A/N: Howdy. Sorry this has taken so long, but here you are. :) enjoy! ~rowanx

Ghost Of The Robot – wow, you love how I write EVERYTHING?! You don't know how great that makes me feel!

Luscious Kinney – he is rather addictive, isn't he? You want to find out more about him, don't you? Well, read on then! I don't mean to be a tease… HA! Yeah right. Of course I do!!!!

Treachery89 – how did your test go? I feel guilty that I stopped you from revising, but at the same time I feel flattered that you would give up the revision time to read my story! LoL. Who wants to revise when they can read, anyway?!

Molzi – long lengthyness? All my chapters were short – and I'm fairly sure this one was no different…was it? Ah well. I suppose it might have been, as ABSOLUTELY NOTHING happened in it. No one seems to mind though, lol. Hope this chapter's "lengthyness" satisfies you! Oh, and anyone else reading this, go read Molzi's "Daughter of Darkness" – it's excellent! And it might encourage her to write more o_O here's the link:

Princess of Barzel – yes, that was meant to be a compliment about your name! LoL. Did you make up "Barzel" or did you get it from anywhere? Just wondering. LoL about shouting out in your class! Hee hee. Harry isn't morbid ??? Well, maybe he is. But you don't know enough about him to say that yet do you? Or do you…I really should read this story over, lol!

One-Winged-Angel – …what does abstane mean?! I hope you're around to read this. :)

Angel Of Death – I don't think you have reviewed this before… And sorry, but there might not be any Draco/Harry action! I haven't decided yet, lol. There certainly will be lots of hinting at it though!

Chapter six – Undeserving

I walk down the stairs of my dormitory. I ignored Pansy's fake tears and it had the exact effect I'd wanted it to. She became angry. She shouted at me. I threatened her. I saw the annoyance. I received a nod in agreement. It's enough for me.

The deal is, if Pansy doesn't tell anyone that I'm still a virgin, which father most definitely not be pleased about, then I won't tell anyone that Draco Malfoy turned her down, which would surely ruin her reputation for being sexy and getting whatever she wants.

Well, she didn't get me.

Walking over to Blaize, I stand next to her and lean against the wall. "Bad night?" she asks knowingly.

I frown. "Not exactly," I answer.

"Ahh," Blaize says, once again sounding annoyingly superior. "Pansy still not giving up on you?"

I shake my head. "That girl doesn't seem to be able to take a hint."

Blaize shakes her head. "I don't know why you don't just sleep with her, Draco."

I frown. "Hmm. Let me see. Good reasons for not wanting to sleep with the girl I absolutely despise…hmm…"

"Give it up, Draco, I know that's not why you two aren't going out," Blaize says with a smile. "You hate the fact that your father still has some control over you."

"That's not true," I say defensively. "I love my father."

Blaise sighs. "Of course, of course."

We stay silent for a while before I move away. "I'm going down to breakfast. You coming?"

Blaize shakes her head. "I should probably talk to the reject," she says with a smile.

I almost smile back before deciding against it. I turn from her and go down to breakfast.

Never let your guard down, that's what I tell myself. If I let people in just a little, it means opening my heart – which I learnt isn't a good thing to do. It only leads to pain and humiliation, just as father taught me.

I shudder even as I think these thoughts. Even when I try, I am still a slave to my father's wills. I hate that man. I hate the very thought that some of my blood is from that monstrous being who doesn't deserve to live. He doesn't deserve anything. He doesn't deserve my mother; she's the best person I know, and she puts up with his harsh cruelty through thick and thin. I guess it's something to do with love; I wouldn't know. Love sounds too complex to me. Why would anyone love a man like Lucius?

I realise I have been wandering, and am now a bit lost. I laugh. Seven years at this school and I'm still getting lost. It's such a huge place. The statue to the left of me looks familiar, so the pull the arm and an invisible door appears. I step through it and enter a corridor on the first floor. I smile. Handy when you know all the little tricks.

I have missed breakfast. I don't really care though. I don't feel hungry anyway. And I don't want Potter looking at me again. Or talking to me. Why is he acting as though I'm his responsibility or something? Ok, so he saved me, but it's not as though I asked to be saved.

I swear and kick the wall; I'd forgotten: my first lesson is care of magical creatures, with the Gryffindors. Damnit.

Walking outside I take in a deep breath of air to calm myself, and slowly walk over to Hagrid's hut. I am not the last to arrive, but there are a fair amount of people standing there: including Potter and his friends. Trying to stand unnoticed, I stay silent, until I hear an annoying buzz of a voice that sounds like the weasel. "Hey Malfoy," he calls, "no insults for us today?" Granger and Potter turn round as well. I try to ignore the strange look Potter is giving me.

"If I thought you were worth insulting, Weasley, then I would indeed be insulting you this very moment with my extensive volcabulary; as it happens I am not in the mood to be wasting my breath." I had hoped they would leave it as this, but no – it seems Weasley always has something to say.

"Where are your bodyguards?" he asks. I do not bother to look round. I know they are not here. "Are you afraid to stand up to me 'cause they're not here? Ah, poor Draco, lost without his bodyguards. Hey, maybe if we put him in the lost and found, then Crabbe and Goyle will come claim him…"

"Shut the fuck up, Weasley," I say, astonishing him into silence with my rarely used around him swear word. "You're annoying me now." I say nothing else. Instead I stand with my arms folded and wait patiently for the lesson to begin.

I hear Weasley asking Potter if he's alright. I assume it's because he didn't say a single word while Weasley and I were exchanging meaningless insults. I hear Potter's silence. I hear my own mind scream at him to say something. Why should anything be wrong with him? If it's got anything to do with me I'll kill myself.

I smile at the rather ironic thought.

Half way through the lesson (we are learning about Rock Beeds – annoying little bugs that turn into rather large rocks and then jump up when you sit on them. Just for fun.) I hear an owl screech. A few people turn their heads and gasp at the ugly looking thing. It is a rather unearthly black, only has one eye, and where it has its other eye, there is a rather long scratch. I stand undecided and then finally hold out my arm. My father's bird lands on it and holds out his leg.

"Malfoy – was'at? No letters durin' lesson time."

I don't bother to answer. Hagrid is a waste of time and effort. I take the scrolled up piece of parchment and the bird flys away. I sigh. Why that bird returns to my violent father I don't know. I can sense a few people watching me as I roll open the parchment. I read it, and as I do, I can feel the blood leave my face. I can feel my heart start to jump a thousand beats in. I can feel my mind boil up in anger. I can feel my bones and muscle clench, wanting to punch something, anything.

I read over the letter again, and again, hoping my father may die if I look at his writing with such a deathly look.

My dear son –

As you and I of course knew it would, the time has come.

Voldemort has most kindly and graciously sad you may join us in his plans for power.

I can imagine how thrilled you are at this invitation, but please, do not give anything away. I know how careless you can be, and remember, this is still a secret. We still do not have all the Slytherins.

You shall meet with him at Christmas.

Lucius

My grip on the parchment becomes tighter, and I am now kneeling on the ground, tears of anger prickling at my sad eyes. Slowly I rip the parchment in half. I put them together and rip again, and again, faster, and faster. Fuck my father. Fuck Voldemort. They can't tell me what to do. I won't join him, I won't. I won't. I won't. I won't. I won't. I won't.

I rip the paper so forcefully it all drops to the ground. I put my hands to my head and cover the eyes which hold my secret tears.

I sense a person standing next to me. They drop to their knees and stay their for a moment. After a while they say, softly, "Malfoy."

Shit. It's Potter. "Fuck off," I whisper.

"Get up, Malfoy," Potter says, again in his gentle tone.

Against my will he puts a hand on my arm and helps my up. I did not realise but I am shaking. Potter takes his wand out and points it at the scattered pieces of parchment lying on the grass. "Mercidrake," he mutters. The remains of the letter burst into violent flame and disappear into nothing. At another time I would be surprised at this action. As it is I do not care.

"Malfoy," Potter says again.

"Stop fucking calling me Malfoy!" I yell as loud as I can. I am loosing it, and I don't care. I hear the gasps around as people wonder what's going on.

Potter nods. "Ok. Sorry Draco." He pauses. "You should really go and lie down."

I open my mouth and shut it again. There is no use protesting. Potter will probably get his way in the end. I say nothing and Potter assumes this to be a yes. He takes my arm and gently leads me back up to the castle, without a word to Hagrid or even a glance at his friends.