Blaise was sitting across from Draco at breakfast as usual, both silent. He glanced at Draco and noticed that he looked a bit tense. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, a stark contrast against his pale skin and his hair wasn't combed back like it normally was.
"Everything alright, Draco?" He asked. Draco didn't look up at him or say anything. Blaise wasn't sure if Draco had heard him, or maybe he was just ignoring him. Either way, he was mildly concerned.
"Draco?" He tried again. This time, Draco's head shot up.
"For the love of Merlin! What do you want, Zabini?" Draco snapped. Blaise leaned a little bit in shock at his outburst. This was the first sign of emotion he had seen out of the boy since they got back to Hogwarts. Perhaps he was finally returning to his usual self?
"You're certainly in a mood this morning," he said wryly. Draco glared at him in response before turning his attention back to his food. From the corner of his eye, Blaise caught a glimpse of Theo and Pansy staring warningly at Draco before looking away.
Suspicious, Blaise thought. But he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Nobody in Slytherin really liked him or Draco and any look of hatred or disdain was an expression he had simply gotten used to. However, most of their housemates directed their disgust towards him, not the young Malfoy.
Before he could contemplate it any further, Draco shoved his plate away and stormed out of the great hall. He decided that he would confront Draco about whatever that was later.
Hermione sat quietly with Neville and Luna and listened to them chat finding Nargles. Even though she thought Luna came up with the craziest of things, she couldn't help but smile as she watched Neville listening to her every word. Ever since the final battle, there was an unspoken attraction growing between the two. She remembered how Neville had confessed how he felt about her before running off to the great hall, and how she caught a glimpse of them sitting quite close together afterward.
Once she finished eating, she decided to go for a walk around the grounds. As she walked through the corridors, her thoughts drifted to the other students.
Things at Hogwarts had changed. Although most Slytherins kept to themselves as usual, inter-house socialization had become more of a norm. It was common to see pairings of different houses in classes, not by the teacher, but by the students themselves. She hadn't dared to sit with Blaise at the Slytherin table in the great hall, and he hadn't ventured over to the Gryffindor side, but other students had. It was mostly the younger students who mingled shamelessly. Last week she caught an entire group of third year Ravenclaw girls laughing and having a picnic by the lake with some younger Gryffindor boys and a Slytherin girl.
Despite this overwhelming positive social change, there were still those who silently held onto old prejudices. It was mostly Slytherins, but she didn't blame them too much anymore. They had been force-fed all the ridiculous information about muggles from their parents, and the war had only reinforced those beliefs. McGonagall was not pleased with the Slytherin's lack of acceptance, but understood that it would take time. McGonagall had also noted that her public friendship with Blaise had most likely encouraged other students to form bonds with different houses. This time it wasn't just about the head boy and head girl being from rival houses, as it was not the first time it had happened. Rather, it was the significance of two people from seemingly opposite ends of the war coming together, even though Blaise had technically been neutral.
Suddenly, she found herself smacking into someone else hard.
"Ow…" a younger boy cried as he fell to the ground.
"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" She asked, helping him to his feet. He looked like he was a first year in Slytherin. He had light brown hair and light blue eyes.
"I think I'm okay," he said, dusting his robes off and then looking up at her. "You're Hermione Granger!" He exclaimed excitedly. Then he held his head in shame. "Oh Merlin! I've run into Hermione Granger. I'm sorry!"
"Really, it's okay. It was my fault anyway," she replied softly, but clearly confused. "You know who I am?"
"Yes of course! You're my hero!"
"Hero? But…you're in Slytherin," she added lamely. A Slytherin calling her a hero, this was a first.
"During the battle you saved my brother, Thomas. He told me all about it. You're a hero to me!"
Hermione thought back to the battle. She vaguely remembered stupefying a death eater advancing on a 5th year Gryffindor before running to the Room of Requirement.
"I think I remember. He was in Gryffindor wasn't he?"
"Yup! He doesn't go here anymore though. He and father went to America and I stayed here with my mom."
"What does he think of you being in Slytherin?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
The boy puffed out his chest. "He says that I should embrace my house, that a lot of great wizards came from it and I would be one them." She smiled down at him. He was adorable.
"I don't think I got your name yet."
"I'm Andrew. You can call me Andy," he stuck his small hand out and she shook it gently.
"Hermione. But you already knew that."
"Yeah, I-" before he could finish McGonagall was walking towards her with Blaise.
"Miss Granger, sorry to interrupt, but may I have a short meeting with you and Mr. Zabini?"
"Absolutely." She turned back to Andy. "I'll see you later, Andy." He gave her a wide grin and continued on his way down the hall.
"We must discuss the plans for the winter ball. I'd like for you and Mr. Zabini to come up with a list of suggestions for music, decorations, and theme."
Blaise stood thoughtfully, with a hand on his chin. "I don't know. Everyone seemed to like the Yule Ball. Maybe we should just do the same thing."
"I agree," Hermione said. "Plus the theme was winter anyway. If you really want to push the unity theme as well you could hold a contest or something for best dressed couple from different houses?"
"I like that idea, Hermione. I'll leave the two of you decide that judging criteria. Also I'd like you to coordinate with the house elves for food and decorations. I will handle the rest." McGonagall nodded and left them alone in the hallway.
"What was that about?" Blaise asked, motioning in the direction Andy went.
"I accidentally bumped into him. Apparently I'm his hero," Hermione explained.
"Hero?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I could have sworn his robes were Slytherin green."
"That's what I thought too at first. He said I saved his brother during the Hogwarts battle."
"You saved a lot of people that day," Blaise murmured.
"Yes, but it's just so odd coming from a Slytherin," she said. "Oh listen to me. Here we're supposed to be moving past house prejudices and I'm spouting things like that."
"Like McGonagall said, it will take time. I'd say the students have come a long way over the last few weeks though." Blaise suddenly spotted Draco down by the lake with his wand out. "I have something to take care of. See you later?" She nodded and he made his way down to the lake.
Draco was angrily levitating rocks and throwing them into the lake violently.
"What did those poor rocks do to deserve such treatment?" Blaise asked teasingly as he approached.
Draco whipped his head around and for a moment look afraid. Then his face turned back into its usual blank stare.
"Leave me alone, Zabini. Don't you have important head business to attend to?" Draco said calmly, chucking another stone into the lake.
"Probably. But I'm more interested in what the whole commotion was back at breakfast." Blaise bent down to throw a flat rock into the lake. It skipped three times before sinking to the bottom.
"Didn't sleep well," he replied, looking at his feet and putting his wand away.
"Nightmares?" Blaise asked, turning to look at him.
"Something like that," Draco mumbled.
"I have them too. Every night," Blaise confessed. It was the first time he had told anyone else that other than Hermione. It felt nice to let someone else in.
Draco sat down next to him, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them close. "What do you see?"
Blaise took a breath before answering. "My mother dying in front of me. You?"
"Lots of different things…sometimes I see Granger being tortured in front of me most of the time," he said sounding pained. "Voldemort torturing my parents, muggleborns being brought into my house to be raped and then killed in the most violent ways imaginable." His voice was barely a whisper now. "They never stop."
Blaise sat next to him in shock. He didn't know that Hermione had been tortured in front of Draco. She never mentioned it to him before. Then again, they never really talked about her darker experiences during the war. The thought of Hermione being tortured, or brought in to be raped sent a surge of anger through him.
"Have you tried taking dreamless sleep potion?" Blaise said, trying to control his emotions.
"The ministry let me go free, but on several conditions. I had to return to finish my education. I can't take any potions whatsoever, and if I do they will know about it. I can't apparate outside the school grounds. It's almost like I'm on probation," Draco said with a hint of bitterness.
A cool breeze blew across the lake and Blaise closed his eyes, appreciating the rush of fresh air. It was almost funny, sitting with Draco Malfoy as if they were friends discussing their latest unsolvable problems.
"She was tortured?"
Draco turned to look at him. "Who?"
"Hermione. Granger," he added, as if any clarification was needed. He noticed Draco make an uncomfortable expression with the casual use of her first name.
"At the manor. Bellatrix threw many crucio's at her during an interrogation and cut her badly. I had to watch."
Blaise felt nothing but horror, trying to picture anything except Hermione being tortured. "Where?"
"Her arm. Bellatrix carved the world 'mudblood' into her. The blade was cursed too, so the scar will never fade," he said looking guilty.
Blaise frowned at the use of the word. "Do you…still feel the same way about muggles?" He almost didn't want to know.
Draco looked back at the lake and pushed a stray hair out of his face. "Would it make any difference now?"
"No. I suppose not," he replied, pushing himself up off the ground and putting his hands in his pockets again. "If you need to talk to someone about the nightmares…I'm here." He wasn't quite sure why he offered. He and Draco weren't friends, but it felt like the right thing to do.
Much to his surprise, Draco nodded slightly. "Yeah, that might be nice." Blaise turned to walk away, but Draco called out to him.
"Blaise." He turned around and lifted an eyebrow. "Thanks." Blaise gave him a small smile and walked back to the castle.
She was laying on the ground in front of him screaming in agony as the cruciatius curse surged through her body. Bellatrix cackled madly above her, savoring every scream and every tear.
Blaise could only watch as he fought desperately against the body binds.
"Blaise!" She cried through the pain. "Please!" She begged. She needed him to save her, and all he could do was stand there in misery.
"Stupid, filthy little mudblood!" Bellatrix yelled at Hermione and took out a knife.
"BLAISE!" She yelled louder. Suddenly the hallway began spinning and collapsing around him.
"Wake up!" Hermione yelled, shaking him with all her might.
Slowly, Blaise woke and sat up slowly. He had never had that dream about anyone except his mother before. He couldn't help but remember how horrible the picture of Hermione being killed in the same way felt. Ever since Draco had shared with him that Hermione had been viciously tortured too his nightmares started to shift from his mother being tortured to her. He couldn't help but notice how she always wore long sleeves, even to bed. That's why he had never seen her scar.
"Another nightmare?" She asked, soothingly rubbing her hand in small circles on his back. He simply nodded, at a loss for words. "Was it the same one?"
"Sort of…" He wasn't sure if he should tell her that he dreamt about her.
"I have them too."
"You do?" Yet another person confessing their nightmares to him. It was oddly reassuring to know he wasn't the only one.
"Yes, but I normally don't have a bad habit of falling asleep in the common room," she teased.
"Do you take anything for them? Dreamless sleep potion?"
"I used to. It doesn't work on me anymore," she said sadly. "I guess we'll both be forever haunted by nightmares of the war."
"It's not fair. I barely did anything during the war and yet I have the same amount of nightmares you do."
"What do you mean?"
"You're a hero, Hermione. You, Potter, Weasley. I was neutral like a scared little boy, never standing up to the death eaters and never standing up for those that needed help."
"We all have things that we wish we had or hadn't done during the war." Hermione stood up and walked over to the window. "What matters to me is that you never joined the Voldemort. And in the end, despite the circumstances, you stood up to one of his strongest soldiers."
Blaise stared at her in shock. How could she be so forgiving? He had lived in shame and guilt all summer by his lack of involvement with the Order of the Phoenix and even with the students at Hogwarts during the battle. He had hidden while innocent people were being murdered right in front of him.
"So did your mother," she added.
"My mother?"
"I saw her fighting some death eaters when she came to get you."
Yet another thing for Blaise to feel guilty about. His mother wasn't trained to fight. When she grew up it was considered inappropriate for female wizards to learn offensive combat skills.
"I don't tell you this to make you feel bad, Blaise." Hermione turned back to look at him. "I'm telling you this because it's never too late to be brave." She gathered her things from the table and began to walk back to her room. "Just think about that, okay?"
He nodded in response and watched as she closed the door.
Draco was not happy. Then again, he hadn't felt happiness in a long time. The closest he had gotten to feeling relatively normal was yesterday talking with Blaise at the lake. Hiding in a stuffy broom closet waiting for Professor Slughorn to leave his office with Theodore Nott and Pansy Parkinson was not the ideal way to spend his evening.
"We've been here for a half hour. How much longer is this buffoon going to be in there?" Theo whispered angrily.
Pansy peered out of the keyhole at Slughorn as he finally began to stuff his papers into his bag. "He's leaving now! Be quiet you idiots or he'll hear us," she hissed. They waited until the office door clicked shut before stumbling out.
"The first ingredient we need is called Moonflower leaves, a weed grown specifically here at Hogwarts by Hagrid. He gives Slughorn a fresh batch every Monday night for his potions research."
"What does it do?"
"How should I know? All I know is that you only get it here," Theo shrugged. "Look around. It should be a dark blue plant."
Draco scanned the shelves until he located a small batch of dark blue leaves by the window. "There," he pointed.
Pansy accio'd the leaves and put them in her pocket. "Let's go." They apparated back to the Slytherin tower.
"Okay. I've done what you asked and accompanied you tonight. You promised I could talk to my mother," Draco demanded. Ever since they had shown her in the mirror, he could barely eat or sleep. His father was in jail. He couldn't lose his mother too.
Theo rolled his eyes and handed him the mirror. A faint image of his mother still in chains came into view.
"Mother?" Draco asked fearfully. She lifted her head slightly and looked around but didn't say anything. "Why can't she hear me?"
"The mirror doesn't work like that, Draco," Pansy said. "Theo said you could talk to her. He didn't say anything about her talking back." She snapped her fingers and the mirror went back into Theo's pocket.
"So, same time next week?" Theo said with a smirk. Draco wanted to smack the smug look right off his face, but instead he balled his hands at his sides and nodded.
