What Lies Within

"What do you mean you aren't going to King's Cross with me?" Sophie questioned her parents, frowning at the couple who stood in front of her, their traveling cloaks already over their shoulders.

"We have some very important business to take care of." Her father, Alfred Hill, told her. Alfred and Irene Hill were both Death Eaters, followers and little minions of the Dark Lord. Since the Dark Lord had risen again at the end of Sophie's last school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry her parents were now devoting all of their time to his needs and she was being pushed to the side, she was now unimportant. The Dark Lord came first.

"So how will I get to King's Cross then? I can't apparate yet." Sophie questioned, wringing her hands in front of her. She was nervous enough as it was, returning to Hogwarts. She knew things would be different. She may be fifteen but there were still moments where all she wanted was to curl up in her mothers arms and just be held, but of course, her mother would never allow such childish behavior from an almost adult witch.

"The Malfoy's have agreed to allow you to travel with them. As soon as you are packed you will use the floo network and go to their house where they will be waiting for you. Now hurry along, do not keep them waiting." Her mother instructed. With that, her parents turned on the spot, and with a loud pop, disappeared.

Sophie sighed and turned, making her way back up the grand staircase of her family's large manor. She was basically already packed, all she had to do was put her owl, Jonesy, in his cage and put her last minute school books in the trunk. After she finished the tasks she lugged her trunk and owl cage down the stairs and into the living room.

After placing both in the large fireplace, she threw floo powder into the grate, large green flames immediately erupted. She stepped in, kept her elbows tight to her side and spoke where she had to go.

"Malfoy Manor!" She yelled and soon she was spinning through blackness, her trunk and Jonesy at her side. Soon enough she was gracefully stepping out into a very fine living room, three people watching her, two of them had smiles on their faces, the other his ever present sneer.

"Oh, Sophie, how great to see you!" Sophie was then pulled into a tight hug by none other than Narcissa Malfoy, her mothers best friend, as well as Sophie's Godmother. The Hill and Malfoy family had been friends for centuries, both of them being pureblood families, really it was a surprise that none of them had married before, but as far as both families knew, there was no cross of their blood line anywhere, apart from friendships.

"Great to see you, as well." Sophie responded, smiling kindly at the blonde women. Sophie liked her well enough, she was always kind to her. The only problem with the Malfoy family was of course that they were arrogant, but then every pure blood family was, her own included, she was the exception. Their son, Draco, was as arrogant as they came.

As Lucius Malfoy nodded and smiled at Sophie as his hello, Draco stood in the back corner, his arms crossed and a sneer on his face as he looked at Sophie. Since they had started at Hogwarts, he always thought of her as a traitor to their kind. Not only did she associate with Potter, she spent her summers shacked up at the Weasley's house, who, though pureblood, were the biggest bunch of blood traitors anyone had ever known. She may be a Slytherin, but she had the attitude of a Gryffindor and it disgusted Draco.

"Draco, come say hello to Sophie!" Narcissa called to her son, turning to look at him. Sophie met his glare with a smile, being used to his cold behavior. She knew that the best way to anger him was to act as though she didn't notice his sullen attitude.

The two of them had known each other since they were born. They spent their childhood chasing each other through the grove outside of the Malfoy Manor. As they got older, they would lay out by the lake together and talk of their dreams, and their hopes for what Hogwarts would be. They rode the train to Hogwarts together but as soon as she met Harry Potter, their friendship was broken, from then on she was treated as if she was lower than him, as if she was a Gryffindor.

"Hello." He said, taking a few steps forward, his sneer still in place.

"Hello, Draco." She answered, her smile still in place.

"So, shall we go?" Lucius spoke, clapping his hands together.

"Oh yes, of course!" Narcissa agreed. She called to the house elves that were hovering just outside the door, waiting for orders. She had them take both Sophie and Draco's trunks and things to the car to load them up. The four of them then slipped on their traveling cloaks and ventured outside to the black town car, a driver sitting in the front seat waiting for them. "Lucius got us a car from the Ministry for the drive there!" Narcissa informed Sophie. Sophie did nothing but smile and nod as they climbed in. She ended up placed in the center in between Draco and Lucius, Narcissa taking the passengers seat in the front.

The drive to King's Cross was a quick drive, the Ministry car able to flit between muggle cars quickly and easily. They got out and got carts for their trunks before heading towards platforms nine and ten, quickly going through the barrier onto Platform 9 and 3/4.

"Have a nice term! See you at Christmas, Draco! Are you returning home for Christmas, dear?" Narcissa said to Sophie after hugging her son who then disappeared onto the train.

"I believe so." Sophie responded. She then spotted her friends, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger coming down the platform.

"Well then I am sure we will see you then. Have a good term." Sophie nodded and after a hug to Narcissa, turned and got onto the train. She went down the corridor and found the trio once again.

"Sophie!" Hermione yelled, pulling her friend into a hug. "Have a nice time back home?" She asked, making Sophie nod.

"Yes, it was very nice. And you?" Hermione's smile faltered. Though Sophie spent every summer since they started at Hogwarts with Ron's family, she had gotten a letter from Ron a few days into the break, saying that the Weasley's were going away and unable to have visitors. She spent the entire break holed up in her home, reading books and wandering the grounds of her home that she knew so well.

"Oh, it was nice enough, a bit stressful." Hermione responded. "Me and Ron got made Prefect though!"

"That's great!" Sophie said, smiling. "I did as well." She said, pointing at the badge on her chest, making Hermione grin.

"Brilliant! We should get to the other Prefects, don't you agree?" Ron and Sophie nodded before giving Harry sympathetic smiles.

"Don't worry about it. I'll go find a compartment, see you guys later." Harry said before turning and walking down the corridor. The three of them then made their way to the other end of the train where they found the Prefects compartment.

"They seriously made you a prefect, Hill?" She turned to see Draco Malfoy sneering at her from the corner. Great, the Slytherin boy prefect was Draco, who else would it have been?

"Obviously, Malfoy." She took a seat across from him, Hermione and Ron sitting beside her. Soon they left to go do their patrols before heading off to find Harry who was sitting in a compartment with Neville Longbottom and a Ravenclaw named Luna Lovegood.

"I heard about your hearing at the Ministry, Harry." Sophie spoke to her friend, leaving out the fact that she had heard it from Lucius Malfoy who had been creeping around the Ministry that day, much like he always did.

"Yeah, that was a fun day." Harry responded sarcastically. They continued to chat until it was time to change into their robes. Sophie always hated this moment. Their robes showed that she was different, in their muggle clothes she fit in, no one knew that she was basically a traitor among the mix, but in their robes, her green and silver stood out like a sore thumb against their maroon and gold. Even the blue and silver or Ravenclaw looked better with the Gryffindor's, but Slytherin did not fit with anyone but Slytherin.

They arrived at the Hogsmeade Station and all climbed into a carriage together.

"I'm starving, I can't wait for the feast." Ron spoke, staring off in the distance with a dream like look on his face. Ron loved food far too much, it made the others laugh. Though Sophie had to admit that she too was quite hungry, the cauldron cakes she had eaten on the train weren't satisfying enough.

"I'll see you guys later." Sophie spoke to the trio when they entered the Great Hall. The three of them, along with Neville, who got along with Sophie well enough but never fully trusted her because of her Slytherin status, waved goodbye, heading towards their own table. Sophie made her way over to the Slytherin table, taking her seat beside Pansy Parkinson, who had Draco sitting on her other side. She got along well with Pansy, it was just a downside that to hang out with her she had to also put up with Draco.

After the delicious feast, Dumbledore stood up to introduce some staff changes and do his usual start of the term speech.

"Umbridge works for Fudge." Draco whispered to his friends. "My father knows her." Sophie turned her blue eyes towards Umbridge who had interrupted Dumbledore's speech to give her own. She reminded Sophie of a toad, a pink toad.

"Did anyone even pay attention to that speech?" Zabini Blaise spoke after she was finished, making his friends laugh.

"I did." Sophie said, making them turn to look at her.

"So sum it up for us?" Draco asked, seeming to actually be interested in what she had to say.

"Well.." Sophie started. "To sum it up, the Ministry is about to take over Hogwarts." Draco couldn't help but grin.

"Good, maybe this school will actually go back to being some place worth actually coming back to." He said as their was a loud scrape of benches as everyone stood up, Dumbledore's speech now over.

"Come on, Malfoy." Sophie spoke, standing up. "We have to lead the first years to the common room." Draco rolled his eyes but stood up as well.

"Can't we just not and see if they find it on their own? It could be character building." He spoke, making Pansy shriek with laughter.

"No, Malfoy, we cannot. Now come on." With that Sophie turned, swung her wavy auburn colored hair over her shoulder and went towards the terrified group of first years standing a few feet away, waiting for instruction. "Come on, the common room is this way." She told them before turning to see Draco walking over to her, their other friends leaving the Great Hall without them.

"Yeah, let's go, shorties." Draco said to them, shoving them out of the way to get towards the door.

"Malfoy! Be nice!" Sophie scolded, making him just shrug.

Why on earth did she have to get stuck doing Prefect duties with Draco Malfoy? This year would be fun...