Twisted Fascination

I arose early in the morning and headed out to the Great Hall for breakfast. I sat down, accepted my Daily Prophet from the owl, and began to serve myself a small breakfast. I opened up the paper and immediately cringed upon seeing Mr. Weasley in front of the Burrow with his wife. I quickly read over the article.

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic’s troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry has plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office. Arnold Weasley, who failed to settle the crowd at the World Cup, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several muggle law-keepers (“policemen”) over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Wealsey appears to have rushed to the aid of “Mad-Eye” Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody’s heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.

I barely managed to contain the anger in my mind at how that bitch had not only insulted Mr. Weasley, but also insinuated that it wasn't the Ministry who wanted Mr. Weasley to step in in the first place. I clicked my tongue and flipped to my stocks, and I saw that the Daily Prophet was doing fantastic due to Skeeter. I closed up the newspaper, and set it aside before finally beginning to serve myself a small breakfast.

Professor Snape soon came with my timetable for the year.

I accepted it silently and saw that my first class was Charms, followed by Ancient Runes, then lunch period, and finally Arithmancy. I ate my food before heading down to the Slytherin dorms to grab my bag and necessary books for the first few classes of the year.

The class was a simple review of third year charms, just as usual.

The next class was more review, followed by more memorization and a load of homework.

At lunch, Zabini and the other Slytherins that took Care of Magical Creatures looked particularly upset.

“It wasn't more Flobberworms, was it?” Moon asked bracingly.

“Blast-Ended Skrewts,” Malfoy huffed with annoyance. “That oaf couldn't even tell us what their use was.”

“He's so useless as a professor,” Parkinson complained, “I should have taken Ancient Runes when I had the chance.”

“If Hagrid was proven to be incompetent to the Board of Governors, Kettleburn may be forced from retirement,” I suggested.

Malfoy immediately perked up. “I'll talk about it to my father. It wouldn't be too hard to convince him to have the other governors on our side.”

“Unless someone gets gravely injured, I don't think they'll fire Hagrid,” Nott weighed in.

As the other Slytherins sized each other up, I said, “I’m sure that the Gryffindors are foolhardy enough that it'll just be seen as a tragic accident if one of them gets injured on Hagrid’s watch.”

Immediately, the tension dropped away, and several glances were taken toward the Gryffindor table.

“Surely, he'd be distracted when the Beauxbatons Headmistress arrives,” I said.

Immediately, Davis furrowed her eyebrows. “What makes you say that?”

“Rumor has it that the headmistress of Beauxbatons is a half-giantess,” Greengrass answered.

Immediately, Runcorn said, “Hagrid doesn't stand a chance.”

“If he's distraught with rejection, he would be quite distracted during class,” Zabini said, and several of the fourth-year Slytherins exchanged glances.

I smirked quietly as the gears began to turn between them. I then finished my lunch and headed off to my Arithmancy class.

Once that class ended, I returned to the Great Hall, only to see that there was a queue forming to enter the place where meals were held. I begrudgingly joined the line when Malfoy came strutting up from the dungeons, holding a newspaper that looked suspiciously like the one I had gotten earlier that day.

The boy, grinning maliciously, noticed Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the line a few people before me and decided to open his mouth. “Weasley! Hey, Weasley!”

“What?” Ron asked shortly as he glared at Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, along with his two friends.

“Your dad's in the newspaper, Weasley!” The blonde replied loudly, brandishing his newspaper toward the redhead. As everyone in the entrance hall watched on, Malfoy read the newspaper article written by Skeeter aloud. About halfway through, the boy gleefully crowed, “Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?” He read on, finishing the article before once again brandishing the newspaper toward Ron. “And there's a picture, Weasley! A picture of your parents outside of their house - if you can even call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?”

Shaking with fury, Ron glared daggers at the Malfoy.

I frowned as I began to walk toward the group, understanding that troubles would surely happen and lose Slytherin House Points should things escalate.

“Get stuffed, Malfoy,” Harry snapped, “C’mon, Ron…”

“Oh yeah,” Malfoy said with a rather large sneer, “You were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?”

“You know your mother, Malfoy?” Harry shot back as he and Hermione grabbed Ron’s robes to keep him from lunging at Malfoy. “That expression she's got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?”

Malfoy’s pale face went slightly pink. “Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter.”

Harry replied shortly, “Keep your fat mouth shut, then.” He turned away as Malfoy drew his wand.

The blonde then shot a loud spell off at my brother, which grazed the side of Harry’s face.

I bit back a heavy sigh before a second loud bang went off in the enclosed space. My eyes widened in shock as Malfoy turned into a ferret in the blink of an eye. I quickly snapped my head around as Mad-Eye approached.

“OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!” Mad-Eye barked as he came down the marble staircase.

I quickly scrambled forward upon seeing no one else besides Mad-Eye moving. I stood before Malfoy, getting directly between the two.

“Move, Potter,” Mad-Eye snapped at me.

“Make me,” I replied, and silence fell across the entrance hall as the former Auror stood before me.

“Your eyes really do turn red,” the man noted aloud as he glared down at me.

“And you really went a step too far,” I retorted, “Transfiguring students as punishment is against the rules here at Hogwarts. You better turn Malfoy back-”

“Or what, boy?” Mad-Eye interrupted as he stepped toward me, getting into my personal space.

I stayed firm, not at all intimidated by the childish tactic. “Or I'll duel you until one of us meets Lord Death.”

His blue eye finally stopped moving around, falling on me and me alone. As it seemed to stare into my soul, he asked, “Do you truly think so highly of yourself, Potter? Do you think you can honestly beat me?”

“It's not about whether I'll live or die. It’s about you wronging Malfoy and refusing to right things,” I answered.

We glared at each other for just a short moment before Parkinson suddenly yelled, “Professor McGonagall! You have to help Draco!”

I watched as Moody’s blue eye swiveled around to stare at McGonagall, who hurried down the marble staircase.

“What's wrong with Mr. Malfoy?” The Transfiguration professor questioned, her arm full of books.

“Professor Moody here has illegally Transfigured Malfoy into a ferret and is refusing to turn him back,” I answered as I continued to make eye-contact with the former Auror.

“Professor Moody!” McGonagall gasped in shock as she dropped all of the textbooks. She pulled out her wand as she hurried down the stairs before quickly transforming Malfoy back into a human. “We never use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?”

Finally, Mad-Eye seemed to stand down. He scratched his chin in an unconcerned manner as he said, “He might have mentioned it, yeah, but I thought a good sharp shock-”

“We give detentions, Moody!” McGonagall said, raising her voice even more. “Or speak to the offender’s Head of House!”

“I'll do that then,” Moody said as he glared down at Malfoy with great dislike.

“While you do so, I believe that someone should speak to the Board of Governors about your clear disregard for the established rules meant to keep students safe,” I stated as I continued to stand between the two.

“You know, Potter, Malfoy’s father sure was close to the Dark Lord,” Moody said as if I didn't already know such a thing.

“Moody-”

“You can't prove that,” I said dismissively, “If you could, Lord Malfoy would have been in Azkaban years ago.”

“So you believe he's innocent?” Moody replied with a raised brow.

“I believe you're too blinded by hate to realize that the sins of the parent shouldn't be placed on the child,” I answered honestly.

Mad-Eye frowned deeply at me, and he said, “Your parents would be disappointed in you.”

“Moody, that is enough!” McGonagall exclaimed, finally putting her foot down. “I will be talking to Dumbledore later about your behavior.”

Moody seemed highly displeased, but he finally stepped back. His blue eye landed on me for one more time, and then the man went into the Great Hall, the students parting for him instantly.

I exhaled silently before turning to the other Slytherins. “I'm not eating tonight.” I then headed off, ignoring how McGonagall began to follow after me.

“Mr. Potter-”

“I apologize, Professor McGonagall, but I have work to get started on,” I said calmly as I began to head down the stairs to the dungeons.

“Please, Mr. Potter-”

I paused halfway down the staircase and looked back at her. “Will it satisfy you if I say I'll talk with Professor Snape after dinner?” Without waiting for her answer, I turned and continued down at a faster pace.

The woman seemed to finally understand that I refused to talk, and she gave up on trying to follow.

I quickly moved through the dungeon until reaching the Slytherin common room. I heard the fireplace crackle loudly as I passed by, but I disregarded the clear display of my furious magic. I entered my shared dorm room, and set my bag down calmly. I sat down on my bed and practiced a simple breathing exercise to calm myself down. It took a few very long moments before I managed to get my emotions under control. I then stood up, collected some homework from Ancient Runes, and went out to the common room. I paused almost immediately upon seeing more than a few handful of Slytherins there. “Shouldn't you be eating?”

Malfoy, who was sitting across from an empty seat, replied sarcastically, “And get Transfigured by that freak again? No way. Now, play a game of chess with me.”

I begrudgingly dumped my homework on a nearby table and sat across from Malfoy.

“Do you really think my father was innocent?” Malfoy asked as he moved a pawn.

I rolled my eyes as I moved a pawn of my own. “Of course he’s a Death Eater. I just said that Moody couldn't prove it.”

Malfoy gave a small cringe as he moved another pawn. “Right.”

I moved another of mine before sitting back, folding my hands in my lap. “Why did you really come down here?”

“No reason,” Malfoy lied before quickly having another pawn of his move.

I sighed heavily. “You realize you can't lie to me very well, don't you?”

Higgs snickered from where he was polishing his broom despite the fact he wouldn't need to practice with it most of the year.

Malfoy flushed very lightly. “Fine, I came down because I was wondering how you were dealing with Moody.”

“You lied again,” I pointed out before finally moving a pawn.

Malfoy frowned deeply, and a serious look crossed his face. He pondered his words for a moment before moving another pawn. He then looked up at me, an intense sort of gaze came from his gray eyes. “You stood up for me.”

“Slytherins should stick together,” I waved off dismissively before moving my rook.

“You said that last year,” Malfoy pointed out.

“And I meant it,” I said honestly as I watched him move a knight.

Malfoy was silent for a while before saying, “You were with the Weasleys this summer, too.”

“Yes, I was,” I said before moving my own knight.

“Do you like the Weasleys?” He asked, and several others began to listen in.

“I would be lying if I said I didn't,” I admitted.

“I heard that the Ministry always drops you off there after something happens at those muggles’ house,” Malfoy informed me.

I barely bit back a scowl. “Your father needs to learn to keep his nose out of my business.”

“Is it true that you were mauled by a dog?” Malfoy asked.

Parkinson snapped her head around from where she sat by Moon and Runcorn, looking at me with a scared expression at the mere mention of a dog.

“The issue has been resolved already,” I said.

“So you were,” Malfoy deduced.

“Potter! You should have said something!” Parkinson lectured.

“You think the Aurors didn't know?” I asked rhetorically. “Everyone in the DMLE is so damn blinded by Dumbledore's Light that they'll never see the truth for what it is.”

There was silence for a moment before Parkinson hesitantly asked, “Do you want something done about the dog?”

“There's no point. The dog and its owner are already dealt with,” I waved off dismissively.

“Still-”

“It was quite poetic when the bitch and her precious pet were mauled to death by a stray dog,” I mused aloud, still very satisfied with how Sirius dealt with Marge and Ripper.

“Well, what about this summer?” Malfoy asked.

“What about it?” I asked as I turned my focus back to Malfoy.

Malfoy hesitated for a long moment.

“Spit it out, Malfoy,” I demanded.

“Is it true that those muggles do things to you?” He muttered softly.

I frowned deeply as I sat back, folding my hands in my lap. “Be more specific, and speak up.”

Malfoy shrunk down a bit, clearly not comfortable. Nevertheless, he soon straightened up and asked, “Do the muggles you live with abuse you?”

Silence filled the common room as everyone seemed to look at me.

I stared him in the eyes for a long moment before answering, “Yes. They habitually hit, starve, and neglect our very existence.”

Malfoy grimaced at my words before pausing. “Our?”

“Harry and I both deal with it,” I stated.

“Over the summer, I heard that the muggle hit you,” he said.

“And then he received a subarachnoid hemorrhoid,” I mused aloud.

“A what?” Malfoy asked dumbly.

“Something in his brain burst,” I said honestly.

Malfoy looked at me with wide eyes. “Did you do that?”

“How would I?” I asked with a raised brow.

Malfoy paused for a second.

I chuckled darkly before saying, “Yeah, I did that, just like how I destroyed Lockhart’s knee.”

Malfoy didn't appear alarmed, and he instead inquired, “Can you control that?”

“Control my magic to that extent, you mean?” I questioned.

He nodded wordlessly.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“Do you think you could win the Triwizard Tournament?” Malfoy questioned.

I sighed at the boy. “I have no interest in the tournament when I have my grades to be worrying about.”

“You don't like Quidditch either,” Malfoy grumbled.

“I see the appeal in it,” I begrudgingly admitted, and Draco looked up at me with wide eyes.

“You do?” He asked eagerly.

“I'm not playing Quidditch next year,” I said with a scowl.

“You could make a good Chaser,” Higgs piped up.

“No means no, Higgs,” I said dryly.

“Oh, Potter-” Parkinson cut herself off when the wall hiding away the common room abruptly opened.

Snape stood outside of the common room and demanded, “Malfoy, Potter, follow me.”

I calmly stood up and followed after Snape, ignoring how Malfoy clearly bit back a cringe as he stood. The two of us walked with Snape to his office, trying very hard to ignore how furious Snape appeared to be. When we arrived, Snape briskly walked around the desk and stood behind it.

“Sit,” the man demanded.

Immediately, Malfoy and I both sat down before his desk in the chairs provided.

“What were you two thinking?” He asked like the calm before the storm.

“We were thinking that Moody should be kicked out of Hogwarts,” I replied honestly, causing Malfoy to elbow my side harshly.

“You never should have provoked that man,” he snapped at us.

“Because he's a former Auror or because he's lost his mind years ago?” I asked as I sat back in my chair with crossed arms.

“Potter, he isn't someone to be trifled with,” Snape warned.

“I know,” I admitted, “I wasn't going to provoke him initially, but he went a step too far by Transfiguring Malfoy. I needed Malfoy to stay unharmed until he could be properly Transfigured back. Otherwise, who knows what could have happened?”

Snape frowned deeply before sitting down in his chair and rubbing his temples like he had a severe migraine. “The next time Moody provokes you, ignore it.”

“That's easier said than done,” I commented dryly.

“Detention, Potter,” the man snapped at me.

I barely held back from rolling my eyes.

“Um, sir,” Malfoy finally piped up, “Isn't he going to get in any trouble for doing that?”

“I've already sent a letter to your father, but I don't know if he'll be able to do anything considering Dumbledore highly praises Moody,” Snape explained.

“Well, if Lord Malfoy has the support of the people, I’m sure things will be different,” I mused aloud.

“You'd set aside your differences with my father just to get Moody fired?” Malfoy asked as he looked at me in surprise.

Before I could answer that I would rather gut myself than set aside my differences with that pompous piece of shit, Snape sighed heavily.

“Potter, I am not asking you to stay out of trouble this year – I'm telling you,” he said as he glared at me.

“Yes, sir,” I said to pacify him.

He glared for a moment longer before saying, “You have another detention for challenging a professor to a duel.” He then turned to Malfoy and said, “You should know better than to get caught trying to hit another student with a spell. You, too, will serve a detention.”

Malfoy nodded begrudgingly.

“You two are dismissed,” Snape said.

We both got up and left the room behind.

About halfway back to the common room, Malfoy stopped, causing me to as well. “Thank you.”

“For?” I asked as I looked back at the fourth-year with a raised brow.

“For protecting me,” he answered.

I merely grunted as I turned away.

“Wait,” he said quickly, causing me to once again look back at him. He flushed a bit as he said, “You can call me Draco, if you want. You always call me by my last name, but we're more than acquaintances now.”

I pondered his words for less than a second before saying, “Call me Colton, then.”

Draco perked up as he said, “I will.”

I nodded once before saying, “Let's finish that game, Draco.”

The blonde eagerly fell in step next to me as we walked back to the common room. “I've learned a few new techniques over the summer, so it won't be easy.”

Of course, I crushed Draco with a great amount of ease, causing the blonde to pout as I went back to my table to study. As I finally started to work ahead on my Ancient Runes homework, the majority of the Slytherins returned to the common room.

Nott approached me almost immediately, and he surprised just about everyone by grabbing my textbook from me and throwing it down on the ground haphazardly.

“Theo!” Davis exclaimed in surprise before hissing, “Are you stupid?”

“Pick it up,” Nott demanded as he stared down at me with an odd look in his eyes.

“I feel as though you should do that,” I replied as I stared up at him blankly.

“With magic,” he clarified.

I frowned at the boy before reaching for my wand.

“With magic alone,” Nott stated as he snatched up my wand.

I eyed him for a moment before turning my gaze to my textbook. I knew that magic was mainly about intent and that I had to really want to levitate the book in order for it to lift into the air. I also knew, however, that magic needed to be controlled carefully so as to not throw the book six feet high or set it on fire. I stared calmly at the book, and I watched it tremble for a second before lifting up into the air. My brow furrowed a bit as I struggled to continue lifting it up, but I eventually had it lift up and levitate itself over to the table before setting itself down. While fighting the urge to wipe my brow, I looked back at Nott. “Satisfied?”

Nott looked down at me with a blank expression, but his eyes flashed with many emotions.

“Nott,” Pucey called out in a threatening tone. “Explain yourself now, or else someone is going to get Snape.”

“Moody used the Three Unforgivables in the Ravenclaw’s fourth years’ D.A.D.A. class,” Nott informed us, “I just heard Boot talking about it in the Great Hall.”

I stared at Nott carefully, watching as his eyes still flickered with various emotions. “If you're so concerned about the curriculum, I suggest taking it up with our Head of House.”

“I'm not worried about the damn curriculum, Potter,” Nott snapped as his mind finally seemed to settle on a single emotion.

I barely bit back a sigh before standing. “Nott, you should know me better by now.”

The boy remained quiet as he glared at me.

I, without any hint of hesitation, stepped into his space before slamming my forehead against his just about as hard as I could.

Nott fell onto his ass, yelping loudly as he did so. He looked up at me with wide eyes, clearly not expecting such a muggle retort.

“Nott, calm yourself, and start thinking instead of feeling,” I demanded as he held his forehead while clearly biting back a grimace. “I may be a Potter, but I'm also a Slytherin. I know the fine line between bravery and stupidity can lead to death. Don't you dare, even for a second, think I'll cross that line without having thought over the repercussions for not only myself, but also others.”

Nott lowered his gaze for a moment before looking up at me with eyes full of caution.

I barely bit back a sigh before kneeling down before the brunette. “Do you honestly believe that I'm that reckless?”

“No,” Nott mumbled as he finally dropped his hands from his head, revealing the large red mark on his forehead.

“Good,” I approved before standing up. I pulled Nott to his feet before sitting back down at my table. “My wand, Nott.”

He gave me my wand back, having now calmed down.

I set my wand down on the table before returning to my homework.

“Nott, you're serving detention tomorrow with our Head of House,” Pucey said as he rubbed his temples as if he had a migraine.

“Very well,” Nott replied before heading off to Draco.

“Nott, I'll do more than knock your brains around your skull if you start up with Draco,” I threatened as I kept my eyes on my paper.

Nott stopped approaching the Malfoy before begrudgingly slinking off to an open seat with Zabini.

“Wait,” Davis suddenly said before looking at me with wide eyes. “Did you just call Draco by his first name?”

I set my quill down before looking up at Davis in what could only be described as pure exasperation. “Your point, if you will? My homework won't finish itself.”

“You lost me ten Galleons,” she said indignantly, “I bet that you'd call Blaise by his first name before anyone else.”

I stared, completely and utterly dumbfounded by how a few people nodded solemnly. “I'm sorry, but that's what you chose to bet on?”

“It seemed like a fair steal at the time,” Davis grumbled as she begrudgingly forked over some Galleons to Greengrass, who smirked as she accepted the golden coins.

“Do you honestly have nothing better to do with your lives?” I asked as I looked around at those doing similar exchanges with sheer disbelief.

“Free money is free money,” Greengrass replied with a dainty shrug.

I gave an exasperated sigh before shaking my head. I then looked down at my notes for a mere second before once again turning my focus up. “Please tell me that you didn't bet on the runner-up, too.”

Davis looked at me with false innocence.

“Oh, for Salazar’s sake,” I groaned as I ran my hands down my face, trying desperately to ignore my forming migraine.,

§I for one, think this is quite amusing.§

I just about blanched at the Dark Lord’s words bouncing around my mind. §Sir, I mean this as respectfully as I can: Shut up.§

The chuckle in my mind sounded genuinely humored by my annoyance.

“I’m going to bed,” I grumbled as I packed up my belongings and went back to my dorm room. As I got ready for bed, I glanced at my timetable and noticed that we Slytherins in our fourth year had to see Moody the next morning. I bit back a groan as I decided that I needed to mentally prepare myself for the worst possible lesson I'd ever received in Defense Against the Dark Arts.