"You'll be safe there."

Draco sat stiffly on his bed looking blankly into his wardrobe as his mother's words tumbled around in his head. While logically he knew she was correct he couldn't ignore the impending feeling of doom that hung over his head as he got ready to head to Diagon alley. The fact there was nothing he could truly do to justify the feeling frustrated him causing him to cover his face with his eerily cool hands and pressed hard against his eyes. The young boy groaned in exasperation before sliding his hands down his face roughly in a way that pulled at his skin before dropping them. Sliding on his robe the boy looked over to the mirror and assessed himself thoroughly with an oddly critical eye for someone of his age.

There in the mirror stood a small, thin, blonde boy with alabaster skin and shaking hands laying limply at his sides. The robe itself was nearly oversized due to his acute weight loss although it had been bought and tailored perfectly only a few months prior. He had on nice black slacks and a crisp button up fully buttoned all the way to the top - much to Draco's dismay. He attempted to tuck his shirt in further to fix the slight ballooning of the extra fabric that accentuated his thin frame however his attempts only seemed to make the issue more obvious. Draco sighed and watched his reflection do the same. He brought a hand up to his face, studying how his reflection moved and touched his cheek, flinching at the feeling as he has almost expected his hand to pass through thin air. Draco watched intently as the boy in the mirror caressed his own pale cheeks, traced his eyelashes lightly, tickling himself accidentally before tracing his fingers down thin nasal bridge and off his pointy nose. The more he looked the less the reflection in the mirror looked like himself and more like a ghost.

"Draco my love, it's time to leave." His Narcissacalled, her voice echoing through the manor.

Draco flinched, snapping his head towards his door before looking back into the mirror. He looked closely before closing his eyes and scrunching up his face hard for a moment. When he relaxed and looked back at his face it appeared to be himself once more staring blankly back. Satisfied that he recognized himself once more he grabbed the small satchel he had packed for their shopping trip and headed out of his room. He began heading down the stairs before he felt a small tug on the back of his robes. Draco turned slowly and looked down at the elf a step above him looking back at him sheepishly. It was Dobby, an elf that had been working for his family for as long as he could remember and likely much longer. It looked like the elf was holding something behind his back and as per usual was fairly anxious to start and finish the conversation as quickly as possible. Ever since his first wave other magical beings such as goblins, werewolves and even some house elves like Dobby had been treating him differently in that they were either impossibly curious about him or they were filled with overwhelming anxiety.

"What is it Dobby?" Draco sighed, disgusted by the influence his presence had on other beings, "I haven't got much time."

Dobby held out what seemed to be a small note with shaking hands, "Miss Parkinson gave this to Dobby for Dobby to give to you. Miss asked Dobby to ask if you are okay Sir but Sir told Dobby not to ask if Sir is okay anymore."

The poor elf looked terrified at the conflicting instructions so Draco attempted to take pity on him. "It's okay Dobby you can ask this once."

"Is Sir okay?" Dobby blurted out, seemingly relieved that he was able to complete his task and was now merely anxious for the answer.

"I am fine Dobby," Draco droned, trying not to let onto his annoyance, "Now is that all? Mother is waiting for me."

Dobby nodded quickly and took off back up the stairs leaving Draco to walk down them alone. He walked briskly to the floo room where his mother stood tapping her heel against the marble floors quite impatiently. She was cloaked in dark green robes lined in black satin over a simple black dress. Her tight bun pulled at her skin that Draco could only guess to be quite uncomfortable seemed to even affect the small smile she gave him once she saw him approach. She held her hand out and waited for draco to come and take it. He huffed and took his mother's hand once he was in range and held on tight despite himself. Draco didn/t fully understand the reasoning of his mother's physical affection but he found it best not to reject such gestures. Together they stepped into the large floo disguised as a gothic fireplace, grabbed their respective handfuls of floo powder and they shouted their destination.

"Diagon Alley!"

..o0o..

"Do I have to go alone?" Hissed Draco quietly. They were standing at the front of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions where the owner herself was attempting to usher the young Malfoy boy to the back while his mother stepped out. Draco usually wouldn't have pushed back so hard on his mother leaving but it was a new setting with new people and the odd sense of dread he had felt earlier in the day had tripled during their time at Diagon Alley so far. Something about this shop in particular was setting off all of the alarms in Draco's head even though he had visited many times prior making him feel queasy at the thought. Unfortunately Narcissa Malfoy was not giving into her son's demands on this matter and only nodded shoving the boy slightly towards where Madam Malkin was beckoning. She had told him before they had gotten to the shop that she would be heading out to grab his books and the special cauldron Snape had recommended to get while Draco was being fitted for new robes and she was not altering plans now. She gave her son a stern look causing him to huff and relent finally as he followed the seamstress to the back.

There the stout woman led him to one of four stools that faced a wall of mirrors and gestured for him to get up. Draco stepped up onto the stool and stool still as a second seamstress approached him, slipped a robe over his head and began to pin the robe in ways he didn't know the purpose of. After a moment the blond began to relax a small amount as it seemed that the impending feeling of doom and dread that had raised at the prospect of being back in the fitting area had been for nothing at all. Mere moments after the thought had crossed his mind however the warning bell at the front of the shop jingled and his hackles were immediately raised. This is it, he thought, whatever has been making me feel like this is about to happen.

Draco gritted his teeth and stared at the door to the fitting rooms preparing himself to see someone who would bring complete chaos and cruelty into his otherwise mundane day. Maybe it would be his father or one of his colleagues or maybe even an Auror that had somehow figured out his father's connections with the Death Eaters all those years ago and had come to take him and his family away. He had heard horror stories of Azkaban from Pansy and Blaise during late night chats by the fireplace and he didn't think anyone sane would take a child there but when someone heard Death Eater all sanity seemed to leave most people either in fear or rage. The anticipation was making Draco antsy and his mind drove up terrible scenarios at a record breaking speed, each one worse than the next before the door to the back room he stood in began to open and all thoughts froze.

The door opened slowly to reveal Madam Malkin leading a small brunette boy with large crooked glasses and scuffed up running shoes into the room. She led him to the stool next to the blond and Draco stared unabashedly. He watched dumbfounded as the other boy slipped into a robe and a new seamstress came to poke and prod at the new customer. He didn't understand in the slightest how such a small unassuming kid had freaked him out so much. The boy looked poor and more malnutrienced than Draco was. The other boy looked sound skittishly and made a small face at the blond that didn't seem to be intended for him. He looked scared and confused and for some odd reason Draco found himself thinking that the boy feeling that way was a problem that needed to be fixed. He felt himself wanting to impress the boy, get to know him and make him one of his friends. He had never had a friend other than the other powerful pure blood heirs he had met at an extremely young age but he knew he wanted this boy to be the first friend he made all by himself.

"Hello," Draco said, "Hogwarts, too?"

-xx