Draco's Mudblood - Draco Malfoy Fan Fiction - *Year One*

Boys and Boats

Isobel didn't want to leave the Gryffindors when the train finally came to a stop.

The Twins and Angelina Johnson directed her off the Express with difficulty, a mass of returning and first time students crammed together and squeezing their way out the doors, but soon they were on the platform and in the cool night air. Lee Jordan, Katie Bell, and Alicia Spinnet left the first years behind to reserve a carriage, and so Isobel was left in the middle of the madness, staring at a very, very big man.

Fred bumped Isobel's shoulder. "That there is Hagrid."

"Keeper of the keys."

"Groundskeeper. He's cool."

"Not as scary as he seems."

Isobel nodded along with the Twin's back and forth, eyes bouncing between them like a spectator at a tennis match, before they swung their arms over her shoulders and said "We'll see you at the feast, American," and rushed off to their friends.

Angelina had patted her back comfortingly and then she left too.

Isobel had just started to feel as though the platform couldn't feel any less empty without them there when a boy called out to her.

He resembled a rabbit in a way (although Isobel couldn't tell how, exactly), and he was taller than most of the other first years, competing with Isobel for the tallest of the group. He had rich, deep brown hair and giant green eyes the colour of the dark forest around them, nearly black around the edges. Most notably, too, he was covered in dirt and what appeared to be streaks of car grease. He awkwardly introduced himself as Theodore Nott, and he stared at her weird, but his presence was comforting.

They followed after Hagrid, taking up the end of the line of a much larger group than Isobel imagined there would have been. Gryffindor had only had five new students when Jesalynn had been a first year, and in her stories it was apparent that the same could be said similarly for the rest of the Houses that year. This year, however, it seemed there was a group of maybe forty first years.

The path they followed from the platform was narrow and a bit creepy in the limited light, Hagrid's bobbing lantern, which only illuminated so much of the forest around them and resulting in a shoulder-to-shoulder huddle of apprehensive and intrigued first years. Theodore tripped on his own shoes at one point, tumbling into Isobel's back, and she righted him up and smiled at him, he was shaking with nerves, as he continued to trail behind her for the remainder of the walk through the woods.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec," Hagrid called over his shoulder to the group. As they emerged from the thick of the trees, there was a chorus of amazement from the first years.

Before them was a large, glassy black lake that stretched out till the horizon. At that horizon and breaking out from the lake like a spear was a mountain, tall and jagged, and atop that was Hogwarts. The castle glowed before the dotted, inky sky, its towers piercing through the clouds and into the heavens.

Hagrid interrupted her admiring stare up at the castle, announcing there were only four to a boat. Isobel looked at the water's edge and saw the boats the Twins had been talking about earlier on the Express, a fleet of rather unimpressive boats, covered in seaweed and algae. Isobel stared nervously at the boats.

There was a much smaller, rickety looking boat on the edge of the water. Isobel gestured for Theodore to follow her (though he probably would have even if she hadn't), and gave him her hand to help him step into the boat beside her. It bobbed dangerously.

He stumbled into the boat, and she caught him again. "Oh, uh- thank you. And thank you for earlier. And now. Thank you again."

She smiled and shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Isobel immediately decided she liked this boy quite a lot, even if he was a bit awkward and timid. He looked at the water nervously, not realising him leaning over the edge was pushing the tip closer to the surface of the lake.

Another boy came up then. He scowled, and without saying anything else, he plopped himself in the seat next to Theodore. He stared out at the water, his slanting dark eyes and high cheekbones set in shadow. Isobel and Theodore made weary eye contact. She leaned to look at the new boy. "Hi, I'm Isobel Anderson."

The boy looked over, looking disgusted to be in their presence. "Why do you talk like that?" He stared her down.

Isobel looked him in the eye. He had an awful attitude. "I was born in America, we all talk like this there."

"Then why are you here and not at that American Wizarding school?" He looked her over, scowling. He had a really awful attitude.

Isobel tried to keep her voice neutral, although this boy was much less pleasant than Theodore and she wished he'd found a different boat. "Because I live here now."

He peered down at her. Isobel imagined he was quite pretty when he wasn't looking so angry. He rolled his eyes and turned back out to the water. "Whatever." He mumbled.

"What's your name then?" Theodore asked the boy.

The boy glared at him angrily. "What do you care? And you ought to take a napkin to your face, it's filthy." He huffed and turned around again. He wasn't really wrong, Isobel noted, Theodore had a streak of oil on his right cheek, but even under all the dirt you could see him flush scarlet and turn in the opposite direction, mouth zipped shut.

Isobel remembered something Angelina Johnson had said earlier in the day, and thought it to herself now. Boys.

She was about to say something, anything to keep the boat from feeling so thick with awkward tension, but the boy was the first to do anything, reaching into the pocket of his robes and handing a handkerchief over to Theodore. "Blaise Zambini." He said coolly, keeping his eyes locked on the water.

Theodore took the handkerchief nervously, eyeing the rude boy, before vigorously scrubbing it over his nose. Blaise's own nose scrunched in disapproval and Isobel had to stop herself from laughing a little, knowing Theodore wasn't getting any of the dirt off, not really.

"Everyone in? Right then — FORWARD!" Hagrid bellowed, and with a lurch, the boats started off across the water.

They glided across surprisingly smoothly with only a few nicks in the glide as a kid further up in the fleet swept his hand through the water to splash one of his boat-mates. Blaise Zambini looked as though he were trying really hard not to show the nausea on his face. The castle loomed over the first years like a trophy.

They silently neared an opening in the cliff Hogwarts was perched heavenly upon, Hagrid yelling for them to duck as they passed through a curtain of hanging vines covered in glowing, blooming flowers. Theodore got a vine to the face, which Blaise snickered at. It left more grime on his already dirt-covered face.

Theodore's foot sunk into the water as he stumbled out when the boats finally came to a stop to deposit the students in the underground harbour. Hagrid led the group along the rocky sand and through a short tunnel at the other end, a boy excitedly calling out for a frog he must have lost, before turning to ask if everyone was ready. No one responded, all too nervous and excited to do much more than stare with wide eyes at the large double oak doors they'd walked to.