Chapter 1 - Draco

My Quidditch robes are covered in sand, mud and dirt when I leave the Quidditch pitch after a good, but exhausting first training of the year.

It felt good to be back in the air, trying to taunt Potter as much as possible, but I've been knocked off my broom way too many times for my liking and of course, my sworn enemy tried to make fun of me for that.

My attempts to get rid of some dirt on my robes have failed pretty bad, but the thought of Potter rolling through the mud because of my fellow Slytherins cheers me up a little.

Of course, he wanted to take revenge on me for almost sending him back to London after we arrived at Hogwarts and tried to knock me off my broom instead of just trying to find the Snitch. He didn't really think it through though, as my fellow team players certainly planned their revenge after practice was over. They're still on the field now, allowing me to make my way back to the castle in peace. I can hear the showers calling my name and I eagerly quicken my pace to reach the castle a little bit sooner. The other Slytherins always take ages to finish and I plan on turning in early for tomorrow's lessons.

Although I still think Hogwarts has gone down to the dogs, I promised my mother to do my best and focus on passing this year. Despite the fact that I also have other important matters to take care off this year as well...

Still grinning by the thought of Scarhead's face full of mud after Grabbe and Goyle pushed him into the field head first, I climb the last hill that leads me towards the castle. The lit candles and warm atmosphere welcoming me back already, I can feel my muscles aching already and my broom is starting to get heavy. I need that bath...

However, the welcoming warmth is ripped away from me within seconds when I suddenly trip and fall onto the cold, hard ground. After a few curses have escaped from my lips, I quickly get back on my feet again. How is this possible?! I always walk this path and know these grounds like the back of my hand after six years.

Although I feel very stupid for actually turning around to see what made me fell over, I still want to check if there really was something, just in case someone saw and thinks of making fun of me for that. Not that I expect anyone to do that, people are quivering by just a simple look from me! Yet I still freeze on the spot when seeing the cause of this embarrassment...

I do feel relieved to see that I couldn't have stayed on my feet whatsoever, since there is a body lying right across the path. It must've been impossible for anyone to see her due to the high grass and dark evening surrounding her.

Sighing deeply, I grab my broom from the ground and walk back to the body because I really don't fancy another story of the "heroic Harry Potter" filling the corridors. I was here first, so he has nothing to do with this at all! Although I must admit that this really isn't my cup of tea.

I carefully kneel down next to the figure, not caring about my robes getting dirtier because it was no use trying to clean them anyway. Now that I am closer, I can tell it's a girl. She looks a bit younger than me, but she clearly isn't a first year student.

I'm not very sure if she even belongs here, by the look of her clothes, or what's left of it, she's from the Muggle world and I don't see a wand anywhere near her.

'Filthy mudbloods...' I quietly mumble, inching a little closer so I can put my hand on her back to see if she's still breathing. She is.

While drawing the conclusion that she can save herself and this really isn't my thing to do, I get up again. Potter can have her for all I care, he's done this a million times already and I don't have time to help unconscious little girls.

Yet, as I am about to turn around, an awful feeling suddenly gets to me when I feel a certain sticky liquid dripping from the hand that I just put on her back. It's soaked with blood! I only had it there for a mere second...

For some very odd reason, I can't get myself to walk away, which is very odd, because I've done such a thing multiple times in my life! Even when people looked terribly hurt and in pain, I never bothered to care for them at all. Then why is this so very hard to do all of a sudden?!

Sighing deeply once more, I turn around towards the girl again and ignore the aching need to get back to the castle for a nice hot bath in the prefect's bathroom. Today has been long enough and I still plan on turning in early for tomorrow's lessons!

That is, until I look into a pair of big, green Bambi-like eyes. Apparently, she is not unconscious anymore but seems very scared nevertheless. She is unable to speak, for I can only hear her ragged, heavy breathing as she looks up at me that stirs a strange feeling within me. The thought of leaving her here suddenly seems unthinkable!

I also manage to get a closer look on her back, but the sight isn't very pretty... her shirt is ripped to shreds and soaked in blood and dirt and it even makes me feel more dirty than I already am. The blood is still oozing from the wound in her shoulder, but I can now see that is spread over her entire body! As if she'd been moving a lot despite the wound and the pain.

From the looks of it, only a creature from the Forbidden Forest is able to cause such a deep gash, nothing else at Hogwarts would be so dangerous! Apart from that idiot of a giant living at the edge of the Forest, he is a danger to all of us! I've seen him walking around with similar injuries, but he is a giant! Even the most fatal claws from certain creatures feel like a simple scratch to him, but this girl isn't going to survive this without medical treatment. She is still losing a lot of blood...

'Why does this happen to me?' I sigh deeply, knowing that this girl probably doesn't know a single thing about our magical world, or the secured border that she's crossed without a struggle! Only creatures and humans with magical abilities are able to cross this magical border to our school, but most people aren't willing to risk such a dangerous path through the Forbidden Forest. Throughout these years, a lot of students have gone into the Forest and never returned again. So it's quite an accomplishment for this girl to get here without having any form of protection, perhaps there is more to her than meets the eye.

Alright, she has a nasty scratch on her back, but everyone within the castle knows how easy it is to find death in these woods. If she has magic inside of her, it could be quite strong as well, very powerful even once she'd learn to control it.

I have to take her to the Hospital Wing, if I want her to be useful. She could come in handy to help me in my plans if she turns out to be a powerful witch. And besides that, I will be the one to save her from a possible death and I will definitely make sure she knows that!

At first, I try to put a levitating spell on the girl, there is no way I am carrying her! But once I see how much blood she is losing by just getting inches from the ground, I know that I won't have another choice. 'This is just pathetic...' I mumble, carefully lifting up the girl into my arms while my broomstick soars after me through the air. Though I get to know some of her powers right away, because something within me stirs and feels quite off when feeling how my Quidditch robes are soaking in her blood within seconds. I feel a rush of panic slowly getting to me while I carry her towards the warm castle, leaving a trail of blood behind me.

This girl has been in a lot of luck to make it through the Forest!

I notice myself speeding up a little when I feel the cold blood nearly drenches my robes, I can even feel it on my chest and I can't help it but let a few nasty names escape as I nearly pull a muscle while ascending the last couple of stairs. This really is not my cup of tea and I am never doing this ever again!

I might be a little too rough when bursting through the doors of the Hospital Wing, but I can feel her cold blood all over me and don't feel comfortable at all with the feeling it causes within me. It looks like I am caring for someone, but I absolutely do not!

Madame Pomfrey scolds at me for making such a fuss as I enter the room, disturbing her in getting her patients to sleep and for once I don't think of cursing her for telling me off. I frequently get here in an attempt to skip a class, or try to walk around in the castle past curfew while I know very well that students are not allowed to do so. However, her stern look immediately softens when she sees what I am holding. From her point of view, the girl in my arms is as good as dead, but that could also be for the blood soaking my robes. I can feel the girl's faint breathing against my body, so she is still alive.

'I found her on the grounds near the Quidditch pitch, she probably got here through the Forbidden Forest,' is all I say, noticing only now that I am completely out of breath for some reason. The way Madame Pomfrey looks at me doesn't really appeal to me... it almost seems like she's more in shock about seeing me here with such a cause than the bloody thing that still ruins my robes with her filthy blood!

Fortunately, Madame Pomfrey jerks out of her shock and sets up a bed with a wave of her wand. I carefully put the unconscious girl on the white sheets, which turn red within seconds. For now, I even ignore the surprised and amazed look of the school's nurse. I can be careful with people when I feel like it!

'You did a great job by bringing her here, Mr Malfoy. She will be safe here, you must go back to your common room now. Curfew is about to set,' Madame Pomfrey now tells me. Really? No points to Slytherin for this!? Potter would've gotten fifty right away!

I linger for a bit longer than she likes, just to get on her nerves anyway, but after throwing another look at the girl, I exit the Hospital Wing and make my way to the Slytherin common room in the Dungeons. Slightly shivering from my wet robes, the longing thought about a hot bath returns, together with a deep sigh because I know that my fellow Slytherin team players are still in the shower...

'Draco! Where on earth have you been?! The other Slytherins returned ages ago and told me you went ahead of them. I am really getting sick of your sneaky and secret plans, you know,' Pansy Parkinson appears right in front of me even before I can take another step into the common room. I really am not in the mood for this!

Fortunately, she only takes one single look at my drenched robes to turn deadly pale and fall quiet as she looks at me with fearful eyes. It doesn't bother me at all to see her quivering lip as she takes a step back and doesn't dare to say a thing. Which means that the girl I just dropped off at the Hospital Wing really has unprecedented powers as she did make me care!

'W-what...' is all Pansy eventually manages to whisper, but doesn't dare to ask any further, probably scared of what she might get as an answer. 'None of your business. And you better not say a word to anyone,' I warn her, Pansy can only gulp and nod but apparently has a deathwish when she opens her mouth anyway.

'Where have you been?' she asks me once more, I now throw daggers at her and simply walk past her. Of course she grabs my arm...

'I had to take care of something that crossed my path, that is all you need to know. You will be next if you keep being in my business,' I snap at her, Pansy can tell it's a lie but doesn't dare to say a word.

Pretty satisfied with the look of terror on her face, I make my way towards the bathroom. It will take only minutes before Pansy realises that she doesn't agree with how I treat her and still tries to find out what I am up to. So, I quickly turn on the showers, and take my time to get out of my Quidditch robes. Seeing how the blood soaked all the way through and turned the water red once I got in the shower, somehow concerns me.

My hopes of a good night's sleep before the start of first term tomorrow are long gone, it's far past midnight already by the time that I finally get out of the showers and go to my room. The girl doesn't leave my mind for some reason, but how can I be worried for her while I don't even know her?! I find myself sort of hoping that she makes it through the night, why should I care about that?! Of course, she could be of good use if she turns out to be powerful, but I don't really need her...

I will go back to her once, tomorrow before breakfast, because I want her to know that I am the one who saved her. Just to make sure that saint Potter doesn't go and steal my spotlight. I still don't get how he manages to get in every odd and curious situation that has ever occurred here at Hogwarts, but he won't take this away from me!

My thoughts keep roaming for a while, it just doesn't make sense how this girl can have such an impact on me while all she did was look at me! I need to get my priorities straight again so I can make my father proud. Due to Potter's actions, he got locked up and I call myself very lucky to not be in here with him as well. Fudge isn't the kind and friendly minister he used to be...

Sighing deeply, I eventually just accept the fact that I won't sleep at all this night and keep staring at the ceiling while thinking of the mystery girl. Her big, green Bambi-like eyes keep hovering over me and make it impossible for me to close my eyes.

This is going to be a very exhausting, long year...