"Do you remember the concealing charm?" Draco asked as I helped him pack the rest of his belongings. We were leaving in a couple hours to head back to Hogwarts, and I was not emotionally ready for what was to come. Not that I ever would be, I was being sent to kill someone -- and pretty much everyone would know by now I was on Voldemort's side. All of my friends and even my father witnessed me telling him I would join his forces, I wouldn't blame everyone if I was shunned by every person at school.

        "For the tenth time this morning, yes I remember it" I grunted, feeling the anxiety rising inside of me. Draco looked up from the other side of his bed and raised an eyebrow. "No need to get snappy" he mumbled before closing his trunk. 

        "Sorry" I whispered "I just don't want to do this" 

        "You think I do? Iv'e had nightmares about that bloody cabinet for a week now" 

        Last week, Draco and his mother visited Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley. I stayed home seeing as nobody wanted me to accidentally run into my family or friends and have them whisk me away from them. Draco told me of a cabinet that linked to one in Hogwarts, and a plan was created to fix it to allow some of the death eaters inside the school. I hated the idea, killing Dumbledore was one thing -- innocent students was another.

        It was going to be a challenge to help Draco with the cabinet, while still residing in Gryffindor. People would definitely turn on me, wonder why i was being friends with Draco after our incident in fourth year, and of course the questioning about me being a death eater. All of the wondering was making my head hurt. 

        "I think everything would be easier if I was in Slytherin" I chuckled "Who ever heard of a death eater in Gryffindor?" 

        "Well if Potter and Weasel Bee give you too hard a time, you're always welcome in our common room. Snape wont care" Draco told me as he dragged his trunk towards his door, he quit using his house elves after I threatened I would free all of them and tell his father if he wasn't nicer to them. 

        "Aw are you growing soft on me, Draco?" I asked as I slipped my arm through his so we could head downstairs. 

        Draco grunted and shook his head, I only squeezed his arm so he knew I was teasing. "As much as I hate to say this, you've become one of my best friends" he told me. 

        I smiled and went to hold his hand instead of his arm. "You too" and I was sad to say, but that was the honest truth. I never thought the boy who embarrassed me during the Tri-Wizard cup, my first disaster of a relationship would turn out to be one of the closest people in my life. And I think it's all because I understand him, I understand his need for approval from his father, and I understand that this life isn't what he wants. 

~

        The Hogwarts express stood before us, as magnificently scarlet as always. I saw what I could as the hood that shaded my face obscured my view. I walked with Draco past excited first years, familiar faces who looked to the pair of us with confusion, and parents who cried as they watched their children board the train.

        I stopped abruptly, causing Draco to skid to a halt as I was still holding onto his hand. He saw what I was looking at and looked to me sympathetically. "You cant see them now, you know that. We have a job to do" He whispered, giving my hand a comforting squeeze. I didn't think seeing my family for the first time in months would be this hard though.

        My mother looked terrible. Her normal vivacious blonde hair looked stringy and was tied back in a tight bun. Her eyes were red, and I could see a pile of tissues hanging out of the pocket of her dress that now looked two sizes too big. She hugged my sisters goodbye quickly, before bursting into tears. "That's my mom, Draco. I need to see her" I said trying to walk over to her, Draco stopped me. 

        "You'll draw attention, you can owl her when we get to school. You're doing this to protect them remember?" He asked, pulling me close and wrapping his arm around my waist. I sighed and nodded my head, letting him pull me into the last compartment on the train. But I could still see them as I walked down the aisle of the train. I could see my brother's angry face as he leaned against a pillar beside my mother, and the twins kissing my mothers cheek before wandering off with Fred and George who seemed to manifest out of thin air. 

        "Ali, sit down!" I heard and pulled my eyes away from the window that was beginning to move. I looked to see Draco sitting across from two people I didn't recognize. In fact I didn't really know most of the people in this compartment, which in my eyes in this moment was a blessing. I slid the hood back from my head and suddenly the people around me looked nervous. 

        "Blaise, Pansy, this is Ali" Draco said as I sat down beside them. I thought I met all of his friends when we dated for five minutes in fourth year, I guess not. I nodded my head and plastered a fake smile on my face before resting my head in my hands.

        "You cut off my brother's hands, you know?" Pansy said biting her thumb nail. I raised my eyebrow trying to think of what she was talking about, and snorted when I did. "Your brother is a pig. I caught him crawling into my bed one night" I said with a chuckle. 

        "You didn't tell me that!" Draco exclaimed turning to face me. "I don't tell you everything!" I responded. 

        "What the hell is he supposed to do without hands?!" Pansy practically screamed at me.         

        "Whoa! Calm your tits! I'm sure Voldemort will give him some new ones." I already didn't like her, and its been literally thirty seconds since I have sat down. 

        She started rambling on about her brother and the tasks the dark lord had given him, nobody around seemed to really care which means everyone in here had to be a Slytherin. Like I said, who ever saw a death eater in Gryffindor?

        "Pansy, if you don't shut up in five seconds I will cut off your hands. And then I will shove them up your--"

        "Ali, play nice" Draco growled into my ear. "Everyone in here is scared of you already, don't add to it" 

        I looked around and saw everyone had scooted pretty far away from where I was seated, and was speaking in hushed tones. But suddenly our compartment went black, and smoke filled the air. I recognized it as one of the twins products, they were perfecting this Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder the last time I saw them.

        "Who's there? What's happening?" Draco asked, looking around paranoid as the smoke thickened. 

        "It's just some first years fooling around. Come on Draco, sit down" Pansy said. "Come on Draco sit down" I said mocking her, she was fawning over Draco and he was obviously not noticing. Draco elbowed me in the ribs when I sat down. I glared at him and flicked my wrist causing the tie he spent ten minutes on this morning, to fall off. 

        "You know you love me" I said, giving the annoyed boy a sickly sweet smile. He just smirked before looking up at the luggage rack with intrigue. 

        "When did you two become so close?" Pansy asked with pure annoyance. I raised an eyebrow and kissed Draco's cheek just to anger her even more. "Or is it part of The Dark Lords plan?" 

        I opened my mouth to respond but before I could get anything out, Draco's hand was covering my mouth.  'Not Alone' he mouthed to me, looking up at the luggage rack. I nodded to let him know I understood, someone was obviously eavesdropping on our compartment. And I wasn't going to let any information out that would point to me being a death eater. 

        It was hard though, Pansy kept asking me questions so about halfway through I flicked my hand and knocked her head against the window. She shut up after that. I spent majority of the trip reading, or chatting quietly about random things with Draco, and occasionally Blaise -- but he was the quiet type and didn't have much to say. And before I knew it, darkness fell and we were pulling into the station.

        "Just leave it Draco" I said pulling his arm off the train. He wanted to check out whoever was hiding in our compartment, but I was starving and didn't want to risk sitting with someone I knew in a carriage. I wasn't ready for that yet. "Fine" he grumbled and we headed out into the cool night air.

        "Crap, I left my wand on the train" I said realizing it wasn't in my bag. "It's not like you need it anyway" Draco said.

        I glared and he held his hands up in defence "Ill just wait over here" he said pointing to the bench that sat under the street lamp. "Two minutes" I said.

        I found my wand wedged between the cushions I was sharing with Draco, "There you are, you little devil" I said and slipped it quickly into my bag. I really didn't even need it anymore, I perfected wandless magic and my powers filled in the gaps. But it was required for class.

        I turned around to head back to Draco when my breath caught in my throat. The reason being who was standing in front of me...

        Harry.