The Magic Circle

Another Interpretation of Draco Malfoy

I somehow ended up in the Great Hall, finding it surprisingly easy to spot Melinda over at the Ravenclaw table. I started to make my way over to her but was stopped when two girls approached me. I recognized Charity from last night, the other one had long curly brown hair and and wide eyes. They both looked at me like I was fresh food. "Hi" I said politely glancing overtop them to see if Melinda was still seated. "Excuse me—"
"I'm Lavender Brown" the first girl said as I nodded and give her a tight smile. Not that I wanted to be rude, they were both wearing Gryffindor robes, but I also didn't want to miss telling Melinda about my conversation with Professor McGonagall, wondering if she had a similar one with her head of house, Professor Flitwick. "You're Tammie Allen right?"
"Yep, that's me" I told her as I noticed Charity hadn't said anything to me but was watching me very carefully.
"Why don't you have your tie on?" Lavender asked as I looked down in my hands, forgotten I had even gotten it back.
"Oh, uh, inside joke..." I answered but Lavender just seemed to stick her bottom lip out but didn't reply.
"How did you get supplies and clothes so fast?" Charity asked in a tone I knew all too well as fake interest.
"Well it's actually a really long story and I'm quite hungry—"
"Eat with us" Lavender said as I opened and closed my mouth, I didn't even want to sit on the same side of the table as them.
"Tammie? Tammie Allen?" I turned in the direction I heard my name, another girl with bushy brown hair quickly walking toward me. "There are you, I've been waiting for you nearly all breakfast, come on, let's see your schedule" she said as I took it out, unable to say anything else, staring in awe at Hermione Granger. Aside from the extremely bushy hair and large front teeth she was unmistakable from her description. I shook my head, I had to stop referring to these guys as characters from a book. "Yes, okay, that's what I thought, here, come look" she grabbed my arm and jerked me down the table, leaving an annoyed Lavender and Charity behind.
"What happened? Did they get something wrong?" I asked, concerned Professor McGonagall missed something.
"No, she just wanted to subtly get you away from those two, rotten they are." I stared at the boy talking with a mouth full of food. "Ron Weasley" he introduced as I nodded, he was visibly taller than any boys in our year I had seen so far and his hair was the same brilliant red as the twins. "Ginny—she left already—said they were talking about you all morning, nothing good though" he explained as I cursed, I didn't want to make enemies, more importantly, I wasn't even sure what they'd have to bad mouth me about. I just got here.
"Did I do something wrong?" I asked.
"Probably not, you know how some groups can be, I had that same experience at my old school" another boy said, the one who sitting next to Ron, this boy lankier than his friend and his dark hair messy and unruly. His circular glasses and lighting bolt scar in the middle of his forehead easily gave him away.
"Harry Potter" I said as if I was meeting Shakespeare or the US president.
"Hi" he said kindly as I sat down, Hermione sitting next to me. "Oh" I turned to Hermione, "thank you for the clothes and note and just helping me get settled and comfortable, you don't know how much it means" I told her.
"I've been in your shoes, I didn't want you to feel like an outcast for being different." I half wondered if she was referring to her first year.
"At least I don't have to count on a mountain troll to spark a friendship" I said as Ron gave me a confused look but Hermione laughed.
"You've read the books?" She asked as I looked at her in astonishment.
"You know the books?"
"They're very popular in the muggle community, the author is a bit of a fanatic though" she said as I half nodded. "And no one really knows her identity but I'm pretty sure I do—"
"Please tell me you're not going to go on about your theory that it's Rita Skeeter?" Ron moaned.
"I'm just saying—"
"Well don't" Ron snorted as he helped himself to more food. "You should eat" he added, nodding at my plate. I looked down, forgetting that not but an hour ago I was starving.
"Good idea" I said filling my plate with sausages, eggs, toast, bacon and more eggs. I was uncertain about most of the other foods, I didn't recognize some of them and others didn't quite as appetizing.
"Potions first, right?" Harry asked as Hermione nodded.
"She's taking Care of Magical Creatures and Divinations" Hermione said reading over my schedule.
"Do you know where you're going?" She asked as I laughed, but then realized she was serious.
"I don't even feel like I'm grounded in reality."
"Stick with us, you'll be fine" Harry said with a large smile as I felt my heart soar, more than honored to even be in the presence of the great trio.
"Tammie" I looked up to see Melinda standing a few feet away "Morning" she said as I jumped up.
"I'll be right back!" I told the trio as I walked off with Melinda.
"Hey! How are you? How's everything? Anything; is this still all processing for you too?" I asked as she laughed and nodded, her eyes speaking for her.
"It's amazing" she said as I eagerly nodded in agreement. "We got letters, I think our parents are in the same place and your mom just sent her letter along with my mom's" she said pulling a letter out of her robe. "Where's your tie?" She asked as she wore identical robes, but the crest on her robe was an eagle and her tie the Ravenclaw house colors.
"Table, don't worry, I'll put it on before class" I told her as I opened the letter, my mom's handwriting taking up the front and back of the page. "I don't think I'll have time to read this now."
"Read it when you can, we'll talk about them later, maybe after lunch? I think I have some free time" I nodded, I vaguely remembered seeing something about free period. "Um," she paused and bit her lip, glancing around before meeting my eyes. "Have you seen him?" She asked as I started to ask her who but then it clicked, Draco Malfoy. I peeked over her shoulder looking over at the Slytherin table but didn't see any blonde haired boy that looked anything like I imaged Draco to look.
"Nope, but I have Potions first with Slytherin so I'll keep an eye out" she gave me a half nod.
"I have Charms first" she said as I smiled.
"Did Professor Flitwick talk to you this morning?"
"Yeah, what did you pick as your electives?"
"Care of Magical Creatures and Divinations, you?"
"Same, glad we'll at least see each in those classes" she said as a bell sounded somewhere in the distance.
"I think that's our cue" I teased as she nodded and went back toward her table, snaking through the crowd of people who started moving toward the exit.
"Hermione, I need to get—" Hermione handed me my bag and tie and I smiled, I was starting to see why Ron said she was brilliant.
"You're fantastic" I told her as I followed them up the stairs, letting them talk as I listened in but not really, finally able to have a moment to look around at the sights, as long as I was following them I was fine to daze off.
"This is the dungeon" Hermione said as we stopped in front of large dark doors. Why did Potions have to be in the eeriest part of the castle? I wondered as the door opened, the crowd already gathered walking in without talking. I followed, careful to watch where I was going, heaven forbid I piss off another person unintentionally.
"Stand" I found myself obeying without even looking at the face the voice had come from. The rest of the class did the same. The man walked to the front, a black robe draped around him, his black hair covering most of his face and his pale face intimidating and expressionless. "Professor Snape" Hermione whispered to me but no one needed to tell me that, I already knew and his black eyes quickly found mine, seeming to peer into my soul.
"Potter and Brown, Granger and Goyle, Weasley and Longbotton, Finnigan and Crabbe, Thomas and Parkinson, Allen and Malfoy..." he trailed off to look around. "Move!" He hissed as the class scrambled and he continued calling pairs. I looked around, not expecting Draco to come to me. His grey eyes didn't move from my face as he sat his things down. He was indeed quite handsome, his silver-blonde hair oddly becoming on him but I didn't find him nearly as attractive as Fred or Oliver; and as he sneered when Neville tripped over his robes on the way to the other side of the room I wondered what Melinda had seen in him when reading the books.
"Hi" I said as we waited for the last few people to get settled as Professor Snape wrote on the board.
"Where's your tie?" He asked glaring over my appearance. I snatched my tie out of my bag, if I had to hear one more person complain about this stupid thing I'd swallow it I told myself as I put it on.
"Nice to meet you too, I'm Tammie Allen..." I mumbled as I felt him glance over at me but then continue to look over at his friends.
"Do you have your things?" He asked. I started to ask why he would care, but I remembered I didn't want to get off on a bad foot with anyone else. Especially not Draco. Just because he was perceived as a jerk and none of the Gryffindors cared for him I didn't want to be mean, Definitely not in Potions class.
"I have a used copy of the Potions book on loan from the library" I told him as I pulled it out. He took it from me and scanned it over.  
"Are all your books like this?" He asked as I nodded and took the book bag. "What about your cauldron? And other supplies?"
"I was transported here in the middle of the night with my best friend, tell me when I would've had time to take a stroll down Diagon Alley? And with what money?" I said unable to resist the urge to be sarcastic. He just made it so easy. And something about him, about the conversation just felt okay with talking to him like I was, but I couldn't explain it. Like before with the curtain, it was a feeling rather than something I could physically pinpoint.
"I was trying to be kind" he hissed through gritted teeth. I started to tell him who he could be kind to but had a different question.
"Why?"
"I heard your family was very prominent around here" he said as I looked over him. "And you're a pure-blood—"
"That's it, I'm moving, I'll take the failing grade" I shoved my book in my bag and started to move but Draco grabbed my arm.
"Don't be an idiot" he said as I turned to tell him to shove it but jumped at the sight of Professor Snape standing next to us, looking less than amused.
"I expected more from both of you" he said as I bit my tongue to refrain from saying anything that would get me into the trouble. I didn't know if it was the atmosphere or my pre-existing knowledge of the class but I wanted to leave. "Allen, do you have something to say?" He asked as I felt several eyes look at me.
"No" I whispered as he turned back to the board and started writing more notes and speaking about what would be involved this term.
"Write, don't make a bigger embarrassment of yourself" Draco mumbled as he took my ink and quill out of my bag.
"I'm sorry, I've heard bad things about this class and I guess I'm just making judgements based on—hang on, what are you doing?" I asked him as I realized he tilted his notes so I could write whatever had once been on the board was now replaced with new notes.
"Helping, write" he said as he continued copying off the board, leaving me no choice but to do the same.
"I see you've made friends" he said after Hermione glanced my direction for the fourth time.
"Yeah" I responded.
"And you're okay with them?"
"I'm okay with anyone who doesn't judge" I hissed back.
"Gryffindor" he said with a huff. I paused from my note taking and looked at him, was this his way of trying to be nice? Did he not know what to say? I knew he was smart, I figured he'd be a good conversationalist too.
"My house? Yes"
"It's always disappointing to see mistakes being made" he said in some secret code that he must have thought I understood.
"I'm not sure what you're referring to, but, I don't know anything about my family and their houses. My mom was homeschooled in American and my dad—"
"Died" he finished as I felt my voice catch. Was this common knowledge by now? I mean, I figured, word got around quickly here. "I'm sorry" he said still writing in his notebook. I wanted to say thank you but something about him, something I couldn't place just seemed, familiar almost.
"It was before I was one" I said instead. He started to respond but Professor Snape cleared his throat, indicating he heard us and wanted us to shut up.
As class finished up I grabbed my bag at the same time Draco did, both our stuff falling out. I cursed myself for being so clumsy, again. At least I didn't have to worry about Draco stealing any of my ties. Not that I had any spare. He shoved my books in my bag and gathered his own as we stood up. "Thanks" I told him but he didn't nod, just stared. "Okay, well, see you around I guess." Still, no response, but this time he did at least attempt at nodding. Did I have something on face? Was being here really that unusual? Was he not that smart?
"We'll be partners next class too" he said after a second, just as I was turning around to leave.
"Pardon?" I asked as his cheeks flushed.
"Next time"
"No I got that, I just didn't hear a question. You're supposed to ask, not assume or demand." We looked at each for another few seconds, Draco breaking contact first as he slyly smirked. "You heard me" he said as his cronies came over, pushing him along before I could shoot him down. Yet again, something was pulling me to continue being candid with him.
"Bloody hell, that was rough, I thought you were going to take a swing at him" Ron said as we exited the classroom along with the others.
"I wasn't trying to give off that impression."
"It's fine, he deserves it, he's a snake" Seamus said after he quickly introduced him.
"Now, do you mean that because he's in Slytherin or based on similarities between him and a snake" I teased.
"I'm sorry you got stuck working with him" Harry said as I shrugged.
"It was oddly...refreshing" I told them as he started toward our next class.