Chapter 12 – Separation Anxiety

The next few days passed by in a blur, especially for Ginny, Hermione and Daphne, who barely moved from Hermione's bed. But soon, they'd have to be on the Hogwarts express and Daphne was dreading facing her former friends. She didn't doubt that they would seek her out to throw more insults, and maybe a hex or two. She was however surprised at how much of an effect her bond with Hermione had on her mood. She had felt like she wouldn't move for weeks but there she was, packing the few belongings she had taken from her trunk. She was looking forward to the weeks away from Hogwarts, even if Molly Weasley was as terrifyingly loving as her children had described.

But even more so than that, she was looking forward to being away from the Pureblood dinners that had soon become a way for her father and his death eater friends to get drunk and then go off and torture whichever innocent muggle family they came across. They'd been careful so far, but now that the world knew Voldemort was back, they could massacre wherever and whenever they pleased, and Daphne didn't want to hear about the aftermath when her father sat enthusiastically at the breakfast table the next morning, detailing his latest conquest.

"Daphne." Hermione called from the doorway, her bag in one hand and trunk in the other. "Time to go." She smiled hopefully, not needing to ask about Daphne's nerves. With a deep breath, Daphne followed Hermione from the dorm and down to the common room, where two Weasleys, a Potter and a Malfoy waited for them. It surprised her to see that everyone, bar Draco, was wearing a knitted jumper of varying colours with a bright, large letter on the front. They looked like one big, mismatched family.

Ginny smiled and looped her arm through Daphne's as the group slowly made their way to the courtyard. "Mum will probably make you one for Christmas too. She's made Hermione and Harry's first ones before she'd even met them."

Hermione, who was on Daphne's other side, giggled, shaking her head. "She might not even wait that long."

"I wrote to her about you coming and she was far too excited about it." Ginny continued, not paying attention to the three boys struggling to keep up with them. "I think she misses having all of us in the house. Bill and Charlie left home years ago and now that Percy's working for the ministry…"

Daphne tuned out her ginger friend, hoping to ask Hermione her many questions about the Weasley clan. 'Who are Bill and Charlie? And why are these jumpers so important?'

Though she didn't do it audibly, Daphne could hear Hermione laughing. 'Bill and Charlie are Ginny's older brothers. And every year for Christmas, Molly knits us a jumper with our initials on them, they're very nice actually.'

Daphne smiled a little as they continued on their way to the courtyard. This summer wouldn't turn out like she was dreading, she didn't know if she could handle if it did. But at least she had Hermione.

"I never asked." Daphne suddenly announced. "Why aren't you staying at your parents?" As soon as the words left her lips, she knew it wasn't her best move. In fact, being able to feel the girl you asked a question to drop into a cold, quiet reluctance was a very fast way of knowing why she didn't answer your question. A small "oh" escaped Daphne's lips and the three girls grew quiet.

It was only when they were on the train that Hermione and Daphne spoke up again, Ginny having continued to talk about her mother and how she would try to force feed them every hour of the day she could.

"I'm sorry." Daphne whispered, sitting as close to Hermione as she could, holding the other girl's hand.

"Don't be." Hermione shrugged, a weak smile gracing her face.

Their first few days at the burrow were surprisingly quiet, Mrs Weasley being the most supportive and loving Hermione had ever seen her with Mr Weasley coming in a close second. They had accepted Harry and Hermione into their family before they had met and it seemed that the ginger mother was doing the same with Daphne. At first Daphne seemed a little uncomfortable but after a few minutes of Hermione assuring her that it was normal Daphne quickly accepted the Weasleys into her ever growing family, despite how odd it felt to receive so much warmth so quickly.

"You seem a lot happier." Hermione commented one night, the sunset lighting the night sky in hues of purple.

"I shouldn't be." Daphne frowned, feeling rather guilty about how quickly she had become accustomed to her new situation. "I should be worried sick but I'm here laughing with you and the Weasleys, I feel happy. And I shouldn't."

"Trust me." Hermione smiled. "You are worried sick." She had felt the growing fear since she had sat with Daphne in the Gryffindor tower. "You just have the advantage of that worry spreading out between the two of us. It doesn't make you a bad person to still be happy. I'm sure your mother would prefer it." Hermione reassured her, looping one of her arms around Daphne's, resting her head on the girl's shoulder.

"I suppose." Daphne conceded, not needing to hide from Hermione that part of her wasn't ready to believe that.

"She's still alive." Hermione whispered.

Draco felt like something was missing. Nothing too drastic, just like there was a tiny petal missing on a rosebush. Hardly life changing or devastating but noticeable, and still missing. Three weeks of summer had already gone by and it was since he bode farewell to his friends that the nagging sensation set in. His cousin, Nymphadora, visited frequently, bringing news of Daphne and Hermione and how they were surviving in a house full of Weasleys. It was as he noticed himself longing for her almost daily visits that he realized that the foreign sensation had something to do with Daphne and Hermione.

It was Sunday afternoon when Tonks' sixteenth visit occurred. She came bearing the usual news, Daphne and Hermione had once again teamed up and bested the Weasley twins, though Draco didn't find it surprising given their clearly unfair advantage. But of course he and Ron were the only people who knew about it. Along with an interesting story about an extendable ear, Crookshanks and a sonorous charm, cast by one of the older members in the household, Tonks came with a letter, though she wouldn't say who it was from. It wouldn't have surprised him to see some sort of horrible joke from the Weasleys.

Dear Mr Malfoy,

We have heard from Nymphadora that you are relatively alone this summer, with your only company being that of women far older than you. You are welcome to join us for the rest of the summer if you would prefer.

Sincerely, Molly Weasley.

To say that the invitation surprised Draco would be an understatement, though he dutifully re-read the letter aloud, earning a smirk from the women in the room.

"Should we let him join his friends over the summer?" Narcissa asked, a devious gleam in her eyes.

"I'm not too sure." Andromeda responded, a very Malfoy smirk on her lips. Perhaps his smirk came from his mother's side of the family. It was rather likely, given his father's ability to exclusively scowl or turn up his nose. "Maybe we should keep an eye on him. He is still young."

The two women conversed like this for several minutes, Tonks having begun laughing fairly soon into their conversation. In the end, they decided it might be nice for him to spend time with his peers, though it would be more beneficial for him to spend ample time with his relatives. Two days later he was packed and ready, though an extension charm placed on his trunk made packing take a little longer than most would imagine.

"Do be careful dear, I don't want to hear about any missing limbs." Narcissa smiled as Draco approached the fireplace. His mother had insisted that she apparate with him, Draco had to convince her that he could take his trunk through the floo network.

"I'll be fine mother." Draco rolled his eyes, though being careful to do so while he was hugging his mother. "These are Gryffindors, it's nothing like being in Slytherin."

Narcissa smiled sadly at her son. "I know, but these are still people who hated you for years. I'm allowed to be worried."

Andromeda stood next, waiting for her goodbye. She pulled her nephew into a quick hug, a warm grin on her face. "It was lovely to finally meet you. You seem to be growing into a fine young man." The pride in her voice threw him off slightly. It was a sincere, loving pride that he'd only received from his mother.

"And you, Aunt." Draco smiled before wheeling his trunk to the fire. He took a handful of floo powder and, with a final goodbye, threw the powder to his feet and he was off to the Burrow.

He wasn't greeted with the loud noise he expected to hear with so many people under one roof, but an eerie silence and a pair of politely smiling faces. He greeted them both, vaguely recognizing the Weasley matriarch and patriarch.

"We do apologise for the slight detour but we don't have the house connected to the floo network yet." Mrs Weasley smiled. "Arthur will be taking your trunk to the house and I will have to lead you to the house a different way." She smiled again, holding out an arm to Draco, which he hesitantly took.

She led him from the small room, which appeared on the outside to be nothing more than a small shed, a short walk away from the Weasley's house. It truly was something to behold, the sheer force of will, or rather magic, keeping it from collapsing. It was nothing compared to the Manor he was accustomed to living in, but the warmth that seemed to radiate from the building far outweighed the grandeur of his childhood home, especially with the Dark Lord having poisoned any form of loving air that could radiate from the marble structure.

Draco couldn't help but smile as he walked closer to the structure, hearing the laughter and chatter escaping the windows. He was certain that this would be a very different summer to what he was used to.