SHACKLED BY THE WRIST

CHAPTER 1- Reflection

Arrogant. Evil. Cunning. Those are the words many would use to describe the infamous Draco Malfoy. The Hufflepuff's feared him, the Ravenclaws had a silent respect for him. None of these feelings affected Draco in the slightest. His opinion of Hufflepuff wasn't high and Ravenclaw didn't favour much better. In Draco's small world only two things mattered to him. The Slytherins loved him and the Gryffindor's hated him. Both love and hate seemed blind now. When he entered his fourth year of Hogwarts, Draco had started to question the way things had turned out. What was this love and hate from both houses truly founded on? Slytherin and Gryffindor hating each other seemed to be the natural order of things. But all his questions were answered immediately when he'd laid his eyes on the 'famous' Harry Potter.

On Draco's way to class, him, and his gang of fellow Slytherins had run into 'the Golden Trio.' Like many times before Draco and Potter had locked eyes after insults were thrown, a stare so intense it felt as if everything disappeared around them. To their friends it looked like they were challenging each other, one too stubborn and the other too proud to be the first to break their gaze.

Every so often, Draco would notice himself liking the colour of Potter's apple green eyes behind his glasses. However, this time as Potter moved closer to him in their face off, words briefly rolling into his mind. If they were any closer, they'd kiss. Draco coughed and stumbled backwards. Gryffindor's annoyed scowl and Slytherins smirk twisted into a confused expression. Recovering quickly, Draco hurled another witty insult before heading to class. He didn't slow his pace to wait for his friends as his legs seemed to have a mind of their own.

Strange questions over the school year kept resurfacing, forming a small stream. No matter how hard he tried to push it down, the unthought thoughts soon formed into a deep lake. Then came Cedric Diggory. Draco had never noticed him. Sure, he knew he was popular in Hufflepuff but Slytherins rarely acknowledged the yellow houses existence -apart from occasional shoves through the corridors. He'd only come to care about Cedric in hopes his open support for him in the Triwizard Tournament would add to the frown he'd seen Potter wearing so often.

The sky was clear in the afternoon at Hogwarts. Everything was still and quiet. Not even the wind was present. Swiftly walking with purpose, Draco had gone outside in search of Cedric hoping if the meeting went fast enough, he wouldn't be seen with the Hufflepuffs. "Cedric Diggory," he said with a smirk. He'd caught the older boy alone sitting under a tree, not doing much of anything. Draco put his hands in his pockets, looking down at him out of habit. "How is temporary fame treating you? Gone to your head yet?" Cedric tensed and stood up, eyes darting around like he was expecting that there were other Slytherins lurking behind the trees. When none were found, Cedric relaxed and smiled -to Draco's surprise. "And you're Draco Malfoy from Slytherin -right?" Cedric had a kind curiosity to his voice making Draco roll his eyes in response as he thought back to scarhead.

There were rare moments when he was unfortunately forced into a civilised conversation with Potter, he'd hear that same odd kindness and curiosity that Draco believe were some of the reasons to why he'd be almost dying every year at Hogwarts. After a short word with Cedric, he'd offered Slytherins support and went back to his common room. Draco didn't listen to half the words Cedric said. Simply, he didn't, particularly care. He supposed the guy was sort of charming and he could understand why the girls found him attractive. Only the thought of what Potter's face would look like after he'd learnt what Draco had done lingered vividly in his mind. It was the only thing drawing a smile from his lips that day.

Soon after Draco had (in Cedric's opinion) been outwardly friendly, the two frequently greeted each other. First, they were merely acquaintances due to mutual benefit. Cedric earned more encouragement to succeed in the Triwizard Tournament and Draco's reward seemed priceless. Only a few days later, when he caught Potter's attention, he saw a familiar burning hatred he'd missed ever since Potter had been chosen to compete.

Before the last trial, Harry was walking through the castle. Like always, he was accompanied by Ron and Hermione wrapped in another useless conversation about the Tournament. Harry deeply appreciated his friends, but there was nothing he could say to settle their worries. Tired. More than anything he wanted to fall onto a bed, close his eyes and not talk about the many ways he could die.

"Are you even listening to me Harry?" He could distantly hear Hermione say. Not that he was previously paying attention to their conversation, but now a strange scene caught his attention.

Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang laughing together. Harry couldn't deny his feelings for Cho, they stirred something close to envy that Cedric seemed to be better than him at everything. Those feelings were irrelevant now. If he looked closer, Cedric and Cho weren't laughing together. No, they were laughing at something. There was a slight pause in their laughter but then it bubbled back into his ears. He'd completely stopped in his tracks. Ron and Hermione didn't notice Harry had stopped but after a quick glance they found him silently staring in the opposite direction. Catching onto what Harry was so fixated upon, Hermione gently pulled on his shoulders to bring him back to Earth.

Draco Malfoy. The source of their laughter. Never had Harry seen such sincerity on Malfoy's face. There was always this darkness that clouded his eyes giving any expression he wore full of malice. He continued to watch Malfoy wave a friendly goodbye and stroll off. Harry easily slipped out of Hermione's grasp as she huffed out a "don't." Emotion took over him. Without a second thought, he marched up to Malfoy. He'd heard whispers of a friendship between the Hufflepuff and the Slytherin, but he'd never quite believed it. Not truly. Mutters of Malfoy being seen with Cho and some of her friend's. It all seemed too impossible. There was no way that a Slytherin could be 'nice' to someone outside of their house, let alone a bloody Hufflepuff and his girlfriend. Harry was nothing less than seething.

It must be a trick, Harry reasoned. Maybe Malfoy had found out about his little crush on Cho and went about to rub it in his face by pretending to befriend Cedric.

Malfoy suddenly turned around to face Harry. "You're rubbish at sneaking up on people, Potter." The insult didn't have much of a bite to it. As Harry scanned the other boys face, he only found an amused smile glancing back at him. Anger boiled in him. Later he'd understand what he was feeling in that moment. Jealously.

"I know what you're doing, Malfoy."

"Oh really?" Malfoy raised his eyebrows, letting a dark grin settle on his face. "Then please tell me, oh great Harry Potter, since you've figured me out." His mocking tone, and challenging stance cooled Harry's short-lived anger. Many times, he'd been reminded of his impulsive nature -this was one of those reminders.

"Well…"

"Well?"

Malfoy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, slightly backing away from Harry. "Always so sure of yourself. I haven't actually done anything." Stupidly, his eyes swayed to the left, in the direction of Cedric and Cho who were still leaning on the wall next to each other. Cursing himself, he knew Malfoy wasn't thick and would piece together what he'd been talking about with that one slip up. "Jealous, Potter?"

Leaving Harry speechless, Malfoy took this opportunity to laugh in his face and without rush, return to wherever he'd been strolling off to.

At the end of the last trial, there were two that had appeared on the ground. Cheering from the top of his lungs, Draco, and the rest of Slytherin saw the two who had come back and were overjoyed one of them was Cedric. But soon, Draco squinted his eyes and saw that Cedric's chest wasn't moving. His knuckles went white as he braced himself for the tears that would desperately try and break through his stone-cold emotionless façade.

"He's back."

Harry Potter just had to ruin everything, didn't he? Dead eyes. Cedric had dead eyes. All colour from mere hours before had been stolen from his face. The sky that had once been a brilliant bright blue, plunged into a starless night. Draco's vision blurred as Potter was dragged off to the side, leaving Cedric's father weeping over his sons' untimely death. From that point on, everything else became a hazed memory he wished he could completely forget. Once the students were being sent home, Cho had caught up with him. Her cheeks were stained red and her eyes glassy. For a moment, he swallowed his pride and didn't resist her arms wrapping around his neck as she sobbed into his chest.

Even though Cho was a year above him, he was still a few inches taller than her. In the time he'd allowed himself to get close to Cedric, Cho had also gotten close to him; maybe even more so to her than Cedric. Confidently (to himself) he could say that both Cedric and Cho had become friends of his. Never in his life would he admit it, but he enjoyed the company of the Ravenclaws. Cedric was the only Hufflepuff he believed he'd ever be able to put up with, the Ravenclaws were a different story.

He'd never considered their similarities. They had the use of practicality and wit of a Slytherin. Although Ravenclaw's talents leaned more towards a creative logic whereas Slytherin's were more a cunning resourcefulness. Cho's friends could hold a whole conversation with him even if they were all very girlish. Surprisingly, he fit into their click quite nicely -when no one was around of course. If Draco were to be completely honest with himself, he'd only put up with Hufflepuff's to be around Cedric. If the Ravenclaw in question wasn't too odd -they'd get along.

There was one question lingering in his mind, ready to spill over the edge of the ocean that his thoughts had gathered into.

Currently, Draco was walking onto the train to go back home after the depressing end to his fourth year. Grief and sadness passed through the air, silencing any attempts at making small talk. Harry Potter was surrounded by his friends, more than just Weasley and Granger. The whole band stood by him. Comforting him. Supporting him.

From all of Draco's friends in Slytherin, only Pansy seemed to take a liking to the Ravenclaws. Although, he could easily recall her calling Cedric, "a real pushover." Even now, he'd agree with her. He and Pansy had been friends for longer than he'd known Crabbe and Goyle. She was his right hand, someone he trusted above even Blaise.

Pansy had boringly straight black hair and a plain complexion when he'd met her years ago. She had grown into her looks, becoming a vocal point of many boy's affections. No matter which boy she was toying with now, she'd without fail be at Draco's side first, dropping the other boy's heart like a fly. The face-off began. Draco could see the burn in Potter's eyes, but he'd caught the glimpse of his own mournful reflection in his glasses. He broke their gaze immediately, obverting his eyes to the side of the train. Word's that had once thought to be used to attack Potter, were stuck in his throat. "Potter…" He didn't mean to let his voice sound so unsure. So broken. Still, he pressed on and gave into his questions.

"You said he's back when Cedric…Was my father with him?" Draco's swayed into his words like wind blowing softly against the trees. He swayed slowly becoming one of the tree's Cedric had relaxed under. To Draco's utter detriment, Potter gave him the one answer he wished to unhear. More so than to unsee Cedric's dead, dead eyes. "Yes." Walls that had defended him fell. They were chopped down like a tree. Draco could hear them making a loud thump as the now hollow, lifeless corpse of a tree trunk hit the unforgiving floor. Leaves curled in on themselves, branches twisted, and flowers withered away.

Potter had seen that flash of pain course through his veins, reliving the memory with him. Once again, he'd seen his reflection in the boy's glasses. They were like torturous mirror's, large and round enough to taught him. Taking the answer with a firm grip, he simply left the scene. Each step more rigid than the next like he was walking over graves, being careful not to disrupt the peace of the dead beneath him.

Pansy followed, watching after him.

Finally, Draco allowed himself to dive into the questions he'd gathered throughout the year. For his whole life, he'd been brought up to believe that the only two things that held any importance were fame and power. Fame was with Harry Potter and power was with wizards, true pure-blood wizards. When Potter had rejected him, that longing for fame installed and encouraged by his father turned into a bitter hatred. Over the years, he'd grown to hate everything about Potter; some of which confused not only his parents and his friends, but himself. He'd hated Ron in association with Potter and Granger because she was a mud-blood.

In the summer before his fifth year of Hogwarts was set to begin, he'd spoken to his mother. Narcissa Malfoy was an intelligent woman, charming when she wanted to be and born as sly as a fox. Draco respected both of his parents, but he'd always been closer with his mother. Trusting her to lay down her wisdom instead of the unbreakable rules his father would set. Careful with his words, he'd confessed to his mother he didn't want to be a death eater.

The way the wrinkles on her face softened like she was looking at him as if he were once again her little dragon and not his father's heir. She caressed his face with the touch of an angel and smiled like moonlight.

"Draco, I didn't inherit craziness. Neither did you. Anyone who claims to have chosen to be a follower of death by choice is either lying or someone you should never wish to speak to again." Narcissa said with gripping belief. "And what of father?" Asked Draco, fearful of her answer. Her hand slipped from his cheek and went to clutch his hand, bringing it to rest by her heart. "A liar in all sense of the word. I wouldn't go so far as to say you should never lie -however- you mustn't lie to yourself."

That was all he needed to hear and more to put his mind back into a new order.

"Don't inherit that from your father. You'll take my clarity instead, won't you?" Although the words felt light against his ear's, he could hear her underlying message. Yes, yes, he would. He didn't want to be his father, he wouldn't start wanting that now.

A/N- Hello, I'm Mrs Marvellous and welcome to my story. I love the books and the films in the Harry Potter universe. I've always wanted to do my own take on the Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy pairing. This is going to be a long, slow build romance with hits of humour to lighten things up so be prepared for the challenge. Just so you know I'm aiming to update every week so stay tuned.

Thank you for anyone reading, reviews are always welcome and if you have any suggestions or thoughts on what you'd like to see next don't be afraid to comment under this chapter.