The Hogwarts Express slowed to a stop one final time at the Hogsmeade Station. The warmth of the late summer evening air quickly melted away the residual feeling of ice inside of me. Students of all years, dressed in their respective House robes, started flooding out of the train onto the quickly crowded platform. The smaller students in plain robes were first years, and all of them stood looking around lost. I smiled to myself, feeling a strong sense of nostalgia.

Suddenly, a very tall and very large burly man made his way onto the platform, waving for all the first years to follow him for their traditional ride across The Black Lake. "Firs' years this way!" he called, the great man being none other than Hagrid, the school's gamekeeper.

I was about to turn around and walk to the carriages when two boys and a girl pushed past me, running towards Hagrid. I stumbled to keep my balance and looked towards the three. "Gryffindors," I huffed under my breath, seeing their red and gold lined robes. I rolled my eyes and strolled off. Just then I saw Pansy walking in the other direction, so I decided to run to catch up with her. "Pansy!" I called, her head turned to look at me, but turned back to face where she was going.

"What do you want?" she growled in annoyance.

We turned onto a rough mud track where around a hundred stagecoaches waited to be boarded by the students of Hogwarts. One could only assume they were either enchanted or more ridiculously, pulled by invisible horses because nothing stood in the harnesses.

"Just thought we'd ride together is all," I said. Pansy rolled her eyes so hard I thought she'd need to go to Madam Pomfrey to get them back straight again.

"Yeah, whatever," she agreed very reluctantly.

She stopped in her tracks rather abruptly and looked around at each of the carriages until she found the one she had wanted. Her thin lips stretched into a wide grin as she grabbed onto my wrist and yanked me along in her jog towards her desired stagecoach. I quickly realized why she had gotten so excited. It was the blond boy who'd barged into my compartment on the express and made it seem as if it were me that did the barging, and the same one I was sure she had runoff to at Diagon Alley, now that I thought of it. As we got to the steps, Pansy let go of my wrist and climbed into the carriage to sit by the blond. I followed her up and heard a scoffing noise come from the other side of her.

"What do you think you're doing? Who are you?" the blond boy demanded arrogantly.

I looked at him with a blank stare. "I'm sitting. Also, I'm the one you walked in on on the express," I responded in an equally bothered voice.

"Tch, that was you?" he huffed, eyeing my robes. "I didn't know you were a Slytherin. Why have I never seen you around before now?" he asked, his expression becoming flat as if I suddenly no longer seemed like a threat to his superiority. He spread his arms by his sides, holding onto the back of the seat as he leaned backwards, resting his right foot on his left knee.

"I don't know. Maybe if you came down out of your ivory tower every once in a while, you'd see others outside your posse and toy-victims," I retorted, crossing my arms and arching my brows.

"Y/N," Pansy hissed in a hushed tone, slapping my knee, "shut up!" Her eyes were wide. I glanced at Pansy and shrugged her off.

The blond boy laughed. He placed his hand on Pansy's shoulder and pushed her back against her seat off-handedly. He then leaned forward towards me with a smirk. "You've got some nerve talking to me like that," he said coolly, then reached out his arm for a handshake. "Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. Slytherin Prince. And you are?" He smirked once again.

I glanced at his pale bony hand, then at Pansy, who was giving me a death glare, then back at the blond whom I now knew to be Draco Malfoy. I hesitated in taking his hand. "Y/L/N. Just … Y/L/N to you," I replied suspiciously.

"What? No first name?"

"No. I'd prefer you to not know."

"You're on a first-name basis with Pansy," he pointed out.

Pansy interjected. "I-I misspoke!" she lied. I rolled my eyes.

"What did she call me then, if you really want to know?" I asked quizzically, squinting my eyes at him.

"I don't know, Percy?" he lazily conjured.

"That's a boys' name," I responded dully. "Do I look like a boy to you?"

"Could have fooled me," he sneered. I shot him an unpleasant glare and took back my hand harshly.

"Very well, have it your way." Malfoy reverted back to his previous suave pose. I looked off to my side, keeping my eyes on the passing of trees as I could still feel Pansy's eyes burning into my skull, which made me very uncomfortable.

Thankfully, not too long of an awkward silence later, we finally made it to the main doors of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The sight of the castle was just magical. Professor McGonagall, who was the Transfiguration professor, Head of Gryffindor House, and Deputy Headmistress, stood at the carved wooden doors waiting for the large flock of students to dismount from their stagecoaches and make it to the entrance.

"Welcome back, everyone! I'm sure you're all very anxious to get to the welcoming feast!" she called over the heads of the assembled students. Students of every house cheered and clapped. Professor McGonagall raised both her arms high to calm the crowd, mainly the Gryffindors. She turned on the spot, taking out her wand, and with a simple flick, the grand doors to Hogwarts opened wide.

Students nearly started stampeding into the great hall to grab choice seats next to their friends. I, however, was not one to run for such an advantage. I didn't care too much where I sat or with whom. I was probably one of the last twenty or so students to enter the hall. I walked over to the Slytherin table and was about to take a seat at the far end next to a bunch of students I didn't know until I heard my name being called from halfway down the long table. It was none other than Draco Malfoy himself. I looked at him blankly, then he called again.

"Y/L/N!" He waved me over, standing up from his seat, his back towards the rest of the house tables.

I didn't know why, but I looked behind me, and, seeing no one of particular interest, back at Malfoy. Pointing at myself, I mouthed Me?, though I knew good and well who he was talking to, I just didn't really understand why.

"Yes, you! You blundering idiot!" he yelled towards me, still waving for me to come over, then sat back down as I started walking.

I scratched the back of my head as I walked halfway down the aisle. I stopped behind where Pansy was sitting and looked at Malfoy, who sat across from her and I. "Yes? Did you need something, Malfoy?" I asked.

Malfoy looked at Pansy and waved her to the side, "Scoot over Pans, let Y/L/N sit there." Pansy must have given him a very shocked look because he didn't look much amused a few seconds later. "I wasn't asking," he snapped, his wave becoming a bit harsher. Pansy scooted down to her right, staying silent. I looked down at the now empty spot made just for me. "Well, are you going to sit, or are you going to just stand there staring all night?" Malfoy asked.

I glanced up at him and took my seat hesitantly. I sneaked a look at Pansy, but she turned away from me. Malfoy took no interest or notice in this. "So, why am I here?" I was still a bit confused about all that had happened thus far.

"Watch this," he whispered, taking a look at everyone sitting around him. He then turned in his seat and leaned outward into the aisle facing the Gryffindor table. "Psst! Pottah," he called in a hushed tone. He got no reply, so he tried again, "Pottah!" he called out louder. The boy he was trying to get the attention of finally turned around, it was Harry Potter, who I'd stumbled across on the express earlier that day.

Harry looked quite annoyed to find that it was Malfoy calling him. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry groaned.

"Pottah, is it true you fainted?" Malfoy asked, a goon of his to his right imitating the fall of a faint. "I mean, you actually fainted?" He laughed, his face gleeful and his pale eyes glinting maliciously.

Harry was now visibly angry. Biting his tongue to not say something in retaliation. Harry looked past Malfoy; his angry green eyes fell right onto me. Worry immediately filled my body, seeing the anger in Harry's face be quickly replaced by disappointment.

"Shove off, Malfoy!" spat the red-head sitting by Harry, forcefully turning him back around.

My eyes fell to my hands, clenched in my lap as Malfoy and his cronies turned around and howled with laughter. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and looked back up at Harry, whose back was now turned, then at Malfoy, who had a very smug look on his face.

"Potter fainted?" I asked.

Malfoy's eyes fell on me, his laughter ceased, but the smile on his face as large as ever. "You haven't heard?" he started as he leaned forward slightly. "According to Longbottom, Potter fainted when all the lights went out on the express. He says it was because of a Dementor." He straightened back up. "Ha! Pretty pathetic if you ask me," he laughed, taking a glance over his shoulder at Harry.

I didn't quite know what to do with this information, nor with myself, at that moment. I was too preoccupied with the look Harry had given me. It made my chest ache a strange kind of way that I couldn't quite explain even if I tried. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall opened the grand doors to the great hall. Everyone fell silent as they watched her in anticipation. She walked down the middle aisle followed by a hoard of first years.

The Sorting Ceremony was always a treat to watch, with most of the new first years getting sorted into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, which seemed to be the norm. After every first-year found their seat in their new respective Houses, Professor Dumbledore took to the podium for his tedious annual start-of-term announcements. Professor Dumbledore was the Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was a very respected man. He was very old with several feet of long silver hair and beard, half-moon spectacles, and an extremely crooked nose.

"Welcome!" said Dumbledore. "Welcome to another year at Hogwarts! Now, I'd like to say a few words before we all become too befuddled by our excellent feast." Dumbledore cleared his throat and continued, "First, I would like to greet two new professors to our ranks this year. I'm pleased to welcome Professor R.J. Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Dumbledore informed, turning towards the new professor to give him a round of applause. "Good luck, professor." The Great Hall echoed the Headmaster's applause, however, not much was given from the Slytherin table as a large number of us had hoped that Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House and resident Potions Master, would have been granted the position.

As the lukewarm welcoming applause for Professor Lupin died down, Dumbledore went on with his speech. "Our Care of Magical Creatures teacher has decided to retire in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. Fortunately, I'm delighted to announce that his place will be taken by none other than our own Rubeus Hagrid." Again, Dumbledore paused to turn and give applause to the new professor. The applause now was of an even greater magnitude than the previous round, because the Gryffindors gave Hagrid a standing ovation. They on average had a better relationship with the large man.

Suddenly, the Headmaster's face became hard, "Finally, on a more disquieting note at the request of the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the dementors of Azkaban until such a time as Sirius Black is captured. The dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds." His tone was very serious.. "Now whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day-to-day activities - a word of caution. Dementors are vicious creatures. They'll not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving," he warned, eyeing every table of students to ensure he had their attention. "But you know," he smiled, his tone becoming warm, "happiness can be found even in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light." He then waved his hand over some nearby unlit candles and as his hand fell from them, small, flickering flames leapt from their wicks. "Well, I think that's everything of importance! Let the feast begin!" the headmaster declared, raising his arms.

The golden plates and goblets before us filled suddenly with food and drink. Everyone started helping themselves to whatever they could fit onto their plates and started to dig in. It was delicious as always. Before I knew it, the welcoming feast was over and everyone had gotten up to disband into their house common rooms.

The bustling of the students elbowing each other to make their ways through the doors was definitely something I had not missed. Each of the four houses split off into different directions. My fellow Slytherins and I turned towards the left and down the stone stairwell. We descended many flights of stairs down into the dungeons of the castle, the air becoming damp and cold as droplets of condensation dripped from the walls where the cold and hot air from the ground floor met.

Because of the damp nature of the lower chambers of the castle, the corridors tended to be quite slippery, this especially meant the cobblestone flooring. Without fail, every year unassuming first years, out of their excitement to see their new home, would slip and fall on their arse - or more embarrassingly - their face. Already, only halfway down, two poor first years had met the fate they were destined to have as a new Slytherin. Many upperclassmen, including myself, found this very enjoyable to witness as many of us had had this same fate bestowed upon us our first time or so down the wet corridors.

Some more slips and falls later, we finally reached the entrance of the Slytherin common room. "What's this? Why are we stopping?" called out a male first year.

"This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room," answered this year's newly appointed Slytherin Prefect.

"What do you mean this is the entrance? There's nothing here," chimed in another first year, this one now female.

"We've met a dead end!" another male first-year finished off.

"Move out my way!" called a familiar haughty voice. "Let me bloody pass!" It was clear who it belonged to as I saw a glisten of platinum blond hair break free from the crowd and make their way to the front to the entrance. Of course, it was none other than Draco Malfoy. "This is my favourite part," he said coolly, eyeing the crowd with a smug smirk. He turned around to face the wall, which was presumably a dead end, called out "Pure-Blood!", and without notice, a large segment of the stones making up the wall shifted back and shuffled to the side, revealing the Slytherin common room. Malfoy turned around, enjoying the sight of the starstruck first years. "There is your password," he informed them, and stepped off to the side to rejoin his goons.

The stunned first years shook themselves back to life and ran into the common room, the two prefects following after them to show them to the dorms they'd be spending the next seven years in. Malfoy, Pansy, and two boys stood atop a small raised ledge up against the wall outside the entrance, watching as the rest filed inside. They were chatting and having a good laugh when Pansy went to step down to enter the common room herself, only for Malfoy to put an arm in front of her to keep her in place. She gave him a confused look and he tilted his head towards me. Pansy let out an exasperated sigh. She, Malfoy, and his goons all had their eyes glued on me, each for their own reasons.

I was trying to ignore the four of them, as I grew very uncomfortable at eight eyes burning into me. I took a quick glance at them, and anxiety flooded my body. Malfoy's two goons peered at me like predators ready to strike at Malfoy's command, Pansy's seeping gaze was more intense than her usual annoyance at me, and Malfoy's cold pale eyes had almost a glint of wonder in them. Malfoy took notice of my peek in their direction and hopped off his ledge with a smirk on his face. His goons followed suit, their heavy weights making a slightly intimidating thud as they stepped down, but Pansy stayed where she was, not breaking her gaze, and crossed her arms. The two large boys, one short and round, the other tall and beefy, approached me with a malicious smile as they each cracked their knuckles.

My heart dropped seeing this. Am I to be a victim to Draco Malfoy's cruel games? I froze in my spot, still standing in the corridor only metres away from the entrance that was now slowly scraping shut. Perfect. Now there's no one to lay witness to my beating and screams. I thought to myself as I took a step backwards away from the two approaching me.

"Crabbe! Goyle!" Malfoy called out. The two boys stopped and turned to look back at their leader. "What in the blazes do you think you're doing?" he barked in an annoyed tone. I glanced at Malfoy and took a sharp breath.

"We're going to rough her up, aren't we," the taller boy said.

"No! You daft wankers! She's a Slytherin, not one of those Gryffindor prats," Malfoy huffed, pushing past Crabbe and Goyle. He stopped to stand only a foot from me. As he looked down at me, his pale blond bangs fell, his cold gaze making me nervous. I felt as if I was growing smaller by the second. We stood like this for a short moment, until his pale eyes squinted as his thin-lipped scowl turned into a smirk. "Not so smart-mouthed now, are you?" he asked, letting out a half-laugh.

"Of course not," I could hear Pansy call out in a matter-of-fact tone. The light tap of her shoes hit the wet cobblestone as she hopped from the ledge she had still been standing on and made her way in between me and Malfoy. I looked at her with my brows furrowed. Malfoy took a step back to give Pansy room. "She doesn't have half the wit she thinks she does," she insulted, smirking, looking quite proud of herself.

Without much thought, I pushed Pansy away from me, "Lay off!" I huffed in anger.

Pansy grunted as she stumbled backwards. "Why you filthy little creature!" she shouted, pulling her wand out and holding it to my throat. I glared at Pansy, filled with anger.

The three boys cooed in laughter. "Girls, Girls," Malfoy interjected, placing a hand on Pansy's outstretched wand to make her lower it. We both looked at the blond. "We don't need to be expelled on the first day back, do we Pans?" he said, looking at her.

Pansy huffed violently and jammed her wand back into her robe. "Pure-blood!" she shouted angrily at the common room entrance and stormed through the opening.

Malfoy looked at Crabbe and Goyle who were just standing there absent-mindedly and waved a hand at them, "Leave us," he demanded, and the two boys scurried off like common servants. The entrance to the common room closed again, and Malfoy lowered his hand and looked at me.

I looked at him angrily and gave him a push just as I did Pansy. "What is wrong with you?" I grunted.

Malfoy laughed as he took a step or two back. "Now, now, calm down. No harm was done, now was there?"

"No harm?" I repeated in a high voice. "What are you playing at, Malfoy?" I demanded, glared up at him.

"Just seeing how well you can hold your own, is all," he answered. "Seeing how fun you'll be," he added, with a smirk.

"I don't want to be one of your toys, Malfoy!" I grunted.

"Oh no, of course not. Let me assure you, that is not my intention," he claimed and outstretched his arm towards the entrance, not taking his eyes off mine. "Pure-blood," he called out in a clear voice and the entrance once again opened. "After you."

I looked at the door, then back at Malfoy. I gave him a confused look and he tilted his head towards the opening, "I'm not going to open it again for you," he said, and with that, I made my way towards the entrance and inside the common room.

By the time I finally made it inside, the majority of the Slytherins were already in their dorms, ready to retire for the night. Except, of course, Pansy who'd stayed waiting for who I could only assume to be Malfoy. He came in after me and the door shut behind us. Pansy looked up from the couch where she sat and rolled her eyes at me. I ignored her and looked behind me.

"Well, good night, Malfoy," I said in a small unsure voice as I started for my dorm room. "Pansy," I said in passing, knowing she had stuck her tongue out at me by the noise she had made.

I could hear the two speaking but couldn't make out the words as I hurried down the stairs. All I cared about at this moment was to get in my bed and go to sleep. When I entered my room, Oregano laid there at the foot of my bed. Seeing her, I smiled, all my worries faded away.