EMOTIONLESS
written by UntilNeverDawns and WonderfullyWicked
A/N: I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or the setting of Hogwarts. I do, however, own my character, Charlotte, her family/friends, etc. and the plot. [Minus the stuff WonderfullyWicked wrote. That's all hers.] ENJOY! :)
PART ONE
**
"Draco, please go. If he finds out—"
"Charlotte, he won't find out. And if he does, I'm a Malfoy—I'm sure I can take him."
"If he finds out, he'll whip out his wand faster than you can say 'arranged marriage!'"
"I'm brave, Charlotte—"
"But you haven't exactly been known for your courage..."
"Charlotte, trust me. I love you."
**
SIXTH YEAR
**
The Hogwarts Express was stunning. The red was a perfect, scratch-less scarlet, the smoke billowing from it an opaque white. It was shining like a new car. I'd never gotten excited about a train before, but I figured there was a first time for everything.
I took a deep breath and walked toward it, ready for my first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I was only a bit nervous about starting during my sixth year, but that's what you get, I guess, when your father's one of the best Aurors in the magical world.
I took my owl's cage and my robes onto the train with me, trying to find somewhere to sit as quickly as possible. I soon found an empty compartment and sat down, stretching my legs horizontally across the seat so my back was to the window.
Not too long after I got situated, a boy with white-blonde hair and a brooding look in his blue-grey eyes entered the compartment. He was flanked by two heavy-set boys who looked like they needed therapy, an auburn-haired, skinny boy with a Snitch embroidered on his sweater, a lean boy with dark, spiked hair, and a boy with shaggy raven hair who, I noticed, was impeccably dressed.
The blonde one in front dismissed the two heavy boys. They quickly obeyed.
"Who are you?" the blonde asked, sneering.
"Charlotte Collins." I narrowed my eyes back at him.
"This is our compartment," he said. Contrary to his belief, he really wasn't very frightening at all.
"I didn't see your name on it," I retorted.
"Ooh!" The boy with spiked hair snickered.
"Shut it, Zabini!" The blonde barked. He did.
"You're not very nice," I noted. Tempest, my owl, nipped at his cage.
"I'm Draco Malfoy," the blonde said, like he was correcting me. Like that meant anything to me....
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not moving. You can either be civil and share this compartment with me, or you can leave and find another."
Draco Malfoy plopped onto the seat across from me with a huff, as far away from me as he could. The other boys soon followed.
Draco put his feet up on my side of the compartment.
"Those are my robes!" I said, whipping out my wand and moving his feet onto the three boys beside him. Draco scrambled to get his feet off them, his face turning a light scarlet. I grinned.
The other boys, I realized, hadn't moved an inch; they just sat there, staring at me.
"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked.
"They're taken by your beauty," Draco said, pulling a complete 180. He seemed to realize I was no one to fool with, and all of a sudden, his attitude had changed dramatically.
"Sorry, what?"
"You're feisty," he said. "We don't see that too often..." He smirked. I rolled my eyes. I loathed guys who smirked. I got enough of those from Dimitri's quidditch team. He was my cousin, and a beater for the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team. Since I had connections, and I wasn't exactly horrible at quidditch, Dimitri put me on as a reserve Chaser.
Draco looked over at the other guys, mouthed something, and they filed out, knowing looks on their faces. One guy, the one Draco had called "Zabini," winked at me on the way out. I gagged.
"Go on a date with me," Draco said as soon as they were gone, sitting across from me and leaning back onto his hands. The smirk was still plastered on.
"Er, sorry, how can you go from loathing me to asking me on a date?" I asked, confused and a little put off. He laughed, as if recalling a private joke.
"No one responds to me like that. Well, no one of your kind, at least," he clarified.
"My kind?" Americans? I thought. This boy was so weird.
"Girls. Females. Women. Take your pick," Draco responded. "It's different, like a newly discovered wine. I think I can crack your code."
"My code. Really," I said blankly. "I wouldn't go out with you even if you didn't have that ugly smirk on your face." I sat up, facing him squarely. He frowned, leaning forward. "Besides, I don't do pity dates."
"It wouldn't be pity," he said, clearly amused. "I said nothing about pitying you."
"Oh, no. You've got it all wrong," I replied, laughing. "I'd be the one doing the pitying."
*********