Ruby Dellamark arrived at Hogwarts in year three. There, she met the arrogant, but also torn Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy. She learns a few things about Draco, and also herself, as Hogwarts prepares itself for the return of the Dark Lord.
*I...
By the time everybody made it out of the hole, they were faced with a large, glass-shattered, sand-covered, tattering mess of an ensued battle. The first thing that caught their attention of Dumbledore's shiny silver robes, and Harry, crippled on the ground.
They watched him, waiting for him to stand up strong, and just to show any sign that he was okay. Harry started having flashbacks, all of his terrifying memories. His parents, the tournament, Cedric, and Sirius. But then, he forced those memories down, and replaced them with the good ones. His friends, his parents, the Weasleys; everyone who's ever been an ally to him.
He remembered when he met Hermione and Ron, and the victory at his first quiditch game. He remembered meeting Ruby on the night bus, and the laughs he shared with all of his friends. The stinging pain in his head then settled and went away.
"You're the weak one...and you'll never know love or friendship," he muttered out, "And I feel sorry for you,"
A circle of sand towered around him, and before their eyes, the Dark Lord appeared and stood over Harry.
"You're a fool, Harry Potter," he seethed, "And you will lose everything,"
Suddenly, rounds of wizards and witches appeared from the Floo network of chimneys. Minister Fudge was one of them. He was able to get a good, and terrifying glance at the Dark Lord before he disappeared in a sand tornado. It was finally time that he was able to say it.
"He's back!"
-
Dumbledore was reinstated as the headmaster at Hogwarts, while a lengthy and decisive investigation was launched into Umbridge and her teaching techniques. The Daily Prophet was all over it, but the front page headline was all the rave in the wizarding world.
'HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAME RETURNS'
The last few days fell upon the students, and soon another summer would be upon them. As for Ruby, she still had no intention of returning to the group home. She was bound to find a way to spend her summer, perhaps she would explore more of the wizarding world and all it had to offer and curious girl like herself.
She stood at a shelf in the library, scanning over the titles of old travel books, documented by some of the first wizards who built their reign. Most of her serious injuries had healed, she still had a bruised eye and some smaller scrapes on her arms and legs. Either way, she knew that even though Lucius never got the prophecy, nothing would ever be the same at Hogwarts. Or in the wizarding world for that matter.
"Hello again," she heard the voice, but didn't bother looking at Draco. She was still upset with him, quite so, and even more that his father was involved in the practically scheme of nearly getting her and her friends killed.
"Hello," she said simply.
"What happened to your eye?" he asked. She looked at him, noticing that he had the same hint of yellowish brown on his eye as well as she did. She didn't think her elbow was strong enough to create that much force.
"I'd ask you the same thing, but we both know what happened to your eye," she replied.
"I can see you're still upset," he said. Ruby took out a few books and set them on the desk next to her.
"I think 'upset' is too kind a word. How about, raging? Livid? Absolutely fuming?" she said.
"This is all just because I didn't kiss you?" he asked. The next book she took out, she slammed down quite hard.
"I understand you have some sort of ridiculous reputation that somehow is worth more to you then the students in your life. But no, you let it go even further when you let your so called 'friends' mock me in the middle of the hallways!" she snapped.
"What was I supposed to do? Tell 'em 'cut it out', or 'don't be mean'? How does that make me look?" he asked.
"You see, that's your problem, Draco. You're more concerned with who everybody else wants you to be, you don't even know who you are!" she replied.
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"That's poppy-cock," he said.
"Oh no? You know, I saw your father, and right before he ordered a Death Eater to kill me, I could see the resemblance between the two of you. Cold, no soul, no heart," she said.
"You are crossing a line!" he growled.
"So what? I may be a lot of things, Malfoy, but poser isn't one of them," she replied.
"How am I a poser?" he asked.
"Well, I've seen you talk the Death Eater talk, but how about when your father makes you walk the walk? Will you adjust so easily?" she asked.
"When that day comes, it may be the sorriest day of your life," he told her.
"I can see it now, you get off and gain control through fear. Well, I won't be controlled by you or any Death Eater with an itch to scratch!" she hissed.
"You're really paranoid, you know that?" he asked.
"I saw him," she stated, "I saw him with my own eyes. Nothing is ever going to be the same, and I'm not going to waste my time chasing after a pig while you-know-who prepares to smite us all," she replied. Ruby gathered her books and started to walk away.
"So I'm a pig because of my father, because you're terrified of the unknown, and because my friends mocked you for trying to kiss me?" he asked. She stopped and turned right around.
"No, Malfoy. Not at all. I couldn't give a damn about everything else, because everything else makes sense. But what doesn't make sense is kissing somebody like you," she sneered.
"Like me?" he asked.
"Yeah, I would never even dream about doing something so incredulous with you! Because you're a frog, and I don't kiss frogs," and with that being sad, she stormed away, tears about to spill over. Draco watched her leave, his heart heavy and drowning under the waves of his own stupidity.
