Draco's smile was Slytherin-cold, and purely genuine. "I'm a potioneer at heart," he said with markedly frigid enthusiasm. "The trick with pranks is always 'How did they do that?' "
The twins nodded, settling in to listen to the younger blond's lecture.
"With poisons," Draco began, watching as the Twins exchanged a look, and then leaned forward. "With poisons, it is often possible to separate them into two innocuous substances, that are only truly poisonous when combined - and combined in the right dosages."
The twins nodded.
"Take the same principle, but turn it on pranks. Now you can make Blaise, who quaffs pumpkin juice like Nott quaffs water, blow up like a frog, but leave Nott, who hasn't consumed nearly as much of the reagent, unharmed." Draco smiled, thinly.
"We like the way you think." one twin said.
"It sounds like you have the true heart of a prankster." the other responded.
"What I have," Draco said, pausing for dramatic emphasis, "Is the heart of a Slytherin. We excel at planning and plotting, pranks or not, it makes no difference to me."
Draco executed a neat bow in front of the twins, who smirked, and bowed back.
"You'll have to prank me too, of course," Draco said, "Lest my house grow suspicious." Draco was certain that Theo was already suspicious, but that was nothing new. His family was Dark, and tended towards paranoid - no one would believe him without more evidence than 'Draco is friends with a Hufflepuff!' - plenty of Slytherins were, although Draco's new alliance would need some explanation... it could wait until people ask.
"Will you prank us back, then?" One of the twins asked, while the other made a silly face.
"No, I'll hide behind you - allowing your fiery hair to attract the rage of the pranked." Draco smirked.
"I think we might have a deal." The twins said, "Here's two sickles for your time."
Draco was left looking down at the sickles, with the feeling that he hadn't quite explained what 'partners' meant if they were still paying him.
[a/n: not to worry. The twins believe in squaring their debts, and they had hired Draco after all. They'll consider the time a consultancy. After this, though, he can have some of the proceeds.
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