The Blossom, The Bud, The Brother and The Beast

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Chapter 05- So Long, for Now

September 1, 1992

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Early that morning, Lucius knew that it was the last day he was going to spend with both of his children before they were sent off to school, and so he woke up earlier than he usually does to find something that he wanted to Empress: a necklace, a specific pearl necklace. He looked everywhere for it and then realized that it was somewhere in the bottom of his old Hogwarts trunk which was inside his massive bedroom walk-in closet. He looked high and low for the trunk- he'd never realized his walk-in closet was so large! - and finally spotted it between his ceiling-high shoe rack and clothes cabinet. He took his wand out of his pocket, to magically float the trunk out of the closet, out of his gigantic bedroom and into his private reading room. He set it down beside his desk chair and he began to rummage through all his old Hogwarts things.

The last time he opened this trunk was a year before, when Draco was leaving for school. He had given him a hematite rock tied by a piece of leather necklace that Lucius' own father had given to him when he was accepted to Hogwarts. It was a lucky charm that had been passed on for generations and Draco was the next Malfoy boy in line. Lucius placed an Anti-Losing Charm on it so it would never fall off of Draco's neck. Draco always hid it under his shirt for no one to see or inside a box that Lucius had given him. Lucius checked on it once in a while, just to see if the weird, and seemingly of little or no value (money-wise) heirloom remained in Draco's possession. But Lucius had nothing to give Empress- for most Malfoys of the past generation only had one child, and was usually male- but this certain necklace. He had to find it.

Lucius reminisced the good old days as he scanned through the items he still had in his old trunk: his Slytherin 'Prefect' badge, his tie, his scarf, some of his books and a journal he had not written in for decades. And then, finally, he found what he was looking for. Under his leather journal, he saw the red box that he tucked in there more than twenty years ago. He picked it up and clutched by his chest. He remembered how much he wanted it to give it to Lily back then when he was still pursuing her. But now was a good time as any to give to Lily's daughter; to the daughter that doesn't know who Lily was. The daughter that didn't know she was half Muggle-born.

Lucius made sure that Empress wasn't aware that her biological mother was Lily. Instead she grew accustomed to Narcissa as her mother, since Narcissa had tended to her ever since she was brought to the Malfoy Mansion. Lucius hid her Birth Certificate inside one of his books that he was sure no one would ever read, or ever find in that matter.

Lucius' thoughts went back to the present when he heard two alarm clocks go off a few doors down. He looked at his watch and noticed that it was already 8 o'clock in the morning and he only had three more hours before the Hogwarts Express left the London station.

"Empress! I know you're awake," yelled Lucius after he heard rustling and moaning sound from Empress' room. "Come in here, my reading room." He closed his trunk and sat down on his lounge chair.

"Daddy?" asked Empress as she entered the room a few moments later, rubbing her eyes. She was wearing ballerina pink satin pajamas, with fluffy bunny slippers to match, and obviously had just gotten out of bed a minute ago. Her hair was tousled a little bit, but she still looked adorable.

Lucius loved how her entrance and mere presence lit the room. Empress had a white cherubic face and a warm smile made cuter by a dimple on her right cheek. Her hair would've been darker than Lucius'- hers was really strawberry blonde, while his was platinum blonde- if it weren't for the Glamour charm that Lucius placed on her hair since her birth. Her glittery green eyes were wide even though she had just woken up. Empress stopped a foot away from him before yawning again. Lucius motioned her to come a bit closer before hugging her.

"My little Empress is all grown up, eh?"

"Yeah," she said half-dazed.

"Hmm. How I wish time would stay still so that you and Draco and I could just play with me all day and not have to worry about a thing like school or work."

"I'd like that too. But that's not possible, daddy."

"I know, I know," said Lucius sadly. "Eleven years went by so fast. It seemed so long ago when you were still in diapers..."

"And then I learned to talk eh?"

"Oh the joys of that," chuckled Lucius. "Yes. I think I liked it better when I didn't understand what you said."

"Dad!"

"Heh. Before it was just Draco leaving me and I could still see you everyday after I came home from work. And now you're going to school too."

"Dad!" giggled Empress as she rolled her eyes. "You're so melodramatic."

"Who is to greet me when I get home from work? I want to keep you here with me."

"Dad," she said as she slowly placed her forehead on his so that they may look eye to eye. "I saw you give this speech to Draco a year ago. This is crazy."

His grays to her green, Lucius still couldn't believe that it was more than eleven years since the first time he laid eyes on her. Before, she was only the size of his arms- so little and so fragile- and now, she was only a few inches shorter than her brother and turned out to be a strong little lady. Lucius stared into her eyes a while longer before starting to tickle her.

"Crazy, eh? You think your old man is crazy..."

"Daddy! Stop, ha! Eeh!!!" Lucius finally stopped and let her catch her breath before taking out a red box from his pocket.

"This is my present for you."

"A present?" she asked curiously as she untied the ribbons and opened the box. Her eyes glowed at the sight of the gold necklace with a pearl pendant inside.

"A pearl for my Empress Pearl," said Lucius as he took the necklace from the box and placed it around her neck.

Empress' eyes glowed as she held the pearl pendant in between her thumb and forefinger. She then looked up and hugged her father.

"Oh, daddy!" she said excitedly. "Thank you very much!"

"You're welcome, sweetie." Lucius gave her another kiss on the cheek.

"Father!" screamed Draco from across the hall. "Dobby is missing again!"

"That house bloody elf," grumbled Lucius. "I ought to kick him out of our house and leave him for dead!"

"Father," said Draco as he entered the room. He noticed that Lucius had the same face as he did last year right before he left for Hogwarts. "Oh no, it's a pre-Hogwarts talk. I ought to run."

"Son!" said Lucius jokingly. "Come in here."

Draco sighed as he scratched his forearm through his dark green fleece pajamas. His hair stood up all over the place (not flattened like Tom Felton has in the movies!). He managed a sullen smile at his sister.

"Poor you," he said as he stood beside her. Empress just smiled back at him and started to flatten his hair.

"You have a cowlick, Draco!" she exclaimed as he lovingly patted his head.

"Aah!" said Draco as he flinched away. "Don't be like mother now, Emme. If you're going to be mummying me in school, I am going to have to ignore you."

"Draco, you will take care of you're little sister," ordered Lucius.

"Father!" exclaimed both the children. "No!"

"I can't keep an eye on her every second!" whined Draco. "I can't baby-sit her! I've got other things to do." Empress lightly punched him on the arm.

"Hey!" she exclaimed as she crossed her arms. "I'm no longer a baby! I can take care of myself!"

Lucius grabbed both the children's arms lovingly and sat them both on his lap. Draco complained but Lucius pulled him to his lap anyway.

"Now, you two, Listen to me well."

"Yes, father," answered the Malfoy siblings in unison.

"Some things are going to happen in your school... Bad things. I want you two to stay out of it. Don't go walking around the hallways at night. No breaking curfew, Draco."

"What are you looking at me for, father?" said Draco innocently. Empress started to snicker. Lucius just glared at him and cleared his throat before he turned his head towards Empress.

"Now, Empress. I know it is your first year. You don't know much of the rules. I want you to obey to what Professor Snape tells you. He's the head of the Slytherin house. And..."

"But father," argued Empress. "What if I don't end up in Slytherin? I had a weird dream about it last night that I ended up in Gryffindor!"

"Don't be silly, Empress. All Malfoys end up in Slytherin," Lucius replied. "And, I want the both of you to get along. No fighting. Draco, no fighting with those Gryffindors. Empress, you stay away from that Harry Potter and his friends. Stay away from those disgusting Mudbloods and those Weasleys. Stay as close to your brother as possible. Draco, do mind her, will you?"

"Yes, father."

"Empress?"

"I'll make sure my big bro won't get into any trouble." Draco glared at her and shook his head as she stuck her tongue out at her.

"Now, let's have some breakfast? Or else we'll be late getting you to school."

*****

"Uhh! Daddy!" whined Empress as Lucius hugged her, lifting her off the ground after all their things had been unloaded from the car Lucius had borrowed from the Ministry. He had made a big deal out of it the whole ride to the train station ("If only all your things fit in the horse-drawn carriage...") and Draco, already utterly annoyed by his father's melodramatics, rolled his eyes as he tugged on his father's sleeve.

"Father, she needs oxygen to breathe. Let her go. Father!" Lucius paid little attention as he continued to hug Empress. "You're going to crush her lungs!" Still no response from Lucius. "Father, she's turning white for goodness' sake!"

"I am going to miss the both of you!" said Lucius as he let go of her and then turned to hug Draco. Draco gulped loudly, scared that someone might see his father smothering him.

"We are never going to get out of here," joked Empress as she tried to catch her breath. "Father! Daddy! Let's go! Ten minutes to eleven! The train's about to leave! DAD!!!"

*****

"Finally!" said Empress as she plopped on the seat of an empty train car. She started to fan herself with her open palm and opened the window a little. "Phew! Dad is one good hugger."

"I thought father was never going to let you go," exclaimed Draco as he placed his bag on the seat. "Ha! I really thought he was going into the train with us."

"By Merlin," said Empress as she dragged some of her things and her pet crate (for her black cat, Neko). "Thank goodness he didn't. That would be quite embarrassing."

"You're telling me! Of course, how can father part with his favorite little girl?" mocked Draco as he placed some of his things and pet eagle owl, Rice, beside Emme's.

"Grr," growled Empress. "Of course I am his favorite. I'm the cutest!"

Draco just shook his head as Empress helped him. "It's because you're the baby, silly."

"I am not!"

"You are too. Now hand me the..." Draco suddenly stopped talking when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Is someone else..." The voice was from someone that Draco did not like to see that early into the school year.

"Well if it isn't Granger," said Draco as if Hermione had just thrown up right inside the car. "Where is Potty and Weasel huh?"

"They're not here, Malfoy," said Hermione with the same tone. Hermione then turned to Empress, who to Hermione was an obvious mystery since she had only seen her in Flourish and Blotts a few days before. Hermione then turned away after Draco sneered at him.

"What was that all about?" asked Empress as she let Neko out of the crate and unto her lap.

"You do know she is one of them Mudbloods."

"You never told me that!" she added. "A Mudblood? Ugh! And to think I almost started to talk to her the other day."

"Ha! At least you're not in the same classes with them! And you know she hangs out with that Potter? Potter! He's a hero in the bloody school because he was the Boy-who-lived, the one-who-saved-the-Sorcerer's-Stone, the boy who..."

"I get the idea, Draco. You've been whinging about him since last week, after we saw him in Diagon Alley."

"And those Weasleys?" he continued as he sat down angrily. "Those poor people with their hand-me-down books, used clothing..."

"And the red hair... I've got the idea!"

"Exactly. Don't go hanging out with that lot or his sister."

"I am not stupid, Draco. I don't intend to."

"Good." A second later, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Pansy Parkinson knocked on their car door. Draco readily let them in and introduced him to his baby sister.

*****

After hours of travel, the sky had finally darkened, which was a sign that they were nearing Hogwarts. They all began to change into their school robes and only minutes later the Hogwarts Express finally slowed down and came to a stop. Draco gave Empress a few pointers as she helped straighten his tie.

"Okay," said Draco as he placed his hands on his sister's shoulders. "When McGonagall places the Sorting Hat on your head, think Slytherin, alright? Just relax, take deep breaths."

"You sound too much like father, Draco. It's getting scary."

But Draco insisted as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "Just do as I say, alright? Sorting Hat, relax, deep breath..."

"What are you so worried about? I got it. Take deep breath, relax, Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin... and what was it again? Oh yeah! Slytherin?"

"Empress! Just do as I..."

Empress just moved his hands away. "I should be the nervous one, not you."

"Just promise, alright, Emme?"

"I am about to jump you Draco! I got it, alright?"

After about a few seconds of eye-to-eye contact, Draco finally spoke again.

"Now, come on," said Draco as he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He and his friends then led his little sister out of the Hogwarts Express.

"Firs' years!" screamed a half-giant, his voice booming over the hustle and bustle of the students. "Firs' years, follow me."

*****

Empress and her fellow first years entered the Great Hall with utter curiosity and fear in their eyes. Empress looked around and noticed an extensive table decorated with the green and silver colors of Slytherin and glanced around for any signs of her brother. By the end of the table, right by the empty spot where the new Slytherins would be sitting was her brother smiling at her. She shook her head as she grinned, thinking how ridiculous her brother looked with the pointy hat on his head.

They reached front of the room, where the Sorting Hat was settled on a stool. The teachers were at the Faculty Table right behind it. Empress readily knew who each of them were by the descriptions that Draco gave her. Professor McGonagall, the lady who led them into the Great Hall before, took a cylindrical piece of parchment from the teacher's table and unrolled it before calling out names of the students.

"As I call your name, you will sit on the stool and I will place the Sorting Hat on your head. It will then sort you into your houses." She paused. "Gavin Anderson."

The boy anxiously walked towards the stool and McGonagall placed the hat on his head.

"Hufflepuff!" screamed the Sorting Hat and the boy took off to his house.

"Colin Creevey."

"Gryffindor!"

The whole time that McGonagall was calling out names, Empress was either looking at her brother or up front whenever the Sorting Hat called out 'Slytherin."

After about twenty students later, McGonagall finally called her name. "Empress Malfoy."

As Empress walked towards the stool, she noticed that all the tables, except for Slytherin of course, were mumbling loudly. She even heard some people say, "Definitely Slytherin," "I'll bet galleons on it!" or "Not in our house" as she sat on the stool. McGonagall carefully placed the Sorting Hat on her head and it started to tickle her ears as it moved.

"Hmm," muttered the Sorting Hat. "Another Malfoy, eh? Plenty of courage. Tendency to get in trouble, very cunning. Full of ambition"

'Ow,' Empress said to herself as she felt pain in her head. 'Where did this pain come from?' She held on to her temple as the Sorting Hat finally called out her house.

"Very well, Gryffindor!"

She must've heard it wrong as she was still in pain from the headache but she was reassured that she was called a Gryffindor when she heard Draco grumble from under his breath.

"What? No! Empress!!!"

Empress looked at McGonagall, her hands still digging at her temples.

"Are you alright dearie?" asked McGonagall as she helped her stand up. "Are you alright?"

"What?" she asked. "Yeah, I am fine. Gryffindor?"

"Yes dear. Now, move along." McGonagall pointed her to the direction of the Gryffindor table. She walked nervously as all eyes stared at her. She glared at every eye she could possibly glare at as she hid her uncertainty and fear. She also noticed the whole Gryffindor house was silent, all looking down at the table as she sat.

"Hi," said a brown haired girl quietly. She was the same girl who Draco warned Empress not to hang around with. The girl looked nervous enough but she still offered a smile. "Welcome to Gryffindor. My name is Hermione Granger."

Hermione, offering the more friendliness than Empress had shown before, had her hand out but Empress did not seem to have noticed it. She was nervously paying more attention to the other students in the Slytherin table. Draco was staring at her as she mouthed 'help' and frowned. Draco shrugged his shoulders as he looked apologetically at her. The rest of the Gryffindor table was whispering to each other and someone kept asking where Ron and Harry were. A few minutes later Ginny Weasley was also declared a Gryffindor and sat right beside Empress since that was one of the last empty seats on the Gryffindor table.

Empress wasn't enjoying any of this at all. She wanted to be with her brother in Slytherin. But what is there for her to do? The stupid Sorting Hat sorted her in Gryffindor and that was enough to ruin her whole life, while she was still in Hogwarts of course.

Finally, Dumbledore clapped his hands and gave his cumbersomely addressed speech (again with the rules and the corny jokes!) before finally feeding the hungry students their first meal of the school year.

*****

Empress and her fellow Gryffindor housemates were led by Percy Weasley up to the Gryffindor Common Room. He then led them to their respected dormitories. Much to Empress' annoyance she was given the room with Hermione.

"Well, Ginny, Miranda, Francesca and Empress," said Hermione energetically. "I am Hermione Granger, a second year. Since I volunteered, and I am the oldest, I am here in the same room as you because I am going to be your tour guide while you are still new here. I'm going to show you around, make sure you don't get lost your first day. And I am in the same room as you because Professor McGonagall doesn't want any of you to get into trouble or anything. Don't worry. I know how you feel since I was in the same shoes as you are last year. If you need me, well, you know where I am going to be, alright?"

The other girls clapped their hands for her little speech while Empress plopped on her bed the nearest to the door, far from the window. She then lay on her stomach as she let Neko out of his cage and unto her bed. She patted the cat's back, making him purr.

Ginny lay on the bed beside Empress and glanced at her once in a while. Empress noticed this so she decided to talk to her.