Two Souls

Chapter Sixty Nine

        The train ride is nearly over and Draco, Zabini, Crabbe, Goyle, and I are seated together in a compartment. I sit next to Draco, whilst Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini sit across from us. The scenery outside of the window has transitioned from the muggle part of London to the magical beauty of Hogwarts.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Zabini asks angrily, struggling to close the compartment door. The four of us laugh from our seats at his difficulties.

"You bloody idiot, you have to push it slowly," I tell him, standing up from Draco's grip and demonstrating to Blaise how to close it. I teach him as if he was a kindergartener, causing the boys to cackle even louder.

"So," Draco says once I sit back down next to him and running his fingers through my hair lazily, "what did Professor Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to make up to well-connected people. Not that he managed to find any," Zabini shrugs, glaring at Goyle.

"Who else had he invited?" Draco asks, his posture stiffening. I intertwine my fingers with him and rub circles with my thumb on his flesh, causing him to relax slightly.

"McLaggen from Gryffindor," I say.

"Oh, his Uncle is big in the Ministry."

" — someone else called Belby from Ravenclaw," Zabini adds to the conversation.

" — and Neville Longbottom, Ginny, and Harry," I tell him slowly, knowing that he'll get angry at the mention of Harry's name.

"He invited Longbottom?"

"Well I assume so, since Longbottom was there. We really didn't talk about anything important," I assure him, pulling my head out of his grip.

"What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?" Draco asks curiously. "Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at 'The Chosen One,' but that Weasley girl? What's so special about her?"

"She doesn't know anyone influential, that I'll admit. But apparently a lot of boys like her, she's quite fit. Even you think she's good looking, Blaise, and we all know how hard you are to please," I say softly.

"I wouldn't touch a filthy little blood traitor like her whatever she looked like," Zabini snaps.

"Hey! I don't know if you remember correctly but there is nothing wrong with being a muggleborn wizard or witch," I angrily respond. "You two are so old fashioned it's ridiculous."

Draco quickly hides his face of any sign of pleasure. "Amelia, you're different," He says quietly.

I roll my eyes but don't say anything more, not bothering to continue the conversation.

"Well, I pity Slughorn's taste. Maybe he's going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in the day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his. Slughorn probably hasn't heard I'm on the train or —"

"I wouldn't bank on an invitation. He asked me about Nott's father when I first arrived.  They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he's been caught at the Ministry he didn't look happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters," Zabini responds, oblivious to Draco and I's growing anger.

"Who cares what he's interested in?" I ask, trying to placate the tensions between the two. "He's just some stupid teacher."

Draco laughs humorlessly. "I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what's it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?"

"What do you mean you might not be at Hogwarts next year?" Zabini asks indignantly.

"Well, you never know," Draco says smirking, "I might have — er, — moved on to bigger and better things," He boasts. I try not to scoff at his pathetically obvious statement. Luckily, everyone in the compartment is too much of a bonehead to put two and two together.

"Do you mean — Him?" Zabini whispers.

"Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean, think about it . . . When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care about how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.Ts anyone's got? Of course he isn't .  . . It'll be all about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown."

"Draco!" I gasp. "We'll certainly return to Hogwarts for our final year, ignore him."

"And you think you'll do something for him?" Zabini asks scathingly, ignoring my statement. "Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?"

"I've just said, haven't I? Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified. Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for," Draco says quietly, biting his lower lip.

"What on Earth are you saying?" I ask.

Zabini cackles. "Might want to control your fiancé over here, Malfoy," He jokes.

"I can hear everything you're saying. I'm not some sort of object that can be controlled, either," I tell him whilst rolling my eyes. "I can see Hogwarts. We'd better leave and get our robes on."

I stand on my tip toes and grab my trunk from the rack and swing it down. The trunk hits some sort of wall, causing a deep gasp of pain from the middle of nowhere.

Harry Potter has been listening under his invisibility cloak this entire time.

The rest of the compartment doesn't seem to notice anything, but I glance at Draco. Draco pulls on his robes with the others, as if he had heard nothing. I breathe a sigh of relief — I can't imagine what I would have done if we had all discovered Harry hiding out in here. I need to warn him to not do that.

"You go on," Draco tells me once Zabini, Crabbe's and Goyle exit. "I just want to check something."

"Are you sure?" I ask worriedly. "I can always wait outside of the train .  . ."

Draco kisses my forehead. "I'll be back in five minutes, love. Go on and save me a seat at the Slytherin table, all right? Preferably somewhere towards the back."

I nod. "Don't do anything stupid, Draco. Please," I whisper to him as I say goodbye.

If he knows that Harry is here, he better not do something that he'll regret.

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I'm so worn out from school and work ahhhh I got u guys 3 chapters td tho woot woot