Draco Malfoy was pulling a trolley full of luggage along in King's Cross searching for platform nine and three quarters. He was intensely nervous, and when he walked past platform ten he figured he must have passed it while lost in thought. He turned around to see his mother standing beside the barrier between platforms nine and ten looking impatiently at the clock that was hanging on the stones precariously.

"Draco, come on! I don't have time to stand here waiting," his mother said. "Well go on now." She motioned towards the barrier.

Draco looked uncertainly at the barrier, not comprehending what his mother meant. Of course she didn't have time for this. Draco had twenty minutes before the Hogwarts Express left at eleven, but Narcissa Malfoy didn't have two minutes to explain to her son where platform nine and three quarters was.

"Just go through the barrier and the train will be on the other side. You'll be fine. This is where I leave you, so behave yourself honey." Narcissa leaned over and gave her son a kiss on the cheek.

Draco squirmed. "Bye mum."

He was used to being told to behave himself but he never really took too much regard to it. He was a Malfoy, and Malfoys did whatever they wanted. They couldn't be told what to do, or what they could or couldn't have. Draco put on his famous smile-one that he didn't really feel- and plunged into platform nine and three quarters, and into a new life.

As he ran into the wall he cringed, still thinking he was going to hit the wall in a painful impact. Instead he emerged on the other side and saw a train with the words Hogwarts Express written across it. Instead of feeling relief at seeing the Hogwarts Express he felt even more anxious. It had become a reality that he was on his own. Sure Draco was used to being alone –his father was usually off on business, and his mother like to have as little to do with him as possible- but this was somehow different. It would be months before he would see his family again. He couldn't call upon his father to share the gossip of the wizarding world when all he really wanted was company. He couldn't milk every minor injury or illness for all the sympathy and attention his mother would give him. It terrified him. Draco had never been good at making friends and probably never would be. There was Crabbe and Goyle, but in all reality he knew they were just there because of family ties. The Malfoys were important, and no doubt the Crabbe and Goyle senior (who worked for Draco's father,) would like any chance to sway their favour. That and Draco's friends were dumber than a fence post.

Draco tried not to let his grief show on his face. It was strangely easy, as his face had became accustomed to the winning Malfoy smile. On a day to day basis he had to make sure he never slipped up and forgot to put on his winning Malfoy personality. It wouldn't do to mess up before school was even in session.

Draco spotted Crabbe and Goyle standing around with blank faces and walked up to them with the appropriate amount of swagger. It was a relief to see them, even if it was only because he was no longer alone. He thought standing alone was tacky. They were idiots, but at least they were company. Draco punched them both playfully on their pudgy arms as they offered their greetings. He couldn't tell if they were glad to see him or not. Malfoy had a suspicion that his rotund, slow friends were only glad to see five course meals and cupcakes. He started to say something about how awesome the school year was going to be (which he didn't really believe,) but he got distracted when he saw a caped figure whose black robes seemed to conceal their entire body. The baggy hood covered the figure's face, whoever it was obviously wanted to remain hidden. They were standing beside the litter basket attempting not to appear suspicious. Draco continued in his usual feigned upbeat voice, but he was watching the person in the black robe. He wasn't sure why he was so fixated on this particular dubious character-he knew lots of shady witches and wizards- but something about the hidden person drew his attention like an oversized magnet.

The figure put one hand in the robe pocket and retrieved something Draco couldn't get a clear view of. For a brief second he believed he saw the object glimmer in the moving sunlight visible from an overhanging window.

"I just know we're all going to be in Slytherin. That's where all the half-decent wizards end-up…"

Draco didn't have to think about the conversation (more of a monologue really, a well rehearsed monologue at that.) He had heard the words so often that he imagined they would be with him forever -permanently etched into his brain- like the birthmark on his hip. Crabbe and Goyle nodded enthusiastically, taking cookies out of their pockets and consuming them whole. Malfoy wondered if they found the whole thing as oppressing as he himself did when it was his father conveying the message. Then he thought better of it. They wouldn't know what oppressing meant. He craned his neck farther to see past Gregory Goyle's thick stature.

"I mean really who wants to be in Hufflepuff? Not even the filthy mudbloods. Am I right?"

Crabbe and Goyle hesitated for a second before finally laughing and going into choruses of: "Got that right!", "Definitely!", and "Who would want to be in Hufflepuff?" Draco didn't particularly care how slow they were to respond at that point. He had seen the cloaked figure put the mystery object carefully into the litter basket showing off fingernails that were painted black, wait for a moment, and then go stand in a different corner. What was the meaning behind this strange behaviour? And what had been disposed off so carefully? The questions burned a hole in his mind and he felt certain he had never wanted to know something as badly in his life. Of course, he was highly inquisitive and wanted to know everything –in fact, he felt very uncomfortable when anyone mentioned anything he didn't have a wide range of knowledge on. However Malfoy was confident that he could learn quickly. He was a pureblood after all.

"My father says they shouldn't be allowed into Hogwarts at all in the first place. Quite frankly I agree. We don't need those near muggles coming into our schools and ruining our reputation."

After a few minutes Vincent Crabbe replied, "Hear, hear!"

Draco now knew who the mystery cloaked person was. After they thought no one was watching they had put the hood of their robe down slowly, revealing mountains of black curls flowing about and shimmering in the sunlight as she tossed her hair, and a face as pale as a ghost. Next she unfastened her robe revealing a formal looking short dress, tattered fishnet stocking over regular stockings that were not torn, and boots that went almost all the way up her knee. All black. In fact the only colour visible on her was the devil red of her lips and the bright blue of her eyes,

Emily Snape? Draco thought as his heart raced at unnatural speeds. He should have known. The girl was constantly doing things for no apparent reason. Draco had only met her once at a formal dinner his father had held. Lucius Malfoy kept many acquaintances he thought beneficial, and Severus Snape the Hogwarts potion master fell under that category (Guess I won't be failing potions, Draco thought.) Throughout the dinner Draco had switched his gaze back and forth constantly from his plate to Emily, who was the first girl he thought he might fancy snogging. He had hoped to remain unnoticed, but it became apparent that she had noticed when she stuck her tongue out of him-a measure which had gone unseen by the rest of the party. What would make a girl do something like that?

Draco considered going to talk to Emily to show her he wasn't afraid of her (even though he was,) but changed his mind in a mixture of relief and anger when she walked up to a girl in skin-tight jeans, converse high tops, and an oversized hoodie. It was that orphan girl who lived with the Weasleys. His father had told him not to waste time on such blood traitors as the Weasleys-a family with seven red-headed children, their adopted brunette daughter, and no money- and as for the girl he wasn't even sure she wasn't a mudblood. He thought her name was Katarzyna. Malfoy crinkled his noise. Why would Emily want to waste her time on her?

Students were starting to board the train now, or they were saying their last good-byes to their families. Draco watched in disgust as the Weasley mother kissed all five of her children that were going to school. The youngest girl stood eyes full of tears, asking if she could go too. Emily waited for her friend a little ways back looking uncomfortable.

"Come on Draco, let's go get our seats. I want to be the first to buy some pumpkin pasties once we get on the train," Goyle said.

"Yeah I'll be there in a second, go on without me," Draco said. His cronies waddled away and onto the train.

He wasn't going to talk to Emily. He had a better plan. Draco went over to the litter basket trying not to look too conspicuous. There was about five minutes till the train left. Most of the crowd was dispersing, but there were still family members waiting to see the train leave. Malfoy didn't care. He peered into the litter basket and saw the same gleam he had seen before in Emily's hand when she was hiding behind her black robe. He reached into the basket and took it out disregarding what anyone might think, for the first time in his life.

Draco had retrieved none other than a diamond wedding ring. It looked obscenely expensive, even by Malfoy standards it was elegant. Why was Emily disposing of the wedding ring? Why wouldn't she sell it? It would definitely bring in a good lot and she could buy all the black outfits her little heart desired. Better yet, where did she get it? Draco pocketed the ring, and made his way onto the Hogwarts Express. The questions would remain unanswered until he no longer remembered to ask the questions, even to himself.