In Turn

Silly of me for thinking honesty and friendship were important these days. The new trend is all about being secretive and shady.

Draco watched his father step from the tent. His mother waited a beat and turned around. "Draco, you must stay here. You will be safe if you stay inside this tent. Do you understand?"

"Yes, mother."

When he'd agreed to stay in the tent, he hadn't realized that hell was occurring just outside of it. Nor that it would be set on fire by one of his father's associates. His mother would be furious. The tents all around him were burning. Draco scrambled out of the tent and took off toward the forest. He would find a place near there and wait for things to die down. He could wait for it to end.

The tents he ran by were all on fire. It wasn't until he ran several rows away that the tents were still untouched. Nobody here had noticed what was happening just a few rows over.

Fear was creeping up his throat, making it tight. He fumbled in his robes as he ran and pulled out his wand. Even as he ran he racked his brain for a spell to alert the sleeping fans that hadn't noticed anything amiss.

Just as he settled on a spell, an explosion sounded behind him. He turned and watched in horror as the fire licked the sky where their tent had been. Even in the growing light of the fire, he could see people floating in the air. Quidditch fans all around him started looking out their tents at the noise. To his mortification, Draco retched before taking off for the forest again.

This isn't what he wanted.

/

He'd tried to warn those stupid Gryffindors to get Granger out of sight. Well, maybe he hadn't handled it well. He was still shaking, his hands were clammy and his face felt hot. How was he supposed to warn them in a way that they would have believed? He wasn't. They would never believe warnings from him.

This isn't what he wanted.

Crunch! And suddenly, Draco was a human again instead of a ferret. His entire body ached as he stumbled away from that lunatic. Everyone was laughing at him.

Draco couldn't help it, he ran. Crabbe and Goyle tried to follow him, but he shook them off once they arrived at the entrance hall. Hopefully no one would see him sneak to the hospital wing.

Madam Pomfrey was, gratifyingly enough, horrified on his behalf. He had a broken arm, dislocated shoulder, and cracks upon cracks in his ribs. She bustled about, forcing potions down his throat and muttering darkly under her breath.

She didn't even blink an eye when he quietly asked her not to inform his parents. Madam Pomfrey was good that way.

In turn, he didn't complain when she told him he would be staying in the hospital wing for the rest of the evening and to sit down, young man, before you pass out.

That was good advice, especially after he sat on the bed and the room tilted at the oddest angle.

Blaise was taking a nap in a chair next to his bed when Draco woke up. It was a big squishy chair, one of Theo's specialties. Theo himself was sitting in another one on the other side, reading a book. He looked up at Draco after Draco shifted uncomfortably.

"Draco." He sounded relieved. "You're awake. Madam Pomfrey said she gave you enough sleeping potion to keep you asleep until tomorrow morning, but I'd hoped…"

Draco nodded, wincing when a headache bloomed in his temples.

"I heard about it from Goyle. Moody turned you into -"

"Do not say it."

Theo studied his face, Draco hated when he did that. "I wasn't going to make fun of you, mate. With how Goyle was carrying on about it, you're lucky to be alive."

Draco had worse pain before, and Theo understood that. But this had been unexpected, and from a professor, albeit an insane one. He never thought he'd be grateful for McGonagall stepping into anything.

"Yes." What else was there to say?

"Draco, there was internal damage, according to Pomfrey."

Internal damage? What - Theo must have seen the panic on his face because he cut Draco off before he could start truly making a fuss.

"She fixed it. You're going to be fine. That's why she gave you something to make you sleep, she said she needed to work on you without you freaking out."

"Oh. Good, then."

"You're taking this well." Theo glanced at Blaise, who was still asleep, "you know, considering you could tell your father and he would surely do something."

"No!" Draco's throat tightened. He dug his fingernails into his palms and concentrated on his pounding head for a moment. "No. I asked her not to say anything, and you shouldn't either."

"Why would I talk to your father?" They met eyes. No. Theo understood Draco's situation - Draco's father - better than anyone. He hoped.

"Theo, do not say anything to anyone." Theo held up his hands in defeat.

"I wasn't planning on it."

That settled, Draco cast his mind about for something else to talk about. "What time is it?"

Theo checked his watch. "One."

"In the morning?"

"Yes, you dolt."

Draco bristled. How was he supposed to know he'd been asleep all day? Theo and Blaise were sitting next to his bed, it's not like the windows were visible from where he lay. Theo had those stupid lights floating around, so maybe that should have tipped him off. "Why are you two still here?"

"Snuck in. Didn't want to take the energy to sneak back out. I had reading to do." Theo held up his book, letting Draco squint at the cover. The Healer's Helpmate.

"Light reading?"

"The lightest."

They weren't talking again. The boys. Hermione would try to be a pillar of support for Harry, but she knew she wasn't Ron. She held a stack of toast and grinned a tiny grin at her friend. "I figured we could have a picnic outside."

The look of relief in Harry's eyes made her want to cry. Her friend had the worst luck in the entire world. Seriously. He was cursed into competing in a tournament that was, frankly, out of his league. On top of that, everyone thought he somehow tricked the cup, fixed the tournament in a fit of attention-seeking behavior. Ridiculous. She couldn't change public opinion, but she could make sure Harry Potter ate food and had someone to sit next to in classes or at meals and was mostly prepared for this stupid, stupid tournament.

She could have stomped her foot in frustration.

She tried it out while talking Ron, trying to talk sense into him; but apparently, foot-stomping had absolutely no effect on the redhead.

Hermione watched Harry glare at the lake as she conjured a jar to hold bluebell flames. It was obvious someone was trying to harm her best friend, and she couldn't let that happen. But she had no idea how to protect him from his friends, let alone his enemies. Having his friends shun him was probably more painful for Harry. Well, not her. She knew what it was like to be alone against the world, and Harry had turned that around for her. She would never let Harry face life alone.

"Accio!" The voice was coming from a door down a side corridor. Funny, he didn't remember there being a classroom there. Draco turned toward the door and crept up to it slowly.

"That's it, Harry! You've got it!" No. Granger. It was as if little warning bells went off in his head - Danger! Do not proceed unless prepared to torment your peers! Danger! - but that spell was a little advanced, wasn't it? He already read the entire charms book more the year, and Accio was not in it. He opened the door slowly, just a crack. Just to see.

Potter stood on one side of a large room, wand pointed toward Granger, who stood on the opposite side.

"Do you suppose we should try something heavier? Or from farther away?"

Potter, back facing the door, shrugged. "Let's go with heavier, I guess. We can't practice out of this room and, really, if I haven't got it now, I don't think I will."

Granger indicated a desk sitting next to her. Had that been there before? "Summon the desk."

Potter did. It flew toward him, he jumped out of the way before it crashed into him. Too bad.

"Great, Harry! Great. You'll be fine. You will. Do you want to keep practicing or sleep?"

"Let's keep practicing."

Draco eased the door closed and strode toward the library. Why were they practicing that charm, of all the advanced charms they could be practicing?

They cheated.

They had to have cheated. Draco glowered at Potter as he flew up and away from the dragon, obviously trying to get the beast to leave the nest. It was a good strategy, but he was still furious.

They knew beforehand that Potter would need his broom. And Granger helped him practice a skill that he didn't already have because they knew he would need his stupid broom.

Draco was furious.

Back in the Great Hall at dinner, Potter, once again, was everyone's favorite person. The boy who lived. The youngest seeker in a century. The boy who fought a dragon on a broom and won because he's so amazing. The cheater.

Stupid Potter.

The student sitting next to him jostled his pumpkin juice. "Watch it!"

Draco knew he couldn't complain to Blaise or Theo about it, but Crabbe and Goyle would listen to him without talking back.

Could he handle Crabbe and Goyle following him around all year and not talking back? He might have to, but they were terrible conversationalists. They just stood there like statues, grunting in agreement every now and then. Not that he needed conversation, mind. Some intellectual stimulation would be nice, though. He'd dealt with the two great lumps all through the beginning of the school year. He'd thought, after the ferret thing, they would stick around. But Blaise and Theo had given him an ultimatum. Honestly, he hadn't been sure how to react for so long, he'd let it drag out.

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend of the year, and nearly everyone was in bed, exhausted from running around the village earlier that day. Draco lounged on his throne in front of the fire while chatting with Blaise and Theo.

"Draco, shut it."

Draco, mostly out of surprise, did stop talking. Theo had never snapped at him like that before, he was usually content to just tune Draco out. He looked over at the couch where Theo sprawled out, arm over his eyes.

"Excuse me?" His voice, to his chagrin, had slipped right out of the affected drawl he normally used at school. Really, though, Theo just snapped at him!

"Draco, mate, I think what Theo is trying to say -"

"No, Blaise, don't put words in my mouth. Draco, stop complaining about Potter and his band of merry misfits. There are other things to talk about, truly."

Blaise grumbled a bit, but added, "That's what I was going to say, mostly."

Theo snorted and raised his arm off his face to look at Draco. "If you can't talk about something else, anything else, I'm not going to listen anymore." He sat up and peered intently at his friend, elbows resting on his knees.

"I am not -"

"That bad?" Blaise asked. "Yeah, actually, mate, you are. Did you know my mother has married again?"

Draco tried to conceal his shock. "Yeah, again. And this bloke is a rotter. Probably won't last a year. But you haven't stopped complaining about Potter long enough for me to get a word in edgewise about it. And Theo -"

"Don't put words in my mouth, Blaise. My stories to tell, not yours."

Blaise closed his mouth, eyes tightening.

Draco waited, but Theo didn't elaborate. His friend wasn't going to tell him until he vowed to stop, what, complaining?

"This is ridiculous."

Theo threw his hands up, and Draco knew that was the wrong thing to say. He watched as his lanky friend stood up. "I'll be up in the room. Draco, I do not want to hear another-effing-word about Harry-effing-Potter. I need a break from it. Don't complain to me. If that's all you can do don't talk to me."

And with that Theo loped out of the room and up the stairs to their dorm room.

Draco looked at Blaise in shock.

"Draco, mate, Theo had a bad summer."

Draco felt his face screw up, Theo thought he was the only one with a Father that -

"No, I know what you're thinking. I know, trust me. But you didn't even ask. Not once."

Of course he asked how Theo's summer went. On the train… Draco cast his mind back to boarding the train with Crabbe and Goyle behind him. He'd found Blaise and Theo in a compartment and had… complained about Potter taking up space on the train.

"Frankly, I'm pretty tired of hearing about Potter as well. I'm going to bed."

Draco sat in his chair, watching his friend slip out of the room.

If it weren't so beneath him, Draco might have cried. After the transforming into a ferret incident, he thought... He wanted his friends. Wanted them to like him and stick around, but he didn't know if they were truly his friends. Wasn't sure who was reporting back to his Father. Crabbe and Goyle maybe, but he wasn't sure. He just… wasn't sure.

Well, he was tired of not talking to his dorm mates. His friends. Maybe he could complain about Potter less and, to make up for the reduction in noise he could pick on them often enough for everyone to just know. If enough people saw, word would get around and his father would be informed of his actions.

He could pick on Granger more. He shrank back from that thought. He'd held off bullying her as much as he thought he safely could, but eventually his Father would expect more. She had punched him, after all, and his Father hadn't said anything about it, but had, over the summer, taught him lessons about weakness and self-defense. He shuddered.

The Weasleys were good targets, but the risk-reward ratio was poor. There were a lot of Weasleys and those twins would get back at him.

The summer had been bad. Very bad. If his father was so tense, Theo's dad must have been awful. At least his father had his mother to temper him. Theo didn't have that. He stood up from the miserable dinner in the Great Hall. Theo usually studied in the library after dinner, and Blaise was probably with him. He'd go apologize.

He needed real conversation.

He needed real friends.

.

A/N: Hey guys!
So this story is going to veer so far from canon. It is fanfiction, but I'll just give you the warning, just in case. This story also is trying to do that thing where it just blows up and runs off out of control into Endless Chapter World, and High Word Count Land. I can't have that, so I'm wrestling with it a bit. It was really meant to be just snapshots, so we'll see what happens! Please let me know what you think, I appreciate feedback. One reviewer did comment about the flashbacks being a little confusing, was this one confusing as well? I am trying to cut those out, so let me know! There's only the one.. but I just wanted to check. Really, guys, this is me trying to develop my voice and writing style so I truly appreciate the feedback.
Ta-ta!

LL