"And what kind of Dark object would this be?" wheezed Filch as our possessions were swept with the secrecy sensor.
"It's a walking cane." Spat Draco, "It's my fathers."
"Likely story," challenged the old caretaker.
"It's okay; I can vouch for Mr. Malfoy," said a drawling voice behind Filch, Draco snatched his cane from the Squibs clutches as he shot us a dirty look. The sensor went mad as soon as it was laid across Crabbe.
"I told him not to bring that shrunken head," mumbled Nott, proceeding past us.
Supper was as usual; the feast began and ended with Dumbledore's start of term speech. This year I didn't pay much attention to it. Draco had gone from full of life, and miming how he broke Potters nose (who to everyone's extreme dislike, was somehow rescued), to sullen, and levitating his fork with a distant expression, he had even closed his mind off.
"What's wrong? I know the Aurors and security spells are going to make this more difficult, but we have no choice, Draco, the Dark Lord will not take no for an answer."
Draco looked at me with fright in his eyes, but hidden with determination. I knew he would die trying, for the Dark Lords wrath would be much more terrible than death.
We were the last two in the common room that night, aside from Salazar Slytherins portrait hanging on the mantel. He was very handy to get advice from, with all his memories, and personality intact in the portrait.
"So what's this I hear? Two Slytherins not even out of school, but already joined my descendants cause? Very good." He crooned.
"You approve?" Draco said, slightly surprised.
"Why of course, and if I'm not mistaken this girl here, Astoria correct? She is a descendant of mine as well."
"How do you know that?" I blurted out before Draco could utter a word. I gave him an apologetic look.
"You speak Parseltongue in your sleep," he said amusingly.
"That explains all those strange noises at night." Draco stated irritably, I popped his arm with the back of my hand, knowing he didn't really mean it.
"Boy's aren't allowed in our dormitory, does that mean you are?" I questioned casually.
"I am Salazar Slytherin, I am allowed anywhere," he stated simply.
"If it were you, how would you go about this?" Draco asked the portrait. Slytherin gave a sly smile, and I couldn't help but have my spirits rise, the most cunning wizard to live was going to help us. This said a lot, for Slytherin never assisted students, nor did her communicate with them.
"That's how we'll do it," Draco whispered to me the next day in Slughorn's potions class, I really missed Snape teaching potions, Snape was my favorite teacher hands down.
"Felix Felicis…" I mused to myself, in achieving it one of us would have to out brew the Mudblood…
"Why couldn't Snape be here…" growled Draco to himself, and then he whispered to Nott, everyone would be brewing hard, the Slytherins would hand it over to us, or face a wrath.
Draco began rifling through Advanced Potion-Making, rather feverishly, we needed this lucky day. He began cutting up Valerian roots so quickly I feared he might make a mistake. Focusing on my own potion, rather than cutting the sopophorus bean, it made more sense to crush it. Draco was talking to Slughorn all the while, his sucking up seeming to have no effect unfortunately. Adding the vast amount of juice the bean held, my potion turned the desired color lilac. As I looked around, Draco and I were at the same stage, but unfortunately Potter was somehow getting his to turn lighter, I continued mixing until Slughorn announced time was up, he passed over our table first, nodding at Draco's smiling at mine, but then, most unfortunately, he saw Potters. Terrible- at- potions-Potter.
"The clear winner!" he cried to the dungeon. "Excellent, excellent Harry! Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent. She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was! Here you are, then, here you are – one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"
Draco was staring at Potter mutinously, along with the rest of us Slytherins. The only thing that improved the situation was the look of disappointment on Mudblood Granger's face. Weasley appeared dumbfounded, but that was not anything new.
I shoved my things into my bag, yelled "scourgify" at my cauldron, and followed Draco out of the Potions room.
"How did you do that?" Weaselbee attempted whispering to Potter.
"Got lucky I suppose," Potter said as we passed them, shooting us a look of paranoia… I rubbed the back of Draco's hand with my thumb as I held it on our way to dinner. The remainder of that week, Potter seemed to excel in Potions, much to our concern, something was not right in that dungeon.
"Professor Snape," I started as I entered his office on Saturday evening.
"Astoria, what brings you here?" he asked me, a strange glint in his eyes. I broke into a long winded explanation about Potter. "I see." He mused once I was finished, "why did Draco not accompany you? It is rare for you two to not be together, especially now that you are a team, yes the Dark Lord informed me of the mission." Snape added when I acquired a shocked look.
"Well, sir, Draco is busy at the moment, working on a way for us to succeed. Salazar Slytherin is assisting us, in our smaller attempts, but we have one main plan, should these smaller ones not work."
"At any rate, inform Draco, that I am keen to meet with him, alone, he has been avoiding me since Lucius's imprisonment, and I should much like to speak with him." Snape said rather powerfully, I knew this was an order. "And be careful," he added as I walked out the door, "Salazar Slytherins portrait does not hold but a fraction of a Slytherins cunning, seeing as he is, only a portrait, you are both more than capable of figuring this out. I am here to help as well."
With that I walked to the common room, and using my small store of Floo Powder, stuck my head into Borgin and Burkes, informing Borgin, I would need that cursed necklace, free of charge at that.