52Chapter 10
Chapter 10:
Harry's POV
Three days later:
He hadn't slept the night before, he was pretty sure that Malfoy hadn't either. Not that they talked at all during the long night but the blonde had been too stiff laying on the bed, never relaxing, no tossing and no turning, which told Harry that the blonde never fell asleep.
He knew they were both nervous because today they would finally be returning to Hogwarts.
"We have to get up," he heard Malfoy mutter from next to him.
"Are we allowed to change our minds?" he asked back, even as he pushed away the blanket and got out of the bed. He heard Malfoy mumble something but didn't catch the words.
They spent the next hour slowly moving around the room, getting changed and packing all their belongings into their new trunks. Malfoy then shrunk them, so they could be placed in the pocket of their robes. He didn't speak much, truth was his throat was dry and he wasn't sure words would find their way out if he tried, and he was grateful because the blonde seemed to sense it, because he didn't try and make him talk.
His head started feeling light as they left the Leaky Caldron and headed down towards Gringotts. The goblins had acquired a Portkey that would drop them off just outside the school gates, where they were to meet their escort and be shown into the school.
"Do you think they will sort us in front of everyone?" he asked in a panicked voice as they walked.
"Probably," Malfoy said looking back over his shoulder at him. When he didn't say anything else the blonde raided his brow, but Harry just shook his head and looked down at the ground.
He had been freaking out of the idea of being sorted again, he knew the hat had wanted to place him in Slytherin in his first year, what if this time, it did? What would he do? What would his parents think? Not that they would know it was him.
Thump!
He slammed right into someone.
"Shit," he said as he caught himself from falling.
"Really, P…Evan?" Malfoy said turning around. Thankfully it was the blond he had ran into, and not someone else. He sighed.
"Sorry, Mal…" A twitch of the blonde's mouth stopped the words, "Luke," he corrected. That was going to be hard to get into the habit of.
"Misters Hallow and Ellis," Grimmhook said, and wow Harry hadn't even realized the reason the blonde stopped walking was because they were outside the bank. He shook his head and walked around Malfoy.
"Grimmhook," he said tilting his head, "nice to see you again." The goblin gave him a small satisfied smile.
"This is your portkey," he said, holding out an old piece of parchment.
"You will both need to be holding it and it will transport you to the school." Harry felt his stomach drop, he hated travelling by these things. Why couldn't they just take a car or train to the school.
Malfoy didn't miss his hesitation because the blonde bumped into him, shoving him towards both the goblin and the portkey. He sighed tightening one hand around his wand and sticking his other out to grab the paper. He saw Malfoy do the same.
Then he squeezed his eyes closed as the sensation of being sucked through a straw hit him and then he was falling. He felt his body hit the soft grass and he let out a breath. He stayed there long enough for the unsettling feeling in his stomach to get better. Then he opened his eyes.
Only to yelp at the sight of a hand in front of his face.
"Need help?" a new voice asked.
"Thanks," he said reaching up and taking the hand. The person grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet with surprising strength.
"You really can't stay on your feet, can you?" he heard Malfoy ask from behind him. He turned to glare at the other boy, but Malfoy just smirked.
"Are you okay?" asked the person who helped him up.
"Ye…" he started as he turned to again thank whoever it was. But the air in his lungs disappeared because he knew that face. It was a younger less tired, less sad but he knew that face.
"Pro…" he started again only to stop.
"He's fine," he heard Malfoy say with an exaggerated sigh, saving him from saying anything stupid.
The young man in front of him, looked him over as if making sure then nodded.
"Well, I'm Remus," he said sticking his hand out to Harry. "The headmaster asked me to show you into the main hallway. The first years will be waiting there to be sorted. I believe he wanted to sort you two first. Please follow me."
He had shaken Remus' hand, and he hadn't wanted to let go. He wanted to shout out that he knew him and that there was so much the man needed to know but he bit the inside of his lip and kept his mouth closed because he knew no matter how badly he wanted to warn the man he couldn't.
He didn't move as Remus turned away and stared heading inside the large gates just outside the school.
"Isn't that…" Malfoy started to say, and Harry spun around faster than he thought possible and covered the other's mouth. Bring one finger to his ear and then pointing at Lupin's retreating back. He watched as the blonde's eyes widen and then he nodded as understanding hit him. Then he removed his hand and they both started following the other student.
Malfoy stayed close to his side as they walked up the grounds and into the school. He wasn't sure if it was to make sure he didn't say anything to the Gryffindor they were following or if it was because he was just as nervous as Harry. Whichever it was, he found he was grateful.
Remus left them at the same stairs he had first walked up with Ron on his very first day at Hogwarts. The stairs where empty, meaning hopefully that they had arrived before the first years.
He looked around, it felt strange to be standing here in the same spot waiting to be once again sorted. He wondered if this time it would be different? And also wondered how different things would have been if all those years ago, he had shaken the blonde's hand instead of letting Ron's voice rattle around in his head about how cruel and hateful Slytherins where.
He leaned against the stone railing.
"What's Slytherin like?" he asked the blonde, not looking at him.
"What?" He almost looked up, tempted to see if the look on the other kid's face matched the surprise in his voice.
"What's it like?" he asked, fidgeting with his robe. "Not the dorms or the common room, but the other students?"
"Why?" Malfoy asked, sounding more normal.
This time he did look up. "Because you're different," he said, trying to search his mind for the right way to work this. "When I first met you, you were stuck up, self-centered and mean." He took a breath, "All these years, we argued and fought and standing here now, I don't know why. Because you aren't that person, and I don't know when that changed. How did I miss that change?" he asked with a groan. "Was I just so caught in what I thought you should have been, a pureblood Slytherin, a dark wizard, that I missed what you actually are?"
Malfoy's eyes widened and then he closed his eyes and shook his head.
"I'm not nice, Potter." Then he watched as the blonde's shoulders sagged, "But I'm not cruel,"
His eyes opened and glared at him, "and I'm not a dark Wizard."
"Slytherin isn't what people think," the blonde went one. "We come off standoffish because we tend to stick to our own.], and why wouldn't we, people expect us to be exactly what you just said, cruel, mean, dark, very few are willing to see past the rumors." Malfoy stood straighter.
"Slytherins are intelligent, clever and are survivors but people don't like to tell their children that, because then they wouldn't have a target to hate." Harry could hear the anger in the other teen's voice and he wondered how much the rumors bothered him.
"The hat almost put me in Slytherin," he mumbled out before he thought about it. The blonde's eyes widened, and he took a few steps to Harry.
"What?" he asked loudly.
Harry swallowed, "In first year, the hat told me I could do great things in Slytherin."
"Why weren't you?" Malfoy asked again moving closer, a shiver worked its way along his spine and the way the blonde was moving towards him.
"I asked," well begged, he thought, "it not to."
Malfoy threw his head back and laughed. "You talked the sorting hat out of placing in the house it wanted to put you in."
When the blonde stopped laughing he moved to stand next to Harry.
"Is that why your freaking out so much?" he asked. "You're worried the hat will place you in Slytherin instead of Gryffindor?" The sound of lots of feet walking towards them caught both of their attention as they turned to face the sound.
"Potter," Malfoy whispered. "You know you want to be in Gryffindor, because of your parents. So just do what you did last time." Then the blonde moved away to stand across the long stairway.
Harry wanted to thank him, but the first years worked their way up the stairs and in-between them.