History
Life went on at Hogwarts, Pansy did eventually forgive him for his outburst at lunch, and he had even cornered Snape and Dumbledore to talk about Black and why they should be Worried and Very Alarmed, which they both were but hadn’t thought to tell him in light of his adventures the first day back. Hogwarts was, and remains, impenetrable. A small favor really. Defense Against the Dark Arts quickly became one of his favorite classes, never boring and with a teacher who, despite his awful robes, was kind and unusual. Maybe during Christmas break Lupin would find himself with a new wardrobe, but who’s to say.
LuLu becomes an essential part of his life. He wakes up early and plays with her, studies with her by his side, watches his friends absently pet her during conversations. One day the two of them take a walk, and when they run into Lupin and LuLu rubs all over his tattered legs, Draco can’t help but smile. He does notice that as the weather grows cooler, no doubt a result of having so many Dementors nearby, she seeks out more warmth. Staying closer to people with body heat, or lounging in front of whatever fireplace Draco is by. Perhaps he would get her a little wardrobe of her own too, a collar for one, and at least five sweaters to match it.
Quidditch starts up and Draco’s thrilled to see Flint and the crew again, easily sharing laughs and diving head first into training sessions to beat the unbeatable Potter. The practices are long and grueling, but worth every moment. His cut stops him from playing and dear Merlin had that been a conversation. He’d been forced to show Flint the wound that never really stopped bleeding and then gotten the most awkward talking to of his life, buy his captain no less.
Snape drags him to the Potions labs every Tuesday and Thursday before practice to help find a cure for his arm because, naturally, his father used some curse not even Dumbledore could figure out, so far the trial and eras weren’t going well. Draco had probably used up half the school’s reservoir of Blood Replenishing potions by now.
On Mondays and Wednesdays he would meet with Lupin to try and tackle Dementors, which wasn’t easy because he refused to use the bogart and catching real ones isn’t exactly easy work. He knows that one day Lupin will force him to face the creature, and he will...as soon as he can figure out an explanation for what he’ll see, that is. Weeks pass in flashes and before he knows it he’s waking up to one of his favorite days.
It’s the Halloween Hogsmeade weekend, and he wouldn’t miss this year’s tricks for the world.
“Really, Draco?! You know I hate peanut butter!”
Pansy, Blaise, and Draco all bust out laughing at the face Goyle pulls, Crabbe reaching over him to eat the rest of the enchanted chocolate. So far Draco had hexed twenty five students, dyed Blaise’s hair bright green for an entire hour, gotten Pansy with a laughter potion that only lasted for thirty minutes, stuck Crabbe in place for ten minutes, and left some rather saucy material open on Snape’s desk.
He himself had only gotten pranked roughly three times. Pansy with an obnoxiously loud alarm that LuLu had vehemently protested against, Blaise’s hair revenge only his had been pink, Crabbe and Goyle had teamed up on him and given him a spicy chocolate that was so hot it made his tongue go numb for a few moments.
All in a day's work, he really was having fun.
Their group crammed into one table in Honeydukes, laughing around mugs of sodas and pretending like the outside world didn’t exist. He did go ahead and buy LuLu a few sweaters just because he didn’t know when their next trip would be and he couldn’t have his little light walking around cold. Pansy and Blaise had made fun of him the whole time until they returned and saw her in a cashmere one and proceeded to melt . It wasn’t their fault, the creature really was too cute for her own good. They’re all having a great day, so perfect nothing could taint it.
Nothing except going to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast and finding out that Sirius Black, the murder out to get Potter, was in the fucking building and had ruined the Fat Lady’s painting.
“This is an issue.”
“Yeah, no fucking kidding.”
Blaise raises an eyebrow at him and fuck, he really did just say that in front of at least five people, not to mention the Great Hall is filled with listening ears and prying eyes. Draco quickly amends.
“I can’t believe we’re having to use sleeping bags of all things, how are we supposed to sleep like this? It’s cold too!”
That seems more believable for him, heads that had turned rolling their eyes and looking away. All accept the four idiots in front of him, particularly the stupid boyish grin Blaise gives him.
“Don’t worry, princess, I’ll keep you warm-”
“Get off of me!”
Pansy giggles, “Honestly, Draco, if you wanted some private time with Blaise you’ll just have to wait.”
“What a shame,” Draco deadpans back, keeping his hands against Blaise’s chest so the boy can’t reach him.
“Don’t listen to him, Pans, he’s truly heartbroken!”
Draco glares at Blaise, but it doesn’t do much besides make his friends snicker and reduce him to a smiling mess. Pansy hooks her arm into his free one, “Think about it like this, it’s still Halloween….we still have time for a few last minute pranks.”
“I think not, Miss Parkinson.” The trio turns to see Snape looming over them, eyebrow raised and sneer in place, “You’ll have to conduct your activities without Mr. Malfoy, as he will be coming with me .”
“But sir!” Blaise cries, “There’s a killer out there!”
“I am well aware of that, Mr. Zabini, are you implying that Draco is not safe with me?”
Pansy steps in to save the day, placing one perfectly manicured hand on Blaise’s chest, “Of course not, Professor, we just worry about Draco’s inability to stay out of trouble. You saw what happened at the beginning of the year, we’re just afraid he’ll get himself hurt again is all.”
Draco rolls his eyes, they sound like him with Potter. Really? Don’t they realize how overprotective they’re being? He bids them goodnight, tasking Crabbe and Goyle to look after them, and sneaks out of the Great Hall behind Snape.
“What’s the meaning of this?” Draco asks once they’re well out of earshot.
Snape whirls around to face him, dragging him to the side and leaning down so they’re eye to eye.
“Listen to me, and listen closely. Dumbledore hasn’t told you this, he doesn’t want you to be biased towards your teachers, but I think you should know all the facts.”
“The facts?”
“Yes,” Snape nods, “You see, I assume you know about the bloody Marauders, but you haven’t been told about a relationship that existed within that little group. It was kept very secret, little people know about it, and I am one of those few. Sirius Black is more to some people than they let on.”
“What do you mean?” Draco whispers back.
Snape takes a deep breath, “Sirius Black was Lupin’s lover until the moment he went to Azkaban. Tell me, Draco, wouldn’t you let your lover in to finish what he started?”
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Draco keeps a very close eye on Lupin the next few days, and dear Merlin is he starting to look bad.
The castle had been as empty as he was beginning to feel, they searched every room, every nook and cranny, even the unused and locked storage cabinets. Despite all that, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Lupin had something to do with it all. Quidditch was due to begin that Saturday, and Draco couldn’t even be happy about it.
Weirder than his sudden suspicion of Lupin was walking into Defense Against the Dark Arts and seeing Snape in place of his gruffy professor.
“Where’s Lupin?” He asked, the first in the room like always. Snape doesn’t answer, another strange occurrence.
He doesn’t find out what’s going on until the very beginning of class when the Potion’s Master very calmly and cooley said “Professor Lupin is sick today, I am your teacher. Turn to page 394”
Potter, naturally, came hurling in ten minutes late, spouting an apology to Professor Lupin only to have Snape glare him into submission. A sight to see that cheered Draco up quite nicely, until he looked down at his book and realized they were studying werewolves. What an odd thing to jump to. Was there something Snape was trying to tell them? His lessons always had a point to them and-
“A full moon is coming soon, maybe one will eat this sorry excuse you call work, Weasley .”
A full moon? Soon? So soon to Lupin being sick? And hadn’t he looked ghastly on the train, right after a full moon? What was…. Draco hangs behind after class, watching Weasley get detention only a plus for the question he’s about to ask. As soon as the door is shut and it’s just him and Snape, he speaks.
“Lupin is a werewolf, then?”
Snape nods ever so subtly, “You should be on to your next class, if you keep asking questions you already know the answers to you’ll be late.”
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Draco was, indeed, very late for his next class. So late, in fact, he accidentally missed the whole thing while he was in Dumbledore’s study.
“You mean to tell me you let a werewolf who’s in love with Sirius Black work at your school where Harry Potter, the one person Black wants to brutally murder, is?!”
“Good afternoon to you as well, Draco.”
“Headmaster,” Draco sighs, slinking down in the empty chair beside the one Dumbledore had been reading in before he stormed into the man’s office, “I respect you more than anyone in the world, I dare even say I consider you an eccentric grandfather, so please know I ask this with all the courtesy available, what were you thinking?! ”
Dumbledore gins at him, “Would you like a lemon drop before we begin?”
The question throws him off for a moment, anger forgotten, “Ah-no, not right now, I’m not hungry.”
“Very well then,” Dumbledore puts down his books, “To answer your question I need to clarify that it was Severus who told you all these facts?”
“Yes.”
“I see.” The old man waves his hand and Fawkes appears in the room, happily messing up Draco’s hair with his beak, he can’t find it in himself to stop the phoenix.
“A few things, Draco, are best to be learned about from a civil point of view. Severus has a deep hatred for those boys, he always had. It started back in their first year, as you can imagine, he was not popular among peers. I think in total he had two true friends, and one of them was lost to the group of boys, he called her that forsaken name out of anger once, and lost her forever. That combined with the bullying the boys did has tainted his view on them as people forever, but despite his opinions, I know the truth.”
“What would losing one friend matter?”
Dumbledore’s smile is sad this time. “Imagine if Miss Parkinson or Mr. Zabini were muggle-born, and that cost you their friendship.”
His life without Pansy and Blaise? “That’s unthinkable, sir, I would never lose them over something so stupid.”
“I’m sure that is what Severus thought too, and yet….”
Draco sits in silence for a moment, trying to wrap his head around a life without his friends. It’s unbearable, to say the least, so he says, “Sir. I fail to see how this affects my original question.”
“Well, the boys would play pranks on Severus, much like you Slytherins during Halloween, do not give me that look, I am old not blind. So here, after Severus has lost so much and been tormented by the boys, Lupin is back. He was very upset when I told him, but it does not change the fact that he is far too biased to make a clear judgement. It also does not change the fact that Lupin is one of the most trustworthy friends I have. His condition was gained trying to save someone he loved, could you really hold that against him?”
“Well, no sir, I guess not-”
“And you’ve seen how he cares for his students, do you really think he would put them in danger for any reason?”
“No, but-”
“Then it is settled! We have come to an agreement, now you must excuse me, I have a meeting with Severus in roughly five minutes, I would assume he is not going to be pleased that I divulged so much of his personal life to you.”
Ignoring the fact that he was very blatantly being kicked out, Draco strode out of the office still very confused, but a lot less angry. He was so deep in his thoughts about life without friends, Snape’s bullying, and Potter’s safety that he didn’t even see the boy he was walking right into.
“Ow!”
“Shit!”
The two tumbled to the floor, bags spilling all over and Marlin help him he was going to kill whatever asshole got in his way. As soon as he got through collecting his belongings he was going to-
“I believe this is yours.”
Draco looks up at the voice to see, holy mother of Salazar, the most beautiful man he’d ever seen. Unfortunately wearing Hufflepuff robes, the tall auburn-headed boy smiled at him with twinkling grey-eyes, long fingers holding out one of Draco’s notebooks.
“Are you okay? You didn’t hit your head when you fell, did you? Shall I take you to Madam Pomfrey?”
“That won’t be necessary,” Draco quickly comes to his sense with his gawking exposed, “And I do believe it was I who ran into you .”
“Is that an apology? From Malfoy?”
Merlin, he’s funny too? “If you tell anyone I’ll have to hex you, can’t have my reputation being ruined and all. I’m amazed it’s traveled so far.”
The boy flashes him that charming smile again, “We warn all our first year Huffles to be wary of you, Halloween your first year really had a few of them sacred.”
“And who do I have to thank for my infamy?” Draco asks, raising one eyebrow.
“Cedric Diggory.”
“The Hufflepuff Seeker? Merlin! I barely recognize you out of your geer!”
Cedric laughs, light and easy, “That’s Malfoy for you. I do try to stay out of trouble though.”
Lunch bells rings and Draco almost curses it. “Good luck on your game tomorrow, I hope you give Potter a run for his money.”
“That’s the plan! And don’t worry, your secret niceness is safe with me.”
Maybe Hufflepuffs aren’t bad afterall...Draco watches him walk away before realizing he’s acting like a first year with a crush, turning on his heel and marching to the lunch room so Pansy and Blaise can give him shit for missing Transfiguration. Again.
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The morning of the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff game is filled with thunder and rain so hard LuLu refuses to come out of bed. He’s half tempted to stay in with her and sleep the storm away, but he’ll be damned if he misses this game. Pansy and Blaise tag along with him, forcing Crabbe and Goyle to stay in and actually work on their assignments, not just stare at them. They all instantly regret it once they’re in the stands.
“I’m wearing two rain coats and still getting soaked!”
“We heard you the first five times, Pansy darling-”
“Shut up! It’s starting!”
His friends make faces at him from his left and right, they had teased him the entire trip down and would no doubt be teasing him the entire trip back. Draco does not squeal when the game starts, but he does get joy from seeing Potter so lost in Cedric’s wake. He is supposed to be watching the yellow Seeker, but his eyes stray back to a certain scar face eyes time. Probably, no, most definitely, because Potter will end up getting hurt. It’s raining, it’s starting to get weirdly cold, lightning blinds them every five seconds, and that is plenty for the idiot to find some cursed way to injure himself. That’s the only reason Draco can’t stop watching him, he’s sure.
It all happens in a flash. The icey hopelessness that crawls over the stadium, the black figures surrounding them all. Pansy grabs his hand, he shrinks into Blaise’s side. And then he realizes the Dementors are going into the field, right where Potter is flying up into the sky. They surround him in front of the entire arena, and then everything stops.
The Dementors are going to kiss Potter.
Or at least, that’s what it bloody looked liked, but then something worse happens and Draco can’t do anything but watch in horror, gripping his friend’s hands until it hurts as Potter falls off his broom and plummets to the ground.
He hears screaming all around him, Dumbledore casts a spell, there’s a flash of light and the Dementors are gone but Potter….
Potter is lying face up on the ground, eyes closed and mouth open, and Draco, for once in his life, can’t think of anything worse.