Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all characters, places et al. are owned by J.K. Rowling. Also Twilight and all characters places et al. are owned by Stephenie Meyer

A/N: And another one. Amazing what 3 hours in a train can do to you :) I hope it's a nice read, if not, shout :) I think it is coming along nicely so far, but we'll see...

Chapter 3: First Encounters

In the end, it just took around a week to get him into the school as a proper student. The most difficult part had been to get his papers vetted by Muggle authorities, but it seemed the American Department of Magic was a bit more forthcoming with help than its British counterpart.

He used that time to get settled. Martha had been kind enough to give him a rather huge room upstairs, taking up the right side of the second story. Of course, he had enhanced it to his taste. He was still a Malfoy and had his standards, after all. The floor had changed from a simple white carpet to a mahogany parquet with several thick dark-green carpets displayed around the room. He had the walls change to real, light grey stone which had wavy patterns of warm light shine through it, casting the whole room in indirect light. His bed had been replaced by a large four-poster bed of ebony, a nice sofa facing the windows, a walk-in cupboard, a desk and some shelves filled with memorabilia scattered around the walls. Martha had been a bit critical of his changes, but he promised her to change back if and when he left – though he thought she started to like the new floor.

And now, standing in front of the floor to ceiling mirror in his walk-in cupboard, he studied himself. In his opinion, he was still a good-looking guy. His blond hair had grown down almost to the shoulders, his features still delicate with that little bit of sharpness. And he still had that Malfoy pose, that arrogance so bred into him. Yet when he looked into his eyes, he almost didn't recognise himself; as if he was broken inside. Shaking away the thought, he checked his clothes one last time. He had spent some time studying Muggle clothing habits through the use of television – in his opinion a rather poor version of magic pictures – and Martha also helped him. So it was a black jeans with some dark green cashmere sweater and some dark brown suede shoes. Again, he had standards, and he didn't agree with all he saw Muggle children wear these days.

He took a deep breath, straightened his back and walked out of his room and down to the kitchen.

"Smashing!" Martha smiled as he came into the kitchen. "Though you still might be overdoing it a tiny bit. Still looks, well, quite preppy." She handed him a cup of tea.

"Whatever the faults, I am still a Malfoy and I still hold on to some standards," he said stiffly.

"OK, OK," Martha waived her hands above her head. "I give up." She chuckled. "I think you still should get rid of that pure-bood-standard-thing you keep going. I know your mindset changed a lot, given that you're talking with a squib, and all that." He actually winced at that. She was right, of course. A few years earlier, he would have thought her to be below him. Now, he was ready to ditch some stupid ideas and ideologies, but he made a full stop when it came to his sense of style. So far.

"Chill," she said as she saw his reaction, "I am not judging. Just observing. I think you should be cool for school."

Draco winced again. This time more out of pain from her sometimes misplaced liking for bad puns.

"The school bus should be here in a few. Drink that tea and we'll eat something."

The trip with the bus would never get a place in his most favourite moments in life. It was crowded and an undefined smell hovered all over the bus. Let's hope it won't stick... He managed through some awkward social moments with other students and he was happy to be left alone afterwards. His aura of arrogance still seemed to work pretty well, he mused.

As he stepped out of the bus, he took some time to look around. It was a far cry from Hogwarts, looking rather drab and functional in comparison. But for a town so small, there were a lot of students, he thought. He walked towards the main building, holding instructions from Martha in his left hand. He had a weird feeling in his stomach, and it weren't the eggs from the breakfast. Going to school, again; and a Muggle one to boot... He could basically hear his mother spin in her grave now.

He walked passed the car park, and the thought flashed through his mind that he urgently needed to learn to drive these machines – especially after that bus trip... He stopped for a moment to look around, and spotted a group of students standing around what looked like very new cars to him. They were exceptionally good-looking was the first thought that came to his mind. And pale... Weird, he chuckled. They could almost be vampires. But not at daylight, you idiot! He chastised himself and turned around, continuing his path into the school. Thus he didn't see one of that group to suddenly focus on him with a dark expression.

"What's wrong, Edward?" Alice asked as Edward's head snapped around to focus on some guy near the entrance. She also realised that he changed his stance, as if ready to pounce on that guy.

"Vampires," he whispered. "I heard it in his thoughts as he studied us. It was as if he knew!" Alice looked again at that guy, but he was already walking away from them. Emmett, Rosalie, and Jasper also turned their heads, trying to find that new guy.

"You sure?" Alice asked with a slight alarm in her voice.

"His mind is not clear to read," Edward shook his head, and his hair got tousled a bit more, "it's like watching a movie through thick fog. Unclear, elusive, but that one word was as clear as crystal."

"Could be without meaning. A lot of people think 'Vampire' one time or another, given our features."

"It wasn't like that..." Edward grasped for words. "It felt more real than that. As if he really knows about us."

"Whatever, we need to find out what he knows," Rosalie snapped, "and then deal with him decisively. We cannot let anyone know."

The others nodded in agreement. They all looked at the entrance, were the mysterious guy had vanished into the school.