Chasing Ghosts 2
Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Any recognisable characters, setting and scenarios are owned by the wonderful and amazing J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros and other suchlikes. I am making no money and am doing this for purely entertainment purposes, don't eat me. Also, many jokes in these belong to my humorous friends who will possibly eat me if I don't give them credit.
A/N: Hello sweeties. Thanks for reading on to chapter two. I've been beavering away and I hope all of this is up to scratch. They're at Hogwarts again, yay! So many ridiculously grateful thanks to my beta CrackleInTheDark who has been so helpful and I just couldn't have done it without her. I give a sock to a house elf for every single review!
Ron and Hermione were late, typically. However freakishly good Hermione's time keeping skills were, Ron's lack of familiarity with the concept of space and time limits seemed to outweigh it. There was only ten minutes now until the train leaves and Harry was now debating whether to go and save them a seat. Just then a crowd of trolleys swung around the corner with Ron and Hermione at the front, ushering through a group of what Harry presumed to be first years.
"Sorry, Hermione decided we were going to round up every lost little wizard and witch in the station and get them through." Ron appologised, sounding thoroughly tired. They loved each other, but they argued like they'd been married for a very long time.
"Yes, well. We'd have been here already if Ronald had have just believed me that public transport is infact far faster than trying to get an old car around muggle London." Hermione looked just as flustered but turned around to face the gaggle of slightly scared looking youngsters, "Just lean on the wall, casually so that the muggles don't notice, or walk through. It'll take you to the platform, Harry and Ron will go first but I'll stay until last."
The boys exchanged incredulous looks but silently decided that it probably wasn't best to provoke Hermione in one of her moods so they went through to the platform without argument. They pushed their luggage down to where the house elves were and helped them get them into the carriage. Hermione would have been so proud.
Shoving and squirming their way through the hoards of parents and children and animals and luggage they managed to bump into a few people, Justin Flinch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbot were already sat in one compartment together and as Ron and Harry walked past they all waved at one another enthusiastically.
It was good to be back, however painful the memories were.
"No! You don't just give it to them and expect them to do it for you! Help them, for Merlin's sake give that to me now!" They heard Hermione's familiarly stern voice echo through the station, clearly she'd caught one of her adopted first year friends giving their luggage to a house elf which was now most likely just trying to get out of the way of a raging young woman.
"Mental, that one. I'm telling you." Ron commented, neither one even turned around to watch as Hermione caused quite a commotion with the luggage.
Together they walked down to the far end of the train to look for an empty compartment. Walking up and down trying to find a place to sit was just part of the Hogwarts express and it'd feel weird if they didn't have to do it. What felt weirder was that people seemed to move out of Harry's way quicker and smile at him far more often than they used to. Harry really wasn't too sure as to whether or not he liked it. After a while they found a small empty compartment and silently agreed to sit. The Hogwarts Express was busier than ever this year as there was an extra year group of students.
Speaking of students, out of the corner of his eye Harry spotted a group of familiar Slytherin's. Draco Malfoy had maintained himself as the leader of his little 'pack' but they all seemed at little quieter, they certainly weren't shoving people over or threatening to hex mudbloods. Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Millicent Bulstrode and Sally-Anne Perks were looking slightly out of place for the first time in their lives. It wasn't as if they were unwelcome but they weren't welcome either. However much he loved to hate them, Harry had to hand it to the Slytherin's, they really were sticking together. For whatever reason's they were doing so, it was something he admired. He turned to observe them as they strolled across the platform, dropping their bags near the elves and continuing to walk collectively in a way that exuded a quiet confidence. Not wanting to admit the fact he was totally fascinated by how they could still be like this although a fair chunk of the school hated them, Harry decided to warp his face into a look of distaste.
Harry saw Hermione walk calmly into the compartment and Ron moved up so that she could sit at the window.
"I just saw Winky, you know? She looks a lot better but she still wouldn't accept the money." Hermione looked at them both, clearly testing whether or not either of them particularly cared.
"I'm glad she's okay but no house elf would really want to be paid 'Mione." Ron countered in the same delicate tone he always used for this subject.
"Well they should. Dobby was happy, why can't they be?"
"Dobby was different." The pang in his chest made Harry feel the need to speak for Dobby, "He wasn't your average Elf, he's the only one I've ever met who was so free thinking. I think he's the only one I'll ever meet who was quite so... Special."
If it wasn't for the commotion outside of the carriage then you'd have been able to hear a pin drop or a knife slice through the tension. Ron was staring, eyes wide and mouth left slightly open and generally looking like he'd just seen a Nargle. On the other hand, Hermione looked at him as if he was a complicated Arithmancy equation that she was working out in her head. Wonderful.
It wasn't the first time he'd spoken about the people who'd died, but for some reason the sudden emotion that had been bought back by being here shocked them all. Harry had completely stumped them both by his emotional outburst.
The dreadful silence dragged on for a fair amount of time after that, they all sat and simply stared at one another before Hermione took control of the situation and changed the subject, clearing he throat a little before.
"It's going to get awfully cramped on the train, we'll probably have to share the compartment. I don't think they've put any extra carriages on, which is strange." Hermione was clearly trying very hard to pretend Harry hadn't just said that. It was the first time Harry had spoken about Dobby since they'd buried him and it had shocked him how his voice had cracked at the emotions that surged through him while he thought about his old friend.
"Well, how many of us are there?" Ron caught onto what she was trying to do and furthered the conversation.
"22 when McGonagall last owled me. It could have changed but that's a carriage full of people." Hermione answered simply, they all knew she owled her favourite teacher pretty much daily.
"Oh..." Ron trailed off.
It was good to be back, but it felt so surreal to be acting like normal again. In the thick of the war they'd have done anything to go back to this.
It wasn't as if he was tired, he just couldn't think of ways to make himself motivated to do anything other than get monumentally drunk and spend time with people. If he could just do that for the rest of his life, he would but Hermione wouldn't ever let that happen. She'd convinced him that he should infact come to Hogwarts each time he'd talked himself out of it.
There was a jolt of the carriage and he saw Ron and hermione's expressions changed from amused about whatever they were saying to thoroughly confused. As if on queue the sliding door to their compartment swung open with a heavy crash which was soon followed by a thick Irish accent that they all knew a little too well.
"C'man, they've put an extra carriage on f'rus!" He grinned devilishly at them all and began to walk resolutely up the train, rounding up the eighth years.
Terry Boot traipsed after him, throwing them a quick smile and "hey" before hurrying after Seamus excitedly.
Draco was about to shatter like glass. People stared at him, mothers pulled away their children and people parted for them to walk past as if they had some sort of infectious disease. He could have imagined that life was the same as always, had he stayed in The Manor and never spoken to another Wizard again but now that he was here he was fully aware of just how much people hated his family and what they thought they stood for. As much as he wished more than anything else in the entire world that he didn't, he cared.
On the outside however his face was calm and confident, his eyes were stone walls and he looked as ridiculously self-assured as ever. Finely tailored suit trousers and a slightly loose tie wrapped around the collar of his plain shirt gave the illusion that he really hadn't changed in the past months at all. Pansy had forced him to wear this when she'd come to see him that morning and he was more grateful than he'd ever admit to being. He felt like at least if nobody knew who he really was, then he could pretend it was someone else they were all so terrified of. In truth it was an entirely different person.
Sally-Anne rounded on him as they got into one of the carriages. She always was one of the more sensitive of his housemates, and so it was probably obvious to her that Draco was shutting away anything that could have been described as feelings.
"It's not you they hate, it's who you used to be. Remember that." That was all she said, it was all she needed to say and all Draco needed to hear.
Pondering what had just been said, he just kept walking and looking for seats without really doing so at all.
Always so self assured, he was Draco Malfoy. In his mind, he was the greatest Slytherin anyone had ever known. He was a child his parents were proud of and someone who would be truly powerful in the future. Or so he'd thought. Now, as he looked back at himself all he could see was a coward who had wanted nothing more than his parents attention and love, someone really pathetic. Someone who'd cared a little too much, and far more than they would have been willing to admit.
Pansy grabbed his arm and pulled him into one of the booths with her eyebrows raised in question. Shaking himself back into reality Draco realised he'd obviously missed a question.
"Pardon?"
"We were asking what lessons you were doing." Blaise said without a hint of patience, "I'm taking Potions, Charms, Arithmancy and Runes."
"Oh, right. Well I think I'll do Potions, Divination, Arithmancy and Astronomy." He truly hadn't put too much thought into all of this, "On second thoughts, maybe not Astronomy."
"You're good at Astronomy." Pansy said, as if that was what is stopping him, "I think I'm going to take Defence just for laughs. Just to see what people say when I turn up."
Draco laughed at that. Simply imagining people's faces as she turned up to defend herself against the dark arts which everyone in the school presumed she was the embodiment of. In truth Pansy was the darkest of his friends, the one he could imagine becoming a proper death eater. It wasn't as if she was heartless, she just had a way of being more cruel than anyone thought her capable of when she was angry. She once held a first year under the imperius curse for 3 hours because they'd stolen her favourite book, they'd run around and slaved after her. They'd even rewritten the entire novel before she'd released them and apparently they had terrible bruises afterwards. Nobody was safe when Pansy was angry.
Draco wouldn't have admit it under veritaserum but it was one thing that truly made them friends. They'd both used that curse, and only they knew it. He'd been forced to by his father but she hadn't and it scared Draco a little that she enjoyed it more than she should have.
Just then, a few people Draco vaguely remembered being in Slytherin went to sit in the booth opposite them. They were talking animatedly about something they all found hysterical and Draco marveled at just how innocent they sounded, and how he couldn't remember a time he'd ever been allowed to have that much uninhibited fun. His father had always told him that it was silly and careless to damage one's reputation with such things as 'fun'. Maybe that was why he was always so cruel.
One of them took a short break from laughing to look around, and spotted Draco. Without really thinking Draco shot them a cold and quick smile, the boy looked disconcerted by this and rapidly went back to talking to his friends.
"Honestly, Draco! Are you listening to a single word I'm saying?" Pansy demanded looking exasperated and fully annoyed.
Blaise almost smirked at him, "You really should pay attention, or Pants'll get her knickers in a twist again."
They shared a look of amusement, but held it together with a lot of effort.
"Funny." It was a deadpan from Pansy but it just turned the barely concealed smiles into outright laughter at the indignation on her face.
They'd picked the very end coach as usual. It was quieter as people tended to head straight for the compartments nearest to the front. It wasn't like they were anti-social, society seemed to hate them though. It was nice to have solitude, escpecially when people were now openly showing hatred towards them. At least with his friends he could relax without worrying too much about what school was going to be like. They could share jokes and spread rumors and tell secrets like they always had, because he knew that even though they weren't the most famously chummy group of friends in the school, that they would stick together like they always did.
"Why isn't Greg coming?" Draco asked suddenly. He'd not overlooked his friends absence and was wondering why nobody had mentioned it to him.
There was a silence then, Pansy and Blaise looked at each other carefully. They knew something he didn't and it would drive Draco crazy if he didn't find out what.
"The Aurors have found more evidence. They've taken him for more trials." Blaise looked sick saying it aloud, and they all knew that meant someone in the Ministry was determined to get him into Azkaban.
"What evidence?"
"Memories, indisputable evidence that he didn't only perform unforgivables when he was forced to by someone. When he did it on that Brown girl." Pansy almost spat the name as if it were a cuss word.
"Before you ask, we know she's dead. Someone saw." Picking up where Pansy had left off, Blaise gave him a look that clearly spelled hatred to whoever had bought their friend his ticket to Azkaban.
At first Draco thought someone had thrown a badly cast hex at them, the coach shuddered and moved under them and there was a loud bang. After a split second of panic he figured he was on a train, it's going to move. There was a few looks of confusion on the faces of the people on their carriage but then they all spun around to look at the one person who was going to make a spectacle of themselves.
"The fuck was that?" a rather unladylike sentence slipped from Millie's mouth and she stood up to look for what had happened.
"Sit down, Millie. We're on a train, they move." Tracey Davis who had joined them only moments before was starting her ritual 'try and teach Millicent Bulstrode to be a respectable human being' lessons earlier than normal this year.
There was a soft rumble of giggles and it felt like nothing had happened to them, like the last year had never happened. People resumed muted conversations and the many remaining seats in the coach remained empty when groups of people went to get in, saw them and walked out the other direction. A few of their lower-year house mates filled booths but it seemed anyone else went running for the hills so they were all utterly confounded when they heard a swarm of cheerful voices sweeping down the narrow isles of the next cart, heading straight for them.
The gaggle of students stopped in the doorway. Seamus Finnegan's face went from genuine smile to utter distaste in seconds and when people realised why they'd stopped the crowd fell silent. There was a stare down between them all, more of them choosing to glare at Draco than anybody else.
"Come on now, we're not children anymore." Sally-Anne called across, "What's going on?"
Dean Thomas who had been stood a few people back stood up a little taller and grinned at her, Draco had heard that she'd made friends with a few people from other houses but the very last person he'd expected was any of Potter's Posse.
"They've put an extra coach on for Eighth Years." Anthony Goldstein was already dressed in his Ravenclaw uniform and was looking at them all as if they'd bite him if they got the chance.
With that the group paraded proudly right through the coach and into the next, much of their carriage getting up and joining them. Harry and his friends still walked like they owned the school, as did the rest of the Gryffindor's.
There was a moment of silence when Pansy, Blaise and Draco just looked at each other, not sure whether they should get up or not.
"Come on then, let's not delay the pain." Draco joked, but he knew none of them really wanted to get up and go to sit with a group of people who largely despised them.
Standing up and physically bracing himself for whatever was to come next, Draco stood up and was shortly followed by Pansy and Blaise as they walked as imperiously as they could muster into the next carriage.
"Oh look, it's the amazing bouncing ferret and his other rodent friends." Ron called across to them spitefully, but Draco saw Harry elbow him and shake his head almost warningly from where they were stood with the Patil twins.
"Ferret's aren't Rodents, Weasley." Lisa Turpin called across to him, rolling her eyes.
Draco felt conflicted, he wanted to sit down in the corner, not make eye contact with anyone or apparate out of there but at the same time he couldn't just take that. He, Draco Malfoy couldn't possibly just walk away without so much as an insult in the direction of all the people glaring at him hatefully.
"Great to see you all again, too." Was what he came up with. A compromise. It seemed to do the trick as once he'd settled down in the corner next to the door he became aware that people had once again began to return to their usual conversations. Talking animatedly and carelessly about things that didn't really matter and settling down into seats for the journey. Pansy had sat herself on the opposite side of their table next to Blaise. She smiled at Draco comfortingly before turning to address Blaise, whispering something to him.
He nodded soberly and whispered something back before looking Draco directly in the eye and mouthing 'Potter'. Draco didn't understand, he narrowed his eyes dubiously and got a slight head jerk backward in response. Looking over the top of Blaise's head he saw the very person sat at the next table along, studying him carefully and not bothering to look away or change his expression when they locked eyes. Draco felt a shiver of guilt run through him and he couldn't quite bring himself to sneer at the boy he'd spent his life making miserable. Bloody Potter.
It seemed to Harry, like an age before they arrived at Hogwarts. Conversation had fizzled out within a few hours of the journey starting and they'd all sat around, playing muggle monopoly and wizards chess for lack of anything better to do. Harry couldn't have said that he'd loved it but it was better than sitting in silence for hours with nothing to do.
The first hour had passed without too much disruption, until Luna had come in with Ginny. Ginny had pounced on him accusingly, asking him why he hadn't come to see her yet quite loudly in front of everyone and Harry gave a very lame excuse about wanting to spend time with his friends. Before she could have shouted that she was his friend too Luna said very airily that she thought it'd be 'best to leave them all in peace or risk further discomfort for everybody'. After that highly embarrassing encounter and Harry skulking off under Hermione's command to go and see Ginny the journey had been somewhat uneventful.
The train finally came to a full standstill and the usual chaotic swinging of bags, slamming of doors and pushing past queue's began. Nobody wanted to be on the train for any longer than strictly necessary and after such a ridiculous length of time they were eager to get out into the fresh air but Harry motioned for Hermione and Ron to wait for a minute.
Once a few people had got off the train and left some breathing space in the isle the trio picked up their bags and made for the closest exit.
"Wonder what Peeves is planning for the first years?" Ron joked and Harry felt a pang of familiarity. Grimmuald Place was great, but it was his house and this place was most definitely his home. Out of natural politeness of being brought up in a house where he was the underdog and so being starved for any form of respect, he didn't walk ahead with Ron and Hermione when they walked out. Instead he stopped to let out the group of Slytherin's he was blocking the exit from, moving aside to let them pass.
Parkinson turned on him and gave him a suspicious look as she got up but when Draco nodded his head in acknowledgment, they seemed to decide to simply follow him. Barely resisting the sudden urge to roll his eyes at their childish reluctance to actually speak to one another, Harry simply smiled at them in a way that was far more sarcastic than friendly. When he'd let everyone out in front of him and then finally made his way off the train Ginny, Ron and Hermione were stood waiting for him. Ginny had her eyebrows raised in that scary way which reminded Harry too much of Molly to even comprehend and Hermione seemed to follow her lead while Ron's brow's were furrowed worriedly.
"Why does this remind me so much of sixth year?" Ron asked casually, obviously bringing up a conversation they'd been having about him earlier.
Hermione giggled and Ginny smirked a little, they were obviously sharing this inside joke about him openly now. Although it annoyed Harry a little he decided he was okay with it as long as it helped them get inside sooner rather than later. Awful weather quickly reminded Harry that even after a long journey, he was still in the U.K. Wrapping his scarf more tightly around his neck, Harry went to walk with them towards Professor McGonagall who was ushering people through, directing and dictating to all year groups the instructions for the evening. Apparently many of the children could now see thestral's if one were to judge by the number of them looking at them curiously in the distance. Harry heard a booming voice with a thick West Country accent across from the lake, shouting at someone to "Stop being so daft and get in the boat not the water you silly turnip!" and Harry knew he really was at home.
"Ginevra Weasley, go with your classmates to the carriages please!" He heard McGonagall's strained voice shout over, "Eighth years will come with me! First years to the lake with Hagrid!"
Sighing dissappointedly, Ginny looked Harry in the eye and rested her hand on his shoulder. It struck Harry that she really was catching up and soon to be the same height as him, if not taller. Not that it was too hard... Why was he thinking about this now?
"I'll see you at dinner." She said, pecking Harry swiftly on the cheek before heading off towards the thestral's nearly jogging to catch up with Demelza Robins so that she wouldn't be going the full journey up the long lane to Hogwarts alone. Harry always felt awkward around women. He cursed himself with a barrage of carefully chosen four letter words inside his head for being such an idiot when it came to women.
"Is that everybody?" McGonagall's voice cut through the cold evening air like a knife and she grabbed everyone's attention effortlessly, "Good. We have provided you with your own separate dorms and living space for eigth years, the same rules apply to this space as would your common room. Only eighth years are allowed in. You'll each be given your house common room's password so that you may visit there freely. The entrance is under a trap door opposite the Tapestry a little way to the left of The Great Hall and your password is Unity. The same school rules apply to you as to the rest of the students. Miss Granger will show you to the common room after dinner and the sorting ceremony. Is that clear?"
There was no noise from the previously rowdy group of teens as they all went to process this information they'd been bombarded with. Ron raised his eyebrows in playful question at the last sentence and shot Hermione a look that screamed 'teacher's pet'. There was a moment of awkward tension when nobody dared to say anything because they knew that it was a rhetorical question but McGonagall hadn't yet moved.
"It's good to have you all back." She added then, and Harry knew she'd make the best headmistress Hogwarts had seen, because she truly cared, "Go on then, straight to the Great Hall!"
Ushering them through with her hands she pointed them towards the Carriages and watched them like an overly strict mother would watch her children. Harry would always miss Dumbledore and his odd words of wisdom that had made him the greatest teacher anyone had ever had but he'd taken a liking to this side of McGonagal already. They ambled aimlessly towards the Thestrals and as they waited for an available carriage Harry stopped to stroke one of them but had to pull away when it snapped at his fingers.
"Since when were you showing us the common room?" Ron asked indignantly.
"Since McGonagall caught up with me on the train and told me where it is." Hermione replied easily.
"You really are a teacher's pet, you know that?" Speaking with blatent honesty to Hermione about schoolwork could be considered an act of chivalry.
"Yes well, no wonder I haven't got any friends." Hermione retorted and Harry snickered. There really wasn't any hope for Ron if he was going to try and outwit her.
She turned around and grinned at Ron who picked her up and threw her straight over the top of his broad shoulders so that she was helpless to do anything but kick and squeal. Harry turned towards them and laughed openly at their bickering whilst Hermione protested to being tossed playfully into a cart that they were getting into. Ron had a particularly pleased-with-himself smile on his face as they made their way into Hogwarts with grins and giggles.
"Slytherin!" The battered sorting hat cried and a cheer erupted from the table Draco was sat at. Draco reluctantly joined in and welcomed the dark haired young girl who was now walking proudly towards the other end of their table.
All of the first years looked a little muddy and Draco guessed that was Peeves's doing. Professor McGonagall was still clapping proudly in a way that rather resembled a mother hen when the rest of the hall died down a little.
"Congratulations, all of you. We have significant changes this year, Professor Malorney will be our new Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher and head of Gryffindor house. Professor Silton will be filling the post of Muggle Studies which is now compulsory to all students up to O.W.L and I am filling the position of headmaster and the 'mentor' for eighth years." Professor McGonagal was still stood at the great podium and continued to talk, "Rules are the same as always although Argus Filch would like to give the first years a full run through after dinner and he'd like to tell you all that there is still repair work being done near the dungeons. Now that is over with, the feast may begin."
Hastily she strode down and over to her seat in the headmasters chair in the centre of a long table of staff. Hagrid was towering above them all and particularly so above Professor Flitwick who still chose to sit near him for some reason Draco simply couldn't imagine.
The hall was brighter than ever and the ceiling had been restored to how it'd been before. Extra lanterns were hanging around and there was the usual assortment of charmed candles that were almost dancing. People began to talk again and there was an uplifting sound of careless banter from Draco's local housemates just as there always had been. It was the same as ever but for some reason Draco felt like something had changed. After a moment he realised that actually, it was him.
The food magically appeared and it seemed the house elves were feeling celebratory too if the spread they put on was anything to go by. There were roasted meats, vegetables, potatoes, stuffing, sausages and lavish helpings of thick gravy among other such desirable foods. Everybody dived at once and it was a shock that nobody was stabbed with forks in the process as hands grabbed for their favourite dishes. Some even slapped others away from what they'd claimed to be their food, it was total chaos. Consciously deciding not to get involved, Draco sat until the fuss had died down and near silence had fallen over them like a blanket where the only sound was chewing and cutlery.
He reached across and helped himself to a plate of all his favourite foods, and one bite made him remember just how good the Hogwarts food was.
A short time and a lot of food later the noise level had risen back to astronomical scale as people got more and more restless. People were standing and waiting around and people all seemed to want to know how to get back to their dorms right that moment.
"Malfoy, are you still-"
"No. I am no longer your Prefect." Draco cut him off, he'd been asked that one too many times now and he really wasn't feeling all too considerate towards the highly pitched boy's voice behind him.
"You want Gemma Farley, she's over there." Sally-Anne pointed in the direction of a crowd that had gathered around an exasperated looking Gemma.
Pansy snickered and muttered something under her breath which Draco didn't quite hear and the conversation went back to their new shared common room.
"Where are all the ghosts?" Blaise was looking around concerned.
"Who cares? It's much quieter without them." Pansy offered, looking totally uncaring.
"I just hope it's not all red and gold. Bloody Gryffindor's." Millie said distastefully.
"They can't put it in any house colours really, can they?" Tracey butted in over the top, "Not with all of us there."
"Yeah, but what about our dorms?" Pansy was still worrying about who she'd have to share with, " I don't think there's enough of us for our old rooms."
Everyone had different worries about living arrangements and they all thought theirs was more important. So when in a house like Slytherin this was leading it's natural course into a full blown argumentative row. This used to be a daily occurrence and people actually used to put bets on how long a certain pair could go without trying to one up each other. It wasn't that they didn't all love each other it was just that they were all too competitive to know better.
"Granger's waving us." Sally-Anne announced with an air of authority before she stood up gracefully and walked over to the exit where the rest of their year were already stood.
The rest of them got up and followed without question and in very much the same manner as they always had done. There was an unspoken agreement that they were to pretend like last year had never happened and apart from a fight between Pansy and Sally over getting them locked into the dungeons there had been no exceptions. Draco looked over at his two best friends who were casually flirting and sharing inside jokes that made him realise just how much he'd shut himself off when his parents had gone. He hadn't left the house for weeks and there was only so much time friends could spend at his house before they eventually left him to his own devices.
"Ouch!" Draco felt someone slam into him, hard. "You little fucker! Where do you thin-"
"Malfoy!" He heard someone shout his name and he spun around to see a very cross looking Geoffrey Hooper glaring at him violently, "You're the fucker, leave him alone!"
"Oh, and you're going to stop me? A little prat like you couldn't do anything if you tried." Draco was angry now, and had a barrage of insults ready to be slung at him and his family. He hadn't had a proper fight with anyone recently and he was sick of pretending he didn't care enough to get angry and send some hex's.
"Malfoy, Geoffrey. Shut up!" Harry Potter had said from just behind him.
Draco kept his face well trained into the same look of controlled disgust he'd been using on Hooper just seconds ago and flicked his eyes cooly up to meet Harry's. Harry's eyes were so green and Draco had to take a moment to fully appreciate their vibrancy. Giving Harry the look up and down he felt anger welling up inside him from his argument and just the fact Harry fucking Potter was so damn annoying!
"You can go and die again, Potter." He sneered, and spun on his heels to follow the now departing group of new classmates with Harry following him.
"-Was speaking to McGonagall earlier and she's said there are going to be four dorms, each sleeping six people. One boys dorm for Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw and one for Slytherin and Gryffindor, and the same for the girls." There was a rumble of excitement and disappointment as people learned who they'd be rooming with.
Draco felt his stomach turn. He was going to be sharing a room with the most annoying set of people he could have, he may even have preferred the Hufflepuff's. Suddenly remembering what had put him off about coming back here, Draco got the sudden urge to run for the nearest floo and never turn back. Hopefully there'll be one in the common room.
"Unity."
Ah, the nearest floo was getting closer. He looked over at the tapestry and saw that the dragon on it seemed to be getting ready to pounce on them, protecting its wall just as it always did. He remembered in third year when he, Greg and Vince had convinced a bunch of first years that it could actually breathe fire at them if they got too close and they'd only found otherwise when Justin Flinch-Fletchey had told them.
He stepped down the few steps which had appeared from the stone. There was no hatch or anything to show a trap door and he guessed that any unsuspecting passer by who happened to say "unity" as they walked over this plate of stone would find themselves sinking with the staircase into their new common room just as Granger had.
"This is gorgeous." Pansy said to him when they reached the bottom and began to look around eagerly.
It was minimalist. The walls, floors and ceilings were made entirely of stone with lusciously thick cream rugs under most of the room. The furniture was all in shades of beige, cream, gold and brown that sung harmoniously together in tasteful song. It all looked antique and aged but remarkably comfortable and inviting with cushions and throws scattered around. The room was plenty big enough for all of them and more to fit into and there was no doubt as to whether anyone liked it. Gasps came from every direction and as the last person stepped onto the floor the stairway behind them retreated back up into the ceiling. Warm, wall fitted lamps lit the room and there were two fireplaces at either side but what really drew your eyes was the huge window at the back, an entire wall of view out over the lake.
"Yeah, it's gorgeous alright." Blaise agreed.
He could vaguely hear someone trying to get attention behind him but he was far too busy taking in the delicate ornaments and plush seating and-
"Will you all be quiet?" Hermione Granger shouted very loudly, and they did. "Boy's dorms to the left, girls to the right. Apparently the order of these rooms will be obvious once you see them."
She stepped down off the stool she'd been using to gain some height and turned to talk to Harry and Ron who seemed very annoyed and obviously not reassured by whatever she was saying. He really had always hated the girl, even if he hadn't been told to hate her because of her blood he still would have, she was just one of those people who were so good that Draco couldn't stand it. She made him want to vomit. As for the weasel, he was enough to make anyone with any taste want to vomit.
"Alright, I'm going to go see our room. Meet me out here later?" Pansy asked, already walking backwards through the commotion to the right side of the common room.
"Yeah, we'll see you later." Draco answered casually.
There was a narrow corridor leading off towards the left which the boys were slowly filing down. Pushing into the queue, Blaise and Draco walked a short distance before they reached two doors, obviously the two dorms. One had a golden handle with a silver knocker, and the other a Black handle and bronze knocker.
"Please, no." Draco pleaded to himself.
Opening the door with the gold and silver he was attacked by a sudden mass of Gold and Red striking a vulgar balance with Silver and Green. (The point is that it looks bad, haha.)
Apparently, yes.
The beds were lush four posters with velvet curtains hanging from each one. Alternately the beds were different house colours with two in green and four in red. Brilliant. Just fucking brilliant.
"It looks like Christmas vomit." Blaise, as ever had a way with words that Draco couldn't help but admire.
"I think Christmas is more tasteful." Draco countered.
"Tanks, aye." Seamus Finnegan called from behind them to someone who was apparently in the bathroom before tuning on them both coldly, "We're movin' the beds so that yeh can cuddle in the night if yeh want."
"Bloody hell! Have you seen this bathroom?" Ron called from inside the toilet before poking his head around the door and assessing the little stand-off.
There was a moment of silence and the he said, "Where's Harry and Dean?"
"On their way, I guess." Seamus replied, "You the only Slytherin's?"
"No, there's four more of us on the way, that's why there's only two beds." Draco's voice was heavy with sarcasm.
"Oh and good luck moving the beds, even with magic. They're solid Mahogany." Blaise joined in, speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world and everyone could tell wood just by looking at it. Draco honestly couldn't help but smile a little at the fact his friend was such an unbelievable snob. So was he, really.
"And?" Ron said from the door frame leading to the bathroom.
"Mahogany resists most forms of magic, and it's rather heavy." Draco spoke slowly and patronisingly as if he were explaining magical theory to a small muggle born. It really was fun to argue with those of lower intelligence.
Ron's eyes narrowed and he looked as if he was just about ready to jump on them there and then when the door once again swung open and a cheerful looking Dean Thomas half galloped in with Harry following closely behind. The good natured expression on Dean's face dropped when he saw Draco and Blaise stood there.
The year group had gathered in their common room to elect their subjects for the next year. The timetables and option blocks they'd been given were admittedly complicated and there were only a few who actually understood what it meant. So naturally, Hermione had offered to help.
"So, the there are four option blocks which means four subjects. You choose one from each option block and then you have to fill it in with the adjacent lesson periods on your timetable. For example-"
"We know, Granger. We don't all need you and your hair to help us think." Pansy said rather loudly and Harry blushed for her. Hermione and Pansy didn't get along at the best of times but after their argument over shower rights in their dorm, they were on seriously rough ground.
Hermione's eyes narrowed at the pleased looking smile on Pansy's face and she was damn near to exploding with rage. Pansy and Hermione had never exactly seen eye to eye and it seemed their new rooms were all a bit too much.
"Actually, if you choose your subjects and then still can't work the timetable out for yourselves, either I or Miss Parkinson can help you."
"When did I volunteer?"
"Well, you don't need me or my hair so I presumed it meant you knew what to do." Hermione said, exacting her revenge already.
"Doesn't mean I want to help."
"Well, it'd look bad if you didn't. Wouldn't it?" Hermione wasn't being mean at all, and that was the great part. She was making Pansy squirm without even an insult and Harry couldn't help but smile a little at the scene. This power play was showing the Slytherin's that they didn't actually run the school.
"Fine, bitch."
"Fantastic, unless you struggle with it. In which case my hair can take over."
The common room was eerily silent and incredibly awkward as their little face off ended. Pansy looked a little puzzled as to whether that was infact an insult or not. Harry was trying really hard not to laugh now.
Looking down at his piece of parchment, Harry circled Potions, Divination, Astronomy and Defence Agaist The Dark Arts without much thought to the matter and began mapping out his own complicated timetable as he didn't want to bother Hermione.
He'd chosen his very favourite subjects and then Divination. Simply because there wasn't much else to take and he was very glad Firenze was back to teach.
Harry peered around to see what everybody else had chosen and deciding that almost everybody he really didn't want to be in a class with was selecting very similar options to his own and unfortunately the only class he, Ron and Hermione had all selected was Potions. He and Ron were both in Defence together but other than that they'd chosen totally different options.
It was going to be a long year.