"I still don't think we can trust him," Ron grunted as the trio climbed into a carriage. Harry scowled at his friend before giving the thestral harnessed to their carriage a final pat. The skeletal horses still gave Hermione and Ron the creeps, but Harry found them to be magnificent creatures. Besides, Harry was not the only one scowling Ron.
"Ronald! He saved Harry's life! We may not have won if he hadn't broken Harry's bonds…" Hermione went quiet, remembering the war. Ron's ears were red from the slight embarrassment and he murmured an apology. So many people had died that day.
Harry leaned back, looking from Ron to Hermione and a small smile came to his face. He had told them about his experience on the train and their reactions were classic. Ron, untrusting and suspicious, and Hermione, trying to find the good in everything. Merlin's beard was Harry glad they had finally hooked up. For years he had kept himself from getting into their petty arguments and telling to just go and snog each other. Life was getting better since the end.
But Harry couldn't get Malfoy's face out of his head. He had looked so scared, not as much as the day he had been forced to torture Harry, but pretty damn close. He sighed; this was going to be a very strange year.
Pansy would not let Draco alone. Ever since Theodore's threat to torture him on the train, she was mothering over him worse then ever. "Are you hurt? Did he curse you? Torture you? Draco, why are you blushing?"
"PANSY! I'm fine! I slipped out of sight before he got too close. Someone let me share their compartment for the trip." The blonde groaned when Pansy gave him a suspicious look.
"Who?"
"Pans, why don't you quite smothering him and let Draco breath."
'Thank all the Gods of the world for Blaise.' Draco thought as he followed his only friends up the stone steps of the castle. As usual, the entrance hall was buzzing with chattering students, teachers and ghosts. Peeves was creating a ruckus by throwing water balloons. At least, Draco thought they were water balloons. Until one landed on the floor and exploded in a whirl of colored goop, covering Pansy, Blaise and himself.
"PEEVES!" Filch was shouting himself hoarse at one end of the hall, covered in bright red goop and holding an equaled covered and pissed off Mrs. Norris. Grumbling sourly, Draco pushed a large amount of the mess off his head. It landed on the entrance hall floor with a half-hearted plop. The goop still on him turned a depressing shade of beige that matched his mood spectacularly. A Weasley product, he should have known.
The Sorting went by fairly quick, ending with Zebra, Charles (Hufflepuff), after which Headmistress McGonagall stood at the center of the table. The table was filled with some older and stressed, but thankfully familiar, faces. Hagrid waved at Harry, who waved back, as well as Remus, who had been reinstated as the DADA professor. McGonagall held up her hands and the Great Hall fell silent.
"We have suffered greatly these past few years, losing a number of fine students such as Cedric Diggory, Luna Lovegood, Millicent Bulstrode, Katie Bell, Ernie Macmillian and Susan Bones. Let us try to keep this year a hard working and well-deserved one in their memory as well as the others that have given their lives to ensure our survival over this summer. Dig in."
Food instantly appeared, but many did not feel hungry after the speech. However, stomachs soon sang in a chorus and everyone was quickly stuffing their faces and the merry chatter flamed up again. Harry laughed with several other Gryffindors at the 'mood goop' Peeves had been throwing around the entrance hall as he ate heartily. His eyes gradually slipped to the Slytherin table where Draco sat off to the side with Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini.
The blonde was obviously pushing his food around his plate as his friends were arguing about something. His storm grey eyes flicked up to meet Harry's. The raven-haired boy kept his gaze while the blond returned his to his uneaten food, pushing it around with more zeal. Harry looked at his nearly empty plate and his hunger subsided. Maybe this year was not going to be as easy as he thought.