Dahlia, Miles and Draco gathered themselves and proceeded to exit the train; all the while discussing the upcoming year with a somber but excited air. The atmosphere around the rest of the disbanding students was tense as the events of the previous school year and the Triwizard Tournament hung over them. The scandal surrounding Harry Potter and Dumbledore was ramped in the muttering around them but only Draco and Miles knew a semblance of the truth and they had promised to fill Dahlia in once they were safely behind the common rooms door.
They joined their usual formation with Draco at the front and put on their menacing looks to fend off others. Miles sent one of his most frightening looks to one of the first years that were loudly exclaiming his excitement at their arrival and his high pitched voice caused their ears to sting. Upon seeing the look sent his way his eyes widened and he fumbled out of the way of them while Miles smiled in triumph.
Walking through the crowed station they came across the trio of another name. As they were approaching Dahlia felt Draco puff himself up like a peacock strutting around; his chest farther out and his spine straighter that it was previously. She shared a glance with Miles and they prepared themselves for the sight they were about to witness. Flattening down his hair one last time Draco called out to the chosen one, "surprised the ministry is letting you walk around free, Potter," he put on his pureblood ingrained sneer and continued, "better enjoy it while you can! I bet there's a cell in Azkaban waiting for you."
Potter lunged at him but was held back by the freckled red headed Weasly. Draco feigned fear and backed away close to Dahlia who was trying to hold in her laugh. He looked to her and let his smirk shine through before dramatically stumbling away from the group, "come on I told you he was mad."
The three of them made their way to the carriages where Miles and Dahlia finally took up their teasing when they were on their way once again behind the curtains and away from others.
"Really Draco you need to do something about your obsession other than antagonise him," Dahlia started, "I've seen the same method more successfully used by six year olds. It's unbecoming."
Draco shoved her playfully in her seat, "your one to talk, I remember you drooling over a certain French witch just last year."
Dahlia gave thanks that her face was already a darkened color so she didn't show her embarrassment. She sent a glare to a snickering Miles while the outright laughing Draco received a wack on the back of the head. "That's different and you know it! That only lasted a couple months. How long have you been chasing the golden boy, hmm?"
He stopped laughing and his face turned icy only to be distracted from whatever reply he was about to give by Miles lifting his feet and dropping them heavily into the others laps. The impact caused the air to leave their lungs and affectively stopped any approaching argument.
"I can't believe I'm the one saying this but shut it you two," he rolled his eyes at them, "I want peace before we have to deal with school again," he started to pick at the left over sweets from the train.
They settled in for the short ride and soon they were back through the gate before they were in the great hall impatiently waiting to eat. They took their usual seats far enough away from anyone so that they could be left alone. It was more of a precaution for Dahlia because at the start of the year there is always some fool that thinks they can fling insults at her while forgetting she had the backing of the pureblood prince and the muscle of Slytherin house.
The sorting took no longer that usual to end and Dumbledore stood to give his customary speech. At this point Dahlia was daydreaming with a blank look on her face as she did with most things Dumbledore said but her attention was caught when a high squeaky voice cleared their throat.
"What in Salazar's beard is that?!" Miles exclaimed loudly with a disgusted look on his face while he pointed at the women. Others at their table heard the question and let out snicker in agreement.
"Dolores Umbridge, secretary to the minister," Draco answered with a grimace. He knew of her and why she was at the school from his father.
"She's from the ministry? Then what is she doing here?" Dahlia asked no one in particular before focusing once again on the women. She spoke of change and the dedication the ministry had to setting Hogwarts back on its path, her words were deliberate and finely chosen without actually saying outright much of anything.
"What a load of hippograff dung," hissed Dahlia and she turned to Miles and Draco for conformation.
Draco's face was grave while he only shook his head to signal to her that she wouldn't be getting any answers while they were surrounded by others.
Once they made it to the common room they greeted the few they considered friends outside their small group. Pansy Parkinson breathlessly told them of some suiter her mother had her entertain over the holidays and she had a starry look in her eyes. Miles scowled the entire time she spoke but didn't say anything because he knew of Draco's friendship with the airy girl. Dahlia eventually drew him into distraction while Draco and Pansy continued to speak.
A game of heated wizards chess later and once the room had emptied out of any stray students; along with Pansy who had been yawning an excessive amount enough to cause Draco to insist she head up to bed, the three of them were the only ones left awake. Dahlia was relived to be out of the other student's presence after some awed but annoying looks from the first years at the only muggleborn in slytherin, she was done for the day with socializing.
Miles drew up a silencing charm to give them some extra privacy. This wasn't the first time the three of them had stayed up late and schemed in the middle of the night while the rest of their housemates slept. The routine was set, Draco sat himself on the ground in front of the fire while Miles laid out on a sofa and finally Dahlia perched herself on a large cushioned chair.
The flames cast shadow around the darken room and left an eerie glow to the space. The Slytherin green and silver was ingrained in every piece of furniture in the large rectangular room with only the finest leather as the material used. It created a private and personally feeling with every chair and table placed strategically, perfect for secretive conversations.
"Go on then tell us why that toad of a woman is really here," Dahlia sent to Draco impatiently. The questions she's held in the entire train ride and feast once again at the forefront of her mind.
"After the trial of Potter, the minister has been paranoid. Thinking Dumbledore made the whole thing that happened last year up. She's here to disrupt the old man in anyway possible." He let the words hang heavily in the air as they all thought things over.
"What is he thinking? The hufflepuff, what's his name," Dahlia flippantly waved her hand, "he just dropped dead for no reason? Is the minister that stupid?"
Miles cast sleepy eyes to the girl and gave a tired smile, "it was Cedric Diggory by the way and what do you expect? No one wants to face the reality of the Dark Lord's return."
"He has returned, hasn't he?" she tried not to show her nervousness but they knew her well enough to see threw it. She was aware of the reproductions of Voldemort's return as she'd undoubtedly be one of his first targets because of the stir her very existence caused to the old way of thinking. A muggleborn in Slytherin was thought impossible until she arrived at Hogwarts and she heard those words thrown at her daily from others.
The two purebloods shared a look that passed on for a life time. They protected her from many things that are the realities of their world but they couldn't save her from the knowledge they held.
"Yes he's back," Draco gave an uncomfortable shuffle, "he's been staying at the mansion for the last few months."
"What!? You didn't think that's something I should have known earlier?" she threw a heavy cushion at the blond and sat up in her seat.
"I couldn't possibly tell you that over owl!" he hissed before trying to fix his ruined hair.
"Fine your right." She sighed in frustration before trying to bottle her temper.
"Our families have been tense in anticipation with his resurrection. Many are still feeling the effects the last war had on us. The deaths and the imprisonments, not many old families were untouched." Miles confessed.
"The Dark Lord is rebuilding his forces already in preparation for conflict while Dumbledore is still trying to convince the public at large of his existence. The families feel that the war is brewing the way it did the last time." Draco added to the other boy's words.
"So you're saying that the Slytherins are going to be bolder? With his return their going to feel safer in the way they behave." She stated worriedly. She knew something had shifted over the feast as she had heard more whispers in her direction than usual.
"It's likely they will." Miles lifted himself more and shifted into a more comfortable positon.
"With him back there's been a renewed hope. We all had to abide by the ministry standards that we didn't agree with for a long time. A fire is burning again in many people's hearts." Draco fiercely spoke with the fire evident in his own eyes that wasn't a reflection of the hearth in front of them.
"We? You include yourself in that?" Dahlia asked incredibly. Disbelief clouded her words.
It was Miles that answered her with cold words, "you know we do Dahlia. Mudbloods are a waste of magic."
She jumped out of her seat offended at what her two closest friends had said and cried angrily, "what about me? You know I'm a Mudblood too!"
"but your different!" Miles lifted himself off the sofa and grasped her flaying arms trying to calm her down.
"You excel in magic faster than some traitors of purebloods," all three of their minds went to Neville Longbottom and his notorious failure in all things, "and have the qualities of many great witches the others don't." Draco tried to convey as he too stood from his seat.
"Be honest you've always hated the muggle world just as much as we do." Miles tried to rationalize the panting girl as she glared at him for keeping her confined.
"I know you two have been living in denial but it's time to get over it! I'm a mudblood, no better than the others. You hate a part of me that I can never change, it's what the others see and you should too." She ripped herself from Miles strong grip and felt the sting his fingertips left on her shoulders but it didn't compare to the pain in her heart.
The two looked horrified at her words and Draco shook his head, "we could never hate you!"
"Well it doesn't matter in the end either way, if Voldermort is back I'm as good as dead!" she saw them both flinch at her words but it didn't stop her from storming away.
They called after her uselessly as she didn't stop until she reached her room. Pulling back the satin sheets she went through her nightly routine with blurry eyes before she fell into her bed.
As a last thought before she drifted off she remembered to cast a protective charm around her sleeping form. This was Slytherin house after all and the vipers knew when to strike when a person was weakest.