Regaining Royalty

Chapter Two.

Draco sat at the end of the Slytherin table, listening silently to the Sorting Hat's song as he twirled his knife under his finger, digging the blade into the table. Gryffindors and Slytherins alike scowled angrily at him when Dumbledore named him the new Head Boy. There seemed to be only one face in the hall, which did not seem to glare at him with absolute loathing as he stood to be recognised, that of Professor Severus Snape. Snape looked over to him with pride practically glowing from his face as his favourite student finally received the recognition he deserved.

The feast, in Draco's opinion, didn't compare to the ones of the previous years. Maybe it was the lack of people around him to hear his jokes and Gryffindor insults, or maybe it was the loss of his father, he couldn't tell, but he just could not enjoy the feast as much as he would have sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by his friends laughing and joking with them.

Every so often, he caught his ex, Pansy, glancing down the table at him wistfully, but he simply ignored her and looked back down at his plate while the terrified first year simply stared across the table at him.

"You're Draco Malfoy?" the boy asked simply as Draco stuffed a forkful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Yeah?" Draco replied simply, swallowing the soft potato. "What's your point?"

"Well, your dad was sent to Azkaban in July, wasn't he?" the boy asked eagerly. "It was all over the papers." Draco's eyes narrowed dangerously, silencing the small boy.

"Yes, he was," Draco commented before stuffing another mouthful of mashed potato.

"Now that we are all fed, I will make a few announcements." Dumbledore had risen and was addressing the students. Draco sighed and leaned forward on the table, gazing absently up at the headmaster. "First years should note that the Forbidden Forest is just that, and anyone found located in there will be severely punished. Mr. Filch would like you all to remember that the list of banned items on school grounds is nailed to his door. There have been quite a few Wizard Wheezes items added after last year's firework and fountain show in the middle of the fifth floor corridor; and numerous students began projectile vomiting in the corridor after eating a Puking Pastille." He smiled slightly, and Draco grinned. Despite being a Muggle-loving old fool, he was pretty sure Dumbledore would sneak a few of those Skiving Snack-Boxes if he could.

"On that note, Mr Fred and George Weasley, owners of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes will be visiting the castle on the first Sunday of each month to market new products. Anyone wishing to take a look may see them on the front lawns. The village of Hogsmeade is out of bounds to anyone below third year, and third years and above must remember they may only visit the village on scheduled occasions." He glanced over at the Gryffindor table, where Ron Weasley had turned a spectacular colour of magenta and Harry Potter was looking at his plate as if it were dancing. Hermione Granger, on the other hand, was scowling at both of them.

"We have a new addition to our staff. Due to the unfortunate death of Professor Otendite last year, we have yet another new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. I would like you all to welcome Professor Madelaide Frost." Everyone in the hall clapped lightly as Professor Frost nodded curtly. Her long black hair fell in ringlets around her shoulders and her dark eyes surveyed the room calculatingly as everyone clapped. "Now, everyone off to bed before lessons in the morning."

The scrapes and thuds of chairs being moved rang through the hall as everyone moved. Draco didn't bother to wait for the first years that didn't know their way or the password; he would let the prefects guide them. He set off at a pace down to the dungeons, turning the many corners before reaching the entrance of the Slytherin Common room.

"Mudblood," he murmured as the entrance opened to a tunnel into the common room. He stepped through, stalking into the common room and up to the seventh floor dormitories.

His dorm looked exactly as it always did, the velvet green drapes hanging around his four poster bed with the freshly washed green and silver coverings. Opening his trunk that stood at the bottom of his bed, he moved all his clothes into the ebony chest of drawers next to his bed before pulling out his best pair of silver silk pyjamas. He scrambled out of his clothes and into his pyjamas quickly before shutting his trunk and sliding easily into the bed, pulling to the hangings closed around him.

"So I told Crabbe and Goyle that if they wanted to remain loyal to that idiot, that they could forget being popular and forget being our friends." The sharp voice of Blaise Zabini chortled as the door slid open with a creak. "You have to realise, he isn't one of us anymore. He's living among Muggles."

"I know that, Blase," the gruff voice of Theodore Nott replied. "It isn't his fault though. I mean, those fucking Aurors took everything."

Draco lay on his back on his bed, listening silently as his insides screamed angrily.

"It was he that said that if one of us lost everything they weren't worthy to be with us!" Blaise countered. "He said that if someone were stupid enough to get caught, they weren't smart enough to stay with our group. We can't be strong if someone is dragging us down. Those were his exact words, Theo."

"I suppose," Theodore replied. Draco heard the springs of a bed as someone flopped down onto it. Just as he heard that, the door creaked open once again and the blundering footsteps of Crabbe and Goyle echoed off the stone floor.

"Crabbe, Goyle, we were just discussing Malfoy," Blaise commented. Crabbe grunted a response Draco couldn't make out, but as he rolled onto his side, a soft squeaking escaping his mattress, they all fell silent and Draco was sure that they were all staring at his hangings.

The shuffling afterwards was done in silence; none of the other boys dared to speak as they got ready for bed. Draco listened intently to them all climbing in and releasing the hangings to fall around them, and before long, a soft snoring could be heard from Blaise, a deep hum of air rolling in and out of Nott's lungs, and Crabbe and Goyle were snoring heavily.

Draco rolled back onto his back and stared at the ceiling, pondering what the rest of the year would be like, sharing a room with four people that hated him. Maybe they could transfer him into Hufflepuff and he could stay with all the penniless dumb students of the castle. No, he thought finally, he was a Slytherin and a Slytherin he would always be. He would be great in a way Blaise and his new cronies could never be. 'Screw Blaise,' he added angrily. 'I don't need him, I don't need any of them. I'll show them what I'm made of, I'll show them all!'