Disclaimer: The characters, spells, titles, names (except for the ones you don't recognize), etc… are property of J.K. Rowling.
Chapter 2: Playing the Part
"Draco, I know this change is drastic, but come along. We must be going. Professor McGonagall is expecting us soon," Snape said in a bored voice.
Draco thought about what he was going to do, what his life would become. He never really felt any hatred or dislike towards the Transfiguration professor/Head of Gryffindor house, but he hadn't ever loved her either. Draco hadn't been feeling like himself lately, or in other words, hadn't been feeling like a Slytherin. He let himself be pushed around. His life was practically in shambles, his family torn apart, and now, his identity gone. He wanted to vomit.
Snape clicked his tongue and Draco was shifted from his thoughts to reality. He shrugged and took a quick look in the mirror one last time. Dark brown, tousled hair. Sun-kissed skin. Same grey eyes, but no longer framed by white-blonde lashes. His body build was the same, but his facial features weren't as stony and aristocratic as they were before. Draco drank in his new image. He looked down at his clothing; repulsive crimson and gold robes with a prefect's badge. Snape sauntered over and removed something from his pocket. It was Draco's new Gryffindor Head Boy pin. Draco felt his stomach churn and he rolled his eyes. This badge should really say Head Boy with emerald and silver embellishments, rather than this horrid crimson and gold, he thought maliciously.
This was going to be a long year.-
There were so many questions Draco had that gone unasked and unanswered. He sat in Professor Minerva McGonagall's office with Snape. A few moments later, McGonagall burst in the doors with a look of anxiety on her slightly wrinkled face.
"Severus," McGonagall said with a curt nod.
"Minerva," Snape responded with the same coolness, "I have brought Mister Malfoy with me."
McGonagall looked quickly over at the brooding figure to Snape's left. She smiled tentatively at Draco and muttered for them to take seats in the chairs she had just conjured. Snape was to explain the full situation to her.
Draco waited with baited breath.
Snape started off as blunt as possible, "Draco's mother and father did not feel he was safe anymore after what the Dark Lord asked of Draco during the previous year. You know, Minerva, what Draco's consequences were had he not done the required task, and you also know that Dumbledore was well aware of everything. You know that Draco has comitted no crime, and he shall be treated justly. Correct?"
McGonagall looked back over to Snape with weary apprehension in her ancient eyes. "Correct, Severus, and I am well aware of...er...the situation with Dumbledore-" she flinched when she said the old headmaster's name, "-but if you would please refrain from bringing it up, that'd be lovely. Now, would you care to tell me why Draco is under some sort of Polyjuice Potion? Because surely, if he is as innocent as we believe, he should be just fine walking around as himself. No?"
"No. Only you and I know the truth, Minerva," Snape stated firmly, "because everyone else is going based of what they heard from Potter."
Stupid Potter, thought Draco, always sticking his nose in business that doesn't concern him.
"Very well then, Severus. Mister Malfoy, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I will show you to your dorm," McGonagall said as she stood up from behind her desk. Snape rose as well, but Draco was reluctant to go. He didn't trust anyone.
"Draco! Now! Don't be a child," reprimanded Snape. Draco stood and strode haughtily over to the door where Snape and McGonagall were waiting impatiently.
"You will be on your best behavior, yes Mister Malfoy?" asked McGonagall.
"Yes," responded Draco.
"And you will treat your Gryffindor housemates with respect, including your partial roommate, yes Mister Malfoy?" asked McGonagall again.
"Yea-wait... A partial roommate?" Draco asked as he shot Snape a nervous glance.
"Well not a roommate, per se. You will share a common room and bathroom with the head girl. Bedrooms, for obvious reasons, are set apart and they are blocked my password locks. We can't have any funny business," McGonagall looked uncomfortable, while Draco just rolled his eyes.
Funny business.
Snape decided to break the awkward silence by inquiring about the current head girl.
McGonagall looked over at Snape with an incredulous expression. "Hermione Granger, of course, Severus. Who else would you expect?"
"A MUDBLOOD? I HAVE TO SHARE A COMMON ROOM AND A BLOODY BATHROOM WITH THAT...THAT...THAT FILTH?" shouted Draco.
Loudly and with a bit of protectiveness in her voice, McGonagall told Draco, "We will not have any of that this year, Mister Malfoy. Hermione Granger is one of the smartest witches to pass through Hogwarts and as you can see, blood status and brains have nothing to do with each other."
she said this, Draco felt like smirking. He was thinking about his pureblood friends; Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, and even Zabini. None of them could ever match Draco, or Granger for that matter, when it came to intelligence. But he wouldn't satisfy McGonagall that way. but letting her know his most recent thought. Blood was blood. Draco's was pure, Granger's was muddy.
When the trio finally approached the Head Students' dormitory, Draco was ready to introduce himself as Alexander Brickman, Gryffindor Head Boy.
Although this Polyjuice Potion was a specially created one made for Draco by Snape himself, there were still some things Draco had to work on, such as his voice. Draco tried different voice tones and accents, but he knew he wouldn't be able to feign an accent every time he spoke. He also only had a twelve hour time span from when he drank the potion until it wore off. Classes at Hogwarts began at 8 am, which meant that he only had from eight to eight every day until the potion wore off and he was back to Draco.
McGonagall stopped at a medium-sized door on the left side of the hallway. She knocked and notified Draco that this was his new dorm. There was no answer at the door, so McGonagall knocked again. Still no answer, so she removed her wand and whispered "Alohamora" just as Hermione Granger opened the door.
Her thick, wild mess of hair was set in a braid that hung to just about an inch above the small of her back. Curls were flying out of it in every direction, and she had light pink blush to her cheeks as if she had been running. Her hazel eyes widened as she saw the company that stood at her door; Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and a very handsome boy Hermione had never seen before. She greeted them all with a smile, including Snape, and welcomed them into her dorm.
The common room was a scattered mess of books and parchment, but with a flick of her wand and a muttered Scourgify charm, Hermione was able to make space on the sofa for her guests.
"Miss Granger, this is Alexander Brickman. He is a transfer student from Durmstrang and he has been newly appointed as Head Boy, seeing as our previously appointed Head Boy, er, no longer attends this school and Alexander's grades were higher than any other of the possible Head Boy choices here at Hogwarts," McGonagall lowered her eyes and glanced quickly at Draco. He nodded and she continued, "He is a very brilliant young man and I hope you two will get along well enough. He has been sorted into Gryffindor, if that makes matters easier. Professor Snape and I shall be leaving now, but I'd greatly appreciate it, Miss Granger, if you'd show Alexander to his room. The time is seven fifty four."
Draco's head shot up. He took the polyjuice potion at eight-oh-three in the morning, which meant he had nine minutes now before he'd go back to being Draco. Granger wasn't allowed to know his secret. He needed to keep this hidden. The two professors left as swiftly as possible, and Hermione stood. She smiled genuinely at Draco, and he felt a strange sensation because of it. He instantly grimaced and Granger's smile faltered. Much better, thought Draco.
"Right, well, your private bedroom will be to your left. Mine is on the right, obviously. The bathroom is this way, and I'm sure you've heard, we're required to share," she looked at him with a sheepish look on her face, "this here is the common room, and that's pretty much it."
"Excellent. Thank you, Gra-... er, I mean yes, thank you," Draco muttered. Amazing, it was barely even his first day as this Alexander character and he'd almost blown his cover.
Hermione looked up at Draco swiftly and smiled again, but this wasn't a genuine one. She looked almost worried. "You can call me Hermione. My name is Hermione Granger."
Draco nodded, and headed towards his room. He swiftly locked the door and checked the time on his solid gold pocket watch. 8:01. Close call. He crashed onto the bed, completely ignoring the crimson-and-gold silk duvet. Day 1 of this ordeal had begun. Now, he only had about two-hundred more.