The Sinner and the Traitor

“Harry!” I yelled out happily as I ran forward and threw my arms around my scrawny friend. I let go to examine him and frowned. “Were you rolling around in a bloody fire place?”

He chuckled at me and shook his head. Before he could reply I heard Hermione’s voice behind us and smiled. I was running into everyone today! I was shopping for my school supplies for my second year at Hogwarts. I couldn’t believe how fast this summer went by. It was mostly a bored dreadful blur with Draco’s face constantly in it. He made it his top priority to harass me at my home, like he didn’t already have a social life that he could be attending to. My brother had been furious with me because word had reached his ear that my friends and I had stopped Voldemort from rising from our professor’s head. I hadn’t made it past the Wizard’s Chess stage because when Ron went down parts of the chess piece flew out and ended up smashing into my head, causing me to bleed and get dizzy if I so much as blinked.

Some witch I was.

Malfoy however was pissed at losing the House Cup because Dumbledore had given us extra points. I got 15 whole points for sheer determination and amazing courage but yet I lost 50 if I’m out past curfew. How did these points even work anyways?

Harry looked up behind me to see our friend standing at the top of Gringotts' white steps. She runs down to meet us, giving us bone crushing hugs. We all laughed as we let go. I really did miss them this summer.

“Hello, Hagrid. Oh, it's wonderful to see you three again. It’s been far too long.” I said stepping back to look at my fellow friends. Hermione nodded but then stopped, cocking her head curiously at Harry. She then took out her wand and points it directly between his eyes causing him to go cross-eyed.

“Oculus Reparo.” Instantly, Harry's glasses are mended.

“I need to remember that one.” Harry said with a smile. He turned towards me and looked around. “Are you here by yourself?”

“Don’t I wish.” I sighed rolling my eyes. They all raised their eyebrows at me. “I was forced to come with the Malfoy’s because Silas got called into work. He said it could be our new ‘tradition’ to go shopping with them for school supplies. Like making it a tradition would somehow make looking at their faces better. Thankfully I have no idea where they went. They left me when I went in to grab my supplies for Snape’s this year.”

“Oh, their down in Borgin and Burkes.” Harry said before turning red in the face and looking towards the floor in embarrassment.

“Harry, what on Earth were doing down there?” I was shocked he had even ventured into that part of Diagon Alley.

“Nevermind that! C'mon. Everyone's been so worried.” Hermione said grabbing both of our hands and pulling us towards Gringotts. Hermione's rather nervous-looking Muggle parents were standing with the Weasley’s.

I knew instantly that Mr. Weasley had been pestering the poor muggles. “So you're dentists! Fascinating! I understand other Muggles quite fear you? Why is that?”

“Oh, Harry. Thank goodness. We hoped you'd only gone one grate too far. Come now. We're off to Flourish and Blotts. Hello Vanessa my dear, how are you this evening?” Mrs. Weasley smiled at me. It was good knowing she no longer felt afraid for her son hanging out with me. Word had spread that Hilda and Jamerson Beyer’s daughter had been put in Gryffindor rather than Slytherin and soon parents were sending in the owls like it was the Calvary telling their kids to keep an eye on me or to not hang around me. That last, oh, about maybe 4 weeks before everyone realized that I wasn’t bad like my parents. Maybe wild yes, but bad no. I was always in trouble for whenever Harry and our group was caught doing things we shouldn’t have been doing. Or because I was constantly jinxing and hexing Malfoy in the hallways because he would call me ‘traitor’. Needless to say almost everyone loved me. Slytherin on the other hand…

“Isn't it thrilling! Gilderoy Lockhart's going to be there! We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!” Hermione said rather dreamily. I gagged. As Mrs. Weasley and Hermione dash off, Harry frowned.

“Who?”

I patted his shoulder. “You’ll see soon enough, Harry.”

Once inside Flourish and Blotts I began wishing I had stayed outside. Crowded. It was WAY too crowded. I looked towards the front of the store where the ‘almighty famous’ Gilderoy Lockhart stood on a magical moving poster. A handsome, golden-haired wizard with stunning pearl-white teeth. He smiles and winks at the cameras. I could only shake my head in disgust. I didn’t see the appeal. He was obviously a phony, and an annoying on at that. A sign outside had stated that he was, “HERE TODAY! SIGNING COPIES OF HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, MAGICAL ME... GILDEROY LOCKHART!”

“Prepare yourself Potter. You are about to witness a bunch of hormone filled witches swooning.” I scrunched up my face. Harry and the others thread their way through a chattering throng of middle-aged witches, all craning their necks for a view of Lockhart, who was sits signing books at the rear of the shop. At the sight of him, Mrs. Weasley pats her hair.

“There he is!” She said getting all giddy. I look pointedly at Harry with a ‘see’ look.

“Mum fancies him.” Ron mumbled to us. For this, Mrs. Weasley gives Ron a jab in the shoulder. A short man with a camera bumps past us.

“Out of the way! This is for The Daily Prophet!” Instantly, Lockhart looks up, flashing a smile, when he locked eyes with me before seeing Harry next to me.

“It can't be Harry Potter and Vanessa Beyer?” I felt my eyes widen in shock. How did he-? Huh?!
The crowd whispers excitedly and slightly hesitantly as Lockhart dives forward and seizes our hands. He turned us toward the photographer, throwing his arm around my shoulder. As the flashes started going off he began to speak to us under his breath. “Nice big smile you two. Together, you and I rate the front page.” As the camera flashes one last time he pulls his arm from me and I repress the disgusted shutter I felt raking my body. I had smiled but mostly because I didn’t want to look evil in the paper. God knew what people would say about that one. “Ladies and gentlemen! What an extraordinary moment this is! When young Harry and Miss Beyer here stepped into Flourish and Blotts this morning to purchase my autobiography, Magical Me -- which, incidentally is celebrating its twenty-seventh week atop The Daily Prophet's Bestseller List -- they had no idea that they would, in fact, be leaving with my entire collected works! Free of charge!”

As the crowd claps, Lockhart catches the eye of a flunky and, before I know it, a towering stack of books is shoved into our arms. Mortified, Harry mumbles quietly a quick thank you while I could only look on in wonderment. What the bloody hell was going on?

Slipping free, Harry drifts back into the crowd with me behind him, red with embarrassment, dropping the books into Ginny's cauldron.

“You have these. I'll buy my own!” He said with a smile to her. I dropped mine at my feet with a huff. Hey might as well keep them. I could save the extra money for something I would wanna buy for myself. Silas was strict about the money he gave me. We were in no way shape or form poor, we actually had more than the Malfoy’s, but he didn’t want me to become spoiled like Draco. I was okay with earning my fair share.

And then the day got even worse.

Draco appeared sneering at us. “Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter? Famous Harry Potter. Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page.”

“Leave him alone! He didn't want all that!” Ginny said darkly.

“Look, Potter. You've got yourself a girlfriend!”

“You sound a little jealous there Malfoy.” I said cocking my head to the side.

He turned towards me. “Not even a little. What’s the matter Beyer? Did you get jealous of Potter here and decide to jump in on all the fun?”

“Actually people like it when you’re not such a cliché. They like a little surprise in their lives. Not all of us can be boring little gits like yourself.” I winked at him.

Draco went to open his mouth when a black snake headed cane landed on his shoulder. My smirk went away and I clammed up. “Silence, Draco! There you are Vanessa. I was beginning to think we had lost you.” He smiled cruelly at me but I knew he could have cared less if I had died or gone to the States. “Ah... Mr. Potter. I don't believe we've met.”

Lucius Malfoy extended his hand, as if offering to shake Harry's, but instead gently plays his fingers over the fringe of Harry's scalp, revealing Harry's scar. At his touch, Harry withdraws, ever so slightly.

“Forgive me, Mr. Potter. But your scar is legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you.”

“He was a murderer.” Harry said through his teeth. I put my hand in his trying to calm him down without saying anything. Draco’s eyes followed my hand and he glared.

“Yes, a pity about your parents. Curious that you yourself should escape with a mere flesh wound. Curious, too, that you speak of him in the past. Surely, you don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named is gone forever.” I raised my eyebrow at him in question. He should be gone after last year.

“His name is Voldemort.” Those within earshot gasp as Harry utters the word. I smirk in glee. Draco had flinched at the name being said as I chuckled. I was proud of Harry for not being afraid to say the cowards name.

“You must be very brave, Mr. Potter, to dare speak his name. Or foolish.”

“Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself.” When did she get over here? Lucius Malfoy's eyes slide over to find Hermione staring back defiantly.

“You must be Miss Granger. Draco's told me all about you... and your parents. Muggles, aren't you?” I took a small step in front of them causing his eyes to glide down onto me. I glared at him, daring him, to try anything. Nobody could help how they were born. Being a muggle should never be viewed as a bad thing. Besides, look what witch these muggles gave birth to! One of the most intelligent witches of her time. Mr. and Mrs. Granger nodded nervously and Lucius Malfoy can barely disguise his distaste for them. Arthur Weasley hurried over. About time.

“Vanessa! Harry! It's mad in here. Let's go outside.”

“Well, well, well -- Arthur Weasley.” I had never, EVER, seen Mr. Weasley turn dark but this was a kind of angry dark.

“Lucius.”

“Busy time at the Ministry. All those raids. I hope they're paying you overtime.”

Malfoy reached into Ginny's cauldron, removing a very old, battered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration. I eyed him as he smirked at the book before smirking at me. He held the book away from himself like it had a disease.

“Obviously not. Dear me. What's the use of being a disgrace to the name of wizard if they don't even pay you well for it.” Lucius said with an evil smile.

“We have a very different idea about what disgraces the name of wizard, Lucius.” Arthur replied back stiffly.

Lucius turned glancing at the Grangers. “Clearly. The company you keep, Weasley. And I thought your family could sink no lower.”

I hissed in anger. “Bit your snake of a tongue Lucius.”

Mr. Weasley moved to hit Lucius Malfoy but thankfully Hagrid stepped forward, putting a firm hand on Mr. Weasley's shoulder.

“Ignore 'im, Arthur.”

Mr. Weasley backed away but Lucius hadn’t even looked at him. He had turned his ice cold blue eyes on me when I had spoke to him like that. He had grabbed the book from Draco and was playing with it. His cold stare was making me uncomfortable but I wouldn’t look away. I had never felt such hatred for him but today was making me realize I couldn’t stand the man. Lucius Malfoy looked away first before tossing Ginny's battered textbook back into her cauldron.

“Here, girl. Take your book. It's the best your father can give you.” With that he turned to leave the shop. Draco waited for me though. I knew my face was hot with anger and embarrassment because now I had to leave with these prats.

“Vanessa. We’re leaving.” Draco said coldly.

“Obviously Malfoy!” I snarled at him causing him to smirk once more. I really wished I could wipe the floor with that smirk.

I turned to Harry with a sad smile. “You take care now. Don’t do anything stupid without me you hear?”

He nodded with a grim look. I turned to Hermione and her parents. “I’m so sorry you had to witness that. I promise you we are all not like that.”

I waved goodbye to everyone as Draco grabbed underneath my arm pulling me out of the shop. I could only imagine what everyone was thinking and I felt ashamed. If I had any other way home I would have taken it. If Silas found out I left without the Malfoy’s I would have had hell to pay.

“You can let me go now.” Mumbled trying to yank my arm back but he held on tightly.

“Dating bloody Potter now are we?” He said harshly and I stopped to look at him. “Yeah I saw you holding his ruddy hand.”

“Are you jealous Draco?” I really looked at his face this time. He was red but what for I had no idea.

“Not a bloody chance. It’s embarrassing to be seen with a Beyer who holds hands with Potter and associates with the likes of the Weasley’s.” I grounded my teeth together.

“Oh is that all?” I said sarcastically. Before he could answer I felt eyes on my back and a shadow loomed over me. “Yes, Lucius?”

“I think it’s time you went home. Your brother can deal with you and that mouth of yours. If you parents were here-.”

“My parents are bloody dead! And they can stay dead!” I shouted at him in a rage. I glared at him. “You people don’t know how to be parents. You think threatening us, hurting us, and talking down to us is going to make us love you more and want to be like you? Not a chance. So take me home. At least I’ll be where I won’t have to see your face.”

I looked away from him in disgust/. I felt tears in my eyes because honestly I wished I had a normal family. I wanted parents who loved me, a brother who wasn’t ashamed of me, and home where I was safe. I had none of those.

I felt Lucius’s cold hand on my other arm and Draco grabbed ahold of my hand and we dissapparated.