* * *
The ride to Hogwarts was a very uneventful one. Draco passed the time in his empty compartment by taking out a big bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans that he had stuffed in the pocket of his robes before he departed for school that morning, and seeing how many times in a row he could toss one up in the air then catch it in his mouth. Peppermint being his favorite, he picked all those out first and started tossing.
By the time he was down to the last few beans, the outside sky had grown dark, and was spotted with stars. The train began slowing down, telling him that they were very close to Hogwarts. So Draco grabbed the last bean out of the bag, crumbled the bag and stuck it in his pocket. Just as he flipped the last bean into the air, a loud knock sounded on his compartment door, making him jump and choke on the honey flavored bean.
As his eyes watered and stung, he coughed violently, doubled up in discomfort. Red faced and still sputtering uncontrollably, he looked towards the door. Crabbe and Goyle were standing there without the slightest expression on their faces.
"You dolts!" Draco yelled as loudly as he could, "What are you trying to do, kill me?" As he resumed hacking he struggled over to the door and threw it open just as the train came to a complete halt.
"Get out of my way!" he snapped and pushed Crabbe and Goyle aside, his face even more crimson than before.
The hallway was filling with students all robed in black, laughing and shouting to one another, anticipating the new year that was about to begin.
As Draco finally made his way off the train and into the crisp, evening air his coughing finally stopped and he could breathe deeply once more. As he pulled his robes around himself, he noticed that all the students except for the first years were already loading into the carriages that were to take them to Hogwarts.
Seeing that almost all of them were already full and many had already begun to move, Draco raced for the nearest horseless carriage that had just begun to move. He grabbed the bar on the side, and swung himself up onto the red leather-covered seat. As he settled back into the cushion, he turned his head and gave a start.
"Oh, it's you, is it," he said unenthusiastically, addressing Ginny Weasley.
"You know something," Ginny said, sounding a bit more impatient than she had on the train earlier, "I would really like to know what I ever did to you, Draco."
"You were born a Weasley," Draco said simply and coldly, stubbornly refusing to look at her.
"That doesn't mean anything," Ginny protested persistently.
Draco sighed. Why wouldn't she just shut up? He was already annoyed about a great many things, he didn't want to deal with anything else right now, he had too much to think about, the main issue being how he was ever going to face his father again.
"I don't get it," Draco said finally, "I used to not have to talk to you, much less see you before. Now whenever I turn around, there you are!" he finished, throwing his arms up for effect.
"Maybe you just weren't paying attention," Ginny sniffed haughtily, not letting his words faze her, "You've just been focusing on other things."
"Like what?" Draco sneered, wondering what she could possibly say in answer to him.
"I don't know," Ginny said lightly, a hint of ice seeping into her tone, "Being rude to people, failing all your subjects, conversing with Pansy Parkinson."
Draco gaped at her. "How did you know that I was failing everything?" he asked in amazement.
"I didn't!" Ginny cried, outraged, "I was just using it as an example!"
"Oh," Draco said, a hint of pink creeping into his icy cheeks, "Well, how did you know about Pansy then?"
Now it was Ginny's turn to gape. "Any complete idiot can see that you fancy her, Draco," Ginny said like she was talking to a rather dim child, "You two are always together. In class, at meals, during Hogsmeade visits…"
"All right, I get it," Draco said shortly, silencing her, "So what? What's it to you? Why do you suddenly care who I hang around with, especially if it's someone as sniveling, dull and monotonous as Pansy?"
Ginny looked at him, doubt wrinkling her forehead. "If she's so horrible, why are you with her so much?" she asked, genuinely confused.
Draco shrugged. "Because her father is a friend of my father, I suppose," he said.
Ginny's eyes widened. "But my father was a fr-"she began forcefully, but stopped in mid sentence and looked the other way.
Draco glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. What was she talking about? Did she almost just say what he thought? Was she insane or something? Suddenly, he felt very uncomfortable in her presence and hoped that the carriage would stop soon.
"Look, Weasley," he said quietly, "I don't know what you are on about lately, but let me give you some advice. I'll leave you alone willingly if you stay away from me. I have other things to worry about besides a crazy redheaded girl who thinks she knows more than she actually does."
As Ginny faced him once more he was surprised to see that she was crying, wet patches on her freckled cheeks.
"You don't even know, do you?" she sobbed, half crying, half screeching, "You have no idea what it's like! I would have thought you'd know! Your father must!"
Draco was getting very nervous. Whatever Ginny was so upset about definitely had to do with the Malfoy family, namely Dracos father. It seemed quite impossible to Draco that anything to do with the Weasleys would have anything to do with the Malfoys, but all the same, he would feel better once he talked to his father again. But that might not be until Christmas, Draco thought, irritated. Maybe he could convince his father to come down to the school, or arrange to meet him on the first Hogsmeade visit.
But in the meantime, Draco mused, uncomfortably looking over at Ginny, I think I'll stay as far away from her as I possibly can.
The carriage lurched to a stop and Draco hopped out as a quick as a jackrabbit.
"But something tells me that is going to be a whole lot harder than it sounds," he whispered to himself as a light rain began to fall from the velvet black sky.
* * *
The inside of the entry hall in Hogwarts seemed exceptionally bright and warm compared to the now dismally black sky that was producing a heavy rainfall.
Draco took hold of his long sleeve and wrung it out onto the stone floor being careful to let the water slosh over a fifth year Ravenclaw's shoe. She gave him a dirty look. Draco grinned.
Professor McGonagall, looking severe in her usual hairstyle of a tight bun, greeted them formally. Then the doors to the Great Hall opened, revealing the splendor of the glittering plates and goblets.
Draco noticed that Crabbe and Goyle had suddenly stopped looking lost and had raced through the doors to the Slytherin table. The only time Draco ever saw them run was when there was food involved.
He finger-combed his sleek hair, trying to shake some of the water out of it, then slinked over to his seat at the center of the long Slytherin table.
He nodded to his year mate, Blaise, who nodded back smiling.
"Draco!" Blaise said from across the table, "How goes it, mate? I didn't hear from you all summer. Usually our dads get together and play billiards, drink a glass of expensive champagne and plot the destruction of people and what not."
Draco chuckled. "My father does that every day, sometimes with more than one glass of champagne."
Blaise laughed just as Professor Dumbledore rose from the head table and began to speak.
"My dear students," he called, his wispy voice echoing of the walls, "Today begins another year for you at Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardy. As you all know, we are experiencing some rather unfortunate events in the wizarding world at this time since the Dark Lord has risen again. Do not be alarmed however, for Hogwarts is one of the safest places you can be."
Draco wondered if Dumbledore remembered what had happened five years ago when Voldemort had come back in the form of a memory inside the very walls of Hogwarts.
"I don't want to stand here any longer and delay your meal," Dumbledore said with a twinkle in his eye as he looked over the faces of the hungry students. "So first, the sorting!" he shouted enthusiastically.
Blaise and Draco both groaned.
"I'm so hungry I could eat someone," Draco moaned, rubbing his empty stomach, "Oh look, a nice plump Hufflepuff. Where's my fork?"
* * *
Ginny watched as Professor McGonagall led the line of first years down to the head of the hall. All of them looked very nervous, as she had been on her first day at Hogwarts.
As McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the stool, Ginny heard a whispered conversation creep into her ears.
"But he is absolutely gorgeous!" a high, giggly voice sounded, making Ginny raise her eyebrows.
Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil were at it again. The resident gossip queens of Hogwarts. The only girl who could rival their unflinching love of potential slander that could ruin someone's reputation was Pansy Parkinson.
"If only he were a bit nicer," Lavender sighed, stretching her neck and trying to get a better look at someone across the hall.
Ginny followed Lavenders gaze. She seemed to be looking at the Slytherin table.
"Who are you talking about?" Ginny hissed at Lavender and Pavarti, who looked at her indignantly like she had been butting in on an exclusively private conversation.
"Draco Malfoy, of course," Pavarti said in disbelief, as though anyone who didn't think Draco was handsome was either blind or dead.
Ginny wrinkled her brow and looked over at the Slytherin table. Draco was sitting across from Blaise Zabini, the two of them conversing in low whispers.
"Don't you think he is just completely wonderful?" Lavender sighed dreamily.
"He could use an attitude adjustment," Ginny scoffed.
"He could use a girlfriend," Pavarti said adoringly, batting her eyelashes.
"He's probably gay," Ginny said grumpily, turning her attention back to the sorting and ignoring the alarmed looks Pavarti and Lavender were giving her.
* * *
"Flarestone, Dominic!" Professor McGonagall called, and a small boy with dark brown hair walked up to the stool and timidly put the sorting hat on his head. After a few moments, the rip in the hat opened to shout, "Slytherin!"
Draco clapped unenthusiastically as Dominic joined their table and sat on the far end near the head table.
"Anyway, Draco," Blaise said, ignoring the rest of the sorting that was going on, "Did you see Pansy over the summer at all? Or did you just shut yourself up in your Manor from June until August?"
"Naw, didn't see Pansy," Draco said shortly, "Good thing too. Every time I'm around her I feel like strangling myself to put me out of my misery."
"Well then, I suggest you get your noose ready."
Draco looked around, confused. Pansy had left her seat a little further down and was slinking towards him, a huge grin plastered all over her pug face.
"Draco!" she whispered loudly as McGonagall began on the M's, "Hi!"
"Uh, hi Pansy," Draco said dryly, ignoring Blaise who was doing an impression of a person strangling themselves, hands clamped firmly around his own neck.
"It's so good to see you again!" she said a little too brightly, trying to push everyone who was sitting next to Draco aside.
"Watch it Parkinson," growled Raquel, a black haired seventh year Slytherin who had been seated to the left of Draco. Raquel had grabbed a hold of Pansy's arm as Pansy had tried to shove her to make room on the bench, and she was looking at her with an expression that told Pansy if she touched her again she would be impaled upon something very sharp.
Pansy looked at her, nose in the air. She snatched her arm away from her captures grip and stalked away huffily as McGonagall began on the very last of the names.
"Thanks," Draco said gratefully to Raquel.
"Don't mention it," the girl said, "It's not like I wanted that little piece of fluff hanging around next to me all through dinner. I'd like to be able to eat without listening to her prattle."
And with one last shout of "Ravenclaw!" into which sandy-haired Lauren Ari was sorted, Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll of names and sat back down at her place behind the head table.
Professor Dumbledore stood once again and raised his arms.
"And without any further delay," he shouted, "Let the feast begin!"
There was a loud gasp from all the first years as the golden plates and goblets were suddenly filled with food and drink.
"Yes!" Blaise shouted over the immense noise that was swelling up wonderfully in the huge room.
Draco grinned and grabbed a huge chicken leg off of the plate in front of him as he scooped a huge helping of mashed potatoes with his other. As he took a bite of the chicken leg he noticed that Crabbe and Goyle hadn't even bothered to fill their own plates with food off the platters, but had simply pulled the platters towards themselves and were now eating straight off the enormous dishes.
"I forgot how good food tasted," Draco mumbled through a mouthful of carrots, "I was ready to seriously consider a Hufflepuff ritual roasting."
"Maybe we could turn it into a Pansy roast instead," Blaise chuckled, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
Blaise and Draco both looked over at Pansy. She was sitting moodily at her place, barely touching her plate of food. Mandy, another Slytherin was sneaking Pansy's pineapple slices off the sulking girls' plate with a smirk on her face while Pansy wasn't looking.
"Hm, no thanks," Draco said thoughtfully, in between bites of sausage, "I don't like my meat to have a bad attitude, it makes it taste terrible."
* * *