Two weeks into the summer holidays, Mother stuck her head around my bedroom door.

"Darling, I've just received an owl from my old friend Narcissa," she said as I reluctantly pulled my face away from the mirror to look at her, "apparently her son has been asking about you going over to stay."

She paused to give me a long pointed look.

"Great?" I said, shrugging casually before turning back to the mirror. She was clearly bothered about something and I wasn't going to give her the satisfaction by asking what.

"I didn't know you were getting friendly with a boy," she said, placing her hands on her hips, "and now you're expecting me to agree to having sleepovers?!"

"I'm not expecting anything from you, Mother," I said in a droll tone as I carefully continued to apply my mascara.

"Boys, though? Really?" Mother spat, evidently rattled as she stepped uninvitedly into my room.

"I'm not you, Mother," I sighed, "I'm quite capable of talking to a boy without wanting to jump him."

"How dare-" she stopped mid-sentence; her face apoplectic with rage.

In the end, when I pointed out that at least I'd be out of her hair, she agreed for me to go, on the condition that I don't step foot inside his bedroom.

"Gladly," I muttered, rolling my eyes; as if I wanted to go wading through a smelly room full of discarded crap, anyway.

As it was, Narcissa had my room made up fit for a sodding queen.

I gave a low whistle as I stood in the doorway.

"It's not much, I know," she said as her eyes roamed anxiously over the massive four poster bed which was bigger than a small house.

I also had my own adjoining bathroom complete with both a sauna and a hot tub.

"Is your room like that too?" I asked Draco when I joined him later so he could give me a tour of the grounds.

"Good god, no," he scoffed disgustedly as if he considered the quality of the guest rooms beneath him, "I'm sure you'll survive a few nights, though."

We walked for what seemed like miles. I had no idea how big the grounds of Malfoy Manor were but it had the appearance of a small country to me.

"Come and check out my treehouse," he smirked, oddly boastful for a twelve year old boy who had just admitted he had a five year old's plaything.

However, when I saw it, I understood his smugness.

"This is not a treehouse, Drac," I said, folding my arms in front of my chest as we went up in the makeshift elevator, "it's a pissing treemansion."

He carried on smirking as he pulled out a key from his pocket and unlocked the front door.

I followed him into a massive echoey hallway that put Malfoy Manor's actual one to shame.

"Um - wow," I said turning round on the spot, feeling utterly speechless. "This sure is something else."

"Wait till you see what I've got upstairs," he winked, before beckoning me to follow him up the marbled staircase.

Ten minutes later we were sitting side by side on beanbags in front of a massive television, playing a thing he called a PlayStation and eating an array of Muggle sweets.

"Just don't tell my father," he warned me, throwing his head back to empty a packet of Skittles into his gob.

Wow; something he didn't want his father to hear about at last.

"Who knew you had an inner Muggle, Drac?" I teased, smirking sideways at him.

"Yeah well," he shrugged, blushing slightly, "you've got to admit, they know how to pass the time."

And with that, he aimed a karate kicked at my head; killing me.

"This game sucks," I grumbled, throwing my controller down on the floor in miserable defeat.

*****

We spent the majority of my stay in Draco's treehouse, playing computer games for hours on end and stuffing ourselves with sweets.

We had to return to the Manor for evening meals, however; Draco's father insisting upon it.

Lucius Malfoy looked like an older version of Draco, it was surreal. I would like to say that I liked him, but I really, really didn't.

Draco was clearly intimidated by his father; and I kind of couldn't blame him. It wasn't that Lucius was hostile to me in anyway; in fact, if anything, he acted polite and welcoming.

But even my twelve year old self could see past his fake and manipulative ways.

"I expect you all down here at nine o'clock sharp in the morning," Lucius demanded sternly one evening as we were all tucking into gammon steaks; the four of us sat around the ridiculously over sized dining table.

I briefly met Draco's eyes and he gave the merest shrug of his shoulders.

"Diagon Alley," Lucius continued, dabbing at his mouth with a napkin as he beckoned back towards the fireplace behind him. "We'll use the Floo Network."

"Oh," Narcissa said, looking startled up at her husband, "I didn't we think we had discussed this yet?"

"I have... business I need to attend to," Lucius drawled, his tone mysterious, "we may as well get Draco's school items whilst we're there. I'm sure we can arrange for Mrs Zabini to send on some gold for Blaire's, too."

"It's fine, I have some," I shrugged, licking apple sauce off my fingers, "my mother gives me an allowance for these things."

"Well, that's settled then," Lucius said brusquely, as though it had ever been up for discussion in the first place. "Nine am, sharp."

Controlling prick.

*****

"Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Give it a rest, Drac," I muttered under my breath, "before you embarrass yourself."

But it was clear I'd already lost him; his silver eyes dancing with glee as he looked hungrily upon Harry Potter.

"Leave him alone!" A red haired girl barked angrily, stepping in front of Harry like some kind of guard dog.

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco drawled delightedly causing the girl to turn a crimson shade of red.

She could only be a Weasley, I surmised; given the hair and the state of her clothes.

I watched the scene unfold in front of my eyes as Lucius and another older red headed man joined in the fun; presumably the Weasley father.

When a brawl started up, I rolled my eyes before casually dumping my books and decided to wait outside.

They all needed to learn to chill.

*****

"Potter's not gonna know what hit him when he see's what my father's bought." Draco announced smugly on the train journey to Hogwarts.

We were sharing a compartment with Crabbe and Goyle; Draco and I on one side, the two buffoons on the other.

"Didn't you hear?" grunted Goyle as bits of Pumpkin Pasty sprayed from his mouth. "Potter's not on the train. Neither is his blood traitor boyfriend."

"What do you mean?" Draco said at once, sitting up straight; panic flitting across his face. "Where are they? How are they going to get to Hogwarts?"

"Christ, Drac," I said, shaking my head in dismay, "anyone would think you've got a crush."

Crabbe started guffawing like an overgrown baboon; so much so that he almost choked and died on his gobstopper.

Meh, wouldn't have been a great loss.

"I do not have a crush!" Draco bristled looking utterly affronted at the suggestion.

"Hey, I'm not judging," I shrugged, coolly inspecting my fingernails as I reached my foot across to nudge against his shin. "Chill."

Our eyes met and a strange expression crossed his features.

But before I could work out what it was, the door slid open and Pansy entered, launching herself into the empty seat between us.

"Oooo... I'm just so excited for this year!" She squealed, throwing her arms around our shoulders and squeezing us both forcibly to her sides. "We're going to have a fab time, besties!"

Ugh. I tried my hardest not to shudder.

*****