Changed (Drarry)

Chapter 7

Harry wasn't paying all that much attention to the sorting, he was more aware of how many eyes and whispers focused on him and Hermione. He thought there would be looks at Ginny and Ron too, given it was both Harry and Hermione, but very few if any eyes were on them. Daring to look over at Malfoy at the Slytherin table, Harry noticed Draco glaring at Ginny, looking like he was trying to cause her to combust without using a spell.

"Harry!!" Ginny complained, bringing his attention back to her as the food started to appear.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Harry asked, looking towards her, he had half expected her to let go of him in order to eat, Ron was already stuffing his face with pretty much all the food within his grasp, and Harry's ability to get his hands on food was limited thanks to only having one available arm.

"Feed me!" Ginny said, before closing her eyes and opening her mouth.

"Um, sorry, Ginny, but I would rather not, can I have my arm back?" Harry asked, feeling extremely uncomfortable by the request, and trying to pull back, Hermione giving him a look of sympathy and filling a plate of food, with a lot of different kinds of pies.

Ginny's eyes started watering as she looked at Harry with a pout, only tightening her grip on his arm, pulling it into her chest. Honestly this experience could likely never be more uncomfortable than it was right now. Ginny was crying, it was Harry's fault, and she was clinging onto his arm from above the elbow so he couldn't move it at all and it was in an awkward position that was becoming painful.

"Oi, be nishe to my shishter." Ron said through a mouthful of food, Hermione flicking his ear, making his close his mouth and gulped everything down in one go. "You know what she went through last year, you can't expect her to leave you alone after everything."

"But-" Harry started, Hermione holding out her palm to him, cutting him off.

"Ron, just because Harry saved her doesn't mean he has to feed her or deal with her practically using him as an accessory all the time. Ginny, I know last year scared you, but Harry has been more than kind up until now and you need to treat him with more respect." Hermione chastised, replacing Harry's empty plate with the one she had been filling.

"Harry doesn't mind really, though. We're going to get married eventually." Ginny said, letting go of Harry with one arm to take a poorly aimed swipe at Hermione.

"Wait, hold on, I never agreed to marry you!" Harry said, trying to pull his arm away, but even with her weakened grip on him, he still couldn't get his arm back, at least not without the chance of him heavily hitting Ginny in the face, probably the chin.

"You don't really have to, though." Ron said, looking at Harry bored. "Our parents were friends and it's not uncommon for wizards to plan the marriages of their kids from birth, you and Ginny have a contract."

"Ron, those only work if the concerned parties also sign once their old enough, otherwise it's invalid." Hermione corrected, looking at Harry's face where he looked very pale, even paler than he had when they were heading to Hogwarts, clearly still having not fully recovered from the interaction with the Dementor, as they had learnt those monsters were called. "Harry, you need to eat something, maybe you should go to Mme Pomfrey."

"Really, I'm fine." Harry said, poking the mashed potato around his plate with the hand that he still had.

"Ginny!" Hermione finally snapped, as Ginny continued to cling tighter to Harry, grabbing onto his sleeve too. "Let go of Harry and eat your own food by yourself or so help me!"

Ginny make a small squeaking noise, sniffing heavily and rather over dramatically and doing as Hermione had told her, giving Harry side glances in the hopes that he would defend her, give his arm back, start feeding her, or something, but he didn't. Harry had pulled his arm away from her as soon as he could, and after massaging it a little he went back to eating.

-----

"Hermione, can I have a word?" Professor Flitwick called to Hermione after the feast. Harry noticed the teacher's eyes focusing on him as Hermione walked over to him, shrugging at Harry and Ron slightly as he went over, Ginny had left to be with other Gryffindor second years after what Hermione had said.

"What could Professor Flitwick want with Hermione?" Ron asked, Harry shrugging, but she gestured at them, encouraging them to go to the common room without her.

"Weasley!" Malfoy yelled from the doors to the Great Hall, making everyone's eyes turn to them.

Harry hated being the centre of attention, but in the brief moment Harry had made eye contact with Malfoy, he felt like his heart was flying. He felt insanely happy when they made eye contact, and the tightness in his throat that had been there pretty much all the time loosened, and the weight on his heart that he hadn't even known was there lightened.

"What do you want, Malfoy!?" Ron asked, spinning around with his arms crossed and a smirk that looked like it would fit Malfoy's personality better, at least the coolly distant, aristocratic, almost emotionless Draco in Harry's memories, not the Malfoy standing there, practically seething in anger as he glared at Ron, standing in a slightly awkward position as Pansy and Blaise seemed to be torn between holding Malfoy back and joining him and yell at Ron too.

"Don't act like you're so innocent!!!" Malfoy yelled at them, Parkinson looking at Harry, her eyes looking worried.

-----

Harry jolted, looking around and realising he was in the boys dorm already, Ron over at his trunk, unpacking. Harry had no idea how he got there, and he also forgot most of the fight they had with the Slytherins after dinner. He realised his wrist was really hurting, and when he looked at it he saw that it was red and irritated.

"Mate, you good?" Ron asked, looking over at Harry who had just staggered slightly, seeming to be struggling to balance.

"Yeah, I must be tired, and I'm still feeling off after the train. I'll probably be better after a night's sleep." Harry said, shaking his head and trying to clear it.

Harry was feeling shocked, hurt, scared, and felt like the world was ending, but trying to find out why he was feeling that was was like trying to move bath water into a bucket using a needle while the drain is unblocked. It felt like having an emotional hangover from a nightmare.