Chapter One

I remember my first day of Hogwarts very clearly, since it was quite simply the best day of my life. Gone was my family's dreary isolated house as were the regular dinners with my grandparents who openly despised my lack of pure-blood mania. I was on my way to Hogwarts where I would be able to be friends with whoever I wished and wouldn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't.

So you could say that when my parents dropped me off at King's Cross station, I was on cloud nine already. By the time I'd given them fleeting hugs and hurried onto the train I was positively bursting with excitement- I could've spent the whole journey alone and it wouldn't have dampened my enthusiasm. Of course that's what I expected to have to do, I understood no one would want to sit next to the daughter of a death eater until I'd had the chance to prove that I was the exact opposite of Draco Malfoy.

I found an empty compartment for myself and settled down for the journey, quite content except for the worry that one of the kids of my dad's friends would find me. The children of Crabbe, Goyle and Nott were already students and I knew that if I sat with them then I'd immediately be seen as the same as them. I ducked down in my seat slightly to make sure that even if they did walk past they wouldn't see me when a loud commotion formed in the corridor just beyond where I was sitting. I lifted my head slightly and peered through the glass where I saw a tall, dark haired boy who also looked like a first year, being virtually jumped on by about fifty people. They were shaking his hands, clapping him on the back and bombarding him with questions and although he was playing along with it all and laughing, I thought he also looked rather sick of it. Then the next thing I knew the door I was leaning against was swung open and I found myself face to face with this dark haired boy.

'Thank God,' he muttered, more to himself than to me, 'It's like having a fan club.'

It was then that he appeared to notice the tall blonde girl he had almost knocked over as he'd hurried in and quickly introduced himself.

'I'm sorry, I'm James, you don't mind me sitting here do you? I just needed a break from being the centre of attention for once.' He laughed nervously.

'Not at all,' I replied, grateful for the company, and thinking that if I wasn't sitting alone I was less likely to be bothered by a load of junior death eaters, 'I'm Victoria.'

It was at that moment that I realised how slow I'd been- I was talking to James Potter, son of my father's schooldays enemy. I smiled at this, imagining his face if he knew Harry Potter's son seemed to have decided to sit with me.

'Cool' said James, who obviously had no idea who I was related to, and he collapsed into the window seat, 'do you mind if I sit here?'

Now this was a surprise, 'No not at all, I don't really have anyone to sit with anyway.'

He glanced at me, 'Oh okay, are you Muggleborn then? I'll explain Quidditch to you.'

Oh what I wouldn't give for my father to hear this conversation. I shook my head, 'Nope but the people that I do know I have no desire to sit with.'

James raised his eyebrows which I realised made him look rather cute. Hmmm.

'Hang on a minute, what's your surname?'

'Malfoy' I whispered and bowed my head like I was admitting to a terrible crime, which in the eyes of James Potter I probably was.

But he didn't say anything just shrugged and mentioned Quidditch again which led into us chatting for a good half an hour until there was a bang on the glass and two other first years, a boy and a girl, came in.

'Alright James,' greeted the boy cheerfully before throwing himself into a chair and nodding to me.

James smiled, 'Yeah, Fred this Victoria and Victoria this is my cousin Fred.'

I glanced at Fred and realised with a jolt that in a few years' time he'd be the best looking boy in Hogwarts with his tall figure, deep brown eyes and ruffled hair. He grinned at me, 'Hey Vic.' That was good, a nickname already.

The newly arrived girl sat down opposite Fred and turned to me, 'I'm Anna Shacklebott, since James has ignored me.'

'Victoria Malfoy,' I smiled back, knowing immediately that I would get on well with this girl. Despite having said very little so far, she excluded an air of confidence and reassurance and I was proved right when she also failed to mention anything about my surname.

And so it was like this, with James Potter, Fred Weasley and Anna Shacklebott that I spent my first journey to Hogwarts and by the end of it I was certain that I had made three solid friends. I was not simply Draco Malfoy's daughter, but Victoria, someone new and not to be judged on her parents' flaws. It was at this moment that I knew that my time at Hogwarts would be perfect and that feeling was cemented when, later that evening, I jammed a ragged old hat on my head and as soon as the fabric brushed my hair it screamed 'Gryffindor!'