For Want of Magic
Author: Qaddafi the Ripper
Summary: Draco returns to Hogwarts for another year, wherein he starts growing up and attempts to unveil mysteries with the help of his pen friend, Artemis.
Disclaimer: Me not Rowling. Me not Colfer. You no sue. Who Theodore Nott?
Notes: Some Draco/Pansy in this part, and probably the next part too.

Chapter 6: How Draco (And His Insults) Started to Mature

Draco fiddled with his quill, wondering what he should write. Correspondence oughtn't be this difficult. He hoped that, after this first letter, it would become easier. He also hoped that he would be able to write more frequently once he returned to Hogwarts; he'd intended to write to Artemis earlier, really he had, but he'd been so busy working with his father to learn more dueling spells. And, while he had time this past week, he kept trying to write something but everything sounded stupid. He ended up going through eight versions before he finally had a letter he was willing to send to Artemis.

Dear Artemis,

I hope this letter finds you well. I have been missing you greatly, even though we've only just met. In case you were worried, let me assure you that I have not told my parents anything about our little adventure. I am sending you a quill, bewitched parchment, and bewitched ink along with this letter. If you have any trouble using it, tell me. The password, which has not been set on this letter, of course, is Bwa Kell. I don't think any wizard beside me will be able to guess that.

I shall be starting my fifth year at Hogwarts this September. What school do you attend, and what year are you? I am sure I won't have heard of your school, but I am curious. Every year at Hogwarts, we end up getting a new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. No professor has lasted more than a year for a long time. My father tells me that Dumbledore (the Headmaster, in case you've forgotten) hasn't found a new teacher yet. Much as I find Hogwarts doesn't do the subject justice, I still hope someone is found to teach it soon.

Might I tell you what other subjects I will be studying this year? Besides Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, History of Magic, Herbology, and Astronomy are required. Charms is one of my better subjects, as is Potions. I am decent at Transfiguration and Herbology, but Astronomy and History of Magic put me to sleep. My elective subjects are Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. Care of Magical Creatures is a joke, since the teacher, a half-giant named Hagrid, is an incompetent buffoon. I haven't dropped it because I enjoy watching him make a fool of himself. Arithmancy is always enjoyable.

I also wanted to tell you that my father has been helping me learn some new spells. After our fights with the goblins, I appreciated how little dueling magic I actually knew. My school, unfortunately, teaches little that is designed for combat. My father, however, knows many spells and he has been teaching them to me this summer. He was ever so proud when I came to ask him for help learning new spells, and he's proved to be an exemplary teacher. While many of the spells he's taught me wouldn't be good against goblins (it seems that most wizard spells are designed to attack the body of the opponent), they will still come in handy sometime, I'm sure. If you ever have another adventure while I'm not in school, please invite me along. I'll be so much more useful this time around!

I will be leaving for school in a few days, but any letter you send will find me there. Please write back, because I do want to keep in touch with you.

Yours,

Draco Malfoy

Yes, that letter would do. He recalled how curious Artemis had been about the wizarding world, so he thought Artemis would like to hear about his classes. If not, Artemis would tell him as much in his reply. Draco sealed the letter and ran to get his owl.

Draco had found a compartment far in the rear of the Hogwarts Express. Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had boarded with him (the three families liked to meet up ahead of time), and Theodore Nott and Blaise Zabini had joined them soon, followed at last by Pansy Parkinson. Unfortunately, as he and Pansy were prefects, they had to go to the front of the train for most of the ride. The prefect meeting was boring, and Draco was offended that both Weasley and Granger had made prefect for Gryffindor. Not Potter though, and he wasn't about to forget that. When the meeting was over, both he and Pansy hurried back to the compartment to find their friends. "Did you hear?" Pansy asked breathlessly as soon as she and Draco entered the compartment. "Dumbledore couldn't find someone to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Minister had to find someone for him."

Vincent, Gregory and Blaise looked interested. Draco had already heard as much yesterday, and he was sure Theodore had too. His father had been at the Ministry to hear the news, and who had agreed to teach. It was why he, and everyone else, had been forced to buy their books at the last minute.

"Our professor will be Dolores Umbridge," he told the group haughtily. "She works at the Ministry directly under Fudge. My father says she is a wonderful woman." He raised his wand and cast a charm against eavesdropping around the compartment. "He said she is a miserable person who will doubtless be a horrid teacher."

"Wonderful," Theodore commented. "Now I'm looking forward to Defense even more." He and Draco shared a smirk. While most people might have thought Draco was closest to Vincent and Gregory, that was not true. They made good bodyguards in school, but weren't the sort one could hold a conversation with. Pansy was there to stroke his ego, as far as Draco was concerned. Blaise was a decent sort, and a good friend, but Draco had known Theodore for years. He was probably the only one in their year in Slytherin who could compete with Draco. (And, like Draco, his parents scolded him for being out-tested every year by a Mudblood.) His father was also Death Eaters, and the two boys had gotten along well for years. If he'd been pushed, Draco would have named Theodore as his best friend.

"It will be a good chance to get some beauty rest," Blaise agreed. He ran a comb through his black hair. He was very good looking, and always made sure everyone noticed.

Draco shook his head. "We can't do that. We want Professor Umbridge to like us." At the incredulous looks he received from everyone except Theodore, he explained. "Look, Fudge and the whole Ministry think both Dumbledore and Potter are crazy with their talk of the Dark Lord returning." He paused so they could share a significant look. Everyone in this cabin knew the truth of the rumors about the Dark Lord's return. "We want the Ministry to continue thinking they're mad. So we have to play nice with anyone from the Ministry, especially someone like Umbridge who will be reporting directly to Fudge."

A look of understanding crossed Blaise and Pansy's faces, and they nodded in agreement. Vincent and Gregory agreed even though they didn't understand, as Draco had expected of them. "That's going to be very annoying," Theodore sighed. "The education quality at Hogwarts will get lower than ever."

Draco shrugged philosophically. Some things you just had to learn to live with. And he'd already taken care of learning some new Defense Against the Dark Arts spells this summer with his father. People might have been surprised to learn that Lucius Malfoy knew Defense, and not just the Dark Arts themselves. Draco wondered how people who thought things like that managed to survive. For every Dark Arts spell he learned, Lucius had always tried to learn the counter spell, for such a time as when the spell might be turned against him. It meant, more directly, that he knew more of Defense than most of the teachers who taught the subject at Hogwarts.

Before too long, he felt the urge to go bother Potter and his friends (a Hogwarts Express tradition). He remembered the other tidbit his father had told him with a malicious grin. He left Potter behind feeling even better. Not only had he taunted Potter for not making prefect, he'd clued the other boy into the fact that he knew about the animagus form of Sirius Black.

There would be enough fun this year, he decided, to make up for bad Defense classes.

As he sat down for the rest of the train ride, he looked out the window and was surprised to see his owl flying along side the locomotive. He opened the window and dragged his owl back inside, taking the letter from it. "Isn't it rather early to be getting letters from the family?" Theodore asked dryly.

Draco frowned at the outside, on which only his name was written. That wasn't any handwriting he recognized. He frowned and opened the letter. The inside was blank! It took him a moment before he realized with a rush of elation who the letter must be from. "It's not from my parents, and it's not any of your business," he told Theodore coolly. He stuffed the letter into the pocket of his robe. It wasn't something he wanted to read in public.

With something unforeseen to look forward to, the rest of the day passed quickly. He barely noticed the Sorting, and ate the feast almost as fast as Vincent and Gregory did (although he ate no where near as much). Fortunately, his fellow Slytherins knew better than to comment on his unusual behavior. He did pay some attention to the speech Professor Umbridge made (it was a very boring speech, but his father was assuming he would pay attention to it, and might ask about it in his upcoming letters). Finally, it was time to leave the Great Hall. Assuming the mantle of a prefect's duties, he called for the first years to follow him, which they did with wide eyes.

He swept majestically through the corridors and to the Slytherin Common Room, where he gave the first years the password (draconis major). Then he made his way to the fifth year boys' room, climbed up on his bed, and pulled the curtains closed behind him. He lay back on his bed and finally pulled out Artemis's letter, which was wrinkled by now. He smoothed it out, opened it, and whispered, "Bwa Kell." Sure enough, writing appeared in the same, neat hand that had written his name on the outside. The handwriting was almost too neat; it looked like something out of a book or magazine. Draco shrugged and started reading.

Dear Draco,

You spelt the password wrong. It is "B'wa Kell," not "Bwa Kell," but I suppose it is too late to change it now.

Your classes sound interesting. I wonder if you might tell me where I could get a hold of some magic textbooks. Even if I cannot learn how to cast the spells, I would like to learn the theory. You should be ashamed of yourself for not paying attention during history. After all, "he who does not know history is doomed to repeat it."

The poor quality of teachers must be annoying. You said Hogwarts is the most prestigious school of magic in Europe; why then does the Headmaster have so much trouble finding competent faculty? I also wonder about your own decision to take a class merely to mock the professor. Surely this will not help further your future career goals, whatever those might be.

I attend Saint Bartleby's School for Young Gentlemen, which is in Ireland, as a fourth year. I am usually bored by classes, but my parents would be disturbed if I did not attend.

The goblins we captured have been tried and imprisoned. I have not seen Holly or Mulch since, and I admit I am growing bored. Your letter was a pleasant break in the routine. Should another incident arise, and should I have time to inform you, be assured that I shall. It is good to know that you are learning more magic outside of class.

Sincerely,

Artemis Fowl II

Draco was amused that Artemis signed the letter with his full name. But apart from that, he brought up some good points. Draco had never thought about it that way, but, if he was learning nothing in Care of Magical Creatures, then why was he taking it? His father wouldn't have objected if he signed up for another elective like Ancient Runes (Muggle Studies and Divination were as much of a joke as Hagrid's class).

Come to think of it, what were his career goals? He knew he wanted to be a powerful wizard, and that he would support the Dark Lord, but that was all. He could get a job at the Ministry like his father had. But, did he really want to follow in Lucius's footsteps? Mightn't it be nice if he could do something no Malfoy had ever done before?

It was a lot to think about, and it made him want to discuss his thoughts with someone. He glanced back at the letter and grinned. He knew just who to talk with. And he knew that his pen friend wouldn't expect him to be as formal as he had been in his original letter.

Dear Artemis,

Maybe if you had told me how it was spelt, I wouldn't have gotten it wrong. And, yes, it is too late to change it now.

Let me assure you that you wouldn't pay any closer attention than I do in History of Magic. The class is taught by a ghost, and he's only interested in goblin (our kind of goblins, not yours) rebellions. It's incredibly boring. Even you would fall asleep. I catch up on essays during class.

I admit I had never thought about the quality of teachers at Hogwarts before you brought it up. We do have some good teachers: Professor Snape, who teachers Potions, is excellent, and I have learned a great deal from him. The Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, and Arithmancy professors are all very good at their subjects, even if I don't like some of them. Since the Defense Against the Dark Arts post is supposed to be jinxed, no one wants to teach it, which means we get bad professors. But I wonder why other subjects have bad teachers too? From people who have taken those classes, I hear Divination and Muggle Studies are a joke too. Perhaps I shall have to do some investigation into this.

Do you have any idea how I might investigate this? The new Defense teacher has been sent by the Ministry to keep an eye on the Headmaster, and I doubt she'll be a good teacher either. I wouldn't want it to be too obvious what I'm investigating, so any advice would also be appreciated.

Your letter made me think a lot. For starters, I don't have a specific career goal right now. I guess I've always thought I be involved in the Ministry somehow, much like my father is, but I never thought in what capacity. Perhaps I should give it some thought. Have you any ideas?

The only places I know of to get magical textbooks are in magical shops. Most of these shops have Muggle Repelling Charms, but you might be able to get past those. The best place to try is Diagon Alley. It's in London, behind a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Perhaps your fairy technology will allow you to see it, which is more than most Muggles can do. There are also bookstores in Hogsmeade, the village near my school, but it's just as hard to find as Diagon Alley.

Yours,

Draco

Draco folded up the letter and sealed it. As it wasn't time for curfew yet, and he was a prefect in any case and allowed out after hours, he headed up to the owlery to send the letter right away. This year would indeed be interesting. Always before, it had been Potter and his Golden Trio who figured out the mysteries around Hogwarts. Well, this year it would be Draco.

Umbridge, he discovered five minutes into the first class with her, was horrible. She clearly hadn't the faintest idea how to teach, what with using class time to read the textbook (Draco had flipped through the book earlier, and found it painfully boring) and talking to the class as if they were five year olds. Nonetheless, she was from the Ministry, and his father was expecting him to be on his best behavior. He obediently read through the first chapter of the text during class (or at least one and a half pages of it, after which his eyes crossed and he sat staring blankly at the pages), along with his fellow fifth year Slytherins. Sometime during that boredom inducing period, Draco decided to talk with the new professor after class.

He had decided to investigate Hogwarts hiring procedure, and he was curious about how far the Ministry was willing to get involved in the school. Umbridge was an ideal place to start digging up information. He had a free period after Defense Against the Dark Arts, and hopefully Umbridge did too. He smirked to himself; there were a few things he could do without Artemis's help.

The bell rang, and most of the other Slytherins made new records in getting out the door quickly. Draco, however, packed up his bag slowly and then approached Umbridge's desk. "Professor?" he said in his best Good Student voice. She turned to look at him suspiciously, her beady little eyes narrowing. He held out a hand. "My father, Lucius Malfoy, works at the Ministry. He's always spoken highly of you." Lucius had done nothing of the sort, as he found Umbridge just as distasteful as Draco did. Flattery, however, could get you just about anywhere, a truth Slytherins understood instinctively.

She perked up promptly and shook his hand. "Yes, you must be Draco. Your father is an intelligent man, and very handsome," she simpered. Draco winced, but neglected to point out that his father was quite attached to his mother, thank you very much. "How can I help you, Mr. Malfoy?"

He shifted on his feet and let his eyes drop to the ground. Look hesitant and cautious, that was the key. "Well, I know that you were assigned this job at the very last minute by the Ministry. I was wondering why you took the job. I mean, it's clear you're an excellent teacher--" years of lying helped that get past his lips without a wince "--but wouldn't you rather be at your job at the Ministry? You're ever so important..." He let himself trail off.

Her eyes positively sparkled, and she placed a hand on his arm. He tried not to gag. "You're so right, Mr. Malfoy. I would love being at the Ministry right now. The Minister, as I'm sure you know, relies heavily on me. However, he did need someone he could trust here at Hogwarts this year, so I volunteered. Cornelius, oops, I mean Minister Fudge," she giggled, "was ever so glad for my assistance."

Oh, if only he didn't need her to like him for this information! "Isn't it strange, though, professor?" he continued his guileless act. "Hogwarts is an excellent school, and pays teachers very well, or so my father once said. Why do you think Dumbledore has such a hard time finding teachers?" Her opinion would be useless, but perhaps she'd have heard a few things from other sources that he could follow up with.

Umbridge waved a hand, and her face turned cold. "Well, Dumbledore has some... unique ideas about hiring procedures. We at the Ministry are getting less and less sure if he's doing a good job here. However, while the teachers he finds are not always qualified or appropriate, he does usually manage to get someone. There's always been a problem with Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers."

"Why is that? Some people say the job is cursed, so no teacher can last more than a year." This was what he wanted to hear, and he hoped she had something useful to say.

She let out a soft tut of disapproval. "Mr. Malfoy, you shouldn't go believing everything you hear. Yes, it's true that no one has held the job for more than a year in... oh, almost forty years now. But I'm sure that's just a coincidence. Why, if someone better is found for next year so I can return to my Ministry job, I'm sure people will continue to say the job is cursed. It's total nonsense, of course, but children will say anything. Now, in the future, I don't want to hear that you--" She continued to talk, but Draco toned her out, and merely nodded his head at appropriate intervals. It was clear she didn't know much, but she had given him one valuable clue: the job had been jinxed for around forty years. It gave him a date to start looking into.

It took him an annoyingly long time to slip away from Umbridge. He finally claimed lots of homework for an excuse and darted out of the room as fast as he could. Well, his father would be pleased that he'd gotten himself into the woman's good graces, and Draco hoped Lucius appreciated the sacrifice he'd made to get into said graces. Wandering down the hallways, he ran into Pansy. He smirked at her and waved, and she scurried over to his side and linked her arm with his.

It was a grand thing, to walk the halls of school with a girl on his arm. So few people were going out steady, so Draco showed Pansy off as much as possible. In public at least; when alone, he shook her off as quickly as possible. A girl was good for show, but could really cramp a guy's style. Today of all days, though, Draco became glad he had her hanging off his arm. As they made their way down another corridor, not too far from the Charms classroom, he spotted two-thirds of the Golden Trio. Weasel and the Mudblood were without Potter for once, and it almost looked like they were alone together deliberately. Almost, except Draco was sure that they weren't. It was clear to everyone except those two that they had a thing for each other, even though they spent most of their time arguing.

"Well, well," he called. Everyone in range turned around to see what was happening. He saw grins form on a few faces; those people knew something amusing was about to happen. "It's Weasel and Granger, alone together." He never called the girl Mudblood when Ravenclaws or Hufflepuffs were nearby. Wouldn't do to antagonize anyone except those he meant to antagonize. "Ditched Potter to have some time for each other?"

It was, he felt, a better insult than he'd managed in the past. Before, he just made fun of Weasley's poverty and Granger's Muggle family. He had, however, grown up a lot over the summer, and at some point had realized how stupid his old insults had been. Which didn't mean he had any intention of stopping the insults. It just meant he needed better insults. This was one he could be proud of. It made the two embarrassed (even now, both were deeper red than Weasley's hair), and implied that they were bad friends to Potter for leaving him alone.

"Shut up, Malfoy," Weasley spluttered.

Draco stepped closer, and put a hurt expression on his face. "I can't do that, Weasley. I want to help you, and how can I do that without talking?"

"You... want to help?" Weasley gaped, barely getting the words out. Granger turned a suspicious look on him, clearly trying to see where he was going with all this.

"Yes, of course I do. I've seen that you have trouble sometimes. And it's trouble we all go through at one point or another. Since I've got a bit more experience than you, I thought I'd give some advice." The audience surrounding them leaned closer and quieted. Draco smiled benevolently and patted Pansy's arm. "It can be hard to win over the ladies, can't it?"

Strange and amusing things happened to Weasley's face. He went a deeper red. Then he pulled as far away from Granger as the crowd permitted. Then he glared. "I don't need any help from you in getting a girl," he snapped.

"Oh, Weasley," Draco sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Everyone knows you haven't gotten anywhere with Granger. I'd say you need all the help you can get." Pansy snickered and leaned her head on Draco's shoulder. "See?" Draco wrapped his arm around Pansy's waist. "I have experience in getting girls, so I can help you, Weasley. I really think you should take me up on my offer." Pansy giggled and snuggled closer to him.

Granger rolled her eyes. "Grow up, will you?" she sighed. Weasley, who had been gaping in silence, turned to her in surprise. "Like you know anything about girls either."

"I know plenty," Draco informed her loftily. "Here, I'll show you." He turned to Pansy. "My dear," he addressed her gallantly, "may I kiss you?" He wished he could still watch Weasley's face, but he had to play the debonair. He might brag in front of Gryffindors, but he realized he'd only snogged Pansy once before, during the Yule Ball the year before. Pansy seemed surprised by his request, but she smiled and nodded, letting her eyes flutter close. As Draco drew close to her, he also realized he was about to have his second kiss in front of many witnesses. He'd have to make sure it was good in that case.

He kept his month on top of Pansy's for well over a minute, and even managed to get his tongue in her mouth (something he'd seen his parents do many times). He could hear awed silence from most of the crowd, and, from the way she clung to him, it was also clear that Pansy was enjoying the kiss. He finally straightened, pulling Pansy upright with him. He smirked at Weasley and Granger, who were both staring at him with a combination of surprise and disgust. "You see?" he asked, pulling the pliant Pansy back to his side. "I know how to catch girls. So what do say, Weasley? Want some tips for getting Granger? I promise not to steal her; Muggleborns--" he enunciated the politer term clearly "--aren't my type."

"Oh, like you could get me!" Granger cried, then pushed Weasley aside and started past the crowd.

"Such a temperamental girl," Draco tsk'ed sadly. "But now that she's gone, we can talk. How about it? Since you could never snag a girl on your own, I'll teach you how it's done." Draco smirked at Weasley. Weasley turned a purplish shade of red and clenched his fists, trembling in anger. Best to get out before he blew his lid, Draco decided. "No? Your loss, then. Come, Pansy. We've much to do." He turned and strolled confidently through the crowd, Pansy hanging from his arm the entire time.

He was swarmed by admirers once he reach the Slytherin table come dinner time. Everyone was impressed by the quality of his insults, especially the fact that they hadn't sounded like insults, so he couldn't get in trouble with the teachers. "How did you come up with such good stuff?" Theodore asked, impressed.

Draco leaned back in his seat and smirked smugly. "So many students here as such children," he sighed, looking cool and casual. "Unlike the rest of you, I grew up this summer. There'll be no more childishness from me this year. I hope it won't take long for the rest of you to join me, but I'm not holding me breath for it to happen." His grin broadened as it took many of his year mates (and even those older than him) some time to realized he'd offered another insult. Theodore, the first to catch on, narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything.

Alone that night in his bed, Draco finally began to rethink his taunting strategy. He didn't regret doing it; the looks on Weasley and Granger's faces had been priceless, and he'd enjoyed the compliments afterwards. What bothered him was how he had felt kissing Pansy. He thought it should feel very nice, to kiss a willing girl. There had been a feeling of power that he'd gotten, which he had enjoyed – although he noted that feeling could be from the teasing and not the kissing – but there hadn't been much else. Snogging Pansy had left him feeling cold.

Oh, well, he shrugged to himself. Pansy wasn't the most interesting or beautiful girl in any case. Next time he showed off, he'd go for a grope, just to check. That, he was sure he'd enjoy.

Over breakfast the next morning, Draco had mostly forgotten his worries. What few might have remained were wiped from his mind when his owl arrived, bringing a letter from Artemis. Draco grinned and slipped away from the table with a hasty excuse; he didn't want anyone to know about Artemis, so he planned to always read the letters in private. There was enough time before his first class, and Draco ducked into the boy's bathroom to read the letter in one of the stalls.

Dear Draco,

It is unfortunate that many of your classes aren't taught well. I admit to not paying much attention to many of my classes either. Given that, I suppose I shouldn't act superior. I am glad to hear that some of your courses – all of which sound fascinating – are taught by competent teachers.

Investigating is something that might take a long time, I'll warn you. There might not be any good answers to your questions. One place to start is by asking current or former teachers, if they are available. Start with ones who will be willing to answer your questions. Ask why they chose to work there, what their qualifications are, what the job requirements were, if there was an interview process, etc. I trust I needn't tell you all the details. If you can't get much out of teachers, try the administrators, like the Headmaster or the school governors. They should also have some answers.

Lacking that, try looking through newspapers from the summer. If the school was looking for a new teacher during that time, there should be help wanted adverts. Those adverts should mention some criteria for selecting new professors. Also, since your father has connections into your Ministry, ask him why the school was unable to find a new teacher, and how the Ministry supplied the current teacher. Surely you can bother him enough to get some useful information out of him. Lastly, there should be records in the school, perhaps in the library, about students and teachers from past years. Look through those, and find out who else taught at your school.

As to career advice, I'm sure I have no idea. I don't know what adult wizards do. Where in London is this Leaky Cauldron? The city is too large for me to check every building. Or, if you don't know that, where approximately is this Hogsmeade? I very much want to observe your wizarding culture, and I want some books even more. Tell me as much as you can, please.

Sincerely,

Artemis Fowl II

Draco grinned when he reached the end of the letter. Some of the investigation techniques he had guessed on his own, which made him feel proud of himself. He liked Artemis's last idea best. There were records in the Hogwarts library about former students and teachers, he'd stumbled across them in the back of the library two years ago. He doubted anyone besides Madame Pince, the librarian, even knew those records were there, not even that Mudblood Granger. And he'd already conned Umbridge into informing him the time around which people started to say the Defense Against the Dark Arts position was cursed. He had everything he needed to go off searching, and, more importantly, finding.

He was looking forward to this.

Additional Notes: There were nifty fonts for this chapter, but the Pite of Voles doesn't like formatting. In case you were wondering, yes, Artemis is using the computer to write his letters.

While Draco might have grown up some, the fact that he's still spouting insults should prove he's got a lot further to go.

On Arithmency: We've never really been given any details as to what this subject is, but I found an interview in which Rowling says it is "predicting the future using numbers," similar to Numerology. I am vastly disappointed in Rowling after this, as she already had Divination as a subject. Also, after a discussion with a friend about how Arithmancy couldn't be Galois Theory but hopefully some form of higher-level math, I am disgusted by Rowling's only including math to predict the future. Sorry, end rant.

Most chapters in this portion of the story will follow this format: Draco's POV of OotP, interspersed with letters. I have no intention of rehashing OotP, so I am only covering major parts, and parts that are changed. Hopefully, there will be a few Artemis POV's too at some point, perhaps via side stories.

Also, to those of you who don't like slash: the Draco/Artemis parts aren't here yet, but they are gradually growing closer. While there will be nothing graphic in this story (anything I feel like writing with a high rating will be placed in a side story), the romance will be there. So, just to be warned that it will come up, but it will be some time yet, and when it does it will be non-graphic.

Lastly, is anyone actualy reading this? Because my desire to write this is going WAY downhill.