Chapter 08 :
"Have you found anything yet ?" Asked Harry, drowning in a very boring book.
"It would be easier if your pet Granger didn't keep mindlessly hoarding every book on the subject" Complained Theodore in frustration.
"You speak of her like she was a dragon..."
"I apologize, I did not mean to make it look like she was such a great creature."
"You think there'll be dragons in the tournament ?"
Theodore thought about it for a moment but answered :
"No. Neither the ministry nor Dumbledore would be this stupid."
Draco was once again walking through Hogwarts corridors, wandering aimlessly after losing sight of Nott. The night was deep and he should be sleeping -taking care of insomniac first years and Head Boys really-, he wanted to be sleeping... and yet, here he was : up and far from bed.
A tired sigh escaped his lips. Even He, the Great and Wonderful Draco Malfoy, could not keep his countenance at this umpteenth defeat in his useless quest of catching Nott and Potter in the deed. He should probably give up -especially since the deed in question was firmly PG rated and mostly harmless-, but he could not. He could guess- No, he knew how dangerous Nott's Evil Mind and Potter's Famed Recklessness could be together...
To be honest, Draco didn't want to be doing whatever it was he was doing. He could do without all this stalking instead of sleeping, all this pointless stress and paranoia. He too wanted to be just like all those other blessed souls : unaware. But he wasn't. So here he was, struggling to stay awake and to find his wayward best friend...
"Hey, Malfoy" called out Weasley in a biting grunt, "got any luck ?"
Weasley... Here was another thing he could do without. It was becoming more and more frequent to fall on this thing as he seeked to find his friend in vain. This pauper of a Gryffindor was an unpleasant company on the best days -downright unbearable on most days-, but these nights...
"Malfoy... ?"
These nights Draco dared to admit to himself that, perhaps, the Weasley spawn was a little like he was, if only in his trying to prevent the Doom of the world. He was sure the unkempt boy was doing it for a petty reason, contrariwise to doing it for the continuity of the Universe like himself, but at least he did something. Which was way more than what the young Malfoy could say about his fellow Slytherins.
"Hey~ ! Malfoy~ ! I'm talking to you~ !"
Yes... Perhaps... Perhaps should he see this worthless dustbin as an all-
"Answer me, you damned snob !"
His collar grabbed in an uncouth fashion, Draco luckily came back to reason before losing himself to the depth of his own irrationality. He quickly twisted the guilty hand out of his sight and dusted his abused collar with dignity :
"Ill-mannered as always, Weasel. Couldn't you see that I was immersed in deep and meaningful thougts ?"
"Dude" deadpanned the blasé ginger boy, "you were daydreaming. No need to pretend it was about something important. Anyway, you found any clues about Harry ?"
The young Malfoy denied finding anything in a sneer, embarrassed to have been caught daydreaming of all things. Weasley sighed as he let himself fall on the floor, grumbling :
"I'm tired of all this bullshit. I wish I didn't have to go through the whole castle every night to get hold of two guys who are probably not even doing anything wrong..."
"We have to !" Admonished Draco with a clenched jaw before sighing too. "Someone has to..."
"I know ! It's just-"
"Stop complaining Weasley ! You're not the only one in this mess ! Do you know how hard it is for me !?"
"What ?" Cinically spat Ronald. "Your hair lost its shine because of your lack of sleep ?"
Trying very hard not to punch the other boy, Draco gritted his teeth :
"Have you ever seen Nott smiling ?" He squinted in satisfaction at seeing the poor red head shiver. "I've been trying to build an immunity over the years, but even I have my limits. The more tired I am, the more vulnerable I am, and I can't sleep because of all the people he traumatized !"
"Right..." Admitted Weasley. "I forgot about the Cheering Charm Incident... But it only proves what I thought : this is too much work for one man."
The Slytherin fourth year paled in horrified understanding.
"You can't be saying what I think you are saying..."
"Yes," nodded gravely the Gryffindor. "We might have to form an... alliance."
"..."
"..."
"NEVER !"
Never would He, the Great and Wonderful Draco Malfoy, ever associate himself with this- this flea-ridden pauper ! The Malfoys and the Weasleys had a feud for a reason ! He might not be able to remember what it was, but he would NOT betray centuries of tradition because of this utter bullshit ! Who cared that his sociopath of a best friend now hung out with a dangerous potential enabler anyway ? Ha ! Certainly not him !
Draco left without another word, stomping his way back to his dormitory.
AN : Malfoy is against it and yet...
Anyway, slow updates from now on. I have a few chapters ready and I'll post one everytime I write a new one.
Plew A.E