Chapter 9 - A Malfoy's Ambition

"Come on Dragon, it won't kill you to come out of this room every once in awhile," Sirius Black told Draco one day in the younger boy's room.

"Says you, you're already on their good side," Draco said. He had chosen to stay confined in his room with the exception of meals and other times it was necessary.

When he did come out, he didn't allow himself to show but only a few signs of being uncomfortable or awkward. He thought he had fooled them all, he should've known he couldn't fool the brightest witch of their age quite so easily.

"They'll like you too if you give them a chance to see who you are," Sirius encouraged.

"See who I am? Who I am they've seen can't be trusted and for good reason too. Whom I have sat back and watched my father," Draco said spitting out the word father as if it left a bad taste in his mouth, "sabotage and insult their entire family. I'm sure Weasley, Potter, and even Granger have given them all even more reasons as well, so why should they give me a chance now?" he said emotions going from bitter to defeated.

"Well would you do any of that if you had the opportunity to now?" Sirius asked.

"No," Draco said after a short pause.

"Do you know why?" Sirius asked and Draco shrugged. "It's because you've learned from your mistakes, you understand that there are consequences to your actions and you know that it's wrong. Shouldn't that be a good enough reason to trust you?" Sirius said.

"I suppose. But how do I show them that?" Draco asked.

"You could start by apologizing, to all of them. Be honest to them and give them some time for them to notice your changes," Sirius replied. "In fact, why not tonight?" He added with an odd tone, to which Draco tilted his head.

"Why? What's happening tonight?" Draco asked suspiciously.

"Um well it's just better to do so sooner then later," Sirius answered.

"No that's not it, what aren't you telling me?" Draco said the second part tensely. At this point, he knew all too well when someone was lying and he was done tolerating it.

Sirius sighed, then studied the younger boy for a moment noticing the change in voice. In that moment Sirius was taken back to when he was about Draco's age, when he was adjusting to living with the Potter's. It was this understanding that made him realize that he wouldn't -couldn't- lie to Draco from now on.

"Harry Potter is arriving tonight to stay for the rest of the summer," Sirius stated.

Sirius watched as Draco's eyes widened. Harry Potter, the boy Draco had tormented more than anyone for the last four years, was going to stay under the same roof as him. He would be the hardest and most important person to convince that he has changed. Tonight could either make or break his chances with the Order of the Phoenix.

"They're all going to hate me. Potter and his friends will never forgive me, not after everything I've done to them," Draco said.

"I wouldn't bet on that. They know you as the boy who wanted to be his father, not the boy who knows better," Sirius told him with a smile.

Draco nodded, "thank you Sirius."

"Anytime Draco," Sirius replied with a father like smile.

Draco Malfoy decided then and there that he would prove himself and nothing would get in the way of the Slytherin's ambition.

After Sirius had left the room to do whatever Sirius does, he honestly didn't really know what that man does with his spare time, Draco decided to take the opportunity to go get some water. He took a deep breath before exiting what has become his safe haven and into the unknown.

He walked down the once terrifying halls he's now become so familiar with since he had arrived. Draco was surprised that he hadn't seen anyone as he went down the stairs to the kitchen until he got to the first floor. This, it seemed, was where everyone was.

There was the faint sound of laughter and many conversations but he could only make out bits and pieces.

"Oi! Give it back Ron!"

"That'll be a best seller!"

He heard the voices of the Weasley twins. Draco couldn't help being curious as to what it was that would be and whether it would ever be used on him.

He shuddered at the thought.

"Ronald give that back, who knows what it could do to you," the unmistakable bossy tone of Hermione Granger ordered.

Draco didn't realize until then how he sort of missed hearing that voice of hers, it brought him back to when things were simpler. When all he had to worry about was his classes and how to get a rise out of the feisty witch and her friends, instead of the target now on his back by You-Know-Who.

Next thing Draco knew, he was knocked to the ground seeing nothing but a heap of brown not-so-frizzy hair and books.

*

Hermione came tumbling down as she unexpectedly ran into something hard on her way to her room. She began apologizing before stopping in surprise when her brown eyes met grey eyes.

"Don't worry too much, Granger, wouldn't want your head to explode," Malfoy said with humor.

Hermione simply rolled her eyes and began picking her books up. Malfoy then did something she really didn't expect, he helped her!

"I've got this thanks," she said fearing he'd try to play a trick on her. When he handed her the books he collected, she snatched them back to her.

"I'm only trying to help," Malfoy said with a masked look of...hurt? Disappointment?

Of course, now she felt guilty of her coldness towards him even if it was earned by previous years.

"Why would you want to help me?" Hermione asked with more curiosity than coldness.

"Maybe I'm trying to fix my mistake, ," Malfoy told her before walking off into the dark hallway and her eyes got wider with realization.

Since she had gotten to Grimmaulds Place, he hadn't made one insult or done anything unpleasant that she had seen or heard and with the Weasley family, she would've heard about it if anything had happened.

His whole manner and appearance is different Too. He's more..relaxed, not looking for an opportunity to strike, and not needing to have his guard up it seems. Maybe..what he said meant that he was trying to change for the better.

She went to her room and put her books down on the bed, her precious task long forgotten. Hermione's thoughts were drowned in trying to figure out the blond boy she had run into on her way. Could it be? The Draco Malfoy trying to change his cruel ways? Was he trying to change sides of the upcoming war?

It seemed impossible and yet..even more possible then ever.

*

~a few hours later~

*

While Hermione had been trying to figure Malfoy out, the darkening of the sky through her window had reminded her of something much more important. Now she found herself pacing anxiously back and forth in Ronald Weasley's room.

Harry Potter was supposed to be here anytime now and she was excited...yet worried. Would her best friend be angry at her for not being able to tell him anything? Would he understand why she didn't?

"C'mon 'Mione, it'll be fine. You don't need to worry so much," Ron told her as if she were overreacting.

"You don't know that. You know how Harry can get when it comes to being lied to," Hermione pointed out.

"We didn't lie to him, we were just not telling him the entire truth," Ron said before taking a bite out of a biscuit Mrs. Weasley made.

"That's the same thing, Ronald," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Oh, well I'm sure Harry'll understand," Ron said.

"Would you understand if you were in his shoes?" Hermione said not believing he would. He simply shrugged and finished the biscuit off to which she rolled her eyes.

They sat in silence, Hermione bitting her lip anxiously while Ron seemed to have no care in the world. They stayed like that until they heard the door open and a familiar head poke through.

Harry Potter has arrived.