Time Management

*


"So, where'd you disappear to?" Blaise asked on Draco's reappearance to their dorm. Blaise was lying lazily on his bed, doing nothing. Draco scowled darkly and sneered at Blaise's words.

He didn't answer his question immediately. Instead, he stalked across the room and changed his clothes rapidly. Once he'd pulled on his shirt, he turned to Blaise. "We have a problem," he said seriously.

Blaise perked up at these words. "You mean, besides the fact that you went back in time and changed the future where we now are subservient to Potter? Pray, do tell," he said sarcastically.

"Yes, actually," Draco sneered at him. "Something is... not... right..."

"Brilliant deduction, Sherlock," Blaise said sarcastically

"I mean there's a problem!" Draco exclaimed.

"Yeah, I got that," Blaise said condescendingly. Draco glared at him momentarily. "So what's the problem?"

"Potter... well, he... um..." Draco trailed away, not quite sure how to explain it.

"He um what?" Blaise asked impatiently.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What's wrong with you today? Get a broomstick stuck up your ass?" he asked in annoyance.

Blaise scowled at him. "No," he replied scathingly. "What was your point?"

"Turns out Potter has some different feelings than we thought."

Blaise just stared at Draco with an eyebrow raised in question. "Just tell me what the hell it is, Draco. I really don't want to guess right now," he said moodily.

Draco looked at him closely. Something was definitely wrong, but he didn't particularly care at this point. "I think he's in love."

"With who?"

"Me, you idiot!" Draco exclaimed. He couldn't believe Blaise today. Normally, he was much sharper and on the ball.

"Fine, I get it, whatever. So what?" Blaise said in anger.

"So what?" Draco repeated incredulously. "This changes everything!"

"Why should it?" Blaise asked dubiously.

"Be-because... it..." Draco floundered for a reason, but realized he couldn't explain. Why should it? He asked himself this question. Just because Potter has feelings for him, it shouldn't affect how he felt about Potter, right?

"Shouldn't this be an advantage?" Blaise asked.

'Shouldn't it? Why not? This could easily be manipulated to our advantage...' Draco pondered this option for a moment, but something held him back. He almost felt bad about thinking of using Harry.

After several minutes, he realized he was being closely watched by Blaise. He gave him a disdainful look.

Blaise was smirking slightly and his eyes were glittering. "I know why it's not an advantage," he said slyly.

"What?" Draco asked, not understanding.

"You like him," Blaise said pointedly.

Draco looked horrified. "I do not!"

"You do."

"Not!"

"Okay, we can keep arguing like first year girls, or you can just admit it and we'll move on," Blaise said in a stern voice.

Draco scowled but didn't continue the argument. "This affects our plan then," he said sullenly, angry at Blaise for figuring that out.

"How so?" Blaise asked, looking bored once more.

"I can't ruin someone that I like," Draco said, as though it was obvious.

"Why not? You've done it before."

"Hey, Corner was asking for it. Nobody cheats on me and gets away with it."

"You weren't even dating!"

"So?"

"Oh, never mind." Blaise shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Draco just ignored him. "We've got to alter it," he said.

"Do whatever you want to it," Blaise said tiredly.

"What the hell is wrong with you today?!" Draco demanded. He could tell something was definitely wrong with him.

Blaise huffed dramatically before saying anything. "Fine. Well it seems like Potter has a lot more hold than we thought. Seamus decided to drop out of the plan. He said something about not wanting to die." Blaise sneered at the idea. Draco raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"So much for Gryffindor bravery, eh? Just goes to show you can't trust any of 'em."

"But you trust Potter?" Blaise asked, annoyed.

"Not really. Doesn't mean I can't fuck him once in awhile."

"But you don't," Blaise pointed out.

"That's not the point," Draco sneered.

"So what are your alterations?" Blaise asked, changing the subject.

"I still say we need to fuck up his world, we can use Granger for that. She's actually a good find, surprisingly. And if Ha-Potter loves me, I can find a way manipulate him to my standards."

Blaise looked at Draco closely when he almost slipped up on the name. He sat thoughtfully for a minute before replying to the statement.

"I suppose that will work," he agreed finally.

"Of course it'll work," Draco said pompously. Blaise sighed and rolled his eyes. He then turned over onto his side, signifying the end of the conversation.

***

"Granger," Draco hissed as she emerged out of a classroom.

Hermione looked around, searching for the source of the noise. Her eyes finally landed on the dark corner in which Draco had hidden himself. She moved quickly and inconspicuously over. Draco rolled his eyes and pulled her into the shadows.

He let go of her robes immediately as though they'd burned him and Hermione frowned.

"What do you want, Malfoy," she said, checking her watch nervously.

"Don't worry," Draco sneered. "You won't be late for class."

Hermione scowled at him. "Is there a reason you pulled me over here, Malfoy?" she asked acidly.

"Unfortunately, yes," he muttered and she continued to scowl. "We need more action in the plan."

"More action?" she repeated doubtfully. "How so?"

"You have to do something big."

"Why me?"

Draco sighed in frustration. For her being the smartest witch of their age, she sure wasn't showing it.

"Because he won't expect it from you," Draco said through gritted teeth, trying to remain calm.

"Well, what exactly am I supposed to do?" she asked in annoyance.

"What you do best," Draco said with a flourish.

"And that would be...?"

"Use your knowledge to your advantage."

"Knowledge is always to my advantage."

“Exactly. Use it against him."

"But he'll kill me."

Draco sighed again. Would they never change?

"Not if you do it right."

"And the right way would be?"

"My way."

***

"Can anyone tell me the proper way to change a teacup into a canary?" Professor McGonagall looked around at her students hopelessly. None of them would ever answer because Harry was in that class and would kill them as soon as look at them.

To her enormous surprise, a hand was raised tentatively into the air. Professor McGonagall stared incredulously at the hand, hardly daring it to be true.

"Yes, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione took a deep breath and caught a slight nod from Draco in encouragement. Harry turned around in his seat to watch her through narrowed eyes.

"The incantation is Transformus Legardium," Hermione said slowly, and McGonagall looked extremely shocked.

"That's correct, Ms. Granger," she said wonderingly. What had brought about this change? "I don't suppose you could perform the spell for me?"

Hermione nodded tremulously. She stood up and faced her cup. She paused for a second then turned to the professor. "I'd like to ask Seamus to help me, if that's alright," she asked politely. Seamus' head snapped up from where he'd been resting it on the table. Blaise's attention was also drawn from his place next to Draco.

"What?" Seamus asked in a high and panicked voice.

"I need your help," Hermione repeated.

Seamus glanced between her, Professor McGonagall, and Harry, who was now looking murderous. "I-I can't do it," he stuttered, looking back down at the desk.

"Don't be silly, Finnigan," McGongall reprimanded him. "Of course you can. Go on, help Ms. Granger."

Seamus stood up carefully and made his way over to where Hermione stood. All eyes in the classroom were glued to his back as he waded through the desks. He finally approached Hermione's side and gave her an evil glare. Hermione smiled at him cheerfully and disregarded it.

Together they raised their wands. "Transformus Legardium," they said. There was a small pop and the teacup transformed before their very eyes into a yellow canary, singing shrilly at the top of it's lungs.

"Silencio," McGonagall said, silencing the bird. It gave her a reproachful glare but could do nothing more. "That was excellent. Perhaps the rest of you should take a cue from Ms. Granger and Mr. Finnigan."

The rest of the class looked around at each other, exchanging questioning looks. Harry glared as they did this, knowing something was up. Draco smirked in a satisfied kind of way at Blaise. Blaise just rolled his eyes at him.

"Um, Professor McGonagall?" A small voice spoke in the silence of the room. Everyone turned to this new voice. It was Parvati Patil. She had her hand in the air.

"Yes, Ms. Patil?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Isn't there another incantation we could use?" she said hesitantly with a cautious glance at Harry.

Professor McGonagall looked even more taken aback by this new show of confidence by her students. "Yes, there is. Very good, ten points, Ms. Patil. And ten also for Ms. Granger."

Throughout the rest of the class, the Gryffindors regained some of their former courage, much to the elation of Professor McGonagall and the anger of Harry.

By the end of class, Harry was very near fuming. Draco watched as Harry's expression darkened with each answer the other students supplied. Even some of the Slytherins had plucked up the courage to answer a few questions.

The class ended and Harry stormed out of the room. The rest of the students snuck quietly out and skirted around him to their respective common rooms. Harry stood resolutely against the wall, glaring at each as they passed. At length, Blaise and Draco emerged from the room.

Draco found himself grabbed roughly and pushed forcefully against the wall. Blaise just rolled his eyes and continued walking, giving Draco a sarcastic wave as he turned the corner. Draco glared at his retreating figure, but his attention was drawn back to Harry as he grabbed Draco's chin none too lightly.

Draco wrenched his face from his grip and gave him a withering glance. "Yes, Potter?" he drawled.

"What in the hell do you have against me all of a sudden?" Harry asked angrily.

"You're actually asking me that question?" Draco asked facetiously. Harry nodded as though it was obvious. "Potter, do you really think that you can treat me like shit and not get anything back?"

"I used to," Harry muttered to himself.

"Well, not any more," Draco said firmly, moving away from Harry.

"Draco, stop," Harry said commandingly.


~~**~~


A/N: Yay, we're almost to the end! :) Good, because I'm getting really behind on posting stuff... haha ha..ha. anyway, please review! I'll really try to post the last few chaps quickly :)