Always (Dramione story)

Miriam Greengrass

Draco had spent two weeks sleeping outside, and being woken up by children screaming at him and calling their parents. And Draco had to restrain himself from hexing them. He wasn't great with children. Only his own family, he felt sympathy for them and he didn't want them to become - well, like him. Alone, dead inside and forced into doing things. 

Draco walked into platform 9 3/4 wearing a black, tatty hoodie. "Draco!" Lilli ran towards him. "Hi Lilli." Draco half-smiled. "Lilli! Don't wonder off!" Miriam walked towards them. "Hi Draco....." Miriam muttered. Miriam stretched a hand out to Lilli. Lilli took it and walked away, but still looking back at Draco.

"You're looking very scruffy." A voice rang from behind him. Draco turned. It was Blaise Zambini. "Hi mate." Draco muttered. Blaise and Draco had grown to be best friends, Lucius and Blaise's father, Anoray, always talked and were reasonable friends. "What happened to you?" Blaise asked him doubtfully. "Stuff......................" Draco muttered. "You've got a black eye, who did that?" Draco began to walk and Blaise followed him. 

"Who do you think?"

"Not him, again! Did your mum step in?" 

"That's why I'm alive."

"Your dad's gone insane. Thinking about it, mine has too......................." 

"Not as mad as mine mate." 

They found a compartment and sat down. Draco stared out at the station, mothers and fathers attending their children. Fussing about them. It had been a long time since Draco had been innocent. Draco pulled his hood down. "Whoa! That's a really bad bruise!" Draco raised an eyebrow. "Do you expect anything less from my father?" Blaise laughed, "Not at all." Draco laughed at his strange behaviour. Draco had forgotten what it was like to laugh.

Eventually the train set off. There wasn't much conversation between them. Draco stared down at himself. He differed from his usual clothes. He had black jeans, black converse, a black t-shirt and a black hoodie. He would have been fit to go to a funeral. 

Blaise had fallen asleep on the opposite seat to Draco. "I'm glad he doesn't snore....." Draco muttered to himself. Draco watched the hale stones hit the glass rhythmically. Then everything went cold, he heard screams down the corridor. Draco shook Blaise awake. "Whatsamatter?" Blaise muttered rubbing his eyes. 

Draco realized that he could see his own breath. Draco looked out into the passageways. He felt something push him back. A dementor had come into the compartment. Draco remebered that Voldemort had brought dementors over to his side. Draco pulled his sleeve up. His left forearm had a dark mark burned into it. "Draco! What the hell are you doing?! If it knows you're a death eater it'll kill you." Draco smirked. "No it won't.............." Draco was managing to drive the dementor out. After it was out, Blaise slammed the door closed. "What was that?" Blaise panted. Draco smirked. "Our dark marks have spared us. He brought them over to his side." Blaise burst out laughing. "Thank Merlin!" Blaise grinned.

A scream pierced the silence. "Miriam." Draco muttered. He burst out of the compartment and follow the screams. "Miriam?!" Draco shouted. "Help!" He heard a squeal. Draco followed the sounds to a compartment. Draco pulled his wand out of his pocket. He tightened his grip around it. A dementor was sucking her soul out. "BLAISE!" Draco shouted. Blaise ran out into the deserted passageways. Draco couldn't cast expecto patronum. As he had to much pain in his life. Blaise could cast it however. "Expecto patronum!" A cheetah shot out of Blaise's wand. It attacked the dementor. The dementor fled and all warmth returned to the train. Miriam was unconscious. Draco picked her up and took her to their compartment. He put her down on the red seat. She opened her eyes and sat up. She put her head in her knees and sobbed. Draco sat next to her and put an arm around her. She leaned into his shoulder and cried. Blaise closed the door, as a few people had started wondering around. 

Miriam calmed down eventually. "Draco?" She asked innocently. "Yes?" He answered. "You can't perform a patronus. Can you?" Draco paused, then shook his head. 

There was a hard punch on the glass door. Well it was supposed to be a knock. Miriam jumped, as did Draco and Blaise. Blaise opened it. Ron Weasley was stood there, his face as red as his hair. He glared at Draco. "Ron! Don't!" Hermione was trying to pull him back. "STOP IT HERMIONE!" Ron struck her across the face. She looked frightened and shocked. Draco was reminded of his father striking his mother. "Hermione I'm so sorry." Ron almost sobbed. He tried to help her up but she shuffled away from him. She got up herself. "Hermione...." He whined, Ron crashed his lips desperately into hers, but she pushed him back. 

"We're over Ron."