Platform 9 :
The platform was packed as Aquila assumed it always was on September 1st. She looked around but she didn't see the girl that she had run into at the bookstore a few weeks before, but she was interested in seeing her again. She hugged her mother and said goodbye, she had already decided that she was staying at school for Christmas so she wouldn't see her mother again until summer. She nodded at her father before taking her things and walking off to the train, with some help from her cousin Melinda McGonagall who was in her fifth year and was in Ravenclaw, daughter of her aunts, Minerva, and Vega.
Aquila thanked Melinda who ran off to sit with her friends. The older of the Malfoy twins found herself a sit in a compartment alone, but she assumed her brother and his friends would find her at some point, until then she sat by the window with the transfiguration book, she had gotten herself and Hermione the day she met the girl. She had already done the playful report on it for the girl, but she did enjoy the book.
As the train started to move and the door to her compartment opened, she turned to look up seeing her brother followed by Crabbe and Goyle, two boys she couldn't stand. "Causing trouble already?" She questioned putting her book on the small table.
Draco rolled his eyes at his sister but took a seat next to her, so that his friends could sit across from them. "I was right, Harry Potter is on the train." He ignored Aquila's question not wanting the girl to tell their mother that he had already been in verbal argument with some of the other first years. "He is sitting with a Weasley and was talking to some bushy haired know-it-all." He shrugged.
The last part of her brother's statement made her stop for a moment. "Did you catch the girls name?" She questioned now not at all interested in what her brother had gotten himself into. "Never mind, I'm going to find a loo." She picked up her book and the parchment folded neatly between the pages was her report. She left the compartment and went walking the train to try and find the girl but gave up after a while and went to get changed and have a nap.
Once they arrived at Hogsmeade Aquila was shaken awake by her brother, she picked up her book and held it to her chest. She knew they were meant to leave all their items on the train, and it would go to her dorm, but this book was important to her even if it was a cheap beginners guide that wouldn't mean much to someone else, except maybe Hermione Granger.
As they walked to the boats, she caught a glimpse of the girl by a red headed boy, a boy with glasses and another boy who seemed extremely nervous, she assumed the final boy was Neville Longbottom, so in turn she guessed the other two were the Weasley her brother had mentioned and that left Harry Potter, if her brother was to be believed. She got into a boat with her brother and his friends, she ignored them for most of the ride, focused on a few boats ahead. Once back on solid ground, she wanted to go and say hello to the girl, but as she stepped forward her aunt appeared, and she moved back. They were taken into a small room off to the side of the Great Hall where they were informed about the school's house system and such. Draco tried to talk to Harry but it didn't go to well and she could tell her brother was hurt though he didn't show it.
As they were taken into the Great Hall, Aquila stayed at the back of the rest of the first years, so that she could hug her cousin as they walked between the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw tables. Once up the front Professor McGonagall spoken to them and she watched how most seemed to get more nervous.
Aquila smirked as she watched people get sorted, how Hermione was in her aunt's house, when her brother got sorted without the hat completely on his head. Ronald Weasley getting Gryffindor. When it was her turn, she sat on the stool and waited as the hat was placed on her head, it wasn't as easy as her brother, he was fine living in their fathers' image, she was not. "Hmm, what do we have here?" The sorting hat questioned as the girl found her cousins' face in the crowd. "A great and wise mind, who knows what she wants, but will do whatever it takes to get it." The hat added causing Aquila to curse at it under her breath. "Just sort me, please." She begged wanting to go sit down. Waiting a few moments while she listens to the hat think, she was also thinking about what would happen if she wasn't in Slytherin like her brother and that's when the hats voice rang out. "Slytherin!" Aquila sighed and went to sit down next to her brother. This was going to make it hard for her to be friends with Hermione, but she still had the book in her hands.
As the meal went on, Aquila occasionally looked over at the Gryffindor table where Hermione was talking to some of her house mates. She sighed as she pushes her half eaten meal to the middle of the table and pulled out her book, she wasn't hungry anymore and just wanted to get to her room.
Draco had noticed his sisters change in mood and looked at her. "What's the matter with you?"
Aquila looked up and shook her head. "None of your business, Draco." She told him softly. "I'm tired, I want to go to my room and be alone for a while." She told him though it was only part of the truth. They would get their timetables in the morning, so she didn't care at that moment, she was already planning to find a way to get through the battle between the two houses they had found themselves in.
1st year:
By the end of the first week, Aquila had already screamed at Ronald Weasley across a crowded classroom for treating people the way he was, though he would always yell back at her with things her brother had been saying, it always ended with her reminding him that she wasn't her brother and walking out of class, unless it was Transfiguration where she would go to her aunt office and wait for her. She had detention three times already because of her interactions with Ronald, but she hated the way he treated Hermione just because she wanted to know as much as possible.
Draco had told is sister about challenging Potter and Weasel to a wizarding duel, which she thought was utterly stupid and convinced him not to go but this only caused Draco to alert Filch that there would be first years in the trophy room that night. Aquila could've killed him when she found out, but because he was her brother she didn't. She went to bed hoping that Hermione wouldn't follow the boys through the school that night, but inside she knew better.
Waking up the next morning she quickly got dressed and headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. She sat at the end of the Slytherin table because she wasn't planning on staying long, just long enough to see that Hermione didn't get expelled for being out after hours. Once she spotted the Gryffindor in question, she couldn't help but smile slightly and watched her for a while before standing and leaving the hall.
She found herself a spot in a courtyard where she could enjoy the sun and a book, two of her favourite things. She couldn't help thinking about why she cared so much about a muggle born, why she was defending Hermione Granger at every turn when she had only spoken to the girl once, back in August, the only thing she did know was that she needed to be there and get to know Hermione Granger.
It was the day before Hallwe'en, but Aquila didn't care. She didn't care Harry get a package or that it was her aunt Vega's owl helped deliver it, meaning it only could've been Aunt Minerva who got Harry the broom for making the team, after Draco made a fool of himself and Potter became Gryffindor seeker.
The day seemed to drag on, she didn't listen much in lessons but got her work done and ignored Ron the best she could. He seemed to be an even bigger arse than usual. She noticed how Hermione corrected him in Charms and smirked when the girl got it right and did the charm shortly after with a smile. If Aquila had of heard what Ronald had said after class had finished, she would've fixed him the muggle way.
She started worrying about Hermione when she noticed that she had missed the afternoon classes and lunch that day. She thought it best if she didn't go looking for the girl, thinking someone may think she would mean harm to the girl.
She was eating her dinner when Professor Quirrell came running in saying there was a troll in the dungeons, causing the hall to panic, only to have Professor Dumbledore calm everyone enough to leave in an orderly fashion. She followed her house back down to their common room and didn't know anything else for the night.
It had taken until after the first quidditch game of the season for Aquila to figure how where Hermione was during their afternoon classes on Hallowe'en, and the reason why the boys needed to save her in the first place. Ronald Weasley was on a very thin thread with her and she didn't know when it was going to snap and cause the explosion she felt bubbling up.
