Magic and Mayhem

4. The Boggart

Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when

the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He

swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound

up in a sling, acting, in Harry's opinion, as though he were the heroic

survivor of some dreadful battle.

"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Harry saw

him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.

"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.

Harry and Ron scowled at each other; Snape wouldn't have said "settle

down" if they'd walked in late, he'd have given them detention. But

Malfoy had always been able to get away with anything in Snape's

classes; Snape was head of Slytherin House, and generality favored his

own students above all others.

They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up

his cauldron right next to Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing

their ingredients on the same table.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots,

because of my arm --"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," said Snape without looking up.

Ron went brick red.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy.

Malfoy smirked across the table.

"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."

Ron seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to

chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.

"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sit."

Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots,

then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black

hair.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sit --!"

Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own

roots into exactly equal pieces.

"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice.

Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table a, Malfoy,

then took up the knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice

full of malicious laughter.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Harry the

look of loathing he always reserved just for him.

Harry took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage

to the roots he now had to use. Harry skinned the shrivelfig as fast as