"What?!?" Harry gasped, eyes widening. Neville shook like a leaf.

"Oh, I shouldn't have told you," he sobbed. Harry cut him off.

"Don't be ridiculous, Neville. I'm glad you told us," he said, trying to process what Neville had just said. He thought the rumours weren't true...

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Neville leaped behind Ron. Harry straightened and went to open the door. In front of it stood an enraged Draco Malfoy, flanked by two larger boys on either side of him.

Malfoy's eyes softened a little at the sight of him. "Ah, Harry, I had forgotten this was your dorm. Have you seen a boy named Neville? He's about yea high and has dark hair-"

"Why should I tell you?" Harry said, letting disgust colour his tone. One of the tall boys made a step forward but Malfoy put out an arm to stop him.

"Because I'm asking you to," Malfoy said, turning a little pale. "Look, whatever he's told you-"

"What makes you think he's told me anything?" Harry said, narrowing his eyes. "Is there something that I need to be told?"

"Yes!" Malfoy said, nodding vigorously and turning considerably paler. "But NOT by Neville Longbottom of all people! You hardly know him! I thought you trusted me?"

"I do trust you," Harry said, refusing to be swayed. "But Neville is also my friend. And I'm not going to let you hurt him."

"But I didn't hurt him!" Malfoy exclaimed. Suddenly, Neville was right behind Harry, eyes brimming with tears.

"How can you say that?" Neville said, disbelievingly.

"I didn't lay a single punch to your face, Longbottom! That was Crabbe. And maybe if you hadn't gotten your dumb Gryffindor mates to antagonise him for so long, maybe he wouldn't have been so tempted!"

Neville fell silent. "What do you want from me?"

"I was looking for you to apologise on Crabbe's behalf," Malfoy said, becoming angry again. "Yet here you are, spreading lies. Again."

"Again?" Harry questioned. No one elaborated further. Ron came up behind Harry and put a hand on Neville's shoulder.

"Come on, mate, let's go get you fixed up," he said, gently steering him out of the room and into the corridor. That left Harry, Draco, and the other two boys.

"Crabbe, Goyle, leave us please," Malfoy said, not taking his eyes of Harry. The two tall boys obliged.

"Explain. Please," Harry said. He was desperate to see only good in Malfoy. He was the only true thing he believed in and he knew he couldn't stand it if it were all a lie.

"Okay," Draco said, taking in a deep breath. "Your so-called friends, Longbottom, Finnigan, and Thomas, have been poking and prodding at Crabbe for a while now. Us Slytherins haven't been on the best terms with Gryffindors, since they're always teasing and provoking us. There's an unspoken rivalry between us. Crabbe broke, as you might have guessed, since he has a very short temper. And that's when Neville ran along to you, knowing my feelings for you. He knew I wouldn't want you to think I'm a bad person."

"I don't think you're a bad person," Harry reassured him. Draco let out a humourless laugh.

"You are a terrible judge of character. I can see that just from looking at your friends," Malfoy said, sneering in distaste.

"What about your friends?" Harry said, feeling defensive. "At least mine don't go beating up everyone. And even if they did, you have no right to talk."

"My friends don't initiate the fights, Potter," Malfoy's eyes glinted with a hint of anger. Harry recoiled, and it vanished. "Look, my point is, the people you associate yourself with are not good people."

"Who do I believe, Draco?" Harry said, shaking his head in confusion. "My friends, who have been nothing but nice to be since I came here; or you?"

Draco looked as if Harry had slapped him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Harry instantly regretted his choice of words. "Nothing. I didn't mean-"

"I'm sorry I'm not as saintly as your dumb Gryffindor friends, who go around taunting and bullying first years, spreading rumours and running through the corridors of the school like a bunch of degenerates, which they are," Malfoy said heatedly.

"That's not fair OR true and you know it," Harry started. Malfoy laughed.

"Be real, Potter, you've only been here for, what, a few weeks? You don't know ANYTHING about this school or the people or the things that go on inside. You believe the first thing that floats into your ear," Malfoy snarled, taking a step forward.

Harry, suddenly frightened, pushed him back before quickly stepping back into his dorm and promptly locking the door.

He sank back against the door, and began to sob.

Why did his every interaction with Malfoy have to be such an emotional ordeal?

***

Awww, poor Harry. And poor Draco, too. Even if he WAS being mean about Neville >:(

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