Draco wasn't confident about going into his fifth year. On one hand, it would be a welcomed break from his home life. On the other, he would have to face his classmates. No one knew he had came out as trans over summer, so he anticipated there would be plenty of rumours upon his return. Some people would have likely heard already. Pureblooded families tended to be friendly with each other, so it was reasonable to assume word had gotten out. What would be most awkward is the humiliation of having to stay in his own room. Dumbledore and Snape thought it wouldn't be right for him to stay with the girls anymore, but it would be too dangerous to put him in with the boys. Mind you, it wasn't that they seemed to care about his safety, it seemed more likely they didn't want any trouble with the Ministry of Magic. Luckily, Draco had the law on his side, even if the majority of the wizarding world weren't too fond of trans people.

Although, magic did seem to make

transitioning easier. Well, in theory it did. He would have to drink a potion everyday, and if he wanted to permanently alter a feature in similar ways to muggle surgery, there were spells that could do that. Unfortunately, those spells were almost impossible to find any information on, and the people who did do them would only do them if you met all of their criteria. Draco tried not to think about it too much. He wasn't even allowed to take the potion until he was sixteen.

Draco brushed his hair out of his face. He was still adjusting to his first short haircut. It felt weird to not feel his hair blowing in the wind. Taking a deep breath in, Draco boarded the Hogwarts express. He immediately went into the bathroom on the train to change into his robes. He put a spell on an old black shirt so it would make his chest look flat. Much to his dismay, the spell would wear off quickly. He tried the spell on the shirt again and it worked well, but he knew he'd have to excuse himself during the feast in order to recast it. As he put on his robes, he sighed. No matter what he did, he couldn't seem to get them to sit right on his body. He knew he was being stupid. He knew that they didn't cling to the curves of his body. They were about three sizes too big! Still, he tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling and find somewhere to sit. Draco kept his head down, trying not to draw attention to himself, yet he still heard murmurs about him.

'Is that Draya?' a fourth year Ravenclaw said to her friend.

'I heard it got disowned. What a fucking freak,' Said a seventh year Slytherin.

'You know, I'd feel bad for her, I mean him, if he hadn't been such a rotten person before. At least now he knows what it feels like to be hated over something so small.' That voice belonged to Hermione Granger.

For a moment, Draco felt bad for what he had put her through. This year, he knew he'd experience his fair share of abuse, most of which would be on par with what he put her through. He tried not to dwell on it. There was no use getting worked up and emotional over someone like her.

He ducked into the closest carriage, which had a few first years inside. Luckily, they paid no attention to him. He pulled out a book, hoping the journey wouldn't be as long and dull as he expected it to be.

Sitting in the great hall was possibly the most awkward experience of Draco's life. No one wanted to sit near him, and he could hear multiple people mocking him. He decided to keep his head down and not let them get a rise out of him. Everything would get easier when the sorting began. The first years still hadn't been called in, but now in his fifth year, Draco was used to the long wait.

'Malfoy, with me please. The headmaster wishes to discuss something with you,' Snape said from behind. Draco immediately got up and followed him to Dumbledore's office, seeing it as an opportunity to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere of the Slytherin table.

'Ah, Draya. I trust you know why I called you here?' Dumbledore asked.

'With all due respect, sir, I thought we already had everything sorted out. Also, you know that's not my name anymore. My name is Draco,' He said. If anything, Draco was always calm and assertive in situations like this. There'd be no point in angering Dumbledore, especially in his current situation. He needed as many allies as possible, and had the sense to know they'd be hard to come by.

'Ah, I'm sorry, it slipped my mind. I'll try to remember from now on.' Dumbledore began to pour some tea for himself and Draco.

'Now, I'm aware you and your family had a bit of an altercation after you came out,' Dumbledore said.

'Yes, but I'm living with a lovely family now, They let me be me,' Draco replied, hoping Dumbledore wouldn't delve further into his domestic life.

'Delightful. I've spoken to them, and they've given me permission to let you see a specialist to talk to about your gender. They'll see if you're suitable to start hormone changing potions when you turn sixteen. You will speak with them every two weeks, and hopefully they'll help you figure things out.'

Draco couldn't hold back his tears. Everything he'd ever wanted seemed so close. It would make this year of bullying worth it. Even if he had to wait an entire year, he was elated to be starting down the path of transitioning.

'That's great! Thank you so much!' he exclaimed.

Draco left and returned to the Great Hall. He'd missed a large chunk of the sorting, with only three first years left to be sorted. Time seemed to crawl by, which wasn't helped by the glares Draco was receiving. He just wanted to get some food and get out. Once the feast began, he ate quickly then snuck off back to his room before anyone else could tease him. Luckily, people were too scared to say anything to his face. The name Malfoy protected him. People feared repercussions from his father, which meant he was always able to skate by unscathed by people. This wouldn't last though. It wouldn't take long for news to spread about his family disowning him. Tomorrow, classes would start. The real trouble had barely begun.

AN:

So I started this fic over a year ago and abandoned it. With all the stuff going on with JKR, I felt it appropriate to revive this. If you'd like to support a trans author (albeit of fanfic, lol) please feel free to buy me a Ko-fi at /dean0772