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Old 07-04-2009, 04:50 AM   #4 (permalink)
MalfoyzBeloved
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Chapter 2
The Train


The greenery blurring by the windows changed momentarily, revealing a broad lake beneath a stone bridge we travelled upon. I sat in this compartment alone, just watching the scenery zoom by the window. I refused to even acknowledge Draco’s existence when I passed him at the station and my mum and his family said hello, when I ran into him putting my owl’s cage in the designated place in the back of the train... when he followed me when I was on the train...

It took hiding out in the loo for 10 minutes to get rid of him.

I looked down from the window and at the velvet box in my hand. I flipped the top open to look at the diamond engagement ring again. It was beautiful, but if it came from anyone else I would probably like it a lot more.

Sighing, I dropped the box into my bag and zipped it up. If I kept it out any longer, it might end up being thrown halfway across the lake. I had to keep telling myself that doing so would indeed be a bad thing to do.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye; three people had stopped at my compartment door and were starting to open it. I thought back on when I saw Malfoy with his two cronies by his side while he was stalking me. I put my hand on my wand and pulled it from my pocket, readying a spell that would knock him two cabins down.

“Excuse me?”

I looked at the face that poked through the door. I recognized the round glasses and messy black hair in an instant.

“Can we sit here? There’s no space for all of us in any other compartment for the next few cabins.

I thought about that for a moment. I had Harry Potter and his friends in my clutches right now. My mum wasn’t exactly a Death Eater like Mr. Malfoy, but was in the same boat Mrs. Malfoy was in; she supported their cause. I could help even more if I... no, it wouldn’t help if I tried anything now. It would probably be easier if I got to know them, made them think I was with them. But when I’m sorted into the enemy house...

“Sure,” I finally said, pushing my wand back into my pocket, still thinking.

Harry came in first, his Weasley friend and the Granger girl following behind, all dragging their bags. They all managed to get their things overhead and sit down, the guys on the seats across from me and Granger on the far end of mine.

“So you’re new?” Harry finally asked.

I nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Rosa. And I take you’re Harry Potter... Weasley and... Granger.”

“Ron,” Weasley spoke up.

“Hermione. Nice to meet you.” She held out a hand to me. I looked at it for a moment, considering the gesture, and then took it. Granger smiled brightly.
That was when the silence started. It seemed to grow, the level of awkward just escalating until Harry spoke again.

“Where’re you from?”

“Technically I’m British but I’ve been around so much it doesn’t feel like it.”

He smiled slightly. His emerald eyes never once left me; it made me feel somewhat awkward. If he knew the truth he’d probably be down at the end of the train in the furthest compartment possible.

“Really?” he sounded so interested; it was weird. “Have you been homeschooled then?”

“Four years, but I spent the past 2 years in Beauxbatons.”

“Really?” Weasley cut in, sounding even more interested than Harry. “What’s it like there?”

“Interesting,” was all I could respond.

“Did you happen to know a Fleur...?” he started to press with a curious tone that held a mild touch of repugnance that made my eyebrow raise.

“Ron!” Granger snapped, scowling.

I cut in with a chuckle. “Never met her, but her name is brought up a lot there.”

“Where else have you lived?” Harry asked, changing the topic while Granger glared at Weasley.

“Pretty much every country in western Europe. Farthest east I’ve lived is Greece.” Not that mum lasted too long there. We didn’t even finish unpacking by the time she decided she’d rather be back west... we took a boat to southern Italy.

“Wow. Why did you move so much? Your mum a historian or something?”

“No,” I responded, not elaborating further.

I saw three figures stop at my compartment door. One of them, the tallest in the middle, began to slide the door open.

“Here you are.”

“For Merlin’s sake, go away!” I snapped, glaring at Draco.

“Oh.” He sounded almost disgusted as he looked at the company I was with. Harry already had his wand out. Weasley and Granger were just glaring suspiciously at him. He then let out a single laugh. “You refuse my company yet sit with these freaks?”

“You watch it, Malfoy,” Harry snapped.

Draco smirked. “What’re you going to do to me Potter? Talk me up too?”

I got up and pulled out my wand, pointing it directly at Draco. “I told you to leave me alone. How thick is your head to not see hiding out in the bathroom for 10 minutes to get you to quit stalking me isn’t some sign of love?” I spat the word.

“Are you sure about this...?” the lanky, skinny crony of Draco’s muttered.

“Shut up, Goyle. If you think this is such a rotten thing, go.”

Goyle didn’t move.

“What’re you trying to prove?” I snapped.

Draco smiled coldly. “I’ll see you soon, love.”

A white light illuminated from the tip of my wand and exploded towards Draco. He flew back into the wall across the corridor, causing it to crack around him from his weight. He slid down to the ground, but was quickly pulled up by Goyle and his fat friend. Draco walked away with them, viciously scratching at every inch of himself that he could.

I walked forwards and slammed the compartment door shut. When I turned around, Weasley’s mouth was gapping wide, Harry’s and Granger’s eyes just as wide.

“What?”

“You know him?” Harry managed to get out.

“Unfortunately.”

“Is he your boyfriend or something?” Weasley asked scathingly.

I laughed. “He wishes, so it seems.” I crossed the compartment again and sat down.

The silence after that wasn’t broken for awhile. It was dark finally, the starlight twinkling over the train and in the rippling lakes we passed. I went to change into my robes, going alone. These three didn’t seem to take too kindly to the ‘relationship’ Draco and I had. If I had any choice, I’d cut him out of my life. Clearly fate has the totally opposite intention.

I came back a few minutes later, taking my seat across from Harry. He and Weasley had changed, wearing the robes that showed their Gryffindor badges. Weasley’s was a prefect’s badge, while Harry’s was just a bit fancier than normal; probably Quidditch captain. Great, not only would we be enemy houses but we'd be playing against each other.

“Look, I’m not going to kill you or anything. It’s not like I have much choice what kind of company my mother prefers,” I finally said, breaking the long-lasting, awkward silence.

“Your family is from Slytherin, aren’t they?” Harry finally spoke.

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned to Weasley, about to start talking with him when I cut in again.

“Not everyone in my family. The ones that got blasted off that stupid ‘tree’...”

Harry’s head snapped back to me, his eyes burning into me with even more intensity than before.

“What?”

“A family tree?”

“Well yeah, my dad’s side at least. Never really knew him; he kind of disappeared before I was born...”

“What is your name?”

“I already told you that.”

“You’re related to the Blacks, aren’t you?”

I didn’t respond momentarily. Well, he was bound to figure it out eventually; if I want to gain his trust I may as well tell him the truth.

“Rosa Black.”

Harry looked at me, his face not revealing anything. He looked at Weasley, but then back to me.

“Is your dad Sirius Black?”

I bit the inside of my lip; he was the blood traitor of the family. As if being a Gryffindor was bad enough, he ran away from my biological grandma’s home when he was barely 16. I only knew what my mother told me, which was what the Prophet said and some of what my father told her. One reason we moved out of Britain was so that he could never find out about our existence and find us. So my mum said at least.

I thought about it momentarily though. If they knew my family, they would know Sirius’s brother, my real father... they might already know the history. They would loathe me to the core.

“Yeah.”

“He never said he had a kid of his own,” Weasley whispered to Harry.

“I never met him. He probably didn’t know I even existed.” As far as I knew, that was pure fact. Not that I much cared.

Harry believed this, too. I could tell Weasley was skeptical, but he didn’t press anything. It was only a moment following this that Granger walked in wearing her Gryffindor robes. I saw her prefect badge sewn perfectly in place on them. What was it with the ‘Golden Trio’ and being students with some sort of higher power over the rest?

The train began to slow. I looked out the window to get my first view of the castle I’ve heard about for so long. The lights of the extravagant castle glimmered over the black lake that surrounded it completely, only obscured by long, narrow boats that were pulled up along the shoreline nearest to us.
It finally lurched to a stop. We got up and began getting out things off the trays above us and left. Harry was determined to stay with me, so Weasley and Granger were at his side. I passed Draco as the four of us made our way for the carriages. His eyes narrowed coldly on my company pointedly.

“Hey!”

Another red-headed girl bounded up to us. Another Weasley. She looked at me, her brown eyes twinkling curiously. “Hi. I’m Ginny. Who’re you?”

“Rosa,” I responded, smiling as respectably as I could.

I saw a blur of white-blonde hair distantly beside me. Looking out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Draco still glaring at me as he walked by. He ran into Goyle because of it. I could hear Draco telling him off for it as they got into their carriages and the thestrals pulled them off.

“Is there enough space for her to sit with us?” Harry asked.

Ginny’s welcoming, happy expression fell ever so slightly. “Yeah.”

“Good. Come on.” Harry smiled at me and walked off.

I followed behind Weasley and Granger, while Ginny kept in step with me. She hurried ahead at the last second and climbed up, taking the seat next to Harry. I sat directly across from him and next to a boy who introduced himself as Neville Longbottom. The girl next to him greeted me and told me her name was Luna Lovegood just as the carriage was pulled off. Everyone around me conversed in little groups. I spent the next while watching the dark forest blur by. I nearly fell out of my seat when the carriage suddenly skidded to a stop before the castle, I was so into the passing outlines of the evergreens and pines.

We all climbed down, taking our things with us and dragging them up the hill and stairs to the main doors of the great castle. We left them in the front and continued uphill and up the stone stairs. I could feel my heart rate picking up, my anxiety level flying with it as we stepped into the building.
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