Draco Malfoy

I was a mess the day that I boarded the Hogwarts Express for the last time. I don't remember much of the summer—everything was a blur. I stopped eating for many days at a time, then started up again but stopped sleeping. On and off, on and off. I remember my father's trial, how he got sent to Azkaban for thirty years. By the time he gets out—If he gets out—he'll be an old man. I didn't really know what to think. This was the man that raised me to be what I am now. I like who I am. I am not some murderous Death Eater freak. And my father isn't either. He just made the wrong choices.

But even so, I can't count the times that he's set his wand on me for discipline. Not so much anymore, ironically; it was more when I was younger. He didn't Crucio me or anything—he's not that barbaric—just the random Impedimenta or Confringo.

My mother was just as f'd up as me. We wouldn't talk to each other at meal time and she spent half the day crying in her bedroom. But what do you expect? We had picked a side, and lost.

When I boarded the Hogwarts Express, I must have looked terrible. Everyone was avoiding me, and no one met my eye.

Just as well, I thought to myself angrily. They wouldn't dare.

I was moody, depressed, angry, and a bit mental, you could say. I didn't like company, and I never talked to anyone. I had not even owled a person since June.

I was one of the only Slytherin 6th-years to go back. It was me, Pansy, Theodore Nott, Astoria Greengrass, Gregory Goyle and Blaise Zabini. I wouldn't know that until after I went to the Slytherin compartment.

My biggest surprise that year was the fact that I had been chosen as Head Boy. I don't know what was going through Professor McGonagall mind when she picked me—I had suspected she was under the influence—and I was a bit nervous. I mean, I was Draco Malfoy, Death Eater and Slytherin Prince extraordinaire. What would the other students think?

But I guess I never really cared what other people thought of me, beyond the usual "Draco Malfoy, aristocratic, pureblood, arrogant Slytherin".

I skipped my trip to the Slytherin compartment and headed directly to the Prefect one. The last thing I needed was more people staring at me and Pansy and Blaise trying to make conversation. And it would give me time to think.

I opened the door to the Prefect's compartment and sat down on one of the seats. I laid back against the headrest and closed my eyes. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

Nightmares. Smoke. Fire. Hot. Unbearably hot. Sweat. Shouting. Pale. Running. Pounding. A scream. Glass shatters in the distance. More shouting. Tripping. Falling. Getting back up. Running through a door. Cool grass under my feet. More shouting. Another scream. Breathing heavy. Coughing. Hacking. Where's my wand? Wood under my fingers. Pointing.

"Aguamenti! Aguamenti!" Then everything goes black.

"Malfoy!"

I opened my eyes and wiped at a trickle of sweat going down my temple. There was some one looming over me. I saw a pretty face looking down at me. Her hair was curly, but not as curly as I remembered. Her freckles had disappeared. Her skin was smooth and tanned, and her chocolate-brown eyes had a look of concern written all over them. It took me a moment to realize that her hand was on my shoulder.

I instantly scooted away from her, towards the corner of the compartment, shouting "What the hell are you doing, Mudblood?"

Granger's gaze instantly turned from concern to fury. "Well excuse me for trying to help you! You were twitching like mad and then you started screaming a spell…" she trailed off in thought and looked at me curiously.

I brushed off my sleeve where she had touched me—and tried to forget how warm her hand was, even through my shirt. "Don't touch me," I growled.

She looked like she was about to retort, but I turned away from her and prepared myself to ignore whatever she was going to say next. To my utter surprise, she stayed quiet.

"So you're Head Boy?" she asked me after a minute.

I snorted. "No, I am just sitting her because I like the view."

"No need to be so snappy, Malfoy," she told me, looking a bit offended. Good, I had thought.

"Just stay away from me this year," I growled at her.

"That's going to be sort of hard considering we have to share a dormitory," she retorted. I groaned inwardly. I had completely forgotten—Heads share a dorm!

"Try." I glared at her, then closed my eyes again. And for once, I didn't dream.