It was close to ten thirty when the small black haired green eyed girl had walked ran through the brick wall, clinging to her older sister. Thoughts, and many at that, ran through Astoria Greengrass' mind as her mother bid her farewell with a kiss on the cheek and hurried her up the Hogwarts Express.

"This way, love," Daphne whispered into her sisters ear, leading her throughout the trains cars.

There were so many, Astoria failed to keep count. Everything was happening so fast, the girl's mind was spinning uncontrollably. She hardly saw anyone her own age, and only a few that seemed Daphne's age.

"You were right," Astoria muttered, tugging on her sister's Slytherin robes, indicating that she wanted to tell her something, "this is scary."

Although Daphne laughed, she silently agreed with Astoria. The older sister, at the age of 13, felt her stomach turn to knots every time she saw a head of platinum blonde hair, then letting out a sigh of relief when she saw it wasn't HIM. Ashamed as she was, Daphne admitted it to herself a long time ago. She was in love with Draco Malfoy.

Of course she never called him his first name to his face before, only in her dreams where they held hands and took midnight strolls throughout the castle of Hogwarts. Her possessed 13 year old mind had her drooling at the thought of the Malfoy boy and her walking down the hallway, his arm around her waist, every girl watching them walk together in envy. It had been constant bickering in the last year girls dorm on who got in him the end anyway, and Daphne was determined to win him. Pansy, who was already close friends with boy, had echoed dibs from the bathroom to the other girls on the first night back at the school.

First year, the Slytherin girls hadn't given a damn about the boys in their house, for they stilled fussed about cooties and such. But ever since the teenage needy girl hormones had kicked in, most had started to realize how nice Draco smelled when he passed by them. Or the way his gray blue eyes hardened on his studies when he was in deep concentration or thought, trying to beat that Granger in class-work for once.

Daphne had just been wishing that that bitch Pansy hadn't already marked her scent on him yet this year when Astoria tugged on her robes, wanting to ask her older sister a question.

"Where do we sit?" The eldest had not realized that she stopped walking and that her firm hold on her sisters hand had grown even tighter as she thought of Parkinson.

Loosening her grasp, she pointed bluntly to a nearby compartment and slid the door open for her sister, watching Astoria bounce inside and place her bottom on a velvety seat.

"Its very comfy! I could sleep her all night!' Astoria exclaimed with a smile broad on her face.

Daphne smiled at her sister and leaned against the sliding door's frame, "this is where I leave you, pipsqueak, I'll see you at the Sorting!"

And with that, Daphne ruffled her sister's hair affectionately and then left, leaving the sliding door to slide shut itself. Astoria stared after her sister, mouth agape.

Speechless, Astoria turned her face towards the opposite wall. She felt so alone. In just what seemed like thirty seconds, her sister had dumped her off and abandoned her. Astoria sighed and put her elbows on her knees. Leaning forward, she nestled her face between her fists. Her black hair fell around her, and she closed her green eyes, waiting for sleep to wash over her. Yet, as soon as she closed her eyes, then the Hogwarts Express blew its whistle, signaling its departure from Station Nine and Three-Quarters. Turning her head and using both her hands to tuck her hair behind both her ears, she opened up her window and stuck her head outside. HUNDREDS of kids were doing the same. Some parents were waving, while some others were running over to their children's windows to deliver some forgotten object, or maybe a goodbye kiss on the cheek. Astoria caught the eyes of her father and she stretched as high as she could out the window to wave at him. He smiled at her and extended his arm in farewell.

The girl closed the window as she stuck her head back inside. She dropped back into her seat, watching passing students and prefects hustling and bustling through the train's hallway. Astoria let out a small huff and laid her head back, her eyelids fluttering shut.

XXXXXXX

Astoria awoke as the door to her compartment slammed open, and she watched as a tall blonde about Daphne's age hurry in, sliding and locking the door behind him.

"Stupid girls," the guy muttered, turning around to drop onto the seat opposite of Astoria. The boy gazed out the window for a few short seconds before turning his head and realizing that there was a girl with him.

"And who are you?" He asked, an arrogant tone to his voice.

Astoria puffed her cheeks up and glared at him, "my name is Astoria Greengrass thank you very much! And I should ask you the very same! So who are you?"

The boy raised one eyebrow and he smiled at her, "Slytherin, I can see it in your eye."

Astoria flustered up even more. "I'm not speaking to hear my own voice! Now I asked you who you are! So who are you?"

"My name is Draco Malfoy," the boy replied coolly, "you new here, kid?"

"I'm not a kid!" Astoria fumed angrily, "I may be only a First Year but someday then I'll become the greatest wizard you'll ever see!" The girl stood up on her feet so that she could look down upon the intruder sitting before her, "So don't go around calling me a kid!" Astoria thought she had him under her control, until he stood up, towering over her.

"I take that as a challenge," he said, smiling, "kid."

"IM NOT A KID!" Astoria shrieked, letting her foot fly up to its target.

There was a huge smack and she had to back up away from Malfoy, for he fell to his knees, groaning, hands against his soon to be bruised area.

At first, she felt triumph when her foot hit him in his balls, but now she actually felt a little worried that she had really hurt him.

"Are you alright?" Astoria asked Mafloy, crouching down next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Actually, now that she realized it, the guy didn't look half bad. He had a very pretty gray eye color, and he looked like he had soft pettable hair. Could this be the Draco Malfoy that Daphne wouldn't shut up about in her diary? Shrugging it off her shoulder, she focused her attention back on the Malfoy fellow.

"You may have put my future children in danger," He said half heartily with a smirk, "kid."

How arrogant.

Astoria flustered up and was about to name the few things that did NOT make her a kid, when Malfoy smiled.

"You gotta good kick there, kid. What kind of shoe do you where?"

Astoria's mouth dropped open, "Converse," She answered, lifting up her robes to show Malfoy her red shoes.

Malfoy laughed and put his hand on his knee, getting up with a grunt, "I think my balls have recovered," He laughed, offering Astoria a hand.

She sniffed and helped herself up.

Malfoy shrugged and plopped back into his seat.

"Why did you come in here?" Astoria asked curiously.

"I was getting away from those stupid girls," Malfoy shuddered, "they're so clingy."

Astoria suspected her sister was among those girls, along with that Pug-faced Pansy Daphne had also talked about in her diary.

"I bet you like it," Astoria teased Malfoy, putting a scowl on his face

"Yeah right," he muttered.

The black haired girl let out a laugh and looked at Mafloy cockily.

So what if he was a few years older?

Maybe he could make a really good friend…