The Malfoy's Hidden Treasure

As I stroll down Diagon Alley to purchase my items for the second year of school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, I pondered new things I would try this year at school. I’ll probably spend time with my brother. I thought. I don’t think anyone else will want to talk to me this year, which is the same as the last. The second they hear “Malfoy”, they hustle away with the other people that hate me, and that’s a whole new group of haters added to the old one. Great. All around me, people scurry to get out of my way and gave me looks as I passed by them. Why can’t they treat me like a normal person? I mean like, I’m not normal, but seriously? Could they just TRY to be nice? I let out a little huff. I spotted my cousin, Arabella, from a distance. I wave to her, but when she sees me, she turns in the other direction and walks straight to her group of friends. How does she even have friends? Her parents did worse things than mine, and look! They follow her like lost puppies. As I walk past the creepy, dark entrance of Diagon Alley, I hear a little whimper coming from somewhere down the alley near the front of Borgin and Burkes, a shop that buys and sells items that have Dark magic infused in them. As I creep closer, I hear a few more whines accompanying the first. At my feet is a box of puppies of all different shapes, sizes, and colors! At a closer inspection, all of them are filthy and ghastly thin. They huddle in a cardboard box, which is barely large enough to fit them all. The puppies all start shaking or twitching their tails as I reach down to see them closer. One of them nips at me. I hold out my hand and let them sniff it, to let them all know I am a safe person. Poor things! I think. All alone and so young! I hear a bell tinkle. As I look up, I see a well polished pair of shoes in front of me. I turn my head up completely, and Mr. Burke is standing in front of me with his arms crossed so tightly, if he crossed them any harder, I think his arms would break. He looks down at me with disgust. “Can I help you?” He asks in a snooty tone. “Actually, yes you can. I would like to take all of these puppies home with me, and I am not going to take “no” for an answer.” I respond in the most fakely kind voice I can muster. “Are you now? Well, young lady, I would like to see you try. You’re in your, what, second or third year of Hogwarts? What can you do that will make me give you these puppies? I technically own them.” He says, a slimy, nasty grin slipping onto his face. “Then I’ll just buy them from you.” I say, undeterred. His eyebrows raise. “You think you have a hundred galleons to spend on these little wastes of space?” He asks in a mocking manner. “How ‘bout I double that and you let me take them with no questions asked.” I say, full of confidence. Mr. Burke's eyes grow wide. “Now, what is a little lady like you doing with so much to spend? I bet it’s all your family’s savings that you have with you.” He says, a chuckle slipping through his lips. “You must be one of the Weasley brats, aren’t you? No way, young lady. I’m not selling you them.” He said. “Well, you are absolutely wrong on who my parents are. For your information, I am the last child of Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black. So, Mr. Burke, it is you who should be explaining yourself, not I.” I demand. “Ms-Ms-Ms. Malfoy?!” He says, startled, a thin sheen of sweat covering his face now. “I am very sorry, madam. I did not know it was you. If you had told me who you are, we would not have had this trouble.” “So not only did you insult me by assuming my parentage, you also told me what I should be doing? Ridiculous. I must tell my brother about this.” I say, pensively. “The young master Draco Malfoy?” He asks. “Who else would I be referring to?” I say. Mr. Burke drops to his knees and starts begging for forgiveness, asking me not to tell my brother and that he would do anything, but please do not tell my brother. “Please, madam, I will do anything, but don’t tell the young master!” He pleads. “Anything, you say?” I ask, smirking. “Yes, madam, anything!” He repeats. “Well then, I will just take these puppies and be on my way then.” Not allowing any further protesting, I scooped up the tattered cardboard box that the puppies are in and cradled them to my chest. I turn to see Mr. Burke, still on his knees. “Get up, you old man.” I demand. He scrambles to his feet and goes into a deep bow. “Oh, don’t bow. It makes me feel weird.” Mr. Burke straightens and wipes the sheen off of his face with a silk handkerchief that was pulled from the inside of his suit pocket. “Very well then, Mr Burke. My brother must be looki-” I pause as Dray hurtles around the corner of Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley, pulling up when he sees me with the box of puppies under my arm. “Lex, where have you been?! I was looking for you all over the place. You know you shouldn’t be in Knockturn Alley. Pops and Dad will have my hide if-” He stops short when I give him a quick glare. He finally notices that the two of us are not alone. “Is he bothering you, sis? I can deal with him before you blink.” He says, cracking his knuckles. Mr. Burke gives an audible gulp. “Thank you, Mr. Burke, your services are no longer required. You are dismissed.” I say, allowing Mr. Burke to go back to his shop so my brother does not beat him up. He gives my brother and I quick bows, and hustles back to his shop and immediately flips the sign on the door from ‘open’ to ‘closed’. “Brother, you know you would be in bigger trouble with Papa if you beat up Mr. Burke than if you lost me because I wandered off. Do you even want to be able to see your girlfriend when we go back to school, or do you want Aunt Minnie watching you like a hawk, similar to last year?” I ask. A shiver runs down my brother’s back, and he deflates. “I thought not.” I say, knowing I’ve won. In Dray’s third year, and my first, he had gotten into so many fights that Professor McGonagall, or, as I call her, Aunt Minnie, was entrusted by Papa to watch over Dray and report to Papa if my brother got into any more fights for the rest of the year. Dray notices the box of pups under my arm, and he looks at me, knowing I want to take them home, just like the litter of kittens I found two months ago in the Owl Post Office. “No, Lex. We already have more animals than we need. You need to put them back where you found them.” He says, admonishing me. “So you expect me to be okay with these little guys staying here on the side of the alley and not knowing who does what to them? No, Dray. They’re already so thin, and they need someone to take care of them.” I ask, firing up, ready for an argument. He looks at the little things and says, “I know because of your… problem, you want to take care of all mistreated animals, and that’s amazing, but Dad and Pops will have my hide if I let you take these little guys home.” “Don’t blame my hospitality on my issue. You know that’s not fair. And about Dad and Papa, I’ll handle them. You don’t need to worry about that. All you need to worry about is not making me mad at you a week before school starts.” I say, turning my back on him and walking towards Diagon Alley. “You know what, fine. But we need to find a better way to carry them, they might break the box sooner or later.” Dray says, giving in and jogging behind me to catch up. “I know! Let’s go to Flourish and Blotts to buy you your books, and while we’re there, we can ask if they have a wooden crate and some blankets to line the crate with, and transfer the puppies in there.” Dray says, knowing I was going to be headed to the bookstore, and also finding a more sturdy way to carry the puppies. “You know what, that’s not a bad idea. And remember, we need to buy your books for your fourth year of Hogwarts.” I remind him. “Yeah, I know.” He says. “Then what are we waiting for?! Let’s go!” I say hurrying away from him in the direction I thought was Flourish and Blotts. “You realize it’s the other way, right?” Dray says from behind me. I immediately switch directions without pausing. He chuckles from behind me, and, realizing I was leaving him behind, hurries after me.