Juniper | Draco Malfoy

t w o

Now, standing outside the imposing Great Hall, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. Everyone was already inside, and I stood alone as the only new student in year five. The only one who had yet to be sorted into a house. Doubts flooded my mind. What was I doing here? I couldn't even perform magic. How could I possibly belong?

As the doors swung open, revealing gazes, I felt a sudden flood of nervous energy. "Go, Juni," I whispered to myself, taking slow steps forward as hundreds of eyes tracked my every move.

Dumbledore's voice echoed through the hall as I approached the front. "Miss Haze, it's time." The mention of my last name caused whispers from the crowd. Great, I thought. I may not know much, but I was aware that my father was a great wizard of his time.

A sudden thump on my head startled me, sending shivers down my spine. Nervously, I glanced toward Lila, who offered a reassuring smile, silently mouthing, "Everything will be okay." I attempted to calm myself.

The sorting hat's voice broke the silence. "Difficult," it muttered. "Very difficult. Lots of potential, I see. You would be great in..." I held my breath, crossing my fingers in a silently. "Gryffindor!"

Relief washed over me as I made my way to sit beside Lila, the applause of the students echoing in my ears. Fred beamed at me from across the table. "Wicked," he grinned, acknowledging me.

As all eyes turned back to Dumbledore, one pair caught my attention. Two tables away, a boy with steely grey eyes and pale blonde hair. I sensed he was the boy from before. There was something intriguing about him, and as our eyes met, he flashed a quick grin before diverting his gaze. I couldn't help but feel a curious.

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"We never had the chance to properly become friends, but now that you're here, we can!" Lila exclaimed enthusiastically as we made our way to the Gryffindor common room.

"Absolutely," I responded.

As we arrived at the common room, Lila uttered the incantation, "Caput Draconis," causing the portrait to shift and grant us entrance. The display of magic surprised me, as I had only witnessed of it through my father, and I had spent most of my life at a boarding school.

"You must be Juniper," a girl with curly brown hair greeted us upon entering. Standing beside her were Ron Weasley and Harry Potter.

"Yes, that's me," I replied, attempting a smile.

"It's lovely to meet you. I'm Hermione Granger. I know you're already know Ron and Harry," she said with a warm smile. Hermione possessed not only beauty but also an air of intelligence.

Glancing at the two boys, I returned their smiles before they excused themselves, leaving Lila and me to head upstairs and locate our room. Upon opening the door and stepping inside, I could see that we would be sharing the space with a few others.

"Here's my bed, that's yours, that one belongs to Hermione, and that one is Ginny's," Lila announced, pointing out the various sleeping arrangements.

Curiosity piqued within me, and I turned to Lila. "So, Lila, who is the Slytherin boy with the blonde hair and grey eyes?" I inquired, taking a seat on my bed.

"Are you referring to Draco Malfoy?" Lila's eyes shifted in my direction, concern drawed on her face.

"I think so," I replied, uncertain.

"He's trouble, always has been. I advise you to stay away from him. Slytherins, in general, they are the worst, especially his group," Lila cautioned. Perhaps it would be wise to take her advice.

✰

This morning, I spent a good thirty minutes in front of my mirror, making sure everything was just right. Thankfully, my new uniform was an improvement over my previous one. I had hiked up my skirt a bit, as I preferred it that way. The cool morning breeze brushed against my skin as I walked alongside Lila, heading to our first class of the day: Potions. Lila had insisted that I meet her friend Zaila, as we all had the same class together.

"Lila, hi!" A soft yet sweet voice called out. I turned to see a stunning girl with jet-black curls and a sun-kissed complexion. She stood at an impressive height around 5'9" and had a smattering of freckles on her nose.

Zaila gestured towards the Ravenclaw tie she was wearing. "I'm in Ravenclaw, and this is Blaise, Blaise Zabini," she introduced, motioning to the boy beside her who wore a Slytherin tie. He shared Zaila's striking appearance and had a sense of shyness about him.

"It's nice to meet you both," I replied, my voice filled with genuine warmth.

As we all made our way into the classroom, I couldn't help but feel my cheeks flush as I sensed the gaze of curious eyes upon me. Once we settled into our seats, I turned to Lila and quietly questioned if Zaila and Blaise were twins. To my surprise, Lila informed me that they were cousins. Their resemblance was amazing, so it didn't shock me that they were closely related.

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Authors Note: Another short boring one, sorry. Next chapter is more interesting. It will get more in depth after this just introducing everything.