The Slytherin Common Room
Draco was trying to keep himself together but his anger and hatred for the Gryffindor continued to plague his mind. He had been sitting in a large leather chair by the fireplace for over an hour. He was surrounded by his fellow house mates who were all third years. Everyone was sharing happy memories from their summer holiday. Draco provided a smile here and there, sometimes he even let out a small laugh, but for the most part his mind was elsewhere. His body wanted to touch the small emerald stone in his pocket but his mind was screaming at him. He pushed his palms together while resting his elbows on his knees. He couldn't close his eyes without a glimpse of her hair shattering his brain. He rested his forehead on his fingers as he looked out the windows. The giant squid seemed more active than usual but he contributed it to the fact that dementors were right outside. A shiver went down his spine as more flashbacks appeared. The anger continued to grow and he had to let it out. "I think I am going to call it a night. My mum is probably worried sick and I should send her an owl to let her know what happened." As Draco started to rise his friends followed. He turned around and rolled his eyes, all he was looking for was some time to himself.
They followed him out of the common room and down another small corridor to their dormitory. The sign read "third years" but he knew it all the same. Blaise rushed forward and pushed the door open. His eyes were twinkling with delight. "I am so glad to be back!" he exhaled into a whisper. Draco saw his trunk at the end of his bed. His was closest to the bathroom, the same bed he chose at the beginning of their first year together. He appreciated the size of the room, it seemed to have grown slightly while they were gone. In the middle of the room was a glowing fire to help keep them warm in their underground palace. The poster beds held deep emerald curtains from the upper portions and had delicate silver threads woven throughout. The sheets were lined with silver trim and the pillows looked recently fluffed. The large pillow in the middle of the headboard had a serpent embroidered on it. The quilt was Draco's favorite part of the beds. The fabric was soft as silk yet as warm as wool. The heavy blanket was a rich green with a perfect balance of black. He let out a low hum as he laid flat onto his bed. His feet were no longer on the ground and he felt a huge weight lift from his body. He slowly brought himself to a seated position and opened his trunk. He began to unpack his clothes and towels when he noticed the stone glowing on his bed. He looked over his shoulder and then stared at his room mates. He feared the worse but did not move. Crabbe and Goyle were too busy discussing their chocolate frog cards and Blaise was organizing his desk. Draco felt uneasy with the stone glowing so bright even though it seemed to have no effect on the others in the room. He placed the towels down on his desk and shifted back to his bed. He slipped the stone under his pillow making sure to not touch it. He did not want to hear her voice right now. No one seemed to notice so he continued to unpack as if nothing had happened. He placed his towels in his designated space and finished putting his clothes in his armoire.
Once he had finished he sat back on his bed and observed his thick friends. "What are you two going on about? They are bloody cards! Is this really going to be what we talk about on our first night back?" Draco was exhausted and wanted to sleep but he felt he needed to create some form of leadership before turning in. Blaise cut in before the other two could comment, "Well, Draco, who would you like to talk about?" Blaise had a slight smirk on his face and Draco hated him for it. Blaise had barely talked the previous years so why would he start now? Draco decided to put out this fire before it got any worse. "I have no interest what so ever in Pansy so you can drop it now. I bloody swear if you try to make it a thing you will need a week stay in the hospital wing. I have bigger issues than a stupid little girl." Blaise's grin faded and his skin began to grey. The whole room began to feel colder but Draco didn't care. He got his point across and it was all he needed. Blaise folded his arms and shook his head. He stood up and told Crabbe and Goyle that he was going to chat with the females in the common room and so they followed. Draco waved them on and told them he was going to write to his mother before heading back to the common area. Once they had all left he locked the door and ran to his pillow. It was no longer glowing which he was grateful. He sat cross legged on his bed and held the stone in the cup of his palms.
"How do you work!? Tell me how!"
"My fellow snooper!" the rock exclaimed, "I am a KnowItAll! Would you like me to recite my instruction manual for you?"
Draco did not like the sassy tone coming from the gem. "I will smash you to bits if you don't watch it...just tell me how you work," he lowered his voice in case others decided to come back.
"Okay, sir," the stone whispered mockingly. "Thank you for purchasing a KnowItAll! We are proud to stand by our products but we are not to be held liable for any information that should be heard through this device. You have chosen a wonderful product to help see into other's lives without forcing yourself knowingly into their conversations. To use this product simply unlock the larger device, slide the smaller device inside to create a connection, and claim the name of who you want to listen to. Once this is complete you will be able to listen in on their conversations, both verbally and mentally, as long as they have the smaller device within reach. Shall I continue?"
Draco groaned. Of course he wanted it to continue, he wanted to know how it worked and why it glowed. This was a losing battle but he had to learn how to make it work right. "Please continue," Draco grumbled.
"Alright, sir. Once the device is active you will hear all thoughts and verbal conversations which mention you. Once you are no longer a thought you will not hear their conversations. In order to hear all thoughts you must upgrade to a more complex device. If you are interested in this type of-"
"No! No, I'm not. Please continue with how you work...please." He was trying to not lose his patience.
"Yes, sir. You will know that you are mentioned as your particular KnowItAll will glow. The brighter the glow the more thought is going into the conversation. What makes KnowItAlls on top of the market for spys? Only you can see the glow! Others will think this is a simple "parchment weight" as you called me earlier. If you want even more secrecy you may upgrade to-"
"Stop with this upgrading! Just tell me how YOU work!" He had enough and was ready to throw it against the stone wall.
"Yes, sir. I preferred it when you said please. It was much nicer. Only you can see the glow. When the stone is glowing simply touch the stone and you will hear their conversations. No one else around you will hear or see the glow. Easy as pumpkin pie! Was it delicious or what!?"
He thought back to the feast. It was delicious and he could easily go for some more of it right now. He said thank you to the stone and placed it on his desk. He took out some parchment and began writing a letter to his mother. He did not want his father to know about the gift because he knew he'd want him to spy on other people and not some silly girl. So he decided to keep it brief and place as little detail as possible.
Mum,
Made it safe. Train was stopped but no one was seriously hurt. The gift was...a surprise to say the least. Thank you and I love you.
Yours forever,
Draco
He rolled up the parchment and tied a small string around it. He went out into the common room and headed for the door to the dungeons. He was a few steps away from the entrance when a prefect stood up and blocked him from leaving. "Sorry, Draco. But we can't have students wandering the halls alone. Especially at night. It's posted on our rules list this year. Dumbledore's orders. He wants us all safe from the dementors. If it's a letter I can take it to the Owlery in the morning." He shoved the letter into his pocket so she couldn't take it out of his hand. "Thanks but I'll just wait for tomorrow. It's not that important." They exchanged nods and Draco turned on his heels. He walked up to his friends and decided to sit on the arm rest of one of the big leather chairs. His eyes locked with Pansy's as she blushed a shade too pink for his liking. He immediately glared at Blaise who had the same smirk from earlier across his face. Draco groaned, rolled off the chair, and left the room to return to his bed. He was ready for a good sleep to try and forget everything that happened today.
