When I went down to breakfast the next morning, I was shocked to see Draco looking more tired and more withdrawn than ever. I took in his grey tinted skin and sunken eyes, and wondered if he had even slept.

I felt a hollow sort of feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I realised it was because I was horrendously upset by our argument. Although I was damned furious at him, another part of me just wanted to go and wrap my arms around him.

As if sensing my gaze, he suddenly looked up, his silver grey eyes piercing into mine. He looked so sad, so solemn - that my heart gave a painful tug.

I swallowed, looking down, focusing my attention on the scrambled egg in front of me. I was horrified to discover I had tears in my eyes, and I furiously blinked them back before they could dare to fall.

"Are you okay?" Susan asked, who was sat next to me, sipping that strange pumpkin juice.

"Yeah," I muttered, "just a bit tired, you know."

"It must be strange, settling into a new school," Susan kindly sympathised, "especially when you have the likes of Draco Malfoy giving you a hard time."

At the mention of his name, I shot my head up, and gave her a questioning look.

"I saw him marching you out of the hall last night - a word of advice: don't let him bully you about," Susan said sagely, "at the end of the day, he's just a coward who gets his kicks solely from picking on people who wouldn't hurt a fly. He's always been that way, and if he's not careful, he's going to find himself become a very sad and lonely individual."

We simultaneously glanced over to the Slytherin table, and my heart clenched as we both watched him morosely poking at his breakfast, his eyes cast glumly downwards as his fellow Slytherins chatted jovially around him.

And I suddenly understood why he had approached me all those years ago in the playground.

Draco Malfoy had just been as lonely as me.

...

Draco didn't turn up at all that evening to the Room of Requirement, which although saddened me, also made me feel slightly relieved that he was hopefully getting some sleep.

But when he didn't show for a second and then third night, however, I felt a horrible gnawing feeling in my stomach.

I knew he was okay, because I would glimpse him at mealtimes, looking forlorn - but his eyes never seemed to seek me out anymore. I didn't know whether to feel angry or sad.

I couldn't bring myself to think about the cabinet. I carried on sleeping round the corner from it, not being able to bear even looking at it anymore.

When I woke up the following Saturday, I didn't even bother going down to breakfast. My heart just felt too heavy to eat. And I hated seeing Draco across the room and having him act as if I didn't exist.

Rather than sit morosely in the Room of Requirement waiting to see if Draco would show or not, I decided instead to explore the grounds. Summer had well and truly come to a close but the autumn days were still bright and warm, so I made my way down to the lakeside, taking a book with me.

Before I had even finished my first page, a male voice spoke from above me, making me jump out of my skin.

"Hello, Astrid,"

I looked up to see Harry Potter standing over me, broomstick in hand.

"Oh, h-hello Harry," I stuttered, shielding my eyes from the bright morning sun, my heart still thudding in my chest from fright. "What brings you here?"

"Quidditch tryouts," he said, shaking his broom as if I needed further explanation. "Sorry - I didn't mean to scare you. Fancy coming to watch?"

"Um... okay," I said, curiosity about Quidditch getting the better of me. Draco had told me so much about it, and it was only recently I realised that they actually flew on broomsticks. I was quite fascinated to see it in action.

On the way, Harry explained to me that he wanted Ron for Keeper, but seeing how it was imperative he looked fair, he had to pretend to tryout others.

At least he recognised the nepotistic person he actually was, I supposed.

Harry gestured for me to sit next to Hermione, but seeing her disgruntled expression at the mere sight of me, I decided to sit on the end of the stands.

It was the strangest sight, seeing people mount broomsticks and rise up in the air as if they weighed nothing. I watched in absolute fascination.

When it was Ron's turn to tryout, the blonde girl on my left suddenly got really giggly and started nudging me and raising her eyebrows a lot.

"Isn't he brilliant?" She sighed, as Ron miraculously saved a goal.

Personally I thought the other boy - Cormac, I think his name was - was better suited to the role as Keeper, but Harry thought otherwise, of course, and recruited his best friend. Although, what do I know about Quidditch?

"So what did you think?" Harry asked as he came panting breathlessly over to me afterwards.

"It was something else," I beamed. "So you're not worried I'm going to report back to the Hufflepuff team, then?"

Something flashed in Harry's eyes. "No - I'm not worried at all, Astrid."

There was something about his tone which unnerved me.

"Walk with me to lunch," Harry said. It was not a request.

Sensing he wasn't going to take no for an answer, and seeing as I was hungry anyway; I got up from the stands and walked alongside him as we made our way back towards the castle.

"So, how are you enjoying Hogwarts?" Harry asked, his tone sounding forcibly casual, "do you have a favourite lesson yet? I'm sure you've gotten to know the teachers pretty well by now?"

I swallowed, feeling extremely uneasy. I had the nasty feeling that Harry was somehow trying to catch me out.

"Umm, Herbology is pretty neat, learning about all those plants and stuff," I mumbled praying that he would just leave it there.

"Oh yes - Professor Slughorn is a brilliant Herbologist wouldn't you agree?"

If it hadn't been for the fact that Draco had moaned something rotten about Harry winning some kind of liquid luck thing from Slughorn in Potions class back on the first day, I would have probably agreed with Harry.

"Umm, Professor Slughorn is the Potions Master, is he not?"

I noticed Harry's face drop. I knew it. He was definitely on to me. And I wished so much that Draco was talking to me still so that I could confide in him about this. But instead I felt utterly alone.

Before Harry could interrogate me further, two figures came round the corner towards us, making both Harry and I stop in our tracks.

It was Draco and Pansy.

And Pansy was literally hanging off of his arm.

The feeling I felt in my chest was indescribable - it was as though I couldn't breathe. Draco's grey eyes went instantly to me and he scowled ever so slightly noticing who I was with.

Pansy's face, however, lit up with glee as her beady little eyes landed on us.

"Oooo, look Drakie, Potter's got himself a girlfriend!" She screeched, making not only I - but Harry and Draco wince too.

"Leave it, Pansy," I heard Draco mutter, as he tugged at her arm, steering them slightly off course so that they wouldn't have to walk right past us. My heart twisted in pain, wondering what on earth Draco was doing with this girl.

But Pansy quite clearly wanted to play.

"Makes a change, Potter," Pansy continued in that absolutely dreadful voice of hers, "don't you usually wait until someone dies before swooping in and taking their girlfriend?"

"Malfoy, control that dog of yours," Harry snarled, glaring daggers at his rival.

Draco stopped suddenly, his jaw clenched furiously as his eyes pierced angrily over at Harry.

"Say that again, Potter." His face twitched as he he waited for Harry's response. My heart thudded in fear and I just wanted to get out of this situation as quickly as possible. I hated seeing Draco angry, but more than that - I hated seeing him with that awful girl.

"Harry," I warned, "let's just go and get some food."

"Yes, listen to the little Mudblood," Pansy cackled, making me freeze in fear, "because I'm assuming that's what you are? I've never heard of you before. What do you think Drakie? You're good at spotting them - does she look like a filthy Mudblood to you?"

"I-l don't know," Draco stammered, trying to get Pansy to move again. He refused to even look at me now.

"What's wrong?" Harry spat, and I noticed he had his wand at the ready. "Your left arm itching, is it, Malfoy?"

Within a flash, Draco had brandished his wand, pointing it right in Harry's face. His lip curled in a menacing sneer.

"Hang on a minute," Pansy gasped, pushing Draco aside and stepping towards me, her eyes narrowed intently as she looked into my face, "but I do know you from somewhere. I'm sure I've seen you before."

"Where?" Harry barked. I snapped my head up to look at him, my heart thudding dangerously in my chest. He was looking curiously from Pansy to me.

"Pansy, come on!" Draco sniped, the panic mounting in his voice as he forcibly grabbed her arm, "We haven't got time to stand around and converse with Potter and his fan club."

His eyes briefly met mine before he swooped them off and away into the distance. I tried to swallow the horrendous lump that had grown in my throat as I watched them disappear together.

"Where do you think she's seen you before?" Harry enquired, and I span around to see him studying me curiously.

I had to fight the strange desire to run. Run away from Harry Potter and this castle. Away from Draco and Pansy. Away from pretending to be someone I'm not.

But I had no where else to go.

And, I thought sadly, as I stared at the space where Draco and Pansy had just been, I was very much alone again.