Well, thanks for the feedback! To clear something up for 'Red', Pansy knew that Draco was upset about the Hufflepuff, so she got mad that he called her grandmother a 'Mudblood' so she challenged him to sink lower then a Hufflepuff, since all the Slytherins were enemies of the Weasleys.
Who doesn't love Charlotte? I love Charlotte. I have plans for her, oh do I. In this chapter, Draco needs to know all he can about one Miss Weasley, and someone who he thought would never look at him twice, told him all he needed to know.
Anyway, chapter three should be up Saturday or Sunday because I'm leaving on Wednesday for vacation! Yay!
Disclaimer - Again, don't own it. The lovely JK Rowling does. On with the story!
Power of the Purebloods I: Thin Ice
By Riea Carlos
Chapter Two: Draco's Mission: Accomplished
The next night was extremely dull in every Common Room at Hogwarts. The Slytherins were unusually quiet, their eyes darting back from Draco to Pansy, hoping for another outbreak of a love gone badly. Pansy's eyes kept looking up from her Potions essay to Draco, but she didn't say a word.
Crabbe and Goyle sat on either side of Draco, like some sort of Secret Service. Draco's quill scratched out words of his Care of Magical Creatures homework on the parchment. The scratching quill was the only sound in the room.
He willed himself not to look up. They'll just all look at you, let it be, he said quietly to himself. Draco cursed himself silently as he accidentally wrote 'Nifflers' where 'Blast Ended Skrewts' ought to be. "I can't take this," he said loudly, throwing the Monster Book of Monsters on the floor. It wriggled and roared and almost bit Goyle's finger off.
He left through Slytherin's door to bump right through the Bloody Baron. "Sorry, BB," Draco said. BB was a nickname that Draco had thought up for the ghost in his third year. The ghost glowered menacingly and flicked some of its silver blood onto him. Then he glided down the corridor.
This was one of the few times that Draco wished he were Harry Potter. At least he had an Invisibility Cloak. If Draco had one, man, he'd never be in the common room. He pocketed his wand just in case he needed it, and stalked across the castle, towards Gryffindor Common Room.
Hey, a Malfoy's got to do what a Malfoy's got to do.
Charlotte had given up trying to explain the theory of Fast Food restaurants to Ginny. ("But, magic folk can just whip food up with their wands! Why are Fast Food joints so special?" she cried.) Sometimes, Gryffindor made her sick. But it was the house of her father, and he had made her swear that she'd go to that house. The Sorting Hat tried to put her in Slytherin, but she manipulated it.
She would have liked to be in Slytherin. She was one of the Gryffindors that the Slytherins could actually stomach, and she was also one of the Gryffindors that could actually stomach the Slytherins. Sighing, she threw her bag down at the edge of her bed and grabbed her wand.
"Hmm, where are you going?" Ginny mumbled from the next bed, stirring in her sleep. Charlotte chose to ignore her, and she had done right -- in the next minute, Ginny was fast asleep again.
She tiptoed up to Boys dormitory. It was pitch black, and she couldn't see a thing. "Lumos," she muttered out of the corner of her mouth. Her light shone over Harry Potter's bed, but Harry Potter wasn't in it. She kneeled down quickly and opened his trunk. On top, just what she needed, was the Invisibility Cloak.
Ron and Hermione were sitting by the fire, discussing Quidditch. Well, Ron was discussing it and Hermione was staring at him, looking beyond bewilderment. "Listen," he said, "the Keeper is really the most important player on the team--"
Harry was sitting across from them, trying not to laugh. He had been reinstated as Seeker, and Ginny Weasley had quit for him. He thought it was a very nice gesture, but he knew why she quit.
Suddenly, he felt a swish of air move over him. He turned. No one there. "Rather chilly, tonight, isn't it?" he asked Ron.
Charlotte was walking around aimlessly; a task she liked to do once every few nights, to deal with her severe boredom. She was always an insomniac, and staying up watching other people sleep was just an old hobby for her.
And, wait -- Could it be? Alas, it was. Draco Malfoy roaming the halls of Hogwarts at night, without an Invisibility Cloak! Poor guy. "Draco," she hissed. Draco jumped, and looked around.
"What the fuck? Who's there?" he cocked his head. Charlotte rolled her eyes and revealed herself. She grabbed him by the collar of his robes and hauled him under the cloak. "Oh. Charlotte, right?" he asked.
She sighed deeply. "Yes, you pathetic excuse for a boy. Now. What the hell are you doing? If Filch or that fucking feline saw you, you're done for." He raised an eyebrow at her, and she couldn't help but notice that he was very, very attractive.
"Had to get out of the Common Room, you?"
"Insomnia. Snagged Potter's cloak right under his nose. Stupid git." The main reason why all the Slytherins respected Charlotte was because they shared a common dislike - Harry Potter. Sure, he made the most feared Dark Lord disappear, but really, what was the big deal?
Draco cringed. "Potter's cloak, eh? Yeah, I was right about you. You are definitely not a Gryffindor. How did you get so unfortunate anyway?"
Charlotte grinned. She liked this boy -- she had to admit it. "My little secret. But I know one of yours." He looked at her quizzically.
"Oh, yeah? What's that?" He had her yet. She didn't know diddlysquat about him or any of his secrets. Unless she was a Seer…
Her green eyes widened with relish. "You want Ginny Weasley." He backed away, off of the cloak, and into the wall. Charlotte was simply delighted to see him wriggle in fear. She smirked at him, straight-faced but laughing hysterically inside. Oh, to see him squirm… Where's daddy now? she wondered.
"Are you a Seer?" he asked, not wanting to believe it. If she was a Seer, then he'd be in her immortal debt. She'd know his deepest fears and secrets and every move he was about to make.
"No. Just called me Gossip-Informed." She pushed him back under the cloak. He looked at her tentatively, like he didn't want to trust a Gryffindor, but he knew she was a backstabbing bitch of a witch, so he really didn't mind.
Would she indulge? "What do you know about Ginny?" he asked her. Charlotte nodded, as if she expected it. She beckoned for him to go on, to ask more. Like she was at his feet and there was nothing more then she'd like then to answer his questions.
"When's her birthday?" This was a start. If it were fast approaching, he'd be able to get her something nice, and therefore gain her trust. Trust was the most important thing in a conquest like this one.
She rolled her eyes. "Typical, you are. It's November 11. You've got yourself a few, solid weeks to get her something. Use them well." He nodded and Charlotte was sure he was making mental notes. You know if I wasn't attracted to him, I'd be highly disgusted, she thought.
Wait, a more reasonable voice inside of her said, he wants your best friend. But the overpowering, evil side of her hushed that voice instantly. I'll win him yet.
"Alright, November the eleventh. What kind of flowers does she like? Favorite animal? Please, Charlotte, I'm on my knees in satin robes." Draco begged. If Ginny was anything like Pansy, Draco reasoned, then charming her with a few of her favorite things would win her over in no time.
Isn't that adorable? Charlotte grinned mercifully. "She likes white roses, and according to her brother, Ron, she is a very devoted cat lover."
He nodded. "You aren't that bad, Hembound. Perhaps we could be friends?" He held out his hand and Charlotte cocked her head.
"If you want, we could be more then friends," she purred. He grinned at her but dropped his hand before she had a chance to shake it.
He stared at intensively. "I'll let you know."
That night, Charlotte crouched down low in Harry Potter's four-post bed to return his cloak. She tried not to make any noise, but woke him up while producing a Silencing Charm. Ironic, wasn't it? "Charlotte? What the hell are you doing?"
"Returning your Invisibility Cloak. Thanks for letting me borrow it, mate." She flashed Harry the shadows of a smile but her teeth never showed. He stared at her, in disbelief and at this, she just sighed. Why oh why was he the only one in Gryffindor, or any house for that matter, with an Invisibility Cloak?
She noticed that their eyes were startlingly similar, being that of a shocking green. "I…I never lent it to you," Harry mumbled, now getting out of his bed.
"Well, thanks for leaving your trunk unlocked then." She patted him on the head, which took a lot of moxie since she was a year younger then him.
He gaped at her. "You're mad, you know that?" The audacity of this girl! This sarcastically charming, attitude giving, stunningly attractive girl…
"I've been told." And with that, she left his bed and went up to her own dormitory, the affects of her insomnia wearing off.
Harry shook his head. Move over Cho, he thought sleepily, because Charlotte Hembound is now the object of my affections.
The next morning, while the Slytherins were on their way to Potions, Draco noticed the midst of Gryffindors going around the corridors, no doubt towards the Transfiguration classroom. Draco peered over to the end of the line where he saw Ginny and Charlotte in a rapid conversation. "Tell Snape I don't feel good," Draco mumbled, spotting them. "I've got some business to tend to."
Crabbe stared after him, bewildered, as Draco stood behind the Gryffindors. He waited until all the people in front of Ginny had entered and then he grabbed her from behind.
He threw her up against the wall, her chest pinned tight to his. "Gotcha." Draco whispered in her ear.
