Draco woke up the next day on top of his covers on his bed. It was so late when he sent his owl out to Ginny and he'd fallen asleep waiting for an owl back. He was sure he wouldn't get one back that night, but waited anyway. As he got up from his bed, he saw that Kronos, his owl, was sleeping on his window sill. He sleeply walked over to the window and knocked on the glass to wake him up. Kronos ruffled his feathers and flew a few feet away from the window as Draco opened it. He swooped in and landed on Draco's desk, shaking his leg to get the parchment unattached. He was annoyed after having to wear it all night. He was also slightly mad at Draco for closing his window, but forgave him cause he knew that he didn't need anyone mad at him right now.
Draco took the parchment from Kronos and, jt as he started to open it, his mother burst into the room followed by two servants. He quickly hid the parchement, not wanting his mom to make a fuss over him writing and reading letters.
"Hurry up, Draco darling," she said as she ushered the servants over to Draco's trunk and belongings. "We have to hurry and get to King's Cross. It's already 10:00 and you know it takes at least 45 minutes to get there. Hurry up and get dressed!" She hurried out of the room, the servants behind her with his trunk.
He dropped the parchment on his desk and walked over to his closet, taking out black jeans and an expensive black, button up shirt. As fast as he could, he dressed and grabbed the parchement. He started to run out of the room before he remembered Kronos sitting on his desk. He stopped at the door and called him over to his arm. Draco started to run as Kronos landed on his arm.
He met his mom downstairs and they hurried out to the carriage waiting in the driveway. Draco climbed in the carriage with Kronos still on his arm. He jumped onto the seat beside his master.
"Oh, Draco dear," sighed his mother. "Would you please put that bird into his cage? I really don't like it sitting on the seat like that. This fabric is very expensive and I don't want him ruining it."
"Yes, mother," mumbled Draco as he opened the cage and pushed Kronos inside. He would've liked to have argued with her and reminded her that he wasn't a bird, but an owl. It wouldn't have gone by well and he didn't really feel like talking to his mother at this time.
He sat quietly until they were a few miles away from town and the station. They had to change into a car because the carriage would stand out too much. His mother tried to talk to him about the summer and about his father, but he wouldn't listen. He didn't want to think about him right now.
When they arrived at the station, Draco rushed inside with Kronos's cage while a servant came behind with his trunk. They rushed through the barried and were on the platform with ten minutes to spare. As Draco said good-bye to his mother, she handed him his letters from the summer, thinking he might want to read them on the way down to Hogwarts. He didn't really hear what she was saying, though because right as she handed him the letters, he looked away right in time to see Ginny appear on the platform after the Dream Team.
She talked happily with Hermione as if nothing were wrong in her life. Draco wished his life could be like that. He silently got on the train and went to find a compartment so he could start acting as if nothing were wrong, to his fellow Slytherins.
Ginny slowly drifted out of a dream because of a little knock on her door.
"Ginny, it's time to get up, honey," said her mother's voice from through the door. She moaned and rolled over. "You don't want to be late for the train so get out of bed and come downstairs for some breakfast. Make sure your trunk is all packed, too." She heard footsteps get quieter as Mrs. Weasley walked away from Ginny's door.
She must've falled back asleep because the next thing she knew, there was someone pounding on her door, loudly.
"Ginny get your butt out of bed!" It was Ron. "We have to leave in an hour and you still have to eat, shower and get dressed at least!" he yelled. "Hurry up!"
"Aw crap!" Ginny mumbled as she threw off her covers. She hurried across the hall to the bathroom and took a quick shower. The next fifteen minutes were spent putting on makeup and doing her hair. She didn't like to use magic to do her hair, as a lot of her classmates did. She put it half up-half down. Her hair had grown a lot in the past few years that it was almost halfway down her back. She'd just discovered that summer that she loved the curl her hair. It was something different from her straight hair that got boring after a while.
She ran down the stairs making a ton of noise, just to get to some breakfast before there was nothing she could, or would, eat. She had some eggs and sausages that her mom warmed up for her.
It was five minutes before they had to leave and Ginny was in her room, shoving a few last things into her trunk. Her mother came rushing in, slammed her trunk shut and charmed it to float out to the car. She stood there with her purse in her hand, staring after her mother as she rushed out.
"Come on, Ginny dear!" her mother called from the room where Hermione was staying. "We have to hurry or else we're going to be late!" Ginny grabbed her sweater from her bed and headed out her room and down the stairs.
For the next hour, Ginny sat next to Hermione on the way to King's Cross Station. They talked a lot, but Ginny did a lot of thining too. She was trying as hard as she could to contain her excitement of seeing Draco again, even if she had to act like she hated his guts. She still thought about the letter she'd gotten last night. Was she just getting her hopes up in thinking that it was Draco?
Her thoughts were cut off as they arrived at King's Cross. Mr. Weasley grabbed a few trolleys and Ginny wheeled her trunk into the station, talking with Hermione again. They arrived at the barrier and Ginny watched Ron and Harry disappear into the wall. Hermione started to make a run and Ginny followed closely behind her.
She started to continue her conversation with Hermione when she got on the platform. They were talking about the upcoming year and Hermione was telling Ginny about the NEWTs she wanted to get.
She felt she was being watched so Ginny turned around in a circle, looking for someone looking her way. She couldn't find anyone talking to her, but she did see a flash of blonde she'd been looking for since she stepped on the platform. Draco had his back to her and was talking to Pansy and his fellow Slytherins.
She said good-bye to her parents before climbing onto the train and looking for a compartment with Hermione. She sat down beside the window and prepared herself for the long year of pretending.