The Hogwarts Descendant

Chapter 19

"All aboard! Train departure in five minutes!" A programmed voice spoke over the speakers. Draco swiftly stooped and kissed his mother's cheek, excitement causing his heart to beat erratically. After four long months, he was finally returning to Hogwarts - to Dahlia. His mother gave him a quick squeeze before releasing him. Malfoy made to walk away without saying goodbye to his father, but his father's cane hit his stomach as he turned to walk away, stopping him. Draco winced, slowly turning back around to face his father.

Lucius Malfoy was not one for public displays of affection, of any kind. He wasn't even the kind for displays of affection, so Draco was taken back when his father reached out and pulled him into a stiff embrace. Awkwardly, Draco brought his hands up to rest on his father's back when his father hissed in his ear, "You'd do well to continue to stay away from the Dumbledore girl."

Ice cold dread shivered down Malfoy's spine like a piece of ice. His fathers words were more than a warning - they were a threat. Malfoy swallowed, his throat suddenly extremely dry. Immediately his father pulled away, and Draco turned away. Numbly he walked away, his trunk clicking behind him. Malfoy pushed his way through the sea of students saying their tearful goodbyes after their extended summer.

While the other students seemed reluctant to leave their families for school, Malfoy was eager to board the train. He'd rather be at school than with his family. Summer at Malfoy manor had been stressful; death eater activity had accelerated over the summer and Malfoy Manor had become a hot spot for meetings. He didn't know specifics, but he was certain that something was going on. His father had spent a generous portion of the summer away with the Dark Lord, only returning to see Draco off to school and occasionally on weekends.

Draco kept his eyes peeled for Dahlia, his eagerness to see her now dimmed by his father's warning, but present nonetheless. In the end it didn't matter because he saw no sight of her. He hadn't heard from her at all all summer - no letter, no message, nothing. Not that he was surprised, considering he hadn't written to her. It was too dangerous to write to her; Bellatrix was still in a fury over her husband, ranting about all the gruesome ways she would make Rudolphus's murderer pay.

In return to Draco not writing, Dahlia hadn't written to him. A repeat of their christmas holiday in fourth year, he thought bitterly. He took a little comfort in the fact that Dahlia was most likely with her band of Gryffindors. After the tournament Potter wouldn't have let her sit alone all summer at Hogwarts, so he assumed she was probably at the Burrow with the Weasleys and Potter whenever he thought of her.

And he'd thought of her alot. Thoughts of her plagued his mind, awake and asleep. His family had questioned him several times over the summer about her, putting him even more on edge. He didn't understand why they were so interested in her; except for her unfortunate involvement in the maze, she posed no threat to them. He'd tried to put her from his mind, hoping that if he did so would the Death Eaters.

Things were changing around the wizarding world, and people were starting to whisper, despite the Daily Prophet reporting that Dumbeldore was lying. People were beginning to mysteriously disappear, like they had almost sixteen years ago when Voldemort first rose to power. Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter were having a standoff with the press about Voldemort's return. Cornelius Fudge - the idiotic minister of magic - refused to believe them, which Draco found quite stupid.

Malfoy himself knew that the Dark Lord had returned. He'd heard the word's from Dahlia's own mouth the night of the tournament, and if her word wasn't enough he'd seen nothing but the evidence since then. He'd even had the pleasure of laying eyes on the Dark Wizard himself, must to his chagrin. He'd spent the majority of his summer locked in his room after that, per his parent's command. His parents had seemed almost nervous. That in and of itself put Draco on edge.