Peripeteia (Malfoy Daughter Fanfic) Harry Potter, Draco, Lucius

History in the Making

All good things must come to an end, and before she knew it, Diana was back on the Hogwarts Express. Her return brought forth a slew of changes: big ones, small ones, and ones whose sizes remained to be seen.

Though she still performed leagues behind her peers, the gulf between their spellcasting wasn't quite as vast as in September. Her wand responded to her—mostly—and while the spells themselves remained weak and ineffective, they were at least recognizable as magic, compared to the sad sparks that wheezed from her wand before Dumbledore's lessons. Furthermore, the siblings' stay at the Burrow bolstered their relationship with Ron. Though Diana considered him a friend before, she always felt a degree of awkwardness, likely due to their shared connection with Arthur. Now, conversation flowed freely and easily between them, and the banter between him and Draco was much less sharp.

Freya had also grown, looking more like a cat than a kitten. The change not only marked the passage of time, but also evoked feelings of nostalgia. Whenever Sarah, Marie, or one of her old teachers remarked on how big she was getting and lamenting where the time went, Diana would internally roll her eyes. But now, she understood that feeling. It served as a valuable reminder to not be so fixated on the future and learn to appreciate the present.

Such a lesson proved somewhat difficult, especially when so much of her future was up in the air. Diana received a note from Lucius via owl, which omitted the specifics of the incident yet burned itself immediately upon reading it. She could tell he actually wrote the letter instead of having Narcissa dictate because it was rambling and uneven and manic and ultimately more about Lucius than Diana. He felt positively awful about it, he wasn't thinking straight, he would never do it again. Etc., etc. Despite Lucius' icy exterior, it didn't take much for him to unravel under pressure. Diana didn't know if this would work to her advantage or disadvantage in the long run.

Harry was another question mark. His budding friendship with Theodore appeared small on the surface, but had the potential to balloon into something large over time. Though they largely remained in their own social circles, it wasn't uncommon to see the pair talking or laughing, stirring feelings of guilt. After all, why should it bother her if Harry found another friend? He didn't treat her or Hermione any differently, and his laughs were sparse enough to begin with. It was nice seeing him happy. And Theodore too, for that matter. The first-year Slytherins coalesced around their 'Slytherin Prince,' but he never laughed or jabbered with them in the way he did with Harry. He seemed apathetic towards his followers at best, which paradoxically increased his appeal. Yet at the same time, Theodore made no attempt to broach Harry's group. She doubted Draco's scowls deterred him, but for whatever reason, Theodore chose to keep his distance.

Regardless, Diana couldn't deny a stab of envy when hearing about Harry and Theodore's adventure over the winter holiday. An anonymous benefactor provided Harry with a genuine invisibility cloak, which he and Theodore immediately put to use. They discovered a secret room with a mirror which had a mysterious 'something special' which Harry promised he'd show Diana and Draco later in the month. Less cryptically, he also mentioned exploring the edges of the Forbidden Forest, where Harry made another find: a small, smooth snake which Harry named—at Theodore's suggestion—Glycon. Glycon became attached to Harry, and the Boy-Who-Lived exhibited dubious judgment by keeping the snake as a pet.

Yet despite the newfound friendship, Harry had enough awareness to refrain from mentioning his Parseltongue abilities. He still preferred the companionship of the Malfoys, and it was comforting to know that—at least—remained the same.

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Professor Sinistra paired Diana with Justin Finch-Fletchley during an astronomy lesson, something that caused Diana great relief, since she saw Sinistra's eyes hover on Tracey before calling Justin's name. Their task was to create a model of the solar system, only with the additional wizarding flair of having their planets floating in midair, formed by some sort of powdery substance that was volatile when mishandled.