Drarry one-shots! <3

Overheard

This was a request from LittleKiwi09 , I hope you like it! :)

2778 words
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Draco sighed as he walked out of his dorm, deciding to do some reading in the common room before he went to bed, especially considering he probably wouldn't fall asleep until at least 2am anyways.

He emerged into the common room and curled up in a cushy arm chair, sighing contentedly before opening his book. The chair was tucked neatly behind a little wall that stuck out, a big, comfy couch perched on the other side.

The Eighth year common room had an interesting layout, somehow fitting to all the returning student's needs. There was a massive bookshelf on one wall of the room, for, obviously, the Ravenclaws, but of course as well as for other students, like Hermione.
A large window stood regally on one spot of the room, for those who liked to gaze outside, who liked the natural light. But, there was also of course, a that was corner more secluded by walls, or, one nice big curtain that reminded a majority of students of a blanket fort, a corner for those who preferred darkness and coziness.

At one wall sat a beautifully carved fireplace across from the big, comfy couch, and a couple soft, pleasantly padded armchairs to the right and left of it. There were games and other ways to pass time on a shelf in one little corner, some, as it happened, muggle, such as Twister. There was even a coffee station, something many had been grateful for, Draco not being the only one who didn't always get very much sleep.

There were cozy, fluffy blankets all around, some laid on the floor, some draped over couches, chairs, some stored in the oddest yet most inventive places, such as folded tightly and placed on a bookshelf. They'd yet to figure out who'd done that one, but they all found it highly amusing, and some, even efficient.

It was the most comfortable place you could get, understandably, given their circumstances. It made them all contentedly comfortable in their quarters, even all houses together, as well as extremely grateful to all who had managed this for them.

While some may have thought, or even expected, some people to be bitter or even hostile to returning Slytherins, no one had bothered them.
Everyone was so tired from the war effort, so tired of old rivalries and anger and pain, all that pain, that to hold onto that hate just degraded them more. Sure, many Slytherins had been on the bad side, but that didn't mean they were the only ones. And everyone very well knew that they, at least the ones that had returned to Hogwarts, had been forced by their parents. And after the war, they had apologized immensely and shown it through their actions, helping and serving and attempting healing.
People who truly want to hurt don't attempt to heal, after.

People were basically all equal, all even, their Eighth year being a fresh start for all, making them all essentially comfortable friends, or at least friendly acquaintances. It was nice, easy, and Draco no longer had to feel on edge; he felt as though he was allowed to be there, he didn't have to fear anyone anymore.

Draco sighed as he settled into his armchair, delicately fingering the pages of Potions and Elixirs of Magical Property and Complexity until he found where he'd left off.

He'd found the book in their common room library, stumbling across it one day and immediately being fascinated. He'd known it hadn't been in the regular school library for he'd skimmed every shelf for every possible potions book he'd been able to find there. He'd been engrossed in the book ever since that day. It was a sleek black book, about as thick as his upper arm, with silver and white styling around the edges and spine and white, decadent lettering. Its pages were worn on the edges, yellowed by age and holding old, brown writing. It had many fascinating diagrams and illustrations, so many that Draco sometimes found himself occupying hours not even reading but simply flipping through pages and admiring all the artwork, all the informative pictures.