This is another story written by my wonderful Beta-reader (Yellowemerald) - If she writes any more I think I'll have to start calling the story a collabaration because seriously, she comes up with just as much of the story as I do!
When they reached the entrance to the common room, they were almost knocked over by Anastasia as she rushed away from the doorway.
"What's the rush, Ana?" Malfoy asked, raising an eyebrow. Ana, usually so poised and confident, looked like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards. Her eyes darted from Scorpius to the door, then down the hallway, then back to the door - she was barely able to keep still. To top it all off, someone had drawn a series of lines on her forehead with eyeliner, creating the odd effect of a constant wrinkly frown.
"Cornish bloody pixies, that's what! Knuckles and Fists had caught some, ready to release in History of Magic, when some first-year idiot went tearing down the corridor and knocked the cage to the floor. It's absolute chaos. The Prefects are going to kill us if we don't fix things before they get back… I've got to go and find some help. Don't even think about going in there, boys - you wouldn't stand a chance against those pests." With that, she broke into a run and sprinted down the hallway and out of sight.
"Cornish pixies, huh?" Albus grinned. "I bet Knuckles and Fists are kicking themselves."
"Hey, it's not just their problem y'know. All Slytherin students share a collective responsibility for the common room and bathrooms. If the pixies wreck everything, we either get fines or detention from the Prefects. If a teacher finds out, we're facing five points deducted from every single student, plus an hour-long detention of their choice."
"Seriously? But it's not even our fault!"
"In Slytherin, it's every wizard for himself. That's why the system's so harsh - it stops people from going to extremes to get one over on each other, and it forces them to work together for the common good. It's like a failsafe for House unity."
Malfoy looked anxiously at the closed door. Muffled thuds, curses and grunts were occasionally audible, along with a high-pitched screech of 'Tim, you absolute troll! Don't use my tights as a net!' He sighed. "Though I can't say it boosts people's opinions of one another."
Albus pulled out his wand and crept towards the door. Malfoy stared at him in disbelief. "What the hell d'you think you're doing, Potter? Didn't you hear Ana?"
"I just want to take a look, that's all. I've heard stories about Cornish pixies from my dad…"
"But they're impossible to control! Teachers are banned from bringing them into classrooms 'cause this one time some idiot thought he'd leave a bunch of second-years to deal with them, and one kid ended up hanging off a chandelier!"
"So you've heard that story too, then!"
"Potter, we don't stand a chance if we go in there! We haven't even had a single lesson yet… We'd be less use than a pair of Muggles against those things." Malfoy quickly moved to block the entrance. "We're going to wait out here until it's over."
There was a sudden screech from the common room. Malfoy turned to see what was going on, and he was nearly knocked over as a pair of second-years burst out.
"Run, run!" The boy urged them, as the girl dragged him headlong down the corridor. Malfoy stared after them for a few seconds, then turned to face Albus, saying "C'mon, Potter, you heard him - " only to be faced with an empty space where the other boy had been, and a creak as the common room door swung shut. Malfoy stared in disbelief.
"He went in there, you know." A portrait of a cheerful-looking portly wizard gestured helpfully towards the door.
"…I realised."
"Jolly brave of him, I thought." The wizard beamed a benevolent smile at the scowling blond, who rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, well, it wasn't the smartest thing to do, now was it? It's a wonder he wasn't Sorted into Gryffindor with that kind of stupidity…"
"I notice that you haven't run away, despite it being foolhardy to remain here. Perhaps you're more alike than you think." The portrait nodded wisely. "If I were you, I'd stop dithering and go help out already."
"Oh, shut up!" Malfoy snapped. The man walked out of his frame with an indignant air and disappeared. "Idiot." Malfoy muttered as he drew his wand and walked towards the common room door. He wasn't even sure if he meant the wizard in the portrait, Albus, or himself…
As he entered the common room, trying to draw as little attention to himself as possible, he saw Albus leaping into the air to grab hold of a blue imp-like creature. It wriggled in his grip as he crashed onto a sofa, biting his fingers and clawing desperately at the upholstery in a bid for freedom. Albus hung onto it determinedly, wincing at the pain, and wrestled it into a cat-carrier that had two of its comrades trapped in it already.
Malfoy gaped at the scene. Had Albus really managed to capture them single-handed? Looking around, he noticed a few wizards aiming spells at the pixies, but their targets were moving too quickly and their spells bounced off the stone walls ineffectually.
He waved his wand experimentally. Nothing happened.
"So much for that idea…" He muttered, stowing his wand in his pocket. He grabbed the remains of a splintered chair leg as a makeshift weapon and waited for a pixie to fly towards him.
Just like a Bludger, that's all…
He swung. The pixie was sent flying backwards, smacking into the wall with a dull thud. It sank to the floor, too dazed to get up.
"Over there, Potter, by the fireplace!" Malfoy shouted, leading Albus to notice his presence (and stare for a split second) before going to retrieve the stunned pixie and shoving it in with the others. "What're you doing here? I thought - "
But what Albus thought was drowned out by the outraged shrieks of a group of pixies, who ceased zooming around a pair of witches with a roll of Spellotape and hurtled straight towards Albus. The noise must have drawn their attention to his capture of the injured pixie. Apparently, they'd realised that their numbers were dwindling and had decided to free their comrades.
Malfoy groaned, and sprinted towards Albus, who had pulled out his wand and was waving it desperately - with no effect save for a shower of red sparks. The pixies flew straight at his face. Malfoy dived, knocking Albus over before the pixies could get their razor-sharp claws into him. The pixies, speeding forwards, tried to slow down before hitting the wall but ended up crashing into one another in a pile-up and then smacking into the wall. As one, they slumped to the ground.
Malfoy, who was still pinning Albus down, breathed a sigh of relief and got to his feet awkwardly. He was definitely going to have bruises the next day. He hefted the splintered wood in his hand, looking around for any stragglers. When no blue mischief-makers were forthcoming, he dropped it.
"Ow!" Albus complained, rubbing at his elbow where the bat had hit him.
"Oh. Er, sorry about that." Malfoy had the good grace to look apologetic and offered Albus a hand up. The dark-haired boy stared at his hand.
"Um, your hand… It's full of splinters." He mumbled, scrambling to his feet to get a better look. "Merlin's beard, Malfoy, that must hurt!"
Malfoy looked down at his hand. Sure enough, there was a forest of splinters that had taken root where he'd held the chair leg. Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, he could feel them starting to sting.
"Damn!" He muttered. Albus was staring at it too, looking worried. "Guess that's what comes from playing the hero, huh, Potter? Hey, didn't the pixies get you, too?" Malfoy used his uninjured hand to grab one of Albus's. Sure enough, there was an array of scratches, some of which were quite deep. There was blood oozing from most of them. "Oh, bloody hell… We'd better go to the hospital wing." He paused, frowning. "Any idea where it is?"
Albus cleared his throat. "Er, no, but can you - "
"What about you two?" Malfoy called over to the two witches, who were trying to disentangle themselves from their sticky Spellotape bonds.
"Sure, it's on the third floor."
"Thanks. Are you okay to clear up this mess while we go and see Madame Pomfrey?" Malfoy gestured around the ruined common room with his splintery hand. One of the witches gasped in sympathetic pain. The other just nodded.
"Yeah, you should do that. We'll take care of this lot," she said, walking over to the heap of stunned pixies and dumping them unceremoniously in the cat carrier. "Don't you worry, boys."
Albus cleared his throat again.
"Do you need a throat sweet or something, Potter?"
"No, it's just… You still haven't let go of my hand." Malfoy followed his gaze. He was right. The blond quickly released his grip on Albus's hand.
"Uh, sorry. Right, let's go." They hurried away from the scene of destruction. In the corridor, a rotund wizard watched them walking away from his portrait with a self-satisfied smirk. He was right, they were more alike than they thought.