Disclaimer: I do not own any of the ideas for this story, not even the idea for Nott's character, which I got off of JKR's site. Sigh I'm just not that creative.
Mudbloods Beware: A Prologue
"Mudbloods Beware," sneered Draco Malfoy. At his words, a door concealed in the wall opened to reveal a large passage. Malfoy and his friends/unofficial guardians, Crabbe and Goyle, walked into a dungeon area that served as the Slytherin Common Room. Several torches, some of which were glowing green or silver, lit the room. Hanging from the ceiling were several green lanterns. Malfoy sank into a chair that was regal in design, and had snakes carved into the darkly stained wood. This was one of many similar chairs, but Malfoy's was the grandest. The pompous boy had claimed it upon entry into the room on his first night. It was his throne. It sat closest to the fireplace and carved mantel, which had been sculpted to look like two giant snakes were crawling from an egg that was being sat on by a frog. The design might have been considered brilliance if it weren't so repulsive.
"You should have seen Neville's face when I dumped extra salamander's blood into his strengthening solution; he looked like he might cry. Then Snape took all those points from Gryffindor, and I nearly died from laughing!" Malfoy had settled into his usual routine of discussing the tricks he had played on various people that day, and as usual, the common room was grateful to hear their favorite prefect's tales.
"And you did this while Umbridge was watching," breathed Pansy Parkinson.
"You're so brave," exclaimed Millicent Bulstrode.
"Is tricking squibs and slurring mudbloods all you ever do?" asked a Slytherin boy in fifth year with Malfoy. He had been lurking in a shadowy corner nearby, but when he saw Malfoy's fan club gathering, he decided to go have some fun.
Several gasps came from the girls surrounding Draco, and the entire common room turned to watch. They were geared up for a fight. Everyone watched Malfoy, waiting anxiously for his retort. To many of the younger Slytherins especially, Malfoy was something of a hero.
"Why, do you care Theodore, are you going to defend them?"
"No, I was just wondering why someone with a father like yours, practically a legend at Hogwarts in his day, would lower himself to that level. So much talk and so little action."
At this, Malfoy blushed, and reached for his wand (the signal at which Crabbe and Goyle rose stupidly from their chairs). One look from Theodore, however, made him think twice. Theodore was very sly and smart. Malfoy was well aware that Theodore caused serious problems for mudbloods whenever he could do so without causing suspicion. Malfoy's may be the name the rest of the school knew as the ranking Slytherin terror, but he knew who the real terror was. Many mudbloods had been sent home crying or injured by Theodore Nott, but Dumbledore was the only one with an inkling as to who caused these problems, and he had no proof. Thus, Theodore always lived to torment another day. Theodore was the only Slytherin who could see through Malfoy, and it scared him.
"I would have thought being turned into a ferret last year would have spurred you into action, Draco." sneered Theodore (more gasping from the crowd).
If Malfoy hadn't known Theodore was just trying to get him to change his mind about putting his wand back in his robes, (and if he hadn't known he'd lose in a duel), he would have jinxed him then and there.
Mudbloods Beware: Chapter 1
Nott Inarticulate
It was late, and most of the Slytherins had gone to bed, except Malfoy. He sat in his throne, and stared transfixed at the dancing fire until a movement to his left made him jump. "Calm down Draco, it was just the portrait," he said aloud, disgusted with himself. He had stayed in the common room so no one could call him a coward, but he was afraid Nott was going to appear at any moment. He had just caught his breath when he heard a most unwelcome snicker coming from his right.
"Afraid of your own shadow now, are we?" Theodore Nott chuckled.
Malfoy blushed, it was bad enough that Nott had embarrassed him in front of the whole common room, and now Nott had witnessed his moment of cowardice. Theodore took in Draco's pink cheeks and angry countenance, and knew his timing had been perfect. He had been watching Draco for a little under a half hour. He knew he had to get him really upset for his plan to work.
"So, salamander's blood in Neville's potion, eh? Have you ever heard of Sally-Anne Perks?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Malfoy, slightly surprised by this question.
"Have you ever heard of Sally-Anne Perks?" Nott grinned at having caught Draco off guard.
"Of course I have, she's the Gryffindor girl who got bitten by a werewolf in our first year," said Malfoy, his voice dripping with disdain.
"That's just what the teacher's said because students weren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, and Parvati saw Sally-Anne being carried out of the hospital wing with bad bites—Patil started that rumor. Dumbledore encouraged it of course, not that it mattered as everyone knows about the stone now."
Malfoy tried to hide his shock. Besides, Nott was probably just trying to trick him anyway. He would have surely heard if Theodore were telling the truth. He tried to think back to first year and the rumors. Supposedly, Zabini Blaise and Sally-Anne had some sort of fight, and he told her that there were Unicorns in the Forbidden Forest. She had gone to see if it was true (something Draco could have told her after that detention with Potter). She had gotten bitten that night.
As if Nott could read Draco's mind, he said, "If you don't believe me, I'd understand, I mean, I wouldn't expect you to know the truth."
That had done it--Malfoy was incensed. He drew his wand and yelled, "Stupefy!" Theodore blocked lazily, and threw back a well-placed inarticulate curse. Malfoy was shocked when he started to get sores all over his arms. Inarticulate curses weren't usually studied till sixth year.
"Tarantallegra," Malfoy yelled. This time, Nott blocked it with a rather exaggerated yawn. Draco, his face contorted with rage, looked ready to kill.
"Sectumsempra!" he spat, but Nott simply blocked again, and sent the inarticulate version of Petrificus Totalus at Malfoy, who dropped hard to the floor. Nott quickly cured Malfoy's sores, and then left. Draco thought he was going to be left to be found by giggling first years in the morning, but a few minutes later, Theodore reappeared with something that looked a lot like a muggle baby food jar, labeled: Sally-Anne Perks and a bowl he recognized as a pensieve. There was some silvery substance swimming in the jar. Had Malfoy been able to move his face, it would have registered confusion.
Theodore, however, paid no attention to Malfoy. He began talking. "You never could beat me in a duel, but it is so much fun when you try." He laughed harshly as he saw the fury in Draco's eyes. "I am the one truly responsible for that Mudblood Perks' injuries. She was such a nosy little witch; I felt she needed to be exterminated. Well, I don't really need to tell you about it, I can show you." He pointed to the jar, "I keep one for all of my victims."
At this, he pointed his wand at Draco's still form. He smiled at the petrified look in Draco's eyes, and muttered, "Finite." Shocked and angry, Draco pushed himself off the floor, but did not dare attempt another attack.
Nott poured the contents of the jar into the empty pensieve, and motioned Malfoy over. Malfoy felt like he would rather stay where he was, but curiosity and the gleam in Theodore's eyes made him walk to the table. He remembered an occasion when his father had used a pensieve, and he leaned into the liquid, followed closely by Theodore. Next thing he knew, he was in the great hall during the sorting at Malfoy's first year. He watched as Perks was sorted. He noted the look of loathing on the past Nott's face. The Nott beside him began talking.
"She walked into my compartment on the train, and started asking all kinds of questions. She was a right little annoyance, and then I found out she was a mudblood. Her being sorted into Gryffindor was just icing on the cake." Nott mused.
Malfoy wasn't really listening though, he watched as Harry Potter stepped up to be sorted. He started to snigger at how small Potter looked when he heard himself sniggering a few feet behind Nott. "This is so weird," he thought to himself.
Mudbloods Beware: Chapter 2
Into the Pensieve
Watching Potter walk to the Gryffindor's table to tumultuous applause stirred up the ever-present hatred and (though he would never admit it) jealousy Malfoy harbored towards Harry.
"Listen up—this is important!" Nott hissed.
Nott had interrupted Draco's reminiscing, and he looked up. Dumbledore was talking. Something that sounded suspiciously like, "Old mudblood-loving fool," escaped Malfoy's lips, but he was promptly shushed by Nott who was now watching Dumbledore with a maniacal glint in his eye.
" 'And Finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.'"
Malfoy saw a mischievous grin on Nott's face, and he looked over to where the younger Nott was sitting, and saw the mirror image of the face of the Nott beside him, the same mischievous grin. At that point, the Nott beside him tapped him hard, and began walking. The first-year version of Nott had also gotten up to go with the rest of the Slytherins to their common room. Malfoy followed the two Notts along many familiar corridors, until they began to head in a different direction. They all headed to the right-hand side of the third-corridor. Malfoy knew nothing could harm him in a memory, but he couldn't stop the fear welling up inside him.
"Alohomora," whispered the first-year Nott, as he reached a locked door, which he then carefully opened. The sound of vicious barking filled Malfoy's ears long before he could glimpse its source. Then, he saw a giant paw, but nothing else as the door was slammed shut. First-year Nott was trembling and whiter than any ghost, but once he started to leave, he grinned evilly. His step had slightly more bounce than when he had come in. Malfoy went to follow him, but the older Nott grabbed his sleeve.
"Do you know what that was? That was a very rare three-headed dog. It gave me quite a scare at first, but it also gave me a brilliant plan to get rid of Miss Perks."
Before Malfoy could respond, he felt himself lurch back out of the pensieve.
"Now, you've seen how I found the dog. I was naturally curious about Dumbledore's warning. I tried to get near it again, but every other time I came up here, I was shooed away by Filch."
Malfoy couldn't believe what had just happened. " 'What do they think they're doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school?'" Malfoy thought to himself.
"That was the entrance to where they were hiding the Sorcerer's Stone, which is why they wouldn't let me near it again," explained Nott. Malfoy once again felt as if Nott must have read his mind. "Yeah, well, you still haven't proved that what happened to Perks was your doing!" Malfoy exclaimed, anything to hide his own insecurity. Nott chuckled, and then he prodded the silvery thoughts again. He motioned Malfoy to come. Malfoy shoved his head back in with a sigh of annoyance. This time, he found himself out near the lake. The first-year Nott was talking quietly to Sally-Anne.
"There is an awesome treasure in the third-floor corridor. The teachers just want it for themselves." He held out a handful of galleons whose shine couldn't match the gleam that appeared in Sally-Anne's eyes. Then, Nott quietly passed her an invisibility cloak. "I found this at the top of the tallest Astronomy tower, and if you want some of the loot, you have to use it, but once you go through the door I told you about, you have to take it off, or you won't be able to see the treasure; the room's enchanted."
Malfoy felt himself being pulled out of the pensieve once again, but not before he saw Sally-Anne walk quickly back into the castle.
"I jinxed her so she could never tell a soul about anything that happened for the next hour. Those galleons were mine, but once she took them, the jinx took effect. I knew she was so nosy and greedy that she would go after the treasure immediately," Nott said all this in a rush, and Malfoy missed the very first part since he had been coming out of the pensieve at the time. Nott's excitement seemed to emanate from him, and Malfoy could feel the energy. Nott simply smiled and returned the thoughts to the jar. He stalked back up to his dorm, leaving Malfoy with his thoughts.
"Why did he show me all that?" wondered Malfoy aloud. He knew Nott had caused some major problems, but Perks could have been killed, then again, that had been his intention. This was the sort of thing his father might have done. A small voice in his head finished, "The sort of thing he expects me to do."
"Draco knew that he disappointed his father. He had to find a way to show his father and Nott that he was just as cunning, just as brave as either of them. Malfoy fell asleep in his throne, thinking about the night's events, and how he would show-up Nott.
Mudbloods Beware: Chapter 3
Revenge of the Basilisk