Peppermint; Draco Malfoy [2]

THREE

ALEXIS' P.O.V.

The train arrives at Hogwarts, not a moment too soon, and I descend quickly, glad to finally get off. Everyone feels the same way as I do, bustling to get onto the platform, despite the heavy rain.

I keep my eyes peeled as we walk to the carriages, but I see no one that resembles my saviour.

I haven't even arrived at the castle and I've already needed saving. How embarrassing.

Barely able to see from the rain droplets, I climb into the first carriage in sight and sit down, sighing loudly. My hair is soaked and so are my clothes.

Thea climbs in after me and shuts the door behind her. Her shoulder-length hair sticks to her face and neck, the water dripping down onto her robe. Last year she had bright green highlights at the front of her hair, and this year she's replaced them with blue streaks throughout the bottom of her hair.

For Thea, that's pretty calm in comparison.

"HATE the rain. It messes up my hair and makes me look—" she stops mid-sentence and sighs. "Lexi, please. We're starting a new year, with new revived looking hair and we cannot flaunt our beauty with you looking like a wet flannel."

I roll my eyes and look at her. Even with wet hair, she's pretty. She's lost some of her baby features, her cheekbones more prominent, and her eyebrows are shaped too, probably done by her sister Tonks.

She also gave me a decent makeover before we left. I let her perform a small brightening spell on my hair, relieving it from its dull and broken aspect.

I know she's right, and I love her for including me in this 'flaunting' that we're supposedly going to do, but I'm not her. I can't power through stuff and rely on my witty personality and unforgiving nature.

She's a true Slytherin, through and through.

Me? I don't even know who I am right now. I haven't produced any sort of weather abnormality all summer, no matter how many emotions I've been feeling, and it's getting to me, not to mention that I'm now going to have to sit down in the Great Hall and listen to a thousand whispers circulate around me.

"What did I tell you to say?" claps Thea impatiently.

"Carry myself with pride," I grumble, leaning my head back in exasperation.

"No," she snaps, shaking her head. "Thea is my best friend and will fight anyone who says anything about me is the correct answer," she says, placing a hand on her chest. I place mine in the same place and smile.

Andromeda, Thea's mum, made us necklaces that Thea gifted me the night before leaving. They're sun and moon necklaces that join together, one silver and the other gold. Thea wears the moon, and I, the sun.

"Look, we're here!" she squeals, pointing to the many torrents of the castle that comes up on our left. "Right, hoods up and remember, carry yourself with pride."

"I–I literally just said that," I say.

"Yes, and now I'm taking it and making it mine."

We join the swarming crowd and walk up to the oak front doors, into the magnificent entrance hall. I look up and my heart warms as the many ghosts and paintings greet us. Comfort spreads through me, relieving my tension.

It does kind of feel good to be back.

The hall is lit with flaming torches and the doors to the Great Hall stand open to the right. I walk towards it and admire the enchanted ceiling, black and cloudy tonight, but am soon distracted as I listen to people's conversations.