Fresh Start - |Draco Malfoy|

Chapter 1

A/n: There is no romance. Amongst the other characters, yes. Draco? No. I want this to be a realistic story. Obviously some things are going to change because of Draco's resorting, though. I will say... there will be some Astoria appearances, maybe. Anyway, please correct me; I'm trying my best to get better at grammar. Also, don't feel pressured to listen to the song. It's your life. Although, if you do... ;)

I'll try to be consistent. Try.

Enjoy!

"There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first; when you learn to live for others, they will live for you." — Paramahansa Yogananda

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"Ravenclaw!" The sorting hat shouted. Fear and humiliation hit Draco hard; he was a laughing stock now. He regretted it, bullying those kids he thought were below him. He held back tears of embarrassment as he watched the students laugh, his old friends included. He put on his mask, cold and confident as he faced them all.

If only his father hadn't gotten caught for fraud and embezzlement. Draco's house had been fraud too. Lucius blackmailed the person in charge of sorting. With his father in Azkaban, their Gringotts key taken; Draco's now poorer than the Weasleys. He ripped his gaze away from the golden trio's victorious smirks onto the floor.

"Silence!" Dumbledore yelled, louder than the hat. "You are all dismissed." He sighed, staring at the student glued to his seat. Once every other student and teacher had gone, he spoke to him. "Mr. Malfoy? I know the adjustment will be hard—" That's when he noticed it. Draco shook, his frail figure sniffing. He looked his age for once, shoulders heaving as he kept his sobs quiet. "Draco... I'm sorry you have to go through this, but it's for the best."

"You're not... you're not sorry. You don't care about anyone but Potter." Draco got off the stool, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. He turned around, a determined frown. "I don't need you or anyone else. So... so don't pretend." With that, he walked away, praying to god nothing terrible would happen. He almost turned to the dungeon until he remembered. He was hit with the pain again, not allowing his tears to fall. Where's Ravenclaw Tower anyway? He thought, jogging up the stairs aimlessly. He just wanted to sleep.

"Ow, sorry..." A girl bumped into him, the both of them managing to keep balance. "Oh, just the person I was looking for." Draco stared at the girl with a blank expression. "Name's Luna Lovegood." She put on a sleepy smile, reaching her hand out.

"I know who you are. The girl everyone calls Looney. One year down...." He ignored her hand, Luna not taking the hint. "What do you want?" He crossed his arms; she was pure-blood at least.

"It hasn't been long, cried yet?" Luna took Draco's hand and brought it to hers, shaking it firmly before letting it fall. He was shocked to hear her words; Luna could tell. Draco wasn't upset, though. He tried to bring out his Slytherin confidence that lived off the anger of people who looked down on him, but he was at a loss for words. Or... he just couldn't say them. Draco knew if he'd still been in Slytherin, he would've snapped at her almost instantly, pissed she would think he was capable of shedding tears. "You should. Holding it in will make you vulnerable to all sorts of creatures. Wrackspurts, for example."

"What?" The word came out in a whisper, quiet yet fast.

"I actually came here to show you where the dorm is. Oh." She paused, noticing a shimmery liquid slide over Draco's left cheek. The moonlight made it impossible not to catch. She stared at Draco with an unfocused gaze, unsure why he glared at her.