Draco Malfoy made his way past the other tables to the Gryffindor table. Gliding behind Hermione, he spat at her. "Dirty little mudblood scum." he whispered in her ear, disgust filling his face.
"Lay off her," Harry warned.
"Or what?"
"Or you might end up like you did on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of the summer," Ron spoke as if explaining something terribly complicated to a little child.
"Weasel . . . back again? I'm surprised . . . ," Draco drawled.
"Why?" Ron snapped.
"Don't be a bloody idiot Weasley. It's not like your mum can afford to send you here. Look at your robes! I can see your bloody knickers. You might as well come in your nuddy-pants."
"LEMME AT HIM 'ARRY! LEMME AT HIM!" Ron burst out, diving at Draco.
"Ron, don't bother with a bloody arse like him. You can't do anything to him while McGonagall is around anyway." Harry pointed out, pulling Ron back to the table,
"Come on Ron," Hermione pleaded, "It's the first day back."
"You're right,"Ron sat back down, however grudgingly. "He's not worth it."
Draco sneered at them then headed for his own table.
That night, Draco was walking down to the Slytherin dungeons when something on the floor caught his eye. He went over and squatted so he could get a look at it. It was shaped like a U, mostly black with red tips. It looked harmless enough so he picked it up. He began to turn the object over in his hands when suddenly he felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet no longer touched the ground and his hand felt stuck to the object as he sped forward in a howl of wind and swirling color.
Just as quickly as it had started, he felt his feet slam onto the ground. He staggered as his surroundings came into focus. "Must have been a portkey," he swore.
He was outside; there were a lot of fruit trees; two large, strange objects; in one corner was a tree house in a giant eucalyptus. He was about to reach out and pick a ripe peach that looked very tasty when a loud rustle of dried twigs crunching underfoot made him freeze in mid-movement.
There was someone coming.