While most of the students in his year (nobody from Slytherin) was invited to the slug club dinner party, Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherins could walk about the school in some peace.
Fewer students would snare at them and insult them or spit out angry remarks about their history with the dark side.
Malfoy took this opportunity to walk about. He needed some space from even the Slytherins because some of them were still on the dark side and would try to test him and see who he still supported.
He decided to go to the seventh floor and see if he could open the room of requirement. It was a place of solace for him for the last two years. Not many students go there anymore so he would be alone.
He was wrong. As though expecting him, there was a group of Slytherins waiting in front of the place where the room of requirement used to be.
"I told you he would be here." Pansy told the others.
"What's going on?" Malfoy said, his hands casually placed near his wand in case he needed to draw it out.
"You have been avoiding me, Draco." Pansy said as she came forward and put a hand on the side of his face. "What's wrong?"
"Are you all waiting for me?" Malfoy asked, avoiding her question and moving her hand off his face.
"Yes, we are considered about you, Draco." Pansy said stepping back to bring the other into the conversation.
"You see, none of us have seen much of you since that day at Hogwarts. There have been stories." said Nox, one of the Slytherins with big teeth and a permanent frown on his face.
"Stories?" Malfoy asked. "What stories?"
"Yes, stories about your whereabouts when the dark lord fell." said the tall and skinny boy next to Nox.
Malfoy shifted uncomfortably. Thanks to Pansy's presence there one thing was clear, this group of Slytherins definitely still supported the dark side.
The only problem was that they could try to take revenge for abandoning Voldemort during the battle.
"I haven't heard any stories." Malfoy said taking a step back, preparing to walk away.
"Don't play coy with us, Draco." Nox said coming forward and caught Malfoy's shoulder. "You were working for Dumbledore, that's why you changed sides in the end. You helped Harry Potter escape."
Nox said the last line accusingly causing Malfoy to ball his fists.
"I remained a faithful servant till the end." Malfoy said through gritted teeth.
"Faithful?" Pansy laughed. "I heard what happened when Harry Potter was brought to the Malfoy Manor."
"Don't forget the part where he ended up with the wounded after the war, pretending to be on their side." Nox said.
"You hypocrite!" Malfoy spat at Nox, pulling away from his grip. "You all did the same thing once the war ended. We have no master anymore."
Nox did not reply but immediately glanced at Pansy.
"Draco, whose side are you on?" She asked.
"There is no side." Malfoy said flatly.
"What if there was?" Nox said.
"What do you mean?" Malfoy asked, narrowing his eyes. The look on Nox's face made him worry.
"They took my parents, they took Pansy's too!" Nox said angrily. "Just because your family got away does not mean others didn't either."
"I still don't understand what you mean." Malfoy said.
"We may have lost the dark lord but the dark side still exists." Pansy said as she drew closer to Malfoy. She slid both her hands around him and pulled him into an embrace.
Malfoy's heart was thumping. Maybe he shouldn't have come back to Hogwarts after all!
*******
After that unexpected run in with the Slytherins, Malfoy kept within the shadows.
He did not want to join the dark side, the very thought sent a chill down his spine.
The school was empty. Everyone had left to watch the quidditch match. Of course Malfoy was still on the Slytherin team but quidditch had lost its fun. Nobody cheered for Slytherin anymore.
Malfoy took advantage of the empty common room and settled down in front of the fire. He remembered his first summer from Hogwarts.
"When will you learn not to let those filthy mudbloods turn you into a fool." Lucius Malfoy told Draco after he compared his marks with Hermione Granger's.
"How did you get that?" Malfoy asked, frowning. His father obviously went to great lengths to see if Malfoy scored better than the other students of his year.
"Read this." Lucius said, throwing a big book at Draco who barely caught it. "It will help you understand how dangerous mudbloods can be if they are not put down."
Draco flipped the book to see the cover. "Scums of witchcraft"
"Yes father." Draco replied.
"Also this year you will be joining the quidditch team, I sent an owl to Marcus Flint." Lucius continued. "You need to start practising your seeking skills."
"Seeker?" Draco groaned. "But father, I am much better as a chaser."
"You will be a seeker because Harry Potter is a seeker." Lucius said coldly. "You will not let Harry Potter win or you will humiliate you family."
Draco's heart sank. He had to win without playing in the position he was best at?
"Harry Potter" Lucius said in disgust. "Youngest quidditch player in a century? It should have been you, Draco!"
Draco dropped his head but inside he was angry. He was angry with Harry Potter, the boy who made his life miserable.
"I have gotten you and the rest of your team Nimbus 2001's so you better not let me down." Lucius finished before leaving him alone with the big ugly book about how bad muggle and muggleborns are.
This was only the beginning of his years at Hogwarts where he continued to disappoint his father while Harry Potter was the hero.
It was only after Voldemort came back to power did Harry start to fall but then things got out of control.
Malfoy had no idea how deep he got until he was branded with the dark mark but by then it was too late. The only way out would be to be killed.
"You are a boy, a Malfoy at that." Voldemort said as held out his hand to call Draco forward. This was the first time Voldemort spoke to him directly. They were alone with Bellatrix and Lucius in the Malfoy Manor.
He remembered feeling excitement at being addressed directly and stumbled forward towards Voldemort.
"The Malfoy's have served me a great deal in the past but lately there have been too many mistakes." Voldemort continued. Lucius hung his head in shame.
"Are you ready go right your father's wrongs? Are you ready to become a man?" Voldemort asked but it did not seem like a question for he had already pulled out his wand and stretched out his hand to ask for Draco's.
Draco felt a thrill inside him. 'Right his father's wrongs'
Nobody could tell how excited he was to be a part of this, finally after years he would be a true Malfoy and make his family proud and show his father the real him.
Voldemort pressed his wand on Draco's arm. Draco managed to keep his face straight throughout the painful process.
"And now you are one of us." Voldemort said.
Draco let a smile break out on his face.
"Now for hour first task. It is an important one and I trust no one else to see this through." Voldemort said now settling down to pet Nagini.
Draco's excitement was building. He couldn't wait to show off his dark mark to Crabbe and Goyle.
"I want you to kill Albus Dumbledore." Voldemort said and Draco's heart nearly stopped beating. Bellatrix and Lucius gasped.
"But my lord!" Bellatrix protested but Voldemort silenced her.
"But he is a boy, my Lord." Lucius said his face pale. "If he were to fail this mission-"
"I won't!" Draco said cutting off his father. He was angry that his father had no faith in him and said it in front of Voldemort.
However his reaction pleased Voldemort who gave him a rare smile
Things began to change once he was branded with the dark mark. He realised that this was not what he wanted. He watched his family get tortured for mistakes.
When he failed at his mission to kill Dumbledore, Draco began to seriously reconsider his position in the war.
Ironically it was the boy he hated the most growing up who saved him.
Draco suddenly woke up with a jerk, he did not realise he had fallen asleep in front of the fire. The students were back from the match and everyone was talking about the new Gryffindor team.
The quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff ended quickly. He was surprised how they won. It almost made him regret not going to watch the match.
Draco was glad for the Hogsmead weekend, he could use some time away from the castle.
*******
Hello!!
This chapter is all about Draco!
I hope you liked it, I wanted to cover his transition from bad boy to good-ish😋
Pansy and Nox is up to something and they just might drag Draco with them!
Lemme know what you think and
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