RAVENCLAW!

10. Smooth Criminal

They didn't really feel the potion wear off. Completely lost of any sense of time they played in the snow and when they went inside again, fully drenched, the effects of the liquid happiness were all gone. Still they were grinning at each other happily - until Filch came across their way.

"What do you think you are doing?! Do you know how long it takes to clean the floor off your muddy footprints. In my office! Both of you!"

They got detention. Polishing all of the awards in the trophy room on the next monday. Their smiles had faded when they had changed their clothes into dry ones and went down for lunch. Having skipped breakfast, Harry was really hungry.

"Should we sit with Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table ?"

"Why would I want to sit with those Gryffindorks? Or you for that matter!"

Harry stopped walking and stared at Malfoy, who was heading for the Slytherin table, in shock.
What was wrong with this kid?
Harry really didn't understand. But it hurt to see the blonde leaving him alone like that. Pushing it aside he put a smile on and made his way to his friends.

The rest of the holidays were confusing. Most of the time he spent with the Weasleys and Hermione and they had lots of fun. They even sneaked him into the Gryffindor common room a few times. Malfoy kept ignoring him, no matter how often Harry tried to start a conversation. It seemed the Christmas morning had never happened. Like they hadn't had their greatest fun in months playing in the snow together. Like Malfoy had never given him two of his presents. Yeah, that had been pretty obvious. The wrapping had been the same as on the pureblood's presents and Harry didn't know anyone else who would give him something like that. He wondered where Malfoy went all the time. During the day he often disappeared and all the times Harry attempted to find him, he was nowhere to be seen. Not on the grounds, neither on the yard, nor in the library - Hermione could confirm this. She had been spending a great deal of time in there, searching for information on Nicolas Flamel. There was nothing to be found as it seemed. She even urged Harry to enter the restricted section with his invisibility cloak. He had tried but he only managed to escape Filch with a lot of luck and he didn't want to risk another detention too soon.
The one on monday had been enough for the next couple of months. It had reminded him horribly of the time at the Dursleys where he had to kneel on the floor to clean something and was either being ignored or insulted. Yeah Malfoy was back to that again, as well. Harry really couldn't remember to have made a mistake. The second present from Malfoy he'd put into his trunk without unwrapping it. There it lay next to Hermione's book, the cloak and the note that had came with it. It didn't bear a signature but it said that the useful item had once been his father's. Therefore he'd sworn himself to always look after it and never, not in a thousand years, lose it. The only good thing that came from that detention was, that he had found a special trophy in the room. Dedicated to James Potter for scoring 25 goals as a chaser all by himself in one single match with less than 2 hours playing time. In this moment Harry had decided to do everything to get onto the Quidditch team. Sure, Malfoy had much more practice but Harry was doing it to make his father proud and this was the perfect motivation.

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On the Saturday the other students were to return Draco was sitting in - like he had named it - Nowhere. He had spent almost every second of the holidays in there, either talking to Nobody or reading, always while drinking hot chocolate or tea. His friends weren't around, the other Ravenclaws tolerated him but he didn't dare talking with them more than was necessary, he didn't want his father to dispise him even more. Apart from sending a thank you letter for the presents he hadn't been in contact with his parents; he had nothing he wanted to tell them and he didn't want to ruin their vacation without him. And of course he would never talk to Potter again. That idiot had gotten him into trouble with his stupidity. If his father would ever hear about this...

Draco had tried his best to avoid the Scarface ever since. Except their detention of course. No Malfoy had ever been forced to do such disgusting, filthy house elf work before. He really was a shame for his family. Potter had worked a lot faster than him but he looked like he hated it even more. There had been a moment where Draco almost felt sorry - No, there hadn't been a moment!

In conclusion Nowhere was the only place he was able to be and wanted to be. When he left the room on said saturday, he forced himself to stop smiling while he made his way from the seventh floor to the Ravenclaw tower. He'd been dreading the start of term because he wouldn't be able to stay in Nowhere all day anymore. Of course Nobody had realised this and had started to tell him jokes. A lot of jokes. Bad ones and good ones but somehow all of them were funny. And Draco had laughed and school had been forgotten. When he climbed the stairs to their dormitory he heard voices behind the door.

"Isn't that illegal?",
exclaimed Boot.

Illegal? Were they doing dark Magic in there?'

"Who cares?! It's so cool!",
returned Goldstein.

That sounded a lot like dark Magic!

"What tapes do you have?"

Tapes? What the hell were tapes?

"Only all MJ tapes. I think Mum fancies him."

And who was MJ?
Confused he pushed the door open and found his three roommates crouched over something on Corner's bed. It seemed they hadn't even heard him entering the dorm.

"What are you waiting for, Mikey. Play something."

'Click'

Suddenly the room was filled with painful screeching and cracking noises. The four boys covered their ears with their hands which didn't help a lot. Finally Corner reached down with one hand and ended their torture.

"What the bloody hell was that ?",

Goldstein asked what Draco was thinking.

"The school wards probably interfered with the radio connection. Try the tapes, they should be working!"

"You're probably right, Ter! Wait a second!"

Again there were some clicking noises before a song started playing. It started off with some weird noises. Then there was a strange instrument playing a melody. Monotonous but somehow really catchy. Soon a voice started singing.

'As he came into the window
It was the sound of a crescendo -
He came into her apartment
He left the bloodstains on the carpet -'

It was nothing like any music he had ever listened to before. The first lines didn't even sound like real singing. Draco was just about to turn away when the Refrain came.

'So, Annie are you okay?
Are you okay, Annie? -
Annie are you okay?
Will you tell us that you're okay? -
There's a sound at the window
that he struck you, a crescendo, Annie! -'

Suddenly he had the urge to hum along to the music. Immediately he shook it off. 'Humming?'
Malfoys didn't do that! He went into the bathroom and when he returned another song was playing from a weird silver box, like he could see from this angle. The three boys sitting around that thing were completely absorbed by their conversation and seemed to still haven't noticed him.

A thought crossed Draco's mind: When they were here that meant that his friends had to be back as well. Like this he left the dorm and walked down towards the Slytherin common room, the catchy melody still stuck inside his head.