Chapter 3 – The New Guy

The Great Hall was filled with a thousand ecstatic students all happy to join in with the festivities, except for Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger who were sat at the end of their house tables, closest to the doors, being shunned by their peers.

The sorting had started and finished without the new acquaintances paying any attention to the new students being added to their respectable houses.

Professor Dumbledore stood up and the hall fell silent.

"A very warm welcome to our new pupils and a welcome back to our old hats." Dumbledore had an amused twinkle in his eyes, "Another year full of magical education awaits you all. I would like to remind you all that the Forbidden Forest is out of bounds for all students and Mr Filch has asked me to say that all items bought from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes are not too be brought into the school. We are pleased to welcome a new sixth year student called Orion Black," Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco all looked up to see the new kid, seeing as though they all knew that particular last name, "He was home schooled and has achieved the second highest results in the entire school, second only to Hermione Granger also in sixth year..."

Hermione cringed as the muttering started, half the school turned around to look at her and turned their noses up at her, surprisingly Draco Malfoy was the only person to semi smile at Hermione.

"...Orion requested to be sorted when he came during the holidays and I am pleased to say Ravenclaw have a new student in their midst."

Everyone clapped to be polite as the new boy walked up the isle to sit at his new house table.

Orion was a good looking boy, tall and muscular. His facial features were perfect and straight, but the schools perception of the boy's perfect face was ruined by the multiple piercing stabbed through his pale skin and the faultless jet black side-swept bangs hiding his face. No one likes change. People are scared of what they don't understand and what they can't see, so they had already categorized the youth as a trouble maker and a misfit, a boy to avoid, even though they didn't know him. The girls were already calling him a 'bad boy', whispering to their friends. The boys looked at him in disgust, the same horrified disgust that Harry had gazed upon Hermione.

The new guy walked to the end of his new house table, almost to the big oak doors and sat down. All the students shuffled away from him giving Orion a wide birth, but one girl moved closer to him and practically sat on his lap. She whispered something into his ear.

"I'm definitely not interested." He replied not even looking at the girl.

Sally-Anne Perks huffed then slid back next to her friend, flipped her superficial blond hair over her shoulder and said, "He's gay." So that everyone in a five meter radius heard.

Orion chuckled to himself and shook his head in amazement, before looking over to Draco and nodding in recognition. Draco inclined his head before turning back to his head teacher's speech.

"...These are dangerous times, as you all know Lord Voldemort and his followers are once again gaining strength. I cannot stress how important it is for our school to look after each other. The castles magical fortifications have been strengthened but they only work so far. I urge you all to listen and abide by the rules set by your teachers for your own safety. Also if you see anything suspicious tell a member of staff immediately," Dumbledore's face turned from serious to joyful with a twinkle in his eyes, "And now on to happier things. All those wanting to play for their house team should contact their team captain for the date of tryouts."

All the males in the hall started talking about this Quidditch season. Professors McGonagall and Snape began a heated debate about whose team was going to win this year, that is until Dumbledore raised his arms up and called for silence.

"Quidditch isn't as important as the food in front of you. Tuck in!"

Platters and dishes of many different foods appeared in front of their eyes. Everyone began eating, pulling the house elf made delights on to their plates as if were gold, shoving it down their throats as if it was the last meal on earth. Everyone, that is, except from Hermione, Draco and Orion. Hermione only nibbled on a small bread roll whilst the two boys mainly moved the food around their plates. The main soon disappeared without the three actually paying attention to their surroundings. The platters were replaced with mountains of different kinds of desserts. All three of the shunned picked up a piece of Lemon Tart and that soon became the only substantial part of their dinner.

Once everyone had finished Dumbledore got up again and addressed the gathered.

"Your beds await you all and after that long journey you all need your rest. Let us therefore say goodnight."

The benches slid back in a deafening scrape as everyone filed out of the hall.

"Oi, important person coming through." A voice called from behind and pushed his way through the crowd.

Once getting to the front of the congregation Harry Potter stood just outside the door, waiting for the new guy.

"Did you know Sirius Black?" He called out grabbing Orion by the arm as he tried to walk past.

Orion waited for most of the crowd to go back to their dorms before answering, "Why the hell should I answer you Potter, when I don't know you at all? You maybe the Chosen One but you treat your friends like shit, especially the ones you need to defeat Voldemort. At these times you should be worried about vanquishing that bastard but no you are more worried about what your friends look like and how it will ruin your street cred."

He winked his stormy dark eyes at Hermione who was standing in the doorway next to Draco.

"How dare you..." Harry started but stormed off when Orion walked off to talk to the pair behind him.

"So Hermione, you are my competition for the top spot aren't you." Orion joked grinning, his eyes turning lighter, and stuck out his hand.

Hermione chuckled and shook his hand, "Yeah I'm Hermione, I do hope we have the same classes. It would be nice to have an intelligent conversation with someone."

"Hey what about me? I have always been second to you, well now, third in rank of brain power." Draco said laughing.

"Ah so you must be Draco Malfoy." The new boy said cheerfully.

"Please call me Draco," He said whilst shaking his hand, "The first chance I get I'm changing my name."

"Oh, how come?" Hermione asked.

"Let's just say I had an epiphany over the summer. I don't want to be like my father." Draco prayed that she didn't ask him anything else but Hermione seemed satisfied for now with that answer.

"Oh crap," Orion said looking around him, "Guys, do you know where the Ravenclaw common room is?"

Hermione and Draco looked at each other before raising their eyebrows at each other in challenge and saying 'Yes' at the same time. They gazed at each other in disbelief before shrugging and leading the way towards Orion's new home.

"How do you know where the Ravenclaw's base is? I mean us Slytherins always believed that you Hermione Granger, Gryffindor Princess, followed the rules i.e. no one from a different house may enter a common room that is not their own." Draco explained softly.

Surprisingly Hermione wasn't offended by this assumption, in fact, she was pleased that the Slytherin's knew nothing about her.

"When did Dumbledore's Army, sometimes I would walk back with Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley. What about you? Slytherin's don't tend to mingle."

"True but one of my ex-girlfriends found it compulsory to have me walk her everywhere. The common room being the most frequent place I visited apart from the loo's" Draco shuddered.

Orion and Hermione laughed at Draco's discomfort.

They arrived at the Ravenclaw's entrance. A big wooden door sealed off the common room from intruders, but it had no keyhole or handle to open it. The door only had one small golden eagle as a knocker as decoration.

"All you have to do is use the knocker then answer the question the eagle asks you. If you answer the question correctly then you gain access." Hermione prompted pushing Orion towards the door.

"What if I get it wrong?" Orion asked seriously.

"You are stuffed...Nah...We will just have to answer it for you." Draco answered cheerfully.

"Thanks guys." Orion said, giving Hermione a hug and a kiss on each cheek before shaking Draco's outstretched hand.

"Can you two sit with me tomorrow? I mean I know that you two have a bit of a feud going on between the two of you...and your classmates...but it will save you from the inept conversations you were no doubt subjected to from your oh-so-loving friends."

"Actually I think that Hermione and I are going to get on spectacularly this year, so that will be fine. And intelligent conversation sounds good, I am so tired of dumbing down everything I say into four letter words and slowing it down for Crabbe and Goyle."

Hermione and Orion laughed.

Waving Draco and Hermione walked off leaving Orion to a battle of wits with the eagle knocker guardian on his common room door.

"You know Orion looks a bit like you, he has the same colour eyes as you." Hermione stated, voicing her observations.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Draco scratched his head in confusion, "So do you look at my eyes often Granger?"

Draco chuckled at the look on her face, a mix between horror and amusement.

Hermione liked this playful Draco, he was more laid back and wasn't stirring up shit like he normally would. Something drastic had changed Draco Malfoy over the holidays and Hermione wanted to know what.

She plucked up the courage to ask, "Draco," but when he turned around her courage dwindled, so Hermione asked another question that had being bugging her, "Why are you being so nice to me? I mean I am glad but will it always be like this or are you going to change back to your old self or is this some kind of Death Eater mission or something?"

Draco stopped in his tracks shuddering.

"I am being nice to you because I no longer fear my father and because it is what my mum would have wanted," Draco showed Hermione his blank arm, "See, no Dark Mark. I am not and never will be a Death Eater therefore I have no mission."

Hermione let out an uncharacteristic squeal and leapt towards him, putting her arms around Draco's surprised form and squeezing him. Draco awkwardly patted Hermione on the back, not accustomed to caring gestures from anyone except his mother.

"Um...What was that for?" Draco asked slowly once Hermione had removed her limbs from his person.

"For not being your father. I would not be able to put up with that as well this year." Hermione replied sincerely wiping a tear from her cheek.

Draco nodded, but didn't pry into her business. He knew that Hermione had no reason to trust him and that she would talk to him about it in her own time.

The rest of the journey was walked in a comforting silence. Both parties were surrounded by their own thoughts and secure in the knowledge that the other wouldn't intrude in their thoughts.

Hermione was surprised when Draco walked her straight to her common room guardian. It seemed odd that her arch enemy was walking her home.

"Good night Hermione," Draco said softly, looking at the floor, contemplating his words before he said them, "I hope the Golden Duo don't give you too much shit."

Hermione looked at the insecure boy and wondered what the hell had gone wrong in his oh so perfect life to turn him round. Sure she was pleased, but the kind of catalyst needed to turn around a man who hated everyone who was different to him was enormous, un-comprehendible. She wondered how long it was going to be before he either went back to his old ways or fell apart. Hermione felt like a bitch thinking that but, life had dealt her such difficult cards that she couldn't afford to let anyone in. She would not survive it.

"Thanks, good night Draco," Hermione said timidly, suddenly scared of what this could mean, "See you tomorrow for stimulating conversation over breakfast."

Draco chuckled then winked in her direction before swinging his arms and propelling himself in the general direction of his own common room.

Hermione answered the fat lady's question in a blur and stepped through the hole that no longer felt like home.