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) betraying someone/ being betrayed. 1527 words. Gryffindor, Hogwarts.
Just an idea I had thanks to northern sunstone's review.
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THE SLYTHERIN WAY
PART VIII: Understanding A Girl, House-elf Style
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Malfoy couldn't help but think that this was the ultimate betrayal.
After having to endure Lovegood, other Slytherins, Gryffindors and his own parents giving him advice how to court Granger – this was the ultimate, absolute betrayal.
Malfoy felt slighted by his destiny.
"So's you's here former Master Draco to learn how to court a nice girl like Harry Potter's Grangy girl," Dobby, the former Malfoy house-elf explained. "We's house-elves have lots and lots of experience how wizards ask out witches. We's house-elves have watched what was well received and what not."
The other house-elves around Dobby nodded solemnly.
"We's now decided to pass on that knowledge to you, former Master Draco, so that's you can court Harry Potter's Grangy girl and distract her from making clothes for hard-working elves!"
The other elves nodded even more enthusiastically.
Malfoy shuttered.
This didn't sound good at all…
Malfoy wondered if his situation had turned worse after that proclamation or if it hadn't.
He guessed that the answer of that question could go both ways – it had to do with how you measured the worthiness of the crime.
"So the reason why a bunch of house-elves decided to snatch me from my warm bed in the middle of the night just to bind me to a kitchen chair – with shackles and ropes! – was so that you could teach me how to ask a girl out?!"
"Not just any girl, former Master Draco sir," Dobby corrected frowning. "We've brought you's here so that you's can learn how to ask out Harry Potter's Grangy girl!"
"Why by Merlin and Morgana does everybody think that I wanted to ask that girl out when I insulted her in the hallway! I insulted her! You should try to beat me up not try to teach me how to ask her out!" Malfoy tried to reason with the elves frantically.
To his utter confusion, Dobby nodded solemnly.
"Dobby would have thought about it, former Master Draco sir," the elf said sincerely. "But Dobby knows former Master. Former Master Draco was a good boy, just a bit spoiled. Dobby knows how former Master gets when denied something and Dobby has watched former Master and seen the same signs when it comes to Harry Potter's Grangy girl."
Malfoy turned green.
"Whatever you have seen, that's definitely not it," he said faintly. "Absolutely not it!"
The deranged house-elf just patter Malfoy on the head at that.
"Dobby knows," the house-elf crooned. "Dobby knows, former Master Draco sir!"
Malfoy definitely wasn't happy with that reaction!
"You know nothing, filth!" He cried unhappily.
The answer was just another pat on the head. Malfoy couldn't even prevent it, considering that his hands and feet were shackled to the chair and he was bound by robes for good measure as well.
He growled at the house-elf.
"Dobby wills be super-duper teacher to former Master Draco sir!" Dobby said. "Dobby knows Harry Potter's Grangy girl very well!"
"But I don't want to know anything about the mudblood!" Malfoy whined and received another consoling pat on the head as an answer.
"Of course, former Master Draco sir!" the deranged house-elf said with understanding in his voice and eyes. "Dobby knows you's is still hurting from rejection. Former Master Draco sir has always takens some time to gets over rejection. We's considered that when approaching former Master Draco sir. We's given him time to come to terms with Harry Potter's Grangy girl's rejection. Buts! It's Yule Ball in less than a week! Former Master Draco sir must learn now so that's he's ready to try again!"
"But I don't want to try again!" Malfoy whined.
Dobby just patted his head another time and then turned towards the other house-elves.
"House-elves!" He cried. "Who's willing to sacrifice themselves so that's former Master Draco sir can learn what's he needs to learn?"
"Sacrifice?!" Malfoy yelped, suddenly fearing the worst.
What kind of magic were those creatures planning to use on him?!
What if their magic made sure that he was actually in love with Granger?!
Malfoy didn't want to be in love with Granger!
One, very old house-elf stepped in front of the others.
"Cuddles is willing to sacrifice himself," he declared. "Cuddles is willing to endure a day of wizards' magic and acting like all wizards do!"
Malfoy shuddered.
Wizards' magic?!
Acting like a wizard?!
That didn't sound too good…
Dobby nodded solemnly.
"We's will honour yours sacrifice," Dobby said. "You's be's allowed to work in the attic, the bathrooms or any other very dirty place you like for as many weeks as you like afterwards!"
The old elf nodded as seriously and solemnly as Dobby.
"Cuddles will do good work with acting like a wizard," he promised. "You's just teach yours former Master Draco sir so that's he can distract Harry Potter's Grangy girl from her mission!"
Dobby nodded and Malfoy felt utterly betrayed.
Shouldn't house-elves – even if he wasn't their master – take care of wizards?!
These in here with him seemed to be more interested in torturing wizards than helping them… what an uttermost betrayal!
The next moment, Dobby's patting hand closed around some of Malfoy's blond locks and pulled.
"Ow!" Malfoy exclaimed. The house-elf just patted him again with the other hand while handing over Malfoy's hair to one of the other elves.
The elf had a potion vial filled with potion in its hand.
With sure hands, it added Malfoy's locks into the potion, closed the vial again and shook it.
Then it opened the vial and held it out to Cuddles.
The old elf nodded, took the potion and then popped away.
Malfoy stared at the place the old elf had been a second ago.
"Where did he go?" He asked fearfully.
And what did they plan to do with his hair in the potion?!
"Cuddles is going to give you an alibi, former Master Draco sir," Dobby declared proudly. "Dobby will show former Master Draco sir the most important parts of Harry Potter's Grangy girl's normal days."
Draco shuddered violently.
That didn't sound good at all…
Regretfully, the house-elves where all convinced that it sounded like the absolute right thing to do…
So Draco Malfoy's day of weirdness and betrayal started.
After that, he would never look at house-elves ever the same.
The first stop he made, still bound and shackled to the chair, with Dobby as tour-guide and transport – was in the Gryffindor common room at six a.m. in the morning.
"Harry Potter's Grangy girl is always one of the firsts to wake up," Dobby began his description just when the girl came down the stairs to the girls' dorms. "She's not interested in make-up much, but she's always choosing her clothes very carefully.
"But I don't want to know anything about Granger's habits of clothing herself!" Malfoy whined. He half-hoped that Granger would hear him and stop his torture, but like the house-elves normally, he was neither seen nor heard by her.
"This year Harry Potter's Grangy girl uses this time to knit hats and others things," Dobby continued, solely acknowledging Malfoy's whine by another pat on the head. "All the others years she used this time to read. Harry Potter's Grangy girl loves to read."
"I know that already!" Malfoy grumbled. "She's a know-it-all, after all."
Sadly, he couldn't just walk away, even if he dearly wanted to!
The whole day they followed Granger around with an enthusiastic house-elf narrating her usual day to Malfoy.
In the Great Hall at lunch Malfoy finally also saw Cuddles again – looking and acting like Draco Malfoy. He was currently talking to Pansy.
Malfoy's eyes widened at that sight.
"That's me!" He said fearfully when laying eyes on the Draco Malfoy at the Slytherin table.
"That's Cuddles," Dobby corrected. "He's playing you's under potion so that's you can learn about Harry Potter's Grangy girl without being missed!"
Malfoy stared a bit green in the face at his double.
Then another thought hit him.
"Wait!" He said. "Where did you get that potion from?"
The deranged house-elf next to him stared at him as if he was insane.
"Professor Master Snapey sir," he replied in a voice that suggested that the answer to Malfoy's question should have been obvious.
"Snape?!" Malfoy screeched. "Snape gave you the potion?!"
"Professor Master Snapey sir always makes all the potions for everysbody in Hoggywartsy!" Dobby explained patiently with a small sigh. "Professor Master Snapey sir is potion's master of Hoggywartsy after all!"
This was an even worse betrayal!
Snape, friend of his father, godfather and his head of house had provided the potion that enabled toe house-elves to abduct and torture him!
How many more betrayals had Malfoy to suffer today?!
At the end of the day, Malfoy was sat down in the kitchen again.
"Sos," Dobby said. "Nows former Master Draco sir will repeat what he has learned today about Harry Potter's Grangy girl. If he's been a good student, former Master Draco sir will be allowed to go. If he's not been good, former Master Draco sir will have 'detention' until he's a good student."
Malfoy gulped.
Needless to say, he had to go to detention.
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Just a little idea
Hope you liked it
Ebenbild
PS: Since I already get complains...: Yes, I'm still working on 'Basilisk-Born'. I promise I'll update that as soon as I'm happy with what I have as the next chapter! I'm sorry that it takes some time, but unlike other stories both 'Basilisk-Born' and 'Why to sort...' are a bit more complex and less easy to write... T.T ~E.