Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All of it belongs to their rightful owners.
A/N: Second chapter, yay! Haha, this chapter is a bit longer than the last chapter's. Hope you like it, I'm still working on improving my writing! Review, please? :) x
Summary: After the war, people thought Draco Malfoy was the same arrogant git he's always been. But really, he's broken, and awfully lovesick. 8th-Year.
"That's stupid," was the first thing that Draco heard once he sat down at the Slytherin table. Returning to Hogwarts to repeat their 8th year wasn't what anyone thought it would be. You had a whole separate dorm just for 8th year boys and girls, you didn't wear a uniform, and you weren't designated to sit at a certain house table. You weren't allowed to earn points for any house. The only thing that these students were here for were to complete their NEWTs, and that was all. The same opportunity was offered to last year's 5th years so that they could complete their OWLs. Though, most students skipped out on it, the 8th year. One couldn't really blame them—it was awfully boring. There were only eleven students participating in 8th year anyways—mostly Gryffindors: Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini, Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Hermione Granger(obviously), Pansy Parkinson, and Hannah Abott.
"What's stupid?" the blonde Slytherin asked. Pansy shook her head, waving Draco off, and returning to a conversation with two other 7th year Slytherins. Rolling his eyes, the blonde searched the Great Hall, and his eyes landed on Blaise Zabini who was sitting in between Ron and Neville Longbottom at the Gryffindor table.
"What do you think, Draco?"
"Huh?" Pansy glared at the other Slytherin and returned to her previous conversation. Draco rolled his eyes once more, got up, and made his way to the other side of the hall.
"Hullo everyone," the blonde greeted, and sat down between Harry and a 2nd year. He took a plate, a settled for a pancake with maple syrup. All of the 8th years continued to talk amongst themselves as the breakfast time passed by. At half-past eight, the small group of students got up from the table. Draco, still eating and staring off into the distance, was brought back to reality when someone tapped on his left shoulder. Turning around, he saw Harry with an eyebrow cocked.
"Coming to class?"
"Oh yeah," the blonde muttered, scooping a glop of syrup on his index finger. He slung his bag of his shoulder and followed everyone else out of the Great Hall and making their way to the dungeons for potions. "I forgot my textbook in the dorm, I'll meet you all there." He said suddenly.
"Alright, but I'm not saving you a seat. So don't blame me if one of those annoying little 7th years take your seat." Blaise called out down the corridor as Draco almost speed-walked the opposite way.
"Detention tomorrow night with Mr. Filch." Draco sighed as he walked into the classroom, slumping; completely un-Malfoy-like. The Slytherin really hadn't forgotten any book, why would he? But it was a certainly good excuse to have some time alone, what with most of the school in the Great Hall… away from himself. Malfoy went out by the Black Lake.
Draco dropped his bag down, and sighed, plopping down on a patch of grass under a large oak tree. His unfocused eyes blinked a few times before settling on a large black shadow behind a bush. Cocking his head, the blonde squinted, trying to get a better look. Deciding that it wasn't enough, he got up from his rather uncomfortable sitting position and walked quietly towards the shadow, wand at the ready.
"Meow,"
Draco stood straight and froze. Don't tell me I just heard a cat, he thought to himself. Then, a small black kitten with bright blue eyes emerged from the leaves. Of course, a freaking cat, he sighed, squatting down.
"Hullo there," he swapped his wand from his right to left hand, and reached out towards the animal. "Aren't you supposed to be with your owner?" The kitten slowly walked closer to the Slytherin and leaned into his touch as he petted the animal. Draco walked back over to the tree he was sitting under, carrying the newfound pet. Sitting back down and placing the kitten in his lap, the blond let out a big, shaky breath and continued stroking the cat's fur.
"Am I supposed to call you something? I suppose I'll call you Severus. An old friend of mine was named Severus. He was the wittiest and greatest wizard I had ever known." Flashes of old memories and happy times spent with his godfather swiftly passed through Draco's mind. "Can I keep you? Looking for your owner would probably be the right thing to do, but I just really need to talk to someone. Someone who will only listen to me, not just stare at me and give me awfully ridiculous comments of sympathy." For the next ten minutes, the blond continued to speak to the kitten without even realizing that he was late for class.
"Sorry Professor," Draco found an empty seat in the back of the classroom and went to take his textbook out of his bag. Though, all he got was a small 'meow'. The Slytherin opened the bag completely and glared at the small black animal in his bag. Pressing his index finger to his mouth, he made a 'shh'ing noise and quickly casted a Silencing Spell on the animal. Finally finding his potions textbook, Draco sat it on his desk and looked up to find out the page they were on, only to face the curious eyes of the whole class.
"Is there something you'd like to share with us, Mr. Malfoy?" one of the boys in the front of the class asked in his best Professor McGonagall impression.
"Shut up, Ryans," Draco hissed at the 7th year Ravenclaw, Joseph Ryans.
"Returning to our lesson, I want all of you to read the rest of chapter 8 and then write a 6 inch essay on the subject. I want it by the end of class." Professor Slughorn said with a pronounced finality.
"We aren't brewing any potions today, Professor?" a girl with high pigtails, curly brown hair, and a Ravenclaw tie that looked as if it was put on by a 2-year-old asked.
"Not today Ms. Riley. Unfortunately for us, the Headmistress was in need of emergency potions and asked me to brew them for her; we don't have enough ingredients to make the concoctions that I was planning for the lesson today.
"I'll be right there," Draco called out.
"Going to be late for lunch too, Dray?" Harry chuckled. The blonde simply rolled his eyes and quickly made his way towards the 8th year dorms. Once he was safely settled in his bed, Draco reached into his bag and pulled out Severus.
"Finite Incantatem," he recited, cancelling the silencing charm on the small kitten. "Now, I've got to get to lunch. You're going to have to stay here, alright? I'll be back if not before my last class, the after dinner. I'll bring you something to eat." The blonde said as he tucked his wand back in his pocket, not really caring nor noticing that his new friend couldn't understand a single word that ushered out of his mouth. He petted Severus one last time before closing and locking the curtains around his 4-poster bed.
"Hey," Draco sat down in the same seat that he had been in this morning next to Harry. The Great Hall may have been buzzing with loud chatter and the rather audible clanking of utensils, but all of the 8th years that sat at the Gryffindor table couldn't miss the blonde coming to sit with them. Draco picked up a plate and placed a sandwich and some fruits on the golden platter.
"Where were you?" Neville Longbottom asked as Draco poured tea into a cup.
"Oh, just checking something."
"Are you alright, Draco? You've been really out of everything today." Hermione Granger's face grew with worry.
"I'm alright everyone. Just a bit paranoid," Everyone shot him skeptical looks that he just waved off and continued to eat. As the blonde slowly nibbled at his sandwich, he noticed that there was cheese in it. I'm going to get fucking fat like this, he thought in disgust as he opened the sandwich and pulled out the cheese from the corner of the slice with the tips of his fingers. Harry chuckled. "What?" the Slytherin demanded.
"You just look so cute like that, picking at your food." He grinned, patting Draco on the back. The blonde tilted his head down as he blushed, replacing his newly, more healthy sandwich back to order.
"Oh, hey Ginny!" as soon as he heard the voice of his dreams call out that name, all of Draco's happiness was drained from his body. He sneered to himself as the sound of kissing and joyful relationshippy-ness (Draco was much too mad to realize that he was making up words in his mind) was shared behind him. The Weaslette's name was almost like a dementor, just plain awful. The blonde just didn't know how Harry dealt with that… thing. Draco decided that he had to let everything out with Severus tonight, and gloomily finished his food and headed towards the Ancient Runes, even though it was still 15 minutes much too early. Oh well.