Disclaimer: (blah blah blah)
A/N: Hey, everyone, this is the promised summary of the year from Draco's pov. It's actually a lot longer than the last chapter because it gives you some insight to his character as well. I hope you like it!
Patience has never been one of my strong points. I sent a copy of this to my beta, but I don't think she'll be getting back to me for a while, so... At least half of this isn't proofread by anyone but me. Ignore any little mistakes, it's alright for the most part.
Draco Malfoy was not having a good year, and it all started when he met Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, Gryffindor's Golden Child, and self-proclaimed rival of the Slytherin Prince.
Seriously, what could he have been thinking, wanting Potter as his friend? The boy seemed to infuriate Draco with his very presence! And as if dealing with him wasn't bad enough, Draco had to put up with his little Gryffindork friends! What could Potter have possibly seen in a Muggle-lover and a Mudblood? To think, he chose them over Draco, the sole heir of one of the wealthiest pureblood families in the entire bloody country! People were practically falling over themselves to befriend him!
After the initial embarrassment when Potter refused his hand on the train, Draco had made a promise to himself. He vowed to make Harry Potter's life a living hell. After all, no one turns down a Malfoy.
Arrogant prats aside, Draco's first year at Hogwarts wasn't a total disaster. He was sorted into Slytherin; as if a Malfoy could go anywhere else! He had only been on the stool for a second, not even allowing that filthy hat to touch his head. After taking a seat between Crabbe and Goyle (he was still wondering how they had managed anything but Hufflepuff) Draco had watched the rest of the Sorting proceed.
Potter had gone into Gryffindor, of course, among a standing ovation from the Weasley twins. Up at the Head Table, he had seen his godfather grimace. It took a few moments for McGonagall to come to her senses and continue with the rest of the students. The know-it-all Mudblood had become a Gryffindor, although she was more of a Ravenclaw than anyone. Weasel had joined the rest of his pack. Even Neville Longbottom had managed to find himself in Gryffindor by some miracle. The dunce had nearly tripped over his feet in his excitement.
Draco had recognized several faces joining him at the Slytherin table, both old and new. Pansy, unfortunately had ended up right across from him, simpering throughout the entire feast. Theodore Nott, whose father was an old acquaintance of Lucius, was there as well.
It was also a pleasant surprise for Draco to see Blaise Zabini at Hogwarts. They had been friends when they were younger, until the death of Blaise's third step-father. Due to pressure from the ministry, his mother had elected to move to Italy where the rest of their family originated. Zabini was one of the few people Draco could tolerate at Hogwarts. Unlike the rest of his house, Blaise didn't treat Draco like royalty. It gave Draco the chance to relax without the pressure of who his father was, but it also meant Blaise was the only one who could get away with teasing him.
Classes were an interesting affair. Draco was getting top grades as expected. His father had been teaching him privately for years, although this was the first time he'd been able to practice with a wand. The teachers were pathetic, however. No surprise when one considered the headmaster. Most of the professors treated Draco as any other student, although there were a couple exceptions.
Professor McGonagall was the Head of Gryffindor, and rather biased toward Slytherins. She was never partial toward her own House, but she did give the cold shoulder toward most of the snakes. Draco in particular seemed to irritate her, although it wasn't his fault Longbottom got hit with that Leg-Locker Curse in the hallway. Draco was only practicing when the Gryffindor stepped into the path of his hex. Not that he tried very hard to undo it afterwards. He and his dorm mates were too busy laughing at the sight of Longbottom trying to hop up the stairs. He was no doubt hoping that the Mudblood could fix him.
Snape was the polar opposite of McGonagall in classes. It may have had something to do with him being the Slytherin Head of House, and everyone knew he favored them to make up for the rest of the school's treatment, but when it came to Draco, there was another reason. Severus Snape was his godfather.
He had been there to watch Draco grow up, and had been the only one to ever really care about him. When Narcissa was too busy attending political functions, Severus would take Draco for the day, and let him play Quidditch. When Lucius was disgusted by his son's behavior, and showed his displeasure, Severus was the one to comfort him. Neither of his parents had ever done more than was absolutely required in order to raise a proper, polite, pureblood wizard. If not for Severus, Draco would be nothing more than a mindless puppet. It was from his godfather that Draco had inherited his knack for Potions, not to mention his sharp wit and never-ending sarcasm. Severus was all he had ever needed growing up. He was Draco's 'Uncle Sevvy,' a name Severus had forbidden him from ever using after he turned nine. It was excellent blackmail.
However, Draco looked forward to Potions class for an entirely different reason. It was the one class they shared with the Gryffindors. While that in itself was not usually a good thing, if the professor was on your side, it made for an entertaining affair. In other words, the Slytherins could torment the pathetic Golden Trio all they liked, and not even lose points while doing so. His favorite attempt so far was back at the beginning of the year.
Flashback:
Potter had been acting odd all lesson, alternately paling and blushing. The tell-tale twitching at the corner of his lips hinted that he was trying desperately not to laugh. It certainly wasn't the type of reaction one would expect from the Boy-Who-Lived as he listened to someone insult his dead father so casually.
Draco decided to liven things up a bit, seeing as how his own housemates were growing bored with Potter's lack of response to Snape's jibes. So, when the boy wasn't looking, Draco lobbed a bundle of fluxweed into Potter's potion. The resulting explosion five minutes later was spectacular, and the faintly shocked look on Potter's face was priceless.
His godfather was furious, and took twenty points from Gryffindor, although Draco was positive he had seen the real cause. The man spared Draco a small smirk as he was packing up his books, tilting his head in the direction of Potter as the boy ran out of the room. Weasley and Granger followed, the red-head not even bothering to lower his voice as he expressed his colorful opinion of their professor. Granger was heard scolding him for his lack of respect all the way out of the dungeons.
Other than classes, there was also Quidditch to keep Draco occupied. Unfortunately, there was that ridiculous rule preventing first years from trying out for their House team. It was like they expected the eleven-year-olds to just fall out of the air due to their inexperience. Of course, that rule didn't seem to apply to Harry-bloody-Potter. Draco still got a bitter taste in his mouth every time he thought of flying lessons with the Gryffindors. If only he had kept his big mouth shut.
Flashback:
Draco and his friends burst out laughing as soon as Hooch was out of sight. Looking at the place where Longbottom had crashed, he spotted the sunlight glinting off something in the grass and bent down to pick it up. Grinning as he realized what it was, Draco held it up for everyone to see.
"Look, it's that Remembrall Longbottom's Gran sent him! Pity, if that lump had thought to give this a squeeze, he might have remembered to land on his fat arse!"
The Slytherins roared with laughter, while the Gryffindors glowered. Parvati Patil tried to defend Longbottom, and Pansy stepped in.
"Hey, Parvati, I didn't know you had a thing for cry-babies!" She giggled at her own joke, simultaneously fluttering her eyes in Draco's direction. The blonde just rolled his eyes at her actions, while Blaise snickered.
"Give it here, Malfoy!" A bold voice cut in, and the surrounding students hushed. Draco turned around and came face to face with the Boy Wonder and his temperamental sidekick.
Smirking, Draco pretended to think about it. "No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find himself." He grabbed one of the discarded brooms off the ground and leapt into the air, before adding, "How about up a tree?"
Laughing, he took off into the air, the Remembrall clutched in his fist. Hooch had warned them to stay on the ground, but since when did a Malfoy take orders from anyone?
Back on the ground, he watched as his fellow classmates started bickering with each other. Draco did a particularly daring swoop and listened to his friends cheer. Potter seemed to be fighting with the bushy-haired Mudblood, but then he surprised them all by taking up a broom and lifting off as though he'd been doing it all his life. Draco himself was stunned at the unexpected grace Potter showed as he leveled with him. Wasn't Potter Muggle-raised?
Glaring, the boy held out his hand and demanded, "Now, hand it over, Malfoy!"
"Why should I?" Draco asked coolly, giving the ball a little toss and catching it one handed.
Potter swelled with indignation but only smirked instead of shouting as the other expected. Draco, despite himself, felt slightly worried by the gleam in the boy's eyes. Suddenly, Potter aimed his broom at Draco, and shot towards him, nearly unseating the blonde in the process. Draco barely got out of the way by using the sloth grip roll he'd once seen used in a Quidditch magazine.
Gasping, and bit shaken, he yelled at the amused-looking boy, "What do you think you're doing, Potter? Are you trying to get us both killed?"
"Not at all, Malfoy," he replied with a lopsided grin. "What's the matter, scared because you're little bodyguards can't help you now? Give it back, before I knock you off that broom!"
Draco sneered weakly, but took the threat seriously. Potter was just Gryffindor enough to try it. Deciding to end this and get back to the ground as soon as possible, Draco lifted the glass ball for him to see it.
"Have it your way, then! Catch!" With that, Draco tossed the ball in the air and flew back down to the field. Blaise and Nott clapped him on the back, and Draco looked to see how Potter was fairing. The boy was actually trying to catch the damn thing in a straight dive that could only be considered suicidal. Both Slytherins and Gryffindors watched with bated breath as he dropped. Five feet from the ground, the boy pulled up, the Remembrall secure in his hands.
Potter landed in a mass of Gryffindors, his cheeks flushed with excitement as his housemates congratulated him. Rolling his eyes, Draco caught sight of a familiar figure in a pointed witches' hat, stalking towards the unsuspecting students, her lips set in a tight line.
"POTTER!"
Said boy blanched at the expression on his Head of House's face. Paling, he dropped his broom as though scalded. McGonagall grabbed him by the wrist and began herding him back toward the school, shouting about dangerous stunts all the way.
The Gryffindors looked like they were already planning Potter's funeral as they were overcome by a total gloom. It seemed like their hero was about to be expelled. This time tomorrow, the bane of Draco's existence would be packed and on the train home. The Slytherins couldn't stop beaming.
Unfortunately, Potter wasn't expelled, as Draco had been expecting. Instead, the git strolled into the Great Hall the next morning like nothing had happened, and sat down chatting with his friends. When the owl post arrived, a long, thin package landed in front of the boy. It was in the unmistakable shape of a broom. Draco followed the Gryffindors into the hall to investigate.
He managed to snatch the package out of Potter's hands, and felt the hardwood handle under the brown paper. Flitwick showed up just as Draco was planning on getting them in trouble. It turned out that the Charms professor knew all about Potter's new broom. Weasley snatched it back from Draco's slack grip, and the two walked off chortling at his expense. Potter actually had the nerve to look back and announce his thanks to the blonde for getting him a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team.
Yes, because of Draco, Harry Potter became the school's star Seeker. Sometimes, life just wasn't fair.
Grudgingly, Draco had to admit that the boy wasn't completely talentless, but it was more dumb luck than anything. During the first Quidditch match against his own House, Potter's broom had started jerking all over the place. At first glance, it seemed that Potter was just showing off, at least, until the boy actually went flying over the handle of his broom. Potter was left hanging on by one hand as the Nimbus 2000 rose higher above most of the game.
Not had many noticed what was happening to their savior, but Draco had. He wasn't surprised to see his godfather chanting a counter curse from the stands (it was his duty under Dumbledore to protect even the lowliest student) but Draco was caught off guard to see who was doing the actual cursing. Weak, sniveling Professor Quirrell was jinxing Harry Potter's broom.
Draco would have bothered to ponder the situation more if he hadn't been distracted by the rest of the stands jumping up and screaming. Glancing down onto the field, he saw Potter on all fours and gagging. He thought the boy was going to be sick until he spat something into his hand, and held up the Golden Snitch a moment later. Draco hoped someone remembered to wash that thing.
After that disastrous flying lesson, Draco had started another confrontation with Potter in the Great Hall. When the boy opened his mouth to retort, he brought up the subject of the blonde being much braver on the ground with Crabbe and Goyle on hand. Of course he was! As if anyone could feel safe in the air with a lunatic Gryffindor!
Still, Draco couldn't let the comment slide. It just wasn't in his nature. So, he challenged Potter to a wizard's duel. The idiot just stared at Draco blankly before Weasley accepted for him. He offered himself as Potter's second, while Draco nominated Crabbe. Really, he would have chosen someone with more brains than brawn, but it wasn't as if he was planning to show up anyway.
Flashback:
Draco grinned and began to reset the chessboard for another game. Nott pushed away from the table, scowling. This was the second time he had lost to Draco, and he was short his queen after only his fifth move. "So, who else is ready to lose?"
Around him, his friends were lounging in the common room. It was growing quite late, but none of the boys felt any desire to sleep on a Saturday night.
Blaise sat sideways in his chair, legs thrown over the armrest, and a book propped open on his stomach. Saving his page, he looked up from his reading and raised an inquisitive eyebrow in Draco's direction. "Don't you have a duel to get to?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Zabini," he replied innocently.
"The one you challenged Potter to? You know, they're probably already waiting in the trophy room. Aren't you going to meet them?"
Draco snorted. "Of course not. Although, I think Mr. Filch will be joining them shortly. I believe he received an anonymous tip that some students would be up to no good in there..."
Blaise snickered, "I can't wait to see the look on Potter's face tomorrow when he realizes you set him up!"
"I did no such thing!" Draco protested. "It's not my fault they actually believed I would duel them. As if I would waste my impeccable talent on them! The best Potter could do would be a Tickling Hex!"
The next day, it wasn't hard for Draco to spot Potter. One had to be blind to miss the full on death glares the boy was sending him all day. Didn't Gryffindors have any notion of subtlety? Obviously not, since Weasley looked ready to strangle him every time they passed in the halls.
Potter and Weasley looked as though they'd had a rough night, even if they had escaped Filch. They were both pale, with dark shadows under their eyes. At the same time, neither could seem to shut up if the whispering going on between their bent heads was anything to go by.
Draco resolved to watch his back for the time being. He didn't fancy getting ambushed by angry lions. They really did take offense much too easily. Sure, he supposed he was a bit in the wrong for leaving his fellow students to the notoriously sadistic caretaker. Did Draco feel any remorse? Hell no, he thought the situation was bloody hilarious.
Months passed without any serious problems. Draco still took every chance to plague the Gryffindors, and found great delight in watching them lose points every Potions class, but nothing truly note-worthy happened. School itself was flying by, and the initial excitement at using magic was waning.
The only thing of interest to occur was at the end of October, Halloween in fact. Draco's family had never taken much stock in the holiday, at least not since the Muggles took it over. All Hallows Eve used to be a sacred time among pureblood families, to show remembrance for their ancestors and the creation of magic. Now it was a time when the Muggles tried to imitate wizards with their horribly insulting costumes, and people like Crabbe and Goyle made pigs of themselves. Pathetic.
The Hogwarts feast wasn't too bad, though, and the Great Hall was interesting enough to see. The real excitement didn't come until their disgrace of a Defense teacher burst through the double doors, screaming at the top of his lungs. After announcing to the entire student body that a troll was loose in the dungeons, he fainted.
The feast was undeniably canceled once the students whipped themselves into a frenzy, and all over a simple troll. Draco wasn't worried, not at all. He was only under the table to avoid getting trampled...
The students were all ushered back to their dorms by the prefects, although, Draco did catch his godfather slipping through a side door when no one was watching. He wondered where he was going, but soon forgot when the irate prefect had to stop and point out to their careless Headmaster that the Slytherins couldn't exactly go through the dungeons. Barmy old man couldn't have cared less about them as long as his precious Gryffindors were safe.
Draco later learned by way of the Hogwarts rumor mill, a.k.a. Pansy, that some first years had knocked out the troll in a girls' bathroom. He'd had a hard time believing that any student could take on a fully grown mountain troll, and come away unscathed, but apparently, someone had. His money was on Potter and his groupies after watching the way they suddenly welcomed the know-it-all, Granger, into their little club. Something must have happened to make them so buddy-buddy, when he had heard Weasley insulting her to tears just the day before. Even Draco hadn't managed that.
With every recounting of the tale, Draco would only roll his eyes and mutter about foolhardy Gryffindors. Then he would tell himself that he was spending far too much time around Severus. His snarkiness was rubbing off.
Speaking of the Potions Master, Draco had indeed spent a large amount of his free time perusing his godfather's private chambers and discussing mundane topics, such as his studies, and the mockery that was his godfather's second year Hufflepuff class. He would often spend the few hours after dinner with Severus, drinking tea, and generally avoiding his housemates. Even Zabini could be tiresome at times.
Actually, that wasn't a surprise. Draco could remember when they were younger, and all the times the boy had driven him to distraction. At least he was past the phase of jumping on the furniture. He could still recall his mother's reaction the first time she caught them bouncing on Draco's expensive Acromantula silk bed sheets while wearing their muddy play shoes.
As December came to a close, and the Christmas break neared, Draco kept in contact with his parents by owl post. It was mostly his mother just checking up and sending her usual batch of store-bought sweets with his eagle owl. He held onto the belief that she was doing it only for appearances, since she hadn't let him near anything other than oatmeal cookies since the incident.
His father rarely spared the time to write his son, and when he did, it was for anything but pleasantries. So far, Draco had been praised for his outstanding grades in the report Severus sent his father, but told he could do better. Lucius had also wanted to know how things were going with Potter. He wasn't pleased to hear that the two were nowhere near friends, but admitted that he hadn't been expecting much. Apparently, he remembered dealing with James Potter in his school years, and found the arrogant man repulsive. He commended Draco for his effort, but realized it was a lost cause.
Draco was relieved to hear that because there was no way he would beg for Potter's forgiveness. He could just imagine the reaction he would get from that. His friends would drag him straight to their Head of House to make sure he wasn't under some type of potion, and Potter would think he was insane. It might have been worth it just to see Potter's face, but Draco wasn't willing to degrade himself for that. It was so much easier to just taunt the boy, especially with the Mudblood around.
Christmas arrived, and Draco went home with the majority of his peers. His parents threw their annual ball at the manor, that Draco was forced to attend, despite his many protests. He had actually tried to escape midway through, only to be caught on the balcony by Pansy, and physically dragged back inside. Had he mentioned how much he despised that girl?
Blaise, unfortunately, could not attend. His mother preferred to keep her return to England quiet for the time being, and it didn't help that every dignitary around was invited to the ball, specifically their useless excuse for a minister. Draco knew his father only put up with the man because it gave him so much leeway in the ministry. That, and Fudge was so easy to keep complacent with the Malfoys' generous donations.
Once the need for formalities was over, Draco got to enjoy the rest of his vacation in relative peace and quiet. In other words, after receiving his usual stock of expensive gifts from both family and friends, he didn't see heads or tails of his parents unless it was for meals in the dining room. He ended up staying outside and flying around the grounds after he finished any homework. He also Floo-ed over to Blaise's home, and ended up spending the last of winter break there. It wasn't like his parents cared.
School started up again, and Draco went through each day feeling rather bored with it all. Messing with the Gryffindors had lost its novelty, and even moving onto Hufflepuffs couldn't give him the same satisfaction. There was no point in angering the Ravenclaws. They happened to be the only House that didn't automatically mark the Slytherins as evil. They did have brains, after all.
Once again, it was the Gryffindor trio that solved Draco's dilemma. They always did seem to be involved, but this time it was pure coincidence.
Flashback:
Draco was visiting the library one afternoon, searching for a book on hexes. Sadly, the Hogwarts library was so child-proofed that the only texts worth reading lay in the Restricted Section, which Draco couldn't get access to without Dumbledore finding out. Even his godfather couldn't help him there.
He was just about to give up and go back to the dungeons when he spotted Granger's frizzy mane from behind a stack of books. That in itself wasn't unusual. What managed to finally peak Draco's interest was her two friends looking equally absorbed in their reading. All three were sitting at a table in the far corner of the library, as though hoping to attract less notice. They had a rather impressive collection of books scattered across their table, but Draco couldn't make out any of the titles from where he stood.
Hoping to get a closer look, he strode forward, occasionally scanning shelves and watching the Gryffindors through his peripheral vision. When he was only one shelf away, he stopped to listen, hoping he could hear them over the noisy fourth years nearby. Where was Pince when you needed her?
He needn't have worried, for Weasley solved the sound issue by tossing down his book in disgust, and venting his irritation loudly.
"Hermione, can't we go now? We've been here for hours, and we haven't found anything on this Flamel bloke!" he whined, looking at Potter for back up.
'Flamel?' Draco thought. 'Where have I heard that name?'
"Ron's right," Potter said, putting aside his own book. "We've looked everywhere."
Granger glanced at the two, seeming frustrated, "I just know I've seen his name, though! If only I could remember where..."
"Well, he's got to be someone important," Weasley said. "Why else would Dumbledore need all that security? Fluffy's not just there for show-"
Potter suddenly stopped him from saying more. Granger motioned for him to be quiet, and pretended to go back to her reading. The red-head didn't understand why until he followed Potter's gaze. The emerald eyes happened to be burning in Draco's direction.
Knowing he'd been spotted, Draco gave up the pretense of browsing for a book and locked gazes with the suspicious boy.
"Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel, and the Mudblood-"
Weasley jerked out of his chair at the point, and it was only Granger's restraining hand that kept him down as she also gave him an icy stare.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Potter tried to place a casual hand over the title of one of his books, but Draco caught the words 'Famous Wizards.' He held back a snort. Potter was probably researching himself.
"Nothing, Scar-head, just wondering what a bunch of Gryffindors are doing cooped up in the library on such a beautiful day. Granger I can understand, but shouldn't you two be off playing whatever it is that keeps your short attention spans happy?"
"What about you, Malfoy? Don't you have anything better to do?"
Draco spared the Boy-Who-Lived a sarcastic look, "What, and give up my favorite hobby?"
"Malfoy," Potter replied in a dry voice, "if your only goal in life is to annoy us, maybe you should switch to Hufflepuff. After all, aren't Slytherins supposed to be ambitious?"
Weasley snorted, and Granger tried to hide her smile behind her book. Draco sneered, "Like you would know anything about Slytherins, Potter. I suppose I can let it slip this once, Gryffindors never were known for their intelligence."
Potter didn't rise to the bait, and only commented, "I think you're losing your touch if that's the best you can come up with. Now, why don't you run along, Malfoy. I'm sure by now Crabbe and Goyle are lost without you."
Draco rolled his eyes, but left it at that. He really should have protested more when his father stuck him with those two idiots. They were ruining his image.
On his way out of the library, Draco clamped down on the satisfied smirk threatening to break free. Potter had tried too hard to get him to leave. Normally, Weasley wouldn't let things rest before at least one of them lost points. That clinched Draco's suspicion that they were hiding something, and he resolved to find out what.
Draco didn't get his chance until a week later, when he caught sight of the trio making their way outside the castle. He assumed they were going to visit that oaf, Hagrid, but Draco decided to follow just in case.
He watched them enter the cramped hut, and waited until it was safe to get near. He finally made it to the single window that was partially obscured by a lacey curtain. Peering inside, Draco saw the absolute last thing he expected. He stared at the four people crowded around a scrubbed wooden table, and saw a shiny black egg cracking down the middle. Only seconds later, it split open and a wrinkled, lizard-like creature spilled out. Draco's mouth was hanging open in an expression that would have surely killed his reputation had anyone seen it. They had just hatched a bloody dragon!
Before Draco could leave, however, he was spotted. He caught a glimpse of those inside just before he took off running for the castle. Three of the faces inside sported absolute horror at his discovery. Potter's face, however, was set in a mask of fury. It was the worry for his own safety that gave Draco an extra sprint.
For two weeks, Draco reveled in the power that came along with his knowledge. It was obvious the Gryffindors were on edge. On more than one occasion, he had seen them whispering urgently or passing notes in class. It was obvious they were also going down to see the groundskeeper several nights a week.
For his part, Draco didn't say anything, deciding to keep quiet until the perfect opportunity arose, preferably when it would be most detrimental to Potter. He didn't say a word about what he had seen that day, not even to his friends. Blaise did comment once on the unusual behavior of the Golden Trio, and the constant unease they showed. Draco only shrugged it off with the excuse that they'd probably done something to get on Snape's bad side.
Draco continued to watch Potter and his friends for any sudden changes. He was curious as to what they planned to do with the dragon. After all, as amusing as it would be to see the oaf's house catch fire, it would cause a good deal of trouble if the baby dragon got loose on the grounds. Draco also knew that dragons didn't stay small for very long. By now, the thing could bigger than most first years!
On Thursday, Draco was startled during what he had come to call 'Potter Watching' when he realized that the Weasel was absent. He learned the reason why in Potions class when Granger was forced to make his excuses to Snape. Apparently, Weasley was in the hospital wing. Draco decided to do some investigating on Weasley's sudden injury, and maybe just have a good laugh at the boy's expense while he was at it.
Slipping into the hospital wing was easy enough. He waited until Pomfrey was out of the way to approach the boy's bed. He'd heard the nurse questioning the unusual bite on his hand. Draco had to hold back a laugh when Weasley stuttered some cock-and-bull story about a dog. He had to agree with Pomfrey's incredulous expression. Weasley's hand had swollen to twice its normal size and was tinged purple. Yeah, a dog did that. Maybe one with poisonous fangs.
Draco was sure that the dragon was responsible, and used the knowledge to threaten Weasley. He mentioned telling the nurse, purely for Weasley's own good, of course. While the other boy floundered, Draco grabbed the copy of Quidditch Through the Ages that Weasley had on his bedside table. He was just in time for Madam Pomfrey to return. She pursed her lips at the sight of Draco and wanted to know why he was there. He gave her his most charming smile in reply and shrugged, saying he only wanted to borrow one of Weasley's books, and to see how he was doing. She bought the lie with a slightly suspicious glance, but Draco managed to run back to the dungeons without reprimand.
It wasn't until he was back in the dormitory that he found it. Draco was reclining in front of the fire, and sneering at the patched up copy he still held in his hands. He tossed it to the side in disgust, but was surprised when something additional fell out. At first, he assumed it was just a loose page, but when he picked it up, he found a slip of folded parchment, covered in a quick scrawl.
As his eyes scanned across the note, Draco's lips stretched in a devious smirk. When he finished, he stared into the fire contemplatively, the letter crumpled in his fist.
So, Potter was planning to get rid of the dragon at last. Now all Draco had to do was sneak up to the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday, and just maybe he could catch Potter in the act of smuggling off an illegal dragon... That would show him.
Unfortunately, Draco's little scheme, didn't go exactly according to plan. Actually, it was a total disaster. He supposed he had been too hasty in his excitement. He really should have thought of some type of back up, or at least an alibi. Really, he was disappointed in himself. What kind of Slytherin was he, that he couldn't even sneak out without getting noticed?
Yes, Draco was horribly ashamed to say that he was caught halfway up to the tower by none other than McGonagall. Even Filch would have been a better choice. She showed up as he was turning a corner, still dressed in her tartan bathrobe and hair net. What the hell was she doing dressed like that in the corridors anyway? Draco had nearly jumped out of his skin when she turned up in front of him. He didn't know how she could have appeared so suddenly when the only thing he had seen in the halls so far was a tabby cat prowling around for mice.
McGonagall then proceeded to drag him to her office by the ear, as if he was some sort of child! He still thanked Merlin that no one was around to see his humiliation. Draco was too stunned at the time to come up with a good reason for being out at night. The only thing he managed to blurt out was the truth. Harry Potter was out wandering the school with a dragon. In the case of Gryffindors, they say that the truth shall set you free. All it did for Draco was a gasp of outrage and a sore ear. Ah, and let's not forget that detention and twenty points from Slytherin.
Luckily, at least in Draco's opinion, he wasn't the only one to suffer. Barely ten minutes into McGonagall's rant, Filch showed up dragging along two miserable Gryffindors. Granger looked ready to cry in front of her Head of House, while Potter turned bright red at the sight of Malfoy. At least that was some consolation. He wasn't the only one about to get punished. Draco was surprised, however, when McGonagall brought their attention to Longbottom sitting morosely in a chair at the corner of the room. Draco had somehow missed the boy's presence. It turned out he had overheard Draco earlier that day. Damn, he knew he shouldn't have told Crabbe and Goyle where he was going, but he had needed an excuse so they wouldn't follow him. To think, he had been worried about them getting him caught.
As punishment for their misdeeds, and Draco had to roll his eyes at McGonagall's version of events, they would each lose fifty points from their house, and be given detention. Personally, Draco wasn't too worried. Normally, fifty points was quite a lot, but multiply that by three, and the Gryffindors were royally screwed. That would put them in last place for the House Cup, and conveniently put Slytherin in first.
The next day, he was witness to the absolute outrage of the Gryffindor house. They were furious to see more than a hundred points disappear in one stupid incident. Potter and his friends were practically outcast by their fellows. Draco, on the other hand, was a hero. Not many knew of his involvement. Their loss of points was completely overshadowed in light of events. Those that did hear about his part were ecstatic. They had been worried about losing their winning streak after the outcome of the Quidditch match, but now there was no way Gryffindor could catch up. They were in last place because of Harry Potter, and everyone knew it.
Potter himself spent his days looking abnormally downcast. He and his friends were trying as hard as possible to be invisible. Even Granger stopped showing off in lessons. They were all miserable, and Draco couldn't be happier. At least, for the moment.
There was still the detention, which Draco was not looking forward to, but it was a small price to pay. He could grit his teeth and deal with whatever menial chore they were given. It was nothing.
Once again, Draco was wrong. He had to wonder just how many mistakes he was going to make that year. Good thing his father hadn't heard about them. Lucius Malfoy did receive a notice about his son's punishment, but as it was preceded by a letter about Gryffindor's losses from his godfather, it was null and void.
The detention itself was what had Draco so irked. While normal situations called for a few hours of cleaning under the caretaker's vindictive eye, Dumbledore had finally gone too far. He was sending a bunch of first years out into the dark forest with nothing but a moronic half giant and his cowardly dog for protection. Draco chose the dog.
When they were first informed of their assignment, Draco had balked. They were expected to go in there? Wasn't that forbidden? Besides, there were werewolves! He'd heard enough stories of what they could do to people, and he was not above admitting his fear of them. Well, until the Gryffindors started laughing at him. Then he grabbed up a lantern and ordered the drooling mutt to move.
Hagrid stuck Draco with Longbottom at first, leaving him to follow the splashes of unicorn blood while the other boy twitched and flinched at at every crackle of leaves and sigh of wind. Really, Draco couldn't help himself. It was just too tempting at the time, so he couldn't be blamed for taking the opportunity to make the baby wet his pants. All he did was set off a few sparks, and Longbottom was screaming his head off.
The giant burst through the foliage only seconds later, and scowled at the sight of a whimpering Longbottom while Draco was bent over in stitches. As a result of his actions, he was forced to continue their search with Potter instead. Wasn't the detention punishment enough? No, they had to pair him up with the Golden Boy.
As they tramped through the forest, coming upon larger puddles of the slivery liquid, Potter decided to put the blonde in his place. Draco was only speaking his mind when Potter interrupted his completely justified tirade.
Flashback:
Draco grumbled in annoyance as he trippedover another upraised tree root. It shouldn't have been possible, seeing how massive they were, but he still managed to catch his shoe on every one in the dark. He held up the lantern higher, hoping to shed some light on the foggy ground.
He heard Potter stumbling along behind him, the dog at his side. Potter didn't seem overly concerned with their joint predicament, simply scanning the ground as he walked for traces of unicorn blood. Draco was frustrated with the simple duty. He would mutter every now and then about the futile situation. Why should they be out here, traipsing around in the wilderness? This was servants' work!
"-When my father hears about this-"
"Oh, do shut up, Malfoy!" Potter finally spoke up, seemingly fed up with Draco's moaning.
Draco gasped at the interruption, and turned around to glare at the other boy. "How dare you-"
"Would you quit whining already?" Potter asked, throwing up his hands in desperation.
Draco was insulted. Malfoys did not whine! "I am not-"
"Yes, you are, and incase you've forgotten, Malfoy, this is all your fault!" The emerald-eyed boy pointed at him accusingly.
"My fault?" Draco sputtered. "You're the one who was playing around with a dragon:
"His name is Norbert!"
"Aww," the blonde cooed. "Does Potty miss the scaly brute?"
"Hey, at least he had more manners than you, Malfoy, and that was while he kept trying to burn things!"
"Well, I-"
"What was that?" Potter ignored Draco's indignation, and looked around wildly. He was staring off into the misty darkness, eyes wide.
Draco couldn't care less what the boy was afraid of. He was just as bad as Longbottom! "Are you even listening, Potter? I'm not finished with you-"
"Shut up!" the boy hissed, taking cautious steps forward.
"Don't you tell me to-"
A small hand slapped over Draco's mouth, halting his speech. He tried to yell at Potter in outrage, but was silenced when he peered into the clearing up ahead.
Potter released Draco and crept towards the shining silver carcass on the ground. He started to wipe his hand off on his robes before he stopped in shock. Draco held no such qualms as he spat on the ground. Yuck, he hoped Potter wasn't contagious. He only looked up when he heard a cry of surprise.
Freezing, Draco watched in horror as a cloaked figure practically slithered over the ground, it's black cloak sliding over the dead unicorn. The stranger glanced toward both boys as though sensing their presence, and Draco caught a glimpse of a shadowed face, only showing a mouth dripping with silver blood as it curved up in a sinister smile.
As Potter fell backwards, clutching his head in pain, the figure loomed over them both. Faced with the danger of a truly dark creature, Draco did the only thing he could think of. Only sparing a brief glance in Potter's direction, Draco dropped the lantern, barely registering as it shattered on the ground, and ran for all he was worth, screaming bloody murder.
Okay, so it wasn't one of Draco's most dignified moments, but he wasn't about to stick around and suffer the consequences. At least his shouting, combined with Fang's howls (even the dog was smart enough to save his own hide), had been enough to alert the giant and the two Gryffindors. They had probably roused every other creature in the forest as well, but Draco hadn't much cared at the time. He had only wanted to be out of there, and as far away from that thing as possible.
Potter had survived, unfortunately. He turned up riding on a bloody centaur of all things. Afterwards, the shaken first years were escorted back to the castle and told to get to bed. As if anyone could sleep after that!
Draco didn't know about the Gryffindors, but he stayed up for several hours, not able to shut his eyes without seeing a flash of that blood-soaked grin. For the next several days, he wondered about the strange figure. There was no doubt that they had been killing off the unicorns to drink their blood, but why was still a mystery.
As a child, Draco had been tutored in many things by his father, most not even legal, such as the Dark Arts. He knew that unicorn blood was a powerful substance, and coveted in dark rituals. However, it was something few dared to acquire. Even the thickest of wizards knew that to kill a unicorn was a crime against nature. Sure, their tail hair and horns were used in some potions, not to mentions wands, but they were never killed for any purpose. To actually drink their blood ensured that you would be cursed for all eternity. He could only imagine what kind of being would be desperate enough to do so...
REVIEW!
Please tell me what you guys think. Was it interesting? How do you feel about Draco? Even though he's one of my main characters, I tired to portray him as a bit of a brat. He's not a nice person right now, and he holds a grudge against Hallie. Later on, he may mature a bit, but I want it to be a gradual process.
Okay, next is the fight with Quirrell, which is coincidentally the last chapter. I know you all can't wait, so I'm going to post this and get started.