A Powerful and Painful Addiction

Chapter 3: Warning

Joely re-opened what part of the door she had closed to see three smiling faces.

"You're an American!" said a cheery red head.

"What on earth gave you that idea, Ron?" retorted a brunette sitting on the left side of the compartment. "You can sit in here with us if you'd like."

Joely returned her gaze back out into the corridor to see where Draco was and found him exactly where he was just minutes ago but now laughing immensely. "You sure you don't mind?" Joely asked slightly biting her bottom lip, feeling nervousness overwhelm her. She only just realized how frightened she was about going to a new school and living in a new country three thousand miles away from her home. She was usually fearless about entering new things, but one thing; one thing had her nerves and fears in its complete control. She mentally cursed herself for acting so meek.

"No, please do, I've never met an American before," said a rather handsome boy with black, messy hair. "I'm Harry Potter by the way." He offered her his hand which she took.

"I'm Hermione Granger."

"Ron Weasley," said the red headed boy, with a mouthful of chocolate.

"Ron, chocolate does not look appetizing on that side of your lips, do swallow before you speak!" Hermione said with a look of nausea.

"I'm Joely McGill." Her tension easing gradually as the relaxed atmosphere of the compartment was just what she needed and hoped for too.

"Joely... Joely, of course I remember hearing about you from Professor McGonagall last year. You're the student that the teachers were talking about last year. Joely's tension returned. Why would the teachers be talking about her? she thought. But Hermione was screaming on inside with questions.

Joely couldn't help but notice how vivacious Hermione, Harry and Ron were. The fiery red head sprang up out of his seat so fast that the two girls jumped a few inches off their bench.

"Ron, where are you off to, mate?" Harry already knew of Ron's destination, but thought that perhaps maybe once, Ron was unpredictable. But, Harry knew him to well for that possibility to exist.

"Out of chocolate, must find the sweet cart!"

"Ron, we only left King's Cross an hour ago and already you want more candy! You're going to rot your teeth out before -" Hermione stated in a matter-of-fact tone with amazement in her eyes.

"Fortunately for me, Hermione," Ron interrupted with his hand on his stomach, "my parents aren't dentists, so leave my taste for sweets, and my teeth alone!" he said while laughing. Harry and Joely tried to harness their giggles, but failed miserably. Joely marked Hermione looking slightly disgruntled, but could see a smirk trying to form in the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were narrowed; but were trying to widen with the humor that wanted to outweigh the anger. Only seconds later a chain reaction commenced and the trio were bent over double with mirth.

Hermione erased away the tears from her eyes before giving a last little chuckle. "Fine, Ron, rot away, but woe betide you when all you can eat is mush. Then you'll think back 'oh why didn't I listen to Hermione! If I had I might still have TEETH!'" She buried her face into a rather large book that she pulled out from behind her; her eyes not moving, it was obvious she wasn't reading. Thanks to the comfort that the trio had provided her with, she had been oblivious at now having been on the Hogwarts Express for over an hour.

Ron pulled a half-melted chocolate frog from his pocket and spread the sticky, brown goo all over his teeth. He snatched the book from Hermione and smiled a big, toothy grin.

"YUCK! Gross, Ron!" Hermione placed one hand on Ron's forehead, the other on his cheek and shoved him away. She couldn't fathom what Harry and Joely found so funny about Ron's gross humor.

"Well I'm off to find the chocolate!" he grinned again, leaving behind the sound of his laughter.

"Now that the great prat is gone, Joely, I want to know about your school. What kind of classes did you have? What school did you go to? Did you get there by trains... or brooms... or some other transportation? Did you have houses or something else? Which one were you in?" Hermione asked all in one breath.

Joely was opening and closing her mouth like a mute and couldn't get a word in edgewise to answer the never-ending assault of questions. "Do you always ask this many questions?"

Having noticed Harry stepped in. "Hermione," he tried but no answer. "Hermione?" Finally having to resort to "Granger!" she shot him a vicious glower. "Maybe if you stopped pressing the questions, she just might answer some of the ones you've already asked. Did you ever think of that?" She shot him another stare out from the tops of her eyes, causing him to throw his hands up in defense and sit down on the bench Ron once kept warm.

"Well... um okay let me see," Joely began. "My classes are just like yours I'm sure, but we do have a few different ones I would bet; there's a class called M.P.E.S. which stands for Muggle Physical Education Studies where we're taught different sports that muggles enjoy. I personally like soccer; well British muggles call it football though..."

"Harry and I lived as muggles until we were eleven," Hermione interjected. "I'm actually muggle-born, and Harry lives with his muggle relatives."

"I lived partially with my maternal grandmother until school. She preferred the quiet muggle life compared to the erratic hustle and bustle of the magic world, so I had the best of both worlds too. I played on a muggle soccer team during the summer." Joely was ecstatic that her fears of only having Draco as a friend was diminishing. "Anyways, let's see what else... I went to Salem Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry..."

Hermione interrupted again, "I read about that school; it's one of the finest."

"Well, there are only two schools of magic in the America though," said Joely. "And if you think about it, Salem isn't even in the U.S., but it services the magical students of North America and Canada, so it's quiet big."

Joely enjoyed Hermione's persistent questions; but it made her wonder why Draco never asked her about her life in the States. Harry felt a comfortableness with Joely; one that made him feel that he, Hermione and Ron could maybe become friends with her. Harry knew that if she could keep Hermione on her toes, then that was a good sign. Hermione found extreme interest in American magic classes, even-though Joely insisted that the curriculum was probably the same as at Hogwarts.

"I bet you don't have a Potions Master that favors his house's students and adds points to his house for another houses' failure?" Joely could not only hear but feel the loathing that Hermione apparently had for the Potions professor.

"Well, no, but my History of Magic teacher was evil!" She looked at Harry and Hermione who both held grins. "No, really he was. He would pick on certain students (Joely heard "Snape and Neville" from Harry and Hermione) and have them re-enact a battle or rebellion; but he would transfigure objects into goblins that would attack. This one time he actually brought in a fully grown troll for a demonstration of a troll migration and the damn thing chased us out of the classroom, and down the corridor! Professor Gratley laughed his bum off the whole time! The Dean had to order him to remove the troll immediately!" Joely was flustered in the cheeks and the anger could be seen steaming through her pores and clenched fists.

The compartment door opened with the three of them assuming that it was Ron, but found it to be a different student...

"Ah ha! So this, where you have been hiding! Harry, Hermione have either of you seen Ron?" a petite blond asked.

"Lavender, this is Joely. She's that student I was telling you I heard McGonagall on about last year," Hermione squeaked.

"An American at Hogwarts, eh? That's a definite new one," Lavender screeched.

"I'm Joely, nice to meet you," she said with a sincere smile even-though her stomach was quaking.

"Oh, I have to go get Parvati. I'll be right back! Don't move I wanna hear more!" Lavender flew out the compartment with lightening speed.

"Oh no," replied Hermione.

"What?" Joely asked.

"Well, in plain an simple terms, Lavender and Parvati are boy crazy, so I can just imagine what they're going to want to hear." Hermione rolled her eyes at knowing of the upcoming annoyance, her scowl a sickly green.

"Oh, Hermione," said Harry with a smirk, "it won't be that bad." But deep down he knew she was right.

"How bad can two girls be about asking about guys?" Joely thought back to when her and her best friends would stay up till all hours of the night talking about guys. "Well on second thought, I think I know how bad it can be," she said laughing.

Lavender returned a slim ten minutes later with more than just another girl; she brought with her two girls and three boys.

"Joely, this is Parvati, her twin sister Padma, and this is Dean, Neville and Terry," said Lavender pointing to each one. Parvati, Padma, Dean, Neville and Terry all said "Hello..." in unison.

"Hello."

"Padma is in Ravenclaw, and Terry is in Hufflepuff. Parvati, Dean and Neville are in Gryffindor with me, Harry, Hermione and... Ron wherever he is. Speaking of Ginger, where is he?" Lavender huffed, her hands on her hips.

"What other space does Ron like to take up on the train?" Harry sighed. The words "Sweet Cart" was all that could be heard in the tiny compartment. Joely was amazed. Granted they had known each other for six years previously, so in reality, it shouldn't have been that shocking to her.

"I want to know more about that troll so -" Harry began but was cut off.

"Yes, Harry... " Parvati stuck her hand up in Harry's face, "fascinating subject there trolls, but we want to know the 'good stuff.'"

Hermione rolled her eyes, and Parvati pushed her way past Dean and Padma to sit across from Joely. Closely followed behind were Padma and Lavender. Hermione and Harry glanced at each other knowing what the "good stuff" was. Hermione also forgot to mention to Joely that Parvati and Lavender were oversexed as well. Dean, Terry and Neville emitted groans and grimaces of disdain.

"Ladies, ladies, how about a subject we all can relate to like... oh say Quidditch! Now there's a subject worth talking about!" replied Terry.

"Yea I agree," Harry said with a big smile.

"NO!" yelled Parvati, Padma, and Lavender.

"YES!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

"Hey! Hey!" yelled Joely. The bickering between estrogen and testosterone would not cease and desist. Joely and Hermione tried to pull everyone's attention from the subjects of boys and sports; but nothing seemed to work. Hermione had resulted to banging her head against the outside looking window in complete and total frustration. Harry, noticing the window taking a beating, quickly slid his hand in between the two before the next bang.

"What are you trying to do cause brain damage, love?" Harry knelt down to look into her chocolate brown eyes. "That's my job; give me the honor of doing it." Hermione laughed lightly as she rubbed her temples. "That could be a real nasty knot." Harry examined her forehead gently rubbing the sore spot.

"I guess I don't know my own strength," she chuckled. ("What is wrong with talking about guys Terry?" "That's all you girls talk about : guys, makeup, hair and more guys! It gets old Parvati!")

"Nah, I think you do. Remember when you smacked the blazes out of Malfoy third year?" Hermione gave a dry grin, nodding her head.

"Yeah, I have to admit that felt quite good."

"See you know your strength." Harry gave her red forehead and throbbing temples a tender kiss. "You all right now?" Hermione nodded. "Good now let's see if we can get this mayhem under control, shall we?"

"ALL RIGHT, YOU LOT!" Harry yelled but to no avail did it work, especially when he felt to be having a conservation with himself.

Joely tried to get up from her seat and push through the throng of raging hormones to leave, but was ever pushed back down. In the end, she had crawl along the small bench just to get to the window that Harry and Hermione were leaning against. She stood up smoothing out her clothes and flipping her tousled hair out of her face.

"So... how long have you two been dating?" she said with a wide, bright smile.

"Wha... what makes you think that we're dating?" The anxiety about what Joely had seen was crystal clear as Harry and Hermione weren't exactly acing hiding their jitteriness.

"Uh... okay." Joely was still smiling wide, the genuine of the pair reaching her heart. "All right, either you two are together or Harry here checks the male racks! Not to sound all knowing, but I have a few gay friends and I can clearly tell that you: Harry, are clearly not gay, so I suppose I'm right in saying that you two are dating?" Joely wore an expression of puzzlement, giddiness, and cheer. But, she was a little apprehensive that maybe she had overstepped her boundaries by asking such a bold and personal question basically from the beginning.

"Is it that obvious?" Harry asked with worry as he rubbed the back of his neck. "We don't really want anyone to know just yet."

"I was totally oblivious until you kissed her forehead. Anyone watching... cough me cough... would have seen it. But your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks," said Hermione

"I'm totally against betraying trust... so no worries, okay? Good." Joely smiled and nodded. "So... what's the best approach to break this up?"

Joely, Harry and Hermione huddled together to try to come up with a plan ("Harry!")

"Maybe we should just leave?" ("Harry!") Hermione suggested. ("Harry!")

"Who the bugger is calling me?"

"It's Ron; he's stuck at the door!" Hermione chuckled. "Ron, you're going to have to crawl under them!"

Ron finally reached the window. "Bloody hell what's going on?"

"There was a slight dispute about interrogation."

"Slight... you call this slight? Harry, this is louder then when my mum was yelling at Fred and George for giving your cousin Dudley those 'Ton-Tongue Toffees', remember that?" Harry smirked at the memory of it all.

"I've got an idea; Ron you go find Seamus and he can deal with Parvati, and I'll go find Hannah and she can handle Terry. Harry... you best stay here with Joely. Maybe the two of you can try something else, yeah?"

"Ready, Hermione?" asked Ron

"Ready Ron; let's get crawling!" Hermione choked a laugh. After finally having made their way through the gaggle of legs, Ron went off to the left, Hermione to the right.

....................................................

"Seamus, there you are!" Ron said panting finding Seamus near the loo.

"What's this I hear about an American in your compartment?"

"I'll explain later but you're girlfriend is on the warpath with Terry, Dean and Neville!"

"What about?" Seamus queried.

"Not sure, but it's loud." Ron jerked his head in the opposite direction. Seamus shook his head and set off at Ron's heels.

With Seamus being right outside Draco's compartment he couldn't help but listen in. So that's where she's been, Draco thought to himself. He checked his watch and noticed that Joely had been M.I.A. for tow hours now. He felt grim about it really. I'm supposed to be looking out for her and she gets stuck with Potter, Weasley and Granger. "Well time to rescue my damsel in distress," he said out loud. He jumped off his bench but was grabbed around the waist; he groaned in protest.

"Drakie, I'm right here, I'm not in distress," shrieked Pansy.

"You're sure as hell not a damsel either so sod off!" Draco forcefully removed Pansy's arms, receiving odd stares into his back as he took his leave.

"That American slut better stay away from my Draco!" Pansy spat with anger and rage, cracking her knuckles.

No matter how hard Draco tried to deny it, they were his friends; but not by his choice. Crabbe and Goyle pursued him like stray dogs on either side of him, following him like guard dogs with their master. He saw the back of Ron's flaming gingered head and slowed to an almost tip toe padding. His curiosity about this "warpath" was the getting the better of him; he had to know. He was inquisitive as to where she might be, but he remembered a saying he once heard, "Follow the rats to higher ground." Well Weasley is a rat and I know he's headed for Joely, so I'll follow him to her.

After a few more minutes of stealth on Draco's part; Crabbe and Goyle were as silent as their galumphing feet would allow them to be; he noticed the Weasel stop in front of a compartment door with quite a lot of loud "chatter" coming from the opposite side. Thank you Weasley. Hermione, Ron, Hannah and Seamus entered the once closed door and Draco made his move sending Crabbe and Goyle away.

......................................................

Seamus and Hannah were attempting to settle the feud while Hermione and Ron were crawling back to the window. They both stood up to see Harry and Joely sharing a bucket of popcorn and watching the "fight".

"Where did you get that?" Hermione asked with her hair all messed.

"Joely did it!"

"Want some?" Joely asked.

"How did you? You can... you can do wandless magic?" Hermione was astonished.

"Some," Joely smiled popping another handful into her mouth. "It's purely accidental though. It was quite funny actually. I was telling Harry about the boxing matches that my grandfather used to watch, well we would always share popcorn while it was on, and then... it was here."

"That's really advanced magic!"

"The only good think about it actually is that if it happens, I have an excuse for why my wand is missing from class; which in essence means that I'm not constantly being reprimanded for forgetting a piece of wood."

"Can you teach me sometime?" Hermione asked.

"I can try, I can't promise anything though because like I said, it's purely accidental."

.................................................

Draco opened the door suddenly and saw utter anarchy. He looked every which way he could trying to find Joely, though he knew she was in here, he couldn't see her. Suddenly, a hand shot up across the compartment near the window.

An idea struck Joely. She put two fingers into her mouth on either side and blew creating a very loud, high pitched shriek. The argument stopped abruptly with people placing their hands over their ears and Draco cocking a smirk.

"I wish I would've thought of that an hour ago," Joely, Hermione and Harry laughed, while everyone else, including Ron looked lost.

Seamus was the first to speak with, "So you're the American?"

"Yes I would be. I'm Joely McGill." She offered Seamus her hand and he exchanged with her.

"I'm Seamus Finnegan."

"Nice to meet you."

"Well if that bullshit's settled..." The throng parted like the Red Sea to show Draco leaning against the door frame rather seductively, almost as though he was striking a pose.

"What in the bleedin' hell do you want, Malfoy?" Ron hassled.

"I came to rescue my damsel in distress from you, Potty and the mudblood," Draco snipped.

Harry began a hunt for Draco's head when he was stopped by Joely's arm; her threatening face a force not to be reckoned with.

"What did you call her?" Joely's face curled into fury.

"A mudblood," he said casually. "You do know that, don't you?"

"HEY! What your mouth, Draco!" Joely raged.

"Draco?" Ron repeated looking confused at the ferret being addressed by his given name.

"Of course, I forgot Joely was the one we saw walking with Malfoy this morning on the platform," Hermione spoke.

"She's a witch, Draco, NOT a mudblood!" Joely's hatred and disgust toward that word was as black as night. "Besides, I thought that that attitude was long gone, seeing as that's what you told me."

"Well anyways, your knight in shining armor is here to rescue you, so c'mon." Draco offered out his hand and jerked his head toward the door.

"NO!" His hand dropped like a limp noodle.

Everyone's eyes grew to plate size at the Draco Malfoy being told 'no'. Draco was even a bit indignant himself.

"And, why not?"

"Because one: I'm not done talking and two: not until you apologize to Hermione!"

"Yeah right, like hell I'm apologizing to Granger!"

"Then like hell I'm going anywhere with you!" Joely spat back.

Everyone was in either complete shock or trying to hold in their laughs.

"Jem, come on."

"Then c'mon and apologize, Draco." A rather pregnant pause filled the compartment. "Don't make me use your nickname."

Malfoy admitted defeat; no way did he want everyone knowing her nickname for him. That was for his ears only! "All right, all right for the first and only time in your life Granger...I...I..."

"Draco, it's not that hard to apologize. Swallow your pride, suck it up, and be a man!" she said, gesturing with her hand for him to get a move on if he wanted to her leave with him.

He did indeed swallow his pride and said, "All right, I apologize, Granger," grimacing through every word like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"See now that wasn't so hard was it?" Joely cooed as though talking to a baby.

"All right, now c'mon." Draco offered his hand again.

"Nope, I'm still talking." Enraged, he left hastily, slamming the sliding door behind him.

"Okay, now that is one for the eternal memory bank!" Ron replied wide eyed just as the door glass cracked. He returned to his former compartment looking furious. Pansy sat on his lap, wrapped her arms around his neck and leant her head onto his shoulder.

Every move Pansy made Draco groaned and grimaced. "Get off me!" Pansy removed her arms and looked at her lover with wet, hurt eyes. He then opened his legs and Pansy fell through onto the floor with a thud. She returned to her seat rubbing her sore bum. Draco sat fuming and brooding angrily for ten minutes then impulsively left to go on a walk. "Don't follow me!" he ordered to Crabbe and Goyle but especially to Pansy. He walked past the compartment Joely was in and heard lots of laughter and giggles. He suddenly felt selfish for thinking that he could keep Joely all to himself, but yet wondered who she thought she was to leave him standing like a follower in the corridor to stay with the golden trio. Finding an empty compartment, he locked himself in, slumping down on the bench with his arms crossed over his chest and only his head, only his neck and shoulders touching the back of the seat; staring out the window, feeling sorry for himself.

After about ten minutes of alone time there was a gentle knock on the door that reminded him of how his mum used to knock on his door. He unlocked the door and proceeded to open it -

"Pansy I told you to leave me..." but all Draco saw was Joely standing with one arm propped against the frame, "the fuck alone." Draco shut his mouth quickly.

"Well I'm not Pansy, but I'll leave you alone if you want."

"No, no I'm sorry please come in." Draco gently took her hand and led her into the compartment. He closed the door behind her, but she locked it. Draco was surprised. "What was that for?" he asked with a naughty smile.

"I wanted to talk to you the rest of the way without any interruptions."

"Well it's nice to know I'm wanted in some ways," he said while returning to his bench.

Joely walked towards him and sat down on his lap, straddling him. She playfully smacked his tummy and said, "Trust me you're wanted in more ways than you know." She smiled devilishly with a hint of mischief in her voice.

........................................................

The next two hours seemed like just minutes. Joely had decided to stretch out on the bench and prop her legs on Draco's lap. Being the sneaky, flirt that he is; he quickly threw off her shoes and attacked her feet with his fingers. She rolled off the bench onto the floor hoping to escape, but found her feet being tickled again. Yes she was ticklish, incredibly ticklish.

She flipped over onto her back and Draco moved in between her legs, moving his left hand to hold her arms above her head, and his right hand going after her exposed tummy and sides. Joely was laughing so hard she couldn't speak and could barely breathe at that. Draco loved watching her squirm underneath him. Lewd thoughts were racing through his mind uncontrollably; and if it had been any other girl, he might have acted on the impulses, but it was different with Joely; he fought hard to keep the self control he knew he had to keep himself in check. This one was for approval and not before. She arched her back toward him trying to free her arms when Draco suddenly stopped. Her tee had lifted up, and Draco noticed a navel piercing that he had never seen before.

"Ah!" she squirmed.

"Did that hurt?"

"No, no it tickles when you touch it so lightly."

Oh..." Draco held a perverse grin, "that's better than pain." Scorching heat was searing between the two. Joely's body moved in small movements against him as though it was involuntary; Draco's breathing a indication of his rise in body temperature. She looked at him again but with amusement at how deeply engrossed he had become in a simple navel ring. He admired the way the ring moved with her bated and shallow breathing. He swore that he felt the gem calling him to pay mind to it, maybe even worship the skin around it in kisses. He refrained from it, but very reluctantly. Feeling the rising ache between his legs made him take notice at Joely's almost thrusting into him, and the very vulnerable position they were in. He quickly removed himself, returning to the bench with Joely following closely behind.

They thought it best to find a topic of interest to talk about. The conversation lasted only minutes when the train gave a jolt. Draco was sitting on the edge of the bench and Joely was sitting on her legs. When the train jarred, Draco fell onto his back on the floor and Joely onto him. "Well I now know I'm good for something."

"Well, I'm sure you're good at other things I'm willing to find out about..." Joely grinned and Draco moaned in angst, "but we definitely know that you're good at breaking my fall."

Neither Draco nor Joely moved, but stayed stationary as they asked silent questions through each other's piercing eyes. Joely bit her bottom lip and then Draco gave her a hard, but playful smack on the rear. She yelped and Draco sported that knee crumbling devilish smirk that made both hot and rearing to go. Still not moving, both their heartbeats and breathing one, she leant in to kiss him, but pulled back.

"I guess we uh..." Joely could feel his erection rising hard against her thigh, "better get going." Draco really didn't want her move, but accepted her nervousness like a man. She slowly sat up and Draco could hear her groaning in objection. Both standing up and straightening their clothes, Draco's arisen member was still seen to be craving attention. "Uh... just walk behind me and no one will see." Having well seen the effect she had on Draco, her inner self jumped for joy, though she wished she knew that she was reciprocating the arousal.

They exited the compartment in groans of demurral with Draco's hand in her back pockets, intending to make way toward the door off the train. The feel of his hands cupped to her derrière made him smile in pure male satisfaction, but could feel himself only becoming harder. Joely in turn was flushed with heat and arousal at his touch. His hands so close to her most intimate area melting her as a whole. Soon they had commenced their walk to the carriages when Joely heard her name being called. That's odd!

It was a few of the fellow students she had met, telling her good luck with her sorting.

"Thanks guys!" Joely yelled back.

"You do know that you will be a Slytherin with me, don't you?" Draco whispered erotically into her ear. Joely looked up at him with a sparkle in her eyes; she was thinking the same thing as him. After all, the entirety of her family, minus her mother's side, were Slytherins, so of course, she would be as well.

Joely was in awe of the size of Hogwarts, from what she could see of it via the carriage window, it was causing the skittishness in her to take control and shake her legs. Pansy unfortunately joined the two and tried to squeeze in next to Draco, but he ensured that it wasn't made possible. Pansy sat back on her side of the carriage and noticed Draco's slightly raised lap. She was choleric mostly at knowing that she hadn't been responsible, but seeing Draco place a calming, gentle hand on Joely's quaking legs, irked her all the more.

"Relax, you're going to be just fine, trust me," he whispered, sending chills through every single vertebrae, but calming her slightly. Pansy appeared Avada Joely right then and there. But knew that not only would Draco never touch her again, but would never speak to her either. Her menacing glare however, did not go unnoticed.

Draco put his arm around Joely and ushered in whisperings of sweet nothings into her ear, trying to ebb her fidgeting, erupting more hurt and fury into Pansy. The smell of her hair mixed with her perfume made his insides crumble; taking a chance and placing a light kiss on the back of her head, the scent of her hair enveloping him again. His eyes fluttered shut with her intoxicating aroma. Pansy's mouth gaped open but made not a sound. Upon reaching the castle, Draco exited first and turned around to offer Joely his hand to assist her egress, then slammed the door shut in Pansy's face.

"If that bitch is sorted into Slytherin, she will die tonight!" Pansy said a little louder than she wanted to; notably when Draco had heard it. Telling Joely that he'd be back momentarily, he stalked off to the pug-faced Slytherin, all the while glaring with threat.

"If anything ever harms her in anyway and I found out you're connected to it, you'll regret it. Believe me, Pansy, I won't hesitate to act if something happens to her. Understood?"

Pansy only nodded, for the first time in her life she was afraid of Draco.

.....................................................

Once inside the castle, the new sixth years were met by Professors McGonagall and Snape. Snape having seen Joely's wise choice in companionship (he always did favor his students), knew that she was the next Slytherin to add to his house's repertoire of students.

"Miss McGill, if you would please follow me to Professor Dumbledore's office for your sorting; the rest of you take your seats in the Great Hall. Professor Snape, will you please show the first years into the Great Hall for sorting? Thank you."

Draco leant into her ear and whispered, "Now, while your wearing the hat, think about anything involving Slytherin, green and silver, potions, you like potions, you're a guaranteed success."

"I have to put on a hat?" she returned before jumping off to catch up with the hurrying professor.

Draco took his normal seat at the Slytherin table, keeping the spot to his left available to Joely. Fifteen minutes later and after all the students, minus the new first years were seated and quiet, Joely entered the hall from a door behind the head's table to the left. Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore were at her heels, with witch of tartan flare carrying a three-legged stool and what looked to be a ratty old hat. She looked as scared as the first years she knew to be outside the doors, but she forced herself to smile in lieu of displaying her fear.

"Students for the next two years Miss McGill will be joining us here at Hogwarts. She is joining us all the way from Salem Academy in the States. I expect all of you to make her time here enjoyable," McGonagall said with utmost seriousness.

"Don't bet on it!" whispered Lavender.

"Think again, McGonagall," mumbled Pansy which received another glare of impending danger.

"I'm warning you, Pansy, anything, anything at all, and you'll be lucky if you live to see the end of the year." Pansy, now petrified, hung her head. She hadn't an indication if she should be truly frightened, or just very mindful.

Joely looked around the Great Hall in search of Draco as McGonagall continued on with a bit of insight in her. When she finally found him he gave her a wink and she returned a reassuring smile. Draco's hopes were fulfilled; she was a Slytherin! He couldn't contain the butterflies in his stomach; he smirked from ear to ear causing the new serpentette to blush.

"Miss McGill is our newest..."