An American's Guide to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Chapter 4: Draco Malfoy

Emily was woken up bright and early the following morning by Hermione, with whom she was sharing a room. Her other roommates--Lavender Brown, Parvati Patil, and Fay Dunbar, seemed equally peeved by this interruption of their peaceful sleep. Though reluctantly, the five of them hurried to dress and wash up and meet Hermione at breakfast.

Emily entered the Great Hall for the second time ever, nearly just as shocked as the first. She made her way through crowds of people with her head down, trying to avoid bringing attention to herself. The same platinum blonde head as the night before caught her eye. He was staring directly back at her, and she could have sworn she saw him wink. Amidst her distraction, she ran directly into Harry, who was standing looking in the other direction and evidently mid-conversation with Ron. Upon impact, the boy tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his face. Emily fell directly on top of him.

Both of the teens cursed loudly, Emily adding "I'm so sorry, Harry!" as she began to pull herself up off the ground. She felt a throbbing pain and pulled up the bottom of her robes to find her shin skinned. She held a hand out to him, which he took and used to stand.

"It's-- you're um-- okay. You're fine." He stammered, smiling weakly.

"You alright?"

"Brilliant!" He responded, an intense blush covering his face. He sat down across from Ron at the table.

Ron snorted in reaction from his seat. "Brilliant, mate?"

"Shut it."

"Sorry again." Muttered Emily quietly, in response to which Harry smiled. "Mind if I sit here?" The group nodded and she took a seat right next to him, eliciting suggestive eyebrow wiggles from Ron.

"I'm glad you finally decided to get up, Emily." Hermione said, breaking the silence. She flashed her a playful smirk.

Emily rolled her eyes jokingly. "What time does class start?"

"Eight. We have potions first and Snape does not tolerate late arrivals. He'd have us polishing trophies in detention for weeks." Hermione slid a textbook into her bag and added a small amount of fruit back onto her own plate. "Eat quickly."

Emily nodded and began scarfing down a slice of toast slathered in raspberry marmalade. The group took off almost immediately after she finished, book bags slung over their shoulders. Though Emily had already seen the great hall and Gryffindor tower, she had not yet had the opportunity to explore much of the rest of the castle. She was absolutely shocked by the utter size of it, let alone all the personalities populating the corridors. Between the ghosts and the paintings, she wasn't quite sure where to look.

With her first step into the dungeon, she felt the air change drastically. Shivers ran through her body and pulled the sleeves of her robes down to cover her hands. A quick glance at her watch before her entrance to the potions room revealed that it was 7:51.

"You guys go ahead. I'm gonna try to find a bathroom and I'll meet you there." Emily said, looking around to the group.

"Don't be late." Hermione warned, dropping her bag on a desk.

The group waved at her and she broke away, searching for a familiar face who could point her in the right direction. It wasn't long before she recognized a jolly ghost dressed in sixteenth century attire floating just down the hallway.

"Excuse me? Nearly Headless Nick?" She waved and he moved toward her.

"I really prefer sir Nikolas." He frowned.

"I'm sorry, sir."

Yes, Carter?"

"Would you happen to be able to point me toward the nearest bathroom?"

"What do I look like to you, a receptionist?" He plastered a disappointed expression on his face.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just thou-"

"I'm only joking. Down the hall and to the left." He answered, breaking into a grin.

"Thank you, sir!"

"Anytime." He tipped his hat.

She smiled at him and followed his directions. She was finally able to locate the restroom and was about to pull open the door when a familiar-looking blond boy stepped directly in her way.

"Well, well, well... Carter, isn't it?"

She raised an eyebrow. "And who might you be?"

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy."

"It's nice to meet you, Draco Malfoy." She smirked at him. "Now if you don't mind, I need to get through the door that you are standing oh-so-directly in front of."

"I saw you hanging around Potter, if I'm not mistaken. I reckon he fancies you." He replied, entirely ignoring the second half of her statement.

"Don't be ridiculous." She scoffed. "Now can you move, please?"

"Fiesty one, aren't you?"

"Seriously, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood. I'm trying to get to potions on time. Don't make me ask you a third time."

"So do you like him? Are you two just heads over heels for each other?" He asked coldly, a mischievous grin on his face.

"You know what? I think I'll wait til transfiguration to use the bathroom." She said, knuckles closing around the wand in her pocket. She pushed him away by the chest as she turned and began walking back towards the classroom.

"Defensive aren't we, princess?"

"Drop it, blondie. Call me that again and that pretty face of yours will never look the same."

"Think I'm pretty, eh? You're not getting rid of me, Carter." He said, walking quickly to catch up to her. "See you in potions." He added, running past.

She sped up in an attempt to get to class on time and, when she arrived, she was met with a group of rowdy students. Evidently, Snape had not yet arrived. She scanned the room for an empty seat. Ron and Harry had sat together, and Hermione next to Lavender Brown. The rest of the class seemed to have paired off as well. In fact, there was only one open seat left, and it was located right next to... Draco Malfoy. Shit.