Henrietta Potter || Draco Malfoy

5 - Malfoy Encounters

I was pissed off.

All bloody summer I had heard nothing from Ron or Hermione. I thought we had built great friendships over the past year, but I guess that was just me being delusional.

It did not help being stuck in this vile household, although I had at least been upgraded from the cupboard under the stairs to Dudley's second bedroom. He fumed about that one.

My twelfth birthday was pretty shit. Uncle Vernon had business guests downstairs for dinner and I was meant to be up in my room, making no sound and pretending I didn't exist.

The problem was, I had an unexpected visitor sat on my bed. A weird, ugly creature.

"What are you?" I asked, struggling to hide my disgust.

"Dobby. Dobby the house-elf, and I'm here to tell Henrietta Potter that she must not go back to Hogwarts. If Henrietta Potter goes back to Hogwarts, she will be in mortal danger."

Great. A drama queen in my bedroom was all I needed.

"I don't mean to be rude," I sighed, rubbing my fingers tiredly against my temple. "But this is not a good time."

But Dobby would not quit. He even went as far as going downstairs and throwing Aunt Petunia's vulgar looking dessert over one of the guest's head.

I was locked in my room after that, and bars were even put up on my bedroom window, just to really get that prison vibe going on.

I really was having a shit summer.

***

But then it got better!

Ron, Fred and George broke me out. They had some crazy flying car that their dad had enchanted. They took me back to their home, The Burrow, which was amazing.

Molly and Arthur, Ron's parents, were exactly the kind of parents I wish I had for myself. They made me feel so welcome, safe and secure.

They set me up a bed in Ginny's room as they did not think it appropriate for me to share with Ron. I was a bit disappointed - Ron and I would have had a giggle. But Ginny was okay, I guess. A bit on the quiet side though. She confessed to me that she was really nervous about starting Hogwarts so I reassured her that I would look out for her. This made her beam so much.

Being a hero was like second nature to me.

I had such a fantastic time at The Burrow. Ron showed me all the magical delights of living in a wizarding household, including being able to practice Quidditch in the paddock. I never wanted to go back to the Dursley's ever again.

About a week in, Mrs Weasley offered me a flowerpot.

"I'm sorry," I apologised kindly, offering it back, "but gardening is not really my thing."

Sniggers filled the Burrow.

"She's never traveled by Floo powder," Ron said suddenly. "Sorry, Etta, I forgot."

"She'll be all right," Fred said, stepping up to the fireplace. "Etta, watch us first."

And, taking a pinch of something from the flowerpot, he threw it into the flames and stepped in.

A scream stuck in my throat. How had he not died?!

Well, it turned out it was just another wacky way us wizards liked to travel.

And so, I did just that. Just not very well. I landed in a fireplace of a shop that didn't look remotely like a place in Diagon Alley. Although that was hard to tell because my flipping glasses smashed when I fell clumsily to the floor.