Project Serpentine || Drarry

Ch1

[A/N - Yes, another Drarry fic. I love this ship, but not the author. Seriously. But yeah, I have like 20 things I'm working on, so updates will be slow. Anyway. Sweet reading!]

[BxB, Drarry, mentions of depression (cough cough Draco's problems /j), swearing]

*****

Harry:

There's a letter from McGonnagall on Harry's windowsill. He's trying not to open it, but he knows there was no escape from what was in the letter. He sighs and finally opens it.

Dearest Harry,

We have opened Hogwarts to the people who were in 7th year during the war, for them to be able to take their N.E.W.Ts and get a good job. This will be our test for a new year in school, as you will be called '8th years'. I hope you consider coming back to Hogwarts.

Sincerely, Headmistress McGonnagall.

Harry bites the inside of his cheek and stared at the letter. He knows he shouldn't, especially after all that had happened during his years there but... he quickly writes a reply, stating that he would be there. He whistles for his pet owl, Heartwing, and gives her the letter. He stares at her as she takes off out the window of 12 Grimmauld Place.

"Harry." Harry jumps out of surprise. He glances out the window again to see Hermione standing outside.

Harry mentally curses. He had forgotten about their weekly check-ins that Hermione had convinced him to agree to after the war. "You know you have a key, right 'Mione?" He mutters, letting her in.

"I know. But it's not like I'm going to randomly walk into your house." She says, sitting down on the couch in the living room.

Harry sits down next to her. "I guess that's true." He replies.

Hermione nods, then puts down her bag. "Did you get this too?" She asks, pulling a letter out of it and handing it to Harry.

It's the same letter that he had gotten. "Yes, I did get this. Are you going back to Hogwarts?"

"I don't know." She says. "I probably will, because I can't not get my N.E.W.Ts, but I'm not sure I'm ready."

"Ah. If it makes you feel better, I'm going." Harry replies, trying to make his best friend more comfortable with the idea of going back.

Hermione puts the letter back in her bag and stands up. "I'll think about it." She gives him a tight-lipped smile, then leaves.

Harry leans back against the couch arm and closes his eyes. He wonders who else would be going back for their 8th year. He'd like it if Ron and Hermione went back, and he knows they probably would. Dean and Seamus most likely would go back too. And... the Slytherin trio. As fucked up as it was, he kind of misses them. His life is so boring after everything that happened, and he isn't used to things being so... mundane. He sighs. He hopes things would get more interesting when he got back to Hogwarts.

Draco:

Hair dye.

A bottle of hair dye.

A bottle of red hair dye.

A bottle of red hair dye with a stream of reddened water running into the shower drain.

It's not blood, of course. It's the hair dye. Draco is dying his hair. Well, half of his hair. The left side of his hair is now red. And the shower. And his hands. He knows it's going to take forever to get the dye out, but he doesn't care. He needs a change in his life. Every day is the same.

Wake up.

Get his mother up.

Force his mother to eat something.

Get dressed on good days.

Go back to bed on bad days.

Force himself to step outside for more than two seconds.

Go to the store if they're running out of food.

Spend the rest of the day reading or drawing, trying not to get hungry.

Shower on good days.

Eat on good days.

Sleep on good days.

It's boring. But it's easy. And a good way to keep himself out of trouble. He has to take care of his mother a lot. She hasn't been the same since his father went to Azkaban and they both got put under monitoring.

Draco doesn't know why he's dying his hair red. He supposes it's because it's one of the opposite colors of green, and he wants to stay as far away from Slytherin green as possible. But... there's  another possibility. See, he's had a crush on his old enemy from school... Harry Potter. And Harry Potter was a Gryffindor. And the Gryffindor colors just happened to include red. Coincidentally, the same shade of red he just dyed his hair.

"Draco?"

Draco drops the bottle of hair dye. "AH! SHIT!"

Narcissa crosses her arms and looks around the bathroom. "Why does it look like a crime scene in here?"

"I dyed my hair." Draco says, pointing to the half of his blond mop that's now red.

Narcissa's gaze focuses on Draco. "Yes. I can see that."

Draco grabs a towel and dries off his wet hair. "Uh huh." He says sarcastically. "You're looking better today."

"Yeah... well, I decided that the past isn't something worth being stuck on. I need to take care of myself." She sighs and gives Draco a soft smile. "Also, you got a letter inviting you back to Hogwarts for an 8th year."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Draco grabs the letter out of her hands when she offers it to him, and he reads it over. And over. And over. "Why would they want a Death Eater back at the school?"

"Ex-Death Eater." Narcissa corrects. "And maybe it's to show that we're not longer enemies in the wizarding world?"

Draco shrugs. "Either way, I'm not going back. Never again."

"Are you sure? I heard from Mrs. Parkinson and Mrs. Zabini that Pansy and Blaise are going back." Draco's mother says.

"Still no. I can see them on holidays if I want."

She thinks for a moment. "I heard a certain... Golden Boy is going back."

Draco looks at her in surprise. "Wait, really?! When'd you hear this?! How?!"

Narcissa grins and shrugs. "Just heard it through the grapevine. I just heard it today, actually. News travels fast."

Draco inhales sharply. Is his long-term, unrealistic crush worth going back to Hogwarts for? ... Yes. Yes it is. "Okay, I'm going."

[I did this instead of homework. Like, seriously, I should be doing other things, but nOOooOOo, I just had to work on another Drarry fic.]