Drarry: Starting Over

Malfoy Manor: Draco

"Now don't forget, Draco, be home by five. I'm throwing a dinner party," Narcissa said. "Pansy Parkinson'll be there. Maybe you two could hang out." She ruffled her son's hair. "If you know what I mean." Draco almost found it funny. He wondered when, or if, he should tell her.

"I'll be home by five, mom. Bye." He gave her a quick hug, and opened up the door.

Draco spent the day at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Harry wasn't there, seeing as it was a weekday, but Draco wanted to get out of the house. Besides, maybe it would lead George off their trail.

He wasn't there exclusively for Harry, after all. Obviously.

       4:30, Draco caught the Knight Bus home. He arrived on the front step of his house 4:45, and found himself sitting at the dinner table with his parents and a few pureblood families.

He ate his food quietly. There was light conversation. Pansy sat next to him.

"So, I heard you've been spending a lot of time down in Diagon Ally. With a Weasley, and Potter, you know?"

"And where did you hear that?" He asked.

"Just from a friend. Your presence hasn't gone unnoticed, you know. Anyway, I just wanted to say, they'll never accept you. Not really." She went on cheerfully eating, as if this were a normal thing to say. With her mouth full of food, she said, "I just don't want to see you get hurt. All that hope in your eyes, it's not healthy. They only see you for what you are- a death eater. And you can't change that."

"Shut up, Parkinson." Draco tried to shrug her off, but the words kept floating around in his head like a badly mixed soup.

The spoon of doubt was still stirring that soup when Draco went to bed that night.