This is my first ever fanfic *cringes* and I sure as hell haven't read many so I'M SORRY IN ADVANCE in case I do something wrong. Which is also why I rated this M. Just in case.
Also I'll try to speed up my updates, but nobody's really reading this :(
Review! Ask me questions; that's what the chapter is supposed to do!
Disclaimer: the only thing I own is the plot, and God knows if someone's used the plot as well XD.
Chapter 1
"Butterbeer or nah?"
"Mmm.."
" 'Mione, the magazine's upside down."
Hermione looked up at the boy - no, man - holding a pint glass of the frothy drink and their eyes met.
" I know, Harry. I'm checking the answers to the quiz."
The Chosen One slouched on the sofa, idly scratching his thigh through a small hole in his tracksuit bottoms.
"Have you decided what lessons you're planning to take?"
"Potions and Herbology." Hermione's answer was curt.
Glad to maintain conversation, Harry continued. "I thought you would want to do Arithmancy as well -"
"She can't though, can she? She's teaching it." Draco dropped his cloak on the floor as he entered the Eighth Year's Common Room.
The blanket of silence fell slowly.
It was the first thing Draco had said in a week. And the strange thing was, he had no idea why he said it.
After all, he did feel out of place; in the conversation, in the common room, in Hogwarts; in his life. He was butting into their little chit-chat, he was the only Slytherin in the Eighth Year, the entire school avoided him like the plague, his father was dead, his mother far away, and his Dark Mark wouldn't fucking disappear.
He had spent his days in the Hogwarts library but they were in vain; no book had mentioned magic such as the one tattooed onto his hand. He needed to ask someone, talk to someone who understood; but who? Potty - er, Harry and the Weasel were simply out of the question, Parvati Patil didn't seem to notice him, Dean spent half his time snogging Parvati, Longbottom seemed to live in the herbolo - wait, he wasn't going to talk with any of them anyway. Why would he want to?
Because - because he was a stupid miserable git who everyone felt sympathy for - because - he helped kill Voldemort?
The Dark Lord eyed Harry with masked surprise as he raised his wand.
Potter was unarmed, Draco reunited with his wand that lay on the ground - on the enemy's side.
Narcissa Malfoy trembled with fear; why, Draco did not know. But he knew what he was going to do.
"Potter!" he yelled as he dashed across the path between the Boy who Lived and He Who Must Not Be Named, expecting to be killed any moment. He hurled the wand at the boy just as light erupted from the wand of a man on the other side. Lucius.
Draco chose the Hogwarts side, and this was going to be his painful punishment. He braced himself for the impact.
"Protego!" A voice yelled.
Shaking himself out of the flashback, he at least gave himself credit for not being thrown in Azkaban. He had been cleared of all charges but branded a coward, for people thought it was an act of redemption, to save his neck.
He didn't think they would have said that if Harry hadn't won.
And his Dark Mark still wouldn't disappear.