Chapter 34 - Ambitious and Driven
"Draco, you ought to cheer up a little."
Potter could always yank Malfoy's mood around. You'd think the boy had gotten hold of a Malfoy emotion switch.
Right now, Malfoy was brooding over the possibility that Potter might actually be the Heir of Slytherin.
Not that it was hard to understand.
Praeris figured that if it were true, the horror would be roughly equivalent to a congregation discovering that the son of the witch about to be burned at the stake had just been chosen as the next pope by divine revelation.
The future looked absolutely bleak.
So Pansy had to scrape together some comfort: "At least all three other houses are afraid of Potter now."
Malfoy let out a displeased huff. "Is being feared supposed to be a bad thing? Only the weak make people feel safe. Potter must be absolutely thrilled — there he goes, stealing the spotlight in front of the entire school."
Pansy shot Praeris another desperate look.
She doesn't think I'm Potter Number Two, does she?
Praeris couldn't help thinking: Potter's job was to drive Malfoy mad. Hers was to shake Malfoy back to his senses.
She shook her head. Not today. Focus on class.
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Speaking of Potter, she did want to find a chance to meet with him alone at some point, but that was going to be difficult. Just like Malfoy said, Potter was the center of attention now. Everyone had their eyes on him.
What really sent the students spiraling was the next victim: the Hufflepuff Potter had saved, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.
Strangely, the more people got attacked, the less anxious Praeris felt. A pattern had started to emerge among the victims. They were all known to have connections to Muggle families or Squibs. And Praeris had never once mentioned her own family to anyone.
That probably made her look cold-blooded. But she genuinely had very little room to maneuver.
Who would believe a Slytherin had any interest in saving people?
Amid all the tension, Christmas arrived.
The feast was as lavish as ever. Praeris didn't touch a single Christmas pudding, far too rich. She had an old-fashioned three-layer cake instead, something called dwarf cake, with fruit filling layered inside. Much lighter on the palate.
By the time she finished and pushed back her chair, Crabbe and Goyle were still shoveling food into their mouths. Every ounce on those two was clearly hard-earned.
"Keep at it, you two." Malfoy stood as well. "I'm not waiting around. Merlin only knows how much longer you'll be."
Praeris had just turned toward Moaning Myrtle's bathroom when a voice came from behind her.
"Oi — have you been sneaking drinks? Common room's that way."
"I'm not going back," Praeris said. "I have something to take care of."
Malfoy fell into step beside her. "Aren't you a bit too dedicated? Working for free in his office, even on Christmas? What did he promise you?"
Praeris moved ahead two impatient steps. "When did your curiosity shift onto me? I thought you were too busy being jealous of Gryffindor's savior for that."
"Jealous of him?" Malfoy's voice sharpened instantly, then settled into something colder. "Who would be jealous of that sainted Potter — no parents, living off other people's charity?"
Praeris gave a flat little laugh. "Right. Not jealous at all. Good for you."
➤ Next: Ambition 2 — Face to Face