She stood on the platform, luggage in hand. Students rushed past her, frantically trying to board the train before it blew its whistle, signaling its departure. She gazed admiringly at the red steam engine before her, then confidently made her way on to the train.
Passing carriage after carriage, she found the one she was looking for. Draco Malfoy sat inside, chatting rather one-sidedly with his two sidekicks, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. She slid open the door with a click, and the three boys turned towards her.
"May I sit here?" She gestured to the seat beside Malfoy.
"Who are you?" He replied, raising an eyebrow. She had expected this from him. He wouldn't sit next to anyone other than a Pureblood Slytherin if he could help it.
"What does it matter? I just want to sit down." She retorted. He crossed his arms.
"Then I don't think you can sit here. I believe this seat is taken."
"I will sit in this seat. Nothing can stop me." She smiled sweetly. She saw Malfoy pull out his wand from the corner of her eye, and before he could hex her, she put a shield charm around herself. His eyes widened as she sat down next to him.
"Who are you?! You obviously don't know who I am! My father will hear about this!" Malfoy exclaimed angrily, his face red. Valentina chuckled.
"Oh, I know who you are, Draco Malfoy. Trust me when I say I don't care if your father hears about this." She stared right at him, knowing she was making him feel uncomfortable.
"Who are you?!" He asked once again, getting worried this time. She smiled warmly.
"My name is Valentina Riddle. I'm a 6th year exchange student from America." She held her hand out for him to shake. He took it, shaking it slowly.
"Hello." Malfoy replied, cautiously. Then, he winced, grabbing his left forearm. She got an idea.
"My father must be angry." She said, looking at Draco with concern. His eyebrows knitted in confusion.
"Why?"
"Well, your mark is hurting. It's kind of obvious."
"Why would my mark hurt if... Oh Merlin. You're his daughter." His eyes widened in fear and shock as he inched away from her, still holding his arm. She laughed prettily, her eyes sparkling.
"So you are smart!"
"Uh... Sure?" He said, nervously. She laughed again.
"No need to be so shy! I don't bite like my father!"
"Okay..." Draco replied, not sure what to say. He still felt uncomfortable. The amount of power radiating from her made him nervous.
"Friends?" She asked, hopefully. Draco shrugged.
"Sure. Friends." They shook hands again.
After an hour of talking, Draco came to the realization that she wasn't as scary as she seemed. She had an oddly normal sense of humor and was very kind. Time after time, he would catch himself admiring her sparkling blue eyes as she spoke, daydreaming about what she would be like as a girlfriend. He would mentally slap himself every time, reminding himself that she was the Dark Lord's daughter and completely out of bounds. When the train stopped, she stood up, waved goodbye, and walked out of the compartment with her luggage. Draco's eyes followed her as she followed the first years to the boats.
"I'll get you some day, Valentina Riddle. Just you wait and see." He whispered, watching her settle into a boat as they started to move across the lake. "Just you wait and see."