Aradia

When I went down to the common room the next morning Hermione was waiting for me.

'Here you are,' she said, and handed me a piece of parchment.

'What's this?' I said stsaring at it. It was too early to be using my brain and the sun was almost blinding.

'It's your revised timetable.. McGonagall gave it to me. I saw that you're not in some of our classes anymore.' I knew she asked a question and I knew it was probing one, but nevertheless she was my friend, almost.

'Well some of the lessons were too hard or advanced because I missed so much so Dumbledore moved a few of my lessons so I could be at the same level as the fourth years.'

'That's good.'

'Yeah. I think I moved down in Transfiguration and History of Magic.'

'Great. That means you'll be with Ginny. You know Ron's sister.'

Cool. Yeah she seems nice. I haven't had much of a chance to talk to her yet though.'

'I'll introduce you at breakfast then. Ginny's lovely. You'll like her.' I went down with her for brreakfast. I tseemed weird sitting with the Gryffindors, and I put my back to the Slytherins so they couldn't see me.

Hermione properly introduced me to Ginny and together we went up to Transfiguration. Hermione was right Ginny and I do get on well. I have to say the work was a lot easier that doing it at fifth year level. Unfortunately we had homework. We now had an essay on the 'Problems of Animal Switches.' Ginny and I promised to meet at five o clock to work on it, then I went off to Potions. I walked alone down to the dungeons. Everybody else was already there. I said, 'hi,' to the Gryffindors and Slytherins, however when the Gryffindors replied the Slythrins shunned me. This school was so predictable. I was even waiting for Draco to pounce all over me. Though it never hapened. He just looked at me with a blank expression. Even in the lesson he didn't react to anything I said. He gave me one word answers and we spent the rest of the lesson reading books about love potions. I kept looking up at him, but he stared down blankly at the page of his book. I wondered if he was even reading it.

I went outside instead of going to lunch. It wasn't like I was hungry anyway. I would feed tonight, I thought. I had no lessons this afternoon. That meant two hours of freedom. Great, relaxing time. My first thought was sleep, but instead my mind went to the pale haired boy who ignored me this morning. Yes, in theory he should have this doluble off too. After lunch I'll pay him a visit. He didn't look right this morning.

I stayed outside until two o clock, when lessons start. I made my way back into the castle and followed the well-remembered route down to the Slytherin common room. The password slipped off my tongue easily and I moved inside. Only three people, good, but one was Pansy. Uh-oh, I thought. Doesn't she have a thing for Draco, and she shunned me this morning. This'll be fun, I thought. I walked straight into the common room towards the stairs, ignoring the gasps and pansy's high-pitched scream.

'What are you doing here?' she spat at me. I had almost reached the stairs. I turned around to face her striding towards me. I stood my ground and ,locked eye contact with her. Over the past few years I had learned how to put 'ice' into my gaze and I did that now. However only the other two people in the room gasped. I didn't sense who they were, but then again I wasn't paying attention. My full gaze was on the bimbo in front of me.

'What?' I said.

'Look, just 'cos you're a Gryffindor now, doesn't mean you can just barge in here you know. This place is for Slytherins only.'

'Oh really?'

'Yeah. So you better get out or I'll-'

'Do what?' I interupted. I can't believe how stupid this girl was. 'Typical blond' would be what the muggles would have called her. 'Listen. The last few years, while you were here. Protected by the Greta Dumbledore I saw things and did things you can't even imagine. Now run along and go back to your life of security while you still have one.' I turned and walked up the staris listening to Pansy's threats all the way. I went straight to Draco's door and pressed my ear against it. To a human it would have been silence, but my vampire ears picked up someone breathing. I knocked and it stopped. I pushed the door and went in. I closed it behind me and saw Draco alone, elbows on the windowsill gazing at the view outside. I didn't say anything. He turned to look at me. We stared at each other for two whole minutes. It seemed to last about an hour. At last he broke eye contact and looked at the floor.

'I can't believe you were put in Gryffindor,' he looked up. His expression showed no ange, just confusion. 'You should be in Slytherin, with me.' He moved and went to sit in his bed.

'You know I thought I'd be put in Slytherin too. I'm as surprised as everyone else,' I started to move towards the bed, 'But there are things that you don't know, that I only found out yesterday.' I sat next to Draco, he was staring at his hands in his lap. All he said was,

'Tell me.' I looked at his fidgity hands and took a deep breath.

'Well it startedwith my mother. She died when I was four you see. I didn't know anything about her except that she was powerful witch and that she looked like me.' I got and moved towards the window. 'Dumbledore said my Dad had sent a message explaining. I hadn't got one so Dumbledore told me about her.' I put my elbows on the windowsill and looked out. 'My mother's name was Jade Dagaz. Dumbledore told me her name before that was Jade Potter.' I turned to face Draco and walked back to the bed. I sat down and continued. 'She was James Potter's younger sister, which means I'm Harry's cousin.' Draco stared at me.

'Really?'

'Yeah.'

'Oh my God. I never realised.'

'Well you couldn't exactly know could you?' He looked at me and showed a small smile. I decided to tell the other side of my story. It was a dodgy move, but I needed to tell somebody else. 'Draco um... there's something else.'

'What Your moving away and I'll never see you again.' He smiled and I smiled in return.

'I'm serious. You can't tell a soul ok?'

'Ok.'

'Now you remember when I said about people being scared of me?'

'Yeah. Only like six people know or something.'

'That's right, well it's seven now, Harry knows too.' He sighed. 'Well I couldn't not tell him. We are blood after all. Anyway I trust you to tell you. Draco I.. I'm a vampire.' He didn't say anything. In fact he smiled and nodded. 'What?'

'I don't know. I think it's the fact that I sort of knew.'

'You knew'

'Well not definately. I saw that first night run into the forest at a speed no human can match.You didn't arrive with all the other students on the train. You know lots about the Dark Arts and it's just little thinghs you said like how I had my eyes open and everything. I looked in the library at vampires, but the informnation was vague and Freea said we'd study them at a later date.'

'That just proves what I said. You do have your eyes open.' He smiled. 'It's nice to know we're on even ground again.'

'Yeah,' he replied. He moved closer to me and said, 'And it's nice to know you trust me. Thank you.'

'It seemes we have a mutual understanding.'

'Yes we do.'

'Thanks for understanding. Friends?'

'Course.' I gave him a hug and felt his hands hold me back. He was warm and I felt safe in his arms. Now that the tension was gone and both Draco and I were still I could hear the fuming Pansy downstairs. It sounded like she was done screaming and was now sat on the stairs calming down.

'Can you hear her?' I said.

'Who?' I looked at him, moving out of the comfortable position.

'Pansy. She's satShe's sat on the stairs livid.'

'Lets leave her.'

'She's so predictable. A total bimbo in my books.' He laughed.

'She has this crazy idea she's my girlfriend.' He looked into my eyes. 'She drives me insane.'

'I know. Her whole self. The personality, the voice.'

'It can crack glass being that high.' I smiled, then a thought occured to me.

'You know Draco, you continue to surprise me.'

'I do?'

'Yeah. I not sure what it is. I think it's that I keep wanting to see your father, but you're nothing like him.' Without warning hestood up and moved away, his back to me.

'You don't know what it's like. Having to live with him. Knowing what he is. Knowing what he wants to make me.' I decided to keep quiet and let him get this out. It seemed like it had been trapped inside him for too long. 'He wants me to follow in his footsteps. He wants me to be just like him.' He turned around and I saw his eyes were glistening. 'It's horrible. Goin home knowing I'll be treated like a puppet. Knowing I'll be treated like dirt.'

'Draco,' I gasped. I got up and embraced him. I could see this had been building up a long time. I felt his arms grip me back. He sobbed into my shoulder.

The 'bad boy' image had been droped and had left a child to pick up the pieces. I felt him calm down and heard him whisper

'You were right. He did abuse me. He said it was to train me, but I knew it was because he was jealous of me. The easy life I had. How I was going to be as powerful as Voldemort. I didn't know how else to react so I just agreed. It was so easy. Now I know the truth.'

'Draco there are other sides to the story. I'm on the run from Voldemort. He wants the head of my father. Vampires are incredibly powerful and my dad refused to join him. That's why we were travelling. He thinks I'll be safer here. You'll be safe here too. I will protect you.'

'Fine, then I'll protect you.' He looked at me and smiled. I have to admit he did look happier now that he'd told somebody about his family troubles. I could've asked about his mother, but I didn't want to push it so I let it go.

'Cool,' I replied. He leaned forward, arms still around me, and brushed my chek with his lips. It was the same cheek as last time, only today I understood more about him than anyine and I still liked him.

'Nothing you can say Mr Malfoy will surprise me now,' I said. He gave me a look that said "Oh really?" and kissed my lips. I know I said he couldn't surprise me, but I didn't expect him to kiss me. Though instead of breaking the kiss I kissed him back. It felt so nice to have a real friend. So nice , in fact, that I didn't notice the door open. I heard a scream that made us both jump. I say scream I meant squeal. Pansy stood at the door wand out, hair ruffled, cheeks flushed.

'How dare you!' she squeaked.

'Pansy-'

'I got a bit annoyed when you ignored me, but kissing Draco?'

'Pansy-'

'He's my boyfriend for God's sake.'

'Pansy!' Draco shouted a final time.

'What?' she shouted back. Back on normal tones he answered

'Pansy I never said you were my girlfriend. You never have been.' She stared at him.

'Of course I have. We went to the ball last year remember?'

'So! Doesn't mean we're a couple.' She looked at him flabbergasted.

'But you said you loved me.'

'Er pansy I think you imagined that.' She paused then said

'Well she can't be your girlfriend. She's a Gryffindor.'

'Careful she'll kick your ass. She's already beaten me once today.

You can't do this.'

'Why not?'

'It goes against all the unwritten rules that Slytherins and Gryffindors can't be friends.'

'That's why they're unwritten,' I retorted. 'Now like I said before. Go back to your safe, protected life. See ya round.' Before I left I planted a quick kiss on Draco's lips to prove I'd won. I always do.