in the dark | d malfoy

chapter four

alfie chatted to me the entire way through the halls to the hufflepuff common room. i barely heard her words, my eyes scanning the walls, my mouth visibly open in wonder as i took everything in. jan punched alfie in the arm. "you're gonna chat kat's eats off," she teased, and i laughed.

"you're okay, alfie. so... where is the common room, anyway?" i asked, and jan grinned. "right this way, m'lady," she sang, and she pushed open a door that led us down a steep staircase.

"mmm," i hummed. "if i hadn't already eaten my full, i would drool at this smell." cedric grinned. "yep. the kitchens are down here as well." he extended his wand, and stopped in front of a stack of barrels. he tapped one of them with his wand, and they moved to reveal a hole in the wall.

i gulped as i followed jan through the hole in the wall, my mouth falling open as i saw the room beyond. it was small, but filled with millions of plants and was painted the most beautiful color yellow. comfortable sofas and armchairs littered it, and rugs of all sorts of shapes and colors were spread across the floor. there were windows across the top of the common room, and circle shaped doors around the back of the room led to the dormitories.

alfie was grinning at my expression. "you love it, don't you? i knew you would. you belong here." tears filled my eyes as i looked at her. "you mean that? you've only known me for a day!"

jan engulfed me in a hug. "one day says a lot about a person. besides! you needed to be here. you probably don't even know who harry potter is." i gave her a quizzical look, and the whole group burst into laughter.

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i woke up to alfie shaking my shoulders. "come on! we need to go get our schedules." i blinked at her, confusion filling my head before i remembered where i was. "oh... yeah!" i climbed out of my surprisingly comfortable bed, and changed quickly into my new robes.

"so, what classes are you excited for?" alfie asked as we walked towards the great hall. whispers filled the hallways, mostly about the triwizard tournament, which alfie and jan had explained to me in more detail last night.

the halls were still gloomy, even though the storm from yesterday had settled down. i still could feel the wet rain on my body from the lake, and was glad to be showered and in new robes.

"umm.... i've done some research. transfiguration seems cool. oh! and herbology." i mused, and alfie laughed in excitement. "that's my favorite class too. i'm so glad you're in hufflepuff. this is gonna be a great year!"

i was starving by the time we reached the great hall for breakfast. professor sprout was moving down the line, handing out schedules. she stopped at me, giving me a warm smile. "welcome to hufflepuff, dear. i know this all seems intense at first, but you'll settle right in." i smiled back at her, gulping as i took the schedule out of her hands.

first period: potions.

alfie immediately ripped my schedule out of my hands to peer at it. "ew! you have potions first period? that sucks. i have care of magical creatures."

jan dropped into the seat next to us suddenly. she was wearing dangly spider earrings, which i complained immediately. "where've you been? you weren't in your bed this morning." alfie hissed at her. jan laughed. "just at the owlrey, al. don't fret."

i glanced back down at my schedule. double herbology with griffindors, and mixed tranfiguration last period. i tried to keep the smile on my face, but i was panicking at how much i would have to learn.

jan walked me to potions, and terrified, i entered the classroom by myself and took a seat in the back of the class. students were already filling it up, and professor snape (cedric had pointed him out to me the night before) stalked through the classroom, a blond haired boy trailing behind him. i jumped as i recognized draco malfoy, the mean boy from the train station.

i glanced away, pulling out some parchment to take notes on. draco was fixated in the middle of the room, looking around for somewhere to sit. i could see him out of the corner of my eye. "malfoy. take a seat next to miss king in the back." snape snapped at him, and my heartbeat quickened when i realized it was the only empty seat.

draco threw himself into the chair next to me, pushing it as far down the table away from me as he could. i could hear him mutter "stupid hufflepuff," under his breath, and i scowled. "i can hear you, you know." he glared at me. "doesn't make it any less true." rage filled me.

"why are you such an asshole for no reason, draco? you don't even know me!"

he leaned towards me, sticking his wand against my throat. i gulped against the cold wood of it, jabbing into my neck. "don't," he hissed, "call me that. it's malfoy to you." he leaned away, and i rolled my eyes, sucking in air when he glanced away.

snape sat perched in the front of the class, glancing around at us all. "this seems a very.... promising class," he sneered. he set an assignment to make whatever potion seemed to draw us in, and i set to work, ignoring draco's grumbles next to me.

snape was pacing the classroom as i hurriedly followed the notes in my book. he stopped next to me. "miss king."

i glanced up at him, gulping. "professor."

he gave me an eerie smile. "i knew your mother. i have to say, i'm suprised you weren't placed in slytherin. you would have excelled there, just like she did. a shame." he swept away without another word, and dread filled my body.

my mother was a slytherin?

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