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1996

Five years had passed before Elowen Palmer had a moment to breathe. First year passed too quickly, second year was spent being terrified of the heir of Slytherin, third year was filled with Dementors and Sirius Black, fourth year they lost a classmate, and fifth year ended with the return of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. When Elowen finally stepped off the Hogwarts Express, she took a deep breath of the salty air. This year will be different, she told herself. Even with the gloom of impending dark magic and war, she was determined to allow herself to bloom. 

Over the summer Elowen had not only turned sixteen, but she had truly came into her own. She learned how to tame the frizz from her wild curls to leave behind small ringlets, she had gained a few inches in height as well as a few curves, and had decided to leave the meek and timid El in the past. This Elowen, she had decided, would show her classmates exactly why she had been sorted into Slytherin. Passing marks and few friends would no longer satisfy her. She would stop at no lengths to reach the goals she had created for herself. Elowen Palmer: determined, intelligent, and driven. That is what she would be remembered for. That is who the true Elowen Palmer was, at least she hoped. 

“You know, El, I didn’t think you’d ever figure out how to deal with that hideous head of hair you had the last five years.” Pansy called from behind her, looping her arm through Elowen’s as she reached her. 

“Yeah, well, took me five years and about five hundred brushes.” Elowen laughed. 

“You’re kinda hot like this, maybe we can get you to quit being such a prude and drag you to one of the house parties this term since you’ve decided you’re making changes.” Pansy grabbed Elowen’s hand and drug her to the Great Hall where a group of first years had gathered in front of the doors. 

“Outta the way kiddos, best looking Slytherin sixth years coming through” Pansy shouted, pushing through them and opening the doors. The tables were filled with Hogwarts students, and Elowen realized they were probably almost late to the feast and the sorting ceremony. Not that it was that exciting now that she had seen it five times, but it probably wouldn’t be the best look for the better version of herself she was attempting to curate. 

Pansy and Elowen took their seats among the other Slytherin sixth years as the opening ceremonies began. El was surrounded by the few friends she had made in her house over the last few years. Pansy, her bubbly and (sometimes) crude best friend sat to her left with Pansy’s boyfriend, Blaise Zabini, on the other side of her. Their friend Theodore Nott sat to El’s right side, and Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sat in front of her. 

“Elowen Palmer! Bloody hell, almost didn’t recognize you there. Did Pansy give you a makeover?” Theo teased, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and giving her a shake. 

“Not my work Theo, that’s all Palmer’s doing.” Pansy winked at El, giving her a little tap on the thigh. Elowen looked at her hands in her lap as Theo removed his arm, continuing his previous conversation with their table mates without noticing the blush spreading up her neck. El lifted  her head and caught the eyes of the last member of their small friend group, watching as he  rolled his eyes and  turned his attention back to his plate. Normally, Elowen would ignore the attitude exuding from him and turn back to her friends, but she was determined to not stand by any longer and tolerate his obvious hatred. 

“If you’re that annoyed by my presence, Malfoy, you’re more than welcome to find a seat among the fourth years. I’m sure they’d be thrilled to be blessed by the presence of the prince of darkness.” Elowen snapped, catching the attention of her friends. She raised an eyebrow and held his stare as his eyes met hers. 

Draco Malfoy, with his pale skin, lanky figure, and striking blonde hair, was likely the most infuriating wizard El had ever encountered. Unfortunately, Elowen had been forced into close proximity to him for most of her five years at Hogwarts. Not only was he a Slytherin, but he happened to be Pansy’s childhood best friend, and was close with the rest of their friend group. Despite how friendly he was with the rest of their friends, Draco had never extended that same courtesy to her. He was cold, distant, and rude when it came to Elowen. She had complained too many times to count to Pansy about Draco’s attitude, and had only been met with excuses. On El’s first night at Hogwarts, Draco had called her a mudblood. At the time, she hadn’t understood what that meant, but Pansy explained it to her a few weeks into the term, and Elowen’s heart had dropped out of her chest. Pansy would often tell Elowen about how Draco’s father spoke badly about muggle-born witches and wizards on a near daily basis as they were growing up, and that Draco had likely picked the word up from home. A word full of so much hatred spewed by a boy of only eleven, and although Elowen should have felt hurt by him, all she had thought about the rest of first year was how sorry she felt for Draco. She felt pity that he was filled with so much darkness. Hence, her nickname for him, prince of darkness. She often wondered if his home felt as cold as his eyes were when he looked at her, if the hatred his father spewed filled the Malfoy Manor with darkness, anger, and gloom. 

“If I do that, Palmer, I’d be giving them a glimpse too easily. Gotta make those fourth year witches really beg for it, of course.” Draco snided.

“I don’t think they’ll have to beg too hard from what I’ve heard.” The words rushed out of her mouth before she could stop them. Where exactly did that come from? She hadn’t even had a chance to think before she was responding. 

A smirk played at his lips, just a hint of amusement behind his cold mask. “Maybe not. I heard Daphne’s little sister is plenty fit and not a bad shag either. What was her name, again, Theo? Astoria?” He taunted his friend as Theo went red in the face. 

“Um… I dont know Draco. I- I wouldn’t know anything about that.” Theo stammered. 

“Right.. Because you didn’t steal the poor babe’s innocence over the summer. Not sweet, perfect Theodore Nott. Never him” The sneer in Draco’s voice was apparent. He stood from the table as the feast ended along with the conversation, and stormed from the Great Hall towards the dungeons and Slytherin common room. 

“Well, something’s got Malfoy all in a tizzy, doesn’t it, El?” Pansy grabbed her things and gave her a sideways glance. 

“Something always has Malfoy throwing a fit. Must be the pure-blood getting to his head.” El laughed as Draco’s smirk and animosity towards Theo played over in her mind. 

-

He really should have skipped the opening ceremonies. Truthfully, there wasn’t much he would have missed and at least then he wouldn’t have had to watch her bounce through the doors of the Great Hall seconds before she was late. If he had skipped, he could have been laying in his four poster, a book on his thighs and a cup of tea in his hand, blissfully ignorant to just how much had changed since he last stepped foot in the castle. The summer Draco had spent in Malfoy Manor was best described as horrific. His mother had once told him that the winds of change would make him wiser but the last gust had nearly knocked him to the ground, with no one around to help him to his feet. This change had only made him colder. More broken, if that was even a possibility.

She was much harder to look away from than he had remembered. He couldn’t help but drink in every inch of her curls as they cascaded over her shoulders and reached the top of her hips. He couldn’t help but notice the way her tie hung loosely around her neck, leaving the bottom of her throat exposed. He couldn’t help but to detect the fire that burned behind her bright green eyes as she sat down to the table, a fire that must have been lit with the winds of change. Interesting. 

And then fucking Theodore Nott put his arm around her shoulders. Like they belonged there, like he had every right and reason to throw an arm around the girl to his left. He had to look away before he reached across the table and broke Theodore’s wrist, and that is how he caught Pansy smirking at him. Pansy Parkinson was always too observative for her own good. They had been friends since before they could walk, and she could read him like a book. Slytherin green was also the color of envy, if he remembered correctly. When his gaze shifted back to where it had started, he noticed the pink rising up her neck. Of course she was blushing, why wouldn’t she? A handsome bloke had his arm slung around her shoulders. 

His eyes could have gotten stuck if he rolled them any harder. 

“If you’re that annoyed by my presence, Malfoy, you’re more than welcome to find a seat among the fourth years. I’m sure they’d be thrilled to be blessed by the presence of the prince of darkness.” 

Draco’s head snapped up faster than he had looked down to his plate. There is absolutely no way those words had just come out of Elowen Palmer’s mouth. The closest she had ever gotten to snapping was third year when he had laughed out loud during Divination when Professor Trelawney told her that her palm signaled that she had already once touched the one whom her soul craves. He hadn’t meant to laugh, truly, but Trelawney really was a mad old witch and it got the best of him. He had felt the words she wanted to spew burning daggers into his back as she stared at him the rest of class. 

“If I do that, Palmer, I’d be giving them a glimpse too easily. Gotta make those fourth year witches really beg for it, of course.” Draco smirked, playing into the fire hoping that maybe it would catch enough to warm him. 

“I don’t think they’ll have to beg too hard from what I’ve heard.” Draco thought someone had polyjuiced as her at this point. Twice in a conversation? That’s unheard of. He sort of liked how bold she was being, and by the way Theo was staring, he did too. 

“Maybe not. I heard Daphne’s little sister is plenty fit and not a bad shag either. What was her name, again, Theo? Astoria?” Of course Draco knew that Theo had unflowered little Astoria Greengrass over the summer; it had happened at one of the Greengrass family’s unnecessary galas. All their parents had gotten too drunk on firewhisky to care where the children had gone and Draco, Pansy, Theo, the Greengrass sisters, Blaise, Graham Montague, and a few others had set up in the drawing room on the third floor playing truth or dare. Graham dared Theo to seven minutes in heaven with Astoria. Later that night, Theo spilled to Draco that Astoria had cried when he finally pushed it in. 

“Um… I don’t know Draco. I-I wouldn’t know anything about that.”

“Right.. Because you didn’t steal that poor babes innocence over the summer. Not sweet, perfect Theodore Nott. Never him.” Draco sneered, pushing away from the table unable to handle the conversation after all. 

All he could hear as he threw the doors open was Pansy’s voice behind him. 

“Well, something’s got Malfoy all in a tizzy, doesn’t it, El?”