Disclaimer: This is the only disclaimer I'm going to put up: I do not own any of the characters here, only the plot. All characters copyright toJ.K. Rowling.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but this is my first and I'm just too lazy to write long ones x.x


Chapter One

Tongues of orange and yellow flames leaped up into the air, crackling like fireworks, embers flying from the dying fire of the Slytherin common room. Slytherins of all ages lounged here and there, and groups of seventh year girls were chatting excitedly about the upcoming graduation ball. A particular blond boy, looking no older than seventeen, was crouched in a chair gazing lazily around the common room with his cold grey eyes, stopping his gazed for a moment only on a few girls. With his black Slytherin robes spread out on the sofa, he looked charming; strangely charming. For this young man was none other than the pureblooded Draco Malfoy, Junior Death Eater and son of Lucius Malfoy.

Giving up his search, Draco walked up to his dormitories, stopping only to prevent the two bulky boys, Crabbe and Goyle, from following him. Thoughts raced across Draco's mind as he climbed stairs down to the boys' dormitories:

Who will I take out? Nobody wants to go with me, as I'm a Death Eater. The only two who will are Moaning Myrtle and Parkinson, but they're bitches. I wouldn't be caught dead going out with one of them. Anyways, I already said no to Parkinson. She's already going out with some other guy. And Myrtle's out of the picture. She's a Mudblooded GHOST for Salazar's sake! The worst that could happen is going out with a Mudblood...

Draco froze. He couldn't bear thinking about Mudbloods now. Granger popped into his mind, not the one with bushy hair and beaver teeth, but the one at the Yule Ball... Draco abruptly shook the thought out of his head. No matter how pretty she looked, Granger was still a Mudblood.

"Oi, Draco!"

A voice shook Draco out of his thoughts. Turning awkwardly on the spot, he saw a hollow faced boy running up to him. Theodore Nott. Oh no. Draco thought.

"So did you get a date yet? You owe me 15 galleons if you don't get one tomorrow."

Draco sneered. "And did you get a date yet?"

Nodding almost gleefully, Nott said, "Millicent Bulstrode. You better pay up!"

Draco made a rude hand gesture at Nott, and, gloomier than ever now, Draco opened his dormitory doors and upon discovering that it was empty, he collapsed into his emerald bed. Darkness overwhelmed him almost immediately, and he drifted off to a troubled sleep, involving a dream which Granger had beat him up and turned into the Dark Lord who performed several punishments to him.

Draco did not know how long he had been in his dormitories, but as the chatter of the common room subsided, he reckoned that it was dinner already. Getting up with a groan, Draco trudged over to the Great Hall, sneering and leering at random first-years as he passed. Past the staircases, through the oaken doors...halt.

Granger was there, sitting at the Gryffindor table looking as pretty as ever...no, he mustn't think that. Sneering at Potter as he passed, Draco strode towards the Slytherin table, where the girls were still chatting about the ball.

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Draco yelled.

They stopped immediately after that and became rather interested with the meal which appeared on the table a few minutes ago. Smirking slightly, Draco toyed with a drumstick, his mind wandering to Moaning Myrtle, who had come to bug him every time he walked near her bathroom.

He was interrupted from his thoughts yet again by a loud guffaw from the Gryffindor table. Rolling his eyes, Draco turned to find Potter laughing his dorky scarred head off. Ron was sniggering, and Granger was hiding a smile in her hand. Incidentally, they were all looking at him; or at least, the Slytherin table. Draco got a clear feeling that the 'joke' was about him.

Furniculous! thought Draco as hard as he could, with his wand pointed at Potter under the table.

Almost instantly, purple dots started to appear on Potter's face, causing Granger to laugh even harder, though without the mocking note of tone she used when laughing at Draco. Even as it is, Draco felt a light satisfaction as he watched Potter get up to go to the hospital wing and Granger giggling at Potter's retreating back.


A/N: This story is dedicated to the one and only thedustbunny! Did you like it? Oh yeah, and don't forget to review! –hint hint- :)