Notebook: Chapter One
September First, 1991 -- The Hogwart's Express
'09/01/91
Dear notebook,
I'm so glad to finally be away from Mother and Father! I think I was going insane in that house. But now I'm free.
Apparently Harry Potter is on the school train - He's starting Hogwart's this year, too. Draco -- Who is currently buying food off the trolley to stuff his pointy face with -- Is very eagar to make friends with this boy. I can't think why, though. It's all Harry Potter's fault that -'
"What are you writing, Pansy Parkinson?" Draco Malfoy said suddenly, looking up from the pumpkin pasties in front of him. Pansy snapped her diary shut and stowed it safely in her already too-full trunk. Draco may have become her best friend during the time since they'd first met, but some things were still private.
"Oh, it's nothing -- Mother bought it for me as a gift for starting at Hogwarts," Pansy said, trying to sound bored. Truthfully, she loved the little book. It was nothing special -- just a plain, dark red coloured notebook, but she thought it was quite pretty. "She should have gotten one with a lock, honestly, considering I have such nosy friends," she added with a half-smile.
Draco swallowed a rather large bite of pumpkin pasty.
"Why, forgive me for being such a concerned, caring friend, Miss Parkinson," he joked, but with a touch of indignation in his voice. Pansy gave a genuine smile now. She was fond of Draco when he acted like this. As conceited, spoiled and impertinent as her friend was, he had his amusing moments.
"So," he said in what he obviously hopes was a careless voice, and examined his fussily-cleaned fingernails "I wonder what this Potter boy is like, don't you?" He was trying desperately to sound casual. and was failing quite miserably.
"You've said that four times already since we got on the train, Draco. Why don't you just go and find out what he's like for yourself?"
Draco drew himself up, looking haughty.
"A Malfoy," he bgain, sounding like he was repeating a lecture he had heard many times before, "Does not make the first move. He never -- Oh, all right! You've twisted my arm. I'll go," He muttered, and slammed out of the compartment. Pansy could hear his voice as he walked down the corridor outside, calling for his friends Crabbe and Goyle, to join him. When she was satisfied that Draco was going to stay out of the compartment for a while, she opened her trunk and took out her notebook again.
'-- It's all Harry Potter's fault that Mother and Father got into trouble with the Ministry of Magic years ago, after the Dark Lord fell. It took a lot of convincing before the Ministry would trust them -- And Mr and Mrs Malfoy -- again.
I hope I'm in Slytherin. Draco is perfectly sure that he will be -- And I agree, he will. But I don't know if I'm ambitious enough to be in Slytherin myself. All the best people are, though, my Father said. He'll be so annoyed at me if I'm not... Imagine if I were Sorted into Hufflepuff! I'm ashamed just thinking about that. Oh please, please let me be in Slytherin.
Oh -- Draco's back. And he looks annoyed. Oh, no.'
Draco and his two friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, had just entered Pansy's compartment. Pansy, putting her notebook and quill away once again, noticed that Goyle was frowning and rubbing his hand.
Draco, his cheeks faintly flushed, slumped down on a bench with no trace of his usual dignity.
"Stupid Potter... Insult me?... Didn't want to be friends with him anyway," he muttered, half to himself. Pansy looked concerned.
"What happened?"
"That git completely rejected my offer of friendship. He obviously doesn't know how much power we Malfoy's hold," Malfoy seemed genuinely surprised that someone would not want to be friends with a Malfoy. He ran his hand through his fair hair and continued, "And then his friend -- A Weasley, no less -- set his rat on Goyle!"
Goyle grunted and rubbed his hand again. Pansy considered what Draco had just said, and looked disgusted.
"A Weasley? I've heard Father talk about them. I can't believe anyone would want to be friends with such Muggle-lovers!" Draco snorted.
"Apparently Harry Potter would. And that dirty great rat! You should set Celestina on him,'
Pansy smiled fondly at the grey cat asleep on the carraige floor. Celestina -- named for her mother's favourite singer -- belonged to her entire family, but she had been permitted to take the cat to Hogwarts with her to keep her company. Celestina was a very old, very bad-tempered cat, but Pansy liked her -- Though she doubted Celestina would ever take orders from anyone, let along her master and mistresses daughter.
She was about to say as much when a loud female voice echoed around the carriage, announcing that they would be arriving at Hogsmeade in a few minutes, and that the students were to leave their luggage on the train. After Crabbe and Goyle left to go back to their compartment, Pansy carefully put the still sleeping cat into it's carry cage.
"You don't need Harry Potter, anyway, Draco," she said, trying to cheer her friend up.
Instead of looking happier, Draco scowled and snarled at Pansy.
"Of course I don't! What do you mean by that, do you think I don't know it already?"
"Calm down, Draco, I'm just trying to be nice," Pansy said, coming to her own defense. She hated Draco's sudden moodswings. She felt like she had to walk on eggshells around him.
"I can't believe you even convinced me to go and talk to him, anyway. A Malfoy never makes the first move, a Malfoy never makes the first move..."
Draco, muttering to himself, slammed out of the compartment, probably to join Crabbe and Goyle again. Pansy stared blankly at the door. It seemed like Draco was always doing this -- Why was he so bad-tempered? Sighing, she drew her notebook out of her trunk again.
'We're nearly at Hogwarts! I'm so nervous, I can barely write clearly. My hands are shaking. What if I've forgotten something? What if no one likes me? Draco will be my friend, of course, but what it no-one else will? Oh, I'm too nervous to write. Goodbye for now, notebook.'
September First, 1991 -- The Hogwart's Express
'09/01/91
Dear notebook,
I'm so glad to finally be away from Mother and Father! I think I was going insane in that house. But now I'm free.
Apparently Harry Potter is on the school train - He's starting Hogwart's this year, too. Draco -- Who is currently buying food off the trolley to stuff his pointy face with -- Is very eagar to make friends with this boy. I can't think why, though. It's all Harry Potter's fault that -'
"What are you writing, Pansy Parkinson?" Draco Malfoy said suddenly, looking up from the pumpkin pasties in front of him. Pansy snapped her diary shut and stowed it safely in her already too-full trunk. Draco may have become her best friend during the time since they'd first met, but some things were still private.
"Oh, it's nothing -- Mother bought it for me as a gift for starting at Hogwarts," Pansy said, trying to sound bored. Truthfully, she loved the little book. It was nothing special -- just a plain, dark red coloured notebook, but she thought it was quite pretty. "She should have gotten one with a lock, honestly, considering I have such nosy friends," she added with a half-smile.
Draco swallowed a rather large bite of pumpkin pasty.
"Why, forgive me for being such a concerned, caring friend, Miss Parkinson," he joked, but with a touch of indignation in his voice. Pansy gave a genuine smile now. She was fond of Draco when he acted like this. As conceited, spoiled and impertinent as her friend was, he had his amusing moments.
"So," he said in what he obviously hopes was a careless voice, and examined his fussily-cleaned fingernails "I wonder what this Potter boy is like, don't you?" He was trying desperately to sound casual. and was failing quite miserably.
"You've said that four times already since we got on the train, Draco. Why don't you just go and find out what he's like for yourself?"
Draco drew himself up, looking haughty.
"A Malfoy," he bgain, sounding like he was repeating a lecture he had heard many times before, "Does not make the first move. He never -- Oh, all right! You've twisted my arm. I'll go," He muttered, and slammed out of the compartment. Pansy could hear his voice as he walked down the corridor outside, calling for his friends Crabbe and Goyle, to join him. When she was satisfied that Draco was going to stay out of the compartment for a while, she opened her trunk and took out her notebook again.
'-- It's all Harry Potter's fault that Mother and Father got into trouble with the Ministry of Magic years ago, after the Dark Lord fell. It took a lot of convincing before the Ministry would trust them -- And Mr and Mrs Malfoy -- again.
I hope I'm in Slytherin. Draco is perfectly sure that he will be -- And I agree, he will. But I don't know if I'm ambitious enough to be in Slytherin myself. All the best people are, though, my Father said. He'll be so annoyed at me if I'm not... Imagine if I were Sorted into Hufflepuff! I'm ashamed just thinking about that. Oh please, please let me be in Slytherin.
Oh -- Draco's back. And he looks annoyed. Oh, no.'
Draco and his two friends, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, had just entered Pansy's compartment. Pansy, putting her notebook and quill away once again, noticed that Goyle was frowning and rubbing his hand.
Draco, his cheeks faintly flushed, slumped down on a bench with no trace of his usual dignity.
"Stupid Potter... Insult me?... Didn't want to be friends with him anyway," he muttered, half to himself. Pansy looked concerned.
"What happened?"
"That git completely rejected my offer of friendship. He obviously doesn't know how much power we Malfoy's hold," Malfoy seemed genuinely surprised that someone would not want to be friends with a Malfoy. He ran his hand through his fair hair and continued, "And then his friend -- A Weasley, no less -- set his rat on Goyle!"
Goyle grunted and rubbed his hand again. Pansy considered what Draco had just said, and looked disgusted.
"A Weasley? I've heard Father talk about them. I can't believe anyone would want to be friends with such Muggle-lovers!" Draco snorted.
"Apparently Harry Potter would. And that dirty great rat! You should set Celestina on him,'
Pansy smiled fondly at the grey cat asleep on the carraige floor. Celestina -- named for her mother's favourite singer -- belonged to her entire family, but she had been permitted to take the cat to Hogwarts with her to keep her company. Celestina was a very old, very bad-tempered cat, but Pansy liked her -- Though she doubted Celestina would ever take orders from anyone, let along her master and mistresses daughter.
She was about to say as much when a loud female voice echoed around the carriage, announcing that they would be arriving at Hogsmeade in a few minutes, and that the students were to leave their luggage on the train. After Crabbe and Goyle left to go back to their compartment, Pansy carefully put the still sleeping cat into it's carry cage.
"You don't need Harry Potter, anyway, Draco," she said, trying to cheer her friend up.
Instead of looking happier, Draco scowled and snarled at Pansy.
"Of course I don't! What do you mean by that, do you think I don't know it already?"
"Calm down, Draco, I'm just trying to be nice," Pansy said, coming to her own defense. She hated Draco's sudden moodswings. She felt like she had to walk on eggshells around him.
"I can't believe you even convinced me to go and talk to him, anyway. A Malfoy never makes the first move, a Malfoy never makes the first move..."
Draco, muttering to himself, slammed out of the compartment, probably to join Crabbe and Goyle again. Pansy stared blankly at the door. It seemed like Draco was always doing this -- Why was he so bad-tempered? Sighing, she drew her notebook out of her trunk again.
'We're nearly at Hogwarts! I'm so nervous, I can barely write clearly. My hands are shaking. What if I've forgotten something? What if no one likes me? Draco will be my friend, of course, but what it no-one else will? Oh, I'm too nervous to write. Goodbye for now, notebook.'
