"You really couldn't see his arm?" Hermione asked the next morning. The trio was in the Great Hall to have breakfast and Harry had told them everything about Draco and Snape's meeting the night before. He had barely slept and more than once, he had wanted to wake Ron up but he doubted he would be cooperative, or in enough of a good mood to listen to him.

He shook his head. That was what they were the most curious about. That, and some of Draco's words. "Never been around another one before", what did he mean by that? Also, their Head of House, Professor McGonagall, was obviously aware of what was going on. Were the other teachers on it as well? It might explain why they never said anything about his absences.

"Well, it doesn't really answer any of our questions, it's just really shady," Ron commented between bites of his toast. Harry glanced at him, then at Hermione. She was clearly lost in her thoughts, probably making connections and theories only she could come up with.

Harry looked over at the staff table. Lupin wasn't there. He had also noticed that back in September, Lupin had been absent and came back at the same time as Malfoy. In October, it happened again but Malfoy had come back a day after Lupin. And now, it was the opposite. Somehow, he knew the answer was right under their nose, but he couldn't figure it out.

"Still, I'm really curious," Hermione finally said. "Did he say anything else? Anything at all? About Professor Lupin, maybe?"

Harry didn't answer right away. He was looking at Snape out of the corner of his eyes. His Potions teacher was staring at the Slytherin table, undoubtedly at Malfoy. When Harry glanced at the other boy, though, he just seemed to be in an animated conversation with Pansy Parkinson. He looked very different, suddenly. He was making her laugh loudly and he seemed to be feeling really good himself.

"Er- I think that was it," Harry told Hermione, thinking hard about the night before. Then, it hit him. "Oh, wait. Just before he left, he asked Snape about something." He rummaged through his memories to make sure he would get his words right. "He asked if Snape knew about… Umbridge? Is that possible?" Harry asked, having no clue what or who Umbridge could be. He wasn't even sure the information was relevant. But Ron and Hermione were sharing the same expression. They were staring at Harry, not because he was the only one who didn't know about Umbridge, but because they both were trying to remember where they had heard that name before. "It didn't sound like it had anything to do with his arm or whatever happened. It's like he remembered about something at the last second."

"I'm sure it's not the first time I've heard this name," Ron mumbled.

"What did he say exactly?" Hermione asked.

"Um, something about… His father told him something happened, related to Umbridge I guess, but that he shouldn't worry, given his situation. He also said that whatever it was about, it sucked," Harry summed up. Hermione frowned and Ron stared at his plate, still thinking.

"If his father told him about it, it probably has something to do with the Ministry, don't you think?" Hermione said. "Isn't he hardly out of there?"

Harry shrugged but it seemed like it had made something click in Ron's mind.

"The Ministry, of course! I know where I've heard the name before, my dad told us about her!"

"Oh, so it's a person?" Harry said.

"Yeah, I think her name's Dolores Umbridge. She's the Head of the Improper Use of Magic Office. He only mentioned her because of… what happened with the car last year," Ron said, lowering his tone, still ashamed and guilty over the inquiry his father had faced at work because of his rash decision. "It's a division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcment," he explained to Harry, who himself had already had to deal with that very same department twice. Once because of Dobby, and the second time because of Marge. "It's the largest and probably the most important department of the Ministry."

Hermione suddenly stood up and Ron spilled half his pumpkin juice on his robes.

"Watch what you're do—"

"I need to check something before class, I'll see you then," she said, hurrying towards the large doors.
Ron was frantically rubbing his robes, "I hate when she does that," he mumbled to himself. Harry wasn't paying attention anymore. His gaze was following Hermione before he looked at Draco again. The Slytherin boy was staring at Hermione as she walked by. She had visibly caught his attention and he only stopped looking once she had disappeared. Then, he turned to Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle, apparently saying something really funny. Except that Pansy didn't seem to be laughing as much as the others. Harry frowned, almost certain he was mocking Hermione. He finally looked back at Ron, who had just begged Seamus to keep his wand away from the stains on his clothes.

"Do you know if Malfoy's staying for Christmas?" Harry asked.

"How would I know? I hope he doesn't, I don't need him to ruin it."

"I don't know, maybe we could try to find out more about all of this if he stays here," he said. Ron didn't truly answer, or at least he kept his thoughts to himself as he kept on mumbling. He started to eat again and Harry got the hint; he didn't want to speak about Draco anymore.

.

Not only was Harry late for his Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson because Wood had stopped him to talk about the upcoming Quidditch match against Hufflepuff, but Snape was the one giving them the lesson. That, coupled with his lack of sleep, made Harry want to tear his hair out.

Besides, the lesson got weird real quick. Snape decided to teach them about werewolves, which they were far from studying with Lupin. But Snape swept their concern away by taking points away from Gryffindor. First because Harry was late, then because he asked about Lupin, and then again because Hermione had answered without him asking her to. And yet, he didn't say anything when Draco started putting on a show.

As soon as Hermione had mentioned the howls of the werewolves, he had himself produced a long howl to make his friends laugh. Hermione glared, annoyed, and Harry, who was still staring at Snape, didn't miss the expression that had flashed on his face, even if it had lasted only for a split second.

"Thank you, Mr. Malfoy," he said coolly, meeting Draco's gaze for a brief second. Again, Harry noticed. Then, Snape turned to Hermione to take some more points away from Gryffindor, concluding his little tirade by calling Hermione an insufferable know-it-all. The entire lot of Gryffindor was glaring, now. It was fine when they called Hermione a know-it-all, not when Snape or anyone else did.

Harry didn't listen when Ron took the matter into his own hands and got himself detention. Instead, his attention was caught by a piece of paper that was flying in his direction. He frowned, caught it and unfolded it. He discovered Draco's animated drawing on it, where Harry was getting hit by a buldger while playing Quidditch in a storm. At that point, Harry hoped that whatever was making Malfoy sick was deadly and that he would succumb soon.

When he looked at Draco, he was even more annoyed by his smug expression and he forced himself to ignore him for the rest of the hour.

The whole class was actually silent, if it wasn't for Draco who, for some reason, was being very disruptive. Yet, Snape wasn't saying anything to him. And even if Draco was apparently enjoying himself during this peculiar lesson, he was the first one out of the room by the end of it. He was by the door almost immediately when the bell rang. The rest of the students left the class quickly, except for Ron who had to stay behind and find out what his punition would be.
Waiting for him in the hallway, Harry turned to Hermione to talk about Snape and Lupin. After a moment, something came back in his mind.

"Oh, by the way, did you find what you were looking for?" He asked. Hermione glanced around before she shook her head.

"Um, I'm not sure about what I found. It's a bit weird, if placed in context…" she said. Harry didn't understand, but she seemed to be talking to herself anyway. She finally looked at him, "I'll keep looking and I'll tell you if I find anything."

"Are you alright?" He asked. Her gaze was shifty and she overall looked anxious.

"Yeah, I've just got a lot of work," she quickly said.

"Wait, is it because of what Snape said? You know that you shouldn't pay attention to him," he said, making Hermione smile.

"Don't worry, I know." She was trying to be reassuring but Harry could tell she had something on her mind. Fortunately for her, Ron got out of the classroom, explaining he had to clean bedpans in the hospital without using any magic as a punishment.

.

Hermione had found what she was looking for all right, but she couldn't say anything for now. She had to do more research. As soon as they got a break, she went to the library with her books, parchments, a quill and a copy of the Daily Prophet. It wasn't the one from that day though, it was a copy from the week before. She did have finding a copy of it but when Ron had mentioned that Umbridge was working for the Ministry, she had remembered something she had read about some new legislation.

She sat down in the library, her books in front of her, and she looked around. There was no sign of Draco, this time, but there were plenty of students studying. She hadn't had the time to read the article before her classes but now, she did read scrupulously everything it said about the new anti-werewolf legislation.

When she was done, she looked around again, concerned. It couldn't be what Draco was referencing, it was absurd. It had nothing to do with him, his father had probably just mentioned it because he was always at the Ministry. But why would he be annoyed by it? It should have, on the contrary, rejoiced him.

Hermione couldn't accept what it might mean, she couldn't focus on the theory growing in her head.

Then, she thought of the first feast, and what had happened with Snape, Draco and Lupin. How their new teacher and Draco were sick at the same time. If only she could tell if it had been during full moons, she would have her answer. She thought about how Draco seemed to dislike Lupin without even knowing him all that much. She thought about the conversation he had with Snape in the kitchens and what might have been on his arm. About who, or what, he had hurt too. How he had never "been around another one before". Then, she shook her head, refusing to believe it.

And finally, she thought about the lesson they had that morning. Why would Snape choose werewolves out of all the subjects they had to tackle that year? He seemed to hate Lupin, for some reason, was he giving a hint about their new teacher? Again, she shook her head, closing her eyes, hoping she was wrong. If it was the case, surely, he wouldn't have put Draco in danger, too. It couldn't be that.

She remembered how Draco had howled, she remembered how uninterested he looked, how disruptive he was and how he had fled the room at the end of the lesson.

She grabbed one of her books, deciding to work on Snape's essay right away. Maybe it would actually disprove everything. It had to.

.

When she came back in the common room later that day, she was deadly pale.

"Alright there, Hermione?" Harry asked her again. She muttered that she still had work to do before she sat down at a table. Yet, it took her a while before she stopped staring into space to get her stuff out of her bag. And even if she did have a lot of work, she couldn't focus. She hadn't been able to focus at all during her other lessons either.

Ron and Harry didn't say anything though. Hermione had been extremely nervous lately with her classes and it might just be the reason she was so out of it, so they simply joined her to do their homework as well.

.

The next day, when Hermione left Arithmancy to go to the library, the first thing she saw was Malfoy, who was apparently struggling with the wrapper of a lollipop. He wasn't using his right hand, since his arm was injured, and Hermione's heart pumped furiously at the thought. She knew. She knew that he was actually hurt. Not by the Hippogriff, but probably by Lupin. She knew what was under the bands, she knew that this time, he wasn't putting on a show, even if he was still claiming he was hurt because of Buckbeak.

It truly had to heal, and she also knew that an injury given by a werewolf would never disappear. He would always have the scar.

She frowned when she found herself wondering if it was a bite or claw marks under the dressing. She shook her head and walked towards Draco's table. She put down her books, still staring. Malfoy glanced at her and looked almost offended, but his surprise covered his act.

"What are you doing?" He asked vehemently. She didn't care about his tone, she just glanced at the lollipop.

"Need help with that?" She heard herself ask. Any other day, she would have just found this funny, she would have watched him struggle with his candy before saying that he should stop faking his pain if he wanted to eat sweets but that day, she couldn't. No one was around, it wasn't even like he was trying to keep up appearances, or to show people that he couldn't open it to gain sympathy. He just couldn't do it. She wondered if his injury was hurting him really badly, since he wasn't even using his arm that much.

Draco frowned, grimaced, and looked at his lollipop again.

"No thanks," he said shortly. She rolled her eyes. Maybe she shouldn't have shown him any sympathy. Maybe he had deserved what had happened? What if it had all been his fault?

She regretted the thought. How could it be a child's fault? She could remember him disappearing during their first year already.

She glanced at him, wondering when it had happened. Had he been really young? Where did it happen? How? She even wondered where he had been bitten, and how he had survived it. She couldn't help but stare again as he finally removed the wrapping with his teeth, her heart racing again. She wondered if he could hear it. She had read werewolves senses could heighten to various degrees around full moons. She tried to keep the thought of him biting through anything with sharp fangs out of her mind. It didn't look like he was paying her much attention anymore though.

Hermione heard Madam Pince walking their way and Draco quickly hid his hands under the table, acting like he was really focused on his reading. Madam Pince glanced at the book Malfoy was reading. He had probably taken it from one of the shelves and she always hated when students were touching her books. Contradictory, given her job.

For once, Draco didn't leave, he didn't demand that Hermione choose another seat and he didn't go sit at another table either. Since she had worked a big part of the night on her homework, her discovery keeping her wide awake anyway, she would take this time to work on Buckbeak's trial. She soon stood back up to find some books that would help her do so. As she walked between the shelves, she found herself glancing at Draco every time she got a chance to, until she regained her seat.

Now that she knew, it seemed so obvious. How stupid could they be?

She wondered if his friends knew. How couldn't they? And at the same time, Crabbe and Goyle had always proved themselves to be pretty thick, so she wouldn't be surprised if they didn't. Did Pansy? She didn't know the other girl enough to have a clear idea on their relationship. But maybe that was why Malfoy was hanging out with such people when he himself was pretty smart. She had seen some of his results. Until then, she had thought he just liked being the smartest in the room, but now… she was rethinking everything she knew about him.

She also wondered if he had been the victim of a lot of discrimination. Probably, even if things weren't directly said to him. The new legislation was something probably as hurtful as direct insults, if not more.

Was he so mean to everyone, even some of his friends, to keep up appearances?

She could understand why his father had told him not to worry. Lucius Malfoy had a lot of influence so Draco probably would be able to find a job anyway, despite the law. And even if he wasn't working, they were ridiculously rich, he could probably live in wealth without having to work anyway.

A question had been making rounds in her head ever since she had written her essay ; should she tell Harry and Ron?

She was pretty sure that they wouldn't hold their tongue if provoked, even in front of other people. Draco had way too many reasons to keep his condition a secret. She wondered if maybe she should talk to him about it. Maybe she could tell him that she knew, but that his secret was safe with her? But what would be the point? Draco would be better off thinking that everyone was oblivious to his condition. For now, she decided she would keep it to herself. There was no need to try and do anything. But, she couldn't help it, she had to try and talk to him. She needed to know more about it, she needed to understand why he was the way he was. She needed to know Draco Malfoy for who he truly was.

"I don't believe in those things anyway," she said, giving him a look. Draco didn't move his head, he only looked up at her, raising a brow. What was she even talking about? "The Grim," she continued as if carrying on the conversation they had started to have the last time they found each other alone in this room.

"Good for you…" he finally mumbled once the realisation hit.

"Trelawney is just a crazy lunatic," Hermione added, finally picking Draco's curiosity.

"Since when do you talk like that about a teacher, Granger?" He asked. Hermione smirked and shook her head, looking down at her book.

"Since I found out Divination was the stupidest class I could ever attend," she told him. Draco stopped himself from snorting in amusement as he remembered who he was talking to.

"Well, what a shame it would be," he said shortly. "If it's not true," he added as he noticed Hermione's inquisitive look.

"Do you really want him to die?" She asked absent-mindedly. Draco stared at her as she waited for an answer before he shrugged, still taken aback by the situation.

They both went back to their work, but were unable to focus. The silence was interrupted by Draco when he broke his lollipop between his teeth. When the bell rang, he closed his book, aware that he didn't go as far as he wanted with his work. His mind had kept wandering off, going in circles about the cycles.

"So, was it that hard?" He heard Hermione ask. She was putting her parchments back in her bag already full of books.

"What?"

"Having a civilized conversation. Was it that hard?" She repeated. She wasn't smiling but her eyes were translating her amusement. Draco shrugged once again before he quickly left the library. Hermione smiled at the reaction.
She didn't have a chance to talk to him again for quite a while after that. She was way too busy and was rarely alone in the library. The place was often packed with fifth year studying for their O. and when it was, she preferred working directly from her common room. And Draco would rarely be found directly in the library when he was done catching up, it had always been this way. He wouldn't be present much more until the next cycle.

.

And the next cycle was approaching very fast. Draco didn't know if it was because of the holidays coming up or just because of what was happening but it seemed like time was flying just to personally annoy him.

He wasn't going back to the Manor for Christmas, that year. The cycle was happening on the very day of the festivities, unfortunately, and his father was working so much that he would barely be able to see him. While he would have liked to be with his mother at the critical time, they had discussed it by letter and had concluded that it was better for him to stay at Hogwarts. He would be sick and asleep for most of the time, and she didn't have the heart to make him travel that far. Narcissa wanted to keep him comfortable, she wanted him to have the best setting for the cycle and Draco knew that it was for his own good. Still, he was incredibly annoyed. He tried to keep it out of his mind or he knew he would take it personally, even if deep down, he thought the same as his mother.

He kept his "civilized conversation" with Granger out of his mind as well. He kept being insufferable with Harry and his friends; as always, so he would have a good time despite the situation charging his way.

Also, the last Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson before the holidays came. They were done with the subject they were studying and, not wanting to start a new one just before the break, Lupin got the attention of his class again. Hands behind his back, he smiled at his students.

"We still have some time left before I can let you go, so… what about having another go with a Boggart?" He asked. Murmurs of approval rose from the crows and his smile grew wider. "I heard you rather enjoyed the first lesson with the pesky little thing,"— some students chuckled —"I found another one and, since some of you didn't get the chance to try the spell, I thought we might have some fun before the holidays."

They all left the classroom to walk to the room they had used during their very first lesson with Lupin. They found themselves in front of the same cupboard that had been holding the first Boggart. Lupin closed the door behind him and the cupboard suddenly jerked, startling a few students. Lupin, amused, approached the wardrobe. Harry wondered if he would have a chance to face it, this time, but he doubted Lupin would let him.

"It is only fair to let different students win points for their House, don't you think?" Lupin asked before he looked at some Slytherin students. Seamus whispered something about them in Dean's ear and the boy laughed. "Why don't we start with you, Miss Bullstrode?"

Millicent made her way out of the group and Lupin let out the Boggart. The fun began, Lupin calling students one after another, switching between Slytherins and Gryffindors.

At some point, the Boggart suddenly hid into the cupboard again, to everyone's surprise. Lupin smiled.

"Well, I guess it's time to finish him off, why don't we?" He said. "Mister Malfoy, would you do us the honour?"

Excitement rose in Harry and Ron's bodies, while anxiety violently grabbed Hermione by the throat.

Draco didn't move at first, his heart sinking. He stared at his professor, feeling like it was a very bad idea. He only reacted when he felt Pansy's hand on his shoulder as she got closer.

"What are you waiting for?" She whispered. He moved out of her grip, advancing quietly to the front. He was a bit dizzy already, his heart beating at an alarming speed and he wanted to loosen his tie. It felt too tight around his dried out throat, it felt like he couldn't breathe properly.

He gave another glance at Lupin. What was he playing at? And what was he smiling about? Didn't he know that the Boggart would turn into a full moon, just like his own? People would find the similarity weird. What with Snape's stupid and risky lesson on werewolves, they would figure it all out. Was it a way to get revenge for Draco's behaviour towards him?

Draco's body temperature was rising dangerously as he thought about hurting Lupin, as he felt his skin ripping under his claws again, as he gazed at his throat, a sudden urge of biting right through his jugular clouded his rational thoughts. When he realised where his mind was converging, he quickly turned his head to the cupboard. The mayhem that could be created by the beast instincts was rare and he couldn't let it drive him, not ever, not even if people kept playing with fire around him.

Lupin's words during the first cycle of this school year came back in his mind. "Don't let it get to you, don't let it win." He suddenly felt ashamed as he stopped to face the wardrobe. He could feel the stares. They were all going to know what he was fearing the most. They were all going to see the full moon and they were all going to find out. Or they were going to mock him, thinking that he was afraid of the night, of the dark, or something like that. He bit his cheeks. Maybe they would all be too stupid for that. Well, Grander wouldn't be. Granger was smart. He grimaced as he pierced one of his cheek, tasting his own blood.

Maybe they would all be like Lavender, not able to tell the difference between the moon and a crystal ball. Maybe they were all going to say that was the reason he didn't choose Divination that year, because he was afraid of… stupid crystal balls. Maybe it was all going to be alright. Wasn't it a common fear, crystal balls? Maybe he could use one to hit anyone who would mock him hard on the head.

Draco took out his wand and he slowly pointed it at the cupboard, waiting for Lupin to open it again. He took a deep breath and clenched his fingers tightly around his want to prevent it from shaking. Lupin turned towards the cupboard, waved his wand, and they all heard it unlock. Then, they waited.

The door wasn't opening and Draco thought for a second that the Boggart might have disappeared while inside. Draco kept feeding himself hopes before the door suddenly burst open, making students jump in surprise. Draco had taken a step back himself, his hand starting to shake slightly.

Nothing was coming out, it was completely dark inside the furniture and they all waited anxiously, a drop rolling down Draco's temple.