Author's note: To those who are completely confused with the story so far, I've decided to put all the explanations needed so you'll know what in hell is going on with Draco.
I'm sorry for the long wait but you know, here in the Philippines, this is the period of exams and such so I had to study.
Disclaimer: HP does not belong to me.
Author's note: On with the story…
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The trip aboard the train was peaceful enough for Harry and, by the time the ride ended, he belatedly realized the sun was already about to set.
With each passing second, the Boy-Who-Lived grew anxious and was hoping that the carriages would arrive and take them to Hogwarts so that dinner would start already and he wouldn't bother anticipating any disgusted looks or whispered words from anyone.
But, so far, to his complete surprise, there was none.
By the time the carriages arrived, he looked around and saw a glimpse of silvery blonde hair and pale skin glistening in the moonlight. He was flanked by his burly bodyguards and followed closely by Zabini and Parkinson, who are, in Harry's opinion, looking somewhat cautious.
"Hey, Harry, come on, mate", said Ron from behind them. "Our carriage is right here—HEY!"
It turned out that Zabini shoved Ron away from the carriage and went in it himself, while the other Slytherins were walking their way.
"Get out, Zabini! That one's ours!" Ron shouted at him, his wand pointed dangerously at his face.
Zabini only smirked at him in that irritating way and tipped his head to the side. "I don't see your names on it. I say you're just sore losers", he said almost cheerfully, his smirk broadening. "Why don't you be the good, little Gryffindorks that you are and wait for another one to come along?"
"Shut up, Zabini and get out!" Surprisingly, it was Ginny who said this. She was usually quiet when there were fights and such, but now, she was looking at Zabini with murder in her eyes.
"Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm already in and I'm not getting out", he said directly to Ginny and winked at her, just as the Slytherins arrived.
"Alright, Zabini, enough flirting", Malfoy drawled in his completely controlled voice, daring not to have a look at Potter whom he later realized, was also evading him.
He shoved Ron away and climbed on the carriage, assisted by Zabini.
"Oh, no, you don't!" said Ron as he pulled Malfoy's robes back before the blonde could properly sit on the cushions, causing him to unbalance and fall.
Harry, who had watched the scene unfold away from the fight as much as possible in the likely probability that Malfoy would spill everything in front of his friends and ruin his life forever, was, in a word, awed.
Malfoy did not fall on the ground like any normal human being would. Instead, he had maneuvered himself, in a matter of seconds, into a handstand. Then he bent his arm and sprung to a standing position behind Ron, his foot directly in front of the redhead's nape.
Everyone was quite surprised and Parkinson managed to mutter, "good thing no one's here to see this…"
"What is going on out here?" said a deep male voice from behind them.
"Why do you always have to say things so soon?" said Goyle with a hint of irritation in his voice. Thankfully, no one realized he said more than two words and a grunt.
"Sorry", Pansy replied coolly, her blue eyes rolling in response.
They all turned to the voice and saw a man, two inches taller than Harry with dark auburn hair and flashing blue eyes, looking straight at them with nothing but a hint of amusement in his face.
Malfoy, who still had Ron at his mercy, dropped his foot to the ground and looked speculatively at the stranger. He didn't dress bad and he didn't dress good either but he was handsome, that's for sure.
There was something oddly familiar about him, too, though he didn't want to linger at the thought.
The man gazed around the group, settling it on Harry for a couple of seconds before it darted on Malfoy, and he smiled.
"What you have done is against the rules", he said clearly to all of them.
Hermione was already thinking the worst as she had successfully deduced that the man was a teacher. Everyone realized this fact a few minutes after her.
"But seeing as school hasn't officially started yet, I am going to have to let this go", he continued, pausing to look at the relieved looks on one side and the wary, speculative glares on the other. "Get into your carriages and go at once to the Great Hall, unless of course if you don't mind not having dinner after such a long ride."
At his words, a carriage arrived and stopped just behind the one Zabini was currently riding.
"Here, get in, all of you", he offered, letting the girls enter first, then the boys.
While Harry entered after the girls, he looked back and saw the new teacher staring longingly at Malfoy, who was currently dusting off his robes and straightening the folds from his earlier stunt.
Ron sat beside him, still dazed and somewhat confused about everything. He stalled for a moment before sitting down, causing a slight disruption to Harry's view of the apparent infatuation of the teacher towards Draco Malfoy.
Which literally made his blood boil. The reason? He didn't care much for it at the moment.
It seemed that the teacher offered to help Malfoy up, and, to Harry's glee, the blonde didn't do so much as look at the extended hand in front of him.
He smiled, satisfied, and happily closed the door in front of him just as the carriages went forward.
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His happiness died abruptly as he faced the greatest challenge yet. Surviving dinner.
Harry was still anxious about the gossip Malfoy would predictably spill at the Great Hall with everyone there.
So there he was, walking to the bathroom after excusing himself to Ron and Hermione. He was halfway there when someone pulled him into an empty classroom and locked the door.
Still reeling from the sudden movements, Harry focused on the silhouettes in front of him.
"Open the lights, Vince", one voice said.
At once, the classroom was bathed in light and Harry, for the life of him, struggled to focus his vision. When it did, he inwardly groaned at the sight of Malfoy and his cronies.
"We have to talk", Malfoy said firmly. "It's about this morning."
Harry tensed. "What about it?"
"I don't want you to mention anything that's happened in that compartment", he paused, taking Harry's measure. "Even to your friends."
"Believe me, I'd like nothing more than not telling them I kissed you, Malfoy."
Malfoy raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that all you ever think about?"
"AAAHHHH!" Parkinson shrieked, turning to Malfoy with an oddly, bright smile. "I KNEW IT! I KNEW I GUSSED IT RIGHT!"
"Pansy, calm down! You're going to be heard all the way to the Astrology tower", Crabbe hissed at his delirious friend, hands covering his ears.
"I swear Pansy is half—no, whole banshee", Goyle said. "I can still hear buzzing in my ears…"
"Don't worry, I cast a Silencing Charm just in case this happens", Zabini said reassuringly.
"Yeah, but it didn't save us from her, did it?" Crabbe retorted.
Oddly, from the position he was in, Harry concluded that the Slytherins in front of him were actually human.
Parkinson was teasing Malfoy, who had a gorgeous, rosy blush on his cheeks, Crabbe and Goyle were talking more than two words, and Zabini was trying hard not to laugh at the situation they were in.
"Did you really kiss, Dray?" Zabini asked him, a moment later through gritted teeth.
When Harry nodded, he laughed. A lot.
"Can you believe it, guys? Our very own virgin", he began, looking teasingly at Malfoy who was giving him a deathglare. "Our very own virgin lost his innocence to this man over here! Give over, Dray! You owe me dinner at the Three Broomsticks! Free butterbeer for everyone!"
What the? Malfoy— a virgin! Now that is something strange. Usually, all he heard is how great Malfoy was in bed— or, at least, what some girls claimed him to be.
"I did not lose my innocence, Zabini. We were only caught in the moment."
"How very irresponsible of you. Giving in to temptation like that," said Zabini, raising his eyebrows at Malfoy, daring him to take the bait. "I mean, sure, Potter is a good looking bloke and all", at this, Harry blushed. "But what about your reputation?"
"Reputations mean nothing when it comes to true love", said Parkinson dreamily.
"Now that is just disgusting, Pans. Who knew you had a mushy streak in you," Zabini chided, elbowing her arm.
"Apparently, nobody did", she replied wryly, smirking as she did.
"Guys, we're straying from the subject here", Malfoy interrupted shortly. "I want to get this over with as soon as possible. I still have to write Mother a letter explaining this morning."
"You're going to tell your mother I kissed you?" Harry asked incredulously, his gaze leveled to Malfoy.
Honestly, he had no idea what Malfoy was talking about, since all his attention seemed to gather at the impending destruction of his life.
"You idiot. I'm not telling my mother that. She'll have a heart attack", Malfoy replied laxly, waving his hand carelessly. "I'm talking about what you saw me do. My, er, transformation of sorts."
"Oh, that", Harry replied thoughtlessly. Now he understood.
Pansy took Harry's reply as a cue and stepped forward with an explanation. "From what we can understand Potter, it seems that you somehow managed to disturb Dray's transformation. It has never happened before. Not in the past eight years."
"Most of the transformations occur only to enhance the senses", Crabbe continued. "Nothing as drastic as a change in physical attributes." He paused and gestured to Malfoy. "What you saw him do by the carriages is a product of those changes."
"So what do you want me to do?" Harry asked warily.
"We want you to keep it a secret, Potter," said Zabini. "We're the only people, apart from Dray's mother, who know about these things. We don't know much of what's happening and we're guessing Dray's mother knows more than she's willing to tell but the bottom line is, this better be kept under wraps."
"We tried various research but came up empty", Goyle explained. "Everytime we think we found a lead as to what Draco is exactly, something happens that proves otherwise. We can't ask for help, either, since we are children of some very famous Death Eaters. And anything out of the ordinary would be counted as Dark Magic."
"In this case, I will be mistaken as a product of the Dark Arts", Malfoy finished after his friends gave their explanations. "The Ministry would surely find this a boost in their reputations for bailing out of the war. And, frankly, I don't want to be a human Guinea pig, as I am sure that's how they'd treat me once they've found out."
"So all I have to do is keep quiet about this?" Harry asked uncertainly. "What's in it for me?"
The Slytherins looked genuinely shocked with that remark until Malfoy gave a smirk and said, "how very unGryffindor-like, Potter. Never knew you had it in you."
This time Harry smirked and oddly enough, he found the blonde's remark resembling a compliment. Or he thought it as such.
"I wasn't supposed to be put into Slytherin for nothing, you know."
Again, the shocked faces. Harry couldn't take it anymore and he burst out laughing.
Who knew taunting and teasing Slytherins was so much fun?
"Potter… in Slytherin…I'd better sit down…", said Zabini, giving a mock faint.
"I always knew he should have been in Slytherin", said Parkinson. "He always had this vibe, you know?"
"That or Pansy just wanted to stare at his arse all day long", said Crabbe, his eyes rolling upward.
At this, Parkinson kicked him in the shin playfully.
Harry watched this from behind and was stunned when he found Malfoy beside him.
"They're human, too, you know. They feel just like you do", he whispered. Seeing Harry nod, he continued, "it's not their fault their parents chose the wrong side. It was their own choice to fight with you against their families because they knew what was right."
"Was that also true for you?" Harry asked quietly, turning to look into molten silver eyes equally focused on his. Suddenly, the angel appeared again in Harry's mind. "Was that why you spied for the order? Why you risked your life for our sake?"
For me? Harry added suddenly.
Malfoy's pink lips curved into a wonderful smile, a true smile Harry had never seen on the angelic face. He said nothing about it, however, and answered Harry's other question.
"Since the incident this morning bothered you so much, I'll keep that secret and I'll tell them that, too. In exchange, promise me you won't tell anyone what you saw."
"It's a deal", said Harry, holding his hand out for Malfoy to shake.
The blonde stared at it for a moment then shook it. Unbeknownst to them, the other Slytherins were watching, a plan hatching in their minds.
They weren't Slytherins for nothing, too, you know.
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After the meeting with Potter, Draco quickly marched into the Great Hall with his entourage followed by Potter a few minutes after them.
The feast was about to officially begin.
Out in Dumbledore's seat sat McGonagall who inherited the position of Headmistress after the war with Flitwick at her left and Binns at her right. Severus was on the far left side with Hooch and Hagrid while on the far right side sat Lupin and two new faces; one Draco realized as the teacher from the train and the other, a man slightly older and physically bigger than the first.
New teachers, Draco speculated. Obviously, Lupin was supposed to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. Hard to admit, but Draco thought him the most capable teacher in the subject, with the exception of Severus, of course, when he taught in Sixth Year, though it ended roughly for him.
While he scanned the table, his gaze met with the teacher again.
Frankly, he did not appreciate this man's obvious interest with him. Earlier this evening, Draco found him staring at him for the longest time. He found it especially annoying when he was expected to take his hand for assistance, as if Draco could not board a carriage on his own.
The conceited bastard.
"Greetings, students and faculty", said McGonagall over the crowd of students. "Another school year shall begin…" And she went on with her speech, Draco barely listening.
He scanned the crowd and happened to pass by the Gryffindor table where a pair of emerald green eyes were caught staring at him.
Their gazes met and locked onto each other and Draco had the sudden impulse to smile, which the Gryffindor returned wholly.
"I propose a toast to our own beloved Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who would surely be happy to see his students back and the war finished."
Goblets were raised in a toast and applause followed.
In the midst of the noise, two boys were stilled trapped in each other's eyes, unmoving, smiling. They could only look at each other, enraptured until the clanking of metal erupted and joyous voices beckoned them to the sweet scent of food.
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At Malfoy Manor, an elegant blonde woman settled herself at the settee in the drawing room. She knew that by now, the feast would be over and her beloved son would be in bed asleep after a hard day.
How she loved her little boy.
That was why she kept the truth from him. She wanted to protect him from the threat of that old man. She wanted him to be normal even though he was far from it.
"Emily, I wish you were here to see him", she said wistfully. "Maybe you could help him get through this more than I ever could."
A moment after she said this, a small pecking noise started behind her, startling her from her immaculate composure everyone gets jealous of. She turned to the noise and found her son's owl flapping his huge wings impatiently, a note tied to his leg.
Odd, Draco would never write to her at this late hour.
She stood up and opened the window, the large, fully grown eagle owl resting itself on the settee's arm with its leg outstretched.
She untied the letter from its leg and said, "thank you, Hades."
The owl gave her a soft hoot and an affectionate nip on her finger—despite its size and waited for her to give a command.
She smiled at her son's elegant handwriting and read the contents of the letter, her eyes widening in realization. She took a slip of parchment and her quill and wrote at once to Draco, telling him she will arrive soon.
With a quickness and precision only a woman of her breeding can manage, she tied the parchment to Hades and swept towards the fireplace where a bowl of Floo Powder rested on the mantel.
"Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office", she shouted, clearly and audibly.
At once, the flames burst into bright shades of green. She poked her head in the flames and found the new headmistress sitting on her desk while several paintings slept.
"Minerva", she called, obviously startling the woman.
"Narcissa, what in Merlin's name made you call at this time of night?" asked the still recovering McGonagall, clutching her chest in an effort to calm herself.
"I apologize for this unwarranted call but I need to talk to Draco. It is very urgent. One that I must address to immediately", she explained. "I was wondering if you could let me come to the Slytherin Common Rooms for this visit."
"I suppose it's alright as it is an urgent matter. Does Draco know of your visit?"
"Yes, I sent him a letter."
"Alright then. I give you permission to enter."
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Author's note: I know I promised to tell everyone about what exactly is happening but the chapter got too long. I'm sorry! Next chapter, I promise! Please don't forget to review, okie?
I promise I'll write as soon as I can!