Chapter 19 - Fancy a Walk?
Hermione, Ron, Harry and Draco followed Hagrid to the platform where the Hogwarts Express would be arriving with the rest of the students. The plan was to have Harry, Ron and Hermione in one of the waiting carriages and Draco would lay low in another until more students arrived.
As the train rounded the corner, everyone took their places. Before ducking into their carriages, Hermione grabbed Malfoy’s sleeve.
“Be careful.”
Were his eyes deceiving him or did she look truly worried? He winked at the bushy brunette and said, “You too,” before ducking into his seat.
After waiting for what seemed to be an eternity, the other students began sorting themselves either towards the carriages or, if they were first years, onto the boats with Hagrid.
The Golden Trio, as they were dubbed by friends, waited to see who they would be sharing their carriage with. To their disappointment, the Patil sisters climbed in. The two sisters discreetly tried to distance themselves from Harry and Ron who, in turn, did their best to avoid any eye contact with their former Yule Ball dates. Hermione simply gave them both an exaggerated greeting and took Ron’s hand in hers. This only caused Ron to look out the window and Harry to find sudden interest in the ceiling of their carriage.
Draco, meanwhile, was foolishly hoping to keep the carriage to himself. His hopes were dashed to pieces as his gray-blue eyes were met by Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Ginny Weasley. He laughed to himself as he realized, I suppose it could be a lot worse. At least it’s not…
Suddenly the three students entering were shoved out of the way. Draco stood up to see what had happened but when the door opened a second time it revealed the three people he least wanted to face.
Pansy Parkinson gave a very unladylike snort in amusement of who she was looking at. “You can thank us later, Draco.”
He looked perplexed.
“For what?”
Pansy rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotten a bit slower over the summer, eh Malfoy? We just got rid of the Gryffindor slime before they dared to sit in your carriage.”
Draco swallowed hard, trying to say something that would not be a lie or get him killed. Straightening up in his seat he said, “Wasn’t that a little harsh?”
Crabbe and Goyle looked at Pansy with confusion written all over their gargantuan faces. Pansy nodded as if solving a problem. “Draco, you’ve been cooped up at the Manor for too long. It’s time for you to rediscover your old self again. Having this,” she said, pointing to his prefect’s badge, “will simply make it more interesting.”
He shuddered at the thought. He gave a polite smile as Pansy took the seat next to him. He had a feeling that this was the start to a very long year, however, he was concerned first and foremost if he could survive the evening ahead of him.
Once everyone made it to the castle, the prefects were instructed to usher the first years to the grand staircase to await Professor McGonagall’s instructions. Hermione was trying her best to calm the nerves of a girl who seemed to be afraid of the Sorting Hat. She had just gotten poor Jennifer Brooks to stop hyperventilating when she felt someone standing behind her.
“Apologize to Ginny, Longbottom and Lovegood for me. I couldn’t stop them.”
Hermione spun around to glare at the Slytherin. “If they got hurt because of you, all bets are off, Malfoy.”
He put one hand up, shaking his head, “No, no, no. It was nothing like that. Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle pushed them away from my carriage so they couldn’t get in. I doubt it did more than ruffle their feathers.”
Calming down, Hermione looked at the disheveled Malfoy. “Well, then… if you don’t mind me saying, you look a bit shaken.”
He gave a half smirk. “Shaken? Well, I guess I haven’t completely lost my touch in hiding my true feelings because in reality I am about three seconds from losing my nerve completely!”
To their left they heard, “Come on, you midgets. We don’t have all day you know! It’s not like Voldemort “ oh quit your whining “ is waiting for you in the Great Hall!”
Draco and Hermione looked at each other and shook their heads. Hermione stormed off calling out, “Ronald Weasley, who do you think you are?”
The sorting was uneventful, unless you count poor Miss Brooks fainting as the Sorting Hat spoke once upon her head.
“Obviously not a Gryffindor, that one,” commented Ron as they waited for her fate.
The hat barely got the word “Huff” out as she slid off the stool, unconscious. The Hufflepuff table became quiet and sent a few students to collect their new classmate.
Following their meal and Professor Dumbledore’s speech, there was a loud scream heard from behind the doors of the Great Hall. Snapping himself out of a daydream, Draco looked down the Slytherin table. Pansy was gone.
Professor’s Snape and McGonagall looked down to their tables and saw their students leave the Great Hall in a panic. Before they could say anything, Professor Dumbledore spoke up loud enough for the students to hear.
Watching them head to the doors in the back of the Great hall, the headmaster stated, “Would all prefects assist the Head Boy and Head Girl in escorting the students to their dormitories? Tomorrow will be a busy day, indeed. Sleep well, everyone!”
“Minerva, Severus,” he continued, “Please make sure Peeves isn’t up to his usual mischief again. No sense in giving Mr. Filch an unpleasant beginning to a new school year, is there?”
As they left their seats at the staff table, they answered with a quick, “No, Headmaster.”
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked around. Where was Ginny? They all got up and met the Slytherin prefect at the door. Opening it, they followed the muffled screams to a broom cupboard. There inside was Ginny who was nursing her left leg and had a large goose egg on her forehead. Draco, surprisingly, was the first to speak up. “Where did she go, Ginny?”
The youngest Weasley pointed in the direction of the dungeons and he ran.
Harry looked confused. “Who did this to you?”
Ginny grimaced and looked into her friend’s eyes.
“Pansy.”
The doors to the Great Hall opened to find Harry, Ron and Hermione standing in front of a broom closet door. The trio watched as the heads of Slytherin and Gryffindor houses approached them. The three of them moved away from the closet door to reveal who was inside.
Professor McGonagall gasped, “Ginny Weasley, is that you?”
The potions professor looked at the other three Gryffindors. “Minerva, please fetch Madame Pomfrey. You three,” he motioned to the teens, “may begin explaining now. And where is Mr. Malfoy? I saw him exit the hall with you.”
Ginny coughed and groaned as she held her leg. “Pansy did this. Malfoy went after her.”
Professor Snape raised an eyebrow. “As in Parkinson? And why would she do this to you of all people, Miss Weasley?”
Harry offered an explanation. “I think it was subtle enough to be unexpected but blunt enough to force Malfoy to show where his allegiance lies, sir.”
Madame Pomfrey was heard approaching and muttering, “Starting early this year, I see. It couldn’t wait, could it?”
Ron got slightly miffed by her comment and turned towards the nurse. “Yeah, we just paid off Parkinson to have a go at my sister . . .”
Professor Snape stepped in. “Weasley, I will not have you using that tone of voice with any member of the staff here.”
Ron closed his mouth after mumbling, “Yes sir. Sorry Madame Pomfrey.”
The nurse nodded as she levitated Ginny. “If you would care to join us, I am taking Miss Weasley to the hospital wing.”
The three friends looked expectantly at the professors in front of them and noticed Professor McGonagall wave them away.
“That is all for now. I will speak with each of you later.”
Safe Haven by NikkiSue
Chapter Notes: I had apparently forgot what it was like to keep readers up to date with new chapters. I will try (again) to remedy that. Sorry everyone. This one is (literally) all over the place but it brings in various characters in the process. The gang picks up their supplies and tries to survive their first day back at Hogwarts with their classmates among them. Now where will allegiances lie?