Begin Again (George Weasley/Draco Malfoy)

Fifteen.

The Order insisted on going with us a few kids at a time to King’s Cross station. Harry went alone with Moody and Tonks, so I went with my dad, my mum, and Hermione. We made it in perfect time, Harry however was almost late. I was happy to have both of my parents here with me. Sirius, despite Dumbledore’s orders for him to stay in the house, tagged along in his Animagus form of a big black dog with Harry, Mad Eye, and Tonks. Before I entered the train I went up to him and patted him on the head and he rubbed his head onto my leg.
   
“Goodbye, Padfoot,” I say crouching to his level and petting him some more, and he gave me one quick lick on the face. Then I say what any human would say to a dog, “You be a good boy for dad, okay?”
   
Us Prefects had to ride in the Prefect Carriage for the first hour of the ride to Hogwarts. Harry wasn’t too happy about this, but he’s not happy about anything these days. I went with Ron and Hermione to the carriage, Prefect badge in hand in case they asked to see it for proof that I was a Prefect. When we entered the carriage I saw fellow Hufflepuff Ernie McMillian sitting and I took a seat next to my fellow Hufflepuff Prefect.
   
“You too, Fawley, that’s awesome,” Ernie says smiling. “I knew it would be you.”
   
Everyone keeps telling me that they’re not surprised that I am the new Hufflepuff Prefect. I think I am the only one who is. Ron and Hermione sat behind me, and there’s only two Prefects that aren’t here – the Slytherin Prefects. Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein from Ravenclaw are here, and Ron and Hermione are obviously here from Gryffindor, and Ernie and I are here for the Hufflepuff House so that just leaves the two chosen from Slytherin. I have a feeling Draco is about to walk through the door any minute now. His dad was a Prefect and he is the only boy in our year from Slytherin House who I can see Dumbledore picking to be a Prefect. I won’t be surprised if he’s a Prefect. In fact, I’ll be more surprised if he isn’t.
   
“Well, I guess we’re just waiting on two more and we can get started,” said Marcus Turner, the seventh year Prefect from Ravenclaw.
   
About a minute later we heard the familiar giggle of Pansy Parkinson, and then she entered the carriage with Draco looking like she was hanging all over him. I turned my head to look at them for a second and then I looked right back at the other Prefects. I didn’t want to waste my time looking at him. So, I bring my attention back to what is important. The seventh year Prefects go over everything that we need to know for the first day. We have to take the first years and lead them to the House common rooms and tell them how to find their bedrooms, that’s basically it for the first day. Then they went over everything we needed to know about what it means to be a Prefect and what’s expected of us, that took the majority of the hour. After that we were given the passwords to get into our houses and we were sent out on our way.
   
As I was walking away to find my Hufflepuff friends I felt a hand grab onto mine and then I am pulled into a supply closet. The light turns on and I am face to face with Draco Malfoy. “How come you never wrote me back.”
   
“Why should I tell you? It’s none of your business what I do anymore, Draco,” I snark back at him.
   
His entire expression and demeanor softens, “Adelaide, please, it’s driving me crazy. If you don’t want to talk to me and hear me out fine, but please tell me why you don’t want to.”
   
“Okay, fine,” I say rolling my eyes. If he wasn’t going to give up then I might as well just tell him the truth, or a version of the truth he will buy. “I was gone, away from my mum, all Holiday. I was with my dad. I didn’t see the letters until I got home. I read two of them, the first two, but that was it. That’s why I never wrote you back because I didn’t read all of your letters.”
   
He looks confused now, “Why didn’t you read them all?”
   
“Because well, timing, I guess,” I explain shrugging, “It was already so late when I got to them, and I figured that you were mad at me for not responding so I didn’t even read the last two. Also, it hurt to read them. It really did. It hurt to relive all of that.” He takes his pointer and his thumb and rubs his eyes looking annoyed. “What do you want from me, Draco?” I am getting annoyed myself now. “Did you expect to apologize and then you and I would just go back to how we were before? Did you really expect I’d just forgive you and fall into your arms and tell you that I still love you? Just like that? Did you think that I’d want to be your friend?”
   
“No,” he says quickly, “that’s not what I thought. I just couldn’t take you not knowing anymore.”
   
“Knowing what? How sorry you are for being such a dick?” I ask even though I think that’s actually what he’s trying to get at.
   
“Yes,” he says, his tone serious, nodding. “Please just let me apologize in person, hear me out.”
   
“And how do you expect us to be alone? We’re Prefects now, we’re under a microscope. We don’t just get all the alone time we want to, Draco.”
   
“I know,” He says, “But Prefects are allowed to walk the halls an hour after curfew to make sure they have all their students accounted for.”
   
“So you want to walk the halls together?” I ask, trying to sound like that wasn’t a smart idea.
   
“Why not?” He asks, shrugging.
   
I don’t reply, at least not right away. Maybe I should hear him out, hear what he has to say, and decide for myself if I want to truly forgive him. If his apology isn’t up to my standards I can always just tell him to piss off, right? It’s not like I have to accept his apology just because he apologized. I guess there was no harm in just talking to him and hearing him out if it means afterwards he will finally leave me alone.
   
“Fine,” I say giving in, “I will hear you out. Tonight, after curfew. Meet me by the kitchen.”
   
The biggest, happiest smile takes over his face just then. “Really? Oh my, thank you. Thank you so much, Adelaide. Really.”
   
“Yeah, yeah, you should know that if I were you I’d best start going over what you want to say now because it better be a good apology.”
   
“I promise you it will be,” he assures me, a smile still on his face.
   
I don’t say anything else, I open the closet door and exit the tiny room leaving Draco in there alone. I walked past the cart that had Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, a fellow Gryffindor boy in our year called Neville Longbottom, and a Ravenclaw girl in Ginny’s year called Luna Lovegood. It looked like their carriage was full, so I kept looking until I saw my Hufflepuff friends. When I found my friend Jude Selpie I opened her carriage door and she smiled at me. She’s been watching my stuff for me while I was gone.
   
She put some of her wild, dark brunette curls behind her shoulder and smiled wide at me. “Well if it isn’t our new House Prefect, back so soon, eh?”
   
“I am,” I say, smiling back at her and taking the open spot next to her. Her little sister Lollie and her little brother who was starting this year, Rain, were both sitting next to her.
   
“So, who are the other Prefects?” Asks Hannah as soon as I am seated.
   
“Um, well, the other Hufflepuff is Ernie McMillian. Then there is Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger for Gryffindor –”
   
“Oh really?” says Amala, cutting me off and sounding surprised at this. “I thought for sure that Dumbledore would have chosen Harry Potter.”
   
“Yeah, well, Harry isn’t exactly Prefect material,” says Jude. “He’s far too reckless.”
   
“He is,” I agree with her.
   
“So who are the others?” Asks Lollie, I know that she just wants to know about her house, which is Ravenclaw House, the most.
   
I start with Ravenclaw because I know that’s what Lollie wants to know about the most, “For Ravenclaw it’s Padma Patil and Anthony Goldstein. And Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy for Slytherin.”
   
“Oh my Goodness,” scoffs Sadie. “He really chose Draco and Pansy? Maybe Dumbledore is losing his mind.”
   
I stayed quiet at this, Jude gave me a look. She’s the only person I ever told about Draco and I and she has kept my secret for the past 2 years now. She was so happy when I broke up with him last year. She wants me to date George Weasley, that would make her so happy.
   
Then Jude did what I would never expect her to do; she actually defends Draco Malfoy. “Pansy I don’t understand, but Draco was the obvious choice if you think about it. Who else would he have chosen? Crabbe or Goyle? Also doesn’t he brag about how his father was Slytherin Prefect back in the day?”
   
“I guess you have a point there,” agrees Sadie, shrugging.
   
It’s kind of an unspoken thing that all of the other houses hate Slytherin House, especially the Gryffindor’s. Ravenclaw’s kind of keep to themselves, but us Hufflepuff’s don’t like Slytherin’s much either. Probably because they love to make fun of us. When I first met Draco, he said if he got into Hufflepuff he’d just leave, then I told him to watch his tongue because my mum was in Hufflepuff and I was hoping to be in Hufflepuff just like her and he actually said he was sorry.
   
My friends and I all got dressed early, because we didn’t want to be forced to have to wait when everyone else needed to change into their school robes at the end of the trip. Since we were the last two I waited for Jude while she got ready. While I was fastening my badge to my robes, waiting for Jude to exit the girl’s loo when Draco Malfoy walks up to where I am standing.
   
“What do you want, Draco?” I ask, in a hard tone.
   
“I saw you and your friends walk back with your robes,” he explains, “I figured I’d get a jump on the line too. I don’t want to be standing here waiting forever.”
   
“Well, I haven’t seen anyone enter or exit the men’s loo so I think you will be okay,” I tell him, still in my hard tone. Just then Jude exits the girl’s loo.
   
“I heard the news, congrats on making Prefect, Draco,” she says in a tone that gives it away that she means the opposite of what she’s saying.
   
Draco doesn’t seem phased by this, “Thank you,” he nods.
   
“She knows everything,” I tell him, he somehow goes even whiter than he already was.
   
“Of course she does,” he says nodding.
   
“And unless you want everyone in Hufflepuff House to know,” Starts Jude getting into Draco’s face. “I suggest you leave my best friend alone.” She grabs my hand into hers and we start walking. She doesn’t know about tonight, when Draco and I are set to meet by the kitchens after curfew, and she’s already threatening him. Sometimes I think that Jude really should have been placed in Gryffindor House, but the sorting hat said Hufflepuff, and the sorting hat is known to always be correct.
   
When we arrived at Hogwarts, I sat with some of the other Prefects at the table, while we waited for the feast to begin. We were all eager to see where Rain was going to end up. We all rejoiced when he was placed into Hufflepuff. Two Hufflepuffs and one Ravenclaw, their parents are going to be so happy to hear that, being that they were both a Hufflepuff and a Ravenclaw themselves. Since I was Prefect, I had to take the first years to the common room. Rain would be comfortable with me doing so.
   
When Dumbledore made a speech that this year’s new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher would be Delores Umbridge, I was surprised. Harry told me she was at his hearing. She interrupted Dumbledore, giving a speech of her own about how Hogwarts needed a change and she would be the one to bring it about. She was frightening to look at, and I had a feeling I wasn’t going to like her, and I like everyone, it’s a downfall of mine, honestly.
   
I planned on telling Jude about mine and Draco’s plan to meet up, but after she threatened him earlier on the train I figured it was best that I keep that to myself until after it was over. She didn’t need to know everything just yet. When nighttime came and the Prefects were allowed to roam the halls for an hour to make sure none of our students snuck out Draco was waiting for me at the kitchens where I told him to meet me. He smiled when he saw me. I didn’t think anything of it, but his smile was nice to see. I had to fight my own smile back.
   
“You came,” He said, almost like he was thinking that I wouldn’t, even though it was my idea to meet by the kitchens.
   
“I did,” I say nodding. We start walking then, I start to tie my hair up into a ponytail on the top of my head as we walk.
   
Draco is quiet, like he’s nervous, which he probably is. I would be if I were him. He’s got a lot of apologizing to do. Once we’re far enough past the kitchen where no one can see us anymore, Draco still hasn’t spoken up. So, I just had to make it known what kind of mood I was in. I keep my voice stern with him, “Draco, If you’re not going to start talking soon I’m going to go back to my room. I’ve had a long day and I’m tired.”
   
“Right, right,” he says shaking his head looking down at his feet. “I guess I should get started. Um, Adelaide,” he stops, and turns to face me. “I have thought about nothing but you since the term ended in June. Because of this, I think it’s time that I tell you how I feel and where I stand.” He pauses like he’s waiting for me to respond, but I don’t, so he keeps going.  “As I said in my letter I have so many regrets when it comes to you that I don’t even know where to start.”
   
“Oh I think you know exactly where to start, Draco,” I sneer at him. It was so unlike me to be this nasty with him, or with anyone, but he deserved it. If anyone deserves it it’s him.
   
“I’m guessing you’re talking about the Yule Ball?” He asks, giving me a look in his eyes that means he’s praying he’s not wrong. I nod, and we start walking again. “Okay, I should have talked to you before I asked Pansy to go with me. That was so cruel of me. As my girlfriend you had a right to know what my intentions were about going together from the second we found out there was going to be a dance. Also, I had no right to get so angry about you going with a Weasley. I just truly thought that the only reason you were going with him was because you know how I feel about them and it was all just a ploy to make me angry.”
   
“But I’m not you, Draco. I don’t do things to intentionally hurt people like that,” I remind him, he nods agreeing. I understand how he believed I could do that. In his world, throughout his entire life, if someone made you angry or upset you got back at them. I was angry at him, so going to the Yule Ball with someone I knew he hated would be a perfect way to get back at him for making me angry.
   
“I know you don’t do that, and I’m sorry for thinking that you would. I don’t know how many times I’m going to say that to you tonight but I am sorry. So, so sorry. For everything.”
   
“Well, if it means anything to you, that could have started off much worse. So, just continue before I change my mind about this.”
   
We continue to talk and walk, our hour is actually almost up by the time he’s gotten through everything. He apologized very well. Even though I bet he’s never had to apologize for his actions ever in his life before now, he was surprisingly good at it. He was certainly making up for his actions with his words. He apologized for forbidding me from telling anyone about us. He apologized for letting his friends make fun of me. He even swore to use his power as a Prefect to keep his gang and other Slytherin’s off of my back this year, and lead them somewhere else if they started picking on other Hufflepuffs. But not the Gryffindor’s though, he had to draw the line somewhere, that’s where I laughed. I forgot how easy it was to laugh with him sometimes. It was nice.
   
I wasn’t about to be his girlfriend again, oh no, I had learned that lesson. I don’t think that I would ever do that again. I did catch myself standing a little bit closer to him than I normally would be if people were around. I thought we wouldn’t be seen by anyone, and I think Draco did too.
   
“So, do you forgive me?” Draco asked as we were rounding in on our hour.
   
I nod my head yes, “I do, because I know you’ve never had to apologize for anything ever before.”
   
“Do you think that maybe there’s a chance we could be friends at all?”
   
“Oh,” I am now perplexed at this. I stop walking and I turn to look at him, “Um, I don’t know Draco. We’ve been through so much. I don’t think it will ever be easy for us to be friends. I think if we’re friends we’re always going to want more, and that’s toxic behavior that neither of us want in our lives.”
   
“I think you’re right,” He admits. “If we were friends, and you got a new boyfriend, I think I’d want to kill him. I'd be so full of jealousy.” I chuckle at that, it was true. If Draco gets a new girlfriend I would be jealous, but if we’re not friends it’s not my business to care what he does. “I guess this is it then, huh?”
   
I look up at him. All of the memories, and all of the time we spent together, it’s all over again just like that. It was sad, so sad. I wrap my arms around him, holding him tight for the last time. He wraps his arms around me in response, holding me against his chest. I take in his scent, and I can’t control the tears in my eyes. They leak out freely, getting Draco’s robes wet but he doesn’t complain, he just holds me. I swear I hear a sniffle come from him as we stand here, both heartbroken.
   
“What’s going on here?” A familiar voice asks. It’s Hermione Granger. Draco doesn’t let go of me like I thought that he would.
   
“It’s my fault,” he says, and for a second I think that he might tell her the truth, but he doesn’t. “I jumped out and scared her. I thought she was you, Weasley. I’ve been trying to calm her down for 5 minutes now. She’s soaked my robes with her tears.”
   
“Here, let me,” Hermione says and I feel her take my arm and pull me away from Draco. “I’ll take her back to the Hufflepuff house, you two should be getting back to your common rooms, it’s getting late.”
   
Draco starts to beg Hermione, “No, please, let me take her.”
   
“I think you’ve done enough, Draco,” sneers Hermione and she begins walking, taking me with her. I look back at Draco who I see looking back at me with the saddest look in his eyes before I look away from him again.
   
“Nice going, Malfoy,” I hear Ron say and then I hear his footsteps. Ron reaches Hermione and I quickly. “Are you okay, Adelaide?”
   
“Yeah,” I say, wiping my eye free of some tears. “It was nothing. I overreacted.”
   
But the truth was I didn’t overreact about anything. I’m glad I don’t have any of that Truth Chocolate from the twins, because I’d be spilling my guts out right now. When we reached my common room, they said goodbye and that was it. I went up to the barrels as they walked away and tapped the rhythm to allow me into the common room. I went right girl’s dormitory and went to sleep, trying my hardest not to cry myself to sleep after what just happened.

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Here's part 15!

As you can see this was totally supposed to be mainly a Draco fic.

George will win her over eventually don’t worry.

-Emily Winchester.