I want to thank all of you that have reviewed this story. I'm touched that you liked the beginning! I have decided to post now, but I m saying this right now: I have many stories to work on, and therefore the chapters might be posted only now and then.

Betareader: Princesspepper

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Yours truly

Chapter Two: So That's Why

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"I can't believe how much I missed this place!" Ron exclaimed as he and Harry entered the boys' sleeping quarters. He dropped his trunk by the end of his bed and flopped down on it. "I started to believe that the summers are too long." he added, and put one arm over his eyes.

Harry placed his trunk by the bed and took off his black and red school robes. He then placed it on the back of a chair. He ran a hand through his messy black hair as he sat down on his bed by the window. He looked out and saw all the new students that were walking around on the school grounds. "Ron, where's Hermione? I didn't see her enter the common room with us," he asked, taking off his glasses to clean then on his sleeve.

Ron frowned and sighed. "She went to the library to get some books. She can't stand the thought of Malfoy being ahead of her. You know her."

Harry put his glasses back on and opened his emerald green eyes. He couldn't help but think about the blond. 'What's wrong? I mean, he wouldn't just change like that. There must be a reason for it.'

"Thinking about Malfoy aren't ya?" Ron asked as he sat up on his bed.

Harry turned to look at his best friend. "Yeah. I've never seen him like that, and it's bugging me." 'He's never been as sexy as he is now.'

Ron snorted and wrinkled his nose. "Harry, he's probably trying to make us think that he is going to leave us alone, and then find a way to make us look like fools. He's a bully, and it's never going to change, believe me." he said, standing up. "We better head down, The Sorting will start soon."

Harry nodded. "I'll just dig out a new robe, I spilled juice on my first one on the train." he said, turning to his trunk. "You go, I'll catch up with you in a few minutes."

Ron blinked. "Okay, sure, don't be late. I'll wait for you in The Great Hall." he said, walking out of the room.

Harry looked over his shoulder to make sure that Ron had left before opening his trunk. He pulled out the robe, and the dug around until he felt a smooth surface under his fingers. He looked around to make sure that he was alone before he pulled out a small box from his trunk.

The box was red and gold and on top of the lid there was a golden dragon that spit fire while its wings spread out over the lid. The dragon's tail curled around the Gryffindor emblem, and one of its front legs rested on it. Harry stroked the dragon's head, and the dragon lifted it as a soft click was heard. The black-haired boy opened the lid and looked at the box's contents. There were a few pictures of the blond Slytherin in it, a Slytherin emblem that he had snatched from a seventh year student who was going to throw it away, and some thrown out clippings from the newspaper about the blond and his family. There were also some pictures of Harry, Ron, and Hermione from their first year.

Harry picked up one of the photos of the blond. He felt a bit like a stalker when he remembered how he had gotten the photos. It had been before he knew that he had a crush on the Slytherin. He had put on his invisibility cloak and wandered towards the Slytherin common room in the dungeons. He had wanted a peek of the blond to see if he felt any different. When he finally spotted the blond with his lackeys, he had taken some photos, and took them back to his room. After he had studied every detail of the blond, he had realized that he indeed had a crush on Draco. The emerald-eyed boy put the photos back in the box and closed it. The dragon's head moved back into its original position and another click was heard. He hid the box in the bottom of his trunk and closed it.

"I better hurry to The Great Hall or Hermione will have my head," he said as he grabbed his robe and put it on before exiting Gryffindor tower.

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"Hurry up, Draco! You don't want to be late!" Pansy called from the common room. She tapped lightly on the door and listened for any sound coming from inside. "Everyone has left, so get a move on."

Draco didn't turn his gaze from the book he was reading. "Then you go, I'll go when I feel like it." he called back. 'I've got to try to sound normal. I have made Potter suspicious on the train with all that 'Good Draco' stuff. Now, where was I?' he wondered as he re-read the chapter. He stopped when he found where he had left off.

"'The spell will only be activated when the one who has been prepared gives his or her self to the one he or she has chosen.' So that means I have to give myself to HIM to make the spell work? Dad must be really sick if he thinks I will to go freely to that monster!" he said, throwing the book across the room. He lay back on the bed and sighed, his gray eyes staring at the ceiling. "There must be a way out of this, but not according to the book… I could run away, but I can't stay hidden forever from HIM. Why was I born with these cursed looks?" he asked no one.

He lay there for a few minutes before standing up. He looked at his silver watch and saw that he was late for The Sorting. "Crap, I'm late!" he gasped, quickly leaving the common room. He jogged through the dungeon, when he suddenly ran into someone. He almost fell over, but the person he had smacked into grabbed his left arm and pulled him back up.

"Draco? I was looking for you. Why aren't you in The Great Hall?" the person asked.

Draco looked up and stared into black eyes. He immediately recognized the greasy hair and long pale face with the long nose. "Snape," he said, running a hand through his hair. He noted the lack of gel in it. "I'm sorry for not showing up, but I had too much to think about." he said, letting his gaze fall. If there was one person the blond Slytherin could trust, it was the Potions master. "Do you think it will be all right if I don't go to The Sorting?" he asked. 'I really don't feel like being around people at the moment.'

Snape lifted one black eyebrow. "Why is that?" he asked. He truly cared for the small blond. He knew that Draco had a tough time, having had a Death Eater for a father when the blond really didn't want to become one himself. Ever since Draco had been little, Snape had liked the boy who looked so much like his father, but was still so different. When the boy had started at Hogwarts, he knew that the way the boy acted was only to please his father, and Lucius was hard man to please. "Is there something you want to tell me? I really want to know what is making my best pupil feel down," he said, placing one hand on Draco's left shoulder.

'Can I tell him? If anyone knows what I should do, it has to be Snape…' Draco never looked up as he nodded. "Yes there is something…"

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Harry reached out to open the huge doors to the Great Hall, when something told him not to open them. He backed off a few steps, and the feeling got stronger. 'What's wrong? Why do I have the urge to stay here?' he wondered. He shook his head and reached out again but this time, the feeling almost hurt him. He jerked back and glared at the door. "Why can't I go in?"

Suddenly he heard footsteps and looked down the hall. He saw two people walking towards him, and looking around he spotted a large cabinet. Quickly, he ducked behind it and waited for the two to pass him. He hugged his knees to his chest and tried to breathe calmly.

"… So that's my problem, Professor." the familiar voice of Draco Malfoy was heard saying.

Harry pressed his back against the cabinet and held his breath. He heard the footsteps stop before the Great Hall entrance. He moved quietly over to the edge of the cabinet so that he could take a peek at who it was the blond was talking to. 'Snape? Draco is talking to Snape?' he thought, before he looked at the blond himself. Harry had to hold back a gasp when he saw how sad the boy looked.

Draco had forgotten to gel his hair up, and his face was paler then usual. His robes were really wrinkled, which was unusual for the Malfoy heir. Those who didn't know Draco wouldn't notice this, but Harry did. After all, he had a crush on the boy. His eyes were slightly red, as if he had been crying, or at least been near to doing so. The blonde's hands were clutching the robe's sleeves, and he was biting his lower lip.

Snape sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. "Lucius must really be out of his mind. Preparing his son with a forbidden spell, and then giving him to The Dark Lord." He sighed, not knowing that The Boy-Who-Lived had heard him.

'"Preparing?" What does he mean? Is Draco under a forbidden spell, and if so, what does the spell do?' Harry wondered. He clenched one fist. 'What ever it is, it can't be good since Voldemort's involved.'

Snape looked at Draco and smiled. "I'll try to find a way to undo the spell, or at least hinder it. I can't make any promises, Draco," he said, running a soothing hand through the blonde's hair. "I care for you, and I truly don't want anything bad to happen to you."

Harry listened to the older man's voice. He sounded so nice, so unlike the Snape he had come to know. 'If it weren't for Draco's and Snape's hair colours, I might have thought that Snape was his uncle or something.'

Draco looked up and smiled at the Potion master. "Thank you, Snape. You are the only one I can trust." he said as he looked at the doors. "Can I skip The Sorting?" he asked. "I would like to go outside for some fresh air." he said, looking down at himself. "Besides, I look terrible."

Harry smiled. 'Well, he noticed that at least.'

Snape nodded and placed the hand that had been in Draco's hair by his side. "I'll tell the headmaster that you aren't feeling well." he said, leaving the blond in the hall.

Harry was waited until the doors closed and he heard the blond leave. Standing up, he silently followed the blond. 'There must be something I can do!'

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And cut! Sorry for the lame chap, but I have been under stress. My father became ill and so on. See ya!