Hello and welcome to my new fic! After a bit of a hiatus, the urge to write a fresh multi-chap was too strong and here I am. I'm really excited about my new idea and have the basic outline laid out so I know where the story is going….for the most part. I've left some wiggle room for ideas along the way, as I am always open to suggestions and have found that sometimes stories take on lives of their own. ;) Without further ado, here is chapter one! ~Creds to JK Rowling
Hermione's heart sank as she walked amidst the students boarding the Thestral-pulled carriages that would take them to Hogwarts. It was clear that many of the students could see the great winged beasts who were only visible to those who had witnessed death. In previous years, only a small handful of students could see the magical creatures, but now with the Battle of Hogwarts having been waged the year before, the number of students to whom the creatures were no longer invisible had increased greatly. Hermione's heart went out to her peers who had clearly all experienced loss and been forced to grow up all too soon. She had first noticed this aboard the Hogwarts Express. The journey from platform 9 ¾ was usually a monumental, joyful event filled with raucous laughter and a constant chatter. This year the tone had been distinctly muted; the aura of sadness that hung over the train was almost tangible, hovering like a dark cloud. She hoped that the teachers would have strategies in place to deal with the morose atmosphere.
She was jerked from her reverie rather abruptly by Ron nudging her in the ribs. It seemed that he and Harry had selected a carriage for the three of them to ride to the castle alongside Ginny, Luna, and Neville. While normally Hermione might have had some sharp comment to shoot at Ron for getting her attention in such a tactless way, this time she said nothing and privately smiled to herself, for she looked at his nudge as a sign that things were returning to normal as it was something that he would have done in years past. After their kiss in the Chamber of Secrets during the battle, they had tried dating but realized that they preferred being friends—they had been like siblings for far too long to pursue a romantic relationship with one-another. Things had been strained between them as they regained their footing, but their relationship seemed almost back to normal.
"Did you catch sight of that carriage that we just passed?" Neville asked in a rather conspiratorial tone.
"Are you referring to the one full of students or the one full of students?" Ron asked snidely, though he grinned to show that he was teasing.
"I'm talking about the one full of Slytherins!" Neville exclaimed, seeming too excited to share his news to care about Ron's teasing.
"I did see that!" Ginny responded, brow furrowed in confusion from where she sat with Harry's arm wrapped around her. "I'm surprised that they would choose to return as well."
"Who was in it exactly?" Hermione asked with mild interest.
"Malfoy, Parkinson, Goyle, Zabini, Nott, and the Greengrass sisters," Neville responded.
"I suppose that makes perfect sense," Luna said dreamily.
"How do you reckon?" Harry asked her kindly. He no longer seemed surprised by anything that the quirky Ravenclaw said anymore, and in fact was usually quite eager to hear what she had to say, having learned that her comments while odd, tended to be incredibly insightful.
"Well if I were one of them, I would be quite lonely and sad or angry about my parents receiving life sentences in Azkaban, and would be at a loss for how to reintegrate myself into a world which is being rather unkind to me. At least with choosing to return for the optional eighth year I'd be going back to a routine that I'm used to with fellow Slytherins who understand what I'm going through," Luna replied calmly. Having said her piece, she pulled out the latest copy of the Quibbler and began to read it—upside down of course.
Her friends rode the rest of the way to the castle in silence, pondering her wise words and wondering with some trepidation if the same animosity would exist during their classes. Upon arriving at the castle, the group traipsed along with the rest of their classmates into the Great Hall to their seats. Hermione noticed that Malfoy was still sneering at other students—but only at those who were glaring at him. She also couldn't help noticing that a pink tinge was colouring his cheeks. It seemed that her Slytherin foe was ill-at-ease among his peers. This worried her, for in the past his discomfort had translated into hurled insults. Only time would tell if that remained the case.
The Sorting ceremony and dinner passed uneventfully, though Hermione once again noticed that the festivities were rather muted. She did not seem to be the only one to note that, for after the plates had been magically cleared of their food and returned to their gleaming states, Headmistress McGonagall stood up to make the start of term announcements. She listed the standard warnings about the Forbidden Forrest and Weasleys Wizard Wheezes, which many of the students had just about tuned out until they were jerked back to attention by her last announcement.
"I am sure that many of you have noticed the gloomy atmosphere that has greeted you upon your return to Hogwarts. I fully understand the reason for this nature, and I myself sometimes succumb to it. Many beloved friends and family members were lost on these grounds only a short while ago. A guidance counsellor has joined our staff who is happy to meet with any of you at any point should you need it, and of course please know that my door along with the doors of all of my colleagues are always open to you if you need to talk to someone. However, our loved ones made their sacrifices and fought for us so that we could live, happily and unrestrained. So live we shall! In order to bring some joy and festivities back, the staff and I have decided that we will be throwing a ball at the end of the month. On the 30th of September, a dance will be held here in the Great Hall. First to fourth years will be welcome to stay until 10pm, and then the fifth to eight years may remain until 1am. Announcements will be posted next week with the theme and the first trip to Hogsmeade will be open to everyone and pushed up to the third week of the month so that you may all buy the appropriate fixings for your costumes."
At her words, murmurs began spreading through the Hall. Harry turned to the group with his eyebrows raised. "Costumes?"
"Yes!" Ginny exclaimed eagerly, practically wriggling with excitement. This was right up her alley. When the boys had turned away, she turned to Hermione and waggled her eyebrows. "This is absolutely perfect for what we discussed."
Hermione rolled her eyes and sighed. Ever since she and Ron had had their amicable breakup, Ginny had been very pushy about finding Hermione a new man, insisting that that was the perfect solution to helping her snap out of her funk.
"You scoff but just wait!" Ginny remained unfazed as usual. "Costumes, makeup, punch, music, dancing…all of the fixings are there!"
"Wobbling in heels, being crap at dancing, awkward conversation, being a wallflower…" Hermione responded. As she spoke, she inadvertently made eye contact with Malfoy…who had apparently been staring at her? To her surprise, his expression remained neutral when their gaze connected, merely holding eye contact for a moment before turning his full attention to Blaise who had been saying something to him.
Hermione recalled the last time that they had held eye contact, when she had been tied up along with Harry, Ron, Griphook, and Dean in Malfoy Manor, as Malfoy told his crazed aunt that he did not recognize them. Perhaps such events had changed him. As she trudged up the moving staircases to Gryffindor Tower, she couldn't help but think that there really was no such thing as a dull day at Hogwarts.
A necessary set-up chapter, but I promise that the next one will be more from Draco's pov and will contain actual spoken interaction between them! Anyway, hope you liked what you read so far, and please show your thoughts with a follow/fav/review
Cheers, fan.