The Brightest Black - A Dramione Fanfic

Returning to Hogwarts

The last few days of the holiday were a rush of activity. Draco tried to stay out of most of it, but was unable to. He constantly found himself at dinner tables surrounded by people that had hated his father, but seemed to really like him.

And he never seemed to be alone. The closest he came to that was when he was in the shower.

And even then, he was half-afraid Hermione would shoot him a question about something.

Who knew being magically chained to someone could be so potentially mortifying?

After the second shower interruption, he began to tell her when he was taking a shower. That way she left him alone.

That didn't stop him from accidentally thinking to her when she was in the shower once.

That event had prompted them to sit down and make up a few social rules. They also agreed to only touch and enter each other's minds when they had someone trustworthy around to watch their back. Ginger had been right, it wasn't good to just do that anywhere.

And they never followed the chain between their minds without permission anymore. Not since she had accidentally seen Harry in just his pants as the two were getting ready for bed.

Not that Draco had been looking at Harry, the Gryffindor had just been in his field of vision.

He visited Pansy twice more during the week, each time the mind-healers swore she was getting better, but Draco saw no improvement when he looked through the window.

He spoke with Longbottom during those visits, actually getting to know him. Learning just how much the Gryffindor cared about Pansy, though the two refused to put labels on their relationship.

His constant interaction with the other New Marauders meant that when they all boarded the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross he thought nothing of joining the Gryffindors and Luna in the last car of the train - Theo at his side.

Twenty minutes into the ride, when Draco was busy reading, the compartment door opened to reveal Tracey and Blaise.

Tracey looked supremely pissed off, and Blaise appeared to be on the warpath.

"THEODORE ARTICULUS NOTT!!!"

Tracey's voice pierced through the suddenly silent area, allowing the rattling glass to be her only accompaniment.

"Just what is going on?" Blaise practically hissed.

Theo opened and closed his mouth several times, at a complete loss. But that didn't stop Blaise from continuing.

"Not one letter! Not one! Not since that bloody battle! We didn't even know if you were dead or alive! Nothing!"

That was when the ever-nosy Tracy saw Theodore's hand. Well, rather she realized she could only see one, as the other was hidden under a black glove.

She was across the compartment in a half second, utterly ruining the card game Ginger, Weasley, Luna, and Harry had been playing. Ginger narrowly avoided have her fingers crushed, while Weasley was wincing and holding his side, where Tracey had bumped him.

Luna's eyes narrowed dangerously at Tracey's back before she began fussing over Weasley.

"What is this?!?" Tracey said as she grabbed Theo's hand and yanked it up.

He winced but didn't stop her from yanking the glove off.

She gasped and took a step backwards, tripping over Ginger and landing in Harry's lap.

She didn't move, her horrified eyes focused on the silver hand that Theo was now once again covering in black leather.

"Is that why?" Blaise asked, a ribbon of pain and hurt swept along with his silken voice.