Chapter Six

I got up early on Saturday morning. Despite the crowd in the common room the previous night, Ginny and I had managed to have a bit of a conversation, and I had promised that we would take our brooms out after lunch and do a little flying practice, just the two of us. But I knew I also had a lot of review to do for Transfiguration, so I thought if I got up early that I could get in a few hours before lunch, and then I wouldn't feel so guilty taking the afternoon off. There were a few Gryffindors stirring about when I left with my book bag, but not many.

I had decided that I would just go over to the Great Hall and stake out a spot at one of the tables to spread myself out on. I wasn't quite committed enough to studying to go to the library, I wanted to be able to hold a conversation if someone else wandered by without drawing the piercing glares from Miss Pince.

The Great Hall looked a little different than I was used to when I arrived. Instead of the long house tables that had always been there before; except during the dances, the room was set up with dozens of smaller round tables. There was a buffet set out against the far left wall, filled with breakfasty assortments. I liked it. I found out later that Minerva was trying out something a little different for the weekends. She really wanted the students to mingle a bit more, outside of their houses, so she had given them the opportunity. None of the tables bore any specific house color, just white linens, and people were sitting wherever they seemed to want.

As a side note, the experiment took a little while to catch on, but by the end of the year weekends were a big hodge podge of students all over. I think Minerva was pleased with that endeavor as well. Anyways, back to the story.

I wasn't particularly hungry just then, Kreacher had provided very well for us the previous night. All I really wanted was a cup of coffee, which I poured out, adding in some cream and two spoons of sugar. I'd never really appreciated coffee until I starting working on 12G. Then I found it became a bit of a necessity. Fortunately, besides the fast food places within walking distance, there was also a lovely little Muggle coffee shop that brewed fresh pots every twenty minutes or so. I think by the end of August they were getting used to me, because the smiling girl behind the counter starting pouring as soon as I walked in the door. She was my age, her little gold nametag said 'Melody', and she was absolutely normal. It was hard not to look at her and think about how different our lives were. She hadn't spent her seventeenth year running from Death Eaters, not that I was jealous or anything, I just noted the divergence. It made me think a bit about Dudley too, but not much, and certainly not enough for me to want to go by Privet Drive and check in on my cousin, and Aunt and Uncle. I'd had a lifetime full of them already.

Wow, I'm really getting off topic again aren't I? I have noticed that I start to do that when I get nervous. Nervous? Why would you have been nervous just then Harry, you might ask? It'll become apparent as I go on I think.

Mug in hand I looked around the room to find a quiet spot, off in a corner somewhere, maybe not too out of the way, but enough. There was a table in the far left corner, well removed from the business of the buffet, but still close enough to the coffee. Only thing was, someone was already there; Draco.

'Ah well' I thought to myself, 'why not?' The look he had given me back in class crossed my mind again, it seemed as good an invitation as any, so I wandered over.

"Morning Draco, do you mind if I share your table?" What was the worst he could do? Look up and snarl at me to leave? I took my chance.

He did look up, didn't snarl, and actually spoke to me.

"As you wish." His voice wasn't the confident one I remembered, not at all. He sounded the way he looked, resigned. It just didn't seem right. Not that I missed the pompus old Draco one bit, but at least he had been constant, and consistency was a positive thing when you were putting your life back together.

I recognized his pile of books; the same as my own.

"Studying Transfiguration too eh?"

"Yes." His response was softened, also uncharacteristic.

"Why didn't you go to the library?"

He looked up at me, and actually smiled just a little. He pointed at his cup.

"Proximity to the coffee."

I couldn't help but laugh a little at that one, and to my surprise, his smile widened and he laughed for just a moment too. I nodded at him, as he had done for me, and he returned to his books, and I took mine out as well, and picked up where I had left off.

I was deep into the chapter on transfiguring between elemental states when I heard Draco's chair move. He was standing up with his mug in hand.

"Refill?" He asked, holding out his other hand for my mug.

"Umm, sure, thanks."

"How do you take it?"

"Double, double." That meant two cream two sugars, I had learned that from Melody. Draco seemed to know the secret coffee code as well, because he brought it back just right. It seemed like a good spot to take a bit of a break, and enjoy the coffees just then, so I tried out some conversation.

"What other classes are you taking this year Draco? Besides Transfiguration and Astronomy?"

"Well I'll be taking Potions and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Arthrimancy."

"Wow, so we'll have a few classes together."

"That's good I guess." His voice was still so very quiet, almost unnerving in that there seemed to be so little emotion in it. "Are you and Ron still going to be Aurors." He asked. I didn't know that he knew about that.

"I hope so. What about you?"

"I haven't figured it out yet." At that he looked a bit forlorn, and I felt guilty for making him think about it.

"I'm sure something will come to you Draco."

"I guess." His eyes sank back to his books.

I had another sip of coffee, and couldn't think of anything else brilliant to say right then, so I went back to my own studying.

We passed about an hour that way until the noise of a number of voices made us look up, almost in unison. It seemed that the rest of the Gryffindors had finally pulled themselves from their beds. I wasn't sure that I wanted to make eye contact with them just then. I was in a good place with my reviewing, and if I'd just had another hour I'd have been able to get everything done. I guess I should have gone to the library, but as Draco had pointed out, there was no coffee in the library.

On seeing the pack Draco's head sank back into his books, and the hair that he had been tucking around his ears fell forward to obscure him again. He didn't want to be noticed by the group either, and I felt bad when they headed towards our table, having seen me.

"Harry!" Ron called out, waving at me, as if I could have missed him.

"Hi Ron." I stood up and moved away from the table, trying to spare Draco.

I like to think, now looking back after all this time, that my motives were purely to ease Draco's mind, but part of me thinks that time may have clouded my recollection of certain things just a bit. I hope that my motives were altruistic in moving away from the table to greet my friends, and not driven by the anxiety of being seen with Draco Malfoy. I do remember what I said and heard after standing up though, so I think my first recollection was likely the correct one.

"You left early this morning."

"I just wanted to get some studying done, Ginny and I are going to take the brooms out this afternoon," Ginny was just coming up behind her brother to join the conversation.

"Did you want to join us for breakfast Harry?" She asked me.

"I'm still really full from Kreacher's snacks last night, I'll just grab a bit of lunch in another hour or so and meet you back in the common room? I want to try to get another two chapters done."

"You're turning into Hermione, you realize that?" The anxiety bug for NEWT levels hadn't quite caught Ron yet, but he would, so he was more interested in his stomach at that point.

"There are worse things that could happen to a person." Hermione smacked Ron playfully on the back of the head. "If Harry wants to study them leave him be." She winked at me, I don't know why. "Come and get your breakfast Ron."

Ginny was ready to turn and go with Hermione, when she chanced to take a closer look at who I had been sitting with. She leaned over to whisper to me, none too quietly, "Is that Draco Malfoy?" My back was to him, I couldn't judge if he had heard her or not. Ron had certainly heard her.

"Yes?" I felt the need to apologize to her again.

"Why are you studying with him?" She actually asked the question through her teeth.

"Why not, we're both in the same classes?"

"He's the enemy, that's why not." See, I told you I remembered the conversation, I don't think I'll ever forget that comment coming out of Ginny's mouth.

"The war is over Ginny." I responded quietly, wanting to calm what could have turned loud and ugly.

"You know the only reason that he and his Mom aren't in Azkaban along with his Dad is because they recanted their beliefs at the last minute. He tried to kill Dumbledore for god sake Harry." Ron's attitude mirrored Ginny's; and really I couldn't blame them. The Malfoy family had brought so much grief to the Weasley family, and their friends, me included I supposed. Hermione had been tortured in their home, and no one had raised a finger or true objection to the actions of Voldemort back then. I drew in very close to my three friends right then, and whispered to them.

"None of us really know what happened to Draco. And I am tired of drawing sides for everything. It's a new year, I just want to put everything behind me, and start living my life for me."

"Maybe it's an opportunity for all of us to make better choices?" Ginny's voice certainly wasn't quiet then, she meant for Draco to hear every word. And it wasn't a kindly statement. My stomach began to knot up.

"Don't you think everyone deserves a second chance Ginny?"

She glared at him, I didn't turn to see.

"I don't know if I do believe that Harry." And she walked off to get herself something to eat. Ron followed, looking at me as if I was mad, but I knew he'd forget about the whole thing soon enough. Ron was certainly consistent for things like that. I was a little surprised that Hermione hadn't said anything during the exchange. She had kind of a pitying look on her face as she glanced between Draco, and myself but I didn't know if it was for him or me. She followed Ron to breakfast and I turned back to my table and my books. Draco was still sitting there, but he was terribly still, like a prey animal waiting for the predatory pounce. I tried to go on as if nothing had happened, flipping a page and refreshing the ink in my quill by scratching it on a spare corner of parchment.

Draco didn't look up, but he spoke to me. "Thanks." Back to the same quiet voice, as if he really didn't intend for anyone to hear him, maybe not even me.

"You're welcome Draco."

"You don't have to do that."

"Do what?"

"Stand up for me with your friends."

"I think they were out of line."

"But certainly not in the minority around here. Most of the Slytherins won't even talk to me. The wounds are still too fresh."

"I'm sure things will ease up."

"Well, at least one of us is then. But don't go ruining your reputation for me Harry."

I wanted to laugh again. I had a reputation to protect? Well that would have been a first. "It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. A very wise man said that once." Of course I meant Dumbledore, and he wasn't talking to me, but it still resonated. I was at the point where I was choosing what kind of person I was going to be; not that I realized it then. But I knew, somewhere inside me, that I was going to be judged by how I treated others, and even though I didn't know Draco's whole story just then, I knew enough to make the choices I did, somehow.