I was laughing before I went through the barrier at some funny joke of James's. I wasn't laughing, however, once I reached the other side.
Why?
Two words. Let's see if you can guess them.
Leaky Cauldron?
No.
King's Cross?
No.
Polyjuice Potion?
No.
The two words are Scorpius Malfoy. He was standing next to his trunks, looking around the station. His blonde hair swept over his forehead. It would have been attractive, had he not looked as though he knew exactly how attractive he looked.
Malfoy's dad had always taken him to Hogwarts personally, after his son's first year, "to help him settle in," but everyone knew the real reason. The incorrigible pride of Draco Malfoy would always prevent him from making an appearance among the wizards and witches he had so looked down on in the past, and who now looked down on him. So why was Malfoy here?
Albus had said something about Malfoy and his dad having an argument over the summer. Maybe that was it.
And then an even more terrifying thought struck me. "Oh, Merlin, no," I muttered. Albus was Malfoy's friend.
Stupid Albus would invite stupid Malfoy to sit with us on the train.
I would have to sit with him. I always sat with my cousins; they would call me prejudiced or stuck-up if I refused to sit with them just because a Malfoy was with them. I had never been able to convince my accepting cousins that it was Malfoy's behavior, and not his name, that made me loathe him so much.
Malfoy's eyes landed on me. I looked away.
Albus came through the barrier behind me. "Oh, look!" he said excitedly. "Scorpius is here!"
"Yey," I muttered.
As I'd expected, Albus looked deprecatingly at me. "Lily," he said in an annoyed tone, "Scorpius is going to sit with us. Be civil."
"I will if he does," I muttered.
He was trying to be polite to you two weeks ago, and all you did was give him a disdainful look like your Hedwig does when you bring her food in!"
I groaned. "When are you going to see that your best friend is a prat?" I could feel Malfoy's eyes on me again, and I determined not to speak to him during the train ride. If I went into a corner with Rosie and talked to her about things that didn't interest him, like schoolwork, and what career I wanted to pursue, then the ride might not be a total failure.
Malfoy was walking towards us. He stopped too close to me, just a foot away. "Hello, Lily," he said.
I wasn't going to reply, but a cough from Albus convinced me that my big brother wasn't going to let me get away with that. "Hello, Malfoy," I said, still looking furiously at my feet. "What brings you to the world of the living?"
Albus kicked me, and I yelped. Then Albus said hello to Malfoy, and they talked for a while. When Dad and mum came through the barrier, they talked to him, too, like he was Prefect of the Year. He was a prefect, actually. I'd found out from Rose.
And then another horrible thought hit me. Rose was becoming Head Girl early because of her achievments. There was a prefect vacancy for the Gryffindors. They'd made me a prefect!
I was going to have to do corridor patrol with him. I was going to have to go to the prefect meeting with him. Help me, I prayed. Someone, please help me.
And now we were loading our luggage onto the train, and Albus was explaining to Malfoy that I was a Prefect and could he please escort me to and from the meeting? I was ready to murder my dearest brother. My face was as red as my hair.
And of course, Malfoy accepted like a perfect little conceited gentleman and he was taking my arm and I had to go with him, and I heard mom say something about how well we looked together, and I was ready to cry with frustration. Everyone was trying to stick us together? Why couldn't they see that I loathed him? Augh! The world had gone mad.
And that, dear reader, is how I found myself boarding a train with Scorpius Malfoy, looking forward to torture and my sixth year at Hogwarts.