Over the next few days, Harry and the others slowly began to settle into a routine. Hermione, Harry, and Draco would get up and go for a run, then meet Ginny and Neville for breakfast in the common room. Then, they would all get their things and head to the pitch for dueling, then lunch, then to their separate lessons.
So far, the atmosphere between the five teens had been…interesting, to say the least. Draco had remained somewhat of a lone wolf, not really interacting much with the others except for Harry, who remained impartial to his friends' differences.
Draco had, true to his word, come forward to apologize to Hermione, Ginny, and Neville, who had, albeit somewhat skeptically, accepted his apology for his previous behavior. Harry and Draco both knew that it might be a long road to go with the other three though, who had suffered countless times as a result of Draco's misinformed choices.
However, their interactions with each other remained cordial, though distant. It seemed to Harry that Draco did not want to force his company on anyone who did not wish it and was happy enough just to do his own thing. Though, at least they had all gotten used to each other enough to call everyone by their first names. Harry counted that as a win.
After lessons one evening the students were lounging in the common room. Ginny was trying to teach Harry how to play wizard's chess- Harry was losing spectacularly, having never played any form of chess ever in his life- Neville was writing a letter to his Gran, Hermione was doing research for her and Draco's first project for Professor Flitwick (trying to recreate Harry's audiobook spell), and Draco was reading a book in the corner.
"Harry, you can't do that," Ginny reminded him. "The knight moves one up and two over, or two up and one over. See? Knight to E-5." Her knight moved over to aforementioned space, chopping his own in two. Harry stared at the board, his brow furrowed.
"I didn't know it was this complicated," he complained. "Rook to B-7." He was, fortunately, saved by Hermione, who looked up from her book, as though a thought had struck her.
"Harry, you were going to help us learn that Patronus Charm, remember?"
He looked up at her slowly, then back at the game, where Ginny was in the process of taking his queen, which he'd left in a very vulnerable position from his last move. "Ok," he agreed quickly. "Does everyone else want to learn, too?"
"You just don't want to admit you've lost," Ginny teased him. He raised a brow at her, but did not deign to comment. "See? I knew it, you're not denying it."
"I'm not sure I'll be able to manage it," Neville chimed in sadly. "Spellwork has never been my strong suit, and that charm is supposed to be seriously complicated."
"That's ok, Neville," Ginny said encouragingly. "I'm not sure I'll manage it, either. I haven't learned as much as Draco and Hermione, after all. But we'll never know until we try, right Hermione?"
"That's right Neville," the bushy-haired witch chimed in. "'Where there's a will, there's a way,' my dad always says," she said brightly, grabbing Neville by the hand and dragging him to his feet, with Draco silently following along behind.
Moments later, the five of them were again making their way onto the Quidditch pitch, pulling out their wands in preparation. All except Harry, who obviously didn't need his wand for this particular spell. The emerald-eyed boy had to admit he was nervous, and felt supremely under-qualified to teach his friends about spells when they'd actually been going to school to learn magic for years already.
He looked over the four of them as they stood side-by-side in a row. Ginny was first, her brown eyes shining with excitement. Hermione stood next to her, her expression similar to Ginny's. Neville was next, looking a little unsure. And finally, Draco, jaw set in determination, stood with his wand at the ready.
"Ok, so- Flitwick told me that the key to this spell is a really happy memory," Harry began. "It has to be the happiest you've ever been. The better the memory choice, the stronger your patronus. The incantation is, Expecto Patronum."
"Expecto Patronum," the others muttered, as though trying out the words on their tongues.
"Exactly," he said, nodding to them. "The most correct iteration of this spell forms into a…corporeal spirit animal of sorts. Otherwise, it might produce a silver vapor shield."
They began their attempts, each of them only producing a silver mist after several tries. Harry noticed that Hermione, in particular, was looking frustrated. Ginny and Draco continued to try again and again, unfazed by their apparent lack of success. Neville's expression was distinctly resigned.
"Hold on, pause!" Harry shouted, throwing his hands in the air in a motion to indicate stop.
"You're all doing well. You got something to appear, which is a step in the right direction. But perhaps you need a stronger memory," he suggested.
Each of them screwed up their faces in an attempt to find another happy memory, then began again. Hermione's spell began to take some sort of shape, but everyone else's remained the same.
Harry began pacing, and the others broke off to look at him.
"Sorry, you guys, I probably missed something I was supposed to explain," he said sheepishly.
"Harry, do you mind if I ask what memory you use? Maybe it will give us a clue," Ginny said tentatively. Harry's face crumpled before he quickly reined his emotions in, his mask-like expression hiding his embarrassment.
"I used one of me, you and Hermione hanging out at the Burrow," he said flatly. "That's what I used the first time, anyway."
He glanced around coolly at the others, fully expecting to be reprimanded for this admission, but there were no jeers or rejections. Ginny actually had turned bright red, while Hermione was smiling. He took note of Draco's smirk as he looked between him and Ginny, but the blond kept his thoughts to himself. Harry was grateful; this situation was plenty awkward without Draco's "helpful" comments.
"Thanks, Harry," Hermione said happily, closing her eyes and focusing. "Expecto Patronum!" A shape burst from her wand and Harry heard Ginny's, "Ohh," of amazement as a silver otter gamboled around the pitch. He grinned happily.
"Well done, Hermione!" he said, watching the otter's progress. To his surprise, the otter leapt up on Draco's head for a moment, making the Slytherin shoot the girl a deadpan look, before returning to its caster, who petted its tiny head gently.
"What did you think of, Hermione?" Neville asked curiously.
Her expression turned slightly embarrassed. "The day I finally realized I wasn't an outsider anymore. That I actually had someone here in the Wizarding World," she revealed. "Ginny stood up for me one day," she shot a sideways glance at Draco, who was pointedly not looking at her. "That made me realize I wasn't alone anymore- that you really cared about me, and I, you."
"Awww, 'Mione!" Ginny squealed, hugging her best friend tightly.
"Maybe the key is really just…human connection," Neville said thoughtfully, looking from Harry to Hermione, then back again. "You both seemed to manage when you focused on people you cared about."
He shared a look with Ginny, who also seemed to now understand. They both readied themselves. "Expecto Patronum," they chorused, a huge silver grizzly and a galloping mare bursting forth into being.
"Nicely done," Harry commented, shooting Ginny a smile before clapping Neville on the shoulder. "See? You just did the most complex charm known to wizard-kind. Congratulations, Neville." Neville's eyes widened.
"I…I did…didn't I?" he breathed, looking amazed. "Wow. Wait til I tell Gran!" he shouted, nearly jumping up and down with glee. "I'm not a failure," he whispered, his eyes brimming slightly before he brushed the tears away.
"Of course you're not," Hermione said firmly. "You're Neville Longbottom. And you are our friend. Being different doesn't make you a failure. It just makes you…you."
"Thanks guys," Neville whispered, not being able to stop the tears this time. He quickly turned away to hide his face. The girls drew back, letting the Hufflepuff regain control of himself.
"Well, I guess that means you're up, Draco," Ginny said flippantly, turning back to where they'd left the blond Slytherin. She frowned when she saw no one there. "Draco?" she said, looking around. Draco was nowhere to be found.
Draco's emotional turmoil was raging; he just needed to get away for a while, he told himself. Then everything would be ok. So, he ran. Slipping out of the Quidditch pitch, he quickly ran towards the lake, positioning himself behind a tree where no one would notice him. That was, if they came looking for him anyway.
The blond sank down heavily, his head on his knees. He felt empty. He didn't know what he was doing. He wanted to have friends, to have people who cared about him, to have fun with, to have their backs and they have his in return, but…but he really didn't know how.
If human connection was the key to that Patronus spell, he was sunk. He remembered that day Hermione had mentioned- the day he'd first called Hermione a mudblood to her face. He'd been terribly hateful to her; he could admit that to himself now. Ginny had happened by at the exact wrong time, along with her twin brothers. The older boys, while formidable, had had nothing on the petite girl. She'd strode right up to him and brandished her wand in his face dangerously. Crabbe and Goyle, faced with three angry redheads, had fled, leaving him to face their wrath alone.
And he still had no one, even now. His mother was dead; his father was a criminal and follower of a crazy dark lord; his old friends hated him, and probably wanted to kill him; Uncle Severus cared about him, in his own way, but he had his own things to worry about, being a spy; and his new friends…well, Granger and Longbottom barely tolerated his presence. The Weasley girl did tolerate him, but she didn't know anything about him. Potter- Harry- had reached out to him, but…
Really, what was the point, Draco thought. He didn't know his new friends enough to care for them deeply, not enough to power the spell. And his young life had not been full of happy memories; it had been full of his father's expectations and his mother's forced distance, leaving him alone to become a cold, heartless, carbon copy of his father. How did one learn to truly care for others, he wondered?
Harry immediately jumped into action. "Did anyone happen to see where he went?" he asked, looking around at the others. They all shook their heads negatively.
"Maybe he just needed some time alone?" Hermione wondered, looking uncomfortable.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "And if there's something really wrong? I know he and you aren't on great terms, but he's been through a lot lately," Harry revealed shortly. "We should spread out and look for him. If he wants us to leave, then we'll give him space. But we have to be sure." Harry took charge, raising a hand and concentrating. "Hermione, Neville, would you please go check the common room and the guys room? If he's not there, check with Professor Snape. Ginny, you're with me," he ordered, handing her a newly-summoned broomstick.
Hermione and Neville set off quickly towards the castle, while Harry and Ginny kicked off from the ground. "You go this way, and I'll go this way," Harry said, pointing. "Keep each other in sight. If you find him…"
"I'll shoot up some sparks," Ginny said quickly, turning and zooming off in the direction Harry had indicated.
Harry circled the castle, his eyes scanning the ground for any sign of movement. His vision caught Ginny's flash of red hair, as well as Hagrid out tending something in his yard. But he couldn't see Draco's familiar shock of platinum-blond hair anywhere. Suddenly, there was a flash of green. Harry flipped his broom towards the source, meeting up with Ginny, who was hovering over the lake.
"Where-?" he began, but Ginny interrupted.
"Right there," she said, pointing to a tree. Harry squinted, then swooped around to the other side of her, where he could now clearly see Draco sitting at the base of an old tree.
"Come on," he said, quickly taking off down to where the Slytherin was. He looked distraught, Harry decided. He thought he knew what might be bothering the other boy, but it was probably better not to make assumptions. The two slowed their descent landing lightly on the grass. Harry made a gesture to Ginny to let him approach first, and she obediently fell back.
"Draco," Harry said calmly. The blond looked up, then scowled.
"You didn't have to come for me," he said stubbornly, looking away, affirming Harry's theory.
"That's alright, Dray, we wanted to," Harry replied lightly. When the blond didn't respond, he continued. "Besides, if you're going to wander off, you really should at least say something first. Dangerous times and all," he added.
Draco was ignoring them, apparently hoping they would go away. However, neither he nor Harry, had counted on Ginny, who crossed the distance and sat down crosslegged next to Draco, looking for all the world as though she'd done this every day. Harry smirked at her audacity, then took a seat on Draco's other side, mimicking his red-haired friend.
Draco finally looked up at them, surveying Ginny on his left and Harry on his right, before letting out an exasperated sigh.
"I suppose telling you to go away isn't going to work?"
"Nope," Ginny said happily, lounging back against the tree trunk.
"Not a chance," Harry added, crossing his arms over his chest as he, too, made himself comfortable.
"Figures," Draco muttered, before he snorted. "You two are such Hufflepuffs."
"Thank you," the other two said in unison, sharing a grin over the blond's head.
"Harry!" a girl's voice called out. The three looked up to find Hermione and Neville hurrying over. "What are you-? Oh, you found him. Thank goodness," Hermione said, looking relieved as they came over, panting, to take places on either side of Ginny and Harry, Neville on Ginny's left, and Hermione at Harry's right. Draco looked astonished at the sincerity with which Hermione spoke on his behalf before quickly hiding it beneath his customary Slytherin stoicism.
"Draco, Professor Snape is going spare!" Neville blurted after a moment. "You better go make sure he knows you're alright before he gives you detention every night for the rest of the summer."
Harry saw Draco give a small smirk at this as the blond glanced at the four surrounding him. The other boy inconspicuously pulled out his wand. Harry observed curiously.
"Expecto Patronum," Draco murmured. A silver eagle owl exploded from his wand, spiraling in perfect arcs until it came to rest atop Hermione's head, just as her otter had done to him.
"Wow, Hermione! You and Draco must secretly be made for each other! How come you didn't tell us?" Ginny teased. Hermione shot her best friend a dirty look. The silver owl chose that moment to soar over and land on Draco's shoulder, cuffing Ginny upside the head with a wing. "Ouch!" she blurted, looking over with a mock-hurt expression at Draco, who snickered.
"Oops," he said innocently. Harry smirked at their exchange.
"Come on, Dray," he said, getting to his feet and holding out a hand to the blond to help him up. "We better go check in with Professor Snape before he uses the lot of us for potion ingredients."
Though the other wizard tried to hide it, Harry could see his genuine smile, shining through clear as day.