Chapter One.

It was a cold winter in Hogwarts, the majourity of the students left to be with their family during the holidays, leaving the luxurious castle alone with only few individuals inside. The sole few that remained were to protect the castle, others for maintenance, rebuilding the castle after the Battle of Hogwarts, after Voldemort was defeated by the one and only Saviour, Harry Potter. It was unsettling how silent the castle appeared when all the students were gone, the feeling of solitude overwhelmed many that didn't have a family anymore, and even a particular one that lost everything he had. It was no surprise that many validated him as a traitor, however the fact he dejected Voldemort's allegiance at the last moment saved his life, it was a choice he made, and many know, this boy rarily had a choice ever in his life.

It was snowing, the pure white coating the castle's yards and roofs, creating a beautiful image. Only at few moments the castle ever looked so soothing, and during the winter it offered to be a home for many, allowing anyone without relatives to spend their time there regardless. It was silent when the sun peeked through the dark clouds in the sky, offering little light and confirming the morning had passed. All quarters were abandoned, those of the Gryffindors, the Ravencllaws and even those of the Hufflepuffs. Though there was someone in the Slytherin common rooms, one with a deeply troubled heart and mind, carrying the burden of being branded a horrible person for the rest of his life.

The boy was in his bed, the sheets pulled over his chest, though it didn't cover him entirely, having adjusted his pillow so he could sit more upright. The platinum blonde hair fell just above his mercury grey eyes that stared outside the window, looking upwards to the sky, watching the snow flakes pass by, feeling like hours passed as he sat silent. He shiverred for a moment as the cold got to him, though he didn't pull the sheets up more, his pale skin was an evident sign of stress, the toll he took for following his father's demands. He breathed softly as his eyes closed, shifting into thoughts, unsettling ones. His father was sent to Azkaban, his mother was roaming somewhere else, and Draco was alone, he felt like he didn't deserve to live after all he did, even if his actions contributed little to Voldemort's attempt to overthrow Hogwarts. The second chance he had gotten from Harry Potter, -Saint Potter- was something he hated the most. Hatred overcame the man as he furrowed his eyebrows for a brief moment, the many times the Saviour saved his life, but he recalled he saved Potter's life many times too, but that was because of himself, Draco was the cause, the reason why Potter ended up worse in the fight against the Dark Lord.

A sharp inhale followed as he sank in, his form turning to his left, laying on his side, eyelids lowered slightly as he curled up in his sheets. It was a moment of sadness for him, a moment of realization to progress everything that occured, how he began as a boy and became a man. From harmless bullying to almost killing the Headmaster that protected him. What was he thinking? As if Voldemort would let him live if he failed, no, he'd be killed like all the other failures the Dark Lord saw. It's ridiculous, thinking of this again. His pride was his everything, and it was damaged to the core, if not taken away. He was an adult now, he was expected to behave after having avoided Azkaban, he wanted to finish his last years on Hogwarts, it was all he could do. His skills in dark arts and potions were everything he could excel in. Though now, in the winter, he would have to think of how to get through these weeks. He couldn't let himself drown in self-sympathy, inwardly he wanted to scream and cry, why he had to go through all of this. It was eating him up from inside, he wanted to restart his life.

He looked out the window for a while longer, eventually snapping his head towards his right as he heard a sound, his eyes narrowed in suspicion as he took his wand from under the sheets, keeping it steady. ''Who's there?'', he asked, his tone low and rather cowardly, though he forced himself to make it more demanding as he finished the question. Clearing his throat, he pushed the sheets aside and let his feet silently hit the ground, he wore his black suit with the Slytherin green tie, though it looked ragged as he didn't bother to adjust it. His nerves grew as he knew he was alone in the castle, though he also knew that there were remnants of the Lord chasing him, wanting him dead for betrayal, and don't forget the fact that many of his fellow students saw him as a traitor aswell, it could be anyone, or anything. He tensed as the sound of a vase being hit and shattered on the ground followed, moving closer towards the door, just before the portrait. ''Answer me!'' he cried out, desperately.

The man's feet hit something on the ground, though he couldn't make out who it was at first, it was only seconds later he saw a familar mess of onyx black hair on the ground, a hand reaching about on the ground to reach for his glasses. ''Potter. Why the hell are you here?''. He stood back and lowered his wand only slightly, still on his guard, watching Potter with weary eyes. Harry Potter seemed to have tripped over something on the ground and managed to push over the desk with a vase in it, falling face square down. After a long struggle, he gave up with finding his glasses, just laying there helplessly as he muttered something. ''Huh? Malfoy?''. Draco furrowed his eyebrows at the display, agitation growing as he took the glasses from the ground after his eyes had located them, offering Potter the glasses without hesitation, if anything, he wanted him gone. ''Thanks Malfoy''. He added as he put on his glasses, adjusting them as the vibrant green eyes became visible, innocently as per usual. Malfoy eyed the man as he cleared his throat, dumbfounded as why the other was here, out of all places.