Being His Daughter

The Triwizard Tournament

The morning we were meant to be going back to Hogwarts was dark, cold, and rainy. After Draco had woken me up in the same annoying way he had on the day of the Cup, I pulled on my regular black attire and trudged my way down to the kitchen with Draco.

"I just want you to be careful during the tournament, okay?" Narcissa said to me as we ate breakfast. Tanny paused as she passed and shot me a brief worried look before hurrying on by. I wanted to reassure her I would be fine like I was going to do with Narcissa, but I knew it would put Lucius in a spiteful mood if I talked in a civil way towards a House Elf. 

"I will," I told Narcissa with a reassuring smile. "I'll be fine. Father wouldn't have put me in it if he thought I would get hurt."

"Are you sure about that?" Draco muttered beside me. I glowered over at him and he looked up at me anxiously. "That's the thing, though," he insisted anxiously. "People have died in this tournament."

"It's the Dark Lord's orders," Lucius said firmly. "I'm sure she'll be fine. She's smart and she's handled difficult situations before. Sierra, you've done many tasks for your father before—"

"I know," I cut in, taking a sip of the unfamiliar drink Tanny had made for me to try. "I'm ready for it." I sent pointed looks all around the table; Narcissa smiled tightly at me while Lucius stared blankly and Draco didn't even look at me at all. "You all know that."

"Yes, and I also know for sure that Rita Skeeter, the writer of the Daily Prophet, is probably going to make an appearance at Hogwarts when you and Potter's name's come out of the Goblet. She's one nosy—"

"Language, Lucius," Narcissa droned.

"...woman..." Lucius gritted out and I snorted. "Avoid her as much as possible. She'll twist whatever you say into something 'newsworthy'. I'll be going down to Hogwarts too to demand they take you out of the tournament, just to make it seem like I'm upset, you know. They won't of course. It clearly says in the rules that you're required to play if your names comes out of the Goblet."

Lucius had kept the same bland look on his face the entire time he had talked, so I simply nodded my head before averting my attention to the eggs on my plate. "Got it."

____________

"Sierra!" Narcissa called from downstairs as I hastily closed my trunk and locked it. "Time to go!"

"Coming!" I hollered back over my shoulder as I grabbed onto my trunk and Night's, once again, empty cage and began attempting to haul it out of my room. Nagini slithered down from my bed with a thump and wrapped the end of her tail around Night's cage, taking it out of my hands and slithering down the corridor with it in tow. "Thank you," I breathed and she hissed lowly in reply.

When the two of us finally arrived in the living room, where the three Malfoys were, she released Night's cage and I set down my trunk. "See you next summer," I told her. Draco shifted on his feet nervously as he eyed my beloved snake with caution.

"See you," she hissed back, raising her head up and nudging my cheek with it affectionately.

"Behave," I joked and she stuck her thin tongue out in mockery.

"Of course," she said slyly before lowering herself and slithering off.

_____________________

I set my things down beside the train roughly and they vanished so that I was left carrying only a small bag that contained my school robes.

"Bye sweetie," Narcissa said as I re-approached them. I leaned into her and she hugged me tightly, smoothing down the back of my hair as Draco said goodbye to his father as 'professional' as usual. "Be safe, alright?"