A Lion and a Snake

Chapter 4

Harry's POV

My heart felt heavier than lead as the carriages got closer and closer to Hogwarts. I couldn't concentrate on what Malfoy, Parkinson, Zabini, Hermione, and Ron were saying. I could hear them, but I couldn't comprehend what they said. All I could focus on, was the school in front of me. The school where so many people had died, so many people had gotten so badly injured they died after the war, where so many people lost their families, all because I wasn't done yet. If I had just gone faster...

"Harry? Harry, are you listening to me?" Hermione snapped her fingers in front of my face.

"What? Oh, sorry, what'd you say?" I said, knowing how stupid I probably sounded.

"I said, where do you think our common room will be? Surely they don't have enough room for everyone." Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, looking confused. Malfoy sighed heavily.

"Honestly Weasel, can you not put two and two together? There's no way Hogwarts has enough room in the castle for double the seventh years. They'll have to give a new dorm to someone." Malfoy explained.

"Oh." Ron seemed to be thinking hard. "You're still a right old git, you know that, Malfoy? My name isn't Weasel." He snapped after a second.

"Sorry, do you prefer if I call you Ginger?" Malfoy sneered.

"I don't care what you call me, Ferret." Ron shot back. Malfoy's pale face turned slightly pink.

"Whatever." He mumbled.

"Can you just act your age?" Hermione demanded, looking rather angry.

"Sorry 'Mione." Ron said. Malfoy said nothing.

"We're here." Parkinson said.

I felt like I had been doused in icy water.

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Draco's POV

Harry looked rather pale, I thought when I glanced at him. He took a deep breath before stepping out of the carriage.

I felt guilty about snapping at Weasel. I mean, it wasn't fair to take my anger towards Mr. Johnson and my father out on him. But he had started it.

I stepped out of the carriage, carefully avoiding the huge mud puddle near the bottom of the carriage.

"Draco, come on." Pansy said, grabbing my arm. "Let's see what other Slytherins came back this year."

~after the sorting~

Gregory Goyle, Theodore Nott, and Millicent Bulstrode were some of the only Slytherins to return. The food was, of course, very good. Better than the food I had been forced to eat last year.

"Draco, what are you looking at?" Millicent asked. I blinked and glanced at her. I had been looking at Harry, who was gazing around the room, not eating anything.

"Outside." I said, looking back at Harry. It seemed Granger and Weasel had told him to eat, because he was now eating a chicken leg, but not paying it very much attention.

Millicent must not have believed me, because she followed my gaze.

"Potter? Why are you looking at Potter?" Millicent demanded.

"I'm not." I sighed, looking down at my plate. "Just leave it alone, okay?"

"Fine." Millicent said, returning her attention to her food.

Professer McGonagall was standing up. "Hello." she started, her eyes gazing around the room, her hair in its usual tight bun. "I know most of you are repeating your last grade. If the people who are repeating seventh year could please stay after I finish with the announcements.

"Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that no magic is to be done in the corridors. And the students would do well to remember that the Forbidden Forest is-as the name says-forbidden.

"We also have a few new teachers this year. Professer Smith will be taking over Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Professer Baxter will be taking over Transfiguration." Professer Smith had long black hair and a pretty face. Her nose was pointed and her skin pale. Professer Baxter was very tall, with all white hair. His skin was slightly tan and his nose was very long.

"Now, off to bed. But again, people retaking seventh year please stay." Professer McGonagall said. Most of the Slytherins at my table began moving, yawning, and heading to the common room.

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Harry's POV

Once all the students who weren't retaking seventh year left, Professer McGonagall told us to all sit together at the Hufflepuff table. There were only about fifty students in all, most of them from Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff.

"Alright." Professer McGonagall started. "Now, everyone stop staring at Mr. Potter and listen to me." A lot of people stopped staring at me and looked toward Professer McGonagall.

"Alright. It's very simple what I have to say. The dorms do not have enough room for all of you. And so, we have decided to make a dorm for you. You will be known as eight years, and all the eighth years will have all their classes together.

"We also want to cure the rift between the houses, and so we have decided that there will be partners for all your classes, none of them in your own house." There were many groans and protests. "There are no exceptions. And there is no changing your partner."

Professer McGonagall led us to our new dorm. It wasn't anything like the Gryffindor dorm. It was decorated with all the house colors. Some of the sofas were dark green, some dark blue, some dark red, and some a deep yellow. The walls had silver, gold, bronze, and black designs over a plain white coat of paint. The room was very well designed, really.

"Alright." Professer McGonagall said. "The girl's dormitory is on the left, boys, same thing on the right." Ron and I trudged up the stairs to the boy dormitories as soon as Professer McGonagall left.

The dorm was simple, with the same designs on the walls. The beds were the same four poster ones as in the Gryffindor dorms. We were in the first dorm, the one with our names on the plaque outside of the room. We shared the room with Neville, Zabini, and Malfoy.

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Don't worry, I swear the Drarry is coming. It'll come people. (It'll probably start in the next chapter, hint hint)

See you later, fellow Drarry shippers!