Draco Malfoy drew in a deep, nervous breath as he sat under an oak tree at the far end of the grounds. It was a bit chilly and he pulled his cloak tighter around his neck to stop the chilly bite. He looked at his watch; it was 5:47, and they were supposed to meet him at 5:30… Draco bit his lip. Maybe Potter's promise was just a cruel, sick joke..? Draco hadn't been lying when he said he needed help, that he wanted to change. He was supposed to meet the infamous Gryffindor trio under the tree tonight to speak with them and someone else from their organization to discuss what would happen to him. This made Draco far more nervous than he had ever been, even at his initiation.
Thinking about his Death Eater initiation mad him shudder involuntarily and he closed his eyes, trying to push the thought from mind.
"A little cold, are we, Mr. Malfoy?" An oddly familiar and kind voice asked him. Draco opened his eyes and looked up to see Professor Lupin, standing in front of the trio with his hand outstretched towards him. Draco accepted his hand and stood.
"Good to see you again, Professor Lupin." Draco wasn't sure what to say to the man whom his family had a large part in stopping him from living a normal life.
"It's just Mr. Lupin, now, Draco." Lupin tried to hide his contempt for the boy, he was always a kind man and Draco's situation was quite piteous. "shall we go, then?" He asked them all.
"Where are we going?" Draco raised his brow.
"We're meeting some people at The Three Broomsticks, I've gotten you all a pass from Minerva. This is way too important to discuss just anywhere." Draco nodded and they all headed towards Hogsmeade. "Why the change of heart, boy?" Lupin asked curiously as they walked.
Draco sighed. "I just want to protect my Mother." He said somberly, telling but one of his reasons.
"Mama's boy." Ron laughed under his breath.
"What was that, Weasel?" Draco snapped, growing tense.
"Boys…" Lupin said warningly. "Behave, will you? We're facing a serious matter here and if you can't be mature enough, Ron, then I'll have to ask that you not be involved further." Ron bit his lip and shut up.
They walked along in further silence until they reached the tavern, where Rosmerta directed them to a private room. Inside were Arthur and Bill Weasley (his looks still marred by the attack from last year) sipping drinks. They stopped speaking when the others entered. Arthur and Bill smiled at Lupin and the trio, but frowned upon Draco, who sat down as far away as possible from the Weasleys.
"Well, let's get started, then." Lupin broke the silence. "Draco, would you be so kind as to tell us your story?" Draco blanched and gulped. He was not very comfortable with talking about the bad side of his life, nor was he particularly comfortable with the people inside the room. It was really difficult to talk about his father and the Dark Lord and he felt he lacked the courage to say what they wanted to hear.
He opened his mouth and closed it again, unable to say anything when a hand pat his from under the table. He looked around beside him to find Potter giving him an encouraging, urging look. "Well," He began. "Father and I never got on well." He said diplomatically.
"He beat you, didn't he?" Arthur interjected. "I remember my brother, Jonathon saying that you used to show up at St. Mungo's in pretty bad shape on a regular basis." His remembrance made Mr. Weasley give Draco a sympathetic look. Draco looked away from the group, biting his lip. He didn't want that fact known to anyone, and now he was even more vulnerable to them.
"Can I be excused?" He asked the table, leaving without an answer.
Harry felt a sad pang in his heart as he watched Draco leave the room. He had grown up in a bad home as well, but his Aunt and Uncle had never beaten him… He had started feeling sorry for Malfoy a lot lately… He sighed and waited for the blond boy to come back.
"Seems you hit a sore spot, Mr. Weasley." Hermione frowned contemplatively.
"I'm going to go get him." Harry got up and left.
Draco washed his face and bit back tears. He hated his father with a passion and the bitter memories stung his flesh as he remembered what life was like before his father went to Azkaban. He leaned back against the wall and sighed deeply, running his hand over his face and through his long, blond bangs. A few rogue tears escaped his gray eyes and he didn't bother to wipe them away as he closed them. Draco was vaguely aware of the door opening and closing. Someone had entered the bathroom.
Harry saw the look on Malfoy's face and bit his lip. Was he actually crying? Draco Malfoy crying? Harry didn't know what to do.
"Malfoy?" He stepped forward. "Draco..? You alright?" Draco didn't say anything and Harry felt his feet bring him closer. "Is it true? Did he hurt you?" Harry's hand was on Malfoy's shoulder now and his voice was a low whisper.
"What do you care, Potter!" Draco's voice was that same old spiteful one he had towards him over the years. "You hate me…"
"I don't hate you." Harry said automatically.
"Everyone hates me," Draco frowned deeper. "Especially you, Potter." Harry didn't know what he was doing, but he suddenly felt the need to wrap his arms around Draco and let him cry onto his shoulder.
Author's Note: So sorry this one took a while to get out! Been bust with school and things… Hope you like! Thank you to all of my reviewers, you guys make my day! And don't get mad about the lack of intimacy between them,.. I wanted this fic to be somewhat realistic in it's portrayal of a possible relationship between the two. Enjoy and review please!
Raye
