Just like Brothers

Chapter 67

"We have defense with Moody this afternoon," Ron said, reading over their schedule.

"With the Slytherins?" Harry peered over his shoulder.

"Yep," Ron nodded, folding the parchment and stuffing it back in his robes.

"I'm excited for Mad-Eye's class," Hermione eagerly smothered her toast with jam, "he was a Head Auror, he has in field experience with the Dark Arts. I think we can learn a lot from him."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "I still miss Remus though, he was the best Professor we've had."

"Yeah," Hermione shoved the rest of her toast in her mouth and threw her bag over her shoulder, "I'll catch up with you guys later, I'll be in the—"

"Library," Ron finished for her, "yeah, we know."

"Right then," Hermione blushed, "bye!"

>•<

The bell rung, signaling a class change.

"You lot excited for Moody?" Theo, Blaise, Draco and Pansy fell into step besides Harry and Ron.

"Yeah," Harry laughed, "we're trying to get front row seats."

"Us too," Theo nodded, "we can all sit together."

"Where's Granger?" Pansy asked, looking around the two Gryffindors.

"She's in the library," Ron said, "she's going to meet us in class."

"It's the first week of school," Blaise remarked, "why is she in the library?"

"It's Hermione," Harry said plainly, "when is she not in the library?"

The six of them sat in the front row of Moody's classroom, saving a seat in between Harry and Ron for Hermione.

Hermione came rushing into the classroom moments before the second bell rang and slammed her Defense textbook onto the table.

"Made it," she gasped, holding her chest, "gosh, I lost track of time."

"What were you even doing in there?" Ron asked.

Hermione didn't answer and instead dug through her bag for a quill.

The class all sat attentively with their books in front of them, eager to begin the lesson.

The sound of Moody's wooden peg hitting the stone floor echoed around the chamber as he approached the front of the room.

"You can put those away," he growled, lowering himself into the chair behind his desk, "those books, you won't be needing them."

Within seconds, everyone's books were packed away. Ron had an excited grin on his freckled face.

>•<

"Now, those three curses, Avada Kedavra, Imperius and Cruciatus, are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a lifelong sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I have to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most importantly, you need to practice constant never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills and copy this down."

Harry knew something was wrong when Draco didn't move to retrieve a quill from his bag.

"You ok? Mate?" Harry whispered tapping the blond on the shoulder.

Draco shook his head ever so slightly.

Harry's eyes whipped over to the clock. Class was only halfway over. Knowing Draco wouldn't want to cause a scene by leaving. Harry took out a sheet of parchment and began taking down two sets of notes.

>•<

"It's ok to be scared, you know," Luna said.

Draco had skipped dinner and instead had gone straight up to the Astronomy tower. He wasn't sure how Luna had found him again.

"Coming to terms with our terrors is frightening," Luna hummed.

Draco cringed. Images of his mother being tortured, the pain he had suffered, had been haunting him all day, ever since Moody showcased the spell that had ripped apart his family.

Draco didn't say anything to Luna, only paying half attention to her kind words of reassurance.

"Luna? Draco? I didn't think anyone would be up here," a new voice came from the stairwell.

Draco forced his head to turn, peering at the newcomer. It was Neville Longbottom.

"Why aren't you guys at dinner?" Neville asked.

"I was just going now," Luna smiled, "thought I'd get some fresh air. I'll leave you two to talk."

Draco and Neville looked at each other and they immediately knew why the other was there.

Neville walked over to the Slytherin and sunk down next to him, leaving against the wall.

"Does it ever get easier?" Draco whispered after a few minutes of silence.

Neville pursed his lips, "no," he sighed, "no, I don't think so. You just get stronger."

Draco leaned back and rested his head against the stone, "I don't think I'll ever be strong enough to face him."

"Hopefully you'll never have to," Neville said solemnly.

The two boys sat, silence tears streaming down their pale faces. The knew they were a fragment of a family well beyond broken. They were alone. However, with the presence of the other, their burdens weren't as heavy.

Neville thought about his parents. How his mother and father would never be there to protect him or even tell him how proud they were of him. He had come to terms with his life long ago, how the only way to communicate with his parents were old candy wrappers and a beeping machine. However, no matter how at peace Neville was with his parents fate, he knew it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair he didn't have loving parents to come home to, how he had that taken away from him. How he had to sacrifice so much yet he gained so little.

Draco's mind replayed Moody's lesson over and over again. The spider uncontrollably twitching and rocking from side to side. After a while, it combined with the memory of his mother, screaming and twitching just as he fell unconscious. The murderous gleam in his father's eye as he called him a disgrace, forever burnt in Draco's mind. Draco hated seeing his mother at St. Mungo's. Her hair, once a vibrant gold, faded into a sickly white, and her sea-blue eyes, sparked with life and joy now dull and miserable. Draco could never look his father in the eye again, he would be terrified of that man until the day he died. More than that, his heart was heavy with the hatred he held for Lucius Malfoy. That man had taken everything from Draco, and one day, Draco was going to take it back. He solemnly swore it.