Author's Note: This chapter's a bit shorter than usual, but I think it might be my best yet. Please remember to leave a review to let me know what you think. The more specific the better. ;)

The Slytherin common room was indeed grand and glamorous. It was cool, probably because it was under the lake, but had large cozy fires that several students huddled around, chatting and laughing. There were large windows on the far end that some of the first years ran to, and it was easy to see why. They looked out into the lake. I gawked, along with the other first years, as a mermaid swam into view in the distance. Still, tired and groggy from the feast, we soon stumbled down the spiral staircases to the dormitories. I barely bothered taking in the room before finding the bed where my things were and collapsing into it.

That night, I had a strange dream. Draco Malfoy had stabbed me and everything was fading to black. The pain left, then I didn't hear anything. Death was floating in a black void for all eternity. I was relieved because at least I could still think. I woke, and for a moment I was uncertain again about what was real. I'm here, I really am here, I assured myself as I got dressed.

I got my timetable while eating toast. Transfiguration first thing, Herbology with Ravenclaw after lunch.

"What sort of a name is 'Branchus' anyway?" I heard from beside me. Draco Malfoy was sitting right next to me, his back facing me. Crabbe and Goyle chuckled at the jab. I laughed and Malfoy jumped, as if he hadn't noticed me sitting there.

"It wouldn't have been my first choice, I can tell you that," I said lightheartedly. Clearly I'd said something last night that put a sour taste in his mouth, and I would have to rebuild some rapport if I had any hope of turning him to the light side. He seemed genuinely taken aback that I was agreeing with him. "I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong foot last night. And I'm good just being called 'Ash', if you prefer."

I held out my hand for him to shake. He looked at me – and then it – hesitantly, as if thinking I might be tricking him somehow. Then he shook my hand firmly and gave an expression I can only describe as 'pompous villain accepting a new underling'.

"Alright then," he said. "This is Crabbe and that's Goyle. And you can call me Draco."

The bell rang and we left the Great Hall for transfiguration. Draco let me sit next to him (his wording) during class. When Professor McGonogall gave her warning about the dangerousness of her subject, he nudged me slightly and I smirked back at him, though I wasn't entirely sure what his nudge was supposed to mean. While taking some truly mind-numbing notes, I glanced over at him and noticed that he was speeding through them with ease.

Afterwards, we were given matches, as I expected, and instructed to try turning them into needles. Draco managed to get his a bit shiny, but after several attempts on my part, something very strange happened. My match had gone all splintery on the outside, the top splitting into a strange wood ball that had cracks through which the flammable material could be seen. I picked it up and examined it, furrowing my brow.

"What did you do?" said Draco, part amused and part astounded.

"I think," I said, turning it over in my hand. "I think I somehow turned it inside out?"

Draco placed a hand on my shoulder, snickering.

"Probably best to put off live subjects for a while," he remarked.

I let out a genuine laugh. "No kidding."

We ate lunch together, still laughing about how impressively bad I was at transfiguration.

"Is there any kind of magic you are good at?" Draco asked, half teasing but half sounding genuinely curious.

"I've done quite a bit of practice with charms," I said with a nod. "And I know a few basic jinxes." Draco's eyes lit up.

"Oooh I know all sorts of hexes," he said excitedly. "Do you think you'd be any good in a duel?"

"I don't think I'd want to try until I figure out shield charms and mine are rubbish," I replied. Draco laughed at this.

"Maybe I should shoot some curses at you, give you some incentive to practice," he cackled.

"You're joking, but that might actually be helpful," I said half-seriously.

After lunch, we set out towards the greenhouses for Herbology, which was much more my speed. We spent the class watering, fertilising, and pruning various plants in the greenhouse in order to become more familiar with them. The Ravenclaws were polite enough, but they were largely very focused on their work and weren't up for chatter.

"I don't understand how you can like this stuff," Draco drawled at me as I held back some giant leaves so he could water the roots. "It's so boring."

"I like being able to think and talk while I work," I said with a shrug. "Can't exactly chat while writing Transfiguration notes." Draco responded with a shrug of his own.

"I suppose I'm not used to being friends with… conversationalists," he said. We looked over at Crabbe and Goyle, who were struggling to open a jar of plant food.

x x x

The rest of the week continued at about that pace. I sometimes ate with Daphne and Millicent, but they preferred to hang out with the other girls, a group I had a hard time remembering I was no longer included in. I'd done much better in charms than I had in transfiguration, but Draco and I both grumbled our way through astronomy. Draco Malfoy was, when not thinking about Harry Potter, a very ordinary young boy. Yes, his ego was certainly big enough and he could have a cruel sense of humour, but he was no more evil than a kid you might know in real life. Notably, I know several despicable eleven-year-olds, so that isn't really saying much.

I partnered Malfoy in potions on Friday, which may have been unfair since he and I were already somewhat knowledgeable in potions while Crabbe and Goyle both struggled. However, Draco was very open about being unwilling to spend the class guiding them through the process. When Professor Snape took attendance and reached Harry Potter's name, I openly rolled my eyes. Really, I was wishing Professor Snape would just treat Harry Potter like any other student, but I knew Draco would misinterpret my reaction as being aimed toward Potter, so I didn't bother hiding my derision.

The class, aside from Professor Snape's bias, was very fun.

"Er, I've never actually had a chance to try this in practice," I told Draco bashfully as we gathered the ingredients.

"You can do the easy parts for now," Draco said. "I'll tell you if you mess something up."

Draco seemed very eager to have someone to teach potions to. He was surprisingly constructive too, not even sneering when I didn't crush the snake fangs fine enough. He was absolutely beaming with pride at some of Professor Snape's praise when, just on time, Neville's cauldron collapsed, causing complete chaos for several minutes. Once the mess had been cleaned up and injured students had been sent off to the hospital wing, many of the Slytherin's had a good laugh at Longbottom's expense.

"Lighten up, Ash," said Draco, elbowing me. I hadn't realized I'd been frowning. "The idiot had it coming."

"Hm?" I said, pretending to be confused about what he was talking about. "Oh, that. No, I've got a hole in my shoe." It was true. The spilled potion had burned right through it. Draco laughed, but not in an unfriendly way.

"Don't worry, I know the spell to fix it," Draco said. "And based on your transfiguration work, you should probably let me do it."

By the end of class, we had a perfect cure for boils. Professor Snape heaped praise on us in front of class. Even though I knew he was biased in favour of Slytherin and Draco Malfoy in particular, I still swelled with pride alongside Draco.

After our classes were over for the day, we went back to the common room to spend some time before supper. Remembering my promise, I decided to write a letter to Frank.

Dear Frank,

My first week at Hogwarts has been great! I'm in Slytherin and I've been making lots of friends. I didn't realize how much I would miss being able to listen to the music I like though. I'm enjoying my classes so far, but I'm having a hard time with transfiguration. I turned a match inside out, which I hadn't even realized was possible. It's okay, because even when it's difficult, it's lots of fun. My friends and I are looking into ways to keep Peeves off our backs. Tips appreciated.

I hope things are going well with the kids.

Best wishes,

B. Ash

x x x

That night, Draco and I – by coincidence – were alone in the dormitory. We were changing into our pyjamas and the other boys were still doing homework in the common room.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked suddenly. Something had occurred to me that I'd never thought of before.

"Yeah, I guess," Draco replied, sounding skeptical.

"I noticed that you call Crabbe and Goyle 'Crabbe' and 'Goyle'," I said quizzically.

"What of it? Those are their names."

"Their surnames."

"Oh, I see," Draco said. He paused to think for a moment. "Yeah, I dunno. Crabbe and Goyle are alright and all, but they're family friends, you know? We aren't really that close."

"Is there anyone you are that close with?" I asked. It came out a lot more judgemental than I meant it to, and Draco noticed.

"What's with the interrogation?" he snapped.

"Sorry," I said hurriedly. "I didn't mean to pry."

There was a brief awkward silence, but then the other Slytherin first years walked sleepily into the room and the transgression was – hopefully – forgotten.