Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition Season 8 Round 11
Position: Chaser 1
Optional Prompts: (colour) ivory, (character) Draco Malfoy
Word Count: 1006
The Hogwarts Express puffed smoke over the heads of other young witches and wizards being seen onto the train by their parents. Owls of every colour hooted and screeched, and cats of various breeds yowled noisily, but the noise that the pets were making could barely be heard over the vast, chattering crowd.
Draco, his mother and his father stood by the brick wall of Platform-Nine-and-Three-Quarters, saying their goodbyes.
"Be good now, Draco." Narcissa Malfoy whispered to her son.
"I will, Mother," Draco said, rolling his eyes at his trunk.
"Seriously, Draco," Lucius said, "your mother and I expect you to get tops marks in your first year at Hogwarts."
"I will, Father," Draco said.
"Good," Lucius said, satisfied with his son's response. "Now run along now, or you'll miss the train!"
Draco nodded. He heaved his trunk onto the train, and as steam started to billow from the Hogwarts Express, Draco waved goodbye to his parents, and only stopped waving when the train rounded a corner and he could not see his parents anymore.
Draco lifted his trunk onto the luggage rack. He did not expect to find any true friends, for people would only like him for his status as a Malfoy.
Looking left and right for an empty compartment, Draco walked down the corridors of the train. The only compartment left was a compartment with a girl sitting alone, staring out of the window.
"Hi," Draco said, sliding open the door of the compartment. "Can I sit here?"
"Of course!" the girl said, moving over to make more room.
Draco sat down and held out his hand. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he said.
"Astoria Greengrass," the girl said. "Pleasure to meet you."
"Which house do you reckon you'll be in?" Draco asked. His father had told him that he was not to make friends or have a friendly conversation with anyone who wasn't a Slytherin.
"Slytherin, I think," Astoria said, and Draco was relieved. "My whole family's been in that house."
"Same," Draco said, and they sat in silence until the lunch trolley came. Draco bought some pumpkin pasties and he and Astoria shared them amongst themselves.
As Astoria was eating the pumpkin pasties, Draco looked out of the glass window of their compartment door. He could see students in other compartments laughing and sharing their snacks, and he couldn't help feeling sad.
"Something the matter, Draco?" Astoria asked, scrutinising him closely. "You look sad."
"Yeah," Draco sighed. "I don't think I'll make any friends. People will only like me for my status."
"Well, you can't predict it all," Astoria said brightly. "I haven't got any friends yet either. But we're bound to find friends later."
"Are you sure?" Draco asked, hardly daring to believe her.
"I'm sure," Astoria smiled.
Draco felt a little better.
"What made you do this, Draco?"
Draco and Astoria stood in the cold and rainy courtyard. The other Sixth Years were inside for the lunch break, and the courtyard was the best place to have a private conversation on days like this.
"The Dark Lord has asked me to do this mission, and I know that I will succeed," Draco said flatly.
"But what if you don't succeed?" Astoria cried. "What if you fail? The Dark Lord is known to punish people most severely."
"But I will succeed, Astoria!" Draco said. "The mission's coming along just fine. You can't stop me!"
"Not now, you will," Astoria said. "I saw you wandering around in the corridors last night without any lookouts, which was foolish in the extreme."
"You sound like Snape," Draco said disgustingly. "He's always snooping in my business like an oversized bat-"
"That's because both Snape and I care about you, Draco. We're worried for you."
"Well, I don't need protection!" Draco said. "I told you already, the plan to kill Dumbledore is coming along just fine."
"You're being a fool, Draco," Astoria said.
"No, I'm not," Draco said stubbornly. "I know that my plan to kill Dumbledore will succeed, and when it does, I'll be rewarded beyond all of the Dark Lord's followers."
"Well, you can't predict it all, Draco!" Astoria shouted, and she stormed back inside.
And as Draco watched her go, he wondered if he was doing the right thing.
"Mr Malfoy, we're very sorry. Your wife will not live.
Draco gazed at the healer who had spoken the words he had been dreading, horrified.
The healer bowed his head. "We will allow you two some time together."
Draco nodded and walked into the room Astoria was in. He sat down on the linen sheets of her bed, feeling numb and cold. It would be hard to break the news to Scorpius, who was at Hogwarts and had always been close to Astoria.
"Hey," Astoria said, laying a pale, clammy hand on Draco's arm. "I want to spend time with you before I go."
Draco choked back a sob and started to talk to her. He talked about the time when Astoria wanted to protect him from the Dark Lord, the time when Astoria had reassured him that he was going to find friends and he reminded her of the day Scorpius was born.
"Yes, I remember that day," Astoria said, chuckling weakly. "I wish that we could go back to the past. I feel so sleepy now."
"Astoria, please tell me that I can't predict it all," Draco said.
"I'm sorry Draco, but my death is one the things in life that you can predict," Astoria said, smiling sadly.
Draco felt a tear slide down his cheek, and as he saw Astoria's eyes close, he realized that there were, in fact, things in life that were unpredictable.