Deadly Year

Chapter Three

The entire time I was at the Malfoy Manor, Draco's parents had mixed feelings. While his mum is okay with me being here, his father, not so much. I think he is ecstatic that I'm boarding the train this very moment. Draco leads me to the Slytherin section of the machine.

"So I still have to go to school during the height of the war," I mutter. "Why?"

"You can't legally use magic either way," Draco shrugs. People stare me down as though I have the plague. Even though the years before, I was an outcast. But now it seems that the prejudice of the school has increased ten times in just three months. Draco just keeps on leading me through the crowd of judging eyes. Honestly, I think that half of these people are going to slip poison into my pumpkin juice.

"What is she doing here?" a oh so familiar voice snarls. That timing. I turn to face Parkinson.

"Do you really want to test me this year?" I calmly ask her. "Because I can promise you this, there is no professor that will stop me from lashing out. And even if I don't react, just remember that the universe does have a funny way of restoring things to its natural order."

I turn on my heels and just walk off to an empty rows of seats, ignoring all the shocked looks. As I plop down into a seat, Draco comes over, placing his trunk above our heads. I just have a bag with an untraceable extension charm that Hermoine placed on it. Many are doing that just in case of fleeing.

The scenery outside the window passes by. Same path and same speed as every other year, but this one seems different. Soon black smokes swirl around the train, disappearing and reappearing from my view. A screeching noise soon follows as the train comes to a stop. I practically fly forward and Draco catches me. A Death Eater walks in and looks around.

"He's not here, you git," I snap at him. The man stares me down, but soon exits. I relax a bit as the train pulls off once more towards Hogwarts. The candy lady appears not that much later with the trolley piled high with sweets. Draco buys two licorice wands and we just sit there in silence, chewing on our treat. Eventually, Crabbe and Goyle sit down by us.

"Where have you two been?" Draco asks them.

"Had to deal with some first years," Crabbe states.

"Can't you two be kind to them?" I ask, not making eye contact with them. "They would look up to you if you did not threaten them."

This statement clearly shocked Crabbe. Maybe he never thought of this before. Or, if he had, just never truly put much thought into the idea. Goyle did not have the same reaction.

"Look Weasley, I'm going to help you out just this once. Don't tell people what to do. Especially the Slytherins this year. Now they have more influence than your Goody-Two-Shoes Potter."

"Dearly noted."

The rest of the ride is just an awkward silence. However, the sadder part was when Hogwarts grew in the distance. It is not the second home I went to the five previous years. Draco grabs my hand and I look at him. He gives me a reassuring smile.

"I'll be here with you," he promises. "All the way till the end."