Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 35: The Man For The Job
Slytherin Common Room.
"I said to leave it alone, Malfoy." Marcus Flint walked away, climbing the stairs to his bedroom while clutching at his bandaged hand.
"This is outrageous!" Draco huffed and turned to the other three seniors.
They all looked injured and scared, but none of them had said a word about what happened, claiming that it was just an unfortunate incident during a friendly spar.
The professors may have believed this story, but Draco knew better. It was he who convinced them to teach Potter a lesson.
Now, none of them wanted to explain what went wrong.
The only thing that Draco knew for sure was that Potter was completely fine, since he had seen him this morning at breakfast, calmly eating while that mudblood kept him company.
"How can you be so useless? He couldn't have beaten you alone…" Draco said. "Or is that what happened? Are you embarrassed that you seniors got beaten by a b—"
"Malfoy." One of the seniors interrupted him. "Just drop it, okay? We want nothing more to do with… Potter." The senior walked away after saying that.
"Yeah. Don't call us again," the other two added before leaving as well.
"I can't believe this…" Draco sat down on a large black couch and crossed his arms.
Crabbe and Goyle remained standing at one side, not wanting to say anything. Their experience of facing Harry, albeit a short one, had been engraved in their minds.
"Draco…" Pansy sat down at his side. "Why don't we ignore Potter? There are only two weeks of school left, then we can enjoy the summe—"
"Shut up!" Draco pointed his finger at her. "How can I overlook this? That blood traitor humiliated me…"
"Why not tell your father then? Can't he expel Potter for attacking you and be done with it?" Pansy asked.
"You think he hasn't already tried that?" Draco huffed, sinking deeper into the couch. "Potter is protected by the Headmaster. Not to mention… if my father got the 'Boy Who Lived' expelled, he would get complaints from everyone, including the Minister. They all think he's some sort of hero… idiots."
"Well… Potter's reputation has certainly taken a dive this year. Between the rumors about him cheating his entrance into the tournament and those claiming that he went as far as to kill Cedric to win it, well…" Pansy commented.
"That is true." Draco felt some satisfaction at hearing that. After all, he had been helping spread those rumors.
"Maybe my father could do something now, but I'll need to ask him in person."
"Then you have to wait until next year to take action." Pansy didn't want to show it, but she felt relieved.
She was not the only one who noticed this, but there was something very wrong with Harry Potter. She couldn't tell exactly what it was, but during their brief encounter, she felt completely terrified of him.
No one had ever made her feel like that, not even Draco when he gets very angry at her, could come close to that.
"Not necessarily."
They heard a voice behind them.
When Draco turned around, he saw a boy with olive skin, sitting in one of the chairs and glancing at him with a smile on his face.
"Zabini… you were listening to my conversation?" Draco tried to sound threatening.
This just made the other boy's smile become more pronounced.
"I assure you that it was not my intention. I was already sitting here and reading quietly when you guys started talking." Zabini showed them a book he was holding.
Draco didn't want to admit that he hadn't noticed his presence, as it would make him look careless. Instead, he chose to ignore it and move the conversation forward.
"What did you mean by 'not necessarily'? Are you willing to deal with Potter yourself?"
"Oh please…" Zabini made a gesture with his hand. "I'm a smooth talker, not a fighter. But I do know of someone who can take care of this issue for… a reasonable price."
"Who?" Draco looked very interested. Money was the primary way for Malfoys to solve problems, so this was fine by him.
"Ignatius Mulciber," Zabini answered.
"Mulciber?!" Pansy exclaimed. "That creep?" She shook her head.
They all knew that boy. He was a seventh-year student from their house, and he had the worst reputation in the entire school.
From violence and theft to constant harassment of the school's female population, he had broken hundreds of school rules. The only reason he hasn't been expelled was that his grandfather was a member of the School Council, not to mention that his family was both old and powerful.
"He's still in school? I haven't seen him the entire year… I thought he quit," Draco commented.
"That's because he rarely attends classes. But I do see him sometimes in the library. We share a taste for the same type of books," Zabini said.
"You're friends with that guy, Blaise?" Pansy asked.
"I wouldn't go that far… we are merely acquaintances," Zabini responded. With his reputation, no one would dare call themselves Mulciber's friends.
"And he would deal with Potter for money? I thought that his family was very wealthy. Not as much as mine, of course." Draco commented.
"Just because the family is old doesn't mean they are rich. You know… money earned by the fathers can be lost by the sons, after all," Zabini said.
"Mmm… hadn't considered it." Draco looked pensive. "And how much would he want for this?"
Zabini raised one finger. "I'm sure I can convince him for one hundred Galleons."
"Isn't that too much?" Pansy asked.
Draco smiled. "That's fine. But I want Potter in the hospital before the end of the year. If he can do that, then we have a deal."
Zabini shrugged. "I'll talk to him tomorrow." He was good at hiding his expression. In reality, he was planning on keeping most of the money. Ignatius Mulciber was the kind of guy who was always looking for an excuse to get into a fight.
All he had to do was tell him that Potter is a skilled duelist and Mulciber would do it for free.
"Excellent." A smirk appeared on Draco's face. He could not wait to see Potter broken and humiliated. "Just you wait…"
Pansy glanced at Draco with concern. Something was telling her that this plan was going to backfire in a terrible way, but she knew better than to say anything right now.
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