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Part Six
Draco did a final check in the mirror to make sure that nothing was out of place. It wouldn’t do to have the only heir of the Malfoy fortune going out in public looking anything less than perfect. He had to show that his father’s continued incarceration wasn’t weighing him down. Sure, he was concerned for Lucius, for after all, he was his father, but he was the idiot who got caught. As he stepped out of his room and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, Crabbe and Goyle fell in behind him. His two friends, who doubled as his bodyguards, helped to perpetuate the image that things were well in the Malfoy household. He paused briefly in the doorway to ensure that he was seen and then headed to the Slytherin table. He sat across from Blaise and made sure he was facing the Gryffindor table so he could sneer when needed. Crabbe and Goyle sat on either side of him to help prevent Pansy from fawning over him. “Did you get that potions homework done?” Blaise asked. Draco just sent him a withering look. “Right. Forgot. You’re a genius at potions.” “I take it you had problems?” The blond asked. Blaise ran a hand through his light blond hair and said, “A few. Think you could make sure I did it right before class?” “I’ll think...” A silvery laughter floated across the room and Draco’s eyes searched for the source. They fell on a beautiful young woman sitting at the Gryffindor table. She seemed to have an unearthly beauty that radiated out of every pore of her being. Her long brown hair had blond streaks in it and had a healthy shin. Her smile could light up the entire room. “Draco? What’s wrong?” Blaise’s voice cut in. “Who’s the girl sitting with the golden trio?” He asked, his gaze never leaving her face. “Dunno. She came in with the mudblood,” Blaise answered with a shrug. The blond Slytherin barely heard him, his entire being was focused on the vision before him. His mind never registered the fact that she wasn’t wearing robes. He was so lost in her that he didn’t hear Dumbledore introduce those sitting at the professor’s table. Dumbledore’s voice didn’t intrude until the girl stood and he heard the words, Dawn Summers. Despite his ability to control his reactions, Draco’s jaw dropped. The beauty was his muggle correspondent... non-muggle... whatever. He finally registered the fact that she was wearing muggle clothing that was so tight his thoughts went off on a brief tangent wondering how she got in them. “Dawn Summers? Isn’t she that stupid muggle you have to write to?” “As a matter of fact, yes she is,” Draco snarled as he remembered what a bitch the girl was. However, he had never imagined that she looked like that. He suddenly became aware that the girl was staring at him, along with the trio. The four pulled their heads together and then Dawn’s laughter could be heard. It died down and she looked him straight in the eye. Then she laughed once again. Draco just knew that she was laughing at him. ********* “Hermione, I want to thank you for inviting me to sit with you guys. I think I’d much rather sit with strangers my own age than a bunch of old strangers,” Dawn said as she entered what Hermione called the Great Hall. “I figured as much,” the bushy brunette said as she led the Californian through the tables. “Besides, it will be nice to have a female muggle around for a while.” “Oh, are you one of those muggle born wizards?” “Yeah. You know an awful lot about our world,” Hermione said in a slightly questioning tone. “Comes with the territory,” Dawn said as they stopped at an empty spot at one of the tables. “Guys, this is Dawn Summers. She’s here with her sister and guests. Dawn, the funny-looking guy with the red hair...” “Hey,” the said guy protested. “Is Ron Weasley and the girl next to him is his sister, Ginny.” The girl waved and then turned back to the guy next to her. Hermione continued, “The guy with the glasses is Harry Potter.” Dawn noticed that Harry tensed slightly as if her was expecting a specific reaction. She just smiled and said, “Hi.” Harry visibly relaxed and returned the smile. Dawn and Hermione sat down and began filling their plates. “Where are you from?” Ron asked around a mouthful of food. Dawn tried to hide her smile at Hermione’s obvious disapproval of Ron’s manners as she answered, “California. Sunnydale to be exact.” “Sunnydale? Why does that sound familiar?” “Because it sank into the ground a year ago,” Hermione said with and exasperated tone. Harry’s eyes widened. “You’re from the hellmouth?” Dawn nodded. Out of the corner of her eye she saw three guys enter the room. They pause dramatically in the doorway and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. It was exactly the type of action she could see her wizard pen pal, Draco Malfoy, doing. Two of the guys were brutish looking with their hulking bodies and piggish eyes. The third wasn’t bad looking, but she didn’t think that he was really the sex-god that his strut implied he was. Pulling her attention back to who she was sitting with, she asked, “Any of you guys have to write to muggles?” “Harry and I don’t since we grew up as muggles, but Ron has a pen pal,” Hermione said with a smug look. “She’s bloody insane is what she is,” Ron said with a grimace. “Why?” “She has a crush on Ron without even having met him,” Harry supplied, to his friend’s embarrassment. “She keeps saying she wants to take me to the movies. Like I want to go see things moving around.” Dawn laughed. “What?” Ron asked, clearly confused. “Movies are films with actors in it that tell stories,” she explained. “Huh?” “You might as well give up. Harry and I have tried to explain the concept of movies for years. He still hasn’t got it.” Ron stuck his tongue out at Hermione. “Yes, Ron. Very mature.” “Who do you write to?” Harry asked, trying to head off another argument. Before she could answer, the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, called for everyone’s attention. “We have several special visitors. They will stay here for the next couple of weeks. I’m sure most of you recognize Mr. Pryce from his visit a year ago. Mr. Giles is an associate of his. The beautiful young blond next to him is Miss Buffy Summers. Her sister, Dawn Summers, is sitting at the Gryffindor table.” Dawn stood and waved. As she sat down, Dumbledore continued. “While they are familiar with our world, they are muggles. So if they appear lost or in need of help, please do not hesitate to help them.” He then sat down. “So who is it?” Harry asked again. “Draco Malfoy,” she answered simply. Silence draped itself over their part of the table. “What?” She asked self-consciously. “You poor thing,” Hermione said in a voice full of sympathy. “Which one is he?” The three pointed out a pale blond who was currently glaring at her. She was only vaguely surprised that he was the one to make the asinine entrance earlier. She could hear her companions grumbling about Malfoy and she knew she had fallen in with the perfect people to learn about the boy she loved to torture. “I bet you guys have loads of stuff on him,” Dawn said with a mischievous glint in her eyes. An evil grin appeared on Ron’s face. “What do you want to know?” Dawn leaned in and the other three followed suit. “What’s his most embarrassing moment here?” “Easy. He got turned into a ferret during our fourth year by the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. He bounced all the way down the hall.” Laughter bubbled out of Dawn as she pictured a ferret bouncing. She calmed herself and looked back at Malfoy who had a scowl on his face. The picture reentered her mind and she couldn’t control it, she laughed again. Previous Part Across the Pond Menu Next Part |
