Hermione put her arms around the shoulders of her best friend and boyfriend, she breathed in the cold winter air of Hogsmeade as the Golden Trio trudged in the snow.
She let out a sigh, "Harry?" She asked.
He hummed, "Yeah, 'Mione?"
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us to therapy and the Burrow?"
The nearby door to Honeydukes opened and the delicious smell of chocolate wafted to the trio, momentarily taking them back in time. To those beautiful and memorable times in Hogsmeade when they were not weighed down by the world.
When Ron and Mione smiled freely and Harry laughed along with them.
When Harry wasn't burdened by the deaths of the people he loved.
When they were free of the scars of the war.
The door closed, the fragrance dissipated, taking away the warm feeling with just a snap of a door.
"For the millionth time, I'll be fine!" Harry halted in his steps and turned to look at them.
Hermione bit her lip, "You are saying that but," She frowned, "You don't seem like it, Harry."
Harry played with the snow with his toes, his brow furrowing, "I know I'm not okay. But I will be, yeah? Don't worry about me."
"You sure?" Ron asked.
"Yeah," Harry mustered up a tentative quirk of the lips.
Ron gave him a sympathetic smile and Hermione wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
"We'll miss you," Harry heard her muffled voice. He grinned and rested his cheek on the side of her head, "Can't say I will, but alright."
Hermione withdrew herself and smacked his arm, "You arse, Harry Potter!" She chuckled.
Ron laughed and poked his arm.
"Fine! Fine! I'm sorry!" Harry said exasperatedly.
"I'll miss you both as well." He smiled softly, green eyes glistening slightly.
Ron shook his head and wrapped the two in a tight hug.
The three stood in the middle of the street, bodies pressed together in a friendly, full of love, embrace.
◆
It was a few days before Christmas and nobody knew how the time had passed.
Maybe time had passed away in Draco's misery, of how he longed for his mother's embrace or how he wished his best friend loved him and not another girl.
Maybe the days had passed in Harry's longing for the time to stop. He wished his friends didn't have to leave. He really did want them to stay, but they needed to heal, they needed each other and time away to do so.
Maybe the days passed in the memories of the Fallen fifty. The two boys weren't the only ones mourning. There were hundreds of students and teachers as well, who mourned for their beloved ones who had fallen at the hands of death.
The school was in a state of deep melancholy, many tried to upturn the mood by smiling, laughing and dancing but underneath all that was sorrow and saudade.
Harry hugged his best friends goodbye as they boarded the red train. Hermione had small prickles of tears at the corner of her eyes as she made him promise that he would take care of himself.
Ron ruffled his hair, like his elder brother he always wanted to be and Harry could feel his eyes sting with tears.
The whistle of the Hogwarts Express echoed loudly, he waved at his best friends.
"Bye, Harry!" Hermione shouted over the sound of the engines. Ron mockingly saluted him over Hermione's shoulder.
"Bye Ron, 'Mione!" He smiled.
The train vanished from his sight, his friends gone. He let out a sigh and walked back to the carriages which led him back to his home.
◆
Draco saw Harry sitting in the armchair by the fireplace, exactly where he had found him their first night at Hogwarts.
He contemplated a bit before sitting on the sofa next to him. Harry looked up at him, surprised.
"No Weasley or Granger?" Draco raised his brows inquisitively. Harry shook his head.
"They won't be coming back to Hogwarts, except for their NEWTS."
"Why? They got fed up of you?" The blond said in a serious tone, though his eyes held a mischievous glint.
Harry laughed, "Probably, but no. They just needed time to heal. So yeah, they'll be away for awhile." He finished with a grim tone of voice.
Draco sensed his distress, thinking of a way to cheer him up.
"Do you have anywhere to be right now?" Draco asked with a sense of nervousness.
"No," The Gryffindor's mind buzzed, "Why?"
"I was going to go for a fly, wanna join?"
Harry brightened visibly, "Yeah, sure. I'd love to!" He grinned.
"Great. Get your broom then, we're going to fly."
Draco wanted to help cheer his friend up, and this seemed the best way in his opinion.
Harry felt his cheeks heat up as he thought of hanging out with Draco. Only the two of them.
What if it's a date? He thought with hope. But he crushed the hope down as soon as the thought came to him. He couldn't let his hopes up, not now. Not when he was scared of getting hurt.
»»——⍟——««
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