Chapter Text
After class, Draco reluctantly tapped Micheal on the shoulder before leaving, “I’ll be with you in just a second—I need to go talk to someone quickly.”
Micheal looked in surprise, head turning towards Ron and Harry. Then, after studying Draco’s expression carefully, he crossed his arms.
“Something tells me this someone isn’t just you catching up with a friend,” Micheal said slowly.
“Excellent observation, Micheal. Obviously not, I’m going to talk to Theodore Nott,” He replied calmly.
Micheal narrowed his eyes in suspicion, “…well, don’t do anything stupid…I get the sense you’re about to do something very un-Ravenclaw.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I assure you, I am not planning on doing anything stupid,” Draco answered back dryly.
It wasn’t as if he planned on starting a fight. If anything, Draco would love more than anything to avoid one by not having a conversation with these Slytherins. He knew that it wasn’t going to be pretty anyways—not with knowing how the Slytherin caste system worked and their need for revenge. He was probably going to be confronted for his actions which were unsuitable for pureblood society.
Draco spotted Theo, along with Gregory and Vincent in the corner of his eye, standing in the shade of a tree expectantly. In all honesty, Draco did not want to bother with whatever petty confrontation that he was sure to get, but it would only be more annoying if he ignored them. He took a deep breath before sauntering over.
“Finally. How nice of you to join us Malfoy —or rather, should I say, blood traitor,” Theo spat out viciously.
Draco felt a small migraine forming, already knowing how this was going to turn out. Looked like he was right in offending high society. It seemed that the problem was how he had been too friendly with other houses.
So much for trying to be on civil terms, Draco thought in exasperation.
“ Nott, to what do I owe the pleasure?” Draco replied as pleasantly as he could in the situation—which was, in all honesty, not pleasant at all.
Nott curled his lip in disgust, “Hah—I just wanted to talk to the Slytherin backstabber. First, you betray our house with your sorting. Now you’re sucking up to Gryffindors. ”
Draco couldn’t help but shake his head at Nott’s words. As he thought—petty grievances, but there wasn’t much he could do about it. He sympathized with them, albeit to the slightest degree, because as a former Slytherin, he knew the pressures that came with being in the house—especially if one was from a Pureblood family.
Part of Draco’s original distaste for half-bloods and muggle-borns had to do with their freedom. Although he had looked at them in disgust, believing they were uncouth, he knew now that he was really just feeling envious that they were born without restrictions. In comparison to his somewhat strict upbringing, and his lack of freedom in terms of his future career path, the Draco of before would have felt justified in his treatment of them.
However, he wasn’t the same person he was before. He knew now that they didn’t have simple lives either, which made it easier for him to glare back at Nott.
“—At least it wasn’t Hufflepuff I suppose. But really, consorting with half-bloods and mudbloods? You should be ashamed—to be part of two noble Pureblood families and to still fail to maintain the dignity of their names?” Nott scoffed.
Draco was about to give a snarky reply before being interrupted by a shout, “Oi—why don’t you just shut up Nott?”
Draco blinked, and suddenly Harry and Ron appeared, with Micheal standing next to him. Micheal shot him an unimpressed look and Draco simply shrugged in reply.
“Ooooh, Potter and Weasley, standing up for a traitor, I’m so frightened. Bugger off, would you? This is between me and Malfoy here,” Nott taunted.
“Draco’s no traitor! What’s your problem anyway? He didn’t do anything to you,” Harry argued.
Ron snickered, “Well…except maybe hurting a little someone’s pride.”
What the hell were these two doing? Gryffindors and their uncontrollable urge to jump into an argument.
Draco supposed that he shouldn’t have been surprised—Harry Potter had always had a savior complex—but he hadn’t expected that he would be the one getting “ saved. ”
Nott looked affronted before whipping his head to face Draco, “Didn’t realize you needed others to fight your own battles.”
Draco pursed his lips, “I don’t.”
As much as he enjoyed the drama—former melodramatic Slytherin—Draco hadn’t quite appreciated being coddled. He certainly could fight his own battles, thank you very much. Although, it was admittedly nice to see someone stand up for him.
“You might though, considering how much you’re clinging to Vince and Gregory right now. But still, I hadn’t realized how low the Slytherin house had fallen, to be targeting a student simply for rejecting them. Who knew you lot were so sensitive that others were actually competent and had a social life, unlike you. And by the way, I believe you should work more on your threatening skills as well, seeing how terrible you are at acting intimidating, ” Draco drawled.
Ron’s jaw was left open, eyes shining with admiration, while Harry's grin widened in amusement. On the other hand, Nott’s entire face was slowly turning red from anger, while Vince and Gregory still remained silent, faces bearing a curious expression that Draco couldn’t quite place.
Micheal gave him a small pat on the back in approval, and Draco took this as a sign to exit as he passed by both the Gryffindor duo and Slytherin trio.
While walking by, Draco watched as Nott’s expression gained a bitter darkness to it. He felt a pull in his heart—feeling how achingly similar Nott was to his younger self. Perhaps…perhaps being sorted into a different house meant that someone else had to take Draco’s place. After all, Draco certainly didn’t remember Nott being so hung up over himself like this.
Draco softened minutely before saying softly, “...Look I was harsh, but you don’t have to act like this. I would know from experience. It’s beneath you—you…you can be better .”
Nott seemed to take his words in a different meaning as he bristled angrily, “You! How dare you. Tonight, in the trophy room at midnight. Wizard’s duel. Wands only—no contact.”
He sighed—how many times had he done that since returning now? But seriously, why did everyone have to be so dramatic —before saying curtly, “No, thanks.”
“ Scared Malfoy?” Nott jeered.
An eleven-year-old Nott, who knew barely a single hex, and was as harmless as a fly in comparison to the Dark Lord? A kid that fate decided to mock, as it forced Nott to take Draco’s place as a bully?
Draco stared at him blankly, “Of you? Hardly.”
He grabbed Micheal’s arm before walking off to his next class, only vaguely hearing the continued shouts between Harry and Nott as he left.
“And you ‘weren’t going to do anything stupid.’ We really need to get your facts checked. And maybe get you a babysitter while we’re at it, considering how it’s only been a few days and you’ve already managed to get yourself in some unsavory situations,” Micheal grumbled.
In his defense, it wasn’t as if he was looking for trouble. It seemed that trouble came looking for him if anything.
Draco smirked, “What can I say? It’s hard being favored by trouble.”
He couldn’t help but laugh as Micheal simply groaned in reply.
***
It was nighttime when Draco woke up in cold sweat. Perhaps it was because of his forced encounter with Nott, who reminded him so much of himself. Or perhaps it was the fact that he had been through one of his biggest moments as a first year that he had a nightmare.
Draco was shivering as he remembered his dream—the Astronomy tower. Where he had made his choice, and ultimately paid for it later.
He had been avoiding the Astronomy tower as best as possible since arriving but knew he would have to go eventually. Eventually being tomorrow morning. It was stupid of him—he knew that this was his second chance and nothing had happened yet—but still he was…afraid.
Draco got up and wrapped himself in a shawl before heading downstairs. Maybe something warm would help him get back to sleep faster.
He headed down the stairs and sat down in the Ravenclaw common room, enjoying the peace and quiet as everyone seemed to be asleep. The spacious common room made Draco feel more secure, feeling less trapped between the walls. He sat, enjoying the starry night sky that he couldn’t enjoy before, allowing his mind to rest.
His repose didn’t last long, as he heard the faint sound of squeaking shoes from beyond the portrait door.
Draco narrowed his eyes in suspicion—who on earth would be out so late? Draco prided himself in having sensitive ears, and he knew that the sound of those loud footsteps were certainly not a professor's, nor Filch’s.
Against his better judgment, Draco got up quietly up the stairs to grab his wand before heading back down and opening the portrait door slowly. It was dark and far too dreary-looking at night for his tastes.
“Lumos,” he whispered quietly and muttered a few other spells for stealth. He crept slowly through the halls, with the small light of his wand illuminating the area.
It didn’t take long to find the source of the disturbance, as he spotted a couple of familiar faces.
“ Harry?! ” Draco whisper-shouted, catching said boy’s attention.
“ What on earth are you doing?” Draco hissed out.
He stared at his offenders—Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked a bit sheepish. Why were they all out of the dorms? What on earth were they doing? Draco swore that they were going to send him into an early grave—there was a reason for Hogwarts having a curfew.
He stared down Hermione, severely surprised and disappointed in her choices—he thought that she was the sensible one. How could she have gone along with those two?
Hermione seemed to notice his disapproval and managed to sputter out, “I-In my defense, I tried to stop them from sneaking out! I didn’t want to go!”
Ron wrinkled his nose, “Yeah, yeah, whatever—you still ended up tagging along even though nobody asked. But what are you doing out here Draco?”
Harry nodded a bit frantically along to Ron’s words, clearly trying to defend himself.
Draco pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. Really now, trying to turn the tables and change accusations. Perhaps he would’ve been flustered if someone threw his argument back at him when he was eleven, but thankfully he had the mind of an adult who could clearly see what was happening.
Draco wondered what kind of face he was wearing, as he saw the faces of the three slowly turn more flustered while he was in his thoughts. Perhaps he should have pulled it more often, seeing how docile they were in front of him.
“I came out because of some rather loud noises I heard from outside the Ravenclaw common room and wanted to make sure everything was alright. Now, why, pray tell, are you sneaking out?” Draco said, arms crossed.
Harry shuffled his feet nervously, “Er, well, after you left, Nott kept saying some…bad things. So we kinda got mad and got into a wizard’s duel with him?”
Merlin’s beard —Fate was really trying to fool with him, wasn’t it? Draco grimaced as he realized that this was probably the same situation from before, except instead of him challenging them to a duel, it was Nott.
“You do realize,” Draco started slowly, “That Nott probably isn’t going to follow through with his threat?”
“How do you know that?” Ron argued.
Draco fixed him with his most judgmental stare, enjoying how Ron squirmed uncomfortably, “He’s a Slytherin, so he’s not going to be that brash. No, he’s going to play it safe. He’s probably in his dorm, snickering about how you all will get caught by Filch alone.”
Hermione nodded, “See, I knew it was a bad idea to come out here!”
Harry didn’t seem to want to back down, however, “Well, what if you’re wrong and he does show up? Then we’ll look like cowards.”
Ron immediately backed Harry up, leaving Draco to rub his temples and sigh. He couldn’t very well just leave these reckless Gryffindors to their own devices. They wouldn’t listen to Hermione, and he doubted they would very much listen to him until he had proved correct.
“...Alright. I’m coming with you—but you guys listen to me if I’m right and if we’re about to get caught because there is absolutely no way I’m going to be responsible for any house points lost,” Draco said shortly.
Harry grinned, “Sounds good to me. Thanks. You’re the best, Draco.”
He smirked back, “Oh I know .”
Hermione seemed to want to say something, but he made eye contact with her, hoping she’d get his message—they both needed to be there to control the two. She clearly got the idea, as she eventually nodded hesitantly, and the group began their trek—silently this time, thanks to Draco’s muffling spell—through the halls.
They arrived in the trophy room—clearly empty, with no sign of Nott. Draco sent Harry and Ron a look, and they had the decency to look a bit guilty.
“Looks like Nott chickened out,” Ron said after a moment of silence, somewhat triumphantly.
Draco sighed, “As I told you, he wasn’t going to head out—not with all the punishments on the line.”
Hermione shared his sentiment, as she added on sourly, “Yes, and you two could’ve used the same deduction skills. If you’re satisfied, let’s head back before—”
“It seems we have some students out of bed, my sweet,” the nasally sound of Filch’s voice filled the room.
Draco cursed quietly before darting over behind a trophy case and beckoning the others over. They needed to get out as soon as possible. He began moving out quickly, before turning around to hear a crash.
Ron’s eyes were wide as they saw one of the many trophies knocked over.
“RUN!” Harry yelled, sprinting off.
Draco followed, regretting his choices. Ron and Hermione were at his heels as they all ran down the hallways, bumping into the Peeves.
“Oh? What’s this? Students out of bed?” The Peeves cackled.
“Oh, please don’t say anything,” Harry whispered.
The Peeves exchanged a look, and Draco knew he had to step in. The Peeves weren’t going to be done in by pleas—they needed either fear to put them in place or an incentive.
“ Peeves, if you say something, I’ll tell Bloody Baron about what you did to the carpet in the dungeons—I’m sure he’ll be far from pleased,” Draco said cooly.
They visibly recoiled but shook their heads defiantly, “You wouldn’t.”
“Would you really like to test it? And anyways, Bloody Baron always did have a soft spot for purebloods—especially members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight,” Draco threatened.
They frowned but didn’t say a word. Draco could hear the heavy footsteps of Filch approaching and he grabbed the group and pulled out his wand quickly before whispering, “ Alohamora!”
They all tumbled inside and shut the door quickly.
“Good thinking,” Hermione whispered to him.
They watched with bated breath as Filch arrived right where they were just standing, with Mrs. Norris in his arms.
“ Peeves where are they? Where are the students out of bed?” Filch asked with a crazed look in his eye.
The Peeves shrugged, “Students? Won’t say nothing if you don’t say please.”
Filch growled, “ Please. Where are they?”
“NOTHING!” The Peeves cackled before disappearing from sight. Filch stomped his foot before storming off.
Draco let out a sigh of relief, that had been a close call.
Suddenly, he felt a gust of warm air from behind him. He met eyes with Harry, and they both turned around simultaneously.
In front of them was Hagrid’s pet—what was the blasted dog’s name, oh yes, Fluffy —looking extremely intimidating. Although Draco knew that the dog wouldn’t pose much harm to them as long as they didn’t make any aggressive movements, the other three Gryffindors didn’t.
He watched in a bit of amusement as they looked wide-eyed at the dog before opening the door and sprinting away, dragging Draco along with him. By the time they came to a stop, they reached the area where Draco had caught them earlier.
“Well, that was an adventure! What on earth was that thing, and what was it doing there?” Ron said breathlessly.
Hermione’s bad mood seemed to appear as she snapped, “Use your eyes, would you? It’s clearly a guard dog—it was protecting a trap door of sorts, didn’t you see the floor wasn’t normal? I hope you two are pleased that you nearly got us killed, or worse, expelled. ”
Ron’s mouth was left gaping, while Harry didn’t seem to notice, staring at Draco for answers.
Draco rolled his eyes, “You’re right, I suspect it is guarding something. But anyway, next time, you should listen to what I have to say, as clearly I was right—Nott didn’t show up. So if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be heading back to bed and I suggest you three do the same. Goodnight.”
He whirled around on his heel and started to head back. He heard the faint call of a “Thank you Draco” from Harry but didn’t bother to look behind him. It was a long day, and Draco thought he deserved at least a few more hours of sleep after his long night babysitting Gryffindors and stopping them from getting killed.