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Chapter 4:

Draco had zoned out while Professor Sprout was lecturing. She had told them that they would be repotting Devil's Snare that she had growing in her Greenhouse 4, but that they had to be extremely careful when doing this so they wouldn't hurt the plants or themselves. And that was the last he heard. His lack of sleep took over and he fell into a glassy stare. He snapped back to himself when he heard her say, "Any questions? No? Alright then, lets get to it! Split into pairs, one with the wand at the ready, the other will be repotting. They you will switch and so forth. Remember, Devil's Snare dislikes light, so a simple Lumos ought to do it if things start to get out of hand."

Draco turned to Theo to ask him to be his partner, and was surprised to find that he was already with Daphne Greengrass. Theo shot him an apologetic look and turned to follow Professor Sprout and the rest of the 8th Years to Greenhouse 4. Draco looked around and saw everyone was paired off. Slumping his shoulders he turned and followed the class alone.

Once inside the darker greenhouse everyone grew quiet and took their stations by the small potted vines. Professor Sprout looked up and frowned, "Malfoy," she barked, not unkindly, though still loudly. "Who is your partner?" Malfoy could feel his cheeks flush as ever eye turned to him. He was grateful that this greenhouse was dark enough to hide his embarrassment at least a little. "I don't have one, professor." He answered.

Professor Sprout looked around, "There's a group of three right here, one of you please work with Mr. Malfoy." She indicated a group that consisted of Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, and Hannah Abbott. The three looked at each other and shifted uncomfortably before Hermione said, "I will." She walked over to an empty station and turned expectantly to Draco. He walked to the station and turned to the plant. He glanced at her and murmured, "Thanks, Granger" quietly so that only she could hear it. She nodded and pulled out her wand, ready to repel the plant if needed.

Draco took a deep breath and readied the larger empty pot that he would be transferring the Devil's Snare into. Hermione pointed her wand and said, "I hate this plant." Draco shrugged, "I've heard about it but I've never actually seen it."

"It almost killed Harry, Ron, and me in our first year."

Draco laughed, "Of course, on one of the many adventures of Harry Potter and his friends. Of course that's where you've seen it before." He frowned and looked at her incredulously, "Wait, we were all eleven or twelve when we were in first year. How did it not kill you?"

Hermione smiled, "Yes, on one of our 'adventures' I encountered it. And yes I was twelve. I lit a fire… After Ron so kindly reminded me that I am a witch and was able to do so despite the fact that there was no wood." She laughed at the memory.

Draco grasped the plant and pulled it up. It immediately began to tightly ensnare his hand. He frowned and tried to wrench it free and shove it into the soft, damp soil of the larger pot. It wrapped tighter and tighter around his arm.

"Lumos minima" Hermione said from his right.

"Glad I don't need to remind you that you are in fact a witch, Granger." Malfoy panted as he slowly worked the vine off his arm. Hermione rolled her eyes and lightly elbowed him in his side. Draco gasped as she hit his broken ribs and lost his grip on the vine, which shot back up his arm and began to tightly wrap around his torso. Draco was blind with pain as he fell to the ground and wrestled with the vine.

"Lumos Maxima!" Hermione quickly cast the spell and the vine shrank away as she wrenched it off of him and wrestled it into the pot herself. "Nox. Malfoy, are you okay?" She bent down to exam him. He started to sit up and grinded his teeth. He slowly stood up and steadied himself on the table. He looked around to see if anyone else noticed the commotion, but everyone else seemed to be having trouble with their own Devil's Snares to focus on anything else.

Professor Sprout was helping Theo and Daphne, who were both fighting their plant fiercely. The Patil twins were both covered in sweat and dirt and they finished their first transfer. Only Longbottom and Abbott seemed to be doing decently well as they were finishing transferring their third plant. Both were sweaty and dirty, but they didn't seem to be panting quite as hard as everyone else.

"Malfoy", Hermione repeated. Draco looked at her and shrugged. "I think I broke a rib or two this morning, and when you elbowed me that's where you hit."

"This morning? This is our first class today, when did you do this? How did you do this? Did you go to the hospital wing to have Madame Pomfrey look at it?"

"Bloody hell, Granger, you ask a million questions at a time. It's fine, I don't think it's anything serious."

Hermione gave him a hard look before she rolled her eyes and helped him up. "Can you continue repotting?" Draco nodded his head and winced as he took a deep breath. He pulled out his wand and pointed it at their second plant.

Hermione grasped the plant and tugged on it as Draco whispered "lumos!"

The rest of Draco's first day of class went by slowly. In potions he had performed acceptably, though not nearly as well as he had hoped. In ancient runes he fought hard to stay awake. At lunch he went to the library and started his essay Herbology. He was working in the corner in silence when he heard hushed whispers from behind the shelves. He cocked his head towards the voices and listened.

"I just don't understand what he's even doing at school this year. Doesn't Professor McGonagall know he's dangerous? And making him Head Boy! What's she playing at, he shouldn't be here, he ought to be in Azkaban with his father."

"Ginny, he helped our side in the end. I don't know exactly what Professor McGonagall is doing but I'm sure she has her reasons for trusting him. Just like Dumbledore had his reasons for trusting Snape."

"He's the reason Dumbledore is dead, Hermione, or did you forget when he let his little Death Eater friends into the castle. He's part of the reason Fred is dead!"

"I know he did that, but you didn't see him at his family's manor. He recognized all of us, and I know he did. But he didn't give us away. I don't know why, but he didn't."

Draco heard a huff and a sniffle as Hermione continued talking. "Ginny I know you miss Fred. That's why this is so hard for you isn't it? Look, I don't like him very much either, but he does at least seem to be trying to be better. I had Herbology, Potions, and Ancient Runes with him this morning. He was nice enough to me during all of them. Even talked to me for a little while during Herbology. Why is he the only one you have a problem with?"

"He's the only Death Eater at this school, Hermione. You tell me. Their lot murdered Fred, Tonks, Remus, and hundreds more. Death Eaters, Hermione, Death Eaters are the reason you haven't seen your parents in over a year. And he's one of them. He actually has the mark."

Hermione was silent. Finally she sighed and said, "I know. Come on, Ginny, let's go or we won't get to eat before class."

Draco sat in a stunned silence as the girls' footsteps faded away. He had expected this. He told McGonagall as much when she asked him to come back and be Head Boy. He had told her he didn't want to come back at all, let alone be Head Boy. He had said almost exactly what the little Weasley girl had said. He was a Death Eater. He was marked. And she was right; he shouldn't be there.

He pressed the palms of his hands into his face and rubbed his eyes. Finally he packed up his books and headed to his next class. Almost finished today, he thought to himself. Almost finished day one and everyone hates you. Way to go, Draco, he bitterly added.