Draco sighed and ran a hand over his blonde tail. It was the exact color of his hair. He stood up and walked onto the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and ruffled his hair around the two feline ears that was sticking out of the top of his head. Tomorrow he was going back to Hogwarts. His fifth year. He sighed again and walked back into his room, his tail dragging on the ground. Another year of hiding who he was. Luckily, he had a room with his best friend Blaise and Blaise knew about his....condition, as his father called it.
"Knock, knock!" Draco jumped and rushed to hide his tail. He turned to see Blaise leaning against the door frame.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready to go back to Hogwarts?" Draco asked, allowing his tail to swish behind him.
"Well, my parents will not be able to take me to the train tomorrow so they asked your mom if I could stay and she could take me," Blaise explained. Draco nodded and wrapped his tail around himself.
"That's a good thing, I guess," he smiled. Blaise raised an eyebrow and sat next to him.
"You guess?" he asked. Draco grinned, showing his sharp feline teeth.
"I mean, it is a good thing but are you sure that you want to be seen with me? I can't hide this," he gestured to his tail. "forever and something tells me that this is going to be the year that my secret is exposed."
"You really think I'm that shallow?" Blaise laughed. Draco blushed and his ears flattened against his head. "We have been friends for years and I would never leave you."
"You sound like a Hufflepuff," Draco laughed. Blaise glared at him and pushed him off the bed.
"Would a Hufflepuff do that?" he growled. Draco laughed and his laugh was so contagious that Blaise was soon laughing too. After a while, Draco yawned.
"I think that we need to get to sleep," Blaise smirked. Draco nodded and they settled into the bed. Soon, they fell asleep.
The next morning, Draco woke up with his tail pinned underneath Blaise. He tried to pull it out but he ended up just whimpering in pain.
"Draco? Are you okay?" Blaise asked sleepily.
"You're on my tail," he whimpered.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said as he moved. Draco got up and stretched.
"We have about an hour before we have to leave so I am going to get ready," Draco announced. After a few spells, his tail and ears were hidden.
"I don't see why you just embrace who you are," Blaise stated as they walked onto platform 9 3/4. Draco rolled his eyes as they sat in a compartment.
"Because no one else would. I am a freak," Draco told him. Blaise was about to argue but Draco cut him off. "I'll be right back."
He walked out and found an empty compartment. He took the concealment charm off of his tail and wrapped it around himself. He pulled his knees under his chin and stared out the window.
It was really the perfect day outside and the sun felt so good on his skin. He leaned back and fell asleep.
"Draco!" He snapped up and came face to face with Blaise.
"Don't do that, Blaise. You scared me," Draco frowned. Blaise laughed and told him to get ready. The train soon stopped and Draco frowned.
"We haven't seen Potter at all yet," he pointed out as they got off the train.
"Why do you care, Malfoy?" a voice behind them asked. They turned around and saw Harry.
"I was just hoping that you wouldn't be here this year. Guess that it was just to good to be true," Draco sighed venomously.
"Watch yourself, ferret," Ron spat. Draco rolled his eyes and a smirk appeared on his face.
"See you at the great hall, Potter," he hissed and got onto a carriage with Blaise right behind him.
"That was weird," Ron noted.
"Extremely," Hermione agreed. They were at the school now and they walked into the Great Hall. After the first years were sorted, Dumbledore smiled warmly and clapped his hands.
"I am afraid that I have some very interesting news," he said. "The other teachers and I have come to the conclusion that your personality can't be fully determined at the age of eleven so we have agreed to a resorting. Only students in fifth year and up need to do it."
Cries of outrage and distress were heard throughout the hall. Draco and Blaise locked eyes as people began to be called up.
"So, I guess that you are going to Hufflepuff, Zabini," Draco joked. Blaise rolled his eyes and punched him in the arm.
"Just as long as we still remain friends," Blaise told him and Draco nodded.
"Draco Malfoy."
Draco took a deep breath and walked up to sit on the stool. The sorting hat was placed on his head and it took several minutes to decide. Which was a shock in itself. His first sorting had resulted in an immediate response, which had been Slytherin.
"Gryffindor!" it finally shouted and shock radiated throughout the room. Draco slowly stood up and walked to his new house table. He looked over at Blaise, who gave him an encouraging smile. One that Draco couldn't return.
He followed the other Gryffindors up to the common room and walked up the stairs to the dormitories. He found his trunk at the foot of a bed and began to unpack. He heard people walk in and he saw Harry and Ron standing in the doorway.
"This is just unacceptable," Ron spat. "There is no way I am sleeping next to this git."
Draco didn't say anything as they walked to their beds, which happened to be on either side of his.
"I am not happy about this either," he muttered. Ron muttered something under his breath and left the room.
"Malfoy, I don't feel like rooming with my enemy," Harry began. Draco didn't look at him and sat on his bed. "Can we please just put whatever it was that started this stupid thing behind us and start over?"
"What about Weasely?" Draco asked.
"He will come around eventually," Harry assured him.
"Then I guess we can start over," Draco agreed. Harry smiled and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned around, chewing on his lip nervously.
"Why don't you come down to the common room and hang out?" he asked. Draco smiled and followed him down to the common room. All talk stopped as they walked down the stairs. Draco has expected it but it affected him more than he had thought.
"I am going to bed," he muttered to Harry and trudged back up the stairs. He sat on his bed and an owl tapped on the window.
He walked over and recognized it as Blaise's. He let it in and scratched it affectionately. It held out its leg expectantly and he untied the roll of parchment from it.
Meet me at midnight at the Astronomy Tower. -B
He smiled and quickly wrote a reply. He attached it to the owl's leg and it flew off.
Everyone in the common room had gone to bed an hour before midnight so Draco decided to go to Astronomy Tower early. He slipped out and walked confidently to the tower.
As soon as he was there, he took the concealment charms off his ears and tail and ran his hand absent mindedly through the fur on his tail. He stared at the stars and was about to close his eyes when he heard a noise. He got to his feet in a flash and sent a paralyzing spell in the direction of the noise.
"Potter?" he asked as soon as he saw the messy hair. Harry stared at him wide eyed and shock was evident on his face.
"Drake?" Blaise asked. He walked up behind him and gasped as he saw Harry. "What happened?"
Draco didn't respond and continued to stare at the paralyzed boy. Blaise sighed and pulled him away gently. He sat him on the ground at the opposite side of the room and walked back over to Harry. He took the spell off of him except for his legs.
"What happened?" he asked again. Harry didn't take his eyes off of Draco as he spoke.
"I saw him leaving and decided to follow him. He walked in here and I did too. I tripped and he sent a paralyzing spell towards me as I saw his..." he paused. "Tail and ears."
Draco had pulled his knees under his chin and had his face buried into his arms. His ears were pressed flat against his head and his tail was wrapped around him.
"You can't tell anyone, Potter. If you do, you won't have to worry about You-know-who anymore," Blaise hissed.
"Is that a threat, Zabini?" Harry asked. Blaise chuckled then narrowed his eyes.
"It is a promise," he whispered menacingly. Harry gulped and nodded.
"Can I leave now?" he asked. Blaise took the spell off his legs and he walked out.
"Are you okay, Drake?" he asked. Draco didn't respond but his shoulders were shaking.
"I told you, Blaise. I told you. Now everyone is going to find out," he sobbed. Blaise pulled him into his arms and he cried into his chest. "I am a freak."
"Don't call yourself that. You aren't a freak," Blaise said reassuringly. "You are just different."
"I don't want to be different," Draco confessed. Neither boy knew that Harry was still outside the door, listening to their conversation. Half an hour later, Blaise left and Harry, wearing his invisibility cloak, walked in cautiously.
"Draco?" he called as he pulled off the cloak. The blonde boy let out a whimper and shrank back.
"Are you going to hex me or something?" he asked in a pathetic voice. It nearly broke Harry's heart.
"Of course not," he assured him. "I just want to talk."
"Really?" Draco asked, disbelief evident in his voice. Harry sat next to him and nodded. "You aren't....disgusted?"
"Why would I be disgusted?" Harry asked, a half amused smile on his face.
"I am half cat," Draco said bluntly. Harry laughed and Draco stared at him.
"I didn't notice," he chuckled sarcastically. His gaze landed on Draco's tail and the words came out before he could stop them. "Your fur looks soft."
He clamped his hand over his mouth and a blush crept across his cheeks. Draco smirked and laughed.
"I didn't mean to say that. It must have sounded really weird," Harry rambled. "I am an idiot. I am sorry."
Draco slapped his hand over his mouth and laughed again.
"It's fine, Harry. You don't have to apologize. But you are right. My fur is very soft," he said. Harry relaxed and leaned against the wall.
"May I?" he asked, moving his hand towards his tail. Draco nodded hesitatingly and flicked his tail closer to his hand. Harry ran his hand over the soft fur.
"Yep, it is soft," he nodded approvingly. Draco's eyes fluttered closed and a light purr escaped his lips. His eyes flew open and his cheeks turned red. Harry cocked an eyebrow and a smile appeared on his face. "Was that a purr?"
"Maybe..." Draco blushed.
"Don't be embarrassed. It was cute," Harry smiled. Draco frowned and crossed his arms. Harry gently yanked on Draco's tail and Draco's eyes widened.
"Harry," he whimpered. Harry immediately flushed, liking the way Draco had said his name.
"It is getting late," he said suddenly. He stood up and pulled Draco to his feet. The two walked back to the common room and climbed into bed.
"Goodnight, Draco," Harry called.
"Goodnight, Harry," Draco smiled.