Later That Day
As he was reading through the DADA marking schemes and examination requirements that he had discreetly 'borrowed' from the distracted Remus, a pair of potions continued to bubble away in the background.
As he read, he was quickly coming to realize just how far ahead he was in his defence studies. He could already effortlessly take and pass with flying colours the second year defense exam, and the third year exam too, given that he knew most of the required spells and defence theory required to pass. He would only need a quick refresher of the theory really, which could be easily achieved with a quick read through of the standard textbook to ensure he aced the theory portions.
Frankly, he could even do the fourth year practical exam given how he had been training intensely with Tonks for the last half year, due to the number of advanced spells she had taught him and those he had self studied so he would be better able to defend himself. Then a thought struck him like a lightning bolt, causing him to quickly flip to the 7th year exam requirements; he quickly noted down the required contents of the exams and its marking scheme in his notebook to share with his cousin. This would surely get him back in her good books once again.
After all, he would be effectively giving his cousin a way to accurately and efficiently revise for her end of year exams, saving her from needlessly panicking over the entire ordeal like she had last year, which would save him a hysterical speech or two about her not being ready and how she was going to fail.
Smiling to himself at an opportunity recognized and seized, he finished his copying even as he considered ordering Rita to find him copies of the other subjects' marking schemes for second through sixth year, so he could better direct his own studies and energies with much more precision. A good deal of the Hogwarts' curriculum was merely stepping stone magic, useless and impractical magic whose only purpose was to help a student get to more useful magics. He didn't need those intermediary steps. Knowing what he could skip with impunity on the final exam would free up a good amount of time for his own studies and side projects.
Even as he started planning out how to use this potential information for maximum gain, he mulled over the advantages and disadvantages of taking his exams a couple years early, assuming of course that the new deputy headmistress would allow him.
Then again, why wouldn't she? Daphne had made it clear that Professor McGonagall was now pushing everyone harder in their academics, with detentions and many new student study groups being encouraged and created.
And if he did ace his exams years earlier than normal under Professor McGonagall's leadership, she would receive some credit for his success, and it would make Hogwarts look better as a whole. The selling point would be that it happened under her leadership. Sure, the additional prestige would be an advantage, and would increase his personal standing in Britain and abroad, but it would also bring far more attention to him, both good and bad.
It occurred to him that he had already attracted quite enough attention already, first due to his and Sirius' donations of the new brooms to Hogwarts, then the series of New Year's Eve articles skilfully written by Rita about the Ministry Ball, followed by the Witch Weekly articles. After that it was the still unfolding events of the arrest of Lord Malfoy, the man's trial, and his role as one of Lord Malfoy's intended victims. Finally, the public would soon learn about his family Lordships, along with his redevelopment and radical expansion of the Potter docks.
In short, his name was already out there, and wouldn't be forgotten about for a good long while. Perhaps it was time to admit the benefits of relative anonymity would forever be denied to him and make the best of it?
With this thought, he realized the decision was already made for him; he would try to take his exams early, and he would ace them. He would reach for the top and make his parents proud of him, like he had long vowed to do. Another motivator was the fearful talk going around the school that if students wanted to play quidditch or use their Hogsmeade passes, that they had to be passing all their subjects. That suited him just fine, since he was the top student in his year, followed by Granger.
Thinking of the lions once again, he realized that the Gryffindor quidditch team would be in serious trouble if this rumour actually turned out to be true, given the malevolent nature of Professor Snape. But that wasn't his problem; if anything it would actually increase Ravenclaw's chances of winning the quidditch tournament, which was a good thing in his book.
Finishing with his copying, he immediately ordered Kreacher to return the marking scheme to Remus' room without being seen. The cogs in his mind continued to turn, as he mulled over all his ongoing schemes and short and long-term goals.
Getting up from his desk, he decided that it was high time he looked up a memory charm or two. That particular skill could be a lifesaver in a pinch.
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Hogwarts
Daphne discreetly watched from the leather couch as Draco quietly made his way through the half empty common room, the former self-proclaimed 'Prince of Slytherin' an image of defeat. His ruin was so complete not even his old friends associated with him anymore, his court of loyal sycophant followers shattered irreparably.
Not that she thought anything less of Draco's former friends for ditching him in favour of better prospects and allies; it was the smart thing to do after all, the Slytherin thing to do.
Draco and his once prestigious family name, someone that Pansy had once bragged about so fondly, was now nothing more than an anchor, a dead weight ready to drag the unwary down to their doom, what with the utter collapse of his family's prestige and influence. It was so deliciously ironic. For the last decade and more the Malfoy name had been associated with seemingly limitless influence and success. Merely being in the family's favour was a recipe for profit and almost guaranteed success. Now... now the name was associated with murder and crime.
Pansy had already begun testing the waters, with subtle advances towards her and Tracy, to see if she could successfully drift into Daphne's group after having abandoned her prince, her betrothed, to his certain fate. She suspected that Pansy and Draco's marriage contract would soon be officially ended, given such contracts always had numerous escape clauses weaved into them that Lord Parkinson could easily use to cancel the proposed marriage; the loss of family position and/or prestige had been virtually boiler plate for such contracts for millennia.
Besides, Draco was hardly a likeable individual to begin with, nor was he all that talented magically or in the possession of a powerful magical gift useful to his betrothed's family. Perhaps then, and only then, would there have been a small chance of his still marrying well, even with his family's fall to ruin.
Unfortunately for him he had shamelessly thrown around his family's name and prestige for the last year and half to get his way in Slytherin, bullying and threatening anyone he could into submission. When that failed he would run to his godfather, which was hardly the Slytherin way of doing things. Such pitiful, spineless actions had cost Draco a great deal of respect and had made himself a lot of powerful enemies. When his family was powerful, he was insulated from reprisal, but now he had no such protections.
It was not so much that Draco had used his godfather's position as a means to retaliate either; it was mostly the fact that it was the same tired response, rather than Draco growing a spine and trying to deal with the matter himself through Slytherin cunning and cleverness. He simply ratted everyone out to his godfather, spinning fanciful tales that made him look good, even when the blame rested solely on Draco. To make matters worse, Draco's constant badgering and many failures skirmishing with Neville Longbottom and his lackeys just made the rest of Slytherin house look stupid, pathetic, and weak in front of the whole school, costing them all respect! No one was taking Slytherin seriously anymore! No one feared them!
Then he had so transparently bribed his way onto their quidditch team using his father's blood money and godfather's position as head of house just so that he could play seeker against Longbottom. Only for that to backfire with Harry's donation of new brooms to the remaining quidditch teams. If Malfoy had actually won after that, perhaps his heavy handed actions could have been forgiven and forgotten. His two subsequent defeats had ultimately cost them any chance at winning the quidditch cup.
And that wasn't something anyone was going to forget! Some would say that Harry had also bribed his way onto the Ravenclaw Quidditch team with his donation, but everyone knew that he had competed fairly in the open tryouts to earn his spot on the team, and then proven his ability and placement was fair in front of the whole school by winning two games for Ravenclaw. You couldn't argue with results. Harry, even as a Ravenclaw, acted a hundred times more like a Prince of Slytherin should, unlike Malfoy, and he made it look easy.
Now everything had changed.
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A/N : if we get 400 power stones by the end of the week, I will release an extra chapter ;)
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