familiar ; draco malfoy

CHAPTER ONE

The obnoxious commotion sounding through the hallway as he rounded the corner greatly annoyed the already agitated Draco Malfoy, who's only thoughts were of a warm meal to save his day. The large blabbering crowd blocked his passage, but he didn't care to know what had happened. He only wanted to eat, his insides twisting and knotting almost painfully.

The poor, hungry boy was all but trampled by a group of first years who were eager to know what had happened, when he overheard the quiet, "Can you believe she actually broke his nose?"

The clamor continued and Draco stood on the sidelines, spotting a stern-faced McGonagall pushing through the crowd. Students spread apart like the Red Sea as Moses pushed her way towards the promised land, ready to take away house points and deliver a well-rehearsed sermon about proper and improper behavior. Draco could only assume that her annoyance matched his, given that they were all missing dinner because of the unnecessary scene.

"Galloping gargoyles, what is all of this?!" she exlaimed, shouting into the ear of a third-year Ravenclaw, finally approaching the two people in the very middle of the crowd. Draco first spotted Goyle who was shielding his nose, shaky hands smeared with blood. The Slytherin leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, opening only one to glance at McGonagall with an overly dramatic expression that did not evoke any sympathy from the professor.

Beside him stood, with her arms crossed and chin high, a girl no older than he was. Draco noticed she wasn't wearing Hogwarts robes but light washed jeans, a white shirt, and an entirely too colorful windbreaker; a sinfully horrid outfit Draco could only scorn at.  She reeked of muggle.

Even though she was turned away, and her kinky curls shielded her face entirely, Draco knew he'd never seen her before. She was not a student, certainly not at Hogwarts, and he wanted to crane his neck to get a better view.

"She broke my nose!" accused Goyle in a high-pitched voice, pointing at her with tearful eyes. Such a performance was entirely too embarrassing, and Draco rolled his eyes at the dramatics. The girl just huffed.

"Merlin's beard, Miss Xanthos! You haven't even been sorted yet and you're already wreaking havoc. You better explain yourself," McGonagall said sternly, walking over to Goyle to check his nose. He wouldn't lower his hands, so McGonagall gently tried to pry them away from his face with a quiet plea.

"Professor, I'm not usually one to cause trouble, but he was practically begging for it," the girl explained, all too casually shrugging and stuffing her hands in the pockets of the windbreaker.

McGonagall turned towards her, having inspected Goyle's injury, and crossed her arms.

"Care to explain, then?" she asked impatiently. Draco could very well see that McGonagall only wanted to get it over with, and kept the stern professor facade for the sake of the entire student body watching. Secretly she perhaps thought, and this Draco knew, that Goyle probably deserved.

Salazar's fucking beard, let this be over with so we can eat, thought Draco. Scanning the bodies bumping into him with a most characteristic scowl, he concluded there was no way he could push through the crowd still forming around him; but he wasn't in the least interested in what was going on. 

"I was waiting here for you, professor, like you told me to, when he came and called me baby."

"You broke his nose because he called you baby?" McGonagall repeated.

"Well, not entirely, no. He said, 'Hey baby, what are you doing there standing all alone?' Naturally, I just ignored him. And then he said, 'You're practically begging for attention with that hard to get attitude, sugar.' He's lucky I didn't break something else," the girl calmly explained. Her voice went a couple of octaves deeper as she imitated Goyle and many students couldn't suppress their laughter, but McGonagall's sharp gaze silenced them well.

"Miss Xanthos, even though I understand where you are coming from, using violence inside this school- "

"He also pinched my rear, ma'am," the girl added, and Draco could practically hear the grin on her face as she did. McGonogall stood silently for a moment, glancing between Goyle and the girl as if picturing the event.

"Very well then, off to dinner everyone! Mr. Goyle, I suggest you get yourself to the hospital wing before another incident arises. And I will be speaking to you later, personally," McGonogall said, pointing her finger at him as she spoke.

"But professor-"

"You better walk now, young man," she interrupted. Without a word, Goyle turned and left.

"What a bitch, man," he commented as he passed by, still holding his nose.

"You get what you deserve," Blaise commented from Draco's side, rolling his eyes.

"To the Great Hall everyone, hurry up now," McGonagall called, shooing everyone away as she started to silently speak to the girl.

"Fucking finally," Draco sighed. Blaise smirked.

"Wish I'd seen Goyle getting punched," he said, striding alongside Draco leisurely.

"I really couldn't care less," Draco groaned out, running a hand down his face. He loosened his green and silver tie, craning his neck as he did.

"Something's got your wand in a twist," Blaise teased, almost grinning.

"And you're uncharacteristically amused," Draco commented. "Why is that?"

"It's nice to see Goyle get what he deserves for a change."

"And that makes you happy?"

"Yes, indeed it does," Blaise said. "Goyle was punched by a girl. I think the punch to his ego was even worse than the one to his face. No one is going to let him forget that."

Draco rolled his eyes, running his tongue along his teeth.

Blaise chose his words carefully; he didn't need Malfoy snooping around the girl. He had to make sure Draco was uninterested as possible and so far that seemed to be the case.

He turned back around to stare at the girl. She gave Blaise a short nod. But she stared after Draco. It was the first time she saw him after years. And she felt her heart break into pieces.