Disclaimer: Look at the beginning of the first chapter – it's all there. And the scream belongs to SpamWarrior. I hope she doesn't mind that I used it ;).
AN: OK. I'm back again. It's really hard to write something like this, you know. And I had to take some time for other important things like the university. Besides, I'm a really slow writer. But still, here's the second chapter of my crazy little piece of work called Draco Liber. I decided to dedicate this whole thing to my great inspirers and examples Cassandra Claire, SpamWarrior and Eliza Diawna Snape. Read 'em! But don't forget to read this first :)! Luinthoron.
Draco Liber – Chapter Two – The next day
The next morning Harry was awakened by Ron.
"You know, Harry, I had the insanest dream ever. I dreamed that they made Malfoy a… What's wrong?"
He saw the look on Harrys face. From behind him came a strangely familiar voice.
"Sorry to dissapoint you, Weasley, but that was not a dream," said Draco Malfoy quietly.
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"
Ron's scream echoed through their dormitory, waking the rest of the male fifth-year Gryffindors.
"What happened?" mumbled Dean Thomas half-asleep.
"Is it really that terrible?" asked Draco.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! And what the hell are you doing here?!"
"I think Ron has got a point. Why are you in Gryffindor, Malfoy?" asked Harry.
"As you might have seen it yesterday, Potter, the Sorting Hat did it," snapped Draco. "I didn't ask it for Gryffindor."
"Yeah, but why exactly did you ask for switching houses? There must be a reason…"
"Well, Potter, I'm not going to tell you that. And I'm not staying for long. As soon as my father hears about what happened yesterday, he's going to kill me and you can sleep again without having me around. And now I'm going to eat some breakfast, if you don't mind."
"I hope then for your father, that you survive your first class today. If you would have looked at your schedule, you would know, that first thing today is double Potions with all your Slytherin friends and your favorite teacher, Snape, who is most likely going to kill you before you can say 'I'm a bouncing white ferret'.
"Lucky for you, Potter!"
Draco had hard time to resist using some curse on Harry, but somehow managed to stay calm. He got into his robes and left for the great hall. Luckily, he was one of the first ones to leave the dormitories, so he got to the table undisturbed.
After some ten minutes came the other Gryffindor fifth-years, still arguing over Draco's sudden change of mind and what might be the reason for this. And then came the other students. The Slytherins shot killing looks towards Draco, the Gryffindors tried to avoid him. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs didn't care that much, as he wasn't in their houses before and wasn't there now either. But even they looked at Draco, suspicion and surprise in their eyes. The initial shock had passed with the night and now everybody seemed to fully realize, what exactly had happened on the evening before. Draco ate slowly, his head full of thoughts. Despite being the first down to breakfast he was one of the last to leave the table. And so it happened, that Draco Malfoy was late for his first class this year. Snape was furious.
"Oh, it's so nice that our mister new Gryffindor decided to visit us down here! What a pleasant surprise!"
Something in Snape's voice told Draco that the professor wasn't actually that pleased to see him.
"Sit down here at the first table and twenty points form Gryffindor!"
Draco sat down. This was not a good beginning for his fifth year. Not good at all. And twenty points from the house really didn't help him to get accepted as another Gryffindor.
"So, where were we? Today we're going to make the Auditus Potion. It should make you able to hear better for a limited time. Of course, you have to do it right. So I don't think you can use Longbottom's potion to achieve this effect."
Neville's face went red. He was trying very hard, but somehow managed to ruin every potion he ever had to make.
By the end of the class Neville's potion had exploded, losing Gryffindor another twenty points. Harry and Draco lost ten points both, Draco for not helping Neville to make his potion right and Harry for helping him to wipe up his ruined potion ("Trying to show everyone that you're something better Potter? Ten points from Gryffindor!"). Snape was definitely not in a good mood and at the very end of the lesson the Gryffindors and Slytherind found out why.
"Oh, yes, before you leave," pressed Snape through his teeth. "Professor Dumbledore asked the teachers to tell you something."
Snape was getting even angrier.
"As he said, despite what the Ministry of Magic says, within this castle Sirius Black is considered innocent. And…"
What else Snape wanted to say, nobody heared. Most of the class was arguing loudly about what kind of crazy joke this was, while Harry, Ron and Hermione were clearly enjoying the news and explaining things to anybody who listened. This meant – to Neville and Draco, who were the closest to them at the moment.
"You helped Black to escape the dementors?" asked Draco unbelievingly. "I always thought Gryffindors were the perfect ones who never break any rules."
"Don't be so surprised, Malfoy!" said Ron. "Don't you remember the first year as we had to save the Sorcerer's Stone?"
"And we sneaked Norbert to the roof." said Harry and, after seeing the blank look on Draco's face, added: "Hagrid's dragon, you remember?"
"Sorry about that," muttered Draco to himself.
"And the second year we broke more rules than all the other students togerther," added Hermione.
"You could have been a good Slytherin, Potter, if you were not been sorted into Gryffindor," said Draco.
"So said the Sorting Hat too," smiled Harry. "But I told it I didn't want to be in Slytherin and I'm happy with my decision."
"Well, your parents were both in Gryffindor. Mine were both in Slytherin and so was i… Until now."
"As Dumbledore told me the second year after I got back from the Chamber of Secrets, it is our choices, that show what we truly are," said Harry.
They had reached their next classroom, Transfiguration.
"You still haven't answered the main question, Malfoy!" reminded Ron. "Why did you ask for a new Sorting?"
"Don't you trust me Weasel?"
"Don't call me a weasel, ferret! And yes, I don't trust you! I still remember the last four years and, I believe, so does everybody else."
"I'm still not going to answer. Try to find out, if you can!" laughed Draco and entered the classroom. The weird thing was, everybody thought, that he was so… friendly?
The rest of the day passed without major ocurrences. Everybody was still asking Draco about the reasons of his re-sorting, but he firmly refused to answer.
"I am going to tell you, when I feel it is the right time," was his answer.
Most of the people at Hogwarts seemed finally to accept that, as he hadn't cursed anybody yet, and didn't seem to plan cursing someone either. And as they left for their dormitories in the evening it nearly seemed, that Draco had been in Gryffindor all the time. He was not very popular and hadn't any friends, but still seemed somehow to belong there.
* * *
It was the hardest day in my life. Everybody kept asking me about the Sorting. And professor Snape was even worse. I don't know, whom he hates more now – Potter or me. But still… They at least seem to accept me in Gryffindor, even if not welcome. I can really understand them. The years I've tried to be the perfect Slytherin and act as my father would like it, made me too many enemies here. It is going to be hard to win their respect and maybe even their friendship. I hope… Only time will tell, if the wounds I've caused ever heal and only then they can fully accept me as equal and as a friend. And only then will I be able to tell Ginny what I feel. Ginny… The red-headed flame that melted the frozen heart. She is the reason I asked for a new Sorting. Maybe it isn't so bad after all to be in Gryffindor. My worst enemies were Gryffindors and now I'm one of them. I can be near them and maybe they can see, that I'm no more the cold-hearted bastard I was. Maybe even Ginny can see, what she has changed in me. And I can see her nearly any time I like.
* * *
As Draco fell asleep, he felt happier than he had ever felt in the last three years. It was as if a big burden had been lifted from him and he was free at last. His name – Draco – meant dragon in Latin and he was finally free. A free dragon – that was what he felt like. He could do whatever he wanted, and nobody was going to stop him. Even his father didn't bother him anymore. At last he was happy, something he had ever missed in his big and great manor.
AN: Thanks for all the reviews. I was really delighted/surprised to see that everybody liked it. And very special greetings to Nettie, who even asked me for permission to put this thing on her homepage. I really hope you all liked this chapter too. Thanks for reading it anyway and please review. I'd really like to know what you think about it. Flame on! Luinthoron.
AN: OK. I'm back again. It's really hard to write something like this, you know. And I had to take some time for other important things like the university. Besides, I'm a really slow writer. But still, here's the second chapter of my crazy little piece of work called Draco Liber. I decided to dedicate this whole thing to my great inspirers and examples Cassandra Claire, SpamWarrior and Eliza Diawna Snape. Read 'em! But don't forget to read this first :)! Luinthoron.
Draco Liber – Chapter Two – The next day
The next morning Harry was awakened by Ron.
"You know, Harry, I had the insanest dream ever. I dreamed that they made Malfoy a… What's wrong?"
He saw the look on Harrys face. From behind him came a strangely familiar voice.
"Sorry to dissapoint you, Weasley, but that was not a dream," said Draco Malfoy quietly.
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!"
Ron's scream echoed through their dormitory, waking the rest of the male fifth-year Gryffindors.
"What happened?" mumbled Dean Thomas half-asleep.
"Is it really that terrible?" asked Draco.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! And what the hell are you doing here?!"
"I think Ron has got a point. Why are you in Gryffindor, Malfoy?" asked Harry.
"As you might have seen it yesterday, Potter, the Sorting Hat did it," snapped Draco. "I didn't ask it for Gryffindor."
"Yeah, but why exactly did you ask for switching houses? There must be a reason…"
"Well, Potter, I'm not going to tell you that. And I'm not staying for long. As soon as my father hears about what happened yesterday, he's going to kill me and you can sleep again without having me around. And now I'm going to eat some breakfast, if you don't mind."
"I hope then for your father, that you survive your first class today. If you would have looked at your schedule, you would know, that first thing today is double Potions with all your Slytherin friends and your favorite teacher, Snape, who is most likely going to kill you before you can say 'I'm a bouncing white ferret'.
"Lucky for you, Potter!"
Draco had hard time to resist using some curse on Harry, but somehow managed to stay calm. He got into his robes and left for the great hall. Luckily, he was one of the first ones to leave the dormitories, so he got to the table undisturbed.
After some ten minutes came the other Gryffindor fifth-years, still arguing over Draco's sudden change of mind and what might be the reason for this. And then came the other students. The Slytherins shot killing looks towards Draco, the Gryffindors tried to avoid him. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs didn't care that much, as he wasn't in their houses before and wasn't there now either. But even they looked at Draco, suspicion and surprise in their eyes. The initial shock had passed with the night and now everybody seemed to fully realize, what exactly had happened on the evening before. Draco ate slowly, his head full of thoughts. Despite being the first down to breakfast he was one of the last to leave the table. And so it happened, that Draco Malfoy was late for his first class this year. Snape was furious.
"Oh, it's so nice that our mister new Gryffindor decided to visit us down here! What a pleasant surprise!"
Something in Snape's voice told Draco that the professor wasn't actually that pleased to see him.
"Sit down here at the first table and twenty points form Gryffindor!"
Draco sat down. This was not a good beginning for his fifth year. Not good at all. And twenty points from the house really didn't help him to get accepted as another Gryffindor.
"So, where were we? Today we're going to make the Auditus Potion. It should make you able to hear better for a limited time. Of course, you have to do it right. So I don't think you can use Longbottom's potion to achieve this effect."
Neville's face went red. He was trying very hard, but somehow managed to ruin every potion he ever had to make.
By the end of the class Neville's potion had exploded, losing Gryffindor another twenty points. Harry and Draco lost ten points both, Draco for not helping Neville to make his potion right and Harry for helping him to wipe up his ruined potion ("Trying to show everyone that you're something better Potter? Ten points from Gryffindor!"). Snape was definitely not in a good mood and at the very end of the lesson the Gryffindors and Slytherind found out why.
"Oh, yes, before you leave," pressed Snape through his teeth. "Professor Dumbledore asked the teachers to tell you something."
Snape was getting even angrier.
"As he said, despite what the Ministry of Magic says, within this castle Sirius Black is considered innocent. And…"
What else Snape wanted to say, nobody heared. Most of the class was arguing loudly about what kind of crazy joke this was, while Harry, Ron and Hermione were clearly enjoying the news and explaining things to anybody who listened. This meant – to Neville and Draco, who were the closest to them at the moment.
"You helped Black to escape the dementors?" asked Draco unbelievingly. "I always thought Gryffindors were the perfect ones who never break any rules."
"Don't be so surprised, Malfoy!" said Ron. "Don't you remember the first year as we had to save the Sorcerer's Stone?"
"And we sneaked Norbert to the roof." said Harry and, after seeing the blank look on Draco's face, added: "Hagrid's dragon, you remember?"
"Sorry about that," muttered Draco to himself.
"And the second year we broke more rules than all the other students togerther," added Hermione.
"You could have been a good Slytherin, Potter, if you were not been sorted into Gryffindor," said Draco.
"So said the Sorting Hat too," smiled Harry. "But I told it I didn't want to be in Slytherin and I'm happy with my decision."
"Well, your parents were both in Gryffindor. Mine were both in Slytherin and so was i… Until now."
"As Dumbledore told me the second year after I got back from the Chamber of Secrets, it is our choices, that show what we truly are," said Harry.
They had reached their next classroom, Transfiguration.
"You still haven't answered the main question, Malfoy!" reminded Ron. "Why did you ask for a new Sorting?"
"Don't you trust me Weasel?"
"Don't call me a weasel, ferret! And yes, I don't trust you! I still remember the last four years and, I believe, so does everybody else."
"I'm still not going to answer. Try to find out, if you can!" laughed Draco and entered the classroom. The weird thing was, everybody thought, that he was so… friendly?
The rest of the day passed without major ocurrences. Everybody was still asking Draco about the reasons of his re-sorting, but he firmly refused to answer.
"I am going to tell you, when I feel it is the right time," was his answer.
Most of the people at Hogwarts seemed finally to accept that, as he hadn't cursed anybody yet, and didn't seem to plan cursing someone either. And as they left for their dormitories in the evening it nearly seemed, that Draco had been in Gryffindor all the time. He was not very popular and hadn't any friends, but still seemed somehow to belong there.
* * *
It was the hardest day in my life. Everybody kept asking me about the Sorting. And professor Snape was even worse. I don't know, whom he hates more now – Potter or me. But still… They at least seem to accept me in Gryffindor, even if not welcome. I can really understand them. The years I've tried to be the perfect Slytherin and act as my father would like it, made me too many enemies here. It is going to be hard to win their respect and maybe even their friendship. I hope… Only time will tell, if the wounds I've caused ever heal and only then they can fully accept me as equal and as a friend. And only then will I be able to tell Ginny what I feel. Ginny… The red-headed flame that melted the frozen heart. She is the reason I asked for a new Sorting. Maybe it isn't so bad after all to be in Gryffindor. My worst enemies were Gryffindors and now I'm one of them. I can be near them and maybe they can see, that I'm no more the cold-hearted bastard I was. Maybe even Ginny can see, what she has changed in me. And I can see her nearly any time I like.
* * *
As Draco fell asleep, he felt happier than he had ever felt in the last three years. It was as if a big burden had been lifted from him and he was free at last. His name – Draco – meant dragon in Latin and he was finally free. A free dragon – that was what he felt like. He could do whatever he wanted, and nobody was going to stop him. Even his father didn't bother him anymore. At last he was happy, something he had ever missed in his big and great manor.
AN: Thanks for all the reviews. I was really delighted/surprised to see that everybody liked it. And very special greetings to Nettie, who even asked me for permission to put this thing on her homepage. I really hope you all liked this chapter too. Thanks for reading it anyway and please review. I'd really like to know what you think about it. Flame on! Luinthoron.