Disclaimer: Much as I'd like to, I don't own Draco Malfoy, or any part of the magical world that J.K. Rowling has all the copyrights to ... please don't sue me. There are some parts of this story that are quotes from the book - it can't be helped - events are the same as in the book, but Draco's opinion of these events may vary from Harry's.
Author's Notes: I needed to do some re-writing, after reading OotP. I have made some minor changes to this chapter, mostly spelling and grammar.
Hkari Yume: Thank you. It seems fitting that the person who's trying to drive everyone insane should befriend the school lunatic, when you look at it that way.
Bob: Thank you. Yes, Joanne was JKR. And why not the "more commonly known gods"? Well, I explained that at the beginning of that chapter.
Sinical-Sarchasm: Lovegood's visiting your house? Sorry, that joke begged to be said. Anyway ... I love long reviews, so I'm glad I encouraged more. You're right, that phrase got to this country because of lame Hollywood crime films. Thanks, I'm stuck on the last few questions, and need some help ... I can make up the answers, it's thinking of egotistical Lockhart-centred questions that's the problem. I try not to offend ... everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... as long as they don't try to stop me from having/expressing my opinion, that is. That coca cola comment was based of something a friend of mine, Chris, said once. The line about Lockhart's colour-scheme ... another of my favourites, and you're the first to comment ... thank you. Oh, now there's an idea ... *adds "love-potion-incident" to her list* hehe ... you'll see what that's about, eventually. I think the Ginny-was-working-for-snake-face theory applies, there ... she was under the influence of the diary, then ... JKR is a goddess (haven't you noticed?), she doesn't screw up, everything in her books is there for a reason. The name Joanne in that list was indeed referring to JKR. Glad you liked the poem.
Very short chapter - I'm sorry. Melora Maxwell - thank you for the suggestion of "exposure of inappropriate body parts", which I adapted to something slightly more ... appropriate.
Chapter 14 - Revenge Is Sweet
"What is that?" Theo asked, as he entered the dorm to see me stirring a potion in a small cauldron.
"A personal project." I replied, adding some more sugar to it.
"And it is?" Theo prompted.
"Revenge."
"Sure you've put enough sugar in there?" he asked sarcastically, "What're you trying to do? Rot your victim's teeth?"
"That'd be good for Lockhart ... but no." I said calmly.
"Then what?" Theo asked.
"You'll see. But don't worry, it's not for you." I said, adding some more sugar, just for good measure.
* * *
I bribed Pansy (she wanted me to hang around with her for a few weeks and act like I like her ... not a bad price, for what I wanted) to offer Higgs a drink, near the end of dinner. She did this and he fell for it - not suspicious in the slightest. Poor gullible boy - too easy.
I watched him carefully, from then on. "Did the house-elves forget to put sugar in this cake?" Cat asked, from across the table. Probably - I did steal the sugar, for my potion, from them.
"No one else is eating it, either." Blaise noted.
"Higgs is." I muttered. Cat and Blaise promptly looked at Higgs, who seemed to be enjoying the chocolate cake ... it really was bitter, but I could guess that he might not have noticed. The potion I slipped him was a Sweet-Tooth Potion - it made anything he ate taste sickly sweet - it didn't seem so bad, now, but just wait.
Theo also watched Higgs, "What's with him?" he asked.
"How on Earth would I know?" I asked innocently.
* * *
The next morning, Theo and I made it our business to get seats at breakfast where we could easily see Higgs ... actually, we were across the table from him. The poor boy hadn't noticed anything wrong, yet.
Higgs helped himself to bacon and eggs, from the large platters in the middle of the table. Seconds later, so did I. I watched as he took a few bites, but then pushed away his plate, looking confused and mildly disgusted. I continued to eat, fighting not to show any signs of amusement. Theo, meanwhile, asked, "Not eating, Higgs?"
"Not hungry." he muttered.
"Can I have that, then?" he asked, pointing to the untouched piece of toast on Higgs' plate - the rest of the toast had already been taken from the trays.
Higgs shrugged, and Theo snatched his prize, plastering it with ludicrous amounts of jam, before shoving the whole thing in his mouth at once. Higgs turned green and tried not to be sick.
By lunchtime, Higgs still wasn't eating much. Everyone else commented that the chicken sandwiches were very spicy, but he didn't. I think he'd figured out that something was wrong, by now. I watched as he reached into his pocket, took out a bag of Acid Pops and ate one, frowning as it obviously didn't taste right. I tried not to laugh, but Theo kept giving me quizzical looks, as I watched Higgs starting to realise that he was being tortured.
After three days, Higgs seemed desperate. He hadn't eaten a thing, as far as I'd seen, since the previous day. I happened to be passing him in the corridor, when Dumbledore also passed (coincidence ... like hell). Dumbledore seemed to notice the look of depression on Higgs' face, and offered him a Sherbet Lemon. Higgs ran away, screaming. Dumbledore gave me a look that seemed to asked 'what's wrong with him?' I put on an innocent face, that I knew he'd see through anyway, and shrugged.
* * *
Two more days passed, and Higgs looked distinctly ill. I sat next to him at dinner and held a small bag in front of him, "Want one?" I asked.
He looked at the packet, suspiciously - they were Pepper Imps - then at me, with even more suspicion. "What on Earth makes you think I'd trust you, Malfoy?"
"Just it looks like you haven't eaten anything all day, is all." I said, trying to sound like I was being sympathetic. I, myself, then took one of the Pepper Imps to prove they weren't poisoned. I hate these things, but they're one of the farthest flavours away from sweet that you can get. Cautiously, he took one.
He scowled, before looking at me, and asking, "What the hell are these? They can't be Pepper Imps?"
"They are." I said, smirking.
"Then why do they ... wait a second - what have you done to me?" he asked, finally catching on to the situation.
"Ever heard of a Sweet-Tooth Potion?" I asked.
"Yeah, but ... why?"
"I want to make you suffer - face it, you must be sick of sugar by now." I said, grinning. "I have the antidote, here." I added, holding up a small vial, just out of his reach, "But you'll have to earn it."
Higgs looked at me, nervously. I was giving him the evil grin. He sighed, sounding defeated, "What do I have to do?"
* * *
Lockhart was not happy, after the next third-year Slytherin DADA class. Higgs ended up with a detention, as well as getting the antidote I had offered. And what's best is that Lockhart so can NOT pin that one on me.
Higgs had to appear for the aforementioned class, wearing red-and-gold women's underwear, and nothing else. The rest of his class are still laughing at him. Public humiliation of my enemies is so much more fun than murdering them.
* * *
I spent the next while revising for the end-of year exams. Theo caught on, pretty quickly - he also decided it might be a bad idea to flunk his exams. The girls didn't seem to be as interested in such things, and Crabbe and Goyle couldn't revise if they wanted to.
Unfortunately, Lockhart's last ounce of sanity survived. I was still working on it. It would give way, eventually.
Then, at Easter-time, we were given a list of subjects to choose from, for next year.
"What subjects are you taking, Draco?" Theo asked.
"Not sure." I replied, "From what I've been told, Kettleburn's supposed to be a soft-touch. Then again, so's Trelawney, if you tell her everyone's going to suffer horrible deaths within the week."
"Don't say that!" Cat snapped, "Divination is a highly prized skill, for those who can learn it."
"To be able to learn, you need to have a teacher who knows what they're talking about." I noted, scanning the list.
"Ancient Runes sounds good." Theo said, and Blaise nodded.
"Divination and Arithmancy, for me. No question." Cat said simply.
"Muggle Studies." I said, smirking.
"Why on Earth would you want to take that?" Pansy asked.
"So I'd know their weaknesses better." I answered without hesitation.
"Yeah, right." Theo muttered.
"I like Care of Magical Creatures." Pansy said, "Draco - I want you to take the same classes as me."
I sighed, "Fine, but I'm doing Muggle Studies." I answered.
"No way." Pansy said, pulling a face.
"Yes way." I said childishly, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious." I quoted.
"Yeah, but Muggle Studies won't help you, since you don't know yourself, do you?" Theo whispered, so the others didn't hear.
I hate to admit it, but he was sort of right. That's why I hit him.
* * *
End of chapter 14
Author's Notes: I needed to do some re-writing, after reading OotP. I have made some minor changes to this chapter, mostly spelling and grammar.
Hkari Yume: Thank you. It seems fitting that the person who's trying to drive everyone insane should befriend the school lunatic, when you look at it that way.
Bob: Thank you. Yes, Joanne was JKR. And why not the "more commonly known gods"? Well, I explained that at the beginning of that chapter.
Sinical-Sarchasm: Lovegood's visiting your house? Sorry, that joke begged to be said. Anyway ... I love long reviews, so I'm glad I encouraged more. You're right, that phrase got to this country because of lame Hollywood crime films. Thanks, I'm stuck on the last few questions, and need some help ... I can make up the answers, it's thinking of egotistical Lockhart-centred questions that's the problem. I try not to offend ... everyone is entitled to their own opinion ... as long as they don't try to stop me from having/expressing my opinion, that is. That coca cola comment was based of something a friend of mine, Chris, said once. The line about Lockhart's colour-scheme ... another of my favourites, and you're the first to comment ... thank you. Oh, now there's an idea ... *adds "love-potion-incident" to her list* hehe ... you'll see what that's about, eventually. I think the Ginny-was-working-for-snake-face theory applies, there ... she was under the influence of the diary, then ... JKR is a goddess (haven't you noticed?), she doesn't screw up, everything in her books is there for a reason. The name Joanne in that list was indeed referring to JKR. Glad you liked the poem.
Very short chapter - I'm sorry. Melora Maxwell - thank you for the suggestion of "exposure of inappropriate body parts", which I adapted to something slightly more ... appropriate.
Chapter 14 - Revenge Is Sweet
"What is that?" Theo asked, as he entered the dorm to see me stirring a potion in a small cauldron.
"A personal project." I replied, adding some more sugar to it.
"And it is?" Theo prompted.
"Revenge."
"Sure you've put enough sugar in there?" he asked sarcastically, "What're you trying to do? Rot your victim's teeth?"
"That'd be good for Lockhart ... but no." I said calmly.
"Then what?" Theo asked.
"You'll see. But don't worry, it's not for you." I said, adding some more sugar, just for good measure.
* * *
I bribed Pansy (she wanted me to hang around with her for a few weeks and act like I like her ... not a bad price, for what I wanted) to offer Higgs a drink, near the end of dinner. She did this and he fell for it - not suspicious in the slightest. Poor gullible boy - too easy.
I watched him carefully, from then on. "Did the house-elves forget to put sugar in this cake?" Cat asked, from across the table. Probably - I did steal the sugar, for my potion, from them.
"No one else is eating it, either." Blaise noted.
"Higgs is." I muttered. Cat and Blaise promptly looked at Higgs, who seemed to be enjoying the chocolate cake ... it really was bitter, but I could guess that he might not have noticed. The potion I slipped him was a Sweet-Tooth Potion - it made anything he ate taste sickly sweet - it didn't seem so bad, now, but just wait.
Theo also watched Higgs, "What's with him?" he asked.
"How on Earth would I know?" I asked innocently.
* * *
The next morning, Theo and I made it our business to get seats at breakfast where we could easily see Higgs ... actually, we were across the table from him. The poor boy hadn't noticed anything wrong, yet.
Higgs helped himself to bacon and eggs, from the large platters in the middle of the table. Seconds later, so did I. I watched as he took a few bites, but then pushed away his plate, looking confused and mildly disgusted. I continued to eat, fighting not to show any signs of amusement. Theo, meanwhile, asked, "Not eating, Higgs?"
"Not hungry." he muttered.
"Can I have that, then?" he asked, pointing to the untouched piece of toast on Higgs' plate - the rest of the toast had already been taken from the trays.
Higgs shrugged, and Theo snatched his prize, plastering it with ludicrous amounts of jam, before shoving the whole thing in his mouth at once. Higgs turned green and tried not to be sick.
By lunchtime, Higgs still wasn't eating much. Everyone else commented that the chicken sandwiches were very spicy, but he didn't. I think he'd figured out that something was wrong, by now. I watched as he reached into his pocket, took out a bag of Acid Pops and ate one, frowning as it obviously didn't taste right. I tried not to laugh, but Theo kept giving me quizzical looks, as I watched Higgs starting to realise that he was being tortured.
After three days, Higgs seemed desperate. He hadn't eaten a thing, as far as I'd seen, since the previous day. I happened to be passing him in the corridor, when Dumbledore also passed (coincidence ... like hell). Dumbledore seemed to notice the look of depression on Higgs' face, and offered him a Sherbet Lemon. Higgs ran away, screaming. Dumbledore gave me a look that seemed to asked 'what's wrong with him?' I put on an innocent face, that I knew he'd see through anyway, and shrugged.
* * *
Two more days passed, and Higgs looked distinctly ill. I sat next to him at dinner and held a small bag in front of him, "Want one?" I asked.
He looked at the packet, suspiciously - they were Pepper Imps - then at me, with even more suspicion. "What on Earth makes you think I'd trust you, Malfoy?"
"Just it looks like you haven't eaten anything all day, is all." I said, trying to sound like I was being sympathetic. I, myself, then took one of the Pepper Imps to prove they weren't poisoned. I hate these things, but they're one of the farthest flavours away from sweet that you can get. Cautiously, he took one.
He scowled, before looking at me, and asking, "What the hell are these? They can't be Pepper Imps?"
"They are." I said, smirking.
"Then why do they ... wait a second - what have you done to me?" he asked, finally catching on to the situation.
"Ever heard of a Sweet-Tooth Potion?" I asked.
"Yeah, but ... why?"
"I want to make you suffer - face it, you must be sick of sugar by now." I said, grinning. "I have the antidote, here." I added, holding up a small vial, just out of his reach, "But you'll have to earn it."
Higgs looked at me, nervously. I was giving him the evil grin. He sighed, sounding defeated, "What do I have to do?"
* * *
Lockhart was not happy, after the next third-year Slytherin DADA class. Higgs ended up with a detention, as well as getting the antidote I had offered. And what's best is that Lockhart so can NOT pin that one on me.
Higgs had to appear for the aforementioned class, wearing red-and-gold women's underwear, and nothing else. The rest of his class are still laughing at him. Public humiliation of my enemies is so much more fun than murdering them.
* * *
I spent the next while revising for the end-of year exams. Theo caught on, pretty quickly - he also decided it might be a bad idea to flunk his exams. The girls didn't seem to be as interested in such things, and Crabbe and Goyle couldn't revise if they wanted to.
Unfortunately, Lockhart's last ounce of sanity survived. I was still working on it. It would give way, eventually.
Then, at Easter-time, we were given a list of subjects to choose from, for next year.
"What subjects are you taking, Draco?" Theo asked.
"Not sure." I replied, "From what I've been told, Kettleburn's supposed to be a soft-touch. Then again, so's Trelawney, if you tell her everyone's going to suffer horrible deaths within the week."
"Don't say that!" Cat snapped, "Divination is a highly prized skill, for those who can learn it."
"To be able to learn, you need to have a teacher who knows what they're talking about." I noted, scanning the list.
"Ancient Runes sounds good." Theo said, and Blaise nodded.
"Divination and Arithmancy, for me. No question." Cat said simply.
"Muggle Studies." I said, smirking.
"Why on Earth would you want to take that?" Pansy asked.
"So I'd know their weaknesses better." I answered without hesitation.
"Yeah, right." Theo muttered.
"I like Care of Magical Creatures." Pansy said, "Draco - I want you to take the same classes as me."
I sighed, "Fine, but I'm doing Muggle Studies." I answered.
"No way." Pansy said, pulling a face.
"Yes way." I said childishly, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will be victorious." I quoted.
"Yeah, but Muggle Studies won't help you, since you don't know yourself, do you?" Theo whispered, so the others didn't hear.
I hate to admit it, but he was sort of right. That's why I hit him.
* * *
End of chapter 14
