Conquest of the Heart

Chapter Three:

Insult Contest

DM

The minute that I close the compartment door and Dorothy's silhouette disappears down the hall, I sit back down by the window and stare out. Looks like it's going to rain on the ride to the castle…just like last year…Well…except last year Dorothy was sitting with me, Crabbe, and Goyle in a compartment, instead of Blaise and Pansy. There's a faint rumble of thunder as the train rolls along and the snack trolley stops by. Crabbe and Goyle both buy enough to stuff there faces for the rest of the trip. I get some chocolate frogs and some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. I decide to eat a few of the Every Flavor Beans before I go on my rounds with Granger…and probably Dorothy.

Ew…a vomit flavored one. I still swallow it though. I mean, I am the daring and magnificent Draco Malfoy, am I not? I stick the box of Beans in my pocket, hand a chocolate frog to Blaise since I just lost my appetite and then stand up to see if Hermione is coming down the hall. When I open the door, however, both her and Dorothy, as I suspected, were standing there. Granger's hand was positioned to knock. Just before I leave, I look around the compartment to see if I'm forgetting anything. Hey Blaise, wipe that look of your face, will you? Dorothy's not your type.

"Ready?" asks Granger, tapping her foot on the floor impatiently.

"Patience, Granger, is a virtue," I say, holding up my finger as if I was stating the meaning of life. "Didn't you muggle mother ever teacher you that?" In a split second, there's a sharp pain in my foot as Dorothy digs her shoe heel into my toes.

"Stop your stupid insults and let's just go," she snaps at me. Woah, she's changed quite a bit. Hell's fury is nothing like a woman scorned. Now I'm positive she's still angry at me.

After a few minutes of walking down the hall, Granger and Dorothy start to talk freely. Their chitchat seems to go on forever. Muggle this and muggle that…blah blah muggle blah blah. I don't know what their talking about since I, well, not a muggle, its getting on my nerves. When they bring up something about McDonald's I lose my cool.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor," I snap at them. Hermione raises an eyebrow at me and protests.

"You can't take points away from me! I'm Head Girl!" Granger shoots, raising her voice. No one raises their voice to me!

"I wasn't taking points from you, then, Granger! I was taking them from Agel!" I reply just as loud as her. Dorothy looks irate at this comment and something tells me what happens next isn't going to be very pretty.

"And what, prey tell, are you taking points from her for?" Granger asks while trying to cool Dorothy down. She's not being very successful though.

"Because she's blabbering on and on about stupid muggle things while she's on her way to a witch school. That's what I'm taking them for!" I say with a note of finality. WHAP! Ouch! Dorothy Agel just slapped me!!!

DA

My hand stings a little. I put a lot of force into that slap! He deserved it too! 'Stupid muggle things!?' 'Blabbering on!?' How dare he! How dare he! I'll never forgive him for this! Never! I stomp off in the opposite direction, back to my compartment where I find Harry and Ron showing each other the cards that came off their packages of chocolate frogs. They look up as I enter and jump in surprise when I slam the compartment door shut.

"Woah! Dorothy, you okay?" Ron asks. Does it look like I'm okay? I'm close to murdering Draco Malfoy!

"Just peachy, thanks!" I snap at them, though I don't mean to. They raise their eyebrows a little and I take a deep breath. "Sorry."

"What happened?" asks Harry.

"Malfoy," states Ron before I can answer. "I mean, he's the only one who can make any Gryffindor that angry. I mean, look. The glass in the compartment door is cracked." I look over. It is.

"Repairo!" I say, lifting my wand and watching the crack disappear.

"So what did he do?" asks Ron, putting his Wizard Trading Cards in his pocket and then looking back at me.

"Oh, nothing really. He was just his usual self, I guess," I reply, looking out the window as the rain pours down on it. I'm getting a little tired and I don't want to talk anymore. As if reading my mind, they don't say anything else.

Rain. Hmm…just like the first time I rode this train to Hogwarts, and when I rode it home. Last year was so interesting…this year is already full of memories just with this train ride. I kind of have this odd déjà vu feeling as I stare out the window at the cloudy sky. It seems kind of dark out there and I can just see the lights of Hogwarts coming into view, though they are very faint.

When I hear the compartment door slide open again, I look up. Hermione has returned and Draco's behind her. He looks angry. Oh well. I go back to staring out the window as Hermione sits across from me and Harry closes the compartment door. I look back and see Draco's outline behind the door turn and walk away toward his compartment. Coal hops up into my lap and curls up, ready to sleep.

"Hey, Dorothy?" asks Hermione nervously. I look at her.

"Yeah?" I reply. Don't scold me for slapping Draco. He deserved it.

"Good job," she says. I smile. Thanks.

"Did I get detention or maybe he took points from Gryffindor for real?"

"No, he really didn't do anything after you slapped him," she states, looking up as if she's thinking. "Just finished his rounds in a huff."

"You slapped him?" asked Ron, looking over with raised brows. "Are you sure you're Dorothy? I mean, she was kind of shy." Hey, was that an insult? I chuckle a little.

"He deserved it is all. I'm not going to let people walk all over me this year," I explain. "I took several muggle classes that taught me not to let people treat me like garbage over the summer. So I guess I've changed a lot, huh?"

DM

She just…slapped me! Like it was nothing! She slapped me! I'm back in my compartment now, still enraged at the stinging sensation on my red cheek. Blaise and Pansy are looking at me like I'm a ticking time bomb about to explode or something. I must look really angry. I'll let her get away with hitting me...for now. Oh, but I'll get her back when the time comes. It's too bad I don't hit girls, though.

"Hey, Drakie?" Pansy, I don't like that name.

"What?" I mumble just loud enough for her to hear.

"Why's your cheek all red? Did somebody hit you?" she asks. No, I just like the color is all. My skin really is too pale, don't you think?

"No…it's nothing, Pansy. Just leave it," I say.

"But—"

"I said, just leave it!"

The train rolls on for another hour or two and Hermione and I get up to do our rounds once every hour, with the new prefects meeting us along the way. Oh look, Little Weaselette is a prefect. Isn't that great? Dorothy, however, doesn't join us anymore. Good, because I don't want to be hit anymore. I change into my robes and the school is getting closer every minute.

When finally the train pulls in to Hogsmeade Station, everyone starts piling out and I see Dorothy walking out not to far ahead of me. She'd make a good Head Girl because she's making sure that the first years aren't getting stepped on. She pushes herself out of the train and points out that giant oaf of a teacher to the first years and joins the crowd around the carriages. I get close behind her and look around. She's been separated from the Golden Trio. Me, Blaise, and Pansy get in her carriage. Let the show begin. Pansy and Dorothy exchange murderous glares and then Pansy starts in, beginning their row.

"Well, well," says Pansy, with a grin on her face. "So the perfect little princess decides to return to school after all, hm?" Perfect? Try again.

"I guess so," replies Dorothy, clenching her robes in her fists. "But it's strange that you're here. I didn't know they taught dogs magic nowadays." Woah. That's below the belt. Pansy's face turns slightly red with anger at this comment and Dorothy smirks a smirk that sort of resembles my own.

"You know, I wouldn't be mouthing off to your superiors if I were you," Pansy retorts, "since you don't have daddy's bodyguards to save you now."

"I don't 'daddy's bodyguards' to deal with you," snaps Dorothy. "Really. I could take you out with my eyes closed."

"Care to test that theory?" Oooh! Catfight, hm? Who do I root for?

Before they can fight, however, the carriage stops and we're asked to get out. Dorothy and Pansy shoot glares at each other when their out and insult the other one last time.

"Cow." Always the truth, Dorothy?

"Bitch." You're the one who looks like a dog, though, pansy.

With that we each file into the school, Dorothy at the front of the line, Pansy, clinging to me of course, at the back.

A/N: SO what do you think? R&R and I'll get to work on the next one. Ciao.

The Author