A friend of mine posed a story prompt based upon a discussion we were having today. Essentially, it was the concept of a Slytherin infiltrating Hufflepuff House. I originally intended for this to be much lighter and ridiculous, with Draco making a fool of himself but able to laugh it off after. Obviously that did *not* occur. This is set post DH, assuming that those who missed a year returned to make up for it. It's a bit more angsty than what I usually post and I'm not super happy with the ending, but...well, just let me know what you think. :)

Infiltrating the Hufflepuffs

What on Earth was the world coming to when a Malfoy felt the need to succumb under the pressure of a classmate to prove his worth?

And yet, there Draco stood before the stack of barrels, shifting uncomfortably in the yellow and black robes. It took him three weeks and quite a bit of spying to reach this point, and he sincerely hoped it all would be worth the trouble. His return to Hogwarts for his seventh year had already proven to be a precarious choice and if this misadventure went awry, his situation would only continue to worsen. No matter the house, he found enemies everywhere. Most of the school despised him as a former Death Eater who seemingly got off scotch free; the rest loathed him for failing the Dark Lord. He should not have been surprised that his fellow Slytherins felt he needed to prove himself, but the extent to which they pushed him left him completely broken, not unlike a well-trained wild stallion. It was his desperation to regain any semblance of acceptance from anyone that led him to his current predicament.

Steeling himself and giving his appearance one final check, he pulled out his wand, finding the appropriate barrel and tapping out the beat. For a moment he feared he had done it incorrectly, but then the barrel's lid creaked open to reveal a passageway. Taking a deep breath, he made his way down it, pausing to observe the unknown environment. The room as a whole was sickeningly cozy, completely opposite to the Slytherin common room. Where the dungeon was all darkness and stone, this room was light and natural beauty, plants and warmth scattered everywhere. It reminded him of camping in a slightly open cave, or at least what he suspected such a setting would be like. The room practically beckoned to be enjoyed, whether one sat upon a comfortable cushion or fell on the soft carpet before the cheery fire. While a large part of him felt disgust at the general merriness of the place, another smaller piece nearly appreciated it. It would be difficult to feel depressed in here.

No one inhabited the common room, just as he expected. Hufflepuffs were not ones to miss a meal, and he had suspected dinner to be the less likely meal to skip. He simply needed to find proof that he had been there and he could leave, change out of these foreign robes and alter his appearance back to its original form; then all of this childish initiation would hopefully be at an end. The only problem left was deciding what to take. It needed to be distinctly Hufflepuff, not to mention an item he could only nick straight from the common room. His eyes darted about in search of such an item when the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him caused him to freeze.

Turning slowly, he spotted Hannah Abbott. She appeared more curious than threatened, but Draco knew his disguise would do little to conceal his true identity in the end. Hufflepuffs were a tight knit group, and it was doubtful he could fool any of them into thinking he was one of them. Besides, Hannah may have once been naïve, but she'd gone through just as much as he had over the last few years, and she certainly was not stupid. He quickly felt his nerves failing him, much to his chagrin.

"May I help you?" she asked politely, seemingly making a point not to mention that he obviously was caught sneaking around in a common room that was not his own. Draco frantically searched his wits for an explanation, but he remained surprisingly blank. She's a girl and a Hufflepuff, he heard the Slytherin in him scowling. You're a Malfoy, act like one! Instantly he shoved that voice aside. Acting like a Malfoy was what ultimately led him to this position, and he'd decided months ago that it was no longer the type of person he wished to be. Realizing the futility of his mission, he dropped the charms disguising his features and stood before Hannah in his true shape, downcast and resigned. If she was surprised by his identity, she hid it well.

"I'm sorry," he began, startling them both with his instantaneous apology and sincerity. "This was foolish of me. It isn't as though any of it will do me any good anyway."

A concerned frown fell over her features, concentrated most distinctly in her eyes. She looked him up and down slowly before speaking again. "What's wrong, Draco?"

He felt his will crumble, but he refused to admit his defeat straight out to a Hufflepuff. Frustrated with himself, his judgment battled with itself, half fighting to beat down such prejudiced ideas and the other demanding that he could not destroy what he truly felt. Hannah must have seen the struggle in his face, because before he could react, she was pulling him into a somewhat awkward embrace. He tensed slightly, but eventually relaxed, resting his forehead on her shoulder wearily. Once he appeared to compose himself, she pulled away to look him in the eyes.

"What can I do to help?" she asked quietly, taking him aback. He never expected that kind of a reaction and wasn't sure what to make of it. Without seeming to have any control over it, he soon found himself explaining everything to her, concluding with the mission Blaise and his fellow Slytherins had demanded of him. She appeared thoughtful as he concluded.

"I think I can do something for you," she mused before bustling away. She disappeared through a large, circular doorway, returning with a thick quilt decorated with various yellow and black patches across its surface. She quickly shrunk it to a more manageable size and placed it in his arms. For a few moments, he simply stared down at it, dumbfounded, until he finally glanced up at her face.

"Why?" he muttered, running a hand across the quilt's smooth surface. She smiled slightly as she shrugged.

"I think I understand why you're here. I've seen how your housemates treat you, Draco – they're awful, even for Slytherins. You've done terrible things, true, but I believe you've changed, or at the very least have the potential. I can't say exactly why, but somehow I see it. I want to give you the chance to prove it." Her eyes darted swiftly down at her watch and back up to meet his. "You should go – someone's bound to come back soon. You won't want to get caught."

He numbly paced back to the entrance, turning around just as he reached it. Swallowing slightly, he sent her a soft, "Thank you," before he disappeared. He caught her grin as he left and clutched the quilt tightly the entire walk back to his common room. Not long after, his housemates returned, reluctantly congratulating him on his success. It was hollow, however, and didn't last long. They returned to darting between ignoring and taunting him the next day, but it was better that way and wasn't anything less than he honestly expected. In the end, it allowed him to remain cheerful with the Hufflepuff that helped him without added scorn, though he soon discovered that it wouldn't have mattered either way. He was better off with her friendship anyway.