"Listen, Lia," Draco sighed. "I know you're missing Scarhead."
"Oh, what gave you that impression?" Thalia moaned. "I swear I'm not." She had her knees brought up to her chest and her face buried in her hands.
A few minutes ago, she spotted Harry on the platform at Kings Cross and she felt absolutely broken. Over the summer, she didn't think much of him because she didn't see him but when he was just standing there, on the station, she just felt her heart break all over again.
"So, I suppose," Draco dramatically sighed, "if you would still like to date him but keep it on the down low... I wouldn't tell anyone. As long as you end it before Christmas. 'Cus you know how half the Death Eaters do their crazy mind thing."
"Wait, like actually?" Thalia asked, perking up. Draco felt the need to comfort her when he saw the tears streaming down her cheeks but he was never one for comforting, so he just looked at the carpeted floor of their compartment.
"Yes," the blonde answered stiffly. "Go on then."
He nodded towards the door and Thalia quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve. No one besides Draco would even guess that she'd been crying because she'd cleaned herself up so easily.
"Thanks, Dray," Thalia mumbled.
"Yeah, whatever," Draco shrugged.
Thalia slipped out of the compartment and walked towards the front of the train. She kept turning her head to check the other compartments and accidentally rammed into someone.
"Sorry-"
"Sorry- Harry."
"Oh," Harry said. His eyes widened in alarm when he realized who he'd bumped into. "Hi. Hello."
"Hi."
"I've been meaning to talk to you about something," Harry said rather quickly. He dug his hands into the pockets of his jeans and pulled out a neatly folded paper. It looked so thin and fragile, like it's been crumpled and flattened a million times over.
Harry fumbled around with the parchment and opened it to reveal Thalia's handwriting.
Thalia winced.
"Is this a joke or were you-"
"It was a joke," Thalia nodded, cutting him off. "Just a horrible, horrible joke. Surprised you didn't get it."
Harry's face flushed with relief and he awkwardly laughed. "Sorry, I couldn't really hear how you were saying it on the paper," he said.
"Don't apologize," Thalia huffed. "I didn't- um, well, I guess it's partially my fault for not writing again and explaining the terrible joke so-"
"No, it's not your fault," Harry said, shaking his head. "I was just overthinking it-"
"Well, I-"
"Mhm," Blaise cut in. He subtly looked at Thalia's engagement ring and then raised his eyebrows at her. Thalia pursed her lips together tightly.
Blaise inhaled sharply. "Potter," he greeted. "I don't suppose you know where Lovegood's compartment is."
"Few compartments down," Harry nodded, "that way."
"Thanks," he huffed. Blaise looked at Thalia again with the same raised eyebrows and she shook her head. He let out a sigh and walked off in the direction of Luna's compartment.
"Do you- um, do you want to come to my compartment?" Harry asked Thalia. "Ron and Hermione are already there."
"Oh, that's alright. I've got to get back to Draco," Thalia said. "Theo's Prefect this year so Draco's in the compartment by himself. I just needed to get that letter all cleared up."
"Okay," the raven-haired Gryffindor nodded. "I'll see you later then."
"Kay," she replied. Thalia quickly pecked his lips and Harry smiled widely. "Love you."
"Love you too."
Thalia kissed his lips again and walked back to her Slytherin compartment happily. She slid into the compartment and somehow, even though she thought Parkinson was Prefect, she was sitting across from Draco.
"Parkinson," Thalia sneered. Draco didn't seem amused by Pansy's presence but he was still talking to her.
"Forthing," she greeted stiffly. Draco scooted over and Thalia slid into the spot next to him.
"Beat it," Thalia demanded. Pansy scowled but still left the compartment. "What the bloody hell was she doing here?"
"I thought you were going to stay with Scarhead and I didn't have anyone to talk to," he muttered. "Then Parkinson came along- didn't even ask if she could sit, and she just started to talk to me. Thought I was supposed to be in the Prefect compartment and then I told her that I wasn't Prefect this year."
"I hate the bitch," Thalia grumbled. "Are you excited for this year?"
"Yeah, just over the top about the fact that we've got to kill our headmaster and let the Death Eaters into Hogwarts," Draco remarked sarcastically. "Lia, you know if we fail our mission, we become chum for sharks on both sides."
"I know," Thalia mumbled. "Let's just hope we don't fail."
"If we fail to murder the bloody idiot, we're failures in the Dark Lord's eyes and then, the other side won't even want us," Draco huffed. "It's like everyone's bloody against us."
"You always have me. I'll always be on your side," she promised.
"Same goes for you," he sighed. "I'd choose anyone over you. Let's just hope it doesn't come down to us fighting each other. That'll be when all hell breaks loose."
"Exactly," Thalia laughed.
-----
"Did you know that threstals can only be seen by a person who's seen someone die?" Blaise asked happily. "That's why not everyone can see them-"
"Do you ever just shut up?" Theo scoffed, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "Merlin, you make me miss back in second year when you refused to speak for months."
Blaise's face fell and he covered it up with a straight face, his lips forming a thin line. Thalia was in her own world, looking at the sky. Theo looked at the ground, Blaise looked at the threstals, and Draco looked at Thalia.
The carriage that would take them to the castle was right in front of them, but none of the Slytherins made an effort to climb into the carriage. Their minds were elsewhere- to what awaits them.
"The Dark Lord didn't pick me for a special mission like you guys," Theo frowned. "I don't understand. I've been doing everything right. What makes you guys better than me?"
"I'm smarter than you," Draco stated blankly, not needing more than a few words to prove his point.
"I do wandless magic," Thalia added. "Not to mention, I have pretty privilege."
"And I- I don't have it? How does that make sense?" Theo scoffed. He had deep eye bags that sunk into his face and his cheekbones were more hollow. The veins in his face were more prominent, a clear sign of lack of sleep. He was still very attractive, but now, he was a bit... uneasy.
"Nothing makes sense anymore," Draco commented vaguely. He looked at Thalia, his best friend since they were kids. Sure, he's fancied her at one point but hasn't everybody? But in a few months, when they'd drop out of Hogwarts, he'd marry her.
Nothing was right. It didn't feel right.
Thalia looked at Blaise. There was a small twinkle in his dark eyes that wasn't there before. His smile lines were more prominent and his thin lips curved upwards just a teeny bit. Thalia knew what he was feeling. He was in love with Luna Lovegood, a girl who would never be accepted into their society, just like Harry.
Theo looked at Draco with envy. His best friend, always better than him, always outshining him. Theo had hoped that maybe it would be different when they joined the Death Eater ranks, but it wasn't. Draco and Thalia had their tasks, Theo had none.
Blaise subtly stared at Theo. The look in Theo's eyes, the envy, the hatred, towards someone he loved and cared for so much. Theo's blonde hair was ruffled up, as if he didn't even have the decency to comb through it, or even remember to take care of himself.
N.E.W.T. year was the worst. The seventh year, the last year of Hogwarts. Everyone's supposed to make it their best- everyone's supposed to leave a lasting impression.
But they all seemed to know that none of them would ever take their N.E.W.T.s, none of them would ever experience their seventh year in Hogwarts, none of them would ever have the chance at Head Girl or Head Boy, none of them would compete for Slytherin Quidditch Captain. This was their last year at Hogwarts, and they'd knew it'd be the worst.