Resilience
Chapter 1:
Draco walked slowly along the crowded platform, cutting his way through the packs of kids and parents saying their teary goodbyes, while running his hand anxiously along the hem of his crisp black suit. As he made his way to the Slytherin car, his stomach turned, all the memories clashing with everything that was different about this year. Everything about the platform looked the same as it always used to, but this time felt strange, and for good reason. He tried imagining his parents, walking alongside him, wishing him good luck for the upcoming year, like they had done many times before. The whistle of the train snapped him back to reality. His parents weren't here. They were in Azkaban. This year is different. He wasn't supposed to be going back. He had already been there seven times. He looked up at the clock on the wall, and his stomach twisted into a knot when he saw it was 11:00, and he boarded the train to Hogwarts for the eighth time.
"I don't even know why I agreed to do this!" Ron nearly whined.
"Because we spent the last year trekking through Europe looking for Horcruxes!" Hermione scolded, not realizing that his comment was rhetorical. "We all missed our last-"
"I know that!" Ron interjected. "I mean why did I agree to put up with another year of studying and stress and teachers! I mean this was all technically optional, if you took my Mum out of the picture." Ron argued as his cheeks turned a rosy pink.
"Your mother made the right choice, sending you back this year, you are lucky to have her!" Hermione added, to Ron's dismay. Ron let out an overly exaggerated sigh. Harry just giggled.
"Come on Ron, it'll be nice. You'll feel great once you've properly finished your education. And you'll get another year to play Quidditch!" Harry chimed in. Harry and Hermione kept going back and forth about all the benefits this year would have for them. Ron listened at first, but eventually tuned them out, wishing he had never brought it up in the first place.
"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!" Hagrid bellowed just as he did every year. Neville watched as all the fresh faced 11-year olds clambered down off the train onto the platform, and stared up at Hagrid in awe, just as he did 8 years ago. Neville couldn't help but laugh a bit at the memory, and of course how he had lost track of his toad.
"8th years, come gather around me!" called a comforting voice. They all turned around to see Minerva McGonagall, as maternal and friendly as always. Several younger heads turned as well, with various confused expressions spreading across their faces.
"Welcome! I'm so glad to see all of you again." Said McGonagall as they all gathered around her.
"Glad to be back, Headmistress." Harry said with a smile.
"This year is an important year for all of you and this school. You will not be residing in your house dormitories this year. This year you will all be in one house to show all our younger students the importance of friendship during hard times. During the reconstruction of the castle, a new tower has been constructed for you all, and you will have new uniforms, which will have the Hogwarts crest on them, which showcases all four houses. "
Most of the group seemed pleasantly surprised by this information, except Draco, who put on a scowl that surprised no one.
"Professor, if we are all in one house, what table will we sit at in the great hall? And will there be a new Quidditch team for our new house?" Draco said, as politely as he possibly could.
"We have made a small new table for your house, however if you would like to sit with your old houses from every now and then, we have lengthened each table, so you may do so. And for those who wish to play Quidditch this year, you will join your old house teams." McGonagall replied. "Now, you may leave your trunks over there by the carriages and follow me to the castle." McGonagall said
They all walked over to the attendant by the carriages and put their bags down.
"What are those creatures pulling the carriages this year?" asked Draco. The group looked over at the Thestrals and went silent. Only Harry and Luna had been able to see them before, now everyone could. All the members of Dumbledore's Army had known what they were, but they then realized that Draco had never heard of them. Everyone looked down at the ground, not wanting to have to explain it to Draco.
"Did I say something wrong?" Draco asked, confused at the group's silence.
"We'll explain it to you later, Draco." Hermione mumbled. "Let's just go to the castle now."
They walked back over to McGonagall, and she led them down a new path, heading away from where the rest of the school was boarding their carriages. The path got darker and darker as they headed away from the train station. After a few minutes of walking, they saw a clearing in the trees up ahead, and a group of tall, horse-like shadows filling the empty space. As they approached the large figures, it became clear that they were hippogriffs, which cheered up most of the group, except of course, Draco.
"Do you think Hagrid is going to be teaching Care of Magical Creatures again this year?" Harry whispered to Ron and Hermione.
"I hope so, and at least with Draco's parents in Azkaban, he can't go whining to his father and have a hippogriff sentenced to death." Ron replied, bringing back the memories from their third year.
"Alright everyone, I trust you remember how to approach a hippogriff", McGonagall said, looking around and focusing her eyes on Draco for a moment. "Two people per hippogriff. Harry, you are to ride with Draco, to prevent any kind of incident." McGonagall added, glancing apologetically at Harry.
Harry groaned quietly, as to not irritate McGonagall, and glanced at Hermione, who gave him a look that said, "Oh grow up!", and then Ron, who's face read "Sorry, dude."
Harry walked over to Draco, who was being careful not to get to close to the hippogriff.
"You do it. You bow down to this thing." Draco said quietly to Harry, being careful to not let the hippogriff hear him. At least he had learned not to be disrespectful right to the hippogriff's face, Harry thought. Harry went to face the hippogriff, bowed down slowly and held himself there until he saw the hippogriff return the gesture. Harry then approached the hippogriff and gently patted its beak, and it nipped affectionately at his finger. He then got up onto the hippogriff's back and motioned for Draco to do the same. Draco, however, was frozen in his place, staring up at Harry. Harry sighed and extended his hand down to Draco, who hesitated before grabbing it, and clumsily pulled himself up.
Harry looked around, watching everyone else getting on their hippogriffs. Neville approached his hippogriff with his newfound confidence, bowed elegantly, and reached out his hand to Luna, helping her onto the hippogriff. Harry noticed how nicely he had shaped up since he last saw him. He must have been working out over the summer, Harry thought. Luna, who was sitting behind Neville on the hippogriff, reached her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. Harry couldn't help but wonder if they were a couple now. He remembered during the battle, Neville had said that he fancied her. They seemed like they would make a great couple.
Once everyone was on their hippogriffs, McGonagall reached for a whistle around her neck. At the sound of the whistle, all the hippogriffs took off running down the clearing. Startled by the sudden motion, Malfoy suddenly reached his arms around Harry and held on tight, as if he felt he would fall off at any second. The pack of hippogriffs sped toward the end of the clearing and took flight just before they reached the trees on the far end. As the hippogriffs got to a steady altitude, Draco loosened his grip on Harry and raised his head to look around at the lake passing under them.
As they approached the castle, the hippogriffs all went into a dive. Draco once again suddenly tightened his grip around Harry. Harry wondered why Draco was so frightened flying on a hippogriff when he was such a natural when it came to flying on brooms. Once the hippogriffs landed in front of the castle and came to a stop, Draco immediately jumped off and backed away from the hippogriff.
Draco kept his head down, trying to avoid making eye contact with Harry, while trying to stifle a feeling in his lower abdomen that had nothing at all to do with flying sickness.
McGonagall was waiting for them on the front steps of the castle, she had apparated once the hippogriffs had taken off.
"Now if you will all follow me please." McGonagall said and motioned for them to follow her.
"You ready?" Harry said, looking over at Ron and Hermione, who both shrugged, unsure of what this new year would bring. They joined the group walking up the steps into the warm light of the castle.