Disclaimer

I don't own Harry Potter, films or books. I am making no profit from this story, and it's all for fun.

Author's Note

Based mostly off of the movies.

Draco/OC.

May contain slight bashing of the trio. Rating for language, violence, etc.

I'm going to try focusing mainly on the relationship/friendship between my OC and Draco rather than the original main story itself. After all, the trio isn't that important in this story, as it isn't theirs.

Reviews welcome.

Chapter One: Welcome to Ravenclaw

No. No, no, no, no, she definitely didn't want to go anymore. Maya Kensington froze as soon as her mother tried to guide her through the crowded train station. Maya's mother looked exasperated and concerned all at once, if that was possible. It had been like this ever since she'd received her letter from Hogwarts. The awkward and quiet child had not been aware of her parents' heritage. Both her parents had apparently attended Hogwarts, and Maya's grandfather on her dad's side was a wizard and grandmother on her mom's side was a witch. She wasn't sure what that was called, though her mother had once used the word 'half-blood'. Maya's mom snapped her from her trance, "Something wrong, Maya?"

"I-I-just..." she stuttered, taking a step back as her mother reached for her arm, "I...don't want to go..." Maya murmured at last. Her mom narrowed her brown eyes and seemed to be thinking for the right words to say. I don't want to go to this stupid magic school, I don't want these 'powers'! Maya's mind screamed, but she kept quiet as her mother knelt down.

"Look, Maya," Mom sighed, "This will be a good experience for you. I went to Hogwarts when I was your age when I didn't want to go, and I made a lot of friends, I even met your father. If my mom had given in and let me stay like I wanted to, you wouldn't even be here making this difficult for me," she joked, then smirked, "But, knowing you, you'd probably have found a way to bother me anyways." Maya didn't find that funny, and apparently her mom could tell this as she added, "Just give it a chance, okay sweetie?"

Maya bit her lip and slumped her shoulders in defeat, "Yes, ma'am..."

"That's my girl," a smile formed on her mother's lips, "Have you got your bags, and your ticket?"

Maya nodded, "How do I get to..." she pulled her ticket from her pocket and looked at it for a moment, "Platform...nine and three-quarters?" her mother didn't respond, but instead guided her between the platforms nine and ten and pointed at the brick pillar, "Am...I supposed to see something?"

"No, you're supposed to run at it."

"What?!" Maya squeaked, which was the loudest noise she'd made since her cousin threw his pet tarantula at her when she was four.

"You simply have to run at it. Unless you want to take it slow, but I always ran at it." her mother shrugged. Maya gulped and hesitated, but her mother gave her a gentle nudge towards it, "Go on, sweetie. I'll write to you as soon as I can."

Maya looked at her mother and then at the brick pillar. Sucking in a deep breath, she wrapped her hands around the cart and walked at a brisk pace, almost a jog, and closed her eyes. When she opened them again and looked back, her mother was gone and there was only brick behind her. Sadly, she turned her head to examine where she was.

It was unnerving to see that she'd ended up on a different platform that wasn't anywhere near where she started out. Her mother was gone, and instead she saw several kids, some her own age, passing by or boarding the massive, well polished train that waited on the tracks. Maya's jaw dropped as she saw the train. On the front it read, Hogwarts Express.

"Is this where I'm supposed to go?" she muttered to herself and cautiously took a step forward. People rushed past her, one or two occasionally bumping into her shoulder. So far, Maya was not enjoying this. Once she got on the train, she carried her baggage to the nearest empty compartment she could find, which wasn't easy. Taking a seat by the window, she carefully put her suitcase up and put one of the bags, a cat carrier, into her lap.

The train eventually began to chug forward. For a while it was perfectly quiet and Maya was quite pleased by that. She didn't mind being alone, and in fact, preferred it. However, the silence didn't last long.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blond haired boy, at least a couple of months older than her, open the compartment and gesture to the two companions that followed him. "Crabbe, you sit there, Goyle, sit there," he ordered. The two boys obeyed without a question and put their luggage up before taking their seats. The blond boy sat down in the seat across from Maya, seeming to not notice her for a while, which was fine with her. Maya shrunk down, trying to seem invisible, but the boy's blueish-grey eyes flicked over to her and narrowed, "Are you okay?" he sounded rude, definitely not concerned. His nose was wrinkled and he stared at her with what appeared to be disgust.

"Uh...yes..." Maya looked down, trying to avoid eye contact with the boy.

He looked her up and down briefly and changed his expression to one of slight curiosity, "My name's Draco Malfoy, and that's Crabbe and Goyle," he nodded briefly to the two chubby boys and then looked back at her, "What about you? What's your name?"

"M-Maya Kensington..." Maya felt a bit hopeful and looked up, trying to seem friendly, "Nice to meet you..."

Draco's eyes flashed briefly with contempt, but it vanished quickly, "Likewise," was all he said before turning to look out the window. Without looking at her he asked, "So...where are you from?"

"Er...Scotland..." Maya said quietly, clenching and unclenching her fist and biting her lip nervously.

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head towards her, "You don't sound Scottish."

"My mother was half-british, so that might be why...but I was born and raised in Scotland, I assure you. The accent is thicker at certain times..." Maya explained.

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment, "Looking forward to your time at Hogwarts?"

Maya swallowed, "No, n-not really. I've never even heard of Hogwarts until recently..."

"Never heard of Hogwarts? What are you, a muggle or something?" one of Draco's friends, the largest one that sat next to her, questioned, scooting away from her slightly. Draco shot him a glare, but turned his sneer on Maya as if asking for confirmation from the question.

"N-no!" Maya frowned. She wasn't quite sure what a muggle was, but remembered what her mother had called her and the rest of her family. "My mother told me that we're...half-blood, or something like that..."

"Interesting," Draco turned back to the window. Bitterly, he scoffed, "Don't know why they allow mudbloods and half-bloods such as yourself into Hogwarts. It pollutes it for those of us with sophistication." the words were spat out. He was a bitter boy, and Maya had to keep herself from looking hurt. Had he said that on purpose? Draco's eyes scanned her for a reaction. Yes, yes he had said that on purpose. Crabbe and Goyle snickered.

"That was a rude thing to say, you know?" Maya growled.

Another scoff. Did he ever do anything but scowl, or scoff, or spit? Apparently not. "I was joking, you know?"

"No, you're mocking me," Maya pointed out, "And I don't like it, so please stop." Draco was silent. So were Crabbe and Goyle. Had that actually worked? They looked offended, maybe she had been too harsh? Quickly she added, "Sorry! I didn't mean to sound rude..." a voice in the back of her head screamed out that they were the ones being rude, but she suppressed the urge to scream at them.

Draco actually looked...impressed? He rolled his eyes at her to cover this up, "Silly little thing, aren't you?"

Maya froze and blinked as three pairs of eyes stared at her. The comment wasn't supposed to be rude, mostly a bit of friendly teasing. Are we considered friends now? she thought. "I...um...I am? Sorry, I hadn't realized..."

"You aren't supposed to apologize!" Draco chuckled, clearly amused by something she had done. His two friends, however, shot daggers at her, making her shrink back and clear her throat. "I think," Draco said with a smile, "You and I are going to be great friends." Maya looked up in surprise and gave a shy little smile. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

It was dark by the time the train slowed to a halt and everyone stood up to get off.

As they stood up, Maya became self-consciously aware of how scrawny and short she was compared to Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle. Normally she was used to this, and in fact she had expected to be short compared to them, but Draco was at least 5 inches taller than her, making her feel a bit intimidated. Crabbe and Goyle were at least 6 or 8 inches taller than her, which made their disapproval of her all the more frightening than it already was. It became evident that they realized this as they exchanged glances and smirked victoriously at her.

Draco was the first to step off the train, Crabbe followed him, and then Goyle. Maya was the last, and she made sure to avoid bumping into anybody around her as she cautiously followed after them. Draco looked back at her and beckoned for her to stand beside him, much to Goyle and Crabbe's annoyance. Draco also seemed to sense her hesitation at being in a large crowd as he extended his hand for her to hold and also to politely help her off the train. It was a friendly gesture, though it only added to her anxiety and hesitation, she accepted regardless, but eyed him suspiciously.

Only then did she notice the man that stood in front of the crowd holding a lantern. He was a tall and round man with long curly dark hair and a beard as well. His voice boomed as he called out, "Right then, this way to the boats, come on now! Follow me!" he turned and walked away and the crowd began to move.

Maya tried not to look nervous as they followed the stranger, and once they were about halfway there she let go of Draco's hand, which she had realized she'd been squeezing out of nervousness and clenched her fists instead. Draco looked at her briefly and frowned, but he said nothing.

Soon enough, they arrived at the edge of a large lake and the large man helped the children into small boats. Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Maya ended up in the same boat, following the giant-man's boat and several others as they made their way towards a massive structure that resembled a well-lit castle. In fact, Maya was pretty sure that's what it was.

Draco leaned over the edge of the boat to examine the water, while Maya held a torch up for light. Looking at him, she reached out and nudged him, "I don't think that's a good idea, Draco." while he didn't respond to her, he sat himself in the boat properly, smirking at her. Gosh, he was annoying.

Once they were inside Hogwarts, they all made their way up several flights of stairs and were greeted by an elderly woman in a long, silk, cloak-like dress and a long pointed hat. Draco and his two friends pressed themselves against the edge of the railing and listened as she spoke, "Welcome to Hogwarts," she said, clapping her hands together to silence the murmuring from the group of kids, "Now, in a few moments you will pass through these doors, and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats, you must be sorted into your houses," she looked the children over as she went on, "They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw," her eyes flicked towards Draco, "And Slytherin" Maya saw Draco smirk again and nod at her and Crabbe and Goyle. The lady went on, "Now while you are here, your house will be like your family. Your triumphs will earn you points, any rule breaking," she paused very briefly, "And you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points will be awarded the house cup-"

Maya could faintly hear a toad or frog croaking nearby, and a young boy cut the woman off as he jumped forward towards the source of the noise, which was now clearly a toad. "Trevor!" the boy shouted, reaching forward and grabbing the toad, quickly, but gently. The lady, surprised, looked down at him with disapproval in her gaze as several children chuckled. The boy stood up and backed away, "...Sorry..." he told the woman.

She addressed the children once again, "The sorting ceremony will begin momentarily." and with that she turned and walked away.

"It's true then," Draco said suddenly to a dark-haired boy at the front of the crowd, "What they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Everyone gasped and murmured with shock, though Maya had no idea what that meant. They must have heard it before they joined her, either that, or she wasn't as intent a listener as she believed herself to be, though she guessed that she just didn't pass anyone gossiping about this Harry Potter fellow.

Draco continued, "This is Crabbe and Goyle," he jerked his head towards his followers, though he neglected to mention Maya. Unsurprising, considering they just met. "And I'm Malfoy," he walked swiftly over to stand in front of Harry, smiling ever so slightly, "Draco Malfoy." Maya saw a young, red-haired boy stifle a laugh, but it came out as an awkward snort. Draco's smile faded and he snapped his head towards the red-haired boy, "Think my name is funny, do you?" he demanded bitterly, "No need to ask yours. Red hair," he looked the boy up and down, "And a hand-me-down robe. You must be a Weasley!"

Maya examined the boy. He didn't look that different from any normal boy. He could have been of Irish decent, though, clear from his naturally red hair.

"You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others, Potter," Draco spoke again, this time to Potter as he turned his head back towards the Weasley boy, "You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sorts," back to Potter again, "I can help you there." Draco held his hand up for Potter to shake. The entire building went silent and seemed to hold it's breath as everyone awaited Potter's response. Even Maya was eager for his response, hoping to earn herself a new friend. But then, Potter replied.

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

There was no denying that Draco looked genuinely angered by the rejection, but the woman that had been there before had returned and tapped Draco on the shoulder. He looked at her, then at Potter, and then returned to where Crabbe, Maya, and Goyle were standing.

"We're ready for you now, follow me." the lady told them and started towards the large doors.

"Who was that?" Maya asked Draco curiously as they began to walk forward again, "And...why did he seem a bit...unfriendly?"

Draco scoffed, "You're so naive, Kensington! That was Harry Potter, the 'Boy Who Lived'. The only one to survive an attack from You-Know-Who." he told her. Actually, she didn't know who, but she was taken aback by his comment on her being 'naive'. "What I said to him, goes for you as well," Draco sounded a bit threatening as he turned his sharp, steely gaze on her, obviously still furious about what Potter had done, "You better choose your friends wisely." he spat. Maya flinched away and looked at the ground. Was Potter right in not choosing to befriend Draco? Had she made a mistake? And was it too late to go back now?

As the doors open, Maya was quick to take in her surroundings, now completely distracted from what Draco had said. There were candles floating in the air above four large and long tables. The ceiling seemed to reflect the night sky outside, which looked quite enchanting. At the very front of the room, by a large window there was a long table with several people whom Maya assumed were the teachers.

They all passed between two of the four tables to the other end of the room where the woman, Professor McGonnagal, stepped up a few short stairs to where a chair and a hat were and picked up a long list and turned to face the children again. "Now, when I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the sorting hat," she picked up a dusty, worn out and old looking hat, "And you will be sorted into your houses."

The professor looked at the list for a moment and then called out, "Hermione Granger!"

A brief moment of silence and then a young girl with bushy brown hair slowly stepped forward and sat down, whispering to herself under her breath as the hat was placed on her head.

Maya's eyes widened as the hat began speaking, "Ah, right then...hmm...right, okay...Gryffindor!"

The room exploded into cheers and clapping as the girl, Hermione, bounced over to the Gryffindor table.

"Draco Malfoy!"

Draco stepped forward confidently, taking a seat. The hat seemed to look at him, but barely even was placed on his head before it shouted, "Slytherin!"

More cheering, less enthusiastically than the first as Draco smirked and headed to the Slytherin table.

Maya glanced around and saw Potter and Weasley talking, overhearing what Weasley said, "There's not a witch or wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin!" Potter nodded and caught Maya staring at him. What did they mean by that? she thought, but looked at the floor once again.

Again, a name was called, "Susan Bones!"

The girl was sorted into Hufflepuff.

"Ronald Weasley!"

Gryffindor.

"Harry Potter!"

Maya looked up curiously as Potter sat down. It took the hat a while to sort him, and Maya felt annoyed and helpless from the fact that she wasn't able to hear what was being said. Finally the hat bellowed out, "Gryffindor!"

Clapping and cheering ensued once again and two identical twins got up and chanted, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"

After the noise died down, the professor lady called out the next name, "Maya Kensington!"

Maya froze and gulped. She slowly inched forward and as soon as she did she felt dozens of eyes staring right at her. No...make it stop, please...she hated this attention. Maya sat down and tried to look confident instead of terrified, though she knew it wasn't working. The hat was placed on her head and Maya tensed as it started talking to her. Or itself. She wasn't quite sure.

"You have an intriguing mind indeed, don't you, little one," it said, almost sounding amused, "I see kindness, ambition...Hufflepuff or Slytherin, maybe? No...there's more to you than that, child...I see intelligence, imagination...you're a dreamer...I think I know..." then it bellowed out, "RAVENCLAW!"

Maya blushed as the table that the Ravenclaw students were at cheered and clapped. She sheepishly walked over to them, taking a seat and smiling the tiniest bit. She sat down between a boy and a girl who were at least a year older than her. They greeted her with friendly smiles as the sorting continued.

"I'm Allison Davenport and this is my brother, Kirk," the girl introduced herself, "What's your name?"

"Maya Kensington."

"Pleasure to meet you, Maya, welcome to Ravenclaw!" Kirk smiled.

Maya returned the smile, her confidence growing the tiniest bit. Glancing across the tables, she saw Draco give her a look that she couldn't read from across the room and the self-conscious feeling returned. This would be an interesting friendship, indeed.