Secrets of a Slytherin Princess

Hogwarts was supposed to be the safest place in the Wizarding World. It was touted as such for as long as Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was Headmaster. However, the second that Severus Tobias Snape rose to that title—usurping the Deputy Headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, who was next in line for the position—the second that the Ministry was taken over; everything shot straight to hell. Now that Death Eaters were free to roam about Hogwarts grounds, no one who supported the light was safe from persecution. Torture of those who refused to conform to the new order was common practice. And, unfortunately for Draco Lucius Malfoy, the girl he loved was one of those people.

There was a small part of the Head Boy that regretted sending Dumbledore to his death that night. With his death went all hope Draco had of keeping Apollonia out of harm’s way. Ever since that fateful night, the Carrow siblings chose to target her; it was nonstop. Only the snake pendant’s protection charm gave Draco any sense of peace of mind, but that was tenuous at best. He knew there was a chance of the Carrows discovering their deceit; Apollonia, to Draco’s—and possibly Severus’s, if he knew what was happening to his daughter—displeasure, was targeted far too often for them not to notice that Apollonia was healing faster than any of the other students. How long could Apollonia’s invincibility—and Draco’s part in all of this, including his loyalty to Snape’s daughter—remain hidden from the Carrows? And, if his deception was ever revealed, what would the Dark Lord do to him? After all, the only reason that Apollonia was not recruited as a Death Eater was because of Draco; he made sure that the girl he loved was not involved in this.

That was Draco’s worst fear; that the Dark Lord would find out about his love for Apollonia and use her against him. He was not about to lose her. Not ever. And, he could only imagine what Potter would do when it was discovered that a sister he never knew about was killed. Potter would be on a rampage if he ever discovered that his last living relative—the only one he got to know to any degree—was killed. Draco was glad he was on Potter’s side in that respect; Apollonia was the only thing that the two rivals might ever agree on.

But, how was he to make sure that the Carrows never discovered? That was really the question of the century. Draco had absolutely no way of knowing what would work, how to keep such a sensitive secret from getting out in the open for all to know. Eight more months of school awaited them and the Malfoy heir doubted that the truth wouldn’t become known. He wished that Severus was an option, but it really wasn’t; there was no way that the Head Boy could go running to the Headmaster every time something happened to Apollonia, even if she was the man’s daughter. So, he was on his own in that respect.

There was actually one other situation that Draco needed to deal with regarding Apollonia. It was, of course, the most difficult; an issue that could only be tackled if the war ended: her brother. When it came to Harry Potter, Draco would always be at odds with him. Even now when it came to Apollonia, they were on opposite sides of the same issue: Apollonia. If what Apollonia said was true, Potter hated her, simply because she was related to the man who murdered Dumbledore; it made Draco glad that he wasn’t the one to commit the act. Potter, once he learned his connection to Apollonia, would never let Draco near her if he was the one to kill the old man. In any case, Potter’s so-called hatred of Apollonia stemmed from something completely stupid. So, if Potter came out the victor of this war, Draco would make sure that the idiot understood what he was doing by shunning Apollonia. As much as Draco despised Potter, he should be allowed to know his sister.

And, how exactly was Draco supposed to explain to Apollonia how he knew what was going on? Severus was quite insistent that Apollonia not be made aware of Draco’s knowledge on the subject. It didn’t seem to make any sense though. Why was it necessary for Apollonia to remain in the dark about something that was clearly worth knowing, at least in her case? As far as Draco could tell, it was in Apollonia’s best interest to know that Draco was aware of whom her mother was. It could help her immensely.

But, Severus insisted that his daughter not be allowed to know, leaving Draco in a rather odd situation; he was the only person in the school, at least student-wise, to know that Apollonia was Potter’s sister. And, it was not a position he liked to be in. There were issues of his own to be dealt with, issues that were rather time-sensitive. He was a prisoner in his own home, unable to do anything but sit in his room. To a certain extent, he was even a prisoner here at Hogwarts; with the Carrows roaming the school, anything Draco did would get back to the Dark Lord. It was why he needed to be so careful when it came to Apollonia; his unwavering loyalty to her made him a liability. When Aunt Bella came to him shortly after he took the Dark Mark, Draco would have jumped for joy if it weren’t a behavior prohibited for Malfoys to express. He learned how to occulide his mind so as to protect Apollonia; anything related to his relationship with Apollonia was locked away inside his mind.

With the way the Carrows were treating Apollonia, Draco was unsure that he could continue to serve the monster that ordered it. The loyalty the Head Boy—a title he only had because of Severus—had to the man who seared this now-accursed blemish on his arm was wavering; he loved Apollonia more than anything, even giving his support to the master he served. Apollonia, like the nickname he gave her, was truly the only bright part of his life. And, he was not about to lose her. Draco would even offer his support to Potter if it meant keeping Apollonia.

For years, Draco had been in love with Apollonia; since just after Christmas of their fourth year. It took attending the Yule Ball with Pansy to realize that he simply didn’t love the girl his father was trying to force him to date. Apollonia had attended the ball with some bloke from Durmstrang; he really didn’t remember who. But, as he watched his best friend dance with the Durmstrang fellow, it was with a pang of jealousy that Draco wished it was him. By that time, of course, Pansy had an obsession with him and the Slytherin Prince humored that fancy—perhaps a little too much—as he pined for his best friend.

His feelings for his best friend only grew over the next year in a half, to the point where Draco learned of the Dark Lord’s plan to recruit Apollonia to the cause and instead offered himself to the cause. His only stipulation was that Apollonia was not to be touched, a proviso the Carrows now seemed to be ignoring. And, if the girl he loved was being hurt, then it would stand to reason that he would side with her, even if it meant giving up everything he believed in, everything that he spent his life supporting. Handing his support over to Potter was a price he was willing to pay if it meant he could just keep Apollonia.

As he looked back at the door to her bedroom from where Draco was seated on the couch, the young Malfoy came to a decision; he would indeed help Potter and his friends if there was ever a need for it. Apollonia’s—and his—safety depended on it. If Potter won, Draco would be free to pursue a relationship with Apollonia; not like if the Dark Lord came out on top. Were that to ever happen, Apollonia would be tortured because of her muggle background with no way for Draco to stop it. No, it was definitely in Draco’s best interest to help Potter.