Remain Nameless

Chapter 4

Granger did arrive at her usual time, but Draco was surprised to see she looked like sleep was also a distant concept.

"Morning," she said brightly, but had to beat back a yawn as she sat down.

"Granger."

She wordlessly began unloading her various books and journals on the table and disappeared behind her newspaper.

Draco cleared his throat. "Were you feeling ill yesterday?"

Her eyes were sharp as they snapped from her paper to meet his gaze.

"No, I wasn't ill."

She lowered her eyes again to her reading and Draco felt that familiar prickle of irritation.

"Did you have an early meeting at the Ministry?"

Her eyes snapped up again, but now her gaze was softer, almost pitying. What was he missing here?

"No I, uh... I took a personal day." She made an awkward sort of frown and lowered her eyes again. And he really should have dropped the subject then. He really, really, should have. It would have been polite and proper to heed the behavioral cues she gave. But Granger was never cagey like this and damn if he hated not getting direct answers to questions.

"Well tell me it was at least for something amusing, Granger, and you're just hungover because you look like you only got an 'E' instead of an 'O' on one of your OWLs."

Granger let out a sigh and folded her paper shut. She looked so defeated and Draco had a moment of panic that he'd inadvertently done something awful.

"Every year on May 2nd, Harry and I take the day off and Ron closes the joke shop. Everyone spends the day at the Burrow with the Weasleys and we... well, we spend time together and try to honor the people we lost by... by being together and remembering them fondly. As the years have passed, it has gotten easier, but it's still just... hard." She trailed off and swallowed a lump in her throat as Draco felt his stomach drop out.

How could he fucking forget? Yesterday had been the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts. No wonder she hadn't shown up. Why would she want to spend that particular day with a fucking Death Eater? No, Granger would seek solace with the Weasley horde and Potter and a whole host of Gryffindor heroes as they toasted their victory over evil and talked about their feelings and cried and hugged and were comforted by the fact that people like Draco had been defeated. And why should she want to see his face? What a fun reminder for her that he'd been part of the group that had murdered Fred Weasley and Lavender Brown and Remus Lupin and...

"Malfoy?"

Draco stood suddenly and averted his eyes. "Just remembered I have an earlier practice to observe, see you Granger."

He swept out of the café without a backward glance.

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Friday, May 4, 2007

Another morning, another corpse looking back at him from the mirror. Last night's terror inside his dreams was watching Crabbe fall to his death in the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement. He could actually feel the flames licking at his skin and woke up in a pool of sweat.

So it was no surprise to him that Granger commented on his appearance immediately that morning.

"Malfoy, you really don't look good."

Draco shrugged and tried to ignore the way the coffee was roiling in his empty stomach. He probably should have eaten something this morning. Granger looked like her normal self today; peppy and ready to right all the world's wrongs. She was digging around in her bag and then glanced surreptitiously side to side before holding something out to him.