Chapter 3: The Return

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Stay out of his way? Boy, that man doesn't know how to make friends, does he. If he would have at least to be kind, who knows? Maybe I could give him another chance, and not him as much as I do. I returned to our compartment, Neville and Luna must have left. I sighed, closing the door and sat next to Ginny. "Sooooo?" She said excitedly.

I put on a genuine smile. "I'm Head girl!" I exclaimed, doing mini jazz-hands.

Ginny side-hugged me. "That's great, Mione!" Ron cheered.

"So you get your own common room I hear?" Harry raised an eyebrow, "Lucky!"

I laughed and nodded. "It's a big responsibility though," I said sternly to them.

Ginny laughed, too. "Yeah, yeah. So spill, who's Head boy?" She asked.

I sighed, and paused, tilting my head downward slightly. "Malfoy."

Ron erupted. "That git! Bloody hell Mione, you gotta share a common room with him? He's a death eater, and McGonagall chooses him for Head boy?"

"Take it easy Ron," Harry said, setting a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder, "Although that does seem odd."

I shrugged. "I don't know. One things for sure. He told me to stay out of his way, so that's what I'm gonna do."

"He threatened you?" Harry asked, voice slightly raised.

"I wouldn't call it a threat, but... yeah," I said quietly.

Ron reached forward and held my shoulder. His touch felt comforting. "If you ever feel like your in any danger around him," he started, "let us know. Me and Harry'll make 'im run for it, right?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks guys," I said, smirking slightly, squeezing Ron's hand as he released it from my shoulder.

We smiled at each other. Suddenly, we were interrupted by the train's whistle, signaling that we had arrived. I grabbed my trunk from the top shelf and the others did the same. "Wait!" I exclaimed, "I have to join Hagrid to help lead the incoming first years! I gotta go you guys, see you at dinner!"

I almost ran through the train's center, bumping into many students (And apologizing, of course, many of them didn't even mind once they seemed to realize who I was) until I reached the front. I was, thank goodness, one of the first ones off the train. I saw Hagrid immediately, and approached him. As soon as he noticed me he broke into a wide grin and opened his arms. I ran into him and hugged him tightly. I hadn't heard from him at all since last year. "Good to see you, Mione," he boomed.

"And you to, Hagrid," I said, releasing him, "Ready to lead some first years? I'm Head girl, you know."

"Is that right," he asked proudly, "Then where's the Head boy?"

Where Malfoy? You know what? I bet that git wasn't even listening when the Professor had been discussing our duties. He probably zoned out, and was still busy on the train complaining about me with his friends. But who cares, right? I didn't need his help.

Me and Hagrid gathered all the first years up and introduced ourselves before explaining briefly what was going to happen that night, and then leading them up to the castle. I couldn't wait to join my friends at the Gryffindor table.

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I lead Blaise, Pansy, and Crabbe into the great hall. Even I had to admit, it was impressively decorated. The entire school had been rebuilt back after the war, and I almost didn't recognize what had been rubble only months ago.

"Draco?" Pansy snapped me out of my thoughts, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, but then, as on queue of the opposite, I felt that pain in my head, similiar to that on the train, except worse. I held onto my head, almost doubled over from the pain. I felt Blaise grab my arm and pull me back up. I felt several pairs of eyes on me, thankfully not the entire hall, but I felt embarrassed. The pain was subsiding down to a dull throb, but I let Blaise lead me to our table, my vision slightly fuzzy. "You ok, D?" He asked me when we sat down

"It's just a headache," I said, hoping it was the truth.

"I'm so hungry!" Ron exclaimed, staring at the empty plates in front of us, "When is this going to ?"

Harry and Ginny laughed. "Honestly, Ron, can you think about something other than food for two seconds?" I said, holding back laughter myself, until I saw Harry look over to the end of the hall, a mix of concern and curiosity written on his face.

I seemed to be the only one that noticed, so I followed his gaze over by the Slytherin table. Malfoy was with Blaise and Pansy, and it seemed like he was in a lot of pain. Then, as quick as it had started, it looked like it had stopped, and his friends brought him to the Slytherin table. He still looked disoriented and mildly embarrassed. I looked back at Harry, and he shrugged.

I caught a bit of a headache near the nape of my neck, similar to if someone was poking it with a needle. I tried to discreetly run my hand along the back of my head, but I might have been too fast because Ginny saw the quick movement. "Are you OK, Mione?"She asked.

"Just a headache, I think. It's gone now," I explained, telling the truth.

"Do you wanna go see Madam Pomfrey?" Ron asked, joining the conversation.

"Only if it happens again," I replied.

It seemed they were satisfied with that answer. They worried about me a lot, too. Kind of funny, seeing how I've save lives on so many occasions, but of course it was nice having such loving friends.

As McGonagall took the podium, the entire hall quieted almost instantly. She cleared her throat. "Good evening, students, may I say how good it is to see that so many of you have returned back to us this year," she said.

She then went into the basic speech about the forbidden forest and other rules. I was already very familiar with them, so I turned my attention elsewhere. I looked back over at the Slytherin table and at Malfoy and his friends. They were laughing at something, and every once in a while he would flash a genuine smile at the rest of them.

I wonder why he didn't want McGonagall to announce us as Head boy and girl, I thought. Maybe he thought there would be too much of a negative reaction. I thought of my friends, and what they had thought when I had told them he was chosen. I wouldn't want hundreds of students at my throat either, I thought.

As if sensing my thoughts about him, he turned his head and looked me in the eye. A split second later, I turned back to my friends as if I was just gazing around the hall.

Pansy had cracked a joke about the Hufflepuffs, and everyone started to laugh. It was funny enough for me to smile slightly, but I was mostly in thought. , I thought. Just then, someone was watching me, I could sense it. I looked around, and my eyes fell on the Gryffindor table where Granger was looking at me. Just as fast as I looked at her, she looked away.