Disclaimer: I'm too young to be Rowling so there is sadly no way Harry Potter is mine…
Placing:Mid of fourthyear.
Challenge: 'Prompt of the day'. Prompt: (action) dancing. 1476 words. Gryffindor, Hogwarts.
Just an idea I had thanks to some reviews which asked for one person in particular...
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THE SLYTHERIN WAY
PART VI: An Unexpected Advice
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Malfoy was thinking hard.
The last week and a half had been nothing like he had ever faced before. Slytherins, Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and even the house-elves and his own parents were talking about him and the mudblood…
Malfoy frowned and then shuddered at that thought.
There was no him and the mudblood!
No, never!
"Draco, dearest," a sudden voice intercepted his train of thought sweetly. "Would you please return from your land of dreams to the here and now?"
The last word of the sentence on the other hand sounded a lot less sweet and a lot more threatening.
Malfoy blinked and stared at the glowering girl in his arms.
They were currently dancing – having a last, mandatory lesson before the Yule Ball.
"Did you say something, Pansy?" Malfoy said frowning.
The girl's face soured even more.
Then she hit the back of his head.
"Stop thinking of that mudblood and concentrate on dancing," she glowered. "You're stomping all over my feet!"
Malfoy gulped.
If his father heard that, Malfoy would be in trouble.
His father had paid for Malfoy's dancing lessons quite handsomely in the past, after all.
So Malfoy tried to pay attention.
Regretfully, it didn't last long.
Just a few minutes later he was back on pondering about the mudblood and all those people who had lost their marbles and thought he wanted to go out with that girl…
"Draco Malfoy!" Pansy finally growled and stepped on Malfoy's foot deliberately.
Malfoy was startled out of his thoughts again – this time by a sharp sting in his toes.
"Ow, Pansy, what -!"
"Stop thinking about your love-life and bring your head into the present!" Pansy growled. "If you drift of once more I will refuse to go with you to the Yule Ball anymore – friends or no friends!"
That at least gained Malfoy's attention.
"You know that you are the only one who's willing to go with me anymore!" Malfoy whined. "Everybody else thinks I'm just mopping after the mudblood!"
Pansy just frowned at him.
"Well," she said. "After that miserable display of dancing I'm not too sure that they're wrong!"
She looked at him darkly.
"An heir of a powerful family like yours bungling up his dances? That screams basically of a lovesick heart!" She said hotly.
Malfoy's eyes widened.
"I'm not lovesick!" He exclaimed. "I'm not in love with Granger! I can't even fathom why everybody thinks that!"
Pansy looked at him with pity in her eyes.
"Because you behave as if you are," she pointed out with a sigh. "Honestly, Draco! Have you never noticed that you basically search her out wherever you go?"
Malfoy blinked in surprise.
He honestly had never thought of that before…
But truly? He and Granger?!
He just shuddered at the thought of it!
"I'm not in love with the mudblood!" He repeated pouting.
Pansy raised her eyebrow.
"I never said you were," she pointed out. "But if you actually think about it – maybe there's more to that rumour that I originally thought?"
"NO!" Malfoy screeched.
"Mr Malfoy!"
Malfoy ducked but it was already too late, he had gained his head of house's ire.
"Please keep your immature denial of your puppy-crush out of my classroom!" The dour man sneered. "I am quite aware that those lessons are not necessary for you all and like you I'd love to do something else with my time – but that doesn't mean that you have the right to disrupt this mandatory class!"
Malfoy blushed furiously.
"I'm sorry, sir," he said. "Won't happen again!"
The dour man stared at him for a moment, then he sneered.
"Meet me after this class ends in my office, Mr Malfoy," he said. "It seems that it's time that someone actually has a serious talk with you."
Malfoy slumped at that proclamation.
Pansy on the other hand patted him on the arm in consolation.
"I will write your parents so that they can buy the casket for your body," she said consolingly.
Malfoy shot her a dirty look, but Pansy just smiled and then forced him to return to dancing.
After two other horrible agonizing hours they were finally free to go – well, all of them but Malfoy who walked sullenly to his head of house's office.
Snape came in after him just a few minutes later.
The man frowned at him and gestured towards the wooden chair in front of his desk.
"Sit," he said. "And listen and I will make it short."
Malfoy did as he was told.
"You wanted to speak to me, sir," he said, a bit nervously as to why he had been called into his head of house's office.
The older man sighed and pinched his nose.
"Yes, Mr Malfoy," he said slowly and sourly. "I have indeed something to talk to you about."
With that, the man scrutinized Malfoy for a moment.
Then he sighed again.
"It came to my attention that your father obviously neglected to teach you how to ask out a girl," the sour man said. "As much as it pains me, as your head of house it is my responsibility to ensure that my students know how to get by in life – and asking a girl out sadly is part of that."
Malfoy stared at his teacher in horror.
"Sir," he squeaked. "You don't have to help me with that! I'm already getting help, honestly!"
The dour man just stared at Malfoy in disbelief.
"I know you, Mr Malfoy," he said. "You're far too proud to ask for help."
Malfoy gulped.
Of course, Snape was right – but then the man knew nothing about all those 'helpful' Gryffindors and Slytherins and Ravenclaws…
"But –"
"No buts, Mr Malfoy," Snape said sourly. "The faster we get to it, the faster we're done."
Malfoy wanted to cry.
His teacher sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose again, stood up and began his lecture.
"Girls," he said slowly. "Are like a complicated potion, Mr Malfoy. If you treat them right, like a potion something useful and astonishing will come out of it. If you are a dunderhead and treat them wrong on the other hand… well, like a potion they will explode – which you obviously already experienced with Miss Granger."
Snape looked even more sourly at that.
"Luckily for you, most girls are ready to forgive such uncivilized behaviour if you do the right thing and grovel," he continued on darkly. "Of course there are those girls of superior intellect that understand that a boy who treated them wrongly already will never treat them right. They won't forget or forgive you a slight like yours."
Malfoy gulped, but dared not to move from his place on the chair.
He was well aware that Snape would kill him if he tried to flee the room
But on the other hand he definitely didn't want his teacher to talk to him about girls…
It was absolutely embarrassing! Maybe even worse than his parents writing him what to do!
"Fortunately, Miss Granger, while intelligent, was influenced by her moronic leader and the other sidekick," Snape continued. "If the influence of the other two was strong enough, you still have a chance to correct your slight and tighten your hold on her heart before either the sidekick or the leader even know that Miss Granger is a girl."
Oh, yes, worst day of Malfoy's life.
He desperately wished that a hole would open up in the ground and swallow him whole.
"Now let me tell you how to grovel," his teacher continued, oblivious to Malfoy's mental pain.
When Malfoy was finally allowed to go, he basically ran to Pansy.
"Pansy!" He cried. "I need you to oblivate me – now!"
"And get thrown into Azkaban for attacking the Malfoy heir? No," Pansy replied not at least sorry for him.
Malfoy stared at her with his best puppy-dog-eyes.
"But Snape just gave me a lecture how to woo a girl," he said desperately.
Pansy winced in sympathy – sadly enough, sympathy wasn't enough to convince her.
"My answer is still 'no'," she said. "I'm not interested in dancing with the dementors instead of boys."
"But –"
"Draco, honey," she said sweetly and patted him on the cheek. "Whatever you say, the answer will still be 'no'. Just learn to live with your memory."
And with that she stood up and went into her dorm room to sleep.
Malfoy on the other hand broke down on the sofa crying – with his memory intact and alone in the common room.
Life wasn't fair.
"Maybe," he thought desperately. "The others are right. Maybe I'm truly in love with Granger and they just try to make me see it!"
And truthfully, if he went out with Granger nobody would harass him with good-meaning advice anymore…
Needless to say, it wasn't as cut clear and easy as Malfoy imagined.
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Well, this was Snape, just like promised.
Hope you liked it
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