A/N: ok, REVIEW PLZ must HAVE MORE REVIEWS!! MERHa!!!

ozze: wow, thx! I'm so happy you like me story!!! :DDDD

draco lover: hehee.thanx! Yup yup, they are GONNa figure out SOME stuff *next chappie, prolly* yaya!! REVIEW!! (but I dun need ta say that to u, eh?..lols.)

eco815: thank u very muchios!! Glad u like!! :DD heehee..review!!

Felicity: ok well, read on plz! Thx for ur suggestion!! (excuse I made up on the spot: ok, maybe ron could recognize scabbers cuz he had him for a pet for nine years? I dunno..) newayz, review and suggest!

Hermione18: another chappie updated for your reading!! :D hope u likee it!

Hehe...neways.. this chappie starts out with a FLASHBACK of Draco's childhood...so here goes...

~*~

Light of Darkness

Small Draco swung his arms around happily. He held a small blue bear closely to his chest, and his gray eyes sparkled with warmth. His short blond hair was very pale, though streaked with some other colours of striking sun yellow. There were a few teeth missing from his mouth, but the little boy didn't care at all, smiling crazily.

"Can't catch me, mommy!" He called to the blonde woman in front of him, as he climbed on top of his bed. His voice was soft, sweet, and smiling. Narcissa smiled at her 'little dragon' and let him run away from her again, laughing all the while. His laughter echoed down the hallway, and grinning slightly to herself, Narcissa went to go follow her son.

Suddenly a small anguished wail rent threw the air, and Narcissa's expression darkened. She began to run towards the muted cries of her son, and found him crying in the hallway. In front of him, Lucius stood with his bear.

"Daddy, daddy, no daddy!" the small boy was whimpering, blond hair flying freely around his cherubic cheeks. Lucius sneer at his son. "Daddy!" Draco cried again, and raised a tear stained face to his father. A bruise was developing underneath his eye. "Give me back Erebus, Daddy," he said, indicating his bear. Lucius sneered, and dangled the stuffed animal right out of reach of his son. Draco started jumping for it, and each time Lucius raised it higher. He laughed cruelly.

Narcissa's heart broke, and started to towards her son. Lucius suddenly turned his gaze on her.

"You, Glacios." He said, pointing a wand at her. Narcissa was suddenly motionless, and couldn't move an inch. Her eyes rolled around frantically.

"What did you do, daddy?" Draco suddenly broke in, his gray eyes widening with betrayal.

"Never mind her, I'm teaching her a lesson. The same thing I'm teaching you." Lucius continued, and stared hardly at his son. "This is what you get for caring about something." He said, and ripped the bear in half. Bits of white cotton drifted to Draco's startled face.

"Daddy..." he cried, voice breaking with tears. Suddenly he ran to his mother, and hugged her frozen body. "Mommy, mommy, come back mommy, mommy! I need you, MOMMY!!" he wailed, and started to cry even harder. Tears began to drip past Narcissa's cheeks. Her heart was breaking.

"Draco!" Lucius snarled, and with one hand whipped the little body around. Simultaneously Draco felt a sharp blow to his left cheek. He was flung to the ground from the impact, and raised a hand to his reddened face.

"GO!" Lucius commanded, and held onto the boy's free-flying shoulder- length hair. "GO!" He repeated, and threw him back on the floor. Running a hand past his red-rimmed eyes, Draco ran away from his father. "Everything you love will be hurt, believe me! Love is for the weak." His father's voice echoed down the hall to him. Once in his room, Draco rubbed his eyes a little unsteadily, and with a anguished cry, took out a small pocket knife.

He began to chop off his hair, shiny blond tendrils dropping from his fingers. When he was done, he took some gel, and combed his hair until it was almost stuck to his scalp.

He was imprisoned in a closet for a week because of his insolence.

~*~

"Draco." The boy suddenly raised startled eyes to the girl standing before him. A wave of emotions ran threw his body, and he quickly suppressed them all. His memories were haunting him, and he rubbed his temple slightly. It was just one of the many torturous memories of his childhood. Nobody knew, and nobody would ever know.

"Draco?" He was daydreaming again. Draco mentally slapped himself, and lifted his gaze to the browned haired angel in front of him.

'No.' A voice suddenly said in his brain.

'What?' He asked himself.

'You'll hurt her, like you hurt everything.'

'But I won-' he tried to argue.

'You will, or Lucius will.' Draco suddenly scowled, and looked at Hermione with a renewed expression. Lucius would kill her, he couldn't care for anything, not ever.

Forgive me, Draco asked silently in his head.

He stood up, and looked coldly at her.

"Granger." He said without emotion. "Why are you yapping in my face." He inwardly cringed at her hurt expression. She didn't need any more pain. He mentally tortured himself for saying those words, but continued the ruse. He couldn't back down now.

"I-" Hermione stuttered. She couldn't handle this. Her dad was a deatheater, her mother was God knows where, maybe dead. He was all she had now. She needed him. "Draco..." She whispered, eyes filling up with unshed tears. "Please...I..I need you.."

Draco's resolve crumbled momentarily. He wanted so much to wrap his arms around her, to make her alright. He headed towards her. To hel- with Lucius. He cared about Hermione! He cared so much...

'THEN LEAVE HER BE!!!' The same voice screamed inside his head. 'YOU'll only HURT her MORE!! SHE might DIE!! You DON'T want that, do YOU? Cuz if you show affection, you might DARN WELL be writing a EULOGY for hER!!' Draco's hands dropped to his sides, and he lowered his head desperately. He had to be cruel to be kind. (A/N: lols I couldn't resist) A glance at her face, and he would not be able to ignore her. He could hear her silently crying. His heart was shattering into a thousand pieces, he had never felt so depressed in his life.

"Come on." He said, trying to keep all his emotion from his voice. "I have an Invisibility Cloak. We can check in the Restricted part of the Library for the potion we took." He stole a glance at her. Silent tears were running past her eyes. He quickly averted his eyes from her face.

'You're doing this for her,' the annoying voice in his mind repeated, 'This is all for her.' Draco scowled at his conscience. Sometimes he just wished it would dissapear. Hermione didn't respond. Sighing quietly to himself, he jogged up to his room, and retrieved his Invisibility Cloak. He gently took Hermione's arm in his own, and started to lead her to the library.

It was a miracle they didn't get caught going there. They were making enough noise to even wake a Weasley from their slumber. Draco frequently cast glances at Hermione, and just as quickly looked guiltily away.

When they finally had arrived in between the forbidding rows of restricted books, Draco got to working. He slowly led Hermione to a seat, and left her there. It seemed like she was in a state of shock. She still hadn't said a word to him.

After many hours of searching through pitch dark, Draco found what he was looking for. Throughout his search, a strange, eerie silence filled the room. Shaking off the feeling of being watched, Draco dusted off the book, and read the title with relish. '101 DARK POTIONS' by Adonis Arcturus.

Suddenly he stopped, and narrowed his eyes around the room, trying to see. He heard a hiss in the corner of the room, and turned his eyes towards a dark shadow there. It was Mrs. Norris, Filch's cat. She quickly skirted away, off to warn Filch, no doubt. He growled silently, and tucked the book under one arm.

"Hermione." He said, and lifted her up. Holding one of her arms in his own, he started running. Behind him he could hear Filch's voice.

"What, Mrs. Norris? Two naughty, naughty kids are out to play? Oooh, ooh, I'll catch them now, yes I will." Footsteps were coming closer, and Draco ran faster. They turned a corner, and arrived at a dead end. Draco could hear Filch, his torch was casting a glow on the walls. His eyes roved around the wall, trying to find a way out.

Suddenly Hermione turned around and slapped him, ripping her arm out of his grasp. Draco looked at her in surprise, hurt in his heart, although his eyes did not betray his emotion. Hermione glared at him, squinting her eyes. His eyes widened at her glare.

"I hate you." She said, deathly quiet. "I hate you as much as Voldemort. I hate you, Malfoy, and I always will." With that, she turned on her heel, and ran away from him, leaving the Invisibility Cloak. Draco saw her run off into the torchlight, but Filch probably didn't see her, because he didn't hear the greasy man squawk in triumph. Filch was getting closer, but Draco didn't care.

Hermione had just ripped his heart out (metaphorically) and he slid to the ground in hopelessness. She hated him. She hated him. His mind kept repeating. But I was only trying to help! He told himself. Suddenly he knew she was right. He saw her point too. He hated himself. How he despised himself. He wasn't worth anything. He was always going to be a Malfoy. Servile, cold...unloved.

With tears starting in his eyes, he started banging his head on the slick stone walls of Hogwarts, hands clenched at his sides, nails digging into his flesh.

~*~

Peeves watched sadly for a moment, and for once, did not do anything malicious. Instead, he shooed away Filch, making some noise here and there along the hallways, away from the Slytherin boy. His eyes were understanding, and filled with sadness.

For the last time, he checked on the boy.

Draco had his head in his hands, and was curled up in the corner, shoulders shaking with grief.

~*~

aw man, draco's sad!! *sniffles*

I hope you like this chappie, don't forget to review!!! Must do hmwk and stop PROCRASTINATING!! I have a ss oral tmrw...yeargh.

*me so hungy.*

newayz, REVIEW!!!!!!