Should an outsider somehow manage to peek into the Slytherin common room, Blaise decided, he would find very little out of ordinary this evening. The green fire burned steadily, the long, black sofas were occupied by the usual groups of people, and the circles of students were going about their usual business - plus quiet conversations on the side, as always.

But for Blaise, the second year circle looked very different from the center than from the edge.

He still found it hard to believe his luck. Certainly, he'd always wanted to sit here - or more realistically, relatively close to here, but he knew it would be very hard for a "newcomer" like himself. People knew of his mum (one might even call her infamous actually, he snorted), but she hadn't gone to school with their parents. Most of the other Slytherins - the old names like Malfoy - pretty much grew up together at their parents' parties, but Blaise hadn't known anybody until after his sorting.

But now, somehow, he and his friends managed to shake up the power structure so much that Malfoy had been knocked off his throne. And miraculously, he'd really done it!

"Parvati smiled at me today," Davis informed them, "I do believe the rumour mill has started."

"I do kind of miss playing dress up with her, Padma and Hannah," Parkinson seemed to debate with herself, before finally admitting softly.

"I can arrange a get together for us this Sunday. It'll be great!" smiled Daphne. She was currently seated on Blaise's right. Theo was seated on her right. "Millie, I don't think you've really met them yet. Why don't you come along, and we can introduce you."

"Ah, then we'll count on Queen Daphne to work her magic," said Bulstrode, leaning back and relaxing against the leather. "Frankly, I'd rather sit with you three than Malfoy. He keeps trying to imply that I'm ugly whenever he talks to me."

Blaise nodded sympathetically, and pretended not to notice Avery's tiny, inconspicuous but decidedly guilty gulp. Of course, none of the Slytherins could truthfully claim they'd never spoken ill of anyone. But Malfoy, who insulted people left and right, to their face or behind their back, was a whole new level of irritating. Blaise had no doubt that if he acted like Malfoy, no one would've put up with him for half a minute.

Blaise whistled under his breath. "Blimey, Malfoy's really managed to offend the whole House at some point of the other, hasn't he? I hope he'd stop being a prat and strutting around as if he owns us, because he doesn't." This was met with sincere nods all around. "Hear, hear," said Terence Higgs, who was passing by on his way to join the rest of the fourth years. Blaise remembered he was Slytherin's Seeker before he got replaced by Malfoy.

And thus officially concludes Malfoy's reign over Slytherin House, Blaise thought. He really had it coming.

"So, you lot replaced Malfoy, huh?" Adrian Pucey, who was a fellow fourth year and Quidditch player of Higgs's, looked up with interest. "It's true then, what I've been hearing all day?"

"Depends on what you've heard, but I believe so," said Theo casually.

"Malfoy's not going to be happy about this, of course," chuckled Graham Montague with a few other third years, "he's going to be so pissed at the next Quidditch practice. Who wants to bet that he throws a tantrum?"

The chuckle was echoed around the room. Apparently the idea of Malfoy throwing a tantrum wasn't too hard to imagine. "To be honest, I'm rather surprise he hadn't threatened to not invite us to his family's winter ball," said Davis.

"True," Pike sighed, "no access to Malfoy's father's connections would be a big loss for us. And I was hoping his father could get me in to the ministry..."

"But at least for me," Avery commented candidly, "riding on the coat tail of a coat-tail rider isn't enough. Malfoy whines to his father for everything, but even Lucius Malfoy can only get him so far. You three though," he shrugged, "you're clearly going places. Between Blaise, Greengrass and Nott, you've obviously got no shortage of family background, capital, charisma, brains or talent. Obviously it'll be better for everyone if Malfoy comes back sensible, but I'd say I value your friendships more than his."

"How very reasonable of you, Avery," said Davis.

"Thank you. I am a Slytherin."

"I wonder about Granger, though," MacDougal tapped his chin curiously, "she - Sal - must've been something really special, if you became friends with her. We already know she's a prodigy, of course. Tied with Nott for top place last year, wasn't she?"

Blaise tried to think of how best to sum up the many things that made Sal stand out, in a way that would interest his housemates the most. Should he mention her familiarity with magical traditions? That she didn't seem to be repelled by the dark arts even from the start? That she didn't mind talking to the supposed "enemy house"? Her charisma? Her grace and mannerism?

Of course, there was also how Sal had stood by him, Daphne and Theo when Ron Weasley had insulted them, or just the general feeling of assurance that he'd sometimes get around her. These things he wouldn't mention to his housemates. It probably wouldn't add to his argument.

"Sal ended up in Gryffindor, but I'm willing to bet a thousand galleons that the Sorting Hat seriously considered sorting her in Slytherin." Theo said.

Sal, in Slytherin? That idea had never occurred to Blaise. He hadn't seen Sal demand any favours from anyone, and she didn't seem to really really want anything either. And he definitely couldn't imagine any Slytherin spending so much time on helping a stranger - at the time - with potion essays, for free. Regardless, it had been the perfect thing to say, Blaise thought as he mentally congratulated Theo. Very little else could've spiked their housemates' interest even higher than it already was.

"Intriguing," muttered Avery.

"Quite," nodded Bulstrode, "I think I'd like to talk to her sometimes."

Which reminded Blaise. Unlike Theo or Daphne, who already had deep roots in the Slytherin hierarchy, people were still not used to taking "Zabini" too seriously. Which meant that Blaise had to put in much more effort to ensure that he wouldn't be gradually pushed back to the peripheries again.

And what better way to cement his newly gained influence, than to exercise it?

"You know, guys, for our own safety," Standing up, Blaise spoke so that his voice carried to the entire common room. He wasn't exactly counting on the older students' attention, actually, but there was no harm in speaking a little louder. "We need to do something about that safety hazard named Lockhart..."

Draco opened the door to the hospital wing, quietly - partly so as not to attract the attention of the formidable Madame Pomfrey, but mostly to leave himself the option of turning back.

He wasn't completely sure why he wandered up here. Ever since he'd left in the morning, his feet seemed to have been carrying him on their own, about the usual routine: go to class, sit down and listen to the teacher like his classmates, get up when dismissed, walk with Crabbe and Goyle to the dining table, chat about something safe, then get up and repeat the process again... But by the time they'd normally head back to the common room, Draco told Crabbe and Goyle to meet him later. He wasn't ready to go back yet.

The room was silent, he realized with relief. Perhaps it was empty, and he could go back telling himself that this was all a waste of time? But that hope was dashed when he finally made himself look at the bed in the furthest corner. Unfortunately, yet thankfully, she was still there.

But she was still asleep though, so Draco dared to shuffle a little closer, then a little closer.

He still felt as if he was thrashing around in a thick mist, with no sense of direction, but at least some things were becoming more clear to him since the morning. Firstly, the power hierarchy in Slytherin house had been irreversibly altered. Nott, Greengrass and Zabini had replaced him, and they were there to stay.

Secondly, his place at the top of the power hierarchy in Slytherin house had never been absolute in the first place.

He'd never realized this until after Avery's parting advice. True, as a Malfoy, he'd entered Hogwarts as the most valuable Slytherin of his year. He had the most money, a powerful father, and knew the most people. Some of the others, such as Zabini, had next to nothing compared to him. But throughout the year, Zabini had successfully inserted himself into their circle. Greengrass became everybody's friend. Nott became one of the professors' favourites despite being in Slytherin. And meanwhile, Draco had been bullying people around. It made him feel like a king, seeing people get all offended but couldn't do anything to him, but it slowly eroded the friendships he'd started out with - no, more like pseudo-friendships probably. If he'd been in their shoes, Draco mulled over the depressing idea, he would've never really liked himself either.

When he looked at it this way, it wasn't all that surprising that people would stop following him sooner or later.

Which lead to the third realization. He would have to make himself worth people's while. His father's power and wealth would help, of course, but clearly it would no longer be enough. He needed to be good at something, do something for himself as well, if he wanted people's respect... Perhaps he could start with Quidditch? He loved that sport. His father had set him on a good start by putting him on team, but he would use the opportunity to train and familiarize himself with all the strategies possible. And he would become better than any Seeker Slytherin's ever had. Perhaps he'd even be the first one to beat Potter. But he should spend more time on the other things he cared about as well... like learning spells? He knew it was too early to hope to surpass Nott or, as much as he loath to admit it, Granger, but it was no reason not to develop his own skills.

And of course, he had to stop being mean to people for no reason. It had been very un-Slytherin of him to do something that was all harm and no real benefit, but he knew better now. Over time, he hoped people would start to really care for him as a person, and not just a way to get closer to his father.

Fourthly, there was one thing he could do immediately, that could improve his re-integration into the newly reorganized Slytherin house by three-folds.

He knew that an introduction, or re-introduction in his case, would go a long way - especially from someone important. But he wouldn't count on Nott, Zabini, or even Greengrass to do this for him. Emotionally, he'd insulted their friend, pretty much just declared war on them, then tried to turn the other Slytherins against them. Rationally, he was a threat to their new influence, and they had everything to gain in keeping him from climbing back to the top. Draco was out of luck either way. But there was one other who was both in a position to make a difference, and who just might be willing to help him. Granger - Sal.

Unlike the others, Sal - and it made Draco feel better to call her that, as he could almost pretend she was someone else - didn't have anything to lose. Plus, she was a Gryffindor. That meant she didn't necessarily hold grudges like he suspected most of the Slytherins would, and might be quicker to forgive. Besides, weren't they supposed to be saints or something? Or was that the Hufflepuffs? Either way, she was his best bet, and hence why he was here.

Draco didn't think of himself as a very brave person, and so he was glad that Sal was still fast asleep. If she'd showed any sign of consciousness, he would've probably bolted from the room and never to return. But she didn't, so Draco was able to make himself stay long enough to write a note on a clean sheet of parchment and place it by her bed. An apology, that he hoped she'd accept. And maybe, if he was lucky, she would convince the others that he'd changed - something he didn't quite have the courage to do himself...

He paused for some time, staring at the neatly folded parchment. It was securely placed on a corner of the small table, neither too conspicuous or too easily overlooked. And he really should go back, now, before he could decide to snatch it up and destroy all evidence of its existence.

Draco Malfoy left the hospital wing for the second time that day, feeling no less unnerved than he was in the morning.

But at least he was no longer lost.