J K Rowling has too much money. She should pay me to ghost write for her – capture an older audience, har har.

Warning: Slash eventually, but still working up to it.

Ch. 3: The Explosive Journey

The Gryffindors managed to board the train without any further incident, careful not to say anything about Malfoy until they had retired into a cabin away from the Slytherins. On one side Hermione sat between Ron and Luna, who had managed to appear relatively unnoticed; on the other side Harry sat between Neville and Dean. Seamus stood leaning against the door, unwilling to miss this conversation... though no one seemed to know what to say.

Ron, ever one for stating the obvious, finally voiced what was on everyone's minds. "That was damn freaky."

Everyone nodded, though Hermoine rolled her eyes. "Why'd you provoke him like that? He was obviously out of sorts."

Ron frowned, the blustered defensively. "At first it was just for a laugh, he's always been such a arsehole. But then there was that blood on his teeth..." Ron shivered. "It was a reflex, I panicked. He's a fucking Death Eater for fuck's sake!"

"Well, his initiation must've knocked a few screws loose to make him show up like that," Dean commented.

"Maybe it was some kind of survival test," Neville suggested. "I had to do something like that once, and I was almost as dirty by the end. Though I didn't lose so much weight."

"Why did everyone think he was dead?," Harry interrupted, assuming that he had missed some news from earlier in the summer.

"That stuff tends to happen to Malfoys," Seamus blurted out, receiving a peeved look from Hermione for usurping her role as information source. "I read in the Daily Prophet that they're always getting assassinated and disappearing, usually by some distant relative who wants to get their hands on some of their fortune. It's all backstabbing and devious."

"It's true," Hermione added, determined to add her two cents. "I read the same article. Malfoy – our Malfoy – even had an older brother who supposedly disappeared. His body was found four years later by none other than his younger brother. Lucius Malfoy also had an older sister that disappeared, though her body was never found."

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. The whole family is rotten," Ron said with distaste.

Luna was about to comment, but a loud commotion distracted everyone. Seamus opened the door and peeked out. "Oh Merlin, he's at it again!"

Everyone tried to cram through the door at once, to get a better view, but only Seamus, Ron, and Harry managed to get into the corridor before there was no room for the others to follow (most of the other cabins also had also sent out delegates to see what was going on). Sure enough, further down the train Malfoy could be seen brawling with two seventh year Hufflepuffs. All three were on the ground, struggling and yelling obscenities. Ron's mouth actually fell open. "How in the name of Mordred do you get into a fight with Hufflepuffs?"

However it was managed, no one was breaking it up, at least not until it actually looked like Malfoy might win – the other two, despite significantly greater bulk were beginning to show signs of retreat: they were trying to protect their faces and bodies from Malfoy's wild movements, while Malfoy acted as though he didn't feel their punches at all. A Hufflepuff prefect finally came forward, wand pointed towards Malfoy, and muttered a spell that hurled him down the corridor a good five meters, almost at Harry's feet. Still, Malfoy managed to be standing again almost instantly, glaring down the corridor to where a number of Hufflepuffs now sported wands. He tucked his matted hair behind his ears and carefully shifted so as to have the Gryffindors in his line of sight.

Harry would have thought it almost impossible when he had first spotted Malfoy on the Platform, but now he looked even worse. He noticed several splotches of red, swollen skin – in fact, half of his face looked particularly beaten, especially combined with a thick, straight scar sliced through one blond eyebrow. There was also a lot more blood than there was before – in his hair, on his shirt, smeared from a busted lip. He was clutching his stomach in apparent pain, but his eyes flickered dangerously. Harry couldn't believe this guy: surely he didn't want another fight?

"Hey Malfoy," Ron started, already pinching his nose to assist his next comment about the blonde's stink. Harry interrupted, though he could not deny that Malfoy smelled decidedly unclean. "Shut up, Ron."

Malfoy was now glaring at them with some nervousness and increasing (was it possible?) anger, and Harry restrained an impulse to slap or shake some sense into the prick. "Damn it, Malfoy. Pull yourself together! Get a grip!"

For a tense moment Malfoy looked like he was going to explode and attack Harry too; but then he suddenly deflated with sigh, his scowl fading into a edgy frown. He simply averted his eyes and nodded, then shuffled over to lean his aching body against the side of the corridor opposite the Gryffindor's cabin. Most of the other students reentered their cabins now that there was nothing left to see, but the Gryffindors carefully watched Malfoy. One hand still clutching his side, he used the other to fumble in his pocket. Ron and Seamus gripped their wands tighter, but Harry gestured towards them to wait.

Dirty, shaking hands retrieved a rumbled pack of cigarettes and a lighter, and then, with noticeable difficulty, managed to light one. Only then did Malfoy's face and eyes tilt back up to look at Harry. His expression was closed and unreadable.

For what seemed like a long time, nothing happened. Malfoy continued to smoke, and the Gryffindor's watched him uncomfortably. Finally, Harry grew bored of the scene, and he turned to his friends with a sigh. "Lets go back in and sit down. The show's over."

A flicker of something unrecognizable appeared on Malfoy's face, but it was gone almost instantly. By the time everyone had settled back into their cabin, Malfoy had turned around and was now smoking out the window. Ron pushed back the door curtains and continued to stare at his enemy through the clear door. "Why is he still standing there?," he asked irritably.

Harry shrugged. "Maybe he's just standing where he fell."

"Damn but Malfoy can fight!," Dean said excitedly. "I can't believe he managed to kick both their asses! He's so skinny!"

"You don't have to sound so admiring," Hermione snapped irritably.

And so the journey to Hogwarts continued, with everyone (and Ron in particular) taking frequent peaks at the Slytherin outside. Malfoy stood by the window for the rest of the trip, variously smoking or leaning his head on arms on the window sill. Ron and Hermione left towards the end to confer with the other prefects about "prefect business", but Hermione made sure Ron did not disturb the blonde – though he had a good laugh when he got back to the cabin. "He's sleeping! Standing up and sleeping with his head out the window!"

Ron, Seamus, and Dean found this particularly funny and laughed loudly. Neville just looked embarrassed (he had once done something similar), while Harry had moved to the far end of the cabin and was just staring out the window at the passing scenery. Hermione began reading, and the other boys eventually turned to the ever popular subject of Quidditch.

*

Mafloy was the only student who hadn't changed into his school robes by the time the Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop. He did, however, jerk awake and dash off the train while everyone else was struggling with their trunks.

"Malfoy!," a voice easily identifiable as Hagrid's boomed. "Watcha doin' here? I thought ya was dead!"

Harry and several other students (still waiting to disembark) stuck their heads out the window to watch the exchange. Malfoy appeared to be warily backing away from the giant man, as though he knew this was one fight he couldn't win. Still, it didn't stop him from snapping angry and edgy words. "Malfoy IS dead! So everyone can just stop fussing!"

Then he swiveled around quickly and bounded into the nearest carriage, though not without giving the threshals a good eying.

Jeez, he's about as paranoid as Moody, Harry thought.

"What a nutter," Ron voiced, and though Harry didn't respond, he couldn't help but agree.

Ron, Hermione, and Harry finally managed to find their own carriage, which they shared with Luna and Neville – Seamus and Dean had preferred to mack on girls, and so had sat with Lavender and the Patil twins. They were just getting settled when Hermione craned her neck out the window. "Uh oh."

"What?," Ron asked eagerly, attempting (and failing) to lean over her and look himself. Harry just watched her expectantly. With the constant spectacle of himself that Malfoy was making, it was surely only a matter of time before all of the pieces of the puzzle came together.

"I just saw Crabbe, Goyle, Zambini, Bulstrode, and Parkinson get into Malfoy's carriage," Hermoine elaborated. There was silence as they all waited to hear the expected sounds of conflict, but none came.

"Maybe they hexed him," Neville suggested timidly.

"Maybe he killed them," Ron countered.

"Maybe they just don't have anything to say to each other," Luna speculated. Everyone looked at her strangely, be she seemed to barely notice.

There was a strange silence that lasted the rest of the journey. When Hogwarts was reached, everyone piled out again, relieved to have finally arrived. Neville sighed happily.

"Ug. There's Snape, looking greasy as ever," Ron pointed out, continuing his running commentary of anti-Slytherin opinions. Sure enough Snape was standing next to McGonagall, looking particularly ill tempered. More and more students, however, were looking at the last carriage, from which anyone had yet to emerge. Snape noticed and began his approach.

"I think the intermission's almost over," Hermione whispered.

And sure enough, with a loud BANG the carriage suddenly flew apart, sending wood and bodies flying in all directions, and Snape was knocked to the ground. The carriage's threshals panicked and flew off, Hagrid running after them.

Malfoy was, of course, the first to recover from this latest incident and was quickly back on his feet and attempting to run (though he was limping badly) towards the castle.

"MR. MALFOY! What is going on here?!," Professor McGonagall demanded, blocking his path. For a moment Malfoy looked hysterical enough to actually attack her, but apparently he still had the presence of mind to recognize just how self-defeating that would be. He tried to compose himself and replied bitterly, "I know I'm hated, but does everyone really have to be sound so displeased that I'm not a corpse?"

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I'm sorry that my chapters are so short. I'll try to compensate by posting more frequently. Chapter 4 is already in the works. Please review!