I watched the fields speeding past as the Hogwarts Express journeyed me north for my sixth year at Hogwarts.

I was sharing a compartment with Harry, Luna and Neville. Ron and Hermione were off doing prefect duties.

"I'm telling you, Malfoy is up to something and I just know it's bad. Really bad."

Harry had just filled me in about Draco's detour in Diagon Alley.

"Well it does sound fishy I agree, Harry," I said carefully, as I could tell Harry was very het up about it. "But there could be any number of explanations as to why he was in Borgin and Burke's asking to get something fixed."

"But he said 'Don't forget to keep that one safe', that sounded to me like Borgin's got another one of the broken objects, and Malfoy wants both."

"If you think so Harry, I suppose it does sound that way." I shrugged. To be honest I thought Harry was starting to sound rather obsessed with Draco.

"Yeah it does. Malfoy's father's in Azkaban. Don't you think Malfoy'd like revenge?"

Neville looked up, blinking. "Malfoy, revenge? What can he do about it?"

"That's my point, I don't know!" Harry sounded frustrated. "But he's up to something and I think we should take it seriously. His father's a Death Eater and-" he broke off, his eyes seemed fixed on the window behind me as if he was deep in thought about something.

"Umm, Harry? Are you OK?" I asked anxiously.

"He's a Death Eater," Harry said slowly. "He's replaced his father as a Death Eater!"

I gaped at Harry, wondering where he got his ideas from. "Don't be absurd Harry! He's sixteen! They are hardly likely to recruit school kids!"

"Malfoy showed Borgin something we couldn't see," Harry pressed on stubbornly. "Something that seriously scared Borgin. It was the Mark, I know it - he was showing Borgin who he was dealing with!"

Neville laughed nervously, looking anxiously at Harry as if he thought he was a little crazy. "I just don't think You-Know-Who would let Malfoy join."

"Fine." Harry mumbled bitterly, folding his arms huffily and turned his head to stare out of the window.

He remained like that until later that day, when Ron and Hermione entered our compartment at last.

"Wish the lunch trolley would hurry up, I'm starving," Ron moaned as he slumped into the seat beside Harry and nodded towards me. "Hey Rosie. Guess what? Malfoy's not doing prefect duty. He's just sitting in his compartment with the other Slytherins, we saw him as we passed."

Harry suddenly sat up straight. "It isn't like Malfoy to pass up an opportunity to abuse his position as prefect."

I rolled my eyes.

"Maybe he preferred the Inquisitorial Squad," Hermione said. "Maybe being a prefect seems a bit tame after that."

"I don't think so," Harry said, almost excitedly as he turned to me. "Hey Rosie - I have an idea! You're a Slytherin, right?"

I groaned, knowing what was coming. "No Harry - I will not spy on Malfoy!"

"You don't have to be obvious about it!" Harry said grinning in excitement at his dumb idea. "Just - just loiter in the common room when he's chatting to his mates. Or I don't know, maybe even start to get 'friendly' with a few of them. You are a Slytherin after all."

"Harry!!!" Hermione cried, looking aghast at his suggestion.

"Even if I wanted to, Harry - which I don't by the way - even if I could get close enough to eavesdrop, do you really think that Malfoy would say anything near me?" I gave a loud short laugh at the mere suggestion of it.

"It was just a thought." Harry said, defensively.

We all sat back in our seats in silence, lost in our own thoughts. Harry really was obsessed. How dare he try to get me to spy on Draco.

The compartment door slid open and I looked up to see a breathless third-year girl step inside. "I'm supposed to deliver these to Neville Longbottom and Harry P-Potter," she seemed to falter as she looked at Harry and her cheeks turned scarlet. She was holding out two scrolls of parchment tied with violet ribbon. Harry and Neville took them and the girl stumbled back out of the compartment.

"What is it?" Ron demanded, as Harry unrolled his.

"It's an invitation to have lunch with the new teacher, Professor Slughorn in his compartment." He sighed, looking at Neville. "I'll suppose we'll have to go, won't we?"

"But what does he want me for?" Neville asked sounding nervous.

"No idea," Harry replied. "But let's go under the Invisibility Cloak, then we might get a good look at Malfoy on the way, see what he's up to."

I rolled my eyes and tutted as they left. Christ, Harry really needed to get a new hobby.

***

Harry hadn't returned to our compartment by the time we arrived at Hogwarts.

"Are you sure he didn't say where he was going?" I anxiously asked Neville, who had returned to the compartment sans Harry some time ago.

"No, just that he had to go somewhere and that he'd see us later." Neville shrugged before disappearing out of the compartment.

I had a horrible feeling I knew where Harry may have been headed. So I took a deep breath, and dragging my trunk with me, I made my way up the train towards the sixth year Slytherin compartment.

As I approached it, I saw the door open up ahead and Draco Malfoy, dressed in a black suit, stepped out into the corridor. My heart quickened as he firmly shut the compartment door closed behind him. He looked up and his cold grey eyes locked onto mine. A smirk played on his lips as I drew nearer.

"Lost something?" He snarled in that drawling voice, the smirk never leaving his face.

"Only the will to live at the thought of spending another year in the dungeons with you." I spat as I came to a stop, making sure to leave a distance between us. I noticed now that his face looked older and tired.

"What are you still doing here, anyway? Won't your precious Potter be waiting for you at the castle?"

"I could ask the same about you and your precious Pansy."

We both stood glaring at one another, the tension thick in the air. It seemed neither of us wanted to back down first.

"If you don't get off this train now, Carter, I'm afraid I'm going to have to issue you with a detention." He motioned down to his prefect badge as if to remind me of his position over me.

I huffed, giving up, hoping that Harry had just gone on ahead after all. Barging past Draco making sure to knock him with my shoulder, I clambered out of the train with my trunk.

It was only when I was halfway to the castle did I realise that Draco hadn't called me a Mudblood.

***