Half-Blood Princess Book One

Chapter 11 - The Sorting

Third Person POV

1st September 1991

Tilly makes her way back to Draco finding him standing at the door fidgeting with his fingers, as the train came to a stop.

"Merlin, I was worried you left me." Draco chuckles trying to cover up the apparent panic in his voice.

"Never." Tilly winks to Draco, her voice both kidding and serious. Draco opens the door for Tilly, and they follow the rest of the first year to a tall and big looking man with a lot of facial hair. Harry greets him at the front and calls the big man Hagrid, this must be who told Harry about Tilly and his own past. Walking down the path to the edge of the lake, finding little boats waiting for them. Tilly places her foot into one of them, but Draco stops her abruptly.

"Wait!" He calls to a very confused Tilly, "Allow me." Draco speaks much more confidently, stepping in the boat and offering Tilly a hand in.

"Draco, I can do this myself," Tilly tells Draco, slightly amused by his actions.

"I know you can." Draco states, "But I've been taught to be a gentleman." 

"Yeah, Right," Tilly whispers under her breath to herself. The boats start to move and slowly, an incredible, beautiful, unique and magical castle comes into view. All are awestruck by the castle.

Just as Draco helped her into the boat, he helps Tilly out, and they make their way up the stairs where directed. With all the first years together, Tilly is made separate from Draco, neither like this much, but keep going. Draco is at the front, allow with Harry, Ron, Hermione and a few other first years. While Tilly is stuck at the back, which turns out is a good thing, as Raven comes slithering up the stair behind the kids.

"Tilly!" The snake hissed quietly, not alerting anyone besides Tilly of her presents.

"Raven? What are you doing, you're meant to be with the rest of my stuff!" Tilly whisper yells to Raven, surprised to see her snake.

"I missed you. And not many of the other animals like me. Nor the handler. Ugly guy too." Raven sassed. Tilly could pick up on Draco's voice, decides to go to him.

"Stay here and out of sight till I come back," Tilly tells her snake and walks over to Draco.

"It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." People start to whisper, then someone calls out,

"I heard Matilda Lillian is here too!" The kid spoke in disbelief before Draco could shut the kid up Tilly steps in.

"Yes, that would be me." She says striding through the crowd.

"Till there you are," Draco says pull her closer to him by her arm. Turning back to Harry Draco starts again, "This is Crabb, Goyle and-". He was cut short by Harry speaking up,

"Till. I know her, she was with me on the train for a while." Harry says, only explaining to Draco that they knew each other.

"I wouldn't call me..." Tilly was abruptly quietened but Draco.

"What did you call her!" Draco was angry, very angry. Hermione speaks next,

"Harry called her Till, it's a shorting of her name. Matilda to Tilly and Tilly to Till." This just ticks Draco off more.

"I. Only. Call her, Till. No one else." Draco says, then gets his composer back and draws his attention to Harry. "I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." Tilly imitates what Draco is saying behind him, so he can't see, but Ron does and lets a laugh slip. Tilly knew this was not going to go well. "Think my names funny, do you? No need to ask for yours. Red hair and a hand me down robe, you must be a Weasley!" Draco sneered, angering Tilly, she quite liked Ron. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort." Draco said only trying to hurt Ron more, Tilly was at the edge now. If you knew a Snape, you learned never to anger them. Draco continued, "I can help you there." Extending out his hand for Harry to shake.