Empty Spaces

Chapter 26

"Wow, congratulations!" Ron grinned, "Neville, that's huge!"

"That's amazing!" Ginny echoed, "Really, that's incredible! Have they ever even picked a student before??"

"Thanks guys!!" Neville said, excitement visible on his face, "Yeah, I don't think they usually choose people who are still in school. Newt Scamander, you know, the guy who wrote the textbook, I don't think he'd passed his exams when they approved his research, but that was ages ago. So... yeah! I'm leaving this summer!"

"Do you know where you're going first?" Harry asked, genuinely happy for his friend. Neville deserved this.

"I could play it safe and start on the continent, Spain maybe... But... I'm thinking I want to start in South America. There's an incredibly rare type of sundew plant down there with really potent magic, but it's so difficult to find and nobody has managed to cultivate it yet..."

Neville was cut off by Professor Sprout announcing the start of class, but continued to fill them in all about his plans for next year as they prepared Greenhouse 2 for the holiday break, repotting and preening and fertilizing. Neville's enthusiasm was infectious, and Harry began wondering what his own future could hold for him. Maybe he would take Holmberg up on his offer after all...

Class ended and Neville went to go find Luna to tell her the news while Ginny headed off with her friends, leaving Ron alone with Harry once more.

"I have news too," Ron said at last, "Tomorrow's my last day. It's official. Told Mum and everything. After the holidays, I'm going to work at the shop full time with George."

"Wow, that's great! So you've decided then?" Harry said, smiling at his best friend.

"Yeah, school just isn't doing it for me," Ron replied, looking thoughtful, "I gave it a go, I really did. And it was nice, being back with everyone and all... but after last year, doing things in a classroom just doesn't feel the same. I want to do something that really matters. Helping George, yeah, but also helping people feel good, have a laugh. After everything we've been through, we could all use a good laugh, couldn't we...?"

"And then some," Harry agreed. "I'm happy for you. You're going to be great, you really are."

"Thanks, mate," Ron said, "Oh, your boyfriend's here," he whispered with a cheeky grin.

"Malfoy's not– whatever, never mind–" Harry floundered as Malfoy strode down the corridor.

"Hey Potter. Weasley," Malfoy greeted the pair of them, wearing the Malfoy mask that Harry now recognized as safety glass.

"Hey," Harry replied, then on a whim of either bravery or stupidity– it's amazing how much the two have in common– decided to take a chance. "Ron, what are you doing tonight?" he asked.

"Nothing?"

"Come out with us," Harry invited, ignoring the raised eyebrows coming from both his best friend and his maybe-boyfriend. "I'll get Hermione to come along. It's your last night before you leave for London."

"I can't, I'm under curfew because I'm dorming," Ron started to protest.

"What are they going to do, expel you on your last day?" Harry laughed, "Come out with us, we'll get some dinner, have a drink." He wrapped his arm around Malfoy's waist, hoping his message was coming across. It'll be good for you, too, you know.

"Yeah, okay," Ron replied, a rebellious grin starting to spread across his face.

"Meet us at the inn at 6, okay?" Harry said, turning to head down to the gates, taking Malfoy with him.

"Six. Great. See you then!" Ron turned and headed back up, probably towards the Gryffindor common room.

"I mean this in the best way possible, but what the hell?" Malfoy asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

"Ron's leaving, he's not coming back to school after the holidays," Harry explained as they walked down the icy path, "And it won't do you any good to stay in all afternoon. We won't know the future until it happens. So in the meantime, just come out with us. We'll go back to your place, see if there's any news. And then we can go out and have a butterbeer. Unless you had something better in mind..."

"You are unbelievable," Malfoy said, shaking his head affectionately.

"What?" Harry asked.

"None of this makes any actual sense. Granger and Weasley are your friends, not mine. Why the hell would they...?"

"Exactly," Harry said. "Nothing in life makes sense. So stop thinking about it and just come out with us."

"Do you really just do whatever the hell you feel like, whenever you feel like it?" Malfoy was now looking at Harry as if he'd grown another head.

"Not all the time," Harry said. Just... a lot of the time?

"You are so interesting," Malfoy smiled, amused, "How do you, I don't know, survive??"

"No idea," Harry laughed, "Pure dumb luck? I don't know. How on earth do you survive?? Your entire world is one bigass game of chess. If I lived my life based entirely on calculations, I'm pretty sure I would actually die."

"Just dumb luck, I guess," Malfoy replied. "Fine. Sure. I'll go out with you. Fuck it all."

"That's the spirit," Harry laughed, taking Malfoy's hand. "Let's go."

Hermione took a bit more convincing than Ron or Malfoy, but she eventually came around when Harry pointed out that it was their final night together before they all went their separate ways– Ron was off to Diagon Alley while Hermione had put in her application to continue her studies in Magical Law. As for Harry... Harry still hadn't decided what his future held, but at least he had a future. That was a start, right?

Harry took them all out to the cafe on the corner. It was nothing special but they were together, which was what mattered most. Hermione had warmed up to Malfoy early on, and in some ways, Harry wasn't all that surprised at how well they got along. Both were meticulously logical in their thinking and tended to categorize the world into neat little boxes. Ron, on the other hand, was more hesitant to open up, but once they found the common ground of Quidditch, a bridge had been crossed. At some point, they moved over to the Three Broomsticks for hot butterbeers, and eventually Hermione announced it was time to wrap things up since it was, after all, a school night.

And then everyone went their separate ways. Harry supposed it was inevitable in the end. Ron took his broom and flew back to the castle, hoping to sneak in undetected. Hermione headed back to their flat, while Harry went with Malfoy to his.

"Thanks," Malfoy said, holding the door open for Harry to enter his room, "For tonight."

"Glad you came," Harry replied. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah," Malfoy said, looking at the empty window. Still no response. "Okay enough."

"One more day," Harry said, hoping he sounded reassuring, "Then we'll know what's going on."

Malfoy nodded, and Harry accepted the silent invitation to stay another night. The whole world was different now. But wasn't that the point of it all?? The world had been broken before, broken by prejudice and hatred and a past that refused to die. And Harry found himself feeling hopeful in a way he hadn't before– maybe, just maybe, there was a chance that as everything slowly reassembled, this new world would be better than the one that came before it. He and Malfoy were living proof of that, weren't they?

Whatever comes next, we'll face it together.