The train ride to Hogwart's was further uneventful. Thankfully, no more interruptions came to his compartment for the duration of the journey. Darkness had managed to devour the daylight sky, cooling the air down significantly. School robes were donned and children filed off the Hogwart's Express. Walking like a well learned Robot, Draco headed for the carriages. It was curious to note that a winged horse looking creature seemed to be pulling the carriage. A puzzled look crossed over his face. Had they been there before and he hadn't noticed? No, that was impossible. He would've had to be blind to miss this.
Shrugging to himself, the blonde boarded one of the carriages and got comfortable. The trip to Hogwart's was a short one, the castle loomed majestically before him. Eyes surveyed the area, looking at the high stone towers and the winged boars at the entrance. They had restored it to perfection, it didn't even look as though there had been a slaughter here. "All right everybody into the castle, the feast is about to begin. Go on now." The curt voice of Professor McGonagall echoed in his ears and without another word he stepped into the castle gates, heading towards the great doors.
The great hall was buzzing with excitement and noise. Everyone was eager for the first of the term feast to begin and for their school year to officially start. Everyone just wanted things to go back to normal, if normal had really ever been an option. Malfoy took his place at the long table that housed the Slytherins of the school. The kids all smiled and welcomed him back, asking him about his family and how things were going. Draco was polite as he could manage but he really wasn't into it. In fact, something else was distracting him at the moment.
Eyes had honed in on the target for the year. Mussed and unkempt hair had caught his eye. If that head turned around, he knew immediately he would be staring at Harry Potter. The Gryffindor was sitting with his usually posse of Granger and Weasley. Did that kid ever travel outside of his pack? No matter, Draco would definitely get Potter alone eventually. After all, he had some lessons to teach the boy.
Sorting had finally finished and Slytherin had gained quite a few new members, the feast had begun. Goblets had filled to the brim with pumpkin juice and plates were piled high with all sorts of food. Chicken, pudding, gravy, veggies, pork, treacle tarts, and more loaded the table down. All the students eagerly began to fill their plates. Draco selected a helping of almost everything, a slight smile settling on his face. He was back at Hogwart's and he had a good feeling about this year.
Once everyone had their fill of food and drink, the tables cleared and the Headmistress stood at the podium to address some things. "Welcome to another year at Hogwart's. It's so good to see all your smiling faces. We are pleased to welcome George Weasley as our new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher this year." The red haired man stood to his feet to the grand applause that resounded through out the Great Hall. Clearing her throat and signaling everyone to quiet down, the Headmistress spoke again. "Now you all know the Forbidden Forest is still off limits, rules are still the same. Now all of you off to bed! Go on!" She smiled as the children began to vacate their seats, all of them full and sleepy from the feast.
The Slytherin prefect all motioned for them to follow her. Draco couldn't help but noticing that she was quite attractive and he hadn't recalled ever seeing her before. Eyes drifted over her curvy body, admiring her backside as she swayed down the hall, her robes billowing from behind her. Looking around, he could see he wasn't the only one appreciating the view. Quite a few of the boys were giving her a once or twice over. The male chuckled, it was good to be back.
The Slytherin common room hadn't changed a bit. Same cool air, same green and silver tapestries and big plushy couches. A roaring fire was going on in the hearth, a few students plopped down on the couches, unwilling to head off to bed just yet. The Malfoy boy headed towards the boys dorms. There was his bed, the same one he had slept in for seven years. The same one he snuck out of quite often just to catch Potter doing something against the rules. His plans often back fired. Stripping down to his boxers, he retrieved a pair of black pajama pants from his trunk, pulling them over his slender legs. Slowly he eased into the soft, plushy bed, sighing in pleasure as he sank deep into the blankets. Moments later sleep claimed him for its own.
The sound of loud chatter disturbed him from his quiet slumber. Morning, unfortunately had arrived sooner than he thought. The Slytherin students were hurrying into their robes and gathering their books for the first lessons of the day. What was the first lesson of the day? Oh yea, Potions with Professor Slughorn and the Gryffindors. Perfect, it would be his first chance to really get under Potter's skin. Draco would make sure that Harry knew that he wasn't going to let him go without a fight this year.
Without much hurry in his step, the Malfoy boy donned his robes and grabbed his bag that held his school books. He tucked his wand into the waist of his robe and left the dorm without a word to any other student. Making his way through the throes of students proved to be a tad bit difficult. It seemed as though there were more students than usual this year. Finally he managed to make it into the dark potions classroom with just a few seconds to spare. Unceremoniously he plopped his stuff down on the table. Professor Slughorn appeared at the front of the class with a happy smile on his round face. "Alright, settle down class. Today we will be pairing up and brewing a Dreamless Sleep Potion. Now get into pairs quickly and you may begin." Slughorn retreated to behind his desk, plopping down to brew something of his own.
This was a perfect moment. Without saying a word, Draco sat down beside Harry who looked at him in complete disgust and amazement. "What the hell do you think you are doing Malfoy?" The blonde grinned wickedly. "Such language coming from 'The Chosen One's' mouth? Tsk Tsk." His tone was mocking and he could only grin. "I'm not going to be your partner Malfoy, go on." Looking around, the Slytherin smiled. "I don't see anyone else who could be spared the agony of being your partner." Harry took the moment to look around the class. It did seem as though everyone had already paired up. This was ridiculous, he wasn't pairing with Malfoy.
Potter raised his hand, getting the Professor's attention. "Professor Slughorn can I pair with Ron and Hermoine? Everyone else is taken." Malfoy smiled lazily and piped up "I'm not taken." The murderous glare Harry was giving him was enough to make his whole day. "There you go Harry, Mr. Malfoy is willing to be your partner, now get started, time is a ticking!" Damn, he was stuck with the blonde brat. With a sigh of resignation, he dragged his book from the confines of his bag and set it on the table. Draco did the same, turning to the page in which the potion they were brewing lay.
Without so much as a word to his arch enemy, Harry began to chop up a few ingredients for the potion. This was ridiculous, having to be partners with the guy he hated most in the school. Why had he even bothered coming back to finish this year? He could have just been an Auror and gotten it over with. Kingsley had already offered him the job. Draco looked over at Potter for a moment, staring at the boy who's face was all twisted in concentration. This was proving to be a lot of fun already.
