Chapter 4) A Worrisome Journey
Selected Listening: Hannah Hunt- Vampire Weekend
The next day, Anastasia woke up early and intercepted the Daily Prophet for Hermione, giving the owl a coin and shutting the pane as it hopped out the window. She opened the paper on the floor to its full size and began scanning the articles for information Narcissa might have slipped to the press.
There was nothing about her. Nothing yet.
Hermione and Anastasia arrived at Kings Cross at about the same time as all the other Hogwarts students. The platform was packed with people trying to get on the train. When they finally made it beyond the brick wall, they climbed onto the train with their trunks and walked down the line of compartments until they found Ginny.
"Good morning!" Anastasia said as she and Hermione shuffled into the compartment. Ginny stuffed a black book into her robe.
"It's okay, Ginny. Reading is encouraged at school," Hermione said laughingly. Ginny simply blushed. Anastasia wondered why the girl was sitting alone, and not off finding new first year friends, but the thought escaped her as the girls settled in and the twins joined them.
"We're so late, everywhere else is full up," Fred said.
"Mum really cut it close this year," said George.
"Where's Harry and Ron?" Anastasia asked.
"They were right behind us," said Fred.
But another five minutes later, and the train whistle blew, and the wheels began moving.
"What? Where are they?" Hermione panicked.
"Don't get you knickers in a twist, they must have found a seat somewhere else," George said, but even Ginny was starting to look worried.
"We need to go look for them," Anastasia said, put her book down and got up from her chair.
"They're probably fine!" Fred insisted. Hermione looked at the older boys.
"Have you even considered who you're talking about?" She asked. The twins stared at each other for a second before rising from their seats.
"Fine, we'll go this way, and you girls can go that way," George said, pointing to the left and then the right. They exited the compartment and closed the door behind them so no one would bother their things. Then the girls headed towards the back of the train, peeking in each compartment window.
But at each compartment they stopped at, they couldn't find the boys. Anastasia opened one door to find the Slytherin second years staring back at her. Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, Bulstrode, Pershore, and of course Draco.
"Um, sorry to bother you. Have any of you seen Harry or Ron?" Anastasia asked. The two girls sneered at her and whispered.
"It's that mudblood who thinks she can do alchemy," Pansy snickered.
"I bet she was faking it," said Bulstrode.
"Term hasn't even started, yet and Potter's already gotten himself lost? Maybe if we're lucky, he'll stay that way." Draco joked, pretending as if he hadn't heard the girls. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled obediently.
"Never mind," Anastasia said, and shut the door. She tried to keep a straight face even though the Slytherins' comments upset her. She didn't really understand why Draco hated Harry so much, but his blatant jerkiness was starting to irk her.
"We're going to go back, they're not here," Hermione said. They had made it to the end of the train.
"Maybe Fred and George had better luck." Ginny said and the three headed back towards their seats.
But as they walked, Anastasia heard the compartment door behind her open and shut again.
"Green." A voice whispered behind her, "Green!"
Anastasia turned around to see Draco trying to sneak up behind her. They ducked into the hallway between train cars and tucked into the corner.
"What?" she asked. "Why are you talking to blood filth like me?"
"Look, I'm sorry about my father's comments, and the girls. They don't know you're not a mudblood," he said, whispering the last word, and then peeked to look behind her head, "you're doing something different with your hair."
The year before, Draco had managed to discover that she wasn't a muggleborn witch, but he still didn't know anything else about her. At least, she hoped he didn't. She wasn't sure how much his mother had overheard the day before, or how much she would be willing to tell her family.
"That's not the point," Anastasia said, grabbing the end of her ponytail, "no one should be using those terms at all…you said different, is different good?"
"I don't have time to argue. The inhalers you gave me before summer worked. And yes, your hair looks good," he said. It was almost as if someone forced the last part out of him.
"Well thank you…" she said, head reeling from both the compliment and the implication of what he was saying. Neither of them had any fainting spells all summer.
"The thing is, I'm completely out of medication," Draco admitted nervously.
"Out? Already?" Anastasia stared in disbelief. She had given him three half-full containers.
"Yeah, well, I was training for Quidditch tryouts, and I kind of used more than I planned," he smiled nervously. "But you can get some more for me, right?"
Anastasia stared at him in bewilderment. He expected her to keep stealing for him. It took her a moment to gain enough presence of mind to continue.
"I lucked out those first times," she explained, "I took what was there at the end of the year. It's not like there's been students losing inhalers over summer break." She put a hand on her hip and sank into her stance.
"Over summer break? You've been at school over summer break?" He asked, eyes narrowing. Anastasia's face flushed from her slip of the tongue. She backtracked.
"No, no, I mean in general. There's no one at school to lose things in July and August. I'll have nothing to take."
"Alright fine," he said. "How long do you think it will take for the lost and found to fill up?"
"Shouldn't you talk to your parents to fill your prescription?" she asked. "This is ridiculous. They know you could die, right?"
Draco sighed as if she were asking a stupid question.
"I could lose my inheritance if mum fills that prescription. I would be completely disowned. It's part of the Malfoy family wards. They're magically binding, and the goblins check our bank statements," he stressed.
Anastasia rolled her eyes.
"Well, I'm sorry you won't get your mansion and piles of gold. Anyway, I don't know if I can help you this year," she snapped.
"Fine, what do you want?" he asked, hand going for his pocket, "I'll pay you."
"I don't need payment. Find your own bloody prescription!" she said.
"What are you two doing out here?" Percy asked as he stepped in. His prefect's badge glinted on his robes.
"None of your business, Weasley," Draco shot.
"Go to your compartments, now," he said.
"Fine by me," Anastasia said and left the opposite direction.
"October." Draco said and went the other way.
"What's he talking about?" Percy asked with goody-two-shoes interest.
"Nothing, it's nothing," Anastasia said and went back to join the others.
As soon as the door was closed, Anastasia looked around at the confused faces of Hermione, Ginny, and the twins.
"You didn't find them either?" she asked. The twins shook their heads.
"They aren't here, I swear they were right behind us. Weren't they Georgie?"
"Course they were, Fred."
"Um…there they are," Ginny said, pointing out the window.
They followed the line of her finger to a flying blue car, hovering a few feet away from the train.
"Oh my god," Hermione said.
"Wicked!" the twins shouted.
Anastasia ran outside the door and found Percy.
"Percy, you have to come here, now, please!" she dragged him back towards their compartment.
"I have a meeting in the prefects cart!" He resisted, but eventually followed her. "What, what is it?" He asked as he reached the entryway.
But the car had vanished.
"Where'd it go?" Anastasia asked.
"We lost them under the last bridge," said Hermione.
"Harry and Ron stole dad's car and are trying to fly it to school," Ginny said. The twins scrambled to cover her mouth in time, and she mumbled as they did so.
"Haha! Very funny," Percy said, "Already starting with the pranks this year, eh, Fred? George?"
"You wish," they said at the same time. Percy wasn't bothered by their comment.
"Well, I'll entertain you later than. I'm off to my meeting! McGonagall said first ones there have first pick of patrol hours!"
And Percy left with a giddy step.
"Some help he was," Hermione whined.
The rest of the trip they sat, awkwardly craning out the windows, hoping they would see heads or tails of the boys. Fred and George made horrid jokes about finding them splat on the side of a cliff. Ginny cringed. Hermione fretted all the way.
"They're going to lose us points before we even get there! Is it possible to have negative points?" she worried.
Anastasia could only shrug. She was still worrying about her own situation. Having to tell her father that they slipped information to the Malfoys. Praying to Merlin that Narcissa didn't tell the Daily Prophet. And wondering how in the hell she was going to help Draco get his medication this year, or even if she should.