AN: Please Note; WARNING, this short fic contains implied SLASH and Strong Language. Rated M/R.

This is Segment Four in my ongoing Prequel of Beauty in Perfection; Stand by Me. It is just a group of short drabbles that bring together the characters featured in that fic. Enjoy. Blessings. LL

Summary: Draco . . . The Threaded Connections of our lives often take us to surprising places to encounter new experiences and people.

Perspectives; Draco v Piers
by imLittleLily

Simplified Travel in the Wizarding World . . .

Draco Icekat Malfoy, Ice Prince of Slytherin, leaned back in his seat on the Hogwarts Express. Tday he was on his way to start his sixth year at Hogwarts. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle sat in the same compartment. They had their heads bent over a tome; Simplified Travel in the Wizarding World, by Myra Wicket d'Arc.

Vince looked up at Draco. "Do you really think this is a good idea? I mean, how do we even know if it'll work?"

"What, you think it won't work because he is a Muggle?"

Vince nodded.

Greg agreed with him.

Draco shook his head. "I already . . . "

The compartment door slid open and Pansy's voice interrupted their conversation, "Draco, what are you doing?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Pansy, why are you interrupting us? I already told you we're having some guy time and don't want to be disturbed." He had closed the book, title down, on his lap so she was unable to see what they were reading.

Pansy pouted and replied in a whiny voice, "But I'm so bored without you."

"Well," he said, "go be bored somewhere else. Now." He scowled and set his jaw into tight line to express his immobility over the issue of her staying.

She pouted again and flounced out to find entertainment with someone else.

Draco rolled his eyes and stood. He walked the short distance to the sliding door and looked out into the narrow corridor. His gaze landed on Potter. He sneered at him and then slid the door closed. Once it was closed, he place a personal ward and silencing charm on it. He turned back to his friends to see their arched brows. Draco gave an easy smile reserved for close mates. "I 've been working on personal wards. I found one that can't be breached without my knowledge or blood. Makes for excellent privacy."

Vince nodded, and then opened the book to the page they had been examining before being interrupted. "Draco, do you really think this'll work?" He asked as he motioned to the page.

"Yes, in fact I'd like to set up more than one. That way he'll be able to travel at will whenever we need him to. What I started to say before we were interrupted, is that I 've already used a portkey with him."

Vince's brow rose. "You didn't say anything about that before."

"Yeah, I know. I did it as sort of a test, you know, to see if it would work. Since it did, I've been researching portals and portkeys. He didn't like the portkey experience. Personally, I don't blame him. The bad thing about portkeys, anyway, is they can be traced by the Ministry. Portals, however, are pretty much ignored."

Greg asked, "If it works, what are we going to use it for?"

Draco shrugged. "Any travel between Hogwarts and his school or home. I'd even like to clear him into Diagon Alley."

Vince grinned at that.

Draco responded with a nod. "He'd be able to come to Hogsmeade on the weekends and spend time with us."

Greg snorted. "Oh really, how will you keep him from being recognized?"

"Glamour Charm," Vince answered.

"Yeah," Draco answered. "So what do you guys think? Are you in?"

They both nodded with sly Slytherin grins added into the agreement.

"Excellent," Draco said. He pulled some parchment out of his bag and conjured a small table. They spent the rest of their journey on the Hogwarts Express working out areas of placement, and the necessary equations and rune spell work that would help them accomplish their goal.

Dudley stood outside of the main hall at Smeltings with his mum and dad saying goodbye to them. Since he had been away so much throughout the summer, Vernon Dursley had insisted on driving him to school for the new term. Dudley felt strange today. It was the first time since starting Smeltings that he had a strange sense of separation from his family when it was time for them to part. Weird, he thought as Petunia worked to straighten his tie.

"Mum," he said, pulling away from her, "don't do that. I'm going to take it off just as soon as I get to my dorm anyway." He looked at his watch. "You should probably be going, it's almost time for me to be in the dining hall."

Petunia patted him one last time. "You'll call if you need anything, right?"

He nodded.

Vernon grunted at him in farewell and pulled Petunia away to start walking back to the car.

Dudley leaned back against the building and watched them.

"Aww, are you going to miss them?"

Dudley turned to see Piers Polkiss standing close by with a sneer on his bruised face. He shook his head. "It isn't what you think. I was actually trying to figure my dad out. Sometimes he's just too weird." He shrugged , pulled his bag over his shoulder and started to the dorm. "Probably shouldn't bother--trying to figure parents... You going to hall?" He had no intention of going to the opening dinner feast this year. He was sure it would be boring.

"Nope." Piers fell into step with him.

Dudley glanced at him. He was sure Piers was still angry about his fight with Draco. He was definitely wearing his battle badges today. His upper lip was still swelled and split and he had a beautiful shiner. The facial wounds were not the only thing; Piers' hands bore cuts and bruised knuckles.

"Yes," Piers said. "I'm still mad at that fucked up bitch, Draco, but why should it interfere with a lifelong friendship?"

Dudley stopped on the sidewalk and turned to Piers. "Well, to begin with, he isn't a bitch. Then there's the fact he's my friend. If you expect us to remain friends you're just going to have to accept that." He held up his hand to stop Piers' protest and continued, "I like hanging out with Draco. Get over it. Since you and I are roommates, this could become a problem if you don't - just get over it." He finished speaking with a stubborn glare.

Piers returned the glare. Finally, after long minutes he said, "You just don't get it do you?"

"Fuck it, Piers. Yes, I do get it. You have the hots for him and you haven't even come out of the closet. What you don't get, is that he doesn't feel the same way about you. These things happen--don't tell me that I don't understand. Remember Bree?" D. swallowed. He did not like to think about the girl who had split him into pieces because she didn't like the fact that he enjoyed boxing. She had expected him to give up something that he loved doing. He just couldn't do it. Boxing had opened a whole new world of possibilities for him. They had parted over their differences and it had not been easy for him because she was his first love.

"This is different," Piers insisted with a glare.

"Well, I guess this means that it is going to be a long term."

"Gentlemen."

Dudley turned to see his boxing couch studying them. "Hello, sir," he said as he tried to smooth his angry countenance out to be expressionless. He failed.

Coach Glover looked from Dudley's angry face to the battle marred face of Piers. His brow rose and he asked, "Is there a problem?"

Piers flinched at that question.

"Not really, sir. Piers and I are just having a discussion about a mutual friend."

Piers tossed him a glare.

Coach Glover caught the look and asked Piers as he motioned to his face, "What happened, Polkiss?"

Dudley bit the inside of his cheek as he waited for Piers to say what had happened.

Piers looked from Coach Glover to D. He shook his head slightly, and then turned back to Coach. "I encountered someone who is better than I am at marshal arts, sir. D. had nothing to do with it."

Dudley arched a brow and cleared his throat.

Coach studied them both. He realized that he would get no more information from them. "Very well then. Take your personal effects to your dorm and go the Hall. I'll see you there. There'll be an announcement about the team tonight, I expect you both to be there for it."

DUdley grumbled within his head, Fuck . . . Outwardly he nodded and turned to walk to their dorm. He tried to ignore Piers.

"Mutual friend?" Piers growled at him as he stopped him from walking forward.

Dudley looked down at Piers' hand on his arm and jerked away. "What did you want me to say? Piers is sexually frustrated and so we are fighting about it? I already said that you should get over it. Think about it. You won't see Draco again until next summer break. That gives you plenty of time."

Piers snorted and shook his head. "I give up. Like I said before, you just don't get it."

"Yeah, it is going to be a long term."

They made their way to their dorm in silence.

Draco slipped out of his dorm room undercover of darkness and made his way up to the owlery to send a message to Dudley about his newest idea. He smirked as he tied the message to Horus' leg. "Hi ya Horus, please take this to D. I know it's difficult, but please try to remain unseen. He's at his school now. Hang around for a response, okay?"

Horus ruffled his feathers and glared at him for making such suggestions about an assignment being difficult or remaining unseen. He took off in a flurry of feathers to further show his irritation.

Draco shook his head as he watched Horus fly up and out of the owlery tower. He sighed and turned to leave the owlery as his mind traveled to earlier that evening when he and the Black Snakes had gotten together in his dorm . . .

Blaise grinned and arched his brow as he asked, "You are going to do - What?

Draco handed him the note he had written.

Blaise read . . .

D.

I have progressed travel plans and have come up with an excellent solution. Meet me this Sat. at Harry's Bar & Restaurant; 12 Newerne St., Gloucestershire GL15 5RF at 11:30 am.

Icekat

"Damn, Draco. Aren't you being just a bit bold?" Blaise asked because he was amazed that Draco would even think of doing such a thing.

Draco shrugged and replied, "I think that it's excellent practice for all of us in developing wards and portals. I know we don't really study them in-depth here at Hogwarts, but it'll come in handy when this war progresses. Why wait until then?"

"But portals from a Muggle school?"

Draco smirked in amusement. "Sure. I 've learned a blood ward. This is just the next step. I can key the portals to his blood, no one else will be able to come through."

Blaise picked up the calculations that Draco, Greg and Vince had come up with when they were on the Express earlier that day. He sat down on Draco's bed and read through them. He muttered something under his breath and stood and went to Draco's desk to get his Arithmancy book.

Draco looked at him with an arched brow.

Blaise responded by saying, "Just a sec." He began flipping through the pages, and then writing after he found the page he was looking for.

Justin Finch-Fletchley looked over his shoulder to see what he was working on. He made a motion with his hand and Blaise skipped ahead on the page.

Draco bent over the book.

Vince reached for a butterbeer. "What are you guys coming up with?"

Blaise smiled. "This." He held the parchment up that he had been working on.

Vince looked it over, and then grinned. He looked at Draco. "That is what we were missing."

Draco nodded.

Draco came back to the present and transformed into his animagus form--Icekat, and then he ran through the corridors of Hogwarts. He smiled a cat smile as he felt the adrenalin rush he always felt when he experienced the freedom of being a large white snow panther.

Dudley was out for a very late night stroll, well past curfew, when he was suddenly surprised by the arrival of Horus, Draco's eagle owl. He looked around him as the owl came down and landed on his shoulder. There was no one around.

It's one thirty in the morning, D. of course there's no one around, he scolded himself in his mind. He took the note from Horus and sat at one of the outside picnic tables to read what Draco had sent him. His brow rose when he saw that Draco wanted to meet him. Harry's Bar & Restaurant--very funny.

Classes resumed the next day at Smeltings. D. found himself going through the motions of trying to get back into the routine. He also had meetings about his Proctor responsibilities and the boxing team. Smeltings had instigated some new policies for the boxing team this year. It meant more matches; matches that would actually take them to towns where they had never gone to before. He had noticed that one such town was not that far from Hogwarts--humm.

The other issue he had to deal with was Piers. He arrived in the Geometry classroom to find that several of the other blokes on campus were discussing Piers' battle wounds and how he had gotten them.

" . . . some fuckin street . . . " Piers' voice trailed off when he looked up and saw Dudley glaring at him. He swallowed and said, "Hey, D."

The other blokes involved with the conversation studied the expression they saw on his face. One of them, Bill Cameron, asked, "What's wrong, D?"

Furious, Dudley responded, "Piers is what is wrong. I don't know what he's told you, but he was in a martial arts duel at my house when his face was messed up." Dudley stepped closer to Piers' desk. "Should I tell them what really happened?"

Piers sneered. "Maybe you don't know what really happened, D."

Dudley snorted and shoved at the backpack on Piers' desk. "You're really pushing it, Piers. I do know what happened. Maybe you should remember we have to share a dorm. Leave Draco out of your bad mouthing or it'll be knock for six for Piers Polkiss. Get it?"

Their professor chose that moment to arrive in the classroom.

Everyone became silent.

With a final glare to Piers, Dudley walked toward the front of the classroom to find an empty seat. If he was in the front, he wouldn't have to look at Piers during class.

The rest of the day went pretty much the same. By 8:00 that evening Dudley was ready to throttle his roommate. Instead, he sat in the library and penned a note to Draco.

Icekat,

Hope things are going better for you there then it is here. I was wondering if you know any easy jinxes that you could teach a Muggle--just kidding. PP is driving me crazy. A good right hook just doesn't seem to be good enough for him.

About Sat. I have a meeting with the boxing team at 11:00. We better make it for 2:00. Don't worry, you can still get french fries.

Later,

D.

Dudley looked at the note and wondered how he was going to get it to Draco. He sighed and put it in the back of his History book and started packing all of his stuff in his bag. It was time for him to make his Proctor rounds for the evening.

Saturday afternoon at precisely 1:50 pm the door to Harry's Bar & Restaurant opened and a tall silver blond Adonis entered. The waitresses within the establishment went into Mafted Mode. Draco smiled and requested a table for two.

Wearing disappointment on her face, she led him to a back booth. "Will this do?"

Draco gave her a friendly smile. "Yes, thank you. I'm expecting a friend, a tall guy with dark hair. When he gets here would you bring him back?"

She smiled and nodded. "Would you like to order something to drink before he gets here?"

Draco nodded and said, "A Pepsi would be fine."

She nodded once more and turned to go get it for him.

When Draco sat down he scanned the restaurant. It wasn't very busy, only a few patrons were in for a late lunch. He liked the idea of the back booth. I'll have to put a silencing charm around us. Thank Merlin for wandless magick. He studied the menu while he waited.

Dudley came in looking very much harried.

Draco arched a brow at him as the hostess brought him back to the booth.

As he sat down she asked him if he would like something to drink. He nodded and replied, "A Pepsi."

As soon as she left, Draco asked, "What's wrong?"

Dudley opened his mouth to answer but was cut off . . .

"D. what the . . . " Piers Polkiss stood at their booth. He glared at Draco.

Draco sat up straight and returned the sentiment.

"What are you doing here?" Dudley asked, voice edged with anger. "Are you following me, Polkiss?"

Piers arched his brow at the question and sneered. "I wanted to know why you refused to go to the game with Cameron. I guess I should've known you were meeting batty boy."

Dudley growled and stepped closer.

The waitress arrived with his Pepsi. She looked fearfully between them as she set the drink on the table.

Dudley glannced at Draco who had a strange look on his face as he studied Piers. "What?" he mouthed and arched his brow slightly at him in questioning.

Draco gave a vague nod.

At that moment, another waitress tried to come around them to take an order of lunch to the patrons who were three tables over.

Lithe fingers made a subtle move . . .

Piers found himself covered with two plates of spaghetti and a basket of garlic bread.

The tray and plates clattered loudly as they fell to the floor.

Piers swore virulently, "Fuck! . . . stupid bitch!"

The waitress, who had been carrying the lunches, began apologizing profusely as the manager came from the back to settle the uproar that Piers was making about the mess on his new white shirt.

Dudley sat and observed the clash between Piers and the waitress with a look of amusement.

Piers noticed Dudley's look of amusement and became angrier.

The manager, in an attempt to separate everyone, led him to the office in an effort to calm him and take him away from the patrons who came to Harry's for a quite lunch.

Calm descended on the restaurant when Piers exited to the back office.

"You helped with that didn't you?" Dudley asked, keeping his voice low.

Draco gave him a look of Slytherin innocence.

Dudley snorted softly.

Their waitress approached them to take their orders. Draco smiled at her and asked, "Is Nan okay?"

Their waitress, whose name was Cindi, nodded at him. "She will be, 'cept it'll come from her tips."

Draco arched a brow and then glanced at D. briefly.

He nodded.

Draco leaned forward on his elbows. "I'd like to see her sometime before we leave. Would you tell her, please?"

Cindi nodded, and then took their lunch orders.

Once she had left again Dudley shook his head, and said with a smirk, "I'll pitch in. It was worth every pound."

Draco grinned. He glanced around the restaurant and said softly, "I have a muted silencing charm on the booth. Everyone can hear that we are talking but not what we are saying."

"What did you want to see me about. Hopefully it isn't portkeys."

"No," Draco said as he pulled some notes from his inside pocket. "We've worked out a different system of traveling for you. It'll take awhile to pull it all together, but eventually we'll set up portals at Privet Drive, Smeltings and in the forest outside Hogsmeade."

Dudley leaned forward and looked at the parchments.

Draco pointed to the the one on the right . "We'll need to decide specific locations before any rune or spell work is done. For example, at Smeltings, someplace that doesn't get a lot of student traffic would be best."

"Yeah, okay. I get it and can think of at least three possible places. Do you think indoor or out would be best?"

"We'll let you decide," Draco said. "Maybe to begin we can start with outside--that way you can take your cycle through."

"Well, at Smeltings, there are two alleys," Dudley said thoughtfully. "One behind the gym and the other behind the kitchens. They're both busy for different reasons, but the one behind the kitchen is actually more private. Since I am a Procter, I have access to delivery schedules. We would be able to work around them. The other thing about the alley being busy is if I do happen to go back there, it'll only be seen to have something to do with my Proctor duties."

Draco made some notes and said, "Okay then. The best time to put them in place is nighttime. Does that work for you?"

"Yeah." Dudley said nodding, and then looked up to see Cindi and Nan returning with their lunches. He smiled at the nervous waitress and moved the parchments to the side to make room for their plates.

Draco reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out some money and said to Nan, "I wanted to make sure you weren't held responsible for the flying spaghetti. Here's twenty-five pounds to cover the cost."

Nan looked surprised . "That isn't necessary. Sometimes I'm just so clumsy."

"Not this time though. Besides that prat was harassing my friend here. You actually did us a favor."

Cindi laughed. She looked at her friend and said, "That is true. I saw him."

Dudley nodded when she looked to him for confirmation.

Nan looked down at the money and bit her lip.

Draco smiled and said, "You actually helped to make our afternoon go smoother. I don't know how we would have gotten away from him without your help."

Finally, Nan whispered, "Thank you." She blushed and picked up the money.

"Anytime." Dudley and Draco both nodded.

Cindy smiled at her friend and pulled her away all the while whispering to her.

Dudley began to eat and said as if their conversation had not been interrupted or taken a different direction, "Between midnight and five is the best time. The first scheduled delivery is at five."

Draco wrote that in his notes. "Fine. What I'll do is; the forest will be first, Smeltings second and then Privet Drive."

The fall afternoon suddenly brightened when the silvery blond hair of Draco Malfoy came out into the otherwise dim landscape outside of Harry's Bar & Restaurant.

"So this is the genderfucked prat that D. is spending all of his time with."

Draco arched brows at the person who stepped in front of him. He then turned to see Piers Polkiss standing there in all of his splendor of irritating demeanor, spaghetti stains and sneering face.

"Genderfucked?"

Dudley chose that moment to speak up. "Over simplification, it means that you send out mixed messages."

Draco turned to his friend and said, "I know what it means, I was just wondering how Polkiss ever came up with the notion that I send him mixed messages."

Dudley smirked. "Red boots."

"Ah," Draco said, and then he grinned. He turned to Polkiss. "Tell me Polkiss, have you ever heard of Pandora's Box?"

Piers scowled.

"No?" Draco tipped his head at Piers. "Well . . . she had a box that she didn't know what was in it . . . "

Piers started to advance only to find Bill Cameron's hand stopping him.

"Who are you?" Draco asked as he studied Piers' dark haired companion.

Dudley poked him in the side with his elbow.

Draco turned and gave Dudley another arched brow.

"This is not the time to become distracted, Draco," Dudley said. "This is Bill Cameron. He attends Smeltings with us."

Draco nodded to Bill, and then said, "So that means that you know I'm the reason that Piers has all that pretty color on his face. Right?"

Bill looked from Draco to Piers. "No, I didn't know."

"Tsk . . . tsk . . . tsk. Piers are you keeping secrets?"

"No more than D. is," Piers said, scowling at Dudley. "What I want to know is why you're here and why he keeps your presence a secret."

Dudley frowned and answered Piers, "I didn't tell you because you go off into a fit of jealousy and because it doesn't have anything to do with you."

"He's jealous?" Draco frowned as he asked.

"What else would you call it?" Dudley shook his head and looked at Bill. "You shouldn't have been pulled into this, Bill. Piers is just jealous of Draco because he's so good at marshal arts and he happens to look good while doing it."

"Why thank you," Draco said with a smirk.

Dudley rolled his eyes.

Before Bill could react, Piers pushed him aside and stood face to face with Draco. He hissed out, "I will put you down, batty boy."

Draco smirked at him and tipped his head . . . at an angle that would have been seductive under other circumstances and whispered, 'I already told you that I'm not interested."

Bill frowned.

Draco caught his reaction in the corner of his eye so he continued, "Maybe Bill will take you on?"

Piers' hand came up . . .

Draco rolled his eyes, deflected it, and then twisted him around and pulled his arm hard up his back. "How many times do we have to do this, Piers?"

Dudley stopped Bill from advancing and then said, "He's right, Bill. You'd be better off not getting involved unless you have a personal stake in this. Just think of Draco as a Pandora's Box and you don't know what's in it."

"Fine," Bill growled.

Piers grunted at the pain instilled by Draco's rough handling. His face expressed fury as he struggled.

Draco asked, "Are you going to walk away, Piers? You need to decide because if those nice people over call for help everything will come out. Are you ready for that?"

"Draco . . . " Dudley said. "Not here..."

"He has to make up his mind, D. Does he want everyone to know yet?"

Piers shook his head.

"I thought not." Draco gave him a push and said, "Start walking. If you ever get that close to my face again, you'll be opening a box of trouble the likes of which you cannot imagine. I already told you to stay away . . . I meant it."

Piers caught his balance from being pushed and turned to Dudley. "You're some friend, D."

"You stepped up in attack mode Piers," Dudley replied with regret. "I already told you I'm not going to stop being friends with Draco and that you should just let it go. Now you're dragging someone else into this? You didn't even tell Bill what this is really about. What the hell is going on with you Piers?" D. shook his head and continued, "We'll talk later."

Draco nodded at Bill Cameron and turned with D. who was walking to his cycle. Once there he asked, "He wants you to stop being friends with me?"

"He's got it bad Draco. I can't figure it out because he never seemed to even be interested in anyone before. No one--male or female, and then you come along and he is flipping out. I think he thinks that we're a couple and I refuse to admit it. Sorry about that." He shook his head again. "I just can't believe it."

Draco nodded. "I'm not trying to come between you and your friends, he just annoys me is all. I already told him I'm not interested . . . " his voice trailed off as he turned to study the two guys across the parking lot.

Dudley bit his lip. He wasn't sure that he was ready to say anything to Draco about his interest in very black and messy hair . . .

Reviews are like Chocolate Frogs . . . there is a surprise card in each package.
Let me know what you think. Thank You . . . Blessings. LL

A/N: I have carried this over from my fic, Beauty in Perfection - Black Snake Trio: We all know that there is the Golden Trio. I decided that for my story I wanted to give a name to Draco's central cronies. Black comes from his mother's maiden name, snake Slytherin and of course trio is self-explanatory. While it is true that Draco was the one who put this name out into the rumor mill, it does not stop with just the three. Zabini and Finch-Fletchley would be included.

knock for six - To deal a severe blow, to vanquish, to affect someone severely. Found at a British Slang site I use.

mafted - hot and bothered.

AN: The derogatory terms used within this fic are not meant to offend. I was merely attempting to express the deep anger and frustration of both Draco and Piers.

Thank You DemonRogue for your review of last segment. Blessings. LL

(LL sneaking in tightening and editing 1-17-08 ;o)

Blanket Disclaimer: Harry Potter and Co. and all other characters within Potter World do not belong to me. No infringement is intended. I am making no money here; just having fun. Kudos and blessings to the literary genius JKR. This disclaimer is meant to be effective throughout this whole fic. Where mentioned it also includes Pepsi, India Spice Tea and the Psycho Ballistics Delta .68 and last but not least, the Clifford the Big Red Dog book series. Use of these names is solely for entertainment purposes and isn't an endorsement of the product. I am making no money from them either.