Nothing is Ever Easy

Author: Renegade Moon

Rating: RATING HAS CHANGED TO PG-13

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 everyone! Told ya I would update 2 chappies today!^_^! Will it be enough for you to forgive me for updating so late?? Please?? Pretty Please?? *looks up with puppy eyes* LOL.

Anyway, I didn't put the thank yous in the last chap so here u are: Thank you Riverchic1998, Amy-Jennifer, DiOsA4u, Serena(beautiful name ! makes me think of a unicorn...), Arch-Scorpion( whoa ! cool nickname !), Nicole Christensen,  f0xyness39 (sorry, the way I « kiiled » Draco was not very original...), PsychoAngel (great name !! I didn't have time to read your stories yet but I promise I will !), Serpentina, okigurl, lydia, Elle-poohbear, Eriol's bear. Thank you all so much !!!

Chapter 4 : The new Gryffindor

Alex White. Alex. White. Yeah, sounds ok. Draco White... yuck!!

Draco was sitting on his bed at the infirmary, thinking about his knew name. Alex White. He liked it, though he liked Draco best.

He had awakened early that morning, and realized all the pain was gone. He hadn't known wether the suffering had really ended or if it would come again, then Madam Pomfrey had come into the room and gasped when she saw he was awake. She had told him he had been under the effects of the potion for an entire week, and had ewaminated him to see if he was all right. She had the handed him a piece of parchment with his new name written on it.

Now, sitting on the bed and watching Madam Pomfrey go about her business in the infirmary, he waited anxiously for Professor Dumbledore. Madam Pomfrey had refused to let him see himself in a mirror, saying Dumbledore wanted to be present when Draco discovered how much he had changed. He could already see himself if he looked down, but it wasn't the same. And he could hear his new voice too... It wasn't a drawling voice like it used to be.

"And my hair, how is my hair?" he asked hopefully as Madam Pomfrey walked past him to put some books back on a shelf.

She sighed heavily, exasperated. "I won't tell you!" she snapped.

Draco grinned. It was almost noon and he had tried all morning to get her to tell him something about his new appearance. So far, he hadn't managed to get anything from her, but by the tone of her voice he was confident she would soon give in.

"Please, you can tell me this one thing," he pleaded as he looked at her with puppy eyes. "Please? Just this little unimportant detail? The color of my hair? Pleaaaaaaaaaaaase?"

She stopped whatever she was doing, took a deep breath and let it out slowly with her eyes closed, as if trying to calm herself.

"I liked you best when you were sleeping and having your nightmares, even though you kicked me about a hundred times whenever you awoke..."

Draco didn't remember any of his nightmares, though Madam Pomfrey had told him he was having nightmares all the time. He didn't remember the times when he was awake either.

Suddenly, their was a knock on the infirmary door that made them both jump, and Dumbledore came in. Draco instantly shot to his feet, anxious to finally be able to look at himself.

Dumbledore smiled at Madam Pomfrey, and his smile widened when he saw Draco. There was a twinkle in the Headmaster's eyes. "Hi, Alex White. How do you feel? Are you ready to see your new self?"

Draco started when he heard his new name, which made Dumbledore chuckle. The headmaster conjured a full-length mirror, and Draco gasped.

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

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat at the Gryffindor table at lunch. It was Monday, and all the Gryffindor boys were still talking about the great Quidditch match they had won against the Hufflepuffs on saturday. Hermione wasn't listening to them though, she was getting tired of the boys' constant Quidditch talk. The girls, including Lavender and Parvati who were sitting on each side of her on the table, were talking about the new famous wizard rock band. Hermione had tried to take part in the conversation but had soon lost interest.

She looked towards the Slytherin table and saw Pansy Parkinson laghing happily with Crabbe and Goyle. For someone who was weeping pathetically over Malfoy's death last week, she seems to have quickly recovered, Hermione thought. Hermione was sure Pansy had only been pretending when she had cried, because the day after Dumbledore had announced Malfoy's death to everyone, Pansy had been smiling and giggling as though nothing had happened.

There were also rumors that the Slytherins had known from the beginning that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named intended to kill Malfoy. Though Hermione usually thought rumors couldn't be taken seriously, this one she doubted it was only a rumor.

Suddenly, before the food had even appeared in their plates, the Great Hall doors opened and Professor McGonagall came in, followed by a tall, brown-haired boy Hermione had never seen before. Coud it be a student? she thought. He can't be a first year.

McGonagall stopped in the middle of the room and cleared her throat to silence the curious whispers of the students. "I am pleased to introduce you all to a new student, Alex White, who will come to study here at Hogwarts."

The proffesor glanced at the boy— Alex White —who was looking at the Slytherin table with a worried look on his face. Hermione guessed he was probably wishing he wouldn't end up with the Slytherins.

"Alex will be a fifth year student in Gryffindor— he has already tried on the Sorting Hat." She motioned for Alex to go and sit at the Gryffindor table, and added, "You may eat."

Food abruptly appeared at her words, and Alex came to sit at the only vacant seat at the Gryffindor table: next to Ron and across from Hermione. He didn't look at ease at all, in fact, Hermione realized, he looked like sitting here was the worst thing that could happen to him in the world.

"Hi!" Ron said cheerfully to Alex. "Welcome to Gryffindor, the best house in this wonderful magic school!"

Alex kept his head down, staring pointedly at his plate, and muttered "Hi." He didn't really look like he was shy or anything, though. Instead, he looked like he was trying his best to control himself.

"How come you didn't come here as a first year?" Hermione asked. "Didn't you recieve the letter from Hogwarts when you were eleven?"

Alex looked up at her, and she was startled by what she saw in his eyes: anger, and something else. Something very different, like he was concentrating. He took a deep breath, and said, "My parents were talented wizards, and they thought they could teach me magic themselves, so they refused to send me to Hogwarts. But they realized it would be best for me to study magic in a school, like everyone else. That's all."

He smiled, but Hermione thought it was a strange smile— a forced smile. He then returned to eating in silence, kindly answering questions from all the other Gryffindors at the table. Hermione didn't say anything, though. She observed him quietly, and saw his forest-green eyes glance towards the Slytherin table, then hastily looking back at his food, as if looking at them was forbidden.

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

Draco lay awake in his bed in the Gryffindor Fifth Year dormitory, thinking of his first day as Alex White. It had been horrible. That Granger mudblood had been staring at him all day, and Potty and Weasel had kept trying to befriend him. Draco thought there was not a single person in the world who could understand how hard it had been for him to keep from taunting them or even punch them in the face. He hadn't been able to be himself all day, and he didn't know how long he would be able to keep on like this. He knew someday he would become sick of playing a role, and his anger will get free. But for now, he had to try his best to be Alex White. He wasn't Draco Malfoy anymore, Draco didn't exist. He was dead.

What had gotten into him? Why the hell did he choose Gryffindor? Now, as he thought about it, he couldn't imagine why he had choosen Gryffindor over Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff. Gryffindor was his enemy house. Potter was his enemy. What was he doing here, with all these mudblood-lovers and scar-head-Potty-lovers?

Why did he have to endure all this? Why did he have to pretend to be that Alex White? Why did he did his parents have to die? Why on earth did Voldemort want to kill him?

Voldemort. It all came down to him. It was all Voldemort's fault. Someday, Draco would avenge his parents. He would find a way to kill Voldemort. Even if it meant becoming a Gryffindor. Even if it meant stopping his remarks and insults. Even if it meant pretending to like mudbloods. Even if it meant being friends with Potter, Weasley and Granger.

a/n: Whew! I've been working ALL DAY to get these two chapters! See what I would do for you dear readers? Now, reward me with a little review, pleaaaaaaaaase! I deserve a few reviews, don't I? lol ^_^ If you have any questions on the story or anything, you can tell me in a review or email me! I'll try to update as soon as I can, leave your email address if you want me to email you when I update.