the chase (draco malfoy)

chapter two

"Draco!" my small voice yelled as I sprinted across the patch of overgrown weeds that belonged in the clearing behind our homes. "You can't catch me! I'm too quick!" I giggled.

    Draco quickened his pace, chasing me around in our secret spot. He finally caught up to me.

    "Tag. You're it." Draco smirked, pleased.

    I flopped down on the grass, exhausted from my run. Draco sat next to me.

    Draco was my best friend. We played together every day. We were only six years old. Our parents were great friends, and we spent loads of time together. When gatherings got boring, we always found ourselves out here. During the summers, we ran, picked flowers, and dug up the dirt together. In the winters, we had snowball fights, went sledding, and built snowmen. I always had the most fun with my friend Draco. He was so much nicer than my mean older brother.

    "Let's play something else," I suggest. "I don't want to chase you anymore."

    "Annie!" says a feminine voice, snapping me out of my daydream.

    "Hannah!" I shout as my blonde friend comes running toward me, wrapping me in a hug. Her familiar scent melts away all the anxiety from this long summer.

    "I'm so happy to see you again." She smiles. We hook arms and board the train to find a compartment. We find an empty one and sit down, catching up on each other's summers. A knock on the glass interrupts our girly talk.

    "Do you mind if we sit here?" Hermione asks with a smile. I pop up to give her a welcoming hug. She enters, followed by Harry, Ron, and Neville. Hannah blushes. She's always had a crush on the Longbottom boy.

    Hermione speaks of her summer with her muggle parents while the train takes off. I'm ecstatic to be with my friends again. Ron stuffs his face with chocolate frogs, seeming not to notice his best friend Harry beside him, looking a little distant.

    "What's wrong Harry?" I ask, nudging him with my elbow.

    "Oh, nothing." Harry says, dryly. I choose not to push and focus my attention back on Neville as he tells yet another story about misplacing his toad.

    Before I know it, I can see Hogwarts in the distance. My stomach erupts with butterflies. Hogwarts truly is the happiest place on earth. Home.

    When the train comes to a stop, we unload and step onto the magical carriages that bring us to our school. Hermione, Hannah, and I sit in one carriage while the boys take another.

    "What's wrong with Harry?" I ask Hermione. If anyone knows, it will be her. She knows everything about everything, especially when it comes to Harry and Ron.

    "Nightmares," Hermione shudders. "And the events of the Quidditch World Cup have got him a little shaken up."

    I nod. Harry really has been through a lot these past few years, and I can't help but feel that this year won't be easier on him.

    We arrive at the castle and make our way to the Great Hall. After the first years are sorted into their houses, and Hufflepuff gains 10 new members, Dumbledore takes the podium.

    Cheers erupt through the Great Hall when Dumbledore announces that Hogwarts will be hosting the Tri-Wizard tournament this year, only for disappointed groans to follow when it's announced that only wizards seventeen and older will be allowed to participate. My eyes travel across the room to a fair haired slytherin boy who looks particularly disappointed. I quickly avert my eyes so as to not be caught staring.

    The feast is wonderful, as always, and before we know it, it's time to go to our dorms. I hang back a while to chat with Luna Lovegood, a lovely Ravenclaw who I've made good friends with in the past three years. After a confusing discussion about nargles, we say our goodbyes and part ways.

    I've almost made it to the Hufflepuff dorm entrance when I turn a corner and suddenly smack into something, falling to the ground.

    I scramble to collect myself and look up to see that it was not something that caused my tumble, but someone.

    There he stood. Draco Malfoy. Neighbor. Former friend. Infamous Hogwarts bully.

    His eyes widened, just slightly when he saw me on the floor. We had not spoken in years. This was the first time I even caught him looking in my direction since that dreadful day with the sorting hat.

    "Watch it, Avery." He scoffed. Every bone in my body wished to apologize and be on my way, but there was something inside that had just had enough.

    "I could say the same to you, Malfoy." I spoke, as confidently as I could. I gather myself and stand. He towers over me. His grey eyes pour into mine. It's intimidating, really, but I won't break eye contact. I'll stand my ground.

    These were the first words that had been spoken between us since we were eleven. I straighten my shoulders and move to walk past him when he grabs my arm, stopping me in my tracks.

    "You would do well to remember who you're speaking to." Draco hisses, releasing my arm and stalking in the opposite direction. I hurriedly make my way to the Hufflepuff dormitory, choosing to ignore the tingling where he had touched me.