Y/N's POV

The return to school steadily eased into the new normality. Although everything had changed, I still tried to see it as all the same. I still attended lessons and for the most part, teachers were still the same but there were a couple new teachers and the punishments were a lot worse.

"That was boring." I commented, walking out of a lesson as Draco walked out beside me.

Just right behind us, Tom had exited the class and shoved past another boy in our year, Sam Auras.

That named sounded pretty familiar to me.

Then I realised that he was a childhood friend of mine. we were pretty close until he moved away and I never really kept in touch with him.

"Watch it." Sam said grumpily.

Tom sneered at Sam. "What are you going to do about it?"

Sam turned to face Tom and although it was clear that Sam didn't want any confrontation, Tom seemed like he wanted the exact opposite.

As Sam made a move towards Tom he was jerked back by someone and flew slightly backwards, toppling over onto his feet. This sent Draco, Blaise, Crabbe, Goyle, Tom and the mystery boy into hysterical laughter.

I walked over the Sam and offered him a hand. "F/N Malfoy." I said, looking at the boy.

"Sam Auras." he muttered before resentfully walked off.

"Why'd you help him?" Tom demanded, looking bitterly at me.

I stared at Tom. "That was unnecessary." I said, straightening the cuffs of my suit.

The mystery boy scoffed.

"And who are you?" I asked, staring at him. He had blonde hair and had an air of swagger surrounding him that made him seem immediately unpleasant to me.

"Elijah Matzek," he said with a slight accent, "you may have noticed me."

Truth be told, I had only seen him a couple times before because he seemed to of kept himself pretty lowkey.

"Pleasure," I lied, "F/N Malfoy."

Elijah looked at me before he smirked at Tom and the two of them walked off, looking to be dickheads somewhere else.

"He thinks he's so much better than us," I commented, referring to Tom, "a week here and he already thinks he's the boss around here."

"Don't pay too much attention to him F/N," Draco told me, "you've got bigger things to worry about."

Draco was right, I had more to worry about than just douchebags suddenly emerging at Hogwarts. I had to figure out my plan to support the Order as well as keep up the act I had with the Death Eaters.

My loyalty still was with the Order, however I couldn't help but feel somewhat devoted to the Death Eaters. I supposed it was all the time I had spent with them but part of me liked the person I was around them.

I had no limitations, no boundaries, no rules.

However, this version of me wasn't the best version of me for Hermione and I wanted to be the best possible person for her, she deserved nothing less.

As Draco and I, as well as the rest of the Slytherin troupe, made our way back to the Common Room, we saw two chattering faces in our way. They were both respectable members of Slytherin: Mia Blackwood and Gabriella Walker.

However, it seemed like they had guests.

And they just seemed to be Tom and Elijah.

"Hello ladies," Tom said with a cocky grin, "need some help?"

"Not from you." Mia said, looking incredibly disgusted.

Elijah made his way to grab Gabriella's hand. "Would you two be interested in joining us for some...activities in a nearby classroom."

Elijah had this sickening smirk on him that was making me want to hex him right there on the spot.

Gabriella jerked her hand away. "We're not interested."

"You don't want us telling Daphne of what you're getting up to do you?" Mia challenged, looking at Tom.

Mia and Gabriella were both friends of Daphne and it was very obvious that Tomas was instantly smitten with the Greengrass girl.

Tom had an uncomfortable expression but covered it up with a fake smirk. "Whatever, let's go Eli."

The two boys both turned and walked towards the Common Room.

Gabriella rolled her eyes and muttered. "Dickheads."

The rest of us walked past Mia and Gabs whilst smiling and greeting them before, we too, entered the Slytherin Common Room.

We all sat ourselves down on a sofa and were quickly joined by Tom, who thankfully wasn't accompanied by Elijah who I had accustomed a distaste for.

We were all minding our business and I noticed Tom holding a letter and reading it with almost a fearful expression. For a second, he let his arrogant facade slip and I could identify the very obvious fear all over his face.

"Who's that from?" I questioned him.

He looked at me and quickly shoved the letter in his robe pocket. "Just my father catching up with me."

I didn't question him anymore and left him to it.

As time passed, we all carried on doing our own thing before the time arrived for dinner.

I briefly walked past the Ravenclaw table and saw Sam and Axel talking to each other, I briefly paused at the Ravenclaw table to speak to Axel.

"How are you finding things?"

Axel smiled happily at me. "This is awesome! Professor McGonagall is teaching me all these new spells, it's so much better than I'd ever imagined!"

"Good for you." I replied.

Axel nodded. "I'm kind of pissed my dad tried to hide this away from me..."

"He probably had his reasons," I said with a shrug, "anyways I'm going to go, I'll talk to you later."

I waved at Axel and waved at Sam before making my way towards the Slytherin table. I sat next to Draco who had saved a space for me and surrounding us were the usual group of Slytherins. Daphne was talking to Mia and Gabs whilst Tom was with Elijah flirting with some sixth years in the hopes that Daphne would overhear and maybe even get her to feel somewhat jealous.

"Pathetic..." I muttered to myself, pitying Tom for his failed and desperate attempts to get Daphne's attention. My first impressions of Tom were incredibly negative, to me he seemed like a spoiled, bratty and arrogant transfer from Durmstrang but potentially more to him that I knew.

After all, there was always more than what met the eye.

"What are your plans for after Hogwarts?" I asked the others, trying to stir up conversation.

"You already know mine..." Draco muttered.

"I suppose we all have the same goal don't we?" Blaise commented. "We all want to join the Dark Lord don't we?"

The group let out a collective murmur of agreement and I pitied them. They were forced and really had not choice. Their life was already planned for them and even if they wanted to work somewhere else, there was really no other option for them. This was what they were made for.

After we finished a meal, I straightened myself and walked out the Great Hall with the others before a cough from the shadows summoned me, I was pulled to the side by Death Eaters, Amycus and Alecto.

"What?" I asked with an annoyed groan.

Although I was younger than them and had been in the ranks for less time than them, I didn't watch my manners around them. They didn't dare challenge me out of fear of what Voldemort would do if he found out that they had disrespected his heir.

"The Dark Lord has asked us to make sure that you're ok, your safety is a priority to him." Amycus said, almost bitter as if he was jealous of the treatment that I had gotten from Voldemort.

I nodded and replied tonelessly. "I'm fine. Tell the Dark Lord I thank him for his concern and I want him not to be worried if I suddenly leave school. I trust you will excuse my absence because I have manner matters to deal with outside."

Alecto nodded. "We understand, if you need to leave just alert us beforehand. We will tell Severus."

It was still weird for me that Snape was now the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he wasn't fit for the role but Voldemort wanted him there.

After dismissing myself from them, I made my way towards the Dungeons where the Common Room was but was hastily stopped by some mist appearing in front of me.

The mist morphed into the shape of an otter and realisation dawned upon me. This was Hermione's patronus and she was sending a message to me.

"Y/N," Hermione's voice spoke from her Patronus, "we have a plan and if you want to help us we will be at Grimmauld Place this weekend to prepare."

There was a pause. I thought the mist would evaporate but it didn't, the prominent otter form of Hermione's Patronus was still there. There was something she had still to say so I patiently waited and after what seemed to be years, she finally spoke again.

"I love you..."

William Zabka as Elijah Matzek

Karan Brar as Samuel Auras (ElectricZenith)

Madison Beer as Mia Blackwood (daddymiash)

Adria Arjona as Gabriella Walker (HedaSbish)