Chapter 15 - The Slytherins Respond
Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Divination classroom to pack up their things. They were relieved to be going back to Gryffindor tower. Draco, however, was starting to think he might take Firenze's offer and stay in his tent for the new term. It was definitely going to be more dangerous in the dungeons now that the rest of his house had returned.
"Hi Draco," Harry said as they came in the room. Draco looked up and furrowed his brow. He had hoped to finish his essay and get into his tent before they came back. He turned back to the parchment, but felt lousy for ignoring them.
"Hi," he mumbled, dipping his quill again.
"Draco, I'm sorry about thinking you were mean to Dobby," Hermione said quietly.
Draco jumped to his feet and turned to face them, knocking over his ink in the process. "Look, mudblood...." The insult had barely left his mouth when he caught the look Harry was giving him from over her shoulder and changed his mind. He started again. "Granger, I...." But he didn't finish that sentence either. Harry was shaking his head.
Draco's pressed his lips into a thin line in frustration. "FINE!" he said to Harry.
"Hermione, it was nothing. Forget it." He sat back down hard and swore loudly when he saw that the ink had spilled all over his Potions essay, making it unreadable. Hermione kneeled down beside him.
She picked up the dripping parchment and waved her wand at it. The extra ink disappeared, leaving only the words behind. Draco hadn't known there was a spell that could do that. "Thanks," he said quietly. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder as she stood and went to her tent.
In the morning Draco was presented with a new problem. He met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione outside the Divination classroom. "Er - where do you think I should sit at breakfast?" he asked as they approached the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione were silent, not really knowing what to tell him. To everyone's surprise it was Ron who answered.
"You'll sit with us," he said. His tone was so definite that Draco just nodded miserably, knowing what he was in for. As they approached the Gryffindor table he could feel the eyes of his fellow Slytherins on him.
"Hang on, I have an idea. I've been wanting to do this for a good year now anyway." He turned and walked stiffly over to Pansy Parkinson and loudly demanded his ring back. This caused a hugely embarrassing scene for Pansy who shrieked at him loudly. In the end, Draco came back over to the Gryffindor table smirking. He sank down between Harry and Hermione as the morning's mail arrived.
"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, through a mouthful of waffle. Neville Longbottom, sitting on the other side of Hermione, passed course schedules to her with a nasty look at Malfoy. When Draco looked at his, he was grateful to see that someone had gone and gotten him a course schedule from the Slytherin table. He looked up in time to see Ginny Weasley winking at him. He glanced back down quickly, blushing furiously.
When they'd left the Great Hall, Draco headed for the Divination classroom to get his books. Ron followed him. "Something wrong, Weasley?" he asked. There was a trace of annoyance in his voice.
He was half-afraid Ron was going to ask him why he'd been blushing, but to his surprise, Ron replied, "Well, we were talking about it and decided it would probably be best if you weren't alone in the hallways."
Draco managed an inarticulate, "Oh," before ducking into the classroom to get his things. There was a thud followed by several shouted spells and an explosion.
Ron started, then shoved his way into the classroom. The door didn't want to open because Blaize Zabini, covered in black dust, was lying face down against it. "Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, aiming his wand at Crabbe, who was just about to curse Draco. Crabbe's wand flew out of his hand and Ron caught it deftly, thankful for all those secret DA meetings.
Draco was doubled over several feet away. Ron, covering Crabbe with his wand, walked cautiously over to him and helped him straighten up. His robes were torn and there was a great gash in his side, as if someone had cut him with a sword. Keeping an eye on Crabbe, Ron muttered the healing spell he remembered Madam Pomfrey using on the cuts he'd received from a difficult wizard's chess game. The wound began to knit, but it must have been painful because Draco was grimacing horribly.
Then Crabbe lunged at them. Ron turned in time to yell, "Impedimenta," causing the overly heavy boy to fall forward when his feet stopped moving. Crabbe grabbed at Draco's robes as he fell. Draco hardly thought before throwing back at him the hex that Crabbe had just finished using on him. A huge gash appeared on Crabbe's left arm, the one that had come closest to Draco's face. As Crabbe howled, holding his arm and struggling to prop himself up against the wall, three other Slytherin students came out from behind trees on the other side of the classroom.
"Let's go," Ron yelled, and he and Draco took off, pulling the door shut behind them. They had to hide in an empty classroom for a few moments before they were sure they could make it to their class. They opened the door to the Potions classroom, and headed for where Harry and Hermione were sitting in the back.
"So kind of you both to make an appearance today," said an oily voice from the front of the room. Ron looked up to see Professor Snape, whose lips were curled into an ugly parody of a smile. Draco turned, but took several hasty steps backward, stumbling over someone's bag of books. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your tardiness, and you will both see me after class." At this remark, someone tutted loudly. Draco was relieved to see that Sirius was sitting, off to the side a bit, behind Professor Snape.
"Really, now, Severus, you can hardly take points from Gryffindor and not Slytherin. Mr. Malfoy is, after all, in your house." He had a pleasant look on his face, but his voice was hard. Professor Snape chose not to answer, so Sirius took the points from Slytherin himself. Then he excused himself and went to stand just outside the classroom door. Professor Snape taught the entire lesson with the furious tone of voice that he usually reserved for handing out detentions. He purposely ignored the whispers from the back of the classroom as Draco and Ron filled Harry and Hermione in on what had happened.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their hands full trying to help Draco fend off his fellow Slytherins. Once, even Ginny had been caught by Filch hexing a Slytherin third year in the hallway. Before she left for detention that night, she told Hermione that she'd only done it because she'd heard him plotting to curse Draco after the next class.
Harry, Ron and Hermione made their way back to the Divination classroom to pack up their things. They were relieved to be going back to Gryffindor tower. Draco, however, was starting to think he might take Firenze's offer and stay in his tent for the new term. It was definitely going to be more dangerous in the dungeons now that the rest of his house had returned.
"Hi Draco," Harry said as they came in the room. Draco looked up and furrowed his brow. He had hoped to finish his essay and get into his tent before they came back. He turned back to the parchment, but felt lousy for ignoring them.
"Hi," he mumbled, dipping his quill again.
"Draco, I'm sorry about thinking you were mean to Dobby," Hermione said quietly.
Draco jumped to his feet and turned to face them, knocking over his ink in the process. "Look, mudblood...." The insult had barely left his mouth when he caught the look Harry was giving him from over her shoulder and changed his mind. He started again. "Granger, I...." But he didn't finish that sentence either. Harry was shaking his head.
Draco's pressed his lips into a thin line in frustration. "FINE!" he said to Harry.
"Hermione, it was nothing. Forget it." He sat back down hard and swore loudly when he saw that the ink had spilled all over his Potions essay, making it unreadable. Hermione kneeled down beside him.
She picked up the dripping parchment and waved her wand at it. The extra ink disappeared, leaving only the words behind. Draco hadn't known there was a spell that could do that. "Thanks," he said quietly. She smiled and put a hand on his shoulder as she stood and went to her tent.
In the morning Draco was presented with a new problem. He met up with Harry, Ron and Hermione outside the Divination classroom. "Er - where do you think I should sit at breakfast?" he asked as they approached the Great Hall. Harry and Hermione were silent, not really knowing what to tell him. To everyone's surprise it was Ron who answered.
"You'll sit with us," he said. His tone was so definite that Draco just nodded miserably, knowing what he was in for. As they approached the Gryffindor table he could feel the eyes of his fellow Slytherins on him.
"Hang on, I have an idea. I've been wanting to do this for a good year now anyway." He turned and walked stiffly over to Pansy Parkinson and loudly demanded his ring back. This caused a hugely embarrassing scene for Pansy who shrieked at him loudly. In the end, Draco came back over to the Gryffindor table smirking. He sank down between Harry and Hermione as the morning's mail arrived.
"Bloody brilliant!" Ron exclaimed, through a mouthful of waffle. Neville Longbottom, sitting on the other side of Hermione, passed course schedules to her with a nasty look at Malfoy. When Draco looked at his, he was grateful to see that someone had gone and gotten him a course schedule from the Slytherin table. He looked up in time to see Ginny Weasley winking at him. He glanced back down quickly, blushing furiously.
When they'd left the Great Hall, Draco headed for the Divination classroom to get his books. Ron followed him. "Something wrong, Weasley?" he asked. There was a trace of annoyance in his voice.
He was half-afraid Ron was going to ask him why he'd been blushing, but to his surprise, Ron replied, "Well, we were talking about it and decided it would probably be best if you weren't alone in the hallways."
Draco managed an inarticulate, "Oh," before ducking into the classroom to get his things. There was a thud followed by several shouted spells and an explosion.
Ron started, then shoved his way into the classroom. The door didn't want to open because Blaize Zabini, covered in black dust, was lying face down against it. "Expelliarmus!" Ron shouted, aiming his wand at Crabbe, who was just about to curse Draco. Crabbe's wand flew out of his hand and Ron caught it deftly, thankful for all those secret DA meetings.
Draco was doubled over several feet away. Ron, covering Crabbe with his wand, walked cautiously over to him and helped him straighten up. His robes were torn and there was a great gash in his side, as if someone had cut him with a sword. Keeping an eye on Crabbe, Ron muttered the healing spell he remembered Madam Pomfrey using on the cuts he'd received from a difficult wizard's chess game. The wound began to knit, but it must have been painful because Draco was grimacing horribly.
Then Crabbe lunged at them. Ron turned in time to yell, "Impedimenta," causing the overly heavy boy to fall forward when his feet stopped moving. Crabbe grabbed at Draco's robes as he fell. Draco hardly thought before throwing back at him the hex that Crabbe had just finished using on him. A huge gash appeared on Crabbe's left arm, the one that had come closest to Draco's face. As Crabbe howled, holding his arm and struggling to prop himself up against the wall, three other Slytherin students came out from behind trees on the other side of the classroom.
"Let's go," Ron yelled, and he and Draco took off, pulling the door shut behind them. They had to hide in an empty classroom for a few moments before they were sure they could make it to their class. They opened the door to the Potions classroom, and headed for where Harry and Hermione were sitting in the back.
"So kind of you both to make an appearance today," said an oily voice from the front of the room. Ron looked up to see Professor Snape, whose lips were curled into an ugly parody of a smile. Draco turned, but took several hasty steps backward, stumbling over someone's bag of books. "Twenty points from Gryffindor for your tardiness, and you will both see me after class." At this remark, someone tutted loudly. Draco was relieved to see that Sirius was sitting, off to the side a bit, behind Professor Snape.
"Really, now, Severus, you can hardly take points from Gryffindor and not Slytherin. Mr. Malfoy is, after all, in your house." He had a pleasant look on his face, but his voice was hard. Professor Snape chose not to answer, so Sirius took the points from Slytherin himself. Then he excused himself and went to stand just outside the classroom door. Professor Snape taught the entire lesson with the furious tone of voice that he usually reserved for handing out detentions. He purposely ignored the whispers from the back of the classroom as Draco and Ron filled Harry and Hermione in on what had happened.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione had their hands full trying to help Draco fend off his fellow Slytherins. Once, even Ginny had been caught by Filch hexing a Slytherin third year in the hallway. Before she left for detention that night, she told Hermione that she'd only done it because she'd heard him plotting to curse Draco after the next class.