"It's one of the commandments after all Harry, love thy enemy."
"I'm pretty sure that's not one of the commandments Ginny."
"Oh whatever, he knows what I mean."
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One final year at Hogwarts.
That's all that stands in the way between Harry Potte...
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〘 chapter i: A MISSING PIECE 〙
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Harry didn't know he was looking for Draco Malfoy as his eyes scanned the Great Hall, but he found himself pausing when he spotted Pansy Parkinson and Blaise Zabini. They were easy enough to see amongst the seventh years, everyone seemed to be giving them a wide berth. To Harry, it didn't seem like it was out of fear but probably more along the lines of respect. Harry stared at them for longer than necessary, unsure why he was confused by what he was seeing until it hit him.
"Where's Malfoy?" Harry didn't mean to say it out loud but now that it was out there, he couldn't exactly take it back. Harry could feel Ron and Hermione's eyes on him as well as Dean's and Seamus'.
"He's not here?" Ginny said in front of him, turning to look around. The attention of Harry's friends shifted to the Slytherin table where Pansy and Blaise were now shooting daggers at them. Harry guessed he would too though if a bunch of Slytherins were randomly staring at them.
"Isn't that a good thing." Ron said as everyone focused back in on each other. "At least you two won't be at each other's throats Harry." But Harry frowned a little. Was it weird to say he kind of wanted to fight with Malfoy?
"Good riddance if you ask me." Dean said. Harry said nothing. For some reason though, he couldn't picture a school year without Draco Malfoy. Sure an eighth year was... Unwarranted, most people in Harry's grade had managed to finish 7th year without any trouble but there were several of them who hadn't for one reason or another. Harry expected Draco to be one of those people. Then again, he might have just opted to take the N.E.W.T.S and not have to come back for a full year unlike Harry and his friends. But they had all decided as a group that they should have one last good year together.
"You gonna eat that?" Ron asked at Harry's elbow. Hermione hit her boyfriends arm.
"Leave him alone. Eat your own food." Hermione chastised. Harry half smiled at her and Hermione turned his smile warily. Harry tried to zone back in on the conversations around him but he found it difficult. His mind was suddenly elsewhere.
When they had watched the sorting ceremony not long ago, Harry wasn't sure if he should feel excited for the young students or worried. Voldemort was gone after all and soon, Harry would be too. There would be no immediate threat to the school anymore. If Voldemort (if he managed to claw his way back to the world of the living that is) or anyone else tried to attack Harry, he wouldn't be here at Hogwarts necessarily. Unless he completely failed his eighth year and kept coming back but then where would that leave him?
