Nott groaned from beside me making me glance over to see him banging his head roughly on the hard wooden table in the library. Blaise just smirked widely as Pansy continued to magically enhance her lips. That's when Daphne walked over looking bored. "This studying you losers are doing… is annoying." She informed us crisply and sat down, instantly crossing her legs and folding her arms. For some reason Daphne is here without her sister, usually Astoria and her are attached at the hip.
"Who's studying?" Pansy smirked icily and made us laugh in response. Theo blushed darkly but still managed to laugh. We like to insult him often, this little group of mine. Once everything quieted there was a moment of silence.
"Vincent," Gregory said softly from the corner making the silence continue. That's when Astoria arrived bringing smiles to our faces once more as we pretended as though the war didn't just end and that things will never be the same.
"You look dashing," She said softly and looked into my face as she licked her lips lightly. I ignored her and instead focused on the paper that Theo was staring at in such annoyance. In fact it seemed to be what had made him bang his head against the table earlier. That's when I noticed Harry Bloody Potter on the front page looking absolutely perfect as usual with no bags under his eyes from sleepless nights and remembering his best friend's screams. There is no sadness or look of complete and utter loss from not knowing what the future will hold or if someone will just kill us off for whom our parents are and what stupid things we did to protect people… or ourselves. Pansy is the only one who wanted to protect her alone; the rest of us had someone else as well whether it be family or lovers. Now we're all alone.
"He looks happy, decent, and even content." I spat angrily and watched the others stare at me as though waiting for something to happen but I merely began tapping on the wood, not wanting to know and understand that this is it.
"What do you expect? He's the Savior of the Wizarding world! He won't have to do a damn thing for the rest of his pretty little life." Pansy smiled slyly and ran a hand through her beautiful dark hair. Daphne rolled her eyes and began scratching her arm lightly with one long nail.
"Why aren't you guys studying? We need as much help as we can get just to have a decent job and you guys are too busy talking about Potter and joking around!" Theo cried his voice cracking as I watched those normally dry eyes of his begin to water. We understand the situation; he's a fool if he thinks we don't.
"You are such a fool." Daphne sighed and sat up straighter in her seat. She glanced around the room with a sly smile but no one else is here except for us. "If you're stupid they'll make fun of you for it and have a few laughs, if you're brilliant then they'll fear you. There is no winning here, Theo. This world will be one full of prejudice until every last person in this school right now dies. Then the prejudice should be less enough for our great grandkids to live a good life." Her pessimistic tenancies… are falling apart at the seams now. I never thought she'd be right… it was always just pessimism but now I know the truth. She was right all along when she told me that as soon as my father resumed his Death Eater duties that my life would never be peaceful again.
"You can't be a crybaby anymore, Draco." Blaise teased but I just ignored him. He's trying to make this light and fun again. That's one thing we can always count on Blaise for. I smirked lightly to myself; I only ever pretended to be hurt to get attention. It was a pathetic attempt to compete with Potter but now I don't have a chance in hell.
"I won't be. I think I'll be too busy trying to salvage what's left of my family's fortune." I said with a light smile. Keeping things light… that's how we do things.
"This is just getting depressing." Astoria sighed softly and began to play with her fingernails.
"Then I have exactly what we need." Blaise grinned and pulled out a couple of bottles of firewhisky. We all cheered loudly but the librarian hasn't cared about anyone making a mess of her library since the Battle. Everyone is free to come and go, along with take what they like. The place was practically ruined beyond repair anyway. It's only thanks to Professor McGonagall that it was repaired to being able to sit in and read maybe a handful of books. This is probably why no one has graced the poor unworthy Slytherins with their presence.
We all took turns taking large gulps, even the nervous and manipulative Theo. That's when someone entered the Library making me turn around and look at Luna Lovegood with Ginny Weasley. I would have turned my nose up at them just a few weeks ago but instead I ducked my head causing the others to notice as well. "Oh look… it's them." Astoria sneered as though they were still filth rather than us.
"Oh look, it's them." Luna said but it was in a completely different tone than Astoria's. It was in a slightly wondrous and curious tone rather than the haughty and cruel one the blond had used.
"Hello there," Ginny said but her voice was a bit strained, I tried not to notice her red eyes. We all lost people in the war, I'm not willing to pity her when I've lost people as well. Vincent and Snape… I closed my eyes tightly before looking up again, just in time to see Potter. I turned around then and focused on the bottle which came my way once more.
"He's yummy but probably such a prude." Pansy murmured in an annoyed tone causing Blaise to laugh loudly. I ignored them both and closed my eyes, burying my face in my arms. I don't want to deal with this or the fact that he's here right now. It's not going to change anything.
"Ginny, your parents want to see you. I think they want everyone home for a while… to cope." Potter said in a soft kind voice letting me know he still has feelings for the ginger. Glancing up I noticed Ginny nodding bitterly before glancing over at her girlfriend. They snogged for about two whole minutes and then the redhead left leaving the two of them alone. "You should probably come too Luna… I'm sure your father wants to see you." His smile looked genuine but that's when I noticed that the papers lied. His eyes aren't without pain and hatred.
"Harry, you seem so concerned about everyone's parents. Shouldn't you be focusing more on your son?" She asked making my eyes widen before Potter blinked hard as though not understanding. It took me a second to realize that Daphne was whispering the answer in my ear.
"He's the godfather of a boy named Teddy. His parents were Lupin and Tonks, he's your second cousin or something." She murmured making me nod slowly before taking another drink.
"Oh right. I… may have to wait a little bit before I take up that responsibility, I won't be able to even begin taking care of him until the press calms down." He said quickly looking a little pale. I glanced away and focused on the way Theo was worrying his bottom lip. He's going to do something stupid.
"Harry Potter," Theo cried, clumsily jumping up from his seat at the table. The Chosen One glanced over at him curiously and then scanned our group. It felt like his hand was gripping hold of my heart as his eyes passed over mine. But it was a brief discomfort since he didn't bother looking at me any longer than the others but whatever. That's for the best anyway.
Theo looked even more nervous and jittery than usual as he played with his hands and wouldn't look up from staring at the table. "If you need someone to help you look after your godson, then I could help. I don't think I'll be getting a job anyway with my parents being Death Eaters and… and how I didn't help during the battle." He said softly, so soft it was hard for me to hear him but Potter seemed to understand as he nodded, still looking distant.
"Sure… if you want to. I can pay you of course and quite a bit but… you shouldn't give up. There could be several opportunities open to you if you just keep working hard like you seem to be doing." Theo ignored the insult to the firewhisky being passed around and just nodded with a small smile, that manipulative prick. I doubt Potter even knows his name; otherwise he would have said it by now.
Tracing along the lines of the wood on the table I made sure not to look up as I had a scowl firmly planted on my face. "Sexual frustration," Daphne teased lightly but I said nothing and merely looked over at Pansy who was staring at me carefully.
"Thank you, Mal-Draco. You didn't rat me out at the Manor and didn't try to knock me off the broom when we were in the room of requirement." He said softly but that last part made Greg get up and leave the room quickly. I looked up at Potter and noticed a slightly melancholic expression on his face which immediately shifted to one of kind gratitude. "Can you thank your mom for me? In case I can't talk to her before today is over?" His words were genuine and kind but that doesn't matter. It never fucking matters when it comes to Harry Bloody Potter, but that's alright, I understand. He's the hero, not me. He's the fucking Chosen One, not bloody me.
I nodded stiffly, biting back the 'sod off and go wank to the sounds of a good maiden in distress.' Harry Potter smiled softly and turned away as though this would be the end of it. Everyone stared at me expectantly but I was frozen to the spot as I watched his back. He's leaving.
If I don't get up now and run after him then I may never see him again. Not outside of the papers at least and not without some girl hanging off his arm. If I get up right now and run up to him I may not say what I want to. He could be the one telling me to sod off and I'll be stuck doing it. I'm the prat, not him. If I let this end right here and now I would have lost my rival that I've had for the last seven years. I started to stand but when I looked back to the door he was already gone.
"Firewhisky, Draco?" Pansy asked with an unreadable expression. My eyes began to blur and my body tremble so I just sat back down and nodded before downing the rest of the bottle. No one complained, and soon I was being looked after by my friends…
But that's not enough.
Because in the end there is a boy in the world with amazing green eyes and messy dark hair that's going to be the champion of the wizarding world and it won't fucking matter because in the end…
He will have forgotten me.