Draco Malfoy and his Unknown Fate:

Author's Notes: Hmm. Here's the next chapter. Read on!

Warnings for this chapter: Bit of angst, swearing… I think that's it for this one.

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to J.K. Rowling. I'm merely borrowing them for the time being. This will be slash (eventually). Don't like it? Don't read it. Otherwise, enjoy.

Draco was perched on one of the turrets near the Transfiguration classroom, looking out onto the courtyard below him as he brooded. He had a split lip, but it was nothing compared to what he'd inflicted on one of the Slytherin chasers. His beloved Quicksilver was propped up near him and he was still in full Quidditch uniform. Pucey had chased him off the pitch with orders to cool down and Draco, wary of the Beater club the Quidditch Captain had appropriated and had begun to wave around wildly, followed them without complaint while Vince and Greg looked on worriedly.

He pressed the heels of his hands hard against his eyes and wished he'd never heard of Harry Potter the Boy Who Lived to Make Draco Malfoy Miserable. Maybe he could claim he was straight and it had just been a phase so he could grovel to his father and become not only the Malfoy heir again, but a Death Eater so he could wreak havoc on all and sundry. But no, that was ridiculous because Draco enjoyed his freedom and he really didn't want to kill people. Still, roughing Potter up a bit wouldn't go amiss. The daft git was going to be the death of him, Draco knew it.

The stupidest part of all was that some tiny little part of him wanted to cry and he didn't know why.

So, Potter had just been fooling around, it shouldn't have mattered. Draco had still gotten off, he'd still been allowed to kiss Harry and feel his skin against his own, but the memory was soured by the words that came after. It was ridiculous, but Draco had no control over how he was feeling. It was like he had a lead lump in his chest and it was weighing him down.

And he didn't want to feel like that. He didn't want to be a pathetic Hufflepouf, but apparently he had no say in it. Draco removed his hands and stared dully down at the ground. It was about fifty feet or so. Quite a fall. But no - he couldn't take that way out either. "I loathe you." He whispered roughly, but he didn't know if he was talking about Harry or himself.

He stayed like that for a long time, watching nothing in particular as the wind played with his hair and tousled it teasingly. Then a knock sounded and Draco jolted, almost falling of his perch before catching himself just in time. He looked around wildly before he saw Professor Lupin in the window across from him, knuckles still pressed against the glass. The older man opened the window with a small smile. "Looking a bit glum there. Care for some tea?"

Draco hesitated, but eventually relented and grabbed up his broomstick. He crossed the gap between the towers quickly, flying right into the window before dismounting his broom carefully and setting it against the wall. "Hello, Professor Lupin."

"Hello yourself, Draco. Take a seat." He did so gracefully, looking around at the room as Lupin bustled in with a tray. The room had a cozy atmosphere and, like Lupin, was a bit shabby, but welcoming nonetheless. "It seems one of the house elves thought you would prefer hot chocolate." The werewolf said, smiling slightly as he set down the tray and took his own seat.

Draco's lips quirked upwards. "That's probably Dobby's doing." The Slytherin lifted his mug, savoring the warmth of it in his hands, and took a cautious sip. It tasted just the way he liked it. He cradled the warm mug in his hands and turned his gaze to the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, who was carefully measuring out spoonfuls of sugar into his tea.

"So. What has you perching on Gryffindor tower doing your impression of a gargoyle? Girl troubles?"

"Something like that." Draco muttered into his hot chocolate.

"Mmm. I thought so. You know you talk to me about anything if you need to. Teacher student confidentiality and all that. I'm here to help." There was so much sincerity in his voice Draco gave in, but he hesitated, wondering exactly how to explain the situation.

"It's just." Then he exploded. "He said we were just friends! We'd been going at it right on his bed like animals and someone walks in and it's like it never even happened! And he calls it experimenting!" Draco spat the word like a curse. "You don't kiss like that if you're experimenting, I can sure as hell tell you that! How fucking dense can he get? Either he's ashamed of me or he doesn't feel the same way I feel about him and." Draco fumed a bit, before deflating. He was silent for a while and Lupin merely sipped at his tea patiently, waiting and ready to listen. When the Slytherin finally spoke up, it was in a quiet voice. "And it hurts, alright? It hurts because I want him and I've wanted him for so long it's all I can remember even if I couldn't admit it to myself and all I am to him is a friend. And not even his best friend at that."

Lupin's gaze was understanding and slightly sympathetic, but not pitying to Draco's relief. Pity might as well have been poison as far as he was concerned. "Unrequited love can be troublesome."

"I don't believe in love." Draco said shortly, taking a bit gulp of his hot chocolate. "I just know I want him and more importantly I want him to want me the way I want him. Wait, want him to want me the way I want… is that right or did I put too many wants in there?" Draco went over his words, his brow furrowed in a puzzled manner.

Lupin chuckled. "I understand what you're trying to say. You have feelings for him and you want him to return those feelings. I'll be honest. He may never feel the same way you do. But before you give up on him, I'd give him some time. And most importantly of all, I'd talk to him about it."

"How many times do I need to go over this? I'm gay. Not a girl."

This time Lupin laughed outright. "You sound just like Sirius."

"Better than sounding like a Hufflepuff." Draco said, raising his eyebrows meaningfully. Lupin winced theatrically.

"Ouch. I suppose I deserved that one. But, he can't read your mind. You need to tell him how you feel. Still, it's only advice. You don't have to listen to me and knowing you I doubt you will. I do encourage you to follow it though."

"I'll keep it in mind." Draco offered, looking into his mug at the dregs of hot chocolate swirling there.

"That's all I ask you to do." Lupin said gently, setting his own tea cup down. Then he smiled. "Moving on to a more cheerful subject, your essay on lethifolds impressed me. It was very well done. I believe your scores were higher than even Hermione's."

"Really?" Draco grinned. "I can't wait to see her face when she finds out."

The werewolf snorted his amusement. "If I knew that would have cheered you up so much I'd have told you that straight away. You two are quite competitive, aren't you?"

The rest of the afternoon went by swiftly in a rush of pleasant conversation and refreshments. Draco left Lupin's quarters by the window two hours later, feeling halfway normal. It made Draco wonder. Lupin was so calm and composed that the Slytherin would never had imagined he was a werewolf. It made him think about things he'd taken as facts before and reevaluate his opinions. After all, most of his beliefs had been taught to him by his father and Merlin knew the man had some fairly big blind spots.

Somehow, sitting across from that gentle man and sipping at hot chocolate that brought back memories of his childhood, he had the feeling that discriminating against werewolves made you every inch the beast they were portrayed as.

To be Continued

Comments and constructive criticism are more than welcome.