The Gryffindor Malfoy

Chapter 10

Summary: The end of Carina's first year. Carina writes a letter to Andromeda. Carina's birthday arrives.

The atmosphere in the common room is tense for the next few hours. I try to stay up late, but I'm overcome by sleep. The next day, I'm woken up by someone shaking me incessantly. When I open my eyes and get used to the brightness of the room, I see Beatrice.

"What?" I ask.

"They've done it!" Beatrice says enthusiastically.

I sit up in bed to get a better look at her. "Who? Done what?"

Amber, who has just entered our room, is the one who answers my questions. "Harry and Ron. They apparently saved Ginny and killed the monster in the chamber."

This only made me have more questions, so I quickly get ready to go down to the common room so I can talk to Harry and Ron.

They tell me everything: about who the real heir of Slytherin is (Voldemort himself), what monster inhabited the chamber (basilisk), where the chamber is (in Myrtle's bathroom, who was the basilisk's last victim), about the conversation they had with Hagrid's Acromantula, how Ginny ended up in the story (my father had "accidentally" put Voldemort's diary in her cauldron when we were in Diagon Alley), and that he basically possessed her so that she would open the chamber herself.

"And there's one more thing." says Harry as the three of us sit in the common room. "I freed your house elf."

"Wait a minute..." I say. "Dobby? You freed Dobby? How is that possible?"

"With a sock." Harry says, as if it were the simplest and most obvious explanation in the world.

"My father must be furious..." I say, with a smile.

We had a party to celebrate Harry's victory over the basilisk and Voldemort (or rather Tom Riddle). Gryffindor won the House Cup. And my father was expelled from his position on the school council (I was internally happy with this news). I'd be more afraid to go home, but at least Stella will be living with me, so I won't be the only disappointment in the family.

On the way home on the Hogwarts Express, I share a compartment with Stella, Emma and Luna Lovegood. I breathe a sigh of relief when we arrive at platform 9 3/4 and see that my mum is waiting for us alone. Stella and I help each other carry our things and get off the train, followed by Emma and Luna.

Luna quickly says goodbye to us, as soon as she finds her father lost in the crowd of parents and other family relatives. Emma finds the Weasleys and joins them. I see that Draco has already gone ahead and got off the train, since when I look back to where my mum is, he's already there, hugging her.

 Stella reaches them first and I sense that she's probably holding back tears when she realises that my mother has her arms open. She shyly walks towards my mum and hugs her tightly. Draco and I exchange glances, both of us with smiles on our faces at seeing Stella welcomed.

As soon as Stella breaks away from the embrace, I run to my mum to hug her tightly. "Welcome back, darling." my mum says in my ear as we both hug.

"I missed you, Mum." I say.

"Our house was certainly very quiet and dull without you." Mum says with a chuckle. "And I'm sure our house will be even happier to welcome its newest inhabitant." she winks at Stella, who giggles shyly.

My return home is going better than I expected. Mum purposely gives Stella the room across from mine, so that we can be very close to each other. My father spends more time away from home than he does here, and even when he is here he doesn't pay much attention to me, basically ignoring me and Stella.