Disclaimer: All characters and places in the Harry Potter universe belong to J.K. Rowling – I own none of them, I simply play with them.
Chapter One
Pansy huffed irritably, and threw down her Transfiguration notes. It was impossible – how did McGonagall expect them to do a homework like that that when they hadn't even gone over it in class? She frowned and took to examining her nails for any chips in the nail varnish. It was a deep green colour, with little silver twinkling stars and moons – a gift from Draco last Christmas.
Speaking of Draco, Pansy mused, I wonder where he is? I haven't seen him all evening. She looked around the common room lazily. It was late so there weren't many people up – just some fourth years playing Wizard Chess in the corner, and a couple of girls giggling over a piece of parchment behind her. She wrinkled her nose and rolled her eyes with half a mind to go and dock points for pure stupidity, but that would just be stupid. Whoever heard of a Prefect taking points from their own House?
Maybe he's in his dorm, she continued to ponder listlessly. He'd better not be. I haven't said one word to him since dinner, it'd be most unlike hi –
"Guess who?"
Pansy nearly shrieked with fright as a pair of hands clamped over both her eyes.
"Draco!" she tutted angrily, whirling round and glaring at him. "Don't do that to me!"
Draco sidled up next to her on the plush green sofa, and pecked her cheek. "Sorry, darling," he grinned, not sounding sorry at all. "I couldn't resist."
Pansy tried to fight the smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, but gave in and grinned back. "Where've you been all evening?" she asked, trying to sound casual, but secretly annoyed that he'd abandoned her for this long.
Draco shrugged. "Here and there. Mostly the library. That Transfiguration essay's a killer, huh?"
"Tell me about it," Pansy rolled her eyes, waving her hand in the direction of her discarded notes. "I gave up in the end."
"Tsk," Draco shook his head. "That's no way to pass your Transfiguration N.E.W.T, is it my dear?"
Pansy swotted him playfully. "Shut up. Just because it all comes naturally to you," Pansy said, poking her tongue out and snuggling into Draco's shoulder. "I missed you," she mumbled. "Why didn't you invite me, hmm?"
Draco wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a little squeeze. "I had to work, darling, not sit in the library and make fun of first years, as much as I enjoy doing that with you. It's a busy time at the moment, with the N.E.W.Ts coming up and all."
Pansy narrowed her eyes and glared at Draco. "Don't give me that," she said haughtily. "Is there... I mean, have you... found someone?"
Draco laughed. "Yeah, right," he said, rolling his eyes. "Like there's anyone half decent in this blasted school!" He walked his fingers up her leg to the middle of her thigh, "and you know you're the only girl for me," he grinned wickedly.
"Oi!" Pansy laughed and moved her leg from under his touch, but she still wasn't satisfied. She took hold of one of his hands and began twirling his Malfoy crest ring round his finger. "And besides," she mused. "There's plenty of perfectly decent people here. Well, if we're talking Slytherin, then I guess not. Having said that, though, Daphne Greengrass is very pretty. Very well off, too…" she trailed off and shot a sideways glance at Draco to observe his reaction.
Draco blushed a vibrant shade of crimson. "Now, now, Pansy..." he began awkwardly. "I'm just, you know, not looking at the moment," he whispered. She grinned back at him.
"So it is that you've found someone!" She sat up straight and looked Draco directly in the eye, as if the truth were behind them.
"No," he said firmly. "I just don't want to talk about it."
"Fine," Pansy muttered sulkily. "So you really were in the library?"
"I really was in the library," Draco echoed, shaking his head at her and smiling.
"Okay," Pansy said happily. "Has Saint Snotter been doing his usual 'I'm-So-Great' Head Boy act recently?"
Draco grinned and poked Pansy in the ribs – "No," he laughed. "I think the novelty might be wearing off a little. Merlin knows what an idiot like that is doing as Head Boy."
"Like his father," Pansy snorted in disgust. "He wasn't Prefect either. Dumbledore's mad."
"Yeah," Draco said quietly, glancing at his watch. "Speaking of fathers, Pansy, I've got something to do. I'll catch you later, okay?"
"Hang on," Pansy said, catching hold of his sleeve. "Where're you going? You've only just come back!"
"I have to write a letter to my parents," he said quickly, almost as though he had the excuse rehearsed. Pansy narrowed her eyes at him.
"Why?"
"Because! Parents expect letters, Pansy! And Father'll want to know why I didn't make Head Boy, anyway. It'll be a big disappointment to him."
Pansy snorted. "Of course it'll be a disappointment!" she said scornfully. "A disappointment to this stupid school, that's what! Potter as Head Boy, for goodness sake," she shook her head and pulled a face.
"Yeah," Draco said weakly. "A disappointment to the school."
"Your father's a sensible man, anyway," Pansy said approvingly. "He'll know that it should've been you."
Draco looked a little ill as he nodded, staring down at his feet intently. "Yeah."
"Can't you write the letter tomorrow, anyway?" she whined, looking at him with widened eyes.
"I'd love too. But I really have to do it now. I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow, 'kay?"
He swiftly placed a kiss on the top of Pansy's head and jogged over to the portrait hole, climbing out. Pansy watched him go frowning – surely he could just write a letter in his dormitory? Well, maybe not if the others are asleep up there... She allowed that explanation to settle her, and began gathering up her Transfiguration things, more than ready to settle in for the night.
~*~
"IDIOT!"
Draco stifled a sob as another hearty blow fell across his face. He crashed helplessly to the ground, and feebly attempted to heave himself up again – not before another booted kick landed on his arm. His fell once more, his chin hitting the floor with a resounding crack, and lay there for a few seconds, his cheek painful against the stone cold floor, trying to regain his breath.
"Potter," Lucius Malfoy spat venomously. "POTTER got Head Boy, when he wasn't even a PREFECT!"
His ribs suffered the blow this time, causing Draco to curl into the foetus position, wishing nothing more than to be dead rather than to suffer this intense agony. Hot, angry tears formed a puddle on the floor as he screwed up his eyes, not wanting to see what was coming next.
"You have caused nothing but disappointment and shame on your family since you first started that wretched school," Lucius snarled, picking Draco up by the scruff of his neck and forcing him to look him in the face. "First, that filthy little Mudblood beats you in every single test result for the past SIX YEARS! Then, that Muggle-loving idiot Potter beats you at EVERY SINGLE QUIDDITCH MATCH you play, the same obscene twerp who ISN'T EVEN A PREFECT, and yet STILL, by some absurd miracle, manages to get HEAD BOY! WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG THIS TIME, DRACO?" Lucius roared in his ear and Draco winced, tensing for the next blow, which went straight into his stomach, winding him painfully so he fell to his knees in front of his father. He gasped for breath for what seemed like forever until he could breathe normally again, shaking and sobbing freely at Lucius' feet. "Sick," Lucius snarled. "You make me sick. You are a disappointment to the Malfoy name. I would be better with a son who had never been born rather than you."
With that, Lucius turned on his heel and left Snape's office. When he was sure his father was gone, Draco shakily stood to his feet, and looked at his reflection in the mirror opposite him. He looked a state. Using a handkerchief, he wiped the blood from his nose, the tears from his eyes, and tenderly pressed against his swollen cheek. He jumped when the door opened again and Snape walked in, acting as though he had no idea about what had just gone on, as usual. He looked at Draco expectantly.
"Pleasant meeting with your father, Draco?"
Draco regarded Snape through narrowed eyes, and hesitated – "Why do you let him do it in here?"
Snape acted as if Draco had said nothing, simply turning his back and taking a vile with a pale green liquid inside from the shelf.
"You'll need this," he said, thrusting the potion towards Draco, "for your cheek. Dab it on and the swelling will go down leaving no bruise."
Draco looked helplessly at Snape, before realising that it was no good – Snape would never question anything his father did to him. No one ever would. He nodded his thanks, and slipped out of the office, making his way painfully back to the common room.
~*~
"Draco!"
Draco was struck with a mixture of relief to see a friendly face, and panic – Pansy would see him, while he looked like this.
"Pansy," he choked, looking down at his feet and hoping the light in the common room was too poor for Pansy to make out his red, swollen eyes and tender cheek. "What are you still doing up?"
Pansy touched Draco's arm lightly, frowning. Something was wrong. "I was waiting up for you... You went off in such a hurry earlier, I thought something might be wrong... What's the matter?"
Draco shied away from Pansy's touch, taking a few steps back and still refusing to make eye contact.
"Nothing," he said quickly, "I – I'm fine. I need to go to bed, sorry... I'm tired."
"Draco."
Pansy folded her arms over her chest and looked at him. Cocking her head to the side and frowning, she attempted to peer underneath his curtain of hair. Draco tilted his chin up slightly, and a shaft of light fell across his face, illuminating his puffy eyes, his bruised cheek, his wounded pride. Pansy gasped and her hand fluttered nervously to her throat. Draco looked... awful. What had happened to him to get him in this state? She'd never seen him look so dejected and hurt.
"What happened?" she whispered, horrified, stepping towards Draco and running her finger lightly along his swollen cheek, brushing his fringe out of his face. He winced, but didn't remove her hand. Instead, he felt tears pricking at his eyes, and a lump rising in his throat. Alarmed, Draco ground the tears furiously with his fist, and sighed angrily - he didn't want to cry in front of Pansy. Not now.
"Draco, please, you know you can tell me anything, you know –"
"Fine," Draco snapped. "Fine. I'll tell you." Pansy's hand dropped to her side, and she looked at Draco expectantly. "My father..." Draco muttered, half of him wanting to pour everything out to the girl he regarded as more of a sister than a best friend, half of him screaming that he should stop, telling him that he'd only scare her, and it was a bad idea. "He does it all the time. No one's usually awake when I get back, so I don't usually have any problem... and Snape usually gives me stuff for the bruising, so..."
"Snape?" Pansy whispered hoarsely, feeling slightly nauseated.
"Snape lets my father use his office. Only at night... I don't think Dumbledore'd be too pleased if he knew an accused Death Eater was wondering about the school. He comes and sees me when I've done something... failed a Quidditch match, done badly on a test... not made Head Boy..."
Draco looked Pansy in the eye for the first time that night. She looked pale, like she was about to be sick, and was wringing her hands anxiously, her eyes darting about the room, avoiding looking at his face.
"Pansy..." he began, raising a hand to stroke her hair. She stepped back as though Draco's touch had electrocuted her, looked at him fearfully, and turned on her heel, half stumbling in the effort to get back to the girls dorm as quickly as she could.
Draco watched her go with a heavy heart. Why hadn't he listened to himself? He knew it was a bad idea telling Pansy. She thought everything was so perfect with Draco and his parents, that Lucius was the ever-doting father, and she admired and respected Lucius as much as any other Slytherin did.
Draco fell to one of the sofas, exhausted, and winced down the contents of Snape's vile, pulling a disgusted face. He closed his eyes, adjusted himself so he wasn't lying on his painful rib, and slowly drifted into a troubled sleep.
