So, after a long time of consideration, I've finally decided to rewrite my most popular story, 'Another Side of Draco Malfoy'. The story had a lot of grammar and spelling mistakes, and quite a few loops. I wanted to see how well I could write it again.

The rating will definitely raise to M in later chapters, but for now, I will keep it at T. However, the events in this story will make me rise the rating, as well as a certain scene I didn't write in the last version.

If you've read the old story, feel free to read this rewrite! I won't be copying it word to word (the beginning of this chapter is completely different) and I will be making it different.

If you haven't read the old story, then still feel free, of course, to read this rewrite. I hope you enjoy it!

Concealed Torture

Chapter One: Misunderstood

Everyone hates Draco Malfoy. He is a spoiled, awful coward who is just like his father. A Death Eater, a bully, pathetic. That is all he is. He's nothing more than that, and isn't worth being labelled as anything different. His only worth was the wealth from his family. If his last name wasn't 'Malfoy', he would be nothing.

And he knows that. He has grown to believe it, even accept it. He had been reminded by enough people in his life, so much so, that it had to be all true, especially when that had been said to you constantly by your own father.

Oh, yes, of course they got along so well... 'My father will hear about this.' That simple phrase shows it, right? There was never any need to go deeper into their relationship, because everyone just knew for sure that they were perfectly okay. There were no secrets. At least, that what was people believed. Either that, or they just didn't care if there was anything much darker, worse than anyone would have ever guessed, happening behind the walls of Malfoy Manor.

It doesn't matter though, right? He didn't deserve any sympathy, any help, anything.

No one would care that he is terrified of sleeping every night. Not because he was scared of falling asleep... He was scared of waking up, because he spent every single night with the one wish that he would sleep forever. He used to wish for it all to stop, but he knew now that it was never going to. Dying just seemed like a much more welcoming solution. He was too cowardly, however, to end it all himself. He didn't know why; he was never going to change the world for the better, so why did he have to stay living in it?

No one would care that for most of his life, he has been terrified of living in his own home. Terrified because a wrong action, word, sometimes even a look, resulted in him getting hurt. Whether it was by fists, boots, the beloved cane, or even spells, it would happen. Abuse which had gotten progressively worse over the years, no matter how much Draco tried to please him, and tried to be the perfect son. Abuse which had resulted in permanent damage to his body, which magic couldn't even heal, and had littered his body with numerous scars.

No one would care that he knew it had broken his mother's heart. A mother should never have to go through the torture of watching their only child go through so much pain. But Draco always prevented her from getting involved, from doing anything at all. The last thing he wanted was to see her get hurt too. He had always made sure not one bit of damage was inflicted on her, despite how much she wanted to be in Draco's position so he didn't have to ever be hurt again.

It didn't matter though, right? He deserved it. He deserved every bit of it. That's what he was told, and those were the words which were permanently plaguing his mind.

He deserved it.

He had first told himself that it wasn't his fault. He never did anything wrong, not to his father, at least. He had been wrong to others, the word 'Mudblood' was spat out so many times, and he had always acted as though he was better than everyone else. It wasn't his fault; he had been raised to believe that was right. He had never known that it wasn't right to treat people like that, and when it became clear to him once he had started his education in Hogwarts that it was indeed wrong, he realised that he had been raised the complete opposite to how he should have been.

However, the continuous words from his father telling him that everything was his fault haunted his mind. They were all lies, but to Draco, they were truths.

His harsh behaviour to everyone else at Hogwarts became a mask, and not once did he show his true side. He didn't even know what his true side was... He knew he had been in the wrong, but how else could he act? He didn't truly understand anything else but what he had been taught his entire life.

His mask, however, was beginning to slip. Tears had escaped in the presence of others, even though he could never tell anyone why exactly those tears had fallen. It had to all stay a secret.

Draco knew that he would forever just be a puppet, his strings being controlled by Lucius.

"Draco, are you almost ready? The train is leaving in an hour."

The young Malfoy turned to his mother standing in his bedroom doorway, and smiled weakly.

"Yes, I'm coming now. I'm just packing a couple more of my books which I've decided to take," he replied.

"Alright, try not to take too long. I do not want you to be late," she said.

"I won't be, don't worry."

She nodded, smiling sadly. She sighed when she heard a call from Lucius, and quickly walked away. Draco picked up the two books from his desk, and placed them in his trunk. He didn't want to use magic, as he was trying to stay in his bedroom for as long as possible before he had to leave, and that would have been quicker. Part of him didn't want to return to Hogwarts for his final year. He was safer there, much safer, but he was going to spend the whole year being even more hated than he had ever been. He was glad that Professor McGonagall and the other professors were able to secure the castle and stop the Death Eaters from taking over, but Dumbledore's death was still on his hands, despite his godfather being the one to complete his task. The only reason that Draco was even allowed to attend this year was from the request of Dumbledore, written before he died. He would still be under extreme watch, considering he was a Death Eater and he could pass on information any time he liked to Voldemort. He would never do that, but of course, no one would believe that.

He lifted his trunk, and cursed under his breath when it slipped out of his hand and fell onto the floor. His eyes looked down at his hands, which were twitching uncontrollably. He waited until the motions calmed before he pointed his wand at the trunk and levitated it instead.

Several Cruciatus curses which he had been hit with over the summer had started to make his body react badly to lifting anything remotely heavy, or even just too much movement. He had dealt with the Cruciatus curse at several times in his life, but never to the extent of what he had been attacked with in the summer.

A lot of Death Eaters had been in the Malfoy Manor during his school holiday; even the Dark Lord himself had visited quite often. It was clear that the Manor was becoming the most popular household to hold meetings, some of which had already been held. It was extremely dangerous for Draco to simply walk around the Manor's halls. Some just simply ignored him, but others used him as a target. Some of them were outraged at him that he would just throw away a chance to finish such an important task set by the Dark Lord, one which they themselves would have done in a heartbeat. They saw him as an unfaithful Death Eater, and used this as an excuse to throw hexes and curses at him. His father obviously didn't care, his mother couldn't do anything, and Voldemort didn't mind at all himself. He could sense that Draco wanted to be on the Light, not to mention he was never near where these attacks were. He was never safe for him. He had even been taken advantage of by one of the Death Eaters one night, who merely laughed, and said it was the most he would ever get. He hadn't been able to defend himself, being as his wand had been thrown across the room and his body was too weak to fight him off. He had been left lying on the floor, tears of humiliation and pain falling down his cheeks.

Draco shuddered, and quickly headed out of his room. The memories from the summer were starting to convince him more that he would be better off going to Hogwarts, despite the huge amount of death threats he would be likely to receive.

"There you are, Draco," Narcissa said when he entered the main hallway. "It's best if you leave now if you want to be careful about arriving on time."

Narcissa had been very relieved when she was told by a reluctant McGonagall that Draco had permission to return that year. She wanted nothing more than her son to be away from home, knowing that he was in much more danger there and he could be kept away from his father and the Death Eaters if he was in school. She told Lucius that if Draco were to finish his studies, he would provide more help in the war, and so he agreed.

"I believe that the Dark Lord is planning on giving you another task within the following months to test your loyalty," Lucius said, his cold eyes fixed on Draco's. "I will contact you when this has been confirmed."

Draco nodded, and quickly left the Manor before anything else was able to be said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were making their way across Platform 9 ¾, all three excited. They still, of course, had a lot of worries on their minds, but since Voldemort was still moving slowly, they were able to attend their final year. It was recommended, being as Hogwarts was safer for them than anywhere else and they still had a small amount of learning to do, which would naturally be helpful for them in battle.

"I'm looking forward to seeing how this year unfolds," said Hermione as they stepped onto the Hogwart's Express.

"It feels weird though, that it's our final year here," Ron said.

"It's honestly hard for it to sink in that we won't be back after this," Harry sighed. "I'm sure going to miss this place."

"Well, at least we still have one more year," Hermione smiled, but it faltered when she saw that Ron was scowling. "Ron, what's wrong?"

"That is what's wrong," Ron said, gesturing to a certain blonde Slytherin further down the carriage. He was leaning against a wall, reading a book.

"What is he doing here?" Harry asked. "I thought they wouldn't even let him come back."

"I heard that Dumbledore requested him to stay before he passed away," Hermione said. "I have no idea why he would, but I suppose he knew what he was doing..."

"But he's a Death Eater!" Ron exclaimed. "It's dangerous to let him in the school."

"I don't think he'd be able to do much with how much security is in the school at the moment from the Aurors," said Harry. "They'll probably keep a close eye on him."

"They better; I don't trust that slimy ferret one bit."

"Come on, we need seats and we'll have to go past him, as awful as he may be!" Hermione said. The other two nodded reluctantly, and the three friends walked down towards him to get to the next carriage. Their movements slowed to a stop when he looked up at them, and were surprised when he simply looked back down at his book and carried on reading.

"What the Hell, Malfoy?" Ron said. Draco sighed and tucked his book under his arm, looking up at Ron.

"Excuse me if I'm wrong, Weasley, but I believe I'm alright to stand here if I wish."

"And read a book? I bet it's some sort of Dark Arts book, isn't it?" Ron said, reaching for the book under Draco's arm. The Slytherin quickly grabbed it with his other hand and put it inside the pocket of his robe. He certainly didn't want the Golden Trio to discover that he has a love for magical creatures, of all things. That sort of information would spread like wildfire through the school.

"That's just ridiculous, Weasley. If you don't mind, I'm actually going to go and find someone who is worth my time," Draco said, and began to walk away. He seriously didn't want to get involved with the Golden Trio this year, at least as little as possible. However, Ron still reached out and grabbed Draco's arm. The blonde had no time to brace himself for contact, and couldn't hold in his cry of pain when Ron hand touched his skin. The sudden pressure ran through his arm and down into his hand.

"Ron, you're hurting him. Let go," Harry said. Even though he was still angry at what Draco had done the previous year, seeing Draco's fear on top of the Astronomy Tower that dreadful night had made him question whether Draco had become a Death Eater willingly or not.

"Come on, I was hardly touching him!" Ron exclaimed, but he still let go of Draco's arm. Draco looked over at Harry curiously, wondering why he would even bother to help. He quickly had to look away, though. The confusion about how he felt about the Gryffindor had bothered him for years, and since he started becoming less able to keep up his mask, he was never able to look at Harry for long before his confusion slowly disappeared, and his true feelings would begin to develop. He couldn't let that happen.

"Malfoy, what's up with your hand?" Harry asked. Draco quickly held it behind his back, silently wishing for the shaking to stop completely. No concealing charms could cover up that.

"It's nothing. I really better go," he said, and quickly walked away before anything else was asked.

"That was... Strange," Hermione said, her eyes following Draco as he walked down the carriage.

"Well, it's Malfoy, what do you expect?" Ron laughed.

"You never know what to expect from him," Harry said. He couldn't quite put a finger on what could possibly be wrong with Malfoy.

"Draco, are you alright?"

Draco turned away from the window to look at his friend, Pansy. She had been the only person last year who Draco could confess his fears of his task to, without feeling like he could be judged. She was his one true friend, though of course, she still didn't know his deepest secrets.

"No... No, I'm really not," he sighed deeply.

"You can talk to me, Draco," she said softly. "I won't judge you or anything. Just tell me what's bothering you, please."

"I..." Draco hesitated. "I can't, Pansy. I'm sorry. I just... I just can't."

"I'm here for you Draco," she said. "I mean it."

Draco smiled sadly, and he looked back out of the window of the carriage. She sighed softly, and looks away from him. There has always been something wrong with Draco; she could see it in his eyes, ever since she met him. She knew that whatever was bothering him was big, and she wanted to help him, but she knew that it was something which was hard for Draco to say. She had her suspicions, but she could never be certain unless Draco told her himself, and there wasn't any way at all that she could ask.

She would just have to wait, and see if Draco will ever find the courage to tell her himself.

Soon enough, the Hogwart's Express had arrived at Hogmeade. Draco and Pansy waited for a couple of minutes so that they wouldn't get caught in the midst of the crowds scampering off the train. However, to Draco's dismay, it seemed as though the Golden Trio had the same plan as the two friends did, and they yet again bumped into each other.

"Bloody hell, it's him again! Wow, I can already tell this is going to be a bad year!" Ron exclaimed to Harry and Hermione. They both grinned in amusement, but Harry's faltered when he looked at Draco. He just didn't seem... Well, like himself.

"Come on, Ron, let's just leave it and go get a carriage," he said. For some reason, the pain he could see in Draco's eyes made all of the humour he felt just moments ago fade away.

"What, you're taking his side? Come on, Harry! I bet he's trying to follow us around, plotting something against us, maybe trying to help out his precious Dark Lord."

"That is ridiculous, Weasley..." Draco sighed. He did not have the energy to deal with him at all.

"Why don't you just leave him alone?" Pansy said angrily, stepping in. "He has enough on his mind without having you trying to make it worse for him!"

Draco smiled at her gratefully, but her words didn't stop Ron. Naturally, as he had a very large grudge against Draco, he didn't let it go that easily.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I completely forgot about poor little Draco Malfoy's life! He must spend so much time worrying about not sucking up to his precious Lord and his father enough and how he should please them. I bet he spends so much time worrying about having too much choice on what he can buy when Mummy takes him shopping. Seriously, you're nothing! You deserve to rot away in Azkaban, and that's what's going to happen to you. You won't be pleasing Daddy then, will you? In fact, he'd probably be glad that his pathetic son is in there! He'd probably just laugh at the thought of you receiving the Dementor's kiss, and I would to, because the thought that you actually have a soul is laughable!" Ron shouted at him.

"RON! That's enough!" Harry yelled at him. Ron looked at him in confusion. Hermione also looked shocked by Ron's outburst. The four of them, including a very angry Pansy, looked over at Draco, wondering how many hexes he would cast. To their surprise, it was zero.

"You know nothing about my life, Weasley. Before you start trying to act as if you know everything about me, you might want to try actually getting your facts straight. Perhaps I do deserve to be in Azkaban. If you think that I'm actually proud of what I'm done, then that is the laughable thing here. Why don't you try and stay out of my life before you ruin it further? Every single day is a curse, and don't you dare make it worse for me," he said quietly. He quickly looked at Pansy, gesturing her to follow him, before walking away. She could see that he was trying to hide tears from the other three. She nodded, but she first had to say a few of her own words, being Draco's best friend.

"You three listen to me, especially you, Weasley. Leave Draco the fuck alone. I don't know what is going on with him, but if my theories are correct, he is going through more pain than you would ever suspect. I will not accept you bringing him down further. I know about what he has done but there is so much more to him than he reveals. He doesn't want to bother you this year at all, so can't you just leave him be?" she said, before she quickly caught up with Draco up ahead.

"Wow, there is something weird going on with them," Ron muttered.

"Ron, you went too far," Harry said. "I dislike him just as much as you do but what you said was uncalled for."

"You're still taking his side?" Ron questioned in an angry tone.

"No, I'm not, I'm just stating the truth," Harry sighed, though he knew Ron wouldn't listen when he was mad like this.

"But Harry, it's Malfoy! He's-"

"Ron, just leave it!" Hermione said. "Harry does have a point. You did take it too far. Malfoy and Parkinson said nothing to you and then you started a fight anyway. It was uneeded."

Harry nodded in agreement. Ron looked at them both in disbelief.

"You're... You're taking Malfoy's side as well; even after everything he has called you? I can't believe this!" Ron shouted, before he stormed off to Dean and Seamus' carriage.

They both sighed deeply, before they made their own way to a carriage.

"I did find it a bit funny at first, but what Ron said was wrong... He shouldn't have been like that. It doesn't make him any better than Malfoy is, speaking like that to him," Hermione said.

"I know, I couldn't help but be angry at him," Harry replied.

He frowned as he thought about Draco and Pansy's words. What was going on in Draco's life that they had all failed to see? The image of the pain Harry could see in Draco's eyes plagued his mind. There was something big here, he could tell... And he was going to do his best to find out what it was.

I am so, so glad I decided to write this again.

I have literally been writing this for the last four hours, despite my health. I just quickly drew a cover, and I didn't even just think of carrying on with this tomorrow. It is now 03:46am. I think I best get to bed.

Thank you for reading, and feel free to review! They always keep me motivated to write. Bye for now!