Harry's POV

     I sat between Ron and Ginny, holding Ginnys hand while Ron conversed with Hermione. Even though everyone was talking about their summer with an excited buzz, I couldn't get my mind off of Draco. While the first years got sorted into different houses, everyone cheering for any student that got placed in their house, I was stealing glances at Draco, watching the vines along his face.

     Only once he caught me staring and quickly looked away, not even bothering to sneer. A few moments later he began to talk with Pansy and I was forgotten.

     "Attention!" Professor Dumbledore stood at the headmasters podium, tapping a wine glass with a silver spoon a few times. At the sound of his voice, the dining hall quieted to near silence. "We welcome you all back for another year. Now, as you know, your dorms will be a bit more crowded due to most the students staying back along with the first years, and we may lack a few seatings in certain classes, but I'm sure the floor will work plenty nicely."

     (Before you all rage at me, this does take place after the war but I do keep the characters killed alive, just because I want to :))

     A few people laughed, a couple people groaned. "As a final word, we welcome you all back for a... More peaceful retake of the year." On his last word, the plates, trays and pitchers filled up with food and beverages, leaving the first years to gasp and gape in amazement before digging in.

     "Hey, mate, you don't look to good. You alright?" Ron whispered, nudging me with his elbow as he crammed more food into his mouth.

     "Yeah, I'm alright. Can't really think is all." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't exactly the full truth.

     Ron shrugged and nodded, clapping me on the back before he continued to eat. Did that guy know how to put down a spoon?

     Eventually, dinner ended and we were all instructed to go to our common rooms. As usual, Ron, Hermione and I were the last ones up in the commons. Ginny had said goodnight about half an hour ago and headed to the girls dorms while Dean and Seamus had left to bed shortly after.

     "So how was you guys summer?" Hermione asked, looking between Ron and I curiously.

     I shrugged limply. "The Dursleys were hell, per usual. Dudley got placed in summer school though, so he wasn't around as often."

     "Mum and dad got in a fight over somethin, don't remember what it was over, and that's about all bad that happened, other than the twins being gits," Ron scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Ginny did nothin but whine about how much she missed Harry, that was annoying."

     The three of us laughed, and I felt good again. I hadn't realized how much I had missed them over the summer until I was there, laughing at their side, feeling sincerely happy for the first time since before the war last year. People often asked me how bad and miserable I was without a family, but I didn't really know how to answer that anymore. Ron and Hermione, all the Weasleys and Grangers, they were my family. Of course I miss my parents, but Ron and Hermione helped me through that. They helped me forget about the constant weights on my shoulders, eased a few pounds off of me and then onto their own.

     The Dursleys may be related to me by blood, but family only counts by feel. The blood running through my heart- metaphorically, of course, was that of the Weasley and Granger family.

     And for once, I went to my dorms and fell asleep happy, without plaguing fear of what was to come the next day.

     That didn't stop the nightmares.

     I woke up in cold sweat feeling nauseous, my head pounding to a point where every throb to my temples made my vision blur. What didn't help was that when I looked over at Ron's bunk, he was gone. Terrible flashbacks to my nightmare about Ron had me jumping for my luggage, pulling out the Maurauders Map.

     With a quiet mutter of "I solemnly swear I'm up to no good" and a tap of my wand, the map sprung open.

     Good. He's just in the bathroom.

     Even knowing Ron was safe, I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep, so I let my eyes wander over the map for a while. Snape and Filch were wandering the halls, but no one else.

     Maybe I'll take a walk.

     After some contemplation, I got up and grabbed my invisibility cloak, wrapping the silken fabric around me, still gripping the map as I slipped from the dorms and out to the commons, and from there out to the halls. Making sure to keep silent as I walked, I let my eyes wander around the halls. Much of the castle was still destroyed, I realized mournfully as I walked, sighing at the damage.

      Just because the world hates me, I happened to hear coughing from inside Moaning Myrtles bathroom. I half figured it would be Draco, but decided to head in anyways. It was.

     He was leaning over one of the sinks, coughing up blood with tears running down his face. Blood ran down his chin and neck, looking almost black in the lighting. The flower petals, more normal sized than previously on the train, accompanied the blood. I slowly pushed down my hood, taking off my cloak and hanging it over one arm as I slowly walked towards him.

     He didn't seem to notice me, which made sense because of the coughing and crying. The heartbreaking crying that slipped past his lips as smoothly and elegantly as the black crimson blood. He was braced on the sides of the sink by his forearms, his head hung low as he cried.

     Eventually I got close enough so that I could reach my hand out a touch him. So I did. A barely there, gentle touch to his left shoulder blade, one much too prominent for my liking.

     In a fluid motion he had spun away and pointed his wand at me, not even bothering to wipe the blood, tears and petals from his face. His wand seemed to lower for a millisecond once his eyes locked on my face, but quickly raised up again.

     "What do you want?" He snarled, his eyes, still glossy from crying, narrowing into a glare.

     "Are you okay?"

     He looked confused before his glare hardened, a single tear leaking from the corner of his right eye. "What?"

     "I want to know if you're okay."

     Our gazes locked for a few moments before he lowered his wand, slowly and hesitantly. "I'm fine," he replied stiffly. "You can go."

     "You don't look fine."

     "I think I look plenty fine, thank you very-" Draco turned to face the mirror and grimaced, touching the tear streaks on his face. "Maybe not."

     I couldn't help but let out a small smile, before I thought about what had just happened. Were Draco and I actually getting along?

     "You look like you've been smacked in the face with a brick. In a dazed way, not bruised an ugly way. I don't think you could get any more ugly than what you're currently wearing as a face," Draco noted calmly, studying me in a curious fashion.

     "Is this how you get along with people? Insult them?" I asked, scoffing slightly.

     "Actually, yes. Though preferably not with you."

     I couldn't help the small smile that spread onto my face again before I forced it away. He was insulting me, why was I smiling?

     "Why are you acting like this?" I blurted out. He frowned.

     "What do you mean?"

     I sighed. "You're acting... Nicer to me."

     "I'm insulting you, I'm not sure how that is exactly nice."

     "You don't mean it. I can tell you don't." I met his gaze challengingly, though I wasn't sure what I was challenging him to.

     Draco hesitated. "Maybe I want to make amends before I die," he said quietly, looking away. I could practically feel my heart drop and shatter against my diaphragm. "I never wanted to be enemies. You said you know I was forced into that side- As part of you-know-who's side, I had to hate you. It wasn't my choice."

     "You're not going to die," was the only thing I could manage to say without stumbling over my words.

      Draco laughed without humor. "If only you knew. There's no way I'm getting out of this alive, Potter."

     "Well aren't you just rainbows and sunshine. C'mon, it can't be that hopeless, can it?"

     It only took those two sentences for Draco to turn cold again. "It is that hopeless. Just... Stay out of my life Potter. For the last few months, just let me be."

     He strode past me in a brisk fashion that reminded me eerily of Snape, leaving me standing in the uncomfortable silence of Moaning Myrtles bathroom.

Authors Note

Ughhhh, I'm in love with this story idea 😭 Literally like no one has written a Drarry Hanahaki story on Wattpad, but I wanted to read one so bad so I decided to write it 🤣