Author's Note: Heya guys! Sorry about the last two chapters, I will TRY to do more from Harry and Hermione's POV's instead of traveling down Mary Sue Lane so often.
Also, if Kiya seems a bit more Malfoy-like from other people's points of view, it's because of two things. Numero Uno: The stress is really getting to her. Number Ni: Everyone else is expecting her to act like Malfoy, so they see her actions as a bit more Malfoy-like than she herself sees them.
Anyway, happy reading!
Harry and Ron both groaned aloud as Hagrid's lesson started out with the half-giant pulling something large and dangerous looking out from behind his cabin. It was a very furry creature nearly five feet high, with five legs and several dangerous looking fangs sticking out from its mouth, which was in the center of its body.
"Quintapeds!" A Slytherin shouted, and several people from both houses screamed. Double Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins was usually a very big disaster, especially when Hagrid had a particularly dangerous creature to talk about.
"Be careful, now," Hagrid cautioned, chaining the Quintaped to a pole in front of his cabin, "she likes t'eat people, ya know, and she might try an' take a bit outta one of ya."
The entire group stepped back as one. Harry and Ron exchanged glances, each trying to figure out a polite way to tell Hagrid that this creature was not one they wanted to learn to care for.
Hagrid stepped back, as the Quintaped lunged at him. "Whoa now, Buttercup, don't get too riled up," he said, waving his hands at the monster while he stepped away.
"Isn't it illegal to try and capture one of these things?" One of the Gryffindor girls asked.
"Yeah!" Several of the other students agreed. Several looked as if they wished they could run in the opposite direction of the monster, but didn't dare.
"Now, I'll get some stuff for ya ta' feed 'er," Hagrid said, turning around and taking a step towards his cabin.
Harry suddenly noticed Malfoy stepped forward to get a better look at the beast.
"These ARE illegal!" Harry heard him whisper. The Slytherin took another step forward, and then-
The Quintaped lunged at Malfoy, who took a half step back. Then, with a terrible crack, the chain broke. The monster lunged at Malfoy, who let out a yell.
"Stupefy!" Harry had his wand out in a moment, but the spell hit the creature with no effect. It only turned to stare at him with all five eyes, and crouched down, about to lunge again.
"NO YA' DON'T!" Thankfully, Hagrid had realized what was happening, and had dived on top of the creature. Though it looked strong and vicious, it was no match for Hagrid's superior size and weight, and was pinned down as Hagrid reattached the chain to the Quintaped's legs.
"There, now, that'll hold 'er," Hagrid muttered. "Now, if ya'd open yer books ter page 34, ya can read 'bout the Quintaped, and the legend 'bout s'creation."
Harry turned to Ron to ask if he had brought the book they shared, but saw Malfoy staring at him, and paused to stare back for a moment, before turning to Ron again.
***
~He saved my life.~
Kiya stared at the Potter kid, who stared back for a moment returning to conversation with his friend. ~He saved my life, and he didn't even blink.~ She tried not to think it, but the thought came anyway. ~How could I suspect somebody so nice of murder?~
And Kiya DID suspect him of something, though certainly not murder. Kiya was trying to figure out what in the world could have happened to him during that period he and Diggory were missing. She had a feeling that that was the key to the Voldemort rumors.
She would have to approach Harry soon, and try to make peace for whatever problems this Malfoy person had caused in past years.
***
Harry and Hermione were studying together for a Transfiguration assignment, (Ron was spending some time with Ginny,) when Draco Malfoy slammed his books down on their library table.
"We need to talk." Malfoy said seriously, staring Harry right in the eye.
"About what?" He asked, trying to figure out what in the world would have happened that would make Malfoy want to talk to him.
"Listen, I need your help with something important. Really important." Malfoy's eyes flickered briefly to Hermione, before returning to Harry again.
"What?" Harry asked again, leaning forward slightly.
"It's about-" Malfoy cut himself off as a Slytherin sixth year entered the room. "It's- never mind." Malfoy stood up and walked away, not looking back once.
The intensity of Malfoy's gaze left Harry shocked for a moment. The Slytherin had never looked at Harry like that before. The only looks Malfoy had given him before today were looks of scorn.
No, that wasn't right. When he had been about to board the Hogwarts Express, Malfoy had given him a strange, different look.
Harry suddenly realized that Hermione had been saying something. "What?"
"I said that I think something is really wrong with Malfoy. I think you should try and talk to him very soon." Hermione was watching Malfoy's retreating form with a little too much interest. "Maybe he's mixed up with the Death Eaters or something, and he wants out. Maybe-"
"Maybe you're just reading a little too much into his behavior," Harry interrupted her string of "maybe's." "I don't think he's changed. He's still Malfoy. It's not like he's a completely different person or anything."
~But for some reason,~ Hermione thought, ~I feel like he IS a completely different person.~
Too bad Hermione didn't know how right she was.
***
That Tuesday night, for what felt like the millionth time since she arrived at Hogwarts, Kiya watched the other Slytherins settle down for the night. And then, under cover of darkness, she slipped out of the dorm, out of the Common Room, and into the halls of Hogwarts, unseen by ghost, student or teacher.
Moments later, she was in McGonagall's office. The room wasn't stark and empty, but the decor did suggest a strictly plain person worked there. Everything was corners and angles, and all the colors matched painfully well.
After very quietly searching the desk drawers for a few moments, Kiya found something useful. A small red book, with the name "Minerva McGonagall" printed in gold on the front. She settled down to read.
It was a diary, half full, of the last three years. While she ignored the more personal passages, she did scan through the ones discussing the Tri-Wizard Tournament of last year. Described in detail here were the tasks, as well as how the Champions completed them. McGonagall had also recorded how it seemed that Harry Potter must have been getting help from an outside source. No student had a ready supply of gillyweed on hand, she wrote, and yet Potter had managed to produce some just in time to complete the second task with flying colors.
After copying down a few important notes onto some blank parchment, Kiya carefully replaced the diary, and snuck back into the Slytherin dorm.
From the looks McGonagall was giving her the next day, Kiya was sure that the Gryffindor teacher knew about her little midnight escapade. The only teacher here who knew exactly what who she was and why she was here was Dumbledore. McGonagall might do something drastic if she caught "Malfoy" snooping around the teacher's offices in the middle of the night.
However, after Transfiguration class was over, and Kiya was about to leave, McGonagall called both her and Hermione Granger back to her desk.
***
"Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy, I wanted to talk to the both of you."
Hermione raised her eyebrows in surprise, and turned to look at Harry and Ron, who were already halfway out the door.
'We'll wait out here for you,' Harry mouthed, but Hermione shook her head and waved them on with one hand. Ron shrugged, and tugged Harry out the door by the sleeve of his jacket.
"Mister Malfoy, I am very sorry to inform you that you are failing this class," McGonagall said, staring sternly at the Slytherin.
"Failing?" Malfoy's voice rose an octave on the last syllable. He looked genuinely shocked.
"Your grades, which have never been very outstanding, have taken a drastic drop in the last few weeks." McGonagall shook her head, pulling out some test papers from her desk drawer. "Twenty-two points out of fifty, forty-eight out of a hundred, and finally, ten out of eighty." She dropped the papers on the desk, and sighed. "I am sure you would not want your father to know that you are failing this class."
Malfoy was visibly shaken. Suddenly recovering, he scowled, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "So, I'll study harder."
"That is exactly what I have in mind. As Hermione is the top student in this class, I have in mind a tutoring schedule."
"What?" Both Malfoy and Hermione said it as one. Hermione bit her lip, and glanced at Malfoy, who looked angry now.
"I said I'll study harder-"
"It will just be until the end of this week. On Friday, I will be giving out another exam. If this tutoring deal works, and you score 70% or higher, I will not inform your parents. However, if you don't succeed in raising your grade…" McGonagall trailed off in an ominous manner that made even Hermione shiver. "This classroom will be empty from eight o'clock tonight until nine, and I suggest you two make use of that time. I will be waiting here until eight to make sure you both," she stressed the word, grimacing at Malfoy, "arrive here promptly."
Hermione tried to smile at Malfoy, who was scowling even more darkly at the floor, hands stuffed into his pockets as if he expected to find the golden Snitch at the bottom of one of them.
They both turned away from McGonagall, who had gone back to sorting test papers, at the same time, and unconsciously fell into step together.
"So, I guess I'll see you tonight?" Hermione asked Malfoy pleasantly.
"How could I be failing?" Malfoy muttered to himself, ignoring Hermione, even though the two of them sere walking right next to each other down the hall.
"Maybe because you never study, or maybe because you could care less about important things like schoolwork!" Hermione said, more sharply than she'd intended. But the more time she spent with Malfoy, the easier it was to remember all those times he'd called her "Mudblood" and made fun of her teeth.
"Maybe," Malfoy hissed, turning to her, "I have more *important* things on my mind than schoolwork." He seemed about to say more, but turned away. "I'll see you at eight." The way he said it, the phrase seemed almost a threat instead of a promise.
Later, at lunch, Harry and Ron both wanted to know what the Transfiguration teacher had wanted from Hermione.
"Nothing important," Hermione told them, but they wouldn't drop it.
"What was it?" Ron sidled closer. "C'mon, you can tell us, Hermy. Did you only get 99 out of 100 instead of your normal perfect grade?"
"She wants me to tutor another student who's failing the class," Hermione told them shortly. "We're meeting tonight for the first study session."
"Oh, who is it?" Harry asked, also sidling closer.
"You guys are squishing me!" Hermione yelped, pushing both of them away so hard that they feel to the ground.
Whump! Whump!