Draco stood with his son in front of Platform 9 ¾. He sighed. This was the first time he was dropping his son off at the Hogwarts Express station–since his wife's death.
Draco clenched his fists. He had to keep it together.
Scorpius reached out and squeezed Draco's hand, bringing Draco back to reality. He nodded toward his son, and they stepped through the platform.
Draco caught sight of Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and their kids. Rose waved at Scorpius, and Scorpius hesitantly raised his hand back. Confusion, which turned into concern flashed on Rose's face, and she turned and whispered something to Albus.
Scorpius shifted his feet uncomfortably. Draco's throat tightened. He knew this was going to be a tough year for both him and his son.
Rose and Albus slowly approached them. "Hey," Rose said kindly.
"Hey," Scorpius mumbled, his usual bubbly demeanor when talking with his friends drained from his voice. Draco's chest tightened even more. Losing Astoria was bad enough for him already, but it was made even worse seeing the effect it had on his son.
He's too young to have lost his mother.
Draco could tell by Rose's and Albus's gazes that they seemed to understand what had happened, even if Scorpius hadn't actually told them.
"Do you need a minute, or do you want to come and talk with us?" Albus asked. "About anything."
"Or we can sit in silence," Rose said. "We'll give you some company."
Scorpius nodded and walked with his friends to where their trunks were. He looked back at Draco, and Draco nodded.
He knew Albus and Rose were good friends for Scorpius. This year, and the years to come, would be rough, but at least Scorpius had his friends to support him.
After they had boarded the train, Draco waved one final time as the train left, before it disappeared from view.
When it had gone, Draco felt a sinking, empty feeling. His eyes flickered around the station. His wife wasn't there. He had no one to walk back with. He was alone. He felt himself trembling.
He didn't want to break down now. There were still people around. He couldn't let them see him like this, but there were already tears clouding his vision. He fell to his knees and broke into sobs. He couldn't control himself any longer. He felt weak and embarrassed. People were probably staring at him, but he couldn't do anything about it. All he felt was pain.
Scorpius would come back from Hogwarts, but Astoria was gone….
The noises of the people around him, leaving from the station, all collided into one loud noise. Draco's head was spinning, and he couldn't make out what was going on through his broken sobs.
Suddenly, someone's hands were on him. He tried to pull away but couldn't. The hands wrapped around him, and he felt himself being pulled into a hug. He let himself go limp, allowing the warmth of whoever this person was to envelop him. He shuddered a few more times, and he was still breathing heavily. As he relaxed a little, he opened his eyes.
His vision was still blurry with tears. When he wiped them away, he realized the person in front of him was Ginny Weasley–or Potter.
He stumbled backward, his heart racing at the sight of her. His embarrassment was immeasurable. Are Potter and Weasley around, too? None of them were supposed to see him in this state. He felt weak. As he looked away, he heard her speak.
"Draco," she said calmly. "Come home with Harry and I. You look like you could use some company right now."
He looked back at her and choked. He saw Harry step around to stand next to her. He hesitated, then looked up to meet Harry's gaze. His green eyes were solemn. He looked back at Ginny and hesitantly reached out his hand. He couldn't trust himself to stand up on his own. With her help, he shakily got to his feet. Harry helped support his back.
Draco was feeling extremely embarrassed. Of all the people to see him in such a weak state, why did it have to be a Weasley and a Potter? But he really wasn't in any state to do anything on his own right now. His mind was such a mess, he could barely function properly. He needed help, and here were two people offering it, so he took their offer.
"So you'll come with us?" Harry asked.
Draco nodded. He really didn't want to be alone right now. He needed some time for his emotions to settle.
"You can stay at our place for as long as you need," Ginny said. "I'll make you some tea when we get there."
Draco never imagined he would be receiving this kind of support from these very people. It was a bit overwhelming, and he couldn't bring himself to say much in response.
"Thank you."
