Magic in the Blood

[Day Star]

[For @Melody Frazier and I, please don't post unless you're invited. ]


By now the heavy, jerking feeling in the pit of his stomach was familiar, if not exactly pleasant, and when they landed Draco staggered but didn't fall. He let go of the portkey - a disgustingly dirty and dented watch - and slid his eyes to the side, watching his father and mother do the same. They left it on the ground for one of the gate keepers to pick up, and Draco waited impatiently to the side while Lucius spoke with one of the organizers, finding out where their camp was located.


His pale eyes traveled around the vast field that served as the host for the Quidditch Cup, bored and restless at the same time. While the various tents that rose up as far as the eye could see were interesting, really he just wanted to meet with some of the other Slytherins that he knew were coming to the game. It'd be nice to get away from his family for a while.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Victoria Fletcher and her parents, along with her twelve year old brother, emerged from the trees around the camp grounds. Her brother was subconsciously still holding an old watering can. When Victoria pointed it out, her brother dropped it. Mr. Fletcher's gaze fell upon the Malfoys, and a sigh escaped his lips.


"I'll be back, Mother. Father, don't look so surprised. They come here every year." Mr. Fletcher nodded when his daughter spoke. "I know. That's not why I'm acting like this. Pressure at work, darling. That's all." Her father's explanation did little to clear Victoria's mind.


As she watched her family disappear among the other families, Victoria found the Malfoys. "It's great to see you again! What? Is it too much to ask you to send an owl my way?" She teased her boyfriend. "I know that you haven't been entirely busy. It takes ten minutes to send me a letter." The young witch smirked and kissed his cheek. "Too busy with Crabbe and Goyle, that's it, isn't it?" She smiled at Lucius and Narcissa. "It's great to see you too."

 

[Day Star]

A popping sound, coupled with sudden movement, drew his gaze to the area his family had just left, and a small, tight smile broke across Draco's mouth as he took in who had just arrived. He didn't pay much attention to the adults or the young boy awkwardly hanging on to their Portkey; he had his eyes on the girl. It was convenient - and pleasant - that Victoria had shown up almost the same time as they had, and the slender wizard opened his arms wide in a welcoming gesture as she approached, accepting the kiss with a grin that managed to warm his cool face, not even bothering to look at his parents.


"Someone needs to get those lugs into shape," he stated with a laugh, mind flying over the summer he'd had, slight guilt about not contacting her as much as he should have making faint colour rise to his cheeks.


"It's wonderful to see you well, Victoria," his mother replied to her quite warmly, and Lucius dipped his head in a deep nod, polite smile on his face. At least Draco definitely didn't have to worry about his parents rejecting his girlfriend. Taking her hand, he asked lightly, "Which team are you betting on?"

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"And someone needs to teach you about manners and not sending a single letter." Victoria giggled. "Anyway, had we waited another week, I would have sent a Howler." She grabbed his hand as tightly as possible. "And, about the team I'm here for...well, I don't know for sure. Are you sure that your arm didn't fall off from lack of writing to me?" She was insinuating that her boyfriend's arm still hurt from the previous year.


Suddenly, her little brother rushed over. "Victoria, Mum and Dad are on the east end when you want to detach yourself from Malfoy." Victoria glared at him. "Jasper, shut up!" "I don't have to." He reached into his pocket for his wand, but the boy's face turned extremely pale. "My wand!" "It's in your trunk, Jasper." Tori reminded him. Her brother's face flushed. "Right. Not allowed to use it anyway." He took off. "How he ended up in Slytherin, I'll never know. I pretend not to know him." She smiled at all three Malfoys. "Please tell me that I can sit with you during the match."

 

[Day Star]

He flushed deeper but smiled all the same, picturing their servant handing him a letter that started smoking the second he grabbed it. What a stir that would have made in their frigidly quiet, composed mansion! "Good thing we didn't wait another week, then!" Draco exclaimed. Her words made his smile fade a bit - he got what she was talking about - and he glanced sidelong at his father, head shaking just slightly. He didn't need Lucius making some comment about what had happened last year. It had taken him a good month to live that down when it had happened. "My arm's fine, Tori. Just got a bit busy, that's all."


Kinda offensive, taken from a boyfriend/girlfriend standpoint, but Draco hoped she'd understand. About to try and change the subject, he felt a flicker of relief when her brother ran up, combined with a bit of irritation. Obviously he'd met with Jasper before, but the kid was nothing like Victoria. He was so... chaotic.


Which didn't mean that Draco wasn't secretly jealous of his girlfriend. Having a brother or sister would have been cool, even if he'd be neck deep in his own grave before admitting it. "He'd have been better off in Hufflepuff," Draco added with callous casualness, knowing that, especially among Slytherins, it wasn't exactly a kind thing to say. "Feel free to keep pretending not to know him." Smiling to take the bit out of his words, he looked at his parents at her question, suddenly hopeful and anxious.


It was Lucius who replied. "We're sitting with the Minister; I can ask him if he has an empty seat available, of course. I'm sure he'll oblige. He's been very accommodating lately."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Yeah, of course you've been busy." Victoria wasn't buying a word of what Draco said. "I'm not dumb. Quite the opposite." She laid her head on his shoulder. "You'll be hearing a lot from me about this. I know that you've been with Crabbe and Goyle. Please don't take me for an idiot."


At her boyfriend's comment about her brother, she couldn't help but snicker childishly. "Mum and Dad would have killed him. You know that." At last, her attention had come to Lucius.


"Well, don't over extend yourself for my sake, sir." Victoria told him with an air of relief that Draco's father had approved of her request. "I'll be fine long enough to get through the game."


She saw her mother coming back. "Victoria, let's go, dear. We don't have a whole lot of time. You and Draco can wait another few hours before the game." She smiled at his parents. "How nice to see you again, Lucius. Narcissa, you look lovely this evening. Now, come on. It's almost time." She waited for Victoria to say goodbye and then they had walked away.