The idea was amazing if I do say so myself. I started to smile like a mad man.
Weasley started to give me this look and I knew I needed to act fast or either the death eaters would get suspicious or Weasley would hex me and refuse to let me join there little group.
I quickly got up, lucky for me, Aunt bitch Bella's play husband was our guard.
"Don't interrupt me, I'm going to question this lot on the whearabouts of Harry Potter."
He nodded, dumb idiot, and I quickly closed the door. I heard Longbottom start his protesting but I waved him off as I put every charm I knew on the door.
"I want to help." There. I offered my help. I'm just as shocked as they are at this point.
"Why would you want to help us?" Longbottom asks.
That's when I finally lose it.
"Because I want this war over. I want to be able to get on the Hogwarts express and see happy children playing pranks on each other and being excited to be going back to school. I want parents hurrying to get their kids on the train, not savoring it like it was the last time they would see them. I want my mother to be safe. I want my father to go the hell away. I want my psychotic bitch of an aunt out of my house. And most of all, I want the Dark Lord out my bloody house. I want him to leave me alone. And I want – no need – Potter to kill him and win this war. I want my life back." I finished head in my hands, kneeling on the floor. I felt as if I had lost everything…and saying it lifted a weight off my shoulders I could not even begin to describe.
Weasley surveyed me carefully. Finally standing up she offered me her hand, so I could get off the floor.
Her hand was like a final decision, taking the hand meant becoming a traitor, betraying not only the Dark Lord and all his followers, but my father and all his beliefs. At that thought I took her hand.
I was all in now.
"We can meet once a week in the Room of Requirement. How you get there and not cause suspicion is your job. We'll wait on Saturday mornings at the crack of dawn, before anyone else is up. The room-"
"I know where it is." I said shuddering at the reason I knew where it was.
"Good, you'll answer our questions and we'll tell you any way you can help. You do not get to be a part of our meetings." She said with a note of finality in her voice, and I didn't dare question it.
"Deal." I held out my hand. She took it.
"Malfoy, you screw us, I'll let every death eater I see about your little outburst." She said before letting go of my hand.
I nodded, grabbed my trunk and went off to find a different compartment for the rest of the ride to Hogwarts.
I saw Crabbe and Goyle, but I was in no mood for that crowd.
Finally I found an empty compartment, only one occupant: Astoria Greengrass.
She was a Slytherin who had a heart. We teased her for years that she should have been in Ravenclaw, she had no cunning side at all, all brains and a smart mouth when she wanted to.
"Can I sit here?" I tentatively ask.
She just motions to the seat in front of her.
I take a seat after putting my trunk above me.
The first two ours were mind numbing. She wouldn't say a word to me, and I was left alone with my thoughts. Worry for my mom. Worry for me. And every once in a while I thought up ways to piss aunty bitch Bella off. And then images of her and the Dark Lord came into my head and I almost puke.
She finally, after 2 full hours, speaks.
"You're still here." She says with a tone of surprise in her voice. Something about her voice though, made me double take. I saw her in this light I've never seen anyone in before. She was the only person who never bowed to me, the only person I could never boss around.
"Yeah well its better than those goons I call my friends." I say quietly thinking of Crabbe and Goyle.
"War finally getting to you I see." She seemed to be calculating me in her head. Almost asking 'Is he just trying to get me in trouble with the death eaters outside'
"Yeah well I have some people in my house I don't particularly like. And….." I break off, why was I telling her all of this? I told Weasley to get her trust, but Astoria? Why am I telling her this?
Because she will listen to you.
And suddenly I found it. A friend. Or the possibility of one. So told her my concerns. I spilled my guts. And we laughed at Aunty Bella. We made jokes and I realized how beautiful her laugh was.
We spent the rest of the train ride talking about Hogwarts and our thoughts on what it would be like.
"It won't be the same." I say staring out the window and the rain coming down hard outside.
"Malfoy." Dolohov barks. "It's time to get the lot off the train."
I turned to Astoria, she gave me a smiled and I tried to smile back, before I gathered my things and followed Dolohov out of the compartment. Giving Astoria one last fleeting look, I left.
Patrolling the carriages was hell.
First, the kids were rude, and I was in no mood to fight the rude rebellion goers. And the little ones were scared shitless.
Second, I could see those beast threstals that Hagrid tried to teach us about 5th year. And it terrified me to no end.
So finally, after an hour of "watching over" the students, and being freaked the fuck out, I made my way into the castle and to Slytherin table. Looking at the staff table I could see Snape sitting at the middle of the table, and he looked worn out. Tired. The Carrows, those vile toerags, sat to his left. McGonagall to his right as usual, and the rest of the teachers in the rightful places. This, making me feel a little better, I came in and sat between Nott and Goyle, ready for the feast.
Which never came. All we had was some stew the remaining house eleves cooked up. It was food, but it wasn't a Hogwarts feast.
Who was I kidding? This wasn't Hogwarts anymore.
So I angrily ate my food, did my head boy duties, did I mention I was head boy?, and crawled back to the Slytherin dorms.
I didn't even bother to be sociable, I just went to my dorm, flung my curtains closed and laid there.
Just 24 hours ago I could not wait to get back, and now I wished I was home. At least there I could be watching over my mother.
But, I would help end this war. I was sure of it. I would do whatever I could, because I couldn't do this. This wasn't Hogwarts and you just can't take away Hogwarts, it's a sacred thing.
As I drift away to sleep though, I couldn't get one thing out of mind, and that was how great of a listener Astoria was.