Chapter 17-All Aboard!
Draco, Harry, Ron and Ginny each packed their trunks eagerly. They couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts. Draco thought that it was nice to see Harry so excited for a change. He was still somewhat reserved, but he was definitely a lot more open to everyone than he had been this past summer. He had been chatting with Ron the last couple of days about the possibility of joining their house Quidditch team again. He was even betting the red haired boy who was going to be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor.
Draco couldn't quite figure out what had brought about the change in Harry. Maybe it was the relief of returning to the school he loved so much. Maybe it was the fact that he no longer had to completely hide his dark secret from the entire world. Deep down, Draco hoped that Harry's current state of happiness was due to their new found relationship. He was pretty sure that Harry hadn't cut since they had confronted him, and that gave him the most relief.
Once they were all packed, the four children were escorted to King's Cross Station by a few members of the order. Remus and Tonks accompanied them, as well as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. They were transported by a muggle vehicle that Mr. Weasley had borrowed from the Ministry of Magic. The large group sat side by side in the magically enhanced vehicle quietly taking in the scenery as they made their journey. Tonks broke up the tension by periodically changing her hairstyle to reflect the various trends that had occurred in Britain over the last three hundred years or so. Of course, her hair color changed as well, but Draco was sure that he had never seen anyone else with purple hair before. It was really quite amusing, and everyone giggled each time a new style adorned her head.
They had arrived fairly early so the station wasn't as crowded as it normally was on September 1st. They took advantage of this fact and their goodbyes at Platform 9 ¾ were heartfelt. Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to want to let her precious children go. She seemed equally fond of both Harry and Draco as she was of her own children. She gave each of them a kiss on their forehead before she finally managed to let them board the train.
Remus followed the four students to the last compartment on the train, which was where the Gryffindor Trio usually sat. He wanted to make sure that they arrived safely, and he explained that he had to check the rest of the train anyway for death eaters. Hermione said that she would meet them on Hogwarts Express, and Ginny was hoping that Neville would be able to join them as well. The compartments were quite large.
"Is everyone all set?" asked Remus Lupin.
"Yes, I do believe so," said Draco, answering for the others.
"Alright, well I will see you bunch in a few hours…oops…" The look on Remus's face indicated that he had let something slip that he hadn't meant to.
"What do you mean? Are you coming to Hogwarts? Why?" asked Harry enthusiastically.
"Ah… well… it's a surprise. You will see soon enough. I'd better get going now…" And with that the man left their presence and began his descent down the train checking each compartment.
The four children smiled at one another knowingly. Each one had their suspicion that he was going to be their DADA teacher once again, but no one wanted to say it aloud. It was too amazing to jinx it by voicing their opinions.
Draco sat quietly watching the other three talking about random things. He was extremely nervous about returning to Hogwarts. All of his new friends were able to go to Gryffindor where they would feel safe and accepted. Instead, he had to go and face the Slytherins. They weren't really a bad bunch. They mostly got a bad rap because of the few students who have death eaters for parents. Draco mentally reminded himself that he used to be one of those students. In fact, he was probably the worst one out of the entire group. He made many lives miserable in his short career as a Hogwarts student. He had made himself a solemn vow that he was going to change his ways. He would always be a Slytherin at heart, he was too conniving not to be, but he was not going to intentionally go out of his way to hurt others as he used to. He would not allow himself to become the epitome of his father any longer.
Pansy Parkinson had made it crystal clear that he was now known as a traitor amongst his old crowd. How was he going to be able to live in the dorm under their constant threats? Would they torment him relentlessly? What would they do if they learned of his relationship with Harry?
Harry, who was sitting across from Draco, had noticed that he had become quiet. "Hey, are you alright there?"
"Yeah, just thinking about stuff," he replied to his boyfriend looking away.
"It will be okay. You will see. Besides, your godfather won't let the others bug you too much," Harry said smiling.
Draco smiled back. Harry always seemed to know what he was thinking, and then say just the right thing to make him feel better. Being able to see his godfather was one of the few things that Draco was looking forward to when he got back to Hogwarts. Severus had always been apart of his life, but he never felt compelled to strengthen his relationship with the man. Now that Draco knew that they both had turned their backs on the Dark Lord, it seemed so much more important for them to have some kind of a brotherly bond. Draco also wanted to thank the man again for his generosity and kindness. He didn't think he would have survived if it hadn't been for him. Draco was pulled from his thoughts once again when two students joined them in their compartment.
"Hey, everyone, sorry we were late, but Neville lost Trevor again," said Hermione, who was looking a little annoyed. Draco and the others laughed out loud. It was kind of a running joke about Neville losing his toad each year, but the event took place time and time again no matter how hard the bumbling student tried to prevent it.
"Sorry about that. I swear he does it on purpose," said Neville sighing.
Hermione sat down next to Ron and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Ron's cheeks turned bright red, causing his hair to look more coppery than usual. Harry raised an eyebrow and looked at Draco, who was smirking. Neville sat down beside Ginny, who placed her head on his shoulder and gave a small sigh of contentment. They each reached for each others hands and laced their fingers. Seeing all the happy couples was making Draco a little irritated that he was forced to sit across from his own boyfriend. Looking up at Harry, he realized that he was thinking the same thing. They smiled at one another knowingly. Harry wriggled his nose at him playfully, causing the blond haired boy to laugh out loud. The other two couples looked at them bizarrely for laughing at joke that no one else had heard.
The Hogwarts Express began to make its way through the winding countryside. Hermione had pulled out one of their sixth year textbooks, intent on finishing the last chapter before they arrived at school. The rest of the gang was munching on sweets that Harry had purchased for everyone off the trolley.
Draco was just beginning to relax and enjoy the lazy ride, when the two goons that he dreaded seeing the most opened their compartment door. Crabbe and Goyle glanced around the small cabin until their eyes finally landed on Draco.
"We didn't want to believe it was true, but here you are with the Gryffindorks," said Crabbe rudely.
"Yeah, Parkinson said that you were a traitor, but I didn't want to believe it," said Goyle. The others looked between the two Slytherins and Draco nervously. No one had expected an altercation to occur so early. They all thought that they had at least had until the feast before it started to get ugly.
"Shut up you two, and get your asses out of here," said Draco commandingly. He hoped that the idiots would temporarily forget themselves and follow orders as they usually did. No such luck!
Crabbe looked over and saw Harry sitting across for Draco. "Hey Potter, nice job on getting your godfather killed. I heard that he didn't even stand a chance."
Harry's eyes flared with hatred. He reached for his wand and stood up determinedly. Draco also took out his wand and stepped in front of him facing the other two bravely.
"Leave him alone, and get the hell out of here before I make you wish you never set foot in this compartment," Draco said clenching his teeth in anger.
"Aww… Malfoy is protecting Potter…how sweet…," said Goyle.
"Get out!" Ron yelled joining his companions.
"What are you going to do? Make us?" said Crabbe.
The two idiots were too dumb to reach for their own wands fast enough. Before they knew it they were hit with six different curses and kicked out of the compartment and into the aisle way. Draco locked the door and sat back down sighing heavily. Everything was already turning into such a mess. What was the rest of the term going to be like?
"Sorry about that everyone," said Draco quietly.
"It's alright," said Harry sitting beside him. "Its not your fault… okay well its kind of your fault for being friends with them in the first place… but we understand."
"Yeah, well, they were never truly my friends. Those two nimrods only hung around me because I ordered them around, and they thought that being friends with me would put them in good favor with their own parents."
"Well, we are your friends now so none of that matters anymore, okay?"
Draco looked up at the rest of the group who all nodded in agreement. He had real friends now, who had stood beside. "Yeah, thanks."
The rest of the journey continued with relative peace. Most of the group dozed for the remainder of the trip. Only Harry and Draco stayed awake until they arrived at their destination. Their eyes communicated that they were both apprehensive about what the new school year may bring. Nothing more needed to be said. When they finally arrived, the six of them stayed behind and waited to catch the last carriage up to the castle so that they would not be confronted by anymore slytherins.
Upon reaching the great hall, Draco took a deep breath and nodded at Harry before he made his way over to his own house table. He had decided that it was still important to show house loyalty. The remaining five made their way over to the Gryffindor table and waited for the feast to begin. Draco chose to sit at the end of the table with Blaise. He knew that the boy had no ties to the Dark Lord, and he seemed to be the only student in his year that was willing to talk to him. The black haired boy with a ponytail smiled at him reassuringly. He too must already know that I betrayed my father and turned my back to the Dark Lord. The rest of the slytherins kept looking over at him, their eyes shooting daggers.
Draco looked up at the staff table and was pleased to see his godfather. Severus raised his hand slightly at him as if to say hello, and nodded. He glanced across the table at the rest of the professors noting who was still present. Professor Trelawney was here, but Professor Firenze, the other divination teacher, was not. The centaur must not enjoy dining in the Great Hall like the rest of us. Draco finally noticed that Remus Lupin was sitting at the end of the staff table beside Hagrid. He could see that their new professor had shyly waved over at the Gryffindor table to acknowledge Harry.
Draco vaguely watched the sorting hat ceremony. It seemed as if there were fewer first year students being sorted this year. In fact, all the house tables seemed a little emptier than usual. Draco pondered about that fact for a few moments, and chose to steal a glance over at Harry. His dark haired angel looked really uncomfortable amongst all his classmates. Draco wondered if the crowd was bothering him. He knew that Harry had claustrophobia and hated being confined because of all the years of being locked in the cupboard by his dreadful relatives. Harry looked back at him sensing that he was being watched, but neither boy dared to publicly acknowledge one another.
It was as if Dumbledore had read Draco's mind when he finally began his speech.
"As you all know from my speech at the end of last year, Voldemort has regained power. Do not worry; we have taken all the necessary precautions to ensure your safety. The Ministry of Magic has finally come to its senses and has decided to acknowledge Voldemort's return. They are now working with the Order of the Phoenix to ensure that light will prevail. Many of our fellow students will not be joining you for classes this year because their parents deem that it is too dangerous. I am sure you have all noted the empty spaces beside you at your house tables. I personally feel that there is no place safer than Hogwarts, but I am not one to judge others actions. I implore you to cast aside your house differences and seek out new friendships with your peers. We are only as strong as we are united. Together we can make our world safer for future generations," Dumbledore paused dramatically to allow this bit information to sink in.
"Study hard and study well my children. I assure you that the skills that you learn today will be of great asset in the future. One of the professors that will help you in that pursuit is Remus Lupin. He will be resuming his post as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. Let's give him all a warm welcome." Most of the students clapped eagerly to have one of their favorite teachers back with them.
"Alright, without further ado….tuck in!"
And with that, the welcoming feast had begun. The food was glorious as usual, and the conversation between Draco and Blaise was quite friendly. Blaise seemed to know enough than to pester him with questions about what happened this summer. Draco ate hungrily, but would occasionally look up to steal glances at Harry. He noticed straight away that the small boy looked weary and that he had hardly eaten at all. Although he was not nearly as thin as he was when Draco first saw him this summer, he still had a long way to go. Draco wondered what Harry was thinking about that had caused him to lose his appetite.
When the feast was over, many of the students began to file out of the hall. Draco glanced over at the Gryffindors. Hermione and Ron still had the responsibility of being prefect and had to escort the first year Gryffindors to their dormitory. Draco had decided to give up his position as prefect this year, so he did not need to worry about his duties at the moment. He motioned for Harry to stay behind, thankful that the rest of the slytherins were too tired and sated with food to care about him at the moment.
After most of the crowd had gone, Draco walked out into the hallway and entered an empty classroom. He hoped that Harry would read his mind as usual and follow him. Sure enough, after a couple of strategic minutes, Harry appeared in the classroom and closed the door behind him.
"Hi," said Harry smiling.
"Hi. How are you?" asked Draco as he crossed the room to his boyfriend.
"Fine. What about you?"
"I'm alright. I noticed that you didn't eat much."
"I wasn't very hungry that's all…"
"Are you sure…because…"
"I'm positive," said Harry leaning into Draco to give him a kiss. Draco responded to his gesture and pulled him into a hug. He noticed that he was still much too thin, and he could feel almost every bone in his small body. He was going to have to encourage him to eat a little bit more. They both knew that they couldn't stay here much longer because they would be missed by the others.
"Goodnight my love," said Draco whispering into Harry's black locks.
"Goodnight," the small boy replied, pulling from the embrace. Leaving each others presence was agonizing. They had not been apart all summer, and Draco dreaded what he would face when he returned to his own dorms.
Upon reaching the dungeons he noticed that his Severus was waiting outside of the common room entrance, leaning against the wall. He walked slowly toward his godfather wondering what he would have to say.
"Hello, Draco, are you well? You seem distracted at the welcoming feast." he asked pushing himself away from the cool wall.
"Yes, Severus, I am fine. I am just thinking about things," said Draco. Without realizing it, he had unconsciously glanced over at the oil painting that hid the entrance to the Slytherin common room. The dark green serpent that adorned the painting was slowly coiling around itself hissing at the pair, waiting for the password to be uttered.
"I know that your dorm mates are already giving you so problems, and I am concerned for you safety. I took the liberty of arranging a new living situation for you."
"Really? Where will I be staying?" Draco asked hopefully. Part of him wished that he could live with his godfather so that he could get to know him better. After living with the Weasleys all summer, he desperately wanted some type of family of his own.
"You will still be staying in the dormitory with your housemates, but you will have a separate room that you will share with a roommate."
"Oh," said Draco somewhat disappointed. "Who is my roommate?"
"Blaise Zambini. I noticed your acquaintance at dinner tonight, and I thought that you may be pleased. He has already been informed of the new situation, and is waiting for you in your room," said Severus.
"Great, thanks!" Draco was thoroughly relieved that his godfather had thought enough for him to take care of the situation. It wouldn't prevent the others from tormenting him, but at least he could escape them and find peace within the confines of his own room. After bidding the professor goodnight, he turned toward the painting and said the new password, "basilisk."
Draco took a deep breath and entered the common room. He noticed that almost everyone had already retreated to their rooms for the night. Those students who were left were mingling around the fireplace. A few gave him a dirty look, but said nothing. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all. They probably had already learned about his friendship with the Gryffindors. House rivalries ran pretty deep, and the Slytherins generally hated the Gryffindors. Draco climbed the stairs towards his new dorm room; thankful that he had not encountered any would be death eaters.
A/N: Sorry that there is no sorting hat song in this chapter. I am not that creative. Hum a little tune in your head instead. *smiles*
Draco Malfoy - thank you for continuing to follow the story even though I had to change the title. (I much preferred the old title, but I didn't want to raise any red flags and violate some infraction again) I still can't believe what happened. Stupid muggles!!
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Kayin-No-Kaze- Kill Vernon? Hmm…… I rather like that idea. If I make this story extra long, or plan on doing a sequel I will definitely take your suggestion under advisement. I have like 27 chapters planned and it only takes us up until Halloween night!
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