Music for this chapter: Arrival of the Birds + Transformation by the Cinematic Orchestra (originally from Crimson Wing but also used in the Theory of Everything)

This chapter has some overlap with the next chapter (when I get around to writing it), but thought I'd give Draco a chance to show his thoughts here!


Draco quickly ducked his head to hide a yawn as he continued to type his history notes. Professor Binns had the driest lectures, and most of the class fell asleep at some point. He looked around with a smirk. Pansy was resting her head on her left hand while her right hand pretended to write, and Goyle wasn't even pretending to take notes. After years of surviving dinner parties and attending boring grownup meetings, Draco managed to stay awake for the most part. His recent bout of insomnia wasn't helping though.

The bell rang and the students immediately jumped up, grabbing their notes and bags as the final class of the day ended. He took a sip of his now cold coffee and quickly saved his notes before closing his laptop. Rolling his neck, he breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't have anything in particular to do that day. No soccer practice, no midterms, no new HYSO music yet, and the repertoire for the final round of Regionals had yet to be released. Besides several hours of homework waiting for him, he had a free day for once. Shrugging on his coat, he thought of what he could do with his time. Maybe go to the library and pick out a book? Or go for a run? Or practice some violin?

He was just closing his backpack when a pair of expensive heels tapped into view. Feeling a smirk slide into place, he looked up to see an annoyed Pansy Parkinson scowling down at him for once. "Can I help you, Pans?"

She opened her mouth to speak before snapping it closed. His old friend leaned down and squinted a bit at him. "I was going to use you to change the details of one of the school assemblies next month, because there is no way President Lestrange will listen to the suggestions of the girl Class President. You're my best bet since you're the boy Class President, related to him, and you're infuriatingly talented with words, Draco."

He frowned as he stood up from his seat. Everyone despised Slytherin's President and secretly hoped he would step down sooner rather than later. Draco hated it when his crazy aunt and uncle came to dinner, but thankfully they didn't visit too often. He really didn't want to play nice in front of the evil man today. "You said was. Do you not need my help anymore?"

Pansy straightened her posture and shook her head as she looked up at him. "I do need your help, but you look much too tired to be dealing with the man right now. I'll come up with a few points and send you an email tonight. I can grab a spot on his secretary's calendar in the morning if that's alright with you?"

"That's fine. Let me know if there's anything you want to change in particular. I think we might have them over for dinner, and it would be easy to slip any suggestions in a dinner conversation." Draco picked up his bag and gestured for Pansy to lead the way out of the classroom.

She turned around as they left the room and fixed him with a hard stare. "Do you want to go eat a salad?"

Draco felt himself relax slightly and shook his head fondly as he looked down at Pansy. Her hair was perfectly straightened, and her face had impeccable makeup that would be more at home on a fashion model instead of a high school girl. Pansy was someone who understood him. He reached up to loosen his tie a fraction now that school was officially over. "I think I'm fine for today, Pans."

Pansy's mother had been a former beauty pageant queen who was obsessed with healthy food and molding her only daughter into the perfect girl. When the Parkinsons hosted any events, Draco's mother always made sure that they ate at home before going to dinner. Pansy's only outward rebellion against her mother had been to play flute, which a distant relative had introduced to her when she was little.

'Salad' had been their code word when they were little to ask Mr. Dobbs to give them dessert when Pansy came over to Malfoy Manor. Once they were able to drive around on their own, it became the cue to go get burgers and butterbeer, a lovely drink invented by the owners of The Three Broomsticks, and vent about whatever problem they had. Pansy even knew a few things that Draco hadn't told Theo just because his best friend wouldn't understand. Just as he knew Pansy wouldn't reveal his secrets, he would never reveal hers.

As much as Daphne hated Pansy's aloofness and sarcasm, Draco appreciated Pansy's wit and bite. It was when she was vulnerable that things got worrying, like when she had to say goodbye to her French boyfriend, who was a secret to everyone but Draco. Pansy's mother would have a fit if she ever found out Pansy had fallen for a scholarship student at Beauxbatons. When they had first returned to Slytherin Prep, Pansy had used the 'salad' code every couple of days to the point where Draco had gotten sick of butterbeer for once.

"Everything okay, you two?" Blaise came up with a raised eyebrow and discerning eyes.

Draco sighed. The two of them were too nosy right now. Yes, he had had a terrible couple of days following the concert, but he really didn't want to deal with anything today. He didn't need to unload his problems right now to Pansy or Blaise, who had his own issues with his mother and slew of step-fathers. Everyone was held to high standards at Slytherin Prep. Well, Theo's father didn't quite care what he did at all, but Theo already held himself to high standards without any outside pressure. Today was definitely not the day to vent his frustrations. "I'm fine. I think I'm just going to go practice since I don't have too much to do today."

Blaise nodded before turning to ask Pansy about something from their English class earlier. Draco turned around and followed the mass of students crowding down the staircase and out the main doors of the humanities building. He took a right as everyone else headed in the opposite direction towards the parking lots.

It was a cold afternoon, but the sky was a bright blue without any clouds. Draco was suddenly taken by how pretty the campus was. He was used to pretty buildings and grand landscapes, but sometimes it struck him just how pretty Slytherin Prep was. He was just looking away from a perfectly manicured set of hedges when he caught sight of Theo dragging his cello behind him and Daphne laughing beside him.

Waving a hand, Draco raised an eyebrow as the two drew closer. "Where are you two off to?"

Daphne frowned and reached up to button the top of his coat. "You boys are going to catch a cold if you don't put on your coat correctly."

Sniggering at his mothering girlfriend, Theo gestured towards the science building. "We're going to help Professor Slughorn with a few things."

"Slughorn? But he teaches Chemistry, and we're taking Biology now?"

Daphne smoothed down his collar as she finished buttoning his coat. "Oh, it's for the Science club. He also said he would give us extra credit somehow even though he isn't our teacher anymore."

Draco blinked. "You two have perfect grades in Biology right now! Why would you ever need extra credit?"

Shrugging, Theo replied, "You never know what might happen. Besides, everyone knows that Slughorn writes the best recommendation letters. I have a summer program I have my eye on, and Slughorn is on the board of directors. Do you want to come help?"

Draco groaned a bit. He probably should go, and Theo was right. Slughorn's connections and recommendation letters were golden. But he really didn't want to do anything today. "You two are such nerds. I've decided I'm taking today off, so I think I'll pass."

The couple waved goodbye, and started laughing about something else. Draco watched them go and mused that they really were quite good together. Daphne was one of the few students with pretty much a perfect family, which was perfect for Theo. Dr. Nott wasn't exactly the nurturing type towards his son, and Theo tended to put a lot of pressure on himself.

Draco was glad Daphne had buttoned up his coat for him, as the wind picked up while he made his way farther into campus to reach the Arts Hall. He could feel a small smile breaking out at the sight of his favorite building and was glad none of the underclassmen were around to see him break his facade. He had a reputation to uphold as a charismatic class president and captain of the soccer team. As much as he tried to play off his violin playing as a product of his parents' wishes, it really was a passion of his.

Opening a side door that tended to stick shut if one didn't jiggle it properly with practiced ease, he trekked up a couple flights of stairs to reach the practice rooms. Peeking into each window, he frowned as he found that they were all occupied. The first one had a large harp, and he didn't even have to see the messy blonde hair to know it was the Lovegood girl in there. Tracey Davis was practicing her clarinet in the second room, and Adrian Pucey was playing his trombone in the last room.

Sighing, Draco went to the locker room to grab his violin and thought about where he could go. He didn't have anything he needed to practice in particular, especially since they didn't get the new HYSO music until the next practice, but he had wanted to unwind and play a couple things for fun. Maybe he should just go home.

The heels of his loafers clicked in the vast lobby of the building, and he paused by the doors to the main hall. Silently easing one door open, he strode through the empty antechamber before opening the main doors. He grinned to see that it was empty, which meant that the middle school had finished their fall musical. Today was probably the only day it would be unoccupied until after the New Year with various groups using the stage for end of term performances.

Draco unbuttoned his coat as he made his way down the aisle and was glad to see that the shades on the massive windows had been drawn back to allow natural light to filter in. He quickly made his way onto the stage and grabbed a music stand from a back storage room. As he set his case down on the stage to unpack, the HYSO music for the Fall Concert fell out with a soft smack that echoed in the large hall.

He sighed as he bent down to pick up the music. Maybe he hadn't needed to drop the sheet music for Granger. He had seen the nerves evident on her face backstage, and her back had been rigid as she had bowed to the crowd. Really, he had just wanted to get the concert over with after feeling his father's eyes glaring into him the moment he had walked out on stage with the rest of the Orchestra. It also didn't hurt that he had felt like he needed to pay his debt to Granger for waking him up at the Regionals Auditions, and Draco hated feeling like he owed anything to anyone. If he had been considered ineligible for Regionals because he had fallen asleep… well he didn't want to think about that.

Frowning at the Tchaikovsky in his hand, he thought back to Dumbledore's words. What did the old man mean when he based his music choices off of the students? He wondered how well Dumbledore knew his students, especially since the old conductor wasn't tied to a specific school and hadn't been a private clarinet instructor in over twenty years. How would he know what went on in their minds? And how had he accurately read his Assistant Concertmaster?

Draco shook his head. He definitely wasn't going to think about that today. Slipping the sheet music back into his case, he pulled out his violin. His mind went back to the previous weekend as he tuned, and he had to acknowledge that it had been a very successful concert.

His thoughts went through the evening, and he smirked when he remembered seeing Granger teetering on that ladder. She had looked absolutely ridiculous with her once neat bun beginning to unravel and rosin powder all over her pants while getting things out of a locker that was obviously much too high up for her. And her hand had been so cold when he had helped her down.

Draco paused when he realized he had been playing a perfectly tuned E longer than necessary. His thoughts continued to linger on her shining eyes as she shook hands with Dumbledore at the end of the concert, and he had noticed her come alive as she played during the concert. There was even that moment when she had seen him while on the ladder and after he had helped her down. She had been looking at him curiously instead of defensively for once, and he found he had quite liked it.

He blinked at that thought and pulled out his phone. Now was not the time to think about girls, and especially not about a girl he needed to beat. He would be happy if he could last at least the rest of the year without another lecture from his father. Searching through a couple playlists, Draco picked a few pop songs and played through a few, figuring out notes and bowings as he went. The notes rang in the hall, and Draco smirked at the thought of someone coming in to hear pop music come out from the grand Slytherin hall.

Playing was something that had always relaxed him, and he could feel the tension of the past few days leaving his shoulders. He didn't need to think about anything else beyond the music. After a few more songs, Draco's fingers naturally transitioned into something he had been working on for fun. The melody was quite simple, but he was running through different variations and trying to make it longer.

He felt calm for the first time that week, and calmer than he had felt since the beginning of the school year. Draco smiled as he sank into the music and continued to play with his eyes closed. It was only when he felt completely relaxed that he finished experimenting with one last variation and finished the last note with one last vibrato.

"Well, I haven't heard that before," drawled a voice behind him.

Draco startled a bit and opened his eyes as he turned around. He quickly schooled his expression. "Hello, Professor Snape. I thought the hall was empty this afternoon."

The dark-haired man stepped onto the stage and raised an eyebrow. "It is free until the elementary school begins practicing for their Christmas pageant tomorrow. Now, what exactly were you playing just now, Draco?"

Resisting the urge to frown, the Slytherin stepped towards his case. "Nothing specific. I was just playing some notes here and there."

Professor Snape frowned as Draco quickly began to pack up his violin. "Your father wouldn't be pleased if he saw you playing for fun right now." The conductor paused before continuing. "Have you decided what concerto you are going to use for the competition?"

Draco picked up his case and his backpack. "I was going to figure that out after the next HYSO rehearsal. I didn't want my choice to overlap with any possible music from the Winter concert."

Shaking his head, Snape just pinched the bridge of his nose. "Alright, I'll give you a free pass until next week, but you will have to face that problem sooner rather than later. Professor Karakaroff will have heard from your Father by now about your HYSO position, and you know you have a strict private teacher, Draco."

His sense of ease completely broken, Draco willed his face to be completely placid. "Of course, Professor Snape. I'll be completely prepared for the Concerto Competition."


Draco closed his textbook and glanced at the clock. It was just past one in the morning. Groaning, he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was exhausted, but he knew that sleep was going to elude him tonight, especially after the nap he had taken earlier in the day. Settling his glasses back on his nose, he reached for his phone.

The soccer groupchat had planned a group workout the next morning before school started, and he needed to go to maintain his captain position and make sure some of the players actually completed the workout. He had also agreed to tutor a middle school student the next morning during his free period, and Pansy needed him for a meeting with President Lestrange's assistant during their lunch break.

Sighing, he set an alarm on his phone for an ungodly time and pulled on a hoodie. He was a little hungry, and he needed to relax if he was hoping to get any sleep that night. Draco quickly packed up his bag for the next morning and carefully left his bedroom.

He didn't need to worry about waking up his parents, as they were in a different wing of the manor, but he didn't want to wake up any of the staff in the middle of the night. Quietly making his way down the stairs to the kitchen, he made sure no one else was inside before grabbing an apple and a box of cereal. Slipping the apple into the pocket of his hoodie, he also snagged a glass of water before successfully exiting the kitchen.

Draco padded down a few corridors and down a flight of stairs to the home theater. It was completely soundproofed, and the staff had found him asleep in there multiple times over the past few months. He was just glad they hadn't told his parents yet.

Taking a bite of his apple, Draco looked through the bookshelves of films his family had accumulated over the years. He needed something slow and calming, and preferably with a great soundtrack. His fingers aimlessly tapped on the shelves as his eyes took in various titles. Ah, perfect.

He pulled out a copy of a nature documentary and quickly slid it into the machine. Arrival of the birds was one of his favorite pieces, and he hadn't listened to it in a while. Maybe it would help him turn off his mind enough to get some much-needed sleep tonight.

Draco opened the box of cereal and stretched out on one of the couches in the room, smiling at the familiar notes filling the room. He had had a hard time maintaining a straight face when he had heard the piece being played at the end of the Stephen Hawking film he had seen with Theo and Daphne. He could feel his body sinking further into the couch as the notes trailed off and the narration continued.


Knocking on the door, Draco forced a smile on his face as the old lady looked up with a frown. The name plate read Irma Pince. "Hello, Madame Pince. I'm dropping off a few things on behalf of my mother, Narcissa Malfoy."

The old lady's frown deepened. "It's about time. I've been waiting on this for over a month."

Forcing his smile to stay put, Draco handed over a folder. "I apologize for the delay then. My mother only received word that additional paperwork was needed a couple days ago."

Madame Pince snatched the folder and looked through the papers. "Well, if she wants to start a new initiative here, she should have been aware that more paperwork was needed. We've sent multiple letters to the address on file."

Resisting the urge to remind her that email was a thing now, Draco just began to back away towards the door. "Well, if that's all. Have a good day Madame Pince."

The door was closing behind him as he caught her muttering, "Don't these children have better things to do with their Saturday mornings? First the annoying girl who thought she could just waltz in here and practice whenever she wanted, and now this boy who is dropping off files that were due a month ago. The state of the world these days."

Draco frowned. Someone was practicing here this morning? They had just received the music for the next concert a couple days ago. Where would they even rehearse? A fair number of Symphony musicians reserved the practice rooms for private lessons on the weekends before performances. The only time Symphony musicians weren't in the rehearsal rooms were during the HYSO rehearsals.

It was probably one of those Ravenclaw girls who wanted the ambience of the Hogsmeade Center for the Arts to practice in. He idly wondered if it was that Marietta Edgecombe girl that both Daphne and Pansy hated. Well, if he was already here on a Saturday, at least he could get some gossip out of it to make the Slytherin girls happy.

Draco made his way into the lobby and spotted someone familiar. "Hello, Mr. Greengrass. How are you this morning?"

Daphne's father smiled at him and shook his hand. "Hello, Draco. I just finished a lesson this morning, but I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my day with my family. Why are you here on a Saturday?"

"Oh, I had to drop something off for my mother. I think I also left something behind at rehearsal the other day, so I was going to check if it was still here." Draco easily spun the small lie, as Mr. Greengrass didn't need to know he was snooping for gossip.

The man nodded as he buttoned his jacket. "You're a good son, Draco. I think you're the second person I didn't expect to see here today. There's a girl practicing in the back rehearsal room as well," he remarked before focusing back on Draco. "I expect to see you with your parents at dinner next week. It has been a while since we've had your family over."

Draco smiled. "I'll be there, sir. Will you be able to make it to our New Year's Eve celebration?"

"We will. I was able to rearrange my schedule in order to be in the country this year. I'm looking forward to the event at Malfoy Manor," replied Mr. Greengrass with a smile as he bid the young violinist goodbye.

The back rehearsal room? That room was always freezing, and it wasn't the ideal place to practice. Curiosity piqued, Draco made his way down the different corridors until he reached the closed doors. He carefully eased it open silently before raising an eyebrow.

The girl had her back to the door, hair tied back in a single braid down her back as she played, but it was obvious who she was. Draco blinked. Why was Granger here on a Saturday?

He leaned on the door and listened to her play. She was good, and he had known Granger could play. It was rather annoying how good she was, and he realized that it was the first time he had really heard her play since that first rehearsal, when she had somehow memorized the Tchaikovsky when he refused to turn the pages. In hindsight, it was quite horrible of him.

Draco recognized the tune she was playing and realized she was practicing the solo for the next concert. It was technically perfect. Her vibrato was textbook and her bow division was well distributed. However, there was something missing.

Usually, he wouldn't try to help, but she was playing the solo of his favorite piece. Sighing, Draco glanced at his watch and quickly made a decision. He cleared his throat when she finished and allowed a smirk to sneak onto his face when her brown eyes blinked back at him in surprise. He hoped he wouldn't regret his decision. After all, it was for the greater good of the Orchestra.


Thanks for reading and the reviews! They're very much appreciated, and I hope you're enjoying!

Hehe another shoutout to Butterflies765 for the very excited review :) The P&P reference from the last chapter is the hand squeeze/flex from the 2005 film!