Part II
The wind scratching the blonds face halted as he stepped into the familiar train cart.
Draco Malfoy sunk into the worn, felt cushion of the wooden seat. The train jostled and bumped along the tracks as he looked around the small compartment. A smirk played idily as he realized what a marvel it must have been to fit his group inside the cramped space.
"Move it Malfoy!" Blaise shouted, pushing Draco over roughly.
Draco rolled his eyes and scooted over stubbornly. His dark skinned friend slid into the booth beside him and clapped his closed off friend on the back. He grinned wide and swung his schoolbag into his lap, startteling Draco. The both looked up snappily as Pansy stormed into their cart.
"Boys," She greeted, plopping down into the booth adjacent to the boys, "Ready for year six?"
A smile spread over Blaise's face as he nodded egarly. Draco, on the other hand, turned a sickly pale and began wringing his hands. He could feel his friends staring at him but couldn't will himself to look up.
"Draco whats-"
"You know what I have to do Pansy," Draco snapped, closing his eyes.
They sat in tense silence, each knowing the trouble they would get into soon. As if on que, however, all three looked up the see Crabbe and Goyle standing in the doorway. The large teens pouted as they looked over to their housemates. Pansy gave then an odd, sort-of smile and waved the two over to her booth. There sat, the king of Slytherin, his queen, his right hand man and his royal henchmen.
Draco shook his head as the train squealed to a stop. He rolled his lips in and looked down at his red hands, realizing he had been wringing them the whole time. A knot sat tight in his throat as he looked to the doorway, his henchman nowhere in sight.
Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe hadn't made it out of the final battle. They had lost Vincent in the Fiendfye in the room of requierement pretty early on. Then Gregory didn't make it out in the hope that Draco would. He had sacrificed himself for his 'boss' not knowing if Draco would live even after he was saved but there still Draco sat.
Alone.
"Diffindo!"
Draco watched in terror as the orange light came hurrteling for him. He had just dropped his wand a moment before because of a stinging hex. In a millisecond he would be hit by the slicing curse but it would take minutes for him to bleed out.
'At least the caster Harry,' he thought, bracing himself for the slice.
But it didn't come.
Draco was pushed roughly to the side by a large weight. An audible crack sounded off as his shoulder hit the ground and then a shout. A thud came from his left and he scrambled over to his savior after grabbing his wand a and casting a binding spell at the caster.
His savior was Gregory Goyle.
"What have you done you idiot?" Draco snapped, concerned, pressing his hands on the wound.
"Protecting the boss, Boss," He slurred, grinning dopely up at the blond, acting as if he wasn't aware of his impending death.
"It is Draco you dimwit," Draco sneered, unable to make it sound heartfelt as he put pressure on the cut.
It was a clean slice from the bottom of his sturnum to his shoulder. In any other situation it could have been an easy heal for him but it was a battle feild. Bodies littered the floor of Howarts, somehow making a boy crying over his dying friend ignorable.
"O-Okay Boss" he said, fighting to stay awake.
Draco smiled grimly, trying and failing to stop his tears from falling, "Hey, say 'hi' to Vincent for me, will you?"
Gregory nodded lazily and let his eyes flutter shut. Blood soaked Draco's robe and tears his face. The blond stood up, himself a grusome picture, and drew is wand.
He was going to make sure Harry won this stupid fight once and for all.
Draco jumped with a start as he felt something wet drop onto his folded hands. The Veela wiped at his undereyes and found he had indeed been crying. He knew he shouldn't have been suprised, but every time he cried he couldn't help but fear a punishment from his father.
His brow scrunched as he looked around, realizing the train wasn't actually at the school yet. Outside was an empty feild of coloured floweres, not much unlike the garden feild at The Mannor.
He wondered, absentmindedly, what his mother was doing at that moment. After her trial she had been sentanced to property arrest, meaning the garden had become her sancuary. Each afternoon he and his mother had sat in that garden and talked like nothing had happened. Like he was a normal veela who's mate hadn't become the hero for the other side of a war. Like his mother's mate, his father, wasn't in Azkaban. Like they were normal.
"Dragon, Honey," His mother called, popping her head around the iorn arch sitting in the middle of the garden, "C'mon! I've got a suprise!"
The blond teen strode over to his mother, watching as she scuttled over to a stone bench. He smiled lightly as her navy dress flowed like a river and fell like a waterfall atound her skinny body. She had grown sickly pale and thin since his Draco's father had been arested. Narcissa patted the area beside her on the bench and gave him a warm smile. He noted as he sat that her eyes didn't - couldn't - sparkle like they used to.
"What is it Mother?" He asked, rearanging the collar to his black dress shirt.
"Well," She said, taking his hands in hers, "The Ministry sent a letter and... you are going back to Hogwarts to finish your sentence!"
He sat, stunned by the news she was so obviously thrilled about. Draco smiled akwardly and was engulfed in her arms. She held him tight, her body obviously shaking with cries of happiness. His mind swirled with worry as to how people would react to him, a known ex-Death Eater.
"Excuse us for this inturuption," Droned a voice over the speaker phone, startteling Draco, "The train had some complications. We are now ready to contine on our ride."
With that the train started with a jump and the sound of the weels chugging along filled the air. He watched with a bitter smile as the colours blurred as they flew by. The Slytherin took in a deep shuttering breath and looked forward at the empty booth across from him. 'They should be here.' he thought, clenching his jaw tightly.
Pansy and Blaise had both planned to arive later in the year than Draco. He had protested but they had insisted it was for the best as they were convinced they would be met with anger. The Ministry had told the three and many other ex-Death Eater families that they would likely be met with a hostile, possibly dangerous enviorment. Most people had no pity for the children of war who had been trapped on the wrong side. Even after what Draco had done during the final battle they were still seen as the enemy.
Many of his former housmates had agreed woth the Ministry. They and their families agreed to get home toutors and take the N.E.W.T.S. at the school. Others, however, like Pansy and Blaise, chose to come to Hogwarts two weeks late. They assumed the heat would die down and the brunt of it would be taken by people like Draco. Draco and a few other Death Eater kids from other houses had decided to go ahead and go at the normal time.
He knew the moment he walked through the doors of the great hall all heads would turn. Every student would look for a moment before turning in to their friends and whisper. Even the students that had stood by him on the wrong side would whisper and snicker. The others would hide in the protection of their house - something Draco didn't really have.
"Draco Malfoy!" McGonagall shouted, making his eyes widen.
The blond with the odd, slicked back hair he personally thought looked hidious. His mother had insisted, however, it looked best that way. She had proptly shoved a large jar of thick hair gel into his hands and looked purposfully at his bag.
'Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin,' He chanted in his head, swinging his small fists as he marched to the sorting hat.
His father would surely slaughter him if he was put in any other house. Malfoy Sr. had gripped Draco's shoulders tight as they waited for the train. He had then all but promised to kill his son if he didn't get Slytherin. Fear surged through him as he sat down in the oversized, black, leather chair and held his breath.
The hat bearly touched his slick hair before it made it's desission, "Slytherin!"
Squeals filled the air as the train noisely stopped, alerting Draco. He looked out of the window and realized they were actually at the right spot that time. He bit his lip and wondered where the time had gone.
Draco sighed and looked to the doorframe and jumped. There stood Harry J. Potter, a.k.a. the savior of the wizarding world, staring at him. The raven haired teen seemingly had grown a twitch taller and had filled out a small bit. He'd seemed to had tanned over the blistering summer - the hottest in decades. His hair was as wild as ever, however, and his large emerald eyes were still hidden behind round frames. Overall he hadn't changed much - not really, - but some how nothing was the same.
"Potter!"
"Crucio!"
"T-take it. Qui-i-ckly!"
"Avada Kedavra!"
"Expelliarmus!"
"Draco Malfoy, you are now under arrest."
"Wait! No! Malfoy! Malfoy! Draco!"
Draco gave him a slight nod and half of something almost a smile. The Griffindor seemed to glow at this and opened his mouth only to snap it shut. Something exploded in hie chest while Draco's mate smiled at his and waved like a bashful school girl. He remined himself that this couldn't be his last wave - his mate had said nothing - but was just his reaction to his mate being anoyingly atractive.
The blond watched as the other looked behind him and then was smacked into by an infamous red head. Hermione followed close behind, shewing the boys forward, stopping when she spotted Draco. She popped her head inside and smiled wide at her 'study-buddy' and waved happily. Draco waved back, happy to see he had at least one complete ally left. With that she continued on off the train, shoving the boys along their way.
Draco gulped quietly and swung his black and green bag over his left shoulder and stood slowly. A sharp, rotten pain twisted around his right knee, reminding him, as it always would, of the battle. With a sneer, Draco drew out his cane from his bag and enlarged it.
With that he stalked through the train, the sound of his cane echoing through the air. Cool wind met him as he stepped out the train for the eighth time.
-xx
