ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʟɪʟᴀ ʜᴏʟᴍᴇꜱ || ᴅʀᴀᴄᴏ ᴍᴀʟꜰᴏʏ x ᴏᴄ || ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ 1-3

meeting malfoy

The day I left for Hogwarts was bittersweet. After my dad walked me to the platform he stopped me and turned me to face him.

"As much as I will miss you, I know that you're going to do great things," he told me. "I'm happy you'll finally be somewhere that you'll belong. You were always too special for these normal people anyway."

I smiled, my eyes beginning to water.

"You'll be alright, I know you will," I told him. "You've always been my role model. I'll owl you as much as I can, and I'll get holidays to visit too."

"Oh, Lila," he pulled me into a hug, and I squeezed him back very tightly. Once he let me go, he wiped a tear from his eye, and then one from mine.

"Good luck, little detective," he grinned.

"And good luck to you too," I replied, also smiling. I waved before I crossed into the platform. I was there reasonably early; 10:45. Yet, the station still seemed to be packed with people. I couldn't, however, take my eyes off of the Hogwarts Express. To my surprise, it was simply a large, red steam engine. I figured that it must run on magic — surely steam wouldn't be practical.

It inspired me — I felt excitement like I'd never felt before. I pardoned myself as I squeezed through the crowd. I carried my luggage to a compartment a little ways through the train. I attempted to lift my luggage into the compartment, but it was admittedly very heavy with all my things. The door was open, and through it I heard a bout of snickering.

Indignant, I set down my luggage onto the seat across from me and turned around. In the doorway stood three boys, or rather, by the looks of it, a boy and his lackeys. A thin, pale boy was flanked on either side by two who were larger and more gruff-looking. I knew I had nothing to fear — they'd be no match for my wit.

"I don't suppose you could assist me?" I looked between the three of them, giving them my friendliest smile on my lips.

"Well, well, she thinks she can speak to us," the pale boy grinned at his friends cockily, the both of them laughing dumbly in response. I bit my cheek so as not to say something vile. The boy smirked back at me. "Don't you know who we are?"

"Am I supposed to?" I cocked my head, taunting him with a smirk of my own.

"You'd be daft not to," he replied. I scoffed.

"Daft?" I mused. "My IQ is greater than the three of yours combined, then squared." At the boy's puzzled look, I chortled.

"What, they don't teach you basic arithmetic at wizard school?" I grinned. "A real shame."

His expression grew stormy in response. "I should have known. You're not from here, are you? You're Muggle-born filth. My father warned me about the amount of you here."

Muggle-born filth? Jeez, elitist and ugly. I hoped not all of the students with magical parents at Hogwarts were like this.

"Having wizard parents is no excuse not to know basic math," I crossed my arms at him. "Do you even know your times tables? What about the Fibonacci sequence?" At their matching blank stares, I sighed. "God, that's just embarrassing. You really don't know the difference between two and three."

"What are you even saying?"  He glared at me.

"My point proven," I gestured indicatively at him. "Now could any of you be of some good use?"

"We don't get bossed around," said one of the large boys stiffly. I chuckled.

"Oh, really? Is that what you believe?" I laughed. "Then Malfoy here must be doing a very good job."