"Don't go saying anything stupid and blowing my cover," Draco snarled at me from the corner of his mouth as we lagged somewhat behind Mr. and Mrs. Grayson.
"Cover? What are you bloody talking about?" I snarled right back, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm not here to expose magic to Muggles…in fact why the Merlin are you here?" I asked without even sparing him a glance. Draco stopped walking and I nearly bumped into Mr. Grayson, who had also stopped. I wasn't looking where I was going, I was just feeling confused. I turned around and found Draco grinning down at me, as if I were a longtime friend that he had been reunited with. I was ready to spit in his face before I realized Mrs. Grayson was smiling at us, talking about something that I wasn't paying attention to either. My stomach churned and I had a bad feeling about something. A black bird was pecking at something on the ground not far behind Draco. I stared at it in the sunlight, its feathers shiny in a way I wouldn't have expected a black bird to be. It must have been a raven, or maybe a crow. I wasn't sure what the difference was. I felt my suitcase being taken out of my hand and gasped to find Draco reeling up the handle by which I had been dragging it. He tucked it into the trunk of a white minivan. I stared at the car. I knew it was a car, but I had little experience with driving in these things. Mr. Grayson finished loading the rest of my things.
"Thank you," I said.
"Not a problem—my pleasure! I bet you're exhausted," said Mr. Grayson, holding open the door for me.
"How long did you say the flight was?" he asked. I'd almost forgotten that I wasn't in England anymore. Until I heard Mr. Grayson's Bostonian accent again, I thought I was at home. In a strange and unpleasant way, talking to Draco made me think for a few minutes that I wasn't in a another country.
"Er, a bit over seven hours," I said. As I slipped into the van, Draco was already sitting inside at the other end, staring out at me. He looked as though he would have pulled out his wand at any moment to curse me. Luckily, Mr. Grayson didn't see him. I thought about what Draco had said about "blowing his cover" and reasoned that perhaps he was angry about me almost calling him by his real name back in the airport. I didn't want to feel the evil emanating from him as he straightened the collar of his black Polo shirt. I remembered again that I wasn't at home when I looked down to find that I was also wearing Muggle clothing, a black pencil skirt and a white Victorian style blouse, and a pair of red flats. I glanced up to find that Draco was looking at my outfit. It was all very strange, seeing each other at such random and in such imposturous countenances. I sighed and crossed my leg over my knee, placing my hands in my lap. It was a fairly hot day, but not uncomfortably so. I felt a breeze and looked to find that Draco had rolled the window down, and Mr. Grayson was driving towards the exit of the parking lot.
"Are you two from around the same area in England?" Mrs. Grayson asked.
"No," said Draco and I simultaneously. I looked at him and cocked a brow, but he didn't spare me another glance. He went on in such a cheerful and interested voice to explain his whereabouts back at home that I had to fight the urge to laugh. It was almost as if I was listening to a completely different person. There was no hint of the prestigious, haughty, megalomanic tone in his voice that was generally present, particularly when he spoke to anyone who wasn't a pureblood or from Slytherin house back at Hogwarts. In fact, he sounded nice and was full of camaraderie; he had the Grayson's eating lies from the palm of his hand when he told them about his years at Sevenoaks School in Kent before deciding to come to the United States for college, explaining that he wanted a new experience so he chose to study abroad. I bit my tongue to prevent myself from bursting out laughing. I covered my mouth with both hands, feigning a yawn to conceal a huge smile that I couldn't suppress.
"It's funny; I don't know why I didn't tell you guys any of this last week," Draco said, slowly turning to look my way. I had already contained myself. I just looked at him and rolled my eyes. He cleared his throat.
"What about you, Angelina?" he said with this fake smile that I was happy neither Mr. nor Mrs. Grayson recognized to be totally faulty for a person like Draco Malfoy.
"What brings you here?" Draco pushed.
"Same things, I guess," I said, laughing in such a way that I never would have ever sat and laughed with a real friend.
"Hmm, interesting. Why would you come here to go to a state University, if you don't mind me asking?" Mr. Grayson asked, catching Draco off guard, which I noticed, because his cold blue eyes widened a bit as he tried to fabricate more lies.
"Isn't Sevenoaks the best school over there? Why not have gone to Cambridge, or Oxford, or Harvard if you were coming to the States? You seem like the type of student that would have gotten in," Mr. Grayson went on casually, slowing down to drive through an exit. Draco sat up to his full height in his seat, making eye contact with Mr. Grayson through the rear view mirror.
"Like I said; I wanted a different experience," and I was saved from having to fabricate a story of my own, something I had not even thought of to do before arriving in Boston.
Mr. and Mrs. Grayson had a rather large home, in a town called Brighton. I noticed the way that New England had many places named after the places from back home. I couldn't help but stare up at the high ceilings as I stepped inside. I was a bit surprised. I didn't expect it to be quite like this. Draco and Mr. Grayson carried my things upstairs somewhere.
"Come on up and see your room," he said invitingly.
Mrs. Grayson placed her hand amicably on my shoulder.
"So you've still got a full week off before you have to move in on campus. Might as well stay somewhat packed, but if there's anything at all you need, you just let us know. And please—make yourself at home!"
"Oh, thank you so much. I already feel that way," I said honestly. They were a friendly couple. My only complaint was Draco. Once all of my bags were in the room, Mr. Grayson explained that he wanted to go outside and get some grilling done as part of my welcoming dinner. Draco offered to help, but Mr. Grayson insisted on cooking for the rest of us before he disappeared outside to the large backyard. Mrs. Grayson asked me if I wanted any help unpacking a bit, but I told her I'd be just fine. The bed was already made and she let me know there were fresh towels in the closet, and blankets in case I got chilly at night. I thanked her and she walked out of the door to go prepare something she called smoothies for us to go with dinner. I didn't notice Draco still standing there, until I went to close the door and found him in the way. I heard a meowing sound and a Russian Blue appeared at his feet. He picked up the cat almost habitually and started to scratch its ears. The cat closed its eyes in content and leant its head back against Draco's chest, purring.
"Look, Johnson, I don't know what you're doing here or why, and how exactly this happened," Draco began, taking a bold step towards me, "But don't let my name slip again. I'm calling myself Dustin for a reason," he spat.
"And what reason would that be?" I asked, crossing my arms and glaring up at him. Draco was silent a moment and just looked at me, sizing me up.
"You don't want to stick your nose in my business," he said threateningly. I stood my ground. The cat purred and squirmed, and then hissed. Draco recoiled for a second and nursed a new cut on his arm that the cat had just left as it ran out of the room. I saw the scratch begin to bleed before Draco leant down to my height and eyed me for a few seconds before turning around to leave my room.
"Weirdo," I said to myself, closing the door, feeling my wand inside my skirt for safekeeping. I made a mental note to keep it close, and to steer clear of Draco. All I knew was he was bad news…
Dinner with the Graysons on their porch under the summer moon was actually quite nice. Draco kept up conversations about literature and all kinds of Muggle things. I thought he was trying too hard to prove himself as a Muggle. Mr. Grayson was captivated by each and every little second. Mrs. Grayson asked me what I was going to study.
"Art history," I said.
Draco stopped in the middle of a conversation about Rigaud and looked over at me.
"Me too," he said, "coincidence," he said, cocking a brow.
"You'll probably be in a lot of the same classes," said Mrs. Grayson with a smile.
"Nice," I said, not meaning it at all. Already, I was trying to think of what to switch my major to.
The next day carried on nicely. When I awoke, I found Mr. and Mrs. Grayson to be gone. I came downstairs and found Draco in the kitchen. There was a plate of something on the table, and it smelled good. Draco looked up at me for an instant and continued eating. I stood in the doorway of the kitchen, looking in.
"Well, are you going to bloody stand there until you turn to dust?" he asked rudely. I ignored his snide remark, but approached the table, picking up a clean plate. I grabbed what I recognized to be a waffle. I wondered if Draco had made them for a moment before taking some sausage and eggs as well. I poured some syrup on my breakfast, and then proceeded towards the door with my plate.
"Where do you think you're going?" Draco asked me.
"Away from you," I said.
I heard Draco stand up.
"I don't bloody think so. You'll make a mess."
I turned around, flabbergasted.
"Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?"
Draco sighed, "Just sit down. I won't bloody bite you."
I stood there for a moment, contemplating. Slowly, I approached the table. I wasn't a very messy eater, but I didn't want to risk breaking the plate or getting syrup on the bedspread in my room. I sat far away from Draco at the opposite end of the table, and he sat back down to finish eating. It was awkward, sitting there and not speaking. I couldn't wait to move into my dorm.