Externally things remained the same, but internally not so much. From being a boy who believed and patronised every word and notion spoken and instilled in him by his father, to slowly developing into a young adult of his own, this was proving to be quite a journey for Draco. He had spent three and a half years being a perfect example of a snobbish, conceited, evil, pure blood maniac. Just how he was raised to be. But somewhere towards the middle or end of last year, he wasn't exactly sure, he began questioning his actions and beliefs. The more he thought about them, the more he realised that they weren't truly his own. He just did all that he had done out of sheer habit. A habit that was developed in him by his family, specially his father. A habit to look down upon muggle-borns, a habit to insult people not up to his standards( actually not up to his father's standards). Basically, he had been a complete git. But he didn't want to anymore. He wanted to be good, liked by people for the person that he is, have real friendships. Maybe the reason for his hatred towards others specially the Golden Trio was not actual hatred, maybe it was a projection of his sheer longing to have the things they did. He too wanted to be a happy, carefree teenager who actually had real fun. He had decided. He would reinvent himself. Be a better person. Not for anyone else, but for himself. For his own happiness and inner peace. He was going to be selfish this time. He knew it wouldn't be easy. It was going to be hard. Real hard. He had a reputation, you see. But he was not an escapist, and so he would better himself, irrespective of all the hurdles he would face. With these thoughts playing in his mind, he barely got a few hours of sleep. But he wasn't complaining. Within a few hours he would be on the Hogwarts Express, going back to school. And somehow that thought made him happy. Next morning was like any other morning, yet it was different in many ways for Draco at least. He arrived with his parents at the platform right on time, and after the usual verbal exchanges he bid goodbye to his father with a sense of relief and his mother with a little bit of sadness. His mother loved him the most. He mattered to her. Once aboard, he found his way to his usual compartment, but this time in a more humble manner. On opening the compartment door he was greeted by his usual group of Slytherins. Previously this would have been quite a happy moment, but now it just irritated him somehow. He wanted to be alone. Away from all the negativity that these people carried. Speaking of negativity, Pansy was already in the middle of a gossip/bitching session when he entered. *sigh* He was in no mood for Pansy and her rantings. But before he could even turn around his heels to go she spotted him and called out. He had no way of escaping now. He slowly walked up to where she was sitting and ploped next to her. She smothered him with her affection, as always. But he didn't enjoy it anymore. Sitting opposite to him were Crabbe and Goyle. Famously known as his "cronies". The sight of them stuffing themselves with food made him want to throw up. This was going to be a long and painstaking journey, he thought to himself. The only relief was in the form of Blaise Zabini, who had just walked in. Blaise and Draco were friends. To be honest, Blaise was Draco's only friend. Others were just acquaintances who stuck with him because they wanted some benefit out of the relationship. Blaise wasn't a saint, but he also wasn't your usual Slytherin pure blood maniac. He was a more sorted and composed kind of person. A kind of person who would not think twice before telling Draco he was wrong. Draco was glad he had him. Even with Blaise around, the journey was getting unbearable. Pansy just wouldn't stop. She somehow thought that Draco and she were a couple. Which was so not true. He didn't even like her. At least not anymore. Previously, he liked being around her because of the attention he received, but now her lack of intelligence and affinity towards gossiping and bitching was way more than he could handle. This was bad. Most people thought that they were dating, so no other girl ever approached him. Plus, he had actually witnessed Pansy threatening girls from their house to stay away from him. As for the girls from the other houses, well they thought he was a prat and not worth their time. Basically, his love life was doomed. He would probably be stuck with Pansy Parkinson till death did them apart. He so wished that he would be proved wrong. That someone, other than Pansy, would truly love him. But that was expecting way too much. Alas! not everyone is lucky when it comes to love. But little did he know that love was waiting for him, right round the corner actually, in the form of a beautiful redhead.