survivor | HARRY POTTER

-Chapter 5-

Malfoy, to no ones surprise, didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, half way through double potions, where he staggered into the dungeon with his right arm covered in bandages and a shit-eating grin on his face, acting, if you asked Jess, like the survivor of a horrific battle.

"How is it, Draco?" Pansy simpered, clinging to his side like a koala bear. "Does it hurt much?"
"Yeah." Malfoy winced, putting on a brave sort of grimace, winking at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away. When Millie went to go and see if he was alright, completely against the wishes of her friends, he had put on the act to the point where even Millie saw through it.

"Settle down, settle down." Snape drawled idly as he swept to the front of the classroom in usual foul mood. Jess scowled at Alyssa and shook her head, rolling her eyes. It was no secret that Malfoy could get away with almost anything in his lessons, whereas if one of them had walked in late, they would have almost certainly been awarded a detention.

They were making a new Potion today, one they weren't allowed to make until third year: a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Millie, so they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. "Sir, Sir - I need help cutting up these roots, because of my arm." Malfoy called, smirking at Millie, who wasn't paying attention and instead was reaching for the fire at the bottom of the cauldron, having to constantly have her hand swat away by Alyssa, who hadn't looked up from her Potion for the past half hour.

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him." Snape ordered, making Ron go brick red with anger. "There's nothing wrong with your arm." He hissed at Malfoy, who smirked across the table. "Weasley, you heard Professor Snape, cut up these roots." Ron seized Malfoy's roots and grumbled loudly, seizing his knife as he began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.

"Professor" Malfoy drawled, eyeing up his destroyed roots with distaste. "Weasleys mutilating my roots, Sir." Snape approached their table and stared down his long, hooked nose before giving Ron a very unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy hair. "Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."
"But, Sir -!"
Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces. "Now." Snape ordered, his voice extremely dangerous.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again. "Ron, c'mere, you can share with me." Alyssa said, allowing Ron to scoot across the bench towards her so that he could share her Potion. "And sir, I'll need this Shrivelfig skinned." Malfoy said, clearly suppressing laughter.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's Shrivelfig." Snape muttered, giving Harry the look of particular loathing the always reserved just for him and Alyssa. Harry sent Malfoy a look of pure loathing as skinned the Fig as past as he could before founding it across the table without speaking.

"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" Malfoy asked them quietly, his voice shaking with malicious laughter. "None of your business." Jess sneered jerkily without looking up. "I'm afraid he won't be teaching much longer. Father's not very happy about my injury -" Malfoy said in a tone of mock sorrow. "Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury." Alyssa snarled, her slender fingers curled tightly around the handle of the extremely sharp knife in her hand.

"He's complained to the school governors, you see, and to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this -" He gave a huge, fake sigh and glanced down at his bandaged arm. "Who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"So that's why you're putting it on?" Harry asked as Millie accidentally beheaded a dead caterpillar. Alyssa quickly removed the knife from her hand and refused to let her touch it again. "To try and Hagrid sacked."
"Well, partly, Potter. But there are other benefits, too. Blue, slice my caterpillars for me."