I'm not ready for this. I'm really not. I watch as kids hop onto the train, first-years, 11 year-olds. They don't know an imposter is in their midst. They don't know that at the end of the year... I try not to think about the end of the year. If I don't kill the greatest wizard of all time I'm dead. And so is everyone I care about. Well, not everyone. But I don't think about that either.

"Draco," Pansy, my girlfriend asks. "Are you coming?" I try to balance my cat cage and my trunk.

"What happened to your owl?" she asks.

"Mum's sending it tomorrow." I say shortly, grabbing her trunk. If my dad taught me anything other than be straight and be evil, carrying your girlfriend's trunk is it. But that might count as being straight. I also try not to think about my dad, he's in Azkaban, having his soul sucked out but I swear he's mostly worried if I have a boyfriend.

A boyfriend would be nice. I've only ever kissed girls and that wasn't any fun, maybe it's just because the most I ever thought of them was friends. Or not friends, acquaintances. Another thing my dad taught me. I'm starting to wonder if I ever liked the guy.

"We've got to go to the prefect's compartments." I say, putting our trunks in the overhead compartments. "But we'll be back before you know we're gone."

Blaise shrugs. Crabbe and Goyle just look confused. Pansy grabs my hand and we walk to the prefect's compartments.

"So, tell me about Sirius Black." that's Ernie Macmillian,

"Old news, mate. He was Harry's godfather and then... he died." and the Weasley, Ron

"Be sensitive, Ron." the mudblood Hermione.

"I am. Listen, mate, Harry seems to think that Draco is a Death Eater."

"Well his father's in Azkaban..."

"You actually believe that."

"No, I'm just telling Ernie."

"Yeah, Draco's pretty suspicious." I say, glaring at them. Ernie looks slightly sheepish, Ron isn't looking at me. Hermione glares right back. "Anything else you want to say about me, we can come back a little later."

We sit in silence, only speaking when a kid come asking for one of us. As soon as my time is up, I walk outside, seething with rage. Damn them, damn them all, talking about me being a Death Eater. Like I chose it. Like I chose to be a pawn of the Dark Lord. As soon as we get to the compartment, Pansy starts asking questions. "So what's going on? What are you working on?" she whispers. "Is it about school?"

"What I'm aiming for is far above the realm of academic achievement. And-"

Goyle swings his trunk up above and it hits something, hard. A flash of a white sneeker appears and disappears as quickly as it came. It could be a trick of the light, but I know it's not. I know who has that cloak. I know exactly who would spy on me.

"And I can't talk about it anymore." I finish.

They know, I think, that I'm working for the Dark Lord. A lot of their parents are Death Eaters, they'll know about the new, small, skinny, kid that recently joined their ranks.

It's an honor to be chosen by the Dark Lord but... it's mostly just pain and fear. Nothing too honorable. We talk aimlessly for a while. About chocolate frogs and Quidditch cards, about the annual Great Britain Quidditch League.

"I'll see you on the carriage," I say to them. "Just gotta take care of something."

I pull out sone Peruvian Instant Darkness powder and spread it. Good. It's dark. They can't see.

"Petrificus Totalus!" I cast. Harry come falling down, his cloak landing on the floor next to him. If he's out of commision, maybe he won't get hurt when I... kill Dumbledore.

"Enjoy your ride back to London, Potter." I say, throwing the Invisibility Cloak onto him. "See you next year. This, is for eavesdropping on the train."

I'm not sure if I want to kiss him or kill him. Maybe both.