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Falling into Destiny	By : Demonic_Host Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 11026 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own anything associated with the Harry Potter franchise, nor do I make any money from this piece of work.

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Falling into Destiny
Chapter Thirty-Two

You smiled as you took in the loud, crowded area. The train was due to leave soon but you were in no rush. After all, this year you had more people to look for than ever before. Draco and Blaise were 11 years old now and that meant they’d be starting school. You knew for sure that Blaise was going to Hogwarts; Draco was the one you weren’t sure would turn up. Not because he wouldn’t be going to a school. It was just that you knew he might be going to a different one - like Drumstrang.

Though as you realized the train was filling up you made your way onto it with your luggage having already been passed onto the train’s personnel. All around you underage witches and wizards talked in excited voices. Some were catching up and others speculating on the year to come. It felt nice to be back and at the same time you were nervous.

You hoped you hadn’t gathered more than you could brew — with the addition of your 3 electives you were taking 10 classes. 10 classes for 2 years until OWLS; 11 if you counted the fact that you’d also signed up for Ancient Studies. Unlike the others, Ancient Studies was an extra curricular that was on a pass or fail system as far as you knew and didn’t have a mandated OWLs test at the end of your 5th year.

You took a seat in one of the open floor plan cars. The table you sat at had been empty at the time you picked it, leaving you the ability to scoot over to take up the window side. You smiled softly and pressed your fingers against the cool glass, resting your head on the interior wall of the train. Normally you weren’t a big supporter of cold things but the train’ cabins were otherwise kept at a comfortable temperature.

“Lost in thought?”

“Always,” you responded without hesitation.

The fifth year, Darius Berrow, took the seat across from you. The spot next to him was quickly taken up by his friend Adrian Purcey. Considering that Purcey was in your year it was an unlikely friendship. Though given the facts that they were both in Slytherin and were both from pure wizarding families it wasn’t too surprising.

Malinda might have joined you if it wasn’t for the fact that Marcus Flint took up the last place to your side as she was approaching. Trying to ask the captain of the Slytherin Quidditch or one of the chasers team to move was too daunting of a task apparently. You gave a half smile as she moved passed the table with a disappointed look on her face. Thankfully she’d made another friend at the school last year so she wasn’t left to fend for herself. Somehow even though you scarcely knew all the boys that had claimed most of the space around you, Darius being the one you knew the best, you felt relaxed.

Besides you had a window seat facing the platform so you were able to watch all the last minute chaos going on. It was nice seeing many different types of families bidding eachother off. The warmth from some of them was touching though it had an unrealistic quality that made it seem like a performance to you. The quieter partings were far more familiar and dignified though less entertaining because of that.

“So where were you all summer?” Darius’ deepening voice roused you out of your quiet contemplation yet again.

“Egypt, mostly,” you answered the older boy honestly as you turned your attention towards him.

“Explains why Mal wouldn’t stop complaining about you not writing back.”

You shrugged slightly as you responded, “I wrote back when I got home to see the stack the owls had dropped off while I was away. I’m surprised she didn’t tell you about the fact that I’d been in Egypt.”

“She complains a lot but never tells me anything actually important,” Darius said and ended with an eye roll. “Sisters.”

You gently kicked at his knee with your foot under the table. He looked at you like you had betrayed him, only it was shallow in that playful sort of betrayal.

“Flirting with a third year already?” Marcus baited Darius from beside you.

“Just making friendly conversation,” the teenager remarked. “But if you think that’s flirting, it’s no wonder you can’t keep friends much less get a girlfriend.”

Marcus laughed. It was a short sort of laugh, mocking in a way. You watched them as they conversed; it was more interesting that way. Sometimes it was amazing how these two were friends with the way they poked at each other.

“We all know the only way you could get a girl is if your family paid for one.”

“Pretty sure that one's hypocritical Flint,” the third boy at the table, Adrian Purcey, jumped in. “I heard that your family was considering marriage prospects for you. Seems kind of sad they’re starting already doesn’t it?”

“Watch it Purcey,” Marcus bit back.

“What’s wrong with an arranged marriage?” You asked, feeling rather curious as you leaned forward towards the table.

“Nothing if you’re a girl,” Adrian Purcey said as he shrugged. “At least you girls get the option of staying at home and letting the guy do all the hard work if you want. Guys don’t get that luxury. Either you come from a wealthy family and no one has to work, or you’re expected to shoulder the burden of bringing home the galleons and prestige. Imagine coming home to relax after working hard all day but you’ve been saddled with an unattractive dimwit for a wife.”

“I’d feel sorry for the wife. Having an arranged marriage to a husband that just wanted a pretty face at the end of the day would be insufferable. No doubt I’d pretend to be dim witted too just to get left alone in that case,” you tossed back, making Darius and Marcos snicker. “Besides as the guy, it’d be your fault for extending out a marriage proposal to a girl you think would bore you.”

“See, that’s the problem. It’s usually not our choice. It’s our parents’,” Adrian summarized his irritation. “That’s the problem.”

“If your parents are in a successful relationship and they know you well, they’d be in a better position to judge what you need in the long run though,” you pointed out.

“So you’d just let your mom and dad choose your husband for you?” Adrian tossed back. “Even if they tried to set you up right now? As a third year?”

You shrugged and relaxed back into your seat, or at least the space that you had left. In a way you suppose you had done just that. Your father had brought you to the Malfoys when you were four years old. He left you in their care. At ten years old, you’d been given over to the custody of the Zabini. Yet at some point before that, you guess that you’d been married off to Draco. The details of when, where, and how if that whole marriage were a little fuzzy at best but you believed Draco had been telling the truth. He seemed like he had been; you hadn’t sensed him lying.

“Having an arranged marriage when you’re younger just means you have a longer time to get to know them,” you mused. “I think that’s better than suddenly just being expected to live together.”

Darius smiled and joked with his friends, “You’re losing the argument to a 13 year old.”

Never mind that you still had a tiny bit of time until you were 13. You smiled and laughed at Adrian’s affronted face. He seemed more put off that his friend had called him out on his lack of debate skills rather than the fact that you were technically arguing with him.

“What are you smiling at?”

You blinked as you watched Draco walk into view. He’d been coming up from behind you so you didn’t actually see him until he got past Marcus’ shoulders. Trailing around him like a thick miasma were two familiar boys - Crabbe and Goyle. They seemed like they’d only gotten grumpier since you’d last seen them. As though they are something that didn’t quite agree with their stomachs.

“I’m winning an argument about arranged marriages,” you told your childhood friend honestly.

“Why?” Draco asked with a scowl. “Think any of them would be interested in marrying you? As if that would happen.”

Your good natured smile faded. He just had to go and ruin your mood.

“Jealous Malfoy?” Darius piped up again from his spot by the window.

“Of what?”

“Dorian used to live with you and your parents didn’t she? Because I distinctly remember coming over to your house a couple years ago when mom and dad were looking to match us up,” Darius pointed out. “Not that it worked out but I noticed she’s not living with your family anymore. Her family must have made a better match for her than what your family afforded her.”

Draco sneered. “There’s nothing my family couldn’t give her.”

“So it must have just been you then,” Darius surmised. “You weren’t good enough for her.”

You were actually quite stunned over the boldness of his tongue. You’d never seen anyone in the Malfoy family get talked back to.

“Darius,” you called out in a low tone, kicking his shin once more.

“Relax,” the older Slytherin said into the tense air. “I’m just saying what everyone in our community was thinking.”

Saying that the small group of wizards around you were tense would be an understatement.

“Our Community?” Draco asked with clenched teeth. “Don’t think for one second that I’m in the same as you. You barely have the right to call yourself a pureblood while my family dates back over a millennia.”

“And how disappointed your illustrious ancestors must be in you,” Darius nailed in.

“You’ll regret that, Berrow,” Draco sneered. “Crabbe, Goyle. Let’s go.”

When he was almost out of sight in the swath of students, Marcus finally sniggered. “So you were flirting with a 3rd year after all.”

“Shut it Flint.”
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Falling into Destiny