Draco Malfoy was sat in the Great Hall for the Welcoming Feast as he did what he did best; rant about Harry Potter. Eridanus Lestrange listened to his cousin complain about The Boy Who Lived in disinterest, nodding his head in agreement as he played with his green and silver tie - having been sorted into Slytherin along with the first years earlier that evening. He hadn't been paying too much attention to the platinum haired boy, however, he did pick up on the fact Draco had talked to the trio about Eridanus, as he knew there were going to try something on Lestrange. He did find that interesting but he knew he would never give the information that the Gryffindor's were most likely eager to get.

Eridanus ate a spoonful of mashed potatoes in disinterest yet as he did he quickly picked up on the sensation as if someone were staring at him. The curly haired boy glanced up, searching for the culprits, before his eyes landed on three Gryffindors. Harry, Ron and Hermione whispered amongst themselves as they blatantly stared at the boy. The newly placed Slytherin slowly grew agitated as he didn't enjoy the feeling of multiple pairs of eyes on him at once.

A few things happened once the trio realized that Eridanus had caught onto their staring and was in turn staring at the three of them, tuning out the rambles of his cousin as he wondered why those that Draco hated so much had taken a special interest in him. Ron Weasley blushed a bright red, rivaling that of his hair, the freckles splattered along his face now hidden beneath the pink hue. Hermione Granger narrowed her dark brown eyes, not at all ashamed that she had been caught staring, scratching her head through her frizzled hair as she attempted to solve the enigma that was Eridanus Lestrange. And last, but certainly not least, Harry Potter continued to stare at him as well, thick eyebrows furrowing as he wondered what made Eridanus so special. So far, he hadn't seemed that much different than his cousin yet at the same time, Harry could already tell that he was kinder as he hadn't made fun of him or his friends like Draco had. Even so, Eridanus still had this dark and deathly aura that surrounded him and Harry wanted to find out what was the reason for that.

Eridanus leaned back on the wood bench that lined the Slytherin table, staring flatley at the two students who refused to look away. He raised one brow in a silent question, one that neither Harry or Hermione seemed to be able to answer as that is when they finally glanced away, but not before Harry and Eridanus made eye contact for a brief moment, stormy blue eyes meeting emerald green.

“Draco,” Eridanus spoke, noticing for the first time how his cousin had seemed to stop talking as he hungrily ate his plate of chicken and yam. Said boy glanced at Eridanus curiously, as this was the first time his cousin had spoken since arriving to Hogwarts. Draco nodded his head, silently urging the Lestrange to continue with what he had been planning to say. “Why does it seem as though Slytherin hates Gryffindor and vice versa?” He asked curiously, the question having been on his mind ever since the summer when he had heard both Draco and Lucius complaining about the so called ‘self righteous gits’. That was one of the ways that Draco was quite similar to Lucius. Like father, like son he supposed.

Draco's grey eyes darkened at the mention of the house of the lion as he began to rant, getting more and more riled up as he spoke. “Oh, those red and gold prats? They think they can run this school, never getting into trouble for anything, even with the Weasley Twins’ constant pranking and Potter, Weasley, and Granger's constant breaking of rules. They've got Dumbledore wrapped around their fingers and he lets them get away with it. It's totally unfair! At least Snape gives them the treatment they deserve, actually doing his job as a teacher and deducting points or assigning detention to those who disobey. They deserve much more in my opinion…”

Although Eridanus had asked the question, he only somewhat listened to his cousin's answer as he instead became lost in his thoughts. He began playing with his tie once more, slipping the silk material through his fingers as he thought deeply about Potter and their interaction. Eridanus could tell that the trio had been analyzing him and he didn't appreciate it one bit, it made him feel quite vulnerable as he worried that perhaps they would notice something that the boy was attempting so drastically to conceal. Eridnaus, however,  knew it would be impossible to do so as he was quite good at covering his tracks and thought long and hard before he spoke, making sure nothing slipped that he didn't want to slip. He remembered that Draco during his rant had mentioned how Hermione Granger was quite smart and not much went over her head, making him believe that perhaps if she was as smart as she seemed, she would have him figured out by the end of the week.

Eridanus walked along with Draco, Grabbe, and Goyle across the Middle Courtyard towards Transfiguration, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he listened to Draco tell him the story of the time he had ‘fought’ a Hippogriff. “It had just attacked me, Eridanus - out of nowhere! Luckily, I was able to hold it back from inflicting too much damage, as I knew the ladies wouldn't appreciate my face being all mangled up."

Eridanus wanted to roll his eyes at his cousin, knowing that the tale he was spinning was completely false, yet he restrained himself, simply nodding along. He also wanted to laugh at Draco's cockiness of his looks, knowing for a fact that not many people, besides their family, would have cared if Draco gained a few scars. Perhaps it would even add more appeal to his ‘bad boy' exterior.

Instead of listening to his cousin's boasts, however, Eridnuas was paying special attention to the whispers and murmurs he heard as they walked, everyone chatting excitedly about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament. It annoyed Eridanus to hear people talk about the event so gleefully as he knew what was in store for the final task, and that would be anything but a cheery event. Unknowingly to him, Eridanus had been searching the crowd for Harry, as he couldn't help but feel slightly bad for the raven haired git as he obliviously laughed along with his friends, having no idea of the horrors that would take place throughout the year.

The four boys entered the classroom, Eridanus surveying the large room, noticing how it was surrounded by high windows, allowing plenty of light to filter through although if there wasn't enough daylight, several candlesticks stood lit behind the professor's desk to illuminate the room. There were four rows consisting of three desks, yet there was still enough room for several cages and bookshelves and two chalkboards to occupy the space.

Upon entering the room, Draco immediately made way for a particular set of desks in the third row, Grabbe and Goyle immediately sitting on either side of their ‘leader’, Eridanus just then realizing how he would have to sit away from his cousin. He didn't mind that though, it would've been nice to be with someone he already knew, yet perhaps if he sat somewhere else, he wouldn't be bothered by his cousin attempting to explain everything to him.

Draco quickly noticed this too and, not wanting to sit without his cousin, pushed Crabbe slightly, prompting the other boy to stand up in confusion, Draco soon after voicing his directions. “You'll have to sit somewhere else, Crabbe. That seat is Eridanus’ now.” The boy looked hurt yet nodded solemnly as he went to sit in the row behind.

“No need to treat them poorly, Draco.” Eridanus muttered in annoyance, rolling his eyes at the antics of his cousin as he slid into the once occupied seat. “They're as loyal as anything but that doesn't mean you can abuse your power.”

Draco scoffed at his cousin, brushing off Eridanus’ statement with a wave of his hand. “You'll understand how things work around here soon enough, Eri.” Is all he said as he brought out his textbooks, the curly haired boy rolling his eyes once more at how differently Draco behaved at school than he did at home.

Hermione Granger had walked past the boys on her way to the front row during their interaction, hearing what Eridanus had said as he defended Crabbe against Draco's antics. Her brows had furrowed at that, surprised that Eridanus wasn't simply a carbon copy of his cousin as he seemed to have higher morals and actually respected others, even if their were in a rank below you.

“Can anyone tell me what the incantation and wand movement for the Bird-Conjuring Charm?” Professor McGonagall asked as she surveyed the room, ignoring the eager Gryffindor whose hand shot straight into the air and instead narrowing her sights on the new student, wanting to test his knowledge. “Mr. Lestrange?”

Eridanus regarded the professor with a blank expression, twirling his quill in his hands, not even taking a minute to think before he responded. “The incantation is simply the word Avis, pronounced AH-viss. The hand movement is a flattened m shape, resembling the outline of a bird in flight.” He replied indifferently, ignoring the shocked expression of his peers as he scribbled on his parchment in boredom.

“That is correct, Mr. Lestrange, well done. Ten points to Slytherin.” McGonagall praised before moving on, yet many of the students, including Hermione Granger were still shocked, obviously having underestimated the intelligence of the curly haired boy. This only fueled Hermione's intrigue towards the him.

Draco grinned and patted his cousin's shoulder in congratulations and pride, whispering excitedly to Eridanus, “Congrats, cousin! You sure showed that Granger.”

Eridanus simply nodded his head in thanks while shrugging off the pale hand that still held his shoulder. He returned his attention back towards the lesson although in all honesty, he didn't care all that much as most of what was being taught he had already learned as Eridanus had never been expected to go to school. He only joined this year to aid the Dark Lord in his plans.

The rest of the day continued on in very much of the same way, teachers calling on Eridanus to test his knowledge and everyone being shocked when he didn't even have to think before answering correctly. After their last class, Charms, let out, Eridanus was physically and mentally drained. He wasn't used to doing so much schooling at one time and along with the eyes of the other students constantly on him, Eridanus didn't know how much more he could take. He just wanted to be brought back towards the Slytherin common room and take a long nap until dinner.

Draco, however, had no intention of letting his cousin rest as he lead the darker skinned boy to a group of tall Durmstrang boys. They all talked animatedly for the next few moments, wanting to know more about each other's schools and way of living, each being drastically different than the other. Eridanus excluded himself from the conversation as he offered no input, and simply responding with one-worded answers when asked a question.

The curly haired boy had been zoning out, hoping that Draco would let him leave soon, when suddenly he was being hit by a vision. The boy’s face paled considerably, his hands beginning to tremble as he reached out to Draco, gripping his cousin's Slytherin robes tightly, knuckles turning white as he attempted to keep himself upright. Draco, who up until being grabbed by Eridanus, hadn't noticed what had been happening to the older boy, yet once he did, quickly excused both himself and Eridanus from the group. The Durmstrang boys, not quite understanding English all that well, glanced at one another in confusion, wondered what had happened to the boy to cause such a drastic and quick reaction.

Draco lead his cousin carefully towards a secluded alcove, keeping a tight grip around his waist as Eridanus’ left arm was around Draco's shoulder, the blonde holding him up and stopping him from collapsing to the floor.

“Eridanus, are you okay?” Draco asked the boy worriedly, placing a hand on Eridanus’ cold cheek to turn his head, immediately noticing how his cousin's eyes were glazed over as they stared blankly ahead into nothingness.

Eridanus’ mind was not in Hogwarts anymore - even though his body still was - as he arrived at the ministry; all words of concern from his cousin simply fell on deaf ears as he watched the scene unfold in front of him.

Eridanus could only watch helplessly as two Death Eaters entered a small room which held a map of a maze, a man standing over it as he reviewed it, having been instructed to build it by the Ministry of Magic. In a flash of green light and two simple words, the man collapsed on to the floor, dead, his eyes wide and mouth open, having not known what had hit him.

Eridanus then was suddenly hit with a burst of images, wincing painfully, yet he knew there was nothing he could do for the man - no matter how undeserving of his death he had been. The Slytherin had just started school and he couldn't simply disappear for a few days as that would arise too much suspicion which neither he nor the Dark Lord could afford.

Eridanus emerged from his vision with wet eyes, his sight returning to him as he stared at Draco, said boy sighing in relief once his cousin's eyes were no longer clouded over with a milky film.

Draco didn't need to ask what had happened, knowing exactly what had occurred as it wasn't uncommon for Eridanus to experience those sorts of things. He simply regarded his cousin with a grim expression, stepping back as he could tell the other boy had begun to feel uncomfortable from Draco's touch.

“Come on, Eri, let's go to the dorm.” Draco ordered to his cousin, speaking in a soft voice as to not startle the traumatized teen. Eridanus, too weak to reply, simply nodded his head in response, the boys making their way down to the dungeon which held the Slytherin common room and dorms.

Alastor Moody (also known as Mad-Eye Moody due to one of his eyes being magical that moved around independently from his other eye), passed by the boys, staring at the two sternly. Eridanus felt anger bubble up on his chest yet he quickly tried to shove it down, hoping that no trace of it would be prominent on his features.

Moody nodded at Draco while muttering a greeting. “Malfoy.” Said boy nodded his head back while replying with a, “Professor.” The teacher then set his eyes on Eridanus, a shiver going down the boy's spine as he knew the man's true identity.

“Lestrange.” Moody greeted with another nod, taking time to revel in the fact that Eridanus was so uncomfortable around the man. The curly haired boy didn't respond, simply stared back at the man blankly. After a few moments Moody gave the boy a sharp smile, one that would appear quite threatening to most yet Eridnaus knew his ranking was above the man with polyjuice potion.

“Good day, professor.” Eridanus responded to the smile, grabbing onto Draco's arm as he quickly rushed them away from the vile man.

Draco, having no idea why there was such a tense air surrounding their Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and his cousin, stopped in his spot and regarded Eridanus curiously, said boy sighing in annoyance.

“What was that about?” Draco questioned as he crossed his arms, expecting his cousin to explain the odd interaction that he has just witnessed. He hadn't expected, however, the response that was given.

“Just stay away from him, Draco. He's dangerous.” Eridanus replied before turning on his heel, his robe making a swishing sound as it followed along behind him towards their destination.

Draco, having been frozen for a few moments, utterly confused on his cousin's cryptic reply, jogged to catch up to the curly haired boy. “Eridanus, wait up! What do you mean he's dangerous?”

Eridanus groaned in annoyance yet he understood why Draco was so curious as he hadn't been in the loop much concerning Eridanus and his affairs. However, no matter how badly the boy wished he could confide in his cousin, he knew the simple action would put them both in danger. So he opted for vagueness, hoping that would fulfill Draco's curiosity.

“I can’t tell you that, Draco. All I can tell you is that he's not one to be messed around with so it would do best if you stayed away from him. I wouldn't be able to bear it if you got hurt and I hadn't been able to stop it.” He confided, letting out some of the emotions which he usually kept so carefully guarded to himself. Draco immediately picked up on that and knew that what his cousin said was serious.

“Okay, Eri, I'll stay away from him.” The platinum blond boy replied, grasping Eridanus’ hand in his and giving it a quick squeeze before letting it fall back to his side.

Eridanus sighed in relief and nodded his head before running a hand through his hair, still trembling slightly from the events that had transpired earlier.

“Let's go to the dorms, for real this time.” He spoke, smiling slightly as his cousin who grinned back. “I've had enough action for today.”

↓

IM SO SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO UPDATE, I WAS JUST HIT WITH A SEVERE CASE OF WRITERS BLOCK. BUT THANKFULLY, MY BABE sectumsirius PLANNED OUT THIS CHAPTER AND THE NEXT TWO - SO IT HOPEFULLY WONT BE AS LONG FOR THE NEXT UPDATES SO GO GIVE HER ALL YOUR LOVE AS A THANK YOU.

but let me know what you guys think of this chapter/story so far! Eridanus and Hermione (as well as Harry and Ron)? Eridanus' relationship with Draco? His 'vision' and what do you think that means? Comment down all your thoughts!