Snape's eyes flashed dangerously. "Mr. Malfoy you will not speak publicly about your distaste of the Headmaster again. Nor will you praise the actions of certain Dark wizards. You have a choice: Three hundred points from Slytherin for gross stupidity, or tutor Neville Longbottom for the rest of the year."
Draco snorted and gazed lazily around the dungeon, looking at his fellow Potions classmates, not believing that Snape would ever take three hundred points off his own beloved house.
"Well, Mr. Malfoy? Have you reached a decision yet?"
"I'm still thinking about it," retorted Draco snappily. He hated people trying to get the upper hand over him.
"Well think fast, because if you can't decide, it will be both," said Snape, a cruel smirk starting to tug at the corner of his mouth.
Draco's jaw dropped open, "You can't be serious," he blurted out.
Snape's smirk just grew wider; there was no need to respond.
Draco's mind was now working overdrive to come up with a solution. Slytherin politics would never allow for a student to lose three hundred points and still be admired; on the other hand, tutoring a Gryffindor was unthinkable, especially one of such a mediocre standard like Longbottom. Draco looked at Snape, he was getting ready to publicly humiliate him, Draco could see it in his face.
Just as Snape drew in a breath before opening his mouth, Draco said the unthinkable, "I'll tutor Longbottom."
Snickers and giggles came from all over the dungeon, but were much more pronounced on the Slytherin side. Neville let out a quiet groan of disbelief, it was bad enough for him that Snape tortured him every Potions lesson, now he was inflicting more pain and suffering?
Hermione stuck her hand up in the air, "Professor, why don't I tutor Neville. I've been doing it for nearly six years now..."
Snape's head spun around to Hermione faster than a whip crack, "I don't remember asking for your opinion, Miss Granger. Ten points from Gryffindor for your rude and uncouth interruption to my class."
Hermione slouched in her seat, visibly embarrassed, as Harry and Ron made soothing noises.
None of this escaped Draco's attention, although it would be hard for anyone watching him to realise he was paying attention.
Damn Gryffindors. Why must they always make my life so damn difficult? And damn Snape at the same time! I thought he was supposed to be on my side. Father didn't pay him that gold just so he could humiliate me. Or did he?
Draco hurried out of the dungeon the moment the bell had rung. With any luck, he wouldn't...
"Mr. Malfoy," called Snape. "Please come here."
Draco gritted his teeth and turned around to face his teacher, who was standing behind his desk with Neville by his side, "Yes, Sir?" he said bitingly.
"I think it is prudent if you would arrange a tutor time with Longbottom here."
Draco glared at Neville, who quickly looked away. "Of course, sir," he turned to Neville. "What time and day would be convenient?" he asked courteously, aware that if Snape suspected him of mal-treating Neville, he'd go ahead and take the three hundred points and make Draco tutor Neville.
Neville looked surprised at how polite Draco was being, but merely said, "Eight pm tomorrow is fine with me."
Draco forced a fake smile onto his face, "I shall see you then. Now, if you'll excuse me, I will be late for Transfiguration if I don't hurry."
Snape narrowed his eyes, clearly suspicious of Draco's behavior, but nodded curtly, "Very well. Neville, you may go."
Draco watched Neville scuttle hurriedly out of the dungeon, then turned to Snape, "Sir, I do have a class now -"
"Draco, if I hear anything, and I mean anything about you mistreating Longbottom, you will lose much more than just points. Do I make myself clear?"
Draco didn't need to be a genius to figure out that threat referred to his father. Snape still enjoyed telling his student's parent's about their unruly behavior, especially to families like the Malfoy's, who would be sure to punish their child in the most severe way permitted by Wizarding law.
"Yes, Sir," replied Draco.
Snape nodded his ugly head towards the door, "You may go."
Draco spent the rest of the day stewing over his unfair treatment. Fortunately, being a prefect had its advantages – he was able to take his anger out on the first-years, giving any of them who so much as looked at him a detention. Finally admitting to himself that he wasn't going to get any work done when he was this distracted, he wandered out of the Slytherin common room and down the winding, dark halls to his bedroom. Opening the door, the first thing he saw was a small gray postal owl sitting sleepily on his bed. But this wasn't any owl; this was the small one that his father used when all the other owls were being used. This was a small, common owl, sent to Draco to remind him just how unimportant he was in the grand scheme of things. Just what I needed after a day like today. A letter, an unwanted reminder of my life. Still, Draco wandered over to the owl and detached the letter from its leg.
Draco,
I must remind you that you need to uphold the Malfoy name in all circumstances. Professor Snape has informed me that you were acting extremely imprudent earlier today, and that, as punishment, you are to tutor a Gryffindor student. As undesirable as you may find this circumstance, it is in your best interest to accept your punishment with honor, and to do your best to repair your mistakes. I expect to hear from Professor Snape that the student is making excellent progress in his studies.
Your Father,
Lucius Malfoy.
Draco threw the letter on his bed, disgusted with how little his father had been concerned with the severity of his punishment. Still, the letter's meaning was clear: Draco was to put effort into tutoring Longbottom, or his father would come up with yet another hideous way to show the world just how inferior and irrelevant Draco was.
Draco trudged slowly up to the library the following evening. Why, why oh why is it me that always ends up with these horrible tasks? Why couldn't Snape have let the mudblood tutor Longbottom? He reached the library doors much sooner than he had wanted to. Damn it. Why do I walk so fast? He paused for a second outside the doors to collect himself, then pushed the doors open. Glancing around quickly, he saw that an inordinately large number of Gryffindor students had apparently decided to study in the library this evening. Ignoring the looks he received from them, he walked quickly over to the table where Longbottom was sitting.
"You've brought your books, I see. Well, that's a good start," he said shortly to Neville, who simply nodded as Draco took a seat opposite him. "Well, no use prolonging this, what are the main ingredients in a Forgetfulness potion?"
Draco watched, with more than a little pleasure, as Neville's eyes flicked nervously around the library.
"I – I don't know," stuttered Neville.
Draco sneered, "You don't know? That's a basic first-year potion, Longbottom. How on earth did you make it to sixth-year and not know that? Or did you drink the potion?"
Neville looked sharply back at Draco, "Snape said you had to help me, Draco. That isn't exactly a helpful comment."
This little righteous comment got Draco bristling. Barley able to stop himself from putting Neville in a full body bind, he took a short breath. "Fine then. Let's work out what you actually know. So, now write down all the potions you can do."
There was an indignant noise from behind Draco.
"What do you want, Potty, Mudblood, Weasel?" he asked.
"I would like you to consider a different approach to tutoring, really, he's not going to learn anything if you keep treating him like that," replied Hermione.
Draco blinked, then turned to Harry, ignoring completely what Hermione said.
Harry looked at him, "I just want to see if you are capable of acting like a human being."
"Same here," said Ron. "Only I bet Harry that you weren't capable of that at all."
Draco had had enough of the Gryffindor. Rising from his seat, he faced them one by one. "Longbottom, you would be an improvement if you took the Forgetfulness potion. Potty, Weasel, I don't care about your stupid little bets. Mudblood, no, I don't want to find another way of tutoring Longbottom. In fact, I'm not going to tutor him at all. I QUIT!"
With that, Draco stormed out of the library and headed straight for Professor Snape's office. Knocking only once, and not waiting for a response, he threw open the door.
"I can handle losing three hundred points. I cannot, however, handle talking to and being near those damn Gryffindors!"