The Domino Effect [DRARRY]

13.

Hush little baby, don't say a word. And never mind that noise you heard, It's just the beast under your bed, In your closet, in your head. - Metallica

The Slytherin common room looked the same as it had back in second year. Harry quietly followed Draco to his room, where under the safety of his Invisibility Cloak, he watched the sleeping forms of his targets.

There were three beds on one side of the room and two on the other. Draco's was closest to the door with Crabbe's beside his, and Goyle's - empty for obvious reasons - on the other side of Crabbe's. Zabini and Nott's beds were side by side on the wall opposite.

Harry looked from one side of the room to the other, trying to decide who to start with.

Crabbe had been the muscle, the one to carry out the beating - with Goyle of course -, Nott had tied him down, made disparaging remarks and even taken his turn at operating the broom handle, But Zabini... Zabini had masterminded the entire thing.

Harry had chosen his first target.

Walking swiftly to the side of his bed, he waved his hand in the air and cast a protective bubble around the area. No one could get in or out, and no one would hear him scream. "Blaise," Harry bent low and whispered in his ear. "Wake up, Blaise; it's time to play."

Draco stood by the door and kept watch. He was entranced by the way Potter moved, the way he effortlessly used wandless magic, the dark, malicious smile on his face as he bent down to whisper in Zabini's ear. He knew that he had been lucky, that had things been different, if he hadn't gone off by himself that day, if his own past hadn't made the idea of assaulting someone in such a fashion so abhorrent, he too could be lying in blissful slumber awaiting the fate that was about to be dealt to his roommates.

Instead, he got to watch as they were punished, and, with any luck, he would get to shag the most powerful wizard since Merlin when the night was through.

~!~

Blaise was having a wonderful dream; he was standing at the side of his Lord. He looked out into the sea of masked and robed Death Eaters and smiled. He was being rewarded. Given the highest of honour for his flawless take-down of the so called 'Saviour of the Wizarding World'. All those before him were being made to bow to him, to give him the respect and fear he deserved as Voldemort's new second in command. Yes, life was sweet as far as he was concerned. He had power, and no one - save his Lord - could touch him now.

Then a voice invaded his fantasy, a very familiar voice with a decidedly unfamiliar hardness.

"Blaise, wake up, Blaise; it's time to play."

Awake now, and fearing the worst, Blaise slowly opened his eyes and instantly wished he hadn't. For there, hovering over him like the angel of death, was Harry Potter.

"Oh good," Harry smiled, "you're awake. Now we can start."

"S-start what?" was the stuttered reply. In all his years at Hogwarts, Zabini had never seen Potter look like this. This was the look of a powerful wizard, not the shy, easy-going boy he had attacked only days previously. He knew, deep down, that appearances could be deceiving. One only had to look at the old fool of a Headmaster to know that. Dumbledore had obviously schooled his pupil well. Harry Potter, right now, was fucking scary.

"My revenge, of course," Harry answered nonchalantly. "You didn't think I would really let you get away with what you did to me, did you?" At Zabini's confused look, Harry chuckled darkly, "Oh, you did. Well, that just makes this all the sweeter then, doesn't it?" Before Zabini had a chance to reply, Harry was inside his mind, making him relive the events of Harry's assault, only multiplying the pain and humiliation tenfold.