Colder Than Ice

Chapter Six

Paisley had successfully changed into her robes, but she had also successfully gotten herself lost in the process. The train had stopped and it was nearly empty, she wandered around trying to find one of the many doors leading to the outside.

“How in Merlin's knickers does someone get lost on a train?” She muttered to herself, shaking her head at her own misfortune.

“Obviously someone without any common sense.” Said a drawling voice from behind her, she jumped and her hand flew out catching the persons head. It was dark on the train so it took her eyes a while to adjust, only to realize that it was Draco Malfoy.

He rubbed his head, “Bloody hell, Longbottom.”

“I can't say you don't deserve it.” She sneered, a facial expression that Draco noticed was very Malfoy-like. “You, and your precious Aunt Bella.”

“Do you want me to leave your sorry ass here?” He said through gritted teeth. When she didn't say anything he grabbed her by the arm and lead her to the nearest exit.

“Why are you still here?” Asked Paisley, looking at him sideways, careful not to catch his eye.

“Taking care of some business, nothing your little Gryffindor head should be concerned about.” He sneered, his perfect features were sharp and uncaring, it scared Paisley and she quickened her pace, wanting to get away from the cruel boy.

As they stepped off the train, Draco was the first to notice that there was only one carriage left. They approached it and after carefully watching Paisley's face go from scared, to focused, to confusion, then realization, Draco knew she had finally figured it out.

“Where are the other carriages?” She asked, Malfoy rolled his eyes.

“Your brother and you may not look and inkling alike, but you obviously both have the same capacity for knowledge.” He spat at her, wincing as her foot made contact with his shin. His face went red with anger, this girl thought she was brave? Thought that he, Draco Malfoy, wouldn't retaliate? She was wrong.

Dead wrong.

He spun around, catching Paisley off guard, he wrapped his hand around her neck and squeezed lightly, She thrashed around in his grasp, wheezing slightly.

“You think you can go around hitting, Draco Malfoy?” He said, his voice dangerously low, Paisley was starting to tear up, she convinced herself it was because of the pressure on her neck, not because she was actually scared.

She coughed in response.

“If you know what best for you and your precious brother, you'll start to respect me, like the rest of the school.” He whispered, “Now get in the carriage.”

He dropped her to the ground and she slowly looked up at him, fire in her eyes. She got to her feet.

“You don't scare me, Ferret.” She smirked, lying. She used the name her brother called him whenever Malfoy was brought into a conversation.

“Get in the carriage.” He demanded, his voice and facial expression so different from the tone he was using before.

“No bloody way!” She shouted, eyed wide, “You just want me in there so you can 'teach me a lesson.'”

“Fine with me.” He drawled, hoisting himself into the carriage.

The creepy horse looking things pulled the carriage down the dark winding path. Paisley frowned, Ferret Face was riding comfortably to the school in a warm carriage, given he was probably going to be there a little late.

She was walking down a dark path surrounded by the Dark Forbidden Forest, it was cold, scary, and she was going to miss the sorting ceremony.

“How am I going to get sorted now?” She whined, sticking out her lower lip. Neville wasn't even there to help her figure out what to do, she didn't know where she was going. Even if she did manage to find her way to the castle she didn't know where to go once she got there.

She didn't even want to think about Neville, he hadn't even told his friends about her. She felt like a big secret, Neville told her about all of his friends, did anyone know that she even existed except for Gran, Neville, and the nurses in the Critical Ward?

There was a sudden down pour, rain instantly drenching her from head to toe.

“Great,” She said, rolling her eyes. She had just gotten dry from Malfoy's water spell. Her dirty blond hair clung to her face and her side swept bangs felt like they were stuck to her forehead.

Two hours later she rounded the bend and saw a magnificent castle, one that made her stop, even in the pouring rain, which hadn't let up even in two hours. She ran up to the entrance, and opened the massive wooden doors.

They creaked eerily and shut behind her with a dull thud. She tiptoed through the stone hallway that was lit with candles. It was quiet, all she could hear was the sound of her footsteps and water dripping from her hair and robes.

She could hear faint clinking sounds, like forks hitting plates and she followed the sound to a slightly smaller set of double doors. She opened them with force to reveal a mass of students sorted into four tables, color coordinated, and at the front of the room was a table sitting horizontally that sat older looking people who Paisley assumed to be the professors.

Paisley wanted to apparate out of there, in fact, she almost reached into her drenched pocket and got out her wand, but chickened out for fear that her arm would be detached from her body.

“Uh, terribly sorry.” She said, in a quiet voice that seemed to echo throughout the hall. She spotted Neville at the table with red and gold undertones. He silently asked her where she had been, she ignored him.

The man with long silver hair, a beard that was tucked curtly into his rope belt and blue orbs that scanned Paisley's appearance from behind half moon spectacles drew his wand for his pocket. Paisley recognized the wrinkled man as Albus Dumbledore.

Suddenly, she was dry, her clothes were no longer sticking and her hair wasn't clinging to the back of her neck.

“Thanks.” She smiled towards Dumbledore. “I think I was starting to get a rash.”

The students laughed and Paisley smiled sheepishly, she caught a pair of ice blue eyes, and flicked him the finger when Dumbledore's back was turned.

“Ms. Longbottom,” Started Albus, several students gasped at her surname, “Let's get you sorted.”