thirteenth lotus leaf

𝟏 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫

Draco hadn't noticed at first, but he had a lotus tattoo on his left arm. It wasn't black like the Death Eater mark, it was white and barely visible. It was supposed to be a reminder of his mortality. At least death had done him a favor and put a mark on him, and this mark was definitely better than the Dark Lord's. At least he'd be tortured with itching instead of the Cruciatus curse.

He finally found an empty compartment on the train to Hogwarts. He was quite successful in escaping Goyle and Vincent for now. But he wasn't that lucky, again. The door opened with a bang. In front of him stood Pansy, with her black bobbed hair, much more baby-faced than he remembered, and quite angry. Angry Pansy was dangerous for the eardrums.

"Draco, I've been looking for you everywhere, you could at least come see me." She slammed the door shut and sat opposite him.

"You didn't reply to my owls, do you know how worried I was?" She threw her bangs back angrily.

The door opened again and Blaise Zabini entered, sitting next to Pansy with a bored nod.

"What's this about this time?" Blaise asked mockingly.

Pansy turned to him angrily. "You're no different, Blaise! But at least you replied to my owl and said you couldn't come." She was looking at Draco again.

Draco couldn't remember if he had corresponded with Pansy by owl since he was eleven years old, you can't blame him, but Pansy was still eleven. Draco sighed, which seemed to have made the girl even angrier.

"Are you even listening to me?" At that moment, two of their large friends entered. Greg sat to Draco's left. Crabbe was standing, eating candy.

"Even these two haven't noticed you, and I'm not even talking about the incident on Diagon Alley." Draco's eyes were starting to darken again. He was trying to focus on Pansy's voice. It was truly amazing because Pansy's voice had been shrill until their fourth year.

He had to get out of here, he had to get out.

"Hey, why are you looking at the door so much? Are you going to leave? Well, that's good, I was tired of being the only girl who put up with you idiots anyway."

She got up and went to the door. She stopped just before leaving.

"Thank you for asking, I'll be with Daphne." She slammed the door with a hiss. Her voice was trembling. Draco had momentarily forgotten that they were children. He was focusing on himself again. But the dizziness was getting serious.

"She's always like that, Draco." He didn't understand which of the heads buried in the candy packet was talking.

"You really screwed them up, though, Malfoys don't apologize, I know, but at least say something." Blaise was good at neutral mediation again, it was somewhat reassuring to know that.

Draco took a deep breath to both breathe and find Pansy. He convinced the duo to stay behind. As much as they were his friends, he didn't want protection or for them to die because of his choices.

The dizziness got better as he walked. He looked in every room one by one, but Pansy seemed to have vanished. She was probably sulking with Daphne and a few Ravenclaw students.

A frog passed by him. He continued walking without paying any attention. He immediately recognized the mop of hair. She had stopped in front of a compartment. She opened the door.

"Has anyone seen a frog? Neville lost his frog." Oh, that frog belonged to Longbottom then.

Draco was about to pass them by when he stopped. What was happening to him, he wouldn't be sorted into Hufflepuff this year, would he?

"Are you doing magic? Let's see."

Weasley mumbled something. It sounded like a silly rhyme. No one had paid attention to Draco next to the door. Hermione, the most talkative in the compartment, came out. She looked at him as she passed. Draco nodded in greeting. His head was fine. Draco was sure now. But this girl didn't know him yet. She nodded and passed by. Apparently, he was saved from being a Hufflepuff.

Just then, Harry, the holy Potter, stood up.

"You're the pale-faced boy from Madam Malkin's." He was looking at him excitedly.

"Isn't that a bit too long for a nickname, Potter?" He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Do you want to sit down?" Now he was giving him puppy dog eyes. Draco looked inside the compartment and then down the corridor.

"I'm not sure, I was looking for a friend."

"I'm sure she's found a place to sit."

"No, that's not the problem, Pot-"

"Malfoy!" The child with the sharp features of the Weasleys must be very angry now. Draco attributed it to the crushed self-confidence caused by Hermione. No, he had given up on his father's things a long time ago.

"No need to shout, Weasel." He rolled his eyes again. He couldn't help himself. No, Draco, that kid doesn't have a brain in him, you're a child in the shape of an adult, and you do have a brain. It was an effective calming method.

Potter seemed relieved by this move, unlike the redhead.

"You know each other, you know my name, and I can't even learn your name?"

Draco sighed and sat next to the cursed Potter. The child seemed relieved by this move, unlike the redhead. Later, he would hear Pansy scold him a lot, but that was not his problem, it was the problem of his future self. He could feel his future self cursing at him now. Or maybe he was just going crazy.

"Take that disgusting rat off the table, Weasley," Draco said, looking at the rat with disgust. The rat was oddly shaped.

"You could ask nicely, Malfoy," Harry interjected when Ron didn't move.

"Seriously, Ron, take the rat off the table," Draco smirked, looking victorious. Ron grunted and tried to pick up the rat.

"Weasley, can I look at the rat?" He wasn't mistaken; the rat was missing a finger.

"Are you asking now?"

Hermione had returned. Startled by the noise, the rat fell to the floor. It scurried away from Draco. Draco narrowed his eyes; he couldn't have made a mistake.

"I just spoke to the engineer, and we're almost there. Hurry up and put on your robes," she said.

As she was about to leave, she turned to Draco.
"What are you reading?"

"Talismans of Defense and Deterrence by Catullus Spangle" he replied.

"Really?" She pushed Ron aside who was trying to stand up and sat down opposite him.

"That's an advanced book. It's amazing that you're even reading it." The girl spoke in surprise.

"Oh, you're exaggerating. I'm sure a smart girl like you must have read all the books for this year and the next," Draco said, now complimenting someone else. (Don't dare start that mudblood talk.)

Surely he couldn't be a Hufflepuff, could he? He was a Slytherin through and through. He had shown a bit of a different side, but he was trying not to show it.

The girl giggled softly.

"Yes, I've read as many books as possible, and you've just inspired me to keep reading," she giggled again.

"The thought of you being ahead of me," she shook her head, "is unbelievable and unbearable."

Now Draco was giggling too. The girl extended her hand. Her long front teeth protruded as she grinned.

"Hermione Granger," she said. Draco shook her hand.

"Draco Malfoy, it's a pleasure to meet you, Hermione," he replied.

"Draco," she said.

Ron and Harry watched them in shock. Ron clearly had objections to say about this know-it-all girl, and was a Malfoy really laughing with a Muggle-born? It must have been a big deal for him. Not everything is black and white, Weasley, wake up. And as for Potter, he was giving her strange looks, and his hand seemed to twitch as if it wanted to reach out to her.
The girl warned them about their robes again before stopping at the door.

"You're my rival now, Draco," she said.

"It's an honor, Gra-Hermione," Draco smiled softly.

That stupid hat, no matter where it put him, he had already changed. He was at his best, or becoming so. Look, he wasn't judgmental or rude to her at all. He wanted a reward, but he attributed it to the feelings of a child's body. He was mature, unfortunately.

He'd forgotten all about avoiding the Golden Trio and now he was sitting right next to them. Great going, Draco, 'calm and harmless year' is what I'd call this. He longed to grow up. He couldn't help but feel like he was in a circus. And Draco didn't like circuses.

To calm himself down, he popped a sweet into his mouth. He always chose the plain ones.

"Banana," he said, ignoring the children's surprised looks. Stupid Weasley popped one into his mouth out of curiosity and immediately spat it out.

"Vomit," they laughed.

Without realizing it, Draco had turned one of the sweets into a cup and poured some of his drink into it. He'd handed it to the boy too late. He used to do spells like this unconsciously before his wand was restricted. Now, using his wand again had made him feel young again, but he was supposed to be a boy who couldn't do any magic.
"Wow," Weasley was the first to speak.
He dropped the candy box and reached for the cup curiously. Draco quickly canceled the levitation spell. The cup had barely touched Ron's fingers before it fell to the ground. The boy didn't seem to mind.

"That was amazing -"

"Well, I couldn't do it for that long -"

They both spoke at the same time and looked at each other in surprise.
Weasley wrinkled his nose.

"Mate, I really needed that water, it tasted awful."

Harry laughed and gave him a chocolate frog. Hogwarts Castle was coming into view, and Draco stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Don't worry, Potter, my things are just in the other compartment." Harry seemed relieved."

...

The fleet of boats began to glide across the still lake. No one spoke. Draco was grateful for the silence. The boats drew near to the bank.

"Mind your heads!" bellowed the half-giant.

They passed through the tangle of vines and into a dark tunnel. It was Draco's second time making this journey, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. They stepped ashore. After handing the half-giant Longbottom's toad, they followed.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy!" A sharp cry cut through the silence. Angry footsteps crunched on the gravel. Pansy was coming towards him, her friends behind her.

"We managed to ignore what happened on the train, but you've been nowhere to be seen throughout the journey," Pansy said, crossing her arms and giving him a look that was an uncanny imitation of her mother's.

"Pans, I'm sorry," Draco replied. "I should have at least let you know, I forgot."

Pansy looked surprised, then softened.

"Is that supposed to be an apology? You never even apologized when you broke my dancing ballerina, Dray," she teased, but there was a hint of fondness in her tone.

"We were six, Pans," Draco rolled his eyes.
Their conversation was interrupted as they came to a halt in front of a massive door. Hagrid checked everyone and knocked three times. The door swung open to reveal Professor Minerva McGonagall, her emerald green eyes and dark hair an unmistakable sight. Hagrid introduced her.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I can take it from here," Professor McGonagall said.

Draco's stomach churned. His last memories of Hogwarts weren't pleasant. He felt like he was going to be sick. Right beside him were Pansy and Blaise, and behind him, he could see Crabbe and Goyle. On his right, the Golden Trio. The professor explained the feast and the house system. Before leaving, she reminded them to tidy themselves up and glanced at a few students. Draco was aware of how neat and perfect he looked, but he felt like a stone was lodged in his stomach. He could barely hear Weasley asking a question.

"How are they going to sort us into houses? It must be some kind of test. Judging by Fred, it must be really painful. But he's probably joking," said Weasley.

Draco tried to hide his smile. He'd always liked the twins. The image of one of them, dead, from the war flashed into his mind. Fred. The nausea came back with a rush. He covered his mouth with his hand. Just in case.

Potter looked scared listening to Weasley. Draco wanted to comfort him, at least a little, but he stopped himself. They weren't friends. Just because they'd had a few conversations didn't change that. Pull yourself together, Draco.

The ghosts floated in. They chatted amongst themselves, seemingly oblivious to the students' fear and surprise. Draco could barely hear the Fat Friar saying something about seeing them in Hufflepuff. His eyes burned and his left arm itched. He hoped it wouldn't turn into a tic.

The professor returned. "Single file, follow me," she instructed.

His feet felt heavy as lead. His heart pounded. . He covered his mouth, just in case. They passed under thousands of candles. Draco found himself appreciating the scene more than he had in the past. From a distance, he could barely hear the bushy-haired girl talking about magic and the history of Hogwarts.

A very dirty, old wizard's hat was placed on a stool. Draco swallowed. In this timeline, his father was still at home. The hat's torn mouth opened, and it began to sing.

"You think this hat's ugly, they say,
But don't decide so quickly..."

Draco didn't listen to the song. All he wanted was to sit down and calm his stomach. He could hear applause in the distance. He tried not to frown. He should be happy to have another chance.

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The sorting had begun. Draco already knew what was going to happen.

"Draco, Draco," a hand waved in front of his face. Draco managed to refocus.

"Huh?" His tongue felt thick in his mouth. He needed a drink.

"They called your name. It's your turn," Blaise nudged him.

"Oh."

He tried to compose himself. He adjusted his robes as if they were crooked and walked toward the stool. It was very quiet, and everyone seemed to know what was going to happen. He sat down. The hat didn't immediately say Slytherin like last time. Draco was surprised.

"Ah, I see, I see. We have a time-traveler. How interesting. So loyal to your friends, where shall I put you... perhaps-"

Draco immediately understood the implication and cut him off. There was no way that was going to happen.

"Don't finish that sentence, you ugly thing, or you'll have two torn mouths. One to sing with and the other to sort with."

The hat paused for a moment. Then it made a sound like a chuckle.

"So brave to stand up to someone like me, are you?"

The hat must have been teasing him. Was it testing him?

"You're just an old hat, shut up."

The hat made a sound like laughter again...