Disclaimer: Strangely enough, I'm not J.K so obviously I don't own Harry Potter (much as I'd like to), BUT I do own this plot. Well, the bits of it that the voices in my head aren't dictating...

Reputation is Everything

Chapter 1: My Life is Over

Draco Malfoy aimed a vicious kick at the door of his dorm. His life was over. Not only was his father now a confirmed Death Eater to the whole of the wizarding world, he was now a wanted criminal. He had escaped from Azkaban, the prison that until recently had been guarded by Dementors and was on the run. But the worst two things were obvious from his very appearance. He was alone, without the fawning hangers on that usually accompanied him almost everywhere, and he looked... unkempt. There was no other word for it.

One of the first moves that the ministry had made after putting his father away had been to confiscate the Malfoy fortune, including their estate, freezing their Gringotts account, and leaving Draco and his mother all but destitute. If it hadn't been for the generosity of his aunt Bellatrix, they probably wouldn't have even had a roof over their head for the last week of Summer. They had stayed in the Leaky Cauldron for most of the holiday, but by the last week, their last reserves of money were spent, and the stipend just didn't accommodate accommodation. That was, Draco decided, the only highlight of the holidays. Except seeing Potters face after he had found out where Draco had been staying that last week, and as that was after the holidays were over, it didn't really count.

For the first time ever, Draco was not wearing the very best robes that money could buy. Having outgrown last years robes he had been left with two choices. One was to get second-hand robes with the small stipend that the Ministry had afforded he and his mother. The other was to accept his mother's attempts at sewing. He had taken the second option, but now wondered if perhaps that had been a mistake. He rather suspected that Fang - that oaf Hagrid's hulking dog - could have done a better job.

If only there was something he could do, something that could turn his fortune back to the way it was supposed to be.

He was beginning to feel like Potter, with people whispering and pointing whenever he walked by, or jeering and mocking - something they would never have dared do to a Malfoy just a year ago.

He aimed another kick at the door, then composing himself and making sure that not a hair was out of place walked down to the common room.

Crabbe and Goyle were in a corner drooling over a suspect magazine. Draco, checking his first response - going over and demanding it for his own use - silently cursed his Prefect badge being taken away, and the power associated with the position with it. Effecting a sniff of disdain, he walked through the room ignoring the stares directed his way, and pushed open the stone wall to exit the common room.

He walked slowly along the winding way that lead from his common room, through the dungeons and up into the school proper. As he approached the entrance hall, he attempted to come up with something interesting to do, but knowing that most of his old options were now barred from him Draco did what he had been doing most recently when not in class.

He headed for the Library.

The Library was a haven. Even though it was rarely deserted, there were many useful nooks and crannies where he could hide himself away and study, or read, or plot the dastardly deeds he wanted to do to pretty much everyone around him. It was mostly the latter.

Sitting at what had to be a fairly disused table (judging by the graffiti which seemed to be of the opinion that Headmaster Dippet was still running the show, albeit not very well) in a hidden corner, Draco considered his earlier thoughts. It was a bad day when a Malfoy considered himself to be like Potter, but maybe therein lay a way out of his current situation. After all, just last year it had been Potter who had been the outcast, shunned by the wizarding community at large - although not by all like he was, Draco remembered resentfully. And he had managed to turn that all around, with the help of an interview in a magazine.

Draco turned the idea over in his head. It wasn't bad.

Potter had used The Quibbler, and it was abundantly clear why when he stopped to consider it.

The Daily Prophet was to much in the control of the Ministry, who had been actively working against Potter at that point. Witch Weekly just wasn't the right kind of forum for the interview that had be printed. And no other publication had that big a consumer base. Except for Quidditch Quarterly but that wouldn't have been much use in that situation anyway.

The problem, Draco reflected, was that his problem mirrored Potter's in just that way. The Quibbler which had been Potter's best bet, was now his, and that was a big problem indeed.

Draco, who had spent his whole life previous to this knowing that whatever he wanted, his family had the connections to get it for him, found himself at a loss. All his family connections were gone. And even if they weren't he knew that they wouldn't have helped him much in this case. Lovegood, the owner and editor of The Quibbler, although a complete idiot - Draco had read enough of the magazine to realise that - and a blood-traitor to boot, wouldn't help him. Not without good incentive anyway.

He was at a complete loss as to how he could ever get a redeeming interview published.

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It wasn't until several days later that a possible solution presented itself. He had been walking down from Charms on his way to the Great Hall, when he had come across a crowd of fifth years. By their robes he judged them a mix of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws.

Impatiently he had tried to push past them, but had only just managed to force himself through when a loud hissing had pulled him up short.

Looking around, trying to identify the source of the sound, Draco noticed one girl not wearing the conventional black conical hat. Her dirty-blond hair - such a contrast to his own pale hair - was covered by a hat which had as it's main decoration a realistic looking green snake.

"I'm thinking about asking Ginny if Harry might have a look at it," the girl was saying to one of her companions, who did not look pleased to have been singled out to be spoken to. "It would be interesting to find out if it's actually saying anything."

Draco realised that the snake hat was the source of the hissing when she tugged it's tail, causing it to hiss again. He also realised that the girl wearing the hat was none other than Loony Lovegood, resident nut of Ravenclaw. He'd almost forgotten her association with the group of Gryffindors that included Potter. But then that must have been how the bastard had done it! He had used Loony to get her father to publish the interview. It was the only reason Draco could think of for anyone putting up with that girl for long.

This thought was backed up when the girl that Lovegood had been talking to managed to get away, moving toward another group of girls near the rear of the group.

"Thought I'd never get away," Draco heard her saying to the other girls, and their commiserating replies.

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There were many problems with his plan. For one, it was difficult to get close to the nutter, even when she was shunned fairly effectively by her fellow Ravenclaws. All to often she was to be found in the company of the Weasley girl, or a larger group of Gryffindors. Even Potter. And none of them would allow Draco to get very close at all.

Not that they were the only ones. Eyes followed Draco everywhere.

For another, when he finally managed to get the Lovegood girl on her own - by chance one cold morning on the school grounds - he couldn't think of anything he really wanted to talk to her about. All he had managed in the end was a stiff "morning, Lovegood," before walking off.

The dormitory door took quite a beating not long after.

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It was the knowledge that he could go no lower socially that finally gave him the impetus to act.

A Hogsmeade weekend had been unexpectedly announced at breakfast, and he had realised the chance it gave him at once. He noticed that she was one of the first to leave, and had glanced over to the Gryffindor table, to see if any of them were looking set to follow. Potter and the Weasleys seemed to be talking Quidditch, if the diagrams being drawn in the air were anything to go by. The Mudblood was talking to Longbottom and some others. It didn't look like any of them were planning on leaving soon.

Rising from his seat, Draco quickly exited after his quarry, catching her in the entrance hall.

"Lovegood, wait up," he called as soon as he passed through the doors.

And she did. She had stopped and turned away from the stairs she had been about to climb, and had looked at him. There was an odd expression on her face.

He reached her in a few strides.

"Loo-" he started before realising that it would probably not be a good idea to start off by calling her 'Loony.' He thought quickly, what was her name again? "-na." She didn't appear to have noticed anything, her expression hadn't changed at all. He still couldn't quite place it though.

"Yes, Draco?" she asked in an ethereal tone.

"Luna," he said again, making sure to get it right this time. This was it. "Are you going to Hogsmeade with anyone?"

"Are you asking me?" she asked, her voice edging towards a more serious, yet surprised tone.

"Ye-es," he stumbled.

There was that look again.

"Alright," Luna told him, "Meet me here at nine." She headed up the stairs.

Draco stood there for a moment. That hadn't gone as he had planned at all. How had Loony of all people taken control of the conversation. Still, he had what he needed, a legitimate excuse to talk to her. Alone. His plan was one step closer to completion.

As he walked down into the dungeon, he thought about her expression. Finally as he passed the Potions classroom, he recognised it for what it was.

Pity.

Loony Lovegood pitied him.

Draco's heart plummeted. Just when he thought he could sink no lower he had. He was now officially Loony Lovegood's pity date. Things could hardly get worse.

He snarled the password and stalked into the common room. The plan had better pay off.

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Shall I Shut Up Now?

A/N: Well that's it. Never thought I'd write a Draco fic, but I have. And having received the approval of my littlest sister (who I get to read all of my stuff) here we go. Can't really ask Raewar, who usually beta's my stuff to do so this time as she's running the competition I wrote this for, so thanks to Susanna for going over this for me!

Wanna review? I'd get Draco to make you but unfortunately he doesn't seem to have the influence he used to have...