That night, I wandered down to the third year dorm that Ginny and Luna were staying in for a sleepover between houses.

I sit in a chair beside a window outlooking the forbidden forest.

They both get dressed in their pajamas before taking seats on their beds across from one another.

"Hey guys..." I started feeling nervous as A builder mustered up the courage to ask the two girls the question that had been lingering in my mind.

It's harder than it looks, the pain of something so scary weighing on you can only look like a wince from far away but in reality it's a thousand bees stinging you over and over again.

I wasn't even sure of myself...yet I was feeling the need to bring my feelings to the surface to ask a question that could change everything regardless of who you are talking to.

"Yeah Hermione?" Ginny responds with her voice so frighteningly casual.

I open my mouth to say it but the words don't come out.

I cough and clear my throat to try it again.

"Is it wrong..." I start mumbling the rest under my breath.

"Is it wrong?" Luna's question hit me like a grenade.

I hadn't realized that they didn't hear what I said.

"Is it wrong to like someone you're not supposed to?" I ask a little louder, fearing for their response.

Ginny and Luna have always been kind to me, they always gave me the best advice when it comes to boys or in this case-

"Depends on who we're talking about," Ginny says, looking at me curiously. "Who are we talking about Hermione?"

"I saw you staring at those Slytherins in the meadow today..." Luna says. "Was it one of them?"

"I-yes," I nod reluctantly.

"So you like Malfoy?! After everything he's done to you and to Harry and to Ron..." Ginny rambles.

I cut her off feeling exasperated:

"No! Of course not-not Malfoy."

The silence that I receive was as painful as getting bit by one of the blast ended skrewts in care for magical creatures.

"You like...Abby Yaxley?" She asks me quietly.

I nod feeling my cheeks burn warmer than I thought would be possible, I've never been this nervous or embarrassed before.

"Well I think it's lovely that you like her, I mean she's always been courteous to me and she hasn't ever called me Loony like the other Slytherins," Luna says, clapping her hands happily.

I smile grateful for her input.

"As for me... I think it's fine that you like a girl...but are you sure you want to like Abby? I mean she's a Yaxley and a pureblood and she's dating Malfoy... that seems like a lot of red flags," Ginny says concerned.

"Yes, I'm sure I really like her...she's different you know...beautiful and kind and smart," I say.

"That's because she's a snake, she'll be nice to you but then talk bad about you behind your back Hermione," Ginny says, her face becoming as red as her hair.

"You don't know that Gin," I say, sighing.

"I know you've been studying with her," Luna says casually.

I look at her wide eyed.

"What! How?"

"You've been studying with her?!" Ginny and I say at the same time.

"I have my sources...also don't worry I won't tell anyone," Luna says reassuring me.

I only feel slightly better but I hope for my sake that no one else knew about Abby and I studying together.

"I have been studying with her and that just proves that she isn't like all of the other Slytherins," I say standing up looking at Ginny.

"Please don't tell anyone about this...I-I don't want anyone to know yet...maybe not ever."

They nod sympathetically to make sure I know they won't tell anyone.

I walk out the door trudging back up the stairs to my dorm where Lavender and Parvati were fast asleep, their curtains drawn.

I wonder if Abby likes sharing a dorm with Astoria, Pansy and Millicent, or if she doesn't like them.

She isn't like them, she's kinder and sweeter than any Slytherin that I had ever known.

Abby P.O.V

I sat beside Draco in Charms where we were reviewing banishing charms.

Dozens of objects were flying around us barely missing my head.

We were supposed to be making something fly into a box labeled with our name, but most people seemed like they didn't have any coordination so they just flew wherever.

Draco wasn't making anything fly, but instead he was cursing under his breath as his notebook didn't budge from the other side of the table.

My quill flew repeatedly into the box labeled 'YAXLEY' causing him to curse even more.

I giggle quietly at his feeble attempts to make his notebook fly into the box labeled 'MALFOY'.

"Maybe try something smaller?" I suggest.

He glares at me so intensely that I feel the need to grin at him.

The only reason why I was so good at my banishing charm was because of the hours that I was spending in the library studying and practicing with Hermione.

I hate to admit it but...I was starting to become fond of her.

I felt intellectually matched with her, I could present an idea to her and she'd either understand what I was talking about or she would be willing to learn about it just so we could talk about it.

I'm deep in thought when the announcement is made that students were required to leave their classrooms to put away their belongings to greet our rival schools.

I walk with Draco to the dungeons, my hand clammy and warm inside his own cold hand.

Slytherins were coming in and out of the dorms setting their things in their dorms as quickly as they could.

I sift through the crowded room, past them to the door leading to the girls' dorms.

I walk down the hall finding my door, I place my things inside my room on my four poster bed.

Knowing the Beauxbatons they weren't going to use brooms or the train.

They would want to make an extravagant entrance announcing their presence.

They were most likely going to use the carriages and the Pegasi, anything to show their elegance and their pride.

I wonder if Hermione has ever seen a Pegasus, or if she'd ever flown on one.

If not-perhaps one day I could take her.

Wait.

No-I could never do that.

We couldn't ever be seen in public together.

I mean me a pureblood and her a mudblood not to mention she was a Gryffindor and I was a Slytherin.

That'd put a target on both her and I- not that I would care if it was on her...

I leave my room shaking the absurdity of the thoughts I was having away from me.

Finding Draco I smile and walk hand in hand with him up to the ground floor to search for a perfect spot.

Finally we found one by the docks where all of the teachers were lined up ready to greet our newcomers.

Draco places his arm around my waist while I look around at everyone.

They were all excited to watch the rival schools arrive.

I saw Hermione with her redhead and golden child, she was beaming around searching.

I don't know what for until her eyes land on me.

She grins and holds two thumbs up.

I copied her just a little bit less enthusiastically so that Draco would think I was only shivering.

I mean it was the end of October, Halloween was today.

The halls of Hogwarts were decorated with hundreds, maybe even thousands of decorations celebrating the rather morbid holiday.

In the distance someone shouts and points to the horizon- a large carriage was flying towards us being pulled by the magnificent, white Pegasi, their hair freshly washed to the milky white they sport so well.

I hear everyone mutter 'wow' under their breaths as the carriage lands.

Hagrid opens the door allowing Madam Maxine to step out of the carriage, Professor Dumbledore offers her his hand to help her step out, she of course accepts.

The tall woman gazed curiously over the crowd whispering something in Dumbledore's her eyes landing on me.

I smile and she returns it, Madam Maxine walks towards me wrapping me in a hug.

" 'Ello Miss. Yaxley," she says, pulling away.

"Hello Madam. How are you?" I ask her.

"I'm well darling," she looks me over before glancing at Draco who was silent against me.

"Who eez this?" She asks, pointing at him.

"This is Draco Malfoy..." I say placing a hand on his shoulders.

"I'm her boyfriend," he says.

I wince when he says this, Madam Maxine must have noticed it because she laughed scoffing before she turned away heading to the castle.

I see Fleur Delacore pass me an unimpressed look on her face as she observes the school.

I rolled my eyes, turning my attention to the lake where bubbles were forming in the middle of the lake.

A large wooden mast was starting to come out of the water, from the lake a large ship appeared, water dripping off the hull.

The portholes showed many eyes peering out of the belly of the ship to where thousands of students were waiting to greet them.

The ship docks and Drumstrangs headmaster stepped out first.

Out from behind the headmaster were a couple dozen Durmstrang students dressed in heavy overcoats and large fluffy hats.

It wasn't cold enough to be wearing those overcoats but perhaps it was a part of their uniform as the blue traveling coats of Beauxbatons.

In their midst was one man that I recognized- Viktor Krum from the Bulgarian Quidditch team.

They were Draco's favorite team. I don't understand much about Quidditch except that they fly around catching balls.

I understood that matches could go on for weeks at a time until the golden snitch was caught.

"It's Krum," Draco murmurs incredulously when he passes us.

I nod wincing when his arms tighten around me when we were given the ok to follow behind the Drumstrang students into the building.