after dusk - draco malfoy

vi. | six

DRACO AND I WALKED TO THE Great Hall together, hand in hand. It felt almost strange. We arrived at the door and he pecked me on the forehead, quickly, before we both separated and sat with our friends. Poppy and Stella both started giggling at one another as I sat down. I raised a brow at them and Poppy cracked. "I'm sorry but that was just way too cute," she told me.

I rolled my eyes at her, shaking my head with a smile on my face. "You both do look rather happy with one another," Stella agreed, taking a sip from her goblet. I was liking the changed attitude but I could tell that Ron still didn't approve.

The atmosphere in the school seemed more spritely than usual but I didn't pay much attention to the excitement. I often glanced over to the Slytherin table to see Draco laughing and joking with his friends. The all too familiar smile was just too contagious for me to look at and not smile too.

The sorting went ahead and seemed a lot quicker than it did last year. "Now we're all settled in and sorted," Dumbledore began, speaking out to the whole of the school. "I would like to make an announcement." The door opened and Filch started to awkwardly run up the middle of the hall to Dumbledore, who just ignored the man interrupting him and carried on talking. "This castle will not only be your home this year but home to some very special guests as well. You see, Hogwarts has been chosen..."

Filch had reached Dumbledore and forced to stop talking. He whispered something in Dumbledore's ear, to which he nodded and Filch started running back down the middle of the hall. "So... Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event - the Triwizard Tournament." At this announcement, a few people whispered amongst themselves, the twins being included. The two twins sat across from me, beaming brightly.

"For those of you who don't know," Dumbledore continued. "The Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. From each school, a single student is selected to compete. Now, let me be clear, if chosen you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint-hearted."

I thought for a few moments what these contests could possibly be. "But more of that later," Dumbledore interrupted my brainstorming. "For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies of the Beauxbaton Academy of Magic and their Headmistress, Madame Maxime."

My jaw physically dropped at the announcement, multiple heads turning my direction. I swivelled on the bench to face the door and the first three girls to walk in were none other than Antoinette, Dominique, and Estelle. I watched as the three made their way to the front of the hall, everyone chattering as the school entered. Neither of the three even glanced in my direction.

I turned back in my seat and stared at the table in front of me, in pure shock. "You didn't know?" Poppy asked, seeming rather shocked I didn't know. All I could do was shake my head. I don't know why I was so stunned to not know they were coming, I hadn't heard from any of them in over a year, why would they tell me they were coming to my school?

"Blimey, that's one big woman," I heard Seamus remark. I instantly knew he was talking about Madame Maxime. That woman had always intimidated me, trying to turn me into a 'proper lady', telling me 'that's not what a proper lady would do', so on and so forth. It was rather counterintuitive if you asked me. The more I'm told not to do something, the more I want to do it.

"And now, our friends from the north, please greet the proud sons of Durmstrang and their High Master, Igor Karkaroff," Dumbledore instructed us as the students from my old school took their seats at an empty table by the Hufflepuffs.

The door opened again, revealing a bunch of bulky boys. They made their way down the middle of the hall, just like Beauxbatons, followed by one more boy and their High Master. I recognised the boy immediately. "Blimey, it's him!" Ron almost swooned. "Viktor Krum!"

It wasn't long before the feast began but I couldn't manage to get any food down. I was too preoccupied with the fact my old friends had arrived and not bothered to tell me they were coming. Tommy could tell I was bothered. "Just go over and talk to them," he told me and he didn't have to tell me twice.

I was already walking over to them. A few of the girls could see me coming over and had bright smiles on their faces, some girls who I wasn't quite good friends with but thought about them from time to time. I stopped behind the three of my friends and a lot of girls around me could see I was on a warpath. "Couldn't send me an Owl to notify me of your arrival?" I questioned them in an accusing tone.

The three girls turned around in unison, knowing it was me, instantly. Antoinette and Estelle seemed to be feeling guilty, whereas Dominique was relishing the moment. "No, apparently not," she mused through her thick French accent. "Now why don't you go sit with all your mundane new friends and not bother us this year, hmm?"

"Is there a problem?" Another French voice spoke, I turned to see Estelle's elder sister, Fleur approaching me, wary of her sister being involved in the conflict. Fleur put her hand on my arm, confused at what was going on but could tell it was getting hostile. "Come on, girls, I thought you were all best friends."

I nodded my head, blinking back the blur in my eyes. "So did I," I agreed with Fleur before turning and heading back to the Gryffindor table. Fleur had always been an older sister type of person to me as well, always looking out for me. I had missed her but never thought to contact her after the girls didn't, assuming she would act the same. But as it seemed, she had no idea that they hadn't contacted me, either.

I sat back down at the table and the three of my friends could tell that it hadn't gone well at all. Poppy opened her mouth to talk but Stella nudged her, sharply, knowing whatever she was about to say would be no help whatsoever.

I felt as though I was about to explode. I didn't want anyone on this table. I wanted Draco. I wanted him to hold me tightly and tell me everything would be okay.