Nothing is Ever Easy

Author: Renegade Moon

Rating: PG for now, but will probably go up in later chapters.

Summary: Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy are killed by the Dark Lord. But Draco is in danger too, Voldemort has vowed to kill every Malfoy so that he would be the one and only Slytherin heir. Draco has to change his identity, and that means a new appearance, a new name, a new life. Things will be hard for him. But then again, nothing is ever easy.

Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except the plot.

Author's Note: Hey all! See, it didn't take me too long to get this chap out! Anyway, I'm not sure I'll continue this story, but if you guys like it I will. If you want me to email you when I update tell me! And review, please! I love reviews. Even flames, if they're constructive. And feel free to email me at: renegade_soul@hotmail.com

Thank You : Sarah-Anna, DiOsA4u (your story's really good ! I like it !), and Slytherin-Undercover (Your fic is great too !!). Thank you, thank you !!

Ok, here's the 2nd chappy!!

Chapter 2 : A New Life

"Do you have any relatives who could take care of you?"

Draco Malfoy's voice was barely more than a whisper as he answered Dubledore's question. "No."

He had hesitated going to Dumbledore when he learned Voldemort was after him. His father had sent him a letter saying he must hide, because the Dark Lord intented to kill him, but Lucius hadn't mentioned anything about why exactly Voldemort wanted Draco dead. And soon after Draco had recieved the letter, he had learned his parents were dead. Voldemort had killed them. Then, as much as he hated the man, Dumbledore was his only hope.

"Or maybe a neighbor, a good friend your parents trusted?" Dumbledore asked hopefully.

"No," Draco repeated more clearly this time, frustrated.

"Are you sure you have no living relatives?" The Headmaster said, looking concerned.

"NO!" Draco yelled, standing. "I have no one! NO ONE! I'm alone! My parents are dead and Voldemort's after me for some unknown reason, and I'm all alone!"

Tears were threatening to pour out, but Draco bit his lip, trying to keep them inside. He was furious, and he had wanted to say these words for days now. He calmed down and sat back in his seat in Dumbledore's office.

The Headmaster walked to him and put a gentle hand on Draco's shoulder, but Draco shot to his feet again and pulled Dumbledore's hand away. "I don't need your pity," he snapped and turned his back to Dumbledore to look out the window. He wasn't really seeing the beautiful gardens and the late afternoon sun reflected on the shimmering lake, though. He was thinking of his parents again.

He knew his parents hadn't really love him as he would have wished them to. No matter what he did, it never semed to be enough to earn their love. But still, they were his parents. They had taught him to talk, to walk, to live. They had taught him to be who he was, and he wouldn't have such good marks at Hogwarts if it wasn't for them. Wether he liked it or not, he was their son, the result of their love, and he owed them everything he knew. But now, they were gone, and inside him opposite feelings were mixed. He missed them, but at the same time he felt relieved. Free. He wouldn't have to prove himself to anyone or fight to earn love and respect anymore.

Dumbledore sighed. "Well, the only place you would be safe then is Hogwarts."

Draco whirled around to face him. "Hogwarts? Hogwarts is far from the safest place for me right now! I know many sons and daughters of Death Eaters who would be only too glad to tell Voldemort I'm here. Voldemort has managed to get into Hogwarts before, it wouldn't bother him to do it one more time to get me!"

"I know that, Mr Malfoy. But that's not exactly what I had in mind." Dumbledore said with the familiar twinkle in his eyes.

"What di you mean?" Draco said, getting suspicious.

"Well, it's only end of october, and you need to finish your fifth year at Hogwarts. It's a rather important year, you know, and—"

"Yeah, so?" Draco interrupted impatiently. He didn't care this was the headmaster. He didn't care he owned Dumbledore a little more respect. All he cared about right now was to stay alive.

"Voldemort won't try to kill you if you're still dead..." Dumbledore said, smiling mischeviously.

Draco stared at him. "What? But..." Dumbledore arched an eyebrow, and suddenly Draco's face lit up. "I get it!" he exclaimed. "I'll fake my own death!" The headmaster nodded and Draco smiled brightly. He hated to admit it, but this man was a genious.

"We'll find a way to make everyone think you're dead, and then we'll just change your appearance and you can take a new identity. So do you accept this offer?"

"Of course I do!"

********************

When Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at their usual table in Potions, Hermione looked around, confused. She had the strange feeling that something wasn't right, that something was missing. But then the lesson started, and she was concentrating making her sneezing potion correctly and at the same time helping Neville with his that she soon forgot about the feeling.

"Hermione, you shouldn't keep helping him, Snape will deduct points from Gryffindor again" whispered Ron while Neville was chopping his borgak roots.

"Huh? What?" Hermione said without looking up, putting her dragon scales into her potion while dropping scalamander hearts in Neville's.

"Hermione! You'll ruin your potion if you try to make both yours and Neville's!" Harry said.

"Oh, come on, he needs help, so I'm helping him, that's all," she replied.

"Miss Granger!" Snape roared, and Hermione started, accidently dropping frog legs in her potion instead of Neville's. "I thought I told you NOT TO HELP that insufferable Longbottom! Ten points from Gryffindor!"

Then a strange noise coming from Hermione's potion was heard, and it started making bubles and turning purple instead of green. Snape walked towards her potion to see what was happening and yelled, "Why did you put an extra pair of frog legs in your potion! I told you it would ruin the potion to put more than one pair in! Twenty points from Gryffindor!"

Turning bright red, Hermione kept her head down, expecting to hear snikkers or a familiar drawl taunting her. It didn't come, though, and she began to have the strange feeling again. She looked up and noticed Malfoy wasn't ther. That was what she had felt was missing!

She turned to Ron and Harry. "Hey, Malfoy's not here today!"

They stared at her, then glanced at each other and burst into laughing.

"What?" she asked, embarassed.

"We told you he wasn't there at the beginning of the lesson, and you answered "Yeah, good", not even looking up," Ron said, still giggling.

"Yeah, well, that's not funny!" She turned back to her cauldron to start her sneezing potion all over again. I wonder where Malfoy is, she thought.

********************

An hour later, Draco was standing in the infirmary with Dumbledore and Madam Pomrey. Draco held a small glass bottle in his rght hand, still hesitating.

"I still don't think it's a good idea, Albus," Madam Pomrey scowled, staring at Draco.

"Well, it's your choice, Draco. You don't have to do this..." Dumbledore said.

Draco smirked. "Of course I do! I don't really want to be killed!" He looked down at the potion in his hand that was supposed to change his appearance. Despite what he'd just said, he still wasn't sure. Snape had made this potion for him, but he had said it would hurt. And it took a week for the changes to be completed.

"But still," Madam Pomfrey said, "It's dangerous. This potion is too powerful and the pain will be too intense for him. He could... die. And the changes will be permanant, he won't be able to change again..."

Draco looked up at her sharply. "If I don't do it I'll die anyway. I have no choice," he said, trying to convince himself as well.

It wasn't realy the pain that bothered him. What made him hesitated was the fact that it was definitive... He wouldn't be able to change back to his usual appearance when it was over. Suddenly, he wondered what house he would be in.

"Professor," he asked Dumbledore. "I'll still be in Slytherin, right?"

"Well, I'm sorry, Draco, but it would be too obvious if you were in Slytherin. They know you better than any other house and they might recognize you. However, you can chose which house you want to be in, apart from Slytherin."

Draco's heart sank, and he stared back down at the potion in his hand. He couldn't become a Ravenclaw. All bookworms, there. And definitely not Huflepuff, they were all clumsy and stupid. But he couldn't be a Gryffindor, he couldn't stand a day in Gryffindor. They were all know-it-all mudblood lovers, and wit Potter too... No, he couldn't. Yet... Gryffindors were his enemies, and for that very reason it would be the safest place.

"I'll be a Gryffindor," Draco announced, determined. He knew his three years left at Hogwarts would be unbearable in Gryffindor, but at least he would be safe. Seeing the look of complete shock on both Dumbledore and Madam Pomfrey's faces, he almost smiled. But did not.

Instead, he looked up at Dumbledore, his eyes glistening, and drank the potion in one big gulp.

The pain that overtook him the instant he swallowed the liquid down wasn't like anything he had felt before. He felt like his skin was on fire and his bones were melting. His muscles seemed to be freezing, inside burning flesh. He couldn't see or hear anything, he couldn't even think. His brain felt like it would explode. He felt something warm and sweet running down his throat and hands carry him, then everything went black.

A/N: Did you like it? Please review!!!