Where Your Loyalties Lie

Chapter Thirty-Six: Different Year

"If it's alright, I'm going to get on the platform separately from you. I'm sorry, but Draco can't know that I've spent the summer with you," I explained to the Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry. Draco doesn't like me hanging out with Gryffindors. He never has, never will. Draco being in a family of Death Eaters made me decide to keep my friendship with Gryffindors a secret. Otherwise it would give Narcissa and Lucius a bad impression of me. Not that I care much of what they think of me, but they might make Draco break up with me if they see me as unworthy.

"Woof," Sirius barked goodbye in his animagus form.

"Bye Padfoot," I patted him on the head before passing through the barrier onto the platform. Climbing onto the train, I began to search for anyone in our Slytherin foursome. "Maddie!" I called out, spotting her ahead of me.

"Katie!" She hugged me. "How was your summer?"

"Great, how about you?"

"Good. I'm going to sit with Fred if it's okay with you." I nodded. "OK, I'll see you at the feast." She walked away, leaving me to find Draco.

Someone behind me grabbed me by the waist, pulling me into a compartment. I screamed and punched my attacker.

"Ow!" I knew that voice.

"Draco! I'm sorry, but don't scare me like that. Oh Merlin I missed you!" I threw my arms around him.

"I thought I'd surprise you. I didn't expect you to react like that," he chuckled. He helped me bring my luggage out of the corridor before we sat down. "Katie?" Draco asked.

"Yeah?"

"Now that hug a few minutes ago, is that really all I get after being away from you for so long?" I smiled before leaning in. The warm feeling I get every time our lips meet filled me from head to toe. We snogged for a long time until the door opened and Blaise came in. Draco cleared his throat and said, "Hey mate."

"Hi, sorry for interrupting you. I can tell you two were erm, busy."

"Yes we were," Draco growled. I giggled. "So Katie, you never saw that letter I sent one month ago?"

I shook my head. "It got blown into the fire my cauldron was brewing on," I lied. "The window was open when your owl left it on the table."

"Where's Maddie?" Blaise asked out of nowhere.

"She's sitting with her boyfriend."

He cringed at the word 'boyfriend'. "Oh," he replied. "Don't you two have prefect duties?" he asked, gesturing to our badges (Draco and I were the Slytherin prefects). Draco and I gasped. Both of us forgot. We hurried out of the compartment.

~~~~~

Every day in every class this year the teachers had been stressing the importance of O.W.Ls (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) we would be taking at the end of our year. All of us fifth years had gotten piles upon piles of homework already. Our foursome spent hours at night and half the day on weekends trying to finish all of our homework. Maddie rarely had time with Fred now.

The new DADA teacher was horrible. Her name was Professor Umbridge. She was a short woman who wore pink and resembled a toad. We never used magic in her class. All we did was read a textbook. Umbridge believed we would never need to use them in reality. Harry expressed his feelings about this, which were mutual to mine, by arguing with Umbridge on the first day. She gave him detention.

Things got worse as the school year progressed. Professor Umbridge was made 'Hogwarts High Inquisitor' and began over seeing all the other teachers' classes to make sure they were fit to teach.