Emerald and Scarlet ~ Drarry

This is Halloween

On October 31st, Harry Ron and Hermione were studying in the library. It was littered with seventh and eighth years whilst all the other students were outside soaking up the last heat wave before winter.

Harry could not bring himself to focus on his Transfiguration essay, instead, he kept looking around blankly at the other students dotted around the room. He could see the back of Malfoy's head as he sat alone on a table near the restricted section. He couldn't help wondering to himself if Malfoy felt lonely or upset in his own little corner of the library where any other students were giving him a wide berth as to not disturb the former Death Eater.

"Harry, could you please focus," Hermione placed her hand upon his comfortingly.

"Huh? Sorry, yes," he shook his head, staring down at the parchment before him which still needed another four inches.

"Hey, you never told us what happened," said Ron. "You and Malfoy's tutoring session."

Harry shrugged. "There isn't much to say I guess. He yelled at me to get out before we could get anything done." Hermione looked at him disappointedly when he announced this, but he ignored her. "And you'll never guess why Malfoy was really in the infirmary," he quietened his voice to a whisper and leant across the table. "He was attacked by a bunch of students, they hit him with a bunch of curses and kicked him!"

"Git was provoking them I suppose," Ron huffed, Hermione hit him on the arm.

"He said he was minding his own business," said Harry. "And he doesn't seem like that's his idea of fun anymore." Harry took another glance over at Malfoy's blonde head. He glanced down at his watch and sighed. His first meeting with the Headmistress was scheduled for ten minutes in her office. He was dreading it. He didn't feel like talking about his feelings with anyone, let alone McGonagall. He began slowly putting all his things into his bag and waved to Ron and Hermione who tried to give him encouraging smiles as he headed out of the library and to the Headmistress' office.

+ + +

"Dumbledore," said Harry as the gargoyle that guarded McGonagall's office looked at him expectantly.

"Headmistress said she'll be with you soon, she just had to take care of something," the gargoyle said in a nonchalant tone. The door opened and Harry walked up the stairs cautiously, making his way into the room. He looked around and saw many new things since he was last there. McGonagall seemed to be a fan of simplistic interior design, hanging many white and gold tapestries around the room as well as furnishings that adhered to that colour scheme.

One thing that had not changed was the portrait wall. The portraits seemed to all be whispering as they laid eyes on Harry, a few dashing out of their frames, presumably to alert their two-dimensional friends of his arrival. Harry's eyes immediately fell on the two newest looking portraits, their frames the least burdened by dust and dulling paint. He slowly walked toward them. One was occupied while the other was vacant. From the occupied one, the blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore twinkled at him through the paint.

"Hello Harry," he smiled. Harry grimaced.

"Hello Professor," said Harry.

"I must say, when Minerva told me that you had accepted her invitation to return for a final year I was overjoyed. I am so proud of what you've done."

"Uh, thank you, Professor," Harry nodded, looking at his scuffed shoes. "It was mostly luck really."

"Nonsense my boy," Dumbledore chuckled. "Everything you have learned over the past seven years prepared you for what was to happen. You vanquished Voldemort again and peace has been restored to the Wizarding, and Muggle, worlds."