I WISH THEY SAW ME, draco malfoy

chapter 3

"Late" is not something that either Kathrine or Draco do. One's an anxious, honor-roll student who mothers her entire flock of friends. The other's a kid wired by his parents and Pureblood society to always be on time for all the things his parents forced him to attend, and then never be a part of.

So even though the pair know that they won't be leaving the manor until well after nine, they are both awake before seven the morning they leave for Hogwarts. Draco's thoughts are anxious about disappointing his parents and Kathrine's thoughts are anxious about missing the train and being a disappointment in trouble. The two are extra prepared: bags packed, clothes picked out, and snacks already in their bags. But despite their worries, pure excitement hums in their bones about going back to Hogwarts.

About going home.

Neither will deny that Hogwarts feels more like home than anywhere else in the world. That their friends feel more like family than the people they are tied to by blood. That their dorms are decorated more freely than their own bedrooms. That they feel free and safe in Hogwarts' walls.

Draco and Kathrine are two of the first people on the train. They sit together in a compartment waiting for their friends with wide smiles as more and more people arrive at the station. This was a small tradition for the two, to get there early and make sure that the entire friend group has a place to be together again.

"Katie!"

Millie screams as she pulls Kathrine from her seat and into a tight hug. Her smile immediately brightens as she hugs the girl back. Pansy joins the hug a moment later, Millicent's shout helping her find the compartment quicker than usual.

Draco laughs affectionally from his seat, watching the girls talking nonstop (still hugging) as they reconnect as hastily as possible. Unbelieving that they're even still breathing as fast as Millicent and Pansy are talking. However, he knows better than most, that these girls are her sisters, her best friends, and the reason she has survived so much.

Theodore steps into the compartment next, his signature Cheshire cat grin spreads and the light reaches his eyes, shining brightly. Draco stands in an instant, the two doing that odd "guy hug" as the girls tease them about it. But they're all smiles, all together, all knowing just how much they mean to each other. And that means that there is nothing stopping the girls from pulling both of them into real hugs.

Daphne and Blaise arrive at about the same time. Blaise wearing his smirk that matches Theo's grin perfectly. Daphne's tight-lipped, somber smile breaks into a huge grin as her friends pull her in for a giant hug. There are more hugs still, fussing over one another, snacks are already out, and mouths are bound to fall off as much as they talk.

But the whole group can tell that Daphne's wearing heavier makeup on one of her cheeks. The whole group knows that it's too warm for Theo to be wearing that thick of a scarf around his neck. That Millicent has on too many layers for a heatwave. That Blaise needs the door closed soon as he flinches at the sounds of second years screaming in the halls.

None of them say a word about it. Not the scars, the flinches, and the bruises. There are quiet little "thank yous" as Draco dumps out Kathrine's bag, stuffed with snacks, into an open seat and Kathrine starts going around casting spells. A few healing spells and a couple silencing charms later and all the little "gifts" their parents left them with will be gone from sight. In a few days, they will all fully relax, forgetting their parents' faces and voices except in those monthly nightmares that seem to shake the whole group. Yet, in a week, they will all have settled into being safe again.

The group of seven's reunion isn't the only reunion going down. Soon the group is interrupted by Slytherin second years running in to hug their "assigned" older brother or sister before they disappear back into the hallways traffic. The "sibling tradition" is Kathrine's favorite Slytherin-student-led tradition. Coming into Slytherin was slightly terrifying, but being told that you're getting a new older sibling whose purpose is to help look out for you, and vice versa, comforted her greatly in her first year.