TWO EMPTY THREATS

The train ride to Hogwarts was as uneventful as it always was, but he always counted on Diana to keep him company. She had snuck this contraption called a Game-Boy onto the train and Xander found it absolutely fascinating. These little things called video games were amazing and he thought he recalled Alecks mentioning something about them offhandedly when she had returned from California, but he never learned too much about muggle things. It wasn't on purpose, he just never had access to such things save for his time with Diana. At one point, Justin Finch-Fletchley joined them, but he left after a quick chat with Diana. Once he was gone, Xander had wiggled his eyebrows at her to which she hit him with her book. He snickered to himself before going back to playing his muggle game.

It was nighttime when they reached the Hogwarts station and as they hopped off the train, someone bumped his shoulders.

"Oi, I think you guys forgot to say excuse me," he commented with a smile and the boys turned around to reveal Blaise Zabini and Crabbe, but they were without their infamous master -- sorry, friend -- Draco. Neither of them said anything except for Blaise rolling his eyes before they turned around and headed off to the carriages.

"Right twats the two of them," Diana muttered, "I think the second they're not around Malfoy their brains just shut right off."

"Hey, where is Malfoy anyway?" Xander asked as he looked around, not seeing the blond boy anywhere. It was hard to miss him what with his stark-white hair and trimmed black suit. He looked just like his father -- who had just been sent to Azkaban. He couldn't imagine why Draco seemed so put together considering his family's business was front-page news and not the good kind. Not that there really was such a thing as good front-page news. The last time the Sakai's had been in the pages of The Daily Prophet was when Xander's dad was killed in action as an Auror. Xander shivered at the thought.

Diana just shrugged, "I dunno, probably off trying to figure out if he can suck his own dick. Why do you care?"

"Just odd, he never goes anywhere without those two," Xander reasoned as he kept an eye over his shoulder, keeping a lookout for the blond boy. "You go ahead, we're about to miss the carriages."

"Don't tell me you're gonna go looking for the dickhead," the blonde girl scoffed as she pulled a pack of muggle cigarettes out of her pocket and lighting it with her wand.

Xander rolled his eyes, flicking his hand and putting it out without a second thought. "You know I fucking hate those, Di. Go ahead without me, I don't care if he's an asshole, I'm nosy by nature, you know this."

"Whatever, I'll cover for you, dumbass," Diana teased as she tossed aside the cigarette and jogged to catch up to the rest of the students. Xander thanked her before walking briskly back to where the train had stopped just in time to watch Draco hop off and brush off his suit. It really was a nice suit, Xander thought.

"What do you want, Sakai?" Draco sneered as he came upon the boy, brushing past him as he continued to walk towards the carriages that were probably gone by now. "Come to compliment my sweater again?"

"You clean up nice, can't blame me for saying something," Xander teased as he fell into step with the boy, doing his best to hide his ulterior motives and failing miserably, "So, why were you late off the train? Bit odd, don't you think? I saw Blaise and usually, he's close behind you, but alas. You're the one who's behind."

The blond stopped for just a moment to glare at the boy, "You have no business even speaking to me what with your disgraced sister bringing home that muggle. We've all heard of it, I think I even saw them snogging in Diagon Alley, it's shameful. Don't even get me started on my mother."

"Jo is a lovely woman, I'll have you know," Xander brushed off his comments with ease as he was used to receiving such notions about his family. He got a lot of offhand comments about his mother never remarrying and raising them as a single mother. Plenty of people blamed that for why Alecks ran off in the first place, but Xander had developed a thick skin after all these years. Draco couldn't break through it if he tried -- and so it seemed he was going to. "And so is my mother, at least she's at home and not off to Azkaban. Oh, shit, that was a bit rude, wasn't it? Sorry, Draco, I shouldn't have brought that up. Should not have said that."

"Are you being serious?" Draco sneered as they continued walking. The boy looked utterly displeased every time Xander looked over at him, but he didn't mind it all that much that was pretty much just Draco's resting expression. "You really are a bloody Hufflepuff."

"Well, I suppose that's why the sorting hat put me there," Xander spoke cheerfully as Draco was stopped by Filtch.

"What do you want?" Draco asked the caretaker, looking bored. Xander, being a good friend, stood and waited, "Oh, fuck off, Xander."

Xander just shrugged and waited, "You haven't answered my question. So, I'm waiting."

"What's this cane here, then?" Filch asked, picking up the cane that Lucius Malfoy was infamous for walking around with. If Xander remembered any of the rumors, it was what held his wand. Now, what could Draco be doing with that was the real question.

"It's not a cane, you cretin, it's a walking stick," Draco corrected, trying and failing to snatch it back.

Filch was unimpressed as he observed it, saying, "And what could you be doing with all this? Could be constructed as an offensive weapon. Taking after your father, eh, Malfoy?"

Snape came out of nowhere, causing Xander to nearly jump out of his skin when he realized the man had come up next to him. He saw Malfoy snicker at him, but Xander just laughed it off as he let Snape speak.

"It's all right, Filch, I can vouch for Mr. Malfoy here," Snape spoke in his slow, drawling tone he always used. It drove Xander absolutely mad because he always spoke rather fast and having Snape speak as slow as he did in lessons was as painful as an unforgivable curse. "You two are already late, you might want to get up to castle before... well, you know."

Xander nodded obediently and went to head up, but Draco turned as the gates shut. It was then that the tan boy noticed Harry Potter was standing there with Luna Lovegood. Luna was a bit of an oddball, but she was nice to Xander and he was always nice to her.

"Nice face, Potter!" Draco called before he went to walk up to the castle. The walk was absolutely dreadful and Xander began to regret his stupid hunt for Draco that had so far proven utterly useless. "Oh, God, you're still here."

"How fast do you think I can walk?" Xander asked in a ridiculous tone, shaking his head, "Sheesh, Draco, there's a reason I'm not on the Quidditch team, I'm very athletically challenged. You were always good on the field, though, I'll give you that."

"You are so odd," was all Draco said in response to that.

"Harry's nose sure did look bad," Xander spoke after a moment, "I wonder how that happened."

"Maybe he stuck it where it didn't belong," Draco sneered. "Just like you are now."

Xander snorted a laugh at that, shaking his head lightly. "You and all these empty threats, I really am waiting for the day you actually hex me. I think it'll be quite interesting. You're a little moody tonight, aren't you? Dreading school? Me too, honestly, but at least we're done with O.W.L.s. Anyway, was it you who broke Harry's nose, or was that just a fun little coincidence?"

"God, you're a nuisance," the other boy spoke. The walk was almost over now and Xander knew it was rare that he was going to get Draco alone again for the foreseeable future because that boy was almost always surrounded by his little minions and that girl -- Pansy -- that was always fawning over him.

"Only for you," Xander teased, stepping in front of Draco. The boy slammed against his chest before stepping back and brushing himself off. "You are really good at avoiding questions aren't you, Draco? What did Potter hear that he wasn't supposed to?"

"Why would I tell you?"

Xander shrugged, smiling at the boy as he continued walking, "I dunno, but it never hurts to try. Besides, I thought we were old pals by now the way you've been bugging me since first year. Surely, it's all in good fun."

"I literally hate you," was all the boy said in response. The entrance to the castle was in their sights now and Xander was running out of time. He had a feeling he already knew a bit of the truth -- that Draco had almost certainly broken Potter's nose -- but he was also incredibly hung up on the why. Draco seemed different this year. Quieter. Xander didn't think that was possible for the boy yet here they were.

"Bummer," the dark-haired boy mused as they stopped at the entrance to the castle. "Well, I suppose I'll have to catch you around in classes then. Give Potter my condolences if you see him again, a broken nose is a nasty thing. I've broken mine twice! Try not to break his again, it never heals correctly and that boy's got enough problems he doesn't need a crooked nose on top of it."

"Xander," the boy got his attention just as he was about to head into the Great Hall. Xander turned with a raised eyebrow. "Stop asking questions before I have to do something about it."

The boy tsked as he opened the doors, his eyes meeting Diana's whose head had turned at the noise. Looking back at Draco, he teased, "You've got a problem with empty threats, my friend."

With that, he walked away and the two went their separate ways as Xander slotted right in next to Diana as he did every year -- he was just a little late this time. Immediately, she was interrogating him, "What were you doing with that git?"

Xander just hummed as he looked across at the Slytherin table, his eyes landing on a tuft of white-blond hair. "I dunno, curiosity."

Diana just shook her head, "You've gone mad, I think."

ahhh second chapter woo! I've been binge watching the harry potter movies and i finally got to half blood prince so i started making some plans and decided i might as well write chapter two while I've got the movie right in front of me! sorry if draco seems ooc this bitch has thirty minutes of screentime this whole series so I'm just trying to place snippets of what i think he's like outside of the eye of harry potter