Title: A Fairy's Good Deed
Author: DR asia
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I only do this for fun, don't sue me!
Feedback: Greatly welcomed
Pairing: None (Sorry!)
Categories: Humour/General
Summary: For a fairy who was still short of one good deed, it seemed that resolving Harry and Draco's long-standing rivalry would be a fulfilling project for the year.
A/N: I'm not dead. Just barely alive after surviving what we call 'education' on a daily basis. As such, updates are irregular, I can't promise anything except that it will be finished.
(Those who are waiting for the next chapter of 'U-turn' would have to wait for a while more, more details on my profile.)
Chapter 1 – Arguments (in which Draco and Harry meet each other after the summer and a new player comes in)
Draco Malfoy slunk around the fringes of the group surrounding Harry at Platform 9¾ at Kings Cross Station. They were congratulating Harry on his fight in the Ministry of Magic and for identifying the Death Eaters. At the mention of his father's name, of it often came up when the Death Eaters were being discussed, Draco's grip on his wand tightened.
It reminded him of his purpose of being there.
He made a slashing motion with his wand and the first syllable of the hex was barely out of his mouth when someone knocked into him.
"Sorry! I wasn't looking and…" Colin Creevey grinned sheepishly while cuddling his camera protectively in his arms but he stopped abruptly when he saw just who he had knocked into.
"Malfoy?" Colin spoke in a loud voice.
The conversation in front of them stopped and the group turned to them. Most of them had faces filled with hostility and Harry narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of Draco. Harry's facial expression became even more unpleasant when he saw the wand that was in Draco's hand.
"What are you doing here, Malfoy? Came to give me the revenge you've promised? Forget about that," Harry spat, "do you think that you would get away with this? Everyone would know that it is you who did it –"
"Really, Potter, do you seriously think that everything in the world must revolve around you?" Draco's eyes flashed in anger, "Just so that you would know, you don't dominate the wizarding world like what you might think. Well, I could be just walking past and you'd accuse me of attempted murder!"
"In that case," Ron pointed out from his place besides Harry, "why is your wand out? Don't think that we are so naïve and stupid that we can't recognize you for trying to pull a fast one over us."
Draco's mind raced to get him out of the danger of being exposed. "Well, do I have to account for my every move to you? What I do is none of your business, Weasley. Worry about your family's financial problems instead. That should give you plenty to think about." Turning to Harry, Draco sneered, "Don't worry about being hexed by me this year, although I'd say that you deserve every inch of the pain. Just stay out of my sight and I'll stay out of yours, Potter."
Inside, Draco was fuming. Damn that fifth-year student for ruining his plan! Now, he had even promised Potter that he would not stir trouble this year. Ah well, there were plenty of ways to get around that obstacle to fulfil his revenge. The spell which he had so diligently practised over the summer would just have to be stored away for future use.
Harry stepped forward and spoke again, "Just remember what you've said today, Malfoy. Don't forget, your so-called 'esteemed' father is still in Azkaban. No one can help you if you get into scrapes."
Anger flared up again at the mention of his father and where he was at the moment, Draco growled, "How dare you! You were the one who caused all this! My father even refused to see us –" he broke off and tried to clam down, "Just get out of my sight." Sending one last heated glance at his foe, he stormed off towards the part of the train which his housemates were occupying.
Unknown to the group, there was someone who had witnessed the whole incident from the very start. That someone was currently swearing at her supervisor for placing her in a tight spot.
Lisa had gone to the train station in the hopes of finding more about her latest assignment. She thought that it would be easy to finish this job. Really, how difficult could it be to form a friendship between two boys, especially when they have the same interest – Qudditch?
Instead, she discovered that not only her task is going to be tedious, her finishing line was practically nowhere in sight, by the way her two charges were behaving towards each other.
'I should have known that Serene would deliberately offer me an impossible job! She was so smug when she handed over the letter to me.' Lisa thought as her wings carried her back to her town. 'I'd just have to refuse her and find another one to do.'
Lisa quickly arrived at her destination, a rather dull-looking building at the centre of the town where she lived. However, through the outside of the building was plain, the interior of it was certainly not. Strange and wacky statues were positioned at several corners, rainbow-coloured streamers hang from the mid-point of the ceiling to the four corners and there were light-emitting spheres hovering near the ceiling. The caretakers had obviously forgotten to take down the decorations from the party earlier that month.
The entrance room was tranquil, despite the incongruous decoration. But Lisa took no notice of it while she stride into the room. She tapped the brass bell on the counter and a tired-looking secretary appeared from under the counter, rubbing sleep away from his eyes.
He blinked a few times when he saw Lisa in front of him.
"Lisa? It has been barely three days since you received your last assignment. Don't tell me that you have already finished it. Even I know that it needs at least a few weeks for a fast worker like you!"
Lisa sighed, "No Felix. I came to refuse that offer. Serene gave me an impossible task and she knew it."
Felix raised one eyebrow, "Really? Well, good luck to you then."
He knocked on the wooden door besides the counter, announced Lisa's arrival and opened the door to let her in.
Serene was waiting for her, almost as if she knew that Lisa would be asking to see her. She motioned Lisa to sit on the visitor's chair, a hard wooden chair which was extremely uncomfortable to sit on for a long period of time. Lisa secretly thought Serene chose that chair to get a kick whenever she saw someone squirm in it.
Lisa didn't like Serene at all.
Wanting to end things as soon as possible, Lisa went straight to the heart of the matter. "Serene, I can't do it. Can someone else take over instead?"
Her supervisor just smiled, a small upward movement of her lips as if Lisa had amused her. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that. This particular job was requested by the Queen herself. She personally asked me to give it to the most efficient person, that's you Lisa. Didn't you complete 364 good deeds in just eight months? You have only one left and your peers are still way behind you. You are the only one who can do it."
"I really can't! It's impossible to accomplish what the Queen's asking. Anyone with normal functioning eyes can see that!"
The smile vanished. "Are you implying that the Queen is stupid? If you say anything along those lines again, you'll find yourself jobless and homeless very soon."
"I didn't mean it that way." Lisa swallowed. Angering the Queen was never a wise thing to do, you could find yourself without a head if you were unlucky. "I just don't think that my abilities are up to that kind of standard. Could you do it instead?"
She prayed that Serene would say yes.
"Of course…not." Serene gave a rather tired sigh. "The paperwork which I have to do everyday is enough for me. I don't have that much energy to devote myself into a task such as this." She smiled again, "I'm sure you'll do fine."
Lisa glanced at her table. It was free of any papers whatsoever.
Something began to fan the anger that was starting to build up within her. It was obvious to Lisa that Serene had no intention of helping her.
"Are you that it was really the Queen who requested it?" Lisa folded her arms across her chest. "Our community had been closed off to the rest of the world for years. Why the sudden interest in the real world again? And all for a couple of sixteen-year-old boys? Something tells me that it all seems very fishy."
"Lisa Lisa Lisa," Serene sighed, "didn't you listen to me at all when I was briefing you about this mission? There is a dark force that is rapidly gaining power in the wizarding world. If nothing is done, the Queen fears that all would be lost to this darkness. We even could be discovered that we are not extinct as others believed us to be. Harry Potter, or as the rest of the wizarding world know him, the Boy Who Lived, is believed to be the one who can defeat this evil power."
"But, what about Draco Malfoy?" Lisa interrupted. "I don't see what all this has to do with him."
Serene frowned. "Don't cut in while I'm talking. It's rude. As I was about to say, Draco Malfoy is the son of the Dark Lord's right-hand man. His father is currently imprisoned in Azaban. Draco appears to hate Harry with a passion that we fear would get Harry killed one day. Now, that is one outcome which we must avoid at all cost if we wish to continue our existence unnoticed.
"Our Queen thinks that if these two could be friends instead of enemies likes they are now, " Serene continued, "there would be a higher chance of the Light side to emerge victory and sooner. Since the Malfoy boy would surely know a few things about the Death Eaters – silly name, in my opinion – that would benefit Harry in his course to defeat them."
Lisa thought it over and murmured to herself. "I see. It all makes sense to me now."
Her supervisor looked at Lisa and said, "Surely you don't think that the Queen would be interested in the affairs of two boys if they were not important or significant in any way?"
"Er…I…"
"Never mind. Remember, you have four months to do this. Not a second more after the clock strikes at midnight on the last of the year."
"What about help? You can't expect me to achieve this on my own. This isn't some simple schoolboy rivalry that would disappear with a snap of my fingers!"
"Lisa," there was a glint of something in her eyes as she said it, "have you forgotten what are you? A fairy can be invisible, change into any forms at will, perform spells and more. Moreover, your performances have always been outstanding so far. There isn't a deed you couldn't complete. Out of the standard 365 good deeds that a fairy of your occupation is required to finish in a year, you have only one left. And September is just round the corner. As for help, you can do anything in your power. Yes, unrestricted use of magic. Just don't reveal yourself as a fairy.
"Treat this as a challenge. Four months to form a friendship between Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy. Good luck, you'll need it."