Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K Rowling. I can only hope that I have a mere iota of her success in my lifetime.

A/N: Yes, I know it had been awhile. I have been hard at work on my original novel, so fanfiction was placed on the backburner. I hope to have my book complete by December. Wish me luck on finding a literary agent!

Draco hadn't seen Potter this happy ever before. Ever since the experiment was performed, Potter had been almost chipper. That was enough to make Draco frightened.

Draco had watched for several days as the change overtook his...brother. He had been trying to get used to the idea, after all, Potter needed a place too. It wasn't as if Draco really knew Severus that well, and if he was ever going to get used to being in his own skin, he might as well let Potter tag along.

He glanced at Severus' liquor cabinet. Severus had removed all alcohol to a location Draco did not know. Draco knew that it was probably for the best, but that didn't mean he was happy about it. Somehow, he'd felt better when he'd had the ability to numb himself. But then, that is what all alcoholics said.

He knew he should be more concerned with the Voldemort situation, and Erasmus and Severus had told him as much. It wasn't that he didn't care, and it wasn't that he wished Potter any ill will. He knew that he shouldn't be so selfish, but it was hard. That is how he learned to survive being a Malfoy. But then he'd found out that he was a Snape. Not that Severus was so bad, just different

"Hey, Potter!" Draco yelled.

"What?" Harry asked from Severus' room.

"Get out here, I want to talk to you!" Draco replied.

Sometimes Potter really annoyed him. Draco tapped his fingers on the arm of the chair.

Harry walked in with an exasperated look on his face. "What do you want, Draco?"

Draco motioned for Harry to sit. "It's about time we have a talk."

Harry could hardly keep from rolling his eyes. It wasn't like Draco to be anything but a prat to him. He could only imagine what Draco was going to say, but because he had no choice, Harry sat; ready to listen. "Alright, Draco. What you do want to talk about?"

Draco leaned forward in the chair. "I wanted to apologize."

Harry's mouth dropped open and he thought he might faint. "Are you serious?"

Draco sighed. "Perfectly. I know that I haven't always displayed the best facet of my personality towards you. At times, I was jealous, but mostly, I wished that I got as much attention as you did."

Harry swallowed. "Trust me, Draco. You don't want the type of attention I get. Everywhere I look, someone is always watching."

"Well Potter, I wish things would have been different. But since the past cannot be changed, I wanted to apologize in the hopes that maybe I can mange to change."

Harry wanted to pinch himself. This was completely out of character for Draco. "Are you crazy?"

"What are you talking about?"

Harry looked at Draco's eyes, almost as if expecting something. "Are you on something, Draco?" Harry asked.

Draco's eyes grew wide and he tried to keep from blowing a gasket. "Potter...sometimes you make it really difficult to be nice to you. I suggest that if you want to keep your head, you'll cease this line of questioning and accept my apology for what it's worth."

Harry got up from the chair. He hadn't meant to anger Draco, it was just so shocking. "I'm sorry, Draco. I didn't mean to make you mad. It's just...you're so different."

Draco sighed. "There's a good reason for that, Potter. I'm not a Malfoy anymore."

"Well, I'm not a Potter."

Draco nodded curtly. "Well, I'm glad we've settled that then."

"Yeah, okay, Draco. Why don't you get some rest, you seem a little stressed."

Draco grunted and Harry left the room.

'Why can't I seem to ever get along with him?" he asked himself.

"That's easy, you're too alike." Severus said from behind Draco's chair.

Draco jumped about four feet into the air. "How do you do that?"

"If you're lucky, maybe I'll show you someday. Why don't you get out of this castle for awhile? You've been inside for far too long."

Knowing he'd been dismissed, Draco did as he was told. It was his luck to have a father with a dark sense of humor. Maybe one day he could get bored and irritate Harry for a change.

Voldemort smiled his sardonic smile. He knew that in order to get his revenge on the Potter brat, he needed something to draw him out. But what? In the past, he would have chosen to torture Potter's friends, but the boy no longer seemed close to anyone.

The boy literally had little left, only his small cluster of vampires to keep him company. Voldemort also knew that of the pack, he wouldn't dare touch the elder. The elder was far too old and powerful to be messed with. Nor would he touch Severus Snape. The man's potions capabilities were far too valuable to risk his destruction. No, to get to his quarry, he would try to ensnare the Malfoy brat. Harry Potter may not like him, but would still feel compelled to try to save him.

It was so perfect. Now, he just had to re-enter the grounds of Hogwarts and find a way to get Draco Malfoy under his spell. It would probably be pointless to try to convince the boy to follow him, so the only option left was capture. He could not use magic, he knew that. Draco Malfoy was also one of his kind, and magic had little effect. He would have to go to muggle extremes to get the job done, but at this point, he really didn't care. It was more important to defeat Harry Potter than to worry about the means to do so.

"Yes." Voldemort mumbled. "The plan cannot fail. Harry Potter will soon fall and I will once again rule over Wizarding Britain."

Draco walked out into the night. The air was crisp and cold, but somehow, it was all the more comforting. The darkness lay across the grounds like a velveteen blanket; the stars stretched throughout the sky for miles around. It was the perfect night for a walk.

He sniffed at the air, smiling at the familiar scent of earth and decaying leaves. If he listened hard enough, he could hear the sound of the unicorns crunching the floor of the Forbidden Forest.

So lost was Draco in the beauty of the night, he did not sense the figure creeping up behind him.

At once, Voldemort struck Draco over the head with a large tree branch, knocking him unconscious. He quickly grabbed the young vampire in his arms and carried him to his lair through the forest.