My Obsession

Tuesday came without trouble, luckily. Crabbe and Goyle were playing stupid again, Malfoy's History of Magic essay wasn't finished yet, and Pansy and Blaise were off shagging someone - or each other - again. Probably the Ravenclaws, as they sometimes did homework in return for the favor, if you got the right ones.

Potter had shown up at breakfast - right on time - and sat with the-redhead-who-will-soon-die and the muggle girl that trailed after them. Granger. Elch.

Really, her hair was all over the place - how could Potter stand it? And those teeth? More proof that Potter was a complete and total dunce, who needed education - proper education - as soon as possible.

It was really a shame that students couldn't be forced to spend the holidays with other students and their families...although Malfoy could have his father look into the situation with the muggle relatives, it wasn't likely that they would get to have Raven over for the summer anyways - it was more likely to fall to the weasel's family.

Unless it could be proved that they were unsuitable too...but the only real claim against them - aside from their abysmal personality - was that they were poor, and Potter could support himself, rumor had it, along with the weasels for all the money he had stored away.

Which left Draco out of ideas.

He got up to go to the courtyard, bored with their break, and thought about sending a note to his father. The elder Malfoy might have some ideas, but then again, he might also have some ideas about taking Raven to the snake-face, and that wouldn't be good. Really, the man didn't even have a nose, there were just...slits. Draco's nose scrunched up. It was hardly the image of proper wizard at all.

And there was pug-face Pansy, sashaying down the stone path like she was queen or something. "You're robes need straightening," Draco told her.

She didn't bother fixing them as she sat down beside him, the buttons of her shirt not matching up and her tie crooked. "You look deep in thought," she said.

"You don't."

"Just finished the transfiguration essay," she replied. Draco almost - almost - snorted at the thought. "But we're not talking about me."

"We're not talking at all."

"Oh? Poor li'l scarface, then?" she asked.

Not for the first time, Draco regretted confiding in her that one drunken night back in third year. He'd really had too much Butterbeer; it was unseemly. "None of your concern."

"That means yes."

Pansy might have slept around for her homework, but she wasn't stupid. "What do you care?" Draco asked.

Pansy shrugged. "Maybe I can help?"

Draco gave it a moment's thought, and then conceded. Pansy didn't love snake-face either, and would hardly go blabbing to someone who did. "I think I can fix him if I could spend summer hols with him."

"That may or may not be difficult - doesn't he stay with those muggles?"

"Yeah, but I thought that maybe my father could find away to get him out of there. Problem then would be keeping him from being taken to the Dark Lord."

Pansy thought for a moment. "From what I've heard, those muggles would be happy to get rid of him - just show up and ask them if he could stay with you over hols, without asking him. They would probably be more than willing to give him up."

"But how do I do that without tipping off father?"

Pansy shrugged. "That's your problem, now, isn't it, love?"

Draco sneered. He wasn't her love - he'd never love someone with a pug-nose like that. "Don't call me that," he snapped.

"Right, right," she waved it off, finally getting around to re-buttoning her blouse and straightening her robes. "Finished your essay yet? I hear there's a sixth year who loves to swallow - I'm sure he'd do it for you."

Draco glared at her.

"Forgot you weren't into that. Whatever. See you in class."

Draco was glad when she left.

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Raven-watching always fell to the back seat when Draco was planning. And as Raven-watching came before classes, it wasn't much of a surprise that classes fell behind planning as well.

Binns never noticed anyways, so it wasn't like it was some big loss. He'd just have to do some extra research when he went to the library to study - wasn't like the goblins ever found a different way to battle it out anyways. They weren't that bright.

So, if he waited until three weeks before summer break, he could owl those silly muggles with little to no chance of Potter sneaking his way out of the deal - and they would have time to inform him of it that silly muggle way, as well.

Really, whoever heard of it taking a whole three days to get a post from Surrey to Hogwarts? It was absolutely ridiculous.

Once that was taken care of, then Draco could bring Potter with him after the train arrived at the station, completely bypassing the muggles and any contact with them. That left only one problem.

Draco's father.

Now, Lucius wasn't exactly a doting father, nor was he an overly loving father, but he did tend to give Draco what he wanted - within reason. For this however...perhaps it would be better to write to his mother. She had always loved guests, and might even be persuaded to spend the first few weeks or so seeing after that French estate she so wanted to clean up.

Actually, that would be a nice place to spend the holidays. Maybe he could get her to let him and Raven spend the summer there, with her and father of course. Surely Voldemort wouldn't cross over into foreign lands, right?

Right - he was trying to take over the wizarding world. A few measly little muggle border lines weren't going to stop him.

Besides, it was likely that Potter didn't even have a passport - he'd never be able to cross into foreign territory himself without dodging the law a bit. Not unless the Malfoys did get custody over him, and that left him back at square one.

Pulling out another sheet of parchment, Draco carefully did not look at the Raven-finder, to see that his chosen prey was still safely on the "class" hour. Of course he didn't. It was your imagination.

Ok - so it wasn't - just be quiet about it, all right? He still had to make plans about how to "fix" Potter, and couldn't spare the time to do decent sneaky moves.

Well, the first thing that had to be fixed was that wardrobe. If there were more shirts like the one that had met its Death By Fire, then he might not have a decent sized amount of summer clothes - not to mention the fact that the only robes he wore were the school robes. When he didn't wear those he wore those hideously ugly muggle creations.

Really - most people complained that they were indecent. Draco had no such reservations - he could see that they could be practical - so it wasn't that.

They were just ugly. Muggles. No fashion sense at all. It was horrible, really.

After the robes he'd have to see about sprucing up one of the guest rooms a bit, and declaring it Raven's. He did, after all, want Raven to feel he could come back any time he wanted to - with or without warning. There was the bedroom across the hall from his, which was done in marvelous blue and brown tones. It could work... of course, he'd have to see what Potter thought about it, and if some of the furniture should be changed out - he definitely needed a bigger bed than the twin-sized guest bed...there should be a spare queen-sized bed on the third floor...

But he could work on all that over the spring recess. There were the preparations the day before the equinox, the equinox celebrations - he hoped Snape was coming to visit, it was always fun to have him around outside of class - and then there were two days after it which were free. He could use those to spruce up the room and talk to his parents about having a guest.

Of course, there was no hiding the fact that said guest was Harry Potter. Even if he kept it a secret until the very last moment, his parents would know the moment they saw him.

Mother would be loving - she always was - and his father would be, at the very least, accepting if it was anyone other than Harry.

He wondered if maybe he could get a 'not to harm' promise out of both of them before he told them who it was. It might make them suspicious, but it would keep Raven safe.

He'd ask them over break.

Now which Goblin raid were they studying again?

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"Well, well, well," Draco drawled, leaning against one of the fence-posts drawn up in the space in front of Hagrid's hut. "If it isn't the famous Saint Potter and his ugly little mutts. What's the matter, Potter? Couldn't find enough food to feed your pets?"

Potter scowled. "They aren't my pets, Malfoy - although a nice, dead ferret might make a good hippogriff meal. Buckbeak seemed to like them, at least."

Draco let a smirk curl up on his face, while he silently applauded Raven for his swift comeback. "Then it's a good thing for me that I'm not a ferret. Of course, I'm sure the bloody beasts wouldn't mind a bit of rabbit or weasel - a change in diet could be good for one; get rid of that nasty, violent personality."

"My friends are not meat for some bloodthirsty beast - and the only reason Buckbeak attacked you was because you were stupid enough not to follow Hagrid's instructions, Malfoy. You went too far."

Draco chuckled a bit. "You think so? It was enough to get that monster beheaded. It's just too bad that it wasn't enough that his oaf of a caretaker wasn't fired."

"Harry, no!" Granger spun around to hold Potter back with a hand on each shoulder. He was obviously angry, and had his hand on his wand. Red-hair-red-clothes-red-face-red-privates was standing there like some sort of animal waiting to burst.

Draco almost wished that they did have the hippogriff back - he could eat the red-faced-piss-in-my-hand-me-down-robes Weasel, Raven would be free of the moron's influence, at the very least, the giant oaf would get fired and they'd get a decent Care of Magical Creatures professor, and Draco could take over Potter's instruction without roadblocks.

But wishes weren't that easy to grant, sadly enough, and they would need to sit through whatever creature the bushy professor had brought in today to kill them.

Considering the fence, it was bound to be something nasty.

"Come on, Potter," Draco taunted, still watching Granger try to calm him down. "I'm sure a wizard like you could take down a hapless little mudblood. Of course, since your mother was a mudblood, too, I guess there's no telling how deep that taint is."

The wand was in his face, pointed at him. Potter was panting heavily, eyes wild, mind trying to come up with the spell that would send Draco sprawling on the ground and crying for mercy.

"Go on, Potter. Do it. I dare you. Even that stupid oaf would have to give you detention then. I'll even give you the spell...crucio. I don't have my wand out, Potter - no need to look so scared. Just a simple spell." His voice dropped to a whisper. "I dare you."

And then he took the wand in his mouth and clamped his teeth down around the wood, baring the whites of his canines at his opponent, his eyes still issuing out the challenge of the unforgivable curses.

"Harry, don't," Granger warned. "You'll be expelled-"

Draco wasn't exactly prepared for the punch to the side of his face - he'd actually all but forgotten about the red-headed-rat-that-wouldn't-die. He instinctively let go of the wand as his body crashed to the side - and into Crabbe. Goyle was already going after the little piss-pot as Malfoy worked his jaw, and the entire class was focused on the fist-fight aside from himself and Crabbe - even poor little Raven was attempting to pull Crabbe off of his little friend - or was it the other way around? Who knew.

Both of them got detention when Hagrid showed up, although the giant oaf seemed reluctant to give it to one of his favored students. A fight was a fight, however, and both would get detention and a word to their head of house.

Snape would let it slide with a decent explanation - which they had; I-live-with-weasels had attacked first. The Gryffindors weren't likely to get off so easy, especially when they tried to explain and slip their way out of it. McGonagall-cat wasn't exactly forgiving.

Draco didn't say anything for the rest of the lesson, simply sat rubbing his jaw and wondering if it would bruise - he didn't really relish the thought of going to the hospital wing to get some cream for it.

Maybe Snape would give him some, if he asked nice enough.

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