Chapter Two: The Start of a New Year
Draco looked at his mother, who appeared deep in thought, ignoring everything
around her, very focused, it seemed, on the Weasley's, Potter, Granger, and the commotion
they were causing. Typical. Potter was always searching for attention. They disappeared
through the barrier to Platform 9 ¾, and he heard Narcissa sigh.
"Well, mother, I have to say 'goodbye' now," he said, hugging her.
"Bye, Draco. Have a nice ride to school, and be safe, please." She looked at him,
ostensibly worried.
"I'll be alright, don't worry," he said, trying to calm her.
"Okay, but I'll be in touch…"
"Bye mum." They hugged again, and he pushed the trolley carrying his things
through the barrier. He wondered what exactly his mother meant, when she'd said she'd be
in touch. There was something different about her voice, almost mysterious, as though she
was hiding something, or wanted him to guess a secret she had…
He was not afforded the opportunity to further ponder his thoughts, however, as the
whistle to the red steam engine of the Hogwarts Express rang out, and he hurried on the
train.
Draco wondered around, looking for a compartment, for what seemed like ages.
When he was almost to the end of the train, he stumbled across one containing Pansy
Parkinson and Millicent Bullstrode, who asked him in before he could turn away, unnoticed.
"Hello, Draco." Pansy batted her eyelashes at him, and played with a strand of hair
that had come loose from the tight bun most of it was slicked back into.
"Why don't you join us?" asked Millicent, as she leaned back in her seat, towards the
window, trying to look provocative.
He looked around fretfully. "Actually, I'm looking for Crabbe and Goyle, have you
seen either of them?" he asked with haste. He certainly did not want to get stuck with his
"fan club" for the remainder of the trip, because between the two of them, they probably
scarcely had two-thirds of a brain. The other third of which was likely split between his two
bodyguards. He chuckled.
Pansy mistook this for amusement and interest, and grabbed his hand. "No, we
haven't seen them, as a matter of fact, but why would you want the two of them, when
we're right here?" She pulled him down onto her lap.
This surprised him somewhat, but not completely, since she had been making
advances towards him ever since their second year. They had been welcomed up until this
point, when he had actually enjoyed the attention Pansy and her sidekick Millicent would
pay him, as though he was a king. This was a bit much, though, and at that moment he
decided he had to have some standards. So he looked at her, and said, "Listen, Pansy, I'm
sorry, but I really have to find Crabbe and Goyle, they… have the rest of my Transfiguration
homework, and if I don't get it back now, I may not see it before class. You know how
those two are." He paused and got up. "I'll see you later," and with that, he got up and
left.
As he walked looking for another compartment, thoughts again flooded his mind.
Why had he just been unresponsive to the offer of two perfectly… erm… okay, somewhat,
attractive girls, who would likely have done anything he wanted, given him anything he
could have asked for? Was it because he expected someone with something more? Deeply
pondering this, and obviously not paying much attention to where he was going, he bumped
into a girl in the middle of the corridor. She had long, chestnut colored locks that fell in
wavy layers almost to her waist. She was tall, though not as tall as he was, and thin, and
perfectly curvy, and would have been beautiful, had it not been for the fact that he missed
her face. She squeezed by him before he could even apologize, and he noted sobs coming
from her. 'She must have been very upset,' he thought. 'I wonder why she's crying...'
He continued through the train, and ran into Montague from the Slytherin Quidditch
team, who asked whether he'd practiced through the summer. They chatted some and
Draco found an empty compartment, in which he left his things. He continued searching for
his lost friends, aware that they may have passed him by when he was in another
compartment, but determined nonetheless.
When he reached the last compartment, he was greeted by the sight not of his
partners in crime, but of Potter and Weasley arguing furiously. He decided that rather than
interrupt, it would be far more interesting to listen in…
"Ron, you're such a git! How could you have said that to her? Are you mad?" came
a voice, likely Potter's.
Another voice, Weasley's, then responeded, "Harry, she needs to grow up, and
realize that just because--"
"You're not being fair, Ron--" Harry interrupted.
"She's the one that's not being fair! All this time, and now she says…" He was
yelling, but stopped, mid-sentence, as he had noticed Draco standing in the doorway.
"Quite an argument you two were having. I guess the honeymoon's over, huh?
Yeah, that's the trouble with people today," he said coolly.
"Shut up, Malfoy…" came Ron, whose face was as red as his hair, and starting to turn
a hue of purple.
"How original, Weasley. You know, insulting you is not even worth it unless the
mudblood is around. At least she can hurl insults properly." With that, he slammed the
door to the compartment shut.
An awkward silence followed in the compartment. "That was odd," said Harry, after
five minutes had passed, hoping Ron had cooled down.
"Yeah, it was, but did he…?"
"What? Hear all of what we said? I dunno. Doubt it, but I'm not sure." Harry tried
to maintain a cool demeanor, so that Ron would not worry or, worse yet, go after Malfoy
and grind him to a pulp.
"I hope not, Harry. That's all I need, for him to be going around spreading rumors
about me," he said, concern in his voice.
"Don't worry; I don't think he heard enough to…" At that moment, the train
stopped. 'Time to start another year at Hogwarts,' thought Harry. "It'll be okay." He
hoped the year would start alright, and that Malfoy had not overheard his friends' troubles.
Author's note
Yippee!!! Another chapter up!!! Thanks for reading… Okay, if you had a little trouble, the
first part of the chapter is Draco's POV, sort of, and then it's Harry's in the compartment,
when Draco leaves. I hope that clears up any questions you might have... So, what
troubles are Ron and Hermione having? Who was that girl Draco ran into? And where
exactly are Crabbe and Goyle? (no, I didn't kill them off, though that would be fun, wouldn't
it?!?!?) All to be answered in the next chapter (hopefully, except maybe the whole Crabbe
and Goyle thing, laughs evilly)... Read on...
E. Caddy Compson (persephoneia)