Pandora Malfoy, the twin sister of Draco. Although she was brought up to loathe Muggles, Mudbloods, and blood-traitors just as Draco was, her hidden exposure to the Muggle world meant she felt differently to how she was supposed to. But what will th...
A/N: this is the last time I'm going to put the date at the start of the chapter ***
~ 1st September, 1991 ~
The next month seemed to go slower than any month had ever gone before. Draco spent the first week whining about how I'd called him a git, and the next three talking endlessly about Hogwarts, and Quidditch, and "do you think Harry Potter will want to be my friend — he might even be the next powerful Dark wizard — I expect he'll be in Slytherin—".
On top of that, Father had put more and more pressure on me to 'behave like a Malfoy'. My punishments increased as he analysed everything I said and did, right down to the way I brushed my hair, or the times I went to the kitchen to get a drink. I knew why he was doing it — he wanted to be sure I got into Slytherin, and didn't disgrace the family name — but that didn't make it any less painful when I messed up.
And then, finally, after what seemed like a year of waiting, September the first arrived.
Draco and I both woke at exactly five, and ran into each other in the hallway when we went to wake each other up.
"Morning!" we said at the same time, wearing matching grins on our faces.
"I can't believe we're going to Hogwarts today!" Draco said, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.
"I know, me neither!" I said, just as excited as he was.
We both rushed back to our separate rooms to get dressed. Father had told us the previous night that the Ministry said we were to wear Muggle clothes while we were at King's Cross station, but he'd clearly been irritated by this fact, so I'd picked out an outfit that I thought would please everyone. The jumper and shoes were Slytherin green, and I'd paired these with black jeans, and the horrible ring Father liked me to wear.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
It took me two attempts to get dressed — the first time, I was hurrying so much that I put my jumper on back-to-front, and my shoes on the wrong feet — but when I was done, I tucked my wand into my pocket and used my metamorphosis to brush and style my hair, a mix of excitement and worry churning inside me.
Looking for something to do, I opened my trunk and made sure I had everything on the 'necessary items' list, threw a few more Muggle clothes in there for good measure, then called for Aureli in my mind. He appeared on my outstretched arm, easing my anxiety a little as I stroked him.
"I need you to stay here until I call for you later, ok?" I said.
I knew he'd understand; he always did. It must've been something to do with him being bonded to me, because he didn't seem to understand anyone else, not even Draco. He rubbed his golden-feathered head on my face, and I smiled.
"There's no need to be so clingy, Aureli," I said, a laugh in my voice. "I won't be leaving for a few more hours yet, and you'll definitely be back with me by tomorrow, probably even sooner."
He made a mournful noise, and I shook my head, my smile even bigger.
"You're hopeless," I chuckled, keeping stroking him as I looked out of the window, waiting for it to be time to leave.
***
At half past ten, Mother, Father, Draco, and I all used the Floo to get to King's Cross. The Floo fireplaces, for some reason, were at the front of the station, and I knew that on days platform nine and three-quarters was open, the people allowed to use the King's Cross Floo were limited to high-up Ministry employees, wealthy Purebloods, and Hogwarts staff. I didn't think this was particularly fair — what if people lived at the other end of the country, and had to drive through the night to get there on time? — but I knew not to say anything.
We walked through the station together, Draco making sure to push and trip as many Muggles as possible. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the black-haired, green-eyed boy from Madam Malkin's enter the station with a rather unpleasant-looking man, a beautiful snowy owl on his trolley.
"Platform nine and three-quarters," Father said, as we reached platforms nine and ten. "Just walk through the barrier."
I glanced at Draco and raised an eyebrow. He matched my expression, clearly as confused as I was.
"I'll go first with Draco," Father continued. "Narcissa, you come after us with Pandora."
He and Draco strode forwards, straight at the barrier. Just as it looked like they were going to crash into it, they vanished from sight.
"Come on, sweetheart," Mother said to me, and we followed after them.
I felt anxiety swirl inside me. What if it didn't work for us, and we just crashed into the barrier? It was getting closer and closer, and I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the crash that was surely going to happen — but no crash came. Instead, I kept walking, with Mother at my side, and I slowly opened my eyes.
A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o'clock, and behind us, there was a wrought-iron archway where the ticket barrier had been, with the words Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Smoke from the engine drifted over our heads, while cats of every colour wound here and there between people's legs. Owls hooted to each other in a disgruntled way over the babble of the crowd and the scraping of heavy trunks.
Father and Draco were waiting a little way up the platform, so Mother and I both headed towards them.
"Now, we will be informed by owl how both of you are sorted," Father said. "I expect you both to be in Slytherin, of course."
He gave me a particularly stern look, and I shrunk back slightly, nodding.
"Pandora, if they still give flying lessons, you are not allowed to take them," he continued, his voice quieter now, so that I had to concentrate hard to hear him over the noise of the rest of the platform. "Nor are you allowed to befriend anyone other than Slytherin Purebloods. And if I hear that you aren't near the top of all your classes, that you have got into trouble with any of your professors, or that you have broken any of the rules I have set in place for you, the consequences will be severe. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Father," I said softly.
Draco and I both hugged Mother as she kissed our foreheads, and I curtseyed to Father as he also gave Draco a quick hug; Mother told us to write as often as we could, Father reminded us (but really just me) once again to get into Slytherin, and then we were on the train, dragging our trunks behind us as we walked down the corridor, searching for the compartment that we knew Crabbe and Goyle would be saving for us.
We soon found it, and stowed our trunks under the bench-like seats before flopping down onto them with matching smiles on our faces. The rest of our Pureblood 'friends' soon joined us — Pansy Parkinson, Theodore Nott, Blaise Zabini, and Daphne Greengrass — and then a whistle blew, and the train started moving out of the station, getting faster and faster. I looked out of the window, a sense of wild excitement creeping over me. After years of waiting, I was finally going to Hogwarts.
