Red dragon

34

"Hey Draco how are you?" Hermione asked as the blond came into the train compartment. "How was your holiday?" He had never been so late onto the train.

"My parents are getting their bond dissolved."

"What?" Ron asked; he was shocked.

"It's because of me."

Hermione asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's a divorce Hermione." Harry explained.

"Oh my! Draco why?"

The train began to move towards Hogwarts. "The snake. I was labelled a blood traitor by the heir of Slytherin himself. My father says I'm no longer allowed to be a Malfoy." He rubbed his face.

"That bastard." Hermione gasped.

"When I got home he demanded I stop being friends with you. All of you. I could only be friends with pure bloods. He said 'this Blood traitor nonsense has got to stop I don't think you know how bad it is on me'. I was petrified but he was worried about how bad it looked on him."

"That bastard." Hermione repeated.

"I argued that you were my friends and I weren't leaving you. He said if I don't he's disowning me. Then mother said if I'm not a Malfoy neither is she. They're separating the... the estate during the holiday. I have to move into Mothers family home. Father sold my broom."

"My dad was right to hate that man."

"So Draco… If you're not a Malfoy?"

"I guess I'll be a Black like mother." He shrugged; the weight of his parent's strife was heavy on his shoulders.

"That's not so bad." Harry insisted.

"But it proves they were right. Zabini and the others. I'm a blood traitor and my father doesn't want me anymore."

"Obviously your mother does." Hermione insisted. "She's willing to split with your father to keep you."

"That's better than having no parents at all." Harry agreed.

"I suppose your right."

Harry grinned. "Of course we are."

"We're always here for you Draco." Hermione hugged him. "Let your dad be a bastard all he likes; you have real friends. And your mother."

"I do have great friends." Draco made everyone smile. "So How was your Christmas? I really wanted to come."

"You'll come next year Dray. My Gran loved her present."

The train steamed through the country side. Oliver came in for a while, so did Luna, Ginny and Genevieve. Cedric came in for a moment to ask Harry if he was prepared to for the match next week. Harry smiled and assured him he was.

The room of requirement was full and buzzing with students from first year to seventh. All of them were looking up at Harry with eager faces as if the twelve-year-old was a real teacher.

Hermione reinvented the Galleons she used for the DA. Although they were not Galleons any more. They were a silver coin- a hole in the top turning it into a sort of charm. On the front was Wand and a Sword in front of a shield. On the back was a quill and dates. Initials sat on the back showed who was teaching the next class; they changed most days.

Harry made everyone sign a long piece of parchment for their coin. It was insurance. The names would glow if someone was unloyal or untrustworthy. That way Harry could keep an eye on everyone.

A good forty percent of the school had signed. The houses connected as the founders had wanted them to be.

"Okay everyone this is the hardest thing we have done yet. Pantrounusis? Patrounuses? Patrouni?" Harry thought hard what was the plural of Patronus. Eventually he gave up. "Today we will be beginning our lessons on the Patronus spell."