Mine. (A Draco Malfoy x Harry Potter fanfic) *COMPLETED*

Chapter 55

Theo was right. Nothing about Hogwarts was the same. The feast that usually happened on the first night back was pretty much non existent, and the usual chatter among students about what they got up to in the holidays was instead replaced with eerie silence, each student anxiously looking up at the new headmaster, wondering what he had in store for the school. The sorting ceremony was much shorter this year, with only a handful of new students, the majority of which being sorted into Slytherin. There were only two new students sorted into Gryffindor, both of which came and sat either side of me once they saw me, a small blonde girl called Annabel and a darker haired girl called Isabella, who looked to me as a source of comfort. In fact, a lot of the students did that. With Harry gone, everyone seemed to turn to me, not just because I was head girl but because I was the person who once dated him, and is one of his best friends. I tried to keep my head up, smiling at everyone who sent looks my way, but deep down I was just as terrified as they all were.

When Snape stood up to address the school, I felt every single student in the great hall hold their breath, not one person knowing what he would come out with.

"As new headmaster for Hogwarts, there will be some new rules. Firstly, there will be no flying lessons or Quidditch matches this year." I felt my heart drop into my stomach, quidditch was the one thing that united the school, regardless of which house everyone was in. Snape's plan was clearly to divide the school more than ever.

"Secondly, only essential lessons will be taking place this year. There will be no silly divination, history of magic, ancient runes, arithmancy or care of magical creatures lessons, instead you will all have doubles of your other classes. Anyone disobeying the rules will be dealt with by the Carrie siblings, who are in charge of discipline, alongside the head boy and girl Theodore Nott and Victoria Greenwood."

"You're in charge of discipline?" Neville leant over from across the table.

"First I've heard of it" I replied.

"That is all I have to say, now return to your common rooms SILENTLY."

"So head girl eh? I never said congratulations" Neville walked side by side with me as we led the students to Gryffindor tower.

"Thanks. To be honest this is the last thing I want to do, I don't know why I got selected for it."

"You're a lot stronger than you think you are Tori, maybe you were chosen to be a glimmer of hope in these times, to be someone on our side. You are on our side right?"

"Of course I'm on your side Neville. And so is Draco for that matter."

"Ok good. For one moment I thought maybe.....maybe they'd turned you. Wait Draco is on our side?"

"Never. Draco was never really evil, it's just all he's known from his family. He's the one who sent me here to be safe."

"And him? Is he safe?"

"He said he is, but I don't know how much I believe it."

"Well, he'd be stupid not to come back to you."

"I don't think it's his choice anymore." What I love about Neville is that he always knows what to do. In an instant his arm was around me, providing me with a source of comfort that I really needed. He only returned his arm back to his side when one of the Carrow twins hit him for walking out of formation. Once we were safely in the Gryffindor common room was when we all sat around the fire and exchanged stories of the summer.

"NO QUIDDITCH! NO BLOODY QUIDDITCH?! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW, STUDY?" Ginny paced the common room, ripping her robe off and loosening her tie as she did so.

"The muggles know something bad is happening, even my mum and dad didn't want me coming back this year, I told them it was my last year and I had to." Dean Thomas piped up, raising his voice over Ginny's shouting.

"Do you know where Harry is?" Katie Bell turned to me, with every single person in the common room stopping to look at me, expecting a good answer.

"Look, all I can say is he's gone somewhere for a good reason. He'll come back when he's finished. Until then I need you all to PROMISE me, that none of you will cause any trouble. Keep your heads down, do all your homework and don't do anything that you earn you a punishment. We're already targets being a Gryffindor, don't bring any more attention to ourselves than necessary."

Everyone nodded their heads in agreement. Seamus was the first one to speak.

"We noticed a certain Draco Malfoy isn't here this year, why's that Greenwood?"

I took a deep breath. They were going to find out at some point, might as well be now.

"What I'm about to tell you I'm telling you in complete confidence. Last year Draco was set a task by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore. He was turned into a death eater, which he didn't want, and forced to fix a vanishing cabinet in the room of requirement to get death eaters into the school. When it came down to it, he couldn't do it. He never wanted to do it, he's not this evil person that he pretends to be, he's actually on our side. In....in the moment, I pushed Dumbledore off of the astronomy tower, but Snape was the one that fired the killing curse."

"Snape killed him?"

"Yes"

"And he's now headmaster?"

"Yes. He's been working for Voldemort this whole time, and now he's in charge of the whole school."

"So in short....we're fucked." Seamus' comment earned a few laughs from the silent crowd.

"Until Harry gets back, pretty much."

We spent the next house or so discussing the few months we had been apart, including filling them all in on Draco's situation. Soon, the tired Gryffindor students headed up to bed.

"Hey, I'm sorry about Draco", Seamus said, touching my shoulder gently.

"Thanks Seamus."

"Always knew he wasn't really evil, he was too much of a baby whenever he got injured at Quidditch."

Seamus headed up to the boy's dormitory, and I sat down in the cosy armchair, completely alone in the common room, or so I thought.

"Good evening Greenwood."