Chapter One – The Return to Hogwarts
The carriages arrived one after another as groups of five and six hopped off and hurried towards the huge doors that greeted their arrival. Hopping off his carriage and slowly approaching the structure in front of him, a boy with messy black hair paused to take in his surroundings.
"I'm back." Harry Potter smiled as he stood at the steps to the school that was his home away from home: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It seemed like it had been forever since the last time he had been there.
Three months had past since his final encounter with Lord Voldemort. Things had finally calmed down for the seventeen-year-old boy. Because of the mayhem caused by the epic battle, the school year had come to a halt as families were allowed to be together in their time of mourning and rehabilitation.
He had skipped the first half of the year and spent most of his time in search for the Horcruxes that kept his sworn enemy alive. But now that that was all over, it was time for him to pick up where he left off. Having missed half of his lessons, Harry had spent the past few months trying to learn all that he had missed. It was easy with the help of his two best friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The three friends had been through a lot throughout the years. Seven years ago, they started school side-by-side. It seemed only fitting that they finish in the same fashion.
Spring had come, kissing away the bitterness of the winter. As grass grew and flowers began to bloom, it was very symbolic of the fresh start that everyone had been given with the passing of the Dark Lord. Though many friends and family members were lost, it was time now to move on and carry on with their lives.
"Harry? Are you coming?" Hermione smiled, walking up past the boy.
"Yeah mate. I know it's school and all, but you're the one who suggested we all come back." Ron grinned. "If you're having second thoughts, I'm right with you."
"Absolutely not, Ronald!" The brunette girl frowned. "We've missed so much! I'm happy to be back!"
Ron leaned towards the other boy and lightly elbowed him in the ribs. "No surprise there, eh?"
Harry just chuckled.
"I heard that, Ron!" She glared.
"I'm just kidding, 'Mione. I'm happy to be back, too." He went over to his girlfriend, took her hand in his and kissed her lightly on the cheek, causing a faint blush to creep up the girl's face. He sighed in content. "Despite everything that happened, it's good to be back."
Harry nodded in agreement. "Yeah…"
"Out of the way!"
Before Harry could even move, Draco Malfoy shoved past him and stomped up the steps.
"Hey… Malfoy." Harry tried, but the blonde made no sign that he even heard.
Ron scoffed. "You'd think after all that we've been through, he'd be less of an arse. I swear, he should've been sent to Azkaban with his father…"
"Ron, that's terrible!" Hermione scolded. "If it weren't for him we might not even be here now. Isn't that right, Harry?"
The boy merely shrugged. "Sure, but I don't think that gives him the right to be rude. Especially after what he did for us, and what we did for him."
Hermione just rolled her eyes. "Well come on then. Let's get inside already."
It was bittersweet to enter the school after everything that had happened. In fact, the trio greatly wondered whether returning would be a good idea. They had contemplated how hard it would be to face the parts of the school where they witnessed the death of a friend or loved one. But in the end, they had decided that together they would face anything. So although it may be hard, they wanted to return. They wanted to finish what they had started together.
"Why do you think he did it?" Ron wondered, as they made their way through the familiar halls. "I mean, from what I can tell, he hates us. Even now, he hates us."
"Your point?" Harry listened, half-heartedly.
"My point is, if he hates us so much, why did he save us back at his house?"
Harry thought back to when he and his friends had been captured and sent to Malfoy Manor. At the time, he was sure that that was going to be the end. As he sat in the cold, dark room with Ron, Dean, Luna, and Mr. Ollivander, he worried about Hermione who was left upstairs with Bellatrix Lestrange, and about the fate of all who surrounded him. He knew the end was near, as Voldemort would soon arrive to be rid of the Boy-Who-Lived and all of his accomplices. But then, with the greatest of surprises, Draco Malfoy opened their cell and freed them. Draco didn't utter a word in the exchange. He simply opened the door, therefore breaking the spell that banned any magic from being performed in the room, and returned upstairs where his parents and the other Death Eaters lay in wait. It was then that Harry was able to unknowingly contact Aberforth who then summoned Dobby for help. If Malfoy hadn't freed them, they would surely be dead. Afterwards, when he and Ron returned to retrieve Hermione, Malfoy had acted as if nothing had happened, but Harry assumed it was because he was still under close watch of the Death Eaters. But that was then, and this was now. Harry had thought that by now, after everything, that Draco might acknowledge what he had done. But that wasn't the case.
Then Harry thought of that climactic night when he went face-to-face with Voldemort. He was killed by the Dark Lord once, but through the power of protection given to him by his mother, Harry had lived. Narcissa Malfoy, more concerned about the well-being of her own son, disregarded her leader's orders and lied about Harry's death. Harry had been paraded in front of everyone as a trophy to Voldemort's assumed victory. But after Neville destroyed the last Horcrux, Harry was finally able to spring back to life. In the mayhem that ensued, Voldemort had learnt of Draco's betrayal and in his rage chased the Malfoy heir down a series of corridors. Harry had followed the two and so came the final battle between good and evil. And if it hadn't been for Draco, who knocked the Dark Lord out of place just as he was about to curse Harry, Harry might very well be dead right now.
Twice Draco had saved him. Harry thought that maybe he had pegged Draco wrong as he had pegged Professor Severus Snape wrong as well. Snape had been a trusted ally of the former Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, and he worked as a spy for the Order. Maybe Draco was the same, after all, Snape was one of his favored mentors. But no one in the Order could confirm Harry's theory, so he was left wondering the same thing his redheaded friend wondered. 'Why did Draco save him?'
"Harry, did you hear me?" Hermione asked.
"Huh? What?" The green-eyed boy snapped out of his thoughts, looking at his friends.
"I asked you if Malfoy had said anything that final night here in Hogwarts."
He shook his head. "Not a word. I told you before, he just suddenly leapt up and tackled Voldemort to the ground. Voldemort was just as surprised as I was."
The trio stopped in front of the doors to the Great Hall.
"Well, if he doesn't want to acknowledge what he did, I'm not going out of my way to be nice to him," Ron shrugged. "Despite him saving our lives and all, he's still a snobbish prat to me."
"Can we change the subject, please?" Hermione frowned. "We're starting new here. I don't want to think about what happened these past few months. I'm ready to move on."
"Well put," Harry nodded in agreement.
The three turned and faced the Great Hall. Finally, they were ready to start anew.
Author's Notes: So this was clearly a 'so here's what happened' chapter. It's more about getting to understand the changes from actual to this fanfic. Hopefully, it's not too confusing. We'll be getting more into the story in the next chapter. ENJOY!
