And The Seventh Began
1/5 AndTheSeventhBegan
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07th aug. A/N: Apparently many people think this story would contain a heterosexual Draco Malfoy, because of the summary. But would I post it in the HP/DM section, if that would happen? NO! Let's see what the new summary will bring.
This had been the old summary: The war is over and Draco needs to go to Hogwarts for his last year without the Golden Boy. His secret love died and he suffers deep depression, but nothing is at it seems and Draco wonders if he maybe isn’t gay.
‘Where’s my
Dragon?’ isn’t yet forgotten and I already post another story. Ha, if Mister
Santa Claus isn’t generous with me this year, I really don’t know what I’ve
done wrong.
This was supposed to become an OneShot and, well,
went a bit out of my hands. It’s not completely written yet, but I hope to
bring it to an end in five chapters, maybe six. But you won’t be angry with me
about getting more to read, will you?
I’ve no idea where the idea came from, but the plot-bunny jumped at me when I
I think I don’t need to say anything about the settings, everything will be
explained in the story.
Pairings will be: Harry
graphic there) --- Remus Lupin/Severus Snape (but only shortly mentioned)
Warnings: none so far, i think, hurm...
Anything else? Oh, yeah, I’ll offer an update alert
again, just need your e-mail address. Oh and this is NOT Deathly Hollows
compatible, I didn’t even read the book yet.
As always, I would be really happy about
some reviews. Constructive criticism will be acknowledged, but you don’t
need to mention my horrible grammar mistakes. I know there are too many. Flames
will be either laughed at, cried about or not noticed
at all, but definitely deleted.
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kudos & curtsey
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AND_THE_SEVENTH_BEGAN
… 1/5
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,~’~,~’
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Six years had passed already and the seventh began right at this horrible
moment. Draco Malfoy sat at the Slytherin table next to Pansy Parkinson and
stared into empty air with painfully old grey eyes.
The war was over.
The final battle had been fought at the end of sixth year and Voldemort had
finally been killed, hopefully for ever this time. But he was not the only one
to fall; there had been many other dead men and women as well.
Lucius Malfoy was gone, although it hadn’t been that shocking to Draco and he
hadn’t felt the grief a son should feel for his dead father. He viewed it with
a practical eye – that bastard was gone too. His personal tormentor was finally
dead and couldn’t try to form him into another Lucius any more.
Dumbledore hadn’t survived and Minerva McGonagall had replaced him, or at least
she had tried. But all of those people and the many other victims meant nothing
to Draco.
Indescribable pain and sorrow led into deep depression because the hero
himself, Harry Potter, had sacrificed his life for the sake of others. And he
had left Draco alone on this god damned planet.
Not that they had been a couple or anything close to it. They had been nothing
to each other. Not foes anymore, nor friends and especially not a couple.
Draco’s feelings towards Harry had been, and still were, a secret. Only two
people knew now; when he had heard that Harry wouldn’t be coming back to him he
broke down, not caring that his mother and Pansy were around. Both had been
secretly on the light side and already knew that he was gay, so he knew that
they wouldn’t have had a problem with Draco’s choice if the boy had still been
alive. They comforted him lovingly and he knew that his collapse had
strengthened their love and trust for each other even more.
Draco remembered the night before Harry had left to destroy Voldemort. He
remembered everything so clearly and in so much detail no matter how hard he
had tried forget. In many different ways.
He had followed the Golden Boy all day and had waited for the right moment, but
he had always been surrounded by too many people. People who
hated everything about the Malfoys.
After dinner he had used the opportunity that had been given to him. Harry had
left the hall alone and he had followed. The boy who would kill the monster had
stood outside on the shore and watched the sun vanish behind the lake. Draco
had gone closer and stopped next to Harry.
He hadn’t asked with hatred what ‘the Malfoy git’ wanted. He just stood there, stared
out onto the lake and sighed once in a while.
Draco had gathered all of the courage he could find in himself as a Slytherin
and had taken Harry’s hand in his own. The Gryffindor’s gasp and stare at their
entwined hands had been conspicuous.
“Malfoy, what…”
Draco had pulled him closer and had kissed him with so much passion and love
that Harry hadn’t even thought about pushing him away. He had broken the kiss
and brushed strands of hair out of Harry’s face.
“Promise me you’ll come back. I love you.”
He had placed another short kiss on Harry’s sweet-tasting lips, let go of his
hand and had dashed away without waiting for a response.
The next day Harry had left before breakfast and Draco never saw him again.
That had been ninety-three days ago.
Draco looked at his watch… ninety-two days, twenty-one hours and thirty-seven
minutes. He couldn’t explain to himself how he had managed to survive those
days without attempting suicide or going mental. And he definitely didn’t know
how he could survive his seventh year at Hogwarts when everything reminded him
of a certain specs-wearing-Gryffindor with the most gorgeous eyes he had ever
seen.
It was only because of his mother’s pleading and begging that he now sat at
Slytherin table at the start-of-term feast and had to play the ice-cold
Slytherin Prince he wasn’t anymore.
“Draco?”
The blond turned his head and gazed at Pansy with empty eyes.
“Oh, Drae, you’re at it again, aren’t you? How long
are you going to mourn? He won’t come back, even if you look like seven days
full of rain.”
Her hand caressed over his back in soothing circles.
“It’s more bearable.”
The new headmistress stood up and the whole hall fell silent. Draco looked up
at the staff table and Pansy understood he wasn’t in the mood to talk about his
pain.
“Good evening, dear students and teachers. This year will be a lot like the
ones before, but much will change as well. I don’t want to mention the loss of
Harry Potter and Professor Albus Dumbledore and the
twenty other students with many words, because the wounds are still too fresh.
But I hope you remember them all equally and with the appropriate respect.
Some of you may have seen already that the staff decided to erect a memorial in
honour of all those heroic wizards and witches that gave their lives so that we
can live in a brighter time.”
Draco remembered that he had seen it when he had entered the castle. At the
left side of the stairs to the first floor was a pillar with the list of names
engraved on it. It was simple and plain; he loved it.
And Harry’s initials were the first in the first line. Every name was fully
mentioned except his and Draco knew it was exactly how Harry would’ve liked it.
He had hated his name being in the public eye and that wouldn’t change after
death.
‘HJP’
“I want you to know,” the Headmistress went on, and Draco noticed for the first
time that she looked exhausted. But who wouldn’t look that way if they had
suddenly become Headmistress under such tragic circumstances. “…that I won’t be
teaching Transfiguration this year. Professor Nymphadora
Tonks will be your new teacher. She’s out with the
first years at the moment, but please welcome her
warmly in her first lesson. And Professor Remus Lupin has returned to Hogwarts
to become our Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher
again.”
The werewolf stood up to greet the students and the applause was sign enough
that the students had missed him dearly.
Draco on the other hand looked at his godfather, Severus Snape, and gave him a
half hearted smile. He knew that there was just one reason why Lupin had
accepted the ‘DADA’ position, a reason called ‘Severus’.
Before the war they had felt nothing but contempt towards each other, but the war
had opened their eyes. They had realised that they had only suppressed their
true feelings and that, in reality, they loved each other deeply. Now they were
bonded and Draco had a new uncle. If the love Remus gave him was comparable to
that he had given Harry, it was a wonder Harry hadn’t died before from loving
suffocation.
Harry came back into his mind and he wished it could have been the same with
them. Maybe Harry would have decided against a confrontation with Voldemort if
he had known that he would leave his true love, Draco, alone. But nothing was
like one wished and whether Harry had loved Draco back was doubtful.
The great doors opened and Draco snapped out of his thoughts, noticing that he
had zoned out for quite a while.
Professor Tonks walked in with the first years and an
older girl by her side. Draco’s heart missed a beat when he saw her and he
couldn’t turn his eyes away from her. She was the most beautiful girl he had
ever seen. She was rather tall for a girl, he supposed about 1.80m, but who
cares? He was 1.90m after all. Her brown hair was long and curly and her eyes
were a shining ocean blue. If Harry had had blue eyes, they would’ve been like
those, Draco thought.
And his heart hurt. How could he think about a girl and neglect his grief for
Harry? He couldn’t start to like a girl, no way. He was gay, first of all. And
most importantly, he loved Harry and always would.
But this girl… he couldn’t put his finger on it, not yet. But this girl had an
aura that drew him automatically closer. He needed to get to know her.
Professor Tonks stopped in the front of the hall and
the headmistress stood up again and gave the girl a sign to come up to her.
“Before we begin with our traditional sorting,” Professor McGonagall said “I
would like to introduce a new student. This is Heraldine
Winter. She’ll be in seventh year at Hogwarts. She was home schooled until now
but sadly her parents died in the war and she’s now here to graduate. I hope
you’ll welcome her warmly and help her with everything she needs to know. We have
already sorted her and her house will be Slytherin.”
The Slytherin table welcomed her with applause and, with a wave of McGonagall’s
wand, her tie changed to her new house colours and the Slytherin crest appeared
on her white blouse and her cloak.
The girl looked coyly up and down the table for a seat, not wanting to sit
alone between first years. Draco, who had watched her all the time, noticed and
shoved Pansy along so that there was enough space between her and him for
their eyes met. She went down the stairs and straight to Draco.
“Hi, eurm, may I?” she
pointed at the empty seat and looked at Draco with shy eyes.
“Of course, sit down.”
“Hello, I’m Heraldine Lilly Winter. But please call
me just Lilly or Lil, because I can’t stand my first
name.” The girl said when she sat next to Draco.
Yes, he was sure; this girl was someone he should befriend.
“I’m Draconis Lucius Malfoy, but everyone calls me Draco and my friends call me
Drae. Nice to meet you.”
He didn’t care anymore about the feast and the sorting. Harry was still in his
mind, but this girl… well, he wasn’t sure what he should think about his
feelings where she was concerned.
“Drae?” She scrunched up her
nose and he thought it was rather cute “Sorry if I’m being cheeky, but I don’t
like that. I’ll think of a new nickname for you.” The smile he got was
indescribable beautiful.
He introduced her to Pansy and, shortly after, the food appeared and the girls
ate their favourite foods happily.
“Draco, don’t you want to eat something? It wouldn’t be bad for you, you know.”
He liked the frankness of this girl and that she cared even though they had
only known each other for ten minutes, but he couldn’t eat nevertheless. He had
barely eaten since Harry’s death.
“No. I’m not hungry.”
“But…”
Pansy poked her side and she turned towards the Slytherin head-girl.
“Don’t, Lil. He won’t pay attention, even if you get
angry or start threatening or begging. And you don’t really know him yet, so he
probably won’t listen at all.”
“But what’s wrong? If he doesn’t eat…” Lilly whispered back.
“He needs to tell you himself. Give him time. I think he’s really interested in
being friends with you, judging by the way he practically shoved me onto Theo’s
lap just now.” She stroked over Theodore Nott’s knee and his arm wrapped possessively
around her waist as he talked with Blaise Zabini. “I don’t mind sitting in my
boyfriend’s lap, but it was rather conspicuous.”
Both girls giggled and received odd looks from Draco and Theodore
simultaneously, which just made them giggle even louder.
After the feast, Draco willingly took the job of Heraldine’s
personal guide, partly because it distracted him and partly so that he had more
time to get to know the girl better. They talked about random things as Draco
showed her the way to the dungeons and made her comfortable with the common
room and the advantage of being a Slytherin. Because they had to sleep in the
dungeons, they got their own rooms instead of dorms.
The blond showed her to her room and explained her how she could change the password
into a personal one.
Once the girl had seen all the important things, they both sat down on the
huge, comfy leather couch in the common room and enjoyed the crackling fire.
Theodore sat in one armchair and Pansy occupied his lap.
“Have you any questions left? If not, I think I’ll go up and get some sleep.”
Draco asked her.
“What kind of group have I joined here? Everyone from Slytherin treats you with
respect and some even look at you in fear - besides these two here, of course.”
She pointed at Theo and Pansy, but didn’t look away from Draco. “And I don’t
understand why, because you’re such a nice guy.”
Pansy and Theo snorted loudly and received icy glares from Draco.
“Do you know Drae’s nickname down here? Actually, how
could you know…well, he’s known as the Slytherin Ice Prince.
Famous for his indifferent demeanour – emotionless, cold and
painful with words.”
“No!” Lilly simply stated and looked at Draco in disbelief, who in stared
into the fire in answer.
“It’s true, Lil. His reputation will give you a lot
of advantages, if he keeps you as a friend.”
The new Slytherin looked back at Pansy with indignation.
“Keeps me as a friend? I’m no dog.”
Draco felt her shifting on the couch. Their arms almost touching, she leaned on
the coffee table and turned her head into Draco’s view. He focused on her with
sad eyes which she didn’t notice.
If she knew the whole truth about his family, about his usual behaviour, about
Harry, he thought she would hate him. But there was no way to hide it from her.
Maybe she would understand.
“Draco, I can’t believe what I’m hearing now. You’re such a nice and lovely
guy.” Her mocking tone was a good sign, he thought.
“You can’t be ice-cold, you’re not that kind of
person.” She placed a hand on his knee and he felt the warmth of her hand wander
to his stomach and make it flutter.
No, no, no, not good. He jumped up and Lilly almost fell to the ground.
“There are reasons why I am like I am, Heraldine.
Reasons you don’t know. I’m going to bed. Night, Panse,
Theo, Heraldine.”
He stormed up the stairs in a storm of billowing robes. He wasn’t actually
angry with Lilly, but he hated himself right now. How could he betray Harry so
much, feeling good because of a girl. A girl, for God’s
sake!
He locked his door and put a silencing charm on it as well. On the way to his
bed he dropped his clothes onto the floor and crawled under the blankets
wearing nothing but his boxers.
It was night again, the time where nothing could distract him from thinking
about Harry. Now that he felt guilty for betraying Harry, it was even worse.
The first tear rolled down his face and it began again. He would cry himself to
sleep, just like the ninety-two nights before this one.
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,~’~,~’
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Draco woke up in a cold sweat. He had dreamed of Harry again and had imagined
how his love had perhaps found death.
Although he had never had the pleasure of waking up next to Harry, now that he
was gone it was so final. Before, he always had had the hope that maybe one day
he could but, now he knew he couldn’t, he felt alone all day and nights. Mornings
were the worst.
He heard a knock and knew it would be Pansy coming to wake him.
“I’m up, Pansy.”
There was another knock and he groaned into his pillow. Scrambling out of his
bed, he staggered over to the door and berated Pansy loudly.
“Pansy, I said I’m up. Whatever you want, it can…” he opened the door and
looked at Lilly in astonishment.
“Oh!”
The blond noticed the girl’s eyes weren’t focused on his own and a light pink
coloured her cheeks slowly. He followed her eyes and it hit him hard like a
brick – he wore nothing but black boxer-briefs.
He loved to show off his body because he knew he was handsome, but this was
different. He felt like he needed Lilly’s approval, for her to think that he
was good looking…as though he was showing himself to his lover for the first
time. No, he wouldn’t let himself think like that!
Why did he want her admiration so badly? In place of Harry’s?
Maybe.
He stood in the doorframe and watched Lilly. Her eyes wandered bashfully over
his whole body and she bit her bottom like she was doing something forbidden.
Her eyes wandered back up.
“Good morning, Lil.”
She snapped out of her daze and looked at Draco guiltily, as though she’d been
caught stealing.
“You, eurm, you look horrible.”
Draco’s mouth fell open and he looked at Lilly in utter shock.
had ever called him horrible looking before.
“Horrible? I look horrible?”
Lilly scrunched her face up and hit herself on the forehead.
“Oh God, I’m sorry. No, you don’t look horrible - quite the contrary! God, I
came to apologise and made things worse. I’m sorry. I…you…I meant you look
exhausted, not horrible. Pansy told me last night why you’ve got such a
reputation and said that I should come and wake you so that I can apologise. She
said that you’re going through a rough time and that you definitely didn’t mean
to sound angry last night and…”
The blond turned around and went to his wardrobe.
“It’s okay, Lil. I get it. I
never thought there would be somebody who blabbers as much as Harry when he
tries to talk his way out of trouble.”
He never noticed Lilly twitch on hearing Harry’s name.
“Eurm, who’s Harry? Is he,
Draco didn’t turn away from the clothes he was holding, but his mood changed
from amused back to depressed.
“You don’t know him. He’s not in Slytherin. Eurm,
well…you can go down now. I’ll get ready and meet you down there.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll wait in the common room with Pansy and Theodore.”
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,~’~,~’
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One hundred and three days Harry had been gone now and Lilly had her tenth day
at Hogwarts.
Draco didn’t understand himself. Never before had he let a person get so close
to him this quickly. They were always together and Draco felt like they had known
each other for years already. Lilly was the perfect counterpart to him. She was
like Pansy, but with one important difference; Pansy was like a sister for him
but Lilly was…he couldn’t believe himself, but he was attracted to her. Not like
Harry, he would never let that happen, but she could come close to it. And what
frightened Draco the most was that he felt like it wouldn’t take long for it to
happen.
Both girls walked into the Slytherin common room and their chatter died
instantly. Draco sat in one of the huge leather armchairs and stared with dead
eyes at the wall across from him. The din of the other students proceeded
without Draco even noticing it.
“Pansy, what’s wrong with him? He’s doing it again. If I don’t find out what’s
wrong with Draco soon, I’ll scream. His behaviour’s scaring me.”
Pansy led Lilly over to Draco and kneeled in front of her best friend.
“Draco!” His eyes focused slowly on Pansy “Lilly will take you upstairs now,
okay?” She stood up again and stroked his soft blond hair gently.
“Stay with him, okay?” she addressed Lilly “He needs someone now. But don’t
force him to talk to you, he’ll tell you in his own time.”
The girl nodded and took Draco’s hand in her own. For the first time the blond
looked at Lilly and his eyes got watery.
“Come on, Draco.” She dragged at his arm and led him up the stairs. It felt
like she was attached to a dead weight.
“Draco, your password?” she asked in front of the dark mahogany door of the
Slytherin Ice Prince’s room.
“Emerald eyes” he whispered and went in.
Lilly stopped at the threshold and watched Draco in a daze.
“Come in, Lil.”
The girl stepped in carefully and went closer to Draco’s bed where the boy sat.
“Go to bed, Draco. You need some sleep.”
The boy listened to her and stood up to undress. The dark-haired girl pulled back
his bed-covers and Draco crawled under the blankets. Her hand combed his hair
gently and he sighed. Her touch felt so right against his skin that he leaned
into her touch when her hand wandered down to his cheek.
“Sleep well, Draco.”
Lilly turned around to leave, but Draco’s hand shot up and grabbed her own.
“Will you stay?” His voice wasn’t supposed to sound so…so pleading, but it was
too late now.
Her hand caressed his hair again and she smiled warmly.
“I’ll take the armchair, okay?”
Draco just nodded and she went over to the fireplace and sat in an armchair so that
Draco could see her silhouette. She took a book out of her bag and began to
read.
Minutes went by in silence and Draco’s grief and sorrow turned into exhaustion.
“I miss him so much, Lil, so much.”
The girl jumped at the sudden sound and turned to her friend.
“Who?” But Draco was already asleep and never saw or
felt when the girl stood up, came to his bed and watched him. She held her hair
together with her hand and leaned down. A soft kiss was placed on Draco’s
cheek.
“I’m here, Draco. I’m here.”
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,~’~,~’
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The next morning after breakfast Lilly dragged Draco, who looked like he hadn’t
slept that well in a long time, into a dark corner.
“Lil, we’ll be late for Potions. What’s this…
He stopped in mid-sentence. They were so close in this dark alcove that he
could smell Lilly. She wasn’t wearing any perfume and smelled…she smelled like
Harry. How was she doing this to him? It was as if she was Harry’s female equivalent.
They say every human has his equivalent somewhere on the planet. Was Lilly sent
to him to stop him from mourning over Harry’s death? But no-one could replace
his Harry - no one!
He made a step towards the smaller girl and inhaled her scent greedily. He
remembered the kiss he shared with Harry; how he had tasted and smelled and how
his hair had felt between his fingers…
“-co? Draco?”
He opened his eyes and was confronted with concerned blue eyes that seemed to
glow in the twilight of the alcove.
“Do you miss him that much?”
The blond’s eyes widened and he went even paler than he already was.
“What?”
“You miss Harry!”
“How…how do you know? Did Pansy…?”
“Draco, no one told me anything and it’s making me sick. I know we haven’t known
each other very long, but I don’t like to see you depressed and sad. Talk to
me, Draco! It helps, you know, to talk about one’s sorrow.”
“We need to get to Potions.” The young man tried to slither out of the
situation, but Lilly had him cornered.
“Pansy told me not to force you to talk to me, but if I see you this depressed
any longer without knowing why, I’ll have to drag you to the nearest therapist.
I’ll talk to Snape about us being late, don’t worry about it.”
A defeated Draco Malfoy slid down the wall until he was sitting on the ground
and wrapped his arms around his pulled up knees. Sooner or later she would hear
about it anyway.
“Yes, I miss Harry.” The girl imitated his motions and sat on the ground next
to him. ‘This will take some time’ he thought and began to tell Lilly about
Harry Potter. About their hostility, which was faked from
Draco’s side. About his love for Harry; everything including the kiss he
had shared with him one hundred and four days ago.
He wasn’t crying. The few tears he had left, he saved for the nights. And he
feared the day when there would be no tears left for him to shed.
Lilly’s hand combed through his hair again and he couldn’t stop himself from
resting his head on her shoulder. She smelled so much like Harry.
“I’m sorry, Draco. But you’ll be with him again some day.”
“Yeah, when I’m finally dead. You’ve no idea how often
I’ve lain in bed and waited for death or wished I wouldn’t wake up again.”
Lilly didn’t comment on the last sentence. She let go of his head and he looked
up.
“Did it help you talk about it?”
“Dunno, but I’m glad you know now.”
She smiled and stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt and held out a hand to
Draco.
“Come on, we’re already late for potions.”
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,~’~,~’
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