Somewhere I Belong

Help me
Figure out the difference
Between right and wrong
Weak and strong
Day and night
Where I belong and
Help me
Make the right decisions
Know which way to turn
Lessons to learn
And just what my purpose is here

Wanna love you
More than anything
I need you
In my every dream, you're there for me
Do you love me?
Oh, I am no angel
Just an ordinary man
- "Help Me" by Nick Carter

The next day, Alex couldn't help but redden when she looked at him. He walked into the hall, and she looked immediately to her plate. Her day had been going fairly well for the time being and she wanted to keep it that way for once. He searched the table until he found her. She was staring at her plate, forcing herself to keep her eyes down. He was somewhat amused by this until he heard his name in a conversation next to him.

"Yeah, and he danced with her all night. Pansy told me she caught them outside," a Slytherin girl whispered to a bunch of her friends. Draco narrowed his eyes at the girl who had been speaking, until she noticed he was glaring at her. The girl looked at him and blushed. Pansy entered while this was going on and sat down next to Draco.

He turned on her saying, "Just what the hell are you doing?" Pansy looked at him shocked by his outburst.

"What do you mean?" she asked innocently.

"You know what I mean. Why is everyone gossiping about me?" he said loudly, getting the attention of others at the table.

"I don't know. Maybe you should ask your Mudblood girlfriend," she replied cynically.

"She's not my girlfriend," Draco said harshly.

"Then why are you making a big deal out of this? You were dancing with her, and I just figured she was your new flavor of the week or something," Pansy said coldly.

"I don't even know her, nor is she in any way associated with me. Now it would be wise that you stop talking about me right away because I know some things about you. Concerning that seventh year you keep drooling over..." he was cut off.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry. Now please be quiet," Pansy said hurriedly. He gave her one last glower before exiting, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. He shoved through the doors knocking hard into Harry and Ron.

"Watch it Potter. I'm in no mood for your idiocy," Draco said crossly.

"What's the matter Draco? Did we wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?" Ron asked in a child-like voice.

"Shove off Weasel. Come talk to me when your family actually earns a galleon or two," Draco said storming down the hall.

"I'll get that slimy, spoiled, prat. I'll kill him..." Ron said through gritted teeth. He started down the hall after Draco, but Harry grabbed his robes.

"Come on Ron, it's not worth it," Harry said, leading him into the hall. Ron grumbled, but reluctantly cooperated.

Alex went to her dorm after classes. She didn't feel much like eating. She remembered what day it was, and she suddenly lost her happy mood, and her appetite. She sat on her bed holding a small box in her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she remembered. She decided she didn't want to sit there crying, and that she'd rather be someplace private. She put her cloak on, and while everyone was eating dinner, she went out to the spot by the lake where she had visited many times that year. Draco, while on his way down the hall had caught sight of her, and decided to see what was going on. He followed her out to the lake and was surprised when he heard her crying. She didn't know he was behind her until he spoke.

"What's wrong?" he asked, puzzled by the way she was acting.

"Nothing, I'm fine," Alex said quickly wiping her eyes, and trying to cover up what she'd been doing.

"You're not fine, I heard you crying," Draco said, stepping closer to her. He caught sight of the box she was clenching.

"It's...It's my mother's birthday. She died when I was little, but I remember her," Alex said, crying again.

"What's that?" Draco asked, gesturing toward the box. Alex wiped her eyes and then opened the box. There was a glittering pendant necklace in the box. The gem was a deep green color, and it had a gold chain It looked very valuable to Draco, who stared at it.

"It was my mother's. She left it to me when she died. I've never worn it in my whole life, but I look at it occasionally. It was her most prized possession," Alex said, as if she knew what he was going to ask. There was an engraving on the box that Draco tried to read, but he couldn't see the letters. Alex saw him trying to read it and she began to read it to him.

"Use this when you need it, but keep it forever safe. Be watchful of deceitful hands, this key they'd quickly take. Existence relies upon it, and this you know is true, remember that you have my love, and that the answer lies in you. That's what the words say. I've never understood them, but my mother seemed to. She always told me that I would one day have it," Alex said closing the box. Draco stood for a few minutes, thinking about them. Alex stood, and began to make her way to the castle. Draco followed closely behind.

Lucius Malfoy paced the floor in his son's dorm. He hadn't returned yet, and he was supposed to meet him at around eight thirty. Draco entered soon after, having been with Alex by the lake. Things were going better between them, now that neither of them was angry. He didn't know why, but he felt really guilty when she was upset about something.

"Father, what are you doing here?" Draco asked, surprised to see his father.

"I waited and you never came, so I had to come find you. Just where have you been?" Lucius asked infuriated.

"I'm sorry father. I was..." Draco trailed off.

"You were neglecting to do as you were asked," Lucius said angrily. Draco just sat down and kept quiet. He knew what his father was like when he was bad tempered. Lucius walked around the dorm, looking at books, pictures, and his son's other belongings before speaking.

"Have you been monitoring her?" he asked, setting down a book he'd been looking at.

Draco looked down at his hands and replied, "Yes, but for how much longer?"

"As long as it takes. This is important, so I urge you to take be careful. This is the only possible way for you to prove your loyalty to the Dark Lord," Lucius said, noting his son's peculiar behavior.

"But I don't understand. Why do I have to do this?" Draco asked, looking up at his father.

"You are to become a Death Eater some day, and you first have to prove yourself. That girl is oblivious to what and whom she is. Her damn parents, both muggles, stood in the way. Her mother was killed, but she, the girl, got away. If she finds out, it could be the end of Voldemort's plans," Lucius said.

"But what if she does?" Draco asked.

"Don't worry about that. The only thing you need to worry about is what was asked of you," Lucius replied.

"I saw the pendant today," Draco said soullessly, changing the subject. His father's eyes brightened.

"You did? When?" he asked.

"She showed it to me. That's why I was late," Draco said, still looking at the floor.

"Excellent. Things are going according to plan. Just keep doing what you're doing. She has to put her complete trust in you," Lucius said seriously.

Draco shuddered. Everything wasn't going according to plan, because the plan had backfired. He was only supposed to gain her trust and pretend to like her. But in doing so, he got more than he'd bargained for.