Maria Johnson was sitting in the Hogwarts Train carriage, listening to her friends, Rebecca, Ellie, Heather, Katie, Dora, Louise, Molly, Jackie and Vikki bickering on rubbish, like whose owl was more impressive. Maria, however, was sitting with her owl, Willow, on her lap. She was at the window, watching the trees and the fields go by, thinking. This was her sixth year at Hogwarts School. Her last year at Hogwarts School. She loved Hogwarts, and she didn't want to leave. She was considering becoming a teacher there. Her plan was, to inquire about it to the Headmaster. Whoever it was to be.

'Anything from the trolley girls? Oh.'

The Trolley lady had just come to our compartment. She had a look of confusion on her face. They all stopped bickering at once to hear what she had to say. She continued, 'There are too many people in this compartment. Sorry, girls, one of you will have to leave.'

They all looked at each other. I stood up and took Willow's cage and her trunk, and made her way to the door. 'It's fine. You lot stay. I'll see you in the common room maybe. See you later.'

'See you Ria. Thanks.'

'Yeah, thanks Ria.'

'I'll come if you want, Ria?' asked Rebecca, half standing up. Maria shook her head, and left, waving.

Maria walked around, Willow in one hand and her large trunk in the other. She found an empty compartment. She shut the door and closed the blind. She sat and stared out the window for a bit and thought for a while. Everything had changed. Professor Dumbledore, who had been the previous Headmaster of Hogwarts, was murdered in June. Murdered, by Professor Snape, who was Death Eater, spy to Lord Voldemort, Darkest Wizard ever known. Everything will change now. Everything.

At that moment, someone opened the door and slammed it shut, after running in. Maria didn't get a good look at his face, but she knew that he was a sat opposite her, panting.

'Can I hide- I mean- sit here?' he asked.

'Why? Who are you hiding from?' asked Maria, slowly, and reassuringly. She didn't really care if he was a Slytherin; he seemed upset, and scared.

'Death Eaters. They're coming. Now. I'm sorry. They'll be looking for Potter. And me. I'm sorry,' he said again.

'What are you sorry for? Calm down. It's fine. Death Eaters? How do you know? Who are you?' I asked him. He seemed terrified.

'Draco. And yes, Death Eaters are coming. I know because I am one. Not by choice. I don't want to be. Honestly,' he added quickly, seeing the look on Maria's face. She noticed that he was watching the skies. A tear, fell from his face. Maria went and sat next to him. He looked at her.

'Look, Draco, It's going to be fine. Don't think of it. Just calm down. If they search the train for Harry, then they will recognize you and leave you alone. I swear. Voldemort won't want to hurt his…followers.'

He smiled, weakly. He looked away, out of the window. 'Thanks…' he began.

'Maria.'

'Maria. Thanks.' There was a moment of silence, where Maria moved back to her original seat.

'So. Do you have the mark?' asked Maria, slowly. Draco pulled back the sleeve of his right arm and revealed, what looked like a tattoo, of a snake, protruding from the mouth of a skull. She looked at it, in terror. He pulled his sleeve back down and looked down to the floor.

'So… what's your house?' he asked, clearly trying t make conversation.

'Oh, I'm in Gry-'she stopped dead. The train had jolted, and stopped. Draco's face was white.

'There here,' he said, 'Bloody Hell, there here!'

Maria was terrified. If the Death Eaters were here, and they were looking for Harry Potter, and maybe even the possibility of them looking for Draco, then clearly, everything was going to change this year. They weren't going to leave them just after searching the train. They won't give up.

'Be strong, Draco,' said Maria, her voice shaking. Suddenly, she thought of something that she hadn't thought of before. 'Draco! I've just thought! The Death Eaters will want to know who I am when they come to our compartment! Hey are going to ask questions. Like, why aren't you with the other Slytherin! What are you going to say?'

'God, I don't know! Err… just say, that you're a Slytherin…friend of mine!' he said, but then continued on a negative, 'but then they'll ask why we are away from everyone else.'

But at that moment, the door slid open, to reveal Bellatrix Lestrange. She recognized Draco, and said, 'Draco! Hello, lad! Oh!' she gasped as she turned to look at Maria, 'But who is this? Where are the Slytherins, Draco?' Her voice was high pitched and went through Maria like a knife.

Draco looked at Maria, with a worried look. He looked back at Bellatrix, and said, 'This, Bella, is … my girlfriend.' Maria looked at him startled, but then looked straight into Bellatrix's face, and smiled. Bellatrix laughed, and sat down next to Draco. Her face suddenly turned into malice.

'I don't believe it,' she said. Draco looked at Maria and smiled. His face said, play along! Maria understood at once the look he was giving her

'Why don't you believe it, Bella?' asked Maria, in a voice that sounded so much like Pansy Parkinson's in Slytherin, Draco held back a snigger. Bellatrix stared at Maria, with a look of pure hatred in her eyes.

'Prove it,' she breathed in a deadly whisper. What to do! Maria looked at Draco. Then, unexpectedly, he kissed her, so gently, that Bellatrix made vomiting noises. He pulled away, just an inch or so from her face so that only she could see his face. Bellatrix left the compartment, and said 'I'll leave you two, well, to it!'

Once she had left, Draco sat back down. 'Thank you, Maria. She… is my aunt.'

'Really?' asked Maria, but she really didn't care. All she could think of was that Draco kissed her, as if he meant it. She meant it.

'Yeah.'

Draco was sitting next to Maria at this point. When he had pulled away from the kiss, he had sat next to her. She looked down at her hands, but she could tell that he was watching her. Maria looked up at him. The brown eyes met the grey, and he kissed her, once more. Maybe a minute passed, or an hour, days, for all Maria knew, but she knew that this was perfect. She put her arms around his neck and put his around her waist. Maria pulled away. Draco looked down at her.

'What's wrong?' he asked her.

'Nothing. But what about the Death Eaters? Your parents? Your friends? My friends? What are they going to say? Draco, what's happening?' Maria said all this very quickly. Draco held her face in his cold, smooth hands, kissed her again, and said, 'To hell with them!'

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