It was Saturday. Draco Malfoy wished he could get one last glimpse of Hermione before she traipsed off to the goblins. It was futile, he shouldn't even try. However, he still wanted to, and had to rein himself in. Accordingly, he sat in the Slytherin Common Room, reading a textbook he'd read five times before. That was code for eavesdropping. He wanted to know just when they left, and just when they returned. There were enough Slytherins keeping an eye on the Golden Trio that their every move was reported like some sort of scurrilous gossip. Draco couldn't pretend that hadn't come in handy, however.

Snape ghosted into the Common room, saying only, "Draco Malfoy, accompany me." The lack of "if you please" was vaguely concerning, in that "someone is lurking in the shadows" sort of way. Still, Draco knew better than to openly defy his Housemaster. So up he got, and out he walked, up the stairs...

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Professor McGonagall stood at the Common Room's door, asking sternly, "Will Mister Potter and Miss Granger please follow me? There's business to attend to."

Harry made a face at that, and Hermione instantly knew that he wanted to groan. For that matter, Hermione wanted to pull a face too. The way Professor McGonagall had put it, there would be gossip for the next week on what they were up to.

They proceeded along to Professor Dumbledore's Headmaster's rooms, Professor McGonagall saying, "Cockroach Clusters," with a bit of a smirk. Hermione wanted to ask why that was so funny, but she didn't get a chance, Professor McGonagall was in a hurry - she opened the door for them, and motioned them to enter, as if she was just going to shut the door and be about her business.

Hurriedly, Hermione tried to scootch in the door (her eyes still on her Professor's sternly twinkling eyes), only to run smack dab into the back of one Harry Potter, who was in the midst of trying to scramble out of the room. Hermione put both hands on Harry's shoulders, and peeked over his shoulder.

Snape and Draco Malfoy.

Shite.

Harry was still trying to scramble out of the room, when Albus Dumbledore himself said, "Harry, why don't you come into the room and we'll discuss this like civilized human beings."

Snape sneered, "It would be a vast improvement over your current impression of a balky mule, yes."

When Harry simply stood there, Snape continued smoothly, "Come now, Granger there isn't a Judas Goat, you're hardly being led to the slaughter. Sit down, and we can discuss this day's business."

Harry at last entered, muttering under his breath, "I might as well be." Hermione felt for him, she truly did - it would have been bad enough to fail to bring Ron on one of their adventures. Bringing Draco Malfoy in his stead? A perfect friendship-breaker. Harry and Ron had bonded over making fun of the Silver Ponce, after all.

Draco Malfoy sat as if he were a prince, and asked smoothly, "What is this fuss all about? Don't you trust me, Potter?"

Harry looked blearily up at Draco Malfoy, and shook his head, "It's not that."

Interest. That was precisely what Draco Malfoy projected as he leaned forward. People who knew him less well would have missed that Draco Malfoy nearly never looked interested. That it was a signal of just how alarmed Malfoy was. Gently, he put his hand on Potter's knee, and asked, "Then what is it?"

Oddly enough, Snape spared the bespectacled boy the burden of answering. Or possibly not so oddly, Snape was notoriously impatient. "The three of you will set foot in Gringotts today. They will be expecting you."

Draco Malfoy looked slightly amazed, and said, almost under his breath, "But sir? I don't understand..."

Snape continued, "As the Gryffindors have deduced, you will not be traveling in your own skin." Snape held out a shifting potion in a bottle. Draco recognized it, and his face paled. "Yes, Polyjuice."

Draco's own face had gone white (really, more of a porcelain blue-white), "Who?"

"Ronald Weasley of course." Snape said. He tilted his head downward, and sniffed, "They go everywhere together, you know."

Draco's smirk felt forced, even as he muttered, "Even the bathroom, or so our Common Room says."

[a/n: Up next: How did Snape get the right hair? Leave a review!]