Love used to be just a word | Draco Malfoy

- THREE -

2nd of September, 1997

The day after we arrived at Hogwarts the classes were starting again. I was on my way towards my first class, Transfiguration, which we would have with Ravenclaw. "It feels as if there's a whole other atmosphere at Hogwarts," Neville noted a little uncomfortable as he sat down next to me. I made an agreeing sound – I think everyone noticed as much.

It was as if Hogwarts had gotten a lot darker than before. Not only because of some Death Eaters roaming around the school, but Hogwarts used to be surrounded by green grass and flowers. Everything seemed to be dead by now, as if the Forbidden Forest had succumbed the school within itself.

I chatted a little while with Neville before McGonagall showed up. There were only a select few people I actually liked in my year of Gryffindor. Apart from my best friends, Neville was one of them – together with Seamus and Dean. For some reason I had a harder time befriending the girls apart from Hermione, I never had the urge to talk to the others. So why would I, now that Harry, Hermione and Ron were gone? That would be suspicious and give people the feeling I only wanted to be friends because I didn't have anyone else.

Which I really hadn't, actually.

Sure, Neville was nice, but we never had much in common. Nonetheless I didn't even like to talk much at all the past few weeks. It wasn't just me, everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells, afraid of the possible outcomes for our future.

Professor McGonagall started her lessons and my eyes scanned over her face. She seemed as if she'd aged a lot in just a short amount of time and just seemed tired overall. I wondered if she might've fallen into a depression now that Dumbledore was gone. They used to be pretty close after all.

I survived the first hour, but I knew that after one hour of freedom, I'd be going to a hellhole. What used to be Defense Against the Dark Arts, was now renamed to "Dark Arts" which probably sounded as bad as it would be. The worst part of it all was that we'd have this class together with Slytherin. Not wanting to think about who would actually be teaching us, I made my way outside to get some time alone.

The hallways were just as I remembered them from my previous years. The tall ceilings never ceased to amaze me; the archways imprinted with intricate patterns showed how much love went into building the castle. The only thing that stood out from previous years were the magical portraits; a lot of them were empty and only showed the background. It seems even they didn't feel safe enough to be in their usual spot.

I finally made my way to a door that would lead to a quieter part of the gardens. Hardly anyone came to this part of the gardens, which made it the perfect spot to recharge before the next class. When I got outside, I heard a whispering voice around the corner.

"Let me go," a voice said, obviously trying to sound tough, but I could hear some panic burning through. "Did you forget what I told you?" I recognized the second voice from somewhere. Shivers ran down my spine, the hairs on my arms and neck rising in response to the voice. If memory serves me right, Hogwarts was in an even worse state than I could've previously imagined.

Too afraid to disturb the conversation, I decided going back would be the best option. The library was also a nice, quiet option. Just as I turned on my heels to walk to my new destination, a painful scream filled the air. My body turned back on its own, running towards the commotion without a second thought. I turned around the corner whilst grabbing my wand from my pocket.

My suspicions were confirmed the moment his very large figure came into view. His matted grey hair and vicious expression was one I never hoped to see again. Greyback was holding Malfoy's arm in a very unnatural way and for a split second I could only stare at the scene playing out in front of me.

Malfoy's eyes locked onto mine, practically screaming for help. His attacker hadn't yet laid eyes on me, too focused on his prey. It wasn't until Greyback started aiming for Draco's arm in an intent to bite him that I actually came into action. Without hesitation I pointed my wand at him "Petrificus Totalus!" Fenrir's arms locked to the side of his body and he fell to the ground like a statue.

It seemed to sink in with both me and Malfoy what had actually happened. I saved Malfoy. We stared at each other uncertainly. Although I knew werewolves were most dangerous in their animal form, they could still inflict a lot of damage in their human form and it seemed like Malfoy had been tortured enough already.

Trying not to think what kind of punishment I might get eventually, I walked up to Malfoy. Shaky as he was, he didn't seem to know how to respond either. His grey eyes stared into mine, which made me feel a little lost. His right arm hung useless against his body and I put my wand against it. Malfoy wanted to protest but decided against it as he wasn't able to do much with only one arm left.

"Episkey," I whispered, soft enough to be sure Greyback wouldn't hear a thing. He could move his eyes around, but I was fairly certain he hadn't seen me before I cursed him. For a short moment I wasn't sure if my spell worked, as it was only meant for minor injuries, until Malfoy moved his fingers without groaning from the pain.

I hadn't noticed how close we were standing next to each other until I looked up again. His face was only a few inches apart from mine, which made the situation even more awkward. Without another word I walked back inside the castle, feeling more confused than I'd ever been.