An Image to Maintain

49. Wingardium Leviosa

Draco laughed at the puny third-year’s attempts to disentangle himself from the floor. Dennis Creevey looked up at his tormentor fearfully, trying hard to pull a brave face, but failing dismally.

“That should teach you that eavesdropping is a punishable crime,” the Prefect sneered, but Dennis noticed, with some surprise, that the grey eyes staring back at him weren’t as cold as his expression.

“I-I didn’t mean to!” the younger boy stuttered. Colin had asked him to do it, hoping to learn something about Draco that would make him shine in his idol Harry Potter’s eyes.

Draco was perfectly aware of the fact that this hadn’t been Dennis’ idea. Truth be told, he felt rather sorry for the Gryffindor, but he had an image of a Slytherin to maintain. A Malfoy, at that. And if rumour spread throughout the school that he, Draco Malfoy, caught a third-year Gryffindor eavesdropping, and did nothing about it, all that would be shot to hell.

“Wingardium Leviosa”, he muttered, guiding the boy’s bag up into the air. His features remained expressionless as he let it drop and scatter on the stone floor.