The Dark Lord's Daughter [FW - Book One]

Meeting Diggory

"She's back!"

I open my eyes sleepily to see Lani and McKenna hovering above me. McKenna looks excited for some reason.

"Where were you? You were gone for hours!" Lani asks in a motherly tone.

"Oh, I ran to the black lake. Fred followed me, and we waited for people to fall asleep before we came back." I explain, leaving out a bit of the story.

"Gee, that's anticlimactic... Let's go down to breakfast then, before Ron eats all the food." McKenna says, looking disappointed. I nod, failing to hide a small smile.

When we enter the great hall, we are met by more glares, all directed at me. I sit down next to Katie and Angelina, and they immediately get up and move down the table a bit. I let out a sigh as Lani and McKenna sit down on either side of me. After about fifteen minutes, Fred, George, and Lee sit down across from us.

"Sorry about last night." George says awkwardly.

"What does he mean? What happened?" McKenna asks, looking excited.

"Nothing." I reply quietly, kicking George under the table.

"I wouldn't call it nothing, Nessa." Fred chimes in, sending me a wink. I stick my tongue out at him, making him chuckle. McKenna looks back and forth between the twins and I suspiciously, with just a hint of a smile on her face though she says nothing else.

When we've finished breakfast, we go to McGonagall's classroom for Transfiguration.

"I have something important to tell you all. The Yule Ball is approaching - a traditional part of the tri wizard tournament, and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will be open to fourth year students and above, though you may invite a younger student if you wish." McGonagall says when class is almost over.

"Do we have to go?" A Slytherin groans from across the room.

"No. You do not have to participate if you do not wish to." McGonagall answers, "For those of you who wish to attend, dress robes will be worn."

A collective groan emits from most everyone in the crowded room.

"Hush. Now, the ball is of course a chance for us to relax and have a bit of fun, but that does NOT mean that the expected behavior will be any different. I will not have a single Gryffindor student embarassing Hogwarts, do you understand?" McGonagall asks, her voice cracking occasionally.

Everyone nods.

"Right, then. You are dissmissed." McGonagall says, waving her hands.

I stand and leave the room with Fred, George, Lee, Lani, and McKenna. We walk silently down to the dungeons for potions class. We've almost reached Snape's classroom when we run into Draco Malfoy.

"Well look who it is." Draco sneers, "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" I ask with mock confusion.

"That you're not a mudblood after all? That your HIS daughter?" Draco clarifies.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I say, walking past him.

"I should have known it was too good to be true. You can never believe anything that comes from a blood traitor's mouth." Draco says in disgust.

I stop walking and turn to face Draco. With a flick of my wand and a quick nonverbal spell he bursts into song, singing something about a couldron, and love? I'm not really listening.

"That will do Miss Redwood." Snape says, emerging from the classroom. "Finite Incantatem."

Draco stops singing and grins at me evilly.