Chapter 10.
Potters Deceitful Fifth Year Plot!
The Hogwart's Express rushed forward, carrying terrified first years, harried prefects and returning students excited to be rediscovering friends. Oh. And the Express also carried me, most unwillingly I might add. The only emotion I entertained was anger.
But really now, I have every reason to be angry!
There were people in my compartment! People other than me, myself and I!
Instead, my favorite compartment was taken by Crabbe, Goyle, Zambini and Parkinson. Logic dictated that I retreat and find a quiet, empty car. It would be four against one after all, and two of the occupants had an actual reason to hate me. Luckily those two were the intellectually challenged of the group and probably didn't know they had a logical excuse to rip me limb from limb.
"Oh, your parents took you on Holiday too? Mine just hosted a few parties at home, it was soooo boring." Pansy whined, her voice reaching me as I lounged in the shadows of the corridor outside.
"Yes, you wouldn't believe how tiresome it is, with them around you can't have any fun. We had to do all the tours together. I couldn't pick up anyone the whole summer!" Blaise complained. I frowned at their whining and itched gently at the goat bite on my forearm. When one is in pain, causing pain in others is always the right thing to do!
I wonder if the Slytherin decree for Fifth year is still Ignore Draco Malfoy.
No time like the present to find out!
"Oh…you poor, poor babies." I murmured softly, now leaning on the doorway to MY train compartment. The occupants turned and Pansy's piggy nose wrinkled as if a foul wind had entered the room.
I stepped fully into the compartment and plopped down on a seat while undoing my overcoat. I'd handled falling down a mountain and being mauled by goats this summer, it wasn't like a few spoiled underage wizards who'd spent the summer being coddled were going to scare me. They had no idea how lucky they were to have parents who actually wanted to spend time with them after the war we'd been facing. Families had been ripped apart.
And here they sat: clueless. And their attitude! Had I ever had such an undeserved feeling of superiority? No, no, that was impossible. My superiority was never undeserved. The specimens before me were simply weak, pampered fools and it was time to reclaim the position which was mine. A small smile came over my face as I undid the first few buttons on my black silk shirt. I took out my wand.
Four wands were instantly pointed at me.
"Oh, don't mind me." I purred into the tense air. "I've just been too busy to have a decent bath, and now it looks like I'll have loads of time. You don't care, do you?" I flicked my wand, conjuring a floating water basin and a wet, soapy sponge. A thick, fluffy yellow sponge mind you, no duckies or pink hearts for my bathing needs, thank you very much Father!
I continued my monologue to the quiet room.
"I hope you won't mind if I get all wet and soapy in front of you? No, of course not, because I don't exist, right?" I slipped my shirt off and folded it neatly on the seat. Blaise' wand started shaking, and Goyle opened his mouth in confusion letting what looked like a half eaten piece of chocolate frog fall onto his massive chest.
I casually levitated the sponge above Pansy's head and gave my wand a little shake. Droplets fell on her blonde hair and ruffled blouse.
"Oh, so sorry Parkinson." I smirked.
At that, Goyle and Crabbe lunged while Pansy brought her wand up, aiming a hex. Luckily, her spell hit the moving Goyle, who fell down twitching furiously, oh an itching hex, those were always effective! I took a step back. Pansy could be a bit of a nuisance when she wanted; it went hand in hand with being such a bitch.
"What IS going on here?" A high pitched voice asked from the hallway. Drat, that grating voice could only be Granger! I'd rather hoped she'd turned native after spending a summer with her Muggle parents and wouldn't be burdening civilized society anymore with her presence. I turned my head and saw Granger, and that dark haired Ravenclaw, Pajama Patil, frowning in the doorway. They both wore shinny prefect badges. Merlin! They actually made Granger a Prefect? This was what was wrong with Wizarding society today!
"Listen here you Prefects." I began with a condescending glare at Granger. She looked a bit different after the summer, having done something to tame her wild hair. It was about time.
"Malfoy, what were you doing?" She interrupted, quite rudely I might add. Why does everyone assume I'm to blame? Sometimes even when I've taken great care to ensure none could actually pin it on me!
"I was trying to explain Mu-er, Granger. They were doing horrible, horrible things to me to force me from my compartment! They even ripped my clothing off! You know how lustful and conniving Slytherins can be and I'm just a helpless innocent trying to get to school. Well, you're Prefects, do something!" I ordered with a grand gesture at the other four Slytherins.
It was not even two minutes later that I sat quietly in my very own car on the train, all to myself.
I'm just that special.
Of course, Granger hadn't believed me, untrusting Gryffindor that she is. But as three Slytherins stood with wands aimed, over their twitching comrade, she had clearly found them to be more at fault than yours truly. Of course, she had seemed quite flustered about the entire situation, I think a half nude Draco Malfoy tends to have that affect on people.
With my compartment liberated from the intruders, I pulled on a school shirt and slipped my tightly woven school robe over my shoulders before sitting down. I had some thinking to do, and hopefully the train ride would give me just the time I needed. Lately, I'd become worried that I was moving away from the ideals that had been drilled into me since my childhood. The thoughts I currently had towards other Slytherins were most troubling. I was beginning to hold them in just as much disdain as I did Mudbloods and Potters.
Did this mean I was no longer actually a true Slytherin or was it a failing in the others? I sat pondering this with a frown on my face as my compartment door slide open. I didn't bother shifting from my sprawled position at the interruption. I could easily manipulate my way out of any situation thrown at me.
"Draco, here you are. Hullo." Potter stood in the doorway beaming at me. He was breathing heavily, which made me wonder if he'd been running. Probably had arrived late due to the Weasleys, they were never on time.
"Did you get lost on the way to the 'Little Saints Room', Potter?" I drawled.
"No, I came to see you. Hermione said that you were, er…"
"Oh, she told you that I had been attacked? That's true, it was a vicious and completely unprovoked attack, but as you can see, I'm doing just fine. So nice to have an enemy concerned about my well being." I let my words drip with malice.
"Er…that's not what she said quite..." He had turned red and was eyeing my clothing. What was he thinking? Yes, I'd agreed to be an 'acquaintance' so as not to be thought childish or fearful, but I hadn't really thought Potter would act on such a thing, it was absurd! This was clearly a plot to get something, or perhaps to bring me to some disgrace.
However…if I played along, perhaps I could turn this to my advantage? I eyed him speculatively.
"Don't let me keep you here in the bad part of town." I added just a hint teasing to my voice to keep it from sounding hostile while propping my legs on the seat in front of me.
"What? Oh, but I came to talk about our summers."
"Why on earth would you think I'd want to do that with a Gryffindork like you?" I held my hand out and examined my neatly manicured nails, covertly watching his face.
"Oh…er…I thought maybe…" He stammered. I frowned at his awkwardness and rolled my eyes while giving a discrete twitch with my hand at the open compartment door.
Potter closed the door, but remained in the middle of the compartment, shifting from foot to foot. Did I have to spell it out for him? On the other hand, he was as clueless as ever, turning this to my advantage would be just too easy!
"Sit." I commanded.
He sank to the cushion at end of my row, and I moved my feet to stretch them on the ground to accommodate him.
"I thought were going to be friends now," He said with a frown. How dare he be snippy with me! I sniffed and glared at him icily through the blonde fringe of my hair.
"Look, I said we could be acquaintances, not friends. Plus, you're a Gryffindor acquaintance so it's not like I can let people see us talking to each other."
"But…I mean…none of the Slytherins are speaking to you anyway, who would care? And, other Slytherins are even dating Gryffindors, so it's not like it's that big of a deal to anyone else." He said, sounding surprised.
"Just because they're horny and willing to go slumming doesn't mean I am."
"Slumming?"
"Yes, slumming. Besides, not one Slytherin has been hitting on you now, have they?"
"What? Well, not exactly, no. No other Slytherins really talk to me."
"Exactly. YOU are different from other Gryffindors. It's still very much a crime to consider a relationship with YOU. Think about it, you've put a good portion of their immediate family in jail."
"Perhaps their family shouldn't have been following a psychotic killer like Voldemort!" He growled sounding very much like the Potter I knew so well. I sighed at him.
"Look, Potter, I'm willing to give this non-enemy thing a go, but don't push your luck. It's not like you and I are going to be skipping down the sidewalk hand in hand singing nursery rhymes anytime soon. Or ever for that matter." I shuddered at the image.
"I never imagined us doing those types of things anyway." He replied with a grin.
"Don't lie. I know you fantasize about playing all sorts of games with me to make up for your own depraved childhood." I eyed him through lowered lashes.
"Well, maybe one or two games have crossed my mind." He smiled and fidgeted slightly with his robes before smoothing his hair. It was then that I realized that he had changed over the summer. His face was more mature, and he had lost the baby fat in his cheeks. He also had actually done something different to his hair. He'd chosen a spiky style, with just a few jagged locks running over his forehead.
"You have been using the gel. I approve." I commented.
"You like it?" He blushed and ran his hand through his hair, which messed it up completely.
Maybe there was no hope.
I then noticed that the top of his head was beginning to brush the bottom of the luggage rack.
"You've grown taller." I frowned at him and leaned forward on the seat trying to measure his increased height with my eyes. He sat still as I eyed him and gave me his goofy smile.
"I've grown a few inches."
He'd grown a few inches? How many was a few? I had grown two and a quarter inches, finally, after much agonizing. My voice had also slipped down an octave, but was still smooth and soft, not the deep gravel I was aiming for. Though, on the plus side, unlike Potter, my voice had never done that cracking thing. I stood up and motioned for him to join me with an imperious wave.
Oh Merlin.
He had towered over me last year, of course, but I'd hit a growth spurt over the summer and thought for sure things would even out between us. But even with my new height, my head was definitely only about shoulder level. I glared at the offending shoulder and sat down in a huff, my arms crossed in front of my chest. Maybe I should invest in high heels, like Blaise? It was certainly fashionable in the right circles now. No, I decided against it, for it was something Father would wear.
"Don't pout like that Draco. You're not short or anything. You're taller than many guys our age." Potter said as he took a seat beside me.
"I'm shorter than you. This is unacceptable. My father is tall, and I'm a bloody mini-Lucius…minus being a complete freak, but do I get the height?" I complained, chewing on my lower lip. I glanced at Potter and saw that his eyes were slightly unfocused as he watched me worry at my bottom lip. He was probably thinking about my freak of a father. I stopped chewing and flicked my tongue out to moisten my lips to keep myself from displaying any more signs of weakness.
He took a shaky breath and shook his head before replying. "Yes…umm…er…your father. You know, I heard something about you sending some interesting letters to the ministry; if I didn't know better I'd say you were becoming a good guy."
"Ha! Don't get your hopes up! I'll stand against all of you goody-goodies. But my father…" I closed my mouth before I could say more. Just how much of an acquaintance was Potter to be? But, he was looking at me so expectantly from mere inches away.
"Your father?" He asked softly.
"He's always been a prick. The idiot. If I can keep him locked up longer, my quality of life drastically improves." I glared at him, quickly adding, "Anyway, why are you here, lording your height advantage over me instead of hanging around with your loser friends?"
"Well, I did see Hermione. But…I think she's looking for Ron. I didn't want to get in the way. Ever since the Yule Ball, when she cried in Ron's arms they've been really sweet to each other. Or they've been fighting."
"Sweet? Bleah. Is this your revenge for all of my witty comments about your scar in first year? You're making me queasy."
"Why do you think I'm here instead of with them?" Potter grinned.
"Because you know Slytherins are truly superior. And you've been longing to change houses since the first day," I said with a roguish twitch to my eyebrows.
"That must be it."
"Of course it is! I'm always right."
"Hmmm. You know, it's funny, but I almost was put in Slytherin." He was still grinning and I could now feel the heat from his body like a warm line going from my arm to my thigh. When had he gotten so close? I shifted in my seat.
"I find that hard to believe."
"No, it's true. I had to beg the sorting hat not to be put in Slytherin."
"Are you mad? Why would anyone not want to be put in what is clearly the superior house?"
"Well, you see, I'd met this soon-to-be Slytherin boy with blonde hair who had insulted pretty much everyone who had ever been nice to me."
"Insulted? We both know I merely spoke the truth." I smirked.
Potter laughed. "I thought you were a rude snob."
"I believe you mean 'witty' snob, and not so much snob as aware of my rightful position."
"Ah, yes that, again, must be it." Potter smiled as he spoke. This was the second time he'd agreed with me in that teasing way. Was he being sarcastic? No, no, not possible.
Potter yawned loudly and stretched in his seat.
"What? Doesn't your muggle family let you sleep?" I raised an eyebrow at him as he finished stretching. He let his arms drop to rest of the back of the seat.
"I don't live with them anymore. I live with my God Father now."
"You have a God Father? Who'd have you? Ooh! It's Hagrid, isn't it? You've been living in his hut in the forest snogging trees and milking chickens, haven't you?"
"Though that does sound fun, no, it's not Hagrid. It's Sirius Black."
I frowned at him. When on earth had that happened? Surely I would have been told about this development, being part of a well connected wizarding family as I was. It was absurd that I didn't know, for Black was distantly related! I pondered this while relaxing back into the seat, feeling the warm weight of Potters arm draped across my shoulders. The soft fold of his robe brushed the sensitive skin on the back of my neck and I shivered slightly while trying to remember if anyone had alerted me of this new incident. Lately it seemed that no one told me anything.
I finally shook my head at Potter. "Whatever. I still think you've really been living with Hagrid, you're sort of starting to look like him you know. If I squint."
Potter laughed softly and his fingers lightly rubbed my shoulder. I thought about letting him know that he was intruding on my personal space, but decided against it. This was Potter, the innocent one; he'd probably blush and stammer and be embarrassed for a good twenty minutes. That would be much too annoying.
I realized, as we pulled into Hogwarts, that I was actually having a good time. Even sitting in silence and watching the scenery flash by had been sort of fun because I hadn't been alone. Of course, I reminded myself, this was all part of my fiendish plot to discover Potter's fiendish plot so I might as well let myself act the part. My arm gave another twinge and I knew I'd need to charm it against pain again shortly, as soon as I was able to get some time alone.
Besides, the arm around my shoulders felt warm and solid. I knew Gryffindors were a touchy feely people, but I hadn't known that Potter would be so friendly even with someone like me. Someone he was trying to manipulate for some ill gain. But poor Potter, his plan would not succeed! I would not show fear.
I'll go along with his little touchy feely friend game for now, and in time HE'LL be begging ME for mercy!
Just like in all my fantasies.
A/N
Thank you for the reviews! Sometimes I can't think of anything witty to say in response and writers like me can be quite a shy bunch sometimes. I really do appreciate every single comment! If I could, I'd print them out and hang them around my room to look at every day.
Unfortunately, my cats have formed an unholy alliance with my bunny and paper is not long for this world if it appears in my house (paper is his candy). Thus, I content myself with reading them online and thinking happy thoughts for you kind people!