Second Chances: A Draco Malfoy Love Story

Chapter 1

"WELCOME FRESHMEN TO THE FANDERBOLD UNIVERSITY OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY" The words were illuminated above the towering building. It was freshman orientation at the college. Kyra stared up at the looming granite statue of Theobod Merkin, the school's founder. His head was swiveling to follow the students as they passed. She kept her head down and continued into the school, following the steady stream of students. The students came to a halt in an enormous room with five long tables. Three of the walls were entirely covered in windows, the fourth containing the door. Kyra studied the room carefully, taking in the beauty. Just outside the back wall was a picturesque lake, an enormous bridge passing over it. A forest filled the view out the wall on the far end of the room, extending forward along the edge of the front.

The students were milling about, some sitting at the tables. Leaning against the wall, Kyra glanced around; everyone seemed to have their groups. It was incredibly clear that the majority of the students had gone to school together beforehand. Nervously scanning the room, she tried to identify anyone she'd been to school with at Hogwarts. While this school was supposed to be her new start, it had suddenly become very clear that she was an outsider. Kyra deeply inhaled, closing her eyes, Chelsea's voice filling her mind, mocking her for being antisocial. The smile crept to Kyra's face and she started forward, searching out someone approachable.

Kyra wandered through the room for fifteen minutes, clearly being overly skeptical, not allowing herself to chose someone to talk to. As she decided against another group of friends, she collided with someone. Apologies were pouring out of her mouth without thought as she looked up. The girl in front of her was shaking her head slightly. She was a few inches taller than Kyra, her tousled brown hair falling half way down her back. Her cheeks were rosy and cheerful as she smiled at Kyra, who mumbled out one more apology

"Hey no worries, it was an accident." She laughed it off, her American accent taking Kyra by surprise. As the girl turned to pass her, Kyra sucked in a breath; Chelsea's voice not leaving her mind.

"I'm Kyra." The words fumbled out quickly and she bit her lip. She'd never been very good at socializing. She let out an inaudible sigh of relief when the girl turned around, smiling.

"Hayden," her voice was friendly as she let out a breathy laugh, "Where are you from? I don't recognize you from Tromington." Kyra made a note to remember that was the name of the American school.

"I'm from London. I went to Hogwarts." She felt slightly more at ease as she realized the girl was continuing the conversation. Hayden's mouth pursed together slightly.

"Were you...there? Ya know, during the battle?" Kyra's chest constricted and her face fell slightly, though she quickly attempted to recover her smile. She nodded silently, unsure if she could get any words out. "What was it like? Did you see him die? I can't even imagine seeing that much action. I-" She stopped as she noticed Kyra's smile fading, "I'm sorry. It must have been terrible. I didn't mean to pry." Kyra shook her head, forcing half a laugh past her lips.

"It's alright. I just try not to think about it. It was-" Kyra was cut off as two more girls rushed over.

"Hayden!" One of them cried, "Did you see? Marcus came here too! He says he was talking to some kids he met today. They went to Hogwarts. Can you imagine?" Her voice was low and serious. She glanced over at Kyra, a flicker of a puzzled look crossing her face, "I'm Ellie." She offered Kyra her hand and shook it, slowly.

"Kyra. Did you happen to catch the names of the people from Hogwarts?" Her voice was carefully calm. She took a moment to take in their appearances. Ellie was petite, her blonde hair cut into a pageboy look. Her friend had a nervous look on her face. The tight ringlets of her hair were pulled up in a loose ponytail. Her warm mahogany skin complemented by her golden brown eyes.

"Oh...ah no he didn't mention any names," Ellie glanced over at Hayden. Kyra silently cursed herself for making everyone uncomfortable, "This is Madison," Kyra glanced quickly at her, smiling slightly, "Are you from Hogwarts too?" Ellie's tone was easing slightly. She nodded, the corner of her mouth pulling up. She opened her mouth to speak again but quickly turned as the doors to the cafeteria shut, several professors walking in.

A tall, balding Vietnamese man stood at the center. He cleared his throat and everyone looked up. His booming voice called out over the room, "Good Morning. I am Headmaster Penaval and on behalf of the entire faculty; I would like to officially welcome you to Fanderbold University. I do hope this year will be all you dreamed of. In a few moments, I will release you to claim your dorms. The dorms sleep four and are located in three primary locations. There are dorms down the stairs to the right, two floors above us, and on the fifth floor. Please claim your dorms and unpack. You are to meet in this room at noon. Lunch will be served and afterward, you will receive a tour of the university. You may go now." Kyra glanced at the girls beside her. Her stomach was tightening at the idea of fending for herself if they didn't ask her to room with them. She eased quickly as Hayden waved her toward them to the stairs.

Kyra unpacked quickly, wanting to further acquaint herself with her new roommates. They had decided to room on the bottom floor, their room looking out at the lake. She could hear the students outside their dorm filing into nearby rooms. Ellie had grabbed Marcus on their way down, quickly introducing Kyra before rushing ahead to grab two adjacent dorms. Marcus was tall, nearly a foot taller than her. He was incredibly gangly, awkward but polite. He had met Hayden, Ellie, and Madison at Tromington. They were in the same house, their equivalent of Gryffindor.

The girls' dorm consisted of a common room, two bedrooms, and a bathroom. Ellie and Madison shared theirs and Kyra roomed with Hayden. The rooms were simple, two four-poster beds and all white walls, each side with a dresser. The back wall, however, had a small window that looked out at the lake. The common room was plain, one long couch with an arm chair, pointing toward the fireplace. Along the right hand side was a small kitchen with a sink, stove, oven, and refrigerator.

After quickly stuffing her clothing into the dresser drawers, Kyra turned to Hayden. She was wracking her brain, trying to think of the right question to ask. Before she could think of anything, Hayden was talking, "So what was it like at Hogwarts?" she asked breezily, not turning her head.

Kyra stopped briefly, memories of the final year flooding her brain. She remembered the students walking around, covered in bruises from the Carrows, "It used to be good. The last year was difficult. It had been great before that, though. The best years of my life," A genuine grin rose to her face as she thought about it, "What is it like here in America?"

"It's not bad. Tromington was a good school. I made a lot of great friends there and I'm very lucky I got to go. It still seems so surreal. Both my parents are muggles. I could hardly believe it when I got my letter." Kyra laughed slightly; she couldn't imagine the kind of shock that must have been. She'd grown up with magic in her life constantly.

It was then that they heard the sound of male voices in the dorm. Kyra assumed Marcus had come over, bringing his roommates. Walking outside, she stopped short, glancing at the other boys in the room. She only saw two of them. Marcus introduced them as Eli Smuller and Derek Holden. Kyra smiled politely and introduced herself. The door creaked open then, his third roommate walking in. Kyra's heart sank immediately as she recognized the boy stalking into the room. Her head spun as Draco Malfoy walked in. Excusing herself quickly, she ran to the bathroom, throwing up as the image of Chelsea swirled in her mind. The scene was replaying itself over and over. All she could see was Lucius Malfoy sending a killing curse at her best friend.