a light before dawn

chapter 1: the hawk and the snake.

Hogwarts 1994

One of Draco's favourite parts of being at Hogwarts during the year was his own personal notoriety. Anyone worth his time or attention needed no introduction to the heir of Lucius, which only fed into the arrogance of the youngest member of the Malfoy family.

A creature of habit and comfort, Draco kept a sort of daily routine whilst at school. He went to breakfast early- around six thirty in the morning. He ate alone while he waited for his courtiers to arise and join him so morning court could be in full swing by the time students from other houses arrived in the dining hall. Some were curious as to what caused the Slytherin students to laugh so loudly or huddle close together and talk in hushed whispers, but only a select few were brave enough to ask.

Then he moved on to lessons, foregoing lunch to indulge in the silent sanctuary of the library. Prior to contrary belief, he was expected to perform exceptionally in his studies (this year would be the year that he finally surpassed his fathers disappointment in being bested by a Mudblood, he knew it). More lessons, Quidditch practice and another court appearance over dinner before the group moved back to the Slytherin common room.

His secretive study session at lunch afforded him more time to relax in the evening (never let them see you sweat, his father had told him, no one could know how hard he was working). So as it grew later he happily lounged on the sofas with friends.

In his first two years at Hogwarts he had been primarily laden with Crabbe and Goyle, who lacked the focus and ambition required to have any form of intellectual conversation. Pansy Parkinson had picked him up in third year and the two had become fast friends.

Pansy was smaller than him with dark hair cropped to her chin. It hung straight with a blunt fringe covering her forehead. She studied hard but lacked his skill in memorisation and Draco found himself often helping her at this point in the evening. She was one of the only friends he had who was brave enough to challenge his pride and her wit was unparalleled.

On this particular night Draco was laying with his head against her leg as Pansy poured over her potions book. Too many other Slytherins (and from students in other houses too, he imagined), they looked very much together. Let them think it. He could be friends with a girl without wanting to stick his tongue down her throat.

"P, what do you think about our little rumour?" he drawled with a smirk.

Pansy snorted over her book and blew a piece of dark hair out of her face. "I think you'd be lucky to get anywhere close to me, let alone in a broom closet Malfoy." she replied snarkily, dotting a sentence on her parchment. "You're not my type-" she paused for effect before grinning. "No offence to you, of course..."

Draco rolled his eyes and rolled his eyes. "Who is your type.. No, don't tell me... it's Crabbe..." he said sarcastically.

Pansy snorted again and shook her head before someone entering the common room caught her attention.

"Daph! Hi!" she called. "C'mere, I can't take listening to Malfoy on my own for a second longer!"

Daphne Greengrass was a very traditionally beautiful girl. She had honey coloured hair which hung down her back in those sort of effortless curls girls spent hours trying to mimic. Freckles littered her cheeks and nose in a haphazard sort of way and her hazel eyes were big and lined with dark, long lashes. She smiled at Pansy and moved over to the pair, sitting on the other side of the dark haired girl.

When Draco had first been introduced to Daphne he did not think they would get on. He thought she would be best suited to frolicking the grounds or doing something equally girly and ridiculous but then he had watched her drink the rest of his firewhisky straight out of the bottle without a sip of pumpkin juice to wash it down and his opinion of her quickly changed.