Draco rolled over on his bed. His headphones blasted muggle music into his
brain so loudly that the boy on the other side of the room was tapping his
foot to the heavy drumbeat. Even though it was muggle music, Draco still
listened to it. It seemed to match his frame of mind, this muggle goth,
metal ..or whatever this kind of music was called. The lyrics were dark,
angry, twisted and sometimes scary. They sang usually of being alone,
misunderstood or dying. That suited Draco fine.
Suddenly the dorm door burst open and Crabbe and Goyle crashed in. Draco took off his headphones in anticipation of whatever stupid and or pointless thing they were going to say that he wouldn't care about.
"Hey Malfoy!" Crabbe said. "What now?" he asked them. "You've been moping around up here all morning," Goyle supplied. "Yeah, you should come down. Hey, we could piss off Potter and his buddies." Crabbe suggested. "Or we could go and watch the girls practising Quidditch. You know, we can see right up their skirts if they fly above us," Goyle added. "How thrilling for you," Draco said dryly, "alright, I guess I could do with some fresh air. I'll just grab a shirt." He looked around the immediate vicinity of his bed for a shirt. He couldn't find one. "Don't worry about a shirt, Malfoy. Let the sun get at those pale pecs of yours," Crabbe told him. "Yeah, the girls ain't gonna complain either," Goyle said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Is that all you ever think about?" Draco asked him, slightly bemused. "What?" "Girls." "Oh, yeah!" Goyle grinned moronically. Crabbe smirked, "When was the last time you had a girlfriend then, Goyle?" "Third year," Goyle replied quietly, looking at the floor. "And Muriel only went out with you because you bullied her into it," Draco said with a smile, "you threatened to cut her pig tails off, if I remember correctly." "Yeah!" Crabbe said laughing as he punched his now miserable and embarrassed friend on the arm. "I can look can't I?" Goyle said, brightening. "This year'll be different. I am irresistible!" Draco raised an eyebrow, as he looked his friend up and down. From his greasy hair, spotty face, and his belly bulging over his dirty jeans Draco didn't think Goyle had much to offer a girl. He wasn't even a nice person - far from it in fact. Mix that with his bad breath and complete lack of manners and he was anything but irresistible. Draco just shook his head. It wasn't even as if Draco himself had had much luck in the love department. He'd been out with a few girls over the years, none of them meant anything though. Most girls were scared of him, or thought he was evil. He didn't mind, in fact he preferred it that way, or he had at least. But now he envied all the people who had proper friends, true friends and loving relationships. All through his life at Hogwarts he been feared, if not respected. People laughed at his jokes because they were afraid of what might happen if they didn't. Part of that was to do with his family; they were a powerful pureblood wizard family and his father had been, and still was, a Death Eater. Just thinking about his father working for that evil man made Draco feel physically sick. He used to think that having a wicked and feared father was the best thing that could ever happen to him, next to becoming a Death Eater himself. Now he was just disgusted by his father (and mother) and he would rather die than become a Death Eater. Now that his father had been caught and sent to Azkaban, and his mother was in hiding, Draco felt he could be free. Draco had changed so much in the past few years. From the arrogant, spiteful, malicious and conceited boy he had been, he was now a remorseful, self conscious, sad young man who cared what people thought about him. He wished he could change what he'd done in the past. Especially about doing all he could to make Potter's life hell for all six years they'd been at Hogwarts. Now he wished he'd been more like Potter. Looking back Draco couldn't believe he'd ever wanted to be Slytherin's heir in second year. It made him terribly ashamed to think about what he had been like and so very lonely and sad when he imagined what he could have been. The three of them had walked down from the seventh year dormitories in silence and through the Slytherin common room and were just walking out of the hidden stone door in the dungeons when Draco snapped out of his daydreaming. Crabbe and Goyle were arguing loudly about who was the fittest girl on the four Quidditch teams; they both agreed it had to be a Slytherin. Draco knew who he thought was the fittest girl in the school, though she wasn't on a Quidditch team and she wasn't a Slytherin. And he still hadn't talked to her yet, even though they'd been back at school for three days now. They were walking up the stone steps to the main part of the school before they met anyone else. Millicent Bulestrode was walking down towards them, her long silky hair and cloak flowing behind her. She was almost unrecognisable from the girl she had been in first year. She had grown from an ugly little girl into a beautiful young woman in just a few years. And Draco suspected she had a little bit of a crush on him. "Hi Draco," she said in a silvery voice. "Oh, hi Millicent," Draco replied out of politeness, but it did not stretch so far as to actually stop and talk to her. So the three guys walked up the stairs while Millicent walked down, looking rather put out. Although Goyle turned around so he could get a good view of her walking away, her hips swinging. Once in the entrance hall they stopped, unsure of where to go next. "Hey, why don't we get some food from the kitchens?" Crabbe said. "Yeah!" Goyle agreed. "Nah, I'm not hungry. But you two go, I'll see you outside later," Draco said, secretly pleased he might be able to get away from the two morons. "Oh, alright Malfoy," Goyle replied over his shoulder, hurrying to catch up with Crabbe. Draco walked slowly outside, squinting in the brightness of the autumn sun. The grounds were full of people playing and lounging around on the grass. He accidentally walked through a group of students throwing a Frisbee around that shouted things at the players when it was dropped. "Sorry," he mumbled as the players, and the Frisbee, shouted at him. He hurried out of the way and walked smack into someone. Looking up he noticed the violent orange hair of a Weasley. "Watch where you going, Malfoy," snapped Ron Weasley, giving him a slight shove out the way. "Sorry," Draco mumbled again, stumbling to get out away. He continued to wander aimlessly around the lawn, and finally he found a relatively clear spot in which he promptly sat down.
Suddenly the dorm door burst open and Crabbe and Goyle crashed in. Draco took off his headphones in anticipation of whatever stupid and or pointless thing they were going to say that he wouldn't care about.
"Hey Malfoy!" Crabbe said. "What now?" he asked them. "You've been moping around up here all morning," Goyle supplied. "Yeah, you should come down. Hey, we could piss off Potter and his buddies." Crabbe suggested. "Or we could go and watch the girls practising Quidditch. You know, we can see right up their skirts if they fly above us," Goyle added. "How thrilling for you," Draco said dryly, "alright, I guess I could do with some fresh air. I'll just grab a shirt." He looked around the immediate vicinity of his bed for a shirt. He couldn't find one. "Don't worry about a shirt, Malfoy. Let the sun get at those pale pecs of yours," Crabbe told him. "Yeah, the girls ain't gonna complain either," Goyle said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Is that all you ever think about?" Draco asked him, slightly bemused. "What?" "Girls." "Oh, yeah!" Goyle grinned moronically. Crabbe smirked, "When was the last time you had a girlfriend then, Goyle?" "Third year," Goyle replied quietly, looking at the floor. "And Muriel only went out with you because you bullied her into it," Draco said with a smile, "you threatened to cut her pig tails off, if I remember correctly." "Yeah!" Crabbe said laughing as he punched his now miserable and embarrassed friend on the arm. "I can look can't I?" Goyle said, brightening. "This year'll be different. I am irresistible!" Draco raised an eyebrow, as he looked his friend up and down. From his greasy hair, spotty face, and his belly bulging over his dirty jeans Draco didn't think Goyle had much to offer a girl. He wasn't even a nice person - far from it in fact. Mix that with his bad breath and complete lack of manners and he was anything but irresistible. Draco just shook his head. It wasn't even as if Draco himself had had much luck in the love department. He'd been out with a few girls over the years, none of them meant anything though. Most girls were scared of him, or thought he was evil. He didn't mind, in fact he preferred it that way, or he had at least. But now he envied all the people who had proper friends, true friends and loving relationships. All through his life at Hogwarts he been feared, if not respected. People laughed at his jokes because they were afraid of what might happen if they didn't. Part of that was to do with his family; they were a powerful pureblood wizard family and his father had been, and still was, a Death Eater. Just thinking about his father working for that evil man made Draco feel physically sick. He used to think that having a wicked and feared father was the best thing that could ever happen to him, next to becoming a Death Eater himself. Now he was just disgusted by his father (and mother) and he would rather die than become a Death Eater. Now that his father had been caught and sent to Azkaban, and his mother was in hiding, Draco felt he could be free. Draco had changed so much in the past few years. From the arrogant, spiteful, malicious and conceited boy he had been, he was now a remorseful, self conscious, sad young man who cared what people thought about him. He wished he could change what he'd done in the past. Especially about doing all he could to make Potter's life hell for all six years they'd been at Hogwarts. Now he wished he'd been more like Potter. Looking back Draco couldn't believe he'd ever wanted to be Slytherin's heir in second year. It made him terribly ashamed to think about what he had been like and so very lonely and sad when he imagined what he could have been. The three of them had walked down from the seventh year dormitories in silence and through the Slytherin common room and were just walking out of the hidden stone door in the dungeons when Draco snapped out of his daydreaming. Crabbe and Goyle were arguing loudly about who was the fittest girl on the four Quidditch teams; they both agreed it had to be a Slytherin. Draco knew who he thought was the fittest girl in the school, though she wasn't on a Quidditch team and she wasn't a Slytherin. And he still hadn't talked to her yet, even though they'd been back at school for three days now. They were walking up the stone steps to the main part of the school before they met anyone else. Millicent Bulestrode was walking down towards them, her long silky hair and cloak flowing behind her. She was almost unrecognisable from the girl she had been in first year. She had grown from an ugly little girl into a beautiful young woman in just a few years. And Draco suspected she had a little bit of a crush on him. "Hi Draco," she said in a silvery voice. "Oh, hi Millicent," Draco replied out of politeness, but it did not stretch so far as to actually stop and talk to her. So the three guys walked up the stairs while Millicent walked down, looking rather put out. Although Goyle turned around so he could get a good view of her walking away, her hips swinging. Once in the entrance hall they stopped, unsure of where to go next. "Hey, why don't we get some food from the kitchens?" Crabbe said. "Yeah!" Goyle agreed. "Nah, I'm not hungry. But you two go, I'll see you outside later," Draco said, secretly pleased he might be able to get away from the two morons. "Oh, alright Malfoy," Goyle replied over his shoulder, hurrying to catch up with Crabbe. Draco walked slowly outside, squinting in the brightness of the autumn sun. The grounds were full of people playing and lounging around on the grass. He accidentally walked through a group of students throwing a Frisbee around that shouted things at the players when it was dropped. "Sorry," he mumbled as the players, and the Frisbee, shouted at him. He hurried out of the way and walked smack into someone. Looking up he noticed the violent orange hair of a Weasley. "Watch where you going, Malfoy," snapped Ron Weasley, giving him a slight shove out the way. "Sorry," Draco mumbled again, stumbling to get out away. He continued to wander aimlessly around the lawn, and finally he found a relatively clear spot in which he promptly sat down.
