malfoy

Draco Malfoy
And the Bloodstone
_ _ _ _ _By Ti'ana

Chapter Four

Draco Malfoy held his glass of pumpkin juice tightly. Goyle hadn't come down to breakfast that morning, and now he could see him on the other side of the room, walking with Lisha. Neither of them was smiling, but were talking in what, even from his distance from them, hushed voices, and seemed to be in an intense conversation.

"What is he up to?" Pansy Parkinson slid over next to Malfoy and rested her chin in her hand after everyone had congregated for dinner. "You don't think he ***likes that weird girl, do you?" She inched closer. "I mean, they just met Monday, didn't they?"

"Huh?" Malfoy wasn't paying attention. Blood was pounding through his veins as he watched his own friend fraternizing with the enemy.

"I was just saying it's odd, you know. I mean, it's obvious he likes her, and she must*** like him if she's hanging out with the guy so much. What do you think, Draco?"

"I think I'm not hungry anymore." He stood and walked past the now-seated Goyle and Lisha. Sure, they were deep in conversation, but there was no way he liked her. It obviously wasn't flirtatious chatter, so what could it be?

Malfoy's footsteps echoed down the staircase to the dungeon classroom of Potions. He could usually hear chattering voices, no matter how hushed magnified dozens of times over the large, empty room.

"Who's there?" He recognized the voice of Professor Snape.

"It's me, Professor. Draco Malfoy."

"What are you doing here so early, Malfoy? Class doesn't start for another ten minutes."

Quickly, Malfoy thought of an excuse. "I wanted to ask about this year's Quidditch team. Who's the captain this year, and when do we start."

"Flint is still captain. Good Chaser, if you ask me, but even better Beater. He's already informed about your being the Seeker, I assume. Everyone in the school knows.

"You didn't come here for a Quidditch pep talk, I believe." Was he really that transparent? "It's about that Luralby girl." Yep, clear as glass. "If I am right, then here is your answer. No, Malfoy. You'll find you will have to work with people you would rather never, ever associate with outside of your occupation. Like Potter, for example." He corrected himself quickly. "I mean, I'm sure you would be very glad to disassociate yourself with that self-centered celebrity, but you cannot. What you did to Lisha Luralby yesterday was very uncalled for. Rude, I might add, although I expect no less from you, Malfoy. I meant what I said yesterday. If you complain further, I will give you detention for a week and force you to clean the animal tanks with Hagrid."

By the time Snape finished lecturing Malfoy, students began to pile into the classroom. Obediently, he found his seat and slumped down.

Once everyone was present (including Lisha), Snape began on the first official lesson. "Everything you need is on the table. Using your knowledge from last year's class, I want you to create an awakening potion." He held up a small black box with a tiny hole barred off by silvery metal rods. "In each of these cages, you will find one Sleeping Yirdle, creatures who are in hibernation all year and are only wakened by hunger, for reproductive purposes" (some of the students snickered, "LONGBOTTOM! FIVE POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!") "and an Awakening Potion. They are closely linked with Awakening Charms, but don't be fooled. Awakening Potions do more than wake up, they give energy. Give an Awakening Charm to a Yirdle and they'll fall right back to sleep after giving the one who bothered them a good bite on the hand. If the Awakening Potion is done correctly, you're Yirdle will be too full of energy to be grumpy, and you'll be safe."

Snape turned in Harry's direction (who he hadn't heard say to Ron, "Maybe Snape could use one of those!") and continued. "Do it wrong, and we'll be sending you to Madam Pomfrey." He smiled, in a creepy sort of way. "Have fun."

"Okay, what do we got here." Malfoy picked up one of the bottles and observed it. "Sleeping Powder? How is that going to get this thing up?"

"With this." Lisha picked up a flask filled with a clear, thick liquid. "It's an Inversion solution."

"How do you know that?"

Rolling her eyes, she turned the bottle around. "InvrSol. Just a bunch of lazy teachers who don't want to spell out the whole thing. It's in the Potions book. Then again, I don't expect you to know that. Or anything, really."

"Just give me the bottle. I'll mix it." He reached over to pull the flask away.

"You have no clue how to do this, do you Malfoy? If you mix a powder and a solution without some sort of means of energy, do you know what's going to happen?"

"No, but I assume you'll tell me."

Lisha shook her head. "I'm not. If you don't want to hear how, by all means make your mixture and test it on the yirdle. But don't expect me to stick around when the nurse is magicking your finger back on."

"Well then, Miss Smarty, why don't you make it?" Malfoy pushed all the materials from his side of the desk to hers, along with the black box containing the yirdle.

"This is a group effort, Malfoy. I know you're probably unfamiliar with the term 'cooperation,' but that is no excuse. Now," she added, putting an empty crystal beaker in front of him, "you will pour the Inversion solution and I'll add the powder. Agreed?"

Malfoy stifled a laugh. Cooperation? Agreement? "Fine. Only so we don't wind up failing. On one condition. I add the magic."

Lisha looked as if she was about to disagree, but stopped herself and nodded.

"Right. On the count of three. One... two... three!" Malfoy began pouring the solution as Lisha dropped the powder in. There was no, apparently, chemical reaction.

"Okay, now use your wand."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Send orange sparks into it, and stir."

Malfoy nodded. He didn't enjoy the fact he was following orders from this girl, but he had no choice unless he wanted to spend the afternoon with Madam Pomfrey. He pointed his wand into the cauldron, but thought for a moment. Accidents were bound to happen, he was sure Snape expected it. He lifted the tip of the want ever-so-slightly, and shot.

Everything happened too fast for him. Lisha's robe caught on fire as the sparks grazed her arm, and they hit the yirdle's cage. Although the creature, which looked like a cross between a rock and a mad teekuu, was asleep, it caused enough damage by rolling onto Malfoy's foot. The yirdle must have weighed at least twenty pounds, a lot more than it seemed to when he slid the box across the table, for he felt the top of his foot crush beneath its weight.

Lisha was being aided by Hermione, who shot a stream of water using her want. The fire was extinguished, but the water kept spraying, and some landed in the inverted sleeping powder solution. The beaker exploded, sending shards of glass around the room. Someone must have been hit, because a sharp cry of pain rang out through the dungeon room.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" Professor Snape rushed over to Malfoy and Lisha's table. The whole scene had unfolded, in total, less than twenty seconds.

Lisha's robe was singed badly. Her entire left arm was red with burns, and exposed because the cloth had disintegrated into ashes. Malfoy lay on the floor, clutching his broken foot. The scene spoke for itself.

"Potter! Weasley! Take these two to Madam Pomfrey."

"I can go myself, Professor," Malfoy mumbled. No, he wouldn't sink so low as to have Harry or Ron carry him off to the hospital wing. He couldn't decide which he despised more.

"Take them, now." Snape whipped the bottom half of his robe around, and stormed to the front of the room.

Harry and Ron exchanged glances, but knew better than to go against Professor Snape's command. Each of them grabbed one of Malfoy's arms and lifted him from the floor. Lisha's eyes were brimming with tears as she pulled what remained of the arm on her robe away from her burnt shoulder. She began to follow.

"Luralby," Professor Snape said coolly. Malfoy craned his neck around to see what was going on. "I want to see you in my office after school today."

Malfoy saw her nod, and he swallowed. What was that about? I'm really in trouble, he thought.

Once they were outside the classroom, Ron and Harry tightened their grips on his arms.

"Not so rough," he said.

Harry grinned at Ron, who said, "Never thought we'd have Draco Malfoy begging for mercy, hey Harry?"

"Nope," he answered simply. "Never. Shall we take advantage of the situation?"

"Two weakened Slytherins versus two Gryffindors in perfect health. I think the odds are pretty much on our side."

So for the rest of the trip to the hospital wing, Malfoy was practically dragged by the two Gryffindors pulling his arms faster than he could hop. It was the most humiliating experience he had ever been in. This year, that is. Of course, the two paid no heed to Lisha, who had never acted against them, or anyone at that.

"So what do we have here?" Madam Pomfrey led Malfoy over to a bed and took off the shoe on his broken foot.

"Yirdle fell on it," Harry answered. "Snape told us to bring them to you."

"Us?" She turned to face the pale Lisha. Her face became whiter than it had been in class. She wasn't bleeding much, but it seemed as if she had lost most of the blood in her body. Madam Pomfrey did not seem to worried about that factor, and sat her down in a chair on the other side of the room Malfoy was in.

"It'll be okay, Miss Luralby. Simple burns, nothing to worry about. We'll magic it right back to perfect health." She held up a bottle of a thick red liquid and quickly began to work on the burns.

"It should take a day or two before the burns are completely gone, but this should also relieve most of the pain. As for you, Mister Malfoy," she turned to Draco. "This may be a little more painful for you. It seems the yirdle has crush most of the bones in your foot rather than break them. They're not all that heavy, but after falling off a table as high as the one in your class, it can do considerable damage. The bones should heal completely, but this is a very painful process. Now, hold still."

The empty halls of the hospital wing at Hogwarts echoed loudly Malfoy's scream as Madam Pomfrey worked.

***

"I heard you screamed." Goyle was scribbling on his Astrology chart for Professor Trelawney's class.

"Where'd you hear that from?" Draco tossed a chocolate frog at Goyle's head. His foot was bandaged thickly, but there was no more fear of broken bones. That had been taken care of by the Skele-Gro and Repair. The pain, though, was still ominous. Even the mention of it made the foot throb.

"Somewhere," Goyle answered simply. "I heard it was pretty loud, it could have been anyone."

"The hospital wing was empty!" Malfoy sat up quickly, rising from his pillow and banging his fist against the side of the bed. "She told you didn't she?! I don't believe you, Goyle! You're a traitor!" His voice rose to a shrill holler. "Stay away from her! It's her fault I'm in trouble now. Snape told her to see him after school, and I'm going to be expelled. Expelled!"

"Calm down, Malfoy," Crabbe spoke up. "If they were gonna expel you they would've sent you an owl already, huh? And it was an accident. You didn't mean to set her robe on fire."

"That's a lie, and you know it Crabbe!"

Malfoy's jaw dropped. "You fancy that girl, don't you Goyle?" When he didn't respond, Draco exploded. "You do! I don't believe it! You're supposed to be my friend."

"I ***am your friend, Malfoy! Friend, bodyguard and blind follower." Goyle's normally red face had never looked redder before. His two friends just goggled. They had never heard Vincent Crabbe use such defiance and sound so-- sharp-witted.

"Just drop it," Crabbe begged.

"I'm done. I won't say anymore." Goyle remained true to his word. He said nothing as he continued to fill in his star chart.

Draco was too proud to apologize. He would just have to wait this one out, until Goyle gave in. Neither of them realized how long that may take, nor did they care much anymore.