1 CHAPTER ONE

This train ride was particularly dreadful to him. More agonizing than the last 5 he'd remembered. He was on edge and everyone was setting him off. Even Blaise and Pansy, who were the closest thing he had to friends at Hogwarts, were annoying him. To make matters worse, he was being watched. He had every right to be, but he couldn't let the pressure take over and make him the least bit suspicious. It was the same train and the same destination but everything felt different to him.

The train came to a stop after a long hour of not one word coming out of his mouth to his Slytherin peers.

"Coming Draco?" Pansy asked, sounding concerned. Even she knew that something was off.

"You go ahead. I'll be there in a sec." He said vaguely as if he even cared to walk with them in"

Before he closed the passenger door he caught a glimpse at a fair, curly-haired Hermione Granger. Their eyes met but she turned away looking worried. Probably for the dimwit Potter who he was just about to take care of. He watched her until she was out of sight. He couldn't have any witnesses for what he was about to do. He thought about killing him right then and there just to get one of his obstacles out of the way. But his duties lie elsewhere so the best he could do was leave him there and get off the train before it took off again.

He quickly gathered his belongings and hurried past the compartments. He almost ran into that loony blond who was walking aimlessly down the hall. The train could take her too for all he cared. He finally got to the arch eager to get dinner over with so he could get through another sleepless night but he's been stopped at bag check which was new this year. Just what he needed to prolong his mission of getting to bed.

When it was finally over with he saw no other than Harry himself whom he'd just kicked the shit out of approaching the arch. He left as he wanted no confrontation. Great, he thought, my one chance of getting rid of Potter failed. He felt defeated by him once again. He seemed to get himself out of every inconvenience life threw at him.

After the sorting of the first years and dinner, Draco finally found himself with the peace he longed for all day. He was alone in his shared dorm. He arrived before anyone came back to the common room. There, he sat in silence contemplating any last thought he had before he let his head hit the pillow. His eyes were closed but he didn't sleep. And right now, that's what he desperately wanted.

Everyone else was still in the Great Hall. As for Hermione, she was interrogating Harry on being late and why he looked as if he ran face-first into a brick wall. He'd always looked that way to her. Always bloodied up. Always getting himself into trouble whether it was self-inflicted or not. He didn't give her much information so she brushed it off for now. She could not help but think Malfoy was behind it. After all, he was the last person she saw before getting off the train. Couldn't they be civil for one year?