Apparently the dementors had scared all the students. Samantha and Percy had made their way through the train, checking on the students and comforting them. The one question that they all had was why had the dementors come aboard the train, and Samantha didn't have an answer for them. She found her brother sitting in a compartment with his two friends. He tried to pretend that the dementors hadn't bothered him, but she could see the fear lingering in his pale features. After assuring herself that Draco was fine, she headed back to the front of the train. When Percy returned to their compartment after checking on his own brothers and sister, he had one for her.
"They were looking for Sirius Black," he said, slightly out of breath.
Samantha's insides froze. She remembered her father giving her a very vague warning about Black having escaped from Azkaban, but he hadn't elaborated on it further. At the mere mention of Black's name, Samantha had felt incredibly uneasy, and obviously that hadn't changed.
"Why would Sirius Black be on the Hogwarts Express?" she wondered.
"I don't know," Percy said, his brow furrowed.
"Well, they're gone now, right? We must be nearly there."
As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the train ground to a halt again. This time the lights stayed on, and through the wet panes of the window, Samantha could see the glowing lights of Hogsmeade. Heaving a sigh of relief, she tugged her trunk off of the rack and followed Percy off of the train.
Samantha pushed her way through a crowd of chatty fourth-years until she was next to Hagrid.
"Do you need any help with the first-years?" she asked.
"No, I think they're all right. You go find yourself a carriage," he said with a smile.
Samantha gratefully returned the smile and searched the crowd for her roommates. Kristina was holding the door open on one of the carriages, waiting for her. Samantha flung her arm over her head and hurried to meet her friends. She levitated her trunk into the back of the carriage and climbed inside. As soon as the door was shut, the carriage began its rocky journey to the castle.
The castle was brightly lit and Samantha had never seen anything more welcoming. She jumped out of the carriage and pulled her trunk off of the back. The five seventh-year girls walked slowly up the stone steps that led to the main entrance.
"Seems crazy that this is the last time we'll arrive at Hogwarts, doesn't it?" Carly said softly.
"Sure does. Just think, at this time next year, we'll have to find jobs," Jazz groaned.
"I'm really going to miss this place," Samantha said.
"Cheer up, you lot! This is our last year! Think of everything that we get to do this year! The Graduation Ball! Graduation itself!" Kit yelled.
"N.E.W.T. exams. Ridiculously heavy course load. Picking a career," Kristina said wryly.
"And I have to control twenty four Prefects, of different houses and make sure that they don't kill each other. Oh, and deal with one extremely pompous Gryffindor Head Boy. My year is going to be a dream," Samantha said, rolling her eyes.
As she said this, someone jostled her shoulder and caused her to lose her grip on her trunk.
"Dammit," she swore, turning to see who was the culprit.
"Sorry about that, Sam," Oliver Wood said with a hesitant smile.
Samantha's blue eyes widened and she set her full lips in a thin line.
"Not a problem," she said sharply and turned on her heel.
"Sam…could we talk for a moment?" he asked her retreating back.
She straightened her shoulders and turned back to face him.
"No Oliver. We can't talk. I have nothing left to say to you," she said, her voice steely.
"Please Samantha?" he asked, his deep brown eyes glowing with hope.
She felt her resolve weaken, and she opened her mouth, but someone else answered for her.
"She said no, now leave my sister alone," her younger brother said firmly from her side.
Oliver shot a final glance at Samantha and when she didn't say anything, shook his head slightly and headed into the castle.
"Draco, you didn't have to say anything. I could have handled it," she argued.
"You're welcome, sis," he said sarcastically.
She softened and touched her brother on the arm.
"I do appreciate it, little brother, but next time, let me deal with Oliver, okay?"
"I don't like him, Sam. He's a Gryffindor and he was awful to you."
"You don't have to remind me of that, Draco. Just behave yourself this year, yeah?"
He glared at her and she grabbed his arm. She leaned in and spoke in a hushed voice.
"I mean it Draco. Our family is not that popular with the school or Dumbledore right now. Keep it together. No attacking Potter, and no antagonizing his friends or your teachers. Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah, I got it," he said, wrenching his arm from her grasp. He looked up at her. "I will if he leaves me alone."
"If you have a problem with Potter, then you come to me. I will take care of it," she said warningly.
"Fine. Can I go now?"
"Yes. Have fun," she said with a sigh as she watched him scurry into the Great Hall.
"Wow, he's a right little ray of sunshine now, isn't he?" Jazz said as she watched Draco strut down the corridor to find his friends.
"He's nearly impossible lately," Samantha said.
The five girls claimed their usual section of the Slytherin table and all turned to face the head table. Sooner or later the Sorting would start and Samantha was eager to see where the first-years that she had seen on the platform would end up.
"Oliver is staring at you again," Carly whispered.
"Are you serious?" Samantha groaned. "What do I have to do to make him leave me alone?"
"Stun him?" Jazz said.
"Immobilize him?" Kit asked.
"How about just plain ignoring him?" Kristina said, trying to keep the peace.
"Yep, Kris is right. You're Head Girl now. No more random jinxing," Carly said.
"Damn. Okay, I'm turning in my badge," Samantha said. "Now, quiet, the Sorting is about to start!"
Samantha watched the nervous first-years make their way to the Sorting Hat. She gave a cheer when the first new Slytherin, a lanky black haired boy, was announced. She laughed as one girl stumbled on her way to the hat and looked as if she were about to burst into tears. She abruptly stopped when she saw the look of sheer terror on the poor girl's face. She could have been looking at herself six years ago. Samantha could still remember what the hat had said to her.
You have the grace and dignity of your mother…and the strength and determination of your father…but you are quite different, yes, quite different…where shall I put you? The house of your parents doesn't quite suit you. No, no…not at all. What is that? Ah yes, passion. Your mother had it too, but not quite as apparent as your own…you have desire, yes desire to seek the truth, and a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong…both noble qualities. But is it my duty to aid you on your quest for what you wish to find? I fear I may regret this….SLYTHERIN!!
It just didn't make sense. Her brother had been Sorted so quickly, practically before the hat had even touched his head. Samantha had sat there for a good fifteen minutes while the hat pondered her abilities. She had been sure that McGonagall would rip the hat from her head and tell her to pack her things and get back on the train. What did the hat mean, anyway? House of her parents? She was in the house of her parents. Both of her parents had been in Slytherin, she was sure of it. And passion? Samantha laughed out loud. The only time Narcissa Malfoy showed passion was when she was asking Lucius for something she wanted.
The hat had seemed to think that it would regret putting her in Slytherin. Obviously, it didn't remember the other Malfoys, or it would have known that putting her anywhere other than Slytherin would have been as good as disowning her. Her father would have never forgiven her if she had been placed in a different house. She liked being in Slytherin, and always had. Last year, being a Slytherin had been a little difficult.
All that stupid 'Heir of Slytherin' stuff had really given her house a bad name. She heard the rumors. First, the other students were saying that it was Draco, which was the most asinine thing that she had ever heard. They could trace their lineage back centuries, and nowhere on their family tree was the name Slytherin. Then everyone thought that it was Potter. That was even more laughable than the first theory. Still, it had unsettled her slightly to learn that Potter was a Parselmouth. She had been studying magic for long enough to know that that particular gift was really rare, and seldom seen these days. It struck her as very odd that the poster boy for Gryffindor was showing some very Slytherin tendencies.
All in all, houses and rivalries had never really troubled her. It was what it was, and that was that, but she had never bargained on falling for a Gryffindor.
Being alone in the library with Oliver was strange. She had never thought of him as particularly scholarly, but his ideas were well thought out and carefully written. He worked methodically and steadily, making little to no errors and rarely second-guessing his theories. He looked up from his parchment at one point and saw her smiling at him.
"What's that smile for?" he asked teasingly.
"I just never knew how focused you were on your studies," Samantha said quickly.
"Amazed that a 'quaffle-head' like me can read, are you?"
Samantha turned crimson and looked down.
"We were only teasing. Kris just said it because you play Quidditch all the time."
"It's alright. But yes, Wood can read," he said with an impish smile.
Samantha turned even redder and scratched her quill harder against her parchment.
"So what about you?" he asked, putting his quill down.
"What about me?" Samantha said, her eyes still on her essay.
"What's your story? Where are you from? What's your favorite kind of ice cream? That sort of thing," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"I don't have a story. I'm from Wiltshire. And I like peppermint ice cream. Happy?"
He continued to stare at her. Finally, she blew her dark hair out of her eyes and stared directly at him. Which was probably a bad idea, because his brown eyes had a way of making her forget what she was saying.
"What?" she managed to ask.
"I was just wondering," he started.
"Wondering what?"
"I mean, you're a Slytherin, and I'm a Gryffindor."
"Oh, well spotted," she said sarcastically.
"Why did you agree to work on an essay with me?" he asked softly.
Stunned by the vulnerability she saw in his face, Samantha's walls slowly started to crumble.
"Well, you had a book I needed," she said lamely.
"Is that the only reason?" he asked.
No, she thought to herself. No, the reason I agreed to work with you is that no one has ever looked at me the way that you do. No one has ever made me smile without even being in the same room like you do. And I've never been so hopelessly lost in anyone else's eyes like I am in yours.
"Well, yes, mostly," she lied.
His handsome face fell slightly but he recovered quickly.
"Ah. I see," he said, putting his head back down to his parchment. "I think my essay is done. I'll leave the book here with you."
He got up quickly and started shoving his books back into his bag.
"Thanks for the help. I'll see you around," he tossed over his shoulder as he headed out of the library.
Samantha watched him go, not really knowing why her chest was starting to hurt.
The sound of hundreds of students pushing their benches back brought her into the here and now. She shook her head and stood quickly. Linking her arms with Carly and Jazz, she headed down the corridor until they reached the bare expanse of wall that hid the Slytherin common room.
"What's the new password, Sam?" Kit asked with a yawn.
"Don't know yet. I haven't made one up," she said, trying to think of a good one. She pulled two random words out of her head.
"Capricious Manticores," she said.
"Capricious manticores? Are you serious?" Kristina asked.
"First thing that came into my brain," Samantha said with a shrug. "No one will ever guess it."
"A normal person wouldn't have said capricious manticores," Jazz grumbled.
"Oh, Jazzy, when have I ever been normal?" Samantha winked.
The stone wall had finished arranging itself into an ornate archway and the girls filed in.
Samantha's heart instantly warmed once she was inside the common room, which was unusual because the room was as chilly as always. Being below the lake caused the room to be almost damp, but Samantha far preferred the cool air to the stifling warm air of the towers. Large green orbs hung from the low ceiling, giving the appearance that the room was actually underwater. The fireplace was at least seven feel long and about four feet high, and a roaring fire was already burning. There were several long emerald green velvet couches and lounge chairs scattered around the room, some in front of the fire, and others around tables. An elegant Oriental rug done in shades of emerald and silver graced the floor, and several wall hangings in the same colors covered the walls. She smiled in satisfaction. Once again, nothing had changed.
She followed her roommates down the winding corridor to the seventh-year girls' dormitory. As usual, the five beds were exactly the way the girls had left them last year. The first night of their first year, they had pushed their beds around so that the heads of the beds were all facing the center of the room. This allowed them to talk late into the night without having to talk loudly. Samantha claimed her bed and kicked open her trunk. All of her clothing had been beautifully packed by their new house-elf, and the expensive robes had layers of tissue paper between them. She quickly pulled her school robes out and hung them in the first part of her wardrobe. She shoved her socks and underwear into drawers and then studied the robes that her mother had purchased for her. She hung them in the back of the closet. In the center she placed the Muggle clothes that she had bought in London while she was visiting Jazz that summer. Her parents had never allowed her to own or even wear Muggle clothes, so these had to be carefully hidden from them until she had left for school. For the first time in her life, she owned jeans, five pairs! And shirts that weren't white oxford button-downs, and sweaters that weren't grey with green and silver trim. She had bought skirts and dresses, and even some fun clothes for going out in case they grew brave enough to sneak off grounds this year. She lined her shoes up on the bottom of the wardrobe and stood back to admire her work. She carried her toiletry bag into the bathroom that she shared with her roommates and placed all of her toiletries on her usual shelf. Finally finished, she headed back to the bedroom.
The girls had tossed their school robes over the backs of chairs and were sprawled on their beds chatting. Samantha smiled at the scene. She loved these girls and loved being back at school. Carly was right; it was strange to think that this was their last year. Samantha didn't even want to think about what her life would be like after she was graduated.
"I've got to go see Dumbledore and then do rounds," Samantha said making a face.
"Have fun with that," Kit said as she gave Samantha a wave.
"See you guys in an hour or so," Samantha called as she headed out into the main common room.
The common room was crowded. She saw her own brother seated with the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team, who looked as if Marcus Flint was giving them hell about how little they had practiced this summer. Draco looked smug, and Samantha knew it was because her brother had spent the majority of his holiday on his broom. She shook her head slightly and left the dormitory.
She headed back to the main staircase and climbed the stairs to Dumbledore's office. She met Percy on the landing outside of the office and they climbed the spiral staircase together. Percy knocked on the door, and Dumbledore bid them to enter.
Samantha took the seat on the left in front of Dumbledore's desk and Percy took the other. Dumbledore wasted no time getting right down to business.
"Dementors have been stationed at the gates to the school. They will be there until Sirius Black has been recaptured. I obviously am not happy…Miss Malfoy, are you alright?"
Samantha's face was deathly pale and she was clutching the arms of her chair. Again, the mere mention of Sirius Black's name had made her stomach turn. She desperately tried to get control of herself.
"Yes, I'm fine," she said in a shaky voice.
Dumbledore went on, detailing their duties for the year and what was expected of them.
"And lastly, you both will be in charge of planning the Graduation Ball," Dumbledore finished.
Samantha opened her navy eyes wider. Had she really blacked out on the whole conversation? She slid her eyes to Percy and heaved a relieved sigh when she saw that he had taken detailed notes, as always.
"That's all for now, I believe. Have you both settled in?"
Samantha and Percy both nodded.
"Excellent. Well, off you go. I know you both have a heavy course load this year, and I expect you want to head straight to bed."
Samantha stood from her seat so quickly that the chair rocked back on its legs. She steadied it quickly and with a final small smile at Dumbledore, fled from his office.
