The Silent Order: Draco Malfoy

Chapter 4

The early days of my first semester as a Hogwarts first-year (fourth-year?) turned into weeks, and then a month. I spent my days attending classes with the Slytherin fourth-years then spent my nights with them in the library, often until after curfew. My roommates would study with me as well, though our homework was completely different. Actually, I wasn't even sure if they did homework or if they used enchanted pens to write their essays while they chattered about how hot certain guys were.

"I don't know between Draco and Blaise, I definitely think Draco is the more handsome first-year Slytherin," Pansy giggled.

"Gag," I replied while reading for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Ugh Lil, do I always have to drag your head out of the books so we can talk boys?" she whined.

"Pansy, if my grades slip I will have the wrath of Snape to contend with."

"She's so right. No thank you. Imagine having to serve a detention with your dad," Daphne shivered.

"Imagine growing up with Snape as your dad," Pansy laughed.

"Imagine growing up with Snape and Dumbledore as your two dads," I laughed, continuing the joke. "For real though, I have to make the grades or it's back to solitarily confined education and you would miss me too much."

"I would, I would," said Pansy as she rested her head on my lap, clearly done pretending to study.

Sometimes I felt like I was far away from them when we were talking about classes and such because we were just at different levels. It was ok, though. This is the only compromise I had to take lessons with other students at all. Not perfect, but a hell of a lot more fun than eternal private lessons with my dour fathers, who had taken on an air of relative ambivalence in my presence.

Seemed like the only time I'd see them was if I had the pleasure of serving detention with either of them. No thanks.

At least, I thought I felt somewhat apart despite being taken in by Curtis until a first-year in Gryffindor began to tail me. Like, total stalker. She thought I didn't feel her gaze on my back on my walks to and from the library and class. She never gathered the nerve to say hi, and as I was normally with older fourth-years and desperate enough to fit in myself, there was no way I was going to split off from my cool and older new friends to introduce myself to a frizzy Gryffindor. Social suicide.

I remember letting her talk to me about the jinxed sky in the Great Hall on our way toward the sorting hat on the first night, but beyond that I hadn't really thought of Hermione Granger until she became my shadow. That is, until Halloween.

Sitting off to the end of the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, I was slurping down some pumpkin soup while cramming for the arithmancy exam I forgot I had when none other than Draco Malfoy plopped down in front of me. But he just sat there and didn't say anything. We hadn't spoken since I inadvertently landed him detention costing his attendance to the welcome-back-to-Slytherin-house rave.

When I realized he had no intention of carrying a semblance of a conversation I simply returned to what I was doing as if he wasn't there.

"Lil, I think we got off on the wrong fo-" he began to say.

But I cut him off, "Which time? The time you snapped at me when I caught you crying over the summer or the time you decided you didn't need to help me find my classes despite being specifically asked to do so? Also, only my friends call me Lil. Lilian for you."

"Listen I just thought you would know where the classroom wing would be in a school that you grew up in. I thought Snape was pulling my leg or something."