Our Little Secret || Draco Malfoy

Chapter 2.

I woke up the next day to the sun barely peeking over the trees of the Forbidden Forest, and the birds were beginning to chirp in the distance. I stretched my arms above my head, lying in bed for a few extra moments until something that looked like a tiny, fluffy tiger jumped onto my legs.

"Merlin's beard!" I yelled, flailing a little. The ginger furball hopped off my bed, hissing slightly before slinking under Hermione's bed. Hermione sat up, looking over at me in alarm. "Isabelle? Are you okay?" I pointed under her bed, my voice unsure. "There's...some kind of ginger monster under your bed, Hermione." 

Hermione stared at me for a second then a look of realization dawned on her face, and she reached under her bed to pull the creature out. "This is Crookshanks, he's my cat!" She said, snuggling the wiry-haired cat close. "He's...adorable." I managed, getting out of bed and beginning to rifle through my trunk for my school robes. Slowly, the other girls in the dormitory began to wake up, beginning to get ready for the day as well. Once Hermione was fully dressed, we grabbed our bags and I followed her down the stairs and through the portrait hole.

We chatted idly about the first day of classes as we walked into the Great Hall, sitting down at the long Gryffindor table. I had just started to dig into some toast, eggs, and sausage when Harry and Ron plopped down across from us, greeting us quickly before starting to eat. I picked up my cup and reached for the jug of pumpkin juice, grabbing it at the same time as Harry. I let go of it, giggling at his flushed face. As he poured, I noticed that Harry and I were eating the exact same thing for breakfast. I brushed it off, taking the jug with a nod and pouring my own drink. I thought it was strange that Harry and I had nearly identical appearances, save for the fact that I was a girl and he was a boy. Part of me had believed that it couldn't be just a coincidence, but my attention was quickly drawn somewhere else.

A stack of papers was floating down the table, a sheet landing in front of every student. I caught mine, examining it curiously as I ate. "Oh bloody hell, we have Transfiguration with the Slytherins this morning. And double Potions with them on Wednesdays!" Ron groaned, frowning at his paper. I smiled, excited that I had a double class with my dad. Ron looked at me, eyebrows raised. "You're excited about a double Potions class?" He said in disbelief, and I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be excited? I'm pretty good at Potions, and I get a longer class with my Dad."

Harry spit out his pumpkin juice, Ron choked on some sausage, and Hermione looked at me in shock. "Wait, Snape is your dad?" Harry said in a raised voice, making everyone within five feet whip around to look at us. I looked at them all, suddenly unsure. I didn't know the kind of reputation that Dad had gotten himself at Hogwarts but from my friends' reactions, I could tell that it wasn't a good one. "Yes, he's my adoptive father," I said tentatively, eager to end the conversation. "We should really get going, we don't want to be late," I said, standing up and grabbing my bag. As I walked away, I heard footsteps come up behind me and felt Hermione link her arm with mine. "Come on, I'll show you the way. And don't worry about them, or me actually. We just never pictured Snape having children." She said, making me laugh.

We walked into the Transfiguration classroom, and I smiled when I saw McGonagall sitting at her desk in the front. She looked up, nodded at me with a small smile on her face, then returned to whatever she was writing. Hermione led me over to a pair of desks and we sat down, pulling out our materials for the class. Students began to file in, and after a few moments, I could feel someone's eyes on me. I looked up to see the same blonde boy from the Welcome Feast, but now I could see his house colors - he was a Slytherin.

"Can I help you?" I said politely. He smirked, leaning against the desk across from me. "You might be able to. I'm Draco Malfoy, I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting." He said, extending his hand. I looked at it for a second before shaking it lightly. "I'm Isabelle. It's nice to meet you." Malfoy looked past me for a second and sneered at Hermione. "Why don't you come and sit with my friends and I, Isabelle? You don't want to hang out with people like her. We'll be able to show you the right kinds of friends to have." He said with a condescending tone, the bite obviously directed at Hermione.