Yay, I uploaded. Okay, so yes, Draco is a horrible person for doing that, but I swear he's feeling REALLY bad about it! Anyways, I hope you like this chapter! :)
Disclaimer: I do not make any claims on anything but the idea for this story... and a couple of my OC characters that will eventually be brought in to this story.
Warnings: There will be HPDM slash. As in BoyxBoy love. Don't like it, don't read it. Also, I will be adding a couple (one in the least) OC characters to this story, But rest assured, none will be Mary Sues or Gary Sues, okay? Oh, and some things in the later chapters could be taken as incest (Not between close relatives!!! Ewww! More like cousins). It's not really incest, but some people might take it as incest.
Diagon Alley was a bustle of excitement. Wizards and witches of all ages packed around the bookstores, the pet shops, the supplies stores, in the last minute preparations of the up-coming school year. The town, with it's old fashioned charm, and quaint setting that had always been a familiarity and comfort to Draco, was anything but at the moment.
The crowds made him feel as if he were being chocked, and he had to use all of his self-control to keep from hyperventilating. The shopkeepers, who had always greeted him as a welcomed costumer, now sneered and made rude remarks about him behind their hands. Draco felt as if the eyes of the entire wizarding world were scrutinising his every move, ready to reveal his treachery to the entire world.
Severus had accompanied him to Diagon Alley. The journey there had been silent, and Draco wanted nothing more to scream his guilt to the world, because, oh Godohmygod he had killed his own cousin, and it was all his fault, and he couldn't even fix this, and now he wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Then Severus had made his way towards his favourite apocathary to restock his potions ingredients for the school year. He spared Draco a quiet goodbye, and then Draco was alone.
The blond had made his way past the Leaky Cauldron, towards one of his usual boutiques, in search of any of his friends. To his luck, he saw the form of one Pansy Parkinson, flouncing about in a bright pink dress with too many ruffles.
"Did your mother dress you again, Pans?"
Pansy spun around on her heel, eyes narrowed, ready to deliver a scathing reply, before she realised who had just spoken. Her sneer transformed in to a brilliant smile, and she rushed forward to enveloped Draco in a tight hug.
"Draco!" she screeched in her high-pitched voice, "I haven't heard any news of you at all! How was the," her voice lowered in to a whisper, dark eyes twinkling madly with the knowledge that she had claim to new gossip, "mystery coming along?"
Another stab of guilt shot through Draco, but he covered it up well. "Ah, it goes well, I guess," he said, trying to ignore the subject, "and what of you, Pans, why are you wearing that absolute monstrosity?"
Pansy rolled her eyes at his nit-picking. "Honestly Dee," Draco scowled at the nickname, "you're such a ponce."
Draco's cheeks flushed a bit, and Pansy cackled victoriously.
Draco coughed, and sent his friend a wry smile, "whatever, Pans," he said, "how are your last days of summer coming along?"
Pansy began to chat incessantly, and Draco felt a small bit of normality come back to him. Pansy continued to talk, waving her arms about and making wild gestures as she described one of her many conquests. Draco pretended to smiled and laughed at her jokes.
And Pansy pretended not to notice how those smiles and laughs never reached his eyes.
*
Once Pansy had finished her clothing shopping, she had to return home. Draco, who was almost finished his shopping list, had called a house-elf to take his purchases home so he could finish his last shopping trip.
The slytherin had made his way towards the bookstore, but had become distracted by a nagging feeling, so he decided to take a short walk.
It was now evening, and the streets were slowly becoming less and less crowded, and Draco was thankful for his sudden ability to breath. No longer feeling claustrophobic, his mind had a chance to muse freely. He wandered along the streets aimlessly, not really paying attention to where he was going.
Eventually, he made his way to a dead-end, but, before he could turn around, to make his way back, his eyes took notice of a small Ice-cream store: Darwin's Frozen Delights.
He recognised the shop from somewhere...
"Please, mommy? Please can we get some?"
"Not now, we have to hurry home. Besides, your father would be upset if he found out."
"Aw, c'mon auntie! We won't tell nobody!"
"Remember proper grammar, Regulus. You say, you won't tell anybody, understand?"
"Of course Auntie!"
Draco felt bile rise up his throat as the sudden memory came back to him.
He made his way to the door of the small shop, and opened the door. A small chime of a bell went off as he entered. Draco made his way to a small, round table, and sat down.
He stared out the window, and lost himself in his memories.
"Mmm, this is so good," exclaimed a small Regulus happily, his big, bright grey eyes shining brightly.
"Mmm," young-Draco hummed in agreement.
"Draco, remember, no telling your father, understand? The same goes for you as well Regulus," said an uptight Narcissa. Even though she was nervous, her face softened as she took in the happy faces of her charges.
"We promise," both boys said at the same time, before erupting into mad giggles.
"What can I get for you, young Master?" asked a rather old man with a balding head of grey, and a small, scraggly beard. He had a jolly look about him, and twinkling blue eyes that reminded Draco of Dumbledore.
"Just a small vanilla cone," he said, sending the man a small smile.
"Good choice sir," the kind old man said, before scurrying back to the kitchens. Draco smiled at the old man's mannerisms.
Draco had just returned to his musings, when the small chime went off again, and a loud crowd made their way into the ice-cream store. Draco glanced in the direction of the laughter and chatting voices. He scowled in recognition.
In walked Harry Potter and his little cronies.
Draco quickly rose to leave, not in the mood for the oncoming confrontation. Unfortunately for him, his movements caught the attention of the Golden Group. Silence enveloped the room, and a sudden tension filled the air. The old man, who had come bustling out of the kitchens with Draco's order, stilled when he noticed the sudden uneasiness in the shop.
"Potter," Draco greeted, eyes narrowing at his rival.
"Malfoy," Potter answered, just as nastily.
"Harry, this little albino bothering you?" asked an unfamiliar voice.
Draco's eyes followed the direction of the voice, and his throat swelled up. Sirius Black stood beside Potter, grey eyes narrowed in suspicion. Black had long dark, black hair that fell to his shoulders, and dark grey eyes. For a second, Draco saw the face of Regulus, and winced in guilt. Merlin, he wanted to be anywhere but under the fiery gaze of those grey eyes, so much like his own.
He felt a rush of gravity, and started to sway a bit.
"Malfoy, are you okay?" asked the Granger, hesitantly raising a hand towards the blond.
Draco jumped out of her reach, and scowled nastily at her.
"Don't touch me," he snarled at her. Granger flinched, and Draco felt a bit better.
"Oi, ferret, leave Hermione alone," came the bratty voice of Ron Weasley, who had grown even taller and lankier than last year.
Draco was just about to give a nasty retort, when a voice interrupted him, "Malfoy? As in Draco Malfoy? Narcissa's son?" Sirius asked in surprise.
Draco suddenly found the floor to be ten times more fascinating then anything else in the room. What if this man knew about Regulus? Draco felt another wave of nausea come over him, as he nodded in affirmative.
"Ha! I knew it!" continued Sirius, blithely ignoring the looks that Potter and his friends shot him in warning, "haven't seen you since you were a baby! How's your mom been? Cissa still got that pole up her...
"Don't talk about my mother that way!" Draco snarled at the once convict, regretting it immediately. Sirius looked taken-aback, and gave him a look a puppy might give to it's kicker.
Regulus' big grey eyes, gazing up in pain at his betrayal.
"I," Draco said shakily, "I-I have to be somewhere..."
He all but ran out of the shop, leaving behind a frustrated and confused looking Golden trio, and a suddenly very sheepish Sirius Black.
*
Draco was reaching for one of his textbooks, when he met Hermione Granger for a second time. She was gazing at him suspiciously as she reached for the same book as him. Draco scowled at the annoyingly bright witch, and grabbed the book before her. She scowled at him, and took the one just behind it.
They both looked at each other once they had both of their books. The tension left, and all of a sudden the air turned awkward.
Draco coughed, and was just about to turn to leave, when Granger spoke up.
"So, are you taking Advanced Healing as well?" asked the Gryffindore witch.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Obviously," he replied. Granger ignored his glares, and continued to speak to him.
"Well, don't you find the subject fascinating? I mean, the way somebody can actually push their magic into a wound, and repair the skin cells? Or the way that we can unblock the build up of cancers or tumours by..."
"Granger, why are you speaking to me?" Draco asked tiredly. It had been a long day, and this was the last stop for him.
"Malfoy," she asked, brown eyes shining in concern, "usually you wouldn't spare a single thought at insulting me. Are you alright?"
"Granger, why in the name of Merlin's frilly knickers, do you care?"
Granger opened her mouth to answer Draco, but was interrupted by a loud, obnoxious voice.
"Malfoy! Leave Hermione alone!" snarled Weasley.
"Weasley, your little girlfriend came on to me," Draco said maliciously, " but who could blame her? Who would want a ginger haired, poor..."
"Malfoy, shut it!" yelled Weasley, face rapidly turning red, "Your one to talk, I hear your dear old daddy's not doing so well. What, your slimy master not coming to his rescue?"
Draco's face flushed slightly at the taunting, and he was about to deliver a come-back, when Granger spoke up.
"Ronald Weasley! Leave him alone, he's not even worth it!" she screeched in her self-righteous voice.
"But 'mione!" whine Weasley in response, "he's so bratty. He walks around like owns the place and...
Draco saw his chance to escape and took it. As he walked away, he ignored the petty squabbling between those two. He shuddered at the monstrosity of sexual tension, and chuckled (giggled) at the thought of the bushy-haired, ginger, freckled, buck-toothed children those two would one day create.
Yay for Hermione! Anyways, please review! It's what keeps me going.
Love, aetah