too disappeared under her hangings.

I tried again with Rain. "Where did your name come from?" I asked. "It's very pretty."

She smiled and replied softly," Thank you. It's a family name." She paused then continued," I'm kind of tired." She gestured towards her hanging and I nodded. She departed behind her hangings and I did the same. I fell asleep listening to Leanne mumbling in her sleep.

I woke up with green sheets kicked down to the end of my bed and silver covering the view of my dormitory. I pulled the hanging material apart and saw sunlight streaming in through a large window in the corner of the room. Of the other three beds, two were empty. I walked over to the bed with a lump on it. It was Annamarie and she was still asleep. I checked the clock and remembered that we had breakfast at 8:00. It was 8:45. Breakfast was for an hour, then classes started. It was common knowledge that being late for classes on the first day was not a very good notion. I groaned and shook Annamarie awake. She bolted up and then smiled at me." Thanks for waking me up," she yawned and I smiled back. I grabbed my towel and headed to the bathrooms. I showered in less than three minutes and then dressed even quicker. I saw Annamarie come fully dressed out of the showers. We quickly walked up to the Great Hall chatting happily as we went. We reached it and I pushed open the door. It was still almost full but when I glanced at the Slytherin table where almost everyone was gone, even Draco. I looked at Gryffindor and saw the trio was gone too. My heart sank into my feet, but I sat down at the table. I grabbed some biscuits and wolfed them down. Annamarie laughed and I grinned back.

I swallowed forcefully and said apologetically, "Sorry, but I wanted to go look for my brother and I don't have much time."

She just laughed and replied," I don't mind. I've seen worse." We both laughed but then I silenced myself.

Standing up, I was about to leave when Annamarie called out, "Call me Anna. All my friends do."

I smiled and called back, "Ok. Call me Sierra." I heard her laughing as I left and I smiled too. But for a different reason, I had just made my first friend at Hogwarts. But when I heard Draco shouting my mood swiftly changed to sadness. I ran to the loud voices.

I was surprised to see them fighting so soon again." Probably because I stopped them last night," I thought sadly. Surprisingly I heard my name being yelled, coming from Hermione. I listened to what they were saying.

" I'm just fine," I heard Draco yell angrily.

Then I heard Hermione snap back," No, you're not. You are worse than horrible. Your father is a Death Eater and you will be too. Sierra deserves a better family than that."

I knew she had touched Draco's soft spot with the remark about Death Eaters, but he just ignored it and retorted, "What do you suggest then? She lives with you?" I knew he was losing and the trio did too. But from what I was hearing Hermione was the only one talking. I peeped around the statue I was hiding behind and saw Ron and Harry looking aghast at Hermione. Draco was red in the face and Hermione was teary eyed. Suddenly I felt hatred well up inside me. How dare she say what she had just said when she had witnessed what Draco had done last night? I just couldn't take it anymore. I pulled off my robe so I was just in a short sleeve shirt and a knee length skirt.

I walked out and heard Hermione gasp. "Why do you say my family is a bad one, aside from the whole Death eater thing?" I asked quietly.

"They probably hit you. Beside, Malfoy wouldn't know kindness if it was standing naked in front of him," she said, a little shocked but still sure of herself. Her assurance drove me crazy.

" If they hit me wouldn't I have marks? If Draco wouldn't know kindness how come he did what he did last night?" I asked them. I asked quietly though, because that often scared people. Hermione was staring at me, too shocked to speak. I turned slightly towards Draco and saw him a little amazed but mostly still angry that Hermione had accused him of being a bad brother.

Finally Harry stepped forward and snarled, "Concealment charms could hide the bruises. That wasn't kindness last night, Professor Dumbledore was standing right around the corner and Malfoy knew." I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. I just stood there, spellbound at the friends' stupidity and then smiled. It was a faint smile but everyone saw it.

I just replied, as evenly as I could," Which Malfoy?" Then I turned and knew Draco had smirked at them. I walked away and Draco followed. He came up beside me and tapped his watch.

"Time for you to go to classes. You have ten minutes to get to Potions," he ordered in mock bossiness. I hugged him gently and whispered," Thanks for not interrupting my defeat of the Trio Twits."

He smiled and muttered, "Trio Twits. I like it." Then he grinned his most genuine smile." See you around." He waved and then I walked away. I was on the first floor so I didn't have far to go. I got there with five minutes to spare.

"There are some people who wills succeed in this class, while others fail miserably," Professor Snape paused and a couple Gryffindors gulped." There is no 'sort of good' about Potions. Fail, or pass." He finished and I wanted to scream from boredom. Then he continued on with his infuriating speech," I can teach you many things. I can teach you to brew fame and bottle fortune. Maybe even put a stopper to death." He strutted over to my desk and then leaned towards me, "Isn't that right, Miss Malfoy?" I leaned away and held back the urge to spit on him. "How should I know?" I thought, clenching my teeth. As if reading my mind he asked, raising his eyebrows, "I'm sure young Mr. Malfoy told you all about potions."

I finally understood and nodded," He told me in his letters. But he isn't that young, you know."

He looked vaguely surprised and muttered something that sounded like," Can't win 'em all." Then he looked around the class and saw a sea of surprised or amused faces.

He addressed the class once more, "Now, I would like to test your ability to brew potions." Professor Snape grinned maliciously and then resumed talking.

"One Gryffindor and one Slytherin paired up." I heard groans and I joined in. He glared around the room and everyone immediately hushed. I glanced at Anna who was laughing silently. I knew the entire class today was going to be a total bore.

What felt like years later, I sat in the Great Hall eating lunch.

I wasn't paying attention so I was glad when Draco burst out, "Sierra, you're allergic to coconut. You hate it, too." I blushed and offered it to Anna, who hungrily ate it. She too had suffered in classes, but not the same way I had. She had dyslexia but she tried hard, so she always had mostly Bs and As. I had suffered because it seemed all the teachers were out to get me. Flitwick had ignored the entire Slytherin house and that in itself was infuriating because they had been with Gryffindor, so Gryffindor had gotten a lot of points. McGonagall had always been reluctant to give points to Slytherin but had lectured me when I hadn't known the entire answer. Snape had been pretty cruel, even to Slytherins. Whenever he passed my desk, which was quite frequently, he knocked into my table, causing it to shake and mess up my ingredients. I knew I had to talk to Draco. I walked over to the fifth year section and slid in next to Draco. All the fifteen-year-olds stopped eating and watched us. I shrugged at Draco and he shook his head in mock disbelief. I smiled but then asked him the question that had brought me over here.

"What do you do about Professor Snape?" I asked him curiously.

He looked at me oddly and said, "What do you mean?"

" Well, he was bullying me and kept kneeing my desk. And when class started, he leaned into my face and started asking questions like 'What did young Mr. Potter say about potions?' and stuff," I explained. His face hardened and his lips set into a straight line and he got red in the face. His normally snow white hair was actually looking orangish blond. I backed away and stuttered nervously, "Y-you okay? Your hair is ch-changing colors." He scowled then muttered something under his breath. He stood up abruptly and then he walked over to the teacher's table. I suddenly comprehended what Draco was going to do. I saw him talking to Snape with a dark look on his face. Snape was looking outraged and shaking his head furiously. Draco turned around and motioned to me. I stumbled nervously up and I looked around behind me and saw a certain green-eyed boy laughing and watching my brother and our teacher.

I straightened up my walk and faced Snape. "Yes sir?" I asked with fake concern on my face.

His face twisted, then he relaxed." Nothing Miss Malfoy, I am perfectly all right. I apologize for earlier today in class. Five points to Slytherin for restraining yourself." Then he turned to Draco and said,"Mr. Malfoy, I know you are trying to defend your sister, but I assure you, there is no need to threaten me."

In an instant I felt my mind go blank and suddenly I saw Dumbledore sitting in his office, talking to a boy with messy black hair.

" James, I know you are protecting your friend, but I assure you, there is no need to shout." The boy's grip relaxed and his knuckles' color returned.

" Thank you, Professor Dumbledore. I know you are just a teacher, but you would make a great headmaster." All of the sudden the image went away and I saw the clear image of Draco standing over me, about to break open some smelling salts.

"No, hold it, hold it," I yelled, not wanting to have to smell the stupid chemicals that made your brain alert. Draco still looked concerned so I whispered," I had a vision of Harry's father and Dumbledore. Dumbledore was saying things that Snape had just said." Draco looked puzzled, then snapped his fingers.

"I've heard about that. It only happens once in your life. Certain people get images of past happenings. But unfortunately it only happens once," Draco explained. The sudden swishing of a cloak made me sit up. I winced and rubbed my head where there was a big lump the size of tennis ball but only sticking out a half inch. I knew I had fainted in the Great Hall, and the floor there was stone on top of stone. I looked towards the doorway and saw Snape standing there.

"What was the image?" he asked softly.

I answered a little puzzled, "It was Dumbledore talking to a boy named James, I think Harry's father, and Dumbledore. Dumbledore was saying the same thing you had said to us but he said James didn't need to yell." Snape's eyes had flashed with a strange look when I had said James's name. He looked into my gray eyes and I met his ebony ones.

"What else?" I wondered who said that, then remembered Draco was in the room. He knew how I was feeling just by my eyes and my actions. He also knew when I wasn't telling everything.

"Okay, James was saying that Dumbledore would make a great headmaster," I said, getting even more puzzled.

"Ignorant, James," Snape growled." Albus will be a good headmaster when Sirius is innocent." I raised my eyes, wondering why he had chosen the example of Sirius Black, a murderer that had escaped Azkaban. Draco shrugged his shoulders and I nodded. Dumbledore was terribly unfair to Slytherins, so I guess I could see what Snape was saying. I heard a door open and saw Madam Pomfrey hurrying towards me.

"If you're okay, could you please get out of here? I don't want to have to bother with you," she snapped, then mumbled," Not like Slytherins are ever okay." I winced because she was another victim of Slytherin stereotype. Draco and Snape looked unaffected, but they hadn't heard her comment about all Slytherins. I did notice that Draco's arm was shaking slightly and in a fist. Before I knew what had happened Snape had left with a swish of his cloak and it was my sibling, the nurse, and me." Well, get out of here, Slytherins," she hissed. I took a step back and I felt my eyes widen in shock. Draco was shaking all over and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. My eyes were beginning to gather unshed tears. But I had never cried. Never. When Father hit Draco, when Mother wasn't home, I just saved my emotion for when I hugged him. When mother accidentally yanked strands of my hair out when brushing it, I had just tapped my head where it hurt and shook away the pain. Now, though, this wasn't physical pain, this was emotional. Something totally new to me and scary. The nurse advanced forward and I took so many steps back I ran into Draco. He grabbed me by the shoulders and steered me out of the infirmary.

When we got to the common room, I stopped and asked Draco," What about classes?"

He looked at me sadly and replied," Look out the window." I checked outside and saw it was dark.

"Oh," I muttered. I cast a quick look at the clock and saw it was 7:00. I yawned, then turned to Draco and suggested," Let's go to the Great Hall so we can eat." He nodded we went off to dinner. But I was still thinking about what Madam Pomfrey had said.

I wasn't even aware of my actions until Anna interrupted my thought and called out," Where are you going? That's Ravenclaw." I looked around at the faces around the table and saw she was right. I felt myself blush and went to the Slytherin table. Anna was shaking her head and laughing. It was pretty funny, so I started giggling too. I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to face the person. I was face to face with my father.

" Father!" I exclaimed, more surprised than happy. I saw Draco striding towards us and my father straightened up.

" Father, do you need anything?" Draco asked him pleasantly, but with an edge of suspicion. I was confused and a little worried. Father's eyes were an especially cold gray and the only time I ever saw his eyes like that was when he hit Draco.

He replied coldly, "I need to see you both in the corridor." We looked at each other and I saw he was a little afraid. I knew it would just be better to refuse. I could not go with him and he would have to leave.

I nodded then said," Sure." I knew I had to find out what he was going to say or do. As we walked out of the Great Hall I saw the Trio Twits staring at us. I ignored them and caught Draco's eye. He didn't look angry, just miserable. I would have winced if Father had not been there. We were now standing in the hall, Father directly across from Draco. I knew what was next so I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew it was my fault and I felt horrible. I should have refused. I opened my eyes and saw Draco sitting on the ground, only supported by his hands. He was glaring at Father and I shut my eyes again.

He walked over and apologized, "I'm sorry Draco let you hear what Poppy said. I hope it didn't affect you."

I shook my head and mumbled," Why would it?"

He smiled and said," Of course. I forgot how brave you were." Then his smiled faded and said something I had heard ever since he had starting hurting Draco." You didn't see anything did you?" For the first time I hesitated answering. I had started saying that I saw nothing that first time he asked, because I had been three and worshipped the ground he walked on. He turned away for a second and cast a concealment charm and I remembered what Harry had said. Well, he had been right. But instead of hiding my bruises, it was hiding Draco's. My father cast a spell to revive Draco and Draco stood up immediately. I expected him to be mad; blame this on me. But he just grabbed my hand and started pulling on my hand so we could go eat.

I said what Father expected to hear," I saw nothing." He nodded, satisfied, and sauntered off into the shadows of the school. Draco stopped pulling on me as soon as our father walked away. I couldn't look him in the eye so I looked at the toes of my shoes.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked, knowing that he deserved to hate me.

But he surprised me by answering," No. It's not your fault. Besides, how could I be mad at you?" He squeezed my hand and I felt relieved. He continued and I listened to what he had to say." All we have is each other. Mother doesn't mean to, but she doesn't really notice us. We have to stick up for each other or we'll never survive."

I nodded then grumbled sadly, "Yeah, I really stuck up for you tonight." Then he surprised me.

Draco scowled angrily when I said that," Don't say that. You couldn't do anything" He was gazing at me through eyes that were so much like mine. But also so much like our father's, that made me want to rip them out.

On sudden inspiration I demanded," We need to change our looks. We look too much like Father." Draco touched his hair that he had so perfectly grew to the right length and I thought about how special our eyes were.

" Okay, we won't change your hair length and our eyes still have to be unusual." Draco nodded in agreement, and then as he reached for the door I stopped him. I waved my wand and his bruises appeared.

He must have known because he touched his face and screeched," Cover them back up!"

I shook my head and replied as gently as I could," This could get rid of our father for a while. Maybe even forever." His whole face changed and he nodded. As we walked into the Great Hall together we saw everyone glance to see who it was, then they all dropped their eating utensils and their mouths dropped open. I noticed even the teachers dropped their silverware too.

"Hey, anyone got a fork I can drop?" I called out and a couple of people laughed. I saw the Gryffindor trio was staring at Draco and suddenly I got annoyed. I looked at Draco and him blushing made me blow up. I started giggling, then began laughing. Almost everyone looked at me like I was crazy, even Draco. I glanced at Anna and saw she was smiling. That made me laugh harder because Anna thought me suddenly beginning to laugh was funny while everyone else was thinking I was completely insane. I stopped laughing and walked over to Gryffindor, right towards Draco's enemies. The boys suddenly began stuffing their faces.

But Hermione jumped up and demanded," Do you look like that too?" I shook my head vigorously then walked past her towards Harry. He gulped his food, then turned towards me.

"What?" he squeaked. I would have laughed but this was too serious. I hadn't known Draco had a Concealment Charm on him but now I did.

"You were right," I said calmly.

He looked confused and repeated, "What?"

"That night when I stepped out from behind the statue you said Concealment Charms could hide bruises. You were right," I ended the sentence by repeating what I had said earlier. He looked sorry that he had ever suggested it.

Then he said softly, "I guess not all Slytherins are rotten." That really angered me. I had just come over here to admit he was right and he had the nerve to say Slytherins were rotten. He reminded me forcibly of Madam Pomfrey, but I wasn't going to let him get away without being insulted.

"Yeah," I agreed. "But you are." He seemed to apprehend what he had said.

"Look..." he started, but he never got to finish. I ran out of the room, afraid people would see my tears.

Hearing someone use stereotypes from a student hurt so much more than it did when an old lady said it.

When I reached Slytherin common room I ran upstairs to my dormitory. I flopped onto my bed and sobbed myself to sleep.

A week later (not the first time I had woken up in a week) I woke up with Anna standing up over me, shaking my shoulder.

She smiled and joked, "Guess we're switching places today. Except I'm earlier than you were." I groggily checked the clock and something in my brain said read the numbers. I read the numbers and saw it was 8:15.

"Thanks Anna," I mumbled to her, feeling like my mouth was glued shut. She just nodded and left the dormitory. I showered slowly and dressed even slower. Since today was Saturday, I had the whole day to myself. Then I remembered last week and I was wide-awake." Draco and I have to change our appearances," I thought. I rushed upstairs to the Great Hall and saw Draco spreading cream cheese on two bagels. I sat down next to him.

"Excited?" I asked him.

Draco looked at me sideways, handed me a bagel, then asked," About what?"

I sighed and reminded him," Our whole makeover thing." He hit his head and grinned.

"I completely forgot, obviously," he said, laughing.

I grinned and stated my thoughts, "Well," I took a bite of my bagel and swallowed, "I think we should do our eyes first."

He nodded, then asked," Will our eyes match?"

I rolled my eyes and faked concentration," Let's see. We want to look alike, so yes." He lightly punched me on the shoulder and we quickly finished our bagels. We walked outside to my favorite spot around the lake. It was completely hidden from view so I knew we could work in secret. When we arrived I took a deep breath because the flowers growing on the bushes surrounding us smelled so good. I took out my wand and Draco did the same.

"I've been reading about this spell," I told Draco," You swish your wand and say the color you want and point at where you want it. Then, when you want to make it go away you say erase. To mix colors you would say, for example, yellow orange" To show him I swished my wand and muttered yellow orange. The two colors shot out of my wand and made a large tuft of grass turn yellow orange. I tilted my head sideways and complimented it.

"I like it."

Draco must have agreed because he pointed it at his eyes and pronounced the charm. I watched with amazement as his eyes turned to a cold gray to a brilliant yellow orange. His eyes still had some coldness to them but that would never leave, thanks to our father. He took off the charm and his eyes were silver again.

He looked at me curiously and inquired," What do you think?"

I complimented seriously," They are so much better."

He grinned and we both shouted at the same time, "Yellow orange." He stared at me oddly then shook his head. He smiled and I knew he liked my eyes too.

" Now, for our hair," I commanded.

He nodded a little reluctantly and I snapped at him," Fine! You can leave your hair white." I was immediately sorry and I smiled weakly at Draco. But he hadn't even heard me. He was staring off into the trees. I just let the whole incident go.

" So, what color should my hair be?" I asked him. He looked at me and questioned me," We're having different hair color?" I nodded then gave him a look that said 'You suggested it!'. He shrugged then we got to work.

We mixed and erased a lot. I even changed my hair length. On the way back we admired each other, but neither of us had actually seen ourselves. We went into the Great Hall because it was time for lunch. But right before we entered Draco conjured up a mirror. He looked first and I knew he was surprised. He had yellow orange eyes; we both did, and light brown hair. I had suggested dark brown but he still wanted light hair. He handed over the mirror wordlessly but I could tell he was pleased because he was grinning his I'm-So-Happy-And-If-You-Aren't-Don't-Bother-Me grin. I looked at my reflection then decided it needed to be bigger. Using a spell Mother had taught me, I made it a full-length mirror. The frame was designed in loopy swirls and intricate poles supporting it off the ground. It reminded me of my mirror at home. I looked at my reflection and gasped in shock. My eyes suited me perfectly and my light brown hair went with my brother's hair. I decided I would have to thank Draco for mixing it just right. I turned around and saw him standing there.

"Thank you so much," we both blurted out.

" For what?" I laughed.

Draco said excitedly," For getting the idea to change out looks. For mixing the hair color right. For being there when I need you the most," He took a breath." Also for showing my bruises. For some reason that is as bad as Avada Kedavra is so they performed the Dementor's Kiss on him. We're free. But what are you thankful for?" My head was spinning because I had gotten rid of Father.

"Wow," I said softly," I'm thankful for you because you stand up for me. You mixed my hair just right and you always believed the actions I did were right. You helped me when I was too scared to think." I stopped and did something I had never done before. I hugged him hard and kissed him on the cheek. He hugged back but didn't return the kiss and I didn't blame him. We pushed open the door to the Great Hall and just like last night everyone hushed and dropped their silverware.

I smiled and said," Surely someone brought us forks this time?" This time most of the students laughed and Snape smiled. Not that anyone but me noticed, but he did. I saw a figure with black hair and bright green eyes hurrying towards me.

"I'm sorry, Malfoy. I didn't mean to offend you." He smiled shyly and I couldn't believe it. A fifth year was shy around me.

But I had to set one thing straight, "One, my name is Sierra, and two, you never told me who Malfoy was." I raised my eyebrows and Harry laughed nervously.

Then I flashed him my most sincere smile and accepted, "I accept your apology."

He walked away after waving a tiny little wave.

Draco looked a little annoyed but he said kindly, "Could you please not get all buddy buddy with my, um, enemy."

I giggled and saluted, " I wasn't planning to." He grinned again and we went to sit down. Instead of me sitting with the fifteen year-olds, he sat with us eleven year-olds.

Anna smiled kindly and joked, "Haven't seen you in awhile." I laughed and Draco went over to tell his sidekicks he was sitting with us and not to bother him.

"So, who's he?" Anna wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

I giggled and replied," He's my brother."

She grinned and said, "Wanna trade brothers? Just kidding!" She exclaimed just kidding because I had stared at her suspiciously. Draco came back and we dropped the subject. I observed that Pansy was staring at Draco with an expression that clearly said," Gimme!" I held in a giggle and listened to my brother and my best friend's conversation. They were talking about some jinx.

"Okay, guys," I broke in, "I want to ask you, Anna, am I your best friend?" She nodded, puzzled. "Well, then you can't get all lovey-dovey with my brother." She blushed but Draco just looked innocent.

"Who would fall in love with a gorgeous hunk like me?" Draco wondered.

"Certainly not me," an amused voice said. I looked at where it was and I saw it was Hermione Granger.

Draco scowled and said, "What are you doing here, Mud...?" I clamped my hand over his mouth before he could finish.

"Don't say that word. You sound like Father," I scolded and then released my hand. "Besides, she won't tell you why she came over here if you insult her." My brother mumbled something about her insulting him and that made me remember she said Draco would become a Death Eater. "But then again," I pondered louder than necessary," maybe you deserve it after you called him a future Death Eater. I mean, would a Death Eater turn in his Death Eater father, then dye his eyes and hair just so he wouldn't look like him?"

I turned towards Draco and he raised his hand exclaiming," Ooh...ooh. Call on me." I looked around and saw no more hands raised.

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?" I called on him.

"Of course not," he replied. Then I turned towards Hermione and saw her lips turning white with fury.

"Uh-oh," I mock whispered to Draco, "The big, bad Prefect from perfect Gryffindor is getting mad." I hadn't meant to sound cruel, but calling him a Death Eater had gone too far.

I stage whispered to Anna this time, "Or maybe she'll accuse my brother of something he didn't do. Again."

Anna whispered back," Yeah. She'll accuse him of being too cute." That set off Hermione and me. Hermione began lecturing and I began to snigger loudly. Soon I was chuckling and before I knew it I was crying, I was laughing so hard. My eyes were burning but I was laughing so hard I thought my rib cage would burst. Anna was laughing too but Draco was pretending to polish his nails on his shirt and whistling. Harry and Ron came over and Harry pulled the screeching Hermione out of the Great Hall while Ron came over and stood in front of me. I wiped my eyes on my shirt and smiled sweetly.

Then I said with just the right amount of innocence, "Maybe Hermione has finally broke down from being so smart." I reached up to twirl a piece of my short hair when I remembered it was now the length of my back.

Instead I raked my finger through my hair.

Ron just looked at me in surprise and said through clenched teeth," I thought you were nice."

I scratched my head then replied, "So did I." He just ran out of the dining hall, disgusted with me. I shrugged and continued eating.

Draco was smiling and then he turned to me and reminded me, "We can't be too mean. Or do that too much." Then he grinned devilishly, "But it was fun." We high-fived and I nodded. Anna was still chuckling as she stood up and waved good-bye to me. I waved back.

Minutes later I stood up and told Draco, "I have to go study. I did miss my entire first day of school." He nodded and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

Then he stood up and replied," I'm taking you to the common room?" It was more of a question so I nodded. We walked down to Slytherin's picture of a vicious basilisk. Draco told it the password and it hissed before it swung open. I thanked Draco and then went up to the dormitory. I pulled open a textbook and began reading about the things I had missed.

Hours later my brain was buzzing because I had just quizzed myself for the tenth time. I probably knew the material better than anyone else, but that meant I had less studying to do. I glimpsed at the clock on Leanne's nightstand and saw it was almost dinnertime. I went down to the common room and saw Leanne and Rain obsessed with a chess game. I saw it was wizard chess and shook my head in distaste. I hated the way the chess pieces were so violent. I saw Anna standing off to the side, looking like she wanted to play.

"Hey Anna!" I called. "Let's play with my chess board."

She called back," I hate wizarding chess. Too violent."

I nodded and said," I hate it too. Want to play with mine, it's Muggle." Anna nodded and Leanne shushed us for yelling across the room. As I set up the chessboard I heard Anna interrogating Leanne.

"Hey, you go to lunch today?"

"No, Marie, I did not."

"It's Annamarie to you and you missed a lot of fun."

"What kind of fun can you possibly have at lunch?"

"The torturing Gryffindors kind." I put down the last chess piece and walked over.

"Anna, the board is set up," I turned toward Leanne. "Anyway, I was the one messing with the prefects head, the Gryffindor's prefect." I smiled sweetly when she scowled, then turned toward Rain.

"Did you see that boy sitting next to Sierra today?" She whispered to Rain, "He was cute and at least fifteen."

I turned towards Leanne and smirked, "He's my brother." Her mouth dropped open and I knew she wasn't expecting that. I shrugged and sat down so I could play chess with Anna.

An hour later I was putting my chessboard up into one of my drawers. I shut my mahogany drawer and went to the door. I stared, fascinated, at the way Anna had carved the designs so exact. She had asked Snape if she could brighten up the place and he had let her. She also dyed her sheets and mine vivid blue and the material draped around our bed bright green. It was a good combination, but Rain and Leanne had refused. They instantly paired up and I kind of saw why. Leanne liked to boss people around and Rain would let people walk on her if they asked. I opened the lovely door and walked down to the common room. Draco was eating with the fifth years so I was eating with Anna. I looked for Anna, and when I saw it was empty I comprehended she had left without me.

"Probably with my brother," I grumbled. I trudged through the stone dungeon and climbed up the large staircase to the Great Hall. I forced open the door and stopped outside the door. I was already sick of my hair. Before I stepped in I conjured a full-length mirror and tried different shades and lengths. Finally I settled on midnight black and shoulder length. I glanced down at my bright jewelry and scowled. I dyed it black using the same spell I used for my makeover. I pushed open the door and went to sit next to Anna.

She joked," Who's funeral?"

I was not in the mood for her jokes and growled, "Yours if you don't shut up." She gave me an odd look but she kept quiet. I felt bad for snapping at her but everyone left me in the house all alone. I looked for Draco and I panicked when I didn't find him. I tapped my wand on my head and my hair was light brown and my eyes were yellow orange again because I had found black was not my color. Anna looked at my concerned face and she stared at her hands.

"I'm sorry," I pronounced slowly, thinking through each word. "I shouldn't have snapped but everyone left me in the common room when you were supposed to wait for me."

She bit back, "Are you saying sorry because you want my help, or you really are sorry?" I slammed my fork down in frustration. I saw Draco sitting at Ravenclaw when a boy stood up. I saw him withdraw his wand and then laugh at something the girl said. My stomach dropped into my feet and my heart followed. Draco was turning into our father more and more everyday. He now had withdrawn his wand completely from his back pocket. He casually put his arm and suddenly I couldn't bear it. I couldn't stand that Draco was turning rotten and mean. It was hard to see why he would pretend to like someone just so he could jinx her. But it made me fell helpless and angry at the same time when he put his arm around anyone. That was what he did to me. With a blinding flash I realized how I felt. I, Sierra Malfoy, was jealous that my brother had showed affection for anyone but me. Even if he was faking it, she didn't know that.

Then he leaned in and I could hear him yell," Yellow." Right away I could see her skin turning a pale yellow.

I was angry I had ever taught him that. No, I wasn't angry. I was enraged and I was going to tell him so. I stormed up to Draco and I saw him cackling like a maniac.

When he saw me he told me happily, "After you tormented Granger I had to get ahead of you." He said it as if it were a game. I was paying her back but this girl hadn't done anything. I pulled out my wand and muttered, "Erase," under my breath. Her skin immediately returned to its peach skin tanned lightly.

I glared at Draco and hissed at him, "I was doing it for you. You did that for no reason and it was mean. Now every time I see you I think FATHER CAME BACK. YOU KNOW HOW INSANE THAT MAKES ME?" I was yelling but I didn't care. I was too furious to care. Draco had gone and was replaced with some evil spirit and I wanted it out. "IT MAKES ME WANT TO RIP ALL MY HAIR OUT AND THEN RIP OUT YOURS. MAYBE SOME MORE PAIN WILL BRING YOU BACK TO YOUR SENSES." I was crying again for the second time in my life. Both times had happened at this stinking school and I was sick of it. Draco reached out to put his arm around me but I jerked away. I ran outside, tears spilling down my cheeks. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I knew I needed a broom. I raced over to the broom shed and unlocked it. I pulled out the closest one, which was a customized Nimbus 2001 Father had gotten for Draco. I hopped on it and I shot up into the sky. After Draco had given me so many flying lessons I was pretty exemplary. I was out of Hogwarts' view before I could even think about what I was doing. I was going back tomorrow, I knew that. But I wanted to spend a night on my own, flying.

I landed on the ground, exhausted. I had been flying for hours. I didn't know how Quidditch players stand hours of flying, especially those Weasleys who are Beaters and have to lug around a club. I knew I would have to turn around tonight, just not yet. I had to rest first. I lay down on a pile of damp leaves and laid Draco's broom beside me. For a couple of minutes there was complete silence. Then I heard voices." Of course," I thought," They would just have to play the hero and find me." I heard them circling over head then they passed on. I sighed and flew back up into the sky. I raced faster so I could beat them back to Hogwarts. I traveled faster than I ever had before. I reached Hogwarts in less time than it did for me to go all the way out to where I had stopped to rest. Draco was waiting outside, hugging his knees to his chest. He was looking so lost and afraid I wanted to run over and hug him. But I needed to have him promise he would stop pulling pranks on innocent people. I came up to Draco and he looked up.

"Hey," he said softly.

He looked so sad, so I asked him, "What's wrong?" He looked the closest to tears I'd ever seen.

"They took away my Prefects badge. And they said I can't have it back." His voice trembled as he spoke and I saw a single tear slide down his cheek. I remembered how after I'd cried last week I had felt so much better. I knelt down beside him, not letting my self touch him yet.

"Will you stop pulling pranks?" I asked, desperate to hear he would stop. He nodded and I knew that if he opened his mouth he would burst into tears.

I wrapped my arms around him and whispered more to myself than him, "It's okay to cry." I held him for a couple of minutes, then I stood up. I walked towards Dumbledore's office. It was a long walk but I knew the password, so I didn't have to waste my time guessing.

"Acid pops," I mumbled and let the moving staircase take me into the Headmaster office. I knocked solidly on the door and Snape opened it. His face showed total surprise, and I didn't blame him.

"I trust the Weasleys brought you back," Dumbledore called from behind.

I stepped in and snarled, "No, I came back by myself." Dumbledore looked startled by my rudeness, but I had no time for manners. "My brother says you took away his Prefect position. Why?"

Dumbledore's thin lips voiced, "Isn't it obvious? He made a student run off the school premises."

I shook my head and said, "I made myself leave the school, and I didn't run off, I flew off. Also," I leaned forward on his desk, "He works harder than anyone else and after eight days you can't just take him off the job."

Dumbledore frowned and said, "Oh, but I already did." As he finished his sentence I saw something gold glitter on the floor. I bent down and scooped it up in one swift motion. I saw it was a prefect's badge.

Draco's prefect badge.

Then I smirked and said, "I'll be leaving now." I walked out the door but didn't wait for the staircase. I took the steps two at a time, and when I reached the bottom early I jumped onto the ground, landed on all fours, then scrambled up. I raced out the door and slid past my turn. I doubled back, my new brown hair flying behind me. I ran as fast as I could to where Draco was. I saw him staring at the ground, his cheeks invisibly scarred by his tears. I helped him up and hid the badge behind my back.

"Brush off your pants and close your eyes." He followed my instructions and I pinned his badge onto his uniform and said, "Open your eyes." He looked down onto his shirt and when he saw his badge he did another thing he had never done before. He hugged me first.