Home, Where The Brave Ones Roam| Draco Malfoy

12

The man had a limp as he walked closer to Dumbledore, dressed head to toe in dark clothing he looked something straight out of a nightmare. He stretched out a hand that Dumbledore took, he then spoke to him "Welcome Mad-Eye thank you for coming, please take a seat" he gestured to the right side of the table that held an empty seat.

"Who is that?" Harry asked quietly 

"Dumbledore called him Mad-Eye" I responded, Harry turned to look at me, slightly shocked

"You mean, you heard him? Just now?" I nodded as I kept my eye on him as he was now seated and quickly devouring a sausage, his mop of grey hair now out of his face, showing just how beat up it was.

"How?" he asked astonished 

"What do you mean how? He said it quite loudly" I tore my eyes off of him to look at Harry, who was looking at me like I was crazy

"Athena" Hermione whispered behind me, I turned to see her and Ron were just as puzzled "he whispered it, not to mention he's at least 50ft away it's impossible for the human to hear that far" I shrugged, I really didn't know what to say I've always had really good hearing.

"May I present our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Dumbledore said brightly "Professor Moody" only Hagrid and Dumbledore clapped, the rest stared in silence 

"Mad-Eye Moody? Isn't he the one your dad went to go help this morning?" Harry muttered to Ron

"Must be" Ron answered in a low voice

"What happened to his face?" I asked, noticing how scared it was, it was like he had taken a million cruses to the face

"Now, as I was saying we will be playing host to the heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang and their list of contenders in October with the selection taking place at Halloween, now the only thing I have left to say is tuck in" the tables were filled with multiple plates of different food, eagerly I took an array of different foods and began eating away.

"Sucks they'll be no Quidditch this year, I really would've loved to have you on the team" Harry commented as he stuffed sausage in his mouth.

"Well I don't see why there can't be any at all" I responded "We can probably still do mini-games, get kids from a different house to ref than the ones playing and do our own mini-season or even just scrimmages, something to do" I suggested. Harry nodded still chewing 

"That sounds like loads of fun, I'll see what I can do," he said eventually I smiled at him. Ron meanwhile was devouring his meal no matter how much that boy ate he was always hungry. As all was going well I heard Hermoine groan beside me, I looked at her only to see her staring directly in front of us, once again I turned my head and it was no other than Draco Malfoy.

"Have to say I'm a bit disappointed" He wore a smug look on his face, the two goons from earlier hung behind him, but the newest addition was the girl that was stuck to his arm and let me just say she did not look pleased to be having this conversation, her face kind of resembled a pug, so it was quite hard to picture her saying anything seriously.

"Oh, whys that?" I was interested to see where this would be going

"Thought green would've suited you nicely, I started to get my hopes up after that hour long sorting of yours" the girls face got a little red so I had to have a bit more fun

"Oh if you're planning on staring at me I think you'll be glad I'm sitting over here" he raised his eyebrow "red is so my colour" she got even redder at the idea of Draco giving me his attention.

"Is that so?" he was eyeing me, not in a checking me out type of way, but trying to figure me out

"look I'd love to entertain this conversation Malfoy but it looks like your little girlfriend is getting mad, why don't you slither on back to that common room of yours huh? It's getting late, must be past your bedtime"  Harry, Ron, and Hermione snickered 

"Oh come now Athena I hope your friends haven't scared you off of a first name basis, it's much classier this way" I couldn't lie and say that I didn't think he would still be standing here, but surprise surprise he's got an answer for everything

"Does your daddy know you're talking to a Mudblood? Or does he want you to do it to boost your ego?" 

"Come on Draco lets go, no point in talking to an ugly little Mudblood" she pulled him away and started dragging him towards the door

"Lovely to meet you" I called after them. he turned around and gave me smirk, 

"I'll see you around Athena" He called 

"I'll be counting the seconds" I saw him flash a wink before he had turned the corner and I lost sight of him.

"Well he seems to like you" Ron spat out in between bites, I simply laughed it off,

"He's arrogant" was all I could manage to say, I'd never admit it, but I liked the way he wore that smug look, as much of an asshole as they made him sound, I just found it hard to not be interested in everything those blue eyes have seen. 

"Athena" I was snapped out of my thoughts by Hermione shoving me 

"huh, what?" I was met with laughs 

"Do you know why the Sorting Hat took so long to place you?" she asked in a hushed tone, trying not to let others in on the conversation

"Honestly I have no clue, he listed all the reasons I'd be perfect for each one then asked me what I thought" Harry nodded 

"It asked me too" he whispered to me "I was between Slytherin and Gryffindor, it didn't know which one so I chose this one" I felt slightly better about it

"But Harry that has to have been the longest sorting since yours, and yours wasn't even that long." Ron sat confused as he, for the time being, stopped shoving food into his mouth.

"Whatever happened you're here now, I guess that's all that matters"

"Come on, we should head to the common room" Ron gestured. I stood up and followed them, aware of all the eyes on me as I walked by

"Don't worry, you get used to it" Harry said in efforts to comfort me. I smiled as I followed them through the ever-changing stairs eventually catching up with an excited Fred and George.

"Say, Ron, if we find a way  around Dumbledore you fancy entering?" Fred asked excitedly as we approached them 

"Don't be stupid people have died" Hermione was the first to shut that idea of fun down Fred simply waved her off "Oh come on, there's no fun without a bit of risk so what do you say?" his eyes flashed with the silver lining of adventure. 

"What do you reckon? Don't know if I've learned enough" Ron was interrupted but a quivering voice 

"Oh, I definitely haven't," I noticed Neville the boy from the train ride pipping up behind Fred and George "although Gran might want me too" just as he began speaking he got his foot stuck in a false step.

"Good to know those are there" I muttered to myself as the others laughed on our way up to Gryffindor Tower

"Balderdash" George spoke to the portrait on the wall "Heard it from a prefect downstairs" as the portrait swung open it revealed a beautiful common room. Fred grabbed my arm and pulled me beside him, smiling ear to ear.

"Welcome home Athena." I couldn't help but smile back

I made it, here's to Gryffindor.