NUMB | D. MALFOY {EDITING}

PROLOGUE

PROLOGUE;

1996

         Anastasia Rosier didn't know what she was getting into when she quickly scribbled her name on the list for Dumbledore's Army. Her eyes met with Hermione Granger's as she stepped back with a guilty expression all over her features and her mind attacked her with different escenarios of what could go wrong.

          She felt like she was betraying her house, for God's sake, she was a Slytherin trying to learn spells from a lanky boy who claimed to know about Defense Against the Dark Arts and had seen the Dark Lord with his own eyes. But, Anastasia had her faith in him; after all, he was the Chosen One.

          Meanwhile, her housemates had joined Dolores Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. She never was one to follow the rules, so inevitable she wasn't attracted to the idea of running around the halls trying to take down students for basically stupid reasons.

          Draco Malfoy smiled proudly at his group of friends after Professor Umbridge gave him the official Inquisitorial Squad's pin. They all looked at him with their superior smirks and patted him in the shoulder. Now they were the powerful ones amongst the students.

          "Oi, Malfoy!" Zabini exclaimed as soon as they stepped out of Umbridge's office. "Let's play a little with the younger students, shall we?" He offered, the boy looked at him mischievously.

          "What are you waiting, then?" They walked out the hall with the blond teenage leading the way. His hand tightly wrapped around Pansy Parkinson's as she left sloppy kisses all over his face.

Although the idea tempted him and urged him to walk aimlessly around the school in search of rule breakers, Draco was tired. Everyone could see it. He didn't tell anyone, but after his last trip to Hogsmeade, he felt lost and distracted all the time.

"I'm not in the mood. I'm going to take a break." He turned around, his group of friends stopped in their tracks at his sudden change of plans.

"Let's go to the prefects' bathroom, Draco." Pansy smirked, holding the boy by his robes. Her grip was firm but that didn't stop the blond boy to push her away.

"I meant alone, Parkinson." He scowled and rolled his eyes. "Anyway, see you at dinner."

He never saw them at dinner again.

          From that moment, Draco started to isolate himself and worked alone trying to bring down Potter and his friends. He would end up wandering the halls at midnight in search of any student, besides himself, out of bed and breaking some rule.

          Meanwhile, Anastasia struggled to find herself and the side she was on. Trying desperately to befriend the Golden Trio while she felt the darkness taking control of her soul. It wasn't every day when you feel something bad is going to happen. Harry Potter knew something about the shy Slytherin was changing, and his theory was right when he asked her a happy memory to conjure a Patronus and she couldn't think of one.

          Draco pulled Cho Chang's robes and pushed her around the halls, following Umbridge in the search of the Room of Requirement, only Cho could tell them where it was. He heard her whimpering but he was too concerned to find the room that he didn't notice the big door in front of them.

          "Bombarda maxima." The woman exclaimed and the wall exploded loudly, revealing Harry Potter and the rest of his friends.

          But what Draco was too focused on was the pair of green eyes looking at him with fear and surprise. Anastasia Rosier was one of them.

          "Rosier? What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Goyle exclaimed, entering the room.

          "I–Uh," But words were unable to come out of her mouth as her eyes locked with Draco's grey eyes.

          "Come here." The girl couldn't help to yelp the moment the big teenager held her arm tightly.

          "Goyle, leave her alone." Harry scowled with a frown but it was too late, Goyle had already dragged the girl out of the room.

          "Let her go, Goyle." Draco's words echoed the room and made everyone look at the blond, tall boy. "I'll take care of her." He took the girl's arm and pulled her out of their view and away from the scene.

          As Draco and her walked away from Umbridge and the other students, Anastasia couldn't help to notice how concerned he looked and how kind he was of not tightening his grip around her arm, unlike others.

          "Now, explain." He ordered. "What were you doing there? With Potter and his bloody friends?" This time, he shouted. "Are you insane?"

          "Don't yell at me." She quickly answered, catching the boy out of guard. "I was just trying to find where I belong."

          "Where you belong?" He repeated with a smirk, both of his eyebrows raised and his hand still holding her arm. "Darling, you don't belong with them. They are the good ones."

          "And what if I don't want to be the bad one?" She whispered, this time, tears threatening to leave her eyes. "Have you ever thought about it?" And with that, she walked away.

          Leaving Draco startled about her sudden outburst.

          In the loneliness of the hall and away from anyone's notice, Draco whispered, "Of course I have."