Thank you - Drarry

Chapter 1

Harry sat on the Hogwarts express, Ron and Hermione right across from him. It had been a long summer and he was ready to get back to school. They had been given the choice of going back to school, or to get their diplomas without completing their last year, because of everything that the war had brought on. While many chose to not go back, Harry had jumped on the chance to go. After a whole summer spent at the Ministry and at different court hearings and interviews, he just wanted to be a kid for a little while longer. He also didn't feel ready to leave the school behind. His home. His safe haven for so many years. All of last year, while looking for the horcruxes, he had missed it. He had missed the hustle of the Great Hall at breakfast, sitting by the good chairs in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room, quidditch practice and even the classes. So, as he rocked along with the movements of the train he sighted in delight. Everything was slowly starting to go back to normal, and him and his two best friends going back to Hogwarts felt just right.

His eyes caught the movement of a green scarf in the hallway as two Slytherin girls walked past their compartment. The school's relationship with the green house was at an all-time low after so many of their current and former members had been death eaters. Many of whom had fought against the school in the war. Harry still vividly remembers how the three houses had stood with him after Pansy Parkinson had said to turn him over to Voldemort. The green house had received a lot of hate afterwards for that one comment. It wasn't until a few weeks after the battle that things had calmed down enough for Harry to really think about that moment.

During the summer he had borrowed the Pevensie from Dumbledore's office and he had gone through a few of the moments from the battle and the months beforehand. When in the moment - with war, death and enough adrenalin pumping though his body to keep him awake for weeks - he hadn't been able to focus on anything more than what was right in front of him. In that moment, it had been Pansy, and what she had said, and nothing else. When he looked at that moment again, from the safety of the Burrow, he had noticed how some of the Slytherins had seemed sad and ashamed over Parkinson's comment. Even more had sent her angry looks as they were forced to leave the school before the battle. The fear that had shone through Pansy's own eyes as she listened to Voldemort's message hadn't been lost on him either. All details that the stress of the moments had hidden from him.

As a result of them being forced to leave, a lot of students from Slytherin had spoken out about that unfairness in the months that followed. How they had all been judged for the actions of others. How they would have liked a chance to fight. To fight with the school and not against it. Harry hadn't thought much of it. He, like many others, agreed that it had been a good decision to make them leave. The risk of them turning and joining the death eaters, their families, had been too big. It was a risk they had not been able to afford in that moment.

Harry's thoughts was interrupted by the door opening. Ginny stood in the doorway with a sandwich in her hands and her red hair in a lose braid.

"We're almost there, so you guys should probably start getting dressed" She took a big bite from her sandwich and waived at someone down the hall of the train.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione had first set of to find the horcruxes, he had ended things with Ginny. At the time it was to protect her. They would not be able to be together, and he had not known for how long. Harry didn't want her to have to wait for him. He had figured that when it was all over, and they were able to be together again, then they would be. Unfortunately, things hadn't really worked out that way. When the war was over, things had been too different. They had tried at the start of summer, but neither had felt anything. Everything had just felt off. So, they broke things off...again. Thankfully they had been able to go back to been friends.

Ginny shot a quick smile at Harry, which he promptly returned, before she hurried of again. The trio got dressed and packed their personal clothes in their trunks just in time. As the train stopped in Hogsmeade and everyone started getting off, Harry made sure to throw in a few treats in his new owl Acton's cage. The brown big owl had been more of a necessity for Harry than an attempt to replace Hedwig. Despite this, his new owl had quickly won his heart, and after learning that he was a huge lover of treats, Harry couldn't bring himself to refuse him.

As they got off the train, Harry spotted Hagrid's big figure as he collected all the first years further up the platform. Hagrid waved as he saw him and Harry returned the gesture as he looked at the tiny figures surrounding his friend and wondered if he had ever been that small.

The ride up to the castle went by fast. The only thing out of the ordinary was how many students now stopped and stared at the thestrals, only after the war having the ability to see them.

As they reached the castle and Harry walked in to the Great Hall again, be remembered the last time he had been there. The last time... when Voldemort had died. The contrast between then and now was incredible. The warmth and life had been brought back to the grand room, and it once again felt like the place that housed most of his favorite childhood memories.

The trio, as well as Neville, who they had met when they exited the train, went over to the Gryffindor table and sat down. As they waited for the first years to arrive and the sorting ceremony to begin Harry started looking around at the students. He noticed that many of his classmates had returned for their eight year. As he was looking over the hall towards the Slytherin table he almost couldn't believe his eyes. In the middle, pressed in between Pansy and Blaise, were Draco Malfoy. Harry knew that he had been cleared of all charges. Hell, he had even testified in Malfoy's defense!

Harry had ignored the surprised looks of the Ministry officials and reporters as he took the stand to tell them about how the blond boy had saved him in more than one way during the war. But even though Harry knew that Malfoy was pardoned, he never thought that he would choose to come back to school.

But here he was, and for some reason Harry couldn't force himself to look away. His eyes were stuck on the blond boy. That is, until a pair of cold gray eyes looked back. Harry felt the color on his cheeks rise as he looked away, embarrassed to be caught staring. Luckily, that's when the big doors opened and the first years walked in, led by McGonagall, now headmistress of Hogwarts. The ceremony went by as usual, with the only exception that the kids sorted into Slytherin looked a lot more unsure and scared as they walked to their table, than they had in past years. The green house had lost much of its status during the war, and everyone knew it. I life in Slytherin did not feel as honorable or as prideful as it had been for its previous occupants.

After the sorting, the four long tables were filled with food and the feast began. Harry, Ron and Hermione were bombarded with questions from housemates who hadn't had a chance to ask about their horcrux search yet. Harry looked at his two friends when the first question came, but neither seemed annoyed. They were all so used to talking about the months leading up to the last battle, but while Harry was going crazy with having to tell the same story repeatedly, his friends didn't seem to mind. Usually, Ron told the story while Hermione added a few details along the way and Harry just nodded when the listener looked at him. One would think that after seven years of fame, he would be used to it, but it still felt awkward. Ron on the other hand seemed to enjoy it and took every opportunity he could find to talk about their quest, which worked out perfectly for them both.

The dinner went by quickly and before they knew it dessert was over, and they were heading up to the Gryffindor Tower and their beds. Harry and Ron both went straight to their dormitory and caught up a bit with Dean and Seamus who had been sitting further up the table during dinner, before they all went to bed. As Harry laid in bed his thought somehow got stuck on Draco Malfoy. Harry hadn't been able to miss the Slytherins distressed look that he had worn all throughout the dinner (ok, yes! maybe Harry had looked a few more times towards the green and silver table during the evening). And what he had noticed was that the glow and confidence that Malfoy had always radiated was gone, and in its place was a boy who looked like he wanted to be invisible. Harry didn't know why, but he found himself feeling sad for Malfoy. He found himself wanting to comfort the blond boy and to tell him that even though many people judged him for what he did and who had become during the war, Harry did not. Harry understood, more than most, that you did what you had to in times of war to survive. And that's exactly what Malfoy had done. And judging him was not something Harry could do.

Then, warm and comfortable in his bed, Harry fell asleep. Draco Malfoy filling his mind until long after sleep had caught him.