Chapter 40

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The dance had been incredible. The swirling of dresses as women's partners spun them round and round. The gentle chatter that filled the room with sound that almost drowned out the violins tucked away at the far end of the hall.

The candles which were levitating from the ceiling bobbed up and down to the gentle tempo of the music. The flickering of the flames causing the brightness of the room to falter only slightly when two or three matched up. 

But their yellowy glow added to the warmth of the room giving it a more friendly feel to it; something that was quite unusual for a pureblood family. Or at least, that is what Sakura presumed from her experience at only the Malfoy Manor and Grimmauld Place.

But the upper-class ladies and gentlemen were almost stifling to talk to. The young girl, unused to the more complex language in everyday use, was slower but remained undeterred. Choosing instead to talk more to the younger generations. After all, whilst she may have practised talking to upper class, she would rather not embarrass herself too much.

Either way, she'd quite enjoyed the night of dancing and minimal chatter. The Manor she returned to the following morning being almost depressing. A great contrast to the previous evening's jovial atmosphere.

The rest of the holidays flew by and soon enough Draco was returning to Hogwarts. The snow that littered the pathway and gardens giving the estate an almost ethereal feel to it. Looking up, she watched as snowflakes tumbled from the sky, those that dared touch her skin melting upon contact.

But she couldn't even find enjoyment in the natural beauty of her surroundings. The grief that wracked her body at the prospect of losing Draco once more dominating her very person. 

Her normally upbeat personality turning to a more sluggish and lethargic one as she stared miserably at the boy in front of her. Chin resting on crossed arms as she spoke to him in a sad tone.

"Do you really have to go? Can't you stay here longer..." as much as she knew that his return to Hogwarts would be compulsory, there was still so much more for them to do. It felt like the only yesterday the boy had arrived, and now he was leaving her once more.

Sakura straightened up slightly as Draco approached her. Leather boots making no sound as he walked forwards. There rustle of fabric was the only sound in the room as Draco moved his hands to lift Sakura's chin.

"I'll be back for Easter, don't worry." he gave her a small smile before turning away to leave for the station with his parents.  Sakura, however, remained frozen in her seat, green eyes wide in shock. The memory of Sasuke leaving her on replay in her mind, only now, it was Draco Malfoy.

A tear ran slowly down Sakura's cheek, the girl bringing her finger up to brush it away, the shock of its presence snapping her out of whatever she was trapped in. Shaking her head, she sighed, hand ruffling her pink hair in frustration at herself.

Shaking the thoughts away, she lifted the feather quill up from the desk before continuing to write her message. Her mind going haywire as she scrawled her best wishes for her old teammates.

-

The rest of the year went by so quickly that Sakura barely knew what day it was. At some point, Draco had returned, but the blonde boy had disappeared from the manor not long after.

She'd also experienced her first meeting with the Dark Lord at some time during that time. The snakish man reminding her so much of Orochimaru she could barely hide the wince at the sight of him.

He'd gone on and on about his domination over muggles and the extermination of all muggle-borns. The thought of purging an entire group seemed rather extreme to the pink-haired girl. But she knew better than to speak up, she'd seen first hand what he did to those who spoke against him.

The tasks she had to perform for the Dark Lord were few and far between. They were mostly just healing the wounded. The injured men turning up in the living room of the Manor and disappearing after her treatment.

Overall, her work for the antagonist had not been too large and hopefully would have a reasonably small impact on the outcome of the war. But she knew better than to hope, for all she knew, she could have just cause Voldemort's victory to become inevitable. Or, she could have caused his downfall.

However, she pushed on through the difficult times and glided through the easier ones with as much of a smile on her face as she could manage.

But the thing that truly made her year was the letter she received from Dumbledore on July the 28th. The owl that brought it being a large tawny bird who, whilst friendly at first, got pretty moody quite quickly. The bird giving her a prideful peck on the hand to express its disproval at not being given an owl treat.

So she could only glance at the yellowish envelope sealed with a red wax blotch with the Hogwarts crest and motto engraved. The sharp beak of the bird breaking her skin causing her to scowl before speaking.

"Fine, I will be back in a moment." then she disappeared off to the kitchen in order to pester a dead mouse off of the busy house-elves. The domestic creatures were more than willing to help as they thrust multiple of the deceased rodents in her hands. 

In the end, she simply offered all the mice to the owl. The tawny bird ruffling its feathers in happiness before allowing her to remove the letter.

Carefully remove the wax seal, she pried the stiff parchment apart to reveal the letter within. Unfolding the message, she grinned as she read it.

Dear Miss Sakura Haruno,

I am delighted to request your return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the following year.

You have been requested to join the Medical section of the staff.

Please send an owl with your response before the end of July.

We look forward to seeing you.

Albus Dumbledore

The headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Hey, its the author here, I will be away for the following week and so updates may be more irregular than usual. Sorry!

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