The Courtyard
Draco was relieved that the chatter about him being carried out of Charms class and landing detention in the same day was quickly overshadowed by chatter of the first Triwizard Tournament that was solidified to occur in two weeks. Draco distracted himself by teaming up with the other Slytherins and even a few Hufflepuffs to create “Potter Stinks!” badges that gave him a good laugh while he avoided Maeve until Friday. He was extremely tense the rest of the week, for news had traveled back to his father about his detention. Draco got a long letter about disappointment, family image, and that he needed to meet with his father next week to discuss his behavior. Draco didn’t think talking in class and almost getting into a fight warranted such an outburst from his father, but he still delayed writing back to his father until he could find a tactful apology. Draco spent the day before Friday handing out his magical badges at breakfast, gleeful that so many students had taken them. Maeve, of course, wrinkled her nose when Pansy tried handing her one.
Draco decided to parse through his notes before Defense Against the Dark Arts after breakfast, nestled into his favorite tree in the middle of the Transfiguration Courtyard. His other friends sat at its base, pretending to read but were loudly talking about Quidditch or whatnot. Getting too distracted to focus on the pages, Draco shut his book when he noticed Potter across the courtyard talking to Cedric about something, both of the boys’ eyebrows tightly knit together. As their conversation ended, Potter scanned the courtyard nervously, making him a perfect target. He was alone, creating a situation that basically begged for Draco’s retribution for Potions class. Draco hopped out of his spot in the tree, calling out Potter’s name.
“My father and I have a bet, you see. I don’t think you’re gonna last ten minutes in this tournament,” Draco walked closer to Potter, who’s eye started to twitch in preparation of a comeback. “He disagrees. He thinks you won’t last five.”
“I don’t give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy,” Potter snapped back, earning sarcastic “oohs” from Crabbe and Goyle. Potter stood up straighter in an attempt to look taller, to which Draco rolled his eyes to his friends. “I know you made those pins. Maeve and Hermione are charming them back as we speak. Why don’t you take the rest and shove them up your-“
Draco interrupted Potter with a shove back, just to ruffle the boy’s feathers, but with carless restraint of his strength, Potter ended up falling to the ground. The other students in the courtyard stopped their conversations to look at the two, which seemed to embolden Potter.
“Is that your weak spot?” Potter laughed, wiping his mouth with his robe sleeve. “All I got to say is her name and you get all riled up. She doesn’t even like your pathetic, greasy, vile-“
Potter sprang to his feet and lunged at Draco in an attempt to wrestle him to the ground. Draco caught one of Potter’s arms, pushing it back towards him but the movement caused both of the boys to lose their balance and tumble to the ground. They pushed each other off and stood to their feet. Draco felt his face getting hot at the embarrassment and wondered how far this was going to go.
“You’re not worth the detention,” Potter sneered, clenching his fist tightly. Draco laughed at the thought of the two getting into a fistfight, but the whoops from his housemates as well as a few desperate cries from onlookers filled the courtyard and Draco knew that this wasn’t going to end well for him. Potter turned around to leave and Draco instinctively reached for his wand, but was interrupted by a booming older voice that stopped him. Draco turned around to look at Professor Moody, who had his wand raised and Draco dropped his own wand in fear.
The next thing he knew, he felt… tiny. First, he felt the same feeling as falling in his sleep and he felt itchy, like when he let his beard grow out too long. Draco attempted to speak, but his words came out as a literal squeak. Draco looked around in horror as he realized that the mad old professor had turned him into some sort of rat. He was the size of a shoe and looked up desperately to Crabbe who was equally as terrified. Professor Moody started berating Draco for attempting to use his wand in a dirty fight and levitated his small rodent body into the air, tossing him like a toy. Draco was too confused and shocked to be dizzy, and to make matters worse, he could hear the laughter of the other students in the courtyard as well as see the stupid amusement on Potter’s face.
“What’s going on?” Someone grabbed Potter and to add to the horror that Draco was feeling in his little rodent body, it was Maeve who stood with her mouth agape. Just when Draco thought it couldn’t get worse, Professor Moody flung him into Maeve, who caught him with a yelp.
“That’s Draco,” Potter laughed.
“It’s who?” Maeve held Draco up to her face, still in a stupor. Draco demanded that she put him down, but he could only squeak.
“What in Godric’s name is going on?” Professor McGonagall emerged from the building, looking more stern than usual.
“Teaching a lesson,” Professor Moody said with a sneer.
“That- Is that a student? Professor Moody we do not use transfiguration as a punishment!” McGonagall cried, to which Moody grumbled and waved his wand. Draco felt like he was being spun in a chair and now he was getting dizzy to the point of nausea. In a flash of light and exclamation, when Draco blinked again, he was on top of Maeve. She yelped his name and Draco was so frazzled that he stayed there for a second, touching his face to feel its human qualities again. Despite his body flaming from humiliation, Draco could still feel Maeve’s body heat and her shaky breath on his forehead. She had sprayed on a different perfume this morning that made her smell like a clean load of laundry. Draco had transcended mortification into shock that he couldn’t comprehend, quickly scrambling off of Maeve and trying to help her up. Professor McGonagall had sent all the students in the courtyard into the building, including Potter and Professor Moody. Draco stumbled to a nearby bench, clutching his stomach. The vertigo and embarrassment were still shaking his insides. He looked back towards Maeve, who’s usual neat red hair was now a tangled mess and her signature pearly pin was on the ground in pieces. She was rubbing her head in pain and her face twisted into a deep frown when she realized her pin had broken, desperately sweeping up the pieces into her robe. Draco felt guilty for breaking her hairpiece, but he shook his head when he realized it wasn’t his fault in the slightest.
“A-are you okay?” Draco asked lamely, feeling the strength to get on his feet. Maeve turned towards him with a frustrated look.
“Yes. I’ll get some fifth year to fix this. I can’t believe he turned you into a ferret. He’s mad. Are you alright?” Maeve sighed, picking up the last piece of her pin and getting up to her feet.
“I have so much to say to my father,” Draco puffed, going back to the tree for his belongings. Maeve waited up for him, combing through her hair with her fingers in an attempt to flatten it down and Draco followed suit on his own hair.
“Anyway, are we still on for tomorrow? We don’t have to duel… We just have to do something,” Maeve reminded Draco. Like he had forgotten.
“Scared you’ll lose?” Draco joked, spotting one of the pearls from Maeve’s hairpin on the ground. He picked it up, ready to give it back to her, but she had already entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts Tower so he slipped the pearl into his pocket.
“As if. Or would you prefer fighting hand-to-hand?” Maeve retorted, gesturing towards his rumpled robes. Draco got shy at the thought, thinking about how he was on top of her just minutes ago. “I need to go to Hogsmeade for some potions material and a quick trip to Honeydukes, so I’ll go easy on you for our duel. We can’t be out too late. ”
“We?” Draco asked, bemused as they slipped into the DADA class right on time. Maeve shrugged with a suggestive smile that left Draco speechless and she slid into her seat in the back without another word. Draco shakily pulled out his notebook, mind running wild at the idea of her asking him out on a date. He probably misunderstood the whole thing.
“Mr. Malfoy, nice to see you in one piece,” Professor Moody said, the clicking of his false eye distracting Draco. Draco bit his lip to avoid another altercation while the rest of the class suppressed laughter. When the professor turned his back to chalk the lesson for the day, a note fluttered onto Draco’s open notebook. The neat flourish of his name was unmistakably Maeve’s and he turned around to look at her, but her eyes were fixed on the board past him. Crabbe reached for the note and Draco slapped his hand sharply, then slipped the note into his lap to read it without the nosy boy’s eyes.
Chocolate frogs as a thank you. Don’t get it twisted. Maeve
Draco folded the note back up, hiding a smile as he slid it in the front of his textbook. Draco rapped his wand against Crabbe's hand again as he pestered on about the note and got worried that this news would travel back to his friends. Nobody had heard Maeve's offer to Draco, but he didn't want to find out how his friend would react to such a betrayal. Draco sat back up in his seat, regaining confidence in his posture and figured that he rather liked the feeling of sneaking around.