Hello again readers. Here is chapter 7. I'm glad to see everyone has enjoyed the previous 6. Again, I would like to thank everyone for their kind reviews. I'm still having issues with my PM's so please continue to be patient. A special thank you to Sheryl, your review made my whole day. I do plan on finishing this story and I have an "idea" for another, but I don't want to get ahead of myself. Until next time. Lots of Love. -CR

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Draco awoke the next morning to warm sunlight filtering in through the window. He lay in bed thinking about Dorian and how he was going to approach the boy this morning.

Rolling out of bed, he pulled on a pair of cotton pants and walked down the hall to Dorians room, he opened the door and peeked his head in but the bed was empty, maybe he was in the shower Draco thought...but he didn't hear the water running.

He left the room and continued down the hall, when he passed the door to the study he realized it was open, walking lightly he took a couple of steps into the room. Dorian was sitting at the desk, an open book laid out before him. Watching the boy turn the pages, Draco realized that it was a Malfoy family album.

Walking farther into the room to announce himself he said "What do you have there?" he must have startled Dorian because the boy jumped and shut the book quickly, a guilty look spread across his face.

"It's ok, I don't mind." Draco assured him. "I could tell you about them if you would like."

"ok" he heard Dorian whisper, so he walked over to the desk and picked the book up " sit over here with me" he said motioning to the window seat. Dorian followed him, they sat next to each other, the book resting in Draco's lap.

"So who would you like to know about first?" he asked, flipping through the pages.

"How about her? Is she your Mother?" he had stopped at a picture of Bellatrix Lestrange, formally Bellatrix Black. The photo had been taken before she had been sent to Azkaban, but you could still see the evil lurking in her eyes, she kept throwing her head back in silent laughter. Draco cringed inwardly.

"No that's not my mother, thank Merlin. This is my mother's sister. Her name is...was, she's dead now, Bellatrix. She was a very nasty woman. I'm glad you will never have to meet her."

"She looks sort of like my mother." Dorian said " from what I can remember of her, she left when I was five." Draco could hear the hurt in his words and he put his arm around the boys shoulder to comfort him, to his surprise, Dorian let him keep it there. "why do you say she was nasty woman?" he asked after a moment.

"Well she was a follower of a very evil wizard, his name was Voldemort. He was defeated only a few years ago, you would have been about six years old, I'm sure you know a little of him, you will learn more in school." he said, not wanting to dwell on the subject " anyway, they practised the dark arts...do you know about the dark arts?" he was looking down at Dorian now, trying to read his reaction.

" Some, I read some books about it, my father found out and whipped me." he was picking at a piece of string that was hanging off his jumper, Draco could tell Dorian was trying to avoid looking at him, the boy was ashamed he thought.

"Can I ask why you were reading about it? You seem like such a nice kid and that's dangerous stuff."

"I wanted to know how to hurt them" Dorian said, his fists were clenched now and Draco could feel his shoulders getting tense. "My parents, I wanted to hurt them like they've hurt me. I was going to hurt my dad first, then I was going to run away, to find my mom my and hurt her too." there were tear running down his cheeks now and he was wiping at them furiously.

"Dorian, do you know why Professor McGonagall wanted you to stay with me?" the boy didn't reply, he only shook his head no. "Follow me" Draco said getting up "I want to show you something"

He walked to the wall furthest from where they were sitting, it was occupied by a large picture of the Malfoy family crest, it's reached almost floor to ceiling. He grabbed the side of picture and pulled it open, beyond was a small room, there was nothing inside except a large wooden shelf along the back wall, with row upon row of small phials, and in the middle of the room what appeared to be a large bowl of some sort floating in mid air.

Draco stepped in and Dorian followed. "Do you know what all of this is?" he asked and again Dorian shook his head no.

"This" said Draco, pointing at the bowl, "is a pensieve, it allows you to view your memories or someone else's memories just as they saw them. The phials on the shelf, are full of memories. Not just mine though."

"You want to show me a memory?" Dorian asked.

" I do" Draco replied. He walked to the shelf, knowing exactly what phial he wanted. It was filled with a collection of his memories from sixth year, his father beating him and his mother down with harsh words and threats, laying on the bathroom floor bleeding out after Harry used sectumsempra on him, his father forcing him to take the dark mark and fix the vanishing cabinet to make up for his failure, Narcissa holding Draco as he cried after Dumbledore was killed.

"I'm going to dump this in here" he told Dorian, pointing at the pensieve "You will just hold your head above the surface and you will see, ok?" he emptied the phial and stepped back. Dorian stepped forward and did as Draco told him.

Draco stood there, watching Dorian watch his memories. He could only imagine what the boy could be thinking. After several long moments had passed Dorian stood but he didn't move, he was still looking down at the shimmery liquid swirling in the bowl.

Finally, "He didn't love you either." Draco heard him whisper. "you're father...he didn't love you like my father doesn't love me." Dorian looked like he wanted to cry again but was trying to hold his emotions in check.

"No" Draco told him with a sad smile " My father didn't have love for anything but power...let's go back into the study and we will talk some more,ok Dorian." Draco gestured toward the hole in the wall through which they had entered, Dorian stepped out first and he followed. They again sat in the seat by the window.

" That's why you're here with me Dorian, I understand what you're going through, what you've been through."

"I just don't know what I did to make them hate me so much." the boy was crying again "even after my mother left, I tried so hard to please my father and he still gave me away" he was sobbing now and Draco kneeled down in front of him grabbing his shoulders.

"Look at me Dorian, and listen to what I'm telling you. There is NOTHING wrong with you. The fact that your parents gave you away meand there is something wrong with them, not you." Dorian was looking Draco in his eyes now and he could tell the boy was really considering what he had to say "sometimes people don't even know how to love themselves so they can't possibly love another person, do you understand?"

"I think I do" Dorian replied softly. " how did you stop being mad Draco?"

He smiled up at Dorian, knowing what he meant " I'm not going to lie Dorian, it took me a long time to learn how to control my anger. You could see from my memories, that I even did some very bad things to some very good people, just to try and gain my father's love, it didn't work, and I have to live with those mistakes now Dorian. I don't want you to have to live with that regret."

"I don't want that either" he said shaking his head, he had picked up the Malfoy family album again and was running his finger along the binding. "You're mother was a good lady though? She seemed like she loved you in your memories."

Draco stood from the kneeling position he was in at Dorian's feet and sat next to the boy again " She was a good lady, she, like myself, had to make some bad choices because of my father ,but she's one of the main reasons I 'stopped being mad' as you put it." he was smiling as he spoke about his mother " she lives in America now but you will get to meet her sometime."

"I'm sorry Draco." Dorian said quietly. Draco was unsure of what the boy was apologizing for and he wanted to ask but it felt like Dorian wanted to say more so Draco stayed silent.

"I didn't mean to be rude to Ms. Granger last night." Draco could hear the tremor of tears in Dorian's voice again. " I was just still so angry with my father for dumping me at Hogwarts and...and….well, she seems like a nice lady and I'm sorry." he was picking at the string hanging off of his jumper again, nervous habit Draco thought.

"It's alright Dorian, I understand, and so does she." he put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We want you to know, me, Ms. Granger, Headmistress McGonagall, we're all here to help you,ok? You can talk to us about anything, when you're upset or scared. We want to help you stop being mad, like my mom did for me."

Dorian sat there for a moment, still fiddling with the string, and then suddenly he turned and wrapped his small arms around Draco in a hug " Thank you." he said quietly.

Draco hugged him back, his chest tightening. This was a new feeling for him, and it was nice...no, it was better than nice.

When Dorian pulled away he had a small smile on his face, the first one Draco had seen since the boy arrived and it made him smile to see.

"So, you start school tomorrow" Draco reminded him "are you looking forward to it?"

"I'm scared but excited too." Dorian said " I want to make friends, I've never had any before, but I'm worried the kids won't like me." he looked up at Draco for reassurance.

"I bet they will like you just fine Dorian" he said smiling, "besides everyone always wants to be friends with the kid that has the fastest broom." Draco told him.

"I don't have a broom, I don't even know how to ride." Dorian told him looking crestfallen.

" Well not yet, but we're doing your school shopping this afternoon and then we have all evening to practice." winking at the boy he said "why don't you go change your jumper, I just noticed you have a string dangling from it" Draco told him nonchalantly "and then we will floo to Diagon Alley.

A huge grin broke across Dorian's face then and he took off for his room. Draco sat there for a moment smiling to himself, he couldn't wait to tell Hermione about the progress he had made this morning with the Dorian, she might even reward him for it.

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