Here's an early update for you guys since I'll be busy on Christmas. On that note, Merry Christmas and God be with you!

Malfoy was up to something. In the common room, Edward caught him discussing in low tones with Crabbe and Goyle and he clamped up as soon as Edward was within earshot. Edward gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. There was something going on.

Edward had stopped going for Lupin's anti-dementor lessons completely to spend more time keeping an eye on Malfoy. Once, he caught Malfoy conjuring a dark, weathered cloak from thin air and inspected it with a significant gleam in his eyes.

Edward was about to say something but Malfoy produced a slime ball in the air and launched it at Edward's face. Fortunately, he misjudged Edward's height and the slime ball sailed way past his head. Wait.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT HE CAN'T GET HIT BY A FLYING MISSILE?!"

Wait.

Malfoy smirked and left Edward staring after him in fury.

When Edward found Crabbe and Goyle, they were stuffing their faces with breakfast.

"Hey guys," Edward said conversationally. Goyle gave a slightly inaudible grunt of acknowledgement as he fisted quiches into his mouth.

"What are you guys doing with Malfoy?"

"Draco shaid shnot to shell anyone- especially you," Crabbe answered, bread crumbs flying out from his mouth as he spoke. Edward narrowly avoided the trajectory of the bread crumbs.

"Why not?" Edward asked innocently.

"Cause he shaid ish shtop shecret!" Crabbe replied, taking a long swig of orange juice. His mouth finally clear, Edward could understand him better.

"He's planning to make wimpy Potter cry!" Crabbe nodded sagely and Edward groaned. What was that kid up to now?

"What game?" Edward said, picking a piece of bread from Goyle's plate and crunching it down. Goyle shot him an indignant look.

"Quidditch, duh!" Goyle hissed, snatching back the half-eaten bread from Edward's hand. "After breakfast! It's Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw!"

Edward clapped his hands inconspicuously and tapped Goyle gently on his shoulder. The threads around his wrist tightened, making the sleeve a few sizes smaller. Goyle yelped in pain, letting go of the bread. Edward snatched it before it fell to the ground.

He straightened to see Malfoy glaring at him. However, Malfoy said nothing as he motioned Crabbe and Goyle to follow him.

They grabbed a bun each before following after him. Edward returned the glare and followed them as well.

The Gryffindors were cheering about something- the return of Harry's broom. Why anyone was so happy over a broom was a complete mystery to Edward. However, Malfoy's face paled at the sight of the broom.

The Slytherins neared the Gryffindor table.

"Now, now, Penny! No sabotage!" A taller version of Ron Weasley said heartily as a girl inspected Harry's broom.

"Sure you can manage that broom, Potter?" Malfoy drawled, coming closer to the Slytherin table. Harry turned around and gave Edward an appraising look when he saw him with them. Edward merely shrugged. If these hocus pocus people were so hyped up over a broom, he should open a store somewhere selling brooms. He would earn a fortune.

Harry turned his gaze from Edward to Malfoy. His chin titled up a little.

"Yeah, reckon so."

"Got plenty of special features, hasn't it? Shame it doesn't come with a parachute- in case you get too near a dementor."

On cue, Crabbe and Goyle sniggered.

"Shame you can't attach an extra arm to yours, Malfoy," Harry retorted. "Then it could catch the snitch for you."

The Gryffindor team laughed too loudly. Edward's eyes narrowed. Harry was his friend but Malfoy was also his charge. Edward took a step forward but Malfoy restrained him with an arm.

"I don't need your help, Elric!" Malfoy sneered and stalked away back to the common rooms.

"I desperately need something to punch," Edward muttered to himself and hurried after Malfoy.

When he caught up, Malfoy whirled on him. His eyes were blazing with fury.

"What is with you, Elric! Stop following me already! You even follow me to the bathroom nowadays! What are you? My bodyguard?"

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO TINY HE CAN SLIP THROUGH THE OPENINGS BETWEEN CUBICLES!" Edward roared. Several people stared.

Malfoy hissed furiously and spat,

"Dont. Follow. Me."

Which of course, Edward did.

Edward slipped behind one of the pillars that led to the common room and waited. He knew Malfoy would have to come up by this way and he was going to put an end to whatever trouble the boy was getting himself into and complete this stupid mission.

He was growing increasingly impatient as he hovered behind the pillar. Edward was about to kick something and leave when the doors to the common room opened and four dementors appeared.

Edward sucked in a breath of horror and searched for the real wand when he remembered he had chucked them into his dressing table. He braced himself for the purple lights but nothing happened.

Slowly, Edward crept out of his hiding place and heard the dementors talking.

"Shut up, Goyle! Dementors aren't supposed to speak!"

"B... but you're speaking t-"

"SHUT UP!" Malfoy snarled and the two dementors beside him fell silent. The fourth dementor was taller than the others but he was probably some Slytherin that Edward did not know.

Edward rubbed his temples with his fingers. Did he mention that this mission sucked?

The dementors filed out of the dungeons and with a quick glance at the empty hallway, moved quickly down towards the Quidditch field. Edward followed as stealthily as he could, taking advantage of his shortness to hide between walls and statues when the Slytherins turned around. Wait.

Edward clapped his hands over his mouth before he could scream in outrage. He turned back to find them and had to hurry before he lost them.

The Slytherins were hovering at the edge of the forest when Edward finally caught up with them. It was honestly a hard thing to do, considering that he had two metal limbs and had to be silent while running to keep pace with them.

Edward scaled up a tree near the four hooded figures until the leaves shielded him from sight but he could still keep an eye on Malfoy. He settled down on a sturdy branch and watched his charge intently.

"They're off!" A thundering voice startled Edward, almost throwing him off balance. "And the big excitement this match is the Firebolt Harry Potter is flying for Gryffindor. According to Which Broomstick, the Firebolt's going to be the broom of choice for the national teams at this year's championship-"

"Jordan! Would you mind telling us what is going on with the match?" McGonagall's voice barked.

"Okay, okay, Gryffindor in possession!"

Edward tuned out the Quidditch jargon and glanced below. Malfoy was saying something to Crabbe or Goyle and was gesturing wildly.

The three figures beside Malfoy nodded and they stepped out of the edge of the forest and ghosted towards the Quidditch pitch. Well, Malfoy and the other dementor ghosted. The other two, most probably Crabbe and Goyle, looked more like they were stomping on ants.

"OH!" A girl's voice screamed and Edward looked up to see a pretty asian girl on a broomstick hovering about thirty metres in the air. Edward added the image to his I-did-not-expect-that list.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry's voice thundered and Edward saw a silver stag gallop towards Malfoy.

His instincts kicked in. Edward leapt from his perch on the tree. His hands clapped and a wall of earth erected, shielding Malfoy and his friends. The stag disintegrated into it in a flash of blue light.

Somewhere, the crowd cheered.

The hoods of the dementors fell from their heads. Malfoy sat on the ground, expression bewildered. Crabbe and Goyle were just staring at the wall of earth, open-mouthed. The other dementor, who Edward recognised as the Slytherin Quidditch captain, had the unfortunate chance of having Crabbe land on him. Edward winced for the poor guy.

Taking advantage of the confusion, Edward sprinted away from the crime scene and took a longer route to the Quidditch pitch. He found the Slytherins easily and sat next to Amy, panting slightly.

"Where have you been?" Amy growled. Edward saw that most of the Slytherins were sporting disgruntled looks.

"Bathroom. What did I miss?"

"Everything!" Amy said.

Edward saw McGonagall wave a wand at the wall of earth which crumbled easily.

The Slytherins around them gasped.

"Hey! That's Flint and Malfoy and Crabbe and Goyle!" Millicent Bulstrode shouted behind Edward.

"An unworthy trick!" McGonagall was screeching, brandishing her wand. "A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor seeker! Detention for you all and fifty points from Slytherin!"

Edward was very glad he had left the crime scene when he did. He put his head into his hands. All this time, he thought Malfoy was going to do something dangerous. Maybe he overestimated his client.

"Ugh! I'm going to kill them!" Parkinson snarled. Edward looked at her over his shoulder but she was not talking about Malfoy and the others. She was looking at the Gryffindors who were cheering loudly and giving the Slytherins thumbs ups and mocking looks.

"Let's go before we all do," Amy suggested, glaring at them too. One by one, the Slytherins left the Quidditch stands before anyone could hex the Gryffindors.