That Damn Weasley Charm II G.W

Part 4, Chapter 41- Drinking can't fix this but it does help

"I've got alcohol," Cassius says. Everyone in the room looks over at him. He's standing with the rest of the Slytherin boys, each of them are holding a pillowcase full of bottles.

I don't really remember the rest of the night. There was a lot of drinking, a lot of crying, a lot of hugging people I've barely had conversations with. Though Cedric wasn't necessarily all of our friend... he is... was... one of us. We grew up together, watched him turn into the wizard that he was. He's family.

"To Cedric!" Clarissa says drunkenly. She raises the bottle she's been drinking from into the air and everyone follows suit, "The best fucking wizard in our year. I'm going to miss him." Everyone mumbles in agreement and clinks their bottles together.

I don't think any of us sleep, or at least from what I can remember at least. I know that Dumbledore came into the great hall at some point to check on us. We all thought that he would yell at us for having alcohol in school but he just closes the door again. I guess he's lost someone too.

At nine in the morning, the doors are open again. A few staff members come in, take our cots away, and set up the tables for breakfast. They set up an extra, smaller table on the edge of the room. Madam Pince tells us that its for us to sit and be together.

We all sit down, exhausted, hung over, sad. I lean my head on George's shoulder. No one says anything. The room fills with the other students. They're all chattering and talking amongst themselves but no one at our little table says a single word. Plates appear, then food appears. None of us eat much even though we probably should.

I spread marmalade on a slice of toast and manage to eat half of it without feeling sick. The Hufflepuffs don't even bother looking like they're eating anything. I know we are all sad but I can never imagine what the nine of them are going through, if one of the Slytherins died... I wouldn't know what I would do.

Once the plates have cleared, Dumbledore stands up at the podium and the rest of the room stops talking, "In times like these, there are little things that make people feel better. Cedric Diggory was a start student and a shining light in the halls at Hogwarts. I express my deepest condolences to his teachers, his house, his friends, his year. Cedric's legacy will live on through each of you. He died a champion, died a winner. He brought pride to Hogwarts. Pride to Hufflepuff."

He stops talking. Quiet sobs from the Hufflepuff table is all we can hear for quite some time. People at our small table start crying again too. Lee wipes tears off of Walters face. I want to cry but I can't. It's like I've run out of tears, my eyes are all dried up.

"I know... that you are all curious about the events that took place in the maze last night and honestly so am I. However, I urge you not to ask anything of Harry Potter. He has seen things, experienced things, that no one his age... no one ever should have to witness." Dumbledore continues. "Harry Potter has healed from his injuries and will be around Hogwarts till the train departs later today."

After breakfast, Dumbledore sends us all back to our dorm to pack our things. The energy at Hogwarts has shifted greatly.

"Do you think... this is it? The Dark Lord?" Miriam asks once all the Slytherins are back in the common room. The sixth and seventh years are sitting together in front of the fire.

No one answers her, but we are all thinking the same thing. "Why didn't he kill Harry? Everyone knows that he's the one the Dark Lord wants." Graham says.

I glance up at him for a moment but I don't say anything. I'm tired of saying things. "I'm not the only one that doesn't want to go home right?" Adrian says. Everyone mumbles a 'no, you're not'.

I rub my face with both my hands and groan. I slap my knees and look at everyone. "We have to pack." I say. I can tell by the looks on some peoples faces that they were expecting me to say something else, anything else. I get up from the couch and go into my dorm without a second thought. Emma, Clarissa, and Miriam come in after a few minutes.

"Are you going home?" Emma asks me, "I saw the letter that Molly sent you, asking you to spend your summer with the Weasleys."

I throw some of the clothes I have laying around into my trunk haphazardly "Not a fucking clue. If the Dark Lord is back... I bet you my entire trust fund that he's camping out at the Malfoy Manor... and that means that Draco is going to have to deal with it, alone if I'm not there." Realization hits me hard, "Draco, I haven't even checked in on him!"

I run out of the dorm ignoring Emma's pleas to just stay put and finish packing. I practically storm into Draco's dorm which makes Blaise jump. Draco looks at me, my cat Fergus is sitting on his bed.

"Dray, can I talk to you?"

Draco nods and leaves his dorm room with me, Fergus follows him. "Are you alright?" We say at the same time. We look at each other for a moment and we laugh. The first time I've laughed in what feels like years.

"You're keeping something from me. And I want to know what it is." Draco says.

I press the heel of my hands into my eyes, "I think the Dark Lord is back, he's the one that killed Cedric. And I'm scared that when we get home he's going to be sitting at our dining table reading the Daily Prophet." I say quickly.

Draco's face goes slack. "Father wouldn't..."

"Yes he would..."

"Alright, then mother wouldn't. She wouldn't let him into our house."

I pull Draco into a hug, he resists at first but then he hugs me back, "It's okay to be scared." I whisper to him.

"I'm not scared." He tries to pull away from me but I hold on tight enough so he can't.

"It's alright to be scared."

"I'm not scared."

"Draco. It's alright to be scared."

Draco shudders and he starts to cry, he tightens his grip around my torso and I hold him as close to me as I can. "I don't want to go home."

I stroke his hair and hum a lullaby that my aunt Narcissa sung to us as kids. "I don't want to go home." Draco whispers again. We stand there for a while, holding each other. Then he pulls away and this time I let him.

"Go finish packing." I wipe the stray tears off his face with my thumbs, "I'll see you on the train yeah?"

Draco nods and smiles sadly at me. He heads back into his room. I pick Fergus up off the floor and hold him tight to my chest and I walk back through the common room and into my dorm.

"Is Draco alright?" Emma asks. She's finished packing and is now sitting on her unmade bed cross legged.

"Shit scared and won't admit it, but yeah, he's holding on." I say to her.

Emma reads my facial expressions, "You're going home aren't you?"

"I'm going home."