4. The Settling Of Scores
"Who ever you are, I'm going to get you."
Draco spent the week watching people. He spent long hours listening to the Slytherins, and every student seemed as likely and as unlikely as the next. Whenever he went to the Ravenclaw Common Room, the mere mention of his name put all of the girls in tears, as it did in the Hufflepuff Common Room, too.
The most interesting Common Room, of course, was that of the Gryffindors. It took a long time to find it - he had to follow various Gryffindors, and most of the time, they didn't even go there. He found his way there by following a girl called Natalie McDonald to a picture of a fat woman dressed all in pink. The password, apparently, was 'Dungbomb'.
As he glided (yes, glided. He no longer needed to walk!) through the portrait hole, he spotted Potter and Weasley in a corner. They were the people he was here to study. He moved towards them.
"So who was it?" Potter asked quietly.
"I dunno, but it could be Crabbe or Goyle." Weasley replied.
"Yeah, right. They don't have enough brains."
"I guess. They'd of woken him up."
It took Draco a moment for him to realise that they were discussing possible murderers. He folded his arms and leant back against the air. No - one could hear him, but he joined the conversation anyway.
"Think it was Hermione?" Draco asked.
"Think it was Hermione?" Potter repeated. Draco frowned, but a smile played on his lips.
"No! What makes you say that?" Weasley asked.
"I - I don't know." Potter sounded confused.
This time, Draco directed it to Weasley. "It could have been you."
Weasley frowned, then said, "It could have been you." He looked shocked at what he had just said.
"It was not!" Potter sounded outraged.
Draco sat back again and admired his handiwork. The boys began to argue loudly. He watched as other Gryffindors stared, fighting the urge to laugh and make them do the same.
"I'd be quiet, if I were you," Draco said loudly. Both boys shut up automatically. Draco couldn't help it, he burst out into silent laughter that no - one but himself heard. A split second after, Potter and Weasley did the same.
"What's happening to us?" Potter asked breathlessly, still laughing.
"I don't know," Weasley replied.
Draco left them to find Hermione. She was sat by the fire, her face hidden behind an enormous, thick volume called 'Jealousy - bottling and storing' which was for her potions homework. It suddenly dawned on him that he had no homework, ever again.
He looked over the book, to see Hermione's face streaked with tears. He went behind her and saw that she wasn't reading anything at all. Inside the book there was the picture of him that had been put on posters all around the school, bearing the words 'Who Killed This Wizard?' in flashing green writing. Dumbledore had insisted that this would make the killer feel guilty and own up - all it had done so far was to cause some major fights between girls at lunchtimes over who got to keep the picture.
"Who did this to you?" Hermione was asking.
"I don't know," replied Draco softly, even though he knew she was talking to the picture.
"I wish I knew," she whispered. "I'd make them pay."
"Draco smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "That's my girl."
And so they sat for some time, Hermione gazing quietly at the picture, Draco stroking her hair gently. He could almost feel it, and he smiled. No - one could see him smile.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco made a habit of this past - time, as well as listening to Potter and Weasley's conversations, adding a little of his 'Slytherin Spice' whenever he thought it was getting boring. Also, though he didn't need to sleep, he still did. It was like a strange habit.
One day, he thought it would be a good idea for him to leave Hermione to do her studying. He found she went into a sort of trance when he sat there, so he wandered the corridors.
Suddenly, he spotted Potter. He stuck out a foot automatically, and Potter tripped. Nice one, Draco, he thought. This had never happened before. What else can I do? He grabbed for Potters glasses. They fell to the floor. Potter frowned and bent down to pick them up. He hurried back to his Common Room. Draco followed him. What do you think of me?
"Hermione?" Potter called as he entered the Common Room. Draco looked for her - and found he didn't need to. The room was empty except for the three of them. Well, two, technically. He spotted one of the books lying open. He tried to close it. No. He picked one of the pages and pulled. It ripped out and fell to the floor. He looked at the page. Potions. He didn't like Snape any more, after how little he'd done when Draco died. Hermione shouldn't like it either. He pulled out another, and another. He pulled out another page, then looked at Hermione.
"Ha - Ha - Harry?" she stuttered. "Look - look at my book." Draco laughed as he saw Potter's eyes widen. He ripped out more pages, even more fiercely than before. He took fistfuls of pages and blew them towards the fire. Hermione suddenly stood on the pieces of parchment, holding them down. "They're my Potions notes!" she yelled. "Help me!"
Draco stood back. He thought for a minute, then plunged his hand through Hermione's back. She jumped up and held her back up. He put his own hand over hers, and she screamed.
Yes, he liked her - but all Slytherins need a little fun. Especially the dead ones. He prodded her on the neck, and pulled her hair. Harry came over to see what was wrong, and Draco unfastened his watch so it fell off, and prodded his scar. Draco did everything he could to stop himself rolling over the floor in malicious glee.
Suddenly he thought of something. He crept up to Potter, and whispered in his ear "This is Lord Voldemort."
Harry stiffened. "Hermione," he choked. "It's - it's - "
"It's me, Miss Granger," Draco muttered in her ear.
"Who are you?" She yelped, fanning desperately at the air.
"You know who I am," Draco hissed in Granger's ear, then turned. "Harry Potter. So do you."
The two of them spun in circles, trying to see where the mysterious voice came from. Draco wondered if they could both hear him at the same time, so he stood in the middle of them and shouted, "STOP!" They froze. "Can you hear me?" He called.
"Yes," replied Potter.
"Granger. Hermione Granger." Draco used his most sinister voice. "The ring."
"Wha - what about it?" She stammered.
"Like it?"
"I - I don't understand."
"Like it?" Draco repeated.
"Y - y - yes."
"Potter?" Draco now hissed, breathing heavily through his words. He didn't move. "Potter? I'm talking to YOU."
"I - I know."
"You. You will be dead before the end of this year." Draco breathed. Potter's eyes widened in pure terror. He stopped himself laughing just in time. "What's this? The famous Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, scared of a death threat?"
Hermione whimpered.
Draco put the sinister voice on again. "The terrible Lord was not talking to you," he snarled. Hermione nodded to the air. Draco smiled, she was looking at the fire, and he was behind her.
Draco decided that now would be a good time to leave, otherwise he would laugh, and that would spoil the effect. The last thing he did was to walk up to Potter, and scratch along his scar. Potter yelled.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco was impressed by what he could do. He kept away from the Gryffindor Common Room, instead he tested his abilities. He got to his wand, which had been put in Snape's office. Draco took it, howling like a werewolf to scare anyone away.
Suddenly, he realised he could irritate the people he didn't like. Or scare them. So what was Weasley scared of?
Suddenly, an image flashed into Draco's mind. At the Quidditch world cup. Draco could see real fear in his face when this appeared then - now Voldemort was back, what would happen? He planned, stole what he needed, and hurried to the Gryffindor tower and into the boys dormitory. He took two bottles of ink that he had stolen from Potter's trunk. He dipped his fingers into one, and began to draw on a blank wall that was directly in front of Weasley's bed. It took some time, but when he was finished, he was impressed by his own handiwork.
Draco added a note to his masterpiece, then sat and waited. Weasley came in, just as he'd hoped, to get his Transfiguration book that Draco had stolen and placed, rather conveniently, in his dormitory.
He smiled that evil smile as he watched terror flood Weasley's face. On the wall, in black ink, he had drawn a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth - The Dark Mark. Below, Draco had used blood red ink to write 'I'm coming for you.'
Weasley fled, screaming. Draco ran too - in the opposite direction. As soon as he was out of the Gryffindor tower, he burst out laughing.
Suddenly, he became aware that people were looking worried. Oops. Should have gone somewhere else. Hey, this being dead business is pretty fun. Should do it more often. At that thought, he smiled again.
Draco ran from the worried looks of the students. He went through half of them, freezing their insides. His laughter rang through the corridors. "Don't worry!" He yelled. "I won't hurt you!" People now looked petrified. "Well, maybe I lie…"
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Now for the Slytherins. He knew all of their fears - he had spent six years finding these out, just in case.
He walked his hand over Pansy Parkinson's head, imitating a spider. This was pretty simple, but she screamed for hours. Eventually, half the Slytherins ganged together and removed her voice.
Draco drew pictures on the walls, glad that he was an artist, one of each illusion he had created to scare them. He drew Pansy covered in tarantulas. His spells were invisible - so a spell that created ropes around Blaise's ankles seemed like snakes. He drew that too. Soon the walls were covered in illustrations of the Slytherins (Potter's ink was indelible ink, so it never came off) and their fears.
Some were simple - Crabbe and Goyle's greatest fears were to have their mouths sealed shut. He put glue on their mouths while they were sleeping, and they woke up with large pictures of themselves with their mouths sewn shut drawn on the Common Room walls.
Three hours later, their mouths were magically opened, and they spent the rest of the day stuffing every type of food possible into them.
He didn't even need to do anything to some - all he did was draw Millicent Bulstrode being eaten by an alligator, whilst pondering how to do this, and she hid under her bed all day.
Pictures of people surrounded by their worst fears, as well as a few funny ones he decided to do of the teachers, popped onto the walls overnight.
He had Snape cowering below a shower head and Professor Trelawney with a black dog chasing her. Dumbledore was being chased by a pair of scissors.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
"Who ever you are, I'm going to get you."
Draco spent the week watching people. He spent long hours listening to the Slytherins, and every student seemed as likely and as unlikely as the next. Whenever he went to the Ravenclaw Common Room, the mere mention of his name put all of the girls in tears, as it did in the Hufflepuff Common Room, too.
The most interesting Common Room, of course, was that of the Gryffindors. It took a long time to find it - he had to follow various Gryffindors, and most of the time, they didn't even go there. He found his way there by following a girl called Natalie McDonald to a picture of a fat woman dressed all in pink. The password, apparently, was 'Dungbomb'.
As he glided (yes, glided. He no longer needed to walk!) through the portrait hole, he spotted Potter and Weasley in a corner. They were the people he was here to study. He moved towards them.
"So who was it?" Potter asked quietly.
"I dunno, but it could be Crabbe or Goyle." Weasley replied.
"Yeah, right. They don't have enough brains."
"I guess. They'd of woken him up."
It took Draco a moment for him to realise that they were discussing possible murderers. He folded his arms and leant back against the air. No - one could hear him, but he joined the conversation anyway.
"Think it was Hermione?" Draco asked.
"Think it was Hermione?" Potter repeated. Draco frowned, but a smile played on his lips.
"No! What makes you say that?" Weasley asked.
"I - I don't know." Potter sounded confused.
This time, Draco directed it to Weasley. "It could have been you."
Weasley frowned, then said, "It could have been you." He looked shocked at what he had just said.
"It was not!" Potter sounded outraged.
Draco sat back again and admired his handiwork. The boys began to argue loudly. He watched as other Gryffindors stared, fighting the urge to laugh and make them do the same.
"I'd be quiet, if I were you," Draco said loudly. Both boys shut up automatically. Draco couldn't help it, he burst out into silent laughter that no - one but himself heard. A split second after, Potter and Weasley did the same.
"What's happening to us?" Potter asked breathlessly, still laughing.
"I don't know," Weasley replied.
Draco left them to find Hermione. She was sat by the fire, her face hidden behind an enormous, thick volume called 'Jealousy - bottling and storing' which was for her potions homework. It suddenly dawned on him that he had no homework, ever again.
He looked over the book, to see Hermione's face streaked with tears. He went behind her and saw that she wasn't reading anything at all. Inside the book there was the picture of him that had been put on posters all around the school, bearing the words 'Who Killed This Wizard?' in flashing green writing. Dumbledore had insisted that this would make the killer feel guilty and own up - all it had done so far was to cause some major fights between girls at lunchtimes over who got to keep the picture.
"Who did this to you?" Hermione was asking.
"I don't know," replied Draco softly, even though he knew she was talking to the picture.
"I wish I knew," she whispered. "I'd make them pay."
"Draco smiled and ran a hand through her hair. "That's my girl."
And so they sat for some time, Hermione gazing quietly at the picture, Draco stroking her hair gently. He could almost feel it, and he smiled. No - one could see him smile.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco made a habit of this past - time, as well as listening to Potter and Weasley's conversations, adding a little of his 'Slytherin Spice' whenever he thought it was getting boring. Also, though he didn't need to sleep, he still did. It was like a strange habit.
One day, he thought it would be a good idea for him to leave Hermione to do her studying. He found she went into a sort of trance when he sat there, so he wandered the corridors.
Suddenly, he spotted Potter. He stuck out a foot automatically, and Potter tripped. Nice one, Draco, he thought. This had never happened before. What else can I do? He grabbed for Potters glasses. They fell to the floor. Potter frowned and bent down to pick them up. He hurried back to his Common Room. Draco followed him. What do you think of me?
"Hermione?" Potter called as he entered the Common Room. Draco looked for her - and found he didn't need to. The room was empty except for the three of them. Well, two, technically. He spotted one of the books lying open. He tried to close it. No. He picked one of the pages and pulled. It ripped out and fell to the floor. He looked at the page. Potions. He didn't like Snape any more, after how little he'd done when Draco died. Hermione shouldn't like it either. He pulled out another, and another. He pulled out another page, then looked at Hermione.
"Ha - Ha - Harry?" she stuttered. "Look - look at my book." Draco laughed as he saw Potter's eyes widen. He ripped out more pages, even more fiercely than before. He took fistfuls of pages and blew them towards the fire. Hermione suddenly stood on the pieces of parchment, holding them down. "They're my Potions notes!" she yelled. "Help me!"
Draco stood back. He thought for a minute, then plunged his hand through Hermione's back. She jumped up and held her back up. He put his own hand over hers, and she screamed.
Yes, he liked her - but all Slytherins need a little fun. Especially the dead ones. He prodded her on the neck, and pulled her hair. Harry came over to see what was wrong, and Draco unfastened his watch so it fell off, and prodded his scar. Draco did everything he could to stop himself rolling over the floor in malicious glee.
Suddenly he thought of something. He crept up to Potter, and whispered in his ear "This is Lord Voldemort."
Harry stiffened. "Hermione," he choked. "It's - it's - "
"It's me, Miss Granger," Draco muttered in her ear.
"Who are you?" She yelped, fanning desperately at the air.
"You know who I am," Draco hissed in Granger's ear, then turned. "Harry Potter. So do you."
The two of them spun in circles, trying to see where the mysterious voice came from. Draco wondered if they could both hear him at the same time, so he stood in the middle of them and shouted, "STOP!" They froze. "Can you hear me?" He called.
"Yes," replied Potter.
"Granger. Hermione Granger." Draco used his most sinister voice. "The ring."
"Wha - what about it?" She stammered.
"Like it?"
"I - I don't understand."
"Like it?" Draco repeated.
"Y - y - yes."
"Potter?" Draco now hissed, breathing heavily through his words. He didn't move. "Potter? I'm talking to YOU."
"I - I know."
"You. You will be dead before the end of this year." Draco breathed. Potter's eyes widened in pure terror. He stopped himself laughing just in time. "What's this? The famous Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, scared of a death threat?"
Hermione whimpered.
Draco put the sinister voice on again. "The terrible Lord was not talking to you," he snarled. Hermione nodded to the air. Draco smiled, she was looking at the fire, and he was behind her.
Draco decided that now would be a good time to leave, otherwise he would laugh, and that would spoil the effect. The last thing he did was to walk up to Potter, and scratch along his scar. Potter yelled.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Draco was impressed by what he could do. He kept away from the Gryffindor Common Room, instead he tested his abilities. He got to his wand, which had been put in Snape's office. Draco took it, howling like a werewolf to scare anyone away.
Suddenly, he realised he could irritate the people he didn't like. Or scare them. So what was Weasley scared of?
Suddenly, an image flashed into Draco's mind. At the Quidditch world cup. Draco could see real fear in his face when this appeared then - now Voldemort was back, what would happen? He planned, stole what he needed, and hurried to the Gryffindor tower and into the boys dormitory. He took two bottles of ink that he had stolen from Potter's trunk. He dipped his fingers into one, and began to draw on a blank wall that was directly in front of Weasley's bed. It took some time, but when he was finished, he was impressed by his own handiwork.
Draco added a note to his masterpiece, then sat and waited. Weasley came in, just as he'd hoped, to get his Transfiguration book that Draco had stolen and placed, rather conveniently, in his dormitory.
He smiled that evil smile as he watched terror flood Weasley's face. On the wall, in black ink, he had drawn a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth - The Dark Mark. Below, Draco had used blood red ink to write 'I'm coming for you.'
Weasley fled, screaming. Draco ran too - in the opposite direction. As soon as he was out of the Gryffindor tower, he burst out laughing.
Suddenly, he became aware that people were looking worried. Oops. Should have gone somewhere else. Hey, this being dead business is pretty fun. Should do it more often. At that thought, he smiled again.
Draco ran from the worried looks of the students. He went through half of them, freezing their insides. His laughter rang through the corridors. "Don't worry!" He yelled. "I won't hurt you!" People now looked petrified. "Well, maybe I lie…"
3/~*~~*~~*~\3
Now for the Slytherins. He knew all of their fears - he had spent six years finding these out, just in case.
He walked his hand over Pansy Parkinson's head, imitating a spider. This was pretty simple, but she screamed for hours. Eventually, half the Slytherins ganged together and removed her voice.
Draco drew pictures on the walls, glad that he was an artist, one of each illusion he had created to scare them. He drew Pansy covered in tarantulas. His spells were invisible - so a spell that created ropes around Blaise's ankles seemed like snakes. He drew that too. Soon the walls were covered in illustrations of the Slytherins (Potter's ink was indelible ink, so it never came off) and their fears.
Some were simple - Crabbe and Goyle's greatest fears were to have their mouths sealed shut. He put glue on their mouths while they were sleeping, and they woke up with large pictures of themselves with their mouths sewn shut drawn on the Common Room walls.
Three hours later, their mouths were magically opened, and they spent the rest of the day stuffing every type of food possible into them.
He didn't even need to do anything to some - all he did was draw Millicent Bulstrode being eaten by an alligator, whilst pondering how to do this, and she hid under her bed all day.
Pictures of people surrounded by their worst fears, as well as a few funny ones he decided to do of the teachers, popped onto the walls overnight.
He had Snape cowering below a shower head and Professor Trelawney with a black dog chasing her. Dumbledore was being chased by a pair of scissors.
3/~*~~*~~*~\3