Chapter 14
Draco leans back in his seat. He is pretty certain nothing interesting happens today. He remembers playing in this game but not much happened outside the norm of playing Quidditch. He can take a break. He sighs.
"Gonna nap?" Lara asks.
"I've napped plenty these past few days. We should hang out soon, it's been forever," he says.
She nods. "Is today an easy day, then?" she asks.
He hums. "As far as I remember. Just a Quidditch game then we can probably hang out the rest of the day. I'll go back to Slytherin tonight and hopefully, it will be fine," he says.
She nods and leans back in her seat. "Do you think the game results will be the same?"
Draco frowns. "Yeah. Unfortunately, Harry is good at Quidditch."
She raises an eyebrow.
"He won against me easily. Although I might have been too distracted during the game," he says.
"Why?"
"I was taunting him," he says.
She laughs. "You lost because you got distracted making fun of him? Are you sure you didn't like him?"
He furrows his eyebrows.
"It sounds like when a kid tugs on another's pigtails to get attention," she says.
He slaps her shoulder. "Look they're starting. Watch the game," he says.
She laughs.
He wants to snarl. The familiarity makes him smile instead. He rolls his eyes and watches as the Quidditch players take off from their spots. Draco watches the different balls flutter, batter, and glide across the field. He sees the snitch zip in front of different players and at one point almost right in front of him. Why couldn't it be that easy when he played? Harry hovers over the field looking for the quick moving ball and avoid the Bludger.
Draco winces when it gets too close to Harry, nipping at his side. The twins try to protect Harry from the angry ball, but it circles back to him every time it is hit away. Harry shoos the twins away to help the team win. Draco scoots forward on his seat. When he played this game, it seemed natural or semi-natural that the Bludger would almost hit them occasionally but now that he sees it from out here, this is weird. Harry gets distracted by something and the Bludger smacks into him.
Draco releases a breath when Harry recovers and dives. The Snitch is sitting right there. Draco grips the railing and leans forward to get a good look at Harry. He closes his hand around the Snitch. Draco winces when the broom slips from Harry, and he falls onto the ground. This game felt a lot less exciting the first time. Hermione destroys the Bludger, still trying to turn Harry into a paste. Draco runs down to check on his, most likely, injured friend. Lockhart reaches him first and before Draco can stop the idiot from damaging Harry he casts a spell. Harry's arm looks like a wet noodle.
"Well, it's not broken anymore," Lockhart says.
Draco glares at the incompetent teacher. He wants to become the Draco from the past and call his father, not literally but someone, to get this man fired. Dumbledore is supposed to be smart, but he hired this fake, dim-witted, bag of dirt, to teach them. Lockhart goes to touch Harry but Draco steps between them.
"I'll take him to the nurse," Draco says.
Harry wraps an arm around Draco's shoulders and Draco an arm around his waist.
"How are you?" Draco asks.
"No pain, I guess," Harry says.
Draco wrinkles his nose. "There will be some when you have to get your bones regrown," he says.
Harry whines.
"He is so stupid," Ron says.
Draco nods.
"He was just trying to get Harry to feel better," Hermione says.
The three boys glare at her.
"I could've fixed his arm better than that and I'm a second year," Draco says.
Hermione crosses her arms. "Well, you're oddly good at magic," she says.
"That doesn't change the fact that Lockhart should have known what he was doing before casting a spell, especially a spell on a student. What if he does it again but it causes harm that can't be undone?" Draco asks.
Hermione stomps.
Draco helps Harry into the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey sighs when she sees them.
"Ah, the troublesome quadruplets. What brings you in?" she asks.
Harry lifts his arm and Draco pulls it until it's completely bent. She gestures to an empty bed and goes to her medical supplies. Draco helps Harry change into more comfortable clothes and Harry sits on the bed.
"Here it is," Madam Pomfrey says. She sets a bottle of bone regrower on the table beside Harry's bed. She pours some into a small cup and hands it to him.
Harry takes it and drinks. He gags. Draco pats his back. Hermione and Ron say their goodbyes.
"If you have any problems call me," Draco says. He wiggles his ringed fingers.
Harry nods.
Draco leaves the infirmary. He does not want to go to Slytherin. He has a few friends, Blaise, Millicent, and Pansy, there but he doesn't want to deal with the whispering and eventually the questions. He could bother Lara she's probably in the library. He adjusts the bag on his shoulder. He should at least put that in his room. He sighs and trudges into the dungeons. He climbs through the portrait and puts his bag on his bed.
"Decided to rejoin us?" Blaise asks.
Draco flops onto the bed. "Yep," he says.
"And you sound so excited to be here," he says.
Draco sits up. "How annoying are the other people going to be?" he asks.
Blaise sits beside him and pats his shoulder. "Very," he says.
Draco rolls his eyes. "This is why you shouldn't comfort people. Maybe I should wait for Reggie and sick him on them," he says.
"They don't dislike you too much. Don't worry, they for sure think you could be the heir of Slytherin playing some weird long con to get Harry Potter to trust you then destroy him," Blaise says.
Draco sighs. "Unfortunately, I am not smart enough for that kind of plan," he says.
Blaise raises an eyebrow.
Draco ignores it. "Since I have to exist with them, you do too," he says. He stands and tugs Blaise up. They go down to the common room and spread out on the furniture. Pansy and Millicent join them. They do their homework and talk.
"Ah, the traitor is back," one of the third years say.
Draco smiles. "What can I say? I missed you guys, your optimism, your charming personalities, but most of all your ability to clear out a room with your mere existence," he says.
The kid growls and steps toward Draco.
"Now, now, we shouldn't be so aggressive with each other," Marcus Flint says.
Draco forces his eyes to not roll.
"The heir of Slytherin has blessed us with his presence once again," he says.
Draco leans back on the couch. "Get to the point," Draco says.
"Prove you're the heir and we don't hex you."
"Oh, no, a hex? Whatever should I do against a potential hexing?" He glares at him. "I have no reason to prove anything. Especially not to you. You have nothing for me and have nothing over me."
"Is that why you're playing house with those Gryffindors? They have something over you?"
Draco snorts. "As if the trio of idiots could find anything on me," he says, "At least they're entertaining and have personality outside of hating mixed blood children and being spoiled."
"See he even likes the mudbloods," another person says.
Draco rolls his eyes. "I never said that I didn't. I just said that Slytherin is full of very similar people," he says.
Flint steps closer to the couch Draco is spread across. Blaise pulls Draco up and into the dorm hall with Millicent and Pansy behind them.
"Didn't you say you were going to play into the heir of Slytherin thing?" Blaise asks.
Draco leans against the cold stone wall. "He annoyed me," he says.
Blaise sighs and shakes his head.
"Why did you want to be back here anyway? Not that we don't love having you around, but you basically moved into Gryffindor," Pansy says.
"Looking for the real heir," Draco says.
Pansy nods. "Maybe we can still look," she says.
Draco twists a ring around his finger. He didn't think hearing them saying the same things he used to would affect him this much. His stomach churns. Maybe this is what that ridiculous hat was referring to. If Draco Malfoy can be reformed anyone else can be too.
"Yeah. Let's just try to look around and talk to the less annoying Slytherins. Sorry about losing it back there, I'll try to keep it under control," he says.
"Why did you get so angry?" Millicent asks.
Draco rests his head on the wall and looks at them. "I used to think like them, and I hurt a lot of people. Then when the time came, and I had to choose between two groups I realized I had been treating people, who are the same age as me going through something terrible, as dirt and I didn't like that I had done that. I know not everyone had the realization with me but maybe if one of the people from a pure blood family stands up against their prejudices then it will get other people to calm down," he says.
Draco's previous life was filled with anguish, and he felt like he never truly understood how to be happy but now he's smiled and laughed more genuinely than ever before. He lost a lot of potential friends by believing the crap his father used to press on him, but Hermione is one of the smartest witches he has ever met. Harry and Ron are stupid but brave and they care a lot. For all the bullying he did against Neville when Harry said he stood up against them first-year Draco felt some sort of admiration for him. He had never considered standing up against his father, Voldemort, or the other Death Eaters until the day he died but Neville did. Draco stands up and shakes his head.
"We need to figure this out. There were whispers about the Chamber of Secrets being opened previously. You don't need to help more anything, but I would appreciate it. Lara and Cedric are checking out their dorms for any clues and of course the golden trio are checking. I didn't want to involve you guys but if you want to help, I wouldn't mind," he says.
Pansy grins and pats his shoulder. "We would gladly help. Honestly, Draco, just ask earlier next time. We don't mind helping."
"Just don't make me get up early," Blaise says.
"I would prefer to stay away from any dangerous creatures, people, and situations," Millicent says.
Draco smiles and nods.
"Where's Reggie?" Millicent asks.
He shrugs. "He took off during the game and I figured he would find me eventually," he says. "Why?"
"You're always more at ease with him bothering you," she says.
He shrugs.
"How do we know the Chamber of Secrets has been opened? Maybe it was a prank. We haven't had any petrification except Mrs. Norris," Blaise says.
Draco sighs. He can't tell them it will get worse because they'll know he knows something about the future. "Even if it's not this is scaring people so looking into it can't do much harm. Maybe it's a stupid prank but figuring out who did it could still help calm everyone," he says.
Blaise nods.
"We'll listen for any rumors," Pansy says. She drags Millicent to the girls' dorm.
"What should I do?" Blaise asks.
Draco tugs him toward their dorm. He pats his bed. Blaise sits beside him. "You can talk with the popular Slytherin boys. The girls will get every bit of juicy gossip they can but you're in with the Slytherin boys that typically don't spread rumors as much," he says.
Blaise nods. "What are you going to do?" he asks.
Draco groans. "I guess I'll try to keep Harry alive. Seems like everything is after him, including Bludgers. He is such a hassle to be friends with," he says.
Blaise laughs and shakes his head. "No one is forcing you to be friends with him," he says.
Draco flops backwards. "I'm already friends with him. I can't back out now even if he has almost gotten me killed and almost gotten himself killed. At this point, I should be getting paid as his bodyguard. I know he's rich so he can afford it."
"Drac, you're rich too," he says.
"No, my parents are rich. I have some money saved but not rich money," he says.
Blaise flops next to him. "Was it bad this summer?" he asks.
Draco shrugs. "Not the worst."
"Do you think there are mixed blood Slytherins?"
"Yeah. I doubt they would admit it with the comments around the common rooms, but I think they exist," Draco says. "Why?"
"Well, if they're here they probably can't do much because they'll be bullied. It seems stressful," Blaise says.
"Yeah," Draco whispers, "It is best to be quiet in tense atmospheres."
Blaise rolls onto his elbow and looks down at Draco. "You're a lot different than when I met you when we were younger," he says.
Draco rolls to face him. "How so?" Hopefully, he isn't completely different, but more people would have asked questions before now if he were.
"You're healthier, kinder, gentler, and you seem to be happier. Maybe because you were locked up as a kid, so you didn't get sicker but it's like you're freer. That probably doesn't make sense," he says.
Draco lays back. He smiles at the gray brick ceiling. He is freer, he's the freest he's ever felt. Voldemort is trying to kill Harry and by association him, but Draco doesn't have to be the perfect son he was in the past and he's not restrained by the need to make his family happy. He's already disappointed them once and now it's just easier.
"Yeah. I am free," he says.
Blaise lays beside him. "Ugh. No more emotional stuff. Let's talk about Lockhart," he says.
Draco rolls his eyes. "He removed Harry's bones from his arms. He does not need help injuring himself. He had those three get pixies back in their cage too. I know Hermione can handle it but the two doofuses?"
Blaise laughs. "He removed Harry's arm bones. I saw you almost hex him, but I didn't see that."
"I cannot believe he was hired here. When we were getting our books this summer, he made Harry take a photo with him," he says.
"I saw that picture," he says.
Draco wrinkles his nose. "He is so fake and for some reason Hermione can't see it."
"Millie and Pansy love him too. It's so disgusting," Blaise says.
Draco shakes his head. "You know, for Dumbledore being such a smart, powerful wizard he makes the worst hiring decisions."
The Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers don't get good until the second to last year and they didn't get to do much schooling during that time.
"He's only hired one of them so far. Quirrell was here before and an okay teacher," Blaise says.
Draco sighs. "Fine but the one hiring we have been here for has been bad. Lockhart couldn't do a spell right if the instructions were in front of him. His books have to be works of fantasy," he says.
Blaise clutches his stomach. "I love when you go on bashing rants," he says.
Draco closes his eyes. "I know. I'm great at it," he says.