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𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒏𝒆: 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮

❛ ━━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━━ ❜

ESTRELLA MALFOY CAN WHOLEHEARTEDLY SAY THAT HER SIXTH YEAR AT HOGWARTS WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY HAD BEEN THE MOST MENTALLY DRAINING TIME EVER IN HER LIFE. With Voldemort — he who shall not be named — back and thriving in the shadows, certain families were put at higher expectations. The Malfoy's had given up their home to the Dark Lord and his followers, letting him come and go throughout the day as he pleased. Now, Estrella had moved out a few years back to live with her now deceased cousin, Sirius Black, so she did not have to be around the mentally disturbed wizards, but her older brother had been left behind in the dust to pick up the pieces of being Heir.

She may be a Malfoy and had to grow up around the heartless individuals known as her parents, but the girl absolutely loves and adores people. Especially Draco. And seeing the way his life source seemed to slip away with every moment that passed by had Estrella worried and sick with the thought of him having to become one of them. Spending many nights lying awake with the thought of him getting a certain mark on his arm, Estrella practically begged and begged her brother to join her at Grimmauld Place. He was quick to shoot down anything suggested and made it a point to tell her he had been chosen for a huge task that could only be fulfilled by him alone.

It hurt to finish out the school year in even more anguish once Professor Dumbledore died. Mourning another loved one dead by the very hands of the same deranged family member that had killed her cousin, sent Estrella on a mission. That the next time she comes face-to-face with her aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, pain will be inflicted upon the sociopathic bitch.

The wind blew her platinum blonde hair in different directions as she stared out across the woods, finding solace in the quiet that came with being alone. Birds chirped in the background, singing songs amongst one another. If she wasn't currently on the run with her friends, this would be considered a nice vacation. But alas, it's hard to enjoy the little moments when you're a fugitive of the Ministry of Magic.

A loud thump breaks Estrella away from the lingering thoughts that plagued her mind. With a furrowed brow, she's standing up from the cold ground and dusting off any lingering dirt that could've caught on her pants. Her heart thumps inside her chest as she walks towards where the sound came from. Grabbing the wand from her left boot, she clutches it tightly, hoping that whatever is behind the tree was not a Death Eater.

Moving around the sapling, her brown eyes zero in on an unmoving body. A gasp escapes her mouth, but she is hesitant in rushing forward, as her eyes catch sight of the man's hair color. Please don't be Draco. With those thoughts running rapidly, Estrella takes a few steps towards the man, flipping his body over to see his face. Someone she didn't recognize. His face looked beautiful as it rested peacefully, soft eyelashes and plump lips that she could not stop staring at.

"Rhaenyra?" The man grumbles, eyes opening and closing as he tried to come to. All he notices is a girl with hair as white as him, indicating it must be his wife he had not seen in a long time. "Rhaenyra, what has happened?"

Estrella grows worried, lip almost bleeding from how many times she has bitten it within the last few seconds. "I'm sorry, I'm not Rhaenyra. My name is Estrella, you're in the woods. Can you tell me your name?" She took note of his weird attire. He looked to be in some knight ware.

Clutching at his head, he groans quietly. "Daemon. Daemon Targaryen." It seems like her first words suddenly click inside his mind. "Did you just say I'm in the woods?" He sits up quickly, immediately regretting it as his head spins, floating around in a vast sea of a million things at once. "Fuck. My head."

Estrella puts her hand on his back, rubbing light circles in hopes to soothe him. "Take it easy. I'm not exactly sure how you got here, but it seems that you have hit your head. I can take you back to camp and get Hermione to look at it for you." She checks for a dark mark before helping him to his feet, not caring about the mumbles of going somewhere with a strange woman. "And keep in mind, that if you try anything at all, I will hex you into oblivion."

Daemon would have questioned what she had meant, but he wasn't feeling quite that well at the moment. So, he just let the girl drag him along to wherever her camp was located. If his energy hadn't felt drained, he would have pulled Dark Sister from his sheath and put the girl onto her knees, forcing out every mystery he saw swimming in her warm brown eyes. With that lingering thought, he feels down by his side, sighing once realizing the precious blade he once wielded was no longer on his person.

"Come along, just a little further." Estrella yanks a bit on his large hand, making him oblige in walking once more. "Do you remember how you ended up here?"

He steps over a large fallen tree trunk, careful not to trip. "No." It's as if it all comes rushing back to him, what exactly happened right before he awoke in these dreadful woods. Aemond. He had been fighting against his nephew when the little prick stabbed him in the belly. Caraxes suffered much worse than himself and he felt like hurling onto the ground just imagining it again. They'd fallen out of the sky and assuming he'd made it out alive, he must've ended up here. "Have you by chance seen a dragon around here? He's red and has a large neck."

The way his tone changed at the end, Estrella could tell how important this dragon must mean to him. "No, I'm sorry." She shakes her head, looking behind her to see his fallen expression. "I can keep an eye out for you." How stupid is she? There's no dragons around here. It was just hard to deny the beautiful man and watch as his face wrinkled up in despair.

Daemon just nodded, numb. Following behind the girl, his eyes glance at what she is wearing, causing more confusion to brew. Why was she wearing britches and not a dress? Her hair also threw him completely off as well. A person with the same hair color as himself that he did not recognize, something was not adding up.

"Might I ask for your surname?" He faintly remembered the introductions from before, realizing she never said her full name.

She nodded softly, "Malfoy. Please do not fret over my last name, I am aware what side my family is on at the current moment, and I do not condone their actions." Before he can chime in, she's pulling his hand again, "We're here."

Daemon took his attention off her and looked towards a small tent. Puzzled, he glances around the clearing, hoping to find another one similar. "That thing? It's small and old looking."

Estrella almost scoffs at his posh sounding tone, "Yes, it is. That's how we stay off of the radar. Let's go, my friend can see to your injuries."

He lets her enter first, following right after, his jaw falling to the floor. The place expands and looks far larger than what it seems outside.

Estrella waves him over towards the sitting table, where her friends currently sat. The expression on their faces were the same; hesitant. A new person joining them and walking inside their home for the time being, didn't seem like a good thing. Could he be trusted?

"Guys, this is Daemon. Daemon, these are my friends. Harry," The dragon prince watches Estrella point at the boy with Spectacles and dark hair. Baratheon.He guesses as she moves on to the next person. "Ronald." A redheaded male with shaggy hair, something over his arm as if to hold it in place. Tully. "And finally, Hermione, the girl I think can help you." A girl with wild brown hair and dark eyes. Royce.

Daemon just nods his head, not wanting to speak. Something told him they might snap at anything that fell from his lips. All three of them, the way they're positioned whilst sitting, gave away their need to protect one another. Like a family. And as Estrella sat across from them, he could tell how she wasn't that big of a priority to them as they probably were for her.

"Sit." Hermione demanded, pointing at the spot beside the only other girl in the room. Once his bottom hits the wooden bench, she's working her magic, theoretically. Checking his pulse and for any other injuries besides his head. "There's some trauma to the head." She lifts his tunic, scolding him as he hissed about modesty. "Some scarring on his stomach that looks to be from a blade. Other than that, he seems to be fine." She rummages through her brown bag, half of her arm going inside to reach for whatever needed. "I have some Pepperup Potion that can help you feel better and Healing Potion will help with health and lost stamina."

Daemon felt his eyes widen, "What are you on about? Are you a witch?"

Estrella felt all of their gazes fall to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't ask him if he was a wizard or not! I found him passed out in the woods by himself, and you can't deny the magical aura that radiates from him." They then look back at their new guest. "He possibly can't be Muggle."

"Then what could he be, Estrella?" Harry huffs, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, Harry." Estrella was very close to strangling the boy. This is the second time he has snapped today, earlier he had said a degrading word towards Ron.

Hermione stops them, "Please stop the arguing before it turns into something much worse." She glances down at Harry's neck, realizing the problem. "Take it off. I said take it off." Snatching it from his hand, she places the locket around her own neck. "We'll take turns. Now, let's settle this. Ella, when you came across this man, did he have the mark?"

She shakes her head, "No. He was clean."

Daemon just watches, listening as they talked back and forth. His curiosity was in high affect, wanting to know everything.

Hermione nods, "Alright. Harry, Estrella is right, she wouldn't know if he was a wizard or not since there is quite a lot of magic surrounding him. I most likely would've thought him to be the same. Why don't we just ask him ourselves?"

"I quite agree." Ron finally spoke up after observing, his radio station playing lightly in the background. "What are you?"

"Not like that, Ronald." Estrella snaps, giving him a look, causing him to back down. Malfoy's and their viciousness. "Daemon, can you tell us if you're a wizard?"

Daemon felt himself laugh, "No. Sorry to disappoint. I am a Targaryen dragon prince, that is all. Though, I could possibly have some sort of magical abilities, I do have my own dragon that follows my commands."

He was just a small boy when becoming enamored with the thought of having some sort of magic in his blood. There's so much rich history when it came to the Targaryen bloodline the possibility of it being true couldn't be ruled out.

"We should obliviate him." Ron speaks up after the man explains exactly what he is, knowing a Muggle shouldn't be apart of the war brewing.

"I agree with Ron. There's no need for him here, he'll just get in the way." Harry pipes up.

Daemon is quick on his feet, wincing slightly at the blood rushing to his head. "I do not know what you mean, but you will do no such thing!"

Estrella steps in his way, blocking him from their sights. "He's right. You can't. Something brought him here. Whatever it is, I'm sure he was meant to be with us."

Hermione sighs, once again having to be the mediator. "Let's hear about his story first and then decide what we should do with him. So, please, Daemon, sit and tell us what we want to know. Who are you and how did you come about being here?"

Daemon hesitates before taking his seat again, the others following his lead. It felt degrading having to explain everything to a bunch of teenagers whom obviously didn't have the patience to actually listen and understand.

"I was in a war between my niece and nephew about inheritance. Rhaenyra, my niece, was named heir long before her brother had been born and even as my brother died, he still claimed it so. My nephew's mother, the Queen, placed him upon the throne with zero regard in informing Rhaenyra. War came to us as they fought succession. Some went against her claim due to her being a woman, stating that Aegon was the one true King since he had a cock between his legs. It went on for a while and when it was my turn to fight, I had gotten on top of my dragon and fought my other nephew, Aemond. We killed each other at the same time in mid air and fell from the sky, landing somewhere amongst the ground. Then, I am waking up on the forest ground with Estrella hovering over me."

The three Gryffindor friends exchanged glances, having a silent conversation with each other. The only Slytherin in the room, however, stared at Daemon with a new shine behind her brown irises.

Harry clears his thought, "You can stay. For now. If we have any sort of conflict, you're out."

Daemon notices a movement in the corner of his eye and he sees Estrella giving him an encouraging smile. "Alright."

"I hope you don't mind sleeping on the floor."

"I've had worse."

Hermione then cuts in, "You should drink the tonics. I don't wish for them to go to waste."

The silver haired man takes them and gets a big whiff, almost gagging at the smell. "These smell wretched."

"They're supposed to. That's how you know it'll work." Hermione grins, watching as he swallowed. "Great. Now, if you four don't mind, I wish to step outside for a moment."

Harry follows after her, claiming she shouldn't be outside by herself since it had just gotten dark. Ron just glances at the two left with him awkwardly, before taking a seat on his bed, radio listing off new facts beside him.

Estrella bites her lip again, a habit she has picked up this year. "You mentioned a war between your families." She whispered, wishing for this conversation to be just between the two. "Was it hard picking a side?"

Daemon gazed at her, taking in everything about her delightful face. "I never had to pick a side. My brother wished for Rhaenyra to be Queen until his death, and I wanted to help make it happen. It was never about which side to pick when I knew from the beginning who was meant for the throne."

She nods lightly, sighing. "Sorry if you don't wish to share these private stories about your life. I've just grown curious. My family is on the opposite side of the war that is currently brewing as we speak. It's just hard knowing I will have to fight against them someday."

"There's a war coming?" Daemon's interest is piqued again.

"Yes. Between Harry and a dark wizard. Many years ago, this dark wizard murdered Harry's parents and almost got him too when he was just a babe. He used the killing curse on him, but it bounced off Harry and landed on the wizard, causing him to lose his physical form. No one heard from him afterwards, thinking him to be dead, but they were wrong. In our first year at Hogwarts, a magical school, that evil wizard came back and has been trying to seek revenge upon Harry this whole time. He's killed many, one being my loved one, and will most likely kill even more. He's got my family on his side, making them do his bidding. I do not think they want this, it's just caused out of fear. If I could just get them out of there and away from him, they'd be safe."

He hums, "I am sorry. Your family will conquer this, do not doubt."

"Thanks." Estrella smiles at him, dimples on display. "I'm kinda glad you're around." She notes his face suddenly falling, as if growing tired. "Oh! Here, let me help you to sleep." Tossing a pillow on the ground, she waits for him to lay down, before throwing a blanket over his body. "Rest."

Daemon doesn't ignore her request, eyes drooping closed, immediately falling into a deep sleep. Those potions must've kicked in and taken over his immune system.

Estrella just shakes her head in dismal and climbs into her own bed, lying down. So many thoughts plagued her mind, but she was quick to shut them down and go to sleep.

note: happy thanksgiving!!! i am truly sorry of daemon seems out of character, i wanted to write him like that at first since he kinda has head trauma and doesn't exactly know what is going on. don't worry, he'll be his old self soon. i just think he needs a good nights sleep and something to eat, then the sarcasm and butthead traits kick in ahah. hope you enjoyed! vote and comment please! it helps me keep the story going if i know your thoughts! much love <3