Draco Malfoy and the Girl Who Hid

9

The Great Hall was abuzz with chatter. All four lengths of the table were filled, with freshly sorted first years pilled on the end closest to the professor's bench.

Scanning the room she found the table she was assigned to. Before heading to the Slytherin table, Yn noticed Neville, bustle past her, his eyes fixed to the ground. "Neville?" she called unsure if it was him. This boy was tallr, skinnier but he did have the same pale skin and matted hair.

Nevil spun around his eyes wide at the sight of Yn. "Yn," he stuttered, glancing around as if she was talking to someone else.

"Yeah," she softly smiled back at him, easing his nerves. "It's good to see you again. Um... Will you do me a favour?" She stepped a little closer.

Neville's eyes seem to grow even more. "Sh...sure."

"Could you tell Hermione that I saw Harry and he's..." She could see that Draco was glancing angrily in her direction as he sat down. She turned her back to him. "He needs to be careful."

"O...Okay," Neville responded in confusion.

"Thanks Neville."

She waited for him to reluctantly walk away, nodding to him in reassurance. She saw the equal confusion on Hermione's face when Neville relayed the message. Hermione's face mouth was pulled wide and straight. She boar her eyes at Yn. But as luck would have it Harry, stumbled into the Great Hall.

"You still have blood, dripping from your nose," she pointed out. She silently used the accio charm and handed over the napkin.

"Thanks," he muttered. Behind Yn, Harry could see Draco's eyes darting towards them, the anger and suspicion growing.

Yn cleared her throat and made her way down the aisle between the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables. A few students noticed her as she swept passed them, followed by them turning and murmuring to each other. Yn padded down the aisle until she neared Tracey and Daphne, who were engaged in conversation. More like arguing. But amidst their argument with Goyle and Blaise, they parted making space for Yn to slip in between them. Across the table a few seats down Draco had positioned himself on the other side of Balise and Pansy.

Yn shifted in her seat trying to get comfortable, rearranging her robes around her. She looked over the feast upon the table, but her appetite had dissipated. Her shoulders slumped and she rested her hand in her lap looking down at the uneven grain in the table, while the others continued to eat.

She wasn't the only one. Draco only aimlessly swirled his spoon around his plate. His cheekiness had subsided, and his mood had dropped again. But it was only sure to get worse as Professor Dumbledor rose from his seat and approached the alter. The Hall began to gently dim.

"The very best of evening to you all," Dumbledor croaked. Yn's eyebrows furrowed. She had seen Dumbledore, when she had first decided to return to Hogwarts. It was the strangest of things. He seemed to know before she did that she was to return. But this Dumbledore seemed weary. She had heard rumours that he was getting old and people were beginning to talk but she did not believe it until now. "First off, please join me in welcoming the newest member of our staff, Horace Slughorn."

As if on cue everyone joined Dumbledore in applauding. Well almost everyone. Draco's eyes wandered over to the Aurors that were stationed around the room. The same thought was playing on Yn's mind. She had overheard her father in meetings talking about the unrest and even muggles knew something was wrong now. She had been in London with her father when the bridge had collapsed due to a 'freak weather incident ', which of course she knew not to be true. That black smoke was only indicative of once thing. She had been sitting in the waiting room of a Muggle government office waiti9ng for her father when he stormed out of the office in a panic, grasped her by her shoulder and apparated them both to the Rosier home. She knew that he would only take them there for one reason. Sometimes being in the belly of the evil is the safest place to be, he would say. At the time Phineas Rosier's Manor was the belly of evil. His connection to the Death eater was no secret. But surely this level of security, particularly at a school was unnecessary, what did they think. That students were part of the following now? But then her mind rang back to Harry's theory, and she looked over at Draco who's had his head hanging low.