Arabella
The Great Hall was bustling with students. Couples and best friends found each other and embraced, younger students gushed about the new and exciting classes they would be taking this new term. Hundreds and hundreds of white candles floated magically above the sea of students seated underneath. Professor Dumbledore had explained to me that each candle represented a student at Hogwarts. That fact made me smile. I studied each detail of the Great Hall intensely—each teacher sat patiently at a long, rectangular table at the front of the room. I recognized one named Horace Slughorn; my father had quite a few pictures of the two of them together in my living room. Professor Snape, a tall, rigid looking man, sat beside him. He had the same hard look on his face when I met him earlier this evening. The fires along the sides of the walls and the candles illuminated the room, and when I looked up even further, I noticed that the moon and stars seemed to be inside the Great Hall.
Eventually, Professor McGonagall led a group of terrified looking first years down to where they would be sorted into their houses.
"Gregory Bones..."
"GRYFFINDOR!"
"Hailey Dundercuff..."
"HUFFLEPUFF!"
"Joanne Tickinson..."
"SLYTHERIN!"
The sorting seemed to pass by in seconds. Seconds after the sorting had ended, dozens upon dozens of plates of food appeared on each of the four house tables. Turkey, chicken, baked potatoes, multiple types of puddings, pastries, and an assortment of juices. As students ate their dinners, I sat, not even touching my food. I was too occupied with my nerves and thoughts. I was absolutely convinced that the Slytherin students around me were in fact staring. I knew they were. I felt a particular person's attention fixed upon me and couldn't help glancing up. Met with a pair of piercingly grey eyes, my insides did a flip. Pressingly my lips together, I tucked my black hair behind my ear and tried hard to look away—the blonde-haired boy held my gaze, though.
"The very best of evenings to you!" The headmaster eventually spoke. "First off, please join me in welcoming one of the newest members of our staff, Horace Slughorn..." Dumbledore's voice boomed over the now silent room of students and teachers. "Professor Slughorn, I'm happy to say, has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master. Meanwhile the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts will be assumed by Professor Snape."
An almost silent gasp could be heard two tables away, and I finally tore my eyes away from the blonde boy to see none other than Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived shared a glance with the brunette girl next to him, then shook his head slightly, stunned.
"In addition to Professor Slughorn, we also have Genevieve Partridge. Professor Partridge will be taking over Astronomy for Professor Sinistra. Now, as you know, each and every one of you was searched upon your arrival tonight. You have a right to know why."
I shifted in my seat, and once again, the boy has his eyes locked on me. I wanted to say something to him, to tell him that staring wasn't nice, but I decided against doing so. You're a new student, Arabella. Make yourself seem likable.
"Once there was a young man who, like you, sat in this very Hall. Walked this castle's corridors. Slept beneath its roof. He seemed, to all the world, a student like any other. His name? Tom Riddle."
An new, eerie silence fell over the room.
"Today, of course, the world knows
him by another name."
Lord Voldemort.
"Which is why, as I stand looking out upon you all tonight, I am reminded of a sobering fact. Each day, every hour, this very minute perhaps, dark forces attempt to penetrate this castle. But in the end, their greatest weapon..." Professor Dumbledore made eye contact with the blonde boy, and the boy glanced down at the table in front of him. "...is you."
It seemed as if all the air around me went cold. Lord Voldemort was in fact back, and it seemed as though many people did not want to accept the truth.
The headmaster then smiled, looking around the Great Hall as we looked back at him. I glanced behind him and blushed as I saw my mother staring at me, waving slightly. "Just something to keep in mind. Now, off to bed. Pip pip!"
The Great Hall was noisy once again as it's students shuffled around and collected their friends to leave for the common rooms. Heads of Houses and Prefects led their younger students out, and I couldn't find the movement to get up from the table. It seemed like I wasn't the only one, though. The blonde-haired boy who sat across from me, slightly further away, touched at his left arm softly, almost grimacing as his fingers barely brushed over his forearm above his robes. He seemed to have been torn away from his thoughts when he saw me move to get up.
"I've never seen you here before." He mumbled gently, starting to rise from the long table as well.
"Well, that's because I've never been here before." I told him quietly. "I've just moved from—"
"—America." He cut off, smirking slightly. "You're American, yeah? You definitely sound a bit American." He seemed to be studying me closely as we looked at each other from across the opposite ends of the Slytherin table.
Nodding slowly, I gave him a small smile. In the community I lived in, there were many people who were from the U.K. But I lived in the United States, which meant I was blessed with the strange combination of both American and British accents. "Massachusetts." I specified.
"Oh, Merlin! A Salem witch! Just wait until my friends hear about this..." I could definitely sense the joking of his voice, but the boyish grin on his face was enough to make me laugh nervously.
"What's your name? I'm Draco. Draco Malfoy." There was an evident sense of pride on the boy's face as he introduced himself. But seconds later, the proudness was replaced by sudden, slight disgust—like the name was both a blessing and a curse. Then, his lips twitched softly and his eyes fell to meet mine.
"Arabella Partridge." I told him, sliding my hands into the pockets of my robes. I traced the outline of my wand with my right hand, and my nerves eased slightly at the comfort I felt from it. "And please, don't call me 'Bella.' I absolutely despise that name." I added, smiling at him to lighten up the tone of my wish.
Draco raised his eyebrows and began walking slowly towards the doors of the Great Hall. So, I followed. "Well, then, Bella." He smirked. "Would you let me accompany you to the common room? I would accept the offer if I were you, this castle is pretty big, and I would absolutely hate to see you—"
A real laugh escaped my lips as we made it to the door. "I think I can find my own way, thank you very much." I interrupted.
"What would you say if I told you the Slytherin dormitories were in the castle's dungeons?" He quickly asked, looking at me with a smirk. "And that a few students had to fight off a troll down there during my first year? Oh, and it's right under the Black Lake, it can get pretty scary down there sometimes."
![Strong [Draco Malfoy] - ON HOLD](https://img.wattpad.com/cover/90844252-64-k411904.jpg)