He wished beyond reason that he wouldn't wake up here maybe, somehow this was a horrible nightmare that he wasn't in a manor shared with The Dark Lord. He looked down at the unbuttoned sleeve of his silk shirt. He pushed the material away to see the mark of his slavery.

If only… If only…He wished he wasn't such an idiot, so gullible as to believe his father's every word. He wished his skin was pale, unblemished, and he could change every single stupid action. Granger, Potter and Weasley barely managed to escape last week. Lucky for them; most who came have never left under The Dark Lord's reign here. He wanted to leave, to take his mother and go far away from this prison.

He could still hear the screams echoing off the walls as he stood and did nothing, trying not to break, to… crumble, to show anything at all. He wished he could sleep even a little so he could maybe… just maybe be better. So he could try to deserve her, so he could start all over with a clean slate.

He just wished because he wanted to be anywhere but here. In this dark sullen place so unlike the one from childhood memories. He hoped that tonight in his fitful, sad attempt for sleep he didn't dream of his aunt carving that word into her forearm and her pleading cries for it to stop. He just knew his hopes would be unfounded though.

He always thought Slytherins were best, but were they? So many followers came from that house. Was it because You-Know-Who came from there and his "friends" joined were of course Death Eaters from the other houses, but Slytherin got the if he could start over he would get into another house and befriend the Slytherins from outside.

That would be the only way. No one would befriend a slimy Slytherin. So he would have to not be one…somehow. If he was in Gryffindor he could be closer to her. Protecting her had become priority number one somewhere along the way.

Of course this was all hypothetical, but he wished, oh how he wished he could erase all of his he'd have a chance at life, at love…love with her. Merlin, he'd do anything for the chance.

He looked outside and a star was shooting across the sky. He watched in awe as it moved until he saw it no more. Then he pulled himself under the blankets of his lavish bed, even with how comfortable it was it barely let him sleep.

When he finally did sleep his whole life played on replay. Getting slower and slower as it reached closer to when he received his letter. Maybe he was imagining it but the dream seemed to be more in focus when it involved her. It could be that he wanted it this way and so it was. That he wanted to savor every moment with her, even the ones with negative connotations.

Sadly at some point it had to end, so when he finally awoke he was wishing to return to dreamland. Ironic since he usually wanted to wake up to stop the replay of some horrible day in his past,most often the ones since he received this stain on his magic, this life-ruining symbol of subservience.

Crack!

"Master Draco it bes time for yous to gets up, Mistress Narcissa is wanting you up for breakfast." Dobby said.

'Wait Dobby-'

'Dobby doesn't serve us any more. Not since summer after first year.'

'What in Merlin's name is going on? Well I should act normal while I try to figure out what's going on in case it's a trick so whomever doesn't know I'm on to them.'

"Okay Dobby I'll be down soon, thank you." I replied sincerely.

He looked at me with wide green glistening eyes like there were tears just waiting to surface. He just kept staring in awe, but eventually decided to leave without a word. No wonder really. no wizard in his existence had probably been kind to him. Even Draco usually just ignored his existence unless he needed it.

He decided to make good on his promise and get ready. He climbed out a bed nearly falling from how short he was now. He looked for his wand but couldn't find it anywhere.

'I must not have it yet. Wait, no wand means before Hogwarts…before I met Potter in Diagon Alley, and that means no Dark Mark!'

He pushed up his pajama sleeve of his left arm and it was bare, plain, perfect. He wanted to jump and shout, cry and sing, forget laying low. Instead he headed to the bathroom to get ready.

He hoped beyond reason that this was real.