all the wrong choices // drarry

flicker

The castle was quiet given that it was the start of the new school year. Harry missed being in the Gryffindor common room but was grateful that the newly appointed Headmistress, Professor McGonagall, had provided dormitories and a common room for the 'eighth-year' students returning to Hogwarts to finish their studies. Around thirty of the forty students in Harry's year had come back, while the rest insisted that they were fine without N.E.W.Ts.

An old and unused corner of the castle had been converted into the eighth-year dorms. It had a common room that wasn't quite as large as that of Gryffindor Tower, but large enough. There were sixteen small bedrooms with twin beds, two chests of drawers and a tall wardrobe. People paired off and chose their bedrooms; the teachers didn't care who roomed with whom, as long as both roommates were happy. Naturally, Harry and Ron had chosen to room together. Hermione had made a mental tally of the number of students returning (thirty-one) and then waited for the rest of her year to sort themselves into pairs so that she would get the last room to herself. Many people complained that this was unfair, but Professor McGonagall merely told them that there was bound to be one student with a room to themselves, and Hermione had simply claimed it first.

The room that Hermione had wound up with was at the top of a staircase, which only reached three bedrooms, each one higher than the last. Hermione seemed quite content with her room, and spent much of the day reading in there. Harry's and Ron's room was at the end of a narrow corridor leading off from the common room, and it had a spectacular view of the Hogwarts grounds, including the Quidditch pitch in the distance. They liked to see the Quidditch pitch, even though they weren't allowed to play, out of fairness to the rest of the school. Still, Harry and Ron sometimes finished their homework early and had time to go outside and race around on their broomsticks.

*

Harry was finishing up on a very difficult essay he'd been writing all day for Professor McGonagall. Once he had proofread it, he got up and stretched his arms over his head, flexing his fingers and groaning at how sore his muscles were after sitting down for so long.

He looked around the room and saw Ron and Hermione sitting together in the corner. They looked cosy, so Harry decided he wouldn't bother them. Harry rolled up his essay, capped his bottle of ink and tidied away his things. He stuffed everything under his arm and made his way towards his and Ron's dormitory. A door was opening as he walked down the corridor and Harry ran headlong into Draco Malfoy.

"Argh!" Malfoy exclaimed, looking down his front at the ink that had just spilled all over him. He glanced up to see who had caused this. "Watch where you're going, Potter!"

"Same to you," Harry replied bitterly as he bent down to pick his fallen things off the ground. He waved his wand at Malfoy's robes and muttered, "Tergeo!" The ink stains vanished.

"Thank you," he said smoothly. Harry was quite shocked: he had never heard Malfoy say thank you to anybody in the seven long years he had known him. Granted, he had tried his best to ignore most of what Malfoy said, but even so, it was still surprising. Harry shrugged in response. "'S'alright. Sorry for running into you."

Malfoy gave him a half-smile; a look suggesting that he wanted to say more but wasn't sure what more he could say. He hesitated for a moment, and then continued down the corridor, leaving Harry stunned. Upon realising he was now standing in the middle of the hallway like an idiot, Harry continued in the opposite direction towards his room. He set his books down on his chest of drawers and then flopped onto his bed.

For what felt like hours, Harry tried to read the chapters that would help him write his essay for Defence Against the Dark Arts, but ended up falling asleep. He didn't wake again until Ron came barging into the room.

"Wake up, you lazy git," he called loudly, poking Harry in the ribs.

"Wha-" Harry yawned. "What's going on?"

Ron laughed. "It's time for dinner, you weirdo."

Harry tossed his pillow at Ron's head, but Ron moved out of the way just in time and it landed on the floor with a soft flump . Harry stretched and looked in the mirror, trying to make himself a little more presentable. His hair was sticking up all over the place, as usual, and his tie was loose. He adjusted the tie, but there was nothing to be done about his hair, which would most likely continue to defy gravity until the day he died.

He and Ron headed back into the common room, where they met Hermione, and then the three of them made their way down to dinner together. As they crossed the Entrance Hall, Harry noticed Malfoy and his friends talking quietly in a corner. Malfoy looked up as they passed and gave Harry a shockingly normal look; it was neither nasty nor friendly.

All through dinner, Harry kept catching himself staring over to the Slytherin table. He was fortunate that neither Ron nor Hermione noticed this, or else he'd probably be peppered with questions. After dinner, Ron and Harry turned to go and sit down by the fire but saw that their seats were already taken. Seated at their usual table were none other than Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy. Harry and Ron stared coldly at them as they sat down in squashy armchairs on the other side of the room, away from the windows.

"Slimy Slytherin gits," Ron spat, his eyes still on the back of Malfoy's head. "Lucky thing I ate a lot at dinner, or I'd be hexing them left, right and centre-"

"Leave it, Ron, they're allowed to sit there." Hermione rolled her eyes. She hadn't sat down beside Ron but was standing and lingering beside them. Harry looked up at her.

"Won't you sit down?" he asked her.

"Oh, no thank you, Harry, I'm going to go to bed. I've got no frees tomorrow and I expect I'll be getting an awful lot of homework from my lessons, so I need to be well-rested."

"Alright then, goodnight. Accio!" said Ron, Summoning a set of Gobstones from across the room. Harry shook his head, hiding his smile, as Ron began to set up the game for him and Harry to play. Hermione was staring at him expectantly.

"I'm going to bed ," she repeated, enunciating each syllable.

"O-kay," Ron nodded, his tone matching hers. "Goodnight!"

Harry was beside himself. It was taking every fibre of his being not to fall about, roaring with laughter at Ron's obliviousness. Hermione rolled her eyes and stormed off up the stairs to her room. It took a few moments before it dawned on Ron and he was sprinting up the staircase after Hermione. Laughing, Harry packed up the Gobstones and made to retire to his own room. He was interrupted, however, by Malfoy calling to him from the other side of the room.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Harry snarled. Malfoy's eyes flickered from Harry's face to his hand, which had flown inside his robes and was now gripping his wand tightly, just in case. The tentative look on Malfoy's face vanished. Just as well , Harry thought to himself. Shy doesn't suit him .

"I- nevermind..." he said quietly. Harry rolled his eyes and continued on to his room. He changed into his pyjamas and flopped onto his bed. He tried to read again but it was no use; his eyelids were suddenly very heavy and it wasn't long before he was fast asleep, the book lying open on his chest.