Better be Slytherin
LI
Magic and Mayhem

The seventh-year boys' dormitory in the dungeouns was dark and still. Nobody was awake. The only thing audible were snores from Crabbe's and Goyle's beds, while the rest of the boys were calmly sleeping. From Draco Malfoy's bed, from the corner of the covers two pairs of feet stuck out - a small foot with pink-painted toenails next to two bigger and more jagged ones. Suddenly, disrupting the silence, Draco Malfoy awoke as if he had heard a scream, gave a shriek and bolted up.

The horrible, burning pain woke him and he was hit by the cold in the room. Dizzy and confused he groaned loudly out of pain and clutched his left underarm.

"What the bloody hell was that? Ugh!" he groaned forcefully, sitting straight up in bed with stinging wide open eyes and messy hair. He noticed the Mark on his lower arm glowing black, just as he heard Crabbe, newly awakened, grunting: "Whazzgoingon?"

Pansy who had been sleeping by his side awoke as well and mumbled sleepily in an hoarse voice, "what's wrong?" but Draco did not answer.

"Crabbe! Goyle!" hissed Draco persistently, which awoke Goyle too who was now moving around in bed, grunting and groaning."Look at my mark! I'm being summoned!"Crabbe and Goyle looked unsure and confused.

Pansy looked confused and tired, like she did not know what to do. "It's probably a mistake… why would He summon you now? Let's go back to sleep," she mumbled, stroking his lower back slightly because it was the only part of him she could reach lying down. Draco did not answer. Groaning and clutching his underarm, covering the branded skull beneath his hand, he got up from bed and hurried over the cold floor to the door. He noticed Crabbe and Goyle staring at him, realising the severity.

Draco pressed his ear against the door and tried to listen to whatever sounds outside. Nothing. He trailed his hand through his hair, frowning.

"Do you reckon we should get out of here? Go to him?" asked Crabbe.

"I don't reckon you two to do anything – you weren't summoned were you?" said Draco slightly annoyed.

"Well, no, cos we haven't got one of those marks…" said Crabbe.

"And why is that, Vince?" snapped Draco. Crabbe was silent, sending him a murderous glance, jaw clenched. "Exactly," said Draco, finishing his point. He turned back to the door and Crabbe knew not to disturb him again. Yet…

"Hearin' anything?" he asked.

"Shhhh!" Draco was growing more irritated. He slowly opened the door slightly and saw nothing but the dark staircase leading up to the commonroom and still heard nothing. He closed it.

Then, suddenly, as if on a timer, there was a sudden sharp groan behind him. Draco twirled around to see Theodore Nott writhing awake, cluching his arm and bolting up in bed. This woke up Blaise Zabini as well.

"Yours too?" exclaimed Draco and realised with slight embarassment that his voice sounded more high pitched than usual.

Nott let out a long painful groan and looked down upon the ugly black mark, his face screwed up in pain. "I'm being summoned."

"So am I!"

Nott looked around the room quickly, seeming to really wake up. Crabbe and Goyle were staring between the trwo of them.

"Well, we must go to Him," said Nott then with finality in his voice, and reluctantly got out of bed to get dressed. Zabini watched him with scepticism, or was it... disappointment?

Draco swore under his breath and started pacing between his own bed and Goyle's.

"Malfoy!" Nott demanded.

"You go on," he snarled at Nott. "I'll see you there."

Nott raised an eyebrow at him. "We're going to the same place. Let's just go together."

"I'm not doing anything with you. We've both happened to have been summoned. So what?"

"You seem to think there's even an alternative to going to his side at once."

"I'm just trying to think for one minute! How do you even suggest we get out of the castle?"

Nott shrugged. "No idea so far. We'll just have to sort something out."

"Well," said Draco sarcastically, "You do that. I'll be right behind you."

Nott's upper lip twitched and for a second Draco thought he was going to pull a wand on him andforce him to come along, but then he shrugged angrily and turned his back, leaving the dormitory.

Draco looked after him and swallowed.

Pansy, who had drifted off, woke up again and noticed that Draco was not lying beside her. She groaned sleepily and held up the duvet and blanket. "Draco, c'mere, let's just sleep some more and deal with it in the morning... you can just tell him you didn't feel it..."

"No, Pansy, I can't," he emphasised slowly, as if he tried to hammer it into her head or as if she was much younger than she really was. Pansy rolled over with an unladylike grunt. Draco was thinking feverishly; the only thing he could imagine had happened was that the Dark Lord finally had managed to capture Potter – what else? Presumably his father and the rest had been summoned as well and were already on their way to Him. It was the right thing to do.

He couldn't talk his way out of this one – Nott would tell on him, Nott knew he'd felt his mark burn. There was no way out of this one.

Draco had decided.

"Crabbe, Goyle, let's go."

They whined and complained as they got dressed, but the sternness of his voice had them convinced.

Draco too hastily put on his robe over his pyjamas and as Crabbe and Goyle who were already standing by the door turned to see what took so long, he was still struggling with his cloak.

"Malfoy, you coming?" said Crabbe.

"Yeah, yeah, give me a minute... I'll be right with you, just... you go on."

Crabbe and Goyle exited the dormitory and Draco finally got his cloak on and mumbled: "Pansy..." as he fell down onto the bed, leaning over her. Pansy turned to him, sleepily. "Pansy, promise me something," he said with lowered voice. His voice was soft, not often used that way. He was severe. "This is important. Get out of here as soon as you can, all right? I think something's going on. Otherwhise he wouldn't summon me like this."

Pansy groaned. "Draco, it's in the middle of the night!"

"This is more important than that!" he snarled, slightly irritated. "Do you understand that? This might actually be..." He trailed off, not wanting to finish. He did not know what to say. "Just... If there's any trouble starting up... don't get yourself hurt. Go home."

He reckoned she saw in his eyes how serious he was, because suddenly she looked frightened. She began to sit up. "Draco, what's going on, really?"

His eyes wandering, he hastily said, "I dunno." He was stressed, frightened, and he knew he showed it. Therefore, he had to leave. "I don't know," he repeated. "I've got to go."

Her eyes were now wide open, afraid and demanding his answer and comfort, but he could not give it. He kissed her awkwardly and gave her a hasty hug. That was all he felt he was capable of.

And then he left.


They only reached the common room before suddenly they heard steps and finally loud chattering was auidble, some upset and some angry for being awokened, Slytherin students were gathering in the common room on someone's orders. Slughorn finally went to the seventh year boys' dorm and Zabini and Pansy joined them. The common room was now filled with every single Slytherin student. Draco noticed that Nott hadn't had time to leave the common room, so he was just as stuck as they was.

"Listen," they heard Slughorn as he got up on one of the coffee-tables which creaked unsteadily underneath his firm built. Greengrass, luckily enough, handed Pansy her pink dressing gown. Pansy searched for him, he saw it but he looked away and ignored her.

"Children, listen to me, the castle is unsafe. We must go down to the Great Hall, and you will get more information there."

Groans and reluctant shouts immediately filled the common room, Draco heard Pansy irritatedly say: "Why?! Ugh, I don't want the entire school to see me in pyjamas!" but Slughorn did not falter.

"Prefects! Lead your housemates down, and follow me. You'll be back in your beds in just a moment, I'm sure! Now follow me."

Crabbe and Goyle looked at him as if asking what to do. Draco looked away, jaw clenched, raking his mind. He was Head Boy and knew should be herdering first years, but The Dark Lord had summoned him and that meant to get there as soon as possible - but Apparition was not possible inside the castle, and it would be impossible to sneak out far enough to Apparate, now that the entire student body as well as the staff of teachers were awake. It was pointless to try to even go out the Entrance Hall – they would just have to follow directions and get up to the Great Hall to see what all of this was about and try and escape later, even though their delay surely would aggrivate Him. There was no other way.

Draco nodded towards Crabbe and Goyle that they would follow the stream of Slytherins making their way through the crowded common room, through the dark dungeon corridors, and up to the Entrance Hall, led by Pansy's and Draco's eight Slytherin prefects. Luckily, Draco was good at pushing his way through crowds, and Crabbe and Goyle even better – Draco wanted to avoid Pansy, he could not bear saying his goodbyes once more.

"What's the plan?" mumbled Crabbe from his right, as they reached the stony, echoing Entrance Hall and was mixed with students from the other houses, who were also looking confused and wearing their pyjamas.

"I'm not sure. Hang on a minute," came Draco's stressed reply. They went into the Great Hall along with the other students, and he made his way towards their usual seats by the Slytherin table. On the way, he looked up and to his shock, he saw the entire Order of the Phoenix by the staff table.

He choked on his own breath and gasped out, "What in the name of Merlin..?" which made his classmates turn and see for themselves.

His heart had begun beating faster. Draco was seriously worried now. Something was going on, battle by the look of it – perhaps he did not need to go to the Dark Lord, perhaps He would come to him... And he realised with a gnawing senastion in his stomach, that he would probably have to stay and fight. But on which side? He hastily wondered.

His classmates sat down around them, Crabbe and Goyle by his sides. He motioned for the two to come closer, and they leaned in over the table.

"We leave when we get the opportunity, all right?" he mumbled to them. "We'll see what all this is about and then we make our way out the castle... somehow..."

They both nodded. They all listened to a messy-haired Pansy who complained loudly about anything and everything. Nobody else spoke, Zabini and Nott were both studying the Hall as if to find signs of what was going on. Pansy's girlfriends were listening and agreeing to whatever Pansy was saying. Draco just sat quiet, leaned forward over the table, thinking. He was nervous and stressed and just wanted to get out of there before he was so late that the Dark Lord would punish him severely. He kept tapping his foot quickly, tap tap tap, unable to stop.

His supicions about an attack was shortly verified as the ruckus in the Hall settled when McGonagall rose to start talking. She explained all about evacuating everybody, and those who wanted to stay and fight should stay here in the Great had not realised it at first, but he was shaking. He couldn't stop. Draco's heart was beating like a drum, this is it, he thought, if I'm lucky, it will all end tonight.

Draco, and many of the Slytherins, noted Snape's absence and many of them shouted at the Transfiguration professor to tell them where he was.

"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk."

Snape had left? No doubt to seek the Dark Lord, Draco reckoned – he would, naturally, have been summoned as well. Furthermore, he did not see either of the Carrows either – they must have left to do their duty as well. Just as he should... The Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs started cheering at the sound of these news, as the Slytherins around him looked very malcontent, and were whispering among them.

"Draco." He heard Pansy's voice but he could not see anything but the horror of what was to come. "Draco, did you hear that? We've got to escort the Slytherins out from the castle, McGonagall said that the Prefects..." Draco heard no more because he looked up and saw Harry Potter moving down the aisle between the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables. He gaped. What in Merlin's name was that git doing here? Probably with Draco's wand tucked in right beneath his cloak. But he could not be angry at Potter, because somehow, Potter was Draco's only chance. Draco was rooting for the other side. He was in between. He was caught and it was all too late for him, no matter which side won.

He just wanted to get out.

Suddenly a high, ice-cold voice interrupted McGonagall, banging from the walls, sourcless and skin-crawling, Draco heard his master's voice, which made many of the younger students scream.

"I know that you are preparing to fight. Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood. Give me Harry Potter and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."

The voice disappeared and the screaming stopped as well. Draco's head was spinning, the silence was too big; he did not know what to do. All he could focus on was to stop his dinner coming up.

"But he's there! Potter's there! Someone grab him!" a voice suddenly exclaimed near him.

He heard Zabini and Nott groan and realised that it was Pansy who had screamed, a shaking arm pointed at Potter on the other side of the room. Draco closed his eyes. He knew that Pansy meant no harm, she was only trying to protect the rest of them as well as herself, but he cursed her for never thinking things through; he did not think she had expected to get the rest of the student body standing up and pointing their wands angrily at her.

Pansy swallowed and sat down. "I mean," he said to her fellow classmates, looking for support, "it's his life or ours, isn't it?"

"Yes, Parkinson." hissed Zabini, "but everybody already hates us. You made yourself look a right, murderous Death Eater."

Murmurs of agrees were heard, and Pansy looked innapreciative. Draco felt like he wanted to carry her out of there to keep her safe, for a split second. Stupid Pansy, if they did survive this he would have to teach her when to keep her sodding mouth shut.

"Thank you, miss Parkinson," they heard Mcgonagall say loudly. "You will leave the Hall first with Mr Filch. If the rest of your house could follow."

"Well done, Pans!" snarled Queenie Wilkes sarcastically, for the first time defying her friend.

Pansy had not imagined that in a room packed to the rim with people, you could feel so incredibly and fully alone. She jumped forward, grabbed Theodore and Gregory, linked arms with them and dragged them along with her. She would not go through the Great Hall alone, she would not.

She did not hear either the critique nor praise she received from her fellow Slytherins as they all moved along out the Great Hall and up the staircases towards the Room of Requirement for she was constantly searching for Draco, feeling like her she could vomit being so afraid.

The Dark Lord's voice was still echoing inside her head, cold, full, and unescapable. She pushed it away, frowning hard, her face squeezed , feeling a hint of the same panick she had felt moments earlier in the Great Hall. Her heart was still beating fast, out of fear, out of adrenaline, out of shame of knowing what she had said in the Hall had been completely misinterpreted and unappreciated – she did not know which. Of course she had panicked and spoken without thinking, and perhaps it was selfish wanting to give Potter up, but she was not a blood-thirsty and raving Death Eater – this had nothing to do with Potter, whether Pansy disdained Muggleborns or not – the Dark Lord wanted him, and he would leave them all alone if Potter was handed over, he did say so.

It was his – one – life, Pansy reckoned, instead of hundreds of students – children, to be more exact! She was definitely not prepared to risk her life for Potter – a boy she'd never got along with, a boy who had been on the run for a year, hiding in cowardice, she expected, not doing anything to try and kill of the Dark Lord. The war was already lost, wasn't it? The Dark Lord could not be overpowered – he had all power over Wizarding England: he'd had both the Ministry and Hogwarts for a year, and Mudbloods and Muggleborns and Bloodtraitors alike were already being hunted and had been for a year. He had already won. At least if they'd hand over that coward of a Gryffindor, he'd leave them all alone, unspoiled. He had said so.

Why should all of Hogwarts fight and risk their lives for a single person, for a war that was already lost? Why was he worth more than them?

Sometimes sacrifice was necessary for the greater good. It really was quite logical, wasn't it?

As they reached the seventh floor corridor she stepped aside to guide her students out. She felt like she was close to a meltdown, directing her Slytherins into the Room of Requirement that would lead them to the Hog's head where they would apparate home to their families, to safety. Her stress was not exactly reduced when the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws arrived.

"Move, will you!" she ordered a few of her second-years, panicking. Where was Draco? He had been there, with her, in the Great Hall not a minute ago! She did not want to leave without him, but he had disappeared in the crowd.

"Runcorn, Baddock – at the front!" she ordered at her Prefects, "Get the first years out first, and then get on with the second years! Tell the others!"

"What if someone wants to stay?"

"I don't know, do I!" shrieked Pansy, although for the life of her she couldn't understand why anyone would want to stay knowing there'd be a battle. "I don't care, they can do whatever they like, but we should get everyone who's underage out!"

Her prefects nodded and spread out to do their jobs.

"Draco!" she called, groaned, but in vain.

"Ah, the little snakes are slithering out of here..."

"You're leaving too you idiot!" Pansy snarled at Zacharias Smith. "If you're so brave, why aren't you staying and fighting?!"

"Why don't you shut it, Parkinson," came the drawl of Hufflepuff Prefect Zacharias Smith. Merlin, how she detested him. "We're all trying to get out of here nice and calm and your shouting about Malfoy is giving me a headache..."

"Well then don't cut in, Smith, you foul little Hufflepoof!" she exclaimed, aggravated.

"Pansy, calm down." Suddenly, Draco was behind her and she didn't argue with him, she was only grateful that he was there to rescue her and to get away from this mess with her.

"Draco," she began desperately, her face softening, but before she could say anything, he leaned in and whispered:

"I'm going back."

As she did not answer immediately, her mouth gaping, he hastily continued: "I'm not coming with you, you've got to cover for me."

"Sorry?" she began. Pansy frowned, stunned. He had just arrived – he was not about to leave her again! Before she could say anything more, he asked her: "Where are Crabbe and Goyle? I need them."

"No," she began, more loudly than him, shaking her head quickly. "I need you. Here."

He looked up at her, finally stopped searching the crowd for his two trolls. "Pans..." he began, and she knew he was about to explain yet again how important the Dark Lord's will was, and she did not want to hear it. She hated the Dark Lord for taking Draco away from her.

"Draco, I'm panicking. I don't know what to do. I need you here," she said and tried to sound as firm as possible, but it seemed impossible to conceal how frightened she was.

Draco tore his eyes from her and suddenly called, "Crabbe!"

Pansy kept staring at him and did not pay attention to the bafoons joining them. They would not take him away from her again.

"Pansy, I've got to go," said Draco firmly, but with a soft gaze. He licked his lips and looked around him. Then he ordered: "You, stay with her." Crabbe immediately objected.

"Why should I stay with her! I'm more worthy to go to Himthan Goyle is!"

Draco turned to Crabbe, irritated. "You're worthy? You weren't summoned for, were you?"

Crabbe looked like he could punch him, and Pansy thought he saw in Draco's eyes a fear of Crabbe refusing order.

"Fine, just until all the Slytherins are out," muttered Crabbe. Draco turned to her again, too stressed to be content with Vincent. "Pansy, as soon as you've gotten everybody out, you've got to go home. All right?" he said, forcefully.

"I'm afraid," she whinged.

"Don't be – just... don't come back to the castle to find me, I'll come and get you, no matter how this ends, I promise, so promise me you'll stay put and don't try anything!" he looked around hastily. He was stressed; pale as a corpse and with crazy eyes, staring. "I've got to go! Just get out of here and stay there. I'll be right with you! I've just got to go to the Dark Lord for a bit!"

She did not believe him, but she nodded. Draco suddenly looked hurt, fragile and she wanted to take him with her. He pulled her in for an embrace, and even though it was too harsh and he held her in an awkward position, she did not want it to end.

"One day, we're going to be married," he whispered, to no response from the slightly shaking Pansy. "One day I'll be your husband, and you'll be my wife... Just imagine that Pansy..."

Then he was gone.

Images of him asking her to the Yule Ball, images of their gigglingly awkward kisses in his dorm at the start of their relationship, images of laughing with mouths stuffed with Liquorice Wands with him, images of laughing at prefect patrols with him - images of it all surfaced in her mind. He would survive this. She would not have it any other way.

Pansy never had learned how to defend herself magically - that had, as far as she was concerned, always been a man's task. Luckily she knew Draco's aunt had taught him the Unforgivables.

It was all about to change, wasn't it? Whether it was for good or for bad, everything was about to change. There would actually be a battle at their school – she had only read about such things in History of Magic – a battle: here? She could hardly process it. And as she finally passed through the Come-and-Go-Room, heading towards the shabby Hog's Head pub, doing her duty as Head Girl to her Slytherin house students, her stomach already aching with worry over Draco, she briefly wondered if they would all be remembered. If anyone would remember what they had done for their house and how much they had struggled and how unfairly they had been treated all those years at school, just for being sorted into a particular house.

She wondered if anyone would ever read about them in a book or fall asleep at the sound of their History of Magic teacher tell their story – the story of the second Wizarding war.