The Darkwood Wand

Virtue

PART TWO

Draco's Saturday wasn't getting any better. He was about to do a good deed, which in his experience rarely turned out well. Not that he'd done many good deeds; his shining moments during the war were when he refrained from doing bad deeds, or at least performed the bad deeds unenthusiastically.

He wasn't sure his current plan qualified as a good deed anyway. Certainly Granger wouldn't consider it so. But Draco hoped that if he delayed Tennant's plans long enough, his roommate would tire of Granger-baiting and fixate on a different witch. This was unlikely— Tennant had inherited all of his father's doggedness—but possible. Ginevra Weasley, for example, would be an excellent distraction for Tennant and she'd probably enjoy the confrontations.

Which brought Draco to the Astronomy Tower on this clear October afternoon. He'd been tracking his quarry since lunch and was now climbing the tower staircase, his shoes under a Cushioning charm to muffle his footsteps.

The wizard was fiddling with the tower's brass telescope, with a box of magical tools open on the floor beside him. Draco lurked in a corner shadowed from the sun, holding the checkered wand and wondering what on earth Granger saw in Justin Finch-Fletchley.

The Head Boy was attractive, Draco supposed. Dressed well for Muggle spawn. He and Granger could probably talk about Muggle books or ah ... construction cranes. Draco's Muggle Studies class had just begun a lesson in non-magical engineering, which sounded frankly dangerous. He'd never enter a Muggle building if he could help it.

Draco didn't have time to waste, but still he lingered in his hiding spot, watching the wizard polish the telescope casings and adjust the screws. Did Finch-Fletchley touch Granger with those slender fingers? Kiss her with those pursed lips? Draco loosened his grip on his wand before he broke the thing in half. He could Body-Bind the git right now and be done with it. But then Granger would wander the castle looking for Finch-Fletchley and run into Tennant while all distracted. Draco would stick to the plan. Better for everyone.

He didn't know why he was worrying anyway. This was a Hufflepuff.

Draco stepped out of the shadows. "Finch-Fletchley," he said coldly. Stupid fucking name.

The Puff nearly fell into the telescope at the sight of Draco. He recovered with impressive quickness, however, drawing his wand and aiming it much like Vane had.

But Draco was quicker. "Expelliarmus!" A quick nonverbal Summoning spell, and the Puff's wand was in his own hand.

"You will do exactly as I say, Mudblood," Draco growled.

"And if I don't?" The Puff didn't look nearly scared enough.

"There are two ways to leave this Tower," Draco said. "The stairs, or ..." He gave a slight nod toward the thin iron railing protecting stargazers from the hundred-foot drop.

"You wouldn't dare," Finch-Fletchley said with a fairly creditable sneer. "You'd end up back in Azkaban." The Head Boy eyed Draco thoughtfully. "It would almost be worth it."

"Nobody would know," Draco said. "A sad accident." He stepped closer, prompting the other wizard to step backward against the railing. It had been some time since Draco had threatened murder, and he didn't enjoy it any more than he had during the war. But Draco needed to finish this quickly; the slow, spinning movement of the huge, bronze astronomy model was making him sick and he just hated it here.

"My request is very simple," Draco continued. "Stay away from Granger."

The Puff's eyes widened. "Hermione? Why?"