Since the writing on the wall, nothing else seemed to happen. The thought seemed to escape Draco's mind a lot more now as the quidditch match against Gryffindor was coming closer. He had been training even without the team by himself, making sure he would be able to beat Potter.
His time on the pitch had taken away from his studies and he was so behind until Pansy and Blaise offered to help him with assignments. Draco wasn't sure if they knew how much it meant to him, but a small part of him did. Since his father was coming it seemed as though everyone was hoping the best for him.
Eventually, the dreaded Saturday approached and Draco awoke before the mermaids in the lake. He immediately got up and ran to the bathroom to throw up. The nerves were getting to him and the fear of failure was also creeping upon him.
Theo and Blaise eventually woke up and sat beside him as he continued to spew into the toilet.
When Draco finally stopped Theo handed him a glass of water and gave a small smile.
"Don't worry Draco, you'll do great, Me and William Ratman will be cheering for you! Just think about that," His cheery voice sung as he got up and walked back into the dorms. Blaise rubbed his back and laughed.
"You heard the man, don't let your father being there shake you," Blaise said and then got closer to his ear and whispered, "and worst comes to worst, make fun of Potter that always cheers you up,". The Slytherin gave a cunning wink and got up to join Theo in getting dressed for the day.
Draco laughed to himself a bit and then decided it was time. He got up off the floor and walked into the dorms to change into his quidditch robes. He decided he was going to win this game, and show Potter who exactly he was messing with.
The entire Slytherin house left the dungeons close to eleven to make their way over to the pitch. Blaise, Theo, Pansy, and Crabbe, and Goyle had all left to get to their seats which left Draco alone to be in a nervous wreck. Marcus and Adrian were waiting in the tent for him and begun running over the plays with no hesitation.
"Now Draco, Terrance used to be excellent at the Wronski Feint and of course we don't expect you to know it, but we think it would throw off Potter," Marcus said smacking his back and then talking to the rest of the team. Adrian and Miles flashed Draco and smile and then crowded around Marcus.
Draco knew exactly what the Wronski Feint was, doing it though, seemed impossible. He was too nervous and throwing in something he hadn't practiced could ruin everything.
Time moved so fast that before you know it Draco and the rest of the team were mounting their brooms and flying onto the pitch. Hearing the cheers and seeing the flashes of waving green, red, blue, and yellow flags made Draco smile. He spotted Theo waving William Ratman in the air and Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle all cheering for him as Draco flew to his position.
He was so happy in the moment that when he glanced over at the teacher section and saw Snape and his father his smile seemed to dim down. Lucius Malfoy was dressed in all black and casually whispering to Snape's ear any chance he got. Draco took a deep breath and flooded his mind with the thoughts of beating Harry.
Madam Hooch entered onto the pitch with the Quaffle and asked Flint and Wood to shake hands, which they did while giving each other threatening stares and gripping rather harder than was necessary.
"On my whistle," said Madam Hooch. "Three...two...one..."
With a roar from the crowd to speed them upward, the fourteen players rose toward the leaden sky. Draco spotted Harry flying upwards and decided to join him.
make fun of Potter that always cheers you up
"All right there, Scar-head?" Draco yelled, shooting underneath Harry to show off the speed of his new broom.
Before Harry had time to reply, a heavy black Bludger pelted toward him. Draco laughed a little as he watched Harry duck, narrowly avoiding its impact.
Draco watched as one of the twins flew up to Potter and say something. He figured if he was going to find the snitch at all he was going to have to stay close to Harry just in case he did somehow spot it first. Draco squinted in the direction of the lanky red-haired boy just as he swung his beater bat and hit the bludger that had just flown at Harry.
His eyes opened wide as the Bludger seemed to get closer and just as he shut his eyes he heard a yell of confusion coming from the twin. The Bludger had spun around and focused on Harry once more.
Draco watched as Harry flew around the pitch trying to escape the bludger. This was feeling a bit weird, a bludger never focuses that much on a player. Draco felt his eyes drifting the pitch and he swore he saw a glimpse of a dirty pillowcase hidden under one of the stands.
Before he could question it, the rain started to fall and Draco's attention diverted back to the main objective. The snitch.
Lee Jordan's voice rang over the pitch announcing the score. "Slytherin lead, sixty points to zero "
The new brooms were definitely doing justice. Draco glanced at his father who was smirking up in the booth. Was he proud? Impressed? Not Impressed? His mind seemed to not focus on one thing and kept shifting between his father, harry, and that ruddy dirty pillowcase.
Madam Hooch's whistle rang out and Draco flew over to the other Slytherin's who were already huddled at the bottom cheering.
"We are going to bloody crush them, just catch the snitch Draco and we can end them!" Marcus snarled. For some odd reason, he felt highly motivated after that statement. Draco joined in the cheers, pumping his fists in the air and screaming with joy. They hadn't even won yet.
Madam Hooch's whistle rang out once more and everyone flew back up. The rain continued to fall heavily down on everyone. Draco's usually greased back hair was now a drenched mop and he found it very unsettling. He imagined his mother being very disappointed by its messiness. After all neat hair was mother's thing.
Draco spotted Harry doing some silly moves up in the air and flew over laughing.
"Training for the ballet, Potter?" He yelled as Harry did another stupid kind of twirl in midair to dodge the Bludger. Harry then looked him dead in the eye and gave the most devilish look of hatred he had ever gotten. Draco began to laugh because there was no way Harry hated him for saying he was training for a ballet.
Draco watched through his laughing fit the bludger speed towards Harry once more and the urge to scream lookout almost overtook him. Yet he knew the rest of the team would hear it, and explaining why he showed sympathy for Potter seemed more difficult than finding out who the heir of Slytherin was.
The Bludger had hit Harry and smashed into his elbow. Harry slid sideways on his rain-drenched broom, one knee still crooked over it, his right arm dangling useless at his side. Draco watched the Bludger come pelting back for a second attack, this time aiming at Harry's face.
Draco found himself unconsciously about to dive towards the bludger when Harry swerved out of the way and glared in his direction once more. A faint buzzing noise rang in his ear but he just assumed it was something to do with the rain.
Draco confused, let out one chuckle before Harry flew directly in his direction. Draco quickly widened his eyes and put his hands in front of his face to protect himself from Harry's attack.
But it never came.
"What the –" Draco gasped. Harry had flown past him and was now chasing one thing. The snitch was right by his ear and he didn't even notice.
Draco watched as Harry grabbed the snitch and admire it. The Gryffindor's cheered and the Slytherin's groaned. Draco quickly looked up at the stands to see his father not even there. Snape however bit his lip and nodded before disappearing from the stands.
So there Draco sat. On his broom, a couple of hundred feet off the ground, in the pouring rain, alone.
He didn't come down until a couple of minutes later when the pitch seemed to empty of all the students. Draco ducked into the tent and immediately came face to face with Miles and Marcus.
"And what was that then?" Miles sneered, taking Draco's brooms out of his hands and throwing it to the side. Adrian and some of the other teammates laughed in the back and Marcus glared.
"Right by your bloody ear! You lost us this game Malfoy, you'll pay for it as well. Laps tomorrow morning, and not flying RUNNING!" Marcus yelled smacked Draco across the face. Draco flew back landing on the muddy ground and watched as the rest of the team exited the tent.
He didn't cry. He firmed it. He deserved it.
Just like he had deserved to get thrown into the portrait room. It was his fault.
Draco walked back to the common room alone and drenched. Theo, Blaise, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle were all waiting for him at the entrance.
"We heard Marcus say some things.." Pansy began but her eyes grew wide as she looked at the red handprint on the side of Draco's pale face.
"Apparently Potter fainted right after and Lockheart removed his bones, at least you not stuck in the Hosptial Wing all night, it's scary there," Theo said quickly. Draco knew he was just trying to get the subject changed so Pansy wouldn't ask about the mark.
"Makes me feel a little better, yea," Draco said quietly, "I think I'm going to take a nap," He ducked down the stairs leaving the rest of them to whisper more about him.
He didn't care. He pulled his wand from inside his robes and mumbled a hot air spell to fix his hair and changed into more comfortable clothes. It was about one but he hoped he slept until the next day. He got into bed, shut his eyes, and drifted to sleep preparing himself to be woken up in the morning by an angry Marcus Flint forcing him to run in the rain.
A couple of weeks had passed since the match and it was now the second week of December. Snape had visited the common room earlier to collect names for the people who would be staying at school for the holidays. Draco's father who hadn't said anything to him since the match had written a letter saying he was to stay at school over break due to a last-minute trip to Bulgaria. Crabbe and Goyle had opted on staying as well, while Pansy, Theo, and Blaise were going back home.
It was a Thursday, and the hair was brisk and cold as the six of them made their way to Potions down in the cold dungeons.
Thursday afternoon's lesson proceeded in the usual way. Many cauldrons stood steaming between the desks next to jars of ingredients. Snape paraded through the fumes, making waspish remarks at the Gryffindors' work while the Slytherins sniggered approvingly.
Draco Malfoy kept flicking his eyes at Ron and Harry hoping that they would say something to Snape so they could get some sort of punishment. He had tried to forget about them and had even attempted to throw away the page under his pillow. Part of him wanted them to perish to the beast within the chamber but another part didn't. It killed him inside that he couldn't make a final decision.
Ruining Draco's gaze and deep thoughts, Goyle's potion suddenly exploded, showering the whole class. Students began shrieking as splashes of the Swelling Solution hit them. Draco himself got a faceful and felt his nose began to swell like a balloon. He felt himself turn red with rage because he knew exactly would have done this, and in his mind, he slowly made his decision.
"Silence! SILENCE!" Snape roared. "Anyone who has been splashed, come here for a Deflating Draught – when I find out who did this –"
Draco hurried forward as he felt his nose grow even more and his head began to drop due to the weight of the nose that was now the size of a small melon. His face was still red and what made him even more annoyed was Harry's ever so taunting laugh behind him.
Snape handed Draco the antidote which he took generously and sighed as his big nose slowly started to go down. Draco watched as Snape swept over to Goyle's cauldron and scooped out the twisted black remains of the firework.
There was a sudden silence.
"If I ever find out who threw this," Snape whispered, "I shall make sure that person is expelled."
Snape was looking right at Harry. Surely this time he would get some sort of punishment. But then the bell rang and they all hurriedly exited the classroom leaving Draco groaning in disbelief.
"How does that even happen!" Draco exclaimed walking out of the class.
"I don't know mental really, can't believe Snape didn't let him have it," Blaise shook his head.
"How's your nose feeling? Bet you could smell loads," Theo giggled resulting in a good hit to the back of the head by Draco. They all laughed and made their way back to the common room making new nicknames for the lucky boy who lived.
A week later, Theo came running into the dorms one morning screaming about some sort of club. Apparently, someone decided to start a dueling club and the first meeting would be tonight. Draco loved the idea, and he was hoping for one person to be there. Harry Potter.
The meeting was at eight o'clock so when the time came they all exited the dungeons and made their way to the Great Hall. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead. The ceiling was velvety black once more and most of the school seemed to be packed beneath it, all carrying their wands and looking excited.
"I wonder who'll be teaching us?" Pansy whispered.
"Anyone but that git-" Blaise begun but his jaw dropped as Gilderoy Lockhart walked onto the stage, wearing robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than their own head of house Snape.
Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called, "Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!"
Draco, Blaise, and Theo all groaned while Pansy giggled at the sight of her favorite professor. Their only hope was Snape.
"Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions – for full details, see my published works.
"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you, youngsters, to worry – you'll still have you Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!"
"Snape better send Lockheart on his arse, I'll bet a sickle," Blaise whispered into Draco's ear. Draco smiled. "No chance I'd bet against that, try Pans."
Blaise laughed and walked up to Pansy and whispered the same bet into her ear which she surprisingly took. She shook his hand and Blaise walked back smirking. "Can't wait to get a sickle," He sung.
Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.
"As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course."
The look on Snape's face was saying otherwise which made all the Slytherins chuckle.
"One – two – three –"
Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.
Draco and the other Slytherins cheered while Pansy looked down at the ground in shame as she shoved a sickle into Blaise's hand.
Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.
"Well, there you have it!" he said, tottering back onto the platform. "That was a Disarming Charm – as you see, I've lost my wand – ah, thank you, Miss Brown – yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy – however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see..."
Snape was smirking. Apparently, Lockhart had noticed, because he said, "Enough demonstrating! I'm going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you'd like to help me –"
Draco moved towards Goyle. Seeing as he could barely perform a spell, this would be easy.
"Time to split up the dream team, I think," Snape sneered. "Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter –"
Draco watched as Harry moved automatically toward Hermione.
"I don't think so," said Snape, smiling coldly. "Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let's see what you make of the famous Potter. Miss Granger – you can partner with Miss Bulstrode."
Well then. Even better.
Draco strutted over, smirking.
"Face your partners!" called Lockhart, bock on the platform. "And bow!"
Draco and Harry barely inclined their heads, not taking their eyes off each other.
"Wands at the ready!" shouted Lockhart. "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents – only to disarm them – we don't want any accidents – one...two...three –"
Harry swung his wand high, but Draco had already started early. His spell hit Harry so hard he stumbled backward. Draco smiled but quickly lost the smirk when Harry pointed his wand straight at him and shouted, Rictusempra!
A jet of silver light hit Draco right in the stomach and he doubled up, wheezing.
"I said disarm only!" Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd.
Draco sank to his knees. Harry had hit him with a Tickling Charm, and he could barely move for laughing. Draco was officially fuming now, he would not let Harry make a full of him again.
Gasping for breath, Draco pointed his wand at Harry's knees and cried, Tarantallegra! The next second Harry's legs began to jerk around out of control in a kind of quickstep.
"Stop! Stop!" screamed Lockhart, as Snape stepped up behind them.
"Finite Incantatem!" he shouted; Harry's feet stopped dancing and Draco stopped laughing, and they were able to look up.
Draco sat up and looked around to see Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still dueling. Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. Draco felt immediately defensive and was about to run over and tell Millicent to stop but Harry had reached there first and pulled her off.
Something inside of made him furious that she did that. He walked over to Millicent and whispered into her ear.
"Never do that again" He sneered. She gave Draco a weird look and rolled her eyes and walked over to Pansy who had taken on a Hufflepuff and won.
"I think I'd better teach you how to block unfriendly spells," said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. "Let's have a volunteer pair – Longbottom and Finch-Fletchley, how about you –"
"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," said Snape, gliding over like a large and malevolent bat. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending what's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox." Neville's round, pink face went pinker.
"How about Malfoy and Potter?" said Snape with a twisted smile.
"Excellent idea!" said Lockhart, gesturing Draco and Harry into the middle of the hall as the crowd backed away to give them room.
"There is this one spell, Serpesortia...Potter won't know what hit him" Snape said in a low voice. Draco nodded he remembered seeing the spell in his father's study as well. Seemed to be very popular amongst the Slytherins.
Draco watched as Harry looked up nervously at Lockhart and said, "Professor, could you show me that blocking thing again?"
"Scared Potter?" Draco smirked.
"You wish," said Harry out of the corner of his mouth.
Lockhart cuffed Harry merrily on the shoulder. "Just do what I did, Harry!"
"What, drop my wand?" Harry shot back. Draco almost let out a laugh but kept his position.
Three – two – one – go!" he shouted.
Draco raised his wand quickly and bellowed, "Serpensortia!"
The end of his wand exploded. A long black snake shot out of it fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.
Draco watched in amazement.
"Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, "I'll get rid of it...."
This was his plan. Make Potter look like he was incapable of dealing with a Snake so Draco would win automatically. Bloody smart man Snape was.
"Allow me!" shouted Lockhart. He pointed his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward a petrified Hufflepuff and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.
Draco watched in shock as Harry began speaking to the snake. It was Parseltongue. He quickly looked at Blaise and Theo who were staring at him as well. Was Harry the actual heir? No surely not. He's not even in Slytherin. Draco himself had a better chance of being the heir.
"What do you think you're playing at?" the Hufflepuff shouted, and before Harry could say anything, The boy had turned and stormed out of the hall.
Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way.
Draco and everyone else watched as Harry was pulled out of the Great Hall by Ron and Hermione.
"Back to the common room," Snape said and then quickly disappeared through the doors.
"So Potter's a parlesmouth, well this changes things," Blaise said.
"Yea definitely," Draco said.
If Harry was the heir of Slytherin, then this did change everything. But what now?