The bite of an Apple

Approaching September 1st

For the rest of the summer, Draco and Alin spent most of their time together. They were either at her house playing quidditch or at Diagon Alley's library studying - even after Draco's complaints - and sometimes they even went to the Malfoy's manner to have dinner or lunch, others the Malfoys would come over for tea or meals.

Over a day when they were studying at the library, Draco tired of the silence.

"Uuugh! Why do we have to study now?" He sighed dramatically, leaning far away from the table. Alin lifted her gaze from her book A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot, closing it.

"This way, you'll get ahead and get more time to yourself while everyone is stressed. Won't that feel awesome?" She commented, trying to persuade him into his studying.

"Yeah, it would... But still, we've studied for hours! And we've been doing this every weekend; surely we can get a rest?" He flung forward, laying his arms on the wooden table. Then, he remembered that day at Diagon Alley. "Did you talk to your parents?" 

"About what?" Alin was now packing her parchments and quills.

"Harry Potter, of course." He spat the name, venom in his voice.

"Oh. Yes, I did." She said quietly. "It seems like he is indeed attending Hogwarts." She leaned closer. "But he didn't even know magic existed until a few weeks ago." They were now walking quietly away from the library.

"How can that be? He's a celebrity!" Draco mocked.

"Seems like he has been living with his muggle uncle and aunt, he knew nothing about magic, nothing about Hogwarts, Merlin, he didn't even know who his parents were!" Alin exclaimed in a whisper as they walked into the light of the street.

"And he's being allowed into Hogwarts?" Draco was now really questioning the truth that may lie in these statements.

"Certainly looks like it." Alin sighed depressingly. "Believe me, my parents weren't happy to hear about it." She looked down at her feet. "Did you tell your parents?" She asked under her breath.

"Yes..." He, too, let his head fall. "My parents didn't take the news too eagerly, either." Both of them kept walking quietly until they arrived at the clearing of the Alley. 

It took them a while to arrive at the Three Broomsticks, where they had decided to stop for lunch. They sat and took their orders.

"There's still good news," Alin said, trying to cheer up Draco from the misery of Harry Potter.

"What?" 

"You'll have me at Hogwarts." She smiled. Draco smiled, too. "Besides, it's obvious which house we'll be in," she paused as Draco seemed to remain his color and joyfulness. "Harry Potter won't be in Slytherin, not even if he begged for it." The two of them ate happily, remembering that at least they knew someone at Hogwarts. They wouldn't be alone.

It was the week before term started when Alin relieved an answer from the Malfoy Manor. She had written to them in the family's name. Her parents had asked her to ask the Malfoys if they'd be willing to come to a party they'd be throwing as a goodbye to their kids. Alin got the letter from her snowy owl, Myla, and read the response.

They'd agreed.

Alik had looked for reasons to keep Draco out of his house. He had told her how his father had been insufferable after he had told him about Harry Potter. Now, they were only a week away from going to school, and the party would be their last day together before jumping on the train. She would make sure Draco had a good time.

On the morning of her last day, Alin woke up at 6 a.m. and got dressed immediately. Swishing her wand and getting her dress out of the wardrobe in a swoosh. The silver silk gown shone in the sunlight, making the crystals send rainbow specs through the room. Alin got ready quickly, in a few wand movements her dress was on, her hair falling wavily below her shoulders, held from her face by a sparkling hairband. Once her shoes were on, it was 6:28 a.m.