Better be Slytherin
XLVII

The resistance was shattering. Lovegood disappeared at Christmas and Ginny Weasley didn't come back after Easter holidays. Then there was only Longbottom left of the leaders of the rebellion, but now he hadn't been seen in days.

They'd fought valiantly, but to what point? The war was already won. Studying Blood Purity, the Sacred Twenty Eight, Witch Hunts and Muggle Plagues – that was only the beginning. Now Hogwarts was an open war zone. Students sometimes disappeared without warning, and didn't always return. Every other Gryffindor walked around with blood in their faces from the day's torture.

The violence kept getting worse, yet the resistance kept on going. Terry Boot, who'd been the one to spread the word about Potter's Gringott's break in at dinner, was beat up severly and kept in the dungeons over night. Michael Corner got caught releasing a chained up first year and wasn't seen for a week.

Draco knew not to step one single toe out of line. He did everything the Carrows wanted, and he pretended to love it. But Crabbe saw through him, he knew it, and Draco wondered when everything would shatter. Would Crabbe tell on him to the Carrows? Or even to the Dark Lord? Or would he just convince Goyle that they shouldn't hang around Draco anymore?

In that case, was he really bothered? He could deal without Crabbe and Goyle. As long as he had Pansy and his parents. But would Pansy leave him too if she knew the truth?

He woke up every night cold-sweating.

He wished he didn't have to see kids being tortured. All the blood, all the crying, all the screaming, all the torture and murder he'd seen this last year... He knew it would stay in his mind forever.

He threw a full glass of Fire Whiskey in the fire in the common room. He forgot Pansy was there. She jumped next to him and stared at him for a long time. But they didn't dare speak to each other.


Hogwarts castle towered behind her, black against the lilac and amber sunset-sky, and Pansy knew she wasn't meant to be there. She techincally wasn't allowed. The thought made her smirk. She sauntered down the high street, feeling superiorly clever for having snuck out to Hogsmeade. Had she not been a Pureblood she wouldn't have gotten away so easily, she knew. Ah, the privileges in life.

A cloaked figure suddenly jumped out from the dark little alley next to the boarded up Zonko's, and was pointing a wand at her. Definitely a Death Eater.

"Who comes there?" a rough voice snarled.

"Don't you know who I am?" she sneered. But when he made no sign of recognition she rolled her eyes. "I'm Pansy Parkinson," she said hastily.

He waved his wand a little, it felt threatening. "And who the bleedin' hell is that?"

"Draco Malfoy's girlfriend," she emphasised, sending a glare. "You do know who that is, don't you?" With a guffaw, he lowered his wand. She rolled her eyes again.

He looked irritated but said, "Course I know who that bellend is. Him and his dad done the Dark Lord large dis-favours, haven't they," he sneered slightly. "A great dis-honour..."

Pansy gave a huff worthy of Narcissa Malfoy. "At least he doesn't patrol the streets of Hogsmeade at night, does he! And that was ages ago, the Dark Lord's pleased with Draco now!" she couldn't help but adding the last part, even though it was strictly speaking, stretching the truth.

"A sympathiser, eh?" he leered, "Don' you know it's dangerous being out round 'ere this late? 'Specially for a seven'een year old bird, alone…"

Pansy flared up at once. "My father," she began, drawing out her own wand now. "Works at the ministry. He can have you arrested!" His yellowish eyes narrowed in dislike and... fear? "Furthermore, I am Slytherin Head Girl and therefore very close to professor Snape, and I don't think he'll be very pleased when he hears of the trouble you're causing me..."

He looked reluctantly frightened now. She kept her gaze on him. "He tells the Dark Lord everything, if you know what I mean."

"Fancy that," he said nastily, "me being threathened by a little girl. 'my daddy works at the Ministry'", he mimicked in a childish voice. "A Slytherin, and a posh one at that... You lot think you can just come and go as you please, don't you..."

"Go back to your, er... important duties," she said condescendingly. His jaw twitched but he didn't say anything back despite his eyes boring into her. She knew she'd won.

She wrinkled her nose and frowned disgustedly as she made her way past him, muttering: "Creep."

She hurried across the street, uncomfortable in the dark, while he stood there still looking at her, and she was thankful to hear the ding of the bell by the door when she entered the warm pub. The first thing she saw was heads sticking out of fires where a couple of wizards were having conversations with the free Floo network system, and she wondered why anyone dared to speak privately there. The pub was relatively empty – just as she'd assumed, as it was a Tuesday evening and near the village's curfew. A gang of raggedy Death Eaters or Snatchers, she never knew these days, were huddled around one of the rare window tables, and the barmaid was rounding up glasses, looking more wary and exhausted than usual.

She paid for a room and went upstairs to wait.

The gloomy, dirty old wooden floorboards creaked to report of his arrival, a while later. On the bed lay pink rose petals, typical Pansy he thought, rolling his eyes, and spotted her immediately, sitting on the bed with her back to him, a bottle of champagne in her hands, the window in front of her, where he could see the contours of the castle in the darkness up the hill. Just as he stepped inside the room, the champagne bottle popped loudly, and he jumped, while the cork hit the ceiling and wet bubbly liquid ran down onto Pansy's hand, and she jumped too, and turned around suddenly, surprised to see him. She swore.

"Look what you made me do. Has nobody taght you to knock?"

Annoyed, he rolled his eyes darkly and unfastened his cloak, as she turned her back to him again to collect her wand. What a welcome.

"Tergeo," she muttered and the leaked bubbly disappeared, then she conjured two champagne glasses and poured them both a drink but set them down on the bedside.

Draco had his light blonde hair sleeked back, something she hadn't seen in a while. Lately he'd not bothered too much about it. Perhaps this was a good day, then.

"Where have you been?" she asked quietly, as he cheek kissed her hello.

His eyes avoided hers, disliking the question. "Seeing the Dark Lord. At the manor," he added. "Just came back through the Floo downstairs."

She was still sitting on the bed with her back to him. He studied her, not sure what was wrong.

He threw the issue of Witch Weekly which he'd brought from Diagon Alley, down on the bed next to her. She glanced at it.

"Don't I get a thank you?" he drawled sarcastically.

"Thank you," she said pointedly. "Now what took you so long? I've been waiting. Was just about to start on the champagne by myself." Still not looking at him, she reached out her grabbed her glass. Slowly, she sipped. For a second his mind balanced between snapping something back at her, or to rectify the situation. He could tell her he's been busy doing what the Dark Lord wanted him too, which was what he wanted to say, but every time he'd said that in the past it hadn't gone down well. He sighed. He didn't know whether it was because he was the man, or if it was just how Pansy was, but he did what he knew he was meant to – apologise, shower with love, and make it up to her. Somehow, she was always right. He wondered when it had come to that.

He bent over her and put his arms around her from the back. His arms slithered in around her as he kissed her neck and ear and cheek. "I missed you," he said. Pansy remained stiff, chin high, but he could see a small satisfied smile forming. He wondered if it was because she was so in love with him that she couldn't help but smiling when he tried to be charming, or if it was because she was smug. Probably a bit of both.

As usual, she didn't say it back. He wasn't surprised, and kept kissing her cheek, neck and head and sure enough, the smirk appeared. He wanted to wipe it off her face.

"You're such a baby," he sneered and moved his pecks along her face to her mouth. He placed a kiss on her lips but she didn't move a muscle. He rolled his eyes. "Pans, I'm here now, I'm a bit late, so what."

She pulled away and glared at him."I've been here setting up for half an hour. And you're just now bothering to show up..."

"Stop it," he warned her. "I've had a long day."

"What did you do for the Dark Lord today anyway?"

Their gazes locked. "You know I can't tell you that." He abandoned his attempt at softening her up, and lay back on the bed. He reached out for the glass of champagne and downed it. Finally, she was turned to him. Always when he pulled back, she would come. It was their constant power balance game.

Her mouth was twitching as if she was dying to say something. But then she gave up, sighed, and accepted. "I wanted us to have a night out of school, just the two of us."

He offered a smile. It was the most romantic response he could do at this point. "I'm really tired."

She smiled cheekily. "I'll perk you up." And suddenly, she climbed onto him and straddled him. Her Hogwarts skirt flowered around her. She threw her hair over her shoulder and unbuttoned her shirt quickly.

Draco smirked. "How unbefitting of a Head Girl... I might have to punish you... I am Head Boy after all..."

Pansy smirked too and started unbuttoning his shirt. Her hands moved carelessly over the scars on his pale chest from when Potter had cursed him. He looked up at her for a moment, and was hit by the fact that when she smirked like that Pansy reminded him of his favourite person in the world besides his parents – himself.

"You know, if I knew this is what you wanted to do, we could've just used the Room of Hidden things."

Pansy frowned. "What's that?"

"The, er, Come and Go Room. Room of Requirement."

Realisation suddenly dawned on Pansy and her lips stiffened at once. She looked away, and he hastily regretted mentioning what had brought them apart last year. Just when she'd stopped being a bitch.

"But I suppose it's pleasant being out of the castle for one night," he said quickly, hoping to bring her cheerful mood back. She smiled curtly at him.

"And I can finally have you to myself."

She smiled leisurely and allowed him to kiss her.


Draco lifted the curtain aside and peered up at the outlines of the castle up on the hill in the mellow dawn light, and suddenly a jolt of anxiety hit him at the thought of going back up there now. His jaw tightened and he cringed knowing soon he'd be in the Great Hall with a mutinous Crabbe and an unsure Goyle, while being surveiled by the Carrows. He sighed and looked over at Pansy who was still sleeping. She was unusually peaceful when she slept – it was the only time he could look at her for more than a few seconds without receiving a bitchily raised eyebrow and possibly a nasty "what?" thrown at him.

He sighed again and cleaned himself up with a spell before getting dressed. He glanced at the skull on his left arm before he threw his cloak around him and closed the clasp around his neck. Then, reluctantly, he woke Pansy by muttering her name and nudging her. She started and started up at him, jolted awake.

"You look nice when you sleep," he smirked. "And the best thing is that you're silent."

Pansy hit him.

"Come on," he persisted. "We'd better get back up to the castle before people start noticing. We've got Charms in thirty."


After smugly telling her gushing girlfriends of her romantic night with Draco, they had settled down to eat breakfast. She was sipping her tea by the Slytherin table, a severely grey sky above, and images of last night's antics popped up in her head. She almost blushed when she remembered how he'd gone down on her. A jolt of excitement went through her stomach as she remembered his head between her legs last night, and she was almost ashamed that she was thinking these things in midst of the Great Hall, but the thought of him sucking on her clit gave her butterflies and Daphne had to tell her twice that they were leaving for Charms.


Theodore was paired off with Malfoy as usually in Potions. That old Slughorn always thought they were friends simply because they had sat together once in sixth year. Theodore rolled his eyes and he heard Malfoy sigh next to him.

"Don't act like you hate it," he muttered at Malfoy, who hastily turned to frown at him.

Malfoy raised one eyebrow condescendingly, silently questioning.

"You haven't really got many friends to choose from these days, have you?" smirked Theodore.

Malfoy snorted indignantly. "You're one to talk."

"I hear Crabbe doesn't want to be your lap dog anymore," said Theodore mindlessly as he measured up the correct amount of Leech juice.

"Mind your own business, Nott," snapped Malfoy.

"Maybe you should've treated your so-called 'friends' better, or they wouldn't abandon you," Theodore went on maliciously, feeling particularly pleased with himself. "Just like your father... the Dark Lord's abandoned him now, hasn't he..."

Malfoy didn't say anything, but gave Theodore his most disgusted, fuming look. It amused Theodore. He could read Malfoy like a book, and it didn't help that Maloy was so bad at playing it cool. He only had to glance at him to know what he was thinking. Malfoy had never been a good liar, despite what he might think. Theodore was surprised Malfoy had lasted as a Death Eater for so long.

"Forgive me if I don't wish to take friendship advice from you, Nott," sneered Malfoy. "Seeing as Zabini is just about the only person you've spoken to in seven years."

"Really? Wonder how I managed to date your girlfriend then."

Malfoy gasped and Theodore smirked when he saw Malfoy's jaw hit the floor. Malfoy was trying to come up with something to say, like a fish gulping for water.

"Now, now, boys, how are we doing?"

Suddenly Slughorn was standing by their table peering into their cauldron. Malfoy who looked seething, took his opportunity.

"Actually, sir, not very well at all. Theodore keeps distracting me. Might I suggest a switch of partners? As he clearly isn't taking the subject seriously."

Slughorn merely laughed, his walrus mustache dancing. "Come now, Draco, cooperation!"

"Forgive me, sir," said Theodore, "but I do for once agree with Malfoy. He's not only self-serving and unwilling to listen, he also can't seem to read clear instructions—"

"Nonsense! Now get back to work. We don't want to see your excellent record falter, do we! I expect a perfect Blood-Replenishing Potion by the end of the hour..."

Theodore and Malfoy glared at each other.

An hour later, they reluctantly handed in their vial of the potion to a merry looking Slughorn. "On your way then, boys..."

In the dungeon corridor outside, Nott was still hissing at Malfoy. "Where were you over Christmas holidays?" he demanded.

"That's none of your business! I'm doing more important things than writing stupid essays for History of Magic nowadays," Draco shot back, and tried to get away from Nott by hurrying towards the Slytherin common room. Crabbe and Goyle lingered in the background looking unsure, yet kept walking after Draco.

"Where were you when I entered the Dark Lord's service? I took my Mark!" he shot at Draco who flinched, surprised. "You should've been there. If you were faithful."

"What?" began Draco, and he had stopped now.

"We were friends, Malfoy," he seethed. "We were supposed to do this together!"

Malfoy nodded, looking away. "How was I supposed to control when the Dark Lord wanted me, versus you? Is it really still about that? You're still angry about the fact that he wanted me earlier?"

Theodore's nostrils flared. "It should've been me!"

"Do you honestly think I had anything to say about it?" snarled Draco. They were standing close, aggravated, angry, competitive, and then Pansy hurried over. Luckily, the Gryffindors had left by now but all the Slytherins were looking at the two of them.

"You didnt deserve it!"

Draco swallowed. "That's not my fault!"

"That's not my fault," Thedore mocked in a childish voice.

Malfoy had become a ghost of his former self. The one Theodore knew since way before Hogwarts – that Draco would smirk and taunt, drawl and mock. But since he received his task of killing Dumbledore he was quiet, cowardly, not himself. He didn't boast, bully or strut around the school like the prat he'd been.

"All right, that's enough! I'm sick of you two arguing all the time!" Pansy piped up. "Draco," she ordered, "I want a word with Thedore. Alone," she added the last word forcefully, for Draco's eyes had widened at once and he'd opened his mouth to protest. Then he sent her an angry sneer and trodded away, but he made sure to stay in the far end of the dungeon corridor, leaning against the wall.

"Leave!" he ordered the onlooking Slytherins. Crabbe and Goyle quickly made their way into the common room. Blaise narrowed his eyes but unwillingly sauntered after them. The girls, who were whispering gossip to each other, tutted and rolled their eyes but went along into the common room. Now it was only the three of them left in the corridor.

Draco threw his wand up into the air and caught it, and repeated the movement. Theodore was reminded of a dog showing off his tricks. His stomach had turned upside down when Pansy said she wanted to speak to him. They hadn't spoken for nearly a year basically. His heart beat fast as she turned to face him.

"I don't know what it is you're so angry with Malfoy about," she began and he opened his mouth to reply at once, irritated, but she held up a hand and continued, "But it doesn't matter! None of this will matter soon anyway, we've only got a couple of months left of school! Then you'll never have to see him again!"

"I won't! But I want to see you again." He didn't know what possessed him to dare to say it.

Pansy looked at him, surprised, mouth slightly open. It wasn't pretty. Still, he wished he was allowed to kiss her like Malfoy was.

"I... Well, you will. Unless you keep this up with Malfoy."

He felt hesitant. She could not demand that of him, could she?

"He's a filthy murderer," muttered Theodore.

"You know as well as anyone that he didn't kill Dumbledore."

"He's still a bloody prick."

Pansy looked away.

"Whatever you say, Nott. Still, I can't really fathom why you're blaming him for being a murderer but you yourself just entered the Dark Lord's service!"

"There's nothing wrong with being in the Dark Lord's service! The Dark Lord only kills Mudbloods."

"He kills anyone in his way, whatever Blood Status."

His eyes narrowed at once. "I thought you wanted to join him," said Theodore in a low voice.

"I don't find it fitting for girls," said Pansy, screwing up her nose disdainfully. Theodore rolled his eyes.

"So, he didn't kill Dumbledore – so what..." said Theodore. "Did you know your precious Draco dragged a girl off the Hogwarts express and kept her locked in the cellar all Christmas?" Theodore jeered, with an evil smile spreading on his face. "Did you know that? Your beloved boyfriend's torturing little girls in his spare time."

Pansy suddenly felt cold.

"Liar," she breathed.

"It's true," he sneereed.

"Shut up!" she suddenly exclaimed and moved away from him. He was woken from whatever made him do it, and instantly panicked. The scorn on his face was gone.

"No, Pansy, don't—"

But she wasn't listening. Coldly, she said, "You can forget about what I said – as soon as we leave this place, you'll never see me again."

"Pansy!" he called out after her, desperate, anxious, instantly regretting what he'd said.

But she was already gone.