He had left Nott alone in the dining room – alone and free to roam around the Manor by himself without a Malfoy watching what he saw and what he heard. Not only that but he had disregarded his mother's orders and quite a few more etiquette rules in abandoning a guest in their home.
"My apologies, Mother," Draco said hurriedly, bowing his blond head, "Nott and I argued and I made the mistake of leaving the room to calm myself. I was just on my way to find him and make my apologies."
Her expression didn't soften. "We will speak more of this later, Draco." She promised him. "For now, your guest is in the library."
Draco acknowledged the information with a nod and escaped his mother's presence before she could reprimand him further. The Manor's library had been another of Draco's favourite places as a child. He could remember curling up with his mother in one of the large leather chairs while she taught him how to read; of evenings spent with his father in lessons at the polished oak table in the centre of the room. He rarely entered it any more.
Nott had taken up residence at the very same table. Draco grimaced at how at home the other boy looked, but hurried over and sat down opposite him.
Nott shot him a wary look from guarded dark eyes. "You found me then."
"You're always in some kind of library." Draco said, not admitting that his mother had directed him. He smiled sharply. "How you didn't sort into Ravenclaw I don't know."
Nott actually laughed. "Actually I asked for Ravenclaw and the Hat said it wouldn't suit me at all. Apparently wanting knowledge to achieve your ambitions is ambition not a desire for knowledge."
Draco frowned. Sometimes he regretted that his own sorting had taken seconds not minutes. He hadn't even attempted a conversation with the Hat or any kind of interaction. He had been chanting 'Slytherin, Slytherin, Slytherin' from the moment his name had been called to the instant that the grotty Hat had made the merest contact with his head.
He cleared his throat and swallowed down the snide retort he wanted to make. "I wish to offer you a proposal."
"I'm not interested in you that way, Malfoy." Nott said in a bored tone.
"What?! No! I was…" Draco finally caught sight of the amusement in Nott's eyes and sighed, "very funny, Nott!"
"Oh, a Nott pun!" Nott smirked at him. "Like I haven't heard that one before!"
"Do you want to hear my proposal?" demanded Draco, trying to wrestle his annoyance back.
Nott shrugged and closed the book he was reading. He raised an eyebrow in expectation.
Draco cleared his throat again, unaccountably nervous. He knew his usual 'I'm a Malfoy, you will do as I say' approach would not work and he would have to attempt the politicking his father had once taught him. "I believe that you are going to attempt a coup in Slytherin. Your House is allied to Black albeit in a détente. You intend to make yourself useful to Potter by providing him with a liaison to the other pureblood Heirs at Hogwarts assuming that I will not be that liaison. In this way, you will achieve a position of power and authority."
He leaned back and regarded Nott with what he hoped would appear to be cool equanimity. "I have no intention of allowing you to usurp my place. Perhaps I have been slow to adjust to the new dynamics now the House of Black has been revived but…" he pinned Nott with a frank look of superiority, "you fail to understand that as much as I am a Malfoy, I am also a Black. Potter and I share blood and a family. He takes that seriously. We've already declared a truce. In a wrangling match, who do you honestly think he would choose; a family liaison who has taken an oath of loyalty or a Slytherin liaison who has simply taken an oath not to raise a wand against him?"
Nott's dark eyes simmered with heat before his expression smoothed. "Well, well, well. Finally unearthed your Slytherin, Malfoy." He motioned at him. "My turn. You may have Black blood and you may have agreed a truce but your relationship with Potter has a bad history. He won't trust you very far. My political agenda isn't very far off Potter's but I'd be surprised if you even know what his is. I have allies in the Potter alliance; you don't. And a liaison needs the trust of both sides; some of your peers may follow along after you like a puppy, Malfoy, but not all of them. I think I stand a good chance of gaining Potter's trust no matter your family connection."
Draco let his head incline a touch in acknowledgement even if his blood heated in irritation at Nott's perfectly valid points. "So, we have a choice; we can fight each other for the top position – in contradiction of the oaths of alliances between our two Houses, or we can come up with a compromise."
"What are you offering?" asked Nott, not disagreeing with Draco's statement.
"I suggest we work together." Draco said. "It is what our parents wish and will have the benefit of underlining our Houses' positions politically. You assist me in retaining my position within Slytherin and I will assist you in gaining power and authority of your own; we work as a team with Potter. My Black blood and position will give us credibility with the Slytherins, and your lack of history with Potter will help create a greater level of trust with him."
"Your idea has some merit." Nott said slowly, thinking it over. "I'll think about it."
Draco nodded. It was as far as he had expected to get in one day. Nott was not impulsive. In the meantime, Draco intended to use the rest of the week and time he had with Potter to his own advantage; to consolidate his new start with the Gryffindor and begin laying down the groundwork for his new liaison position.
"Theodore!" Lord Nott's voice snapped their attention to the doorway of the library. The elder Nott stepped into the room as his son hastened to his father's side.
Draco scrambled to stand and bowed slightly. "Lord Nott."
"Draco. Thank you for hosting my son this morning." Lord Nott said.
A dignified silence was the better part of valour, Draco decided. He inclined his head a touch in acknowledgement of the thanks.
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