Catch Me if I Fall {Draco Malfoy}

Seven

The Hogwarts Express was outstanding in all its ancient beauty. The Ruby red train glimmered in the harsh lights of Kings Cross Station, purring as if to tell the students, "hurry up already!"

Lauren and Draco had to fight through the intense crowd of students just to make it near the train boarding area. As the clock struck 10:55, Narcissa quickly hugged the pair.

"Be good this year, let me know how everything goes!" She kissed each of them on the cheek in turn. Lucius nodded along and gave them a brief hug.

Draco led the way through the train compartments, checking every so often to make sure Lauren hadn't gotten lost. He could feel the eyes following them, a new student was sure to be the talk of the school this late in their schooling.

Lauren laughed quietly as she could practically tell which house area they were predominantly walking through. Hufflepuffs were dividing their food and laughing. Ravenclaws had a distinct, vastly annoying debating section. And the Gryffindors were aggressively daring each other some awful things.

"Father actually considered sending me to Durmstrang rather than Hogwarts, you know. He knows the Headmaster, you see. Well, you know his opinion of Dumbledore - the man's such a Mudblood-lover - and Durmstrang doesn't admit that sort of riff-raff. But Mother didn't like the idea of me going to school so far away. Father says Durmstrang takes a far more sensible line than Hogwarts about the Dark Arts. Durmstrang students actually learn them, not just the defence rubbish we do." Draco explained, Lauren whacked his arm when he used the muggle born slur. "It's how our families describe them!" He protested.

Lauren noticed a compartment door slam shut at their conversation. "Come on, let's not go making enemies for me on day one." She gently nudged the taller boy forward.

"You love me still." Draco grinned as Lauren murmured some colourful language, causing the both of them to laugh.

They made their way through the Slytherin compartment and Draco opened the door for her. Lauren slid through to the end and went red as the people, assumably Draco's school friends, stared blankly at her.

A rather pug faced girl with a disastrous box dyed black haircut was the first to break the silence. "Who is this, D?" Her eyelashes fluttered so much that Lauren was worried she was about to have a seizure.

Draco smiled. "This is Lauren Evergreen, the one I wrote about." He turned to Lauren patted her arm in reassurance before continuing. "And this is Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle."

Each of them waved in turn aside from Pansy, who took the time to scrutinise the newcomer. "You don't seem like a Slytherin, maybe you should have sat with the Hufflepuffs."

Lauren could sense Draco becoming angry and laid a cool hand on his arm. She didn't want to break a friendship within five minutes of existing to them.

She pretended to yawn and as she covered her mouth, whispered an incantation under her breath. Suddenly Draco burst out laughing, gathering the attention of the boys as he pointed to Pansy. Pansy was now donning a bright yellow hair colour and had no eyebrows.

Pansy glared but before she could scream at the group, Blaise handed her a mirror. Her eyes squinted in fury as her new look was revealed.

Draco and the other guys high fived Lauren, still laughing their heads off. "She was made for Slytherin, Parkinson." Draco smiled proudly at his best friend.

The trolley lady made her first round just in time, Lauren and Draco deciding to split their sweets together.

A couple hours rolled by and it was time to change into school robes, Lauren would just have to wear the uniform without any tie for the time being. "I'll meet you back here." Draco smiled before heading out with Crabbe and Goyle.

Students filled up the walkways, seems as if everyone left their uniform change til the last minute. Lauren felt exposed as students were whispering about her, not too subtle.

"Who's that? She looks old."

"Heard she was sitting with Malfoy, looks like he got a girlfriend."

"She'll probably be in slytherin, all the death eaters go there."

Her blood boiled as she overheard that last comment. If there was one thing she hated being associated with, it was death eaters. She tried her hardest to be a good person, she couldn't help that her family had made the wrong choice and doomed her life.

She pushed on through, keeping her head down as the whispering grew louder. Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the wardrobe room doors.

Slamming the first one hut behind her, she hastily got changed. Her anxiety was building and she just wanted to be back in the compartment. As she opened the door, she came face to face with Hermione Granger.

"You're the girl with Draco, I suppose?" Her eyes were filled with disgust.

Lauren adjusted her bag strap awkwardly. "Erm, yeah I guess. I don't support his muggle hating ideologies if that's what you're playing at." She sighed.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "You're the one who whacked him for the mudblood comment?" As Lauren nodded in response, Hermione shook her hand. "I punched him in the face last year because of that. Nice one."

And with that, Hermione entered the stall and cut communication. A million thoughts were running through Lauren's mind, what the hell had just happened?

She made a beeline for the compartment door, and slid in quickly. Draco was already lounging on the window seat, he sat up as she entered and smiled. "You look great."

Lauren laughed. "Grey is not the most flattering colour. Also," she paused as she sat down again. "Hermione Granger just congratulated me on whacking your arm. She seemed angry, did you do anything?"

Draco reddened, he always got flustered when he'd done something Lauren wouldn't agree with. "I wanted to see if Potter and his cronies were going to enter the Triwizard Tournament - they hadn't even heard of it though. And Weasley was given some foul mouldy dress robes. Really it's a disaster to look at."

Lauren leaned her hand on her hand. "Potter probably will enter, it's a fancy tournament with prize money and a trophy, I'm sure he wants that glory."

Draco was mildly surprised she didn't scold him for going off at Weasley. "What's the matter?" His voiced laced with concern.

Lauren half contemplated not telling him about the whispering, but he could read her easily so that would be no use.

"Everyone kept whispering as I walked past them. Wondering who I was, calling me your girlfriend and saying I'd be a death eater like the other Slytherins." Her voice was shaky as she tried to control her anxiety.

Draco's arms wrapped around her instantly, he knew how badly she didn't want to be a death eater; she wanted no affiliation with her parents. His heart hurt at the fact that being associated with him had created that link in other students heads.

"Screw everyone else, Laur. They're just jealous and are too daft to appreciate you. It'll blow over after the tournament announcement. And if it doesn't I'll make it blow over." He reassured her, gently stroking her hair as he hugged her tighter.

Lauren squinted her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears. Crying wasn't something she was fond of.

Draco gently pulls away as his friends return to the compartment, but makes room for her to lean her head on his shoulder comfortably.

His friends smirked at the scene, Draco flipped them off before leaning his head on Lauren's.