***Author's notes: Excuse the brevity of this chapter, it's just a quick update just to keep the story going and to let you know that I haven't abandoned this story. It's just been really hectic lately but I will continue to update this story!
Pansy Parkinson checked her appearance in the mirror for the thousandth time in two minutes, Blaise stood behind her looking bored as they waited for Draco and Hermione to exit the Head Dormitory. He stifled a yawn but perked up when Draco appeared.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here this early in the morning?" Draco asked, looking completely smooth and well rested for once.
"Waiting for you and Hermione of course. The Annual is coming up and we have so much to plan before the big day," Pansy bounced with excitement.
"It's not for another month and a half Pans, there's plenty of time," Draco quirked a well-manicured eyebrow at them.
"Parkinson, Zabini," Hermione nodded as she tried to hurry past the trio of Slytherins loitering around her dorm.
"Wait! Hermione! We need to talk to you also!" Pansy hurried after the bushy haired witch.
"I'll leave her to it then, fancy some breakfast?" Blaise gestured towards the staircase leading down, Draco nodded and moved towards the Great Hall.
"How's the Weasel?" Draco murmured as they made their way down, Blaise hid his initial reaction well which earned a point in Draco's book. Any lesser Slytherin would have been spluttering at the extremely personal question.
"Well, he's returned to Quidditch so we might have a bit more competition to deal with this year than anticipated," Blaise answered, Draco nodded. Ever since the war started ramping up, Potter had resigned from Quidditch. Slytherin was way ahead of the rest of the houses.
"I trust Pansy and yourself are attending the Annual together?" Draco mused, his hand on the railing as the staircase swiftly moved them to another part of the castle.
"Yes, I hear that Weasley is saddled with that Lavender Brown, you remember her," Blaise resisted the urge to turn his nose up.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to sufficiently take care of her," Draco responded as they strode into the Great Hall. Hermione was pulling away from Pansy as the blonde turned to acknowledge their entrance. She turned to Hermione but the witch was already gone. She huffed and followed the boys to the Slytherin table and sulked prettily.
"She's not going to talk to you in public," Blaise pointed out to her.
"So?" She whined before digging into her morning grapefruit. Draco shook his head before glancing over at the Golden Trio, they all did seem a little more…at ease lately. The war had reached a small reprieve and that meant they could at least breathe even if it was a shaky breathe. The younger Weaselette was trying to entertain them with a play by play of the recent Quidditch match while Loony and the bumbling Longbottom politely helped. It seemed like all roses and sunshine at the Gryffindor table for the first time that year.
"You're staring," Blaise nudged him out of his musings.
"It's strange that they can return so easily to normal life, you know?" Draco glanced at his childhood friend who shrugged in return.
"They didn't grow up in the same tight, dark environment we did," Blaise commented before digging into his own hearty breakfast. Draco sighed and also started eating, he would have to save his thoughts on what 'normal' really was for another time.
~~~!~~~
Harry Potter stood looking out on the Hogwarts grounds, perched on the astronomy tower battlements. He had received the information he was hoping for, they were finally on the right trail for more of the Horcruxes. Finally it was time to leave this place and continue the fight on the front lines. He was tired of the uneasy peace at school. He was tired of not doing anything when good people died every day. Ron and Hermione were mostly kept in the dark as he went on covert operations with the Aurors. So long as he had one of them to vouch for him, his best friends tried not to fret over him too much but he could tell they were growing more and more curious about his disappearances.