A Reason To Be

‘Some things never change.’ Draco thought as he roamed the halls after the feast. Just as the years before had, this year had produced the same for the first day of school. The first years arrived by boat once again. The upper classmen arrived by carriage. The house sorting had been long and tedious and the feast had been delicious, just as it had years prior. As the students began entering for the feast, Crabbe and Goyle had made a beeline straight for Draco when they saw him in the Great Hall. One look at them and Draco groaned.

‘Enter the complete and utter idiots.’ He thought as they sat on either side of Draco at the Slytherin table. They mumbled greetings to him but he said nothing. No more than a few moments later Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode sauntered up.

“Hi Draco! How was your summer? Did you miss me?” Pansy gushed in her overly-girlie, squeaky voice. Draco flinched when he looked up at her. He rested his chin in his hand and darted his eyes around the room, just so he didn’t have to make eye contact with Pansy. Even in the years before, that girl had always annoyed the hell out of him. The only reason he had let her follow him around and gush over him was that she absolutely worshipped the ground he walked upon and would do anything he asked her to do. Now he just wanted her to go away, and he knew that was the one thing wasn’t willing to do.

‘It is like nails on a blackboard! Her voice alone is off-putting enough let alone her being ugly as sin as well.’ Draco thought. He had allowed his poor eyes to wander back to the source of Pansy’s voice and a sour expression came across his face.

“Hello.” Draco said roughly, just to get her to shut up. The two girls sat down across from Draco and all during the feast Pansy kept playing with his foot under the table. It was only when he finally kicked her that she stopped.

‘He just kicked me! Who the hell does he think he is? He should be grateful I am interested in him.’ Pansy fumed as she ate her dinner. He had not even glanced in her general direction all during the sorting or the feast. He hadn’t said anything to any of them. Nothing about the teachers, nothing about the new students. No smart-ass remark about Potter or his friends.

After the feast, when all the students had been dismissed. Draco quickly rose from the table and left the hall. Crabbe and Goyle were right behind him, huffing and puffing trying to catch up with him. Just as he mounted the first step of the staircase, he quickly turned on his heel and faced his two dumb henchmen.

“Do not follow me, go to the Slytherin dormitories and leave me alone. Go about your own business and I will find you if ever I want the pleasure of your company.” Draco said firmly and then resumed climbing the stairs. Crabbe and Goyle stood there stunned for a few moments until Millicent and Pansy came up from behind them.

“What’s wrong?” Millicent asked. She spoke slowly, knowing that both of the young men were a little slow.

“He told us to leave him alone.” Goyle replied. Both girls frowned and Millicent suggested that maybe he was sick.

“No, he said to leave him alone…Always.” Crabbe explained.

“He must be sick; he was acting strange at dinner too. He’ll snap out of it tomorrow.” Pansy said haughtily. Then all four of them, satisfied with Pansy’s answer, made their way to the Slytherin dorms.


Draco mulled around until he was sure all the students were in their rooms. He leaned against the wall, watching everyone scurrying off in every direction. The prefects escorted the first years to the dormitories. He thought to himself about the feast and a look of disgust came over his face when he thought of Pansy and Millicent.

“Batting their eyelashes at me. Ugghh! I don’t know which one is worse. One’s small and ugly and the other is big and ugly!” Draco said quietly to himself. Just the looks on their faces gave him the creeps. He shook it off and looked over at the masses of students pouring out of the Great Hall.

First came the Ravenclaws, then Slytherins. The cluster of Hufflepuffs was next then finally the Gryffindors. After the last house left, Draco noticed a little Hufflepuff come running out of the Great Hall, looking terrified. Draco chuckled at the sight of it.

‘Never fails, someone is left behind.’ Draco thought to himself as the little girl looked around and saw no one to help her. Then her scared, little eyes rested on Draco. She gulped and walked up to him. Draco knew what an intimidating picture he must make to the Hufflepuff. A sixth year Slytherin student and a tall one at that. After the past summer he was now six feet tall, maybe a little more.

“Do you know where the Huff…Hufflepuff dorm is?” The young girl stammered as he looked up at Draco.

‘I wonder if I still have it.’ Draco thought. Then he gave her his legendary narrowing eyes and evil smirk. The little girl jumped a little and gulped.

‘Yep, still got it!’ He cheered inside. He cocked an eyebrow and casually raised his right arm and pointed down the hall.

“Down the hall, up two floors.” Draco said. Then he looked away and made a dismissive gesture with his hand. The Hufflepuff girl did not need to be told twice. She quickly ran down the hall and up the stairs. Draco looked back and laughed as he watched the student run away. He waited five minutes and then sauntered down the same hall and went up the same steps.

‘There was a time when I would have directed that little brat to the other side of the castle just for kicks. Why the hell didn’t I do it now?’ Draco thought as he climbed the steps.

‘There has been a lot of shit that I haven’t done that I normally would have in the past. I dunno…’

The only reason he knew where the Hufflepuff dorms were was because his room was near them. He had to hand it to Dumbledore, given the location of his new room; no one would ever think to look for him there. And just to seal the deal, it was hidden behind the least likely painting.

“Bonsoir Antoinette.”* Draco drawled as he approached a large portrait of a ballerina. She was young, younger than Draco. She wore a pink tutu and practiced her dance steps day in and day out. For added security, and because it was her native language, they spoke only French.

“Bonjour Monsieur Malfoy. Avez-vous vu tous les étudiants mignons et petits? J\'aime les premiers étudiants d\'année.”** She said happily. As far as paintings went, Draco liked her. She was sweet and didn’t talk too much.

“Oui je les ai vus. Je pensais la plupart du temps à toutes les manières que je peux les effrayer.”*** Draco laughingly replied. In response, Antoinette gasped and wagged her finger at the young man.

“Monsieur Malfoy, vous ne devriez pas être cruel à eux! Il ne fait pas beau du tout.”**** Antoinette scolded. Draco laughed again.

“Mot de passe?”***** Antoinette asked, tapping her slipper on the ground. Draco had let Antoinette choose the password; no one would ever guess it then.

“Lac Swan.”****** Draco replied and the painting immediately swung open. He said goodnight as he stepped through and closed it behind him.





* - Good evening Antoinette.
** - Hello Mr. Malfoy. Did you see all of the cute, little students? I love first year students.
*** - Yes I saw them. I was mostly thinking of all the ways I can scare them.
**** - Mister Malfoy, you should not be cruel to them! It is not nice at all.
***** - Password?
****** - Swan Lake.