Marked ⁂ Draco Malfoy ⁂

Year 6: Wandering

We had immediately become almost prisoners to the castle.

From the day we walked in we hadn't once walked out in the nearly 7 months we had been confined there. We had almost mindlessly attended our lessons everyday and spent more hours than ever before studying. We had been over worked and we both had become drained. Every day was just the same old routine wake eat study shower sleep.

Hogwarts had closed for the last several months of school and we just got word that they would open back up for our 6th year. I was so excited to just go back, but I also wanted to rest because we had worked through the summer. Snape had grown harsher, I'm assuming more pressure was being put onto him by Voldemort.

I hadn't seen my parents or family or rather anyone else for that matter in the longest time. We had the occasional meeting but it usually was a much smaller crowd. Even Draco's parents had only come to one and they hadn't even stayed very long. I get the impression things had been quite busy for most people but things had been quite the opposite for Draco and I.

Draco and I had grown quiet with each other, I felt bad but we had just been so tired and exhausted I didn't have any energy at the end of the day. I figured it was probably for the best anyways, it was just distracting me at the end of the day. When things happened with Cedric it was just a distraction from it all.

We needed each other for business and it shouldn't be more than that, it should have never been more than that.

We had spent the morning that we would be retuning to school packing the same bags we had come here with when we departed Hogwarts in December. I was excited to return, but this place had drained me of any true excitement or happiness. Even going back now only reminded me of the tasks I would have at hand.

I crammed my books into my bag and cringed with the number of books I had been forced to read. Of course I had learned so much more than I'd ever learned at Hogwarts, but it was almost suffocating. I closed the bag and rose to me feet seeing Draco was there waiting for me.

"Ready?" He asked me and I nodded.

We walked out the halls not even taking a glance at the room we had just shared for nearly 8 months. Voldemort had left a few days ago with Bellatrix at his side. I was thankful to not have to see him again before we left. He was typically very pleased with us, but there was an exam Draco and I both failed miserably. He had just about broke our necks over it like some fucked up principal.

We walked down the stairs and Snape was waiting for us and we followed him in silence to the front door. It opened and I was hit with sunlight and a wave of warm air. Something I had almost forgotten existed. I followed in silence the entire way to the train station. I was anxious to get back to my dormitory thankful to sleep in my old bed. I missed the feel of everything at Hogwarts.

We boarded the train separately from Snape and Draco and I went to a small table in the main part of the train. We sat down and after a while two of his friends sat on each side of us. One of which was Blaise and I made a long moment of eye contact. I hadn't spoke to him since before the big fallout happened.

Draco began to whisper to them the plan for the new year. To my surprise Blaise was involved in this conversation and was apart of this whole thing. We had made eye contact and he was almost embarrassed to look at me. Draco had never mentioned Blaise knowing about all of this and it almost made me wonder if he knew about me all along. It seemed like as Draco went on he was just learning about this whole situation so clearly he had only just found out about me.

I would never have taken him for someone wanting to get involved with all of this, but I guess he hadn't suspected me either. I was interested what had happened with him and Zara, but I'm sure I'd find out sooner than later with us now kind of working together. I listened to Draco, but my eyes were focused on the castle appearing over the hills.