To my incredible Betas: Amber1015 and ShadowHeart175, you guys rock. Seriously.
The characters and universe in this work are property of J.K Rowling.
Draco sat folded up on Gregory's bed as he watched him pack up his trunk, his mind far away. He couldn't stop thinking about the strange letter that had been waiting for him when he'd returned to his flat. Draco was immediately on guard and had spent a long time prodding it with his wand to search out any sort of deception hidden within the envelope. Surviving the war had set Draco up for surviving what arrived in his post as well, and he knew it would pay to be cautious. He couldn't count the number of cursed letters he and his mother had been sent, but there was something different about this one. Draco thought he recognized the handwriting on the envelope.
He'd opened it once his curiosity got the better of him, but as he had almost expected, he immediately wished he hadn't. The writing was neat, but almost childish, and the language simple, but horrible. Draco remembered then where he had seen this handwriting. He'd received a letter similar to this one on his last day at home. Draco had brushed it off as another angry person pushing their hurt down under layers of anger, but with another letter arriving so long after the last, and to his flat no less, he was beginning to think differently.
Malfoy-
I know you got a letter from Hogwarts. I know what the letter says. Do not go back there this year. It is a gift you don't deserve. You should be in Azkaban rotting with your pitiful father, not being rewarded for your cowardice. If you go back to Hogwarts this year, you'll live to regret it.
I'll be watching.
It unnerved him, but Draco would not be bullied by someone who lacked the courage to even sign their name. Even so, he had taken measures to not be alone since it arrived. He had been with Gregory a lot since then, and Draco was becoming hard pressed to split his time between moving out of his flat and being with his friend and mother. He had just finished packing up the last of his boxes and sent them home when he had apparated to meet Gregory. That was an hour ago, and Draco had kept quite still since then, arms around his legs and his cheek resting against his knees. Though he was rather comfortable, Draco could not sit by and do nothing as Gregory began trying to tie his tie. It was hopelessly lopsided with a rather bulgy knot halfway up it by the time Draco picked his head up and reached out his hand for it.
"Need some help?" he teased.
"Wait. Are you telling me that this is not the proper way to do a tie? I think it looks great," Gregory replied, trying to hold back a laugh but failing miserably.
Draco laughed with him, pushing himself to his feet and taking the tie from Gregory's hands. He unknotted it with nimble fingers before he reached out to drape it around Gregory's neck. Draco let his eyes flit up to meet Gregory's and gave him a small smile.
"There was this silly story my mother told me when she taught me how to do up my tie. It seems a little odd now, but it really does help. I say it in my head every time I do mine."
"Well, then, let's hear this magical story," Gregory smiled.
"Once, there was a rabbit and a fox. When the rabbit spotted the fox, he gathered his senses about him and bounded away with the fox snapping at his cottontail," Draco began, pulling the wide end lower than the narrow. "Once around the tree, the fox chased the rabbit," he continued, wrapping the wide end completely around the narrow, "then, twice around the tree they ran," around the wide end went again. "Trying to shake the persistent fox, the rabbit scooted under a bush," Draco said as he pushed the wide end through the neck loop. "The little rabbit got away!" The narrow end followed the wide. "And he dove right into the safety of his dark, cool hole." The wide end went through the knot loop, and Draco held the narrow as he adjusted it. Seeing it was perfect, he smoothed the tie down against Gregory's chest. "The end."
Gregory's eyes had followed Draco's hands with rapt attention, but he turned them up toward Draco's face when they finally stilled. They held eye contact for a long moment before Draco realized his hand was still on Gregory's chest and removed it.
"Thank you, but I'm pretty sure the way I do it will catch on. It'll be the fashion craze of the year, you just wait and see," Gregory teased and pulled on the rest of his robes. They fit almost perfectly, but Gregory seemed to be growing endlessly, and they were an inch too short.
"Oh, please. Name three people who'd actually wear their ties like that, and I'll believe you."
Draco laughed and climbed back onto the bed as Gregory began taking the robes back off.
"Well, Weasley for sure. Potter practically wore his tie like that until Granger started doing it up for him, and-" the pause was brief, but enough for Draco to know that Crabbe had come to his mind. Draco couldn't blame him, he knew that if he were told to, Crabbe would have absolutely tied his tie that way. "Once they started it, others would follow without a thought."
"You forgot to count yourself," Draco added softly. "So, I suppose that does make three, doesn't it?"
"I guess it does. It would be my trend after all. I swear there must be a spell by now for doing ties. Maybe I just slept through that one."
"There isn't, but I'll get right on it. Do you know how to undo it?"
"Please, Draco, you don't undo such a masterpiece. That knot'll last me through to the end of the year if I play my cards right," Gregory answered and loosened the tie, hanging it off the bed post once he had it slipped over his head.
"How astounding. Your creativity and sheer genius amazes me."
Draco was only half kidding. It hadn't been until fifth year that Draco realized just how clever Gregory could be. Growing up under his father's influence had led him to the opinion that his friends were idiots in need of guidance, but Gregory had certainly proved that that was not the case.
"Oh, sure, because avoiding the fact that I don't know how to tie a tie makes me a regular Nicholas Flamel or something."
Draco suddenly found something very interesting to look at on the wall behind Gregory when his friend took his dress shirt off. When had Gregory gotten so fit? And where had that thought come from? Draco needed to pull himself together immediately before he ruined this whole thing.
"Of course, it does. You're a genius among mortal men."
That was a completely normal thing to say to a friend, right? Gregory must have thought so, because he laughed and pulled a loose t-shirt over his head.
"Whatever you say, Draco."
"Did you still want to go into Diagon Alley today?" Draco asked as his eyes followed Gregory.
Gregory tossed him the robes he had just removed, and Draco folded them neatly before sticking them down into Gregory's trunk. Draco paused then, amazed once more at the drastic changes he had gone through. A year before, the thought of packing up someone else's trunk for them would have made him laugh. Be that as it may, Minny had already packed up his own and Draco missed the structure that came with doing it himself.
"Yeah, those robes aren't terribly short, but I'd like to get another set or two just in case I grow anymore."
"If you do, we may as well send you off to a giant colony. You're already ridiculously tall."
Gregory pulled a face and feigned hurt as he looked back at Draco.
"Ouch, Draco. I'm sorry we can't all be midgets like you."
"I'll have you know I am a perfectly normal height."
"Yeah, maybe for a muggle," Gregory teased. He looked a bit more serious before he hoisted his cauldron up into the trunk. "Speaking of muggles, I've been noticing that you – and don't think I'm criticizing you, but –"
"But you've noticed I've been dressing like one and talking about the things they do?"
"Yeah, I have. I'm not judging you or anything, but you used to hate muggles. What's brought on this change?"
Draco nodded as he mulled over this question. It was a fair one, and one that he had not expected to be able to avoid answering more than once.
"I sort of went on a magic detox after the war. Mind you, I still used it to get by, but after I moved into that flat it wasn't long before I went walking about in the city. I saw a lot there that I've never seen before. I met this guy in a pub, and I thought we became friends, but it turned out he was just looking for a shag. There is a surprising number of muggles like that. He showed me a lot of cool muggle stuff though."
"Yeah? Like what?"
"Well, movies for a start. Have you ever seen a movie? They're like portraits, only they don't speak back to you. They tell a story, and they don't stray from what they're supposed to say and do. No matter how many times I try to tell them that they're making the wrong choice, they still make it. Over and over again. It's really quite charming."
"That sounds pretty eventful. Is there anything else?"
"Muggle clothes! They're wonderfully cheap, and some of them are actually pretty good quality."
"Is that all the muggle world has to offer? Clothes and these...movies?"
"Of course not. But if I tried to tell you every single thing I learned about this summer, we'd be here for a year. That's the last of it, then?"
Draco watched as Gregory put some parchment in the trunk and shut the lid.
"That's all that I have on me. The rest we'll need to buy today."
...
The next two weeks blurred together as Draco prepared for his return to school. With September first creeping closer and closer, the young Malfoy was simply too busy with his preparations to make time for much else. On August thirty first Gregory came to drop his mother off, and the four of them had a lovely dinner prepared by Minny. Draco had asked if Gregory wanted to stay over and travel to King's Cross together, but as Draco had expected, his friend had not yet finished packing his new purchases.
And so, early on September first Draco arrived at King's Cross Station alone. He had not been expecting a warm welcome by any means. Draco had long since gotten used to the hate he saw on the faces of wizards – whether strangers or peers – but that did not stop him from shying away from their scrutinous glares. Draco kept his eyes straight ahead and his face blank. Because of this, it was no surprise Draco did not see the foot until it was too late, and the blond promptly fell on his face. He tried to ignore the laughter that started up behind him, palms scrapped and tingling. Draco couldn't tear his eyes away from the pavement below him as humiliation turned the back of his neck red.
"Oi, just what do you think you're doing?"
Draco cringed at the voice. He knew exactly who it belonged to. He waited for a blow to come, but when he finally looked up, Draco was surprised to see that he was not the target. His mouth fell slack when he realized Potter was standing between him and the boy who'd tripped him. The other boy was holding his jaw and looking at Potter with nothing short of fear, before he grabbed his trunk and ran away with his friends. Draco grew even more red when Potter turned around and he realized his mouth was still open. He took Potter's outstretched hand before he'd even fully thought it through and let himself be pulled to his feet.
"You alright there, Malfoy?"
"It's-uh-it's just Draco now," he stammered.
What was happening to him? Where had his poise disappeared to? Why had this one act of kindness turned him into a complete idiot? He didn't know the answers to any of these questions, but unless he figured it out soon, he would surely die of embarrassment.
"Right, then, Just Draco," Potter answered with a laugh. "I'll see you later."
"Hey, you okay?"
A voice asked from behind Draco, and he jumped when a hand dropped onto his shoulder. Why was everyone concerned about him all of a sudden? Draco let his guard down when he turned and saw Gregory.
"I'm fine. Just some dirt," he answered as he wiped his hands on his pants. "The usual car? Or do you want to shake things up and go rogue?"
"Let's go rogue. Sounds more dangerous."
Draco laughed and led the way onto the train. He found an empty compartment for them, shoving the door open and hoisting his trunk up onto the rack above his seat. They're quiet on the ride there, Draco too wrapped up in his thoughts to start a conversation. He wasn't surprised when he looked over and saw that Gregory had fallen asleep. Draco didn't wake him, and instead just sat with his back against the window to keep a lookout for the students wandering the corridors. He did not wake Gregory until the train began to slow, the two pulling on their robes before Draco stared out at the castle before them with a sense of foreboding.
"No turning back now, huh?" Gregory asked.
"Unless we want to run screaming. I'm sure if we act quick enough, we'll make it before they can catch us."
"Nah, we can get through this together. C'mon, or we won't get good seats for the feast."
"You're right," Draco conceded hesitantly.
Draco pushed open the compartment door and moved along the corridor, careful to keep away from the other students streaming past them. He stepped off the train smoothly and looked around himself.
"This'll be a good year, Draco."
"What makes you say that?" Draco asked, watching a group of second years scurry out of their way.
"I'm not entirely sure. I've just got a really good feeling."
"Gregory, what are those?"
Draco had paused by the pathway to the castle to look at the massive beasts attached to the carriages. They were scary things, he thought. With leathery skin stretched too tight over muscles and those vast wings – they looked like something out of a child's nightmare. A glimpse of a memory flashed through the back of his mind, but before he could answer his own question, someone was doing it for him.
"They're thestrals."
Draco didn't need to turn around to know that Potter was behind him, but he figured it would be too rude to blatantly ignore someone who had helped him just a bit earlier.
"Right," Draco said as he turned to face the trio. "From that one care of magical creatures lesson. I couldn't see them then. You've got to see someone die, right?"
Draco had turned to Gregory for confirmation, but it seemed his friend had forgotten how to speak. When no one deigned to answer him, Draco tried not to roll his eyes and instead pulled himself up into the carriage. He really shouldn't have been surprised when the trio followed him in, but he was certainly beginning to find all this attention very annoying. Draco sat in the middle of his bench until Gregory climbed in after them and only scooted over to make room for him.
An awkward, thick silence fell over the carriage. Draco was sure this was all some ploy to make them let their guard down. What other reason would Potter have to be kind to him? When had Draco ever really helped him of his own accord? He had been nothing but a bully at school. He and Potter had never been friends, so why was he doing this? Draco jumped when Gregory suddenly broke the silence.
"Why did you take the same carriage as us?" he asked them all, although Draco could see that he was looking directly at Potter.
"It was Harry's idea," Weasley answered with a shrug.
"There was room, so why not?" Potter added. He paused only for a moment before he continued. "Besides, I won't pretend that this year will be easy for either of you. We – I figured you both could use some more friends."
"I don't want your pity, Potter," Draco scoffed and turned to face the window.
"And you won't have it, Just Draco. This is only an olive branch. I don't pity you."
Draco met Potter's eyes then, taking a moment to search for the truth behind his words. He was satisfied when found sincerity there but was concerned when stubbornness emerged a close second. Draco began to feel that he would not be able to get rid of Potter, even if he wanted to.
"Besides, everything that happened last year was born of fear and blind hatred. Why would we promote that sort of behaviour if we've just won the war against it?" Granger added in that same tone which made Draco want to roll his eyes. "We want this year to be good for everyone, so we're going to quell the fear that others have of you. I know, and I am certain you do too, that people are saying things about the both of you. They'll just have some readjusting to do. So, we've decided that we're going to lead by example and try to make things right."
Draco was sure she couldn't know how offensive she was in the things she had just said. Even without them, this new development was hard enough for Draco to process. After a long moment of thinking, Draco found that he wouldn't mind the company – so long as it meant that he wouldn't be attacked by his peers – but wondered at the same time what it would cost him in the end.
Gregory was the first one out when the carriage arrived at the castle, though he waited for Draco and held out a hand to help him down. Granger pushed forward before Draco could move a muscle and took Gregory's hand. Draco was surprised by the surge of jealousy that struck him and moved again to get up, only to be stopped by Weasley, who jumped out after her. Draco sat back against his seat with a huff, resigned to wait when Potter gave him a small smile.
"Sorry about that. You go ahead."
Draco raised an eyebrow but gave him a little nod and took Gregory's hand to help himself down. As he stared up at the castle before them, that sense of foreboding came back once more. Draco knew that this year held many trials in store for him, and he knew that they would start the moment he entered the front doors. It was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other. Just taking small steps. Draco looked up as Gregory took his hand and gave it a quick squeeze, the gesture enough to bring a small smile back to his face.
"We should probably get in quickly if we want good seats for the feast," Granger said, unwittingly echoing Gregory's words on the train.
And so, the group began up the path toward the castle. Draco saw Granger and Potter fall behind, and, as old habits die hard, strained his ears to catch their hushed conversation.
"…I'm not killing them, Harry… better to jump… if we don't… how cruel…"
Draco stopped listening then, his face growing pale as he walked more briskly up the path. When they entered the hall, Draco stopped to take in the scene. Though there was no way the room could have shrunk, it seemed smaller somehow. That was when he saw the changes that had been made. Instead of four long rows of tables, there was now a fifth one, about half the size of any of the four, placed in the middle of the room. Draco knew immediately that this was the table for the eighth years. He had been wondering how the staff would deal with the potential overcrowding as the first years moved in and the eighth years did not leave, and now it seemed that he had his answer.
As Draco moved down the rows of the tables, he was not surprised by the number of bags being moved to fill empty seats, nor was he surprised when they immediately fell to the floor again as he and Gregory passed by. Draco moved quietly to an empty table and drew a weary breath when Potter sat across from him. Weasley took the seat next to him, and Granger the seat next to Weasley. Draco relaxed a bit when Gregory sat next to him, but he could not help but feel the eyes on his back and hear the whispers floating around them.
"Could you please try and look less constipated, Ronald?" Granger hissed at Weasley.
"Maybe when Malfoy stops looking like he'll run away if I move too fast," he whispered back.
Though Draco knew he was not meant to have heard the conversation, he could not help that it bothered him. He tapped his fingers anxiously against the wood of the table. He had never felt more out of place in his entire life. Draco was about to push himself up from the table when Potter suddenly spoke.
"Do you like being called 'Goyle'? I mean, I know I don't like being called 'Potter'. Harry works for me."
Draco was surprised at this sudden question. It was not one he had ever considered asking his old friend. In fact, he could not remember when he himself had switched from Goyle to Gregory, but Draco had been able to tell a shift in him almost immediately when he had.
"Oh, um, I haven't really thought about it. I've just sort of always been called Goyle," Gregory answered and looked perplexed. "I suppose Greg is fine. Or Goyle. I don't really care one way or the other. What about you guys?"
"Hermione, but I'll respond to Granger. And Ron is Ron as well."
"You mean he didn't like it when we called him Weasel?" Draco spoke up, trying a joke to diffuse the tension.
It seemed as though the joke did not land as Weasley's face turned scarlet and his eyebrows pulled together.
"Yeah? Well at least I never had a bout as a weasel, you little ferret," Weasley snarled back.
Draco could not do much else but blink in the wake of Weasley's tantrum. He wasn't expecting the lash back, but it was weak, and it didn't hurt. It was only surprise that made Draco's eyes fall to the table, his fingers fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve.
"Right, sorry. It was supposed to be a joke," Draco said softly.
"Yeah. Sorry," Weasley said only after Granger drove her elbow into his side.
Draco wanted to flee then more than ever as the tension seemed to dig its heels in at their table. His attention was caught by the first years filing into the Great Hall to stand by the stage. Draco twisted a bit in his seat to watch the sorting, and though he stiffened when his leg pressed against Gregory's, he tried to relax by propping his elbow onto the table and putting his chin in the palm of his hand. It was an action Draco would have never gotten away with growing up, and he relished this small act of rebellion. Draco chewed on his bottom lip as Adams, Fredrick took a seat upon the stool and was announced a Hufflepuff. He didn't realize that he was jogging his leg until Gregory glanced back at him.
"You okay?"
Draco really wished people would stop asking him if he was okay. Instead of answering, he gave a brief nod and forced his leg to still. Draco was not expecting it when Gregory found his hand under the table and gave it a squeeze, but he took comfort in the touch and did not pull away from him. When Yates, Katherine was finally sorted into Slytherin, Draco let out a small breath and sat up to listen to the Headmistress's speech. He had no such hope that she would be as brief as Dumbledore had once been, not with what he was sure she had to cover, but Draco tried not to mind as he shifted on the bench to get more comfortable.
"Good evening, students," McGonagall began with her familiar sternness, and Draco felt his heart jump as Gregory began rubbing circles against the back of his hand. "In the years following the trials, triumphs, and tragedies we have faced, our only hope is to rely upon each other. We must lay down our past wrongs, our rivalries, and don our most potent weapons – friendship and cooperation. For we cannot expect to emerge into the light of a new era if we are too busy wading through the darkness of the one that has passed."
Draco knew she was talking about him. Though there were a handful of others in his same predicament, it was hard not to feel singled out when she was staring directly at him. He was grateful when her gaze finally moved to scan the hall again.
"As for the subject of our eighth years, I know that you must all be very curious as to how we plan to conduct ourselves with their addition to our numbers. Unfortunately, our individual dormitories are far too full to house each student, so a separate dormitory has been set up for the eighth years in the central tower. However, you will still belong to the house you have been sorted into when it comes to the House Cup, Quidditch, and the earning and losing of points. I regret to say that any eighth year prefects and Head Boys and Girls will lose this status in the coming year, but I and your head of house will be appointing leadership for your year. Any other positions, such as Quidditch captainship or team status, I will leave up to the discretion of your head of house. Now, let me remind you once more that all students are to be treated fairly and without judgement, regardless of their part in history. If we are to survive, we must forge ahead together. So, please, let us begin by enjoying this feast."
This year would prove to be interesting, Draco thought. How could being forced into a dormitory with people who would have happily killed him a year ago go wrong? Maybe they would all be too afraid of him to try and be his roommates. Though, the longer he thought about it, he was already sure Potter planned to force his and Weasley's company upon them 24/7, and room with him and Gregory as well. The thought didn't make Draco angry or sick, as it may have six months ago, but it did irritate him. At this rate, he'd only ever be away from Potter in class. He stored this thought away and gently shook his hand from Gregory's in order to scoop some food on his plate. Though he did not feel hungry in the slightest, Draco forced it down.
Anxiety made the time pass quickly. It always did seem to move faster when heading towards something one dreaded. He got up when they were dismissed, certain that Gregory was close behind as he made his way toward the central tower. Draco soon found that trying to shake the trio would do him no good when he caught Hermione bustling through the younger students out of the corner of his eye. He did, however, ignore her for as long as he could before she was calling his name and he couldn't pretend he didn't notice her any longer.
"I've already convinced McGonagall to make me prefect for the eighth years, but I've no idea who they've got to be the boy. She wouldn't tell me," Granger seemed to be very frustrated by this fact. "No matter, the dorm is this way."
"Think she knows we went here for seven years as well?" Gregory murmured into Draco's ear as they lingered.
Draco gave a little laugh before he sucked his lip back between his teeth and followed Granger to the tower. Draco tried to ignore the fact that Potter was purposefully walking next to him. He had even kept Draco's pace when he deliberately sped up, and it was starting to annoy him. Draco didn't really fancy a chat with Potter, nor did he really want to look at him after the events of the summer, but his old nemesis seemed determined to insert himself into every second of Draco's life. He paused in the middle of the room after Hermione gave them the password to the door and he'd committed it to memory.
"Girls' dorms on the left, boys' on the right. Make yourselves at home."
Draco didn't have time to weigh his options before Potter was heading up the flight of steps, Weasley in tow.
"C'mon, you two are rooming with us."
Draco and Gregory shared a look, and a battle of wills took place immediately. Draco's eyes pled for another option, any other option, while Gregory's told him that it was either Potter and Weasley or a few blokes who would curse them as soon as their backs were turned. And so, pouting, Draco tromped up the stairs behind Weasley and tried not to feel miserable for himself. His annoyance only grew when he realized that Potter and Weasley had already picked their beds, but tried to reconcile it with relief that they had left two open next to each other for him and Gregory. With Weasley by the door and Potter in the middle, Draco paused only long enough to look at the window by the far bed before he made up his mind and took the one by Potter's. Gregory moved to his right to put his things down on the bed Draco did not choose.
Draco let himself look at the room after his impulsive decision and was disappointed at its sparseness. Then he remembered – this was technically overflow. Of course, they wouldn't decorate the rooms. The staff had no idea who would be staying where. Draco frowned and let his eyes drop to the floor, suddenly feeling very homesick. He did not notice for a long moment that Potter and Weasley had left, but when he did, looked up at Gregory with weary eyes.
"This is going to be a good year, right?"
"It will," Gregory nodded enthusiastically and gave Draco a comforting smile. "It will, because we'll make it good."
Draco flopped back onto his bed, satisfied with the reassurance. He took in the plain grey drapes that covered his bed and almost saw Slytherin silver in them. The thought hurt though, so Draco put it out of his mind with a little sigh.
"Besides, like you said earlier, there's no turning back now," Draco said, turning his head to look at his friend.
"I'm sure we could find a way to escape if we ever really needed to," Gregory answered and crossed over to Draco's bed to lie on his stomach next to him.
"Oh?" Draco laughed and scooted over. "Tell me about this escape plan, just so I'm ready when the time comes."
"Well," Gregory paused, pouting his lip out as he thought through it, overwhelming Draco with the urge to kiss him. Wait, overwhelming Draco with the urge to what? "First, we steal Potter's invisibility cloak. Only as a precaution, mind you. We'd mail it back to him once we made it out."
"Oh, of course," Draco said and tried to think of anything, anything, other than making out with Gregory. "We need to be polite thieves, if thieves at all."
"The thestrals have wings. We could find them somehow, then fly away from here. Easy, see?"
"Sounds fool proof to me," Draco yawned. "But why wouldn't we just take brooms?"
"Too easy to track. Unless we aren't trying to disappear forever, that is. Then we could do that too."
"A most excellent plan. I am very impressed."
"So, I suppose I'm a genius then?" Gregory asked, waggling his eyebrows as he looked at Draco.
"You are, truly," he was interrupted by yet another yawn, "a god amongst mortal men."
Draco felt Gregory roll off his bed as his eyes began to slide shut. Then Gregory was taking off his shoes, and Draco found a blanket being pulled up to his ears. He really didn't want to sleep in his robes, but he was much too tired to get up and change. Instead, he rolled onto his side to face Gregory, who was giving him a little smile.
"Night, Draco."
Draco had opened his mouth to answer him, but before any sound could come out, he was asleep.