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-Chapter 2-

The next morning, I wake before Harry. His hand is still clasped tightly around mine, and I pry away his fingers gently, trying not to rouse him.

I slip out of the ward and make my way back to the dungeons. I sneak past the other closed rooms and into my own; I'm thankful that I didn't have any roommates to nose about in my business. I don't have to share a dorm with anyone this year, since I'm one of the only returning eighth-year Slytherins, and for that I am infinitely grateful. Probably the only good thing that came out of me returning this year. Besides this new Potter, of course.

I catch a few hours of sleep before breakfast. When I enter the Great Hall, I sit at the Slytherin table, but no longer am I surrounded by all my friends. None of the other Seventh years from last year returned- they all either went into hiding with their families or just dropped out; everyone knew that no supporter of the Dark Lord would get a job after he was vanquished, so schooling was futile. Only some of the younger students whose families were untouched by the war or the Dark Lord had returned.

My reasons for returning were more… muddled. I wasn't sure why I returned exactly, just that it was the only thing I knew I should do. My father was in Azkaban, my mother a shut-in; what else did I have besides Hogwarts? I knew the likelihood of me getting a job was slim-to-none, but it was the only thing I could think of to do after the war, aside from joining my mother and wallowing in self-pity. I'd already gotten that out of my system in sixth year though, and little good that did me.

So, I sat alone now, a Slytherin king with no one to worship him. I felt better now, though, with less expectations of me and less of a reputation to uphold. I could just be Draco, now. The last Slytherin eighth year standing. The last Malfoy standing, to be honest.

And I was fine being alone. I had been alone my entire life; it had just looked like I had friends. I had kept them around for purely political reasons, and not having any real friends had come back to bite me. I realize this as I munch on a muffin, Slytherins on each side of me beyond a three-foot invisible barrier, none of whom even glance my way.

I wait anxiously as the Weasel and Granger file into the Great Hall, taking their seats at the Gryffindor table. I assume Potter must still be in the infirmary; I start shoving down the rest of the muffin in a hurry to go see him.

My eating is halted when a warm arm slides around my neck, and a pair of lips press into the skin underneath my jaw.

"Morning, beautiful." Potter murmurs against my skin. He slides onto the bench beside me, sitting close. He pulls a plate towards him and starts piling food onto his plate, going for the sugary things first, as usual.

I shoot a quick glance at Granger and Weasley. They had spotted him and are gaping at Harry, their jaws hanging open. The rest of the Hall has started to take a notice as well, turning to stare at us. Harry is oblivious, dipping his finger into a blood-red jam and swirling his tongue around the digit. I look away quickly.

"Um, morning." I mumble. He looks up at me with sleep-clouded eyes and grins sweetly.

"Something wrong?" He asks, taking note of all the staring faces around us. He lowers his hand from his mouth and turns to me.

"Um, yeah, I guess you wouldn't remember. Do you know what house you're in?" I ask him, starting from the beginning of what his memories could be.

"What do you mean? Like Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Gryffindor, Slytherin?" He says, looking at me thoughtfully. "I... don't know. I don't remember. Does that mean we aren't in the same house?" He asks me, confusion lacing his voice.

"No, this is Slytherin. You're in Gryffindor, over there." I point across the Hall to Granger and Weasley. "And those are your best friends," I add hesitantly.

His eyes widen. "Oh... I didn't think about other friends. I guess it makes sense that I would have them though, and not just you." His brows draw together in contemplation.

I smile at his crinkled brow, amused. "Your other friends don't really like me too much. Haven't since we were kids." I pause, praying he doesn't ask why. I don't mention that before all this, I didn't have anyone. All I had now was him.

"Hm.. alright. Can you introduce me? Or- whatever this would be called?" He asks hopefully.

I scratch my head awkwardly. This was going to be so odd to explain, both to him and to everyone watching.

"Wait, you should probably tell me about them first, so it's not too weird." He says.

"Right." I search through my memory for good things to tell him about the two people I used to make fun of the most. "Um. The ginger one is Ron Weasley. He comes from a large family. They're not very wealthy. That's his sister over there-" I point over at the girl Weasley, "-and she has a bit of a crush on you." True to form, Ginny Weasley looks up and stares over at Harry with a mixture of confusion and longing.

Harry nods, his eyes barely lingering over her, and turns back to me. My stomach flutters with an odd sense of contentment.

"The girl is Hermione Granger. She was born to Muggles." He raises his eyebrow at me, as if questioning if I was going to say anything bad about her family. The look reminded me so much of the old Harry that I pause for a moment. "She's the top of our year, has been all through school. She reads a lot, is very smart, and can be found in the library during most of her free moments of the day."

Harry looks over at them appraisingly, smiling slowly.

"And I think her and the We-" I halt my name-calling and almost panic, hoping Harry had missed my slip-up. He seems to be only half-listening, so I relax. "I think her and Ron are dating or something, but I haven't paid much attention to that, to be honest."

Harry nods, the small smile still on his face. "Okay, I think I'm ready to meet them."

He turns to me expectantly, and I nod and get up, taking his hand.

We walk slowly to the Gryffindor table, all the eyes in the Great Hall on us. Weasley's eyes are wide, his face red, while Granger stares at us warily.

I pull Harry down to the bench across from Granger and Weasley. The four of us sit silently and stare at eachother in turn, before Granger breaks the silence.

"Harry, are you alright? I heard about the accident in Defence, Ron told me."

Harry smiles at her. "I don't remember much of it, to be honest, but I'm fine now. Thanks to Draco, I've transitioned well."

A crease forms between her eyebrows. "That's… nice of Draco. But, transition to what, Harry?"

He looks surprised when he responds, "I thought everyone would've heard already. I guess the spell that hit me was a fluke, and it caused extensive memory damage. I don't know if the memories will return."

Granger's eyes widen impossibly. "Amnesia? Oh my gosh, Harry! I'm so sorry!"

Ron finally breaks his silence, his eyes turning to me angrily. "Why are you here?"

I try to hide my nerves with my usual air of self-importance, feigning confidence.

Harry saves me from having to explain. He leans into me, his arm wrapping around my waist. He leans in and kisses my jaw, nuzzling his face into my neck. "Don't you already know? Draco is my boyfriend. He has been so patient, visiting me in the hospital." I feel my face heat, most likely turning an unattractive shade of pink.

Weasley scoffs, his lips twisting. "Right. Is that what he told you? You aren't even gay, Harry."

Harry raises his eyebrows, but doesn't miss a beat. "Obviously I am, Ron." He turns his eyes to me. "I don't know how to explain it, but it feels as if I've known him forever."

"Because he bullied us-" Ron starts, but stops when Hermione places a firm hand on his arm.

"We're happy with whatever you choose, Harry. Whatever helps you with this new struggle. I'm sure losing your memories must be quite the shocking experience. We're here to help you." She says, staring at Harry intensely, her eyebrows still drawn in.

Ron stays silent the rest of breakfast, staring a hole into Harry's hand, which rests on my hip. I would've laughed if I wasn't feeling so awkward.

After breakfast everyone heads to their first class, while Harry and I make our way back to the infirmary to check in with Madame Pomfrey.

TBC

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Notes:

Please review, let me know if you would like this to continue. I have a rough outline for how I want the story to go (definitely more fluff than plot) but y'all gonna have to bear with me in terms of timely updates. If there's no interest in this story, I won't bother continuing it, ya know?