𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐓 2008

The Cards You're Dealt

Author: midnight_birth
Pairing(s): Draco/Harry
Rating: R
Summary: They meet the summer after the war at Hogwarts. One, wishing the world could stop for one minute and he could hide away. The other hoping for a new start and the ability to move forward. In each other, they may just find the strength to build themselves back up, along with the shattered walls of Hogwarts.
Warning: EWE assumed, harsh language, some angst and nudity.
Word count: 12,037

"Right this way, Harry."

McGonagall was surprised to see Harry on the doorstep of her office at the beginning of summer. Of course, a lot of past students, teachers, and parents dropped by often to lend a hand in the effort to reconstruct Hogwarts by fall. But she never expected to see him inside these walls again. And definitely, if ever, not anytime soon after the final battle.

Hogwarts was, indeed, in a sorry state. The indestructible walls of the castle, bound by ancient magic beyond most wizards' and witches' comprehensions, were as stubborn in their rebuilding as they once were in their destruction. The painful truth was that it was the first time since the four Founders built it up stone by stone too many years ago that the school required any major building or architectural adjustment. The lifting of the countless spells, many of which seemed to be invented by the Founders themselves and could not be found in any History books and casting them back was an excruciatingly long and difficult job.

McGonagall would have appreciated to have the advanced, strong wizards and witches of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix helping their slow advances, but she didn't expect it in the least. After the war of so many years and deaths had been finally won, it would be cruel to expect its surviving heroes to return to the scene of so many friends' and families' deaths. It hurt her to think that, instead of happy school year memories, that was what they were going to take away from Hogwarts, but life operated in its own way. Hogwarts would be rebuilt, despite any difficulties, as would the survivors of the war. This wasn't the first Dark Lord of her lifetime.

Harry didn't know what to tell her. He had gone through a thousand stories in his mind coming there, but, when faced with her, just shook his head and told her he needed a place to stay.

She was wise enough to simply nod and offer him the Head Boy's room, close enough to the Gryffindor common room for comfort. She knew why he wouldn't go back to the Dursleys, but it was evident from her look that she was curious about why he didn't stay with the Weasleys, or any of his other friends, for that matter. Every door in the Wizarding World was always and forever open to Harry Potter. But she knew that he knew his options well and had made a choice to come back to Hogwarts, and she felt she had no business asking. He wasn't volunteering the information freely, which told her all she needed to know about whether he wanted to talk about it or not.

The hallways were empty. There were a few students visiting, but they were nowhere in sight. It was too early in the morning for any real work to start. Harry had noticed, of course, that McGonagall took the roundabout route to where she was leading him in hopes of not showing him how bad the damage to the castle actually was, but he remembered clearly enough. He appreciated her effort, though, and followed silently, looking around him tentatively.

He thought he'd feel more pain and resentment than he could bear toward the place after so many he loved were lost within its bounds, but he did not. It was the only home he ever had, and it remained so. Hogwarts withstood. In crucial moments, it provided him and his friends with secret passages, hidden rooms, and life-saving secrets. As far as Hogwarts went, it gave all the assistance and help it could to their cause. Harry felt not a hint of disappointment or anger, though the haunting sadness could not be helped.