Premise: Lord Voldemort was defeated after he tried to kill Harry when he was one year old. Thus, the Malfoys still have a high social status, which makes Draco Malfoy both arrogant and self-conceited. Dumbledore had died a natural death, and Severus Snape had replaced him as Headmaster of Hogwarts. Snape also teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts, while Horace Slughorn takes over Potions. Slytherin Prefects are Daphne Greengrass and Draco Malfoy while Gryffindor Prefects are Hermione Granger and Harry Potter.
Pairings (mutual): Draco/Hermione; Ron/Lavender (briefly); Harry/Ginny
Pairings (unreciprocated): Ron/Hermione; Cormac/Hermione; Pansy/Draco; Astoria/Draco
Locations of Story: Hogwarts; Hogsmeade; Malfoy Manor; Granger House; Ministry of Magic
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Chapter 1. Draco's Plan
"Hm…" Horace Slughorn looked down at his attendance sheet, "I'm sorry, boys, but I don't see a Crabbe or Goyle on here. Are you sure you both received 'Exceeds Expectations' in your O.W.L.s?"
"Sir," Draco Malfoy said hurriedly in a winning voice as he pushed through the two stupid, gorilla-like boys in front of him, "Sir, I was hoping my friends could stay for your very first lesson. I believe you know my father, Professor? Both he and my mother had you as their Potions master and they said you were the best Professor they ever had."
"Oh, did they now?" Slughorn's chest swelled with pride, "Well… I suppose it wouldn't hurt for interested students to receive a lesson…"
"No, Professor." Malfoy agreed, his eyes mischievous, "They will just stay in the back with me if that's alright with you?"
"Yes, yes, very well." Slughorn waved a pudgy hand at them and returned to the front of the classroom, looking very impressed with himself, "Now then, I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know. These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s. You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet. Anyone tell me what this one is?"
He indicated the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table.
"Why are we here?" Asked Crabbe stupidly, angrily poking the cauldron in front of him with his wand, "I could be in the Great Hall right now. They're serving pudding."
"I wanna go too." Goyle frowned.
"Shut up, you two." Malfoy snarled in a low voice, the sycophantic manner leaving his face immediately after he had gotten his way with Slughorn, "Don't you know what he's going to show us?"
"Some boring potion?"
"No, you idiot. Every year Slughorn offers the best student in his sixth-year-class a small veil of Felix Felicis." Malfoy smirked, looking at the small black cauldron on Slughorn's desk, where the liquid inside was pure gold and leaping around joyfully.
"Who?" Asked Goyle.
Malfoy felt deeply annoyed now, "It's liquid luck, okay? It makes you lucky."
Crabbe now looked interested as well, "How does he make you lucky?"
"Felix Felicis is the name of the potion, Crabbe." Malfoy growled, "Seriously, how much stupider can you get?"
Crabbe looked offended, which, unfortunately, made his face look even stupider than usual, "Well, Draco. It's not like you're gonna win this either. Not with the Mudblood here." He jerked his head towards Hermione Granger at the Gryffindor table, who was excitedly explaining the name and effects of each potion.
"It's Polyjuice Potion, sir," she said, referring to the slow-bubbling, mud-like substance in the cauldron. "It changes you into someone else for an hour!"
"Excellent, excellent! Now, this one here … yes, my dear?" said Slughorn, now looking slightly bemused, as Hermione's hand punched the air again.
"It's Amortentia!"
"It is indeed. It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn, who was looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"
"It's the most powerful love potion in the world!" said Hermione.
"Well, well, take twenty well-earned points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger," said Slughorn genially.
Malfoy looked away from the bushy haired girl and back to Crabbe and Goyle, "Who said anything about winning it?" He asked quietly, the corners of his mouth twitching into a small grin, "We're going to steal it."
"Won't he notice if we take the cauldron?" Goyle asked skeptically.
"Honestly, Goyle, can you please use that thing in you head that's called a brain?" Malfoy sounded exasperated, "We're going to steal some of it. Understand now?"
"…Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis," Slughorn was saying. "Desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong. However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed … at least until the effects wear off. And that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."
There was silence in which every bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions seemed magnified tenfold.
"So," said Slughorn, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win my fabulous prize? Well, by turning to page ten of Advanced Potion-Making. We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death. I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody. The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here. Off you go!"
There was a scraping as everyone drew their cauldrons toward them and some loud clunks as people began adding weights to their scales, but nobody spoke. The concentration within the room was almost tangible.
Malfoy, however, did not bother to open his book, but continued to look even more malicious. He huddled Crabbe and Goyle together and spoke in a low voice so only they could hear, "I just had a better idea," He whispered, "Nick some of that Polyjuice Potion too. If we can transform into Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood; along with the effect of that liquid luck, we can probably get them expelled."
The three of them sniggered over the thoughts of that quietly.
"When class ends, I'll distract Slughorn while you two get the potions. Got it?"
They both nodded fervently.
"Good." Malfoy straightened up again, now completely unable to hide his smirk, "I'm going to grab some of that bushy twigs off Granger's head."
Accompanied by the silent laughter of Crabbe, he walked over to the Gryffindor table, pretending to borrow a sopophorous bean. Hermione Granger was bent over her book, reading the instructions with her eyes wide with elation.
Bumping into her on purpose, Malfoy grabbed a strand of her hair and pulled a few out, resulting in a gasp of pain from Hermione.
"Oh, sorry, Granger." He said, "Didn't see you there."
"You did that on purpose!" Ron Weasley rounded on him furiously, pulling for his wand.
"I wish I did." Malfoy replied in a lazy voice, "But I think it was that red hair of yours practically blinding me that made me lose my balance."
"You – !"
"Boys, boys, not fighting, are we?" Slughorn called from the front.
"No, sir." Malfoy said loudly, "Just admiring Grange – Hermione's potion." And he hurried back to his table with the hair securely in his hands.
It came to no one's surprise that when class ended, only Hermione's attempt at the Draught of Living Dead was closest to the book's description. Hair now bushier than ever, she weakly accepted the prize from Slughorn's hands and smiled rather guiltily at the enthusiastic applause from Harry Potter and Ron Wealsey.
"Well done, all you of!" Slughorn boomed happily, now collecting his things on the table as he dismissed the class.
Students began packing up all the ingredients and equipment, but Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle pretended to pack exceedingly slow to wait out the current students. When finally it was time for Slughorn to leave the classroom, Malfoy eagerly picked up Slughorn's briefcase for him.
"Professor, let me walk you to your office." He said, offering what seemed like a genuine smile.
"Oh, no need, m'boy." Slughorn clapped him on the back.
"I insist, Professor." Malfoy said even more persistently, "It's the least I can do after you let my friends stay for the class. They were just saying how wonderful it was. And those potions you showed us, you brewed all of them, didn't you, Sir? I don't think many others could have done it."
"Now, now, Draco." Slughorn's face had broken into a big smile, and there was a bounce in his steps now, "Don't you go saying that to your old Potions Professor. But I must admit, some of it was incredibly difficult. Like Amortentia. You see, all the ingredients have to be stewed beforehand, and there are almost a hundred ingredients in it, mind you! Now the stirring is the tricky part…"
Malfoy lost interest after the first few seconds. Instead, he nodded encouragingly and said "Yeah, definitely" to keep Slughorn happy until they reached his office. When Slughorn was done telling Malfoy about how hard the potions were, he seemed to have completely forgotten that those mentioned potions were still left in the classroom, unattended.
Walking as quickly as he could without running, Malfoy left Slughorn's office and made swiftly to the Slytherin common room. He passed through several corridors before he reached a bare, damp stonewall. "Basilisk." He said the password quickly, and the concealed door swung open to admit him.
Malfoy walked over to the underground common room and found Crabbe and Goyle huddled in a corner, talking in whispers. He strode over hastily, pushing a first-year out of his way while doing so.
"So?" He asked as he flopped down on the armchair beside them, "Did you get it?"
"Yeah," Grunted Goyle, "Got all of 'em." He said happily and showed Malfoy three veils of different potions.
"What's that one?" Malfoy raised his eyebrow at the veil emitting a strange, seductive smell, "Wait…I know what it is. What did you take the love potion for?"
"You said take everything, didn't you?"
"Just the Polyjuice Potion and Felix – Never mind." Malfoy rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance, "Good enough. Did you get hairs?"
Crabbe looked at him, dumbfounded, "No."
Malfoy sighed again and snatched the veils away from them, "Doesn't matter." He seemed to be trying to convince himself rather than them, "One of us can transform into Granger and get hairs off Potter and Weasley back in Gryffindor." Both of them stared at him blankly. "Well?" Malfoy asked loudly at the absence of replies.
"Oh…yeah." Goyle nodded. Apparently he didn't know he was supposed to agree. Crabbe nodded as well, following his lead.
"Who's it going to be, then?" Malfoy asked, his cold grey eyes travelling to Crabbe and Goyle. Both of them looked uneasy at the question and avoided his gaze.
"Whatever." Malfoy grumbled, "Might as well be me. Neither of you would be able to pull it off anyway."
They both looked happy with the arrangements.
"Let's see…" Malfoy smirked, "Crabbe, you be scar-face. Goyle, you can be the little blood-traitor."
"Why does he get to be Potter?" Goyle groaned a little too loudly, "I wanna be Potter. I wanna screw up his Quidditch Team."
"Shut up!" Malfoy said briskly, because Blaise Zabini was close by and eyeing them curiously. He couldn't risk getting overheard – not even with Slytherins.
A babble of talks broke over as the third-years returned from their first Divination class. They no longer had privacy. Frowning, Malfoy mentioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow him and headed out of the common room, the potions hidden securely under his robes. "You two go find Granger." He muttered, very used to taking charge in the trio, "Stun her or something and stuff her in the Room of Requirement so I don't run into her after I change. We only have an hour, so every minute counts. I'll wait for you upstairs, in the prefect's bathroom. Got it?"
They nodded and scurried off, looking very excited. Malfoy's face was so smug that even other students in the passageway looked at him in curiosity, wondering what he was so satisfied about.
"What are you looking at?" He yelled to a couple of second-year Hufflepuffs, "Get to your classes! I'm a prefect." They squealed and ran out of his way.
As Malfoy made his way to the prefect's bathroom, countless ways of getting Potter and his friends expelled flowed before him. It would have to be something big…and something so bad that not even the teachers can turn a blind eye. It shouldn't be difficult, though, given the fact that the Headmaster was Severus Snape, and Potter was his least favorite student.
He made sure the corridor was deserted before slipping into the prefect's bathroom, where spare robes and cloaks were already waiting for him to use. He looked around approvingly and reached for a golden goblet on the shelf. Carefully pouring the bubbling Polyjuice Potion inside, he dropped a few hairs inside. It immediately turned into a pale lilac color. Malfoy sniffed it dubiously, hoping it didn't taste as bad as it smelled.
Ten long minutes passed before there was a sharp knock on the door and Crabbe and Goyle came inside with Hermione Granger in the middle, both of them now covered in angry red boils.
Malfoy groaned loudly and closed the door behind them, locking it, "What did you bring her here for?"
"We couldn't get the Room of Requirement to open." Goyle said.
"That's just great. And what's with the boils? Now you two wouldn't be able to take the potion even if I get the hairs."
"She shot a bunch of spells at us when we cornered her in the girls' bathroom." Crabbe said angrily as one of his boils popped. "Why can't we go too?" He added.
Malfoy stepped back apprehensively and wrinkled his nose. "Because, Crabbe, you're not supposed to be under the influence of any other spell before the Polyjuice Potion." His gaze moved to Hermione Granger, "What did you do with her anyway?"
"Put the Imperius Curse on her." Goyle grunted.
Malfoy looked dubious, "You sure you know how to do that?" He waved his hand in front of Hermione's face, but she stood there blankly, her eyes completely empty. However, she swayed from time from time, as if finding it hard to stand.
"Used to practice on our maid all the time." Goyle snorted proudly, "Made her clean the house without magic."
"Good one." Crabbe chortled.
Malfoy was too preoccupied to be amused. "Fine. Just lock her in there." He gestured to one of the many changing rooms.
He then took a deep breath and tipped the goblet into his mouth to swallow the potion. As soon as the thick liquid poured down his throat, he coughed and spluttered. He had not expected it to burn. His body started to change and he fell to all fours.
"What's wrong with him?" Goyle demanded, backing away.
Buy Goyle's voice seemed a mile away. Malfoy could feel his hair thickening and lengthening, and his hands and feet were getter smaller by the second.
"He's shrinking! He's – "
And then it was done.
Malfoy lied there panting for a few seconds before climbing back up again. There was a huge cloud of very bushy hair in his face, clouding his vision. He grunted as he attempted to sweep it away from his eyes.
Both Crabbe and Goyle were standing there, gaping at him stupidly, the red boils on their faces completely forgotten.
"Well, don't just stand there! Hand me some smaller robes!" Malfoy said, but out came Hermione's voice, shriller than usual. He blinked, amazing even himself.
Goyle handed him another set of robes and he stripped his off and put it on. He never realized how short Hermione was until he saw Crabbe towering over him.
"This is bizarre!" Crabbe ogled at him, reaching out a stubby finger to poke him in the cheek, "You look just like her!"
"Well, no shit." Malfoy scowled, batting his hand away roughly. "Ok, I can't waste any more time. Hand me the Felix Felicis, Crabbe. Not that one - the other one!" When Crabbe passed over the small bottle of gold liquid, Malfoy impatiently unscrewed it and took a huge mouthful. He was a bit put out to realize that no special sensation swept over him, but he didn't have time to wonder why. 3 of his precious minutes had already gone.
"You two keep an eye on her until I get back. And lock the door behind me."
They nodded obediently. The real Hermione Granger swayed again, her eyes unfocused. She seemed to have no idea that another Hermione stood right before her.
Malfoy smirked at the sight of her and made for the door; he was so gleeful with his scheme that he didn't even feel a small tinge of disappointment that Crabbe and Goyle couldn't come with him. Out of all the times that the Mudblood had embarrassed him, or beaten him in an exam… When they switch back, she's going to wish she'd never meet him.
"What are you gonna do?" Goyle called after him.
"You'll see." Malfoy said mysteriously, pulling the door closed behind him.
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Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this!