I have started this story because of my other H/D story, "The Unexpected Is Possible". This is a finer version of it, of I may say so myself. The other story was…was just…BLAH…lol. Anyways, this fan fic isn't the same, but it does have similar parts.

I named this story "Beautiful Words", because it describes my feelings. I have read many H/D stories so far, and many of them are so…wonderfully worded, I guess. I want to be like them. I want to create a story so powerfully written, that it takes the readers' breaths away. Lol…whatever…

Warning: This may be rated Pg 13, but there ARE swear words! So…brace yourselves!! Lol.

NO SLASH! Or at least, not right now. I'm not exactly planning any as of now, because I'm pretty sure I'll be horrible at it. If you want to read a story that MIGHT have slash in it, view my other D/H story, "Intuition".

Anyways, please r/r!!

Chapter 1 ~ Gaffe

Something wasn't right. Harry felt wrong…wrong that he had done something so stupid…so absurd. Why did he? He had no right to, and now…now he was named a hero, but he did not feel like it.

He was supposed to be a kind of Golden Boy everyone would expect. A kind of idol that everyone was in awe in. Harry had never really felt this way, but now, whatever bronze he had in him had rubbed off. Now, he felt full of rusted nails. Full of broken china that was beyond repair.

Of course, many people would have thought that Draco Malfoy deserved it. He deserved being put in detention…deserved being cursed. But that wasn't so to Harry. Malfoy had done nothing, really. He had done nothing to deserve it. At least, he had done nothing so far.

In a way, Harry wished he could go back in time. Go back, so that nothing had happened. Go back so that he wouldn't be feeling so awkward…so…erroneous. He wished he could rectify this mistake.

Closing his eyes, Harry could almost feel exactly what had happened……as if he were living it once again……

It had been after class. Harry was walking to dinner with Hermione and Ron. His head was turned, as he argued with Ron about which chaser they should put on their Quidditch team.

And he bumped into him.

Looking up, Harry realized that he had crashed right into Draco Malfoy.

"Watch it, Malfoy," Ron had said roughly.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows, and answered, "I didn't do anything, Weasley."

"You were in our way," Harry spat.

"Really, Potter," Malfoy said. " You can't expect to have everything your way. But enough of this, I'm going to have dinner."

Harry had pulled out his wand before he knew what he was doing. "Wait," he said brusquely.

Turning, Malfoy eyed the wand warily. "What do you want, Potter?" he asked softly.

"I want you to apologize," Harry replied.

"For what?" Malfoy scoffed.

"For being rude."

"Honestly, Potter," Malfoy said. "You're not even a prefect! I see no right in apologizing to you!" And with that, he turned and started to walk away.

Harry raised his wand. "Impedimenta!" he bellowed, sending a streak of light towards Malfoy.

Malfoy, however, seemed ready. Whipping around, he raised his own wand and shouted, "Protego!" The spell rebounded off his shield and hit Harry. Harry flew a good ten feet in the air, and landed in a crumbled heap.

"Harry!" Ron and Hermione cried, and they raced toward him.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked anxiously.

"Yeah… fine…" Harry muttered.

"What is going on here?" Harry looked up to see Professor McGonagall pushing through the crowd. Taking one look at the scene in front of her, she said, "Mr. Malfoy, 20 points from Slytherin and detention. Now everyone, get to dinner. Potter, are you all right? Do you need Madam Promfrey?"

"I'm fine," Harry repeated. He was actually about to tell the Professor about the truth in the fight, but she had given a curt nod and left.

Looking around as he slowly got up, Harry could see Ron and Hermione, looking worried, the other students, looking perplexed, and then…then he caught sight of Draco Malfoy's face. Harry had never seen Malfoy like that. He looked angry, of course. But there was a flicker of expression that Harry had never known in Malfoy before. Harry saw a hurt, lonely expression sprawled upon Draco Malfoy's face.

"Harry! Ooh, Harry!" Harry turned around to see Colin Creevey racing towards him. "Oh Harry, that was wonderful! I loved how you just shot that spell towards Malfoy! And then, you got Malfoy in trouble! That was just awesome! I wish I had my camera……"

"Er…right, Colin," Harry answered, feeling the twinge of guilt that was nestled inside of him grow larger at every word that came out of Colin's mouth. "Listen, I'm going to bed, alright? Can you tell that to Ron and Hermione?"

"Sure thing, Harry! Anything!" And Colin raced off to complete the request of his pin-up.

Sighing, Harry retired to his dormitory, his head dizzy, and soul sick.

Why did he do that to Malfoy? And most importantly, why was he feeling so horrible inside? Harry could almost swear that before, he would be empty of regret. He was be bubbling over in happiness that he had competed with his long time rival, and won.

But Harry did not feel happy.

Thinking it over and over again, made Harry realize that Malfoy had done nothing wrong. It was he, Harry, who had not paid attention to where he was going, and knocked into Malfoy. It was Harry who had started the whole thing, pulling out his wand, when Malfoy seemed to want to shun any tussle. And to make matters worse, Malfoy had not even complained about the detention that he was unduly given.

Harry frowned into his pillow. It just wasn't like Malfoy. In fact, Malfoy wasn't like himself these days at all. Harry and his friends had not had a sneer, a taunt, or anything come toward them from him for the longest time. Actually, thinking about it, Malfoy had not mocked them at all that year. It was almost like something had happened…something that changed Malfoy inside and out. He was quiet and subdued in class, always answering a question correctly if called on, but besides that, he just seemed abnormal.

Not only was Malfoy acting strange, but his friends were too. Whenever Harry saw him, he was always alone, with no companionship. Strangely, Crabbe and Goyle had even left his side, so Draco seemed on his own. What would it be like, Harry mused, to have no friends? To have no one to confide your feelings in……no one to comfort you when you're upset?

And Harry felt a strange sentiment rouse inside of him. He wasn't sure what this feeling was, and it scared him. It was not any of anger, or hatred that Harry always stored up for Malfoy. It was a much more tender feeling, a feeling that made Harry's heart ache, made him feel that he needed to cry, but couldn't get the sobs out…nor the tears.

Slowly, Harry began to realize what this feeling was. He was feeling sorry for Draco Malfoy…he felt…he wanted to correct this blunder…to fix this gaffe. He needed to……wanted to……

~*~

Sitting alone, Draco looked out onto the magnificent sunset. The sky was almost dark, a heliotrope color, tinged with orange and pink.

Draco sighed.

He wished he could be like the sunset, so beautiful that it took your breath away. He wished that people could look at him, and think to themselves that he was beautiful, without any faults.

But Draco did not think this selfishly. No, Draco knew, that when looking at the sunset, you could truly identify how it is. The twilight was so beautiful that you could just tell right away that it is magnificent inside and out. You could tell that if it had a body, you would know what it was like, because there was no way on earth that the inside wasn't as wonderful as the outside.

Draco wanted people to look at him, and judge him, not on the outside, but on the inside. He wished that everyone who even glanced at him, would know that he wasn't the ass that everyone thought he was. He was complex, a puzzle that people left behind, because he was too hard to solve. No one wanted to spend time to try to fit the pieces, to heal Draco's unseen wound.

It was so obvious that no one cared about him. His father…his mother…Draco was sure that they loved him in a way, but not in the way that you felt so much contentment rise up in you. No, they loved him just because he was their son, the Malfoy heir. Perhaps Draco would never feel the love that he had always dreamed for. Perhaps his heart would never be gnawed by affection from another.

Even the kind, loyal Gryffindors didn't give a shit about him. Draco didn't expect the to, but still, you couldn't help but feel a bit miffed that the Golden rulers of the school were so arrogant of their surroundings, so ignorant of changes, that they brush right past them.

And now…now that Harry Potter had destroyed his life. His father had been sent to Azkaban, and everyone loved him for it. But Draco didn't. He didn't hate Potter as well, because there was no point. How would hating Potter bring his father back? Lucius might be Draco's father, but he had never been much of a parent to him. Still, though, Draco had to feel angry at Potter for taking away his father, taking away one of the few people who had loved Draco in the slightest.

And Potter had also put him in detention. Draco put on a faint smile at that. He had to admit, it was clever of Potter to get him in trouble like that, making it look like it was Draco who had attacked him, and not the other way around.

But in a way, Potter had also done Draco some good. This detention would be an excuse to avoid the other Slytherins. His friends……they had grown apart from him. Draco had plenty of mates before. Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, Theodore, Blaise, Millicent…you name them. But soon, Draco became meeker. He didn't crack jokes anymore, didn't make fun of people. And his friends didn't like this new Draco. They started, at first, to pretend to be concerned, smiling falsely at him, and asking him if there was anything wrong. Then, they just began to deliberately ignore him.

Draco didn't mind. He liked the peace that he was left in, liked to have time to think. Soon after, Draco realized that his friends…had never actually been his friends. They just wanted to hang around someone strong, someone powerful. But now, what was Draco left with? His father, now named as a Death Eater. And Draco himself, acting oddly. No, obviously, Draco was not fit to be a leader anymore.

Draco really didn't know why he had become suppressed all of a sudden. All he knew, was that the change had washed over him during the summer. He had been alone most of the summer, and the silence grew with him. He found it wonderfully different from what he was used to, and that was probably what had happened. Over the holidays, Draco had become a new person.

But in a way, Draco did not like this change. He felt lonely. He wanted a friend to divulge in, someone he could trust. Of course, his old "friends" weren't like that at all. They were like picky eaters. They may like one thing for a while, but then, would get bored of it. Draco wanted someone new. Someone who would sincerely care.

Draco wanted a friend. A true friend that would never abandon him…a friend that would give him love and support.

But that wasn't possible. Of course it wasn't. Nobody would want to be Draco Malfoy's friend, nobody.

He would never be cared for.

Never be loved.

And with that, Draco Malfoy buried his face in his hands, and began to cry. Soft, quiet sobs that, if heard closely, would shatter anyone's heart into pieces.

~*~

What do you guys think? I don't think it's too bad…I mean, I think it's a lot better written than my "The Unexpected Is Possible" story. Oh well.

Anyways, please review!!