Chapter 8
Fight
Finally it was Friday again. Draco woke up and remembered this. He smiled, but then he remembered he had still neglected to do something about Potter.
“Little prick. Can’t believe he’d do that ““ Draco muttered as he went about getting ready for the day’s classes.
At long last, he was on his way to breakfast. He was still brooding about what to do to Potter, that he didn’t see Pansy Parkinson until she was right in front of him. She smiled at him and said, “Hello, Draco,” in a low, husky voice.
Oh crap, he thought. Well, this is just perfect. Great way to start out the day.
“So, what are you doing after supper, Draco?” Pansy asked, moving in closer to him. He backed away until he hit the wall.
Good job, Draco “ now you’re cornered, with no escape in sight, he chided himself. Now Pansy was right in his face, touching him.
Finally, after at least 3 years of this, Draco’s patience snapped. He hated her with a passion.
“Well, I certainly won’t be doing anything with you!” he snarled, and pushed her away. “Get out of my way!”
Pansy’s mouth dropped open, and she stood staring after him as he strode away down the hall.
“Well!” she huffed, turning and flouncing back to her room. “Catch me trying to do anything nice for HIM again!”
Meanwhile, Draco was hurriedly eating breakfast. His little episode with Pansy had made him later than he wanted to be. He was trying to make the day go quickly, so he could see Alanna sooner.
He was done, finally. He grabbed his bag, and strode off toward his first class, without waiting for Crabbe and Goyle, who stumbled to follow him, a full five minutes after he’d left.
Harry was also heading for his first class. He was still thinking about Alanna, and he was not looking where he was going. He slammed right into Malfoy coming from the opposite direction. Both of their bags and books went flying and landed in a heap on the opposite side of the hallway. For a finishing touch, one of Draco’s green bottles of ink smashed all over the books.
“Potter!” Draco snarled. “Look what you did! On top of spying on me? You are so in for an ass-kicking! Meet me at lunch break!”
“With pleasure!” Harry snarled back. They picked up their books, now dripping with green liquid, with a lot of shoving and insults being thrown. When everything was picked up, they parted ways, each striding off to their class with anger in their steps.
At lunch, Harry and Draco ate quickly, staring daggers at each other.
Hermione, fully fed up with this practice, finally smacked Harry in the back of the head.
“What are you doing?” she demanded, as he rubbed the back of his head.
Why does everyone always hit there? he wondered. Realizing Hermione was waiting for an answer, he said, “Malfoy’s an idiot.”
Hermione sighed. “No, really? What is going on?”
Harry sighed in turn. “We got in a little shoving match this morning, and he got ink all over my books.”
Hermione raised an eyebrow. “He got your books filthy, and that’s why you’re staring daggers at each other?”
Harry said, “Well, there’s more, which I told Ron. But we’re also having a fight.”
“Oooh! Fight!” Seamus shouted, loudly enough for the rest of the table to hear, but not the teachers. “Where, Harry? In the courtyard?”
Harry nodded. “But, Seamus-“
“In the courtyard!” Seamus shouted again. “Let’s go!”
All the people finished lunch shot out of the Great Hall and into the grounds. Harry groaned and dropped his head on the table, narrowly missing the butter.
Hermione tsked. Ron looked up from his plate, and asked, “What’s going on?” with his mouth full, of course.
“Swallow!” Hermione ordered. Ron, too surprised to do anything else, obeyed. “Thank you!” she said.
“Harry and Draco are having a fight,” she said, her voice dripping with disapproval.
“Really, Harry? Brilliant “ it’s about time that little git got some sense knocked into him!” Ron applauded. Harry smiled faintly.
“Well, I should probably go “ Malfoy’s already gone,” Harry said, and Ron nodded.
“Right, mate. Hang on two seconds, and I’ll come with,” Ron said.
“Ronald Weasley!” Hermione exploded. “I cannot believe you, encouraging this sort of thing! What is wrong with you?”
Ron stared at her. “Hermione, you yourself punched Malfoy. Wouldn’t you like to see someone else finish the job?”
“Well, it would be nice, but “ Ronald, that is not the point! Fighting does not solve anything, and “ “
“Hermione, shut it,” Ron said. “Come on, Harry.” They rose and left the Hall, leaving Hermione to splutter in peace.
Once out there, Harry was sure the whole school had turned out to see the fight. Suddenly, he had an idea.
He walked up to where Malfoy was standing, lazily twirling his wand.
“I’ve got a proposal for you,” Harry said, crossing his arms.
“What is it, Potter?” Malfoy asked, rolling his eyes.
“No wands,” Harry said. A look of panic rolled across Malfoy’s face, but was gone before Harry could be sure he’d seen it.
“Alright, then, Potter “ let’s go,” Malfoy said lazily, tossing his wand back into his pocket and throwing his robe to Crabbe. Harry threw his to Ron.
They circled while the crowd cheered. Suddenly, there was a commotion from the back. Professors McGonagall and Snape came out of the crowd.
“Potter, Malfoy, what do you think you’re doing?” Professor McGonagall said, standing between them.
“Professor, I believe Mr. Potter put Malfoy up to it,” Snape said silkily after conversing with Malfoy for a second. “At least, that is Malfoy’s story, and I am more inclined to believe his side.”
“Potter, is this true?” Professor McGonagall asked, whirling on Harry, who was outraged.
“No!” Harry exclaimed vehemently. “Malfoy put ME up to it!”
“Well, this will obviously go nowhere. Mr. Potter has decided to lie, so we will just settle it by giving you both detentions after classes. Report to me in the dungeons directly after dinner!” Snape barked, and he swept away.
“Five points from Gryffindor and Sytherin, for even believing that a fight could solve anything!” snapped Professor McGonagall, and she swept away also.
“Potter, we WILL pick this up tomorrow morning,” snarled Draco.
“Fine by me!” snapped Harry. They stalked off to their respective common rooms.
The next morning, Harry and Draco, fueled by anger, leapt out of their beds, and each dressed in record times. They both ran to the Great Hall.
Finally, they were outside again.
“We’re going to make this quick, Potter,” said Malfoy. “I have a Quidditch practice, and another appointment. Let’s go!”
“Fine!” snarled Harry. They began circling and another large crowd showed up.
Meanwhile, Alanna had just managed to duck out of work. Her mother had had to go somewhere until very late that evening. She bribed a few servants and decided to surprise Draco by showing up at the Castle.
Amazingly, she still had her old Hogwarts robes. And also amazingly, they still fit. She looked at herself in the mirror before she left and smiled wistfully.
I wish I could go back, she thought. I could be Draco, and we wouldn’t have to sneak around. But that’s impossible “ they’ll never let me back in. I don’t even know how long me and Draco are going to last now “ if his father’s like that, maybe Draco is, too. But I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. She straightened her shoulders and smiled proudly.
Her long blonde hair she had left loose, and it flowed down her back. She thought she was ready, so she ever so quietly slipped out her door. She crept down the stairs and out the back door, and was soon hurrying up the long roadway to Hogwarts.
Draco will be so surprised, she thought happily, and quickened her step.
Once at the gate, she ducked to the side as a teacher came out. It was Professor Sinistra, and Alanna would have dearly loved to have said hello, but she didn’t think it would go over quite so well.
When the professor was gone, Alanna peered around the corner, and seeing no one, started up the path confidently, like she belonged there and was doing nothing wrong.
She saw a large crowd gathered in the courtyard. They seemed to be circled around something “ or someone. She frowned.
She began pushing her way through the crowd. “Pardon me, excuse me,” she called as she worked toward the front. People automatically let her through, only stopping to wonder at who this beautiful girl was after she was gone.
At last, she reached the front. Her mouth dropped open when she recognized the two boys grappling.
Just then, Ron saw her, and he jumped, very surprised.
“What?” Hermione asked, her eyes still on the fight. He nudged her, and she looked up. Her eyes widened as she saw Alanna and she waved hesitantly.
Alanna saw them and waved back, then pointed at the boys, obviously asking, “What the hell?”
Hermione shook her head and motioned she didn’t know. Ron was trying to get Harry’s attention, but nothing was happening. He gave up, and Alanna stepped in.
“Draco! Harry! Stop it!” she shouted, overriding the crowd’s cheers and hisses. Slowly, everything quieted as everyone turned to stare at who had stopped the fight.
“What do you think you are doing?” she said, advancing on them step by step. “How idiotic “ no, how immature are you? Fighting? Are you not fifteen?”
“Alanna, I was just trying to defend you “ “ Draco started, but Alanna held up her hand.
“Draco, no, no. I am quite able to defend myself. I do not need your help. Very chivalrous of you, but please refrain from it in the future. And Harry “ “ he seemed to shrink in on himself as she turned her wrath to him.
“Why would you agree to this? I thought better of you, after our talk yesterday,” she said. She shook her head sadly. “I cannot believe this of either of you. Harry, go to your room. Draco, come with me. NOW!”
Surprisingly, in the face of her anger, they obeyed. They both dragged their feet though “ especially Draco.
“Let’s go!” she ordered when she was halfway across the yard and he was still coming slowly. “The sooner you get up here, the sooner your lecture is over, and we can have our date!” He sped up a little.
Ron and Hermione stared after Harry, then after Draco. Then they stared at each other.
“All right, then,” Hermione said. “That was “ odd. Didn’t she say she was expelled?”
Ron nodded. “Yeah. I guess she still had her old robes with her.” Hermione nodded.
“I guess so. Still, it’s very strange. I guess she couldn’t wait to see Draco, who is getting quite an earful now, it looks like.”
They looked toward the couple, where Alanna seemed to be winding down. Finally, they started out the gate, and all seemed to be sunshine and daisies again with them “ they were even holding hands. Draco looked a lot happier.
“I guess she forgave him,” Hermione said. Watching them, she saw they kissed, and she nodded. As much as she didn’t like Draco, she liked Alanna, and was glad she was happy with someone, even if it was Malfoy.
“Hey, Hermione, I was just thinking about something,” Ron said slowly. She looked at him and nodded for him to go on.
“Well, what’s Alanna? Is she pureblood?”
Hermione shrugged. “I don’t know. Why?”
“Well, what’s going to happen if she’s not, and Draco finds out?” Ron asked.
Hermione gasped. “Oh my gosh, you’re right. What’s going to happen? I don’t want her hurt.”
“I guess we could visit her tomorrow,” Ron said, shrugging. “Come on. We should go see Harry. He’s probably pretty upset.”
“Why? Because she stopped the fight? He probably didn’t even want to, anyway,” Hermione said as she followed Ron up the stairs.
He turned around. “Harry likes her.” He turned back around and continued on. Hermione frowned and hurried after him.
“Well, that’s not good. Should we do something?” she asked.
“What can we do, ‘Mione?” Ron said over his shoulder. “We just have to help him through it.”
“Well, that was an unexpected bit of wisdom,” muttered Hermione, and she hurried to catch up again.