Chapter 1: The beginning of hell.

How can I be panicking this way, when I was so happy just an hour ago?

Of course a party to celebrate the end of You-Know-Who, that's something to be happy about! For once all the houses were having fun together without having rows…

That was a real party, not one of those rubbish things where all that matters is to know who is going out with whom. No, this was a spontaneous party, and the usual Hogwarts conventions were left outside.

And all this happened thanks to our tragic national hero, let me introduce Harry Potter, who, yesterday night, destroyed You-Know-Who.

Right on the last day of our N.E.W.Ts! I don't know where he finds the energy to fight, he and the other mini-Phoenixes.

At the same time yesterday, I was going through the exams I'd just had again, as if I needed more pressure than I already had…

All things considered, it was a great night. But then she ruined everything, the damned headmistress.

Let me explain. Late in the night, McGo ran in, dishevelled, asking (or rather screaming) for silence. She explained to us that among the Death Eaters, we had allies.

Surprise! Everybody thought it was the opposite. Anyway, we had allies. Bad luck, one of them, Snape, died fighting. Probably thanks to one of the mini-Phoenixes (I wouldn't be surprised if it were Potter or Longbottom).

There was another ally, and this one is alive. And, as half of the Death Eaters haven't been caught yet, they would just love to start dissecting his entrails… this precious ally was going to hide here, at Hogwarts.

So far, no problem, a Death Eater at Hogwarts, that's easy, after all, it's not as if it were the first time.

All of a sudden, the great hall doors burst open, I turned to have a better look, everyone else did the same, and there, inside me, I heard a deafening scream.

Who was there, breathing my air? Draco Malfoy! Directly from Malfoy manor, he walked proudly through the crowd of students, who stepped aside.

I thought at least I didn't have to worry, since all the school was going to despise him as much as I do now. Except that this blasted slashed performing animal seemed to have decided to go against my plans.

He came near him, and, as everyone else at that point, I was quite sure that Potter would strike him in the face, and that we would be the lucky audience of an epic fight, live from the great hall… But no, they shook hands.

And it didn't stop there, all the mini-Phoenixes had their turn. The girls got a hand kissing, even Hermione Granger, who is muggleborn. It was most certainly reluctantly, judging by the forced smile on both their faces, but it was still a hand kissing.

After that memorable scene, all the other Slytherins approached their hero to greet him. They wouldn't applaud the mini-Phoenixes, but for a home-made Slytherin, they could obviously do something…

And there came McGo, yelling one last time to state that the brave spy would stay at Hogwarts until the end of the school year, that is to say, nine days.

Nine days!

Why am I so upset about him being at Hogwarts?

Let me explain: he hates me, but that's not a bad thing, since I hate him too. We're both Slytherins and yet, we hate each other. We keep insulting each other, and, from time to time, we have a good fight, while our fellow Slytherins have a laugh looking at us.

In our first years at Hogwarts, we didn't really know each other. As a true Slytherin, I even used to laugh with the others when he made some crack about the Gryffindors. Then, during our fourth year, he started to tease me, and, as a true Slytherin, I teased him back, but it got worse and worse until the day this moron turned out to be a Death Eater.

I spent a very quiet seventh year at Hogwarts, I even went out with Blaise Zabini, a very cute boy, but with the huge malformation: he has a vacuum cleaner instead of a mouth, and it's never fed enough…

Despite that, he is still the one who dumped me. Saying that I was always depressed, that I wasn't as I used to be, and that I wasn't in love with him… Of course I wasn't, but try and find a Slytherin who is neither repulsive nor obsessed by those Pure-Blood ideas.

Oh yes, I forgot to inform you about this tiny detail, I'm half-blood. My mother is a very noble witch and my father was a muggle. My mother, not wanting her whole family to slaughter her, never told anybody who he was, except me.

My family is very deeply ingrained with Pure-Blood ideas. If they learned the truth, they would treat me like an outcast.

So I never told anybody the truth about my blood. Especially not to the other Slytherins, I can only guess how much more mockery from our new hero I would have had to live with. The fact that he believes me to be a real pure-blood forces him to respect my family a minimum.

I really thought I'd got rid of him. But he is back for nine days, so I have nine days to hurl my sarcastic remarks at him, to insult him, and to cast spells and curses on him…To show him how much I hate him, how much I detest him, how much I despise him… Let's hope that he won't realize that I love him.

--

Oh yes, another tiny detail, I'm madly in love with my Draco, but of course, nobody has any idea of this. After all, it's common knowledge that we hate each other.

I fell in love with him during our fourth year, when we started fighting.

--

Why did he have to come back? Nine days!

Ok, the other Death Eaters want him dead, I understand, the ministry wants to protect him, I still understand, but why at Hogwarts? Why here?

Here… To make me suffer martyrdom… For nine whole days, I will have to hide my feelings from him.

And after those nine days, I won't ever see him again.

Why on earth is there a deadline? It makes things even more complicated!

When one day he suddenly disappeared, I was depressed and desperate, I was on the verge of committing suicide… But I had no choice to make about that! Now it's different…

--

Oh no! I can here the giggles which always precede my two roommates.

Careful, impact in five… four… three… two… one…

BANG!

Those are Millicent's graceful manners…

The girls look at me and stop giggling.

- 'Already in bed?' Pansy asks.

Yeah, I'm used to sleeping with my clothes, you know…

- 'No', I'm only resting.

- 'You left the party early', states Millicent.

- 'Yes, I was a little tired.'

In fact I didn't want to bump into Draco without being well prepared.

- 'Did you drink much?' Pansy asks, rather hysterically.

Of course! Haven't you seen? I danced on the tables and snogged old Flitwick.

- 'A little', I answer.

- 'It's so great Draco came back', Pansy giggles.

- 'You're going to have nine days to get your claws into him', Millicent says.

And there they are back on what looks like a giggle challenge.

Just another detail: Pansy Parkinson, rich and pure-blood, is an official applicant for the job of Draco Malfoy's wife. She's been practising since our very first year.

Her parents made it clear to her that Draco Malfoy was the best match she could find.

I assume Millicent would like to catch Draco too, but she avoids showing it. Good for her, because despite her pure blood, she doesn't stand a chance.

- 'The Draco's hunt is open!' Pansy bursts out.

And there they go, giggling like mad hens once again.

That's a Draco's hunt with a goose release!

--

I'd better change, they might get to bed quicker.

- 'Oh my god', Pansy moans, 'what am I going to wear tomorrow?'

Your uniform, you stupid nit.

- 'You should wear this skirt', suggests Millicent, offering her a piece of cloth.

- 'Wait, I fixed another one last week, I think it will look better.'

Fixed? Are you kidding me? …you must mean cut short, like all your other Hogwarts uniform skirts. The more months and years pass, the shorter Pansy's skirts get… One could wonder why she is going to the trouble of doing it: most of the time we wear long witch robes and those cannot be cut short!

--

I'm in bed at last. The girls, on the other hand, just started a fashion show with Pansy as top model. How can she have that many clothes?

- 'Hey girls, it's late now, the sun is starting to rise', I state at last.

- 'McGo said we don't have lessons tomorrow', Millicent tells, 'so don't worry about that.'

Didn't you understand me? The sun is rising, and that's when we are supposed to sleep, like every other student in that school.

- 'I'm sorry girls, but I'm really exhausted now…'

- 'You're right', says Pansy, 'and besides, I'd rather avoid having a tired face tomorrow.'

That would be a shame!

- 'Now I think of it…' Millicent bursts out.

You, thinking! Is that possible?

- 'You didn't see Draco tonight, you left before, didn't you?'

Oops, careful, alarm lights turned on.

- 'No, and I didn't complain about it.'

- 'Maybe now you'll completely stop fighting with each other', says Millicent with a rather unconvinced little smile.

Considering the speed my heart gathers when I saw him in the great hall, I would be quite surprised.

- 'I don't think so.'

Unless he holds me in his arms, to tell me that I'm his only true love, that he is mad about me, that he wants to marry me… Malorie Malfoy, my god, that sounds nice…

- 'Malorie!' Pansy says.

What? Oh, I hope I wasn't gazing in mid-air with a stupid look on my face while thinking. Let's hope they didn't notice anything!

- 'Please don't mess him up too much', Pansy says, looking worried

Phew.

- 'Can't promise', I answer, laughing.

- 'At least, the common room will be as fun as it used to be, and since there are fewer lessons, we might have a Malorie Moon Versus Draco Malfoy fight every night', says Millicent, going to bed.

I hope not, if only you knew what I feel during those fights you find so amusing.

--

Alleluia! Pansy turned off the light, but I don't thing it's going to help me to fall asleep.

--

And here the birds are starting to sing and I'm still awake. Besides, Millicent's snoring is louder than usual. I knew they had too much to drink.

- 'Acrameu…'

That's Pansy talking in her sleep.

There used to be a time when I would try and understand what she said, hoping to learn something about Draco. But unfortunately, even during her sleep, Pansy's words are stupid and don't make any sense.

It's not that I don't like Pansy… Well, ok, I really don't like Pansy.

But the fact is, however things turn out, a few years from now, through money (her parents', or her husband's), she'll be a powerful woman. It can help to have the right blood.

That's why I have to play the kind friend. I want a high level job at the ministry, and I might need her one day.

After Hogwarts I intend to pursue program in linguistic studies. The program is run by the international magical cooperation. During three years, I'm going to travel around the world, and to learn more than two hundred and fifty languages. The program takes in only the best.

Examiners are coming Tuesday to Hogwarts, five days from now. I don't now how many candidates there will be, but anyway, places are not limited, so I don't really mind the other's abilities.

Perhaps I should have tried to be a prefect instead of Pansy, but then I should have been more respectful of the rules, and that's not really easy for me.

It's a shame, because it looks good on the school report. But instead, on it, I have remainders of my rivalry with Draco. But it's his entire fault, he provokes me… most of the time…

That's why I went to Hogsmeade with one of the school's broomsticks, I had a bet with him that I would bring back a box of firewhisky.

Or when I went into the forbidden forest and brought back a giant spider. I really freaked out that day. It was in sixth year, and some of the other Slytherins had learned from Slughorn that some of those lived hidden in the forest.

But Draco had told me that I always stayed under cover and that I never faced danger, and, very cleverly, I found nothing better to go and fight the spiders and bring back a corpse into Hogwarts.

Anyway, all that stuff I did weren't very bright now I think of it. But, in a fit of anger, that sounded brilliant.

- 'Buhuut…'

Even when she's asleep, you can't get her to shut up…

I wonder why Draco never went out with her, I know she's not really beautiful, but this big noodle is so devoted to him, it would be easy for Draco.

--

Maybe I could stay here all day long tomorrow. But no, the girls would certainly notice what's happening. Ok, then from now on, my fight is starting, no Dark Lord, no live or dead matter, only my heart and my dignity.