Saving Each Other - Dramione

Welcoming Feast

'Granger! Granger!' The voice is urgent and worried. 'Granger wake up! This time I feel someone shaking my shoulder.

But I don't want to open my eyes. I like it like this. It's all dark and there's no pain.

'Granger! Her...'

My eyes flutter open as the person is halfway through their next word but they cut off when they see that I am awake. Then my eyes focus and I realise that it's Malfoy standing over me. I feel the floor rock and sway beneath me. I slowly remember where I am. I sit upright, ignoring the slightly queasy feeling in my stomach.

'What happened,' I demand not daring to look at Malfoy

'You sort of started swaying from side to side and you looked like you were in a sort of trance. Then you put your hands over your ears like you were trying to block out some sort of noise. You were rocking uncontrollably in your seat until you just fell to the floor and you wouldn't move.'

'How long was I out,' it can't have been that long we haven't got to school yet I think.

'Not much more than a minute. I didn't really know what to do though. You should probably see Madam Pomfrey when we get up to school.

'I'll be fine Malfoy,' I say forcefully, giving him a look that tells him that no one else needs to hear about this.

'Alright whatever you think,' he says, obviously having understood me.

Just then the carriage comes to a stop and looking out I can see that we are right outside the doors of the castle.

'Are you ready for this?' Malfoy asks me in a calm voice.

'I don't know that I'll ever be,' I reply but I take a deep breath, open the door and step out of the carriage.

'Ah, Miss Granger,' I high pitched, squeaky voice greets me. I look down to see Professor Flitwick holding a long piece of parchment hovering in front of his nose. 'Nice journey?'

'Yes thank you. I'm a little tired but I'm sure I'll feel better after the feast.'

'And Mr Malfoy,' there is the slightest falter in Professor Flitwick's voice that betrays him. It tells Malfoy that everything he did cannot be forgotten and that, at least for now, he is not forgiven. I wonder how it's going to take for everyone to stop treating him like that. For some people, it could be forever. I can't say he doesn't deserve it.

Professor Flitwick waves his wand and the piece of parchment rolls itself up.

'We should get inside,' he says in that squeaky voice and turns to go inside. Malfoy and I follow him.

We walk through the huge front doors and into the grand entrance hall. In front of me, the majestic marble staircase sweeps upwards, leading to the main part of the castle. The door that would take me down to the dungeons is there as always and the portraits and statues are the same as ever. I know that most of the statues were broken during the fight but I helped in the huge cleanup and rebuilding of the school and that meant fixing everything. For the statues, it only took a few simple spells and they were just as they were before. I wish it would be that easy to fix me.

There is not much noise coming from the great hall; only a few whispers and the sound of shuffling feet. The new first years are probably still being sorted.

As Professor Flitwick leads us towards the door to the great hall I suddenly think about the fact that the whole school will probably turn around to look when we walk in and how I must look, not only after the long train journey but also after my little fainting episode.

I drop my voice and whisper to Malfoy, 'do I look like someone who just passed out?'

'No,' he mutters back, 'you look fine, good in fact, very good... you look amazing Granger.' He says this last bit with a finality that makes me think that that's what he wanted to say in the first place but he couldn't work up the courage to say it. I hardly have time to start contemplating the absurdity of his actual words because, at that moment, Professor Flitwick opens the doors to the hall.

As I had predicted the whole school turns to stare at us as we step inside. Professor McGonagall stands at the other end of the hall. In one hand she holds the famed sorting and a rolled up piece of parchment, in the other is the small, three-legged stool. From this observation and the fact there are no worried-looking first-years standing in front of her I come to the conclusion that the sorting ceremony is over.

'Students,' says McGonagall, calling everyone's attention to her but at the same time hardly even needing to raise her voice in order to be heard. 'I would like to introduce to you, our head girl for this year: Miss Hermione Granger...' The sound of applause fills the great hall and for a minute it sounds like an orchestra playing a symphony just for me. Somehow I manage to forget about my insecurities, about what people think of me and I stand there tall and proud, not even blushing, as if to show everyone who ever tried to make me feel small and weak, that they failed.

Some people call out my name and others wolf whistle but I don't shy away or feel self-conscious. This is something I have earned myself. I was chosen because of who I am, not because of what others have helped me to do. I do like working as a team with Harry and Ron but when all the major achievements in your life are ones that you have been helped with you feel like you're treated the same as those people. I feel like everyone who doesn't know us well, sees Harry, Ron and me as three parts of the same person so it's nice to be special because of something I've achieved by myself.

'And,' McGonagall has to shout this first word but as soon as everyone realises she's talking they turn to listen to her. 'Our head boy is Mr Draco Malfoy.'

There is no applause. Malfoy had been standing behind the door where he couldn't be seen and only when Professor Flitwick pushes him from his hiding place does he come into the view of everyone else in the hall. Whispers fly around the room on wings like golden snitches. Devilishly darting from one side of the room to the other in a matter of seconds. I can't hear the words that are being said but I could have a good guess.

McGonagall nods to us and Malfoy and I go to take our respective seats at our house tables. Everyone is still staring at either Malfoy or me as we walked in opposite directions across the hall. Although McGonagall is trying to get everyone's attention it isn't until the two of us have sat down that anyone listens to her.

'Now I assume that you are all very hungry,' says McGonagall once she realises that she has the attention of most of the students in the room, 'so I will not keep you from eating any longer. Enjoy.'

When I look down the table is loaded with so many marvellous kinds of food that I couldn't even begin to count them all. I'd forgotten how good Hogwarts feasts could be.

I make small talk with my fellow Gryffindors but I don't really pay attention to anything that is being said. Some people attempted to make jokes and everyone else forces out laughs good-naturedly but it only reminds every one of Fred. It always used to be him making the jokes. No one will ever be able to fill the space he left.

McGonagall introduces the new teachers but I don't even try to listen.

I am sitting so that I am facing the Slytherin table on the opposite side of the hall. As I half listen to the others talking I can't help but notice Malfoy sitting at the end of the table by himself. The rest of his house is as far away from him as they can get like he's got some sort of contagious disease. I wonder what he's done to them. Most of them were on his side before, even saw him as a kind of leader. I can't help but feel a bit sorry for him. After a while he catches me staring at him and I look away embarrassed. I can't help noticing though, that his eyes are soft and sad, not hard and piercing like I thought they would be. This makes me think that maybe somewhere in there, he does have a heart.