Parvati blushed, and looked back at Draco. He looked very strained, and pushed her towards the Gryffindor table. “Better go and have some lunch,” he muttered. “I’ll see you later.”
He slouched off to the Slytherin table, where he could hear catcalls starting. He was starting to sulk a little, when he thought of something. Parvati had entrusted him with a really big secret. Presumably Padma knew, and of course Dumbledore and McGonagall, but he didn’t think she had told anybody else. He straightened, suddenly feeling incredibly complete. She not only fancied him, she trusted him. She really trusted him.
On the other hand, she did seem to blurt out secrets at the drop of a hat. She shouldn’t have told him about Padma, and she really shouldn’t have told him about her animagus status. Perhaps she had told all her other boyfriends too. After all, she didn’t know him that well.
However, all in all, he still felt pretty good about himself. He raised a supercilious brow at Blaise, and tried not to look too smug, as he slid into his seat at the Slytherin table. Such was the force of his personality that the jeers turned to admiration.
Neither Parvati nor Draco saw Dumbledore drop his head into his hands at the top table, his shoulders bowing as if a huge weight he had been holding up had just been lifted from his shoulders. The barrier had been crossed. The Slytherins were no longer isolated. Hogwarts could only benefit, and grow stronger. Once two students were interacting, it would only be a short time before many more were.
Meanwhile, full of gossip, Parvati made her way to her own table, desperate to sit by Lavender and fill her in on everything. She swung her bag down by the chair next to Lavender, but Lavender got up, and moved away, as if Parvati smelled bad. Parvati opened her mouth, surprised, and then caught Hermione’s expression. She had her lip curled in aversion. Ron looked disgusted, and Harry wouldn’t look at her. It was left to Neville to enlighten her.
“I can’t believe you are fraternizing with the enemy Parvati!” Unconsciously echoing Ron, his normally good-natured face was scornful. Parvati looked around the table, and saw all the Gryffindors looking at her with disapproval - even the first years! Her stomach dropped, and she felt a bit sick. She wasn’t used to being unpopular. And Neville was overreacting.
“Draco is not the enemy,” she said severely, as if he were young and foolish. “You’re being melodramatic, Neville.”
Harry, remembering Neville defending him in the Ministry of Magic, felt his ire rise. Neville was not stupid, and she had no right to take that tone with him. He met Parvati’s eyes squarely. “That is not how I see it,” he said flatly, his mouth grim.
Parvati, who was feeling slightly flustered and guilty, was taken aback. She knew she had been rude to Neville, but she had wanted the subject dropped. Now she let her anger get the better of her, and she said haughtily, before she could think: “Not that it is any of your business, Harry, but Draco wasn’t at the Department of Mysteries, if that is what you are referring to.”
Harry’s face went bone white. Hermione wished she had thought to tell him that the news was circulating around Hogwarts. She had not seen that expression on his face since early that summer.
Ron saw red. He had no idea how she found out about it, but she hadn’t been there, and she couldn’t know everything that had happened. Harry looked terrible, almost as if she had hit him with a curse. The Department of Mysteries was something that they all found difficult to think about, and Parvati’s tone seemed to demean everything they had done there. Ron was simply furious. “Darling Draco didn’t need to be. His father was there.” He saw her startled expression, and would have stopped, but a tidal wave of anger carried him on.
“What about all the other things that you know about? The sneers and taunting we have all had to put up with? Buckbeak? Trying to get Hagrid fired? Playing at being a Dementor to get Harry to fall off his broom at the Quidditch game? And…but I guess you are from a pureblood wizarding family yourself, so you wouldn’t mind all the jibes that people like Hermione have had to take. Didn’t you see that horrible smirk he wore when she was Petrified? What was it he said when we saw Mrs. Norris? Something about “Mudbloods”, wasn’t it?”
He stopped, mainly because he had run out of breath, his ears scarlet.
Parvati lowered her head uncomfortably. Draco was certainly guilty on most of those counts, and she could see why Ron and Harry were upset. She lost some of her confidence, and said in a smaller tone, “He has done some horrible things, but he is not a Death Eater, whatever his father is.” She gained courage from her convictions, and carried on in a more certain voice. “You must admit that having a Slytherin on our side would be a huge advantage “ the Talking Hat even said we have to stick together!”
Attacking Ron on his weakest flank, she turned to Hermione. “Hermione, you are the one that is always telling us that!”
Hermione winced, irritated and wishing desperately she had not talked to Parvati during detention. She thought of the DA, and the constant care Harry had taken with Parvati and her Patronus so that she could get it right. Parvati had learned a lot, and also seen a lot during those meetings. If she gave any information to Draco on Harry’s strengths and style, it could be dangerous. Now with a few of her careless words, (although Hermione had told her how hard Harry was taking the Department of Mysteries exploit) Harry was looking ill again.
“We do need to stick together,” she said in a low voice, vibrant with anger. “But remember what Professor Moody said? Constant vigilance? Well, with Malfoy, I would use more than that. Malfoy is not safe. He has been attached to the Dark Arts from birth, and his family are staunch supporters of V-Voldemort.” There was a general wince around the table as she said the name. Even Parvati flinched.
Parvati stood up defiantly. “Draco is safe! Padma’s star chart said so!”
Harry clapped a hand to his forehead and Hermione stared at her blankly as if she had suddenly gone mad. Neville groaned and dropped his head into his hands and Seamus said, very sarcastically, “Star Charts! Well then he MUST be safe. Let’s all go grab a Slytherin pal!”
Lavender turned on Parvati, siding with Seamus. “For once, use the sense you were born with Parvati! You know that Divination is not the answer to everything! I mean, even I’m not that stupid!”
Parvati picked up her bag her feelings hurt more than she could have thought possible. She and Lavender had had their fallings out, but she knew that right now, things were as bad between them as it was possible to get, even though she knew Lavender was playing more to her audience of Seamus and would not have been so belligerent on her own. Her appetite was completely gone, and her eyes were starting to smart. She spoke again without thinking.
“I am not being stupid. You all are. How are we going to face the future if we can’t forget the past?”
Harry, who was still white, flung back at her bitterly “I can face the future because I do remember the past.” He was trembling now with the strain, and Parvati knew he was remembering his parents and Cedric. And her mother would remember her brother and her nieces and nephews, who had been killed by Death Eaters before she and Padma were born. And there were others who had lost family and friends, who would not be able to forget. Her resolve started to crumble.
“I’m so sorry Harry,” she whispered, almost in tears now. “I didn’t mean that. Perhaps not the whole past, but certain aspects of it have to be forgotten.”
Seamus broke in again, disgusted. He had his own personal axe to grind, and as far as he saw it, Parvati was letting down the whole of Gryffindor House by seeing Malfoy. “So you now have a thing about Malfoy, is what you are saying, so we need to forget that part of the past? All carry on as if we are good friends and always have been? Are you forgetting the rumors, and the help he gave to the Daily Prophet to get Harry discredited?” Lavender nodded, backing him up, and he moved very slightly closer to her. The whole Gryffindor table now seemed to know what was going on, and they were all ears.
Hermione spoke as if through a dream, and not as if she particularly liked what she was saying. “Parvati is right,” she said. “We need as many allies as we can get.” She held a hand up to check Ron, who appeared about to choke. “I don’t believe in the Star Charts any more than you all do, but Dumbledore let Malfoy come back to Hogwarts. That has to say something.”
Dean spluttered, “He also lets Snape work here!”
Ron appeared about to reply, but Hermione elbowed him in the stomach. Nobody apart from her, Harry and Ron knew that Snape was really working for Dumbledore as a spy. Ron rubbed his stomach and looked at Hermione’s back, hurt. Didn’t she know he wouldn’t give Snape away? She must really have a poor opinion of him.
He said what he had been going to say, “Dumbledore is not infallible Hermione. What about Quirrel? He had You Know Who in the back of his head. And don’t forget Barty Crouch prancing around as Mad Eye Moody!”
Unexpectedly Ginny spoke up from halfway down the table. “I don’t think we should judge people on their past performance. I mean…look at me.” Her ears were as red as Ron’s could ever get, and her face so white her freckles stood out, but she carried on, with everybody looking at her. “I was the one who opened the Chamber of Secrets.”
“You were possessed!” Harry said hotly and fiercely, only just beating Ron to it. “That is completely different! Malfoy has no excuse for any of his past behaviors!”
There was a babble of voices, agreeing or disagreeing, which suddenly cut off.
“Half time!” Draco drawled into the silence from behind Parvati. He laid his hands on her shoulders possessively, and pulled her back against him, leaning down into her speak into her ear, but making sure everyone could hear him. “Are you having problems, Dear Heart?”
Parvati melted inside to hear those words, spoken loudly so nobody could mistake their meaning. She was his girlfriend, and he didn’t want anybody to upset her. She had never heard the endearment before, and found it old fashioned, but charming. Very pure blood aristocratic “ she couldn’t imagine anyone except Draco saying it. Seamus was making gagging noises, but she didn’t care. She reached up to Draco's cheek. “Not really. Maybe at first things were a little difficult, but it is easier now. You?”
She could feel his smirk through the palm of his hand. “Are you kidding? The prettiest girl in the year? They are all asking me my secret.” The other Gryffindors were still silent. They had all heard the threat in Malfoy’s voice, and had noticed the protective attitude he had taken toward Parvati. None of them were sure what to do about it. After all, Parvati was a Gryffindor. It would be unthinkable having an argument with a Slytherin present. Between themselves, yes, but in front of Malfoy?
As they stood, Draco confounded them further. He stood up and his eyes flicked from Hermione to Ron and then to Harry. Parvati could feel the tension in him, as he looked straight at Harry, with cold eyes. He had made this concession for Parvati's sake, when he saw the trouble she was having, and it cost him in both pride and humiliation. When he spoke, his voice was scornful, and he was looking down his long nose.
“Potter. I don’t like you, and I don’t like your friends. But I am sorry for your loss.” He sounded defiant, indeed, almost insolent. Those who had not yet heard the gossip about Sirius being Harry's godfather looked bewildered.
Harry looked up and met Draco’s eyes, and to his surprise, found him quite sincere. “I don’t like you either, but “ thanks,” he said stiffly, and then, in a little rush, not quite sure of how to put it, “I’m sorry for yours too “ I mean, your father being in Azkaban.” Draco nodded curtly in acknowledgement, his face set, as others slowly nodded, following Harry’s lead. He then pulled Parvati away from the table with him, leaving a silence behind them.
As they left, the Hufflepuff table sighed collective sighs of relief, and put their wands down. Their table was next to the Gryffindor table, and with the tensions that had been running high they had expected to be deflecting a volley of jinxes at the very least.
Draco and Parvati walked hand in hand down to the lake, and sat on some rocks. Draco pulled some rolls out of his bulging pockets. “Thought you weren’t getting anything to eat,” he remarked.
Parvati laughed, a little shakily, very touched but still upset and miserable. “And there I was thinking you were pleased to see me,” she said. Draco raised his eyebrows questioningly, and she shrugged. “Muggle joke! I went to a Muggle primary school, so I still have Muggle friends.” She twisted her long hair and tied it into a knot behind her, to stop it blowing into her face.
They sat silently on the rocks together, Parvati just starting to realize the problems she was going to have to face. Draco watched her expressive face, his own darkening. “We should have kept this a secret.”
Parvati turned on him. “Never! Why should I hide you? Should I be ashamed of you?” She quieted down a little. “Why did you try to get Hagrid fired anyway?” she muttered, picking at her nail polish.
Draco grimaced. Her housemates were getting to her already. However, he knew he was going to have to answer certain questions eventually. He started flinging random pebbles into the lake. “Orders really. My father wanted him gone. I have always done everything my father ever asked. I didn’t feel one way or the other about the Hippogriff really, but wailing about it seemed to be a good way to get rid of Hagrid and upset Harry at the same time.
“Actually I was kind of surprised they focused on the Hippogriff; it was Hagrid they were supposed to be after. I think someone in the Ministry against illegal breeding got in on the act, and decided the beast should be destroyed. I didn’t tell them about the others, or they would probably have slaughtered the whole herd. I know it isn’t much in my defense, but I always wondered why nobody realized that.”
He looked sideways to see how she was taking it. Her profile looked sad, but that was all. He carried on. “My father was furious about Hagrid getting off though. He thought he should have been fired as a teacher.” He tossed stones in the lake, scowling. “Even now I don’t see that it would have been too much of a loss to get rid of Hagrid as a teacher then anyway. I mean those “ what were they? Skrewts?”
Parvati suddenly giggled and wrinkled her nose. “I know! Weren’t they awful? I wouldn’t go near them. And I want to be a Magical Animal Healer! I didn’t really enjoy the classes until Professor Grubbly-Plank turned up, and I met my first Unicorn. It was then I realized what it was I wanted to do. I am glad it is her taking the classes now. I don’t think Hagrid was ever a good teacher “ we wasted so much time and trouble on flobberworms.
“The skrewts may have been more interesting if he had gone into breeding techniques, but all we did was feed them while not knowing what they ate, or where their heads were, and getting stung and burned all the time. Now Hagrid is Head Keeper of the Menagerie, I get on with him much better, even though I don’t approve of his breeding methods. I am against genetic mutation, whereas Hagrid is all for it. I liked the Hippogriffs though. Hagrid still has his herd in the forest, and lets me feed them with him sometimes. I am so glad Buckbeak managed to get away, but he must be lonely, as they are herd animals.”
Draco continued to fling pebbles into the water. He couldn’t quite see Parvati, with her polished nails and addiction to finery being an animal healer, but he supposed it took all sorts. After all, if she could turn into animals, supposedly she could doctor them. Anyway, at this juncture it was safer to keep his mouth shut than to say what he thought. Their relationship had not reached the stage where she would feel comfortable with him saying what he thought about it.
He flung a few more stones into the lake, his mouth set, as he realized that he didn’t actually know Parvati that well. She was quite lovely, but had a beautiful face captured him? He was uncomfortable with the thought, as he prided himself on his taste in women. He didn’t think she was brainless though, although she certainly came across that way sometimes. She had stood up to him to what looked like the whole Gryffindor table, which gave him a warm fuzzy feeling inside, that vaguely embarrassed him.
Her friends were right. He had done everything he could during the previous school years to make sure the Gryffindors hated him. Not only had he disliked Harry (and especially Ron and Hermione) intensely, he had been desperately trying to win his father’s approval with petty harassment of anyone who was not a Slytherin. (He must admit he had enjoyed most of it too. Saintly Potter with his herd of Dumbledore-approved Gryffindors! Wandering around like everyone else was a second-class citizen, just because they were dressed in red and gold.)
Parvati took Draco’s hand in hers, interrupting the strain of unprofitable thought that had taken root in his mind. She stroked it softly, guessing part of what he was thinking. “It’ll be alright in the end. They are my friends, and they will come around. But you have made yourself very unpopular, and it will take a while for them to get used to you. It will be difficult for me at first, because of the circumstances, but I am sure it will even out eventually. It is not as if we are all children still.”
Draco scowled. “What about me getting used to them?” he asked a bit sulkily. Without waiting for an answer, as he knew that had been childish, he heaved himself up, and held out his hand for Parvati’s. “Come on. I have a study period, and since I went through your bag, “ he ignored Parvati’s indignant gasp “I know you have too. Let’s get to work on those Potion essays “ you have two, and you could definitely do with a hand.”
Later that evening, Draco reported to Snape’s office for detention, but Snape was not there. He kicked his heels in the passageway for about ten minutes before deciding just to go in. At least he could get some work done while he was there. It was over an hour before he realized Snape must have forgotten. He was puzzled, but not disappointed to miss detention. And it was Snape’s fault, so there was no way he could be blamed. He was a weird old bird, Snape. Perhaps he had decided to favour Draco again. Draco left the office and went back to the Slytherin common room.
It was the next morning that the rumors started. There was a covering Professor taking the Potions class. Snape had not been seen since the previous morning “ the lesson in which he assigned Parvati her extra Potions essay.
Nobody knew who started the rumors, but it was whispered that Snape had been playing a game of double espionage for Dumbledore with You Know Who, and You Know Who had found out.