Disclaimer: Same as before
A/N: Yes, I purposefully made the song very lame (besides the point I couldn't write it well even if I wanted to). Hope you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!
CHAPTER 4
Draco was sitting at the Slytherian table. The sorting was about to begin. He hoped they'd actually get some decent first years. Slytherian needed to win the cup. They'd lost it for the last four years. That was not good.
Hogwarts is a very special school,
It's got four houses as you see,
And I will sort you as that is the rule,
Don't worry, there is one house in which you will be.
Draco stared at the hat. That was it? He thought. Wasn't there supposed to be more to the song? But the hat did not continue, so Draco shrugged. He didn't really care. He let his eyes wander across the high table. Snape was there, to the surprise of Draco. He supposed the Dark Lord had commanded Snape to stay as the potions master. He wondered who Snape was really loyal to. His father had some doubts. Voldemort seemed to trust Snape a bit. Draco himself didn't think Snape was loyal to either party. He seemed like a man who'd double cross anyone, but Draco was not about to share these suspicions with anyone. His father would probably yell the crap out of him, and Voldemort was out of the question. The other Slytherians would tell to let their fathers deal with it. Draco rolled his eyes. Their fathers were doing nothing. His own father, a very high ranked death eater, was doing nothing. Draco was disgusted with the whole process. Well, he'd be a death eater soon. On his 16th birthday. He wasn't sure he was looking foreward to that day. Once in the ranks of Voldemort, he could never escape. That was not a pleasant thought.
Draco sighed softly and fixed his attention back on the sorting. There were a lot of people being sorted into Hufflepuff. Draco sneered. Hufflepuff students should not be accepted to Hogwarts. They were incredibly dumb. Well, most of them. All of them except Cedric Diggory. But Diggory was dead now. Killed because the Dark Lord had ordered it. DAMN IT! Why couldn't he stop thinking of Voldemort?!
Draco sighed. A student was now being sorted into Slytherian. Gryffindor. Ravenclaw. Gryffindor. Hufflepuff. Slytherian. Hufflepuff.....and so on. Until all 114 students had been sorted.
Dumbledore stood up to make a speech. " Welcome, students, to another new year at Hogwarts. Before we feast, there are a few points that you need to know. First, the forbidden forest is off limits to everyone. Second, no one, and I repeat, no one, is allowed out of the castle after dark. If this means cutting Quidditch practices short, then do it. There are too many "accidents" happening. Hogwarts only has a certain amount of protection. Also, I'd like you to meet you new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her name is Professor Namile. " She was given polite applause. Draco stared at her.She was gorgeous and looked too nice. She would not like the Slytherians. Damn it. They'd yet to get a Defense teacher who liked them. Probably because most of the Slytherians were studying the dark arts. Draco himself was very advanced. Actually, he was advanced in all his subjects. That was one reason he'd become a perfect. The only Slytherian perfect for the 5th year. He'd noticed that Hermione was a Gryffindor perfect. No surprise there. The two of them would probably be competing to take points away from each other's houses. All the more fun. He remember an early conversation on the train platform with Harry and Ron.
" You must have must your perfect badge." Ron sneered.
Draco was offended. " You know very little, Weasley." He had snapped back before turning away. As he walked away, he overheard Ron's next comment. " Does he think we're idiots?"
Draco sighed. Why did everyone think he was so stupid. He wasn't that far behind Hermione in his grades. Actually, if he studied a little more he could catch up to her. Maybe even pass her. Draco let his eyes wander across the Gryffindor as he began to eat. Harry wasn't stupid, he just didn't study. Ron wasn't really dumb either. Neville was horrible at everything except Herbology. Lavender and Parvati were obsessed with Divination. Draco put no belief into that section of magic. There were only a few witches and wizards who could actually tell the future. Dean and Seamus were average. Most of the Ravenclaws were intelligent. The Hufflepuffs were stupid. The Slytherians mostly concentrated in the dark arts, so they didn't spend enough time studying the other subjects. That was stupid, Draco thought. The more magic learned the better. That was the only reason he'd kept divination. That was also the reason he was using a time turner. He remembered in the third year when Hermione had become over stressed. If she was so smart, why didn't she realize she could have turned back in time to sleep, to study, and to eat. It wasn't hard. It was how Draco did it. He had to. His father would kill him if he didn't succeed in his studies. He already beat Draco up for being only second in the class. Draco understood that, but he also thought it was rather unfair. He was taking more classes than anyone else.
Draco pushed away his plate. He wasn't hungry. He was glad that his fellow Slytherians respected his wish to be left alone. Draco was not in the mood for conversation. And he had to worry about the duel tomorrow night. Why had he done that? It was stupid of him. He knew that neither he or Harry could skip out of it. They'd signed the bloody damn document. That was pure stupidity on Draco. Well, he'd get their early so he'd be ready if Harry pulled any tricks on him. One dumb move already, Draco was not about to make another.
Draco sipped the pumpkin juice. He gagged. Too sweet. Making a face, he poured himself some water. His thoughts turned back to his father's parting words. " You 16th birthday is this spring. Study hard this year. You'd better be at the top." Draco remembered his father's eyes. Hard, unyielding, they'd said or else. Draco didn't want to think about the 'or else'.
God, why was his father so damn harsh? Why was he so unyielding? Why did he believe showing any emotion horrible? God, what was the matter with his family? Draco slumped in his chair. He knew there were no answer for these questions. He could only do what his father expected. Someday he'd be rid of the old man. Yet Draco could never forget nor forgive the man for one thing. Mr. Avery had told Draco that the older Malfoy had told Voldemort he'd kill his son if it was the Dark Lord's wish. That was the reason Draco did not want to join the Voldemort's forces. He trusted no one in that group. That was the reason he hated his father, yet their was a bond between them that could never be broken. They were blood relatives, they knew too much about each other.
Draco noticed the others were finishing their meals and Dumbledore was speaking again. But Draco barely hear what the Professor was saying. He followed his friends automatically out of the great hall and down to the dungeons. Draco went straight up to his room and quickly performed a spell that would put all his stuff in the right places. Draco was glad that Slytherians were each given their own rooms. Their were no dormitories. Each Slytherian had so much stuff they wanted no one else to know about. That was one of the reasons Draco had 5 hexes on his door if anyone besides himself opened it.
He slipped down to the common and curled up in a chair. Most of the Slytherians were still upstairs. He knew they'd be down soon since Snape would want to talk to them all.
" Mr. Malfoy." A hard voice shook Draco alert. He quickly sat up in his chair.
" Hello Professor." He replied, once again wondering about the loyalties of this man.
" I've talked to your father."
Draco look at him through narrowed eyes. Snape continued, " He said that he wanted you to be top in all your classes."
Draco nodded cautiously. " Yes, sir. That's what he told me last night."
" You'll need to study more. You're weakest subject seems to be Transfiguration. Would you like private lessons with Professor McGonagall."
Draco stared. " Tutoring with McGonagall. Bad idea."
" Shut up, Malfoy, and listen." Snape snapped. Draco slumped in the chair. " You need the help. I know your father. You know your father. You can not fail. It's either McGonagall or Granger."
Draco blanched. " Granger? Hell no. I'll take McGonagall."
Snape nodded. " Good. I'll tell her tonight and we can discuss your time table. It'll be even more busy this year Since you will probably be voted team captain."
Draco grinned. " My father bought a firebolt."
" You convinced him?"
" Yeah. I told him there was no possible way to beat Potter without a firebolt. Even then, chances are slim."
" Have you been practicing?"
" Yes. We'll need a new chaser this year, though. To replace Flint."
" There are some fourth years will be good. You might want to think of replacing members."
" I know. But first let's see if I'm captain."
" You will be. Don't worry."
Draco grinned and Snape almost smiled. By this time the rest of the Slytherians were coming down and claiming chairs. Snape moved away from Draco to talk to some of the other Slytherians. Draco moved his gaze towards the new first years. He knew some of them. Flint's younger brother. Trion Avery....and others. They were a smart lot. Slytherian had a decent chance in winning the cup.
" Silence." Snape hissed. Instantly the room was quiet. " Good. Now, this is a new year. A new beginning. The older students will remember how the last four years we've lost the cup. WE would have won it except Potter has decided to ruin our reputation. This year we will win. Both the quidditch and the in-house tournament. If we don't, I will want to know why. Understand?" Everyone nodded. " Good. Now, I have also noticed that not all the Slytherian students are at the top of the grade. I want that to change. I don't care about the dark arts right now. That is your free time reading. You must all succeed at your other studies first. You need to study Defense Against the Dark Arts. I know you all think that topic is crap. I don't care. It'll be useful. Trust me on that. Divination is useless. Make it up and you'll do well. Just make sure you're making up your deaths. Most of the other studies you will need to study. Including potions. Yes, I do curve your grades, if you deserve it. No, I will not give you a free "A". Don't bother asking me. Yes, I will give tutoring, although you need to understand I am going to be busy this year. Most of you know why. If you do not, you will eventually. Don't worry about it. Other than that, I don't have anything else to say. Any comments?" He glanced around. No hands were raised. " Good. Everyone make sure you've done your homework. I don't want any points lost because of crap like that. Goodnight." Snape nodded to everyone and spun on his heal, leaving the common room. Draco raised an eyebrow after him. Snape was a little obsessed over winning the cup. Something must have come up between the heads of the houses. Malfoy shrugged. He didn't care as long Slytherian won.
Draco yawned. He was rather tired. He also needed to study a bit more for transfiguration. Lessons with McGonagall were bad enough. Private tutoring made his situation even worse. He didn't want to appear a complete idiot, so he was going to re-read their assignments from last year. Draco trudged up the stairs and into his room. " Accio Transfiguration book." he muttered. Opening the book, he groaned. He remembered jack about the subject. Sighing heavily. He knew he looked foreword to a long night of studying.