Draco Malfoy's POV

When death slowly creeps up on a person, that person will most likely be scared for their life but will try to escape death as much as possible. Although I do feel the same, there are some times when I just want the cold, sweet death to come and take me.

Even if I was tasked with a mission like assassination, I still had to attend classes and do homework like any other student here. Barbaric.

Where is death when you need it the most?

I strolled through the train station with my suitcase in hand. My mother, latching her arm around mine, insisted on accompanying me. She has always accompanied me since my first year at Hogwarts, while my father does not bother to show up. During the years I went to this train station, there were days when my mother insisted on coming even though she was feeling under the weather, and my father, who was in better health than her, could not be bothered to drive me there.

Since the train was still not entirely prepared to go, I observed my classmates chatting among themselves by the rails. While the majority of the students appear despondent and afraid, the majority of students I meet and know still seem hopeful despite the current situation. I looked around, taking in my surroundings instead of the people in my immediate vicinity. Throughout my first year at Hogwarts, the train station was a bustling and vibrant place. All of the students were looking forward to returning to or entering Hogwarts, and you could sense it in the air. The station now appears gloomy and melancholy, as though its vibrancy has been taken away and its saturation has been reduced.

Even the war sucks the color out of everything.

"It seems that most parents didn't dare to send their children back," My mother stated while she looked around the area.

Given that the Dark Lord was returning, upcoming first-year students were not allowed to attend Hogwarts; on the other hand, those who wanted to continue their education were encouraged to do so. The announcement undoubtedly shocked the majority of parents.

"I'd be surprised if this station would be swarming with students at this time of war," I muttered when I saw a child, presumably a second year, balling her eyes out and hugging her parents. "No student shouldn't be here in the first place."

"Oh, Draco..." My mother sighed. "If only I had the power to stop you from going and doing this task, I would've done so soon."

Finally, my mother and I stopped walking when we reached the train entrance, where not many people were around. My other stuff has already been boarded. My mother turned me around by grabbing my shoulders and fixing my black suit, her lips trembling while her eyes filled with tears. "How I wish I could come with you."

I gave my mother a saddened smile. "I don't want you to be in any harm, and Hogwarts is nowhere near safe, even for you." I brought my briefcase down and pulled my mother gently in a hug, wrapping my arms around her shoulders. "Take care while I'm gone."

"Will you be home at Christmas?"

"I think we both know the answer to that."

My mother hugged me tighter and gently placed a kiss on my cheek, her hand holding the back of my head. "Be safe, my son. I couldn't bear to lose you."

My mother is forced to live with her mad sister and aunt, Bellatrix Lestrange, as a result of my father's imprisonment. I don't want my mother to be under any more stress than she already is because of her sister.

I pulled away and gave her a nod before turning around and facing the entrance to the train. Just as I raised my foot to take the first step to board the train, the door burst open.

"Woah, woah, wait!"

My eyes went wide when I saw a girl on the train trip off balance because her foot tipped over a small ledge. She fell forward toward me, and our eyes locked. Do I know her?

I moved aside and let her stumble her way out of the train, but at the last minute, I grabbed her collar to prevent her from bashing her face directly into the ground. I clutched the poor girl's collar harder to keep her from falling, and my mother and the girl's companion inside the train grew silent. Great way to catch a damsel in distress, Malfoy.

"Sol! Are you okay?" Another voice called out from the train. It was the girl's friend number two, who came out of the train and walked towards her friend.

The girl looked at me while I was still holding her collar. "Um, thank you..."

I stared blankly at her before letting her collar go, and her friend instantly caught her. "Careful," I muttered before slipping my hand inside my pocket and entering the train. The girl's friend seemed to straighten her posture when I walked past her.

I could hear her nervous breathing and see a bead of sweat rolling down her forehead. "Scarf," I told the nervous girl.

"W-What?"

"Scarf." I glanced down at the Gryffindor scarf lying on the ground, which was inches away from her black shoes. After that, I walked away, leaving the girls behind, to look for my fellow Slytherins.

I eventually came across the wagon containing the Slytherins after passing by Potter and his friends and through several other wagons, all of which I dismissed. I looked around for my companions and then stopped when I eventually saw them conversing with one another. I situated my suitcase above a compartment until someone dropped a powder bomb on our wagon. The wagon was filled with instant darkness, despite the broad daylight from outside.

Shrieks erupted from everyone while I frantically and furiously looked around, looking for the one who was responsible for this act. "What was that?" I tried to wave my hand around as the darkness slowly faded away while my annoyance grew.

"Don't know," Blaise replied with a shrug as he searched around the wagon with his eyes.

"Relax, boys." Pansy tried to reassure us. "It's probably just a first-year messing around." When the coast was clear, she looked at me. "Come on, Draco. Sit down. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

I gave the area one more check before settling down across from Pansy and Blaise while Goyle, Crabbe, and the others were on the other side. Pansy and Blaise immediately discussed something about what they had done this summer. I had heard that Pansy had gone on a quick trip to Barbados, while Blaise gloated that he had a long vacation in Italy with his mother, who in no doubt had engaged in another relationship with a man-a serial maneater.

Nevertheless, as they carried on talking about what they had done the previous summer, I started to come up with a strategy for doing my task quickly-so swiftly that nobody would realize that I was responsible for anything. But as I tried to come up with ideas, I began to realize that I was doomed. I knew I was already doomed in the beginning, but now I feel even more doomed.

How the hell do you assassinate the most powerful wizards of all time when even the Dark Lord himself can't beat him?

If I had no deadline, I could wait for him to pass away from old age, but I doubt that would happen very soon. At the age of one hundred and fifteen, he shows no indicators of approaching death.

"Draco," I heard Pansy call out, which snapped me away from my thoughts. "How were you last summer?"

"Went to the beach and had a very fun time."

Only a fool would believe my evident lie, and Pansy was no fool as she looked at me with an incredulous look. "Very funny." She said.

"I think I know what he did." Blaise glanced at my left forearm while my eyes shot him daggers. "How was it?"

"I'm in no mood to discuss what happened during my last summer." I huffed and crossed my arms. "And honestly, Zabini, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Scared to end up like your father, Malfoy?" Blaise taunted, his lips curving into a smirk. "The coward and useless Death Eater."

While Pansy groaned in frustration with Blaise's arrogant nature, my fist clenched into a ball, yet I still showed no emotions, despite being annoyed. "At least my mother would never kill my father for fortune."

Blaise's smirk instantly dropped and he almost lunged towards me until Pansy got up and held his arm while I remained in my seat with my eyes fixed on his. "Blaise, would you stop it?" Pansy whispered. "If you're all talk and can't handle a taunt back at you, then leave. Stop making a scene."

As Blaise looked around at everyone who had seen him stand up, I stayed composed. With a huff, Blaise straightened his suit. He said, "I'll go ahead and change," before picking up his bag and heading out of the wagon to find a restroom so he could change into his school uniform.

Pansy took a seat again, crossed her arms, and rested her legs on top of the table. "Low blow, Malfoy. It's not proven if his mother killed his father."

I arched an eyebrow at her. "Seven wizards mysteriously died, and every single one of them gave their fortune to her," I stated as I unfolded my arms and placed them on the table. "And no one suspected a thing about her?"

Pansy gave me an amused smile. "All I know is that Blaise's mother is better than him. If that were indeed true, the woman's gotta survive, and those seven wizards had no contributions to this world anyway except to flaunt their wealth," She explained. "I felt sorry for her when she ended up having an ass of a son."

I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes for a moment until I heard a faint sound. It was barely imperceptible, but I could hear it rather softly after the talk stopped. I looked up and noticed something odd when the bag moved ever so slightly. Initially, I assumed that the bag moved as a result of the train's motion, so I continued to observe it until I noticed it moving once more.

Pansy was humming to herself, so I turned my head away and focused on the window. I was a little agitated when I saw another movement above. A person was concealed behind an object that had the ability to make them invisible.

Maybe a potion? A spell? Perhaps... something like a cloak that belonged to someone I despise the most.

A little nosy, aren't we... Potter?