The summer was certainly a storm.

Hermione had been sending him letters and muggle school things, and he was now able to keep up with the secondary school teachings. It had taken quite a bit of effort, but he was happy to keep up with the students his age. Learning multiple years of education in one summer was one of the hardest things he had ever done, but he was glad he did.

Hermione had only had to do the one year, so she had it easier. But then the two of them also worked on theory in the magical side of their education.

They would practice spells and potions that were for the years that were above them in the Room of Requirement once they were able to.

Hermione had sent Draco many books on muggle culture and he must say, some of them were quite awesome. He had sent Hermione many books on different types of magic, nearly one per day. They both read excessively, it was their escape from the world.

Draco had been getting whispers over the summer, though, about a danger at Hogwarts. His father was going to plant something within the school that would bring great danger. He just wondered what it was. The different ex-Death Eaters visiting his father's manor was starting to get scary. How so many of them got through Ministry testing really was quite a question.

He was ready for school to start.

.

Diagon alley was quite eventful, that was for sure. He was able to see Hermione, even if he was expected to be rude to her. His father was there with him, and caused quite the scene in Flourish and Blotts. He was sure he saw a flash of Potter in Knockturn Alley, the nasty place that it was.

Knockturn Alley was quite an experience. As always, they went to Borgin and Burkes.

Draco looked around a bit while his father was talking, and saw quite a few interesting objects that might come into use in future years.

"Father, I want that!" He pointed to a withered old hand that he really didn't want. It was really to find out what it was.

"Ah! Yes, the Hand of Glory. The best of friends to thieves, for when you insert a candle, it only gives light to the holder. Quite fine, really. Great taste, son."

"I surely hope my son will be worth more than a thief, Borgin. Though, if his grades don't pick up, he might just have to be."

"It's not my fault the teachers have picked their favorite. That Hermione Granger, the fifth that she is." It physically hurt to insult her, but he knew he had to. And if Potter was really here, then good.

"I would think you should be ashamed to be beat by a girl of no wizarding family beating you in every exam."

Borgin tried to get back in Draco's father's favor, and the two forgot about Draco, who tuned them out. He instead started looking around the small shop, seeing if there was anything he could use for the future. He saw the hangman's rope thing, and smirked a little. What a disgusting thing.

Seeing the cabinet, he thought he saw a bit of green in it, near the small crack, and was about ready to expose where he was sure Potter was, when, "Done. Come now, Draco."

His father was acting civil in public today, then. Bad for Draco. He was going to pay for it later.

The pair of them met his mother outside the Alley, and they made their way to the Quidditch shop. Draco didn't want to be on the team, but knew it was expected of him. After buying seven brooms for whatever reason, they went to Flourish and Blotts, where Gilderoy Lockhart was waiting. The famous man was signing books and had an announcement to make. It was in their best interests to go.

"It can't be Harry Potter, now, can it?" Draco resisted the urge to roll his eyes, Potter couldn't even catch a break, could he. Lockhart dragged Potter up to the front, and the man smiled and muttered something to Potter. "Ladies, gentlemen. Can I make an announcement? Good, good.

"When young Harry here walked into this shop, he only wanted to purchase a copy of my autobiography, which I will now present, free of charge. He had no idea, however, that he would be receiving much more than just a copy of my book, Magical Me. Instead, he and his classmates will be receiving the real magical me. Yes, everyone. I have accepted the position to teach at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, this school year!" Almost everyone started clapping and cheering, especially some of the women.

He made his way to the front, ready to antagonize Potter, knowing that would be what his father expected. "Bet you loved that, right Potter?" Potter straightened up and looked at him from his bent position. "So famous, he can't even go into a bookstore without making the papers!"

"Leave him alone, you actually think he liked that?"

Draco knew he didn't like it, and Draco didn't like what he was doing now. But that was life, unfair. "Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend?"

The Weasley girl went bright red, and Hermione and one of the other Weasleys came over. "Oh, it's you. Bet you're so surprised to see Harry here, yeah?"

"Not as surprised to see you in a shop, Weasley. Your parents will have to go hungry for a month to pay for this, I suppose?"

He turned as red as his sister had gotten, and dropped a couple of books in the cauldron holding the girl's books. Heading towards him, Weasley was angry. "Ron! What do you think you're doing? It's much too crowded in here, let's head outside."

"Well, well, well." Draco almost shivered at the icy tone his father talked in. It was much too close to the tone of voice he used when he used the Unforgivable.

"Lucius." Weasley was cold toward the Malfoy family, and Draco expected nothing less.

"Busy time at the Ministry now, isn't it? I do hope they are paying you overtime for the extra raid you're doing." Draco's father smoothly picked up a book from the cauldron. It was most definitely second, possibly even third, hand. "Obviously not. Dear me, what is the Ministry coming to, not even paying its employees well?" Weasley turned even darker red than either of his children.

"We carry different opinions on the values of a wizard, Malfoy."

"Clearly. The company you keep, Weasley. And here I was, thinking you and your family couldn't possibly sink any lower."

Draco's gaze slipped behind the fight that was building in front of him, and saw Mrs. and Mr. Granger behind them all. They were looking at him in surprise, and he carefully smiled tightly. He guessed they had heard him talking bad about Hermione's other friends. He hoped they understood it was all an act. It really reflected badly on him.

Before anyone saw him smiling at the muggles, he turned his attention back to the actual fight that had broken out and had been broken apart just as fast.

.

The Malfoy family left the alley quickly after, they were going to come back another day. Draco went straight to his room and put away the supplies he had gotten. Afterwards, he wrote out a letter to Hermione, and one to her parents as well.

Mya

I'm so sorry about the way I acted in the bookstore, I really hate insulting you and your family. It hurt me, earlier today, to talk bad about you to my father. I wish we could be out in the open with our friendship.

I can't wait until we finish school and can be out in the open. It will be so much better.

I really don't mean anything I say in public about you. Truly. I can't wait until school starts again, and we can see each other without the masks.

Best,

Dray

The letter he wrote to her parents was a bit different.

Mr. and Mrs. Granger,

I apologize for the way I acted in the alley today, but my father was there. If I were to act the way I wish I could, I would be cursed into oblivion, and I do enjoy learning about the magic that I was born with.

I also treasure the friendship your daughter and I share. If there was a way that I could be kind to her in public settings, then I would gladly take that path. All I want is to change, but my father isn't the kindest of people.

Thank you,

Draco Malfoy

He called Amethyst down from the dresser she was on and tied the letters to her leg. Sending her out the window, Draco smiled softly at the quickly disappearing owl.

.

Draco looked around the train, expecting Potter, Weasley and Hermione to all be in one place. Strangely, he could only find Hermione. "Mya, where are your other boys?" He was alone this pass, and he chanced the interaction.

"They never got on. I'm afraid for them."

Draco then remembered the house elf he had told to protect Potter. He might not like the boy, but Dobby would be a good way to keep him somewhat safe.

Draco quickly hugged his best friend, and then left the compartment sneering, like he had found something truly disgusting in the compartment. Perhaps his father was in there.

The rest of the train ride was spent with Pansy hanging off his arm like the leech she was in his Slytherin compartment.

The feast was quite uneventful, and the missing boys never did come in. Draco went to bed filled with delicious food for the first time since the end-of-term feast.

Laying on his bed, he wondered when he and Hermione would be able to escape to the Room of Requirement.

.

Turns out, Dobby had taken his job a little too far and blocked off the passage to the platform for Potter. Weasley had a flying car that they took instead, and the pair of them had gotten detentions already.

What were those imbeciles thinking?

Walking to the Great Hall, he heard the shrieking of a Howler. Turns out Weasley had gotten into trouble with his mother as well as the school.

The day was quite uneventful until after lunch. After lunch, the Slytherins had their first class with the Gryffindors, Defense Against the Dark Arts. As draco learned, Lockhart did not deserve the title of Professor. At. All.

Luckly, before class, he could bully Potter. Or unlucky, depends on how you were to look at it. One of the first years had asked for a picture with Potter, and Draco knew the expectation was for him to tease Potter about it. So, he played up the expectation.

"Signed photos, Potter? You're giving out signed photos? Everyone line up, Harry Potter's giving out signed photographs!" He knew this was only making the situation worse, but he had a threat hanging over his head.

"No, I'm really not. Shut up, Malfoy." Gladly, Potter.

"You're just jealous!" the tiny first year piped up.

"Jealous? Of what? I don't want that foul thing across my forehead, thank you for asking. Just because you got your head cut open, doesn't get you special treatment, unless you're Potter, of course." Crabbe and Goyle had stopped eating, and they were now laughing at the interaction.

"Eat slugs, Malfoy." Weasley said. It wasn't even the least bit threatening.

"Be careful, Weasley, 'if you put another toe out of line…'" A couple of the fifth years around them were laughing at this now. "You know what, Potter, I think Weasley wants a signed photo as well. It'll be worth more than his entire house." Draco really should stop, but he was in too far to stop now.

Weasley brought out a wand tied up almost entirely in Spellotape, and brandished it at Draco. Hermione closed the book she was reading though, and warned Weasley against it. Just then, Lockhart strode up to his door, right where the interaction was happening.

Getting the first year to take a picture of the two of them, Lockhart talked lowly to Potter for a second.

.

Lockhart's following class was a right joke. The test at the beginning was not a test, it was a - well, there was nothing to describe it. It was terrible. Of course Hermione was the one to get full marks. Draco supposed she had a hero crush on him like the entirety of the female student body. He was incompetent. That much was certain after he unveiled the 'freshly caught cornish pixies'. They wrecked havoc on the classroom, and Lockhart disappeared soon after he had let them loose, leaving The Golden Trio, mostly Hermione to deal with them. He subtly froze quite a few, glad he studied the theory behind it over the summer.

It was a disaster of a class. Draco said it once, he'll say it again. Lockhart did not deserve the title of professor. Actually, he didn't even deserve the title of wizard.