Writing this while watching The Powerpuff Girls:) haha

Good night? I should say so!

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(Harry POV)

It was good to see the Great Hall again. Not only was it my seventh year, but there was no guarantee that I would live through this war. This was one of the last times I would ever see it.

It was good to see my friends again too. Neville, Seamus, Dean, Luna – I had missed them all.

When anyone asked Hermione, Ron, and I about our summer, I hadn't failed to notice that all three of us hesitated before saying something stupid like "Quidditch" or "Not too much. You?"

I looked over at the Slytherin table.

Draco was no where to be seen.

Neither were his "friends".

That couldn't mean anything good.

Suddenly, the doors to the Great Hall flew open, attracting everyone attention.

My mouth fell open.

I could tell by their face that Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all shared my shock.

Draco walked in, sneer in place. He looked… healthy. His dark circles were gone. He didn't look like he would snap in half. Not a hair was out of place.

He looked… beautiful.

But what really surprised me was the fact that he had everyone in his year who had used him – Goyle, Crabbe, Parkinson, Zabini, both the Greengrasses, Nott, and several others – were following him like lost puppies.

What had he done?

His eyes suddenly locked with mine. He smirked. He winked.

I was in total shock.

"What did he…"

"I have no clue."

The sorting commenced and I clapped as Gryffindor gained a new member, but I didn't take my eyes off of Draco.

I had always been the jealous type. Always.

So watching that piece of shit Nott lean over and whisper things in Draco's ear and see Draco's giggle? My blood was boiling.

"Harry?" Hermione whispered, gently laying a hand on my shoulder.

"What part of 'they're just using him' does he not understand?" I demanded, slamming my fist on the table.

"Harry, he's desperate." She whispered, trying to reason with me.

But all I saw was Nott leaning over to whisper to him again, too close to him, his lips brushing Draco's ear as he spoke.

Draco ducked his head, blushing.

Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet, over to where the two of them sat.

"Draco."

The blonde turned and looked at me, surprise written across his features before it quickly turned to indifference.

"We need to talk." I hissed at him.

I was well aware that all eyes were on us, no one clapping for the first years as they moved to their tables.

I didn't care.

Draco scoffed, giving me a once-over. "And what exactly do we have to talk about, Potter?"

That stung.

"Everything. You can't exactly hide what happened over the summer, Draco."

All eyes turned to Draco.

"What exactly happened over the summer, Dray?" Parkinson quipped, eyebrow raised.

"Potter started writing me over the summer." Draco didn't miss a beat. "Proclaimed his undying love for me."

There were snickers from the Slytherins.

"And what'd you say?" Blaise asked through his snort.

Draco turned his back to me, raising his fork with a flourished motion. "I just told him to bugger off."

The quiet laughter turned into loud guffaws.

My anger only increased.

"God." I spat. "Someone tries to help you and your head's too far up your ass to let them. You're too busy following around people who hate you like a little lost puppy.

"It's no wonder no one cares about you. You-,"

My words 'won't let them' were drowned out by the applause.

Draco's back straightened. He froze. He turned and looked at me, and the look on his face broke my heart.

I realized the only part he had heard.

There was so much hurt written across his face. His eyes turned glassy. But, within seconds, the hurt turned to pure anger and hate.

"And so many people care about you. 'Cause you're the Boy-Who-Lived. You're the Chosen One. You're the answer to everyone's problems."

He was on his feet, suddenly seeming much taller than he was as he advanced on me.

"And exactly where would you be if it weren't for that fucking scar?

"Nowhere. You'd never have made the friends you did because no one would've cared about you at all. But you have that." He jabbed a finger at my forehead. "That's the only reason anyone gives a shit if you're alive or dead."

The words tore through me and I felt my blood boil.

"You know what?" I spat right back at him. "Forget I ever said a thing. Forget all of it. I don't have a thing to explain. I used you, just like everyone else. It's just a shame I didn't get more than I did."

I didn't mean it. I only wanted to hurt him the way he hurt me.

But I still regretted it.

I saw the hurt in his eyes once again, but, this time, he didn't shoot something back. He just avoided eye contact and sat back down.

"Whatever, Potter. Go sit back down with the mudblood and the blood traitor. Hopefully You-Know-Who will do us all a favor sooner rather than later."

He didn't mean the words. The lack of fire in his voice proved that.

But the Slytherins believed him enough to laugh like maniacs.

And I took my leave.

I'm not his baby sitter. I don't have to take care of him. Maybe he'll just have to learn his lesson the hard way.

I didn't mean my words either. There was no way I could.

My chest felt hollow.

Suddenly, as I was almost back to my seat, a Slytherin's voice met my ear.

"So, Malfoy? You want to come meet me in the restricted section tonight? My father bragged about how tight you are and how wonderful that little mouth is. I'd hate to miss out."

I turned and looked at Draco, feeling my heart break. His face had gone pale. He looked humiliated as others, most the Slytherins, began to laugh at him. I watched as his eyes turned to Blaise, pleading him to stand up for him.

But Zabini just kept eating, acting as though he hadn't heard a thing. As did Parkinson, Greengrass, and Nott. Crabbe and Goyle looked as though they were trying, and failing, to hide their laughter behind their hands.

Then his eyes landed on mine. His silver eyes were hurt. He was heart broken. I could tell what he felt.

He was alone.

The others hadn't fooled him into thinking he had friends. He didn't believe that they really cared about him, that he had friends.

He was just desperate to fool himself into thinking that.

But he was too intelligent for that.

His eyes left mine and looked down at the table, laying down his fork. He took a deep, shuddering breath.

Then suddenly he was on his feet, wand out, and the Slytherin was on the floor, half way across the room.

"Don't ever speak to me in such a way again." Draco's counter-tenor voice seemed to boom over the Great Hall. "If you do, I'm afraid I can't held accountable for my actions."

He sat back down, suddenly no longer the hurt, abused boy that I had come to love, but the self-centered, narcissistic heir that I had always hated.

It was all an act. But it was a good one.

All the Slytherins shut their mouths. The boy who had been hexed merely stood and walked back to his seat, not another word. No one else, student or professor, said a word.

Draco just raised another bite of his salad to his lips.

And I took my seat.

It took a while for the talking to resume.

Once it did, I noticed Nott whispering in Draco's ear again. But this time, there was no blushing, no giggling.

He ignored him, rolling his eyes, barely picking at his dinner.

"You tried, Harry." Hermione whispered to me. "Just give him time. Things are going to be really hard for him right now."

I watched as Snape rose to his feet and walked towards the door, touching Draco's shoulder as he passed.

Draco, without question, rose to his feet and followed him.

(Snape POV)

Draco looked at me, chin up, eyes cold.

"How are you, Draco?"

"I'm fine, sir. And you?"

Sir?

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Since when do you address me as sir?"

Draco didn't respond. Instead, he just gave me that calculating stare. The one that reminded me much too much of Lucius.

"Will you drop this façade? You're not fooling anyone."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I could feel my anger building.

"Draco! Stop this instant!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Professor."

Along with my anger, I could feel my heart breaking for the boy. He had finally had too much.

It killed me to think it was Potter.

But he needed to drop this. Now.

"Either stop and like a normal person or get out of my office."

A drop of hurt mixed in with his eyes.

"Thank you for the talk, sir. Getting commands and getting snapped at really improved my night. Made it all the better. Goodnight, Professor."

He slid off the desk he was sitting on and walked out of my classroom.

I sat in my own desk, face in my hands.

Now I could just add another source of hurt to his already torturous list.

I would make it up to him. I wouldn't let him get hurt this way.

And I would protect him. I couldn't the first time, but I would die before I let him get hurt like that again.

And I would make sure all those people who had hurt him this way, Potter included, went down with me.

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Sorry it took me so long to update. I've gotten way too absorbed in Through Their Eyes:) haha

SPOILER ALERT: The wars coming soon. And I've got big plans for everyone:)

I had a dream the other night (not with these characters) that gave me an idea on how to continue on. And this week is spring break, so hopefully I'll get another chapter up this week.

Reviews are Love!