Disclaimer: Characters, etc. etc, anything to do with Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. Plot, however, is mine, and mine alone.

Draco'sDragon: I take back what I said about making him meaner. . .I can't help myself :P Don't hate me. . . This next chapter explains why he isn't so mean and everything. . .I hope.

Chapter 5: In which a few things are cleared up; namely, about loyalty

'Dearest Draco,' it read in flowing letters.

'My request to Dumbledore is still pending, and I am afraid he will decline my offer, or rather, my suggestion. It is clear he does not trust me as he suspects that I am a Death-Eater. Only you and your mother know the truth.' For as long as Draco could remember he had heard countless rumours about his family. The most hurtful had been the rumour that had stated his father was a Death-Eater. Even the Slytherins thought his father was a Death-Eater. Many had come up to Draco to congratulate his father on some sick thing he had supposedly done. Despite questioning his mother and father about the rumour, they had always steered the conversation away. After a while Draco began to accept the rumour. Never believing it, but accepting it. (A/N: do I make any sense??) Draco acted as if his father was a Death-Eater. It hurt him so much, but he had given up on correcting everyone a long time ago, given up the hope that he would ever know the answer.

Finally, on his fifteenth birthday, his parents had told him the truth. They told him everyone made mistakes. Some people made small mistakes, and some people made big mistakes, that changed the course of their lives forever. Lucius Malfoy's biggest mistake had been to receive the Dark Mark. Draco's heart had shattered. The rumours were true.

"How could you do this to me?" he had yelled.

Narcissa had tried to embrace him, Lucius had tried to comfort. "I know I made a mistake, son---"

"How could you be a Death-Eater! How could you think that it was the right thing to do?"

"I wasn't thinking," his father had said helplessly. He placed a hand on Draco's shoulder. Draco smacked it away. "Draco---"

"How could you do it?" Draco said bitterly. Then his voice rose. "How could you be a god-damned Death-Eater?" Draco turned and stormed out of the room, not caring that he had sweared at his father, not caring that tears were cascading down his face, in fact not caring about anything at all.

Draco had collapsed onto his bed and had lain there, sobbing, still not wanting to believe his father was a Death-Eater. He had hated his father after that. Hated him for being a Death-Eater, hated him for being so weak, hating him for not telling Draco sooner. However, as the weeks passed Draco began to forgive his father, and the wall of silence between father and son was broken.

'I will continue to try, however. I do not like the idea of you staying there for two months. As the program is intended to foster inter-House relationship I do not see why your fellow Gryffindors should not stay at the Manor. It would be a nice change for Ronald Weasley.' Draco smiled at that. Yes, it would be a nice change for him.

'How is everything going where you are? About your complaint in your last owl about no privacy, well. You are living in such close quarters you would expect at least one Weasley in the same room as you, don't you think?' Draco rolled his eyes. The Weasleys didn't even leave him alone in the bathroom.

'I do hope you are being extra careful. Your mother sends her love, and so do I.

You loving father,

Lucius.'

Draco folded the letter thoughtfully. Why was Dumbledore hesitating? His father's request was not an outlandish one. Let the rich experience the poor, and the poor experience the rich. Then Draco scowled. Dumbledore was probably afraid his father would tell the Dark Lord where to find Potter. Dumbledore probably imagined Lucius Malfoy telling the Dark Lord that he could have Potter trapped like a fish in a fishbowl.

His father would never do such a thing. However, since everyone knew that Harry Potter was wanted by the Dark Lord, questions about loyalty might crop up. The Dark Lord might even assume that Lucius had turned traitor. . .Draco shuddered to think what would happen; not only to his father but to the whole family.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, seeing Draco shudder.

"Nothing," Draco said shortly. He would never enclose the information to anyone, and especially not to those three.

"Look, Draco, I don't like you and you don't like me, but let's call it a truce for the next few weeks, okay?" Ron said. "Let's be civilized to each other. I mean, it's the only way we can survive, we can't spend the summer biting each other's heads off."

Draco pondered Ron's suggestion, petting Pandora as he did so. "All right. Truce," he said finally. Then he added casually, "Did you know your mother just broke your bathroom door?"

Ron stared. "What?"

"She was worried about my safety." Draco rolled his eyes. "As is I can't take care of myself. I mean, I may not be a licensed wizard, but I do have a wand. . .which I can use very well."

Draco heard Harry whisper "doesn't seem very delicate to me" to Hermione.

"I heard that," Draco said irritably. "I never have been delicate. Who on earth gave you that idea?"

"No one, it's just. . .sometimes you seem. . .rather. . .vulnerable," Hermione said carefully.

Vulnerable my foot, Draco thought. I haven't done anything to make them believe I'm vulnerable or delicate. Something is up.

But what? There had to be a reason for this interest in his safety. Did these three know? Probably. Could Draco get them to tell him why everyone was so concerned? That was another question entirely.

"Do you know why everyone is so concerned about my safety?" Draco asked.

Harry's eyebrows wrinkled. "Was it over safety? I thought it was because you were a bit. . .well, you know."

"What? Mentally unstable?"

"No, more. . .challenged."

Draco was insulted. "Well, excuse me, Mr. Harry—oh--I'm—so—great--I--can't--even—get--12--O.W.Ls—Potter, I happen to have one of the best minds in Hogwarts."

"What, just because you got twelve doesn't mean you have the best mind," Harry said. "Hermione beat you."

"I said one of the best. And she did not beat me." Really, he had broken the record and they didn't even notice that Dumbledore had said Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy? He took note of their progress---it wasn't even remotely outstanding---and they failed to notice this? It was very. . .degrading.

"Yeah, right," Ron scoffed. "She broke the record, along with a Ravenclaw. You wish she didn't beat you."

"A Raven---now that really is insulting." Draco sulked, crossing his arms.

"Now you're sulking because you realized two people beat you?"

"No one beat me in the O.W.Ls," Draco said loudly. "Weren't you listening when Dumbledore gave that speech of his at the end of fifth year?" Blank faces looked back at him. "I give up," he said, throwing his hands up into the air. "At least you didn't think it was a Hufflepuff," he said dryly.

"You mean we're wrong," Ron said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Doh."

"You obviously know, tell us then," Hermione said.

"No. I don't know who it is, because Draco Malfoy scored 13 O.W.Ls, which broke the record," Draco said sarcastically.

"You what?"

"You broke the record?"

"Why else do you think I'm Head Boy?" Draco said smugly.

"You're Head Boy?!"

"A Slytherin?!"

"You know, Slytherins aren't all dumb," Draco was annoyed. "Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy are, but, honestly, you do get a few smart ones."

"You mean like you," Ron said.

"Yes. Like me."

"He's just soo modest, isn't he."

A/N: Miss Moony aka Draco's Queen: thanks

         Nariza_kimi: what happened to kimi@me ? :P you're so lame…. :P

Please review! I love getting reviews! Plus you get mentioned here if you review (if you haven't noticed :P whaaat. . .don't you want your name here?

All right, I know Harry doesn't sound like Harry. . .he's very un-Harry.