p class="MsoNormal"This is a reupload since I never got around to finishing the story the first time around. br /None of the characters are mine, and if I happen to have a similar plotline to someone else, it's by coincidence. I don't mean to steal anything, I'm doing this for my love for HP and fanfiction. /p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Chapter 1/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco Lucius Malfoy was a nervous wreck, though he obviously didn't let it show. He had his trademark expression, that was a mixture of boredom and annoyance, plastered on. He wondered how his mother had managed to convince him to return for his seventh year, but then remembered he needed to be prepared to take over the family business. As his father was out of the picture, with him being in Azkaban and all, he was expected to take over the role as head of the Malfoy family. Wanting to get a quick nap in before they arrived in Hogwarts, he pushed open an empty compartment door. He tossed his bag onto the overhead compartment and proceeded to get some much-needed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"After the war, Draco and his mother had been pardoned by the new minister, Kingsley Shaklebolt, his father on the other hand, had done too many wrongs to be overlooked. That doesn't mean that he and his mother had gotten off scot-free, nope, for the better part of six months they had to be monitored day and night by Aurors and their wands altered to not be able to produce any other magic other than the basics. They had only lifted the restriction on his wand only when he had proof that he was to be attending Hogwarts. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"As soon as the train left the station, Draco was fast asleep. And he stayed that way for two hours before he was stirred awake by the sound of pages of a book being flipped. He opened his eyes to find Hermione Granger opposite him, her head stuck in a book. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Granger said when she noticed him starting to sit up. Draco didn't know what was more shocking, that she had decided to sit in the same compartment as him or that she was being nice to him. His brain wasn't fully awake yet, so trying to find an appropriate response to this encounter was hard. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, which only made him even sleepier. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Granger?" Was all his brain could manage. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Yes?" She replied. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""What are you doing here?" He had decided on being civil. Although he was brought up to believe that purebloods were the superior race, and that anything else was lesser, Hermione had shown him up in every single class, save for Quidditch. Now that he was older, he had learnt just how wrong his father's teachings were and he had made a promise to his mother that he would try to do better with everyone else, no matter their blood status. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I needed a quiet place to read." She said, gesturing to the book still open in her hands. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh, okay." Was all he said. She returned to reading and he reached up for his bag, hoping he had brought something to do. He reached in and was thankful he had remembered to bring his sketchbook and his pencils. Draco didn't feel the time pass as he drew and shaded the drawing he had started a day ago. The train finally rolled to a stop just as he had finished his drawing. It was a simple drawing of the view he got from his room in the manor, trees and hills and a lake. He had memorized how his backyard looked that he didn't need to see it to be able to draw it. He closed the book and packed his pencils away as he stood to leave the compartment. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"He was surprised to find that Granger had fallen sleep and had not woken yet. He gave her shoulders a light tap and she practically jumped from her seat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""We're here," was all he said as he left the compartment. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy!" A familiar voice caught his attention right as he stepped out of his compartment, he turned to locate where his friend was. Blaise Zabini was a few paces behind and had eventually caught up to Draco. "I didn't see you on the train, where were you?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Blaise, I was right there," he gestured to the compartment behind him, "I took a nap as soon as I was onboard." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"The two boys talked about everything and anything as they walked off the train and towards the carriages. Most of the laughter and talking had died down as they reached the carriages. It was no surprise that most of the students could see the Thestrals. War is a horror movie that doesn't end even when the bombs stop dropping. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco tried not to think too much about it, he just hopped into a carriage that had two other students in it, both Slytherins and none of them gave Draco a second glance. Draco preferred if everyone was like them, and just ignore him, Merlin knows how many gawks and hateful glares he's gotten over the span of six months. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I can't wait until this year is over." Draco said as he leaned his head back against the cool metal of the carriage and closed his eyes. He tried to picture how his ideal year would go, it would involve him not getting into any fights and people avoiding him as much as humanly possible. But that seemed highly unlikely, he knew how people worked. He gave up hoping for a "peaceful" year and he just hoped for the best. Who knows how what this year holds for all of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"-span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span- span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span-/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione wasn't surprised when Harry and Ron had told her they weren't deciding to go back for their last year, they had been offered pretty good positions by the Ministry of Magic, and studying just wasn't their thing. Though a little part of her still wished that they would change their minds and come with her for their last year of quiet, student life – something neither of them ever got. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione got off the train, her eyes searching for a head of red hair. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Do you think they know that more people can see them now?" A voice said behind her and she almost let out a scream. Ginny Weasley had found her. Hermione let out a huge sigh of relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Merlin's beard Gin, don't do that to me, I nearly hexed you!" Hermione slapped the red heads arm slightly. Ginny just stuck her tongue out at her and linked her arms in Hermione's. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I didn't see you on the train, why didn't you come find us?" Ginny asked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I got on late," Ginny gave her a look of surprise. "Yes, I was late." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""So where did you end up?" Ginny asked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I ended up sitting with Malfoy." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy?!" Ginny said a little too loudly for Hermione's liking. She gave Ginny a pained look. "But damn 'Mione, Malfoy. He actually let you stay?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""He was asleep when I went in. He seemed nice enough, no curses or anything. But we didn't speak much, I got to finish two books." Hermione added with a proud look on her face. She hadn't read anything that fast in months. Hermione and the remaining DA members had taken a part in the restoration of the Ministry and Hogwarts after the War. She had also helped clean up and repair the Burrow. All that hard work left her little time to properly immerse herself in any book. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Well, I'm famished, I wonder what they prepared for us." Ginny dragged her friend into an empty carriage, they were one of the last students to leave, which meant they got a whole carriage to themselves. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I wonder who McGonagall will choose as Head Boy and Girl." Hermione thought. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""You know you're definitely going to be Head Girl," the ginger winked at her, "but I really don't know who Head Boy could be. Maybe Neville or maybe even Ernie." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif; color: black;""Maybe." Hermione replied, still thinking of possible candidates. But in the back of her mind, she thought of one other possible student that the title of Head Boy could go to, and she hoped she wasn't right./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Chapter 1/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco Lucius Malfoy was a nervous wreck, though he obviously didn't let it show. He had his trademark expression, that was a mixture of boredom and annoyance, plastered on. He wondered how his mother had managed to convince him to return for his seventh year, but then remembered he needed to be prepared to take over the family business. As his father was out of the picture, with him being in Azkaban and all, he was expected to take over the role as head of the Malfoy family. Wanting to get a quick nap in before they arrived in Hogwarts, he pushed open an empty compartment door. He tossed his bag onto the overhead compartment and proceeded to get some much-needed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"After the war, Draco and his mother had been pardoned by the new minister, Kingsley Shaklebolt, his father on the other hand, had done too many wrongs to be overlooked. That doesn't mean that he and his mother had gotten off scot-free, nope, for the better part of six months they had to be monitored day and night by Aurors and their wands altered to not be able to produce any other magic other than the basics. They had only lifted the restriction on his wand only when he had proof that he was to be attending Hogwarts. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"As soon as the train left the station, Draco was fast asleep. And he stayed that way for two hours before he was stirred awake by the sound of pages of a book being flipped. He opened his eyes to find Hermione Granger opposite him, her head stuck in a book. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Granger said when she noticed him starting to sit up. Draco didn't know what was more shocking, that she had decided to sit in the same compartment as him or that she was being nice to him. His brain wasn't fully awake yet, so trying to find an appropriate response to this encounter was hard. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, which only made him even sleepier. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Granger?" Was all his brain could manage. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Yes?" She replied. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""What are you doing here?" He had decided on being civil. Although he was brought up to believe that purebloods were the superior race, and that anything else was lesser, Hermione had shown him up in every single class, save for Quidditch. Now that he was older, he had learnt just how wrong his father's teachings were and he had made a promise to his mother that he would try to do better with everyone else, no matter their blood status. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I needed a quiet place to read." She said, gesturing to the book still open in her hands. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh, okay." Was all he said. She returned to reading and he reached up for his bag, hoping he had brought something to do. He reached in and was thankful he had remembered to bring his sketchbook and his pencils. Draco didn't feel the time pass as he drew and shaded the drawing he had started a day ago. The train finally rolled to a stop just as he had finished his drawing. It was a simple drawing of the view he got from his room in the manor, trees and hills and a lake. He had memorized how his backyard looked that he didn't need to see it to be able to draw it. He closed the book and packed his pencils away as he stood to leave the compartment. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"He was surprised to find that Granger had fallen sleep and had not woken yet. He gave her shoulders a light tap and she practically jumped from her seat. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""We're here," was all he said as he left the compartment. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy!" A familiar voice caught his attention right as he stepped out of his compartment, he turned to locate where his friend was. Blaise Zabini was a few paces behind and had eventually caught up to Draco. "I didn't see you on the train, where were you?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Blaise, I was right there," he gestured to the compartment behind him, "I took a nap as soon as I was onboard." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"The two boys talked about everything and anything as they walked off the train and towards the carriages. Most of the laughter and talking had died down as they reached the carriages. It was no surprise that most of the students could see the Thestrals. War is a horror movie that doesn't end even when the bombs stop dropping. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco tried not to think too much about it, he just hopped into a carriage that had two other students in it, both Slytherins and none of them gave Draco a second glance. Draco preferred if everyone was like them, and just ignore him, Merlin knows how many gawks and hateful glares he's gotten over the span of six months. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I can't wait until this year is over." Draco said as he leaned his head back against the cool metal of the carriage and closed his eyes. He tried to picture how his ideal year would go, it would involve him not getting into any fights and people avoiding him as much as humanly possible. But that seemed highly unlikely, he knew how people worked. He gave up hoping for a "peaceful" year and he just hoped for the best. Who knows how what this year holds for all of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"-span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span- span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span-/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione wasn't surprised when Harry and Ron had told her they weren't deciding to go back for their last year, they had been offered pretty good positions by the Ministry of Magic, and studying just wasn't their thing. Though a little part of her still wished that they would change their minds and come with her for their last year of quiet, student life – something neither of them ever got. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione got off the train, her eyes searching for a head of red hair. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Do you think they know that more people can see them now?" A voice said behind her and she almost let out a scream. Ginny Weasley had found her. Hermione let out a huge sigh of relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Merlin's beard Gin, don't do that to me, I nearly hexed you!" Hermione slapped the red heads arm slightly. Ginny just stuck her tongue out at her and linked her arms in Hermione's. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I didn't see you on the train, why didn't you come find us?" Ginny asked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I got on late," Ginny gave her a look of surprise. "Yes, I was late." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""So where did you end up?" Ginny asked. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I ended up sitting with Malfoy." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy?!" Ginny said a little too loudly for Hermione's liking. She gave Ginny a pained look. "But damn 'Mione, Malfoy. He actually let you stay?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""He was asleep when I went in. He seemed nice enough, no curses or anything. But we didn't speak much, I got to finish two books." Hermione added with a proud look on her face. She hadn't read anything that fast in months. Hermione and the remaining DA members had taken a part in the restoration of the Ministry and Hogwarts after the War. She had also helped clean up and repair the Burrow. All that hard work left her little time to properly immerse herself in any book. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Well, I'm famished, I wonder what they prepared for us." Ginny dragged her friend into an empty carriage, they were one of the last students to leave, which meant they got a whole carriage to themselves. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I wonder who McGonagall will choose as Head Boy and Girl." Hermione thought. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""You know you're definitely going to be Head Girl," the ginger winked at her, "but I really don't know who Head Boy could be. Maybe Neville or maybe even Ernie." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif; color: black;""Maybe." Hermione replied, still thinking of possible candidates. But in the back of her mind, she thought of one other possible student that the title of Head Boy could go to, and she hoped she wasn't right./span/p