A/N: Ok. Here's the next one...

After hearing Dumbledore's grim words everyone turned to Snape, who would normally report at this time, but Dumbledore suddenly continued. "Severus has nothing to report at this time, he is here to help Draco settle in." He said lightly, as if trying to avoid conflict.

"What do you mean, 'settled in'?" Hermione said quickly, "He's not staying here, is he?" She sounded near hysterics. Please say he's not staying here, please, please, please. She was begging no one in particular, but whoever it was didn't feel like making Hermione happy.

"You don't like it anymore than I do Granger... believe me." Draco answered. He liked seeing the look of pure horror on her face, and was glad that something as simple as his prolonged prescence could cause it. It was amusing. Now that it was certain, all the Weasley children, Harry and Hermione groaned. How could this be happening? Each and everyone of them thought. Suddenly Dumbledore spoke again.

"Now for the more important news," He looked to Harry, Ron and Hermione, " You may go now." Draco smirked at how easily they were dismissed, "You too Mr. Malfoy, you've already been briefed." Dammit, that means I might actually have to speak to them, god, this is worse than I thought. Draco didn't know if he could handle all of them, those twins were sharp, and had damn good aim. They all shuffled out into the hall and Draco at once started upstairs to his room.

"Hey Malfoy!" He heard Potter shout. Why can't they just make this easy? It's not like I want to intrude on their lives, I'm much happier having nothing to do with them. "What Potter!" Draco responded without turning around. "Well, I just wanted to say that while I'm not sure of your motives, Dumbledore seems to trust you, and he's yet to lead us astray, so welcome to The Order of the Phoenix." Harry said calmly, it wasn't everyday you attempted to make peace with an old enemy. "You're right. You don't know about my motives, and I'd like to keep it that way... but, Thank You. I appreciate your attempt to make peace." Draco said sincerely, and flashed the Golden Trio a smile... not a smirk, a smile.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Draco's room was just below the attic and one of the smaller ones, but he was also the only student that didn't have to share, either. And was he grateful for that. If he had had to share a room with one of them he would have ended up pulling his own hair out by its roots! Presently there was a knock on his door. Bloody hell, can't a man have a moment's peace around this place? He stood to answer it and had every intention of being rude, but it was the youngest Weasley, and she had never really done anything to him, so he played it off to indifference.

"Yes?" He questioned cooly. " My mum says to tell you we're going to Diagon Alley tomorrow for school things and that dinner's ready." She said rather stiffly, she didn't trust him. " Why, thank you Weasley..." He tried to erase all the sarcasm from his voice, but it didn't quite work. She shot him a dirty look and started downstairs. He promptly followed. Hey it might be food cooked by a Weasley, but damn, it was still food, and he was a guy so he really wasn't very picky at all.

He sat at the farthest corner again, while everyone else seemed to want to crowd around eachother and talk non-stop. Everyone but Harry that is. Draco watched with dull curiousity as pointless conversation passed through the kitchen and as everyone but himself and his enemy, joined in.

"Draco?" He jumped at being addressed so casually here. "Yes?" He responded quite politely. "Do you need to make a withdrawal from Gringott's tomorrow?" It was Mrs. Weasley talking to him. "No Madame, I already have done so today. Thank you though." He said, no hint of condescension or sarcasm in his voice or manner. Everyone about fell off their seats. He was actually being nice! Draco Malfoy, nice! Those words didn't belong in the same sentence! What he did next shocked everyone.

"May I be excused Mr. Weasley? I'm quite tired and would like to go to bed." Draco was used to asking before leaving the table. Stand up at home without asking first and you would be sore for a week. For a moment Mr. Weasley didn't know how to respond, but then he said, "Draco you really don't have to ask me that, of course you can go to bed. I'm not your guardian. You're your own person now, you are no longer stuck in Lucius's clutches." Everyone looked up surprised to hear that said, what did he mean Lucius's clutches? Draco looked mortified, "Ex... excuse me... thank you Mrs. Weasley, it was delightful." And with that he hurried out of the kitchen into the relative privacy of his room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"What do you think my dad meant by 'Lucius's clutches'?" Ron asked quietly. They weren't supposed to be talking, they were supposed to be sleeping but he couldn't help himself... he had to know what Harry thought. "It seems to me Ron, that Malfoy hadn't wanted to stay at his father's place but was forced to, that's what I think." Harry mumbled. He hadn't thought so deeply on the matter; he was tired. Discovery could wait until the morning. "You think that's all it meant? I mean did you see his face? He looked like someone had read a passage from his diary to the whole school!" Ron waited for Harry to reply, but he didn't. "Harry? You awake? Harry?" Oh, well. We'll probably figure it out tomorrow. And with that, he rolled over and fell asleep.

Meanwhile, a room down, two young ladies were having a similar conversation. "What did your dad mean, do you think, Gin?" Hermione's mind had been buzzing since the slip up at dinner. It was clearly evident that Mr. Weasley knew something about Malfoy he wasn't supposed to divulge, but what? "Well 'Mione, I don't rightly know. It seemed like something really bad though, the way Malfoy looked. Like he'd seen a ghost. And did you hear him stutter? It took him a little to pull himself together again. But he still thanked my mum... who knew he was so gracious?" That's what Ginny thought on the matter anyway. "I certainly didn't know he was, what with mudblood this and mudblood that. Though he probably won't say it as often anymore... Gin? Ginny?" Ginny had fallen asleep, but Hermione had been falling asleep as well, so she didn't bother to wake her up and went to sleep.

A floor up, two redheaded twins were snoring loudly in their own seperate dream land, not giving a flying fig about Draco Malfoy or their father's mistake.

And just one more floor up, lay the young man all the converation was about. He was wide awake wondering what his father was doing. Was he doing Death Eater things? Was he murdering innocents? Was he venting his anger on the House elfs and his wife? Was he kissing the Dark Lord's ass as usual? All of these thoughts were whizzing through his troubled mind, keeping him awake. What he had said at dinner about wanting to go to bed had been true, but now that he was there he couldn't fall asleep. He went to his window and looked at the stars, they always seemed to ease his ever worried mind. They made it seem like he was too small and insignificant to make a difference in the scheme of things. And even though he knew differently, he could feel it working, as he strestched (seeming very much like a cat as he did so) and yawned. He went back to bed, and just before he drifted into a fitful sleep he murmered, "Night mum. I hope you're okay. I hope he didn't hurt you because I'm away."