Beta'd by: Bombadilo Baby. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. I send this through so late every time, and without fail you always read it! Thank Merlin you're mostly a night-owl :-D
I'm sooooooo sorry for missing last week guys! Things have been quite hectic over the last two weeks, but I promise I'll get right back into the swing of things now.
This chapter is getting quite exciting now! Also, just thought I'd let you know, that I estimate year 1 will be complete in around 6 or so chapters!
I looooove any/all reviews, favourites, and follows! Seriously, just brightens my day like a Lumos.
A Swirling Weekend to You All!
-G
Before crossing the privacy barriers Severus had erected, Minerva pierced him with a sharp look. "I understand that there are certain restrictions that prevent your open communication. But if there is anything that I can assist you with Severus, I expect to hear immediate notification." She warned, scowling fiercely at the potions master.
Severus looked at her, a brief flash of shock passing through dark eyes, before he smiled slightly at his friend. "Yes." He hummed considering "I suppose, though you are a Gryffindor, that you might be of assistance." He mused, jokingly.
Minerva's scowl darkened, and she rolled her eyes exasperatingly. "Slytherin's" she muttered under her breath and she swept back down the corridor away from the dungeons.
In the doorway to his office, Severus Snape chuckled.
Time passed quickly at Hogwarts. As planned, and with much hard work, the first year Slytherin's (excluding Milicent, Theodore and Tracey, who still refused to associate with their group) excelled at their classwork. They trumped the entire first year population at Hogwarts with ease, much to the horror of the Ravenclaw's, and (more specifically) Hermione Granger.
Since their plan to take Hogwarts by storm included acing all their classes, they quickly decided to organise study sessions. They were led by whoever was more naturally talented at the subject in their small circle of friends, and worked brilliantly. Amongst their group everyone was surprised to realise that Draco was a genius in Herbology. . . or at least he was once they convinced Professor Sprout to allow him use the impervious dirt charm, a spell his Mother had invented, during class.
Pansy was a deft hand in Charms, taking to every spell like a duck to water, and had quickly become the apple of Professor Flitwick's eye. Pansy was the only one to produce a faultless umbrella charm, she laughed heartily at the others damp appearance after that particular class.
Blaise was easily the stand out in Defence, so long as they prodded him regularly to ensure he didn't fall asleep whilst listening to Professor Quirrell's stuttering. Apparently his Mother had been (unofficially) teaching him the subject for many years now, and the first year curriculum nearly bored him to tears.
Daphne had also merged with their group after that first week, and was the first person they all turned to for help with their Astronomy homework. She had a razor sharp memory, that frankly alarmed the others. She could remember all the complicated star names, positions and theories, without batting her eye. She also seemed to be naturally nocturnal, if her dark scowl at the breakfast table was any indication.
Though Draco and Harry were both still easily the best in Potions class (mostly due to Severus' private tutoring prior to Hogwarts) everyone was astonished to see how quickly Greg and Vince were progressing. They'd realised early in the year that the key mistakes of both boys was in the ingredient preparation. Once corrected however both Vince and Greg rapidly improved. Now, particularly when the two boys worked together, they almost always created a faultless potion. Draco had, more than one time, suspiciously questioned whether they could in fact read each other's minds, since they were perfectly coordinated and silent throughout class.
Harry was of course, as the only one amongst them with actual interest in History, the top of their class (though he mostly drew scribble on his page in class). This mildly chagrined his friends, since Harry had known nothing of the Wizarding world prior to his last birthday. Though they happily interrogated the raven after lectures, so that Harry could run them through what in Merlin's name Professor Binns had been droning about.
Much to Harry's astonishment and embarrassment, he soon found himself answering questions for second and third year Slytherin's on the subject. This was, of course, only possible, because he'd devoured a significant amount of the history books contained in the Malfoy Manor over the summer. Severus had been gobsmacked to walk into the Library at Malfoy Manor to find an enthralled Harry, encircled by a mound of history books, two hours late for Lunch.
Much of Slytherin started fondly referring to Harry as The Historian when referring others to his expertise.
All in all everything was going almost exactly to plan. . . with the exception of Defence Against the Dark Arts.
As they made their way to the classroom in question, Draco eyed Harry in concern. Since the first Defence lesson the blonde had noticed that something was wrong. As they walked through the door to take their seats, Draco bit his lip is worry as he saw the blood drain from Harry's face, leaving only his lightning scar a stark slash of red on his forehead.
By fifteen minutes into the lesson, Harry's green eyes had glazed over, and his hands trembled as he half-heartedly scribbled notes. By the time they got to the practical section of the class Draco was forcing himself not to cart his friend off to the Hospital Wing. The only reason he resisted was the small shaky smile Harry flicked his way as he was paired up with the red headed Gryffindor for duelling.
Draco watched from the left side of the room as Harry took his duelling stance.
"This is going to end badly." Someone mumbled quietly to his right.
Draco turned to look at Blaise, his current duelling partner, noticing that his eyes had also fixed on Harry's side of the room.
Draco bit his lip, eyes flickering back to Blaise as he replied "Should we- "
"Expelliarmus." A quiet voice said from across the room.
There was a pause before a furious voice bellowed out. " . . . .You dirty cheating Snake!"
Both Slytherin boy's head whipped around in surprise at the exclamation, and were met with the scene of a bright-red furious face of Ronald Weasley, brandishing the wand Harry had just passed calmly back to him at their friends back. Before they could intervene the angry Gryffindor let out a shout, and the sound of sizzling magic scorched across the room.
The electric blue streak was immediately familiar as the temporary paralysis charm they'd been practicing for subduing Hinkeypuffs last week.
"Harry!" they shouted out in alarm, as the magic shot towards their friends surprised friends face as he turned, still shaky from whatever pain seemed to afflict him when he walked in the Defence classroom.
Two things happened simultaneously: one of Harry's hands whipped up, unconsciously shielding his face from the spell. And Quirrell's wand rose, pointing towards the two boys. The whole class watched, frozen, as the bright blue magic clashed against a wordlessly cast barrier, just centimetres from Harry's face. It surged violently up and around the materialised shield, like a crashing wave, before fading.
Draco was across the room before the shield had fully flickered out of existence.
"Harry!" he cried, running over, fingers curling tightly around the ravens arm. "Are you alright?"
Harry's green eyes focused blearily on Draco. "I'm fine." He replied quietly.
"Mr W-Weasley!" a quivering voice called sharply from the front of the room. Everyone's eyes turned to the professor. "t-twenty points from Gryffindor, a-and de-detention with Mr Filch this Fri-Friday." Quirrell reprimanded the red-head, earning him dark scowls from his fellow Gryffindor classmates.
Ron's chest swelled with outrage, as he spluttered. "W-What?! But he-!"
"Shut up, Weasley!" one of the Gryffindor boys hissed.
Ron snapped his mouth shut, his face a turmoil of embarrassment and fury, his blue eyes glaring daggers at Harry.
The last fifteen minutes of class passed with everyone walking on nail-beds, half watching Harry and Ron's duelling, as Quirrell ordered them all to continue on practising until the end of the class.
The Slytherin's had just started off down the hallways towards the dungeons when a loud pair of footsteps slapped on the stones, rushing after them.
"Potter!" a familiar voice shot out.
The group of Slytherin friends automatically paused, forming a protective circle unconsciously around Harry as the raven turned cautiously towards the voice.
". . . yes?" Harry asked slowly, green eyes bright and wary.
Ronald Weasley stomped right up to Harry, looming over the smaller dark haired boy.
"Didn't want to admit the truth, you slimey Slytherin?" he taunted "You cheated in class today!"
Draco bristled. "Actually he didn't, you incompetent half-whit." Draco sneered, before Harry could reply. "He disarmed you easily because you're weak. Hardly surprising considering you a Weasley." He jeered, taking delight in taunting Weasley further for trying to hurt Harry. Draco also knew how much Harry hated confrontations, and was furious that the Weasel had tried to intimidate his friend.
"Take that back!" Ron bellowed.
Draco pursed his lips "Hmmm" he mused, tilting his head slightly. "You're right. I heard that your brothers were at least somewhat competentin class. It must just be you that's a horrible failure." He conceded, somewhat truthfully. He'd actually become somewhat fond of the Weasley twins over the last month that they'd been dogging Harry's footsteps, and delighted in assisting their pranks on the rest of the school. In fact all of their small friend group had taken a liking to the red-headed twins, Daphne in particularly, who's sharp mind delighted in constructing elaborate pranks on the unsuspecting population of Hogwarts.
"Better to be a Wealsey than in your family, Malfoy. Death Eater scum!" he spat out.
Immediately Draco's amusement slipped away, replaced by a cold hard fury. His wand was immediately pointed directly at the red-head.
"Don't insult my family, Weasley." Draco said, with cold grey eyes.
Ron laughed, chest puffing up with superiority now that he knew he'd managed to actually offend Draco. "Can't handle the truth Malfoy?" he taunted. "How about we make a deal? If you beat me in a Wizards Duel tonight, I'll swear never to insult your disgusting family again. Fair enough, you slimey Snake?"
A shark-like grin stretched across Draco's lips as he lifted his pale hand and shook Ron's. "More then." He replied, heedless of the sharp shocked inhale Pansy made behind him. "Midnight in the Trophie's Room?" Draco drawled.
Ron grunted, scowling darkly. "Fine." He snapped, before turning on his heel back down the corridor.
The rest of the Slytherin's were silent for a moment in shock before they burst into movement.
Pansy was grasping both Draco's shoulder, shaking the blonde, as she ranted. "Why on earth would you agree to some stupid duel with Weasley! That is the most imbecilic, stupid, hard-headed, mor-"
Draco snickered, swiping her hands away. "Not if I have no intention of actually attending." He chuckled.
Pansy froze, and Blaise whistled. "Frame up?" the dark skinned boy checked with curiosity.
"Of course." Draco drawled. "We can hardly allow students to wander around past curfew, without notifying a teachers."
Pansy suddenly looked much more enthusiastic "Ooooh! We could mess with him first." She babbled, a wicked gleam in her eye.
Greg frowned "Like scare him or something?" he asked, turning to Pansy.
Harry remained oddly silent as the others mapped out their revenge plans, until Daphne turned to him.
"Harry." She called, drawing the others attention.
Green eyes turned to the Slytherin girl.
"What's wrong?" she asked, curiously.
Harry shuffled uncomfortably as the others attention all suddenly focused on him. "I – I just – Why are you guys so against Weasley? I mean, I know he's a prat." Harry added, honestly turning to Draco "But you seemed to really. . . " his voice drifted off uncertainly, unsure how to phrase his question. But Harry was honestly a bit surprised how much Draco appeared to hate the other boy.
"The Weasley's and Malfoy's are currently in a Blood Feud." Vince explained, seeing Harry's confusion. "Until the feud is resolved their family magic's will always react like that around each other."
Harry frowned in confusion. "Wait. . . so, Draco didn't have any choice? His magic made him want to fight with Ron?"
Pansy hummed "Welllll . . . yes and no. I'm pretty sure that Draco wouldn't get along with Weasley, even without the feud." She considered, slightly amused.
Draco was scowling at them all, even an embarrassed flush spread across his cheeks. "Yes, yes. I know I made a lout of myself, can we please move on now? Because Weasley definitely deserves some payback for what he tried on Harry in class." He muttered, lowly.
Pansy's glare returned. "definitely. In fact, I'm tempted to recruit his brother's for the task." She said.
Greg's eyebrows rose "Do you think they'd agree to that?" he asked "Pranking against their brother?"
Daphne scoffed, drawing the attention of everyone else. Seeing their curiosity, she elaborated. "That won't be an issue. Yesterday we were describing their last Summer holiday experimentations, it sounded more like a free-for-all on the entire family." She laughed, eyes bright with amusement.
Pansy's eyes widened "Wait. Even their parents!?" she squeaked, unable to imagine pranking her own parents in any way or form.
Daphne nodded. "Though, I don't think any of them mind all too much, at least from what they told me. Their older brothers in particular." She admitted.
Harry bit his lip, undecided. "Nothing bad, though right?" he checked.
Draco turned to Harry immediately, sensing his unease. "We'll just die his hair green on something before handing him over to the teachers. Nothing actually bad, I promise Harry." He reassured the Raven, knowing that he was remembering his own horrible childhood.
Harry's eyes flickered up to Draco's and immediately his shoulders slumped in relief, some of the tension bleeding out from his face. A smile flickered at Harry's lips. "Green hair? Really, Draco?" he asked incredulously.
Draco sniffed, deliberately putting his nose in the air imperiously "Well personally, I think it would be an improvement." He said mock-haughtily.
Daphne's eyes gleamed. "Not bad." She admitted. "But I think we can come up with something better than that." She smiled dangerously.
Draco's grey eyes twinkled. "I think," he said excitedly "It's time to make plan."
...
The first year Slytherin's tumbled down the corridor, laughing raucously. They stumbled, tears of laughter in their eyes, clutching their stomachs in almost-pain between gales of laughter.
"That! " Pansy gasped for breath. "Was brilliant!" she declared.
"Oh, Merlin!" Draco sniggered "His face!" he said, wishing he could bottle up the memory in a pensieve and watch it over, and over. And over. And over.
Harry wasn't in much better shape after hearing Ronald's high pitched squeak upon being dumped with a bucket of green adhesive, sparkly, glitter-slime.
Blaise chuckled, turned to Daphne with curiosity "So how long do you think it's take for him to realise that it doesn't wash off?" he wondered.
Daphne opened her mouth to reply when they froze, hearing the sharp yowl of a cat.
" . . . shit." Vince muttered, quietly as they all peered anxiously down the left corridor.
Pansy looked queasy "Do you think it's-"
She was interrupted by another sharp yowl, this one alarmingly closer.
Draco turned to the others, wide eyed. "Run!" he whispered.
They pelted off down the closest staircase, hoping to hide in a nearby classroom, the veered to the a door on the right.
Greg pulled at the handle. "It's locked." He whispered, quickly turning to the others.
Daphne swiftly nudged him to the side, lifted her wand and announced "alohomora!"
They all breathed a sigh of relief as the door's hatch unclicked, creeping as quickly as possible into the room.
Harry peered at Daphne in curiosity "Alohomor-?"
A hand swiped up and clamped over his mouth before he could finish the question. He turned in askance towards Draco, only for his eyes to clamp on the huge shadow shifting in the corner of his eyes. Heart suddenly thundering, Harry turned with trepidation towards the centre of the room.
His breath became strangled in his throat, green eyes wide and horror filled, as they looked upon the snarling beast. It was a three-headed dog. It towered above them, easily five times their height, taking up almost half the room.
Harry's limbs trembled, his feet frozen to the ground, as he hardly dared to breath.
"Merlin and Morgana" Daphne whispered, terrified.
Her words suddenly incited the creature, and vicious snarls shook the floor beneath their feet as it surged towards them in a sudden burst of speed.
Harry opened his mouth to scream with a dark honeyed voice whispered out across the room, in a soothing lullaby, not of the English language.
Blaise's voice rippled around the room's occupants, like a stone cast into a lake. They all held their breath mesmerised as the beast slowed, eyes softening. After a moment, that seemed to last for eternity in Harry's mind, the creature sat on it's hind legs. Watching their group with calm brown eyes, before slumping to the group in content, listening to the soothing melody. Barely a minute passed, with none of the Slytherin's moving so much as an inch, before the dark room was filled with the sounds of a slumbering dog.
Harry met Draco's grey, adrenalin filled eyes. They stared at each other in mutual delayed shock. The blonde haired boy's hand even now still clasped tightly across his lips. Slowly Draco pulled away, inhaling a shaky breath. One by one they passed back through the re-opened doorway, barely allowing a whisper of noise from their feet (aside from the melody still pouring from Blaises' mouth), until the heavy locked slid back across the door. Sealing the sealing beast inside the room, mere feet away.
Silence reigned, until one of them whispered chokingly.
"Holy Fuck."