Walking the Halls

Chapter Two

He runs onto platform 9 3/4 without instruction from his father or mother. He's done this many times before and he doesn't want to waste time. He wants to find Harry and sit with him. The other three follow onto the platform. Lucius nods at Draco. The best he will get for approval.

"Be good," his mother says, "write often."

Valara and I nod.

"Make us proud," his father says. Draco resists rolling his eyes. Of course, his last words are about pride. 

They nod again.

They take their trunks onto the train, and he glances into each compartment. He doesn't know if Harry is here yet but if he is he doesn't want to miss this chance. 

"Harry," Lara says. She is staring into a compartment.

"Valara, Draco, would you like to sit with me?" he asks.

"Thank you," Draco says.

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full," a young Ronald Weasley says.

Potter nods. "There's room, right?" he asks.

Draco shoves their trunks into the compartment spaces for them. He takes Ron's and puts it up there too.

"I'm Ronald Weasley," he says.

"Draco Malfoy," he says.

He snickers. "Sorry, I actually quite like your name," he says.

"Valara LeStrange," she says.

"LeStrange, like?" he asks.

She nods.

"Oh," he says. He looks at the doors. Draco rolls his eyes. Ron doesn't have to sit with them.

"Ronald," comes a voice.

The twins walk up.

"Fred and George, nice to meet ya," one says. He points at himself and his brother.

Bile climbs in Draco's throat. All the terrible things they went through the physical and emotional pain. He heard about it after it went down but he felt sick then too. At the time he pushed his sympathy down and played up on being malicious. He needed to continue in the battle. He saw his body later he didn't know which was which, never finding it necessary. He was marching to his own demise.

Regulus bites his ear. "Ow," he says.

Ron leaves to say goodbye to his parents. Draco sits across from Harry and Lara sits beside him. They talk to Harry about the rest of his summer which he says was not exciting.

Ron comes back. "Are you really Harry Potter?" he asks.

"Yes. I'm him. I mean, yes," Potter says.

"Can I see the?" he asks. He points at his forehead.

Smooth, Ronald. Draco turns to Lara and mocks pointing to his forehead. Lara hides her giggle behind her arm.

Potter nods. Draco used to think Potter was arrogant but seeing him here, now. Maybe not. Maybe he just wants to be a normal person, but everyone pushes him to be a hero.

Draco attempts to put Regulus in his cage like Lara did with Artemis. Regulus refuses to go into his cage, so he sits on Draco's shoulder. He occasionally climbs down his arm so now the leather goes down to his fingers and loops around his neck, fingers, bicep, and forearm. He has a perch too he doesn't know if Reggie will go to the owlery.

"Who is this?" Potter asks.

"Regulus," Draco says.

"He's incredible," he says.