Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Being turned into a ferret on the second day of school had been an embarrassing affair. Even more so when no one would fire the teacher who did it. 

That's what Draco kept telling himself. It had just been embarrassing. Nothing more. That was it...

Despite how dangerous school had been every year, despite all of the bodily harm that had come to Draco before, despite the danger of just falling down a moving staircase, Draco had never felt so unsafe. 

The idea of going to Defense Against the Dark Arts class when Mad Eye Moody was still the teacher made him sick to his stomach. He had not gone to a Defense class since the beginning of the year because of it. He flinched whenever he saw the man, especially when he leered at Draco like they shared a secret. 

It reminded him of someone, but he couldn't put his finger on who. All he knew what that the nightmares that he thought he had left in his childhood of being turned in a small animal and drowned in the backyard pond had come back with a vengeance. 

Draco knew he couldn't keep missing Defense class. Snape would come to lecture him, and he didn't know if he could take that on top of everything else. Snape was not a very warm head of house. If you incurred his wrath, even as his godson, he would make you regret it for the rest of your school career. 

And that wasn't even getting into his classmates. He had heard more ferret jokes in just one day two weeks after the incident than he had heard in his entire life. Crabbe and Goyle spend time with him anymore to keep him safe, which only made him that much more terrified. 

He was scared, lonely, and he couldn't keep food down. Draco was exhausted from his nightmares and at his wit's end. 

Sometimes, a crossing thought would alert him to the fact that multiple teachers had threatened Harry Potter's life, and Potter had never gone off the deep end. Then again, he had real friends, and Malfoy could imagine that helped a lot. Those thoughts, of course, did nothing to help him at all.

Finally, Malfoy had sent a letter to his father, asking for advice. He tried to force down some simple porridge, keeping an eye on the upper windows, waiting for the owls. 

"Hey, Malfoy!" a younger Slytherin called. "Thinking about starting a business?"

He and his friend group laughed as though he had made the joke of the year, and Malfoy ignored them. 

Finally, he saw the first owl. 

They all streamed into the hall and his eagle owl was easy to see in the mass of feathers and letters. 

The owl dropped onto his shoulder and nibbled on his hair as he tore the envelope open, uncaring about what the owl did to his hair. It was messed up as it was. He had been too miserable to get up for his regular primping since the incident. He could barely get up for breakfast.

Dear Draco, 

I am afraid there is not much I can do. I have tried my best, but Auror Moody is at the school for a reason. I warned you that he would be someone to watch out for. You were meant to help him should he need it, and, instead, you crossed him. You have brought this on yourself, I fear. 

Trust that everything will clear itself up and be patient. Do not let anyone know this is getting to you, and remember that you are a Malfoy.

-Lucius Malfoy

Draco stared at the letter. He gave a hysterical laugh and stood quickly, leaving the Great hall and unbalancing his owl, who screeched and then flew off in the direction of the owlery. 

Draco could barely see through tears that had started to well up. 

Suck it up. That was basically what his father said. Suck it up and deal with it. You're a Malfoy and you are being weak and you are embarrassing me.

A sob ripped out of Draco's chest as he reached the Hogwarts entrance. He sprinted across the grounds, mindless of the cold as he raced to the lake. He crumpled up the letter and threw it as far into the Great Lake as he could when he reached it, gasping for air and crying. The paper floated on the surface, slowly turning to mush before disappearing as a tentacle dragged it under. 

Draco looked around, embarrassed and scared. He made his way to the nearest tree by the lake and threw himself down, hugging his knees to his chest and trying to hold back tears. 

He gave up, and it felt much better to just let it all out than to hold it in. He took a couple more gasping breaths, and realized someone was coming. He quickly wiped his face, trying to hide that he had been crying despite the fact that he knew his face was a splotchy red color now, and he looked over his shoulder. 

Luna Lovegood was crossing the ground and smiled and waved a dazed little wave at him when she saw him look at her. 

She reached him and smiled again. "I brought an extra cloak," she said warmly. "You left without one."

Numbly, Draco stared up at her. He wanted to snap and tell her to go away, but she didn't sound judgmental, or even sympathetic. She sounded like she was simply doing what she knew she needed to do next. Like seeing anyone run out of the Great hall meant she needed to grab her extra cloak and take it to them if it was cold outside.

Draco accepted the fabric, pulling it around his shoulders as she sat down. 

She didn't speak, didn't ask what was wrong, and she didn't even look at him. She simply watched the lake as the occasional lazy tentacle surfaced. 

"I wonder if he gets bored, or if the merfolk play with him," she wondered out loud.

"They play with him sometimes," Draco replied. "There are some glass domes in the Slytherin rooms where you can watch the merfolk and squid."

"Oh, good," Luna said dreamily. 

Silence fell again and she started humming a little. 

"Can you see the thestrals?" She asked eventually as a bell at school went off. They were both missing class now, Draco was sure of it. Everyone had a 10 O'clock class, no matter who you were or what grade you were in. 

"The- oh the thestrals. Yeah. I can."

"Oh. What do you think of them?"

Draco shrugged and didn't reply. 

Luna hummed vaguely. 

They sat there for long enough for Draco's butt to really start hurting. 

He sighed and stood up. "I shouldn't be missing class," he said quietly. 

Luna looked up at him and shrugged. "What class do you have now?"

"Charms."

"Oh, interesting. I have History of Magic. I'm not very good at that class. It's easy to lose my head."

"Yeah, it is... I'm pretty good at history of Magic if... if, you know... you need help or whatever."

Luna thought about it for a moment and nodded. "I might ask for your help, then."

The two started the walk back to the castle as Draco considered the girl next to him. He felt calmer than he had since she had carried him to the Great Hall thinking he was someone's lost ferret. She was friendly, if spacey, but maybe that's what he needed. And, most importantly, she didn't seem to have any real opinion of him. He would have hated sympathy more than he had hated the scorn and derision he had mostly experienced. 

"Do you want to be friends?"

The words were out of his mouth before he could stop him, and his stomach ached with sudden fear. 

She startled from her thoughts and looked at him, one eyebrow raised alarmingly high on her forehead. "Me? Really? Most people don't like being friends with me."

"But... that's not what I asked," he said in a tiny voice.

"I would like to be your friend, yes. I just don't want you to be disappointed."

Draco shrugged. "I just need a friend."

"Okay... I drift a lot. And sometimes I don't remember everything. And sometimes I don't listen. I'm not always here, you see."

"Oh, that's okay I think, really."

She smiled. "I will be. We have Herbology together, yes?"

"Yes, we do."

"Then I will see you then. We can sit, or rather, stand by each other. I like Herbology."

Draco nodded. "Alright. I'll see you there."

She nodded and they separated down the hall to their respective classes. 

Draco got a detention for being so late to Charms, but he didn't mind. He had a friend. 

...........................................

Draco made his way to Herbology, for the first time excited rather than dreading the class. He usually didn't like it as he didn't like the feeling of dirt on his fingers or sticky sap gluing them together slightly, never mind what some of the plants could do to his hair, but this time he was ecstatic. 

He reached the greenhouses and stepped into the damp warmth, looking around until he spotted Luna. 

Her hair had frizzed up terribly in the humidity, but it didn't seem to bother her as she gave him a sleepy wave. 

"I'm here right now," she declared as he approached. "Which is good. I hate it when I am not here while here in Herbology."

Draco nodded, uncertain of what exactly she meant but happy for her anyway. 

"Oh hey! It's ferret boy!" a Ravenclaw boy called and the Slytherins laughed. 

"Did you get lost on your way? Had to hunt rabbits this morning?"

Draco tried to ignore them, keeping his eyes on one of Luna's many strange pins. "Um, are you doing anything after class?"

"Mmmmm, I thought I would go to the kitchens and have a snack with Gwen. You remember her, right?"

"Yes, she stopped Moody," Draco said with a shiver. 

"Right. Well, she and I have become.... kind of friends, I think? Hufflepuffs will pack bond with anything and anyone, though. I'm not sure if she sees me as close a friend as I might see her. Would you like to come? I don't think she would mind."

"I would," Draco said, relieved. He didn't want to be alone after class again. There was nothing to do but hide in his room with his four poster bed curtains closed. He didn't even mind the idea of hanging out with a Hufflepuff. He was just so desperate for some kind of connection.

Luna smiled. 

The lesson went fair enough. Draco still hated the feeling of the dirt, and so much sap got on his pinky and ring finger that it hurt to pry them apart after, but he would survive. Luna spelled his hands clean for him, and they left quickly, walking back up to the castle. 

"I meet Gwen by the portrait," Luna said warmly. "And we wait till all of the younger years are out of sight. They're not supposed to know about the kitchens because they don't have any self control."

Draco nodded as he followed Luna to the portrait of a bowl of fruit. They only had to wait a couple of minutes when they heard Gwen coming. 

She was a tall and broad girl with her hair cut short and earrings that matched the ones Luna was wearing. 

"Sorry, got caught up," Gwen panted. "

"You wore the earrings I gave you!" Luna said, sounding surprise. 

"Well, yeah! I love them," Gwen said. "These, uh.... Not radishes... Uhhhh you told me what they were yesterday."

"Dirigible plums," Luna said helpfully. 

"Yeah! I think they're fun. Oh! And you brought Malfoy."

Draco gave a half shrug as Luna said, "He and I are friends now and he wanted to know what I was doing. Is it okay if he comes with us?""

"Oh, yeah, it's totally fine," Gwen said, smiling at Draco. "You feeling alright, by the way?"

Draco looked away. He didn't want to see sympathy or pity in her eyes. He just shrugged. 

"That good, huh?" Gwen asked with a laugh. "Well, if you ever wanna talk about it, I'm here. That was messed up what happened, you know, and all those stupid ferret jokes. Like, get a life, right?"

Draco looked up and was surprised by her expression. It wasn't pity or sympathy. It was similar but more genuine. More supportive. 

"Yeah," he said. "I... It's been tough."

"They'll forget about it eventually, and now you know who your real friends are," she said. "That's more important than anything really."

"Well, I found out I don't have any friends," Draco said. He had been trying to go for a bitter, ironic tone, but he was mortified when his voice shivered and cracked. His eyes brimmed with tears again as his own words bought on emotions he wasn't ready to examine.

"That's not true," Luna said, leaning slowly to bump against him. "We're friends now."

Draco let his breath out slowly, barely not to let it hitch. After another one he said, "Yeah. Okay."

Gwen nodded and patted his shoulder. 

"Here, this will make you feel better."

She reached up and tickled the pear with one finger. It, disconcertingly, squirmed and laughed and the portrait swung inward. 

Chapter Text

The three stepped into the kitchen where house elves bustled back and forth, overwhelming Draco with the sheer amount of movement going on.

Gwen gave him a sharp look and said, "I'm only saying this because some other pure bloods came in here and then got banned for the rest of school, not cause I think you would do anything. You can't be rude to the elves here, alright? You have to treat them like people cause they are."

Draco nodded quickly. He knew his father had a disdain for house elves, but Dobby had practically raised him for a while when his father was busy with the Ministry and his mother was ill. He wouldn't disrespect any house elf. 

Actually, speaking of-

Dobby, head adorned with stacked hats, came running over and smiled at Draco. 

"Master Malfoy! Oh Dobby is excited to see you!"

"Hi Dobby," Draco said. "I, uh, I like your hats?"

"Thank you! The students makes them for me!"

He beamed at them before he asked, "Do you want snacks?"

"Yes please," Gwen said. "We'll have the usual platter, if it's not too much trouble. It's big enough for three."

Dobby bowed, his hats tilting ominously. "Dobby will get that for you! No worry!"

He ran off and Draco watched him go, intrigued. 

"You know Dobby?" Gwen asked. 

"Um, he used to be the, um, to work at my house," Draco said. "Potter did something to get him free and I haven't really seen him since. He looks happy."

"Oh.... Well, he's an interesting one. He loves being a free elf. I mean, all the elves that work at Hogwarts are free elves, but he gets very excited about it and wears it very loudly and proudly. I think one third of the clothing laid out for the elves around Christmas are for him."

"I lay some out sometimes," Luna said. "I believe Jenka is wearing something from me over there."

Draco looked, and now that it had been pointed out, he realized all of the elves were wearing at least one piece of clothing, though only Dobby wore a stack of hats and layers of socks. 

Dobby came back with a platter, grinning from ear to ear. "Here you are!"

"Thank you Dobby," Gwen said, accepting the tray. 

Dobby bowed again and this time a hat did fall off, which he scooped up cheerfully. "Anything else Dobby can do for you?"

"Oh, no, this is plenty. Bye, Dobby."

Luna and Draco echoed her before they left the kitchen. Draco felt he should have stayed and talked to Dobby more, but he couldn't figure out what he would have said.

"I was thinking we could eat in the Hufflepuff common room if you guys don't have another place in mind," Gwen suggested. 

"I wanted to see the lake domes," Luna said, looking at Draco. 

Draco cringed. "Those are in the Slytherin common rooms, and if I took you two in there I would be dead by morning."

"Hufflepuff it is, then."

Gwen led the way down the hall to another portrait, gave the password so Luna and Draco could hear, and opened the door. 

The Hufflepuff common room was cozy and comforting. It reminded Draco a little of a grandmother's living room with auburn carpets and soft yellow lighting. The couches were huge, the chairs were comfortable looking, and the beanbags were big enough to act as a bed. There was a huge pile of blankets stacked in the corners of the room, and bookshelves lined with study guides, well worn novels, and advice books. 

"The table over there should be free," Gwen said, gesturing. 

Draco felt out of place for a moment, but then he saw members of other houses hanging out with their Hufflepuff friends too. He even saw a couple of Slytherin who gave him a friendly wave. They were all either way older or way younger than him so he didn't know them very well, but he gave a tentative wave back. 

They sat down and Gwen smiled, waving her hand over the platter of small cookies, meats, cheeses, fruits, and crackers. 

"Bone apple teeth," she said, which got a laugh from Luna before they started snacking. 

Draco happily made his way through the grapes as Gwen asked Luna, "Have you been pretty much in your body today?"

"I think so. I think Draco has helped a little."

Draco was shocked by the absolute beam of a smile Gwen shot his way. 

"I'm glad to hear it."

"So... what does that mean?" Draco asked, hoping it wasn't a rude question. "Not being in your body, I mean."

"Do you want to tell him, or me?" Gwen asked, and Luna gestured to Gwen.

"I like how you explain it better."

"She has some sort of dissociative disorder," Gwen said. "The healers aren't sure what because her magic seems to play a part in it somehow. It means that she sometimes doesn't feel like Luna. Like she is something separate from Luna Lovegood and she's just drifting around watching Luna Lovegood doing things. Or she feels like Luna, but that the place she's in isn't real. Like she could be sitting in class, but it feels like she's just dreaming about sitting in class or something, and not a whole lot of it make sense."

"Is there a way to fix it?" Draco asked, confused. "Magically, I mean?"

"Most everything they tried made it worse," Luna said dreamily. "I used to be present most of the time, but now.... it's harder. It's a lot harder. I manage though, and it's sometimes fun. It just means that I have to work harder and I can't really live alone. The more time that passes since those attempted treatments, the clearer I become, though, so I'm sure I'll be fine in a few years or so."

"Oh... Okay. So that's what you meant earlier."

She nodded. 

"She tries to let people around her know when she's slipping," Gwen said. "That way people can keep an eye on her just in case."

"I almost fell off the moving stairs once because I just knew I could walk on the air beyond. Like it was an invisible pathway," Luna said. "But a classmate stopped me, so I was fine."

Draco shook his head, a little horrified, but Luna and Gwen didn't seem that bothered so he tried to keep it to himself. 

"Alright. Will you tell me too, when we're hanging out?"

"I will," Luna said with a smile before biting into a small brownie. 

"I noticed you weren't in Defense the other day," Gwen said to Draco gently. "Did you get exempt after what happened?"

Draco looked down and shook his head. "Um... No, I didn't. I just.... I can't go."

"Have you talked to your head of house?"

Draco gave her an unamused look and she gave him an honest one. "I'm serious. You should. Professor Snape isn't that bad, actually. I have his higher level potions class and he's actually really chill when he's sure his students won't blow things up."

Draco shook his head. "I just can't."

"Would you like us to go with you?" Luna asked. "He's gentle with me because of my condition, if that helps."

"Is that... allowed?" Draco asked. 

Luna giggled. "If you're going to be spacey, you might as well get to use it to make things easier for yourself and your friends."

Draco shivered a little with an emotion he didn't fully recognize before he slowly nodded. "Okay. If you were with me."

"Let's head out. Grab some snacks for the road," Gwen said, pushing the platter in his direction. 

He took a handful of grapes and a few cookies as Gwen called to nearby puffs that there was free food that needed to be eaten before the three of them left. 

The farther down they walked, the more nervous Draco got. 

"I don't know about this," he whispered, and Gwen patted his shoulder. "You'll be alright. Come on."

They stood in front of Snape's office and Gwen asked the portrait politely to let him know they were there. 

Draco was glad for how much taller Gwen was than him as he stood slightly behind her with Luna hemming him in to keep him from running. 

"What do I even say?" he asked desperately. 

"I can handle it for you," Gwen said. "I do this all the time for younger puffs."

"But this isn't-"

The portrait swung open and the three of them heard Professor Snape tell them to enter. 

Draco shivered, taking a step back, but Luna gently propelled him forward after Gwen. 

"Ah, Miss Hardy," Snape said slowly. "To what do I-"

His eyes landed on Draco, who felt pinned under his godfather's gaze. 

Snape looked between the three of them again, like he was doing a mental tally and something wasn't coming up correctly. Gwen took advantage of the silence with a friendly smile and a confident attitude and said, "Hello, Professor. Sorry to bother you, but Luna and I became friends with Draco recently and there's some stuff we think you should know about."

"Yes, I have been meaning to speak with him. I assume this is about all of his missed classes and poor grades."

Draco tried not shrink under Snape's gaze, swallowing hard. 

"I have not yet told your father the extent of the damage," Snape said icily, "But I assure you he will hear if this continues for-"

"Professor," Gwen said, somehow interrupting him without earning herself a glare. "That is what we're here to talk about, in a way, but it's more than that. Draco was turned into a ferret and bounced quite hard against the walls before I could stop Professor Moody, and then he had to navigate the castle as an injured animal. I think he is understandably still dealing with the mental repercussions of that, and no one has offered help. Not to point fingers, but I do believe that it is the head of house that is supposed to offer support in these things. I know that being the head of house means you probably don't have all the time in the world, though, so that's understandable, really."

Snape stared at her for a long moment. Instead of assigning her the detention Draco expected, he said, "I... see."

"What I'm trying to get at is that it is unfair to treat Draco like nothing is wrong and to force him to go to a class taught by someone who actively hurt him," Gwen said with a shrug. "I'm sure you have better resources and experience for this, but if you need suggestions, I would be happy to provide some."

Snape sneered. "I am sure I can handle it, Miss Hardy."

Gwen nodded. 

"If you and Miss Lovegood would leave, I would like to speak with Mr. Malfoy alone."

Draco stiffened, glancing at Gwen, who gave him an apologetic look. 

"Can't I have-" Draco started, but the scathing look he got from Snape shut him up. 

"We'll wait for you outside," Gwen said softly.

Luna patted his shoulder before stepping out through the portrait with Gwen.

Chapter Text

"Sit."

Draco came around the chair in front of Snape's desk and did so, looking down at his knees. 

"Why didn't you come to me instead of telling people outside of our house what was going on?" Snape asked. His voice was a little gentler than before, but not by much. 

Draco shrugged slightly. "I just..." 

Draco shrugged again and Snape bared his teeth. 

"Stop with that shrugging! You are not a toddler. Explain clearly why you didn't come to me."

"Cause I didn't think you would help," Draco snapped. 

He froze a little, tense as Snape's eyes searched him thoroughly. 

"I see," he said slowly. "What did you think would come of telling me, then?"

"I thought you would have... I don't know, said the same thing as my father."

"And what did your father say? Despite what you might think, we do not correspond regularly."

Draco swallowed and said, "He... I asked for advice and he sent a letter telling me to ignore it and to just get over it. I've tried, of course. I know this is unbecoming of a Malfoy, but...." Draco couldn't really voice all of the things that had piled up enough to cause his inability to go to class or pay attention. He was tired, and sick of Moody leering at him in the hall. He was tired of the jokes and he was terrified of the realization that he didn't have any real friends and that he had to go make some outside of his own house. He was tired and sick and hungry despite the snack he had earlier. It had been the only substantial thing he'd eaten in about a week. He sometimes felt like he couldn't breathe, but by the time he reached Madam Pomfrey the feeling would go away. 

He didn't feel safe. 

Snape sighed. "What would have to change for you to go to class? Keep in mind that you have to make some compromises. I am not Headmaster, after all. And even the Headmaster has to listen to the Board of Directors."

Draco nodded. "Um.... I... I just can't go to Professor Moody's classes," Draco whispered. "I tried, I promise I tried so hard. I almost got there on Thursday, but I just got so dizzy and I couldn't breathe and I threw up, but when I went to Madam Pomfrey she said I wasn't sick and that it might be a reaction to the ferret medicine, but that was two weeks ago, and I feel so bad every time I think about him! I can't! I heard he performs spells on students to teach them what it feels like. If I did manage to make it to class he might pick me every time he wanted to demonstrate a spell! What if he hurts me and no one cares because it was to teach me something!?"

Draco grabbed at the front of his school robes, tugging at them desperately as his breathing started to go raspy. "I can't! And he keeps staring at me and he just grins like he's going to do something worse! And no one cares! They all think it's funny!"

Draco swiped at his cheek, his breathing becoming even more uneven and he felt like he was going to throw up as tears fell from his eyes. 

"No one will help me," he whined, despite how his father would have smacked him for it. "I'm so scared and no one is helping me except a Ravenclaw with a disorder and a Hufflepuff!"

Draco lunged for Snape's bin as his stomach revolted, and he threw up, crying and trying to get his breathing to make some sort of sense, but his diaphragm spasmed uselessly in his chest. 

He felt someone touched his shoulder, pulling him up and putting a vial against his lips. He flinched back, shaking his head unseeingly, but the vial tipped into his open mouth and something sweet and bitter touched his tongue. He swallowed convulsively, and the fog started to clear, his emotions stepping away as though to catch a breather. He felt them all in the distance, but he himself wasn't having to experience them at the moment. 

He took deeper breaths and wiped his mouth, the taste of vomit mixing badly with the Calming Draught as Snape crouched by him, face drawn up in concern. 

It was a weird expression to see on Snape's face, and Snape seemed mildly uncomfortable with the emotion as well. 

"I will.... Hmm... I will excuse you from Professor Moody's classes for the time being," Snape said. "You will come to me to receive your assignments for his class, and you will be expected to take the tests he gives and pass them. I would suggest finding some peers who would share their notes with you or show you what he has been teaching."

Draco stared at him and nodded distantly. 

"I will ensure you are never alone with Professor Moody as much as I can, though you may want to travel with friends," Snape said darkly. "The man has a habit of disappearing and reappearing where you don't want him. You will be required to get your grades back up in other classes, understand? And if you ever start feeling like this again, go straight to Madam Pomfrey and tell her you are are having a panic attack."

"What's a panic attack?" Draco asked thickly, still a little in shock. 

"What you just had. It is panic manifesting as physical symptoms. It can be very detrimental to your health."

Draco nodded faintly. 

"Do you have any classes left for today?"

Draco shook his head. 

Snape nodded. "Alright. When the Calming Draught wears off-"

"My emotions will return and I will have to deal with them," Draco said, sounding much better even to himself. "So it's better to be asleep when they come back. I have a half hour?"

"An hour," Snape said. "I keep stronger Draughts here."

Draco nodded. He was certainly tired enough to sleep. 

He glanced at the bin and it's contents before another thought struck him. His father. Draco had to be excused from classes because he was too scared to go to them. He had cried and thrown up in front of Snape. He was scared of going back down to the dungeons to get to bed in case anyone saw his splotchy face. 

What would his father do to him when he found out?

If he hadn't already had a Calming Draught, he would have had another panic attack right there. 

"My father," Draco said, grabbing at his own robes again. "He's going to kill me when he finds out!"

"I doubt he would kill you," Snape said. He muttered something that sounded like, "They had a hard enough time producing you in the first place."

Draco shook his head. "You don't understand! If he finds out I am done for! I don't even know what he would do! I've never messed up this badly before."

"You... Told him Professor Moody was the one who did this to you, did you not?"

"Of course! He just told me to deal with it."

"I'm surprised he didn't try to get Moody removed," Snape said, as though he was trying to figure out where a puzzle piece went. 

He was silent for a moment before he shook his head. 

"I will not tell your father if you don't. You are coming to that age where you must learn to start keeping secrets from your parents."

"What?" Draco asked, shocked. 

Snape just shrugged. "It's an unspoken truth that teenagers can and will keep secrets from their parents. It is the natural state of the world."

"You don't understand. He will find out! My classmates will notice I am gone from Professor Moody's class and they will tell their parents and their parents will tell him!"

Snape sighed. "Surrounded by spies on all sides.... When he becomes angry, I will handle it for you, Draco. Leave it to me and try not to worry about it. Now, get out of here and go to bed."

Draco bit his lip and nodded, getting to his feet. 

"Thank you," he mumbled. 

Snape nodded and Draco left quickly. 

He was surprised to find Luna and Gwen waiting for him in the hall despite how they said they would wait for him. 

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked. "You look rough."

Draco didn't have the energy to be offended by that comment. 

"I had a panic attack," he said quietly. "Professor Snape gave me a Calming Draught so I need to go to bed before it wears off."

"Oh, cool. We'll walk you to your dorm, then," Gwen said. "And I can go talk to Madam Pomfrey about getting a couple of Soothing Draughts to keep with you. They're kind of like Calming Draughts, but a lot weaker, and they slowly soothe your emotions a bit before giving them back to you gently enough for you to handle them. A lot of 5th and 7th years use them around exam season. I have a couple for myself."

"Oh... Thank you."

Gwen nodded. 

Luna tagged along, but there was something distant in her eyes, and she only vaguely looked at Draco when he said her name. 

"She's not here right now," Gwen said. "She was remarkably present for most of today, though, which is better than usual."

Draco nodded, watching Luna as she followed behind like a sleepy cat. 

They reached the Slytherin common room portrait and Draco stopped. 

He stared at it for a long time before he said, "I wish you two could come with me."

"Do you have any friends in there that might be able to keep you company?"

Draco, once again glad that the Draught was keeping his emotions far away, shook his head. 

Gwen hummed softly. "Well... Hold on."

Out of her bag she pulled a journal and her wand. 

She pulled them all to the side of the corridor and out of the way before scribbling furiously on the paper with her wand. 

Draco stood on his toes to see over the edge of the book and saw some writing appearing on the paper. 

"Oh, cool. Do you know Ferrin Burrow?"

"He's a 6th year, right?" Draco asked. 

"Yeah, you saw him earlier in the Hufflepuff common room. He hangs out with us all the time. I think he's recruited almost all of the 6th year puffs to make a company with him after they all graduate, at this point. Big plans on that one, let me tell you. Anyway, I sent a message to the common room book to ask if anyone could send him down and he's on his way."

"Oh," Draco said blandly. He felt he should be nervous, but that was about all he was feeling. You didn't really talk to older Slytherins. Talking to the younger ones, sure, but unless an older Slytherin talked to you you didn't talk. 

Soon, Ferrin came down the hall. He was already wearing adult robes with proper daywear underneath rather than the children's robes or muggle clothes most students wore during their free time. 

He was a tall slender guy, with brown hair and brown eyes and a handful of freckles on his face. 

He smiled at Draco. 

"Hello, Malfoy," he said. "Heard you needed some help?"

Draco looked down, embarrassed. 

"Hey, it's no problem," Ferrin said. "Any friend of Gwen's is a friend of mine, I'd say. Oh, and hey Luna."

"Not here," she said distantly. 

"Alright. Let me know when you're back so I can say hi probably," he said, like it wasn't weird. 

Luna faintly nodded. 

"You don't have to help, Burrow," Draco said softly. 

"You can call me Ferrin. Can I call you Draco?"

Draco shrugged and Ferrin nodded. "Alright, are we heading in and grabbing some of your things or what's the deal?"

"He had a Calming Draught and needs to sleep," Gwen said helpfully. "The Slytherins have just been pretty nasty to him lately and I thought it better to send him in with a friend since them and the Gryffindors are so up tight about anyone from other houses entering their common rooms."

Ferrin laughed. "Yeah, it sucks pretty bad. Alright, come on, Draco."

"Thank you," Draco murmured to Gwen, who nodded. 

"Umm.... Tell Luna that I said bye when she's back?" Draco asked, glancing at Luna in case she found it rude that he was taking about her like she wasn't there. She just kept staring at a brink in the wall with mild confusion."

"I will," Gwen said. 

Draco quickly followed Ferrin into the common room as the portrait swung open as the whispered password. 

Chapter Text

Draco had been hoping to enter the common room quietly and without any fuss, but Ferrin immediately pointed at another sixth year and called, "Yo Jessica! Heard you won the Gobstones tourney!"

Jessica turned in her seat where she had been painting another girl's nails.

"I did! It was a close thing, too!"

"That's so awesome! I want a play by play later after I help my friend here."

Jessica looked at Draco in surprise, who looked down, hoping his face wasn't still red. 

"Will do," she said with a smile. 

Ferrin put an arm around Draco's shoulder and led him to the hall for the 4th year dorms. 

"Alright," Ferrin said when they got to the door with Draco's name marked on it, as well as Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle. "Do you need anything else?"

Draco thought he might need help if any of his roommates were actually inside, but he knew he had to fight his own battles at some point and he shook his head. "Thank you."

Ferrin smiled. "Anytime, and I mean that. I usually sit at the Hufflepuff table at most informal meals, and the Slytherin table at dinner so you can come join me wherever if you want."

"Why do you spend so much time with the Hufflepuffs?" Draco asked. 

Ferrin laughed. "Well, it's because my sister is a Hufflepuff. Rose. She's a second year and she was pretty freaked out during her first year. I did what I could to help her, but then I just made a lot of friends there. She is soooo embarrassed that I sit at her table so often, too, which is funny, but puffs are cool people. You chose a good one to be your friend, too. Gwen would fight every Dark Lord there has ever been for her friends, and she would probably win, too."

Draco nodded, intrigued. "I might... Yeah, I think I probably will sit with you maybe."

Ferrin nodded and tousled Draco''s hair, startling the 4th year. He was mostly surprised by how good it felt. 

"Yeah. Like the new hair, by the way. Makes you look like a regular kid."

"Didn't really do it on purpose," Draco said. 

"Oh, well... I like it," Ferrin said with a shrug. "Hey, see ya later, alright? Sleep well."

Draco nodded and pushed open his door as Ferrin went back to listen to Jessica. 

Zabini was in the room, unfortunately. 

Draco tense as Zabini looked over. 

"Where have you been?" he asked snidely. 

"Out with friends," Draco said, drawing himself up to his full height. He was still shorter than Zabini.

Zabini rolled his eyes. "You don't have friends."

The words stung and Draco looked away. "I do now."

"What? Did you go beg Potter to be your friend? He's probably the only one who would have you."

"I'm friends with Ferrin."

"Burrow?"

"Yeah," Draco said. 

"The puff lover?"

"His sister's a Hufflepuff," Draco said weakly. 

Zabini threw back his head and laughed. It was a mean laugh, meant to hurt. 

"You're pathetic, Draco! You're in your fourth year and you finally realized that you don't have any friends! Do you know how much your father paid Crabbe and Goyle to put up with you? Enough to keep their sad little families going, that's for certain!"

Draco turned to his bed quickly, snatching up his favorite blanket and grabbing some clothes from his trunk, shoving them in his bag. 

"And now even they don't wanna put up with you anymore. Or your father stopped paying them cause he realized how badly you needed a dose of reality," Zabini continued. "I wonder if I could try and get in his good graces and become his heir at this point."

Even through the Calming Draught, Draco could feel tears welling in his eyes. He did his best to keep his breathing even as he finished grabbing what he would need for the next day. 

"Aw, is the little ferret going to cry? Poor little rodent!"

"Shut up, Blaze!" Draco yelled. 

He felt tears spill down his cheeks as he put his bag on his shoulder and turned, leaving the dorm to the sound of Zabini's pretentious laugh. 

He stood in the hall, shaking with no real idea of where to go. He slowly crept down the hall back to the common room where he could see Ferrin talking to Jennifer, who had a large chunk of the common room's attention. 

"And I'm up against Garret Taylor from Ravenclaw. He's done amazingly well, and I'm not sure how I'm going to handle myself against him. I'm playing, and I feel like something is off, but I'm not quite sure what until I realize he's misdirecting me somehow, and when I look a little closer, just past what he wants me to see, I realize he's using the Halder's gambit!"

"What's the Halder's gambit?" a brave second year asked. 

"It means he was eating the Gobstones," Ferrin laughed. 

The common room rang out with laughter, and something about it calmed Draco down as he stood with his bag and his blanket. 

Jennifer nodded and continued, "Turns out, he got Madam Pomfrey to help him. She made bets with the other teachers that he would win and pumped his stomach after each match!"

More laughter rippled through the room and Draco gave his own watery laugh. 

"And that, my friends," Ferrin said, "Is why Gobstones are non-toxic. Not cause a child might eat them, but because that is an official playing strategy. The only rule is that you can't get caught scarfing them down."

More laughter, and Ferrin looked around the room, taking it in before he noticed Draco. 

He gave a worried frown and got up, weaving through the children sitting on the floor and came over to lean on the wall by the hall entrance. 

"Are you alright?"

"Zabini is in there," Draco said softly. 

"I see," Ferrin sighed. "You really got unlucky, huh? I swear, all of the meanest pure-blood families scheduled their children to happen at the same time. How about you take my bed for right now. Do you want me to wake you up for dinner at 6?"

Draco glanced at the clock. That would give him about 2 hours. He nodded and Ferrin led him back down the hall, opening another door with his own name on it. 

"Clear out, Barker," Ferrin said in a friendly tone.

Barker looked up from the fire scrolls he had open. "Mm?"

"Clear out. I have a forth year who needs to sleep off a Calming Draught."

"Can't he do it in his own bed?" Barker asked, sounding miserable. "I'm trying to finish a rune-pile right now."

Draco shrunk farther in on himself as Ferrin stepped to the side and Barker caught sight of him. 

"Oh. OH! No, yeah, Zabini is probably in there right now, huh? Ugh, fine."

"You know, the puffs have a few study spaces you could use if all the Slytherin ones are full," Ferrin suggested. "I know that Riley is working on her rune pile right now too if you wanna bounce ideas of each other."

"Probably not a bad idea. I can't figure out why mine keeps looping and I'm about to lose my mind over it," Barker said, scooping up his pile of scrolls and tools. "Have a good nap, Malfoy."

"Thanks," Draco murmured. 

Ferrin pointed out the correct bed and got Draco an extra blanket and some water, which embarrassed Draco more than he could really handle. 

"Alright, let me know if you need anything," Ferrin said with a wave before he left.

Draco wasn't sure he would be able to sleep in someone else's bed, even with the curtains drawn, but almost as soon as he closed his eyes he fell asleep. 

................................

Draco was extremely groggy when Ferrin woke him up. He almost rolled over to go back to sleep, but he was astoundingly hungry. 

He got up, putting on one of his light cloaks to assuage the urge to carry his blanket with him, and left the common room. 

"You feeling alright?" Ferrin asked, walking next to Draco. 

Draco shrugged. His emotions were back, and he was not happy about it. He was anxious and his skin crawled and his head hurt and he was dizzy and he didn't want to think about having to sleep in his own bed that night with Zabini right there. 

Never mind what his father would think. 

"Yeah, that's understandable," Ferrin said. "You'll feel better after you've eaten. How about we sit with the Hufflepuffs today?"

Draco shrugged again. 

The Great Hall was loud and there were people and food everywhere. It made Draco feel a little sick. He was glad when Ferrin gently led him to a seat by a familiar Hufflepuff. 

"Draco!" Gwen said, too exuberantly, in Draco''s opinion. "There you are. How was your nap?"

"Wish I was still sleeping," he said as Ferrin grabbed a bowl and dished up some soup. Draco was surprised when Ferrin put it in front of him with some simple crackers. 

"Just have that, and maybe a little fruit if you're up to it, alright?"

Draco nodded and picked up a cracker to dip in his soup. 

He was startled by Luna as she sat in the too small gap between him and Gwen. 

After some shuffling and noises of complaint, they got settled. 

"I'm back," Luna said. "And I am glad. I love dinner."

Gwen laughed, passing her some food. 

Draco ate, eventually feeling better with some food in his stomach. 

He looked around when he felt the hair on his neck prickle and spotted Moody staring at him with that creepy stare again. Draco shivered and looked at the Slytherin table. Now that he had a better feel for the upperclassmen, he could see that they didn't seem to care about who sat where, but the fourth years were pointing at Draco and whispering along with a few of the younger class members who were from pure blood families.

The Ravenclaws looked the same as ever. There were a few people from other houses mixed in to sit with their friends, but not as many as in the morning or at lunch. Most people tried to sit with their own house at dinner. The Gryffindor table was a lot like the Slytherin table in that no one really went to sit with them. Gryffindors were even worse about joining other tables than the Slytherins were, though. Draco hadn't really noticed that till now. 

He was surprised to meet Weasley's eyes as the red head stared at him. 

Draco thought about making a rude face, but decided he really didn't want to kick any ants nests at the moment, so he just looked back down at his food. 

Luna held a roll in his field of vision and smiled. 

He took it and ate it, surprised to realize she had put butter and jam on it for him. 

After he finished eating, he found that listening to the conversations around helped to keep his thought from spiraling. 

"Are you excited about the tournament?" a Hufflepuff asked Ferrin.

"Oh, absolutely," Ferrin said. "I kind of wish that I was old enough to enter, but I'm also kind of glad I'm not. There's a lot of weight in being the Hogwarts’ champion."

"Cedric is putting in his name," a girl named Hannah said. "I hope he's chosen. We need more Hufflepuff wins, I think."

"I agree wholeheartedly," Ferrin replied. "I really like Cedric. But honestly, if I wish anyone was older, I wish the Weasley twins were. Could you imagine?"

Laughter went up around the table, and, as though summoned, the twins appeared behind Ferrin. 

"Oh, don't count us out yet," the slightly more freckly one said. 

"We're planning on finding a way past the age limit. We're almost old enough anyway," said the other. 

"Let me know how it goes," Ferrin laughed. 

The Weasley's attention turned to Draco and they shared smiles. 

"Well, well, if it isn't the Malfoy spawn sitting at the puff table," the second one said. 

"Never thought I'd see the day," said the first. 

"Leave him be," Gwen said, swiping at the two of them. "He's my friend now. Mine and Luna's and Ferrin's."

"I think we'd better check the Great Lake. I'm sure the apocalypse is coming and it has boiled dry," one twin said, shaking his head.

The other looked a little pained at the concept, but smiled and said, "Well, Draco, welcome to the puff table, I guess."

They both reached out and ruffled his hair before disappearing, laughing to one another and discussing what they had learned. 

"Don't mind them. Once you're on their good side, their teasing is a lot funnier," Gwen said with a smile. 

Draco shrugged, grabbing a very small slice of pie to eat while he listened to the others talk.

Chapter Text

Draco did not have to sleep in his bed that night. Ferrin had talked to Snape at some point while he had been taking his nap and a bed had been put in Ferrin and Barker's room since the two had the room to themselves and both were happy to have him in there. 

Barker, when he wasn't stressed over a rune-pile project, was very friendly and even gave Draco a sort of welcoming gift. It was a small rune-pile that could accept messages from other rune piles, of the same type and attunement. It was a new form of communication Barker had been developing and handing out to people he liked. 

"Runemail, I'm calling it. It's the same kind of idea as muggle emails, if you know what those are."

Draco did not, and got to learn way more about emails than he ever wanted to know. Apparently Barker's dad was a programmer for muggles, despite being a mage. 

"Oh, and just call me Trent," Barker said when he finished his email tangent. "I don't go in for the last name stuff. Let's too confusing when you have three siblings at school, even if they are in other houses."

Draco slept well after that, despite his worry. It made all the difference sleeping in a room with people you liked and trusted, it seemed. He even managed to keep his food down. 

When he woke up, he felt so much better. Everything felt manageable, if a little difficult, and he was almost excited to get back into all of his classes. 

He got up and got dressed and went to the bathroom. He would normally primp and preen his hair, but he looked at it, hanging over his brow a bit, kind of fluffy and pretty much white without the product he usually put in it. 

He decided to leave it, and left the bathroom. 

"Oh, good," Ferrin said, relieved, "I heard you took forever in the bathroom. I'm glad those rumors weren't true."

Draco blushed a little. "I, uh, used to. I decided to simplify it, though. It was probably a waste of time and money anyway."

Ferrin grinned, using the bathroom as Barker worked his way through another rune-pile. 

Draco was taking a Rune's Intermediate class, so he could kind of tell what Trent was doing, but not really. It was complex. 

When Ferrin came back out, dressed for a day at school, the two went down to breakfast where they sat at the Ravenclaw table instead of the Hufflepuff table. Ferrin, who seemed to have friends everywhere, started to chat with Cho Chang and Marrietta Edgecombe while Draco watched for Luna. 

She finally arrived, bright eyes and radish eared, sitting down just as Gwen got to the table from another entrance.

"Are you ready for classes today?" Luna asked Draco. 

He nodded. "I think I actually am," he said, glancing up at the head table where Snape was talking with McGonagall. 

"I have potions today... I don't have any friends in that class thought. Do you know any decent Gryffindors you could introduce me to, Gwen?"

"Hmmmm... Well, I would have suggested Hermione, but I know the two of you don't really get along."

"Didn't Hermione punch you once?" Luna asked. 

"Oh, uh, yeah. Last year. I was being a prat."

Luna hummed and nodded. 

"I would usually also say Neville, but I think he's a little scared of you," Gwen continued. "Man, this is hard. Uhhhhh..... Dean and Seamus are annoying and would just be nasty to you the whole time. Lavender.... No, best to stay out of her way. Trust, that girl is a mess. And Pavarti is always hanging with her so that's a no go. Dang, I'm sorry Draco."

"That's alright. Snape will be there so hopefully nothing happens."

He glanced at the Gryffindor table, where he could see Hermione, Ron, and Harry arguing about something. 

Draco wasn't paying attention when his eagle owl flew overhead, but he did notice the angry red envelope land in his eggs. 

He stared at it, horrified. 

"Crap," Ferrin said, struggling to get his wand out, but it was already smoldering, and it burst into flames as Draco's father's voice erupted from the envelope. 

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY," he said, his cold angry voice amplified. "AS IF YOU DESERVE A NAME AS EXTRAVAGANT AS WHAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO YOU!

"SKIPPING CLASSES, SHOWING WEAKNESS, MAKING FRIENDS WITH HUFFLEPUFFS FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!! YOU WILL ATTEND PROFESSOR MOODY'S CLASSES OR I SHALL COME TO THE SCHOOL AND DRAG YOU TO CLASS MYSELF!! I HOPE THIS IS SOME TEENAGE REBELLION GONE AWRY, AND IF IT IS, YOU SHALL CEASE THIS NONSENSE AT ONCE! THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES FOR YOU WHEN SCHOOL BREAK ARRIVES. DON'T THINK I WILL FORGET THIS!"

The envelope gave one more belch of fire, and gave up the ghost. 

Draco found that he had curled himself into Ferrin's side, and Ferrin had put his arm around Draco, as though to shield him. 

Draco cleared his throat, untangling himself from Ferrin. "That was- ahem -that was fast," Draco said, trying to get the tremble out of his voice and hands. 

"That sucks," Ferrin exclaimed as Snape came down from the head table, striding toward them. 

Gwen leaned around Luna to give Draco a short hug, which surprised him deeply. 

She let go when Snape reached them and Snape leaned in to speak quietly to Draco. "You will not be attending Professor Moody's classes, I can assure you. If you need to miss my class, you can and I will help you catch up after dinner tonight."

"No, I really want to go to class today," Draco said. "I'll be okay. I'll just take a dose of Soother today."

Snape nodded. "If you need to leave early, just let me know."

With that, Snape strode away and Draco let out a slow breath. "Looks like my father will be coming to Hogwarts at some point. He's not getting what he wants."

Gwen shook her head. "Absolutely insane! You don't... Well, your dad wouldn't hurt you, would he?"

"No, he wouldn't," Draco said, almost sure of that. Smacks upside the head didn't really count, right?

"Keep us updated, okay?" Ferrin said. 

Luna nodded, tilting her head to press the top of her head into his shoulder. 

Draco ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. "Okay, I will."

....................................

Draco approached potions with all of the confidence he could muster. He was good at this class. His mom liked to brew as a hobby and he enjoyed brewing with her, so he knew quite a lot about it. He knew what he was doing and he could handle any sideways looks. He would probably have to have a partner, but he was sure that it would turn out okay. He would treat it like a business project with a shareholder he didn't particularly like. He knew how to handle that. He'd been tutored in that for years now. 

He nodded to himself and lined up with the others, looking straight ahead at the door. 

"Hey, look. A ferret and weasel in the same class!" Zabini laughed. "All we're missing is a mink."

"I think the lining of my bag is made with mink," Pansy said loudly. "Though, I don't think that shade of red and white would go well with anything I have."

Weasley growled at her. "I'll skin you alive if I-"

"Oi," Hermione said, giving him a glare. 

Weasley backed off as Potter eyed Draco curiously. 

Potter, cursed with a dangerous sense of curiosity, sidled over to Draco, his unruly black hair almost obscuring his eyes. 

"Um, I- well I heard the howler. You alright?"

Draco huffed. "I'll be fine."

"Cool," Potter said, seemingly surprised he had made it this far. Draco felt the instinctive urge to lash out, but he pushed it back. He was trying something different now. He didn't need to lash out every time he was confused or insecure. That's how he burned all of his bridges in the first place and found himself without any real friends.

Well, he had friends now, even if they weren't in this class. He didn't need to be insecure.

They stood in silence for a minute with Weasley and Granger bickering about something when Potter asked something completely insane. 

"Are you going to need a partner today?"

Granger and Weasley both whipped around, staring at him like he had gone insane. 

"Yeah, I probably will," Draco said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "If you don't mind, of course."

"I don't," Potter said forcibly, glowering at Granger and Weasley. "You can partner with us unless you're rude about it."

"Oh, no, I won't be," Draco said quickly. "I, uh... Sorry, actually."

"What? You suddenly don't care about blood purity now?" Granger asked, looking down her nose at him. 

Draco examined his shoes for a moment. "I, um, look. My father expected me to act a certain way, but I haven't believed in it since second year, really. You've consistently proved to be a better mage than me, no matter how hard I've worked. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it, anyway.

He hesitated, looking up at the Boy-Who-Lived. "I'm also sorry for trying to hex you, Potter."

"What about me?" Weasley asked, glowering at Draco. 

"I'm.... Sorry you're related to the twins?" he said, trying for a joke. 

The three were silent, Potter and Granger staring at Weasley until Weasley guffawed. "Alright, that's a good one."

Draco grinned. "I am sorry about those comments I made about you on the train in first year. And any I made since. I was out of line."

Weasley nodded, impressed. "You know, if it turns out that you are just doing this all to somehow get petty information about us, I am going to be very disappointed."

Draco shook his head as they door opened. 

Since he was added to their group, they had to split into pairs of two. 

"Oh, thank Merlin," Granger suddenly gasped. "You're really good at potions. You watch Ron and I'll handle Harry."

Both Ron and Harry gasped their offense, but Snape was already calling for everyone to be seated and to be silent so Weasley huffed and sat beside Draco at their cauldron. 

After Snape gave them their instructions for the batch of cough easer to help restock Madam Pomfrey's supply, he left them to it. 

"Malfoy, pass me that knife," Weasley said. 

"Draco," the blonde said as he did so.

"Hmm?"

"Can... could you call me Draco instead?"

"Why?"

"Don't really like my father right now."

"Oh... Yeah, fair."

Weasley started to dice some of the ingredients as Hermione and Harry got along with their potion to their left. 

Draco worked on filling the cauldron with the right amount of water, keeping an eye on Weasley's work as he went. Hermione made it sound like Weasley was a nightmare when it came to potions, but he was was really good at dicing and prepping ingredients. Maybe even better than Draco. 

When he saw Weasley carefully remove the eyes from the moths they were working with instead of grabbing the small jar of already removed eyes that was making its way around class, Draco moved that 'maybe' into solid 'definitely' territory.

"Why was Granger so worried about your potion making?" Draco asked as he sat to cut his own ingredients. "That looks great."

Weasley's neck went a little red. "Oh, yeah, my mom made me help with the cooking a lot when I was younger. Still does when I'm home from the summer. And if anyone else finds out-" 

"Only Slytherin I'm really talking to right now if Ferrin."

"Oh.... Okay, well, the issue is that cooking is kind of.... Well, the way my mum does it you just kind of measure by heart. Throw whatever you think the right amount is. Add more garlic than any recipe says. That sort of thing. So when I do potions I sometimes forget to measure and just throw in what my heart tells me, and my heart, while good at cooking, is terrible at potions."

Draco snorted. "That's actually hilarious."

"Is not!"

"It is," Draco replied. "You should get the practice though. You can do the measuring out and pouring and I'll remind you when you do anything like that."

Weasley eyed him like Draco was pulling a trick on him, but finally shrugged. "Whatever, I guess. Just don't mess me up."

"This is my potion too, why would I mess you up?"

"Just sounds like something you'd do."

Draco sighed. It did sound like something he would have done in the past. He cursed himself out for being so childish the past three years.

Chapter Text

If you had told Draco that working with Weasley on a potion would be a pleasant process, he would have hexed you. But it was mostly fun. There were a few times Weasley tried to throw something into the cauldron without measuring, but Draco caught it each time, and they made it to the end with a decent looking batch. 

Draco stirred it while it finished simmering and Weasley prepared the vials for the potion to go into, dropping two crystals into each one to keep the potion fresh for as long as possible. 

"What is it like having so many siblings?" Draco asked. 

Weasley frowned at Draco, like he was trying to figure out what game he was playing. 

"It's... well, it's complicated. With each sibling you have a different relationship, you know? And their relationships with each other affects you, too. Bill and Charlie are so much older than me that they sometimes feel more like uncles than brothers. Percy is soooo annoying. I actually hate him, I think. Loathe, even. He gets worse the older he gets and I wish someone would just punch him already! The twins are the twins, obviously. They're really fun though cause you never know if they're going to team up with you or play against you. Either way, it usually works out because you either learn something new or you learn how to be smarter. I don't really consider them people though. They're like an entity, I swear. Changelings or summat. And Ginny is supposed to be my baby sister so there's supposed to be this sort of ooey gooey feeling we have towards her, but she is such a menace. I swear she is my fiercest rival."

"Is it nice?"

"To have siblings? Well.... I think overall, yeah. Cause even though you can annoy each other to death, at least you always have someone in your corner."

Draco made a noise of interest as he got out of Weasley's way so he could start ladling the potion into the bottles. 

"I know that most pure blood families tend to go for an heir and a spare. Three is the standard, I think," Weasley said. "But yours just had you. How come? Did they just decide you were perfect?"

Draco shook his head. "Ah, no. I'm actually a magic baby."

"Magic baby?" Potter asked from his cauldron a Granger finished ladling up their potion. "What's that? I thought we were all magic babies or whatever."

He looked expectantly at Granger who shrugged and looked at Weasley. 

Weasley smiled and mimicked the smug smirk and hair flick Granger always did right before she was about to answer a question. Potter and Draco giggled while Granger rolled her eyes. 

"A magic baby is where a lot of magic rituals are used to make a baby. For when a couple can't get pregnant," Weasley said. 

"Oh!" Granger said. "I see! It's like IVF!"

"I don't know what that is either," Potter said. 

"It's where doctors take the egg and the sperm and implant-"

"NOPE!" Weasley said quickly. "Nope, nope, nope. Not old enough to hear about that, thank you."

Granger laughed. 

Draco snickered as he helped put the vials in the tray and labeled it with his and Weasley's names before taking it up front. 

Snape raised an eyebrow at Draco, as though to ask him how he was doing. 

Draco gave a smile and a nod and then headed back to finish cleaning his station. 

When he got back he heard the three talking about the Triwizard tournament. 

"I mean, wouldn't you at least try to enter your name?" Weasley asked, his eyes glassy with visions of victory and heroism. 

Potter shuddered. "Why in the world would I ever wish more danger upon myself?"

Weasley rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, maybe you wouldn't enter yourself. Whatever."

"I keep dreaming that I'm going to get drawn for it somehow anyway," Potter admitted. "It's horrible! And then they make me fight a giant snake and I can hear it commenting on how tasty I as as it swallows me."

He dragged his hands down his face and said, "I think I would rather die. Could you imagine how much everyone would hate me?"

"They wouldn't hate you," Granger said thoughtlessly as she turned another page in her potions book, reading very far ahead. 

"They've hated me for less."

"At least you would have your house to back you up," Draco said. "The lions would love that, wouldn't they?"

"Oh, no," Potter said, leaning forward with wide eyes. "No, they would probably hate me the most. They'd be like 'Why didn't you tell us how to do it? - Always Harry being chosen, eh? - Why aren't you grateful for it? You should be grateful! - Why are you freaking out?' Ron would probably hate me the most, actually."

"I probably would," Weasley laughed. "I mean, if you actually put your name in. But why would anyone want to put your name in for you?"

Potter shrugged. "To try and kill me. Hermione probably knows how many students have died in this competition."

"There is a 45% chance of death in the Triwizard tournament," Granger said, still only half paying attention as she read her potions book. 

Potter visibly shuddered. "No thank you! I would give up all of the money in my vault to have a normal school year! I would give everything I own and live on the streets to have a normal life!"

"And, once again, mate, I think you're crazy," Weasley said shaking his head. He leaned to Draco and said, "He's so famous and he hates every minute of it. I would give anything to have some fame like that."

"At the price of your family?" Potter asked dully.

Weasley cringed. "Sorry, Harry."

"'S alright. I get it."

"I still shouldn't have said it," Weasley said sincerely.

Potter smiled to himself and sat up straight, straightened his arm and pretending it was a sword as he knighted Weasley. "From here on out, I declare you the rightful chosen one, sent to save magus kind! Go forth and speak to snakes."

Weasley snorted and even Granger smiled. 

Draco shook his head, feeling a little like he was intruding on something he wasn't meant to be a part of. 

The bell went off before he could figure out how to leave them to their jokes and he stood, grabbing his bag. 

"Do you want to be partners again next Potions lesson?" Draco asked hesitantly. 

"Oh? Yeah, sure. And you can call me Ron I guess. Weird for you to call me Weasley if you want to be Draco."

Draco nodded. "Thanks."

When they stepped out, Draco was surprised to hear Potter say, "Oh! Hi Luna."

"Luna??" Draco asked, pushing gently past Granger. 

Luna smiled at him, hands clasped behind her back as she leaned back and forth. "That's me! Do you have class soon?"

"No, I have an hour. Did you want to study History together?"

"Yes please!"

Draco nodded and moved to walk down the hall, only to stop when he realized Ron, Potter, and Granger were staring at them. 

"This is Draco," Luna said in her airy tones. "He's my friend. He's helping me with History of Magic."

"Oh, cool," Potter said, trying not to sound surprised. "Have fun guys."

Draco nodded and he and Luna walked through the halls to find an empty classroom to study in. 

.................................................

Charms was easy enough, and Draco paid close attention, finishing up his catch up assignments after doing that day's work. 

After that, he had Intermediate Runes and was faced with an interesting thought. Runes was a fairly mixed class, and Granger was in there. He didn't get much of a chance to talk to her in Potions, so he didn't know what she thought of him now, but he had always been impressed with her runes work and wanted to know what she muttered to herself as she was working on it, so when he reached class, he took a breath and approached her. 

"Hi," he said when she looked up. "Do you, um, do you mind if I sit with you?"

"I do," Granger replied sternly before going back to her book. 

Draco swallowed and nodded. "No problem. Sorry."

He turned, scanning everyone else and eventually sat at a desk by himself as he couldn't stand the idea of interacting with anyone at the moment.

Unfortunately for him, Pansy also took this class and she had yet to be annoying to him today. 

She sauntered over and sat down in the seat next to him at his table, smiling sweetly at him. 

"I don't want you to sit with me," Draco said as politely as he could. 

"Or what? You'll wave your little tail at me?"

Draco felt the itch to hex her, to pull out his wand and curse her stupid face, but it was followed by blinding terror at the memory of the last time he had done so. 

Little ribs breaking, pain flashing through a body he didn't understand. Everyone laughing so loudly in his little ears. 

He stood up, grabbing his bag and moved to another desk, but she followed him.

"When did you become such a coward?" she asked conversationally, settling in next to him again. "And what's wrong with your hair? Have you completely given up?"

Draco got up again and moved to the most hated desk right at the front of the class, and still she followed. 

"Pathetic little Draco. I can't believe my family was going to have me marry you. I've heard they've been considering other options for me recently, though. That sucks for you." She leaned back and fluttered her eyelashes. "You could have had all this, but not anymore! You might even be disowned! After that Howler this morning, maybe your daddy is looking for children to adopt. 'Yes, Orphanage, I would like one kid who is not a disappointment, thank you.'"

Draco watched the door, and it opened right on time as Professor Babbling strolled in,

He threw himself from his seat and into the one next to Hermione, who always sat toward the front of class. 

Pansy made an offended gasp and Professor Babbling gave them a look but she shook her head and continued with her regular start of class announcements. 

"I'm so sorry," Draco whispered, pulling out his books.

Granger made a face in Pansy's direction and then shrugged at him. 

They were to continue working on different runes systems and how they interacted and trying them in different configurations to get the feel for how they interacted with each other. Reading about it was one thing, actually play testing it was another. 

Draco did so quietly, keeping his eyes on his own runes and papers and trying to pretend he wasn't there. 

Granger's murmurings were intense and intriguing, though. She was already ahead of him, and was playing with configurations that sounded endlessly entertaining. 

She stopped at some point, sounding annoyed. 

"It's not working. It should work, but it's not working."

She was silent for a minute and then she said, "Draco, look here."

He looked, and tried to sort through what he was seeing, but Granger said, "I'm talking at you, not to you, do you understand?"

"Yes."

His mother did that sometimes when a potion or a charm wasn't working right. 

"So, this is supposed to be a rotating rune. Simple rotation, right? These two should interact with those to tell the top rune to move around fully along the center rune about three inches out, but it's not doing it. This is upside down because it needs to be- wait.... that's the Nordic version. Ugh, it's always the simplest things, isn't it?"

Draco grinned. "Always."

"Alright, you can go back to your thing," she said. 

He did so, putting the last rune in place and watching the colors start to change in the order he wanted. He tweaked the timing and then just watched for a minute, satisfied. 

Hermione looked over and her eyes went wide. 

"How did you do that! I tried to do that and it was too complex for it to be of any use!"

"Oh, my new roommate, Trent Barkley showed me. He's a genius with runes. He wanted to make me feel better last night so he-"

"You know Trent Barkley!" she gasped. "Oh my gosh, you have GOT to introduce me to him. I literally NEED one of his Runemail rune piles! My parents can't really get owls where they live because people really notice, so I want to sent them a rune-pile so we can talk because I can't STAND not being able to talk with them more."

"Oh! Oh, sure, yeah. Maybe during dinner?"

"Yes!"

Chapter Text

Having Granger seek him out at dinner like a dog on the hunt had been a surreal and terrifying experience. Draco had been eating, watching her warily as she approached and she hadn't even stopped to talk to him, simply grabbing him by the hood of his school robes and dragging him up from his bench.

"Wait, wait!" he half shrieked as Gwen laughed. 

He got his feet under him and they walked from the Hufflepuff table over to the Slytherin table where Trent was eating with one of his sisters. 

"Hi, Trent," Draco said. 

The older boy lifted a hand in welcome as he swallowed. "Hey, what's up?"

"This is Hermione Granger. She-"

"Thank you, Draco," Granger said, stepping forward and holding out a hand to Trent. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I would like to speak with you about your rune piles."

Trent laughed and scooted over to make room for her. 

Draco rolled his eyes and went back to his table where Gwen was still laughing. 

"Oh, come on," he said. "It wasn't that funny!"

"Yes it was," Rose, Ferrin's little sister, declared. 

Draco huffed. 

They got back to eating and eventually Gwen asked, "How was your day, Draco?"

"It was good, actually. I sat with Granger, Potter, and Ron in potions today and that actually went really well. Then I helped Luna with history and then caught up in charms and then sat with Granger in Runes. She didn't really want me to sit there and I wasn't going to, but Pansy was in there and she wouldn't leave me alone when I sat at one of the empty tables."

Gwen nodded, intrigued. "Sounds like a pretty good day mostly. And then you got dragged off by her."

"Yeah, she wanted me to introduce her to Trent. Really, she could have just done it herself."

Gwen snorted glancing over at Granger and Trent who were talking animatedly. 

As Draco looked at their table, he saw Pansy trying to get his attention. When he looked over at her she made the motion of writing on a piece of parchment, a terrible smile on her face. 

Draco looked down quickly, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He pushed his food away and just listened to everyone talk for a bit. Everything would be fine, even if she did write to his father. He just had to keep from thinking about how he would probably have to stay at Hogwarts for the holidays and how terrible his summer was going to be. 

Everything would be fine. Listening to Gwen talking about Care of Magical Creatures settled him a bit. Draco had switched out of that class after the year before and into another elective. He was quite enjoying Arithmancy, actually, especially since he already knew a bit from his tutors during the summer. 

The summer.... 

He shook his head quickly and focused entirely on Gwen's words like his life depended on it. 

.........................................

The next day went very well, actually, and Granger had asked him to come sit with her and her friends during Transfiguration, even telling him to call her Hermione instead. 

It had been a nice day, all the way through. He'd even slept very well. 

His luck wouldn't last. 

The day after that was a day he was supposed to have Defense. Instead, he went to the library to read over the materials Snape had sent for him to read. Defense was a 10 am class, though, which meant pretty much everyone was in class.

He had no one to sit with. No one to talk to. Just him, alone. In the library. 

His thoughts were difficult to control as his heart beat raced and his palms sweated. He would be fine. Everything would be fine. Even though he was directly going against what his father told him. Even though his father threatened to come to the school. 

It wasn't till the end of the class period that Draco started to calm down. He slowly relaxed, as though he had expected his father or Professor Moody to come looking for him, but they didn't. 

Not until the very last minute, at least. 

The library door opened and Draco looked up from his notes and froze when he saw his father standing there, cane in hand. 

"Draco, come," he ordered. He used the exact same time he used on the hunting hounds at home. 

The librarian came flying from the shelves, shushing him, and Lucius took a step back. 

"I'm terribly sorry, Ms. Pince," he whispered. "I'll be out in a moment."

Draco stood slowly, looking at the librarian for help, but she didn't even look at him as she turned back toward the shelves. 

Draco swallowed hard and followed, not even bothering to pack his things up. 

They went down the hall to an unused classroom, where Lucius opened the door. As soon as Draco stepped in behind him, it closed and locked itself. 

Draco stood up straight and tried to even out his breathing. 

It was just some yelling. Or angry whispering. He would be fine. It wasn't like his father would hurt him. It would be fine. 

"I have raised an idiot," Lucius hissed, and Draco was relieved when the words flowed over him without striking him to the marrow like he half expected. He was already thinking about the soother he had in his bag. He wished he had decided to use it earlier when he had been so stressed doing his work so it would already be in effect, but he could do this. He could handle this.

"I thought I had made it painfully clear what was going on, and your actions have made everything more and more suspicious. Do you even understand what I have been trying to signal to you!?"

Draco stared at his father now, a little confused. 

"Of course you don't. I should have known having a child by magic would produce one as useless as you."

Draco flinched at that, then, looking down quickly at the floor, listening to his father's pacing. 

"And now you've made friends with Hufflepuffs and you've been seen sitting with them and talking to a mud-blood," Lucius spat. 

"She's the smartest girl in my year. Maybe in the whole school," Draco said defensively. "And the Hufflepuffs are still mages too. There's nothing wrong with them."

Lucius growled, turning and swinging his cane through the air. 

Draco ducked and it only just missed his head. 

His heart jumped madly into his throat. His father had-

The cane came back around and got him in the side, biting where the top decoration jutted out. 

Draco flinched sideways with a gasp, backing up till he was against the door, shaking hands trying to get it open despite knowing it was magically locked. 

"You are my son, and you will obey ME! Do you understand?" Lucius roared. "And if you tell ANYONE about this, you will-"

"You'll want!? Hit me?!!" Draco screeched, reaching for his wand. 

He was struck by a binding curse and fell to the floor, his breathing leaving his control entirely. 

"You don't want to know the terrible things I could do to you," Lucius hissed. "All of the horrible, terrible things I have done to people in the past. You do not want to know."

Draco closed his eyes, feeling like he had been turned into a small, weak animal again. He actually wished he could be a ferret. He would be too fast to hit with a spell, and he could hide somewhere he would never be found. 

"Stay here, like a good boy, and I will come get you later after you have had time to think about your actions and what is expected of a scion of Malfoy. Don't forget that you are, in fact, replaceable."

With that, Lucius opened the door, and left, locking it behind him. 

Draco closed his eyes, sniffling. He couldn't cry out loud, bound as he was, but he could cry. 

He heard students passing outside in the hall, heard teachers chatting idly outside, and then everything calmed and quieted again. 

Draco laid in the empty classroom, watching the dust bunnies shuffle around under a desk while he cried, his ribs aching and something hot tricking down from his side across his stomach. 

What felt like hours later, he heard voices outside the door. 

"-thing we borrowed the map back from Harry," a Weasley twin said. "We might have never found him here."

"What in the world would he even be doing in an empty classroom?" Ferrin asked, and Draco's heart soared. He had been missed. Ferrin had come looking for him!

He didn't care about how embarrassing the situation was or how angry his father would be that he didn't stay put. He was just so relieved to be found!

"It's locked," Ferrin said, confused. 

He knocked on the door and called, "Draco? Are you in there? Can you let us in?"

Draco waited with bated breath. 

"He might be napping," a twin suggested. 

"I think he'll forgive us if we check," Ferrin replied. 

He tried a couple of unlocking spells, but none of them were strong enough for the cursed seal Draco's father had used. 

"I don't know any more," Ferrin said, an edge of fear to his tone now. 

"I'll get a teacher," one twin said. "George, try the unlocking spells you know."

"I know a lot of them," George said with obvious glee. 

He started working through them, and Draco found it in himself to be mildly impressed by how many George really did know. 

Still, none of them worked. 

If Draco could just speak he could tell them what they needed, but the binding spell held his voice box captive just as much as his limbs. 

George swore, a word so foul that Draco immediately saved it so he could use it on his Father the next time he saw him. 

George swore a second time after a few more attempts, and Draco memorized that one too. 

"George Weasley, if you swear like that in the halls again, I shall turn your lips blue!" Professor McGonagall said, sounding like she and Fred were coming down the hall. 

"I think something is wrong with Draco," George said. "I can't get the door open and I used all of the opening spells I know."

McGonagall grumbled and cast something. 

"That's because it has been cursed shut. Cover your ears, boys. I do not want you to know this one until I think you can be trusted to stay out business that doesn't belong to you."

The three older boys grumbled, but must have done so because Draco heard McGonagall cast the spell. 

He memorized that too, for good measure. 

She pushed open the door, where it bumped into Draco. She gently pushed it open and poked her head into her room before she looked down and saw him. 

"OH! Goodness!"

Ferrin, in a panic, pushed past Professor McGonagall. 

"DRACO!"

Ferrin fell to the floor, hauling Draco into his lap. 

Draco stared up at him and looked at Professor McGonagall, waiting impatiently for someone to get the binding off of him. 

Fred and George came in last and one of them recognized what was happening. 

"Oh, he's bound."

The other pulled out his wand and cast the counter curse. 

Draco tried to sit up, gasping for air, but his side twinged and he fell back down in Ferrin's lap, clutching at his blood damp robes. 

" Draco what happened?" Ferrin asked, helping Draco up. 

"My father," Draco spat.

McGonagall had gone from rather stunned to furious. 

"What did he do?" she asked as Draco sorted through his robes, lifting them up his side to reveal his under shirt soaked in blood on his side.

McGonagall made such a noise of rage it all four boys jumped nervously, and she was gone, full out running down the hall. 

"How about we get you to the infirmary?" Ferrin said. "Are you hurt anywhere else?"

"No," Draco muttered. "I don't think I can be alone for a while, though."

"No problem, bud," Ferrin said. "If you think I'm leaving your side anytime soon, you're crazy."

Fred and George went on before and behind them, perhaps being a touch dramatic in fending off anyone who dared get in their way or get to close to the pair of Slytherins as Ferrin half carried Draco to Madam Pomfrey.

Chapter Text

"How did you know to come looking for me?" Draco asked, laying in the hospital bed. His side was heavily bandaged to hold ointments against the bruises and newly healed cut despite the wound being fairly small. 

Ferrin shrugged. "I hadn't seen you since this morning, and no one else had either. I thought schedules didn't line up or something, but Luna told me she had a really bad feeling, and when she has a bad feeling, you listen and get the twins involved if you have to."

Draco nodded, looking out the window. He missed flying. There hadn't been any flying practices, not really. Not since Quidditch had been canceled for the tournament, but Draco could see people flying around, far out there. He wanted to be out there. 

"You're not going home," Ferrin said out of nowhere.

Draco looked at him, surprised. "What?"

"You're not going to go back to him."

"But my mother-"

"I know," Ferrin said. "She might choose to leave him, but if she doesn't, you're not going back to her either. They'll probably let her visit."

"But...." Draco trailed off, uncertain what he was about to say as his future fell away ahead of him. His father wouldn't have him back anyway, not after he told everyone what happened.

"I don't know how it will shake out, but this has happened before. You're not the first Slytherin with a nasty parent," Ferrin said gently. "But if everything goes alright, you'll get to choose who you go with. I can ask my parents if they would take you in."

Draco shook his head, completely shocked now. 

"I don't- I can't-"

"Don't worry about it right now, alright? Ugh, I hope McGonagall blew him up."

Draco took a shaky breath and wasn't sure whether to cry or agree with him. 

He looked up as the door to the hospital wing opened and Luna came in, trailed by Gwen, Hermione, Ron, and Potter. 

"Holy crap!" Ron said. "I thought the twins were having a go at me! Are you alright?"

"Madam Pomfrey said I will be," Draco replied. 

Gwen leaned down and gave him a sisterly kiss on the top of his head. "I was so worried when I heard. You just keep losing, huh?"

Draco sighed. "Something like that."

"So... will you go to one of your aunts and uncles now?" Potter asked tentatively. 

"Not necessarily, " Ferrin said. "Usually the news will be spread around and then families can volunteer to take that person in. Then the volunteers are vetted to see if they would actually be a good place for someone to live, and after that someone like Draco could choose from out of that final list."

"Oh." 

Draco wondered if he was the only one that saw the somewhat crushed expression on Potter's face. 

"Would at least one of you guys stay with him till I get back?" Ferrin asked. "I want to write to my parents and ask if they would volunteer so we can get on the list for him."

"Of course!" Gwen said. "As if they could pry me from this bedside."

Draco laughed slightly. 

Madam Pomfrey came back with a soothing tonic and he sipped at it slowly after thanking her. 

McGonagall arrived soon after, a strange expression on her face. Like she was still angry, but somehow very pleased. 

"Ah, looks like we have a crowd here," McGonagall said. "Well, I wanted to let you know that things are in progress, Draco. Your father was caught speaking with Professor Moody outside of Hogwarts. I believe we will be doing another investigation into Moody soon, on Professor Snape's suggestion. Did your father have anything to say about him?"

Draco thought about it for a moment. "Before school started he said that I would need to stay out of Professor Moody's way and keep my head down in that class. When.... After the incident I was still.... I didn't.... I asked him for advice and he told me to-to deal with it and that he warned me to keep my head down. Um... And then in the classroom he said something. Like.... Like he was hinting at something, but I don't know what. Like.... maybe Professor Moody was related to my father's um.... other work."

McGonagall's eyes narrowed. I see..... Well..... It shall be dealt with. And you will be kept safe here at school while we work out which family will take you in."

Draco didn't know how to feel about it. He would process it later, he supposed. He couldn't that right now.

"Professor Snape will be in later," Professor McGonagall continued. "He himself wanted to look into the situation with Professor Moody more closely. I'm sure you understand."

"I do," Draco said. He was glad that Snape was checking on that rather than being here at the moment, actually. 

The door to the hospital wing flew open again, and Draco looked over, shock setting in as a black haired woman rushed across the room, still in her house robes. 

Draco's mother grabbed him in a hug after pushing through his friends, small distressed noises leaving her mouth. 

She pressed a kiss to his forward and leaned back to look at him, still holding onto his clothing tightly. "Oh, Draco I'm so sorry, my love."

Draco reached out, hugging her back, relieved that she was here. This had to be a sign that-

"We will find who really attacked you, darling," she whispered, stroking his head. 

He looked up sharply, and saw depths of guilt in her eyes that he had become intimately familiar with over the years. 

"Father did this," he said, hoping against hope that her expression didn't mean what he thought it meant. 

"No, sweetheart, you must be confused," she said, the guilt deepening. "Someone must have confounded you and-"

"You know that's not true," Draco said. He pried her hands off of his clothing, glowering at her shoes so she wouldn't see how wet his eyes were becoming. "I am not stupid. I know what happened."

"Sweetie, if you were confounded you wouldn't!"

"The truth is written on your face mother," Draco said, the aching wound in his chest widening. "Get out!"

Madam Pomfrey, attracted by the noise, gave everyone a stern look. 

"Go on! He needs rest," she said. 

"I can't be alone," Draco said, covering his eyes, and he heard his mother start to volunteer. 

"NOT you!"

"Choose someone, Malfoy, and I'll get the rest out," Madam Pomfrey said. 

"Luna," he replied without hesitation. 

He felt his friend settle on the bed as Madam Pomfrey shooed everyone out, physically forcing his mother to go.

Draco sniffled, and, just like at the lake, he began to cry quietly as everything hit him at once. Luna sat in comfortable silence, probably staring out the window. 

Draco tried to collect himself, but the vision of his mother's guilt ridden face and her coaxing words ripped deeply into him, and another painful sob escaped his lips. 

The torrent of emotion that followed overwhelmed the soother he had been given. 

He turned around, shoving his face into the thankfully thick pillows of the infirmary and screamed.

Draco didn't know how long he laid there and cried, but when he finally lifted his head, he found Luna simply staring out the window, lost in a world of her own while she waited for him to come out of his fit. 

She turned to him when she heard his much clearer sniffle and offered him a box of tissues, which he took silently to wipe the tears, snot, and saliva off his face. He glanced down at the pillow with a grimace, and carefully removed it from the bed, leaning it against the wall on the floor. 

Then, they just sat there. In silence. He didn't think it would be that helpful, but it was. Just knowing she was there and that she wouldn't ask him any questions or force him to talk about what he was feeling eased the ache in his chest.

"This can't be happening," Draco whispered. 

Luna hummed vaguely. "Do you believe in past lives?" she asked.

Draco snorted. "Are you saying I must have been someone terrible?"

"Oh, no, I was just thinking about past lives at breakfast this morning. I'm not sure if I believe in them, though. The math just doesn't work out, not really. There are too many people around today."

Draco hummed softly. 

The two sat in even more silence before the door opened and Ferrin looked in. 

"Hi Luna," he said warmly. 

She waved and he approached.

"Are you alright?" he asked Draco. "I heard something happened after I left."

Draco looked down at his hands. "I don't think I'm going to be staying with my mother," he whispered. 

Ferrin nodded. "I'm sorry. But hey! I was able to get permission from Professor Snape to Floo call my parents, and they said they would volunteer for you just as fast as they could send out an owl to do so."

Draco looked up at Ferrin, and felt he should be happy, but all he felt was dread. 

Ferrin came around to the other side of the bed to sit down, putting an arm around Draco. "What's on your mind?"

Draco half shrugged. "Tired."

"Yeah, I bet," Ferrin laughed softly. "How about I get you a new pillow and you get some sleep?"

Draco nodded and Ferrin left, coming back with a fresh pillow and a more comfortable chair for himself to sit by the bed with. 

.............................

Draco wasn't involved with his father's trial. Some representatives came to get his version of events, but that was pretty simple as they just made a copy of his memory. They assured him that was all they would need. 

Every day he got a letter from his mother. He read the first one, which begged him to take back the to rights to his memory and to claim it was all a misunderstanding or that he had been tricked or that the memory was doctored somehow. 

After that, he gave the letters to Ferrin or Gwen to read and let him know if anything changed. They told him it was pretty much the same every time. 

His mother was being investigated too, and she couldn't come see Draco. Draco made sure to forward her letters to those same representatives who came to get his memory. He couldn't stand the idea of living with her, now. Not after she tried to convince him that he had been confounded rather than hit by his own father. 

Dobby came up from the kitchens every day to spend an hour with him in the evening. It reminded Draco of his childhood when Dobby mostly minded him. It also brought back the faint memories of being locked in a closet when he spoke like Dobby in front of his father. 

It was a hard thing to realize your parents had never been good. 

He was never alone. One of his friends was always around to keep him company. Even Ron took a turn at one point when everyone’s schedules landed horribly. They had spent an entire evening after homework playing chess, and Draco was delighted to find they were evenly matched. He was already looking forward to their next game. 

Ferrin nudged Draco at the breakfast table one morning as Gwen read the latest letter from his mother. "Hey, next weekend is a visiting day for parents. My family was thinking of coming to meet you."

"As if I wanted to share with someone else," Ferrin's sister teased from other side of her brother. 

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "I'm sure you will live," he said. "it's not like I would ever be their actual child."

Rose glowered at him, leaning around Ferrin to punch Draco in the arm. 

"Don't say that! You don't know anything, do you?"

Draco rubbed his arm and opened his mouth to argue when Gwen interrupted. 

"New thing in this letter," she said apprehensively. "Sounds like your mother officially lost custody of you."

Draco stared at her for a long moment. He cleared his throat, attempted to speak, but eventually just stood up and left the Great Hall to have some emotions in peace. 

As always, Luna followed him.