The next day he headed through the busy platform of 9 ¾ alone while a servant took his things onto the train. He searched for a familiar face and, not finding many, headed onto the train, walking back to the very last compartment where his things awaited him. He felt anxious, though he couldn't explain why. Maybe it was just the feeling of the first day of his 6th year or something. He sat there silently and the train began to move.
This year Crabbe and Goyle had left the school and joined up with the death eaters, something he hoped never to do, so it was quiet and pretty boring in his compartment. Not that Crabbe and Goyle had ever provided any worth while companionship or held interesting conversations either.
He opened his trunk to search for a book and found the corner of a gleaming green eye staring up at him. He reached for a book at the far corner of his trunk but changed his mind at the last minute and pulled out the magazine.
There was that face again. He opened the magazine to the article on latest wizard books, read a few lines, then turned the page to the article on potter. He was halfway through re-reading it when the door of his compartment slid open loudly. Startled, he slammed the magazine closed and instinctively tried to hide the cover. Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode walked into the compartment through the now open door. "So all alone in here now that your muscle left to join Voldy ay Malfoy" Blaise said lazily, moving to take a seat in the compartment.
"What do you want?" Draco drawled. "Well that's friendly" Blaise replied, feigning hurt feelings, "We just wanted to provide you with some company" , "That, and Pansy is driving us out of our minds!" Millicent said. The heavy set Slytherin girl took a seat on the bench across from Draco and said "I swear, if I have to be stuck with her for another train trip I will avada kadavra her little ass".
Blaise grinned and said "I wish you would". Taking a seat next to Draco, he grabbed the magazine Draco had been vainly trying to hide out of his hands and stared at the cover. "Oh I've read this one" he stated, "The one where Potty whines about his godfather". He yawned and flipped his long black hair over his shoulder in a way Draco found extremely annoying. "Let's see what else is here, ah this year's quidditch team, you read this one yet?" he asked. Draco shook his head. "How about the Goblin rebellion article?", again Draco shook his head. "The Zodiac page?" Blaise asked, slightly put out. Draco shook his head again and realized that he hadn't even glanced at much of the rest of the magazine. The only thing he had read was the article on potter. Twice.
"Well that's no fun", Blaise said, tossing the magazine to the side. Draco gave him an annoyed look and picked up the magazine, putting it back in his trunk. Blaise shrugged, "I suppose now that Tweedle Dee and Tweedle dumb are gone you won't be making your little visit to Potter's compartment?" he said, referring to Crabbe and Goyle. Draco thought for a second, then said "No I suppose not", slightly disappointed at the lost opportunity.
"Well we still could go you know" Millicent noted, "The three of us that is". "Then let's go" Blaise said eagerly, standing up. "Mustn't keep Potter waiting, he might think we're not showing up, and I'd hate to disappoint him". "Plus" he added slyly, "I'm feeling slightly malicious today".
The three Slytherins filed out of the compartment and into the isle. "He's in that one" Millicent said, pointing towards the one two compartments down and across from theirs. Draco let Blaise play Malfoy in the middle while he played Crabbe to his left, Millicent standing in for Goyle on the right.
They walked rudely into the compartment and Blaise began, "Saw you in "Wt" Potter, whining about your godfather" with a nasty sneer he added, " too bad they hadn't gotten you too". Draco rolled his eyes at all this and thought Blaise was quite bad at insulting and definitely not worth playing Malfoy no matter how much the other boy tried to imitate him. He was already bored with the whole thing.
His gaze strayed to Millicent while Blaise went on. She was staring at something and Draco followed her gaze to the Weasel. Draco wondered without much interest why she was staring at him like that in the first place, then his gaze found Harry, who had stood up to challenge Blaise. The boy looked pretty angry, his emerald eyes glinting with a slight madness. Draco saw Blaise reach into his pocket with a nasty grin.
So this is what he had wanted the whole time, Draco thought, a shot at Potter. With the way Blaise looked Draco got slightly worried, he didn't look like he was going to shoot out a simple jelly legs curse and he had his wand out already, Harry didn't. Draco stuck his hand in his pocket and before he knew what he was doing, he shot a spell at Blaise's outstretched hand from the inside of his jacket pocket, leaving a nasty burn hole through the material but disarming the other boy.
The wand shot out of Blaise's hand and he looked around surprised. "Let's leave, it's not worth it" Draco said. Harry fixed him with a bewildered look, making Draco's stomach give a lurch as he wondered whether he had grown an extra nose or something…
"I said let's go" Draco repeated coldly as he saw Blaise had not stood down. "Accio Wand" he called and Blaise's wand flew into his hand. "You heard Draco" Millicent said, hitting Blaise on the arm. The boy turned and left the compartment and Millicent turned to leave but Draco noticed her pointing her wand secretly and muttering a few words. Draco smirked as he saw Weasley's bright orange head of hair turn pink. She walked out giggling with Draco behind her. He gave one last look back and found Harry's bright green eyes on him in an inquiring look. He met his gaze for a second and then he was out into the isle and back in his compartment with Blaise fuming quietly and Millicent bursting into soft laughter.
It seemed the charm she had put on the weasel was semi-permanent because when he entered the great hall his hair was still pink with a few spots of red now visible. Parts of the Slytherin table burst into laughter and Draco took a seat alone at the far end, listening to Dumbledore's crack pot speech and then picking at his food until the student body was dismissed for bed.
He stepped into his familiar dark dorm room and emptied out his books and his magazine into the expanded drawers of his nightstand, placing his trunk at the foot of his bed. He and Zabini were the only ones in the room now that Crabbe and Goyle were gone and Draco realized he really disliked the boy.
He climbed into his bed and magicked the dark green and silver curtains closed with a locking charm and laid back. After a few minutes of taking in his surroundings he stripped off all his clothes and climbed beneath the heavy dark green bedspread where he lay sleeplessly for two hours, looking up into the dark canopy of his large dark wood bed.
Finally, he reached into his nightstand for a book but found the magazine clutched in his hand instead. He stared at it for a moment before stuffing it under his pillow and going to sleep.
……………………………………………………………………………………………….
First day of classes were rushed and drab, all they basically did were reviews and by dinner time Draco was back in his closed off dorm and getting ready for bed. It seemed to be the beginning of another monotonous year at Hogwarts. The next day was triple potions, three hours in the dungeons with Snape, the Gryffindors, and the insufferable Longbottom.
As Draco strolled into the classroom toward his usual empty table Millicent caught his eye and beckoned for him to sit with her. Draco thought it over for a second, looked over at his usual seat, saw that Blaise Zabini had taken up the spot next to it, and headed toward Millicent.
She had chosen a table one table behind that of the golden trio and was staring at the weasel. Draco rolled his eyes and began to take out his material when Millicent began to speak to him. "You weren't at dinner Draco" she said, "and you didn't eat breakfast today, you must be starving!". Draco looked at her and said "some of us don't feel the need to stuff our faces with food every few hours Millicent". At this the girl looked a little hurt and Draco looked away.
"Wonder where Potter is…" he said offhandedly, glancing at his empty seat between the weasel and mudblood. Parvati Patil wandered over to them and began to chat about something as Snape silently slipped into the classroom, robes billowing. "Ms. Patil" he said icily, causing the girl to jump and squeal rather unbecomingly. "Do you have a reason for being out of your seat?". She opened her mouth to speak but Snape interrupted her, "Doesn't matter, take a seat next to Ms. Granger, we will be doing a three partner potion today", and with that he turned and began spelling instructions onto the board.
Draco looked back at Blaise who seemed to be gathering his things to join them. At that moment the door swung open and Potter came in, panting and sweating, "Sorry professor, Sir Cadigon tried to…" but he was cut off by Snape, "Potter 5 points from Gryffindor for your tardiness, now go join Ms. Bulstrode and Mr. Malfoy for your three partner potions assignment" he said without even looking up from his desk and parchment.
Harry stared at Snape, then at the weasel and the mudblood, then turned and headed towards Draco's table and took a seat next to Millicent. Draco looked back to see Blaise turn towards Pansy's table with a look of disappointment and he smirked with relief. He did not want to be stuck next to him for the next three hours. "I see Weasley still hasn't gotten all the pink out of his hair" Millicent commented, giggling. From Draco it would have sounded like an insult, but Millicent's face was so good natured that Harry chuckled and said "Ya, I have to learn that one..". "Like my handiwork?" She replied with a laugh. Draco ignored them both and began to cut up his Daisy roots as instructed on the board.
Two hours later, the almost expected sound of a cauldron bursting came to their ears as Longbottom screwed up his potion again and splattered everyone with his potion. A large portion hit Snape's desk which vanished instantly on contact. This startled everyone and just as suddenly, LongBottom was missing his cloths and his nose, Granger was squeaking as her shirt disappeared and Ron tried to cover her.
Millicent's quill disappeared and she stepped back from the table. Draco, unscathed, began to laugh until a second eruption brang more potion flying at them. Draco's robes and pants suddenly disappeared, Harry Began to laugh until his glasses and his chair disappeared and he toppled backwards, grabbing and overturning Draco's chair in the process with Draco still in it.
The class was in chaos around them as Draco landed with a thud right on top of Harry. For a few seconds he stared bewildered into Harry's suddenly clear emerald eyes, and then he jumped off of him and began to dust himself off, Harry sat up and began looking around for his glasses, "Fuck, I can't see" He mumbled. "Your glasses vanished you dolt" Draco drawled. "You're not going to find them on the floor".
"Oh" Harry said, giving up his search. Millicent lent Harry a hand and helped him up from the floor and he staggered into the table with a painful "umph", almost spilling their cauldron full of potion. "Oh here" Draco said with an irritated sigh as Harry turned and bumped into another table. He swung him around and pointed his wand at the boy's eyes, muttering a fixing spell. It hit him in between the eyes and he blinked a few times before exclaiming "I can see!". "Only for today" Draco said.
Snape called out to dismiss the class and Draco gathered up his things and stepped out of the chaos and into the halls. He had forgotten that he was only in his shirt and boxers until a group of slytherin girls walked by.
author's note: Thank you to ditzbabe592 and ATadObsessive46 who reviewed my story, this is the second chapter and im working on the third, so the magazine keeps making its appearance, and now so does harry, please R & R! everyone loves reviews once in a while ;), i love to hear what people think about my story.