"Dray! Over here!"

I closed my eyes at the sound of my oldest friend racing across the platform towards me, bracing myself for-

Ompfh! I struggled to keep myself from toppling over as Pansy's hard body careered into mine.

"Oh Dray, I've missed you! Why didn't you write? Did you hear about Daphne and Theo? I balled my eyes out! What's going to become of our group now?"

I looked at her as her lower lip began to wobble. Merlin, did she really think this was the end of the world?!

"They'll get over it," I said stiffly, extricating myself from her embrace. "Just give them time."

I honestly couldn't give a tiny little rat's ass, but whatever.

Waving goodbye to my teary mother, I allowed Pansy to pull me onto the train. I noticed she'd let her hair grow long again, clearly deciding to ditch the razor sharp bob. Merlin, it was like she had been replaced by a different person entirely.

"Come on," she rushed out breathlessly as she dragged me along the train's corridor. "I've got Blaise to save us a seat."

Not ten minutes later, the three of us were sat around a table as the train trundled us onwards. I could sense Pansy looking at me.

"Why so scowly, Dray?" She asked. "Did you not have a good summer?"

I shrugged, not in the mood to discuss it. For a brief moment, my eyes locked with Blaise's but he remained silent.

Pansy, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere, nattered on about her summer. I switched off, gazing out at the landscape flying past the window, my thoughts solely on my dangerous task ahead.

About two hours in, we were interrupted by a visitor, a breathless third year who looked terrified at the prospect of approaching our table. She waited patiently for Pansy to finish her anecdote.

"-and then Daddy insisted that as a punishment for my bad behaviour, he was going to flush Mr Gerbil down the toilet. But silly Daddy forgot he had already died of a heart attack two summers ago! How funny! Oh, hello there. Can we help you with something?"

Between trembling fingers, the girl presented to us a roll of parchment tied with violet ribbon. "Um- I am- uh- supposed to deliver this to Blaise Z-Zabini."

I glared at her and she turned a deep shade of red. "Who sent you?" I demanded.

"I- I don't know his name. A teacher... I think."

"On the train? Don't be so ridiculous."

"Didn't stop Loopy Lupin though, did it?" Pansy pondered aloud.

Sighing heavily, Blaise eventually reached out and relieved the girl of the parchment. We all watched in anticipation as he unrolled it and proceeded to read.

"It's from a Professor Slughorn," he muttered, rolling it back up and stuffing it in his pocket. "He wants me to join him for lunch."

"WAIT!" I demanded when the girl tried to leave. "Are you sure there isn't one for me?"

The girl shrugged. "Sorry. It was just the one."

"Does he know I'm a Malfoy? Perhaps he didn't realise-"

"Dray, let it go." Blaise muttered, getting to his feet. "You didn't get an invite, okay? Count yourself lucky. No one wants to spend their lunch hanging out with a fucking teacher."

I sulked for the next forty-five minutes.

When Blaise returned, I tried to act cool.

"So... what did the old has-been want?"

But before Blaise could answer, we were plunged into complete darkness.

Overcome by panic, I jumped to my feet, wheeling around. Before I could say anything, the darkness lifted, I met Blaise's eye. He looked just as spooked as I felt.

"What just happened?" I asked, my heart hammering. "Blaise?"

He shrugged, expression tense. "Don't know."

"Relax," Pansy said, unperturbed as she filed her nails, "we just went under a tunnel is all."

I was about to sit back down when a bag teetered and fell from the luggage rack above my head. Scowling, I caught it and rammed it extra hard back in its place. I could have sworn I heard an 'oof' sound.

"So, Blaise," I said stiffly as I settled back down. "What did Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to make up to well-connected people. Not that he managed to find any."

Of course not. He didn't invite me!

"Ooo, so who else was there then?" Pansy asked, her interest piqued.

Mine, however, waned. I was too distracted by something else to listen to Blaise's list of teacher's pet wannabes.

Sniffing, I looked around, confused. For I swear I could smell Harry Potter again. What on earth was going on? I looked up and down the compartment, below the table, and then above, leaning across towards Blaise and inhaled deeply.

"Uh- are you alright there, Dray?"

I sniffed again, twitching my nose. But no. Blaise smelt the same as he always did.

"Potter didn't happen to be at this intimate little affair?" I asked, continuing my scent hunt.

"Yeah, I was just getting to him. He turned up with Longbottom-"

"As in Neville?" Pansy gasped, sitting up so fast that she dropped her nail-file, "Neville Longbottom?!"

"Yeah, but I don't think he's going to be invited back. Draya- can you stop that, it's freaking me the fuck out."

I ignored him and continued to sniff around the compartment like a dog in a butcher's shop.

"And you say that Weasley girl was there?" Pansy continued, acting as though what I was doing was completely nothing out of the ordinary. "What exactly is so special about her? Just because all the boys like her-"

"I don't," Blaise said coldly, "I wouldn't touch a filthy blood traitor like her whatever she looked like. Besides, everyone knows she belongs to Potter."

Now that caught my attention. I stopped sniffing along the window long enough to narrow my eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded. "I thought she was dating that Mudblood?"

"Who, Granger?"

"No - that other one," I sneered, "the one who follows that ridiculous Muggle sport: football. I ask you, whoever heard of something so lacklustre and dull."

Forgetting about my Potter hunt, I settled back into my seat, feeling irritable.

"Well, anyway," I muttered, going back to the source of my irritation, "I pity Slughorn's taste. And who cares what he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher."

"Sounds to me like you care, though," Blaise murmured, lifting an eyebrow. "A lot. And it doesn't hurt to get on the professor's side, especially when it comes to getting good grades."

I glared at him, feeling an anger spark in my stomach. He had no idea, none of them did.

"Hogwarts." I scoffed. "What a pathetic excuse for a school. I think I'd pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if I thought I had to continue on for another two years."

"Huh?" Pansy asked, looking from me to Blaise in confusion. "What are you going on about, Dray?"

I continued to lock eyes with Blaise, curling my top lip. "Let's just say I don't think you'll be seeing me wasting my time in Charms Class next year."

Blaise gave a derisive snort. I narrowed my eyes. "Amused, Blaise? We'll see just who's laughing in the end."

He shook his head, his lips twitching into an infuriating smile as he looked out the window. A noise from above my head grabbed my attention. It was the bag that had earlier fallen down, and I definitely saw it shift just as that familiar scent tickled my nose again.

And then it hit me. Anger raged inside of me, boiling my blood and clouding my vision.

Oh boy, was that prick gonna get it.

*****

"You go on," I said to Pansy and Blaise who both hovered in the doorway waiting for me. "I just want to check something."

Pansy bit her lip, looking unsure. "Well, don't be late, Dray. You don't want to end up back in London."

"Oh, I have no intention to." I smirked, brushing out the creases of my black robes. "Now go on, I'll see you at dinner."

They left. Making a deliberate show, I slid the door firmly shut and pulled down the blinds, pausing to slowly reach into my pocket for my wand.

"Didn't Mummy ever tell you it was rude to eavesdrop, Potter? Petrificus Totalus!"

Ha! I watched with satisfaction as a body toppled out of the luggage rack and fell with a heavy thud to the ground at my feet, Invisibility Cloak tangled beneath him.

I crouched down, reaching out to brush his fringe aside, revealing the infamous scar. His eyes moved about wildly as they met mine, and I smirked, leaning in closer to press my mouth against his ear.

"Oh yeah," I whispered softly as his hair tickled against my lips, "she was dead before you could wipe the drool off your chin."

Despite him being frozen by my spell, I sensed a movement - a beat, if you will.

I stood up, looking down at him, wondering what to do. I hadn't actually thought further than this point. I suppose I could stamp on his face, I knew that would make me at least feel better. But I really wasn't a huge fan of blood and I didn't want to ruin my new designer shoes.

So instead, I reached down and snatched up his cloak. "So," I muttered, holding it up in distaste, "this is how you've been following me, then. I know you stalked me down Knockturn Alley that day. Didn't anyone ever tell you that less is more when it comes to applying cologne? Still, I suppose you never had a daddy to teach you these things. Pity. Maybe if you had had one then you would've learnt not to be such a fucking perv."

Shaking in fury, I threw the cloak back down over his body suddenly not wanting to look at him anymore. He vanished beneath it and my anger abated slightly.

Turning my back on him, I flicked my hair back over my shoulder and strode towards the door. But when I reached for the handle, I hesitated and glanced guiltily back to the spot where he lay frozen and invisible.

Should I really leave him like this? I mean, he could quite possibly die of thirst. And I would like to think that I wasn't capable of killing someone, but then that would defeat the whole purpose of my task ahead.

In the distance, a whistle blew and the low rumble of the engine started up.

Damn, damn, damn!

With a heavy sigh, I removed my wand.

"Any funny business, Potter," I warned, "and next time I will kill you. Finite!"

As the jet of red light hit the spot where Harry lay, I felt the wheels begin to move along the tracks below. I quickly fumbled for the door, but too late I found myself being violently dragged backwards.

"You just made a big mistake," Harry growled in my ear as his arm clamped around my neck, the point of his wand digging in the side of my temple.

I fought against him, kicking and straining, but he was too strong. The train began to pick up momentum and I wondered if we'd both end up in London if we didn't move quickly.

"I knew I should have stamped on your face when I had the chance," I spat, struggling like mad to free myself. "How dare you spy on me!"

"You're up to something," he snarled, holding me tighter, "and I refuse to rest until I find out."

In the struggle, I managed to knock his glasses off his face. He was distracted enough for me to break free, and I bolted for the door, slamming it shut behind me as I charged down the train's corridor towards the nearest exit, Harry hot on my heels.

But as I swung the carriage door open, I realised we were going at an alarming speed, with Hogwarts already growing smaller in the distance.

"Fucking jump!" Harry roared behind me. "Stop being a coward, Malfoy!"

"I am not a coward, I just value my life!" I screamed back, my hair whipping all around my face.

"If you don't jump, I'm going to push you!" the Gryffindor bellowed. "I'm not missing Hogwarts for you!"

And to my horror, I felt his hands go to my waist and the next thing I knew, I toppled forwards, my arms flailing out in front of me as a scream stuck in my throat.

However, somehow, Harry managed to roll us mid fall, his body cushioning the blow as we hit the ground. His arms and legs clamped around me as we rolled down a grassy bank, with Harry taking the majority of the blows.

Eventually rolling to a stop, we fell apart, breathless and panting, hearts pumping wildly.

"You're a fucking lunatic!" I screamed as I lay sprawled on my back next to him. "You could have killed us both!"

To my surprise, Harry just chuckled. I glanced sideways at him and watched as he lazily drove a hand through his messy hair, staring up at the night sky as though we were simply out star gazing.

"Come on, Malfoy," he said, turning his head so that I could just make out the twinkle in his eyes, "you can't deny that was awesome. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I don't know," I snapped, glaring at him, "probably still back on the train with your common sense!"

"You know, you're starting to sound just like Hermione."

"Don't you dare compare me to that Mudblood."

Harry's eyes widened and then glowered. It was almost as though he had suddenly realised who he was conversing with.

Scowl on face, he sat up, ruffling his hair. I followed suit, trying to brush the dirt out of my ruined clothes and untangle twigs from my once immaculate hair. How could I turn up to the feast like this?

"Well," I said stiffly, looking over towards the castle in the far distance, "I suppose we had better start heading over. You don't happen to have your broomstick on you, do you?"

His lips twitched into a smirk. "Like I'd ever let you ride my broomstick, Malfoy. Well, not unless you begged."

Ugh. He was being a filthy pervert again. I preferred it when he was angry.

Deciding to ignore him, I jumped to my feet and began marching determinedly across the field towards the castle. I kept my head held high, trying not to show him how humiliated and bothered I felt.

Still - aware that he was walking behind me, I made sure to sway that bootie.

I had standards to maintain, after all.

*****