Right Where You Left Me | DM

ONE.

SIXTH YEAR.

Staring out of the foggy window of the Express, I could barely even remember how I got here.

Ever since the end of fifth year, ever since him, I've discovered the real magic of life is how easily it blurs together when you lose the one thing worth focusing on.

It was the sudden movement of the train that took me away from my thoughts, and into the chattering of my fellow friends in Slytherin--Blaise, Theo, Pansy, and my best friend, Farrah.

"Hello? Earth to Y/N?" Theo teased, nudging my leg with his foot.

I offered a weak smile in response.

"Hi."

The sound came out tired and dry, probably because I spent the majority of this summer in silence.

"Seriously? We haven't seen you this whole summer, you've ignored us this whole ride, and when you finally return to reality, the best you can do is tilt half your mouth by like, a millimeter?" Blaise joked.

Pansy smacked his arm for that one.

"Oh shut up Blaise, you know she's had a rough time lately. Besides, your company isn't exactly worthy of much celebration," Farrah retorted with a roll of her eyes.

I quickly gave her a thankful look while Blaise protested, and she nodded at me slightly, throwing a light arm around my shoulder before continuing to bicker with Blaise.

Farrah had a richly dark complexion, and honeyed eyes which she always paired perfectly with gold eyeliner. Her dimpled smile was a bit crooked, hinting at her playful personality, and the warm tone of her coiled hair matched that of her eyes. Honestly, she was the most beautiful person I had ever known.

I was dimly aware of the conversation that was happening now without me: Pansy was slowly eating a chocolate frog while Theo begged her for "just one piece!" when Farrah snatched the rest from Pansy's grasp, popping it in her mouth much to Theo's dismay.

"Victory sure tastes sweet," Farrah said with a smirk, while Theo glared at her.

"Fuck off, Farrah!" Theo whined.

"For once, I agree with Theo," Pansy frowned.

"Now, that wasn't very ladylike was it!" Blaise said in shock, joking wagging his finger at Farrah while his other hand rested on his heart.

"Blaise, you must be confused! In year three I told you that I like ladies, not that I am ladylike."

At that, everyone burst into laughter. Even I couldn't help myself but to join in.

"Aha! See, I knew joy still lived in you somewhere. I know Draco is pretty much the authority on doom and gloom but you were certainly giving him a run for his money. And he has a LOT of money!" Blaise chimed in cheekily, before his face dropped as he realized what he just said, and who he just mentioned. "Y/N, I'm so sorry I'm such an--"

"Idiot? Ass? Yeah, I might not be in Ravenclaw but I still noticed that" I interrupted, forcing a small to let him know it was alright.

"Right," He said with an awkward smile, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort of the atmosphere that he created.

No, that wasn't fair, I reminded myself. It's not Blaise's fault it's--His fault. Merlin, I was pathetic. I couldn't even stand to think his name without a pain building up in my chest.

"So," Pansy said, trying to break the tension, "who do you think will be our teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts this year?"

"It has to be Snape. I mean, he's been thirsting for that job for almost as long as Pansy had a crush on D-... um, Dumbledore," Theo's voice dwindled to a whisper at the end, shooting me an apologetic look.

"What?" Pansy said, wide eyed, before noticing my expression. "Oh, uh, right. I mean what can I say I like, um... old men. Very, very old. The more wrinkles the more wisdom, right? I--"

"It's okay, Pansy," She looked very grateful to have her rambling be put to a stop. "At the end of the day you are all friends with him as well, and there's no reason why we need two "He Who Shall Not be Named's" in our lives. I think the one is enough, don't you?"

A chorus of unsure 'yeah's'--and of course one "yes ma'am" from Blaise--helped lighten the mood within our compartment, and the conversation picked back up again.

I suppose if I meant what I had just said, I would have to get used to him--Draco--again.

I had it easy on the train ride; Draco had opted for a compartment with Crabbe and Goyle. But at Hogwarts, there was no escaping each other. We shared practically everything--a common room, a friend group, and inevitably: classes. Yet, somehow, we've come to share nothing as well.

Merlin, I thought to myself, this is going to hurt.

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A/N: Hopefully that was okay, and not too confusing. Clearly I've started in the middle of things, so I will be using flashbacks throughout the story to explain how we got to this point.

Any and all feedback/suggestions are welcome!