Year: 5, January 8 1997 (between chapter 102 and 103)
Canonicity: canon to the Slytherin Six/Affinities crossover
Point-of-view: third person, Draco Malfoy
Notes: I would advise reading this after the previous one-shot. This explores Draco's POV before he encounters the Slytherin Six in Periculand. There aren't any major spoilers for the Affinities series so you don't need to have read that. I basically just wrote this for my own reference, and for Dani and Jasmine's enjoyment.
"Wait for me!" The annoying, girlish voice interrupted Draco's failed attempts to fall asleep. He dragged his gaze away from the ceiling and his mind away from thoughts of Fitzroy, focusing on the commotion in the hall outside his dorm room. "I haven't perfected my spell for strapping these heels on quickly!"
"We don't have time to waste!" another girl's voice hissed back. "Every second is another opportunity for Snape to take away my prefect privileges!"
Draco ran a hand over his face, wishing he could pretend he hadn't heard Greengrass and Pucey sneaking around after curfew. Even if he weren't a prefect, he wouldn't have been able to ignore it, though. Crabbe still snored like a drowning pig in his bunk, which meant the two girls weren't scampering off to snog boys. This had to have something to do with Fitzroy.
Quietly climbing down from his bed, he slipped on his shoes and peered into the corridor, spotting Greengrass, Pucey, and Flemming disappearing into the common room. They'd left the door to their room open, and when Draco peeked inside, he found every bed vacant, including Fitzroy's.
Swearing under his breath, he stalked out of the Slytherin dungeons and followed the girls up the stairs. He kept a lengthy distance as not to be detected, but this proved a mistake when one of their chosen staircases moved before he could hop on.
"This blasted school...bloody ridiculous... I'll kill Dumbledore just for allowing this nonsense to continue..." he grumbled to himself as he found an alternate stairwell. Since he'd lost sight of the girls, he almost considered taking a detour to the Headmaster's office to complain about the outrageous design of this place, but luckily the sight of two other idiots snuffed any rash ideas.
"Everything is purrrrple... Looks like Melody," Harper slurred before dragging his tongue along the wall. Draco almost gagged aloud. For once, Anderson did something right by redirecting his friend toward the center of the corridor.
"This is barmy, Harp. You can barely even walk." Anderson grabbed his friend's arm when he nearly collapsed to his wobbly knees.
"Need...to know....what Lay's up to. She saaaaid no more secrets!"
A spike of panic drove through Draco's chest. Had Fitzroy snuck off to work on the cabinet? It would be like her to not check if her demented friends were following. Better them than the Gryffindors, but...Draco still didn't want anyone screwing up their plans. Nor did he want these morons involving themselves in the task. Working with one incompetent fifth year was bad enough.
Harper suddenly gasped, clutching his friend's shoulder for support. "Am I hallucinating, or is that the most beauuuutifulangel you've ever seen?"
Draco froze in his tracks when he spotted a head of pale purple hair through the darkened hall ahead. As it whirled around, he hastily hid behind a statue and hoped his light locks weren't a beacon to his own location.
"You're not dead?" Flemming's toneless voice sounded from afar. "What a pity."
"My heart...is bursting...with love!"
