And that…is how Draco Malfoy, the boy formerly known as Thriller, the Terror Demon, 'established dominance' as he told his friend Blaise he wished to do. From then on, he felt the fear of the Slytherin House, and he drunk it in, nourished himself from it, and still…it isn't enough. He needs more.
It's this drive to collect more fear, combined with natural curiosity and sinister tendencies, that brings Draco to not just pick up his fellow first year Neville's remembrall in the middle of Flying Class, but to warp it with dark magic, trying to force it to only display the darkest and worst memories and nightmares of its owner. With some coaxing, Draco manages to change the remembrall into a nightmare-bringer, where it will glow white whenever its owner is too happy or too peaceful, and then it will show said owner their worst memories. At least that's what he claims and thinks it will do.
"Wicked, ain't it?" Draco asks, holding up the new and improved nightmare-bringer to his mates Zabini and Nott. Zabini shakes his head in genuine disbelief.
"You got problems, mate." Nott on the other hand looks a bit more curiously at it.
"Can I see it?" He asks a bit timidly, surprising both Draco and Zabini.
"He talks!" Zabini mocks in fake surprise.
"Sure." Malfoy tosses it to Nott. The quiet boy begins to look over the ball, admiring the magic that went it into, muttering to himself.
"Amazing. This is…" Hearing that was enough to trigger the ol' Malfoy arrogance.
"It is, isn't it? I wonder if I could make it glow whenever someone's not fearing me enough and—" At that moment Harry comes over.
"Hey, that's Neville's!" He speaks to Nott, who's possessively clutching the nightmare-bringer. Harry was unsure of whether he could stand up to Draco before, but over time, his Gryffindor courage manifested itself.
"Your point?" Draco responds, stepping in front of Nott, backing Harry up.
"It's not yours, so give it back." The simplistic nature and manner to his words, gives Draco a chuckle, a sinister chuckle, but a chuckle nonetheless.
"No." He then glowers, letting off some of his dark aura. "Unless you're going to make me." He then grins again, in a much scarier manner. Harry takes a step back and swallows hard as he faces a force of darkness, locked in a child's body. "Tell you what, Potter. Me and you right here and right now. I'll finish what Lord Voldemort started." This elicits a gasp from the rest of the children, partially because of the implications of his words and a potential duel, but mostly because he called out You-Know-Who's name.
"I…" He swallows again and grips his wand.
"Harry you can't! You could get hurt, or…or even expelled if you do." Protests the young muggleborn girl, one of Harry's new and closest friends.
"Yeah, Harry, he's not worth it." Ronald Weasley, his other close friend, chimes in.
"Harry he's not worth it, you could be expelled!" Draco mocks Harry's newest friends. "What will it be Potter? You a true Griffin, or nothing but a chicken?" He then makes chicken clucking sounds, as the other children laugh.
"I…I won't play your game Malfoy, not here." Malfoy sneers.
"Coward." He holds out his palm and Nott immediately hands him the nightmare-bringer. "Fine then Potter, if you're going to be such a bloody bitch about it, then here, have your prize." He says, holding it out to him. Harry slowly reaches out, hesitant that it's a trick. And it is. "Sike." Draco then turns and throws it in the other direction as he laughs with his friends. Even the timid and usually quiet Nott is busting a gut at his actions. Harry glares at the sailing remembrall and mounts his broom and to chase after it. Despite his lack of experience on the broom, Harry shows off some real skill as he catches it just before it shatters against a far off wall, alerting a certain Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House in the process. As he comes back triumphant, holding the nightmare-bringer, Draco steps forward.
"Cute, but no. Give it here." He demands, hand out and palm up like an expecting parent.
"No! This is Neville's and—" Draco moves his hand up and to the side, as he pantomimes…something and Harry begins choking.
"No, isn't an option." He says with venom in his voice as Harry falls to his knees, holding his throat. "Hand it to me, Potter." He spits out again, but Harry is unable to comply, more focused on his choking predicament.
"Potter! Harry Potter!" The sound of Professor McGonagall's voice seemingly breaks the spell as the Malfoy boy sneers at the young Gryffindor who dares to challenge him. In a quick movement, he snatches the nightmare-bringer, as Harry slowly gets to his feet and the Professor marches onto the field. As the Professor takes him away, presumably to scold him for disobeying orders not to leave the ground, The Malfoy heir turns to the rest of the class who look absolutely terrified. He grins, soaking it all up as he walks through the group, savoring each individual reaction. Once done with that, he glowers a bit, not liking the act of defiance showed by Potter just now. It looks like his decision making (not choosing Slytherin and now this) needed some…tuning up.
It's at dinner when he next rectifies this mistake, interrupting Potter when he's saying something to his newest friend, the Weasley.
"I see you're back from your lashing Potter. Good. You and me have unfinished business. If you're not too much of a coward again, I challenge you…" He stops and sneers at Ron. "And Weasley here to a wizard's duel, tonight at 10, in the Trophy Room. 2 on 1 should be more fair for you. Chicken."
"Harry's not a chicken!" Ron stands up irate. "And neither am I. We'll be there!" Draco grins his evil grin.
"Good." He then turns and stalks away, reminiscent of his father.
"Yeah, you better run Malfoy! We're gonna kick your—" Hermione taps his arm and signals that others are looking and listening now so he has to be quiet or get in trouble. He clears his throat and sits back down, stewing over what is to come.
Dinner ends and 10 PM hits rather quickly, and Harry and Ron are there, as is Draco, both sides ready to duel. Well…ready is a relative term and between the two, Draco is far more ready than they'll likely ever be in their entire lives. But that is a different story altogether.
"Eager, are we?" The Slytherin boy asks in a taunting manner. "Well, since you were so courteous and punctual I'll let you get the first shot." He stands there with his arms out wide and his eyes closed. "Go on then." Ron and Harry look at each other, confused, and both launch a spell. Effortlessly, their opponent swipes his wand down, easily defending without even opening his eyes. "Really? Is that the best you got? Pity." Another swipe disarms both of them in one move, surprising them, and then they start to feel tight around their throats. Ron is the first to fall, as Harry tries to will himself to remain standing, having experienced this before.
"H…ar…ry. Wh…at's…happen—" Ron tries to get out, clutching at his throat to no avail. Harry holds out, only going down to one knee, as Draco paces around them.
"Well, well, well if it isn't the consequences of your own actions." He grins his usual evil grin. "You like it? The spell? It's a favorite of mine, modeled it after the greatest and most feared villain of all time: Darth Vader." He stops near the two writhing bodies and crouches down over their bodies, shaking his head as he tuts them. "I would say the famous line, about being your father but..." His face screws up. "I'd have to be dumb, defenseless, and dead for Potter…and a muggle-loving buffoon for Weasley." He stands back up and chuckles a bit at his own jokes. "The duel is quite obviously over, but your suffering…that has only begun, Potter." His grin transforms into a sneer. "Of course, that's only because of your cheeky little move earlier, not giving me that stupid little ball. So let's try again and start all over. Since it's you that has wronged me, I'll even let Weasley go." He waves his hand and Ron suddenly stops choking, looking on in wonderment. "Now, let's give this a go. I'm Draco Malfoy, King of Slytherin, Overlord of Terror, and your superior in every way. And you are?" He holds out a hand to a defiant looking Harry who's drooling at this point from the choking spell.
"Harry." Ron nudges him, half trying to get him to comply, half checking to see if he's OK.
"Come one Potter, this is where you say, 'I'm Harry Potter. I'm so scared of you, that I shit myself. I am your one true bitch.' Say it Potter." Draco Malfoy demands as he lets up on the spell. Harry gasps as his breath returns to his body. He takes a few deep breathes and looks up at Malfoy who's giving him an expectant look.
"Sod off Malfoy!" He breathes out in defiance. The Slytherin boy's face drops, the newly formed grin wiping itself right off of his face. He sneers again and lets out a breath, a sigh of annoyance.
"Very well then. Crucio." The red light hits Harry's body and he writhes in pain, yelling, screaming as he feels the torturous spell ravage his body. Ron looks on helpless, hands on his head, shocked and appalled at what he's seeing, at what he's heard. An unforgivable? Used on Harry?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Screams the brave Gryffindor as the unforgivable spell rips apart his body.
"Bloody hell, Harry!" As he's having his existential crisis, Draco sits there calm and somewhat annoyed.
"Get yourself together Weasley, and listen to me, or I'll end up driving him mad. No problem for me, but I'm sure you'd like to avoid that." Ron nods, dumbstruck and disarmed. "The spell only lifts once you and Potter leave the room. I give you my word as a Malfoy that then, and only then, will the pain, will the screaming stop." He finishes with a demonic grin. Ron nods again and finds it hard to swallow as he bends down to pick up his closest and newest friend. He pauses for a moment as something comes to mind.
"UGHHHH!" The screaming continues, almost cutting through Ron's thoughts. He has to stop and gather himself just to speak.
"Wh-what about our wands? Can we—"
"They're mine now." Comes the haughty response from the smiling boy from Slytherin. "Think of them as…trophies." Ron glares at the blond boy for a moment, clenching his fists in anger as he can do nothing else to relieve his feelings. With a deep breath and a wince from another scream that Harry lets out, Ron picks Harry up and slowly carries him out of the trophy room. As they leave, Draco issues them a warning. "Try not to tell anyone about this. You wouldn't want me to get in trouble." The way he says it gives Ron chills that travel from his spine to the top of his head. Swallowing again, terrified for himself and his friend, Ron continues to move and just barely gets Harry out of the room. True to the Slythern boy's words, the spell ceases and Harry stops screaming and writhing in pain. Ron doesn't dare look back however, and continues to take Harry with him, back to their common room.