Draco slammed his books down on a table in the back of the library and threw himself into a chair. The Slytherin common room was teeming with rambunctious students and he’d been forced to escape in order to be able to study. It was impossible to focus in there.
With the Easter holiday ending and students coming back to Hogwarts everyone was running around, excited to see friends again. It ended up being chaotic, loud, and annoying. Draco had had about enough.
Sure, he was anxious to see Ginny so that they could talk, but he wasn’t about to go crazy in anticipation. His excitement was limited to frequent glances at the clock and grimaces at the slow passage of time. He was careful not to let his impatience show any more than that.
The D.A. had a meeting planned for that night to welcome back the members who had been away. Draco figured, if he didn’t see Ginny before then, it would be a perfect opportunity to talk to her. Then he could… apologize… for being an arse that night in the kitchens. He shuddered at the thought. He had never been one to apologize, for any reason.
Draco knew that he was starting to get soft where Ginny was concerned. It used to be that he picked fights on purpose, then figured out a way to make it seem like it was the other person’s fault for kicks. What had happened? When had he become such a pansy?
A third year Hufflepuff began pawing through some nearby Transfiguration theory books nearby. Draco growled at him to get lost and smirked to himself when the boy turned white and ran. That’s better!
He turned his attention back to his textbooks and glowered at his half-finished History of Magic project. The class was so stupid and mind-numbing. He had no idea why he was even still taking it. Except it was a good time to catch up on any sleep he was missing.
Draco sighed and picked up his quill, immersing himself in a dull account of some dispute between some dead wizards no one cared a Knut about. The whole thing had happened something like three hundred years ago. No one even remembered it.
As he read and copied the details of the dispute, Draco lost all track of time. It wasn’t until Madam Pince tapped him on the shoulder that he even remembered where he was. “Are you planning on going down to supper, or have you developed a sudden interest in obscure history?” the stern-faced librarian wanted to know.
Draco cleared his throat and closed his book. “No. Thank you for reminding me, ma’am. I simply got distracted. Books, you know,” he said, adding a conspiratorial wink for good measure.
The greying woman flushed happily, clearly pleased that one of the students was showing such appreciation for the written word. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” she replied in a kinder voice. “Now, off you get. Don’t forget your things.”
Draco grinned, snatched up his bag, and hurried out of the library. He felt quite proud of himself that he could still charm the socks off of anyone if he wanted to. Ginny hadn’t completely ruined him yet.
He marched into the Great Hall and shot a sneer at a Gryffindor who was standing in the doorway. He almost laughed when the girl squeaked and cowered away from him.
Then he spotted Parvati Patil, that pesky girl from the D.A. talking with a group of her friends. She gave him a grin and waved. Automatically, Draco lifted his hand and waved back.
Then he realized what he was doing, acting all nice and… Gryffindor. He snapped his arm back down and shoved his hand into his pocket. He launched himself in the direction of the Slytherin table before he could do something even more embarrassing.
Blaise grinned at him as he dropped into his usual seat. “Hey,” the dark-haired boy said cheerily. “I noticed your entrance. Very impressive. The Draco I know is back!”
Draco traded his frown for a smirk. His fellow Slytherins all relaxed. Their leader was back to normal. All was good; the world could go on.
Pansy sidled up to Draco’s side and put a hand on his knee. “Drakie,” she simpered, leaning on his arm so that her imported perfume invaded his nostrils. “I was so worried about you, hanging around with that awful Gryffindor girl.”
Straining not to grimace, Draco pulled Pansy’s hand off of his leg. He put it on the table and patted it before turning away and talking with Blaise. Pansy was visibly disappointed, but not angry. She pouted and ate her food, contenting herself with just being near him again.
When the meal finished, Draco went back to the library to pass time until the meeting. He managed to finish his project and keep Madam Pince off his case at the same time. She kept trying to suggest books for him to read, but a few well placed compliments and scholarly comments and she was pleased as pie.
Finally the time came and Draco hurried up to the seventh floor. He’d figured out a couple of shortcuts that enabled him to make it there unseen. He paused in front of the tapestry of Somebody the Barmy; he’d forgotten the name of the idiot depicted teaching trolls ballet because he never cared; then he glanced around. When he was sure no one was nearby, he marched up and down.
Everyone else was already there when he stepped into the Room of Requirement. A couple of students said hello, but still more gave him a wary berth. That was fine by Draco; the distrust ran both ways.
Parvati broke away from her group and hurried over to him. She smiled and said, “Sorry about embarrassing you in the Great Hall. I hadn’t realized you were going back to being the bad boy.”
Draco waved her off. “Whatever. You lot are okay. I’ve just been getting some weird looks from my housemates. They all think I’ve gone loopy.”
“Well, haven’t you?” Parvati asked. Then she laughed. “I mean, who would have thought that Draco Malfoy, resident Death Eater of the future, would be chummy with a secret organization of Gryffindors hoping to defeat You-Know-Who?”
“I’ve been trying to salvage what’s left of my reputation by being as mean as possible. It’s all because of Ginny that I’m here in the first place.”
Parvati smiled. “She has a way of doing that, doesn’t she? I can’t wait ‘til everyone gets back! Though I’m expecting a few more will have decided that it’s safer to stay home, away from the school and its current teachers.”
Draco felt a sudden stab of alarm. He hadn’t even thought of that, but of course it was a possibility. “You don’t think….” He broke off, not quite sure what it was he was asking.
Parvati shrugged, looking troubled. “You never know. The Weasleys are thick in this war, but they’re extremely protective of Ginny, her being the only girl and all.”
At that moment, the door opened, preventing any more conversation and it seemed to trigger an increase in commotion. The gathered students surged forward to surround the newcomers, shouting greetings at their friends and trying to be heard over each other.
Draco stretched, trying to see over heads, searching for a telltale flash of red. He was taller than most of the members, but with everyone jumping excitedly and jostling each other, it was nearly impossible.
Using his elbows, Draco pushed his way through the crowd. Parvati followed in his wake, having a much easier time of it. When at last he broke through, it became painfully evident that Ginny was not among the group of smiling, chattering students.
Neville Longbottom came up as Draco’s shoulders sagged and glanced sadly between him and Parvati, who was looking just as disappointed. “Ginny Floo’d me last week and said she wasn’t coming back. Her parents are afraid it’s too dangerous. She seemed pretty upset about, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
Draco glared at the other boy. “She Floo’d you?” he snapped. “She didn’t Floo me. Or owl me. Or anything.”
“Well, really Malfoy,” Neville said with a small shrug. “Can you imagine if she had Floo’d you in Slytherin? You’d probably have been murdered. And owls are just too easily intercepted these days. Hardly anyone even uses them anymore.”
Parvati quietly added, “Her family’s a part of the resistance movement. If she wrote to you and her owl were intercepted the both of you would be in a lot of danger.”
“Not that any of us would care,” said a boy who was standing nearby. Draco wasn’t sure, but he thought he remembered him being called Zacharias Smith or something equally awful.
Draco raked his eyes over the boy with a look of disdain on his face. To his credit, the boy didn’t back down, but he did look a little nervous.
The moment passed when someone revealed a stash of Butterbeer and proposed a celebration. This was met with cheers and the jostling began all over again.
To Draco’s immense surprise, Neville appeared at his elbow, having disappeared without notice, holding three Butterbeers. He handed one each to Draco and Parvati and led the way to an empty corner, opening his bottle as he walked.
Draco was a little unsettled about how easily he was being accepted by his former enemies. Neville and Parvati seemed to have no trouble being nice to him, simply because Ginny said he was okay. They included him in their conversation, even asked his opinion. It was as if the last six years had never happened.
After a while the group began to break up. The students were anxious to get back to their separate common rooms before curfew so they didn’t get a detention.
Draco sighed in relief and said a short good-bye to Neville and Parvati as the room emptied and made his way out. On his way to the dungeons, he tripped someone to make him feel less Gryffindor.
The person he’d tripped, a girl, had long red hair. Draco cursed under his breath and helped her up. A Hufflepuff, he realized. Susan Bones, if he remembered correctly. “Sorry,” he mumbled before practically running away.
For Merlin’s sake! One girl and he found himself suddenly nice and helpful! What was the matter with him! Couldn’t he act like a Slytherin anymore without feeling guilty?
And now, of course, she wasn’t even coming back to school. That should have made it easier for him to slip back into his old habits. And yet, one simple reminder of her… It wasn’t right!
Draco swept through the Slytherin common room, oblivious to the mixture of fear, awe, and admiration on the faces of his peers. When he disappeared into his dorm the other students glanced at each other, sharing a common thought: Thank Salazar, he’s back.
With the Easter holiday ending and students coming back to Hogwarts everyone was running around, excited to see friends again. It ended up being chaotic, loud, and annoying. Draco had had about enough.
Sure, he was anxious to see Ginny so that they could talk, but he wasn’t about to go crazy in anticipation. His excitement was limited to frequent glances at the clock and grimaces at the slow passage of time. He was careful not to let his impatience show any more than that.
The D.A. had a meeting planned for that night to welcome back the members who had been away. Draco figured, if he didn’t see Ginny before then, it would be a perfect opportunity to talk to her. Then he could… apologize… for being an arse that night in the kitchens. He shuddered at the thought. He had never been one to apologize, for any reason.
Draco knew that he was starting to get soft where Ginny was concerned. It used to be that he picked fights on purpose, then figured out a way to make it seem like it was the other person’s fault for kicks. What had happened? When had he become such a pansy?
A third year Hufflepuff began pawing through some nearby Transfiguration theory books nearby. Draco growled at him to get lost and smirked to himself when the boy turned white and ran. That’s better!
He turned his attention back to his textbooks and glowered at his half-finished History of Magic project. The class was so stupid and mind-numbing. He had no idea why he was even still taking it. Except it was a good time to catch up on any sleep he was missing.
Draco sighed and picked up his quill, immersing himself in a dull account of some dispute between some dead wizards no one cared a Knut about. The whole thing had happened something like three hundred years ago. No one even remembered it.
As he read and copied the details of the dispute, Draco lost all track of time. It wasn’t until Madam Pince tapped him on the shoulder that he even remembered where he was. “Are you planning on going down to supper, or have you developed a sudden interest in obscure history?” the stern-faced librarian wanted to know.
Draco cleared his throat and closed his book. “No. Thank you for reminding me, ma’am. I simply got distracted. Books, you know,” he said, adding a conspiratorial wink for good measure.
The greying woman flushed happily, clearly pleased that one of the students was showing such appreciation for the written word. “Of course, Mr. Malfoy,” she replied in a kinder voice. “Now, off you get. Don’t forget your things.”
Draco grinned, snatched up his bag, and hurried out of the library. He felt quite proud of himself that he could still charm the socks off of anyone if he wanted to. Ginny hadn’t completely ruined him yet.
He marched into the Great Hall and shot a sneer at a Gryffindor who was standing in the doorway. He almost laughed when the girl squeaked and cowered away from him.
Then he spotted Parvati Patil, that pesky girl from the D.A. talking with a group of her friends. She gave him a grin and waved. Automatically, Draco lifted his hand and waved back.
Then he realized what he was doing, acting all nice and… Gryffindor. He snapped his arm back down and shoved his hand into his pocket. He launched himself in the direction of the Slytherin table before he could do something even more embarrassing.
Blaise grinned at him as he dropped into his usual seat. “Hey,” the dark-haired boy said cheerily. “I noticed your entrance. Very impressive. The Draco I know is back!”
Draco traded his frown for a smirk. His fellow Slytherins all relaxed. Their leader was back to normal. All was good; the world could go on.
Pansy sidled up to Draco’s side and put a hand on his knee. “Drakie,” she simpered, leaning on his arm so that her imported perfume invaded his nostrils. “I was so worried about you, hanging around with that awful Gryffindor girl.”
Straining not to grimace, Draco pulled Pansy’s hand off of his leg. He put it on the table and patted it before turning away and talking with Blaise. Pansy was visibly disappointed, but not angry. She pouted and ate her food, contenting herself with just being near him again.
When the meal finished, Draco went back to the library to pass time until the meeting. He managed to finish his project and keep Madam Pince off his case at the same time. She kept trying to suggest books for him to read, but a few well placed compliments and scholarly comments and she was pleased as pie.
Finally the time came and Draco hurried up to the seventh floor. He’d figured out a couple of shortcuts that enabled him to make it there unseen. He paused in front of the tapestry of Somebody the Barmy; he’d forgotten the name of the idiot depicted teaching trolls ballet because he never cared; then he glanced around. When he was sure no one was nearby, he marched up and down.
Everyone else was already there when he stepped into the Room of Requirement. A couple of students said hello, but still more gave him a wary berth. That was fine by Draco; the distrust ran both ways.
Parvati broke away from her group and hurried over to him. She smiled and said, “Sorry about embarrassing you in the Great Hall. I hadn’t realized you were going back to being the bad boy.”
Draco waved her off. “Whatever. You lot are okay. I’ve just been getting some weird looks from my housemates. They all think I’ve gone loopy.”
“Well, haven’t you?” Parvati asked. Then she laughed. “I mean, who would have thought that Draco Malfoy, resident Death Eater of the future, would be chummy with a secret organization of Gryffindors hoping to defeat You-Know-Who?”
“I’ve been trying to salvage what’s left of my reputation by being as mean as possible. It’s all because of Ginny that I’m here in the first place.”
Parvati smiled. “She has a way of doing that, doesn’t she? I can’t wait ‘til everyone gets back! Though I’m expecting a few more will have decided that it’s safer to stay home, away from the school and its current teachers.”
Draco felt a sudden stab of alarm. He hadn’t even thought of that, but of course it was a possibility. “You don’t think….” He broke off, not quite sure what it was he was asking.
Parvati shrugged, looking troubled. “You never know. The Weasleys are thick in this war, but they’re extremely protective of Ginny, her being the only girl and all.”
At that moment, the door opened, preventing any more conversation and it seemed to trigger an increase in commotion. The gathered students surged forward to surround the newcomers, shouting greetings at their friends and trying to be heard over each other.
Draco stretched, trying to see over heads, searching for a telltale flash of red. He was taller than most of the members, but with everyone jumping excitedly and jostling each other, it was nearly impossible.
Using his elbows, Draco pushed his way through the crowd. Parvati followed in his wake, having a much easier time of it. When at last he broke through, it became painfully evident that Ginny was not among the group of smiling, chattering students.
Neville Longbottom came up as Draco’s shoulders sagged and glanced sadly between him and Parvati, who was looking just as disappointed. “Ginny Floo’d me last week and said she wasn’t coming back. Her parents are afraid it’s too dangerous. She seemed pretty upset about, but she didn’t have a choice in the matter.”
Draco glared at the other boy. “She Floo’d you?” he snapped. “She didn’t Floo me. Or owl me. Or anything.”
“Well, really Malfoy,” Neville said with a small shrug. “Can you imagine if she had Floo’d you in Slytherin? You’d probably have been murdered. And owls are just too easily intercepted these days. Hardly anyone even uses them anymore.”
Parvati quietly added, “Her family’s a part of the resistance movement. If she wrote to you and her owl were intercepted the both of you would be in a lot of danger.”
“Not that any of us would care,” said a boy who was standing nearby. Draco wasn’t sure, but he thought he remembered him being called Zacharias Smith or something equally awful.
Draco raked his eyes over the boy with a look of disdain on his face. To his credit, the boy didn’t back down, but he did look a little nervous.
The moment passed when someone revealed a stash of Butterbeer and proposed a celebration. This was met with cheers and the jostling began all over again.
To Draco’s immense surprise, Neville appeared at his elbow, having disappeared without notice, holding three Butterbeers. He handed one each to Draco and Parvati and led the way to an empty corner, opening his bottle as he walked.
Draco was a little unsettled about how easily he was being accepted by his former enemies. Neville and Parvati seemed to have no trouble being nice to him, simply because Ginny said he was okay. They included him in their conversation, even asked his opinion. It was as if the last six years had never happened.
After a while the group began to break up. The students were anxious to get back to their separate common rooms before curfew so they didn’t get a detention.
Draco sighed in relief and said a short good-bye to Neville and Parvati as the room emptied and made his way out. On his way to the dungeons, he tripped someone to make him feel less Gryffindor.
The person he’d tripped, a girl, had long red hair. Draco cursed under his breath and helped her up. A Hufflepuff, he realized. Susan Bones, if he remembered correctly. “Sorry,” he mumbled before practically running away.
For Merlin’s sake! One girl and he found himself suddenly nice and helpful! What was the matter with him! Couldn’t he act like a Slytherin anymore without feeling guilty?
And now, of course, she wasn’t even coming back to school. That should have made it easier for him to slip back into his old habits. And yet, one simple reminder of her… It wasn’t right!
Draco swept through the Slytherin common room, oblivious to the mixture of fear, awe, and admiration on the faces of his peers. When he disappeared into his dorm the other students glanced at each other, sharing a common thought: Thank Salazar, he’s back.
Author notes: A/N: I really like how Draco came out in this chapter. He seems so much more in character than ever before! Writing went smoothly and I'm really happy with the results! Are you? Type your comments in that box and send them to me! Thank you to raye, Nakita, and 4everdandg for your reviews!
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