Chapter 1
“And the winner of the house cup is Hufflepuff!” The old headmaster declared, his voice booming throughout the Great Hall. The Hufflepuff table raised to their feet and cheered, and with that everyone else stood up and cheered, some congratulating the puffs, and some just basking in the fact that it was the end of the school year and they were finally able to go home and enjoy their summer. But for the seventh years it would mean the last summer before life got serious.
“You would think Malfoy would be throwing a hissy fit that Hufflepuff won the house cup.” And with this Althea looked up from her book to her right where her best friend Kayla Kwak was glancing over to the platinum blonde. “Or at least writing a letter to his father to show up right this moment to declare justice for us oh so poor slytherins”
Althea glanced at the blonde as well who was at the far end of the long table, and Kayla was right, instead of the permanent scowl she usually saw on the boy’s face, he seemed happy. Laughing loudly at something his friends around him said.
“Maybe he had a change of heart” she shrugged and looked back down to the book she had on her lap hoping that answer would satisfy Kayla so she could continue reading in peace.
She scoffs “Yeah right, or it’s the fact he has his arm wrapped around Pansy Parkinson, I mean I always saw it coming, but to actually see it happen somehow baffles me” her friend says. “Who knew Malfoy would love something else other than himself and his looks”
Althea looks up again sighing but glancing again to the blonde who did in fact have his arm around Parkinson’s shoulders. “I mean what did you expect Kay, I’m pretty sure they were arranged to marry right when they were both born, and besides ever since third year Parkinson would always boast and say she was always going to marry Draco” She looks back at her friend with a bored look.
“Ugh don’t remind me, honestly I’m glad they're official. Maybe she’ll finally shut the fuck up”
Althea laughs and grabs a forkful of her waffle covered in syrup and strawberries and stuffs it in her mouth. She swallows before asking “Speaking of people who never shut the fuck up, where in the fuck is Aidan” she scans the Great Hall looking for her overly loud and overly talkative other best friend, who hasn’t come to breakfast yet.
“Oh he’s coming, he didn’t pack last night so he’s suffering and packing everything right now. When that idiot finally comes I’m going to say I told you so and repeat that phrase until we get onto the train and into our compartment” Kayla says with contentment and Althea rolls her eyes, now dreading the carriage ride to the train.
Aidan pushes both Althea and Kayla apart and plops down in between them, out of breath from rushing. “You will do no such thing, unless you want Althea to hex you”
“I’ll hex you too Aidan don’t think you’re safe at all, why didn’t you pack last night you stupid fuck”
“I was busy duh ” he shrugged
She looks over to Kayla who has a knowing smirk on her face.
“Are you going to tell us why you were busy or should I hit it out of you with this book”
“Why must you be so violent all the time”
“I wouldn’t have to be violent if you weren’t a bumbling idiot all the time”
“Well excuse me for trying to be private about my life”
Althea raises an eyebrow at him, as if telling him to tell them exactly one moment in the years they’ve known each other where he was private about anything.
“ fine I was with a Weasley”
“Which Weasley”
“Fred”
“Doing what” Kayla asks
“Do you really want to know the answer to that Kay”
He gives her a knowing look, and she returns it with a fake gag. “Ew gross never mind, I thought you guys went on a cute date or something, and I thought Fred Weasley graduated already."
“Do you not know me at all, since when have I been a date person, and he did yes but I sneaked out and met him in Hogsmead."
“I would think you would have grown to have some morals Aidan” Althea chimes in without looking up from her book.
“What's that”
“Ha ha very funny, it won’t be funny when you get raging std’s and you’ll have to chop your dick off to cure it” she says with a roll of her eyes.
“Nuh uh because you’ll be the best healer in the wizarding world by then and you’ll cure me, because you love me”
“It’s more so pity rather than love” she replies
He pouts and puts a hand over his heart “Words hurt Thea” “Hindi mo ba ako mahal?” Don’t you love me? He says in his and Althea’s mother tongue tagalog.
Her and Aidan were both Filipino, born there and brought over to London when they were both young. The only difference was now she lived in France. Kayla Kwak was fully Korean and was a pureblood living in a grand manor in London.
She met Aidan and Kayla during her first year on the train. Seriously only bonding by the fact they were all asian, but she learned in a short time they were great company. Kayla was sharp and witty, always walking with her head high and always protruded confidence. Which Althea admired greatly.
Aidan was basically family, her whole family knowing him, and accepting him for who he was. He was always gossiping with her Lola and coming over for dinner. But underneath all the loudness and bubbling personality, Althea swears she’s never met someone as manipulative and cunning as Aidan was. So she learned quickly to never get on his bad side.
She glares at him and taunts him by raising her book and smacking the top of his head lightly.
“Anyways! So what are we doing this summer? Tanning, drinking, going to the beach, shopping, did I mention tanning?” Kayla lists off the things she wants to do, counting them off her fingers.
“My Lola wants me to practice my healing abilities and practice my healing potion making over the summer” Althea says looking at her two friends who gave her a disgusted look.
Her Lola was the one to basically raise her. With her dad and mom divorced she would always go back and forth, until she was eleven looking at an envelope with the Hogwarts crest on it. Both her biological parents were apart of the wizarding world, but attended Mahoutokoro in Japan. Since then she would stay with her Lola during the summers and quickly learned she would not be put to waste and was set to train immediately. She realized if she didn't end up being the best healer in the world, she would practically be disowned and left on the streets.
“We just finished our seventh year, can she ever give you a break, we just finished Hogwarts for Merlin's sake” Aidan says while buttering his toast
“Yeah Thea, you expect me to do all of these things alone ?” Kayla pouts while she looks at her.
“You have Aidan”
Aidan and Kayla look at each other with disdain and Kayla scoffs “I don’t want to be near this gay brainless idiot, if I’m around him too much it’ll start to rub off on me” but she has a knowing smile on her face.
“You need some of my beauty rubbing off on your ugly face. You need all the help you can get” Aidan scoffs and shoves Kayla lightly.
“I need all the practice I can get, and besides I’ll get a couple weeks off for my birthday, we can hang out then, but also no promises because my healer training at the hospital starts soon, and I want to be all caught up before I get into the real deal”
“I forgot you were already guaranteed a healer job at St. Mungos by the end of the summer” says Aidan
Kayla reaches over and ruffles her hair “Awww our little Thea all grown up”
Althea rolls her eyes and pushes her off but with a small smile on her face “Shut up”
“But seriously call us when you’re free I don’t want our last summer to go to waste” says Aidan
“I pinky promise I’ll call you when I’m free”
Out of the corner of her eyes she sees Dumbledore reach the podium.
“All students must finish up and report to the carriages in 15 minutes!” “Don’t forget anything and have a wonderful summer” He yells.
She sighs and shuts her book shut while she stands up. Taking one quick glance over the students and Great Hall. Well this is it. She can’t help but feel a tug at her heart knowing she wouldn’t step foot in this hall again or sit in these chairs eating with her two friends ever again.
She glances around the Slytherin table knowing she knows nothing about any of these people and never conversed with any of them during her time here, and she was okay with that. Her gaze stops at a platinum blonde at the end of the table and it’s as if he felt her gaze, he looked towards her and they made eye contact.
She gives him a small smile and breaks the gaze and looks down to her friends quickly trying to get them to hurry up. Wanting to get an empty compartment to themselves.
While she walked out, his gaze followed her until he couldn’t see her anymore.
“Hey who was that?” He asks Blaise Zabini who was pushing Theo Nott forward while they walked.
Blaise looks at him “Who?”
Draco rolls his eyes, “The girl who just walked out with that one dude and Kwak”
“Oh! Althea? Mate she’s in our year, how have you never noticed her?” Blaise laughs.
“I don’t just try to get to know everyone in our year Zabini, that’s nonsense and a waste of my precious time.” He scoffs
“For someone so observant you’re quite stupid, she’s also in Slytherin, or did you not notice that either” Theo chuckles.
“Shut the fuck up Nott”
“Anyways yeah that’s Althea Jules Bautista, quite pretty, and super smart. Heard she’s got a guaranteed job as a healer already. Super quiet though I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk once. Shame I would’ve liked to get to know her” Blaise wiggles his eyebrows knowingly and elbows Draco softly.
Hearing Zabini say her name clicked something in Draco’s brain. He did know Bautista, but remembers only once talking to her for a very short time. In fact she said probably 3 sentences to him the whole time they were at Hogwarts.
Flashback
He was walking throughout the corridors doing his prefect rounds alone since Parkinson was sick with the flu.
Pathetic, only fools would eat so much candy till they get the flu. He thought to himself, sneering. He was forced to roam the corridors alone. Not that he was scared or anything, but it was quite boring walking around by yourself at night of course.
“Meow”
He jumps startled and looks down seeing a brown cat with large brown eyes looking up at him, and his lip curls.
"Shoo you filthy animal"
“Meow”
He sighs not wanting anything to do with the animal, but the cat simply came closer and laid on his feet playing with the bottom of his robes. He looks around wondering if this was another sick twisted prank those foolish Weasley twins conjured up, but hearing no snickering or seeing anything he bends down and picks up the cat, and cradles it like an infant.
“I guess you're not that ugly for an animal” “Meow” He feels and hears the cat start to purr very loudly, and he smiles.
“Who do you belong to?”
“Brownie?”
He jumps again, turning around seeing a girl walk around the corner. He quickly scans her, and looks down to her feet. He almost wanted to laugh. Were those fluffy polar bear slippers?
“There you are Brownie, stop fucking roaming around. You’ll get caught by Filch and lord knows he'll keep you and cuddle you for the rest of your life.”
“Meow”
“Your brown cat's name is Brownie?” he questioned with a judging tone. Slightly shocking himself because he didn’t mean to let the question escape his lips. But he keeps his face straight.
The girl grabs the cat out of his arms, and finally looks at him as if she just noticed he was there. She gives him a small smile.
“Thanks Draco, and yes Brownie. My eleven year old self truly thought she was revolutionary with that name. But as I’ve grown it becomes more asinine the more I say it.”
He snaps out of his gaze and clears his throat. His face got warm because one he didn’t know who this girl was, and two she had just called him by his first name which caught him completely off guard. He straightened up.
“You’re welcome, um”
She looks up at him again with a raised brow, but amusement showing on her face.
“Bautista. Althea Bautista”
He had never heard her name before. “Right I knew that, I just… haven’t seen you around, kinda forgot. Brownie’s a great name by the way, suits her” In his mind he thought it was the most idiotic name for an animal he's ever heard.
She chuckles. “It’s okay to say you don’t know me, Draco. It’s not like I make myself known, I keep my circle small and myself even smaller. Being known doesn’t benefit me at all in the long run.”
He stares at her trying to hide the questioning look on his face by keeping his face straight showing no emotion. “I see”
“Well thanks again, it won’t happen again”
And she turns around walking back the way she came from, only hearing the dragging of her polar bear slippers on the floor until she was out of earshot.
He turns back around stunned, but continues his rounds wondering if he would see that girl again.
But he never did see her again, not that he was looking. But he would glance around classes and look around his table in the Great Hall during meals just to see if he would catch a glimpse of her or Brownie.
It’s like she disappeared, and eventually she disappeared from Draco’s thoughts.
“Oi mate are you alright?” Zabini asks.
Draco looks up and sneers trying to remember what Zabini last said. “Do you have nothing better to do than think about girls and sex Zabini”
“Of course not, I think about my money and looks too”
Draco rolls his eyes and shoves him but smiles, and they start talking about their plans for the summer, and that was the last time he thought of Althea Jules Bautista.