𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐆𝐨

𝐈𝐈

When I woke up it was dark out. I'm not sure when I fell asleep, or for how long. Hermione was reading a thick book on the bench across from me, probably one of our new textbooks, and Ron was snoring obnoxiously next to me, my head still on his shoulder.

I stirred slightly, and Hermione looked up from her book, smiled and said, "Good morning sleepy head."

I didn't respond, only looked out the window and sighed.

"We'll be at Hogwarts soon, you should get changed. Ron and I did about an hour ago." 

I nodded and grabbed by robes and stumbled to the door to go to the bathroom. I shut it behind me and when I turned around, the sight in front of me had me both astonished and confused.

There, still alone, was Draco Malfoy, hunched over with his fingers gripping too tight at his hair as his back stuttered up and down irregularly. He was crying. Draco Malfoy was crying.

He hadn't noticed me yet, and I wasn't sure I wanted him to. The sight of him alone when we first arrived was enough to bring up all that past hatred like bile in my throat. But there was also a small part of me that ached for the boy.

I could've easily hurried in there, took him in my arms and whispered sweet nothings in his ear until calmed down, and then stayed there talking about our issues and pain for the rest of the train ride like nothing had ever happened. Like there was no hatred, no war, no sides, just the same agonizing pain.

But I didn't.

I gathered my thoughts and left for my original destination, changed and went back to Hermione with my head back on Ron's shoulder to dream until our final stop at Hogwarts.

***

"Welcome, students and staff, to another year at Hogwarts!" said Professor McGonagall once we were all seated in the Great Hall. "I'd like to say a few words before we all indulge in the feast. Now, I know these past few years have been a great struggle, for some, even more so, " she looked directly at me, Ron and Hermione, "I would encourage you all to please take caution, try not to overexert yourselves. I want you all to focus this year on your recoveries as well as your NEWTS or OWLS. For those who wish to use it, we have hired a new mind-healer who will work alongside Madam Pomfrey. . ."

I zoned out for the most part of her speech. I couldn't take my eyes off the newly sorted first years. There were so few, only a dozen or so. I guess Hogwarts was no longer seen as the safest place on earth. 

The Great Hall looked the same as it had in past years. I'd be lying to myself if I said it wasn't an excruciating pain to walk through the room where so many body's had once laid. But the candles that seemed to glow twice as bright and the extra decorations along the endless tables were a nice cover up.

Mostly everyone seemed happy and relived to be back at school, sitting in their designated tables, glancing excitedly to each other. But I couldn't help the sinking feeling deep in my abdomen, one I hadn't felt in a very long time.

The last time so remember feeling like this was all the times when I would be forced to return to the Dursley's for the summer only to be met with the same yelling, chores and bruises. Every time. It was the same.

I had a perfect view of the Slytherin table from where I was sitting. Everyone who was returning to repeat their seventh year was still sitting alone. Draco sat at the very end of the table, chin in the palm of his hand and staring off into space. I doubt he heard one words of McGonigall's speech.

My attention was brought back to her speech when I heard her address the returning seventh years.

"As you all know, because of the war we have many returning students who did not finish their studies last year. Thus, creating a lot of rearranging classrooms and beds we don't have. Therefore we will be trying something new. . . We have created a fifth common room and dorms in the fourth floor corridor for what we will address as the eighth year students."

There was a slight outbreak of murmurs and hushed protests at her words. Everyone, including me, had been anticipating the homelike houses we had spent a huge majority of our lives in.

"Once the feast has ended, I will show you all there personally to give you the password. With that, let the feast begin!"

Enormous proportions of food suddenly flipped upwards onto then long tables as everyone began to tuck in.

Hermione looked to Ron and then to me when saw the troubled look on my face. They scooped a variety of vegetables and meat on their own plates and tried to engage me in light conversation.

"So boys, exited to see the common room?" asked Hermione.

Ron gaped at her and his fork stilled, "What? No! Can you imagine? Sharing a room with the snakes?"

Hermione pursed her lips and silently pleaded with him to shut up as she looked from me to him.

"Oh, come on," he continued, "Harry hasn't been happy all summer when he stayed with me. Pretending this is a good thing won't help any."

Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation as he continued to speak. "He just stayed in bed not talking to anyone and barely even coming out for meal time. Mum was so worried she started stress-knitting tons of sweaters with Hs on them and then crying when they came out as Fs. He even broke up with Ginny for Merlin's sake! Ginny! My baby sister! He broke up with her!"

Hermione leaded across the table to scold him in whispers in hopes I wouldn't hear, but I did.

"He's depressed, Ron! He needs all the support he can get. The war messed him up, he doesn't know what to do with himself. The least we can do as his best friends is try to make the most out of this awful situation!"

"But the Slyth–"

"Yes, Ron, I know. But Professor McGonagall has always been trying to push for house unity and now that she has some actual power, I think she's going to use it to the most she can at trying to get everyone to get along."

"But Hermione–"

"Personally, I think it's a lovely idea. I think these past years we've been far too full of ourselves to see that we are all in the same situation here. We all have reasons for the things we did."

At that, Ron looked around her shoulder to Draco at the Slytherin table. His plate was still empty, just like mine, and he still didn't look like he'd moved an inch the whole time.

"Not all of us."