Walking through the crowd was an interesting experience, I noted as I walked towards the Hogwarts Express. I could feel every single eye on me, though emotions behind them had differed. Most looked at me with fear, as after all, I was the heir of the Malfoy family, one of the most famous dark families, and the general public assumed great strength behind the name.
But the scions of the dark families -mostly Slytherin students- had a different expression on their face. They looked at me with hunger, because, to their best knowledge, Malfoy family had lost Dark Lord's favor, and its great status went down with it. They wanted payback for the years of subservience and humiliation.
Honestly, I couldn't really blame them for it. With Malfoy's past memories as an open book. I could see that he was little more than an annoying shit for the Slytherin House, using his family's influence with all the subtlety of a blasting curse, forcing his opinion and will as the House's, and nobody had the ability to resist due to fear of Lucius, and implicit support of Snape. But with Malfoy's powers gone and Snape too strong to care about Malfoy's, the students were enthusiastic about paying back. The fact Snape had made Nott the new Head Boy was all the confirmation they needed.
It was a pity that their hopes were in vain, useless against my overwhelming power.
Other than my little games with Hermione and Fleur, I had spent the summer devoted to training, learning every available spell, and considering I had unlimited access to Black and Malfoy libraries, it was a lot, and with the help of the memories from two different lives, my occlumency and legimency had reached to a level that I was willing to pit against anyone other than the Dark Lord and Snape. Even without the support of the Elder Wand, I would have been a tough nut to crack. With the wand, I would bet that I had a good chance of surviving Voldemort's assault. To a bunch of snot-nosed brats, I was simply unassailable.
It was with that confidence, I walked through the corridors towards the back, searching for an empty cabin, ignoring the sneers of the students. As I passed Prefect meeting room, with Nott sitting in the center of the room, surrounded by all of Slytherin prefects like they were his honor guard, with the exception of Daphne Greengrass who was sitting on the other side of the room, alone despite the badge of Head Girl pinned to her chest. Curious, I thought, but didn't bother to spend more than errant glance inside the room. A storm of laughter exploded in the room as I passed, no doubt to a joke made at my expense, but I ignored it. They were lucky that I was afraid of getting Snape's attention, because, it would have been fun to kick the prefects out of their room, staking my dominance with one simple move.
Pity, as I would have liked to see whether it would break the legendary calm of the Ice Queen Daphne Greengrass.
Since I had to maintain a low profile until the first step of my plan -one I couldn't wait to deliver because it was explosive enough to throw the whole country into chaos- I needed to disappear before the Slytherin students could find me in their misguided attempt to establish dominance. I slipped into the nearest empty compartment, then used the invisibility cloak before stepping out once more before walking towards the end of the train, and picked one of the worst compartments, willing to use their emptiness. Normally, these rooms would have the occasional first or second year trying to avoid the crowds, but with muggle-born students absent, even they were in better rooms.
Willing to use the opportunity, I pulled a book from my book, memories of one of the Black Ancestors who had a very successful career as a Dark Lord for twenty years before finally being taken down by a coordinated assault by a trio of heroes, each stronger than him. I liked the book, because not only he had a great selection of simple but effective spells, but also it had great insights on strategic usage of runic traps and devices prepared beforehand, the only reason he was able to resist against mages well-above his weight class. I wanted to prepare, because, with all the changes I made, I could no longer assume that Harry would be able to destroy Voldemort, and I wanted to be prepared in case things went awry.
I wanted to focus on my book, so I started to get annoyed when my door started to open every five minutes or so, a Slytherin student looking inside before slamming it back again. It was the second and third years at first, doubtlessly looking for me, but when they failed to get any result, fourth and fifth years joined, their search assisted by detection spells. A thorough, well-planned effort fitting to Slytherins. Unfortunately for them, they lacked the power to see through one of the Hollows, enhanced through additional spells from the Deathstick.
After an hour of pointless research, my 'hunters' finally disappeared, leaving me alone with my book. At that point, I was sure I could focus on my book without distraction, hence my annoyance when the door was opened once more, and Nott walked in. How the fuck they managed to find me, I thought while my wand appeared on my palm ready to blast him off, but he surprised me by taking the central seat of the compartment, his legs spread comfortably, not even looking at my way.
Curious, I delayed my assault, and soon, a few more Slytherin students walked inside -all-male, all sixth or seventh years other than the fifth year prefect- and took their seats as well, though I cast a small aversion field to prevent anyone from sitting on me. I realized that their presence was nothing more than a lucky stumble, and I could have slid away without being noticed easily. But seeing the excitement on their faces, I decided to stay put and listen since they were kind enough to allow effortless spying.
"Today, we take the first step to a new age," Nott said before starting a pompous, pointless speech he claimed to be a plan. He talked for twenty minutes, but when all the self-aggrandizing bullshit and pointless posturing was cut out, his plan was to use his Head Boy status to dominate the Slytherin House before moving to other houses, then use the advantages to accumulate favors from Noble Houses, mostly by whoring out the girls that belonged to light and neutral houses. I couldn't help but shook my head in disappointment, unable to understand Nott believed doing something under Snape's watch was possible. Nott claimed that Carrow twins' support was enough to neutralize Snape, which was very incorrect.
Though Nott would never receive Snape's counterplay, because his plan was destined to die prematurely. His first step was to take control of the Slytherin house, and to do that, he needed to take me down. Bored, I was about to leave to find a different compartment, when Crabble and Goyle walked inside. Neither their presence, nor the respect they showed Nott was anything out of the ordinary, they were nothing more than hired muscle. However, the blonde girl that they dragged was quite a surprise.
"Nott! What's the meaning of this!" shouted Daphne, her struggles to get away from Goyle's hold in vain. He might have the intelligence of a troll, but much to Daphne's despair, he had the strength of a troll as well.
"Oh, Daphne," Nott murmured in amusement. "You have lost the right to ask for anything when you rejected to rule by my side as my queen," he murmured even as he raised his head to caress her face, ignoring her flinch. "Now, you're going to help me demonstrate the cost of going against my will, and give a show as well."
"You wouldn't dare," Daphne spat out as his finger slid toward her neck, but her outrage didn't prevent her from paling in fear. Still, it would be a lie if I said if I didn't admire her display of courage. Alone, without a wand, surrounded by a horde of men that watched hungrily as Nott ripped off the first button of her robe. She paled further.
Such a display of courage deserved a reward, I thought, annoyed that I had to reword all my plans just because Nott was a pathetic brute drunk with power. Even if I hadn't interjected, there was no way that Nott would survive the night. Daphne was a part of the Neutral faction, and wasn't without support. Even more importantly, she was vicious and vindictive, and she would have not to rest before Nott reached an ignoble end. Luckily for him, I was a possessive bastard, and didn't want Daphne to be soiled by his pathetic touch.
So, I quickly cast a ward around myself to keep their attention away from the corner of the room. It was a simple ward that would have never worked if it wasn't for their attention fixated on Daphne's plight. I quickly removed the cloak, before conjuring a simple chair in front of the window and took a seat. Another wave of my wand, and I dispelled the ward, and started slowly clapping. "Bravo, Nott," I said, a lazy smirk appearing on my face as everyone turned their attention my way, their expression ranging from shock to absolute fear, trying to reach their wands. But only two of them managed to arm themselves immediately, while one of the sixth years had his wand slid away, and it rolled toward me.
I stomped the wand lazily, and a noticeable crack filled the room, anger joining their fear. I didn't bother to cast anything as every single wand turned toward me, their expressions were incredulous. They were clearly shocked me daring to destroy the wand of one of them despite being alone. What I had done was no different than declaring all-out war, even worse than directly killing him, because it implied the utter contempt. The lazy way I had done it, without even bothering to stand up, was just the cherry on the top.
"Malfoy, how kind of you to come to your funeral. You saved me from finding you later on," Nott roared, and the rest of the students picked their courage, other than the one who just lost his wand in the most pathetic way possible. No matter the outcome, unless he killed me alone in an honor duel, he was done for, and even before my new outlook, Malfoy was still a powerhouse among his peers.
"You were searching for me?" I said with a smirk, without the slightest hint of fear despite a dozen wands pointing at me. I found it hard to take it seriously when their fingers were still trembling due to sudden adrenaline rush. "What do I owe the prestige of getting the attention of the little Dark Lord of Slytherin house," I said, Nott's face reddening further at my mocking tone.
Meanwhile, Daphne had gained her freedom when Goyle's attention turned to me. Not surprising, as Goyle's most impressive display of multitasking was walking and chewing gum at the same time - assuming there were no stairs. Daphne was no less shocked than Nott about my presence, but she wasn't stupid enough to miss the opportunity, ready to swipe Goyle's wand to join the fray. I didn't want that. Since my plan to stay under the radar was ruined, I was going to go with overwhelming power, and didn't want Daphne's involvement to weaken the impact. I met her eyes and shook my head negatively. A confused expression appeared on her face, but she still took a step toward the wall, pulling herself away from the line of fire.
"Posturing is useless, Malfoy. Your family lost Dark Lord's support due to your father's endless failures and your cowardice, your allies deserted you, and even Snape doesn't care about you. You're helpless." He pointed out the broken pieces of the wand before continuing. "And with this, you inflicted a grievous injury to my ally, giving me a reason to retaliate. Your arrogance is going to be your end, Malfoy," he finished, his wand starting to glow, and a sickly purple spell came out, suffocating the room instantly. I recognized the curse. It wasn't deadly, but with its long term effects, it would make any target wish that they were dead.
Shocked by Nott's dangerous spell, no one other than me paid attention to his sudden exhaustion. "Not bad," I said even as I waved my wand. Nott had used his strongest spell from the start, betting on the fact that the distance wouldn't allow me to dodge. A decent plan to regain control over the crowd. It was a pity that all it took was a wave of my wand for it to disappear like an overinflated balloon.
Just like that, the shock in the room was renewed with greater intensity, freezing the occupants. I could have attacked them, an area spell enough to remove most of them off the board, but I just waited, still lazily holding my wand. "Attack," Nott ordered in panic. In their confusion, everyone followed his order, but a flickering shield had been enough to neutralize all of them without a problem.
"My turn," I said when the assault stopped due to sheer shock, hitting them with an area-effect disarmer of my own design. Even with the Elder Wand, it was little more than a schoolyard jinx, but in their distracted state, they failed to resist. With their wands flying around like confetti, they were helpless against my basic body-binding hexes. In the end, the room had a dozen immovable bodies, and Daphne Greengrass with her reputation for calmness shattered completely, watching me with wide eyes. I gave her a smirk before giving an exaggerated bow. "My apologies if my little scuffle had caused you annoyance in any way, Heir Greengrass."
Daphne tried to look match my mock calmness, but the wild look of her eyes belied her attempts. Still, she managed to stammer her answer. "Not a problem, Heir Malfoy. Your esteemed self couldn't be blamed for the actions of low-grade riffraff," she managed to stammer, her tone higher than usual.
"I'm relieved. It would have pained me to learn that I had caused any discomfort with such an outstanding lady, both in skill and in beauty." Daphne wasn't able to prevent a blush from spreading to her face. It was nice to see that even her coldness wouldn't survive when a hero saved her from a dozen villains.
Daphne looked at the collapsed bodies around, clearly thinking about her next actions. Once again, I met her eyes, and shook my head negatively. She was a smart girl, and she understood my intention, even if she wasn't able to understand the full implications. Leaving them here helpless but otherwise unharmed was worse than hurting them more. I couldn't do anything permanent to a dozen scions of Death Eater families without getting Voldie's attention, and others would be cured in a few days at worst. Leaving them alone would tell everyone that I didn't care enough about them to do anything other than the bare minimum, which was much worse. Nott's plan to dominate the school was dead just like that. He was lucky to maintain control of his little clique.
"Heir Malfoy, I would like to invite you to join my compartment," Daphne said, a touch of desperation in her tone. Her attempt was basically a flat out invitation to discuss an alliance while making a show of it. Her capture was probably already known,
"Unfortunately, Heir Greengrass, I have some personal engagements that I need to attend, so I would regretfully pass your kind invitation," I said.
"Maybe another time, then, Heir Malfoy," she answered, managing to keep her disappointment mostly under control.
I nodded in appreciation, and took a step forward before suddenly turning toward Nott. "By the way, Nott, I was thinking about an exchange or residences? What's your opinion of that," I said, and Nott just glared angrily. I chuckle.d "Sorry, I forgot your current circumstances. Blink once for yes, twice for no," I explained. He blinked twice, anger clear in his eyes. He probably assumed that I wasn't willing to provoke him further.
He was wrong, but I didn't bother to explain that. I just raised my foot, and stomped down with my full power, letting magic free to enhance my physical power. Nott's knee shattered, his eyes burning in pain, but unable to utter anything other than a muffled cry with his lips locked together. "Let's try again," I said even as I brought my foot over Nott's wand.
He blinked only once despite the tears that were spilling out.
"Smart boy-" I started to say dismissively, but my words were cut short with a sudden swell of magic. My wand was out once more, and a shield appeared just as the door exploded, a deadly spell on my lips, ready to curse my surprise attackers now that their ambush failed spectacularly. But I stayed my hand when Daphne shouted with all of her power, asking me to stop.
I vanished the resulting dust instead, only to find two people on the other side, looking at the situation with shock, and no small amount of relief. Daphne's rescuers were here, I realized as I lowered my wand. Though, their identity was not without surprise. One was Tracy Davis, a girl with a cheerful demeanor that hid a deadly wand. She was also a half-blood and Daphne's staunchest ally, hence it was reasonable for her to risk herself in an impossible battle. The other person was a surprise. Susan Bones, niece of Amelia Bones, whose reputation caused Voldemort to hunt her the moment his return was revealed. And they were strictly light, so seeing her ready to support Daphne in such a monumental situation was a surprise.
Before they could say anything, I gave another bow to Daphne. "Heir Greengrass, since your friends are already here to accompany you, I can leave you without worry," I said as I walked out.
"Would you mind attending a small gathering in a few days," Daphne asked before I could leave, and I noted both Tracy and Susan looking at her shocked. "I have a few guests that you might be interested to meet."
"Maybe, Heir Greengrass, but we can discuss the details later on," I said as I walked out, leaving an exciting scene for others to see. "After all, we're going to be neighbors…