Draco Malfoy and the Boy Who Lived

snape victorious

Smirking unconvincingly to himself, Draco made his way off the train and onto the station. He passed by a few strange looking people he had never seen before, including a young witch with mousy hair who looked extremely depressed, and rejoined the rest of his posse on the station.

"There you are," said Pansy. "Where were you?"

"I'll tell you in the carriage," said Draco slyly.

She smiled and slipped her hand forcefully into his as they made their way to where the horse-less carriages would be waiting for them to take them to Hogwarts. As soon as the moon peaked behind a foggy sheet of cloud, however, Draco stopped in his tracks.

His heart dropped.

Instead of a pack of carriages waiting for them with harnesses tied to nothing, was a pack of carriages with skeletal, black, winged horse-like things. He wracked his brain. He knew he had learned about these once... with that oaf of a half-blood, Hagrid... Thespers? Thestrals! Those animals that liked the smell of blood and that you could only see once you had seen death.

It simply could not be true, that the Hogwarts carriages were pulled by animals that had been deemed dangerous by the Ministry of Magic, yet here they were, suddenly standing before him as real as the girl holding his hand. He swallowed hard, but when everyone stopped and turned to ask what was wrong, why he had stopped moving, he forced out a smile, and a distant laugh in a voice that sounded anything but his own.

"Nothing," he lied.

Draco had not at all prepared for this. He should have known that with everything he had seen over the past summer, Thestrals would become visible to him, but the sight of the black, winged horses was more shocking than anything he could have expected. A kind of reality check which he had not at all wanted nor expected.

"N-Nothing, nothing's wrong," he stammered again, still grimacing a fake smile which he was sure was convincing no one. He cleared his throat and let his face fall back into a relaxed smirk of sheer Malfoyish-ness. "Let's find an empty carriage."

It didn't take long before they found a carriage that had only a few first years in it, which Goyle promptly scared out along with the help of Crabbe's shrunken head, and Draco got in. A big grin crossed his features when he heard the engine of the scarlet steam engine behind them roar into life and the Hogwarts Express began to leave Hogsmeade Station.

"So, what took you so long in the train, Draco?" said Pansy, who sat next to him, perhaps too close for comfort. He inched forward in his seat, so she fell off his shoulder, and leaned in to talk to the other three.

"You'll never believe this," he started, and without hesitation, delved into the story of what had happened on the train between him and Potter. "...and blood was just flying everywhere!" he finished after a gross imitation of a breaking nose. "Anyway, I covered him with that stupid Cloak of Invisibility he has so no one will find him till he's back in London."

"You're so clever," said Pansy admiringly as Crabbe and Goyle guffawed appreciatively. She continued stroking Draco's arm seductively and added, "I can see why He wants you working--"

"Shut up, will you?" said Draco, hitting her arm away, and barely missing her face. "I don't want anyone to hear you talking like that. Make sure you don't tell anyone."

Pansy nodded, frightened, and shyly lay her hand back on Draco's arm. Crabbe and Goyle were avoiding Draco's eyes, unsure whether or not to be laughing or frowning at Pansy, and instead doing a gross combination of the two, and Zabini looked, unaffected, out the black window. Draco knew he would apologize to Pansy later, or else it would be a while before she released his tensions in that way she could, but all he could think of now was that he may have had made a potentially life-threatening mistake in telling his friends as much as he did, and with Potter in the room...

The Thestral-drawn carriages pulled bumpily through the Hogwarts gates and soon pulled in front of the castle. As he dismounted the carriage, Draco made it a point to avoid looking the white-eyed creatures head on, and made his way up to the castle, Crabbe and Goyle following him, Zabini on one side, and Pansy clutching hopelessly onto him.

It was with great exasperation that Draco saw a long line waiting to get into the school. Many people around him were shivering and complaining, asking themselves what was going on, when he heard familiar irritating voices behind him.

"What the bloody hell are we waiting for? I'm so hungry I could eat a hippogriff!"

"Oh, Ronald! Isn't it obvious? With the heightened security at Hogwarts, we're sure to be inspected before we enter."

"That's bloody pointless. Who in the world would be right stupid enough to try to bring something into the castle that could be confiscated?"

Draco wasn't sure he wanted to make a scene and he uncharacteristically kept his gaze determinedly forward, hoping that his companions would not notice Weasley and Granger behind them, but alas, to no avail...

"Oh, look, Draco! See who's trailing in our footsteps!" said Pansy, grinning disagreeably at Granger.

He sighed, but by the time he had turned around to see the two non-suspecting Gryffindors, he had his waspish grin in place. "Leave it, Pansy, sweetheart," he said, watching Weasley who was impressively scowling. Crabbe and Goyle were in place behind Draco, their fists clenched. Zabini, however, besides a quick glance over his shoulder, was purposefully ignoring the situation. "They're not worth the trouble this early in the year."

Granger lifted a surprised eyebrow.

"Don't act so amazed, Mudblood," said Draco coolly. "There are better things we could be doing." He turned around and pushed past Crabbe and Goyle, who were still staring threateningly at the Gryffindors for a few more moments, frowning dangerously, before they too followed Draco back towards the line which had advanced.

By the time they reached the entrance to the castle, Filch was standing there with Professor Sprout and Professor Flitwick on either side of him. He was holding a long thin object which Draco suspected to be a Secrecy Sensor. Draco, Pansy, Goyle and Zabini all passed with no trouble at all, but Crabbe's shrunken head caused the sensor to go off, and he had to turn it in to Professor Sprout, who was watching him with suspicious eyes. Draco threw one last menacing look at Weasley when he heard him snigger before he continued past the doorway.

They passed through the majestic Entrance Hall into the Great Hall where they quickly sat down at the Slytherin table, closest to the door. Draco's stomach rumbled. He hadn't realised how hungry he was until he sat down in front of an empty plate and goblet.

A girl, Daphne Greengrass, sat down on the other side of Draco with a sly smile, and Pansy, on his left, immediately seized his face and pressed her lips against his, her eyes still open and observing the other sixth year Slytherin girl. Draco pushed himself away from Pansy in annoyance and looked around absently. He allowed a smirk to cross his features when he confirmed to himself that Potter wasn't there.

"What are you smiling about?" said Theodore Nott, who had just taken a seat across from Draco.

Draco nodded in the direction of the Gryffindor table, his eyes sparkling maliciously. "Notice anything different? Anything ... missing, perhaps?"

Nott spun around and stared at the Gryffindor table, frowning, but before he could come to any conclusions, Pansy burst out with glee, "Potter's not there!" Sure enough, between Weasley and Granger, where the ruffle-haired boy normally sat, was just empty air. Nott frowned and turned to look back at Draco.

"Well, where is he?"

Draco smirked and glanced sideways at Daphne, who was also trying to hide curiosity, though her attempt was feeble. He motioned for her to lean in, which she did immediately, hungry eyes. "I broke his nose on the train and petrified him."

"Are you mad!" said Nott, as Daphne started giggling madly and stroking Draco's arm in an adoring fashion. (Pansy was looking the other way, spreading the story down the table.) "Someone'll find him and he'll tell them the whole thing! You could get expelled for something like that!"

Draco shook his head. "Do you really think I'm stupid enough for that to happen? I covered him with that stupid Invisibility Cloak he has. By the time any one finds him, he'll be back in London. Besides, if anyone does find him, the great St Potter has too much pride to tell anyone that I broke his nose."

Nott leaned back, clearly trying to think of another reason that what Draco did was a bad idea, but the glimmer of jealousy was in his eyes, and Draco did not miss it. He smirked to himself and looked back over to the Gryffindor table. His throat clenched, but he ignored it, instead turning back to Daphne who had never ceased in petting him. He lifted his chin up proudly at her with a Malfoy smile, before Pansy realised what was happening, and reached over to hug Draco, "accidentally" spilling over a goblet of pumpkin juice into Daphne's lap simultaneously.

"Oops, sorry," she said, smirking.

Draco turned his attention down the people to see many of his fellow Slytherins smiling at him and giving him big thumbs up. A few Ravenclaws closest to the table were frowning at him, however. He smiled at a third year girl who was staring at him with wide, fearful eyes and winked in a manner that said, "Damn straight." She spun around back to her table so fast that she knocked her plate off the table.

Pansy's voice sounded in his ear.

"I already told everyone down this side of the table." She gave him a smile that said, "Aren't you proud of me?" as she slipped her hand eagerly up his thigh. He looked at her, and flung her hand away from him. He was not in the mood. He looked back up at the staff table. No one had noticed anything, and if they had, they were certainly not letting on that their precious "Chosen One" was missing.

However, at that moment, the half-giant oaf Hagrid had stumbled in looking a bit pressed, oblivious and pleased with himself. He walked over to Dumbledore - Draco's heart gave an unpleasant squirm at the sight of the peaceful old man and his arm twinged slightly - and whispered something frantically into his ear. Draco's favourite professor, Severus Snape, seemed to have overheard and walked over to the other side of the Headmaster. He mumbled something, his expression unchanging, and then left the room. Hagrid looked after him, somewhat confused, before taking a hesitant seat in his usual place. Draco frowned, wondering what the exchange could have been about, purposefully ignoring the fact that it could possibly have anything to do with Potter.

As soon as the last people had entered the Great Hall and taken their seats, the doors to the Great Hall opened and in came Professor McGonagall, for whom Draco had a secret kind of respect if it weren't for the fact that she was the Head of Gryffindor. She was carrying a very old, dirty hat and a long scroll. Behind her, followed a long line of terrified looking first-years about to be sorted.

"Psst! Malfoy!"

Draco looked around as McGonagall introduced the sorting ceremony and saw that some seventh year he didn't know was calling him. His smiling face was surrounded by many other curious and hungry looking seventh year Slytherins.

"Is it true you broke Potter's nose and sent him back to London?"

Draco smirked and threw them a wink at that side of the table before turning back to the sorting which had only just begun. Pansy was twirling the pumpkin juice in her goblet, head resting in hand, looking disappointed.

The Sorting Hat's song had just ended, something about being united and standing together, and the first student was sorted into Ravenclaw. It wasn't until the sixth first year that Slytherin welcomed a miniscule looking boy with red hair named Benjamin, Paul. Draco did his best not to fall asleep during the sorting by recounting his tail again and again to those around him, none of which seemed to get bored of the subject, and with every reenactment of a breaking nose, the laughter grew and was luckily drowned out by the cheering from the sorting.

Before he was aware that the last student became a Gryffindor, heaps of food appeared and Crabbe and Goyle had already piled most of everything onto their plates. Draco's appetite was minimal, but he nevertheless helped himself to everything within reach. Halfway through dinner, the doors to the Great Hall opened and Draco choked on the bite of chicken in his mouth as he saw with horror that Snape was leading Potter into the hall, his face coated with dried blood and still in Muggle attire. He watched him, absolutely petrified, as Potter rushed to take his seat at the Gryffindor table at the far end of the hall. People were standing up and staring at the bloody boy and a murmur of curiosity was running through the hall. A couple Slytherins looks questioningly over at Draco, but he paid them no heed.

Potter took his seat beside Weasley and Granger, who immediately siphoned the blood off his face with her wand.

The food before them turned to desserts, but Draco felt strangely sick at the sight of Potter there. He hoped that he was right in assuming that Potter's pride would not cause him to go to a teacher and say what had happened, and tried to calm down a bit. He grabbed some treacle tart and started defending the situation to the still curious crowd of Slytherins with confidence that suggested he was not at all worried about the situation.

"I can't believe it," he said with a laugh. "The precious 'boy who lived' is gone for a matter of minutes and already everyone is wondering where he is! Can't even take care of himself."

Pansy laughed and began stroking Malfoy's arm possessively, inviting others to join her in finding the whole situation amusing.

"You should have seen him," said Draco amongst all the laughter, and he pretended to break his own nose then made a grotesque and pained face, an uncanny resemblance to Potter after Draco had stomped on his face.

The laughter rose again, and Draco looked over to the Gryffindor table just in time to see Potter turn his head away from him with a sour look on his face.

"You're so amazing, Draco," said Daphne from Draco's right.

Pansy frowned and turned Draco's head to face her and said, "Yes, you're so brave. Nothing scares you, does it, Draco?"

At that time, Professor Dumbledore stood up and the hall silenced instantly. Draco's stomach churned.

With a broad smile, he spread his arms wide and said, "The very best of evenings to you."

Draco saw with horror that one of Dumbledore's hands was scorched and looked as though it had died. He swallowed uncomfortably and looked away. As the hall began to whisper from the appearance of his blackened hand, Dumbledore smiled and covered it with his sleeve.

"Nothing to worry about. Now... to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. I am, of course, forced to remind you that the Forbidden Forest is so named for a reason, and Mr Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual..."

"Potter's been made captain, I'm sure," muttered Draco to Crabbe in a bitter voice. Crabbe gave a stupid chuckle of agreement.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year. Professor Slughorn"--Slughorn stood up and took a small bow--"is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions master."

Goyle choked on a cupcake he was eating and Draco's hand moved so suddenly from surprise that he knocked his goblet of pumpkin juice over.

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," continued Dumbledore louder so as to be heard over the continued muttering of the word "potions", "will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Draco's head spun in Potter's direction as he heard him yell, "No!" He gave a proud grin and glanced back up to the staff table where Snape raised a lazy hand with a satisfied expression on his face. Talking had erupted throughout the Hall at this unexpected information.

Draco was starting to lose focus. He pulled out his wand and began levitating in turn each of his eating paraphernalia.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and waited a few moments until the Hall had cleared itself of all sound before continuing. "Now, as everybody in this Hall knows, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

Nothing new, thought Draco. He levitated his fork.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer," Draco levitated his goblet, "we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff." He muttered a charm and gave his knife legs. "I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them - in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours." Draco's knife was dancing on what was left of his treacle tart. "I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety."

Draco let his knife fall when he heard the Dumbledore had finished and looked up. The Headmaster was smiling serenely over the Great Hall.

"But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possible wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

Draco got up with the rest of the school and made his way towards the Slytherin common room. He was, he suddenly realised, intensely exhausted, and was looking forward to a night's dreamless sleep.