I own only unrecognized characters, the rest belong to J.K. Rowling.
Author: What do you think? I don't have any plan for any other pairing beside Marianna and Draco. Do you have any suggestion?
Chapter 4: Hogwarts
Author: Milkycat147
They walked back their compartment, Draco let Crabble and Goyle walked first, he was in the back with Marianna. His mood wasn't that great.
"How dare he. That Potter!" Draco was mad, "Did you see that?" He continued before she could answer, "How dare he decline friendship from Malfoy."
Marianna saw that, but as Harry hesitated attitude when he shook her hand, noone hardly noticed his earlier action. "He was too happy that he didn't prepare to shake a Malfoy's hand." Marianna comforted, her voice was monotonous.
"Ha" Draco smiled humourless, "Your face is deadpan just now, you know that?"
"Just as i expected." Marianna smirked, she planned to write a letter later. Harry Potter didn't seem to buy the Malfoy's society status.
They came back their compartment. Marianna hugged Diamond. Draco wasn't in the mood to talk, he simply leaned back and closed his eyes. Crabble and Goyle almost never stopped eating. Theodore looked outside the window, stayed in his own world.
The compartment was silent.
After a while, the train slowed down, a voice echoed through the train, "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."
Draco opened his eyes immediately, as if he wasn't asleep to begin with. Crabble and Goyle finished their foods. Theodore checked his clothes, looked at them, "After you."
Draco stood up first, he checked his clothes as well.
"Uhm…" Marianna hesitated, she wasn't want to leave her cat here, "What about Diamond?"
"Bring it then." Draco wasn't a mind reader, but he could understand Marianna's expression, "I'll keep it for you during the sorting."
The train stopped, students queued in line to a dark platform. The temperature was lower outside, "They could at least turn the light on or something." Draco mumbled, he stood next to her.
A lamp suddenly appeared and bobbed in front of them, ""Firs' years! Firs' years over here! C'mon, follow me - any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"
He was Rubeus Hagrid, the Keeper of Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. He was half-giant wizard, about twice as tall as an average man, standing at eleven feet, six inches tall and three times as wide, with a long mane of shaggy black hair and a beard that covered most of his face. He wore an exceptionally large moleskin overcoat with several pockets, didn't look neatly at all.
They followed him to a steep, narrow path. It was so dark that they could barely see anything. Draco grabbed Marianna's hand, he whispered, "If that gatekeeper wasn't knew where he was going…"
Marianna wanted to chuckle, she drew a small smile, squeezed his hand. He was nervous, the dark road made her timid too.
Diamond was on her shoulder, the cat didn't seem to scare at all.
"Ye' all get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder, "jus' round this bend here."
The narrow path led onto the edge of a great black take.
"No more'n four to a boat!"
"Great, first is train, and now boat." Draco mumbled. Those boats weren't that great. It looked kind of old and insecure. Draco and Marianna got in one, Crabble and Goyle followed right after that. Theodore got in another boat with his friend, Blaise Zabini and two others people, seemed like Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass.
They followed him to the castle, there was a witch in emerald-green robes stood there to greet them.
"The firs' years, McGonagall," said Hagrid.
"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."
McGonagall opened the entrance and led them in. Most students had been here, only first year left. She showed the first years into a small, empty chamber off the hall.
"Welcome to Hogwarts," said McGonagall. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.
"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rulebreaking will lose house points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.
"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting."
"I shall return when we are ready for you, please wait quietly." She left the chamber.
The whole chamber was silent. People around her seemed normal, they hid their feeling pretty well. Theodore wasn't show any feeling and Blaise seemed confident while Pansy looked around and judged people. It wasn't hard to notice that most of the students had already sorted themselves. Marianna was sure that at least half of people around her would be sorted in Slytherin.
Draco seemed to realize that too, he secretly straightened his back, he looked completely normal except for his abnormal pale lips.
"Are you nervous?" Marianna asked, she lowered her voice to the volume only two of them could hear.
"Not Hufflepuff…Huh? What did you say?" Draco spoke his thought out loud, he got embarrassed right away, "Of course, I'm not nervous…" He paused, tried to save his idol. "Do you?"
Marianna smiled a little, "I do," She said, relieved the boy, "Why do you hate Hufflepuff that much? It doesn't that bad."
"Are you kidding?" Draco asked her, he was totally disgusted just by thinking about it, "That yellow color, there is no way I will wear that color for years. No way!" He emphasized his point by repeating again.
Marianna covered her mouth, not letting herself burst into laugh. Several people started to scream, Marianna stopped laughing to find out what happened. There were about twenty ghosts flied to them.
They were talking about something. Marianna notice who came from aside, completely different direction from the others. A ghost with gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood. She grabbed Draco to notify him. Marianna then bent her knee while bowing her head, she made a perfect curtsey.
Draco bowed his head as well. The ghost seemed to notice them, he nodded his head and stared at them for a moment before he left.
He was the Baron, ghost of the Slytherin. He passed between the crowds, even other ghosts seemed scared of him.
McGonagall led them through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall. There was a pointed wizard's hat, a sorting hat to be more exactly.
McGonagall began to call one by one student. Crabble was called before her.
"There's not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin." Marianna heard that as Crabble was sorted in Slytherin. She had her eyes to that direction right away. And of course, Weasley again, their youngest boy. It was amazed by the little number of time she saw him today but she had already dislike him. Marianna wondered how did the Weasley teach their children. But Ron Weasley did a good job through, whatever they wanted, the Potter was now believed all Slytherin was bad.
"Dechaprode, Marianna." McGonagall called, Marianna gave Diamond to Draco. She walked past Ron and Harry, gave the bespectacled boy a confident smile. She would be a Slytherin, evil did he say? It was not like any of Slytherin would bow down and ask to be his friend.
McGonagall seemed to smile at her a little before she sat down.
"Oh, a brilliant mind, eager to learn more, aren't you? Just perfect for Ravenclaw…" The sorting hat said in her ears.
"No, im going to Slytherin." Marianna thought firmly, it wasn't a question.
"Hmm? Not Ravenclaw? Are you sure? Why all the Dechaprode want to go to Slytherin? There isn't only one way to prove yourself." The hat tried to convince her.
"No, only Slytherin." Marianna said again. The hat gave up after few nonsense sentences, its voice seemed down for failed to convince another Dechaprode, "SLYTHERIN." It shouted out.
Marianna came to a seat opposite Crabble. The Slytherin table calmly clapped their hand to greet her, people near her introduced themselves to her. Not all of them were pure blood but most of them were from noble family. They either had money or power or both. But only few students had equal family status as her or Malfoy's.
Marianna could see her Headmaster, Severus Snape. He seemed to look at her and relieved his face a little. The man was gently clapping his hand, barely made any sound but that was enough. Marianna smiled back at him before she picked Diamond on her lap.
Draco let Diamond down, she ran to Marianna on her own. It wasn't Draco's turn yet.
There was a blonde guy who winked at her, he looked familiar but Marianna couldn't remember if she had met him. He sat with a group of guy which seemed to be more active than other Slytherin. They friendly smiled and nodded to Marianna as they saw her looked at them.
Marianna smiled back and turned to her table.
A older girl greeted her, she introduced herself as "Gemma Farley - Slytherin Perfect".
Marianna nodded, politely introduced herself, both of them kept quite for the Sorting.
Daphne Greengrass was the next Slytherin, she chose not to sit by Marianna but another table. Gregory Goyle sat next to Crabble and then it was Draco's turn.
It was weird that the hat sorted him even before it touched his head, it was still a few centimeters above from his head, but it shouted immediately. Marianna doubted that the boy had done something to the poor old hat but he didn't tell her. He walked right to Marianna and sat next to her.
"Finally." Draco looked at the High Table first, after received a slight greeting from his Godfather, he satisfied sat down.
Theodore was sorted into Slytherin as well, it wasn't a surprise. He seemed calm all the way. Pansy Parkinson was next Slytherin, she sat with Greengrass and few others female Slytherin. Marianna hardly recognized any.
Draco, however, knew which family they came from, even though it was just few of them.
"Potter, Harry!"
Marianna could imagine how hard he tried not to be sorted in Slytherin by his action. He accidentally glazed at Slytherin table and quickly looked away as he noticed his mistake. The boy had slightly hated look in his eyes.
"GLYFFINDOR!" The hat shouted. Glyfindor table busted into excitement. They shook his hand, the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter."
Draco suddenly grabbed her hand, they exchanged looks and turned to Head Table. Dumbledore was clapping his hand and even their Head Master, Severus Snape stared at the bespectacled boy.
"Saint Potter." Draco whispered with taunting voice, "Did you see his face? He was dead scared of Slytherin, wasn't he?"
Marianna gently patted him, "Ignore him, Draco. Uncle Lucius won't ask you to do such thing again. It's normal for him to be sorted there. His parent, his friends and even Dumbledore were Glyffindor anyways."
"His friends? You mean that gate keeper and the poor Weasley?" Draco raised his voice, mocked. The whole table laughed.
"My father said Potter must be sorted in that house." Theodore joined the conversation, "You don't have to be his friend but better not to be his enemy though. Just ignore him."
It seemed that most Slytherin had their own opinion. They didn't react to Harry at all. Noone really looked excited or disappointed to the result.
Blaise Zabini was the last one, he joined Slytherin table. Dumbledore stood up and said some silly sentences before the meal started.
Just only then, a white figure came near them.
"Sir, would you like to join our meal?" Marianna asked, she didn't afraid of him.
"I don't eat." Bloody Baron answered, however, he sat down next to them. Draco glazed at her for invited the ghost and now the Bloody Baron was sitting next to him.
His clothes was covered in blood and his eyes was dead, not that he shown any emotion but annoyed on his face.
He was not a nice partner to eat dinner with.
Marianna chuckled, she picked Draco roasted lamb ribs and started her dinner in silent.
After dinner, they had plenty of sweet to choose. Marianna accidentally looked at Harry's direction. He suddenly covered his scar, he seemed hurt for a second and then he started to ask Glyffindor's Perfect someone on the High Table. It looked like he was curious about Severus.
Marianna bit her lips and tried to focus on her chocolate pudding.
The desserts disappeared. Dumbledore stood up and spoke again.
"Ahern - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you.
"First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors.
"Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."
"And now, before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
Marianna followed the first line, only then she noticed they really sang their 'favorite tones', she stopped. Draco didn't even sing from the beginning.
Glyffindor was the loudest one, it wasn't hard to hear their voices, the Weasley twins were singing with slow funeral tone. They didn't afraid of Dumbledore or any of teachers. Marianna carefully judged them.
After the song ended, one of the twins seemed to notice her, he called the other one and looked to her direction. Marianna gave them a broad smile.
They stopped for a moment, confusing. Marianna knew her innocent angelic look would lead astray someone at first.
Both of them smiled back to her, the first one who noticed her seemed to be calmer than the other one. Their smiles were different from each other.
The second one had that mischievous look on his face when his brother was probably thinking about what Marianna wanted.
It would be a fun year.