Platform 9¾ was busy as usual. There were three Ministry officials inspecting suspicious trunks and occasionally asked a student to empty pockets. These random inspections had occurred last year after the revelation that Voldemort was back. George had been targeted and a large from emerged from an upturned pocket. Fred explained about Fleck-Sized Pocket Frogs, a surprise on your teachers' faces when you empty your pockets. No joke made Harry smile; Narcissa Malfoy was at the platform. She had eyed Harry as he passed by, and he was sure if there were no witnesses, he'd be dead. He'd be more than dead if she found out about Draco's new tastes. Upon seeing one another, for one quick moment, silver eyes met emerald ones. With pangs of sorrow, Draco fell into the crowd of his followers retreating to the other side of the train.
In his box, Luna, and Neville had widened expressions as they talked about Fudge and Lucius Malfoy's death. The Quibbler had published an outlandish article about Malfoy and his entourage. How they transfigured into giant snakes representing, He Who Must Not Be Named, and bit Fudge to death, using magic to delay the poison traveling through his body. Harry tried to ignore them; he had no desire to talk about it. That would probably be a major topic of conversation later that night.
The trolley came before Ron, Ginny and Hermione came back. Neville, Luna and Harry bought some cakes and pastries for them. They sat at the table between the seats while they played a game of Exploding Snap Poker.
Crabbe and Goyle walked past the trio with longing, but apparently without Draco's initiative, they didn't dare do anything. A few people stopped by to say hello, and others were asking about the vacant Beater spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Towards the middle of the ride to Hogwarts, Ron and Ginny came into the box after their Prefect meeting. Ron slumped into a seat, while Ginny sat down next to Luna and looked over the article she was reading.
"Whew! I pity Herm; she has to stay the rest of the ride with Malfoy. Since they're Head Boy and Girl they need to discuss a bunch of shit before the year starts." Ron grabbed a Pumpkin Pastry, took a bite then settled back even more. "Ya wanna know somethin'?"
"What?" Neville piped up quickly
"Malfoy was acting really weird, I mean I've seen a 'change' in him for a while now. But he never said anything rude or insulting to Hermione the whole time or any of the Prefects that weren't 'pureblood.' If I knew it wasn't an act, I'd say his father snuffin' it helped him turn over a new leaf." It took both Harry and Ginny everything not to hit Ron. Harry stole a glance at Ginny, her bronze eyes shone with a contrast of anger and compassion.
The morning after the last letter, Harry showed the tear-stained parchment to Ginny. She nearly started crying too. It was funny how Ginny found out. She had actually caught the secret couple making out in the library at the end of last year. Ginny had been Harry's confidante for everything this summer bringing both very close together. Deep inside Harry knew he loved Ginny, but he never wanted to hurt Draco, vowed he wouldn't.
"I don't see why he wouldn't turn over a new leaf. At least I would do in his shoes, I'd make sure everyone knew I wasn't involved with it too." Ginny pretty much said the whole two sentences in one breath.
"Ginny, I don't see why you'd put yourself in his shoes, but what you just said was bullocks. Malfoy wasn't born with a good bone in his body." Ron eyed Ginny for a moment.
"Plenty of wizards and witches born into dark families turn out okay! Look at Sirius! He was born to evil pureblood and look what he did, he would have died for Harry! Fuck, he did!" The vindictive redhead sat back in her seat and eyed her brother with malevolence.
Ron stared back in shock, but he didn't say another word.
Before the feast was started the Sorting Hat sung its new song and sorted the some-odd new students into their houses; there were twelve new Gryffindors now at the table when Dumbledore stood.
"Welcome back to Hogwarts! A warm welcome to our newcomers! I am a man of few words when stomachs are empty so, tuck in!"
Everyone dove into his or her plates and the food continuously piled on them when gold was back in sight. Harry stole a glance at Draco. He was very pale and skinnier than at the beginning of the summer, but he was eating potato soup. Ginny, who was sitting across from Harry, noticed the long stare at the Slytherin a several yards away. She stole a look at Ron stuffing his face and mouthed, "is he eating?" Harry nodded and returned to his mashed potatoes and roast beef.
Harry looked at Ginny one more time as she was sipping from her goblet. After putting the glass down she took a few more bites of the potatoes on her plate. After several minutes had passed he noticed she hadn't lifted her fork that still had mashed potato on it.
"What's wrong?"
"I just am suddenly not hungry." She pushed her plate away and sat there for a moment. "I feel a little sick too."
"Just drink something." She nodded in agreement and grabbed for her glass again.
In a few more minutes plates cleared, dessert was served. Ginny didn't touch anything. Not even the chocolate pastries, her favorite. She looked at a particular plate of cheesecake with longing, but after a moment she tore her eyes away, clenching her stomach.
"Ginny, just try something else." Harry picked up a chocolate cream filled pastry. "This pastry looks really good." He coaxed placing it near her lips; she took it and bit into the fluffy mass.
Ron leaned over to Harry and mumbled through gritted teeth and food. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Shut up," Harry gritted back.
In a few more minutes, nearly everyone in the Hall sat back with a sigh. Plates cleared seconds later and Dumbledore got to his feet.
"Now that everyone's been fed, I have a few announcements! Last year's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Marley, had an unfortunate accident this summer. She is well, and says she wished she could return. So I must introduce this years' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Weasley." Dumbledore gestured his hand to Percy sitting next to Hagrid.
Ron choked on his last piece of pastry. Ginny's eyes widened at the sight in the far end of the hall. Hermione mumbled something, and Harry stared at the lively looking Percy. He wore a half-smile that suggested smugness and a smile of content. The dark green of his expensive robes stood out next to Hagrid's usual big coat and gamekeeper's attire.
"He has graciously retired as undersecretary to the Minister of Magic and taken his residence back at Hogwarts less than five years after leaving.
"With the usual announcements, the Forbidden Forest is still forbidden. This year more than ever, as our Care of Magical Creature's teacher has procured some rather exciting creatures for his N.E.W.T's class." Ron gave a gulp to that.
"Several new items have been added to Mr. Filtch's list, this does include Trick Quills and Biting Bags. The Weasley twins can't have a new year start without new items." Everyone in the hall either chuckled or gave semi-guilty looks. "Now retire and let us have a wonderful school year."
Ginny, Ron, and Hermione proceeded with their duties and Harry made his way through the crowds to the Gryffindor tower. There he mumbled the new password, and the picture swung open.
"Well, don't say 'hi,' ungrateful students." The Fat lady mumbled.
"Sorry, hi."
"Well don't say it if you don't man it." She said indignantly.
"Make up your mind!"
He sped to his room, the last time ever in return to Hogwarts from summer break. For a while in the momentarily empty room Harry stared at his watch, waiting for the dead of night to come.
Harry thanked the stars, which shone so brightly above, that nobody was in the astronomy tower but Draco. The Invisibility Cloak shimmered as he removed it from his body and crept over to the platinum blonde. Harry slipped arms around his lover's skinny waist, skinnier than he had been at the beginning of the summer, and rested his head on Draco's shoulder.
Harry kissed behind Draco's ear and whispered. "What are you thinking about?"
"Death and dying mostly."
"Draco." He spoke as sternly as he could.
"Not me...others, the Dark Lord's victims...who he's hurt. I've never lost someone close to me Harry." A sob caught in his throat.
"Draco, listen to me. The only thing you can do about it, is talk, I know." The day when Sirius died was still so potent in his mind sometimes that it seemed to just happen all over again.
"He never loved me. Lucius just thought of me as someone to carry on the Malfoy name. I hardly ever felt anything from him. He didn't love my mother either. I always thought, now more than ever, how can someone be so heartless? Did he ever really love me?"
"No more heartless than Voldemort." Harry whispered. Draco took Harry's hands and intertwined them with his own.
"The one time I can remember him being remotely fond of me was on my seventh birthday. I got my first real broom that day, the newest Comet model. We went flying together; for a few hours it seemed he was actually proud. Then I fell of my broom, smashed the handle, and shattered my heart. He never took time out for me again. From that day on, I knew I had to be coldhearted or I'd never get what I wanted. Hmph, got nothing from that either.
I then I remember finding out that my parents had been poisoning me; that must have been what started it. I'd seen what my father really was, or they saw who I really was."
Harry remembered that. That was when everything about Draco, in his eyes changed. He thought it was the Black in him from his mother that caused him to see the truth.
"Does it matter what happened before, when you can be happy now? You've got me." Harry squeezed Draco's hands. The platinum blonde gave a weak smile and pulled their fingered embrace to his lips. "So it was a Muggle?"
"St. Mungo's said that if he had arrived a few minutes earlier, they probably could have helped him. Not even the top Healers can stop the brain from extreme internal bleeding."
"What do ya mean?"
"The Aurors after him saw the car, they first erased the lady's mind, then attended to Lucius. Shacklebolt said the car drove over him after a spell knocked him off his feet." A short laugh emitted from Draco, "a car, Harry. He's bragged about killing and torturing so many Muggles; he was done in by one.
When that owl came and Mother fell to her knees in shock. She didn't cry, it was probably just shock. But you would think, after living together for over twenty years, after getting married that you'd learn to love someone. Even having a kid together..." He stopped for a second, trying to put thoughts into coherent words. "I feel guilty, Harry. I felt so happy, relieved, when I heard the news, it makes me think would he have felt the same way about me?"
Harry paused before he spoke. "Love, I can't tell you what Lucius would feel, I really wouldn't want to. I can tell you this, I'd have to cross the River of Death to find you and bring you back. Crazy some would call me, for falling in love with you enough that I'd cross every gate of Hell to get to you."
Draco chuckled, "I'm going to Hell am I?"
"There's a book, well a poem called Inferno, it was written in the Renaissance by a poet named Dante. He actually wrote about Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven. In the Inferno, Dante says that pride and lust are sins worthy of Hell."
"Since when am I prideful and lusty?!" Draco nearly shouted, half-angry and half with laughter.
"Since always, that's what makes you Draco Malfoy." Harry squeezed Draco's hand lightly. Malfoy chuckled slightly again "Come on, let's go down to the kitchen and get something for you to eat."
"I'm not hungry."
Harry rubbed his hands over Draco's torso, you could almost feel every rib bone sucked in. "You are all skin and bone, you're going to eat even I if have to curse you." His voice was a no-argument-you're-doing-what-I-say tone. Draco laughed more audibly this time.
"Okay. Those cream puffs you were feeding to a certain someone looked good."
Harry lowered his head, touching the hood of Draco's cloak, in mock shame