Coping Mechanisms

10. Draco

Mercifully, Draco's carriage was all but empty, minus his Slytherin acquaintances and a few stragglers. The younger students seemed to be unaware of the former titles the three Slytherin boys had recently possessed. Most of the train's passengers had avoided the small group of ex death eaters, and Draco relished the quiet. If not for the bickering of his two classmates, the train ride might have been enjoyable.

Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini were exactly the same as Draco remembered. Theo was a weedy boy, tall and thin, like he'd been stretched too far. What he lacked in muscle, he made up for in brains, though he hid his cleverness behind quirkiness. His upbeat attitude was far opposite of the vain boy beside him. Blaise was dark-skinned, with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes. He held an air of arrogance that rivaled even Malfoy's, though his prejudice far surpassed Draco's. He looked down on everyone and everything, and he wasn't afraid to be blatantly obvious about it.

"Here comes Granger again," Theo whispered

Draco caught sight of Hermione skittering through their carriage, a determined look on her face. If she'd heard Theo's musings, she chose to ignore them.

"She cut her hair," Theo said once the door had snapped shut behind her. "She looks kinda pretty."

"You into mudbloods now, Nott?" Blaise teased. "And Gryffindor mudbloods no less."

Something in Draco's stomach tensed.

"I don't think you're her type," Blaise continued. "She's more into weasels of the ginger kind. Poor git. I bet she keeps that stick up her ass in the bedroom too."

Draco clenched his fists.

"Think about that often, do you Zabini?" Draco said, keeping his tone indifferent. Theo couldn't hide his chuckle.

Blaise narrowed his eyes at him.

"Didn't think we'd see you back this year, Malfoy."

"Didn't think I was coming back either."

"Why did you?" Theo asked, curious.

Draco merely shrugged.

"I just wanted to spite my father," Theo admitted. "What about you, Blaise?"

"Dear old Mum is moving on to husband number 7. I didn't want to stick around."

"Anyone else?"

"I saw Parkinson board too," Blaise admitted.

"Pansy?" Theo asked.

"Do you know another Parkinson?"

Draco pinched the bridge of his nose, already exhausted of their unimportant banter.

"Is she with Longbottom now?" Theo asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Pansy?" Blaise laughed. "Good one."

"No, not Pansy, you dumb ass. Granger." Theo gestured to Hermione re-entering the car, Neville in tow. She met Draco's eyes, the corner of her lip rising almost imperceptibly.

Longbottom looked as confused as Draco felt.

Her subtle, vanilla notes wafted through the car with her, and he tilted his head slightly to watch her departure through the corner of his eye. If his memory served him correctly, they were adjacent to the prefects car, and Draco hadn't seen the rest of the golden trio pass this way.

He hid a knowing smile.

The two Gryffindors didn't pass them again the rest of the trip, though Blaise and Theo's quarrels lasted up until the train stopped.