The Hogwarts Express
The first day of school finally arrived; and just like every year, Draco was ready before the Ministry car had even arrived. His parents were already in the car as Draco knelt on the marble floor of the entranceway, tying the laces of his dress shoes. He kept his face neutral, but his heart was fluttering nervously in his chest. He was nervous. The Draco Malfoy for the love of Merlin!
The entire rest of the summer all he could think about was her. Her face haunted him like a ghost. Everywhere he looked he saw her, and he had only met her one time and spent less than a few hours with her. How was it possible that someone could affect him like she did? Why did he think about her so much? It wasn't like she was anyone special, she was just some girl he met at the World Cup.
A girl that didn't want anything from you—not even your help. Face it, she hates you just like everyone else. Forget her.
But Draco couldn't. He had tried to busy himself with other things, going out for walks in the garden, spending time with Crabbe and Goyle at their houses and here at Malfoy Manor, he had even buried himself in the books in the Manor's library—something that he had never much enjoyed before; but he found that eventually, his mind drifted back to her. It was preposterous. It made him feel angry, hopeful, scared, and inadequate all at the same time.
Draco stood up, dusted his knees off, headed out of the manor, and got into the car with his parents. They always came with him to the station and see him off as did many other parents. It was their family tradition among many others that Draco silently wished that he didn't have to endure anymore. It wasn't that he didn't love his parents, it was just that sometimes Draco wanted to get away from the things that reminded him of what they expected of him—to carry on the Malfoy name and marry another pureblood from the Sacred 28 to ensure the integrity of the Malfoys and all they stood for. Sometimes, Draco wanted to run away, but he was trapped inside the cage known as Malfoy Manor and all that being a Malfoy brought with it.
Mizuki was a nervous wreck and hadn't slept at all for the past two nights. She felt like she was ready to collapse, but the sound of the rain smattering against the house relaxed her slightly. The taxi was already parked outside the house as the driver loaded her luggage into the trunk of the car. Mizuki held her umbrella up as she and Kuro-chan walked toward the car, slipping inside. She had chosen a light grey knee-length skirt with a thin black belt around her waist, a thin navy-blue long-sleeved cashmere sweater, black flats, and a knee-length black button-up coat.
As they drove to King's Cross Station, Mizuki watched the scenery fly by, too lost in her thoughts to really pay much attention to the lush green vegetation and other estates they passed through. She didn't even notice that they had arrived at King's Cross Station until she was standing in front of the fire-engine red train. She left her trunk with a worker who was busy loading a bunch, and she climbed onto the train after presenting her ticket. She and Kuro-chan were early, so she was able to find an empty compartment near the back, not realizing that she was sitting across from Harry and his friends or that the compartment in the back contained the Slytherins.
The train slowly filled up with students. The whistle blew at exactly 11 o'clock and started moving away from the station. It didn't take long for them to pass through London and into the countryside, rain pattering hard against the windows, the trees swaying in the strong wind.
"…Father wanted to send me to Durmstrang," a voice carried into her compartment, "they actually allow their students to practice the Dark Arts, not like they do here," the boy scoffed. "Pathetic. And, of course, they don't allow people like Granger or the Weasleys there."
Mizuki thought she recognized the voice as Draco's, but she couldn't be sure because it sounded so different than what she remembered from the Quidditch World Cup. She was curious enough that she wanted to get up to check, but just then she heard a compartment door slide open, and two beefy-looking boys along with a white-blond-haired boy exited their compartment to peer into the one across from her.
"What in the name of Merlin?" Draco asked, grabbing at something. He held it up in the air, laughing hysterically. They were very old-looking dress robes that were in desperate need of replacing. They looked like they were old enough to belong to her grandmother.
"What is this hideous thing? Please tell me you aren't wearing this, Weasley," he said the name with distaste, his face scrunching up. "Maybe you should enter the tournament so that you can win the prize money, Merlin knows you need it to buy yourself some new robes!" Draco and his friends were laughing so hard that they had tears in their eyes. Draco threw the robes back inside the compartment.
"Bet you're entering, aren't you Potter, you just can't miss a chance to show yourself off, can you?" Draco asked vehemently, glaring at Potter.
"What are you on about?" Potter asked angrily.
Draco looked between Potter and Weasley, laughing. "You mean to say that not even you know, Weasley, even though your father works for the Ministry?" Draco rolled his eyes. "The Triwizard Tournament, of course. Father told me about it months ago." Draco shrugged his shoulders and jutted his chin out as he folded his arms across his chest proudly. He looked down at Potter and his friends, then turned on his heel. He happened to glance inside the compartment across where he found Saito watching everything. Draco's face paled significantly, he hesitated. There was no doubt that she had heard everything he had said.
What is she doing there? Why is she looking at me like that? –Oh, but you know why, Draco. She thinks you're a prat for bullying Potter and his friends. She hates you—and rightly so. What is there to like about you?
He tore his eyes away from her and walked down the aisle with his friends in following, leaving Mizuki to stare after him in bewilderment. That was not the same boy that she had met at the Quidditch World Cup, the one that had helped her when she had twisted her ankle. No, surely there was a mistake; but she knew deep down that it was the same boy, and he was just like all the other students at her old school. He was a bully.
When Draco and his friends finally returned to their compartment, Mizuki was busy reading her new book Fantastic Quidditch Moves Every Player Needs in Their Arsenal. Kuro-chan was curled up on the seat next to her, sleeping soundly. She didn't even notice Draco looking in her compartment briefly as he passed as she was too engrossed in the book and the photos showing some interesting moves.
An old witch pushing a trolly stopped just beyond her compartment, asking if anyone wanted treats. Mizuki grabbed some money from her bag and exited the compartment, lining up with the other students. She heard a commotion behind her and watched as students sprang away from Draco as he walked down the aisle, his eyes were on her, and he wasn't with his friends. Everyone looked at him fearfully as if he might take out his want and start cursing each and every one of them, but Mizuki didn't move.
Draco had sat near the door, hoping for a moment such as this. He wanted to talk to her, to explain why he was bullying Potter. He wanted her to understand that he only did it because he felt like he had to, because he was jealous, because he was insecure. He sauntered toward her, raising his chin with a cocky smirk as he looked at her with half-lidded eyes. The smoldering gaze that could charm the socks off any girl if he so desired—or so he liked to think.
"Have a good summer, then?" he asked her.
Mizuki felt her cheeks flush when he was standing in front of her, she knew that everyone was staring, and she did her best to ignore them; but it was really hard when he was looking at her like that. It made her heart race. It pinned her to the spot like a pin through a butterfly on a display board.
Cute. You like all the attention I'm giving you, don't you? Draco's ego inflated again, and his cocky smile broadened.
"Y-Yeah, you?" she stuttered.
Great, Mizuki. You've only run into him three times and you're already stuttering like an idiot.
"Yeah, great," he said with a smile when in fact he spent his entire summer with his friends feeling completely and utterly alone like he did every single year. That, and he also couldn't stop thinking about her. Wondering if he would get the chance to spend time with her again—alone without anyone to interrupt or judge him.
Mizuki turned, realizing that it was her turn to pick something from the trolly. She settled on some pumpkin pasties, but the box was too big for her to finish on her own. She paid the witch and opened the box, taking one out. She noticed that Draco had already turned his back away from the trolly to start walking back to their compartments. Had he come out just to talk to her? She lifted a brow inquisitively as they walked in silence.
When they were standing outside her compartment, she handed him the rest of the box. He stared at it, stupidly.
"You can share the rest with your friends," she said, shrugging.
Draco took the box from her, looking at it, then at her.
You're sharing this with me? Me?
Everyone was watching their exchange fearfully, and he knew it. He turned to them; eyes narrowed.
"Haven't got anything better to gawk at, have you?" he snapped angrily. They looked away and began to whisper among themselves, eyeing the two of them curiously especially because they had never seen her before.
Truthfully, Draco was surprised that she was speaking to him after what had happened earlier, and even more surprised that she had shared her snack with him—and his friends, but they didn't need to know that; they didn't need to know anything.
Mizuki was staring at him, trying to figure him out, but he was hard for her to read. One minute, he was showing her kindness, and the next he was being a jerk to everyone else. Who exactly was Draco Malfoy and why did he act like that?
Her thoughts were interrupted by the compartment across from them opening as Harry emerged.
"Oi, Malfoy, bugger off and leave her alone, will you?" Harry had his wand out.
"Oh, piss off, Potter," Draco spat vehemently.
"She doesn't want to talk to you, obviously," Harry said, nodding at Mizuki.
Mizuki furrowed her brows. That couldn't be farther than the truth, but before she could say anything, Draco drew his wand. Everyone in the aisle gasped and either ducked into a compartment or pressed themselves against the walls.
What in the name of Merlin? Mizuki could see them glaring at each other, a deep-rooted hatred of one another was clear. Mizuki grabbed Draco's arm just as Hermione grabbed onto Harry's.
"Shouldn't we be arriving at school soon?" Mizuki asked, trying to diffuse the situation—something she never did.
"Yes, yes we will," Hermione agreed, nodding her head, and looking at Mizuki with a relieved look that said thank Merlin, another sensible person. "Come on, Harry." Hermione tugged on Harry's arm as he looked down at Mizuki's hand on Draco's arm with confusion. Mizuki gave Harry an apologetic smile.
Draco shrugged her hand off him and put his wand away, scoffing.
"You're not worth the effort, Potter," Draco said angrily.
Harry went back inside his compartment, and Draco turned to look at her with the same look that he had given Harry, which slowly faded into a neutral expression as he got his emotions under control. She didn't know why Draco hated Harry, but she wasn't about to ask him.
Draco's compartment door slid open, and a pug-faced girl with brown hair came out and draped herself on Draco's arm.
"Come, Draco," she said with almost a purr in her voice. Draco looked off to the side. Pansy gave Mizuki a once-over, her face scrunching with revulsion as if Mizuki were a cockroach. "What are you looking at?" Pansy demanded, pulling Draco away. He glanced up at the ceiling of the train as if expecting the heavens to open and deliver divine intervention.
"Nothing. I was just leaving." Mizuki turned and went back into her compartment, the door slid shut after her. She watched through the glass door as Pansy fussed over Draco, leading him back to their own compartment, her voice slightly muffled as she kept it low so that only Draco could hear. He didn't look at Mizuki again. He was too horrified that Pansy had come out and embarrassed him like that. Saito was going to think that Pansy was his girlfriend now, no doubt, which she wasn't—at least not anymore. And never would be again.