* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART THREE
The Eighth Year
Chapter 3: Aboard the Hogwarts Express
"Good morning Aunt Dromeda," Draco said politely as Andromeda walked out onto the patio where Draco was sitting with a cup of coffee and a croissant in front of him.
"Good morning, Draco," Andromeda smiled. It was the last day of her stay, and she had gradually become quite close to her nephew.
"You leave today, don't you?" Draco asked.
"Yes, I do," Andromeda said, "You'll be glad to see me go, I'm sure."
"No," Draco frowned, "I've liked having you around, actually."
"Have you?" Andromeda asked with interest.
Draco nodded and glanced down at the book on the table; the pages were blowing in the breeze.
"What are you reading?" She asked curiously.
"I am just exploring my job prospects with the N.E.W.T's I am taking this year," Draco answered.
"What is it you want to do?" Andromeda asked curiously.
Draco began to close up again, "I don't know."
"Oh come now, Draco, I won't laugh, whatever it is," Andromeda promised.
Draco shook his head, "Nothing, alright? I don't know what I want to do yet."
"Oh Draco, tell Aunt Dromeda the truth," Narcissa's voice said as she floated out onto the patio, looking as glamourous as ever in pale pink satin robes.
"No," Draco said as his face flushed.
Narcissa smiled, "Draco wants to be an Auror, Dromeda."
"No, I don't, Mother," Draco said, his cheeks reddening even more, "I was six years old when I told you I wanted to be an Auror!"
Andromeda hid a smile; she recognised the signs of denial, "Well, my Dora was an Auror. I still have all of her old books from training in the attic somewhere. I could lend them to you if you like?"
"No, thank you," Draco muttered, "I don't want to be an Auror."
"If you insist," Andromeda said, smiling at her sister in amusement.
"Aunt Dromeda?"
"Yes, Draco?"
They were in the garden, having just eaten lunch. Andromeda would be preparing to leave soon to pick Teddy up from the Burrow and go home.
Draco walked forward and hugged her. Andromeda was surprised, but she hugged him back, and she heard him say very quietly, "I'll miss you."
She smiled to herself and pulled away from the hug, "You will be seeing me more often than you think, Draco. Your Mother has invited Teddy and me to share dinner with you every Saturday."
Draco blushed slightly, "Right, that's good," he said as he walked away, leaving Andromeda chuckling in his wake.
"How is my beautiful Grandson?"
Harry smiled as he handed the baby over to his Grandmother, "He is perfect. His first tooth came through properly a couple of days ago. Ron has the bite marks to prove it; with the help of George, we managed to convince him he was turning into a werewolf last night."
Andromeda laughed, "Oh, Harry, you look exhausted."
Harry laughed too, "I don't mind. He hasn't been sleeping well because of the teething. You look refreshed, though."
"I did have a lovely week," Andromeda admitted as she rocked Teddy in her arms, "Narcissa and I haven't spent time together like that since we were teenagers. We are only a year apart in age, so we did miss each other an awful lot."
"How were they?" Harry asked curiously.
"Oh, struggling to adapt, of course," Andromeda said, "But they both seem far better off without Lucius Malfoy. I never did like him, you know?"
"Was he always a dick?" Harry asked curiously.
Andromeda laughed, "He was pompous but charming. He thought he was above everyone else."
"I see where Draco gets it from," Harry snorted.
"In all fairness, from everything that Narcissa tells me, all Draco ever did was try and please his father by being a poor imitation of him, at best," Andromeda admitted.
"I think he needs this year to try and figure out who he truly is, underneath all of that."
Harry frowned, "I sympathise with that. I spent so long being told I was the chosen one and trying to live up to who my parents were that I don't really know who I am either."
Andromeda smiled, "You two may find that you have more in common than you think. I will suggest to you the same thing that I suggested to him. After everything that has happened, I suggest you make amends, call a truce as it were."
"You are quite meddlesome, Andi," Harry said in amusement.
"I only want the best for you and my nephew," Andromeda said with a smile.
"Well, if Draco wants to raise a white flag, I will too," Harry promised as he absentmindedly stroked Teddy's thick blue hair.
"I think that's very wise and mature of you, Harry," Andromeda said with a soft smile.
Harry couldn't quite believe how fast the rest of August had flown in. He had enjoyed lazy days in the orchard with Ron, Hermione and Ginny, along with mock Quidditch games and big family dinners. He was sad that the summer was over, but he was also looking forward to the year ahead as he stood on the busy, bustling platform. The scarlet train was ready to go, steam billowed and filled the platform, and Harry found it surreal that he was getting back on it and going back to school. He smiled at Mrs Weasley and, on instinct, hugged her, "Thank you for this summer Molly," he said in an undertone, "I know it's been hard for you, and I appreciate you letting me stay."
Mrs Weasley gave him a watery smile, "Oh, you know you're family Harry. There is no need for you to thank me."
Harry smiled at the woman he thought of as a mother.
She smiled broadly at him, "Now, you have a good term, and we'll see you at Christmas."
They were all hugged by Molly, and Harry shook Arthur's hand. The train blew its final whistle, and they clambered on with their trunks. They had just found a compartment and sat down when the train began to pull out of the station. From the window of their compartment, Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione all waved and shouted their goodbyes to Mr and Mrs Weasley until the train rounded the corner.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Ron asked after a moment of silence, "Going back to Hogwarts."
Hermione nodded, "Yes, it does," she agreed.
Harry nodded too, aware that they were all thinking the same thing. The last time they had been at Hogwarts, it had been a battlefield. They had all helped rebuild the school over the summer, but the resounding memories they had of it were of war and death.
"Stop being so morbid," Ginny said as she read the expressions on their faces, "It might have been a warzone for a little while. But we made some of our best memories at Hogwarts too. Don't you think we should just try and make more?"
Hermione smiled as she pulled a book out of her bag, "When did you get so wise, Ginny?"
Ginny shrugged, "Around the time I helped Neville lead an army of students, I guess."
The compartment door slid open, and Neville grinned, "Did I hear my name?"
"Hi, Neville," Ginny said awkwardly.
Neville hovered in the doorway.
Harry raised an eyebrow at them, "It's okay, we all know you had sex last year. You don't have to be awkward about it."
"Harry!" Hermione chastised.
Neville's cheeks flushed.
Ron shook his head, "Mate, that's my sister!"
Luna nudged Neville into the compartment, and he sat down next to Harry, "We're cool then, Harry?"
"We're fine," Harry replied, "Ginny and I weren't together; we've had this chat over the summer."
Ginny cleared her throat, "Anyone for a game of wizards chess?" she asked to change the subject.
Ron snorted, "Come on then, I bet I can beat you at least three times in the hour."
Ginny narrowed her eyes at her brother, "Alright. You're on, five galleons."
"Easy money," Ron grinned as he shook her hand.
Harry laughed as the Weasley siblings began their chess tournament. The journey continued quite happily and quietly (apart from Ginny or Ron's odd shout or complaint when they thought their sibling was cheating).
The train had only been on the move for around half an hour when the compartment door slid open. Harry looked up and saw a pretty raven-haired girl with thick-rimmed glasses, "Hey, Nev!"
Neville looked up and smiled, "Hey, Lil."
Ginny and Luna also waved at the girl, and Harry put the dots together, "Lilly Moon!"
Lilly raised an eyebrow and pointed at him, "Harry Potter!"
Neville hid an amused smile.
"It's nice to put a face to the name," Harry chuckled, "Everyone has been talking to me about you this summer. You sound awesome."
"Thank you for finally noticing my awesomeness after seven years," Lilly said in amusement.
Neville laughed, "Are you staying?"
"No, because if I did, I would have to sit on someone's lap," Lilly snorted.
"I don't mind," Neville joked.
"I didn't say it would be yours," Lilly grinned, "I'd totally pick Ginny. We could continue to bond over Michael Corners awfulness. I saw him snogging one of the Sally's down the train, and I had horrific flashbacks."
Ginny made a face, "It was like being slobbered on by a dog."
"It was worse than being slobbered on by a dog!" Lilly exclaimed, "Anyway, I'm gonna check in with Suse, and I promised Daphne I would teach her my wand arrows spell too. She thought that one was pretty nifty when I used it in the final battle. Oh, and before you ask Neville, no, none of the Death Eaters I shot died. Two of them are paralysed from the waist down, but they had a tendency to do terrible things to Muggle girls, so karma is a bitch. Right? Anyway, see you later on!"
She disappeared, and Harry looked over at Neville, "She's…"
"Bloody brilliant," Ron said with a grin.
Neville smiled, "Yeah, she's pretty awesome, and she's kind of my best friend."
"How come you never talk about her then?" Harry asked with a frown.
Neville looked over at him, "I mention her all the time."
"She sits at the Gryffindor table every Quidditch match morning unless we're playing Ravenclaw," Hermione piped up.
Ron frowned, "How come I've never noticed her?"
"Because you were too obsessed with Quidditch, and latterly Hermione, to notice anything else?" Ginny quipped.
"Shut up, Gin," Ron said, his ears turned red.
Ginny just smirked in response.
"I'm surprised you're back, Harry," Neville admitted, "Can't you just walk into a job?"
"I could, but I want to earn it," Harry said with a shrug.
Neville smiled, "That's humble of you."
Harry laughed a little, "Yeah, well, the fame hasn't gone to my head if that's what you're worried about. I'm surprised it hasn't gone to yours yet though, weren't they calling you my badass snake killing sidekick in the press?"
Neville grinned, "Something like that."
Luna cocked her head at her friend, "Witch Weekly wrote an article about you in the summer Neville. They called you one of the most sought after bachelors in wizarding Britain."
Neville's cheeks flushed at this comment, and the others chuckled as he said, "Yeah, well, I wouldn't go that far."
"Being famous isn't always so neat, huh?" Harry grinned through his laughter.
Neville scoffed and promptly started up a conversation with Ginny about the latest Holyhead Harpies game while Luna began to read the newest edition of "The Quibbler."
They made small talk throughout the journey and talked about their summers. Neville and Luna got a particular kick out of hearing about the time Teddy had projectile vomited on Harry; it had sent Ron off into a set of giggles that lasted for at least 10 minutes. They were probably around halfway through the long journey north when an interruption came in the form of a knock on their compartment door.
It startled Hermione; she looked up from her book with a frown as the door to the compartment slid open. Along with everybody else in the little compartment, she was surprised to see Draco Malfoy standing there looking incredibly uncomfortable.
"Not got your cronies with you, Malfoy?" Ron asked a little maliciously.
"Crabbe died Weasley," Draco said coolly, "And you know fine well that Goyle is serving a yearlong sentence in Azkaban."
Ron looked down uncomfortably and couldn't seem to find another insult to come back with. They were all silent for a moment, and the air was taut and awkward.
Draco eventually cleared his throat and asked, "Could I talk to you, Potter?" he glared at Ron as he added, "In private."
Harry nodded and stood up, "Take over for me, Nev," he said, referring to his chess game. Ron watched in disbelief as Harry left the compartment with Draco and slid the door shut behind them. He leant against the wall of the empty corridor and looked at Draco pointedly.
"You saved my life in the war," Draco said simply.
"Twice!" Came a call from inside the compartment. Harry recognised Ron's voice instantly. He shook his head in amusement, "Muffliato," he murmured as he pointed his wand at the compartment door.
"Yeah, we did save you twice. We were invisible the second time," Harry said casually.
Draco frowned.
"There were giant spiders," Harry elaborated.
Then Draco realised what Harry meant, "You punched me!"
"No," Harry said truthfully, "It was Ron who punched you."
Draco's frown deepened, and he seemed to struggle to find the words he wanted to say. He cleared his throat again, "Well, you clearly wouldn't have saved me if you thought I was a die-hard Death Eater or a Dark Wizard."
"I knew you weren't either of those things, Malfoy," Harry said, "You were just a high school bully."
Draco shook his head, "Just?" he asked in disbelief, "I did inexcusable things in the war."
"Yes," Harry agreed, "We all did things we aren't proud of in the war. What point are you trying to make here?"
A dark looked flashed through Draco's eyes, "As much as it pains me to say this, Potter, I just wanted to thank you for saving my life."
Harry smirked, "That looked physically painful, Malfoy."
"It wasn't exactly pleasant," Draco muttered as he turned to walk away.
Harry had to try his best not to laugh, "Malfoy?"
The blond man turned around and waited for Harry to say whatever he was going to say.
"What do you say to a truce?" Harry asked.
Draco frowned, "A truce?"
"Yes," Harry reiterated, "I don't know if I'll ever be friends with you. But I do know that I can forgive you for what happened in the war. Whether other people will feel the same, people like Hermione. Well, that I'm not sure of."
"Well, I suppose it might be a good idea," Draco said slowly, "But only because we're sharing a common room this year and not because I want to be your friend."
"I didn't say friends," Harry pointed out, "You're still a pompous dick for all I know."
"And you're still an egotistical twat," Draco added.
"I said a truce; no more arch enemies," Harry said as he held his hand out, "I've had enough of that for a lifetime."
Draco looked at Harry's outstretched hand for a long moment. He couldn't help but think back to the last time they had met like this on a train and how he had wished Harry had taken his hand then and become his friend. He reached out and took Harry's hand, and they shook on the deal. They shared a slightly awkward glance as their hands dropped. What did you say to someone who you had hated for years and had just made a truce with?
"Well, I need to get back," Harry said simply.
Draco nodded, "See you around, scarhead," he said with a wave of his hand.
Harry rolled his eyes and called after him, "See you around, ferret!"
Draco made a rude hand gesture behind his back, and Harry snorted as he slid open the door and walked back into the compartment where he found five sets of curious eyes watching him.
"You cast the Muffliato charm on us!" Ron exclaimed indignantly.
"Yeah, well, you were a nosy git," Harry retorted as he sat back down.
"What did he want, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.
"He wanted to thank me for saving his life," Harry said honestly. He resumed his chess game with Ron.
"He thanked you?" Hermione asked in surprise.
Harry nodded, "And we called a truce."
"A truce? What did he want to call a truce for?" Ron asked with a frown.
"He didn't; it was my idea," Harry said, "I mean, we'll be sharing a common room this year, and I'm sick of having an arch-enemy. It's way too much work."
Hermione smiled slightly, "Andromeda told you to try and even things out with him, didn't she?"
Harry shrugged, "Am I that transparent?"
"Yes," Ginny said in amusement, "Why did Andromeda want you to cut him some slack?"
"He's been having a hard time of it, apparently," Harry said.
"Maybe he should have thought of that before he became a Death Eater," Ron muttered.
"Before he was forced into becoming a Death Eater, you mean?" Harry asked Ron a little irritably.
Ron rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but he still did some pretty shitty things. He nearly killed Katie and me with that poisoned mead! He was going to kill Dumbledore!"
"Yeah, and what would you do if somebody told you to kill someone or that your entire family would be killed?" Harry asked Ron, "Would you just say no and let them murder your brothers and your parents, and Ginny?"
Ron's cheeks had gone as red as his ears, "Well, no."
"Harry's right, Ron," Ginny said, "You might not like him, and he might have done some questionable stuff, but you're going to have to see a fair bit of him this year."
"Why are you on his side anyway?" Ron asked his little sister, "His father tried to kill you with that diary!"
"Yes, his father," Hermione pointed out, "Not him. You can't blame somebody for their parent's actions. You're going to have to get over this before we get to school, Ron."
Neville nodded, "We might even have to share a dorm with Malfoy this year."
Ron shuddered, "Ugh, I don't want to have to share a dorm with that git."
"I know he's an asshole, but he's not 100% a dick," Neville said honestly.
Harry snorted in amusement.
Ginny smiled slightly, "He helped us out last year. A lot of the Slytherins did."
"Even if they are worse for running away than the French," Neville added.
"Why? What did they do?" Harry asked curiously.
Ginny shrugged, "They had their own rebellion; I don't think it had a name."
"Theo tried to call it 'Theo's Army', but the name didn't stick," Neville said with a grin, "There were only six of them, then Blaise disappeared, and nobody saw him for months afterwards. They helped us get kids out of the dungeons, and sometimes they helped us rescue our people out of the Dark Tower."
"I do feel like they got more out of our alliance than we did," Ginny mused.
"Exactly like the French," Luna piped up.
They all laughed at this.
"Draco had his own reasons for doing the things he did, and we should not be so quick to judge people without knowing those reasons," Luna added wisely.
Hermione smiled, "Very true, Luna."
"But I do have to ask," Harry cut in, "Who are these people? I mean, I think I've heard of a Theo. Is that Theodore Nott? The ratty faced one?"
"He's rather handsome now, actually," Luna mused.
Ginny made a face, "Not my type."
"He's the type of every other girl in our year, though," Hermione said distastefully.
Harry looked clueless.
"He's got a reputation as quite the…" Neville trailed off.
"Manwhore," Ginny finished.
Harry snorted, "And who is Blaise?"
"Blaise Zabini?" Ginny said.
Harry looked blank,
"I give up," Hermione muttered.
"He is good at disappearing," Neville admitted, "So I'll give you that one, but not knowing who Lilly was and not noticing Theo sleep his way through our year group in sixth year is pretty spectacular. I mean, what had you so distracted that you overlooked that?"
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione said in amusement.
"He was a Death Eater, and I knew it, but none of you believed me," Harry remarked irritably.
Neville nodded thoughtfully, "Well, you were right. He was definitely a Death Eater."
"See!" Harry said, "Thanks Nev, this is why I missed you last year."
Neville laughed, "To be fair, Draco didn't want anything that was forced on him over the last couple of years. I used to be friends with him when we were little. Our families ran in the same circles, and my Grandmother knew his Grandad. I don't think he ever wanted to be a Death Eater; he just didn't know how to get out of the mess he had gotten himself into."
"And he threw Harry his wand in the final battle," Luna said thoughtfully, "When he woke up from being dead."
"So that makes up for everything else?" Ron asked in disbelief, "He did a couple of nice things in the war, so we forget the bullying and the way he treated Hermione for years?"
"No, Ron," Hermione said gently, "A few good deeds don't make somebody a different person, and they don't erase their past. We aren't saying that, but you have to understand that the war has changed the world. These house divides, and blood prejudices will start disintegrating soon, and by keeping this grudge alive, you are only encouraging those prejudices. I know he has never been friendly to us, and we aren't saying that we should all forget about the past and become friends with him."
"What are you saying then?" Ron asked, looking thoroughly confused.
"We are saying that the war touched him too," Hermione said, "Maybe he's always been a nice guy underneath the nastiness. We never took the time to get to know him; Luna's right, we don't know why he acted that way."
"Bullies often bully because their own lives are difficult," Luna said poignantly.
"All we're saying, Ron is maybe we should stop hating him," Neville said, "Maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. That doesn't mean becoming friends with him; it just means being civil and seeing where that leads. Hermione's right; he lost people too."
"Really? Who did he lose?" Ron asked sarcastically.
"Uh, maybe his girlfriend who dived in front of a killing curse for him?" Neville asked bluntly.
Ron frowned.
"He was dating Pansy Parkinson," Ginny said, "She jumped in front of a curse that Dawlish had fired at Draco."
"He doesn't have many friends left," Neville agreed.
Harry sighed, "Daphne Greengrass is his friend, isn't she?"
Hermione raised an eyebrow at him, "So you only remember the pretty blonde girls that we went to school with? Nobody else in our year?"
"Nah, he doesn't remember Sadie, and she's pretty and blonde," Neville grinned, "He obviously just remembers the ones who flirted with him all the way through sixth-year potions."
Harry's cheeks flushed at that comment, "Anyway, the point of this conversation was that we should be civil to Malfoy this year."
Ron was quiet for a moment, and then he sighed, "Fine! I'll be civil to him, or at least I'll try to be. But this doesn't mean I have to like the guy."
Hermione smiled slightly and returned to her book. Harry was left to his own thoughts as the others continued with what they had been doing before the interruption had come. Only Hermione knew about what had happened after the war; he hadn't wanted to tell anyone else because they had their own struggles.
Harry had talked to Kingsley right after he became Minister for Magic when he realised that Draco was facing a long sentence in Azkaban. It was going to be three years for Aiding and Abetting with the murder of Albus Dumbledore. Five more years were added to that sentence for multiple war crimes, including witnessing murders and doing nothing to stop them. Harry knew that Ron would react badly if he knew about what he had done, so he and Hermione had decided to keep the knowledge to themselves when Harry vouched for Draco and his Mother. But after his little encounter with Draco, he found himself feeling glad that he had saved the boy from Azkaban. He may have done some questionable things in his life, but he wasn't a dark wizard; Harry was sure of that.
"I wonder if he'll still be an arrogant git," Ron said, breaking the silence.
"I doubt it," Ginny said offhandedly, "His family name is hardly something to be proud of these days, is it?"
"It's certainly not," Hermione said thoughtfully, "The wizarding world will look on him very badly for his part in the war, and the extreme pureblood community that he was once a part of will shun him and his mother. He doesn't really belong anywhere anymore."
"I wonder if that means he'll be a nicer person," Neville thought out loud, "Because he helped us a lot last year, but he was still a sarcastic dick about it."
Harry snorted, "I don't think he'll be a bully anymore, but I don't think he'll ever stop being a sarcastic dick."
"He'll have grown up a lot," Hermione said simply, "All of us have."
Luna nodded thoughtfully, and without even looking up from her magazine, she said, "A child who has seen war cannot be compared with a child who does not know what war is."
There was a shocked silence at the truth of her words. They couldn't compare themselves with ordinary 17 and 18-year-olds at all. At the age of 17, Harry, Ron and Hermione had gone on a quest that had killed Albus Dumbledore
At 17 years old, Harry had killed the most dangerous wizard of all time. At 18 years old, Hermione had been tortured by a sick Death Eater. At 17 years old, Ron had battled against a Horcrux that was twisting his mind. At 16 years old, Draco Malfoy had been ordered to kill his Headmaster and told that he and his family would be killed if he didn't. At 11 years old, Ginny had been possessed by Voldemort. All of them had grown up too fast.
They marvelled at the truth of Luna's words, and the remainder of the journey passed far too slowly as Harry's excitement began to grow. The lunch trolley came and went. They laughed together as they ate. Harry always felt a little giddy and excited as the sky darkened and the train got closer to the school, to his home. Eventually, the train lights flicked on, and Hermione suggested that they ought to change into their robes.
Half an hour later, the train pulled into Hogsmeade station, and the group of friends eagerly made their way towards the Thestral pulled carriages.
As they walked towards the carriages, Harry saw a flash of blonde hair and realised that it was Draco Malfoy. He caught the Slytherins eye and nodded at him. Draco paused and nodded back, but that was the extent of their exchange. He was walking with five other Slytherin students that were returning for their eighth year. Harry recognised the tall, skinny, dark-haired boy as Theodore Nott. There was another boy who he realised was Blaise Zabini.
The three boys were three girls, but none of them were Pansy Parkinson. It seemed that the others had been right about her perishing in the battle. One of the girls was Daphne Greengrass, who had indeed been in Harry's sixth-year potions class. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair, flawless skin and blue eyes.
Walking next to Daphne and arm in arm with her was a girl Harry recognised; he wasn't sure what her name was, but she had dark hair, and Harry knew that she was called Tracey Davis; she had been another of the quiet members of Pansy Parkinson's Slytherin gang. With them was another blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who wore thick-rimmed circular glasses.
Harry and the others climbed into the carriage behind the Slytherin one. It began to move as soon as the door snapped shut.
"I can see them now," Hermione said in a soft voice. All eyes turned to her as she stared at the Thestrals pulling the carriage toward the school gates.
"Who did you see…?" Neville began and then drifted off.
"Professor Snape," Hermione said quietly, out of respect for the dead, she had kept his title.
"Oh," Neville said. He looked towards the Thestrals; he had been able to see them for years after witnessing his Grandfathers death. Luna didn't even bother to lift her head from "The Quibbler", which she was once again engrossed in. She had been able to see them since she arrived at Hogwarts.
Ron, however, had turned very pale, and Ginny was staring at the Thestrals too. It hadn't occurred to Harry that they would be able to see the animals too now. Ron had witnessed Peter Pettigrew be killed by his own hand, and even worse than that, he'd seen Fred die. Harry frowned to himself as he tried to comprehend who Ginny had seen die, but then he remembered that she had watched the duel between her Mother and Bellatrix Lestrange in the final battle.
Harry glanced forward at the carriage in front of theirs. Through the back window, he could see the Slytherins faintly. He couldn't help but notice a significantly paler Draco Malfoy watching the Thestrals; he, of course, had witnessed Dumbledore's death. Everyone else in the Slytherin carriage seemed to be able to see them too.
"It's proof of how many people the war hit," Harry said quietly. All eyes turned to him, and he jerked his head in the direction of the Slytherin carriage, "I wonder how many others can see them now."
"Everyone who watched you kill Voldemort, I expect," Hermione said. She seemed to be thinking this over, "I know he was a monster, but I suppose it still counts."
Harry nodded and was thankful that the carriage had come to a stop. They were within a few feet of the castle doors. Harry jumped out of the carriage and looked up at the school with a smile along with the others. He was happy to be back but looking at it also made him think of all that had happened the last time he had been here. This was where Remus, Tonks and Fred had died.
Harry felt a hand on his and jumped slightly before realising that it was only Hermione. She smiled sadly at him.
"Thanks," Harry said weakly as they walked through the gates together.
"You looked like you needed it," Hermione admitted as she dropped his hand, and they joined the crowd of students walking towards the school.
Harry nodded, and Hermione said, "Ginny was right earlier, Harry. Don't think about the bad things that happened here. Think all of the good memories, this is where Voldemort was finally killed, and we'll make lots of new memories this year too."
Harry smiled at her properly, "Yeah, you're right, Hermione," he said, feeling a little lighter as they walked into the hall with the others close behind them.
Luna skipped over to the Ravenclaw table, and the others all sat down at the Gryffindor table. Harry couldn't resist looking around the hall for curiosity's sake. It looked exactly the same as it had done before the war, with only one slight difference. At the very front of the hall, behind the head table, a large window let the sun stream at breakfast. It had always been there, but above that window, there was now a large plaque which read;
"This is the location where Lord Voldemort met his end by the wand of the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter."
Harry felt a tug in his chest when he read it, and he was grateful when Hermione placed her hand on top of his. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and somehow he knew from the wording that McGonagall had erected the plaque. He glanced to her seat at the centre of the Head Table and met her eye. She gave him a tiny smile and a slight nod which confirmed his suspicions.
Harry couldn't find his voice, and she wouldn't hear him anyway, seeing as she was so far away. He merely nodded back at her and tried his best to return her smile.
* ~ TBC ~ *