AN: Enjoy the new chapter and please review, would make my day!

"Mate, what was that about?" Ron asked while rolling up the fleshy strands of three extendable ears. Typical Gryffindors, thought Harry.

"Harry, what's going on?" Ginny asked.

"Remember when I told you guys about how I was writing that potion's essay and, er, fell asleep-" He felt a little guilty at Hermione's reproachful look. "-and when I woke up it was done? Well it wasn't my handwriting nor could I have written something so good, at least not with the Prince's, well Snape's help." Harry admitted grudgingly. "Well anyway, Slughorn was grading them today during class and must have realized that it was Malfoy who wrote and he didn't deny it either...but why would he do it in the first place?"

"Wasn't that the same day you two had agreed to meet in the library and work on that exact essay?" Hermione was biting her lip in thought.

"Yeah...it was. Do you think it has something to do with that?"

"Well do you know where he was during that time?"

"Parkinson and Zabini were looking for him then, weren't they Harry?" Ron acknowledged, probably still furious that his girlfriend was now on speaking terms with a Slytherin. Harry nodded in assent.

Hermione looked slightly worried. "What's wrong?" Ginny asked her.

"Well, it's just odd isn't it? Draco doesn't show up to meet Harry and even his friends can't find him. He only turns up again in the middle of the night and then writes Harry's potions essay for him even though he could have been sleeping?"

Harry furrowed his brow; Hermione had a point, as always. "You don't think that...something happened to him?" Hermione shrugged but her the worried look hadn't left her face. "Well he won't talk to me so I suppose we'll never find out. I wonder why he dropped the quidditch team though? He was one of the only good seekers."

Ron and Ginny shrugged but Hermione had an answer, "Oh Harry, isn't it obvious?"

"Er, no?" Harry answered truthfully.

"He was a Death Eater, whether by choice or because he was forced into it, that doesn't change people's view of him. I'm sure he quit to avoid any further...discrimination."

"Hermione, you're starting to make me feel sorry but Malfoy and I'll never forgive you for that!" Ron said.

Hermione ignored him, "Just be his friend, Harry."

"I doubt he'll let me."

"Stranger things have happened. Come on, let's grab some lunch, I'm starved." Hermione led the way.

All through lunch Harry couldn't help but watch a certain blonde who pointedly ignored him, not even glaring at him as he used to. Based on what Hermione had said, Harry started noticing that Malfoy had stopped trying to draw attention to himself or pick fights. In fact, he just seemed to be trying to blend in to the general crowd, go unnoticed.

Harry continued to watch Malfoy during the next class, Transfiguration. It seemed that Malfoy had caught on to Harry's blatant staring because he accidently turned his raccoon into a pink ferret which matched his blush perfectly. For the first time since their argument, Malfoy caught Harry's eye but looked away almost immediately. Parkinson restored his raccoon and shot Malfoy a comforting look.

"Harry!" It seemed that Hermione had been trying to get his attention for a while, "You turned you raccoon into half a platypus!" And so he had; the front end was still a raccoon with sharp claws and teeth (which Harry found out the hard way) while the back end had turned into a platypus with webbed feet which the raccoon seemed to hate and started attacking his rear end. Harry hurried to fix his mistake, not even knowing what exactly had caused this. Meanwhile next to him, Ron's raccoon was being violently sick on Ron's desk while Ron was waving his wand uselessly trying to fix his raccoon before giving up and begging Hermione to help him.

Harry's hand was bleeding by the end of class from the countless bites and scratches his raccoon/platypus had given him. He hadn't been able to undo his mistake and McGonagall wasn't pleased. She kept him after class to lecture at him which promptly made him late to charms. He hadn't had time to go to the hospital wing so he had just bandaged his hand clumsily in a handkerchief of Hermione's. He had never mastered healing charms.

At the end of charms the handkerchief was soaked through in blood and the wounds were itching like mad, had those been magical raccoons? Harry was in a hurry to get to the Hospital Wing after class so he ran out as soon as the bell rang. Most students were too used to the sight of Harry Potter running through the school to even be surprised. Harry used one of his shortcuts through a tapestry and promptly tripped and fell over a body lying on the ground. Harry groaned in pain at the impact but immediately maneuvered his body around so he could see who was lying there. It was Draco Malfoy.

AN: Sorry to leave you guys with a cliffhanger but next chapter is in the works!