My birthday was yesterday and I wish I could say I enjoyed it... too much chores the next day and not enough doing what I liked on my birthday. But I finished the 6th Chapter of A Man at the Crossroads on my special day so I guess something went right. I left it at a bit of a cliff hanger and I'm sorry about this one. But I hope to have the next chapter done by Wens. if I can. If not then... I'm sorry.

Chapter 4

"You're dead, Potter."

"Funny, you would think I'd stop walking around…"

"I doubt Slughorn offers extra credit to kids who aren't in the Slug Club." A voice said from behind me as I stirred the bubbly yellow potion. I wiped the sweat from my brow and ignored him until Potter came up behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Just stop." He whispered softly. I shook my head furiously and continued to stir harder and rougher until it was turning a lime green. Great…

"Look what you made me do!" I shouted but it came out as more of a cry. Burying my face in my arms beside the cauldron I began to tremble trying desperately to get a hold of myself. Severus would be so disappointed in me if he saw how badly I screwed this up! It's a simple pick me up potion! There's nothing remotely difficult in that! Arms wrapped around my waist as Potter placed his chin on my shoulder.

"What kind of Potion is this?" He asked softly making me look up at the potion before shoving him off of me. I leaned forward and whispered a spell softly to myself causing the potion to be the color it is meant to be once more.

"It's a simple 'Euphoria Potion,' it will cause the drinker to be happy for an hour. This is pure happiness; no one can possibly do anything to make the drinker be anything other than incredibly happy. Simple, dull, and obviously anyone could have figured it out." I said blandly before grabbed several vials out of my robe pockets and filled them up with the ecstatic yellow liquid.

He needs to get out of here and stop bothering me, I'm not one of his swooning fangirls and I don't need him to even consider making me into one. I'm just a guy who needs a little pick me up, nothing going on here that should warrant the Chosen One's attention. If he just backs the fuck off then… I should be fine. I will be fine. I just need him to stop bothering with me.

"Need something to get you through the day? That's cheating… they deserve better." He murmured making me scowl and look at him. That's when I nearly dropped the vials in shock. Potter's eyes were red with exhaustion and there were dark bags around them. His skin seemed paler than any I'd ever seen and his expression looked mournful.

"I know they deserve better, but you don't. You deserve someone like me don't you Potter?" I snarled but he just smiled softly and shook his head. This made me freeze completely stunned that he would reject me so outright. I'm not even interested in the guy but even so… I've been rejected.

"No, you're a bit too good for me, Draco." He smiled and then stood up to leave. I blinked hard then waited till I heard the door shut behind him on his way out. More pain began to stir from within me and I knew somehow that I wouldn't be able to handle this much… it's just too much. I'm going to explode! The pain is going to kill me! Why the fucking hell did they leave me all alone?

Chugging down one of the drinks it immediately erased all the tears that were forming in my eyes. A wide smirk crossed over my lips as I left the dungeons to go back to the Great Hall. I'm really hungry! Those crab cakes were pure shit! "Malfoy, you're going to the Great Hall? Most everyone is gone!" Pansy cried but I just flashed a smile and waltzed right in to have a bit of a late breakfast. They had some cold breakfast crepes that I took to immediately.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you would like I could just briefly mention your friend before I start the heroes who died and then villains, that way he is not labeled as either one." McGonagall informed me with a nervous look on her face, as though she's not truly sure if she should be doing this. I just grinned and nodded as I had some pumpkin juice. "Are you alright, Mr. Malfoy?" She questioned making me smirk up at her.

"I don't think I'm all right but some right ought to do it. Yeah, I've at least got some right in me, if not then I've got just a little. But I'm better than my parents at any rate. That's why you're offering this right? Oh look a pun!" I grinned causing her eyes to narrow slightly before she called Slughorn over to have a look at me.

"It's just the work of a Euphoria Potion, Minerva." He said with a nod and a smile. Ruffling my hair he then beamed down at me. "Great job you did there, my boy! Splendid job indeed! If there wasn't that issue of your past and your parents' past then I would sign you up for the Slug Club on the spot! But sadly your past does leave me in a bit of a predicament…" He sighed. "Oh well!" I watched him go before taking another bite of my crepe. The Great Hall was mostly empty now except for McGonagall, and of course Slughorn's retreating form. She sat down beside me then, looking grave.

"Mr. Malfoy… potions can't fix everything. Crabbe and Severus are still dead and no amount of 'Euphoria Potion' will bring them back to life. It's an illusion of happiness, Mr. Malfoy. It is not the real thing. True happiness comes from the joy of life not being quite as bad as it could be. That's the way true happiness is, and this isn't it. Being happy over every little thing and being unable to get even a little sad? I thought you were stronger than this, Mr. Malfoy. I thought you were stronger than your parents. I guess I was wrong." She said in a soft voice that rang with conviction and passion. She must have tried this too or known someone who has.

I stood up and smiled at her before sticking my tongue out. "If I ever want to hear the advice of an ugly old hag I'll let you know." I sneered but my expression was too light to let it be seen easily. She just sighed and buried her face in her palms as I left. With my stomach full I decided to go find the others on my team so that we can go ahead and have practice today. Might as well since everyone will be too busy celebrating to be thinking about practice, and no way will Harry Potter bring his team to the pitch since they'll be too busy remembering the old team members who died last year. I heard Oliver Wood is coming by to this last game.

Seems like a dream now…

When I got to the pitch later that day, we practiced religiously, using every bit of advice that Marcus left for me. He was a bastard but one hell of a strategist. Everyone seemed to be trying their best today, and no one complained once about how long the practice went for, even when it went past lunch. An elf came by and dropped off food and drink but no one even hinted at going to the Great Hall. The excuse to stay on the pitch was too great. When I ended practice an hour before dinner, I was a bit surprised at the positive feedback.

"This was the first real Quidditch practice we've had!" I heard a girl whisper to the Crabbe replacement. I ignored them both and hung back with Blaise and Goyle who were taking off their gear. The practice has been over ten minutes but it looks like no one wants to leave just yet. With all the celebration and 'I hate Slytherin' banners flying around, it was only natural why this bunch would want to stay here.

"You've gotten better, Goyle." Blaise grinned and patted his friend on the shoulder. Goyle just looked at him with blank dark eyes before frowning and looking away.

"Better than Crabbe was?" He asked causing everyone to shut up and look over at them. This is the first time anyone here has mentioned Crabbe. Standing up from my seat on one of the benches I made sure everyone's eyes were on me. My team sat down and waited for me to speak with a morbid air around everyone, it was as though they were all just waiting for the yelling that most would assume I'd do. A part of me just wanted to chug down another vial of Euphoria Potion but I can't have any for this.

"Slytherin isn't bad. Severus Snape is and always will be one of the best Headmaster's this school has ever had because he was helping in the effort to defeat the dark lord. Most of the people on Voldemort's side were scared or just crazy. This is no excuse but it does show that we aren't all bad. I was on Voldemort's side to protect my father and mother; I had no qualms with Bellatrix dying. Crabbe did something stupid and he died. He didn't die doing anything heroic or amazing, no he died fighting on the wrong side for the wrong reasons… but I still miss him. Despite almost everyone's beliefs, he was my friend and I'm ashamed of this world for their treatment of us, the kids who were forced into that world. A year ago one of my best friends and my godfather died at this school. Severus didn't die heroically but he has a plaque.

"Voldemort wanted power and Severus wanted the love of his life. Crabbe was a fool who wanted to be leader when he'd been a follower for such a long time. But even so… these two were Slytherin. Crabbe's last moments were him trying to prove himself to someone he thought would complete him in a way his friends couldn't, this was brave. He reached out for something he'd never been able to touch; it's not his fault he was reaching in the dark. Severus died trying to convince Voldemort to let him go find Potter, in order to help him. Sadly Voldemort just wanted to kill him in order to gain control of the Elder wand's power. It didn't work. Two Slytherins did something that not many others could ever say they have done. We should be proud to be Slytherin… because when you're in Slytherin, this is where you find your true friends. Remember? That's what the hat says every year." I said making them all look at me with shocked expressions before clapping.

When I left the locker room I ran into Potter who looked a bit better than earlier, but it was obvious he had heard my speech. "You're right. There's nothing wrong with being in Slytherin. The students are just being prejudiced, but that's alright, they can be idiots as long as there are some smart people at school right?" He asked me with a smile. It looked a little forced though.

"You miss Severus, don't you?" I asked making him flinch for a second before turning around and looking at me with a fiery gaze. He glanced over at the plaque by the Whomping Willow then clenched his fists so tightly they bled.

"Never gave him a chance, and now it's too late." He growled angrily. I could practically see the heat waves coming off his skin. Something about that fiery look in his eye made me want to help. Snape wasn't a nice guy. But he meant a lot to everyone, even without their realizing it. He was the reason this world has lasted so long. So maybe... I should tell Harry something, to give him a chance to know the creep a little better.

"He likes bitter foods, and loves lemons. Anything with lemon in it is something he likes. Severus was a good friend to my parents and a good godfather to me even when I was being foolish. His favorite animal is a doe but he doesn't like it when people find out. He nearly took my head off when I saw a picture of a really beautiful one in his study." I said this quickly, wanting to get this over with while telling him all of the trivial things most don't know. Harry Potter just nodded and then smiled softly.

"He was in love with my mom… she was an Animagus, she turned into a doe. His patronus is a doe as well. Severus has been protecting me because of my mom's blood and the bit of her personality I have." He answered with a smile of his own. It was as though he wanted to share something with me as well. But I don't want to know. Why the hell would I want to know? He's gone! He's dead! I could do nothing for him or anyone else for that matter! He's gone! I took in a couple shaky breaths and stared at Potter. Before I knew what was happening, Harry Potter, the Wizarding World's Savior, placed a chaste kiss on my lips and then turned around and walked away quickly. My lips burned but for some reason I couldn't bring myself to care. Instead I watched him go and remembered what my father taught me a very long time ago.

I'm not supposed to marry for love; I'm only supposed to marry for social standing and purity. That is all. My mother and father grew to love each other and then they loved and cherished me. I could try growing to love Pansy with her clean social standing (her family stayed out of the war somehow) and her purity in blood, or I could allow myself to love Harry Potter with his hero status and purity of heart. I could do this but I don't deserve him. It's sick and twisted for a puppet to even consider being with him, but I will if my parents hear of it and I won't stop until I have him. He kissed me. And my parents' wishes come first.

I don't love Harry Potter, but I could, and I daresay my family would want me to.

But must I always stay a puppet?

When the game began to take place two weeks later, none of us said a word to each other. The whole team seemed frightened, almost pale as death, waiting for this match to be over when it hasn't even started. But then again... it's not hard to figure out why. I, held onto my broomstick so tightly that my knuckles turned white and my hands numb. Today is not a very good day.

The crowd was cheering and roaring with excitement, but the cruelest thing in the world was the simple fact that the only people on the Slytherin stands were actual Slytherins. No past players have come to watch, no parents, and the only teacher on that side would be Slughorn, who appeared to want to be on the other side as well. It was pathetic and cruel how much everyone seemed to blame us but I knew that my team had to win no matter what. When the game started I immediately began my search for the snitch just as Blaise scored a goal for my team. I've already informed everyone that we must not cheat at all today; we have to show them that we're good. We aren't bad. We're just kids after all.

I saw a glint of gold and dived for it, Potter must be distracted or something because it took him almost ten seconds to realize I was diving for the snitch. He raced after me with a determined look on his face but it was obvious I'm going to win. Blaise and the new girl scored another goal for us making the Slytherins cheer, but they were barely heard over all the booing. Reaching out my hand I felt my insides freeze in anticipation of finally catching the snitch.

It's so beautiful with its cold gold coloring and the intricate designs on the sphere, the ball's pretty gold wings beating rapidly to make it swift and almost uncatchable to anyone but a trained seeker. I've been waiting my whole life to be the one to do this and now I'm finally going to be able to, with or without my parents being here to witness it. The dive down was steep and the wind seemed ready to dry out my eyes if they didn't rip them from my sockets first. That didn't matter though, all that did was the fact that I'm close... and I've never even been close.

I smirked smugly and held my hand out as far as I could, the wind blowing my hair in a messy tangle of blond locks. All cheering and voices stopped suddenly. The world itself seemed to go quiet in shock. I landed heavily on the ground, my leg feeling distorted and odd but I ignored it and held up the beautiful golden ball that was held firmly in my grasp. Harry Potter landed beside me with a grin on his pale face as he patted my back and pulled me up so everyone could see that I have the snitch. Everyone seemed to be stumped as to why the Golden Boy would be happy for me to win, but that didn't keep the Slytherin House from cheering for me. I frowned suddenly and looked over at him with my busted leg lying dead on the grass on the grass.

"Did you let me..?" I asked in a choked whisper but he just shook his head with his eyes wide.

"I didn't, in fact I was feeling bad since I knew I was going to win when you looked like a wreck trying to get it. Draco, you looked so happy it almost killed me to take it from you, but the snitch swerved making me almost crash but you stayed on it and won. Sadly my broom knocked into yours making you fall but hey, you won. Great job," He cheered and patted my back as a stretcher came for me along with my teammates.

"That was amazing!" Blaise cried while Goyle lifted me onto the stretcher to go to the Hospital wing. Blaise was too busy blubbering and telling anyone near us exactly how I did it, somehow involving a fight with Potter and several bludgers trying to take my head off. I didn't mind all the bragging though. I felt even better than when I used the Euphoria potion.

Someone apparently decided to write an owl to my parents because that night as my leg was being reconstructed (apparently I had ripped a few tendons when I broke some of my bones) I had received a letter of congratulations; apparently I had exceeded their expectations of me.

Mother wanted to make sure that Madam Pomfrey is doing her job well and father wanted to emphasize the need for me to bring my status up. Sighing to myself I replied as briefly as I could.

Dear Mother and Father,

Madam Pomfrey is making this painless and a lot better than I thought she could. Yes I am trying to bring up our status and I believe a friendship with Harry Potter is on the way. There will probably be a picture in tomorrow's paper with Harry Potter patting my back as he smiled at my victory. We have been hanging out together some and I do believe we will be well off soon enough.

Sincerely,

Draco.

I glared at the letter and sent it knowing it was complete and total bull. Of course I stated the facts but I said it in such a way that implied that Potter and I are actually acting like friends. Not really. The talk about Severus was probably one of the longest conversation we've ever had. But I doubt it will go on for much longer. School will be ending soon and then he'll be off to be an Auror in training and I will just be a Potions shop owner. Father will probably build a store in Hogsmeade and I'll make that my place of residence and work. I won't go in the Ministry because that will just make us seem power hungry, being a humble Potion store owner is a much better idea for making my family seem relatively harmless.

I heard the door to the Hospital wing open quietly making me curious, who would sneak in here after hours? Besides it's around the time Filch and prefects are stalking the corridors looking for troublemakers. Of course I had forgotten the one person who never seems to get caught. Looking up I smirked widely at a nervous student who looked about ready to throw up, but still managed to stand straight and tall in an attempt to look calm. Brave little fool.

"Hello Potter, what can I do for you this evening?"