they were just kids [draco malfoy]

Year 3 - 16

Third year was a legendary year. For many reasons.

Though Astrid would've never guessed so when she stepped on the train on September 1st and occupied one of the empty compartments. 

Her parents both had to be at work early that morning, so they had dropped her off much earlier than usual. It was just 8 am when she stepped her foot into the muggle side of the so-to-say world, station... she wasn't sure how to call it. Either way, listening to the music in her in-ear headphones that played the soft hip-hop beats of the songs she had recorded on her walkman, she walked around the station treating herself to a hot cup of tea, even convincing the vendor to put some milk in it despite the fact it wasn't in the offer. 

As usual, Astrid had spent the summer alone. She was an only child so the girl was used to it and knew how to entertain herself. Though this summer she had felt lonelier than the others. Living most of the year in a room full of people was certainly taking a toll on her. What was slightly more unusual than other summers, and a fact about which Astrid herself was both surprised and proud about, was that she had taken up running every other morning to keep herself in a good shape. Just like the year before, she was determined to earn her rightful spot on the team. For Astrid's birthday, her mum had surprised her by buying her the headphones to make her running more enjoyable and fun. Which Astrid had been and still was utterly ecstatic about hence the music had been one of her biggest entertainment sources during the holidays.

Astrid was still very disappointed Flint hadn't even let her play in the game against Hufflepuffs the previous year, which they all knew they would've easily won either way (they always did). Marcus had even let Mike play the Keeper just so the boy would get his own share of the deal, but when Astrid had insisted it wasn't fair, Flint didn't pay her any mind. The lad had just called her too arrogant for her own good and told her that she knew what she had been signing up for beforehand. Well, nevertheless, Astrid was determined not to let the following year go by without her playing at least in a single game. She knew she was good. She knew Flint knew she was good. All she had to do to become a constant player was to make sure the whole school saw how good she was so that Flint would have no choice but let her play. At least that was her plan...

After finishing her tea, doing some light-hearted window-shopping, and finishing her second loop of the few songs she had recorded on one of her cassettes, Astrid had finally walked downstairs and ran through the brick wall to arrive at Platform 9 3/4. It was around 10 am there and she was still one of the first people on the platform. The train always departed at sharply 11 am but rarely anyone got there an hour early. After all, it didn't take one more than five to ten minutes to get on the train.

But still... sitting on the train, having been warming her seat for around half an hour, Astrid wasn't exactly bored. She was excited and a little anxious, sure. She was going to meet all her housemates after not seeing them for 2 months after all, but the music helped her forget about everything around her. 

She was lost in thought and lost in the music, her eyes closed, nodding along to the lyrics of Shaggy's 'Oh Carolina', that she didn't notice the door to her compartment be slowly slid open. But she was glad it had happened right then. She had been about to get up and start full-on dancing when a voice startled her making her eyes shoot open and her mouth let out a gasp of surprise.

There had been two reasons for said gasp. First, she had just simply not anticipated anyone being there. Second, the person standing in the doorway had been Draco Malfoy.

Now to understand the context of the moment, one would have to understand another really big reason as to why the third year was legendary and why it was different from the years before. Well... to put it simply - it was the year Astrid's interest in boys and all that finally peaked. It was also the year Malfoy had grown quite taller and changed his hair to the point Astrid almost considered him attractive.