Hey, guys. I'm sorry about this chapter. I wasn't feeling particularly inspired at the moment. I hope it turned out okay. Please review and tell me what you think of it.

Chapter 11: A trip to the Dark Side

Draco had done everything he could to make things normal again, but Harry wasn't the least bit helpful. If Draco's smirk so much as faltered, or if he looked away from Harry for a second too long, questions bombarded him in an instant. Draco had been feeling much better in the week since the last incident, but Harry couldn't seem to move on.

Draco had been busy writing a potions essay that was due the next morning in the library, when exhibit A moved towards him.

"Hey, Draco," he started, placing a quick kiss on the blonde's cheek and pulling up a chair right next to him. Harry's hot breath made its way down Draco's neck as he read Draco's essay over his shoulder. Draco rolled his eyes, spun in his chair and turned to face his boyfriend, waiting to hear what Harry had to say.

Draco crossed his eyes to look at his encroaching bangs as he attempted to blow them out of his eyes. Harry smirked and gave him some help, running his fingers through Draco's silver strands of hair and looking into his eyes. He didn't want to break this moment, but he had an idea, and needed to run it by Draco.

"I think you should go to Madame Pomfrey." Draco stared blankly back at him. "Maybe she can figure out what happened between you and Flint. You know, run some tests to make sure you're…"

"No," was the simple reply as Draco turned back to his essay. Harry sighed and placed his hand on Draco's back, rubbing it in small circles around his spine.

"Dray, I know you're embarrassed and scared, but…"

"No, Harry. You don't know. You don't know anything about it, so you can just drop the subject, okay?"

Harry was taken aback, not necessarily by the words themselves, but by the icy glare that came along with them. He felt as if he wasn't talking to his Draco anymore, but to Malfoy, his rival, his enemy. He dejectedly dropped his hand from its place on Draco's back and let it hang limp by his side. He was greatly reminded of the last argument they had, which ultimately led to this whole horrible thing with Flint in the first place.

"Think about it, okay?" he mumbled as he stood up and walked out of the library, leaving Draco alone to feel almost as badly as he had at the end of their last argument.

The truth of the matter was, Draco couldn't tell anybody about what had happened. He had cornered Flint two days after the incident, and he demanded to know what was done to him. In response, Marcus simply let a mocking laughter turn into a snarl as he walked away. He no longer believed in his theory of intimidation. If it had been true, Flint would have said so and laughed at Draco's expense. It was his silence that proved to Draco what he had hoped hadn't happened. He just didn't have the heart to tell Harry.

There was something else that kept him from running to professors for help. Slytherin as a whole already wanted to see him in as much pain as possible. If he had gotten Flint in trouble, they would have been even angrier with him. Who knows what they would do to him then?

All of this put such a weight on his shoulders that he simply wasn't an ideal person to be around. Instead of crying about it, he decided to put his old mask on. He decided to become Draco Malfoy: Slytherin Prince once again. Not in the literal sense of course, considering he was currently being shunned by his house, but his personality was slowly becoming the mirror image of his old self.

Draco wasn't sure if he should be scared of this change, or relieved. He chose to use it to his advantage. Maybe if he put on his old charade, his house would embrace him again. Not necessarily embrace, as they never embraced him to begin with… but fear. Draco wanted to be feared again. He wanted their respect. Maybe he would become normal. Normalcy was all he wanted. He was going to do everything he could to make sure he achieved it.

"So tell us again Harry. What happened with Draco?" Pansy was getting on Harry's last nerve.

"Why does it matter what he said and how he said it? Malfoy hates me. End of story. I'm over it. You guys should be too."

"Don't be daft, Harry," Blaise cut in, "You care about him just as much as we do. Look… I think I know what's going on with him. I've always been able to read Draco like a book. And by the way, Harry, don't ever call him 'Malfoy' again. Do you understand? That's a foul name we reserve for his father and his father alone. Got it?" Harry simply nodded, only because he still feared Zabini, even after months of knowing him.

"How could anyone read Mal- I mean… Draco like a book?" Ron started, with a look of confusion. "He's expressionless."

"That's what he wants everyone to think. I've known him since before he could speak. That's beside the point. Do you wanna hear what I think or not?" Everyone nodded vigorously. "He's trying to regain respect. He's trying to get back to normal. He wants to forget that all of this has happened. Unfortunately, you three," he pointed at Harry, Hermione and Ron, "aren't in his equation anymore."

"So you're telling us that he wants to just drop us all? He wants to dump us and go back to being… I'm sorry, Blaise, I have to say it… back to being Malfoy?" Hermione asked, bewildered. Zabini just nodded. Hermione flushed an angry shade of red and picked up the Marauder's map. She spun around and stomped out of the library, leaving everyone with very alarmed expressions on their faces.

"Well, Hermione's on the case. All is well. Who's up for some Wizard's Chess?" Ron asked, rubbing his hands together.

Hermione angrily pulled out the tattered parchment and mumbled, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." She tapped her foot as she searched the map for a sign of Draco. "Bingo," she said. "He's on his way to see Snape." She broke off at a run to catch him.

Panting, she caught up to Draco and spun him around by his shoulders. His icy glare made her want to cry.

"What can I do for you, Granger?" he asked, his voice dripping with venom. Then she saw it: the trademark Malfoy smirk.

"What has gotten into you?" she asked, trying not to break down and cry. She wouldn't let him know that what he was doing was killing her.

"What do you mean? If you must know, I'm going for a stroll. Now, run along, frizzy. You're boring me." He snarled and moved to walk away. He grabbed him and slammed him against the wall before he know what she was doing.

"You're not heartless. Don't pretend that you are. You aren't fooling anybody. You're just going to lose the only people who matter. You won't gain anything. You're just a coward." She hissed and he cringed. His eyes softened as she loosened her grip.

"You're right." Hermione forgot to breathe.

"Damn right I am, Draco."

"Thanks, Hermione."

"For what?"

"For not calling me Malfoy. That probably would have sealed the deal for me. You never would have gotten me back." He said with a nervous laugh.

"Well, thanks to you too, Draco."

"For what?"

"For not calling me a mudblood. That would have sealed the deal for me. And you would probably have caused me to inflict a tremendous amount of pain on you, Blondie." She giggled and ruffled his hair. A small smile emerged on his face as he stopped her from walking any further. Before she knew what was going on, she felt herself in a bone crushing embrace.

"Thanks for caring, Granger."