Chapter Text
“We are sorry to inform you, Mr. Malfoy, but this is the last time we will be having this conversation.”
“Please,” Lucius said, “ Narcissa and I are willing to fund a new fully stocked chemistry lab.”
“It doesn’t matter how much money your family contributes. Draco has burned the school administration and board too many times. We can not make any more exceptions for him or you, Mr. Malfoy.”
“Where do you suppose we send him then?” Lucius asked.
“I hear Ilvermorny is still accepting students. I’m sure with your family’s history with Headmaster Snape you could easily get in.”
“The American school?” Have you lost your mind? We may as well just put him back at Hogwarts with that loon Dumbledore!”
“Mr. Malfoy, remember who you are speaking to. You won’t be in my office raising your voice. Now, last I heard, Hogwarts had no openings. But again, maybe Snape will help with the transition from the UK to America.”
“Yeah, well, we will just have to see about that.”
“He has told us his time as headmaster has been going better than expected. The only thing he complains about is the fact they’re required to take scholarships.”
Lucius scoffed “Thanks for your time,” before turning to Draco.“We’ll be discussing this at home.”
Snape being both a family friend and his godfather made his parents' decision to send him to America an easy one. In fact, they didn’t even have Dolohov, their butler, assist in the transition. No, they made him pack up his own things; he even loaded up the car on his own. The only thing they did for him was drive him to the airport and give him a hug. His father's departing words went in one ear and out the other when he told Draco not to screw it up otherwise he was done with him and he would no longer have any part of the Malfoy fortune. The last line he said to him was if you want to act like an adult, then you get the adult treatment - it’s time to grow up and be a man, Draco. Then he was gone, and Draco left to navigate the airport all by himself. Lucky for him, this wasn’t his first rodeo navigating an airport. Unfortunately for him, his flight was delayed, and he had a middle seat in the economy section of the flight.
Snape was not very enthused about the circumstances of them reuniting. He grumbled about how Draco had better not be an embarrassment to him while he stayed at Ilvermorny like he had been for his family at Drumstrang. The ride was intense.
Upon arrival at the school, Draco found it to be a major disappointment. It was much smaller than he was used to, and the grey brick buildings lacked the character he was usually surrounded by at Durmstrang. Off in the distance, he noticed what looked like a sports complex with several teams practicing. The thing that stood out to him, however, was the clock tower. Tall and foreboding, it loomed over the campus, and he briefly wondered how many students had snuck up there for a late-night rendezvous.
After getting directions from Snape, Draco found his way to the hall that held his dorm room. The common area was larger than he expected and there were a few students huddled around the game tables and TVs.
Once he was settled in, he decided to explore the campus. He found the dining hall. It was fairly big, larger than the one at Drumstrang. The food, however, did not compare and looked disgusting. He noticed the kids sat at the huge round tables with up to 10 people clustered together at each one.
He also found the library, which seemed to be even bigger than the cafeteria. It was pretty cozy, with couches and tables littered throughout. He even thought he spotted some bean bags. Gross!
He then made his way back to his dorm to settle in because he knew he had a long day ahead of him tomorrow.
The following morning he reported to the administration office to get an official map and his class schedule. Looking down at his timetable, he realized it wasn’t that bad.
Block 1 & 2 - Chemistry
Block 3 - History
Block 4 - Algebra 3
Lunch
Block 5 - Study Hall
Block 6 - Lacrosse
Block 7 - British Lit
Block 8 - Study Hall
Lacrosse, that is right! He didn’t think that was something that would be offered at Ilvermorny, but to his delight, they did. He was the best back at Durmstrang. Playing on the team at Ivermorny was one of the conditions set forth, in order for him to come here. Snape told him we have a reputation to uphold, and we want to win the cup this year! With no other option and no place to go, he didn’t have a choice.
He shook off the annoyance and then made his way to his first class, Chemistry. It was going to be an hour of his time, so it was better to get there early and scope it out.
When he entered, the first thing he noticed was that even though he was early, he was actually late. Every lab table had partners at it except for one. A lonely bushy-haired girl sat on one of the stools with her nose deep in a book. He took that as his cue that her table might be okay to sit at. Sliding onto the stool across from her, he studied her for a minute and decided she wasn’t all that bad to look at. Plaid skirt, white button-down shirt with the top button undone. He could see a peak of her skin underneath. Her red and gold pleated skirt was nicely pressed, and he noticed her calves were insanely toned. On her feet were a pair of maroon Converse. He assumed a ponytail holder usually sat on her left wrist, but today it was on the other wrist. When she finally looked up, he noticed that her eyes were a rich brown color.
He decided if he was going to start off with someone it may as well be her.
“Hey, I’m Draco.”
She just looked at him; he didn’t know how to take it, almost as if she was annoyed that he interrupted her. “So, you are what all the talk is about around here?”
This piqued his interest. “Who’s talking about me?”
She gave a laugh like it was supposed to be the most obvious thing in the world. “Just everyone. Look at you...The striking blonde-haired boy with grey eyes...You are kinda hard to miss.”
He relished this information. He was noticed. Well, good. Maybe he was starting off on the right foot, and he wouldn’t have to work hard to climb the social ladder like he thought he might.
“Okay, so what is your name?”
“Right, I’m Hermione, but my friends just call me Mione.”
The rest of Chemistry was filled with small talk. When the clock signaled that the block was over, he gathered his things and made his way out the door. He started to say, “See you around, Hermione,” but she was already gone.
When he went to the cafeteria for lunch, a group of people he recognized from his building were at a table. He strode up to them and introduced himself. A boy with dark hair, tall with an angular face, and green eyes introduced himself.
“ What’s up, man? I'm Theo.”
“Draco.” He looked at the rest of them and got straight to the point. “I've seen you in my building, as well as all of you. So, do you live there, too?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
A girl with a pug-nosed face and a black bobbed haircut nodded and replied, “Iḿ Pansy.” Shethen turned to the boy on her right side and nodded at him. “This is Blaise.”
The two boys next to Blaise also chimed in.
“I’m Crabbe”
“And I’m Goyle.”
Draco couldn't help himself and blurted out, “Your parents named you that?”
“Well, no,” the one called Goyle said. “Our names are Gregory and Vincent, but that's boring we go by our last names.”
“Noted,” Draco responded dryly.“So we are all in Slytherin, then?”
Theo nodded and leaned in, “You know what that means, right?”
“No, what?” He inquired.
“We’re the best of the best,” Blaise remarked.
“We’re the elite,” Theo said with importance.
“Untouchable in every sense of the word,” Pansy finished.
“To be a snake means we’re on top. We rule over everything, including the lions,” Theo continued.
“The lions?” Draco questioned. “Tell me about them.”
“Oh, the students from the Gryffindor Dorm. Their crest above their house has a lion.”
“They are all here on scholarships or are poor kids who barely get by,” Pansy stated as if it were the most obvious thing.
“Oh. Got it. Stay away from the cats. No problem from me- I don't like them anyway.
“Ha! That’s a good one. Never heard that before,” Theo laughed.
At that moment, Draco noticed Hermione walking in.
“Oh, look, it’s the lioness herself,” Pansy scoffed, turning to talk to Draco. “That’s Hermione. Everyone knows she’s poor as heck and here on a scholarship. She must be in cahoots with someone because she's in all the advanced classes.”
“So, we stay away from her then?” Draco asked.
“Yeah, we do. Look at her bushy hair. Hello, conditioner and a brush does the hair good.”
Draco blurted out, “She’s my partner in chemistry. He thought to himself that she didn’t seem that bad, but since he barely knew this bunch, he chose not to divulge more than necessary.