A/N: yay reviews! Okay so here's a longer chapter, hopefully from here on in the chapters will be a bit longer. Also I would like to apologize in advance for getting any information on Catholicism wrong, so if I did screw anything up please help me out. Also would like to thank my fantastic beta Ceraedin!
Harry Potter was now completely positive he had no luck whatsoever- not only had he been stuck with the new kid, the new kid was also completely insane. In fact, Harry was sure that being stuck with Malfoy was some form of penance from a sin he'd comminted in a past life. But Harry, being the nice boy he was, still stuck with Malfoy, showed him to the school store and his next class.
The twosome entered their class, Draco ambling through the door, a hand in his pocket and a backpack looped over one shoulder and Harry nervously behind him. The taller blonde honed in on a desk in the back of the classroom and Harry almost dashed towards a desk near his own friends.
"Jeez, Harry, you look like you saw a ghost," Ron commented. "Did the new kid try ta kill you?"
Harry smiled weakly, that was way to close to the truth for comfort, "Nah, he's just a bit…er….um….maladjusted?"
"The girls can't get enough of him!" Dean sighed, "I'll never get why they always like jackasses like him."
"Join the club," agreed Ron.
Harry glanced at the desk behind him at Seamus who snickered, "I heard from Lavender that Hermione fancies the pants off him!"
Turning a pale shade of red, Ron rolled his eyes, "Lavender's just making stuff up again. Hermione would never fancy such an ass!"
All four boys looked towards the back of the classroom where Lavender was trying to flirt with the new blonde boy and Hermione was sitting on the other side of Draco smiling prettily at him.
Seamus and Dean roared with laughter and Harry gave Ron a supportive pat on the back and said, "I'm sure it's just a crush Ron." Everyone in the class, except an oblivious Hermione, knew how much Ron liked the bushy haired brunette.
"She's wicked hot, though," Seamus couldn't help add.
Once again Harry found himself forcibly keeping Ron from attacking a classmate, which was much harder then it sounds as Harry was a rather petite and Ron, most certainly, was not.
Harry was almost happy when class started- at least now he had a few minutes to gather his thoughts. The teenagers settled down and for the most part pretended to pay attention the lesson. Harry didn't even bother. He was still shook up over the strange encounter with Malfoy.
"Don't pretend you don't remember."
What was he supposed to remember? Harry was sure he'd never seen Draco before. Although….although, for a moment a pair of piercing, black lashed, grey eyes filled his vision. Those eyes were familiar, painfully familiar.
Suddenly the bell rung loudly and the students began to chatter loudly. Harry bid farewell to his friends, promising to see them at lunch and located Draco through the crowd.
"So we have art,"
No response.
"…that's by the garden."
Again silence.
"So uh, I'm going over there now, and you should too because you have class and I mean you could follow me, because since you're new I'm assuming you don't know how to get to the art building, because you have art now and you should go there because that's the class you have and um," Harry blushed and nervously wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, "I'm babbling, aren't I?"
"Yup."
"Well just follow me and we'll head over to the art building."
Harry quickly turned on his heel and walked stiffly towards the art building. Why did I start babbling like that! Augh, he's just so weird! He just stands there and stares, and I just wanted him to say something!
Malfoy stood in the sunlight, watching with a smirk as the smaller teen walked nervously down the cobblestone path. Behind him the autumn leaves swirled on the wind, all shades of brilliant orange and reds. The wind was cool and crisp, a perfect fall day.
With a low laugh Draco slipped his hands in his pockets and followed the dark haired teen.
XoXoXo
Harry wasn't free of Draco until lunchtime when he joined his friends at their usual table. Malfoy was nowhere to be found and Harry couldn't have been happier. As usual Harry was rather quiet, happy to be around his friends laughing at their jokes and amusing stories.
"Harrrryyyy," someone whispered in his ear.
The teen jumped and glanced over his shoulder to find Hermione giggling.
"Jesus, Hermione! You scared the hell out of me!"
The brunette laughed and sat down between Ron and Harry, "Did I get the little Catholic boy to curse?"
Harry just rolled his eyes, "Hell is not a curse word, it's a spiritual location."
"Why aren't you off flirting the pants off Malfoy, Hermione?" Ron sneered.
"Because I couldn't find him," she retorted.
"Oh."
"Anyway," Hermione sighed, "Did you hear, what happened in London today?"
"No," Harry said, taking a bite of his sandwich.
"That serial killer struck again!"
Harry promptly stopped chewing.
"God, Hermione, not while we're eating!" Seamus complained, as Dean paled and thickly swallowed a bite of pasta.
The girl rolled her eyes, "Stop being such a wuss, he killed a boy this time!"
"Did he rip out the-….uh…do that thing again?" Ron asked with morbid curiosity.
"Disembowel?"
Dean made a gagging sound.
"Yeah he did." Hermione whispered in a hushed tone, "This is the 10th one!"
"Wait, he killed a boy?" Seamus gasped.
"Mmhmm," She said, "One of those pretty boys."
Ron went so pale that his freckles looked like red crayon on wax paper, the teen took a deep breath and smiled weakly, "Well we'd better start guarding Harry, he might be next!"
Out of instinct Harry elbowed Ron in the ribs, "Shut up, Ron." There were weak laughs at the familiar gag, but they were like ripples on the surface of a lake. Tension and fear still hung in the air.
The serial killer, dubbed the 21st century Jack the Ripper, had terrified all of England. It was the longest run of serial killings in London in the past few decades and, so far, there seemed to be no clues or leads.
There was a cool wind that cut through the silence, whistling through the trees and sweeping away loose leaves. The black parade continued, marching all the way down the fountain and stopping to swirl around a figure. Malfoy.
The teen walked towards the school house, wind whistling around him, leading the black parade towards the students.
"Does it strike you as odd that on the day another body is found, Malfoy comes to Hogwarts?" Dean said in a low frightened voice.
Hermione giggled, "Oh come on, Dean, you really think some sixteen year old boy is the Ripper?"
"Have you heard the rumors about him!" Dean insisted.
Everyone at the tables exchanged glances and shook their heads.
"I heard that he used to be a student at some London Academy, but he was expelled for 'criminal behavior'. Apparently he snuck out at night and would reappear in the doom rooms covered in blood! Like some sort of ghost!"
Finally Hermione broke the nervous silence, "Oh come on Dean! Those are just rumors, it's not like anyone can prove they're true!"
"Lavender did! She knows a lot of people at London Academy!"
"In the biblical sense," Ron snickered.
"She messaged them at lunch and they all told her all this stuff about him!" Dean continued.
"Remember that girl, Tori?" Seamus said nervously, "She came here from London Academy last year, she knew him too. I talked to her during my free, and she said he was creepy too."
"She told me this one time, she was walking to a night class and she saw him outside, sitting under a tree sharpening a knife. When she asked what he was doing he told her he was about to go out and take care of something and then he asked if she wanted to come!"
For a minute everyone at the table turned to look at Draco Malfoy who was still walking towards them, leaves swirling behind him. It was such a strange picture- it didn't look real, as if it were planned somehow, as if they were watching a movie.
Finally Hermione said dismissively, "Just a silly rumor." She got up and walked back to Lavender's table, glancing nervously over her shoulder at Malfoy.
Harry sighed, "I can't believe I have to show him around!"
"No worries, you can ditch him after today," Seamus said.
"I guess," the dark haired teen shrugged, "Still he's in all my classes!"
"Just ignore him, you'll be fine, Harry." Dean added. They were quiet for a moment before Dean said, "It's Monday, right?"
"Yeah, why?" Seamus yawned and continued to eat.
"We've got Mass remember?"
"Aw fuck, I knew I hated today for a reason!" Seamus cursed.
Harry rolled his eyes, "Come on, Seamus, Mass isn't bad,"
"Well it's still boring, I mean aren't there better ways to worship god?"
"Now, come on, it's in the bible," Harry insisted.
Seamus and Ron exchanged a look. They knew better then to argue with Harry about what was in the bible, because according to Harry if it was in the bible it was the law.
The students made their way to the large cathedral behind the schoolhouse. It was the tallest building on the school grounds, with its over fifty foot high bell tower and Hogwarts was very proud of it. During the summer it attracted all kinds of tourists- apparently it was dated back to the 11th century and one of the first churches founded by the royal family of England.
They filed in the pews and Harry, as always, left his less religious friends to scoot to the front of the large room nearest to the alter and the huge stained glass window behind it that filtered tinted sunlight down into the room.
"Good Afternoon, students," Headmaster Dumbledore announced from the pulpit. Oftentimes Mass was used as an assembly by the teachers where they would make announcements.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts School, we are all very pleased to see you all again. We have few announcements this year, as always. Firstly we welcome all the first years and wish them a pleasant year here. I would also like to warn them that the upper floors of the church are strictly off limits to students and unless they would like to take a long fall, we recommend that you all avoid the bell tower."
As always there were a few nervous laughs at that line.
"I would also like to introduce a new member of the staff this year, Reverend Thomas Riddle!"
A tall man with black hair and dark eyes took the stage, a gentle smile graced his features and he bowed his head at the crowd, "It is a great pleasure to be here, I'm very excited to begin a new career here at the much esteemed Hogwarts Academy, and I'd like to dedicate this service to all of you hard working students."
"I'm sure you've all heard about the tragic murders going on in London and that a new victim has been found today. I ask for a moment of silence for all those hurt by this killer and for his victims."
A blanket of silence covered the room. Harry bowed his head and lost himself in prayer and the soft colored light that washed over him.
XoXoXo
After Mass Harry reunited with his friends and they walked back to the schoolhouse for their last class of the day.
"What did you think of that new reverend?" Seamus asked.
"Looks like the type to molest pretty little boys," Ron snickered, "Harry you'd better watch out!"
Everyone laughed and Harry gave a half hearted protest, his mind was however was elsewhere.
Harry couldn't help but notice that Draco hadn't been at Mass.
A/N: oooh exciting, much? Hah I know, not really. I'm sorry if the chappie was a bit boring, I promises next chapter will be more exciting and will involve Draco and Harry doing naughty things in the cathedral…well okay not that naughty yet. But we're getting there. Lols.