Disclaimer:Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Warner Brothers. No copyright infringement intended.
Author:Totchi
Title:Draco the Hufflepuff
Pairing:HP/DM
Rating:Mature
Summary:Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes has a prototype that Fred and George think will be a big hit - candies based off of the four Hogwarts Houses that promise to "Unleash your inner Gryffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, or Hufflepuff!". Now, if only they could find some test subjects…

Author's Notes: I am so sorry for the long wait! I have a terrible habit of putting together scenes and scenarios for my stories and typing them all up in Word… but then I never sit down and sew the scenes together so they make a proper chapter until so much time has past. I promise I'll begin updating better and I hope that you enjoy this chapter!

Draco the Hufflepuff

(aka When Harry Finally Embraces His Inner Slytherin)

Chapter 2 – Backed Into a Corner

Draco stared at his reflection in the mirror, eyes narrowing as he looked at his own face. The mirror purred out some praises, but he barely registered them as he leaned closer for a better look. He didn't seem any different. He frowned, reaching up to poke at his cheek. Granted, he wasn't sure how changing into a Hufflepuff would affect his physical attributes. Just as he took a step back, the door to the dormitory opened and he caught sight of the person he least wanted to see.

"Came to offer me some more poison?" he asked with a frown, catching the other boy's eyes through the mirror. "At least this time, you don't have to go through the trouble of spiking my drinks."

"Draco," Blaise closed the door and took a few steps closer. "I had a good reason to do it. I wasn't trying to hurt you."

Anger suddenly boiled up inside Draco as he turned around, baring his teeth.

"Somehow, I don't see how there's any justification for ever force-feeding someone, whom I could've assumed was your friend, an experimental potion that would turn them into a sniveling, pathetic little mass of emotional idiocy," Draco hissed out, watching as Blaise's expression turned into one of guilt. If Draco weren't in the mood he was in, he would've found that extremely funny, as he was sure that Blaise didn't even know what guilt was.

"Draco…" Blaise took another step forward right before Draco cut him off.

"Was it because of the She-Weasel?" Draco continued, having to take a moment to pause, as he felt another emotion, something more painful than anger, slowly burn at his insides. "Because she wanted some sort of confirmation that you'd betray your own friends just for her?"

Blaise shook his head, the guilt on his face giving way to concern.

"No, Draco, of course I didn't do it for that," he replied softly, taking another step closer. "Draco, listen to me. I had a good reason."

"No you didn't!" Draco had to take a step back, surprised by how loud his own voice had become in the silent room. "There is no good reason for you to betray me this way!"

"Draco…" Blaise sighed out, finally taking the remaining steps to close the gap between them. When Draco jerked back to put some more space between them, Blaise grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Draco," he repeated, staring straight into the other Slytherin's face. "I did it for a good reason."

Before Draco could interrupt him, he continued softly, "I know why you've been fighting with your father."

Draco lost the words that he had prepared as a scathing reply. Whatever Draco had anticipated the other to say, anything related to his father was the furthest from what he could've planned for.

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling it constrict and dry out.

"What does my father have to do with this?" he managed to force out, staring at Blaise briefly before averting his gaze. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

"Draco," Blaise's tone, though gentle, still held firmness in it that made Draco feel uncomfortable. "I know that you've been fighting because you didn't want to agree to an arranged marriage."

He moved so that he could stare directly at his friend's eyes before he continued, "And I know why you don't want to get married."

Draco felt something cold slowly move up his spine and couldn't turn his eyes away.

"What?" he asked faintly, feeling Blaise squeeze his arm reassuringly. "What are you talking about?"

Blaise took a step back, letting go of Draco's arm before letting out a sigh. Folding his arms over his chest, he glanced away to stare at the mirror that was next to them.

"Do you remember the last time the Seventh Years smuggled in some firewhiskey?" he asked, watching through the mirror as Draco moved to sit on the trunk at the base of his bed.

"Yeah," Draco ran a hand through his hair, mixed feelings running through him. He felt confused, but more than that, a part of him really did not want to know where Blaise was going with this conversation.

"Everyone got smashed, just like every other time someone smuggles in something," he shrugged his shoulders. "So?"

"You told me some things and I don't think you remember," Blaise moved over to sit beside his friend. "You told me the reason why you didn't want to get married."

Draco's entire world froze as he let the other's words sink in. He tried to remember the specifics of that night where he got drunk, but other than some laughing over the antics of drunken Slytherins and waking up the next day needing a hangover potion, he couldn't place any other details. Breathing in sharply, he placed his hands on his knees for support.

"What did I say?"

He heard Blaise clear his throat and after a minute of silence, Blaise replied.

"Because you weren't attracted to girls."

A strangled laugh left Draco's throat as he bowed his head, clenching the fabric of his trousers.

"So that's why you decided to let those red headed blood traitors give me poison?" he asked, shaking his head. Everything seemed like it was falling apart and all he could do was see how insane this situation was. "To laugh at me becoming a bloody little first year Hufflepuff? Tell everyone that Draco Malfoy was a shirt lifter?"

His sight was blurring and it was slowly becoming hard to breath through his nose. When he felt the dampness to his cheek, he couldn't help but laugh some more.

"This is hilarious," he gasped softly, leaning down to bury his face in his hands, shoulders shaking. "First, I find out that I told you I'm more likely to jump Potter than Pansy, but now I really am a Hufflepuff. Crying, really?"

His last word ended choked as he found he couldn't continue talking. He felt a hand press against his back as thoughts blurred through his mind. He suddenly felt overwhelmed, and the only thing he could do was listen to his friend try to comfort him over the sound of his own sobs.

oooOooo

Harry paused in glancing at his Transfiguration notes to look at the curious stare he was receiving from across the table.

"Yes?" he asked with a smile. "You've been staring at me for the past few minutes, Hermione. I'm studying my notes like you told me."

His friend furrowed her brow, sitting back in her chair as her expression changed from just curiosity to something akin to how a botanist would stare at a newly discovered magical plant.

"You aren't suffering any odd side effects, are you?" she asked, her look giving way to something that Harry suspected was worry. "No pain or dizziness or anything like that, right?"

Harry couldn't help but laugh at her concern, shaking his head a little when Hermione gave him an offended look.

"I'm sorry Hermione, I don't mean to laugh at you," he apologized quickly, noticing that the longer he chuckled, the more offended she looked. "No weird side effects, I promise. I barely feel any different, either."

Before Hermione could reply, Ron interjected from their side.

"You probably don't feel any different, but it'll be pretty easy for others to see if you're acting different," he pointed out, pausing in scribbling on his parchment to look up at his friend.

Harry frowned, turning to face his other friend.

"What do you mean?" he asked, shaking his head. "Ron, I think it'd be pretty obvious to me if I was acting less like myself."

Ron shook his head as a smile pulled at his lips. Placing his parchment down, he placed his hands on the table and leaned closer.

"Harry, tell me you're not somewhat annoyed at me right now," he took a moment to glance over at Hermione, who was watching Ron with the same curiosity she offered Harry earlier. "You look like you want to hex me."

Harry quickly opened his mouth to deny that he was irritated in any way, but after looking at both his friends' expressions, the annoyance he felt earlier slowly ebbed away.

Sighing, he leaned back in his chair.

"This doesn't seem like it'll be as much fun as I thought it'd be," he admitted, wrinkling his nose.

Ron gave a laugh as Hermione shook her head, frowning at her friend.

"Why would you ever think it'd be fun?" she asked in surprise. "I would've been very upset if Ginny had given me something else. Who knows what it would do to you, and it'd start interrupting your studies…"

"Just something to past the time," Harry admitted, though he couldn't help but remember what he learned from overhearing some Slytherins in the corridor. "Plus, just another reason for everyone to stare."

Seeing that both his friends looked unconvinced, with Ron even muttering something about how it wasn't exactly fun to be tricked into becoming his brothers' test subject, he leaned close to his friends.

"I found out someone else was tricked into trying out the twins' new invention," he whispered softly, looking around to see if any other students in the library would pay attention to them.

Seeing nobody stare at them at the moment, he continued, "You can't believe who."

"Remember when Malfoy was really sick?" he asked softly, watching his friends' faces to see their reactions. "It was because Zabini tricked him into drinking the potion!"

Ron's eyes widened and Hermione had to cover her mouth to muffle the loud gasp that escaped her.

"You're kidding," Ron gave a soft whoop of laughter, shaking his head. "You must be kidding, Harry."

"No!" Harry laughed as well, grinning over at Ron. "I'm not joking, I heard Zabini argue with Parkinson in the corridor!"

"That's horrible," Hermione interrupted their laughing, giving them both a reprimanding look, though Harry couldn't tell if it was because they were laughing at Malfoy's expense or because they were starting to get looks from students who could hear their ruckus. "That isn't something that you should be laughing about."

"But it is!" Harry objected, throwing a smile her way. "And it doesn't just stop there… Just think about it, which House do you think he got stuck with?"

Ron's laughing halted for a second as he looked at Harry in disbelief.

"No way…" his shocked slowly turned into a Cheshire grin. "He definitely hasn't been acting like a Gryffindor…"

Harry nodded, liking how easily Ron caught onto his train of thought.

"And you've got stuck with Ravenclaw and I'm stuck with acting like a Slytherin…" Harry continued. "So obviously, only one House is left."

"You can't be serious," Hermione said flatly, folding her arms over her chest. "Malfoy is going to act like a Hufflepuff? That's just awful, you two. I can't believe you think this is so funny!"

"Why not, Hermione?" Ron asked, nudging her with his elbow. "He's such a prat, I have no problem laughing at his expense. He deserves it."

Harry nodded in agreement, "You can't deny that he isn't a jerk, Hermione. Now maybe he won't act so terrible, at least until it wears off."

"Just because he acts like a horrible little boy who's been spoiled rotten, doesn't mean he deserves to be poisoned against his will," Hermione sniffed, shaking her head. "I dislike him as much as you both, but that's just a terrible thing to do. I can't believe Blaise would do that to him. I wonder why… Ginny would never just ask him to do that for fun, would she?"

"She probably did," Ron snorted, glancing back down at his study materials. "I wouldn't be surprised. She tricked us, didn't she?"

Harry opened his mouth to voice his agreement, but as he glanced to the front of the library, he found just the person he had been thinking about lately.

"Speak of the devil…" he muttered, nodding his head toward the door to the library.

He sat back in his seat, folding his arms over his chest as he watched as a certain Slytherin walked into the room. Harry found himself unfolding his arms so that he could prop his elbows up onto the table and lean forward to study the Slytherin more intently. He took a moment to pause and glance at his friends, making sure that they weren't paying close attention to him. Just as he thought, they had glanced over at Malfoy as well when he walked in, but soon went back to their own studies. Comfortable to go back to his study of the other boy, he glanced back over at Malfoy to find that he had made his way over to a bookshelf and was currently in the process of pulling some books down.

Harry's eyes narrowed as he studied the other boy closer, noticing that there wasn't really that much different, even though Malfoy was apparently becoming a Hufflepuff. He frowned, tilting his head to the side as he continued to watch the Slytherin. He had thought that the other boy would show some sort of signs of being less of a Slytherin… And then he noticed the slump to the other boy's shoulders and the way that he hung his head, as if trying to hide his face behind his own hair. Harry watched as Malfoy finished gathering the books he needed and turned around to move towards a desk. Right before he pulled a chair out, the Slytherin paused his movements and glanced up, staring directly at Harry. Harry's hands tensed as he was caught staring, but found himself quickly interested again as Malfoy's eyes widened and he jerked back, shoving the chair back under his desk before turning away and quickly leaving the library.

Harry sat back in his seat for a second, feeling something close to adrenaline flowing through his body. Malfoy just caught Harry watching him, and instead of glaring at him or insulting him, he seemed surprised and ran away. Harry tried to keep his lips from moving into a grin, but failed and had to duck to hide it from others around him. Once he was able to finally put it away, he cleared his throat and started packing up his belongings.

"I think I'm done with studying today," he told his friends as he stood up. "I'll see you guys in the common room."

Without waiting for their replies, he left the library in search of the boy who just ran away from him.

oooOooo

Draco shook his head as he made his way out of the library, his hands clenching around the books he took along with him. All he wanted to do was have some peace and quiet after everything that had been happening to him, and what happens? Scar Face ends up staring at him in the library. Draco knew that nobody should know that he had the unfortunate luck of turning into a Hufflepuff, but of course he didn't think about the fact that somehow Blaise had gotten that potion and that somehow happened to be a family of poor redheaded wizard rejects who also happen to be best friends with his least favorite person.

Draco paused in his stride and gave a loud, audible sigh as he took a moment to close his eyes. There was no point in him panicking, especially when he wasn't even sure if he wasn't just overreacting due to the potion running through his system. Still feeling some unease, he kept his eyes closed and counted to ten to calm himself. Right when he got to seven, he heard someone clear their throat behind him and his quick reflexes had him turning around and glaring at the person who snuck up behind him. Unfortunately, it was the last person he wanted to see.

Harry had cleared his throat to startle the Slytherin, who he had found standing in the middle of an empty hallway by himself, with his eyes closed as if trying to keep the ground from swallowing him whole. Seeing the other boy try to glare at him, but failing miserably as it was not up to the regular standards, Harry couldn't help but smile faintly.

"What do you want, Potter?" Draco shifted uneasily, his discomfort visible to the only other occupant in the corridor. Harry found it mildly endearing to see the other boy's emotions so easily. He also found it rather interesting that he wanted to see more of Draco's emotions play across his face.

"Potter?" Draco prompted again when he didn't receive a response. Despite his best efforts not to, he took a small step back, apprehension showing clear as day in his eyes. He couldn't risk running into someone else that would elicit some strange, emotional response to his new overly emotional self, least of all the Boy Wonder. And what was with him, anyways? He knew the prat was half-blind but maybe he was half-deaf as well.

"You're so easy to read," Harry finally spoke, eyes alight with mischief. "I'm surprised, I was sure that you didn't even have any emotions, Malfoy."

A small pang of hurt went through Draco, which to his own frustration flittered across his face, if the amusement in Potter's eyes was any indication. Just because he was able to keep control of, well before this incident, his emotions didn't mean he didn't have any. He wasn't a monster. He opened his mouth to say so, but closed it abruptly when he noticed the wicked smile that the other boy had on his lips.

"It's like reading a picture book," Harry's voice was smooth and low as he took a step towards the blond. "Every little thought shows up on your face. It's rather fascinating."

His eyes narrowed as he took another step forward, only to have to take a few more to counter the unsteady steps Malfoy was taking to keep the distance between them unchanged. Despite having altercations with Malfoy before, this time it felt different. He actually wanted to pursue him, make the other boy uncomfortable and want to see him trapped. Was this feeling what Malfoy felt every time he messed with Harry? Was this something that all Slytherins felt? He was pulled from his musing when Malfoy stumbled, one foot having caught an uneven spot on the ground. Harry watched in bemusement as the other boy's hand flew out to catch himself against the wall, the books held in his arm falling to the floor. Harry quickly caught up to the other boy when he was distracted, stepping into his personal space and maneuvering so that Malfoy was between him and the wall.

"You seem so skittish," he chuckled, eyes locked with grey. "Tell me Malfoy, have you always been clumsy and just hid it well? You're playing the role of a Hufflepuff perfectly."

He leaned in so close, he was sure that Malfoy could feel his breath when he continued, "No wonder they were always your first target when you wanted to make fun of someone. Was it just an act so that people wouldn't realize that you were sorted in the wrong house?"

"Shut up, Potter," came the weak reply from Draco, horrible warmth spreading across his face. He needed to get out of here and away from this Slytherin-Potter. He was feeling rather sick and panic was starting to settle in his stomach. He knew that the scarred boy before him had the upper hand and even though he couldn't control these stupid emotional reactions that bubbled out from him, he wasn't going to let people walk all over him. He was Draco Malfoy, and this was only Potter!

Harry watched as a blush stole across Malfoy's face with interest. There was a strong sense of power that surged through him at the idea that he was able to cause such a reaction from the other boy.

"You're blushing, Malfoy," Harry pointed out, causing the fair-skinned boy to redden even more. "If only there were other students here in the hallway to see, I'm sure you'd be mortified."

The possibility of other students finding Draco this way, red-faced from embarrassment with none other than Harry Potter backing him into a wall, snapped Draco out of his panic-induced paralysis. He jerked back, nearly bashing his head into the wall as he reached up and shoved the dark-haired boy away, watching as Harry stumbled backwards and away from him. A small part of him was satisfied that even though he had been temporarily turned into an emotional nitwit, he still retained his physical strength. Glad that he could hold onto something semi-normal, he glared at Harry, standing up and straightening his robes.

"Sod off, Potter," he sneered, quickly moving away from the Gryffindor. "And leave me the hell alone. Stop pretending to act like a Slytherin, especially when you're trying to mess with one."

With that, he turned and quickly made his way down the corridor without looking back to the boy left standing there alone. Normally, Harry would've felt angry that the Slytherin abruptly cut everything off and left because he wanted to run away, but now that Harry could think in a different way – in fact he felt as though everything was clearer! – he had noticed a few things. First, Malfoy's face had been as red as a tomato, second, he was practically sprinting away when he left, and third… Harry glanced down at the books left on the floor, a slow smile pulling on his lips. It seemed Malfoy completely forgot that he had dropped his schoolbooks. As Harry stared down at them, another sneaky thought travelled through his mind. It seemed that Harry just found a reason to confront the blond on another occasion.