Disclaimers, etc, see part one.
Spike's quote 'the total weight of what I know that you don't would stun a team of oxen' in previous chapter is a misquote from the West Wing episode The Stackhouse Filibuster. Hopefully Giles will remember its significance before Snape gets to Buffy.
… … …
Draco watched the owls expectantly at breakfast. His own owl appeared and he grinned. He fed him a piece of toast as he read the letter from his father.
Dearest Draco,
Thank you for you letter. I did already know of the plan to install Rupert Giles as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. I expect you to give him every respect you have given the previous occupant of that position. I do not know what experience he has, but he is the Minister's cousin.
The Minister himself has said nothing about the other visitors to Hogwarts, so please do be aware of them and their interactions with other members of staff.
Your mother and I look forward to seeing you at Christmas.
Father.
Draco crumpled the letter before either Crabbe or Goyle could read it. It wouldn't do to have either of them know more than they had to about his instructions. Neither of them could help him with observations anyway; they were neither inconspicuous nor natural liars.
He dropped the piece of paper on the floor under the table. Blaise, opposite him, suddenly dropped his fork and bent to pick it up.
"What did you're father say, Draco?" Pansy asked, as they left the hall.
"Usual, be a good boy, don't piss the teachers off," Draco shrugged.
Pansy nodded as the statement had had profound meaning. Hefting his books on his shoulder he walked out ahead of the throng.
None of the visitors were in his first class, but he knew that the girl, at least, was following Potter and his lackeys. The four of them were almost late to Potions and took their places on the other side of the room just before Snape swept in.
Snape seemed distracted through most of the class. He even left for a whole minute at one stage to check on something in his office. He left the door open, which meant that Draco was able to observe the Gryffindorks without drawing attention to himself, but he still couldn't do anything to them.
Not drawing attention to himself had been part of this year's game plan since the talk he had had with in father in August. Lucius Malfoy didn't want a weakling or a follower for a son, so he was practice his skills of observation and make up his own mind about where he stood by the end of the year.
Dawn was intently watching Hermione's potion making process and taking notes. They were both following Snape's explicit rule that Dawn was only allowed in class if she did not disturb it in any way. Draco thought that looks Ron was throwing her way from the desk behind were quiet disturbing enough, but he did seem to be working.
The times that Snape was patrolling the class were times Draco kept his head down and worked, but he did notice that the looks the Professor gave Dawn were no more reassuring than Ron's. It was particularly speculative, and Draco hoped it was never turned on him.
Of course, not drawing attention to himself meant behaving exactly as he always had towards everyone else in the school.
He didn't say anything as they went to hand their potions up and the end of class, but he did leave with the group on the way to the Hall for lunch.
"What are you hanging around for, Malfoy?" Ron sneered.
Draco suppressed a grin. The Weasel was jealous, and it seemed that Granger was jealous of that. Cracks in the dream team were something to write home about.
"I didn't think you could do worse than Weasel, before you hooked up with Granger, Potter," Draco sneered. "But it seems we can all be proved wrong."
He turned back and let them be carried by the crowd before they could retort. Blaise pulled him further out of the crowd.
"What was that about?" he demanded.
Draco grinned madly. The outrage on Ron's face had been well worth it. But antagonising Potter was a fairly sure way of drawing attention to himself. Blaise raised one eyebrow and Draco sighed.
He shrugged in response and turned away. Despite Blaise's position in the hierarchy and general trustworthiness, Draco didn't like anyone knowing how he really was. It was why he kept Crabbe and Goyle around.
The goons found their way out of potions and to his side and Draco led them to lunch, leaving Blaise, and now Millicent, too, in their wake.
Apart from noticing that Dawn spent her days with Harry, Ron and Hermione; Spike and Buffy spent theirs with Hagrid; and the others were attending various first year classes; Draco was more interested in the weekend's Quidditch match than spying.
His reply to his father said only that he would report on Rupert Giles once he had something to report. He was much more concerned about writing enough of the Slytherin Quidditch team's new song.