Disclaimer: If I actually owned Harry Potter or any of its characters and JK didn't, I'd be writing on a better computer by now...

A/N: Ok, my first fanfic, let's see how it goes! Um, this chapter isn't very great and is fairly short, but I promise it'll get better throughout. Please review, I need to know what to improve!

"-and that is why I came here, I'd like you all to think of me as a friend, someone you can talk to" the woman smiled at the class. Miss. Thompson, under a new Ministry experiment, had come into the school to talk about abuse, self harm and home issues that might bother the students of Hogwarts. She had wavy red hair and bright blue eyes that looked kind and friendly.

"I'll be around for the next few months, and anyone's welcome to stop by and visit for a little chat"

Draco glared at the floor, feeling himself bristle with every word she said. What would she know about all this? She looked like her life had been perfectly fine, from being daddy's little girl to the ministry's top girl. And her voice! No-one with a voice that sounded so...honey like, could have ever felt upset.

Grace Thompson watched the class carefully, trying to pick out who she thought would come to her, and who she would need to go to. The nervous looking boy, Neville, the stressed intelligent one, Hermione, the messy haired boy Harry...she was quite sure she'd be talking to them all over the next few months. And the blonde one. White-blonde hair and piercing grey eyes, had he even said his name? Grace watched the boy, it was the little things that others might not notice that made her so good at her job, things that were clear signs that something was wrong. He glared at the floor, seeming to generate waves of hate, but Grace could see that, reflected in his eyes, was a very sad, broken soul. Despite the heat, the boy, unlike his classmates, wore long sleeves, going right up to the bottom of his hand. And, though it was hardly noticeable, he rocked back and forwards, ever so slightly, biting his bottom lip as if to stop himself from screaming. It took all her strength to stop herself from giving the boy, who looked so lonely, a cuddle. He should not be suffering in silence.

"That was dull"

"Complete waste of time"

"Oh Miss, I'm going to kill myself, can we talk?"

The group of Slytherins sniggered and walked off, not noticing that their prince was not among them, nor that he had not commented on Miss. Thompson. Instead, Draco was walking on his own, his eyes fixed on the floor, lost in his thoughts, not even bothering to snap at the fourth year who banged into him, but merely continued walking, ignoring the terrified apology coming from the small girl.

"Abuse, self-harm, and home issues"

The words echoed in his head as he stepped into his private room in the Slytherin dungeons, deciding to skip dinner

"Abuse, self-harm, and home issues"