NOTE: I was inspired to write this story in this particular format – that of an enchanted diary -  by reading Arabella’s “Hermione, Queen of Witches.” If you have any praise to give about the style of this story, then it should rightfully go to Arabella, not myself. (Which is, of course, a hint – if you haven’t read her “Hermione, Queen of Witches”, you really should. Trust me – you’ll love it.)  That said, anything you might have to say about dear Draco's psyche, and the way it's represented in this story, should be said to me. (I don't want Arabella getting all those hexes.) I now have to add that this story is an attempt to get into the mind of canon Draco, so don't expect too many bunnies and flowers. We all know what he's like in canon. I LOVE the guy, and I want to try to understand him better. I hope you’ll “enjoy” this with me. J  This story is essentially a re-telling of all four books from Draco’s point of view, and we shall start, of course, at the beginning….

BLOOD AND INK

    Year 1 -  Part 1

July 25^th

I don=t know why I=m doing this.

It=s stupid and it=s childish and it=s certainly not SAFE. This book doesn=t even have a lock on it. If father were to see it and realize that I=ve been writing in a diary -

Well, I suppose this might not even be a diary, really. But it looks like a diary, and I can=t imagine it would be anything important if it=s been up in the attic for so long. I don=t think father keeps any of his things in the attic, and mother certainly never stores anything up there. I don=t even think the house elves go up there - it=s the dirtiest place in the whole house, dust everywhere, scattered boxes, and I think there might even be a ghoul hiding in there someplace, though it must be mute or something because otherwise someone would have heard it and father would have had it killed. I thought I saw it run away from me today when I was up there.

I know I shouldn=t be up in the attic. But it=s the only place in the house where I know no one will look for me, and it=s the only place I can get my robes really dirty and I just like to imagine the look on mother=s face if she saw me. Sometimes I smear some of the dust on my sleeves on purpose, just wishing she could see me Afouling up@ my clothes like that. It would put her in a right fit, and I=d love to make her angry after all the times she=s harped on me about it...... but I won=t. I always have them cleaned before she sees. Sometimes it=s just not worth it.

Honestly, I don=t know why I=m doing this. Diaries are stupid. I=m sure that=s what father would say. And it=s not like I could really write down whatever I was thinking in this thing, because what if it was found?

So why are  you writing in it?

Well?

Hello??

You=re an enchanted diary.

Bright one, aren=t you?

ARE you one of father=s things?

Why don=t you tell me who your father is  first, and then I can answer that. And I=ll try not to become offended by being referred to as a >thing=.

I=m not an idiot, you know. I=m not going to tell you anything until you answer my questions.

Is that so?

I could force it out of you.

With what? A truth potion? On a book?

I don=t need a truth potion to make you tell the truth. There are lots of ways, I know there are. I could start setting your pages on fire.

Well, that settles it. You have to be a Malfoy. I recognize the traits after all this time, that=s certain. 

And what are YOU, then? And how do you know the Malfoys? And ARE you one of father=s off-limits objects?

While I=m positive that your father has many >off-limits= objects, I can=t tell you whether or not I=ve ever had anything to do with him, as you still haven=t seen fit to inform me of his identity.

How long have you been up in the attic?

Is that where I was? It figures. Lying forgotten, I imagine. How very droll.

Have you been up there for a long time?

It certainly felt like an eternity.

Did anyone write in you before this? I didn=t see anybody else=s writing. All of the pages were blank.

I imagine that the pages go blank every time you close the book. No Malfoy has ever wanted anyone knowing their secrets.

You sound like my father.

How unfortunate. Are you planning to tell me his name any time soon? Or perhaps your own?

Hmm?

Oh, bother. Did you run away again?

I did NOT run away.

Glad to see it.

My name is Draco.

Draco Malfoy, is it? Well, Draco Malfoy, somehow I don=t think your nameless father would be very pleased that you were rooting about in the attic and writing in old enchanted books that may or may not belong to him.

It=s none of your business.

It is indeed my business, as you=re writing on my pages. Aren=t you concerned that I might be one of those off-limits objects you were so worried about disturbing - one of your father=s Athings@?

I don=t think you are. Father would never write in something so dirty and ugly.

So why are you writing in it, then?

Hmm?

I think I=m going to burn you anyway.

July 27^th

All right. Tell me what spell you used to make the pages go blank.

You didn=t burn me, I see.

I might if you don=t answer my question.

Calm down, Malfoy.

Answer my question.

I don=t know what spell makes the pages go blank. I=m only a book, after all.

Who else has written in this book besides me?

A few of your ancestors. I just can=t escape the Malfoys.

You=re lucky that father didn=t know you were in the attic. He really would have burned you.

So why aren=t you following his example, then?

Because I feel like having a secret. And I suppose you=ll do for now, until I can find something better.

I=m so flattered.

Good.

July 29^th

I just want to make one thing very clear before I write anything else in this book. This is NOT a diary. MEN do not keep diaries. I=m writing in this book because I=m bored and I don=t have anything better to do.

If you say so. It seems to me like you simply want someone to talk to. 

You=re just a book. What do you know?

A lot more than you might suspect.

Like what?

Try me.

All right then. Do you know anything about Hogwarts?

Of course I do.

You do? Well, one of my ancestors must have written about it, I suppose. I=M going to Hogwarts this year. In just one month, in fact. And it=s about time, too. I=ll finally be rid of smelly old Stevros after all these years.

Stevros?

My tutor. I hate him. He=s here practically every day and he lectures me on absolutely everything. Sometimes if I complain to mother she=ll excuse me from my lessons, but they=ve all been so strict about it this past year. They want me to be top of my class when I get to Hogwarts, so they=re letting daft old Stevros have his way with me, the beast. I hate him.

And he=s smelly?

He just reeks of potion ingredients - all the time. Doesn=t the pig ever bathe? Father says he spends a lot of time doing Acommendable work in experimentation@, and that the Malfoys have been buying potions from his family for years, so I shouldn=t complain about it. But HE doesn=t have to spend hours at a time in a room with that smell. It=s not fair.

And I=m sure you=ve made it very clear how unjust you think it is.

Of course I have. But it doesn=t matter now, because at Hogwarts I=ll be rid of him. We=re going to Diagon Alley in two days to buy my school things, and I=ll finally get my own wand. I=m sick of using the old ones around the house. I don=t see why I couldn=t get my own wand before this. I=m sure MY wand will have a dragon heartstring in it. Can you imagine getting a wand with a unicorn hair in it? That=s a girl=s wand. I=d simply have to break it. No, mine will have a dragon heartstring in it, because it=s part of my name, isn=t it? I=m sure that anything with a piece of a dragon in it has to be the best.

And only the best for you, I=m sure.

Of course. What a stupid thing to say. Why should I settle for anything less? And I=d have the best broomstick, too, if there wasn=t some stupid rule about first years not being allowed them. What a ridiculous rule. It must be that old fool Dumbledore who passed it.

Dumbledore?

He=s the Headmaster at Hogwarts. Don=t you know who he is? How long HAVE you been in the attic?

A long time, apparently.

Father says that Dumbledore is just a Muggle-loving old fool, and that it=s a disgrace to the school to have him running the place. But I think Dumbledore must be a powerful old fool, because father=s on the board of school governors and if he hasn=t been able to have Dumbledore removed yet then he has to have some power. Father only complains that loudly about people he can=t get rid of. He=s always telling me to pay attention to the way a Malfoy handles his business, and I do. I wonder how he=d feel about my noticing THAT.

Why don=t you tell him and find out?

You think I=m that stupid?

Just testing.

Is that so? You=ve got a lot of nerve, for a book that I could burn at any moment. You know, I think I=ve written enough in you for today.

August 1^st

I can=t BELIEVE IT.  

I=m breathless with anticipation.

I can=t believe that father wouldn=t buy me a racing broom!

Sarcasm is totally lost on you, I see.

I don=t care about your sarcasm. I=m furious. Why SHOULDN=T I sneak in a broom? I=m sure some of the other Slytherins will be doing it. I know I=ll be in Slytherin, and I refuse to show up without a broom when people like Zabini will have one, I don=t doubt it.  Just this summer he was talking about it. I CAN=T BELIEVE father wouldn=t buy me a new broom! Fat lot of good all of his talk about image is now. I=m furious. I wonder if I can find a way to sneak in my Comet.

Well, it sounds like you had an absolutely awful day, poor darling. Did your wand have a unicorn hair in it, too?

No, of course it didn=t. I knew it wouldn=t. MY wand has a dragon heartstring in it, just like I knew it would. It=s made of ebony, and it=s twelve inches long. I like it. It=s the only good thing to come out of this whole wretched day. I can=t BELIEVE I walked out of Quality Quidditch Supplies empty-handed. Thank god there wasn=t anyone I knew around to see that embarrassment. I hardly saw anyone I knew all day. I do hope Crabbe and Goyle managed to get all the right books from their list - I simply refuse to share mine if they didn=t. And these robes are just awful. They=re horribly uncomfortable. Why can=t we have them made of silk? I=m going to have to be sure someone packs my personal robes in my trunk before I leave.

However are you going to manage with all of these ghastly burdens to deal with?

I don=t know. And you can just save the sarcasm for when your covers are closed, since you=re only amusing yourself anyway. As a matter of fact, get to it right now. I=ve got better things to do.

August 2^nd

Now THAT=S more like it.

What? Did you get the broom after all?

No. Forget about that. I=ll have to start that battle again for Christmas.

So what has you in such a good mood?

I caught one of the house elves again!

You...  caught it?

You know, you=re not supposed to SEE your house elves doing their work. They=re very discreet about it, and mother especially insists on not seeing them, so we hardly ever do. But sometimes I like to hide somewhere, like in the kitchen, and wait for them to show up, because then I can have them punished for being seen. It=s great. I caught one today when I was looking for a snack. I=ve seen this one before - I think father uses it a lot for his personal tasks and such, in all of those rooms I=m not allowed to go into yet. But anyway, I caught this one sorting out the dishes, and I gave it a great fright. Made it shut its ears in the oven door, too. That was brilliant.

And this is your idea of fun, is it?

It=s entertaining, that=s what it is. This is starting off a good day - much better than yesterday. I think I=ll go out and start practicing with my wand. Maybe I can get to the garden before the gardeners start pruning - I might be able to find some gnomes to practice on.

August 5^th

I hate Stevros.

Hmm... yes, I seem to remember you saying this before.

Well it=s still true. He=s just a disgusting old nuisance, and I wish I could curse him.

Starting young, I see. Know a few curses already, do you?

I know some. I know how to make mushrooms grow out of his head - not that there would be much of a difference, since I don=t think he ever washes his hair.

And what did he do to earn such a truly horrible punishment?

He=s making me study my new Hogwarts set books, and there=s still three weeks before term starts! I don=t need to know any of this NOW. You know, I think he just wants to order me around as much as he can, because he knows that once September the first comes I=ll be free of him forever. I asked father today, and he said I don=t have to continue with tutoring during the summer after I start at Hogwarts, so I=ll never have to see Stevros again. Maybe I SHOULD curse him, just once before I leave. I=ve always wanted to. And I

Yes?

Hello?

That was close.

What was close?

Father just came in to talk to me. I was afraid he was going to see what I was writing, but I just told him I was practicing my penmanship and he didn=t pay any attention to the book after that. But I should go. Stevros will be back any minute now. You know, I think I=d be doing him a favor if I made mushrooms grow out of his head. He=d certainly look better.

August 6^th

Did you know that there are only ten species of pure-bred dragons?

Er... no. I take it you=re studying your set books after all.

I didn=t have a choice, did I? But at least there=s some interesting information on dragons in this book about Fantastic Beasts. That book is all right. It says that it=s illegal to trade dragon eggs, but I bet father could get them somewhere. I wonder if I could ever convince him to?

And what would you do with a dragon? Make it eat the house elves?

No, I=d make it burn irritating books - starting with you. And then I=d make it burn this stupid book about The Dark Forces. A Guide to Self-Protection, it says. I don=t see how anyone wouldn=t know all this already. I=ve always known this stuff. If this is what they=re going to be teaching us in Defense Against the Dark Arts, then that=s going to be a very boring class.

Hmm. And do the rest of your classes promise to be just as boring?

It=s hard to tell from just the books. Transfiguration sounds exciting, but everything in the book looks very simple and dull. I want to learn how to change people into bugs and things like that.

Somehow that doesn=t surprise me.

I think Herbology sounds rather boring too, but there are some interesting plants in this book about Magical Herbs and Fungi. Did you know that there=s a plant in Africa that eats people whole? And a marsh fungus in Ireland that actually grows eyes? I can=t figure out what a fungus would need eyes for.

Sounds fascinating.

I guess. But I=d rather be out practicing with my wand, or practicing for Quidditch. I heard that first years aren=t allowed to play on the house teams, but I=ll make them put me on the team somehow. They=d be stupid not to take me. I=ve been playing for years, and even father says I=m good on a broom.

And that kind of praise is rare, is it?

I suppose so.

That=s a bit of an evasive answer.

It was a pretty dumb question. And I have practicing to do now.

I=m sure you do.

I do.

August 10^th

I just realized something today. You know who Harry Potter is, right?

No, I don=t.

You don=t? Oh, that=s right. You=ve been up in the attic. Well, if you hadn=t been, then you would know who Harry Potter is. He=s this kid who survived an attack by the Dark Lord.

The Dark Lord? Family member of yours, by chance?

No. That=s not funny at all. Father would kill me if I made jokes about anything like that.

Well then. That sounds serious. Tell me about this Dark Lord.

I can=t believe you don=t know. I=ve known my whole life! Well - the Dark Lord was the most powerful wizard that ever lived, everyone says so. He wanted to make sure that wizards kept their bloodlines clean, and didn=t mingle with Muggles and such. There really are far too many Muggle-borns out there as it is, you know. Don=t those wizards have any respect for themselves? I would never even think of mingling with a Muggle. It=s just... disgusting.

Anyway, the Dark Lord had the right idea. But all of the Muggle-lovers out there, like Dumbledore, they were all afraid of him because he was so powerful. I=m sure that father knew him. He doesn=t talk about it much, but I=m sure that he worked for the Dark Lord somehow. It=s sort of strange, really. I can=t imagine father working for anyone. But when he talks about the Dark Lord, he gets this weird tone in his voice, and he never sounds like that when he=s talking about anything else. I think father must have known the Dark Lord really well, because he always gets angry when anyone mentions anything about Harry Potter. He never says much about it, but I can tell when he=s angry.

What on earth could a little boy have done to inspire this anger?

He=s not a >little boy=, you know. He=s the same age as I am, or at least I think he would be. That=s what I realized today. I think Harry Potter might be starting at Hogwarts this year, too.

Ah, then he=s certainly not a >little boy=. How foolish of me. Do tell me more about this impressive young man, then.

I wouldn=t call him impressive. He=s just really lucky, if you ask me. He comes from a whole family of Muggle-loving wizards. Father always says the Potters were a disgrace to wizarding society. They were a really old family, and I think they had pretty powerful magical blood, but they never did any good with any of that power. Father and mother were talking about it at dinner once, and father said, AThey could have been a power to respect if they hadn=t filled their heads with Dumbledore=s Muggle-loving filth.@

The Potters were stupid enough to fight against the Dark Lord, and they all paid for that of course. But ten years ago the Dark Lord was fighting the last of them, and this little kid, Harry Potter, did something that defeated him.

A child defeated a powerful dark wizard? How?

I don=t know. And honestly, I don=t think father knows either. No one seems to know. It=s all a big mystery. They call him The Boy Who Lived. Like I said, I just think he was lucky.

Indeed.

So are we done with the history lesson now? Can I get to my point?

Can I stop you?

No. I=m positive that Harry Potter will be at Hogwarts this year, if he=s not there already. I wonder when he turned eleven? I hope he=s not already at school. It would be interesting if we were in the same year.

And why is that?

Because he=s famous. I mean, I think it=s a really stupid thing to be famous for, being lucky... but I should definitely get to know him. And I=m sure he=ll want to know me. No one=s really seen him for the past ten years, so I=m sure he=d be happy to have someone who can tell him who to know and who to avoid. And I want to KNOW what=s going on with him. Maybe I could even find out exactly what happened with him and the Dark Lord, and then I=ll know more than even my father does about it! I wonder what House he=ll be in? He=d better not be in Hufflepuff. I wouldn=t want to be associated with anyone from Hufflepuff.

And what are you hoping for? Do you seriously think a boy famous for defeating a dark wizard would ever end up in Slytherin?

I don=t know. Crabbe and Goyle are both so stupid they probably should end up in Hufflepuff, but I=m sure they=ll be in Slytherin. Blood counts for everything. So maybe that Potter blood will count for something.

I guess we=ll see, won=t we?

Yes. I can=t wait to get to Hogwarts. Freedom at last. And oh, you=ll never guess what I did to Stevros.

Made mushrooms grow out of his head?

Even better. The curse went wrong, and I ended up making mushrooms grow out of his NOSE.

Just lovely.

I thought so. You should have heard him snorting. Just remembering that is going to make me smile all through dinner. I suppose I=ll write something else later, though I don=t know why I bother.

Because you don=t want to admit

August 11^th

Something interesting just happened.

You know, it=s very rude to shut a book on someone when they=re in the middle of a sentence.

When did I do that? I don=t remember doing that. A pity all the writing disappears whenever you close the book, isn=t it?

Oh yes. A great pity. I=m struck speechless with the tragedy.

Good, then maybe you=ll shut up and let me write about what I just overheard.

That=s better. Anyway, I was in the kitchen after dinner, sneaking some more dessert, and on the way back up to my room I passed by father=s study. The door was sort of open, so I could see the firelight coming out of it, and I could hear father talking. At first I thought he must be talking to mother, but we=re not supposed to disturb him when he=s in his study after dinner, so I realized it couldn=t be her. I stopped and hid next to the door to listen.

Of course.

Well, yes, of course. How else was I supposed to find out who he was talking to?

You couldn=t have just walked away instead of risking getting in trouble for some petty eavesdropping?

No, because I heard father say my name, and I had to know what was going on. Would you have just walked away?

No, I suppose not. But I=ve never done what was good for me.

Well, that=s your problem, not mine. So I hid behind the door to listen, and I=m going to write down what I heard because I want to make sure that I remember it.

Father was saying, AI expect you to keep a close eye on Draco. I don=t want Dumbledore=s policies to interfere with his getting a proper education.@

And that=s when I knew for sure he wasn=t talking to mother, because the voice that answered was a man=s voice. He sounded really irritated. AI am not a private tutor, Lucius. Your son will receive the attention he deserves, but I make no promises. After all, if it turns out that the boy isn=t in my House at all, I cannot be expected to keep any kind of watch over him.@

Father=s voice started to sound cold like it does when he=s getting angry. AYou insult me, Severus. Draco has been raised with proper ideals, and he carries the Malfoy blood. He will not disgrace his family. No Malfoy has been sorted into any House but Slytherin.@

That=s not true.

What?

A few Malfoys have been sorted into other houses in the past. It=s just that they are instantly shunted aside or disinherited, depending on where they ended up, and no one ever talks about them.

How do you know that?

I=ve been in the hands of the Malfoy family for a very long time.

I didn=t know that.

Not surprising. It=s hardly something your father would want to talk about, is it?

I guess not. But...

Yes?

Nothing. You interrupted me and now I=m trying to remember the rest of the conversation.

Of course. I=m so sorry.

This Severus person didn=t sound happy at all. He had a dangerous sort of voice, really. I don=t think I=ve ever heard anyone talk to father like that. He said, AYour family pride is not my concern.@

I thought father would really get nasty, but for a while he didn=t say anything, and then he used his calmest voice, which is always the worst. AYou=ve changed, Severus. Are you letting this charade of yours get to your head? Been listening a bit too much to Dumbledore=s drivel?@

AI am no more altered than you, Lucius. I read about your generous donation to St Mungo=s last week. How very humanitarian of you.@

For a moment father didn=t speak, and then he said, AVery well. Live your life as you wish. Just see to it that my son receives proper schooling.@

AI will see to it that he receives proper instruction in Potions. That is all I am responsible for.@

So this fellow is a Professor at Hogwarts, then?

That=s what I think. He must be the Potions Professor. Tomorrow I=m going to ask father if he knows anything about any of the teachers I=ll have, to see if I can learn more. But I don=t think I=m going to like this Potions Professor.

Why not? He seems nasty enough. You should get along with him just fine.

What=s that supposed to mean?

Nothing at all.

You know, I think you and my fireplace might get along really well too. Think about that while your covers are closed, why don=t you.

August 12^th

I found out about the Potions Professor.

Did you.

His name is Snape. Professor Snape. He=s head of Slytherin house, and father used to know him. They must have gone to school together or something, or maybe they met through society connections. I=m not sure. Father wouldn=t tell me exactly. He just said that he expects to hear good reports from Snape in regards to my progress at school. Now I know I=m not going to like him. The last thing I need is another Stevros looking over my shoulder all the time. I just hope he doesn=t smell.

Well, he IS the Potions teacher.

And I was looking forward to Potions, too.

What a shame.

Well, at least he=s head of Slytherin.

If you can consider that a bright side to the situation.

The Crabbes and the Goyles and the Parkinsons and the Pritchards are all coming for dinner tonight. Mother keeps talking to me about Pansy, it=s really annoying. I don=t CARE about Pansy. And I=m sure the Pritchards will bring that little brat of theirs, and he=ll want to hang around with us all the time. I=ll have to find a way to sneak out with Crabbe and Goyle to practice some Quidditch. They=re really awful on brooms, but at least they=re more entertaining than listening to all that dinner talk. Anyway, I have things to do now. Only nineteen more days till Hogwarts.

August 22^nd

Dinner was awful today.

Well well. It=s been a while.

Yeah, I had better things to do.

What a nice thing to say. You=re such a considerate boy.

Crabbe and Goyle were here. Father let me invite them to stay for a week, so I=ve been busy practicing Quidditch and such. I tried practicing a few hexes with them, but they=re so stupid that just about the only thing they=re good for is standing there and getting hit by them. But mother made us stop doing that when she had to put Crabbe=s nose back on the right side of his head. That was pretty funny, though.

And Crabbe didn=t mind this?

Crabbe and Goyle don=t care, as long as it doesn=t hurt. It doesn=t take much to entertain them. Besides, they do whatever I tell them to. Just like their fathers do for my father. It=s just the way it is.

How convenient.

That=s what father always says. Why get your hands dirty when you can have others do so for you? Besides, they get to claim ties with my family if anything ever goes wrong for them. It all works out in the end, I guess. Though I wish they weren=t quite so stupid. Sometimes it gets really boring.

And yet you had them stay with you for a whole week.

Why not? It=s better than wandering around by myself, trying to avoid Stevros all day. But that=s all going to change. Tomorrow is my final lesson with Stevros. The end. I=ve decided I=m going to curse him one last time before I go. Father didn=t seem too upset last time. He scolded me, of course, but he actually seemed sort of amused. This time I=m going to try something like Jelly Legs. Or that weird dancing one I heard Zabini talking about last month.... what was it? Tarantallegra. I=ll have to practice that one, though. Zabini said it was pretty hard, and he=s actually sort of good at curses.

But I don=t imagine you=ve ever told him that.

Of course not. Blaise thinks far too much of himself - him and his whole family. It=s best that they don=t get any ideas.

Your father=s words, I take it.

No. Well... not exactly. He did mention the Zabinis at dinner today, though. That=s what I was talking about when you so rudely interrupted me.

My manners are simply atrocious.

Yes. But you=re just a book, so I guess I really can=t expect much.

How magnanimous.

What?

Never mind.

Then stop interrupting and let me finish. Dinner was awful. Father is in a very bad mood. He likes to talk a lot when he=s in a bad mood, and he never lets me leave the table while he=s talking, so I just have to sit there and listen to him go on and on.

And what does he go on and on about?

People, mostly. He dislikes a lot of the other school governors, and he=s been dealing with them more often lately because I=m about to start at Hogwarts. But what he enjoys the most is complaining about the Ministry. Today he spent all second course complaining about Arthur Weasley - he works for the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. What an incredibly boring job. And it=s incredibly boring to hear about it all through dinner. And to make it worse, father started talking to me about how I should avoid people like the Weasleys. ABad blood@ he calls them. Wizards who don=t know how to do honor to their heritage. And after the Weasleys, he started talking about the Bones, and then I could tell he was really in a bad mood because he started criticizing the Patils and the Zabinis. They=re very old families, and normally we get along with them pretty well - especially the Zabinis. But when father=s in a bad mood, everyone suffers.

Including you, obviously. What torture to have to sit through such a long and boring dinner.

You=ve obviously never had to sit through one, or you wouldn=t think it was so funny.

You=d be surprised.

I doubt it. I=m going to bed now. I want to get up early to practice those curses before Stevros gets here.

August 31^st

This is it - my last night before Hogwarts. Tomorrow night I=ll be sleeping in the Slytherin dormitory.

You=re pretty confident about that. What if you get sorted into a different house?

I won=t. I=d better not. Father and mother would not be happy. I mean... I suppose Ravenclaw might be all right. They get pretty good marks and all that. But.... no, I=ll be in Slytherin. I don=t care what you say about other Malfoys in the past not getting into Slytherin. Maybe you=re wrong. Everyone I know was in Slytherin. I will be too.

Don=t worry. I=m sure you will be.

Of course I will.

Your hand writing looks a bit jumpy. Nervous?

NO. I=m not nervous. I=m just....

Excited. Why don=t you go do something, then?

Good idea. Maybe I can..... well, maybe I can try to catch that house elf again, the one that father uses all the time.

That=s NOT the kind of distraction I had in mind.

Probably not, but it=s a good idea anyway. And just think - the next time I write in this book, I=ll be a student at Hogwarts. Finally.

September 2^nd

I knew there was nothing to worry about with the sorting. I never should have listened to your stupid stories.

What, you didn=t get sorted into Hufflepuff?

No. Of course I didn=t. I am in Slytherin. I knew I would be, and I am.

What about Crabbe and Goyle?

Oh, they=re here too. I=m sharing a dormitory with them and with Zabini. I=m not too keen on that, actually. I don=t like having to share a room. All we=ve got are these beds and a small table and our chests to ourselves. We even have to share a washroom. It=s very annoying. All I can say is that it=s a good thing the curtains around these beds are thick. And I=m really not too happy that our common room and our dormitories are all in the dungeons. That=s really where all the stupid Gryffindors ought to be, don=t you think? Preferably all chained up.

You certainly didn=t waste any time getting acquainted with your house prejudices, did you?

You only need to look at those Gryffindors to know they=re a bunch of idiots. Potter should be perfectly happy there.

Potter? Is this the same Harry Potter you mentioned before?

Yes. And you can just forget everything I ever said about him. He=s a complete moron, and he belongs in Gryffindor with all the other morons. Let him cozy up to that pauper Weasley. They deserve each other.

Weasley? The same Weasley your father talked about over dinner? The Abad blood@?

That=s right. Father was totally right about them. They must breed like rabbits. There were at least four of them all at the Gryffindor table. It=s no wonder they have no money.

And Potter is cozying up to the Weasleys, is he?

He is, and it=s his own fault. When he can=t show his face in polite society again, he=ll have no one to blame but himself. I offered to help him. He could have had me as a friend, but he chose that freckle-faced, red-headed idiot instead. Well that=s fine. He=ll regret that choice someday.

I=m sure.

And there is absolutely nothing special about him. I really can=t believe that he could have done anything to defeat the Dark Lord. He=s just a skinny, messy-looking git with glasses. The only thing unusual about him at all is that scar he=s got.

Scar?

Yeah, an ugly old scar on his forehead. Looks like a lightning bolt. They say that=s where the Dark Lord=s curse touched him. Obviously it didn=t go deep enough. Too bad.

That must have been quite some first meeting you had with him.

What do you mean?

Only that you=ve got quite a lot of venom stored up for this kid already, and didn=t you just meet him?

Well it doesn=t take long to see that some people are just plain stupid. 

I suppose not. And what did he say to you?

Nothing intelligent.

And I=m sure you didn=t say anything nasty.

I just told him the truth. I told him that he=d best shape himself up or he=ll go the same way as his parents.

And I=m sure that didn=t upset him at all. I simply can=t understand why he didn=t want to be friends with you.

I don=t want him as a friend. The last thing I want is some bumbling Gryffindor to deal with. I=ve already got Crabbe and Goyle to deal with. And I wish Goyle would STOP snoring. These curtains aren=t thick enough after all.

How late is it? Shouldn=t you be sleeping?

I don=t want to sleep. And don=t start telling me what to do. You=re not Stevros. If I wanted Stevros, I would have put him in my trunk. Do you want to hear about my first days at school or not?

I..... yes.

Fine then.

The castle is actually pretty impressive. I like it. We came up to the school over the lake, on these tiny boats. That would have been interesting if Crabbe hadn=t almost turned the boat over, the great moron. They say there=s some kind of giant monster in that lake, and if we hadn=t been eaten we all would have drowned. I know Crabbe and Goyle can=t swim either. I wish they would think about these things. Next time I=ll push him out before he can tip the boat. That should teach him a lesson right quick.

One way or another.

Exactly. So anyway, the boats took us across the lake, and then once we got to the castle we had to wait before they would let us into the Great Hall for the sorting and the feast and all that. All sorts of ghosts came through the room while we were waiting. I didn=t know that Hogwarts had so many ghosts. Each house has its own ghost, and then there are all sorts of other ones that just roam the halls at all hours. It=s very odd to see them all. We=ve only got one ghost back at home, and he hardly ever shows himself.

No. Malfoy Manor is full of ghosts. They=re just not quite so tangible.

What are you talking about?  There aren=t lots of ghosts. I=ve never seen them.

No, you=re too young. Give it time.

I don=t see how my age has anything to do with it. Either they=re there, or they=re not. And they=re not. But what I was trying to say, if you=d stop interrupting, is that there are a lot of ghosts here at Hogwarts. Though I can=t say I much like the Slytherin house ghost. They call him the Bloody Baron, and he looks just ghastly. He=s got all of these silver bloodstains all over him, and he looks awful eerie, with his eyes just wide open. I don=t think he ever blinks. Well, I guess ghosts don=t exactly need to blink. But I wish he would. And I just hope he never sits next to me at table again.

He sat next to you at table?

During the welcome feast. If he ever does that again, I=m making Crabbe switch seats with me. But except for that, the welcome feast was rather good. The ceiling in the Great Hall is brilliant. It looks just like the sky outside.

And have you met any of your teachers yet?

Yes. We had our first lessons today. And all the teachers were at the feast last night, up at the High Table with Dumbledore. He=s just as doddy as father said he would be. He talked nothing but nonsense the whole feast. I think he must be mad. I don=t know how he ever got to be Headmaster.

They often say that there is only a fine line between madness and genius.

Who says?

People wiser than you.

They don=t sound very wise to me. That sounds like rubbish. I just think he=s a crazy old man.

Of course you do. But what about the mysterious Professor Snape?

I haven=t spoken to him yet. I only saw him across the Hall, one of the Slytherin Prefects pointed him out to us. All I can say is that he doesn=t look friendly. He is the Potions teacher, like I thought, but I haven=t had a Potions lesson yet. I=m not looking forward to it. Just somebody else to look over my shoulder and tell father about everything I do. Just like Stevros. Only I don=t think I could curse Snape. He really doesn=t look friendly.

What did you expect from the head of Slytherin house?

Someone powerful.

I see. And this is where your own ambition lies, is it?

Doesn=t everyone want to be powerful? You either have power or you don=t. You would have to be very stupid not to want it, and if you=re that stupid then you belong in Hufflepuff. Or Gryffindor.

And what about Crabbe and Goyle, then?

I don=t know about them. All I know is that Goyle is STILL snoring. I just peeked out to look and he doesn=t even have his bedcurtains closed. The dumb prat. That=s it. I=m putting a stop to that right now.