Beautiful Shards (A Drarry Fanfic)

Chapter 13: Carriage Ride

Harry's P.O.V.
  I step off the train a few moments after Malfoy does. I'm still very confused, and i think some part of me was hoping to see him in the crowd. It doesn't matter though, because he is nowhere in sight.
  I am at the very back of the sea of students, and no one has spotted me yet. I could stay here and wait for everyone to go before me, hoping I won't be seen, but that seems unlikely. Or I could make my way to the front and get into a carriage quickly, so I don't have to be seen at all.
  I settle on the latter, and I start off through the mass of closely pressed bodies, bumping into people and muttering apologies under my breath as I go.
  After what seems like forever, but in reality was only about two and a half minutes, I break through the knot of people, arriving at the carriages.    
  There is whispering behind me, and at first I squeeze my eyes shut, thinking someone has noticed me. However, I soon realize that there are a lot of people pointing at the thestrals, some even going up to pet them. That's what they're whispering about. Why are they acting as though they've never seen them before?
  Then it hits me. All of these people can see the thestrals. That means that all of these people, some as young as eleven years old, have seen death.
  Of course they have. Everyone was surrounded by death last year, and it was all my fault. It is my fault, still. All of this, it's my fault.
  I feel a tear roll down my cheek, and I scramble into the carriage in front of me before I can break down entirely. I am praying with everything in me that it is empty, but, of course, no such luck.

Draco's P.O.V.
  I haven't moved in about ten minutes, I've just sat here in a still silence, waiting to start off towards the castle.
  My head is still leaning back against the wall and my eyes are still shut when i hear a loud clattering noise. I hear movement coming from the other side of the small area, and shaky breathing. There's someone else in here now.
  I keep still, trying to figure out who it is and whether or not I should reveal that I am awake. The person seems to be crying rather hard, though they are not sobbing loudly. The only way that I can tell that they are crying at all is because they keep sniffing.
  Finally, I can't take it anymore. As much as I want to stay unnoticed, my curiosity gets the better of me, and I have to find out who it is. And, though I would never say so out loud, I am a little bit concerned for them.
  I open my eyes and sit up, looking over at the seat across from me. There sits none other than the Golden Boy, Savior of the Wizarding World, Harry bloody Potter. Of course. The universe seems to hate me even more than i do.
  He is sitting in the corner, curled in on himself as though trying to appear as small as possible.
  He glances up at me, and I notice a flicker of...fear in his eyes? Why is he afraid? I suddenly feel the urge to comfort him, and before I know what I'm doing, I stand up and pull out my wand, preparing to cast a calming charm.
  However, as soon as he sees the wand, he shuts his eyes tightly, presses himself against the wall even further, and turns his face away, as though fearing that i am going to hurt him.
  Now I am thoroughly confused, but before I can start thinking of reasons for his strange behavior, I remember that I'm not supposed to care.
  I sit back down, putting my wand back in my pocket. He relaxes a bit and opens his emerald green eyes- wait. Since when do I notice the color of his eyes?
  We sit in silence, for what seems like an eternity, before I speak up. "Are you okay Potter?"
  His eyes snap up, as though startled by the sudden question.
  He looks back down and mumbles an answer under his breath that sounds like "mbmlyeahmlbl."
  "What? You're going to need to speak up."
  "I said I'm fine," he mutters, glaring at me.
  I keep staring at him, though he doesn't seem to notice. I'm starting to notice things about him, like the shadows under his eyes and the way his clothes hang loosely on his scrawny frame.  I wonder what's going on with him, but I wonder even more why I care as much as I do.
  Before I can contemplate his well-being or my newfound compassion any further, however, the carriage lurches to a stop, signaling our arrival at school.
  I decide to wait for a moment to get out, until the crowds die down a bit. Ha- no, Potter- makes no move to leave either, and I think back to our conversation earlier. I decide that I need to talk to him, but that it can wait, as I'm starving. I didn't eat much this summer, seeing as I can't cook, and Mother...well, she was a little... preoccupied. Distracted.
  After a moment, nearly everyone has gone inside, and I stand up, turning to look over my shoulder. Potter's still sitting in the corner, staring blankly, not seening to know or care that we're here.
  "The crowds are gone, Potter," I inform him, and with that, I hop down to the ground and walk away, promising myself that I'll confront him later, when we have time to talk.

Author's Notes: First of all, isn't the chapter name oh so creative? I think this one is a little longer than the others, but I'm not sure. Just so you know, there will be mentions of eating disorders in some parts, so if that triggers you, please don't read. I made it to 200 reads!! I know that's not a lot, but seeing as this is the first thing I've ever written, that's good enough for me. I have a vague idea of where this is going, so bear with me please. Thanks for reading, bye!!