The Hufflepuff (Draco Malfoy)

19

Sophie boarded the train with a content sigh. Another year went at Hogwarts. She passed the compartment with her Hufflepuff friends, but not without a smile and a wave. She had already told them that Draco and his friends asked her to sit with them. At this point, she could probably consider all of the Slytherins her friends as well. She had gotten close with them during the spring semester and often found herself racing Zabini on their brooms or studying with Nott in the library. The boys were always kind to her, and even Crabbe and Goyle would go out of their way to root for her when the Hufflepuff quidditch team played teams other than Slytherin. In fact, the five of them even painted their stomachs to spell out her name in her game against Ravenclaw. It was very abruptly put to a stop by Professor McGonagall, but they still had signs and their voices. The boys cheered their heads off for her and Crabbe and Goyle even lifted her up on their shoulders after she broke the Hufflepuff record for most goals scored in a game and paraded her around the pitch.

"How's it going, fellas," she announced, plopping down between Nott and Goyle. There were different hums of "goods" before Draco started talking.

"Can you believe she had the nerve to do that? I mean, c'mon? Someone like her punched someone like me right in the nose? And I can't do a bloody thing because she's a girl." The boys nodded and huffed at Draco's outburst. He was obviously still stuck up on Hermione socking him in the face a month ago. At least he wasn't still on his quidditch loss, Sophie thought. The boys continued to stroke his ego before he turned his attention to her. "What do you think, Soph? Should I have been able to retaliate, even though Granger is technically a girl?" Sophie furrowed her brows.

"I don't think it matters."

"And why not," he challenged.

"Because I think you deserved it," she admitted. Now both of their eyebrows were furrowed and the tension in the room grew tenfold. "Please don't give me that look. I don't want to fight. I'm just giving you my honest opinion. You were kind of an arse to him. I wouldn't be telling you this if I didn't care about you. You need to watch what you say or something a lot worse than a punch to the face will come your way." Sophie shrugged her shoulders at the end of her spiel. She held Draco's steely gaze until he finally broke.

"You're right," he sighed. The other four boys in the cabin almost choked. Draco Malfoy didn't bow down to anyone, and Sophia Abbott made him do it with just so much as a gaze.

"Bloody hell, mate," Nott spoke up. "You are whipped." Zabini whistled in agreement.

"Don't say that," Sophie defended. "He's just a good person who can take advice from his friends."

"He's never been able to take advice from me before. When I say he did something wrong it's always 'Shut up, Zabini" or "you're an idiot whose only virtue is his ability to seduce women'."

"Well, Zabini, Sophie has something you don't." Goyle waggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing the whole cabin to burst into laughter apart from Sophie and Draco. Sophie felt the heat in her ears and looked over to see Draco's chin tucked to his chest and eyes cast to his feet.

"So, what're you all doing for the break? Anything exciting?" Sophie spoke up, trying to change the subject.

"We're going to Egypt with our families," Crabbe spoke up, gesturing between him and Goyle. Sophie nodded her head in approval. Nott revealed he was going on an expedition with his father to Namibia on a big-game hunt. Sophie wanted to vomit at the idea of Nott taking the life of a wild animal, but luckily Zabini started in on his plans to go to Los Angeles, California before she could react.

"What about you, Draco? Scotland, Milan, Paris, or Prague this year?" Sophie questioned. It always pained her when her best friend left and she was without him for three months. Their only form of communication being letters. But, his stories of far off places and extravagant adventures always made up for it.