Monsters by Nightfall

Draco did eventually sleep, when Severus threatened to pour the sleepless dream potion down his throat by force. He didn't sleep long, but longer than he had in a while.

In their next class together Potter seemed to have noticed the change as well, since he smiled even broader then he normally did. Because Potter smiled at him now. Weirder things had happened. But this was still up there on the list.

And it kind of scared Draco.

He still tried poking fun at the other, but sometimes the Chosen One just laughed at him. As if Draco had only joked about how badly the other was preparing his part of the potion. Because Potter of course, to Draco's horror, had deliberately placed himself next to Draco in their first potions lesson together. And Draco felt like he was at his wits end.

Working with Potter was like working with a toddler and Draco had to constantly guide and teach him stuff. Thankfully Potter wasn't dumb, since his work did improve over the course of the lessons together - which made Draco quite proud of his own teaching skills if he was honest - it was still bringing him more pain than pleasure.

Because after all, he didn't like Potter.

- And not just because his father didn't! The Chosen One was positively full of himself and obsessed with his fame. Draco was sure that he was only nice to Draco because he saw the clear potential of Draco becoming even more famous some day and wanted to have a slice of his fame too. -

But having Harry Potter think that every insult Draco threw at him and all his friends were just jokes, was rather fun. Nobody had laughed at his 'jokes' so much for a while now. Theo sonetimes chuckled halfheartedly to support Draco, but the vampire could see through his friend. He was just trying to make Draco feel better.

But when insulting an unsuspecting victim turned out to be a little boring when time went on Draco had to step up his game a little. Blatantly flirting with the Chosen One and making him squirm in embarassment over the most obscure complinents, turned out to be even more fun.

Although, it did have the downside of Severus looking at Draco rather disturbed which ultimately ended their fun - or Draco's anyway - and sat Potter back to his Weasel.

That was fine, though, because he had an even better plaything waiting for him in every DADA lesson. And wasn't it fun to make your enemies hate you even more?

"Professor Lupin, is there a specific moon circle those creatures are most ravenous or most likely to attack? The full moon perhaps?"

Professor Lupin, could we use this spell if attacked by a big animal to defend ourselves? Say a big ugly dog or a wolf?"

"Professor Lupin, is there a spell to bind an opponent in chains or sonething? And could you change the chains property to, let's say silver for example?"

Whenever he told Severus about it, his godfather turned positively gleeful. And after probing him over the course of a few tea parties, he even got a few stories out of the guy.
Those stories more often than not turned into rants about James Potter and Sirius Black and their stupid pranks that had never once been funny.

-If Draco was honest though, some of them did seem a bit amusing although others did go way too far.-

And suddenly Draco couldn't even stop Severus from going on about how evil the so called Mauraders had been, braking rules with no regard for safety and bullying the ones in their way. And never getting punished for any of it, since they were Gryffindors who surely never did any harm.

How Remus Lupin had lulled everyone in with this nice, helpful Prefect persona while Severus was sure the guy had been selling drugs on the side and - as Draco already knew - turned into pure evil once a month.

The drugdealer things seemed a bit farfetched if you asked Draco, but he wasn't even able to ask for details before Severus went on about how Peter Pettigrew had followed Potter everywhere since his own life was so unoriginal. Scraping at the others fame and fortune with all his might.

How Sirius Black, hair longer than the periods in which he didn't have detention, had compensated for his sad family life by trying to one up Potter and tormenting other students with so called pranks to let go of his frustration about his own sad little life. About how Mummy didn't love him.

And, how James Potter's had tried to swallow up every inch of the school grounds with his ego, serenading girls that didn't want to be serenaded. Using his good looks and his pureblood heritage to charm everyone else while bullying whoever didn't fit his mindset.
Stealing other peoples spells without lifting one finger himself, strutting away afterwards as if nothing had happened.

At the end of their get together, the sun had already been replaced by the moon, standing high on the sky. Additionally, Draco was furious. How could they gave treated his godfather like this?

In his anger Draco decided on getting a snack before bed. The castle was brimming with mice and rats again, since Draco hadn't eaten here for a few years now.
The lazy feeling of eating not far away from his chamber, made Draco relax a bit. It was the dead of night after all. Filch was sleeping and everybody else was supposed to do the same.

So his own stupidity didnt even occur to Draco, when he decided on taking a snack for his way back to the dungeons.

Suddenly, though, Draco smelled something strange. A smell, thicker then most, that, curiously, seemed to have both human and animal properties.

Draco held the rat he had already half drained in one hand and used his vampire reflexes to grab the little Animagus woth the other.

The rat squirmed in his grip with vigor, but Draco's grip was tight and unrelenting.
Curiously, Draco eyes the missing toe on the rat, as well as the slight scratch marks all over.

He was still debating whether eating an Animagus was still like killing a human when he suddenly heard a gasp. Turning towards the sound he didn't see anyone, but he could smell Potter from a mile away. But then, why hadn't he? Had he been so preoccupied.

Suddenly another scent joined them. And this one wasn't as pleasant.

"Mr. Malfoy! Planning to drain the school's rat population?"
The Professor's nose twitched suddenly, as if he was smelling Potter too.
"Trying to perform a blood ritual to gift yourself some original lines you can call out during my lessons?"

Malfoy glared at the blond Professor. If Potter hadn't been there things would have gone a little different. And probably a lot bloodier.

"Oh no. But perhaps you should."
Okay the Professor had ran into that one.

"I'm not the only one out where I'm not supposed to be though."
Draco heard Potter gasp in fear behind him almost audibly. Draco didn't turn towards him however. He only held up the hand, still clasped around the squeaking Animagus.

"A rat?"
Draco grinned.
"An Animagus. Look a little closer."
The last part he added when the teacher only stared at him.

Lupin took the rat out of Draco's hand, eyeing it in shock. Had the man never seen an Animagus before? How odd.

Suddenly the werwolf drew his wand pointing it at the animal and performed a spell, Draco didn't bother to memorize. In hindsight he maybe should have done so.

Suddenly the rat started growing. Not only in size, it's limbs started transforming as well.

And a second later there was a man standing between them. Looking more rat then man. He was cowering in fear. Draco was sure he would've run, but he was a bit cornered by a werwolf on one side Draco on the other and Potter behind him, almost like a secomd barrier. The man did still thrash though, pushing Draco back, who fell into the hidden Potter who toppled down with him.

Trying to stabilize himself with the other rat still clutched in his hand, Draco accidentally squeezed a bit too much, covering Potter, who's cloak had drawn up to uncover his entire body, in huge amounts of rat blood. Potter squealed in surprise not much different then the rat had before, trying to frantically rub off the rat blood from his face and upper body.

It was almost funny to Draco, but when he realised that one doubt in Lupins ritual story would immediately out him as a Vampire to Potter, so he quickly but gracefully stood up and performed a silent cleaning spell on Potter.

Now uncloaked, Potter's scent was too strong for Draco to open his mouth properly.

He couldn't perform the dampening spell now though, since ghere was still commotion behind them, the rat-like man struggling against Lupin's firm grip who just stared at him. Draco was about to comment on Lupin never having seen an Animagus, when he noticed the recognition and betrayal in Lupins eyes. There was more to this story.

"Peter."

The teacher breathed out almost silently. One glance back to Potter, who was eyeing some sort of map in shock, and down on his map confirmed Draco's suspicions.

"Peter Pettigrew! Aren't you supposed to be a little more.. dead?"