Colin Creevy was the next to be petrified and the whole school was talking about him.
"This is an outrage! My education is being disrupted," said Draco in the common room, even though he hadn't previously cared about his education until now. "My father will see to get the culprit expelled. Even worse, people think Potter is behind it. As if he's capable of such a thing."
"Potter is an incredibly ordinary boy," agreed Hermione.
"Can the school really be shut down?" asked Celestia.
"Yes. And perhaps a new and better one can be built. What would your own magical wizarding school be like?" said Pansy.
"No mudbloods allowed," cackled Daphne who was neutral on every topic except for this. Hermione wasn't sure if Daphne truly hatred mudbloods like Pansy or Draco did, or whether she just liked to pick on Hermione and make her feel like the bottom of the pack in Slytherin.
"Proper teachers," said Draco.
"Dark arts," muttered Theo.
"School dances," said Tracey.
"More toys. A wreck room," said Goyle.
"Yeah," Crabbe nodded along with him.
"Veelas," said Zabini.
"Do you really think the myth is real? I mean, what could be causing the attacks?" asked Pansy.
"Could be anything. Hogwarts is so poorly run I'm surprised more people don't die often. But we'll just have to hear everyone give Harry Potter the credit for being behind it all this year. As if he could," said Draco.
"We may never know," said Theo, "or at least. It's not worth the effort or energy of debating about it. We'll never have a straight answer. Just shut our mouths and keep our names clean. I don't particularly want a hard time, being a Slytherin."
"Yes, reputation, reputation, reputation..." Pansy trilled.
That was the most the discussions ever got between the Slytherins. They were mostly angered or bored by it. Thinking of it as 'another dangerous thing that happens at Hogwarts'. Though everyone else talked about it like crazy. Hermione sometimes thought if their reputations weren't on the line, they would gossip about it more and treat it more like a real thing.
In the meetings when they pretended to be kings and queens however, little more was said either.
"In the ideal world we would never have to go through any of this in our schooling years," said Pansy as they lounged around the table. Sometimes they bought food with them and they ate it. Though they didn't share any so it was only the ones whose parents sent them food that they were able to. Hermione's parents didn't send her much snacks throughout the year so she never had much. When she wrote to them one day and they sent her lots of sugarfree dental snacks she instantly regretted it and never asked them again. She didn't want to become even more of a laughing stock among the girls whom Hermione sensed that wouldn't be popular.
"We wouldn't have to go to school if we didn't want to," said Daphne, "Hogwarts is compulsory for all of us purebloods. Not all of us want to be here. Not all of us equally benefit from having an education either. We don't all need it."
"Don't you want to know how to control your magic?" said Hermione.
"That can be learned in more places than Hogwarts. Hogwarts is just something that keeps us for like, seven years of our life," said Daphne.
"I suppose if felt you could learn equally elsewhere. Yes, Hogwarts does benefit the mudbloods the most through teaching them everything..." said Hermione.
"Exactly. We can get by without it and we're forced to associate with you," said Daphne.
"Did you not want to come to Hogwarts then?" asked Hermione.
Daphne shrugged, "it just doesn't have the same value to everybody."
"I'm surprised Tracey and Celestia haven't found this place," said Hermione.
"That's because they are stupid and you are not," said Draco, "all of us have ambition about how the wizarding world is going to turn out. I didn't really think a non pureblood Saced 28 was but I guess you're the exception. Tracey and Celestia just simply don't want to find out what you guys are up to enough."
"Neither does Zabini then," said Hermione.
"Do you think this has anything to do with Lord Voldemort?" asked Pansy, "the petrification's?"
"Why would it? He's in the past," said Hermione.
"No idea. But this is dark magic," said Nott, "whatever's doing the petrifications."
"Gilderoy Lockhart is a scam," said Draco, "he doesn't know anything he's doing! I can't believe he's still teaching at Hogwarts!"
They talked some more before that day was over.
Hermione found the year a little more tense, trying to keep out of the gossip about the chamber of secrets for she didn't want to attract Pansy's ire, and she wasn't any more clued in about anything than last time. She wondered if this was something Professor Dumbledore made up to test Harry and if Harry, Ron or Luna were doing something behind the scenes to stop it where they would be rewarded again. But these were not questions she could find the answer to.
"What was the letter about?" Theodore Nott was not someone Draco liked. When Draco was young he instantly knew he was more powerful than most of the families in the wizarding world barring a few, and Theodore Nott was one of the few. Draco had met him at a ball when they were 5 years old, knowing nothing about the boy beforehand and thinking him rather stringy and pathetic looking, only to realise later on when he heard his mother address Theo's father by the surname Nott, that he belonged to one of the few families who truly had a bit of influence and wealth over the wizarding world to rival the Malfoys and whom could be a real thorn on Draco's side if Theo had a reason to be.
So Draco found himself having to suck up to Theo, or at least control himself around Theo to not accidentally offend or boss around, take into account Theo's own responses or views to things and not say something that was against him, and generally try to be a charismatic and decent person around Theo so that he would have no reason to dislike Draco.
In addition to being one of the few people Draco needed to do this to, Theo himself had practically the opposite personality to Draco as far as he could see. Theo was dark and preferred to rocket straight of into discussions of dark magic from when they were kids, which was unpleasant to Draco for although he respected dark magic for what it could do, he always saw himself as a more civilised person and preferred to talk with some formalities and niceties when he was with other Sacred 28 families. Theo was also very mean, often thinking up horrific ideas of what could be done with magic, or what he could do to people, remorselessly, that Draco found him unpleasant to be around.
Theo was also generally insulting and mean, having insulted Draco or come close to several times, as well as preferring to be a loner which meant Draco never had the experience of Theo sucking up to him, or being friends with him, since Theo was friends with no one.
Needless to say there was a lot of reasons to hate Theo and not many to like him or wish the boy was still around. His living status didn't benefit Draco and instead only antagonised him. No wonder Draco hated him.
"A new parrot. Exotic, father ordered it privately from a seller. Two cats, in complementary colours. Fairy wings, my mother had a bit of a passing interest. Luxury items that if you wore could truly make you fly, infused with properties from real fairies. Says it's better than broom," Draco listed all the luxuries his parents casually mentioned over the last couple of letters to make Theo feel inferior about the sheer amount of money Draco's parents had to splash around. Draco wasn't going to answer Theo's real question so quickly, he liked to antagonise the boy when he could but act like he didn't know what he was doing so he could get away with it more. No reason to make Theo's life so easy.
"What does your father say about the chamber of secrets?" asked Theo.
Although the other Slytherins had talked about it, Draco's family were the ones that knew the most and some like Theo, knew that as well. Draco did write to his parents about it, how could he not, he was burning with curiosity himself? He'd gotten a reply back and unfortunately Theo had glimpsed it and it seemed felt he had the right to know. They were currently alone in the Throne Room, as they'd dubbed the place where they carried on with their games of make believe, and Draco wished he had any company other than Theo.
"Says to keep quiet, that's all," Draco said slowly. Another reason why Draco had been afraid to blow Theo of was that he strongly suspected Theo's father of also being a deatheater. Although Draco's parents never explicitly said his father was a deatheater, they had strongly hinted he was and that Draco should never utter a single word about it to anybody unless he wanted his entire family thrown in Azkaban, the Malfoy name ruined forever, and a host of other unpleasant things. Draco always knew there were other deatheaters out there, a portion of them similar to his parents - rich, Sacred 28, pureblooded, joining because they had seen potential to take down the ministry of magic and change things in the wizarding world through the deatheaters, and that most of them were in hiding ever since Lord Voldemort fell.
His father never told him the name of a single deatheater, didn't deem Draco mature enough to know. Draco could never quite do anything to make his father admit despite his burning curiosity - his father just had that much hold and power over him, but Draco strongly suspected Theo's family were one, all the subtle signs he knew to look for were there, and so Theo might someday be important to him, if Draco was to join and become a deatheater...then Theo may too for his father was also a deatheater. It was common for sons to follow in their father's footsteps. And in case Draco wanted a confidant or someone somewhat on his side as they got involved in more deatheater things...Theo was definitely someone to keep ahold of.
Draco had never felt like he could fully reject Theo or afford to make an enemy out of him for this reason. Especially as Draco had little idea who the deatheaters of his generation would be and Theo was still the devil he knew best. Draco could sort of tolerate him. Or at least trust that Theo stood for the greater good of the pureblood Sacred 28 families...
"So he didn't tell you very much..." said Theo.
Draco shrugged. Unfortunately for him Theo was quite a deep thinker, another reason why Draco was hesitant to get on his bad side, and Draco knew Theo would be burning with curiosity about everything too, trying to piece things together, or at least give several more think-throughs of the chamber of secrets than the other Slytherins. Draco prepared for Theo to be a thorn at his side constantly trying to get information out of him all year, but he was still not enjoying this conversation now that it had actually happened.
It appeared Theo was hoping Draco might know something more through his father. Draco's father was the most involved with the school, he was on the school board of governors and had previously donated large sums to the school in order to bribe policies in his favour. If there was ever a pureblood Sacred 28 parent that might know more about happenings in the school, including things from decades in the past, it might be his father. Draco could see why Theo was questioning him and it was one of the few times he wished his father wasn't so prominent and that Draco didn't have to be put under such scrutiny because of his family's reputation or knowledge of what they did.
"I don't think it's Zabini. Crabbe...Goyle...Greengrass I know it's not her..." Theo began saying his thoughts.
"You've said this already," Draco snapped. He had indeed heard Theo's ramblings about who he thought was behind the attacks more than he cared to hear it again.
"I know, but it's interesting. Work with me. So the attack on Colin Creevy happened on the same day Pansy said she saw Celestia was missing from her bed, but she knows it can't have been Celestia because Celestia was seen again in the morning and Pansy swore no one went in or out of the girl's dormitory. So she can't have ever returned. Pansy seems to think she imagined it all and I agree she probably did. But it's just strange, the things that don't line up..."
"She was at the bathroom probably. And Pansy hates that bitch. She would say anything about her," Draco was impatient.
"Ah. So Pansy has a personal vendetta against her," Theo smiled, like he was finding it satisfying to rope Draco into his idea of a talk.
"Everyone has personal hatreds against everyone. You'll be rambling until midnight if you tried to analyse each and every one. I'm done listening to you talk. I actually have a life to live. Quidditch practice," said Draco.
"You bought your way in," Theo pointed out the painful truth.
"You want to race me and see my skill that way?" snapped Draco. He knew he was the better flier of the two.
"Would I be allowed to fly as dirty as you are? Or are we pretending to fly without dirty tricks but you will inevitably use them," Theo had always said Draco flew dirty, even though the other Slytherins admired him for his Quidditch skills, and was jabbing at the same comment again.
"You think you can beat me in a race where we both flew dirty?" Draco felt himself getting more and more angry.
"Actually, I really have to go fly. Quidditch practice. Flint would be angry at me otherwise. Don't...push me to truly show you who's better at flying," he hissed at Theo. Draco bumped into his shoulder angrily on purpose on the way out. He didn't care anymore.
That conversation alone had given him plenty reasons to be angry for the rest of the day. But Draco found himself boiling up with anger over another matter.
His father was a deatheater. His father's money was used by the deatheaters for their bidding, that Draco knew without even having to be told. Most people used his family for money. And the deatheaters sounded like they needed a lot of funding, as well as not having many wealthy people in their midst. Draco almost instinctively knew one of the sole reasons why his father had been recruited into the deatheaters was likely because of the money he bought to it, and how it could be spent doing whatever Lord Voldemort wanted.
This meant his father was a big pawn for Lord Voldemort to play around with. He was a central deatheater. One of the main ones. The one who funded everything. And Draco knew that if Lord Voldemort returned, called all the deatheaters to a meeting again, and put them to use with whatever his goals were, that his family's life would be drastically affected. His too if he would have to join and carry out Lord Voldemort's bidding.
Draco had always felt like he had a huge stake in the game. He was one of the people most involved with the deatheaters and Lord Voldemort, and there seemed to be no way out. There was no way his father could get rid of the dark mark. There was no way to break the magical spell or contract. It was too dark and too obscure bit of magic, Lord Voldemort's true genius. His father had nowhere to hide. Not even money could truly hide him because Lord Voldemort had magic and as much as Draco respected his father's magical powers, he didn't trust his father would be able to hide himself magically from Lord Voldemort if Lord Voldemort truly wanted to find him.
Draco hated it. He hated the deatheaters and Lord Voldemort not because his parents barely told him anything, not trusting him to keep his mouth shut, or to not accidentally let things slip out, and he had to find out from books, newspaper articles, overhearing things and his own brain, racking it back and forth for answers. But because it felt so distant to Draco. It meant nothing to Draco. Draco wasn't alive at the time it was created, he couldn't feel what they'd wanted, what they stood for. And he didn't even want to spend so much of his life obsessing over the past.
However, as time stretched on and Draco aged, he felt the pressure surmounting. Of Lord Voldemort returning, of there being a second wizarding world, of chaos happening, and of himself being involved and meeting ends he wouldn't like. Losing money, his family falling from grace, being involved in dark and dangerous things.
Draco wanted to stop Lord Voldemort from coming back into power more than anyone else in his generation. A deep burning feeling inside of him to just end it for once and for all.
Draco felt desperate. And with desperation came the option of a monarchy, which was looking more and more appealing by the minute.
At first it was a stupid game of make believe Pansy talked him into that they started playing at the age of 10 at their houses with the other Slytherins whenever they met up. Draco merely went along with it, but as time passed, the benefit of a monarchy became even clearer to him. At the start of the game it was all based on romance and Pansy wanting them to all marry in-game (they were all kings and queens), but later on Draco introduced more topics of monarchy and the ministry to them. He was satisfied most of the purebloods agreed with him there were issues with the ministry of magic and the current system of government in the wizarding world, but frustrated when none of them had any better ideas than he did of how to change it, or any more ambition.
Draco mostly felt like he was the only one desperately wishing for some change in his generation.
With each passing day, the urge to actually do something or begin doing something, to overthrow the government and make the wizarding world a monarchy, where Draco could be king, where he would be able to take care of the Lord Voldemort problem with all the freedom that he liked, was getting stronger and stronger...
He needed to act fast. He only had a few years before Harry's turned 17, where some obscure magical protections that could be cast on witches and wizards as children would fade away. Draco suspected Harry may have a few of those and knew that if he didn't take care of the Lord Voldemort problem soon, things could truly spiral out of control past Harry's 17th year. It nauseated him that Harry Potter probably didn't know just how much Draco hoped Lord Voldemort would never come back, not out of care for the boy but for his own sake and benefit (Draco's entire family could lose their money and be thrown in Azkaban...), and yet Harry always acted like Draco was the carefree one in all of this. Or the evil one.
Draco could see it with the scorn that Harry and Ron gave him. Even Luna, who was usually a nice oddball from what he'd heard of her, seemed to pathologically hate Draco, and there was even a bit of undeserved scorn he felt she gave him, which irritated him.
Draco had no happiness about the current state of affairs. And perhaps in a way, ever since his birth and awareness of the world around him, he never quite did.
And they say a Sacred 28 pureblood's life was easy.
But most days, it just felt like a lie he had to live.
