Draco stared at the mirror infront of him, avoiding the direct image of his reflection. He felt his eyes dash over the mirror quickly, trying to see if there was anything left of him. As he scanned over his image quickly, he felt destroyed. From the quick second he looked at himself he saw loneliness. Mirrors had the ability to show you what you really saw within yourself. Malfoy thought it was the most powerful magic of all, though it was not enchanted nor a magical tool. He looked at the rim of the mirror, still avoiding direct interaction. The small crystal details which outlined the mirror shimmered infront of him, their intricate carving was enough to make him shut his eyes abrubtly and force himself to push the jealousy away from his mind.

He tried to replace his jealousy with pure confidence. He looked back to the mirror, looking at himself. Hoping to see the same sort of beauty he had just witnessed. He saw blankness. His eyes were within dark circles and his shining blond hair, had become a dull colour with a grayish tint. Beyond his withering appearance, Malfoy saw something within himself.

He saw a desire. Malfoy had always had the normal desires of a dark teenage boy, after idolizing his father for so long. He'd wanted to devote himself to the Dark Lord. To learn about his ultimate supremecy, and his insane powers which Malfoy had always envied. He wanted to rid himself of all trouble-causing emotion, to not hesitate when preparing to kill someone. To not think about the overall consequences his mind would place on himself. He didn't want to feel guilt, he didn't want to feel sympathy. He wanted to feel nothing but alleigance. But this desire was most unlike his others, he had a desire to be in love. As this statement played over in his racing mind, he sneered at himself. He found love was for the weak, such as Harry Potter who evidently loved that traitor, Ginny Weasley. They needed others to depend on, to bring out the best in themselves. But Malfoy knew who brought out the absolute best in him.. Voldemort. Malfoy had hesitated on that thought, one particular girl. A girl he was forbidden by the Dark Lord's views to love. He wished he could feel for someone who was of His approval. But he could not, he could not manipulate his feelings anymore. Draco constantly thought about love as he often questioned whether his parents ever loved eachother. He always knew the answer. His parents became married so they could have someone as strong as their individual selves supporting them. Love was never a factor in their marriage. Power was. Malfoy constantly found himself growing sick of this power business, he didn't want power anymore, he wanted happiness. Happiness, something he thought he had everytime he insulted that blimy Mudblood. But inside, the insults became a plague on his mind making his stomach constantly lurching as he stared at her.

He took a step back from the mirror. It seemed to always have the ability to decode this thoughts and make him return again. As he exited the washroom, he walked down the corridor aimlessly, not knowing his next destination. The corridors were lined with dusty stones, Hogwarts was one of the places Malfoy felt at home. But most importantly, Malfoy felt a sense of safety. He was content knowing he could wander off at night and explore his thoughts and know no harm would come of it. His thoughts were always about one certain girl.

"Ron, stop it!" He heard her voice, matched with a small giggle. Malfoy felt the urge to smile, he wanted to join in on her laughter. He wanted to become a part of her life. But he knew he couldn't. He couldn't throw away his families values for a chance at pure happiness. Happiness was not respectable in the eyes of the Dark Lord. It wasn't the Dark Lord he feared, dying at his mercy would be an honor. It was his wretched father, the man who had raised him to become this cold, insensitive boy. Something he'd never wanted to be. Then there was his poor mother, drawn into a life of evil when all she had wanted was a family. Malfoy scoffed, his family was a pitiful one. Sometimes he envied the Weasley's, they were all so happy with their family. Though they were traitors, they still could draw the ability to laugh and smile out of that.

"I'm not doing anything!" Ron replied back jokingly. As Malfoy turned around the corner he saw Ron with her book hidden behind his back. He looked at him, grinning widely. As she reached for her book. Malfoy felt the familiar feeling of jealousy once again. His heart lurched as she continued to gaze at Ron. He saw something in her he never wanted to see. Love. He noticed how she stared at him, and it appeared as if she was memorizing his every motion and every intricate movement. What could she be thinking about looking at him? His auburn hair shone through the sunlight, his eyes were bright and full of life, and he looked like he had something. A soul.

"What do you want Malfoy?" She said bluntly taking into account Draco's prescence. She tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips, something he'd seen her do many times before. He held back a small smile as she continued to glare at him.

"Malfoy, what do you want!" Ron copied her voice standing closer to Hermoine and giving her back her book. He stood slightly infront of her as if he were guarding her. Little did he know, Draco would never hurt Hermoine. Although he had constantly insulted her, his words did not effect her anymore as she believed he was truly evil and under the influence of Voldemort. Ron withdrew his wand from under his robe, Malfoy tried to muster up a snide remark about the Weasley's finances. But as he opened his mouth, he saw Hermoine flinch. It broke his heart to see her react to that, and he just stared at her.

"Malfoy, I'm warning you!" Ron shouted at him as Malfoy stood in a daze. ".?!" He said even louder as Hermoine placed a hand on Ron's shoulder to stop him from becoming more riled up.

"Don't Ron." She said quietly, as she looked into Draco's eyes. Draco cowered away from her gaze, continuing down the corridor and escaping her prescence. He faintly heard the small echoes of Ron's concerns.

"What was that about?" Ron questioned as Hermoine paused to think. She felt trapped as the question escaped Ron's lips. Truthfully, Hermoine did not know but as she looked at Malfoy she felt something inside her. The stare of his eyes boring into her was enough to make her believe in him. Hermoine had felt hope within herself that Malfoy would not drown in Voldemort's wishes.

"There's something different about him." Hermoine said softly, and her mind became blank. Something that rarely happened for Hermoine Granger. She felt all her thoughts escaping her as she shook her head. Something about Malfoy had changed.