The second we stepped into the Minister's box, I thought Draco was going to have a heart attack.

"Breathe," I instructed urgently in his ear, as his whole body convulsed in gasping gulps. "And just pretend they're not here."

"Pretend they're not here?!" He spluttered incredulously, once he had eventually found his voice. "They've taken over the entire box!"

"Will you be quiet!" Lucius hissed, obviously rattled himself by the turn of events. "And compose yourself, Draco. We are Malfoy's!"

His attention was immediately snapped up by the Minister, who had come scurrying over to greet us.

"Lucius, Lucius," Cornelius Fudge beamed, shaking his hand profusely. "I was just wondering where you'd got to!"

"I do apologise," Lucius said, smiling stiffly, "there was a to do with an escaped peacock. You know how it is. I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco? And this here is Draco's young friend, Blaire. She's a Zabini, of course."

I inwardly rolled my eyes at Lucius's need to clarify my family name. It was clear he would hate for anyone to think his son would consort with anyone other than purebloods.

"How do you do, how do you do?" Fudge said, smiling and bowing to us all. "I do believe you know my other guest, Arthur Weasley, I daresay?"

It was a tense moment. Lucius and Arthur looked at each other.

"Good Lord, Arthur," Lucius said softly, his cold grey eyes sweeping over the rest of Arthur's clan. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Wow. I get they're as poor as pigs but that was quite catty, even for Lucius.

Arthur went bright red but said nothing, just nodded his head at Fudge, before turning to face the front and retaking his seat.

We were unfortunately seated in the row behind them which meant I had Draco shaking in fury next to me as his eyes bored into the back of Harry Potter's head instead of watching what was going on in the stadium.

"Drac, come on," I said, nudging my knee into his, "the Veela are out doing their thing. Quit staring at Potter and act like a normal human being for once; look at the pretty Veela."

"Out of all the fucking seats," Draco seethed, ignoring me as he ground his teeth together, his eyes fixed solely upon the Boy Who Lived.

When the leprechauns came out with their pots of gold, Draco emitted a loud, derisive snort as the Weasley's scrambled shamelessly around on the floor for coins - not unlike those fat pigeons looking greedily for crumbs in Trafalgar Square.  

I mean, I couldn't really blame Draco, it was rather embarrassing to witness. Especially as the gold wasn't even real.

The game was alright, I suppose. Quidditch wasn't really my thing. But Krum looked fit on his broomstick, so it wasn't all bad.

Still, I was pretty glad when it finished after only a couple of hours. Especially when Krum entered our box to shake hands with Fudge along with the rest of the players. Draco tried to act cool about it but I could tell he was fangirling just as hard as me; for a start, he finally tore his eyes away from Harry Potter.

It was properly nightfall by the time we got back to the tent. Narcissa sent us up to our rooms but Draco and I were too hyped up from the game to sleep so he snuck into my room and we sat on my bed eating the stash of chocolate I had filched from my mother, talking about Viktor Krum.

"That Wronski Feint was quite something," I said admirably, recalling how hot his determined face looked as he had dived towards the ground.

"It's a move I've actually been practicing my technique on," Draco drawled with an air of arrogance, "Potter isn't going to know what's hit him."

I was just about to remind him that Potter was probably going to be practising him that one himself after tonight, but urgent voices coming from the hallway made me pause.

Draco and I exchanged a look before quietly climbing off the bed to tiptoe over to the door, both of us pressing our ears against it, facing one another as we listened to his parent's furtive whispers.

"This is a stupid idea Lucius, you're going to get caught!"

"It's about time we send the message out there, I'm not going to be stopped."

"But what about our son? And Blaire? Are you really going to endanger them like this?"

"They will be safe, they're not the targets."

"I still don't like it Lucius, please let's just wake the kids and get them out of here right now."

"Do as you will, Narcissa, but mark my words, I will be disappointed if you don't support me on this."

Silence.

Draco and I stared wide eyed at one another, wondering what the hell it was that his father was planning to do which had his mother worried so much for our safety.

Before we knew what was happening, the door was being pushed open, and Draco and I quickly leapt guiltily back as Narcissa's startled face appeared from behind it.

"Draco...?" She uttered, looking between the both of us, aghast. "What are you-? Oh, never mind," she added hastily, seemingly realising there were more important things to discuss right now. "I need you two to get out of here and go quickly and safely to the woods on the edge of the campsite. It is imperative that you go at once before- before..."

"Before what, Mother?" Draco hissed impatiently. "What is going on exactly? What is Father doing?"

Narcissa looked whiter than I'd ever seen her and I wondered if she might actually be sick.

"Look, it doesn't matter," she said frantically, "please go, and don't ask questions. It's best you know as little as possible."

She ushered us out, refusing to say anything more.

"But where are you going, Mother?" Draco asked perplexed, "won't you need to come with us?"

"I need to be with your father," she said firmly, her ice blue eyes steely with determination. "You two will be fine if you listen to me and stay in the woods until it is safe again."

Draco looked as though he was going to argue further, so I grabbed his hand and, with Narcissa offering me a grateful smile, I started pulling him towards the tent's exit.

"Come on, Drac," I murmured gently, "let's just do what she says, okay?"

He relented, allowing me to lead him past the peacocks. When we got out the front, I let his hand drop from mine as we surveyed the campsite before us.

Nothing seemed untoward; it was mostly dark and quiet as the majority of campers were sound asleep in their beds, with only a few late night celebrations still going on over in the Irish section.

We crept quietly along the rows of tents, every now and then exchanging nervous, apprehensive looks.

When the sound of a baby's wails drifted out from inside one of the many tents, I felt a sort of sickness swirling around in the pit of my stomach.

None of this felt right. Yet Narcissa had been adamant that we follow her instructions - fearful - even. And so we continued on.

"What do you think's going to happen?" I asked, once we reached the shelter of the woods, finding a tree to lean against whilst we waited for Merlin only knew what.

Draco didn't say anything and as I looked at him, I saw the tell tale sign of fear flashing in his eyes.

He looked at me then, nervously sweeping the tip of his tongue across his upper lip, as if he was gearing himself up to tell me something.

"Drac, what is it?" I asked encouragingly. "You know you can tell me anything."

Draco opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, screams pierced the night, startling us both.

"Shit," Draco hissed as loud bangs like fireworks stared going off in the distance and the screaming continued.

We stayed by the tree, looking out in horror as witches and wizards - mostly kids - started to race through the campsite towards us, every one of them looking terrified.

It didn't take long to find out why, for in the distance, a group of sinister cloaked figures were following behind; setting fire to tents in their wake. And above them, suspended in the air, were a family of Muggles, including two young children who were wailing loud frightened cries as every now and then one of the cloaked figures would make them somersault sickeningly fast, cackling cruelly below.

I thought I was going to vomit; and as my eyes met Draco's, I could tell he was as sickened by what we were witnessing as I was.

But then the minute the golden trio stumbled upon us, he resumed back to his usual arrogant, prejudiced self.

It's like he just can't help himself where Harry Potter is concerned.

"I was helping them," he explained afterwards when I just shook my head at him in disdain.

"Yeah, well you have a funny way of showing it," I muttered as we went back to leaning shoulder to shoulder against our tree.

I was glad, when we returned to the Manor, that we spent the remainder of holidays holed up in Draco's treehouse again.

Because I didn't think I could stomach being in the same building as Lucius Malfoy anymore. Not when I knew exactly what that despicable human was capable of.

If you could even call him that.

And even though Draco and I didn't speak of it again, I knew exactly what he was going to confess to me that night in the woods whilst we waited for the horror to begin.

I knew because I had seen it in his eyes; it was the same look he got whenever he entered the room unexpectedly, or whenever he was addressed by him. It was the same look that I saw flicker in those silver grey eyes whenever, without warning, his name was mentioned.

Lucius.

Yes, Draco Malfoy feared his father; he feared him very much.

And it simply broke my heart.

*****