A/N
The Houses Competition
Round Seven
House: Hufflepuff
Student: Year 5
Category: Short (1500-3000 Words)
Prompt(s): [Speech] "Mimicry may be the highest form of flattery, but mockery is just an insult,"
Word count: 2014 (Per Google Docs)
Beta(s): Magi

Notes: AU Fourth Year

Forging New Alliances

Draco walked down the silent corridors of his home, looking through open doorways and into empty rooms as he thought. He dragged his school bag from its strap beside his leg as he wandered. He only had a few short moments before his father would take him to the platform to start his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Master Draco, sir. Master Malfoy is being waiting at the floo! You is being ready to go to schoolsy now, yes?" Draco's elf wrung its hands as it waited for his response.

Draco's shoulders slumped and he nodded. "I suppose I am, Mimsy. If I forgot anything, give it to Mother to send to me, alright? Father won't wait for me to make one last look through my rooms."

"Yes, Master Draco, sir! I bes looking for your things!" Mimsy snapped its fingers and disappeared with a short pop.

Draco squared his shoulders as he slung his bag onto his shoulder to secure it for travel. "Time to face the masses," he muttered mutinously as he went to the Floo room.

"Father, I am ready," he stated more loudly as he walked in the doorway.

"Hurry up, Draconis. I've a meeting in an hour that I cannot be late for," Lucius responded. The elder Malfoy reached up to the mantle and pulled down the Floo dish. "Hogwarts Train Platform, Draconis."

"Yes, Father," Draco replied as he reached into the dish to extract a small bit of powder. "Hogwarts Train Platform!" With the firm enunciated shout and the drop of the powder, Draco spun away from Malfoy Manor.

Seconds after Draco stepped out of the hearth, he took three steps to the left and awaited his father's arrival. The stately Lord Malfoy stepped out of the hearth in pristine condition and flicked his wand at the Malfoy heir to dispose of the ashes still clinging to his travel robe.

They walked nearer to the train. Lucius cast a discreet Notice-Me-Not Spell around them before he spoke.

"Have a good term at Hogwarts, Draconis. I shall see you at the Winter Holidays. Do not get into any more mischief due to the Potter boy." Lucius' gaze fell harshly on the unkempt Potter heir as he fell through the entry from the Muggle side of the train station. "I don't want to hear anything saying you were antagonizing him or instigating confrontations. I will be keeping a lookout for owls from all of your teachers, not just Severus. You are the heir of Malfoy and that means you need to hold yourself to a higher standard. Am I understood?" Molten silver eyes shifted to gaze at a similar pair as Draco took in his father's words.

Draco started to complain, but swallowed the words back and nodded. "I understand, Father. What should I do if he starts something?"

"From your letters home in previous years, it seems that Weasley is the main antagonist in your meetings. Maybe you should try to meet the Potter boy alone, without drawing wands, and see if your offer of friendship can be extended again, and accepted?"

Lucius watched the ragtag group of redheaded menaces surrounding the short black-haired boy. "The mudblood is also useful if your complaints about her grades are based in fact."

Draco blanched. "She punched me like a ruffian last year!"

"And she could be a valuable ally if you can temper your rage against her and bring her to see that our traditions must be upheld. If nothing else, the world is changing and we need all the help we can get. She saves the Potter boy on a regular basis and is exceptionally bright. She can help save our world even if the Dark Lord does make a reappearance. We need not follow a madman if we can get on the side of the Light."

Draco blinked and suddenly had a clarifying thought. "You think the Da- that He is coming back! You don't want to follow him anymore?" Draco's sudden confusion at his second statement brought Lucius to look at his son in contemplation.

"He was driven to madness at the end of his reign of terror. In the beginning, he wanted to preserve our world, but near the end, he wanted to destroy us all...purebloods, half-bloods, Muggle-born- it didn't matter. If he does come back, it will be that same madness-driven shell of a man. I will not subject you to his cruelties. The easiest way would be for you to befriend the girl and the Potter boy. If you can find a way to end the feud between the Malfoy and Weasley families, it would be another boon in our favor. Now," Lucius stopped as he heard the five-minute whistle to embark the train.

"I am late for my meeting, and you cannot miss the train. I shall see you in a few months, Draconis. Be safe." Lucius clapped Draco's shoulder and turned to head for the Floos once more. As he stepped away, the Notice-Me-Not faded.

Draco winced when he heard Pansy screech his name and braced himself for impact. He was pleasantly surprised when he heard his father reprimand the annoying girl about her decorum and took the chance afforded him to sneak onto the train and into an unclaimed compartment.

Draco faced the window, with his feet on the bench and his back to the door as the train started its final preparations for departures. A few moments later, the train lurched and began the journey to Hogwarts. He drifted into a light doze as the train rocked gently.

The door to his compartment slamming open as someone cursed loudly shocked him into falling off his seat. If looked up with wide eyes into shocked green eyes hidden behind hideous wireframes. "Po-" Draco coughed. "Potter, I haven't even done an-anything to you yet this year! Come to start attacking me before I get the chance now?"

Harry sighed heavily as he glanced back into the hallway. His eyes widened and he stepped over the fallen Malfoy and closed the door. He flipped the lock, then looked at the boy still laying on the floor. "Come on, then," Harry offered, sticking his hand out to help Draco off the floor.

Draco stared at the hand in his face. "Mimicry may be the highest form of flattery, but mockery is just an insult," Draco scooted back from the Potter heir and leaned against the closed and locked door. "It is kind of an insult to offer a hand, even to help one off the floor, after so brusquely denying my hand when we started school."

Harry yanked his hand back as if scalded. "I didn't know, Malfoy."

Draco sighed and lurched to his feet. "If you do not intend to offer friendship with the offer of help, it is an insult. If you look beyond our past altercations and can find it in you to extend an olive branch and the possibility of friendship, it is mimicry and highly appreciated as I was going to try once more to be your friend this year."

Harry sat heavily on the seat opposite of where Draco had been sleeping. "Well…" Harry suddenly grinned, "I can help you get by in Care of Magical Creatures, if you'll help me with Ancient Runes so I can switch courses next year. Hermione said you're really good at them...even better than her!"

Draco blinked then smiled softly. "I can do that, but I don't think your friends would take too kindly to it."

Harry shrugged. "Ron has been steadily getting more jealous of me, so I'm avoiding him at the moment. Ginny thinks you are cute and if you weren't a Malfoy, I think she would ask you out. George and Fred would likely think it the greatest prank ever to befriend the 'Prince of Slytherin', and Hermione...she wants to know your study habits so she can get ahead of you in Runes. I think she'd be fine with it if we were to start studying together. We could probably turn the school on its ear if we were to sit together for a meal." Harry got a sly look on his face. "Do you think Snape would blow his top if I told him I was meant to be a Slytherin?"

Draco sputtered, "You! A Slytherin! No way are you telling me the truth!"

Harry shrugged sheepishly. "The Hat wanted me in Slytherin, but...well, you had insulted Hagrid the first time we met, then Ron when I had just become friends with hm. I was afraid that my status as a poor student would make you pick on me next if I were to share a dorm with you. Turned out I just needed to be me for the fights to start."

Draco winced. "I was insulted that you chose someone my family has been feuding with for nearly two centuries over myself as a friend. I figured...if you weren't my friend, I was your enemy."

Harry shook his head."We're too young to have enemies, Draco."

Draco gaped at Harry. "You called me by my name!"

"Should I not have?"

"No, no! It's fine, just- you've never done it before. Can I call you 'Harry'?"

"Of course. I think this could be the start of a beautiful friendship," Harry grinned as he flipped the lock on the door to allow Ginny and the twins into the compartment. He slid down the seat to allow the others to sit near the door. "Lock it and close the blinds, George."

George pouted. "How do you always know which twin we are? Even Mum doesn't get it!"

"Trade secret!" Harry winked, then mouthed to Draco, 'I'll tell you later.'

Draco watched the three Weasleys with trepidation. "Weasleys."

Ginny rolled her eyes and plopped onto the seat next to the Malfoy heir. "Relax, Bleachie. We're here to start the greatest revolution in Hogwarts history!"

Draco stared at the lone Weasley female in admonishment. "My hair is naturally this light." He added under his breath, but not quietly enough, "Stupid veela genes. Not supposed to be that prominent in males."

Ginny snorted. "Veela, Draco?"

Draco froze, then turned wary eyes on the entire compartment. "You can't tell! People are...violent." He shuddered as he thought of stories his father had told him when he was younger.

George and Fred looked at Draco in sympathy. "We've magical creature blood as well. Besides, Ginny knows not to spread rumors."

Ginny nodded. "I'll tell you a secret so you know I won't tell yours?"

Draco nodded mutely.

"I was the one to open the Chamber in your Second Year. Your father had slipped an extra book in my cauldron after he and our dad fought in Flourish and Blotts. It possessed me. I had to retake my exams over the summer to advance in grade because I missed too much time from the possession."

Draco blanched. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I'm sure Father will agree with me when I offer recompense for your suffering."

Ginny nodded. "I've appointments with the mind healers, but the visits are getting too expensive to keep. If you could help with them…"

"We'd be grateful," the twins continued as Ginny faded off. "We're helping as we can, but our jokes only sell for so much."

Draco nodded sharply. "I'll write to Father as soon as we get to Hogwarts."

Harry laughed. "Maybe once you get to your dorm, so your housemates aren't nosy about it?"

Draco blushed. "But we'll sit together for breakfast tomorrow to stir up trouble, correct?"

The twins grinned and Ginny and Harry laughed. "Of course. It's time we changed things at Hogwarts!"

The five students had no way of knowing just how much they were going to change things once Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire and he had true backers helping him to get out of false contracts. Surprisingly, or not, for those who knew him, Lucius Malfoy was a valiant fighter for Harry's cause.