HP: The Unchosen One-(Malfoy SI)

Chapter 8

HARRY POTTER

Harry's routine became even more tense with the first match of the Quidditch season approaching, and the team was much motivated to continue their winning streak against their arch enemies.

Slytherin were their major enemies for the Quidditch Cup, and though it was bit wrong of him to downplay the threat of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, their teams were simply not that strong.

Both teams had recently lost their seekers, and would need to look for new one's and that always took some time to adjust.

For sometime, it was floating around that they might be facing Hufflepuff in the first match, with Slytherin team pulling out because of their seekers injury.

But Harry was surprised by that and much more, as Draco Malfoy finally gave up on his antics, and removed the sling around his arm. Hence, ending any speculations of this kind as well.

The Slytherin team were being rather secretive with their practises, and Wood was growing a bit worried, and was drilling them all rather hard.

He had not even had gotten the time to visit Hagrid, when he received a letter from their new Professor on Saturday morning.

And soon as he read it, he felt his mood brighten up even more as he quickly ran down the stairs towards the common room, knowing he would find the person he was looking for there.

"He is safe," he shouted happily as he jumped into the common room, easily spotting the mop of bushy brown hair among the crowd, sitting beside the fire.

"I just received a letter from Hagrid," he explained as Hermione looked up at him while he thrust the letter in her hands.

"And the Ministry has dropped the charges against Buckbeak. Its safe," and they would need to visit the half-giant to celebrate, and he saw Hermione's face light up as soon as she read the letter.

"It's as he promised," she whispered, and he suddenly realized that it was her who had made this possible. And that this was the cause of the recent spat between her and Ron. However, now he hoped that with this issue resolved, they would both just see sense.

"Malfoy?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, he told me a few days ago that the case would be dropped, and Buckbeak would be free again with a warning," that was exactly what had happened.

"So, he was able to make it happen," he added, and Hermione nodded before suddenly her lips thinned as she looked behind him.

He looked back as well and saw exactly why. For it was Ron standing behind him, and his friend was rubbing his eyes.

"What happened?" Ron asked.

"Buckbeak's safe. The Ministry dismissed the case with a simple warning," he added, and Ron seemed a bit surprised as Harry gave him Hagrid's rather illegible letter.

But still, he could see his embarrassment, for they all knew that this was because of Hermione's actions. Actions against which Ron had spoken rather vocally.

And he could see Ron's face turn red in embarrassment as he handed him back the letter.

"That is good. We should go and celebrate," he added, and Harry looked towards Hermione, who was picking up her books.

She looked at him and must have understood the question. She shook her head.

"I am afraid I cannot. I have to go to the library to study," and that was an excuse, he knew, but the mention of the library did sour Ron's mood.

Hermione's absence from their study sessions was becoming a trend, with her spending most of her time in the library with her new group of friends, friends which Ron did not think well of.

"Let her go, and study with her new friends," Ron added scathingly, and Harry saw Hermione's face flush, yet the girl did not say anything and simply walked towards the door as Harry rushed after her.

"Hermione, wait," he called out, and she stopped as he came closer.

"You said that, Mal...Cassius," he corrected himself. Malfoy always makes him think of Draco, and Harry did not like thinking about Draco.

"You said he wanted something in return for his help?" and she nodded.

"Yes, but there is no need for you to worry about that. I have it handled," she assured him, but still, he did not wish to see herself land in some trouble.

Cassius Malfoy may not be like his brother, but he was a Malfoy still. And Harry had a hard time trusting them, even though Hermione seemed to have no such worry.

"Still, what was it?" he asked, and she was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"He needed something that the Twins had. A Map of sorts, he wanted me to broker a deal between him and the Twins," and that was surprising.

"A Map? Map of what?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I don't know, but they agreed to meet him. We are going to meet him tonight on the training grounds," she added, and he nodded.

"Take me with you," he added quickly.

"There is no need for that. I have it handle..."

"No. Please," he cut in as he stopped her from going out.

He needed to do this. He had already made a mistake in not speaking up when Ron had insulted her. While he trusted Cassius a bit more, he did not wish to leave her alone like that.

"You got involved in this because of me. Let me come with you, please," he said again, and Hermione sighed yet yielded in the end.

"Ok, you can join us. But now I have to go," and with that, she ran out of the common room as Harry yawned and turned around to see Ron scathing, watching Hermione's retreating back.

"You should apologize to her," he added, and he shook his head.

"And why should I? She is an idiot for trusting a Malfoy! They are snakes, all of them," and well, he sighed, knowing that at least he had tried.

"He did help us," he added, but Ron shook his head, unconvinced.

"This a ploy. I am telling you. He is just using her for something," and while Harry had his own suspicions, he did not voice them out.

"Well, you can come and see it for yourself. In return for his help, he wanted something from the twins," and Ron was surprised.

"My brothers?" and Harry nodded.

"Yes, they are meeting tonight at the grounds after practice," he offered, and Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"I will be there...."

0000

HERMIONE GRANGER

It was strange to consider that up until about two weeks ago, she had never thought that her next friends in Hogwarts would be two girls from Slytherin and a Malfoy. And yet it was a reality now, and her presence on that specific table in the library no longer felt strange.

For the past two years, she had always done her homework alone or with Ron and Harry. And if it was the latter, she would have to spend half her time trying to correct theirs, especially Ron's, who would barely put any effort into it.

In contrast to that, her time with Cassius, Daphne and Tracey was far different. The three of them rarely talked while working and pulled their weight. They had divided subjects between themselves, with Cassius taking Transfiguration and practical aspects, Daphne taking Charms and Potions, and Tracey dealing with History and Herbology and would tutor one another in those subjects.

It was good and effective, and their learning methods were unique and unorthodox, with all of them focusing on subject matter that often went beyond their lectures and dealt with either practical aspects of the subject or the very basics and foundations.

She was still thinking of a way that she could contribute herself, pulling her weight in the group as she skipped past the library. Given the weekend, it was going to be one of those practical lessons from Cassius today.

Something for which she was rather excited, given his display of magic. And she walked upto an abandoned classroom at the end and entered the room after two knocks.

It was an abandoned classroom, and it seemed to her that they had cleared out the desks from the front, where the three of them all stood, a training dummy was also there in one corner as Tracey r waved at her.

"Good, you are finally here," Tracey greeted her. She returned the greeting and joined them for the study session. Tracey was the most outgoing of the two, while Daphne was quieter.

She was more reserved, but she had learned that the girl had quite a mind for Potions and was not the proud and unapproachable person everyone thought her to be. Yes, she took some time to warm upto a person, but she did have a subtle sense of humor and did not hesitate to help her friends if needed.

Cassius Malfoy, well, he was an enigma. And sometimes, he had trouble remembering that he was Draco's brother. He was well-behaved, mellow, and far more skilled than she had first thought him to be.

She was not blind to the subtle teases from Tracey, and how he had actually helped her integrate into their group all by himself. But neither of them ever brought it up, even though her presence amongst them was becoming a permeantn fixture.

He was wearing a simple white shirt with arms folded up, and Tracey and Daphne were in jumpers and loose pants, all of them, including herself, not wearing their uniforms, given that it was a Saturday.

"Ok, let's get started," Cassius began as they all huddled together. He had a stack of papers with him as he clapped his hands.

"Since this is your first class, I think I need to explain how this works a bit," he began, and she nodded.

"So, each year, we gather on all the weekends we can to deal with our practical aspects. And while we do cover our subject matter of the year as well, but that usually comes into focus more in the latter part of the year when the exams are near," he added, and she frowned.

"Then what do we do during the rest of the time?" she asked. His smile widened, and those black eyes of his glinted.

"Our yearly project," and with that, he pointed towards Tracey, who took out her wand and flicked it without saying anything and she watched as the wand in the hands of the training dummy rose into the air and clacked on the ground.

"That was a chant less Expelliarmus," he added as an explanation, and her amazement must have shown.

"Now, Daphne," he added, and the girl lazily took out her own wand and then pointed it at the wand that her friend had just struck out of the dummy's hand and called out, this time with a chant.

"Accio," and the wand whipped through the air and straight into her hand.

"That was the summoning charm, but that does not come up until the fifth year," she quickly added, and Cassius shrugged.

"It is a very useful spell, and those are just the few that we have done," and then he gave her a stack of papers.

"This contains everything that we have done until today. It's not a lot. They are mostly other useful and fun stuff," and there was nothing fun about them.

There were dueling spells, shields, and charms that were way ahead of their years. Some were even marked, showing that those were done chantless.

"This," and for the first time since her first day at Hogwarts, she found herself overwhelmed.

"Don't worry too much. I will help you catch up," he quickly added, and she nodded as she put it back and once more looked towards him, but this time with a renewed interest.

"Ok, for this year, the spell that I have chosen is one that even I cannot do yet," he began, and that seemed to surprise both Daphne and Tracey.

"Then why are we learning it," Tracey groaned.

"Because it is an awesome spell and is something that might come in handy this year, for it is the only magical spell that is an effective counter against the Azkaban guards," and as soon as those words reached her ears, she knew exactly what he was talking about.

She had read up on the Dementors during the first week, and indeed, a sonly spell mentioned in the books could counter them.

"You have to be joking. That's even beyond the NEWTS," Daphne was quick to add, but Cassius seemed unbothered by her words.

And it was.

"So is chantless magic, and you can do that," he quickly pointed out, but the blonde shook her head.

"But don't you think its a bit too much?" she asked, but he seemed rather convinced.

"I believe we can do it," he said resolutely as he spoke animatedly.

"We are going to be working on the Patronus charm," and that was it. Hermione was sold. She had read up on the charm, and it was indeed something that was beyond NEWT level.

"Now, before we begin, let me show you what I can do until now," and with that he turned around and took out his own wand, which, unlike theirs, was a shade of white and grey, and she saw him close his eyes as he flicked it in the air, as he chanted.

"Expecto Patrnum...." immediately, a sense of warmth and joy filled the room, as thick white mist shot out of his wand. It was in ways, opposite to how she had felt when the Dementors had come into their bunk in the train.

The thick white mist formed a sort of a shield, but she knew that this was not the final form of the spell.

And then, with a flick, it was all gone.

"I thought you couldn't do it," Tracey added as she folded her arms.

"He can't," the words slipped out of her mouth before she could think, and all of them turned to look at her. She gulped as she added.

"It is impressive, of course, but in its final form, the charm is said to take the form of an animal," she finished.

"Yes, that is called a Corporeal patronus," Cassius added as he smiled at her.

"Something which I cannot do quite yet. But I believe that by the year's end, all of us in the room will have a corporeal patronus," and she wanted to believe him.

"So, let's begin....."

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The session was not all work. They joked and laughed, but they also worked, all of them. Cassius coached them with what he could, teaching them the theory, and she did not even feel as if minutes turned into hours. Soon enough, they were all sitting there, spent and tired, as the Sun began to set, and they decided to end it for the day and head to lunch.

"That was fun," she added as she gathered up her books and the other notes she had made.

"You should have been here when we were mastering the Disarming spell," Tracey added as she looked at Cassius.

"That was pretty fun as well," and she wished she could have.

"How did this even start?" she asked.

"Well, he wanted to make a dueling club," Tracey replied, much to her surprise.

"What?" The brunette nodded as the boy in question gave something to Daphne before walking towards them.

"Yes, but a club like that would need a minimum of ten people, and Cassius did not want to go through all that hassle, so we formed a sort of a study group. He helps us learn, and in return, we help him duel," the girl added before her voice dropped.

"Even though I would hesitate to call it as such..."

"Here," Cassius walked upto them and handed them what seemed to be chocolate.

"Why are you giving me chocolate?" Tracey asked.

"Because it is supposed to help against dementors," she remembered Professor Lupin's words from the train, and Cassius nodded.

"It helps with the exhaustion; now we need to go..." they all began to walk out.

"Wait," she called out, and he turned to face her.

"Thank you," she quickly added, and he frowned.

"What for?" he asked.

"For saving Buckbeak," she added, and his eyes widened before he waved away.

"It was nothing," he added, though she knew it was a lie if Tracey and Daphne's expression was anything to go by.

"Still, you helped me, and it is my turn to return the favor. I talked with the Twins, and they will meet you today at the Training Ground," she spoke and saw him raise a brow.

"Well, then I will be there...."

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The twins waited in the training grounds with her. Gryffindor had just wrapped up their final practice ahead of the match tomorrow, and there was still a bit of a bustle on the grounds as she waited with the twins for Cassius.

"So, have you asked him why he needs the map?" one of the twins asked.

"And how does he even know about it?" the other one finished, and she shook her head.

"I have not, what even is it?" the Twins looked at each other.

"Well, its a ma..."

"He is here," Harry said. Then she turned around and saw Cassius walking out onto the grounds, all by himself. That was very audacious of him.

"Hi," he greeted her and then Harry and the twins.

"So, can I have the Maraureders Map?" he asked, getting direct to the topic.

"Well, why not? But do answer a few of our questions first, Malfoy?" the Twins began, and Cassius shrugged.

"Sure?"

"How do you even know about the map?" and Hermione still did not know what they were talking about.

"And why do you need it?" the other one added as Cassius shrugged.

"Well, you can say I am related to one of the creators," and the Twins's eyes widened.

"You gotta be kidding me!" "You know one of the Marauders?"

"Who are the Marauders?" she asked.

"They are the one's who created this specific map. They were our seniors from years ago," Cassius added.

"Which one?" Fred asked.

"Padfoot," he answered, and the Twins exchanged glances.

"He is not lying, and Cassius shrugged. As I said, I know one of the creators. They told me about it years ago, now I have need of it for sometime. Since you got to it first, I am willing to negotiate a fair price for it," and the Twins shrugged.

"No need. In a way, the map belongs to you, but still you haven't answered. Why do you need it?" the Twins asked as they put forward a piece of parchment, which Cassius took, and to her surprise, it was empty.

"Nothing nefarious I can assure you," he said Cassius put his wand on the map, and whispered a few words, and nothing happened.

"Really?" he said looking up at the Twins, whi just shrugged.

"We had to be sure?" and then they handed him another piece of parchment and Cassius did the same with it before nodding.

"Good, you sure you don't need anything for it?" he asked again, and the Twins shook their heads.

"Nah! We heard from Hermione what you did for Hagrid and Buckbeak, that's enough of a payment, just don't tell Filch about the passages," they asked with a wink, and Cassius nodded, pocketing it.

"I won't," and then they jumped away as Cassius turned to face her.

"Thank you. You have done me a huge favor," and then Harry stepped forward.

"Hi," he greeted and Cassius nodded.

"I believe you are here to look out for Hermione," he asked as he shook Harry's hand.

"I am Cassius, Cassius Malfoy," he introduced himself as Hermione's face flushed.

"It's nothing, Harry just wanted to meet you," she cut in trying to throw him off as Cassius chuckled.

"No. It's fine. It's good of him to back up a friend," Cassius said.

"So, you prepared for the game tomorrow?" and Hermione did not miss how harry seemed surprised by Cassius's behavior, which was so unlike his brother.

Of course, he would have heard about Cassius, but hearing and seeing were two entirely different things.

"Yeah," Harry replied nervously.

"Well, good luck to you and your team because, believe me, you are all going to need it."

"Where is he?" suddenly, a voice interrupted them all. She looked back and saw a red-faced Ron huffing, as he grabbed his knees and took deep breaths.

"Where is that gi..." but thankfully, Cassius was walking away by now, and Ron closed his mouth as Cassius passed by him, slapping his shoulder lightly as he walked past him.

"Hi, Weasley...."

0000

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