Dobby, the house elf, wakes her up bright an early Wednesday morning. She sighs sadly at the sight of the elf. He looks battered and quite worse for wear, but he doesn't let on that he's in pain.

"Thank you for waking me, Dobby." Vanessa says politely. She sees he's holding a tray of breakfast. When she thanks him he looks shocked but says nothing. 

"Master says you will be leaving soon," Dobby squeaks. 

"Thanks for letting me know." She smiles politely. His hands shake as he sets the tray down. They shake so much that the glass of juice topples over and crashes to the floor. 

"You useless house elf!" Draco exclaims, sauntering into the room. He looks down at the poor creature with disgust. 

"Dobby is sorry," Dobby looks at Draco with fear. Draco moves to raise his hand against the elf.

"Hey! Stop!" Vanessa is up in a flash and grabs his arm. 

"What did you do that for!?" He looks at Vanessa in question. 

"It was an accident! You don't need to hit him." She lets go of his arm and glares at him. Draco huffs as lets his arm fall to his side. Dobby snaps his fingers and the mess is gone, he then quickly scampers out of the room. Seconds later she can hear him yelping from another room, punishing himself, no doubt. 

"Why were you defending that thing?" Draco asks her. 

"Because," she murmurs. "I know what it's like to be treated the way he does." 

"But he's a house elf, that's how they're supposed to be treated." Draco sneers. 

"And I suppose you have that mindset about anyone else who is of lower status?" She frowns. "Maybe someone who is a half-blood, like me?"

"I- no," he stops. "You're different. You're not like them." 

"Right," she huffs. "If you could please leave, I need to get dressed." He nods and quickly leaves the room. She really shouldn't be getting angry at him right now. It isn't his fault that's how he was brought up. And she knows he doesn't look down upon her like he does to others, like Harry. But... Her and Harry are one in the same, how can look down on her brother but look so highly at her. 

Once she's dressed and ready to go, she heads downstairs and finds Draco talking to his dad by the fireplace. 

"Ah, there you are," Lucius says when he notices her. "We shall be traveling by The Floo network." He sniffs. 

"I'll go first and show you how it's done." Draco says. He grabs some glittering powder from a nearby jar and tosses it into the flames. The fire turns emerald green and rises higher. 

Draco steps into the fire, Vanessa has to fight her instinct to snatch him away from the flames. One the flames are dancing around him he shouts, "Knockturn Alley!" In a blink of an eye he's gone. Fascinating. 

"Speak clearly, and do get out at the correct grate, I'd hate to have to search for you." Lucius sneers. Vanessa nods and, like Draco, takes some of the powder, throwing it into the fire. When the flames are green she warily steps into the flames, half expecting to be burned, instead it feels like a warm breeze. 

"Knockturn Alley!" She says clearly. She feels as if she's sucked away, spinning fast. As if by instinct she keeps her arms tucked close at her sides. She sees dozens of fireplaces stream past through squinted eyes. Then suddenly she stumbles out onto solid ground, arms wrap around her, keeping her upright. 

"Alright?" Draco asks with a chuckle. 

"Fantastic, thanks for asking." She laughs, shaking her head.

Minutes later Lucius calmly steps out of the fireplace. With a wave of his wand, all three are cleansed of soot. 

"Come along you two, I have business to take care of." Lucius strides out of the building they're in. Draco and Vanessa follow along.

"I thought we were going to Diagon Alley," she says quietly. 

"We are, father has an errand to run at one of the shops here then we will go get our school things." Draco murmurs back. 

The street they walk along is narrow and dark. The shops that line the street are all devoted to the Dark Arts Vanessa actually feels a bit uneasy walking on it.

They step into a shop who's sign reads Borgin and Burkes. Vanessa sticks close to Draco's side as they walk in. Lucius strides in behind them. 

"Touch nothing, you two." Lucius demands as he rings the bell on the counter. Draco, who had been reaching for a glass eye, stops and looks at his father.

"I thought you were going to buy me a present," he says. Vanessa rolls her eyes at how spoiled he sounds. 

"I said I would buy you a racing broom," Lucius says as he drums his fingers on the counter. 

"What's the good of that if I'm not on the House team?" Draco sulks, looking as if he is in a bad mood. "Harry Potter got a Nimbus Two Thousand last year. Special permission from Dumbledore so he could play for Gryffindor. He's not even that good, it's just because he's famous . . . Famous for having a stupid scar on his forehead . . ." 

Vanessa holds back her laughter as Draco bends over to look at a shelf full of skulls. She starts walking a bit, looking at the things on the shelves. 

". . . everyone thinks he's so smart, wonderful Potter with his scar and his broomstick --" 

"You have told me this at least a dozen times already." Lucius gives Draco a quelling look. "And I would remind you that it is not -- prudent -- to appear less than fond of Harry Potter, not when most of our kind regard him as the hero who made the Dark Lord disappear -- ah, Mr.  Borgin."

A stooping man appears behind the counter, pushing his greasy hair from his face. Vanessa looks around more as they talk. 

"Can I have that?" Draco interrupts his father, pointing at a withered hand on a cushion. Vanessa moves a bit closer to examine it. 

"Ah, the Hand of Glory!" Mr. Borgin says, leaving the list Lucius had given him and scurrying over to Draco. Vanessa crinkles her nose as he gets near. He smells as if he doesn't bathe. "Insert a candle and it gives light only to the holder! Best friend of thieves and plunderers! Your son has fine taste, sir."

"I hope my son will amount to more than a thief or a plunderer, Borgin," Lucius says coldly.

Mr. Borgin is quick to say, "No offense, sir, no offense meant--" 

"Though if his grades don't pick up," Lucius says in a colder voice, "that may indeed be all he is fit for --"

"It's not my fault," Draco retorts. Vanessa rolls her eyes knowing it is his fault because when she's studying, he'd rather do anything else. "The teachers all have favorites, that Hermione Granger --" 

"I would have thought you'd be ashamed that a girl of no wizard family beat you in every exam," snaps Lucius. Draco looks both humiliated and infuriated. Vanessa reaches over and grabs his hand softly. She knows how terrible it is to be one upped by the Muggle-born. 

"It's the same all over," Mr. Borgin says in an oily voice. "Wizard blood is counting for less everywhere --"

"Not with me," Lucius hisses, his nostrils flaring. 

"No, sir, nor with me, sir." Mr. Borgin bows deeply. They go back to dealing and Draco pulls Vanessa along, looking at the different things in the shop. He smirks and points at a card propped up on a beautiful necklace made of opals. She reads it and rolls her eyes at him. Caution: Do Not Touch. Cursed -- Has Claimed the Lives of Nineteen Muggle Owners to Date. 

Draco spots a large black cabinet nearby and moves to open it. But his father calls for them. Vanessa looks at the cabinet for a moment longer. For a moments she thought she saw someone peering through the crack of the door. She shakes her head and follows her friend, ready to leave the horrid shop. 

They stop at a couple more shops in Knockturn Alley before Lucius takes them to Diagon Alley. 

"Sir," Vanessa squeaks. "I need to stop at Gringotts to get some money for my supplies."

"Very well," he sniffs. "After that I suppose we can get your books first." He leads them to Gringotts. At the bank Vanessa quickly fills her money pouch with a bunch of gold, silver, and bronze coins. 

The stop to the Malfoy vault is overwhelming, she only gets a peak while in the cart but it makes her own vault look small.

"Shame you have to share all that money with your useless brother." Draco sighs as they leave Gringotts. "Once my parents go, the Malfoy vault is all mine." 

"Yes, well, there isn't anything I can do about it." She shrugs. 

They walk up to Flourish and Blotts and Lucius sighs deeply at the crowd gathering inside. Vanessa sees a large banner stretching across the upper window. 

GILDEROY LOCKHART

will be signing copies of his autobiography 

MAGICAL ME

today 12:30 P.M. to 4:30 P.M.

"Isn't that the bloke who wrote most of our needed books this year?" Vanessa asks Draco. He pulls his supply list out and nods when he looks at it. 

They move off the the side, away from the crowd. Vanessa can see a bunch of posters she assumes is of Lockhart. He's slightly attractive for an older man, and he has a dazzling white smile. 

"Would you look at that, Potty and the poor are here." Draco sneers and points out a group of red heads and a solitary person with jet black hair. 

Gilderoy Lockhart comes out, looking exactly as his posters depict him. Though he seems extremely arrogant the way he carries himself. Vanessa can tell she would hate to be around him for longer than needed. 

Suddenly he catches sight of Harry, positively shouting, "It can't be Harry Potter?" 

Lockhart grabs Harry and pulls him to the front. Everyone bursts into applause, everyone except Vanessa, Draco, and Lucius.  Lockhart goes from shaking Harry's hand to throwing his arm around his shoulders. 

"Ladies and gentleman," Lockhart says loudly, waving his hand to make everyone quiet. "What an extraordinary moment this is! The perfect moment for me to make a little announcement I've been sitting on for some time!

"When young Harry here stepped into Flourish and Blotts..." Vanessa turns to Draco and makes a gagging motion. He snickers. "He had no idea," Lockhart continues on with his over dramatic speech, "that he would shortly be getting much, much more than my book, Magical Me. He and his schoolmates will, in fact, be getting the real magical me. Yes, ladies and gentleman, I have the great pleasure and pride in announcing that this September, I will be taking up the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."  The crowd bursts into cheers and claps.

"Can you believe the school is going to let that bloke teach us?" Vanessa looks at Draco. "He's so full of himself, I bet the classes are gonna be all about him."  They see Harry break away from Lockhart, staggering under the weight of all the books he has in his arms.

"Better than that useless stuttering buffoon we had last year." Draco laughs. 

"Come on." He suddenly grabs her hand winds through the crown to drag her to where Harry is talking Ron's younger sister. 

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" Draco sneers. Harry straightens and turns to face Draco. Vanessa stands at Draco's side, her arms crossed as she glares at her brother. 

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

"Leave him alone, he didn't want all that!" The youngest Weasley exclaims. 

"Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco drawls. The girls face goes scarlet and Hermione and Ron come up, flanking Harry's sides. 

"As have you, I see." Harry glares at Vanessa. Vanessa stares at him levelly, not reacting to his words. 

"Oh, it's you two," Ron says, looking at Vanessa and Draco as if they were something unpleasant on the bottom of his shoe. "Bet you're surprised to see Harry here, eh?" Vanessa isn't sure what he's talking about, but Draco seems not to miss a beat. 

"Not as surprised as I am to see you in a shop, Weasley," Draco retorts. "I suppose your parents will go hungry for a month to pay for all those." 

Ron gets as red as his sister, tossing his books in her cauldron and goes to advance on Draco, but Harry and Hermione hold him back.

"Ron!" An older man approaches, flanked by Fred and George. He's thin and going bald, but what little hair he does have is as red as the rest of the Weasleys. No doubt that's their dad. "What are you doing? It's too crowded in here, let's go outside."

"Well, well, well -- Arthur Weasley." Lucius comes up behind them and places his hands on Draco and Vanessa's shoulders.

"Lucius," Mr. Weasley nods coldly to Draco's father. 

"Busy time at the Ministry, I hear," Lucius says. "All those raids . . . I hope they're paying you overtime." He reaches into the cauldron and from it, among the brand new Lockhart books, he pulls out an old and battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. 

"Obviously not," Lucius says. "Dear me, what's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it?" 

Mr. Weasley's face flushes darker than his kids'. 

"We have a very different idea of what disgraces the name of wizard, Malfoy." He says.

"Clearly," Lucius sneers, he glances over at a clear pair of Muggles. They must be Hermione's parents. "The company you keep, Weasley . . . . and I thought your family could sink no lower --" 

Draco pulls Vanessa back as Mr. Weasley launches himself at Lucius, knocking him back into the bookshelf and causing heavy spell books to come thundering down. The twins shout encouragement for their dad. Draco keeps a protective hold around Vanessa. 

"Gentleman, please -- please!" And assistant cries, but a louder voice cuts through all the commotion. 

"Break it up there, gents, break it up--" Hagrid comes up and easily breaks the two men apart. Mr. Weasley has a cut lip and Lucius had been hit in the eye, by Mr. Weasley or a book, Vanessa isn't sure. Lucius thrusts Ron's sister's book back at her. 

"Here, girl -- take your book -- it's the best your father can give you --" he pulls himself out of Hagrid's grip, straightening his robes. He beckons Draco to follow then sweeps out of the shop. Draco takes Vanessa's hand and pulls her along. 

"What about our books?" Vanessa asks Draco. 

"Already taken care of." Lucius growls. "I'm off to do business, you two can manage to get the rest of your things by yourselves." He quickly veers away from the two of them.

"Well, how about we get something to eat, then get our things?" Draco suggests. They go and get some food them spend their time walking around the different shops. 

Finally they make their way back to the Manor by Floo. As bumpy as the day was, it was rather enjoyable. She ends the night with a full belly, letting sleep take her quickly. She dreams of a snake. One she forgets by morning.