I finally unwind after an understated overwhelming 24 hours here at Hogwarts.
I lay down on my bed on my back with Hedwig perched on my forearm. I stroke the back of my fingers against her soft feathers. My pet owl, named by Hagrid, cocks her head to the side examining me with curious eyes.
Even though I requested a snake and owned enough money to buy an entire zoo's worth, I ended up with a puffy snow-white bird.
But, I had admittedly grown rather fond of her.
She was my new enchanted emotional support animal of sorts; brilliantly beautiful and soothing, while doubling as a flying postman.
Malfoy enters our room with the most enthusiasm I'd seen out of him since we met. "Stop sulking and get off your arse, Potter." He nears my bed tying a pine green tie over his collared black shirt. "We have the first-year initiation celebration to attend."
I assume the 'initiation celebration' was wizard-speak for 'freshman frat party: Hogwarts style'.
I roll my eyes at him simultaneously closing Hedwig's cage. "You already tormented and robbed me of my sleep last night," I grumble. "Wasn't that enough?"
Malfoy takes a seat on his bed across from me with a mischievous smirk. "If you wish to miss out on Granger dancing in a skin tight dress; suit yourself."
"Who's Granger?"
My roommate looks back at me as though I had just asked what equals two plus two.
"Hermione, you daft thing. The teacher's pet feeling you up in class earlier."
I shamelessly chuckle at the unexpected level of fierce directness in regards to Hermione. Trying to hide his jealousy with snarky remarks wasn't working on me either.
"Feeling me up?" I continue to laugh in his face. "Bloody hell Malfoy, I apologize for failing to remember the last name of the girl you fancy." I rise to my feet pulling a neatly folded dress shirt from my dresser before spinning back toward him. "Who is a Gryffindor, I might add."
"Shut up Potter," he lamely rebuttals. "Even worse, she's a muggle born; my kind doesn't settle for the like."
"Tell you what? I won't tell your kind who you fancy, then," I taunt. I slap him on the back just enough to leave a sting. "It'll just be another one of our little secrets."
Draco and I ascend through the towers, managing to make our way across the stairs which apparently move on their own bloody schedule.
It's completely silent throughout the castle and I'm pretty certain we're lost, but I decide not to question my temperamental roommate.
After wasting enough time simply waiting for the stairs to make up their damn mind, we ultimately reach a dead end.
We're faced with a large portrait of an overweight woman wearing what appeared to be a basket of fruit on her head.
Unlike the other lively portraits lining the walls, the fat lady is frozen in place with googly eyes that erratically inspect us.
"Why is she frozen like that?" I finally speak up. "Is that normal?"
"Don't get your knickers in a twist, Potter." Malfoy effortlessly swishes his wand at the door she's guarding, opening it with ease. "It's a harmless spell to shut her up."
A heavy explosion of music emerges from within the mysterious corridor.
"Hurry up." He aggressively shoves me into the dark hallway behind the door before quickly shutting it.
We walk into an enlarged living area identical to our own dormitory. The only difference is it's decked out in scarlet versus green, lions versus snakes, and.. it's not located in the bloody dungeons.
I had been informally introduced to the Gryffindor Common Room.
Students from various houses and classes mingle with one another holding assorted drinks and dancing. The near deafening music bounces off the walls and the thud of the bass rattles my chest.
Like us, the rest of the students made the wise decision of ditching those dreadful robes for the party.
Most of the blokes wear ties representing their house color, while the women wear colorful matching accessories to signify the same.
My eyes instantly target the familiar faces from across the room.
George has his arm around a Ravenclaw who's spinning tracks with her wand at a levitated DJ booth. Fred is doing magic tricks in the corner entertaining the newcomers. Ron is mid keg stand, with a squad of rowdy Gryffindor freshmen holding up both legs.
And Hermione..
Hermione's wearing, as promised by Malfoy, a skin tight white dress that perfectly complements her curves. A scarlet purse drapes over one of the sleeves to her dress that flowers over her shoulders. Her hair is in loose curls that reach past her chest and she's wearing light makeup.
I find myself dumbstruck at her provocative yet classy appearance.
As she nears, she waves directly at me - wait - maybe it was to Malfoy.
I promptly turn to him grasping his shoulder. "She's all yours, mate," I encourage with a firm head nod. He stares back at me pensively.
I didn't want to cock block my possessive roommate who clearly had his eyes on Hermione, despite his bullshit banter earlier.
So, I decide to go find Ron.
"And where do you think you're going?" Malfoy calls after me. I pretend to not hear him over the thumping bass.
I join the group of blokes surrounding the keg as Ron is helped down by his mates. He lets out an elongated belch while pounding his chest like an ape.
"Ron!" I shout over the music and chatter encircling us.
"Hey, Harry!" He throws an arm over my shoulders facing me toward his gang. "This is Seamus," he introduces pointing to him. "Neville, Dean.." Ron proceeds to list off their names before adding, "And they wanted to apologize for being snarky little gits in potions earlier. Isn't that right, you bloody lot?"
"Right," they agree in unison.
My eyebrows raise in contentment, frankly inspired by the clear leader of the Gryffindor freshmen.
Ron's friends were loyal to him, and I wanted to reciprocate his loyalty to me, despite the degradation we were bound to receive.
I was a loner. I already knew that.
But..
I no longer lived in the muggle world.
If I could manage to become the 'leader of Slytherin freshmen' myself, a cross-house friendship would be something progressive for our opposing houses.
Plus, I fancied the idea of becoming a leader.
Being respected while slightly intimidated at the same time. Sounds fun.
However, there was one problem. I had the feelingthat there already was a clear contender as commander of Slytherin.
And I happened to room with him.
I smirk while accepting Dean's hand shake as another bloke – Neville, I think it was? - tosses me a beer. We all cheers before shot gunning our brews. I hold the back of my palm flat against my lips struggling to swallow the remaining liquid down my throat.
After letting out quite the impressive belch myself, I pull Ron to the side.
"Speaking of earlier," I say letting out a sigh. "I wish it was just as easy to squeeze an apology out of.."
We peer across the crowd to Malfoy. He's standing in the middle of the dance floor socializing with a tribe of Slytherins.
And his eyes, understandably so, hadn't left Hermione.
"Don't waste your time, mate. It's Malfoy after all," Ron sneers. "Just be careful around him, Harry. His family is known for being.. well.. not very good. And you're one of the good ones."
Before we have the chance to continue our conversation, the music lowers and his brothers demand attention from the crowd.
"Alright you lot!" George hollers into his wand. He's accompanied by his twin on top of the levitated DJ booth. "It's time to play Spiffle!"
Everyone bursts into applause jumping up and down. The dance floor clears as the students disperse to the sidelines of the room.
"What's Spiffle?" I ask Ron.
Naturally being a competitive guy, I wanted to know how to play it, and I wanted to be brilliant at it.
"It's loads of fun. You hit the ball through one of four hoops. If the other team scores, you drink. Quite simple, really." He pats me on the back while pointing to each goal.
Ron recruits Seamus to join him on the opposing side of two Ravenclaws in our grade. "Watch and learn how it's done. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two."
Each team stands ground on the far ends of the room. I watch on in curiosity as a Hufflepuff approaches the stage. She whips her wand from her purse and makes her way to the center of the room.
Everyone is respectfully silent as if we were in the middle of a golf tournament waiting on her first swing.
"Spifflo Hooplian!" she powerfully yells, her wand directed at the basketball-sized hoops beneath her.
They immediately glow in different colors individually. One scarlet and gold, one green and silver, one blue and bronze, and one yellow and black representing the four houses.
Using her free arm as balance for the magic she was concocting, she raises the four hoops toward the ceiling with the help of her wand. They slowly begin to rotate around one another as the pace of their movement accelerates.
My mouth hangs open in awe closely watching the vibrant oscillating rings. Guiding my vision back to the floor, I notice each player is holding a mini plump baseball bat.
"Let the games begin!" the Hufflepuff shouts in excitement.
The students chatter and blaring music resumes to the same high level of volume as before.
I stand slack jawed, watching on in admiration as each side sends the golf sized ball soaring back and forth.
I'm playing such close attention I hadn't noticed Hermione's presence beside me. "Hello."
I jolt in place accidentally spilling a bit of beer on my shirt. "You have got to stop following me around and popping up on me," I tease with a smirk.
Hermione cringes as her eyes dart back and forth. "Sorry. I just figured.. since, you know.. we're both new."
"No, no. I was only joking." I chuckle shaking my head. "I enjoy your company, Hermione."
I say the last sentence speculatively scouting Malfoy across the crowd. I can't find him, but my eyes fall upon a woman that Fred was currently speaking to across the room.
A gorgeous one at that.
The busty girl with deep auburn hair is wearing a silky scarlet halter top. The blouse openly wraps around her mid-torso, highlighting her perfectly toned abs. Black jeans that fit her like spandex rise to her lower hips, and she's has on matching scarlet open toed high heels.
Based off her mature appearance and color of her outfit, I make an educated guess that she was an upperclassman Gryffindor.
Besides, I would have definitely noticed the sexy witch if she was in Slytherin by now.
I'm instantly enthralled.
There was something about her. She appears bubbly and cheerful; laughing at every single joke Fred was presumably cracking.
That bastard.
"Harry?" Hermione brings my line of vision back to her. I do one last double take before returning my attention.
"Some party huh?" I inwardly kick myself at the bland comment.
Was that really the best I could come up with?
I get a glimpse of her smile hidden against the brim of the cup held to her lip. Apparently she finds my awkwardness endearing.
Well at least that made one of us.
"You're quite the talk of town around town here," she notes with an arched brow.
"Don't remind me," I groan.
Hermione rolls her eyes with a smile. "Imagine the looks I'm getting as well," she empathizes. "I'm unsure whether being a muggle born is preferable for some."
I bite my tongue.
If only she had heard my roommate's snide remarks regarding 'her kind' earlier.
Besides, who cares if she's a muggle born? A muggle born, who by the way, seems more experienced in magic than the lot who've been practicing their whole lives.
"Cheers." I tilt my plastic cup clinking hers against mine. "I don't mind being an outcast with you; being pureblood is bloody boring anyhow."
Hermione gives me a flashy smile lightly swaying back and forth. She wraps a relaxed arm around her torso while taking a sip from her cup with her other hand.
"WATCH OUT!" the crowd suddenly shouts.
Hermione screams at the top of her lungs as I turn to find the Spiffle ball hurling toward the left side of her head.
Without much thought, I lunge my right hand forward catching the ball in between my fingers just inches from her face.
The entire room falls silent before bursting into the loudest cheer of the night. I casually toss the ball back toward Fred and George who stare back at me with both mouths hung agape.
"Oh, Harry! Thank you," Hermione cries. She throws her arms around my neck. "That was brilliant! Saved my bloody life."
In the heat of the moment, she grabs my jaw line and plants her lips on my cheek.
Our lips nearly touch.
The rambunctious students howl in response. I instinctively raise both hands in the air and break the half-lip-half-cheek kiss.
My cheeks flush as I rub the back of my neck. "Hermione, really, it was nothing."
The Weasleys come running toward us as the game comes to an abrupt halt. "Holy shit, that was brilliant!"
"How the bloody hell did you do that?!" Ron shouts in thorough dismay.
The spotlight was on me once more, yet this time around I didn't mind it so much.
I was quite enjoying it.
"I play lacrosse?" I offer shrugging my shoulders. "Fast reflexes I guess."
"Lacrosse?" George inquires.
Hermione turns to George, opening her mouth to answer him, before Fred hits him upside the head.
"Honestly, do you listen to a single word dad says? Lacrosse is the muggle quidditch, you twit."
George angrily rubs the back of his head before flicking his twin in the groin. They begin to wrestle each other, falling to the floor rolling back and forth.
Ron steps over his brothers unphased. "Quidditch tryouts begin tomorrow. You've got to try out, Harry. You'd be brilliant."
"You've got to," Hermione affirms with a reassuring smile. She wraps her arm in mine with an excited head nod.
I feel the excitement drain from my body as Malfoy storms through the crowd toward us with a pissed off look. "Well would you look at that, Potter?"
Crabapple and Gargoyle had made an unfortunate reappearance, waddling closely behind their master.
Malfoy stands with a confident widened stance and arms folded. "Looks as though you'll have competition for the seeker position."
"The what?" I casually unweave my arm from Hermione's, shoving both hands in my pockets.
I notice Malfoy tightly clench his jaw a few times as he eyes her. He wasn't eyeing her in the same manner as he was eye-fucking her previously. He looks thoroughly displeased.
"Good luck. The seeker position hasn't been given to a first-year in over a century," Hermione states-matter-of-factly. She places both fists on her hips with an assured smirk.
Malfoy doesn't take kind to this.
"Is that right? And how would a Mudblood such as yourself know that?"
Her cheery disposition drops into complete misery, Crabbe and Goyle snicker behind him uncontrollably, and the Weasleys angrily encircle Malfoy like a pack of wolves.
"What did you just say to her?" Ron aggressively bumps shoulders with him, gripping his wand in his back pocket.
Fred intervenes between Ron and Malfoy's intense stare down. He fans his hands up and down shaking his head at his brother. "He's not worth it, mate," he says to Ron as George slowly pulls him away.
I stand with my arms folding, watching the confrontation unfold as closely as I did the game of Spiffle. I wasn't sure what the bloody hell a Mudblood was, but I had the sneaking suspicion that it was nothing good.
Malfoy maintains a cocky stance with a pompous smile as he turns to his cackling daft groupies.
But his eyes, as they had been the whole night, stay glued to Hermione who dashes away from us.
"I'll catch up with you tomorrow," I mutter to Ron glaring at Malfoy.
I follow after her to get some answers. I race after her through the crowd as she approaches the girl's lavatory.
"Hermione wait!" The vigorous music drowns my voice out.
I chase after her as we venture further from the party. "Hermione!"
She finally hears me, stopping in place next to the vacant girls bathroom. She turns on her heels exposing lines of mascara trailing down her face. "Don't make this worse than it already is," she says in embarrassment.
"What're you talking about?" I place both hands on her shoulders. "Remember, I know just as little as – I mean- I know much less than you do in this world. I don't know what a-"
"A Mudblood is a loathsome, foul word to call a muggle born; someone like me." She sniffs back a few tears while straightening her posture.
"Right.. well, don't listen to him." I sigh. "I don't even know why I'm defending him, but the truth of the matter is; Malfoy fancies you."
Hermione scowls in disbelief.
"Or at the very least, he wants to shag you."
Her eyebrows shoot to the ceiling and an uncontrolled laugh escapes her lips at my unexpected comment. "Is that right?"
I smile back at her with a shrug as her face softens.
"Well you can tell Malfoy that I'm not interested."
My roommate had fucked up his shot and it was only the second day at Hogwarts. It was out of my hands now, and I truly cared for Hermione as a friend. She was talented, beautiful, and didn't have two buffoons trailing behind her at all times.
So I choose sides.
"Pleasure's all mine."
