Disclaimer: Harry Potter isn't mine.

Chapter 2 Guilty Potter

The first time Draco ever remembered seeing Potter feel guilty was during their second year. Blaise had brewed Polyjuice, and Potter was unknowingly the only Gryffindor in her own Common Room. Blaise was Longbottom, and Pansy was Granger while he was Weasley. He grimaced at the memory of Weasley's Polyjuice. It had tasted like a disgusting combination of food, like ketchup and ice cream.

"I can't wait until Christmas." It was weird to have Potter talk to them as if they were friends. She was lounging on a sofa by the fire. "I'm going to get another horse."

"Did you finally scare off the others?" Pansy asked coolly, unable to resist insulting her. Draco wanted to smack her. She was supposed to be Granger! Potter's best friend.

Potter sat up and matched Pansy's icy stare. Great. Just great. Then, by some miracle, Potter broke out into a smile and started laughing. After a not so gentle nudge from Draco, Pansy started forcing herself to laugh too. "Why do I even talk to you?"

"Because we're both miserable hags—ow!" Pansy rubbed her arm after Draco elbowed her. Potter smirked. "I mean…"

"You're getting socks for Christmas." Potter wrinkled her nose. "Speaking of hags, did you hear Mrs. Zabini got the stuffing knocked out of her again? …What?"

Blaise had clenched his fists at the mention of his mother, who constantly bounced from one abusive boyfriend to another. "Stomach ache."

Since he was disguised as Longbottom, Potter believed him and rolled his eyes. "Then stop eating so much! Or you'll end up like my pork roll of a cousin." Blaise merely grunted in fake pain. "Well go throw up on the Mudbloods in the Hospital Wing, because I don't want to see you regurgitate the entire chicken you probably unhinged your jaw to swallow whole."

"Speaking of… Mudbloods," Pansy said not so smoothly. Thank God Potter was an idiot, who was too busy laughing at her own joke to notice. "Any idea who's behind it all?"

Potter stopped mid-laugh. Draco raised his eyebrows when she turned bright red. Even though they were told opposites, he had never seen Potter get angry with Granger. They were done for. "Do you think this is funny?"

"Excuse me?" Pansy said incredulously. "You were just joking about it!"

Potter bit her lip and her eyes shifted from the floor to the fire and back again. She knew. "Yeah but… Don't you think if I knew…?"

Without another word, Potter rose from her seat and hurried off. They sat in silence for a moment before Pansy shoved him off the couch. "Go!" she hissed. "Before she finds her real friends!"

"Why me?" Draco yell whispered back, even though they were the only ones around.

"Weasley's her best friend!" Blaise said, not bothering with unnecessary whispers. "She'll tell him anything! She obviously knows."

"Wonderful," Draco muttered as he stomped off. The last thing he wanted was a private conversation with Potter. Especially as Weasley. Rumor had it that Mrs. Potter wanted the two of them to marry.

Potter didn't get very far. She was just outside the portrait, pacing and staring at the ceiling as she wiped her eyes. Draco tried his best not to look surprised but… Potter didn't cry.

"Uh…" Well, at least that was something Weasley would say. At the sight of him, Potter quickly rubbed her eyes. "Kat?"

"Sorry." Potter wiped her nose on her sleeve, and Draco did his best not to cringe.

Draco shrugged. "I won't tell Hermione. If you know, I mean. It's probably just killing her that you know something that she doesn't."

"Someone died," Potter said quietly. "Fifty years ago. I-I don't want anyone to die. Even that Mudblood Parkinson."

"I know," Draco whispered, even though he was sure Weasley wouldn't care. "Professor Riddle wouldn't tell anyone if you…"

Potter stared at him, confused, but all she saw was Weasley, her best friend, the one she could tell anything. "I wish… I could be the perfect daughter."

He thought he was so close, so close to getting her to say it was her father who opened the Chamber of Secrets. He just had to tell her what she wanted to hear. "That's impossible."

"I try so hard." Potter wrapped her arms around herself. "But I-I never feel smart enough or pretty enough and now this…"

"You are… enough, that is." Surely Weasley would be red at something like this. He winced as she hid her tears in a bone crushing hug. What would Weasley say? What would Weasley say? Potter was so guilty, but he couldn't get a definite answer out of her. "Listen Kat…"

Draco held his breath at the sound of his last few words. His voice was his own. Not Weasley's. Potter pulled away, absolutely horrified. His hands and body at least still looked like Weasley, but from what he could see, his nose was looking a lot less freckled.

Potter's guilt was quickly replaced by betrayal and hurt. Within half a minute, she ran off, no doubt in search of McGonagall. But punishment never came. Sure, Potter was crueler than she had ever been during the next few weeks, but she never said a word. Draco was sure that it was out of guilt. She didn't want him telling Professor Riddle what she had said.

At the time, he thought her words implicated her father. He never would have thought that the sweet, beautiful, Mrs. Potter had given Astoria that diary.

Potter had the same guilty look on her face as she passed him in the Great Hall the morning after the feast. Weasley put an arm around her waist and turned so Draco was out of her sight. A glare was sent his way, but he didn't think much of it.

Granger was trailing behind them, lost in a book. At the sight of him staring, she raised an eyebrow. "Are you still going to Care for Magical Creatures?" she asked lightly as her cold eyes settled on his time table. "Rumor has it the first lesson's on how to feed Demenetors."

She laughed to herself as she headed for her table, probably knowing that fear was making all the blood drain from Draco's face. As she sat down, Potter glanced over her shoulder at Draco, until Weasley tugged at her arm and kissed her cheek.

"She's obviously lying." Pansy rolled her eyes as he turned back to his breakfast. "I heard she was crying like a little baby on the train. Because Potter lost it and called her a coldhearted bitch after a dementor went into their compartment."

"She did?" Again, Potter and Granger didn't fight. Not to mention Potter's little outburst on the train. Something was bothering her. But what?

"Doesn't Potter seem a bit, unhinged?" Blaise asked with a frown. The same frown that he had when he looked at Draco's timetable.

"What else is new?" Pansy muttered as she started buttering her toast. "Obviously there's a new head lioness. They probably got in a fight, and Granger won, so Potter's Gryffindor pride is hurt. They'll be back to stuffing each other's bras next week."

"Such a lovely image to go with my breakfast," Blaise drawled. "Perhaps you'd like to do me a favor and spit in my pumpkin juice too?"

"Gladly," Pansy snarled.

Draco sighed as they started fighting and decided to pretend to get a head start on the week's reading. Ever since Pansy got the cat, their fighting had increased tenfold.

Although he excelled at it, Draco always dreaded going to Potions. Professor Black thought himself some sort of demented comedian, a jester for Queen Potter. Not today, however. Somehow, this did not make Draco feel better in the slightest. The joke was still on him.

"I will be picking your partners for the year," Black announced. "The Ministry has decided that my thirty percent pass rate for OWLs is unacceptable. So, I will be picking your partners for the year. The village idiots will be paired with those who have enough intelligence to boil an egg. Perhaps that will keep that bloody puffin off my back…"

Draco bit his cheek to try to keep from laughing. If there was one thing about Black, it was that he had no filter when it came to his personal life. He spent the better part of last year complaining about his newly ex-wife Hestia Jones. Pansy's lips were twitching, but Blaise had on his usual blank mask. Once Blaise darkly said, Maybe Black does have a filter. This is probably the censored version of his miserable life. Pansy had been howling with laughter for hours after he said that… Until Granger had hexed her to have a pig's nose.

"Anyway," Black said cheerfully. "Let's begin. We'll have Miss Granger and Mister Weasley. Miss Parkinson with Mr. Goyle." Pansy shuddered before putting a fake smile on her face. "Mister Zabini with Mr. Dursley." Blaise merely shrugged and sat in his usual seat. Dudley nervously followed. "Miss Potter and Malfoy."

"What?!" Potter shrieked.

Black raised an elegant eyebrow. "I'm basing this on a comparison of your summer assignments, Miss Potter. The numbers tell me that Mr. Malfoy can help you the most."

"No, you're not!" Potter yelled. "How can you? I never turned mine in!"

Professor Black always wanted summer assignments mailed to him on August 31st. "Exactly. You received a zero, and Mister Malfoy received a one hundred percent."

"A zero," Potter repeated in disbelief. Somehow, she always managed to get top grades in Potions, even though she burned everything and never did her homework. "Is this a joke?"

Professor Black shrugged, making Draco hope that perhaps it was a joke. "The Ministry doesn't seem to think so. So sit. Apparently I have to teach on the first day of class… Bloody Ministry tests."

"I'm going to kill myself," Potter groaned. Draco had yet to say a word. Maybe if he did all the work, it would appease her.

"Just…" Draco was already exhausted. "Turn the flame on medium. Medium Potter!"

"We'll be done sooner if it's on high," she said. "It'll cook faster!"

Draco pointed at the board. He wouldn't be surprised if she couldn't read cursive. "It says simmer! Not boil! You're going to ruin it." Potter stared, so Draco turned the flame down, causing her to roll her eyes. "Look, I don't like this any more than you do."

"How was your summer?" That guilty look returned.

Well, Aunt Bellatrix didn't take too kindly to becoming a human blimp, but that was none of Potter's business. Draco rolled his eyes. "Smashing. Yours?"

Potter shrugged and started chopping up the caterpillars. Draco tried not to look at the horribly sloppy job she was doing. "Are you going to go looking for him? Black, I mean."

Draco knew who she was talking about, but honestly, didn't want to hear her voice right now. He probably should have said a one word answer to shut her up, but well, he hated her. So instead, he turned his head so it was in the direction of Professor Black. "Oh look! There he is."

"Regulus Black, you twit!" she hissed. Professor Black, who was behind her torturing Dudley, tensed and spun around.

"That name," he seethed, "will not be mentioned in this classroom."

"But sir." Granger turned away from her cauldron, leaving it to Weasley. That, Draco thought, is truly Gryffindor bravery if he had ever seen it. "Black has been sighted not far from here! As students, we have the right to know—"

"I don't recall giving my students the right to read the paper in my classroom," he said coolly as he walked over to Granger. So Weasley was right. Regulus Black was Professor Black's brother. "I do suggest you get back to work. Your cauldron is foaming over."

"What is it?" Blaise asked when the bell finally rang. "Opposite day?"

For the rest of class, Black had targeted Granger. Granger, who he allowed to teach a lesson last year. Besides Potter, she was his favorite student.

Speaking of the devil, Potter was asked to stay after class. Draco was just itching to stay behind and wished he had thought to bring his father's Invisibility Cloak. He had never felt so nosy in his life.

"Meet me in the Owlery when you need it," Potter said thickly as she hurried past him on their way to lunch. Her usually straight hair was sticking up at odd angles like her father's, Draco noticed for the first time, as it swished down her back. She was hurrying to catch up to Granger and Weasley.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Pansy asked incredulously. "Need what?"

"A snog, obviously." Blaise had on one of those rare, half smiles. Pansy wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"What do you think she was talking to Black about?" Draco asked to change the subject. Thankfully, Pansy was one for gossip.

"I heard that she spent all summer with Granger." Pansy smirked. Potter always made fun of him for not wanting to go home for Christmas. "She didn't go home once. James Potter and Black are best friends. It was obviously about that."

Interesting. Again, Draco thought about that night with the Polyjuice. Maybe Potter didn't want to go home anymore because of what her mother had done. Was that why she had asked about this summer? That had to be it. She wanted to hear that his was much worse than hers. She truly was awful.

Aunt Bella came over whenever she needed money. She was an alcoholic, and every once and a while, her own husband couldn't be bothered with her. That was when she decided to grace them with her overdramatic presence.

"Do me a favor darling, and bring me some brandy," she said tiredly after Aunt Andy and Dora had gone to bed. Draco complied, and she rewarded him with a drowsy smile. "Did you know that I wanted to keep you? I wanted you to be my baby, not Andy's."

"No." Draco didn't know what would've been better. Aunt Andy hated him, Uncle Ted complained if he dared grow and needed new clothes, and Dora embarrassed him every chance she got. But Aunt Bella… She clearly loved him, but he had seen her house. The fridge was always empty. He had to watch his step for mouse droppings. Uncle Rodolphus couldn't stand anyone who wasn't Aunt Bella.

"Yes, yes." Her hand shook as she took a sip of her brandy. "But I got a little touched in the head after Cissa died. Andy snatched you from me. The bitch."

"I'm going to go to bed," Draco said uncomfortably, but he didn't move. It was like watching a horror show. He couldn't look away.

Aunt Bella laughed to herself. "Dumbledore started a fire. That's why there were no bodies. Your mother and father burned to death."

Draco tensed. That wasn't true. Professor Riddle said they were killed instantly, in their sleep. "Stop."

"What a horrible way to die," she said dreamily. "Mum was there too. She died in front of your crib. At least we had her body… The look over horror on her face…"

"STOP!" Draco yelled. He couldn't ever recall yelling at Aunt Bella. He treated her like he would treat any sick person.

Aunt Bella jumped when her brandy glass broke in her hands. Draco held his breath. Aunt Bella was a Muggle, but she knew what he was. If she told Aunt Andy, Uncle Ted would beat him within an inch of his life. He took a step back when she cackled.

"Your dad took my baby sister from me," she whispered. "And now you'll take Brandy, my only friend, from me? You really are your father's son! Are you going to steal a girl from her family as well? She never wanted to come to London because of him. I can't even remember the last time I spoke with her."

"That was your fault." Draco had never been so angry in his life.

"It was his!" Aunt Bella shrieked. "He took her away! He did! My mum had to beg for a weekend with her! And look what it got her! Dead! Dead just like her stupid daughter!"

"SHUT UP!" Draco screamed just as Aunt Andy rushed downstairs. "SHUT UP!"

Before Aunt Andy could intervene, Aunt Bella's nose started to swell. Then her hands, her face, her arms. In a matter of seconds, she was bouncing around the room like a giant balloon.

"I'm not putting up with this shit!" To Draco's complete disbelief, Uncle Ted opened the door and let Aunt Bella bounce out.

Dora, who was in that faze where nothing could make her be anything other than annoyed, smacked him on the back of the head. "Nice one. Why couldn't you have turned her into a toad or something? Some of us have to sleep."

Aunt Andy wrung her hands. "The last thing we need is another visit from Riddle. Couldn't you have just given her a drink and gone to bed, Draco? What makes you think she would want to have a decent conversation with you?"

He never told Professor Riddle what it was like at home, but after they met when he turned eleven, the headmaster had a feeling. He would show up at random times during the summer, and Aunt Andy would shower Draco with presents and enough sweets to put him into a diabetic coma. Professor Riddle looked confused but without proof, wouldn't make an accusation. He would always visit though, as if trying to catch Aunt Andy off guard.

Draco knew what it was like to not want to go home and found himself hoping that it wasn't the case with Potter.

"What would you do if you were confronted with your greatest fear?" Professor Snape asked on his first day of class. Draco already found himself ready to explode with curiosity. They had never had a decent Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher before.

"Eat chocolate?" Granger said coolly. Weasley laughed while Potter's lips twitched into an uneasy smile.

Professor Snape's intense black eyes fell on Granger, causing her to shrink back slightly in fear. "You will go first then, Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for calling out. Now, what is a boggart?"

Granger's hand shot up, but for once, Potter didn't smirk, elbow her, and call out the answer before she could. Instead, she paled. Blaise almost lazily put his hand up, which surprised him. Although his best friend was one of the smartest in their year, he was always too shy to answer questions unless called on. He liked to act like he didn't care to answer questions, but Draco knew better.

"Mr. Zabini?" However, Professor Snape's eyes were glued to Potter. Three guesses who was going second, for whatever a boggart was.

"It's a shape-shifter." There was a slight waver in his voice that made Weasley snort. Blaise clenched his fists, but more out of nerves than anger and barreled on. "It turns into whatever one fears the most."

"Exactly." That was the only encouragement that Professor Snape gave, but Blaise breathed a sigh of content relief. Their new professor started pacing in front of the class and stopped in front of Potter, who stayed as still as possible but wouldn't look at him. Weasley puffed out his chest as if he was going to challenge Professor Snape to a duel. "So the Boggart in the wardrobe has yet to take its form. How, as a class, are we going to defeat it, Potter?"

He was trying to catch her not paying attention. Unfortunately, Defense was Potter's best subject. If only Professor Snape taught Potions. That would knock her down a few pegs. "We would have to confuse it." She finally looked him in the eye. "It would have to choose, and it won't be able to decide."

Professor Snape stared at her for a long time, as if they were having a conversation about something else. "Yes… You are right Potter… However, the true defense against a Boggart is laughter, and the charm that repels it."

Draco couldn't picture Professor Snape laughing. From the looks of his classmates, they couldn't either. Well, judging by the stupid look on Weasley's face, he was trying to, and a small laugh managed to escape.

"It did not say to begin yet, Mr. Weasley," Professor Snape snapped. Pansy covered up her own laugh with a cough. "You have yet to hear the incantation. It is pronounced riddikulus. Repeat after me riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!"

"Excellent." Professor Snape pointed his wand at the wardrobe. "As the spell is cast, you must picture your greatest fear into something that is, for lack of a better word, ridiculous. The snake will turn into a balloon animal. The banshee, a Muggle pop singer. Now, step forward, Miss Granger."

Granger wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing. She stepped forward with a calm, almost bored look on her face as she took out her wand. "I'm ready."

To Draco's surprise, McGonagall stepped out of the wardrobe. It looked just like her, right down to the stern, judgmental look in her eyes. The only thing that was off though was that the look was reserved for Granger.

"You are failing all of your classes," McGonagall announced coldly. "It would seem…" She paused and shook her head as if disgusted. "…that Hogwarts is not where you should be completing your education, Miss Granger, if you are capable of completing your education at all."

Granger trembled, and for the first time ever, forgot an incantation. Draco couldn't ever remember seeing her choke. Professor Snape didn't intervene. Potter did.

"Take your top off!" she yelled at the Boggart obnoxiously. Even a few of the Slytherins laughed, making the Boggart take a step back.

Granger rolled her eyes but seemed to have found her courage. She pointed her wand at the false McGonagall. "Riddikulus!"

With a puff of smoke, McGonagall was sporting clown makeup and her hair was bright red. Even Draco laughed when she tried to speak and only the sound of a horn came out of her mouth. Perhaps out of revenge, the Boggart settled on Potter.

Draco was expecting something childish, like Potter not being allowed to have something or the professors no longer doting upon her. Or, perhaps it would allude to why she didn't go home this summer. He never pictured that the Boggart would turn into Granger.

"You're my best friend," it said, sounding offended. "And you want to betray me?" It took a step closer as Potter shook her head. "You would throw away everything our families have worked for? Since before you were born? Since before our parents were born?"

"N-no," Potter whined. "I just…"

"They aren't like us," Granger hissed. "My parents deserve this. Do you know how hard they work? For the betterment of wizard kind!"

Potter took a step back. Then another. The Boggart dissolved into dust, but it wasn't giving up on her. It reappeared as Granger right behind her, causing her to walk backwards into it. Potter spun around and held back a shriek as Granger's hair started to turn blonde.

Draco didn't think too much of it. He, like everyone else, was too absorbed in Potter's drama. Plenty of people had blonde hair. But then the Boggart's eyes turned blue. Draco would recognize those eyes anywhere. He spent hours looking at them after Professor Riddle gave him the photo album at the end of his first year.

Almost desperately, Draco ran for it as the Boggart continued to change, throwing all logic to the wind. Then its blue eyes fell on him. It smiled at him as it slowly started changing into a dementor. Draco could only stare as the rattling noise hit his ears. Just as he was taking his wand out, Professor Snape put a stop to the madness and stepped in front of the dementor.

Now, it was a glowing, white orb. Nothing to get carried away about. Clearly, Professor Snape thought the same and turned it into a deflating balloon as he said, "Riddikulus! Mr. Dursley! Let's see if you can recall how to fight a Boggart. Hopefully stage fright isn't genetic."

Normally, it would have bothered Draco that Professor Snape didn't think he could fight the Dementor. As time passed, and Draco tried to force himself to forget what he saw, it did bother him a bit. But he couldn't forget…

Potter told all who would listen that what she was afraid most of Granger was not being friends with her anymore, of Granger thinking she wasn't a loyal friend. Draco didn't believe her, even though everyone else did or didn't care enough to question it.

Draco couldn't let go of what Potter's Boggart was changing into. It was changing into his mother.

Thank you for reviewing riojazz125600, Guest, Ern Estine 13624, Child of Dreams, and gr8rockstarrox!

Guest: If you're still reading this, as you might guess, Lily's pretty out of character in this story. I'd like to think she's a lot like how I characterize Narcissa, going along with how she's brought up until it puts her child in mortal danger. Petunia's like the story's Andromeda. I'm keeping Vernon a Muggle or maybe he should be a muggleborn. So when Kat said, "I wish I could be the perfect daughter," that's how Lily feels about herself too.

gr8rockstarrox: This was meant to be a Christmas present to you, but I didn't think anyone would read it yesterday. And I don't even know if you celebrate Christmas, but it's always nice to get a present!

Don't forget the poll if you want me to focus more on this story after A Match Made in Hell, which I am working on by the way, is finished!