Draco hated perfects' meetings. In fact he hated most things to do with being a prefect, even the so-called "privileges" like being allowed in the prefects' compartment on the Hogwarts Express. He much preferred sitting with his friends than with a bunch of annoying Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. Pansy, on the other hand, loved being a prefect, and usually only sat with Draco for half an hour before going to join the others. It was quite annoying, really. Still, Draco had done what his father had asked of him and accepted the position of prefect. It did mean that he got to walk around the castle at night and use the prefects' bathroom, among other things, after all.
But this meeting was pointless, as most of them were. For Merlin's sake, Draco didn't care if the older students should offer to tutor the younger ones or not. He wasn't going to do it either way, but even if he had to it was insignificant compared to what he, Blaise and Pansy were going to start tonight.
He found he was becoming quite nervous, an unusual emotional state for him indeed.
If they didn't do this right, and that meant every little bit of it, Lord Voldemort's plan would be ruined. The worse part was that it would be their fault, and Draco didn't dare to imagine what that would mean. Punishment, certainly. Painful punishment.
He shuddered.
They had to do it right.
By the evening, he could tell that Pansy and Blaise were getting nervous too. He decided that enough was enough, and it was time to distract them with some interesting conversation.
"So," he said, looking around at the other sixth-years assembled around the fire in the common room. "Who wants to come to my house at Christmas to practise the Unforgivable curses?"
They looked at him, eyes wide.
"Are you serious?" asked Pansy.
"Of course I'm serious!" He grinned, then leaned forward in his armchair. "My father's been bringing me Muggles to practise on."
They gazed at him in awe. He smiled smugly, glancing at Pansy and Blaise. They seemed suitably distracted, so he leaned back and basked in the glory that came with being a Malfoy.
Oh, how he loved it.
Indeed, later, twenty minutes before midnight, when he snuck back into the common room with the other two, he wasn't nearly as unsure of his ability to do the spell as he had been before. If he could master the Avada Kedavra, this should be a piece of cake.
At exactly thirteen minutes to midnight, Draco, Pansy and Blaise stood in a row in front of the fire and threw three broken crystals into it. On Draco's signal, they then took out knives and cut themselves, dripping blood over the flames. Finally they stood back and tapped the stones above the fireplace seven times with their wands.
"Infirmo," Draco whispered.
All three let out a sigh of relief as they stepped away, grinning.
"Well," said Pansy, "We did it."
"And if we did it this time, we can do it again." Blaise smiled.
"Well," said Draco, "We'd better enjoy this castle while we can. 'Cause in seventeen months..." He grinned at them. "Kaboom!"
Laughing, they went back to bed.