Chapter 2 The Trip Back to Hogwarts

Harry, Ron, and Hermoine bustled eagerly to platform 9 and ¾. Having been forced to miss their 7th year for obvious reasons, the trio was strangely excited to see what this new, Voldemort-free year had in store for them.

Harry noticed how few faces he recognized from his year at the station. This, however, did not surprise him. He expected many would take the summer course option to avoid the trouble of repeating a year and stave off their own bad memories. This didn't faze him much, though. He was positively thrilled about a chance to do Hogwarts over, particularly this time without all the titles and drama. He was going to actually be just a normal, regular student this year. And he just couldn't wait.

"Hurry up, Harry!" Hermoine shouted at him, the frustration evident in her voice. "You know all of the good compartments fill up fast."

"Relax, 'Mione." Ron replied smoothly as he turned to the vexed girl to place his arm around her shoulder. "Harry can get any compartment he wants! He's the bloody Boy-Who-Lived!"

Hermoine turned to Ron with a stern look on her face and brushed his arm aside. "Don't think we are just going to go throwing our weight around using Harry to bully 1st years out of their seats. Now if you two will hurry we might get a good seat yet." And with that Hermoine spun and headed towards the train.

Harry and Ron looked at each other with a smirk, but Ron just shrugged his shoulders and the pair hurried off after her.

The train was alive with the buzzing of excited 2nd and 3rd years, the nervous twitters of shy 1st years, the cool, aloof chitchat of the older students. Scattered among them however, were the sober faces of the returning 8th years.

The trio glided through the train, sliding open compartments, looking for an empty one. Harry grabbed the handle on yet another screen and pulled.

" Oh I'm sorry, excuse m-" He stopped mid-sentence when he realized he was face to face with Ginny Weasley, her arms wrapped tightly around the waist of some buff looking 7th year. While they had dated, in the summer following Voldemort's demise Harry found himself drifting away from her. Sure, she was quite pretty and he enjoyed her company, but it seemed as if after the excitement had died down there was just something... missing. Ginny had noticed the distance in Harry as well, and though she was disappointed initially, the split was amicable. And, as Harry now saw, once more attached. That didn't take long, he thought grumpily, despite himself.

"Harry" Ginny said simply as her brown eyes met his emerald ones. Harry just nodded and gave a faint smile.

"Ah, good to see you." Harry mumbled nervously, shuffling his feet. "Right, so well, I better let you get back... to it." He gave another awkward smile and nearly collided with Ron as he hastily left the compartment.

"No luck in that one either mate?" Ron asked with a frown. He was beginning to think that Hermoine had been right, as usual, to want to hurry. Harry shook his head, an awkward blush still lingering on his face. Ron cocked his eyebrow, but continued scanning the train. "What about over there? It looks pretty deserted to me." Ron started toward the door, but as he slid it open his face visibly fell.

"What? Is it that git Smith?" Harry asked as he watched the disgust spread across Ron's transparent features. He walked over to the place where Ron stood and peered in.

"Malfoy." Ron sneered. "Apparently they're letting death eater scum back in Hogwarts too."

Harry took in the boy before him. Draco looked as if he had lost weight; he was even more gaunt then when Harry had last seen him at his trial, where Harry had pleaded for lenience for the young Malfoy and his mother before the Wizengamot. His eyes were dark and sunken in as if he hadn't slept in weeks. His normally pale skin was now almost transparent, and looked flaky and dull. His trademark platinum blonde hair had also lost its shine, and lay stringy and lifeless against his ghostly face. Indeed, the form before him was barely a whimper of what it had once been. Harry felt a jolt of unexpected pain as he looked upon the broken slytherin.

"Leave him alone, Ron." Harry felt himself saying. "We talked about this. The war is over, lets just try to get on with ours lives. Okay?" He glimpsed Draco slight figure once more before he grabbed Ron's arm and led him off to look for Hermoine.

Draco watched silently as the weasel and Potter stalked away. Through their entire encounter he had not spoken. In fact, he had barely even looked up. He had just sat there and waited patiently for them to bore of tormenting him and go away. But Potter had surprised him by coming to his defense. This Draco had not expected. Sure, he had stuck up for him at his trial, but he didn't really expect Potter to want anything to do with him after that day. Oh well, he just chalked it up to the "Chosen One" playing hero once again.

Still, he couldn't help but notice a new light in Potter's eyes. The exuberance that blazed through the twin emeralds had captivated him. Only for a moment, of course, because Draco had immediately shrugged the thought off. But now as he sat alone in his empty compartment he found his mind returning over and over to their flames.