Disclaimer: Once again I do not own any of the Harry Potter characters or places. Those belong to JK Rowling and is that my name...no...so I guess they're not mine so don't sue k.
A/N: I know it's not Tuesday yet but still I was thinking and well I have recording tomorrow so I'm not gonna have time to upload the chapter and such. So I'm doing it now instead. Except well I got this huge burst of inspiration so I think I'm gonna go ahead and write the next one too. If I get it done I'll post it as well and you'll get a double treat but I'm not promising anything. Hehe
A/N 2: The people that reviewed just made me oh so happy by their reviews its just that I've never gotten so many reviews at once for one of my stories and it just made me feel really good. Talk about a great way to end a pretty bad week!! Anyway now for the shoot-outs...
Shyla-of-slytherin: Thanks for bein my first reviewer and I'm so glad that you're enjoying the fic so much so far. And sure you can be my beta. Thanks so much!!
Calleen: I'm glad you liked the title and Ron. I hope he's not too much out of character. Oh well if he is at least he still has a fan.
Tigerlilly: Thanks so much for the review. I don't think you know how much it meant to me.
Warnings for this chapter: Umm it's mostly third person in Draco's view now but also in Harry too. Uhh depressed thoughts and some mild swearing and threats...can't forget the threats. Oh...and there's quite a few times where I make reference to something happening to Draco but I don't say what it is. I'm just evil like that. You'll find out what happened later. I think that's it.
A/N 3: This story is Slash meaning boy/boy relationships. If you don't like the HP/DM pairing...what the heck are you doing reading this!! And if you just don't like homosexuality then get your homophobic butt in gear and hit the back button!! I don't want any flames so don't send em to me. I won't take them seriously. Besides, no one's forcing you to read this. It was your choice so no taking it out on me! I think I'm done venting that now. Lets see what else can I babble on about...(yes I like babbling) sighs Oh well.
Hands out freshly made chocolate fudge to everyone (my own recipe) that is in the shape of little Harry's and Draco's
And now on with the chapter----
??Why??
Sometimes I sit Alone,
Wondering why
Why it is, that I sit here...
All alone
With no one to talk to
No one to care
No one to call my own
Why must I sit
Here by myself
And watch those around me
Walk by
Holding tightly to those
That they love
I'm tire of watching
I'm tired of waiting
I'm tired of sitting here
I want to stand up
And run to the arms
Of somebody who really cares
Yet all I find,
That I can do
Is sit here alone
Wondering...why?--Me
Chapter 2
Oh how the Mighty have fallen
"How are you feeling this evening Mr. Malfoy?" Madame Pomfrey asked the blond-haired boy who sat upon the lone occupied bed in the school infirmary. Her attitude toward the young man had softened since he had arrived nearly two weeks before and she now found herself genuinely concerned for him. Over the previous weeks he had been solely in her care and had shown a side of himself that she and most others on the faculty had not even dreamed existed.
The young man didn't answer her; he merely nodded. Poppy knew that this meant that he was feeling much better...physically. The boy had barely said anything since he had been in her care and she found herself worrying about his mental recovery. 'A boy should never have to go through so much so quickly,' she thought to herself sadly.
She found herself remembering how he had arrived in the infirmary. The prone form had been unrecognizable. In Poppy Pomfrey's eyes, he still was. The Draco Malfoy that everyone had come to know through the years was gone. The new Draco, who had come to take his place, was not confident. In fact, he was far from it. His eyes still showed no emotion but now, instead of looking as though they were covered by a thin layer of ice, they looked completely dead, hollow. His white blond hair fell loosely to his shoulders as he had no chance to slick it back as he had before the summer holiday. He hadn't grown much more over the break and had stopped growing just short of six feet. Firm, toned muscles covered his body; not a scrap of excess fat could be found anywhere on the boy.
He hadn't eaten much since his arrival and, judging by how small and weak he had been at that time, the weight loss was not a good development. No matter what attempts the nurse made, she just could not get the boy to eat more than a minimal amount of food daily.
Pomfrey snapped out of her thoughts when the tray in her hands reminded her just why she had come to see the boy. "It's time for your potions Draco," she said, setting the small oval tray beside his bed. The boy once more said nothing, merely reaching over and, picking up one of the small vials that sat beside him and downing the contents in one drink. "Professor Dumbledore wanted me to remind you that you are to join the welcoming feast this evening."
The boy looked up at her suddenly, his eyes blank, and nodded. Poppy looked down at the young man before her and silently thanks Albus for giving the prefects their own rooms and common room. She knew deep down that what the boy before her really needed was time alone to vent his frustration.
Draco's POV
'God can anything get any worse? It's bad enough that that woman knows about what those bastards did to me this summer. Why can't she just let me alone? She constantly asks if I'm alright. As if I'm gonna answer her. Screw that. I haven't spoken of it since that day and I'm damn well not gonna start now. It's no one's damn business anyway.'
'None of them would understand.' I let out a soft sigh as Madame Pomfrey walks away. As her office door shuts I allow myself to fall back into the pillows to stare at the ceiling. 'None of them.'
'Oh Potter, if only you could see me now. I bet you'd get a kick out of this. Draco Malfoy...Slytherin Prince...lying in a hospital bed because he was too weak to actually take care of himself. Draco Malfoy, your once spoiled archenemy can no longer even argue with you for he's managed to lose his voice. Can't even talk about some things anymore.'
"Weakness is intolerable, Draco," he heard his father's voice in his head.
'Merlin, why couldn't I have just let him finish what he started?'
I look over at the small clock on the bedside table and sigh, there's only another hour before everyone else will be returning to the school. 'Perfect,' I think to myself, 'just bloody perfect.'
I stand up as Madame Pomfrey walks back into my room and, ignoring her as I walk by, walked into the bathroom to shower.
End POV (AN 4: Yes I'm evil but no sexy shower scenes just yet...Hehe...)
"Mr. Malfoy, the sorting has started," Madame Pomfrey said as she walked up to the boy who now stood before a mirror in her office perfecting his look. He turned toward her, an icy mask pulled over his features, and she shivered involuntarily. "I suggest you get down to the Great Hall."
He nodded and quickly pulled on his robes over his long-sleeved silk emerald shirt. After being certain that his appearance what immaculate he turned and strode from the room.
He found his mind wandering as he walked toward the Great Hall. He knew that his housemates would no longer want anything to do with them but he refused to allow his anxiety over this to show.
As he reached the large wooden doors which blocked him from the rest of the school he took a deep breath and fixed his trademark smirk upon his lips before opening the doors and walking into the hall, his aristocratic air and cold exterior once more in place.
"Coming Harry?" Hermione asked him, turning back to look at him.
"Yeah Herms, I'm coming," he replied, letting her drag him to the Gryffindor table.
"Ferret-boy is still missing," Ron commented as they sat down, pointing at the Slytherin table. "I say that someone finally got sick of him and did us all of favor."
Harry was actually thankful for once when McGonagall walked in followed by the new first years. She set the Sorting Hat on the stool before the crowd and it immediately began its song. His mind however, was not on the sorting hat, par usual; he instead was trying to figure out where the missing Slytherin could be. 'Something's not right,' he thought to himself.
He slowly pulled himself out of his thoughts and watched as Patterson, JoAnne joined the Ravenclaw table.
"Peters, Michael" McGonagall called out.
A sandy-haired boy walked up to the stool and sat down, quickly putting on the hat. After a brief pause the hat called out, "SLYTHERIN!" and the young man walked over to the table where the Slytherins cheered loudly, a slight grin playing across his lips.
"Richards, Johnathan"
A small dark haired boy walked up to the stool, glancing around him nervously as he did so. He placed the hat on his head and, after a moment of silence, the hat called out "HUFFLEPUFF!!"
As the boy jumped down from the stool McGonagall continued, "Richards, Lianda."
A dark haired girl, whom was no doubt the twin of the Hufflepuff boy, walked up to the stool and, placing the hat upon her head, sat down. "GRYFFINDOR!!"
The girl happily jumped down off the stool and ran to sit down with her new housemates. "Selone, Lianda"
A tall redhead walked up to the stool and stared out at the students before her as she sat down. She placed the sorting hat on her head and waited for it to call out her house.
After what, to her, seemed like an eternity, but had really only been a few moments, the hat called out "RAVENCLAW!!"
Stenz, Jelsen, was sorted into Slytherin and Tali, Gia joined them as well. As Professor McGonagall called out the name, "Tulan, Rayne" a petit brown haired girl walked confidently up to the stool and sat down, her icy blue gaze surveying those before her. The hat had barely been set atop her head before it called out "GRYFFINDOR!!"
The girl smiled brightly as she stood from the stool and walked toward the Gryffindor table, taking a seat across from Harry, Hermione and Ron. "Hi," she said, "I'm Rayne."
"I'm Hermione Granger," Hermione said with a smile. "This is Ron Weasley and Harry Potter." She gestured to each boy in turn and the small girl nodded to each and, surprisingly, seemed unfazed by the fact that THE Harry Potter was sitting right across from her.
"I know," she said simply. She opened her mouth as though to continue when, suddenly, the large oak doors opened and Draco Malfoy strode in, head held high and smirk in place. He walked directly to the Slytherin table, ignoring the menacing looks and glares that he received from the majority of his housemates. He sat at the end of the table at a slight distance from everyone else, and turned toward the head table only to gaze into the twinkling blue eyes of the Headmaster. He nodded and Professor Dumbledore began his speech.
"Welcome all to another year at Hogwarts. I must remind you that the forest on the grounds is out of bounds to all students and everyone under third year is forbidden off the grounds and into Hogsmead. We have a returning professor this year who has accepted the job of Defense Professor. Professor Remus Lupin," Lupin smiled and waved as the hall, especially the Gryffindor table, erupted into cheers. Dumbledore waited until they had quieted down once more before continuing.
"I have a few more announcements to make before we can all get down to supper. The first Quidditch game of the year will be held on the 17th of October, team captains will be expected to hold tryouts before that date. There will also be a Halloween dance this year. All students are invited. The theme will be announced at a later date and everyone will be expected to wear costumes. Also I would like the Head boy and girl as well as the Prefects to remain after the feast so that they can be shown to their common rooms and rooms.
"With that said, Tuck in," As the words left his mouth platters of food appeared before the students and covered the house tables. Albus Dumbledore let his gaze fall to a blond haired boy who sat by himself at the Slytherin table. 'Times are changing,' he thought to himself frowning slightly. It had only been a few months ago that that very same boy had sat at the direct center of that very same table holding court over the Slytherins.
Draco looked up and caught the headmaster's gaze. He only returned the gaze for a moment before turning his attention to his plate. He picked up a roll from the basket before him and proceeded to shred it, letting the pieces fall onto the empty plate before him. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up at the head table once more and saw the worried gazes of the Headmaster and Professor Snape resting on him and quickly placed a piece of the torn roll into his mouth and began to chew slowly.
He listened quietly to the conversations of those around him, his cold mask still in place, never wavering. He glanced down at his arm; the sleeve of his robes had managed to somehow roll up slightly, displaying several light scars. 'Father called it my weakness,' he thought to himself, 'but it's my release.'
He looked up as he felt the weight on the bench shift and realized that people were getting up to head toward their common rooms. He slowly stood up, pushing his sleeve down once more, and confidently made his way toward the head table, where the Head and other Prefects were waiting for him.
"Now that Mr. Malfoy has joined us, I believe that it is time for us to show you to your private rooms," The Headmaster said cheerfully, beside him was Professor McGonagall her face stern as she watched the students. "Follow us."
The two professors led the way as the ten students followed behind them. Draco took up the rear, head held high. He looked up to find two thirds of the Golden Trio staring back at him and quickly glared at them, his face quickly turning into a sneer of contempt.
"This is the hall where the prefect rooms are located," Professor McGonagall stated as Dumbledore continued on with the Head boy and girl. The deputy Headmistress quickly assigned each student to their proper portrait and handed them each a slip of paper. "These are your passwords. I suggest you read them then destroy the paper so that no one else will be able to learn your password. The Prefect and Head common room is up one more floor but there are doors in your own rooms that will lead directly to it from here. Any questions...good. Mr. Malfoy I need to speak to you everyone please go into your rooms now."
As everyone else quickly entered his or her respective rooms and Draco leaned against the wall waiting for his least favorite Professor to speak to him. "Mr. Malfoy, Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to you in private." She reached into her robes and pulled out a small bundle and handed it to him. "He also requested that I inform you that you are to report to Madame Pomfrey directly before breakfast and supper every day." Without waiting for an answer she gave him a quick nod and walked back down the hallway.
Draco sighed and quietly slipped the small package into the pocket of his robes before turning toward his door. He unfolded the small piece of parchment and looked down at his password a small frown playing across his lips as he read it.
He refolded it, however, before he had a chance to say the password, he was grabbed from behind by a pair of strong arms and thrown backward into the opposite wall. He looked up to see who it was that was now pinning him to said wall and glared at his assailant. "What the hell do you want Zambini?" he spat venomously.
"I come bearing a message from you fellow housemates," the dark- haired boy replied angrily.
"I don't give a damn about what you all have to say so sod off." Draco tried to push the taller boy away but found that by doing so he caused the boy to tighten his grasp on his shoulders.
Suddenly one hand released his arm and brought his fist across the younger mans face. Blood began to flow from Draco's nose though he made no move to wipe it away; merely glared up at the taller boy, no fear in his eyes, and his posture showing confidence. "Welcome back," Blaise said before punching Draco once more for good measure and disappearing into the shadows.
Draco sighed and walked over to his portrait. The young girl in it could not have been much older than he and she stared out at him, her eyes resting on the blood that now dripped down his chin, "Oh well that not good," she said thoughtfully. "You should be more careful.
Shaking his head slightly he whispered, "Repentance." The girl nodded and opened up to allow him to enter.
A dark haired figure knelt down and picked up a small piece of parchment before smirking evilly to himself "Oh how the mighty have fallen." He turned on his heel and walked back down the hallway disappearing once more into the shadows, the small parchment held tightly in his fist.
AN 5: Alrighty there's chapter two. I don't know why but I'm not exactly happy with it. Oh well, I guess I could just be over-critical. I usually am. You know what could help me out though? Review and tell me what YOU thought. That'd help a lot. Remember no flames but I really like constructive criticism so yea feel free to give that or just say whether you liked it or not (if you didn't tell me what you didn't like please).
There's a few things that I want to say about the content of this chapter by the way. The poem at the beginning is one I wrote and I thought it worked quite well you know with Draco sitting by himself and everyone else talking to their friends and such. Also the character Rayne is gonna have a bit of a part in here just because I always have to have at least one of my own characters play a part. Yes she's a first year but hey that don't mean she cant befriend 5th and 6th years right.
Hmm...Lets see...anything else...Oh yeah I hope no one minds that Lupin is back. And even if ya did...too bad cause he is and I like it that way. Besides I have a new DADA teacher in my other fic and I usually get too attached to my own characters and give them a bigger part then I would usually.
I personally own the names Lianda Selone, Jelsen Stenz, and the last name of Tulan. I made them up for an actual novel I'm writing. So no taking them ok, there mine and I'm gonna be selfish just this once. Hehe plus I really like em.
I think that's about it. If I forgot anything I'll mention it at the beginning of the next chapter.
Now...review and I'll make some more delicious sweets for you...puppy dog eyes
Talk to ya soon. Kay
A/N Version 2: Hey...Yeah well, not much changed in this one...its actually a decent length compared to the others so I wasn't too worried about it. Anyway, I think that I mostly switched out the F word in this. I used to say it all the time and it definitely showed in this fic. It just doesn't sound right to me.
Anyway, read and review!
Kaydera