NIGHTINGALE ( draco malfoy! )

00. prologue

PROLOGUE

Summer of 1989

In the calm winds of late afternoon, Malia Avery was seated inside her family library with her nose stuck inside a large novel her parents had assigned her to read. It is rather difficult for her, but they did this fairly often. At a young age, her parents quickly decided that in order for her to be the best, she needed to begin her training at an early age.

She was only nine.

Instead of adventuring outside in the heat of the summer, the girl was seated quietly in a room alone with a book. Lost in thought, Malia Avery jumped when she heard a sudden knock on the door.

"Hello?" The girl spoke, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as she narrowed her gaze at the large door. Both of her parents had left for work at dawn, and nobody was home besides her and her house elf, Feeny.

Without a reply, the door opened slowly, revealing a young boy who held a worried expression on his face. Leaning shyly against the door, he searched around the large room for his friend. When he met her gaze, the boy's worried expression disappeared, forming a soft smile.

Young Draco Malfoy looked as he always did, wearing a loose, white button up and pressed black trousers that hung quite tightly around his waist. His platinum blonde hair was tousled and uneven, enough that Malia could tell he had ran to her house again.

"Draco, I told you not to come today!" Malia shouted, rolling her eyes. "I have to finish this book."

The boy chuckled and walked over to the girl, "Since when did you become a bookworm, Mal?"

"Since when did you become a sneaky little prick, Draco?" The girl fired back.

Taking a seat on the black leather couch beside her, the boy leaned back and answered with a smirk, "It comes and goes."

Rolling her eyes, Malia shut the book in front of her and turned to face the boy, "How did you get in anyway?"

"Feeny let me in." Draco answered.

"Of course she did."

Hearing the distant grandfather clock chime, Malia Avery shifted her gaze to look at the time. She'd been there for five hours. Five hours.

"How long have you been in here?" Draco asked, noticing her smile fall.

Malia shrugged, "Only a half hour."

"I don't believe you." Draco replied with a sigh. "I can tell when you're lying, you know."

"I know, nothing gets past you." Malia sighed. "Oh well, it was worth a try."

"Come on, lets go play outside." The boy spoke, standing up and reaching out his hand.

The girl shook her head, "Draco, I can't. My father told me I needed to finish this before he returned from work."

"Come on, Mal." He whined, now yanking her arm. "You'll finish before they get back."

Sighing, Malia finally gave into Draco's begging. Soon enough, they were both outside, taking in the light summer breeze.

"You see, I wasn't going to let you miss out on a day like this!" Draco shouted. "Race you to the tree!"

The young girl smiled and ran after her friend, chasing him around the backyard as two children would. She wasn't going to say anything, but it was the most fun she'd had all week.

But, the fun had soon came to an end at five o'clock - the time her father returned home from work. One could tell by the expression on his face that Malia's father was unhappy when he didn't see his daughter sitting in the library where she was supposed to.

"Malia Avery! Get inside right this instant!" Her father's voice boomed from afar, causing the two children to stop in their tracks.

The young girl gasped, "Oh no."

"Malia-" Draco started, turning to the girl with worry.

Malia cut the boy off and spoke softly, "Just go, Draco. Now, before he sees you."

After those words the girl quickly ran inside, Draco Malfoy watching her until she disappeared into the manor.

"How many times do I have to remind you?" Malia's father scolded as the girl stepped foot into the living room. "It is important that you focus on your studies, not play around in the backyard like an animal."

"I'm sorry, father." Malia apologized. "It's just that Draco-"

"Draco was with you?" Mr. Avery interrupted, raising his eyebrow. "I'll make sure to tell Lucius. That boy is supposed to be completing his assignments as well. I cant believe you two were acting so childish."

"We're only nine, father."

"That's no excuse. You both should know by now that you need to start acting more mature. Especially young Draco, I heard he hasn't been doing much of his work either."

Malia flashed her father a look of confusion, "Wait, Draco is doing this too?"

Why didn't he mention this to her?

"Yes." Her father answered. "It is important that the both of you get proper training. You aren't just any other witch or wizard. The both of you are special, and you come from very high ranked families. You must live up to your name, Malia. From now on, there is no more play time. You need to focus, now. Is that understood?"

Malia hung her head low and nodded slowly.

"Hey, you look at me when I speak to you." Her father scolded. "I said, is that understood?"

This time, Malia looked up to meet her fathers sharp gaze and nodded, "Yes, father."