Chapter Text
"I don't know Hermione I don't think there is anything we can do. We have been trying all summer." Ron whispered to Hermione as they sat down in the Hogwarts express compartment.
"There Has to be something!" She Exclaimed feeling slightly defeated. "I hate seeing him like this Ron!"
"I know Mione I do too." The pain in Ron's voice was extremely noticeable. It killed him to not be able to help his best mate.
"What if we.." She started
Ron just shook his head and nodded to the compartment door opening and Harry walking in with Neville Luna and Ginny on his tail.
Harry took the seat by the window and Neville sat next to him and Ginny next to him, Luna sat across from Ginny and next to Ron and Hermione. Harry immediately pulled out his defense against the dark arts book and started reading. He had been using reading as his way of not talking to people and the others knew this and didn't comment. The remaining five fell into an easy conversation about the new term.
About an hour into the train ride there was a knock at the compartment. Draco Malfoy slipped into the compartment.
"Malfoy! What are you doi..." Ron began
"I told him to come Ron." Harry said much to the others surprise. Draco remained silent as Harry stood up and pulled a wand out of his robes. At first the five Gryffindors thought he was going to Hex him until he turned the wand around and handed it to the blond.
"Thank you Potter." Draco thanked him.
"No problem Malfoy." Harry said and sat back down as Draco left. All of the Gryffindors turned to look at him.
"What?" Harry asked confused
"What was that all about mate?" Ron asked
The dark haired boy sighed and said "I owled Malfoy like two weeks ago asking him if he was coming back to Hogwarts, because if he was i would wait until then to give him his wand back. He owled me back telling me he was, so i told him to find me on the Hogwarts Express so I could give it back to him. Now would you please let me get back to my book."
"Alright Harry go ahead." The bushy haired Gryffindor told him. The rest of the ride was uneventful.
*****
Getting on the carriages was a lot harder for the group this year. Harry and Luna were no longer the only ones who could see the Thestrals. Let's just say that that carriages ride was a very silent and mournful ride.
It was weird during the beginning of term speech since it was McGonagal instead of Dumbledore and the trio wasn't the only one thinking it. She talked about house unity and the changes in staff, that she would continue as transfiguration teacher and head of Gryffindor house, and then she said something that although we were all expecting it still came as a shock.
"Now can we please take a minute of silence for those who we lost in the war." The pain in her voice made almost the entire hall wince, even the first years that weren't as involved as the rest of us. We took that moment maybe even two and the only noise was the soft sobs of some of the other students.
"Thank you. I would like to implement a new tradition for us this year. Every Sunday at dinner we will take a moment to mourn as one." A lot of heads nodded in agreement.
"Now one last bit of information, All returning Eighth years will be sharing a common room. You will also be assigned one roommate from a different house as part of the new house unity by-laws. All Eighth years will stay after dinner to get your roommate's name and the password to the common room. Now please Enjoy!!" The headmistress finished.
"That's Rubish!" Ron complained
"Well i think it's brilliant Ronald. We need to stand as one unless we want our children to go through a similar war in 20 some years." Hermione expressed
"But what if I get a roommate like Malfoy." Ron said while stuffing his face with chicken.
"Haven't you learned not to stuff your face while you are talking!! Geez Ronald sometimes I feel like I'm dating a 10 year old." Hermione Huffed and started putting a pork chop on her plate. They could hear Ginny and Neville snickering next to them.
"Oh sod off you two." Ron said to the two smirking Gryffindors. "Bloody Prats." He mummbled
"HEY!" the two said at the same time then blushed.
'Those two are just insufferable!!.' Ron thought 'Why don't they just get together already!!'
He looked at Hermione and realized she was thinking the exact same thing. Next to them Harry picked at the pork chop Hermione put on his plate, taking very little bites. The only reason Harry even looked remotely healthy and hadn't gotten sick from the lack of food is because Hermione, Ron and Molly have been slipping him nutrition potions in his pumpkin juice at every meal. The two younger ones planned to go down the kitchens to request a house elf put one in at ever meal. Hermione decided to put aside her problems with house elves to keep her best friend healthy as possible with his bad eating habits.
Harry knew of course but, like most stuff, he didn't say anything about. He knew it was best to just pretend he didn't see Mrs Weasley pouring the potion into his breakfast or Ron doing it at lunch or Hermione doing it at dinner because the result would be much worse. He never had an appetite but picked at his food anyway to avoid Hermione's disappointed look. Harry just wanted dinner to be over. Thankfully for him he got so lost in thought dinner was finished.
"Eighth years please come up here." All of the other students piled out of the hall and the 20 or so Eighth years went up by the headmistress.
"The Password to the common room is Rosebud.
The Common room will be in the east Tower the room assignments will be as followed. Hermione Granger, and Pansy Parkinson. Pavarti Patail and Daphne Greengrass. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Blaise Zabini. Dean Thomas and Theodore Nott. Neville Longbottom and Tracey Davies.
The names continued on but Harry stopped listening. He snuck a glance at his new roommate. Malfoy was looking at him too, he was the only person who could ever get any kind of happy emotion out of him, they held each other's gaze until Ron clapped him on the back and told them they were going up to the new common room.
*****
Harry told Ron and Hermione he was going to bed when they got to the new common. His room was at the top of the tower and Malfoy was already in the room putting his things away.
"Hey Malfoy" Harry greeted
"Potter" Draco said
Harry walked over to his bed and started pulling things out of his trunk. He walked over to the window when he heard his own pecking at the window.
"Hey there Siri." Harry said petting His black owl.
"Siri? Where did you get that name from?" The blond asked
The dark haired boy just looked at him at first.
"Siri was one of my godfather Sirius's nicknames. He was murdered back in our fifth year....by your Aunt." He told the blond
"I'm sorry." The boy apologized
"Don't be. The wars over nothing we can do about it now." The blond just nodded and continued what he was doing. Harry muttered a bunch of warding spells all over his stuff.
"I'm going to ward the door is there anyone you want to be allowed in here." The smaller boy asked
"Uh Blaise and Pansy." He answered
"Do you mind if i don't ward out my friends?"
"No it's fine i don't mind." Draco answered
Harry warded the door so that only Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Luna and Ginny could get in.
"Would you like me to ward anything for you?" Harry asked
"My trunk if you could, i'm rubbish at wards." Draco admitted
Harry warded it so only Draco could get in and told the older boy he was going to bed.
He changed into his muggle sweats and with no shirt closed his curtain and put up his silencing charms. Then drifted off into that nights nightmare.
****
"I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T WANT THIS." Harry yelled at the faces of all the people who died.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE ME HARRY??!" The face of Lupin yelled at him
"I TRIED!!" He yelled "I'M SO SORRY I TRIED!!!!! I'M...I'M SOOORRRY."
Harry woke up screaming drenched in sweat. Harry grabbed his wand.
"Lumos." his watch told him it was only midnight. He got out of bed only to find Malfoy awake as well.
"Potter?" Draco asked confused
Harry just waved him away for the moment and walked into their shared bathroom. He muttered a cleaning spell and splashed cold water on his face.
He walked back into the room and Malfoy was looking at him expectantly.
'
"What?"The small boy asked
"Are you okay?" Draco asked
"I'm fine." Harry said stiffly
"I get them too Potter."
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Don't act like i'm stupid potter."
"I'm not I just don't want to talk about. Okay?"
"Alright well i'm going back to sleep goodnight Potter."
"Night Malfoy."
Harry couldn't help but stare at the boy that he couldn't get out of his head as he got ready for bed.
After Malfoy went to sleep Harry lit the lap next to his bed and started reading his charms book for the second time.
***
When Draco woke up from his second nightmare of the night it was 5:30 am and Harry was gone. The blond sighed. All he wanted to do was help Harry. He couldn't help but notice how thin Harry looked or how little he spoke to his friends and how little he ate. He was very worried about Harry but it's not like he could say anything to him.
Draco got up to take a shower and get his school bag ready. Once he was done it was about 6 so he headed down to the great hall. Pansy came down twenty minutes after him.
"Sooo how did it go with Potter?" She asked
"I'm worried about him Pans" Draco told her.
"Draco! You still haven't grown out of your crush." Pansy nagged
"I could say the same thing about you and Astoria." Draco wiggled his eyebrows at her.
Pansy blushed and punched his arm.
"Why are you worried?" She asked him.
"He woke up from a nightmare at midnight and i don't think he went back to sleep. He was gone when i woke up five hours later. He barely ate anything last night or talked to his friends." The blonde explained
"Wow! Do you think he is depressed?" Pansy asked
"I think so. Oh look theres granger i need to talk to her." Draco stood up and rushed toward the entering Gryffindor.
"Hey Granger can i talk to you?" Draco asked
"Uh sure Malfoy, I actually need to do something do you want to come with?" Hermione asked him.
The Slytherin nodded and followed her out of the hall.
"Okay well I've changed a lot this summer so i want to start by saying i'm sorry for all the nasty things i called you." Draco apologized
"I forgive you but I'm not convinced that this is what you wanted to talk about."
"It's not. I wanted to talk about.."
"Harry."
"Uh yeah, I'm..."
"Worried about him."
"Uh yeah. because.."
"You like him."
"Uh okay are you like extremely good at legilimency?"
"No you are just VERY obvious. You have been since 4th year."
"What??!? i didn't even know i liked him then?!?"
"I've known since the yule ball."
"How?"
"Well it could have been all the glares you were sending at Seamus the whole night."
"Oh yeah...that." Draco blushed.
"He needs you."
"What?"
"He needs you and i think you need him."
"What do you mean."
"He's hurting, and he won't let us help him."
"And you think i can help him."
"I do." she told draco as they reached the kitchen.
Hermione tickled the pear and they entered the kitchens.
"Miss Granger? Mr Malfoy?"
"Oh hello Winky how are you?" Hermione asked
"Ah I miss Dobby. How can i helps yous."
"Well i need you to put a nutrition potion into Harry's drink at every meal Winky."
"Why woulds you needs to do that."
"He isn't eating very much Winky."
"Oh that no good. I helps dobbys friend mr Potter."
"Thank you winky."
*****
The two had their first class with each other and decided to walk with each other.
"Good morning Class Professor Slughorn greeted the class. You will be partnered up with you roommate for my class now move to sit next to that person. The Headmistress forgot a very important announcement We will be having a dance this Saturday to welcome in the new term.