𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 | √

⎡15⎦

"Erm- Nothing. I just um didn't expect you to be here."

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked at me. I looked back, our eyes locking.  Gray meeting hazel. His eyes seemed to pierce me, causing something deep in my stomach to flutter. 

"Why are you sitting alone?" he finally asked breaking the silence.

"Oh! Well, my brother was eating his girlfriend's lips off so I moved," I replied unwrapping the next Chocolate Frog. 

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your goons?" I asked without thinking. I slapped my hand over my mouth. "Sorry. I meant your other friends."

He seemed to laugh at that. 

"I was just with them but I  passed your car and noticed that you didn't look so good so I just wanted to make sure you were okay" he replied.

I smiled.

"Thanks, Draco."

He gave me a kiss on the head and sat down next to me wrapping an arm around me. I looked out the window. I could tell we were nearing Hogwarts and we weren't in our robe yet.

"Draco. I hate to ruin the moment but I think you should change into your school robes. We're almost there."

He nodded and got up. 

"See you at the station, Hazel," he said before he closed the door. My heart seemed to ache when I heard the doors closed. That was when it hit me: I might have a small crush on Draco.

. . .

The train pulled into the station and everyone filed off chattering about what they did that summer or what they were expecting for the new school year. I was ecstatic. This year we got to ride the carriages. I found Draco and we went to the carriages together, and I saw the beautiful black carriages with some kind of winged horses with skeletal bodies leading them. They had faces with reptilian features, and wide, leathery wings that resembled a bat's. 

Thestrals. I remember reading about them in one of my father's books.

"Draco aren't they-?" I started to ask but then I remembered he had never seen anyone die before.

"Aren't what?" he asked me.

"Nothing" I muttered in response. 

We climbed into the carriages and were later joined by Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, and Pansy. Pansy, being her regular self, gave me the dirtiest look she could muster, and it certainly wasn't attractive on her. Puberty hadn't done her any good—she had a huge pimple peaking through bangs. 

Blaise was like any normal 12-year-old boy, but Crabbe and Goyle were as stupid as they always were. They goofed off together and made the carriage rattle with their movements. 

When we reached the Great Hall I sat down next to Draco towards the end of the table so I had a good view of the new Slytherins. When the sorting started, I played with Draco's hand until I heard the name, Ginevra Weasley. I craned my neck to get a good look.

"Ha! Another Weasley! It gets easier every year! GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted.

I clapped along with the other Gryffindors as Ginny walked to her house table, beaming. The sorting ended and Dumbledore began the feast. When it ended, we were sent to our common rooms. 

When I arrived, I noticed a trunk on the bed next to mine. I supposed that I was going to be sharing the room with a first year. How fun. 

Just then, a petite brown haired girl walked in with our prefect. I turned around and smiled. She looked extremely nervous. The prefect introduced her. 

"This is Astoria. You two will be sharing this dorm until you graduate. Have a nice time." 

She spun around and slammed the door shut as she left. I looked at Astoria and stuck out my hand.

"Hi, I'm Hazel. Hazel Rosewood."

She smiled and shook my hand.

"I'm Astoria. Astoria Greengrass."

Greengrass. She was Daphne Greengrass' sister. Daphne was a Slytherin in my year. I had classes with her and had seen her at certain functions growing up, but she never spoke to me nor I her. 

"My sister told me about you." she continued. "You seem like a very nice person."

I smiled.

"Thanks. You do too!" I replied. "You don't look much like your sister." 

She laughed a little.

"I know. She has blond hair, I have brown, and she's the family's favorite," she said with a shrug.

"Well you definitely, my favorite. I've never even really spoken to Daphne."

Astoria laughed. 

"So now that we got to know each other, I just want to say that even though we're in different years, we're gonna do everything roommates usually do. Makeup, hair, gossip, and talk about boys," she said. 

We both laughed.

"Oh, and I can always help you with your homework! But right now I'm t-t-tired" I said, attempting to stifle a yawn. 

We both decided it was best we'd go to bed and I grabbed my pajamas to get ready for bed.  When I came out of the bathroom from brushing my teeth, Astoria had all of her stuff neat on her desk.

"We are definitely going to have the neatest dorm too," she said.

I fell onto the bed and pulled a blanket over me

"Night Astoria," I muttered.

"Night Hazel" she replied before I drifted off to sleep.