Harriet Potter and the Minister of Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters you recognize from the HP books in this story. All I own is the plot. Everything else belongs to JK Rowling.
Pairings: DM/femHP (eventual). CD/femHP. RW/HG. JP/LP (past). SS/LP (one-sided).
Warnings: Spoilers from canon (Books 4 to 7). Occasional time jumps from chapter to chapter. Mature content later on.
Notes: A big, warm thank you to everyone who reviewed! I realize that James is being a bit of a jerk right now but I'm fully intent on developing his character in this story so I hope you all stick around for that. Enjoy the chapter! (^_^)
Chapter 2 – That Awkward Stage
"What are you doing here, Malfoy…?"
Harry felt a surge of irritation as she found herself staring at Draco Malfoy's smug smirk at her from where he was standing in the corridor several feet away. The blonde Slytherin had been on his way to one of the Ministry elevators when he had turned a corner and ran into her – much to her dismay.
Groaning silently, Harry couldn't help but curse her stroke of bad luck and timing. She took a deep breath and stared back at the tall blonde, calmly raising one of her eyebrows at him in question.
Her long-time rival of four years sneered back at her in response, his mercury-gray eyes glinting maliciously. "Where are Weasel and the Mudblood? Aren't they supposed to be trailing after your shadow all the time?" He drawled as he crossed his arms and leaned casually against the corridor wall.
For a few seconds, Harry just glared at him – highly annoyed at the arrogance of his pose and the way the handsome Slytherin was obviously amused at her discomfort. Even outside of Hogwarts, Harry noted with a hint of resentment that Draco Malfoy looked nothing less than pristine and immaculate. His platinum blonde hair was gelled, and his robes were pressed to perfection. Underneath, he wore a gray collared shirt, black trousers, and an expensive pair of gleaming black leather shoes.
Frankly, when Harry compared his appearance to her own uncombed hair, baggy jeans, sweatshirt, and mud-caked sneakers, she couldn't help but scowl at him even more in embarrassment.
Poncy prick is even girlier than I am. She thought irritably to herself.
"If you have nothing better to say, then get lost." Harry snapped, turning around and throwing the rest of the newspaper back into the trash can. She would have been happy to walk away but to her annoyance, the blonde Slytherin smirked and intentionally stepped in front of her to block her path.
"What, just because you're the Minister's Daughter, you think you're the only student who's allowed to set foot in the Ministry of Magic, Pothead? I think not. Don't get ahead of yourself again." Malfoy taunted loudly, his voice dripping with derision as Harry tensed and glared at him in response.
"No, I do not think that I'm the only student allowed to set foot in the Ministry of Magic, Malfoy. Although I would think that Death Eater traitors such as you and your family would be afraid of a place like this." She shot back, feeling a sense of satisfaction when she saw the way Malfoy's jaw tightened.
Even as Malfoy had opened his mouth to cut her off, Harry continued, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Is your father visiting his dear 'friend' Pius Thicknesse again?" Harry shook her head. "You know, I have to hand it to your father. For him to make friends with the Head of the Magical Law Enforcement…? What an ingenious way to keep himself from getting into Azkaban." She mused out loud.
Malfoy's pale cheeks suddenly flushed with anger and a cold snarl had formed on his face.
"Don't you dare talk about things you don't understand, Potter–"
"I don't have to." Harry cut him off coldly. "Mark my words, Malfoy…My father and Sirius are both intent to have you, your father, and even your little Ministry friend Thicknesse brought into Azkaban soon. You can't evade the truth forever…" She spoke slowly, making sure to emphasize the word 'Azkaban' so that the older teen had visibly paled and stepped backward from her in hesitation.
The Slytherin's gray eyes had darkened anger as he glared at her and gave her a cold sneer.
"You have no right to act all high and mighty. You don't know anything about me or my family." He spat back contemptuously, his face twisting into that snide, angry snarl that Harry so often had directed at her back in school. She was accustomed to their usual exchange, however, and instead of backing away, she just scoffed and turned around, walking around him and heading down the hallway.
"Personally, I'd like to keep it that way. Now, if you'll excuse me–"
"At least I have a family, you know." Malfoy had called after her with a cruel, snide smirk, immediately causing Harry to whirl around and glare at him with vehemently flashing green eyes. "At least I have a family – a father and a mother who care about me. Can you say the same about yourself these days?" He added, his smirk growing when he saw the way her cheeks had flushed in humiliation.
Seething and fuming with anger, Harry was beginning to see red as she glanced back at him.
"Don't talk about my family, you jerk–"
With a sly grin, Malfoy slowly held up his copy of the Daily Prophet in his hand – showing her the large picture of her and her father plastered on the front page. "I gather you saw Skeeter's latest masterpiece on you and your father this morning, Potter? What was it about again…Ah yes! About you being an attention-seeking little whore who can't even get enough of Daddy's time and attention? Awwww…How absolutely pitiful, really." Malfoy drawled loudly, his eyes gleaming at her in triumph.
Before she had managed to say anything to defend herself, Malfoy had stepped towards her again, rolling his copy of the Daily Prophet up in his hand and using it to whack Harry lightly on the cheek.
"That part about Diggory?" Malfoy's sneer hardened and his eyes flashed in disgust. "Why am I not surprised, Potter? First Weasley, now that pathetic Hufflepuff. You know absolutely nothing about choosing the right people to associate with." He mocked her, his eyes narrowed as he stared her down.
Her cheeks flushing, Harry's jaw dropped open in embarrassment and she rubbed at the spot on her cheek where his newspaper had lightly hit her. "I rejected you, Malfoy; I think my ability to tell which people are good to associate with is fine." She countered, pulling away from the Slytherin in impatience.
To her astonishment, Malfoy had grabbed her arm and yanked her closer so that their faces were only inches apart. Gaping and her heart pounding in nervousness, she struggled wildly against him.
"Malfoy, what do you think you're doing–"
"So it's true, then? You are dating that Hufflepuff?" He sneered, his eyes narrowing in disgust.
She flushed and stiffened at the strange tone she heard in his voice but she yanked herself free.
"That's absolutely none of your business! Now, if you'll excuse me–"
She was just about to walk away from him when Malfoy spoke again, drawing her attention.
"Why not try to win 'Daddy's' affection by chasing after his unfulfilled dream instead, Potter?"
Momentarily distracted by his sudden change of topic, Harry's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion and she glared impatiently at him. "Just what exactly are you talking about now, Malfoy?"
Malfoy's self-righteous grin widened and he straightened, walking over to her until their faces were inches apart again. "The tournament, Potter…The TriWizard tournament…You do know all about that right? Tsk tsk." He pretended to shake his head in mock disapproval. "What's the use of having the Minister of Magic as your father if you can't even appreciate the benefits that come with the position?"
Confused, Harry opened her mouth to cut him off but Malfoy continued. "It was even mentioned in Skeeter's article, Potter. Or were you just so wrapped up in Skeeter revealing your Daddy woes that you didn't notice? Are you honestly that self-centered?" He added in a scathing tone of voice.
Flushing at the implied insult in his words, Harry tried not to show her confusion as she shook her head and met his challenging gaze. To be honest, she had only a vague idea of what the TriWizard Tournament was about –not nearly enough to actually understand what Malfoy meant. Still, she raised an eyebrow and answered him – both teenagers unaware of the other blonde walking towards them.
"Dad tells me everything. I don't need information from Death Eater scum like you. "
The smirk on Malfoy's face instantly disappeared and his eyes glinted at her in icy contempt.
"Careful with that mouth, Potter…You don't to end up like your filthy mudblood mother–"
Harry lunged at him, her green eyes flashing dangerously and her hands going right for his neck.
"You bastard!"
Malfoy yelped, his eyes widening in fear at her reaction but just as he was about to step back from the irate Gryffindor, a large hand out of nowhere had clamped down hard on Harry's back – yanking on her shirt collar and pulling her away from the panicked blonde. Growling, Harry's eyes were narrowed as she whirled around, staring unwittingly at the tall, blonde man standing right behind her.
As soon as she recognized who it was, she froze in place.
"Miss Potter."
Lucius Malfoy sneered at her as he held her tightly by her collar, yanking her away from his son with an impatient growl. Wincing slightly, she stumbled backwards, grasping onto the walls for support.
Seeing this, the grimace on Draco's face was instantly replaced by a superior smirk.
"Hello Father."
With a trademark sneer identical to his son's in place, and his cane balanced lightly in his hand, the elder Malfoy arched an eyebrow elegantly at Harry and glared at the Gryffindor in obvious dislike.
"Miss Potter…Would you care to enlighten me as to why I just saw you about to attack my son?" He asked carefully, his voice so soft that it was almost a whisper – except that it was laced with warning.
Gulping at the dark tone of his voice, Harry tensed and reluctantly took a few steps backward.
"I don't really respond well to people talking badly about me or my family, Mister Malfoy." She responded coldly, her smile awkwardly polite when she heard the Malfoy patriarch's disbelieving scoff.
"Indeed…?"
Lucius' lips twisted in contempt but he seemed to hold himself back from speaking again as he glanced questioningly at Draco. The younger blonde rolled his eyes and flicked his gaze over at Harry.
"We were just catching up, Father." Draco drawled, smirking when he saw the way Harry was backing away from them. "In fact, I was just asking her how the Minister was." He added nonchalantly.
Lucius also noticed her uneasiness and he chuckled at her, one of his eyebrows raised in thought.
"How is your father these days, Miss Potter? Still on his cause to 'purge the Wizarding World of the Dark Arts' I gather?" He drawled mockingly, his smirk widening when he saw Harry's tense grimace.
"He's well as can be expected, Mister Malfoy. Now, if you'll excuse me–" She let out a gasp of shock when Lucius suddenly snagged her wrist with his cane and held her in place, his eyes narrowing.
"You and your father would do well to watch each other's backs, Miss Potter." His lips curled into a menacing sneer and he arched an eyebrow again, his gaze moving from Harry's panicked expression to the wizard approaching her from behind. "You don't want to be trusting the wrong sort of people. If you're not careful–" He ignored the way Harry winced in pain at the cane scraping her wrist.
"–your precious father could wind up losing so much more than his position as the Minister of Magic." Lucius' eyes had narrowed further as he said this and an unwelcoming sneer had forced on his face as he glared at the dark-cloaked figure who had just come up right behind Harry's struggling form.
"You alright there, Harry?"
Glancing up, Harry let out a deep sigh of relief when she saw her father's advisor, Peter Pettigrew, walking up to them, stopping just a few meters from where she was and giving her a concerned look. When he noticed Draco and Lucius, his frown deepened and he took out his wand.
"Is everything okay around here, Lucius? Or shall I have you escorted out now?" Peter's eyes flashed threateningly as he stepped towards them, making sure the two blondes saw the prestigious silver badge pinned to his robes. The badge indicated his advisory position to the Minister of Magic, and often gave Peter the authority he so-often abused to push all sorts of people around the Ministry.
Despite herself, Harry had to fight the urge to roll her eyes at Peter's obnoxious attitude.
What a douche.
Apparently, however, as she realized this – Lucius seemed to be thinking the same thing. The Malfoy Patriarch suddenly smirked widely at Peter, his eyes mocking as they took in Peter's uniform.
"Why Pettigrew…How surprising. I almost didn't recognize you." Lucius commented casually, one of his eyebrows arched again as he met Peter's unwelcoming scowl. "Funny, isn't it…? How much a jealous, conniving, scheming little rat can get to the right places by associating himself with the right people at the right time…? Isn't that right, Peter?" Lucius drawled, smirking at the flush on Peter's face.
After a few seconds of him sputtering for something to say back, Peter finally managed to scrape together a scoff before rolling his eyes and attempting to pull Harry away from the taller man.
"If you're talking about yourself, Malfoy…I hardly think that you're in the right place at all. Frankly, if the Minister and Ihad a choice, you and your son would be safely locked away in Azkaban." He retorted, stiffening slightly when he saw that Lucius had just smirked at him again in response.
"I was just thinking the same thing about you, Pettigrew." He quipped with a cold smile.
To Harry's surprise, a muscle in Peter's cheek seemed to twitch and his face lost a bit of color.
"Get the hell out of here, Malfoy! Before I have you thrown out!" He suddenly screeched back.
Looking incredibly amused at Peter's reaction to them, the corner of Lucius' lips twitched upwards as he released Harry, turning slightly to share a look with his son. "That's not necessary, Pettigrew. In fact, Draco and I were just leaving." He drawled, turning back around to meet Harry's gaze.
"Good day to you, Miss Potter." He acknowledged softly, trailing his eyes up from her shaken expression to Peter's seething, angry growl. "And a pleasant day to you too, Pettigrew." He drawled sarcastically, watching as the small man's cheeks had reddened in annoyance as he glared back at him.
Ignoring his reaction, Lucius nodded once to Draco before walking towards the Ministry elevator. After watching his father for a few seconds, Draco then turned back to glance warningly Harry – who in that moment had already stepped back from him and was using Peter's large, round body as a shield.
"You should really choose the kind of company you keep, Potter. Didn't I warn you before?" Draco's gray eyes glinted strangely as he looked up and glared pointedly at Peter in utmost loathing.
Unsure of exactly what he meant, Harry ignored Peter's tugging on her arm and snapped back.
"And I thought I told you before, Malfoy…I don't need your help." She replied coolly.
To her surprise, Draco suddenly looked at her again, his eyes unusually soft as they met hers.
"Evidently, you do."
Before Harry even got the chance to say anything else, Draco broke the eye contact and turned around, walking into the elevator with his father and shutting the door. As soon as the two Malfoys had left and Harry realized that Peter was waiting for her, she whirled around and glared irritably at him.
"I didn't need your help back there, you know. I could have handled myself just fine." She snapped, scowling as Peter's expression changed from surprised and confused to annoyed and angry.
"Oh and this is the gratitude I get for saving you from 'Dark Potentials' like the Malfoys, young lady? I was just trying to help you, –" Peter broke off when Harry growled and lashed at him again.
"Don't call me 'Young Lady', you simpering rat! You're not my father!" She raged, shoving him away when he tried to grasp her by her arm. "Look…I don't need to take advice from you. I don't like you. And you don't like me either. Stop trying to pretend like you do." She added in a cold, blunt voice.
Peter snarled at her, his blazing glare glowing with anger as they pinned her in place.
"That family is nothing but trouble! Your father warned you not to hang around Dark Arts people like Lucius Malfoy – especially that son of his! We're only trying to protect you, Harry–"
"Protect me from what? They weren't likely to attack me right inside the Ministry of Magic's office, Peter! Get a hold of yourself!" Harry scoffed pointedly at him but Peter snapped at her in warning.
"I'm warning you. Stay away from that kid Draco Malfoy, Harry. He's dangerous and evil and–"
"I can handle myself just fine, Peter." Harry cut him coldly, already turning away.
Outraged, Peter's eyebrows fused and he opened his mouth to cut her off but Harry went on.
"Just go back to whatever it was you were doing to help my Dad and we'll be fine, alright? Now, if you'll excuse me." Harry didn't bother saying anything else as she pulled away from him and headed for the Ministry elevator, walking briskly around the small man as though he were an inanimate object.
Peter stared at her as she left, his eyebrows furrowed as he watched the young Gryffindor walk into the elevator and activate the button to shut the doors. As soon as she was gone, the confusion on Peter's face cleared and his expression hardened, his eyes glinting with a strange hint of malice.
"Be careful, you little brat…Be very, very careful."
Harry forced a smile as she stepped into the large dining room of the Potter Estate that morning – only to grimace a moment later when she was instantly met with her grandfather's disapproving glare.
"And just what exactly is that you're wearing, young lady?"
At sixty years old, her grandfather, Augustus Potter III, was a very intimidating sight to behold. Standing at more than six feet tall, with dark brown eyes and thick gray hair, the former Potter Patriarch peered down at Harry through his thick-framed glasses and gave her a stern, displeased scowl.
"You're not thinking about going out into public wearing that monstrosity are you?"
Harry sighed and tried not to scowl at him, fidgeting uncomfortably under his glare.
"It's a muggle t-shirt, Grandfather. Anyone else who's going to the Quidditch Cup is going to be wearing them. It was mandated by the Ministry of Magic." She told him, stiffening defensively when her grandfather stood up from where he was seated near their dining table and began to walk over to her.
Frowning, Augustus stopped just as he reached her and reached over to pick an imaginary piece of lint off Harry's shoulder. "I see…And which group of friends will you be going with to this event then?" He tried to ask nonchalantly; although Harry saw the anxious way he was frowning in anticipation.
Trying hard not to smile, Harry cleared her throat and answered him as calmly as she could.
"Ron, Neville, and Hermione."
The annoyance she saw on Augustus' face multiplied tenfold but he kept silent, his eyes glinting.
"I see."
Harry bit her lip to keep from smiling again, edging towards the dining table and plopping herself down onto the corner seat. She ignored her grandfather's exasperated glare at her a few seconds as she helped herself to a particularly tasty blueberry muffin, some bacon and a few pancakes.
"And I suppose you think I'm just going to let you walk out of here just like that? Do you even realize how dangerous–" Augustus broke off when Harry glanced back up at him again and grinned back.
"You don't have to worry about me, Grandfather. Dad's going to watch the Quidditch game with me anyway, he promised." Harry told him, much to Augustus' surprise as he stared at her in confusion. Fusing his eyebrows together, he took a quick look at his watch before glancing back at her with a frown.
"You did say that the game was…this afternoon, right?" Augustus asked uncertainly, watching as Harry suddenly looked up from her breakfast plate and stiffened, her fingers tightening around her fork.
"Yeah…Just before dinner." Her eyes narrowed and she had to set her fork down in anticipation.
"Why?"
Shaking his head, Augustus gave the young teenager a grim smile. "Your father left early this morning. He mentioned something about a Ministry employee of his who had gone missing for quite some time now and that they were going to investigate her house for any clues of her whereabouts." He explained slowly, already noting the way the excitement in Harry's eyes began to dim in disappointment.
After a long moment of awkward silence, Harry nodded slowly and managed a forced smile.
"Did he mention what time he'd be back then?" She asked, trying to look nonchalant as she studied the sympathetic expression on her grandfather's face. Frowning, the older Potter shook his head.
"I'm afraid your father won't be back until dinner tonight, darling. He did mention to me to tell you that you were to be careful during the match. And to go home before breakfast tomorrow." He told her, much to Harry's dismay as her eyes flashed and she sighed, looking away from him in frustration.
"It figures." She muttered under her breath, shaking her head before taking a sip of orange juice. Scowling, she glanced back up at Augustus. "Did my Dad even offer an apology?" She asked him bluntly.
To his credit, Augustus offered her somewhat of a rueful smile and slowly shook his head again.
"He had a lot of things on his mind, dearest." He offered, but Harry had already scoffed in disbelief.
Deliberately avoiding her grandfather's gaze so that he wouldn't see the pool of tears gathering in her eyes, Harry ignored the rest of her breakfast and stood back up, hastily yanking on her jacket.
"Well, if that's the case, Grandfather… Then I think I can go off to Ron's already. I won't have to wait for Dad anymore." Harry managed to rush out in a falsely cheerful tone that was betrayed by the slight trembling of her voice. When Augustus peered closely at her, she turned her face sharply away.
"I'll be back first thing tomorrow morning before breakfast. You know… Just in case Dad asks." She knew her grandfather heard the sarcasm in her voice but she didn't bother trying to correct it.
"Harry."
Stiffening in anticipation, Harry paused just as she was about to exit the large dining hall and turned around slowly – meeting her grandfather's stern but slightly apologetic look. She nodded in acknowledgment at him, waiting patiently as her grandfather seemed to struggle with what to say.
"If it helps…" Augustus sighed and raised his hand to massage his temples in exertion. "I do not believe that James chooses not to be with you on purpose. He is merely trying to protect you, dearest." He told her, watching as a whole whirlwind of emotions seemed to manifest itself in Harry's features.
Then, in a few seconds, the moment was gone and Harry then gave him an angry, defiant glare.
"If that's the case, then I'd rather be in danger, Grandfather."
Without waiting for him to respond, Harry stalked out of the dining room – heading straight for their floo-connected fireplace situated just below the stairs leading to their living room. After tossing in a handful of floo powder into the roaring fire, she stepped into the green flames and closed her eyes.
"THE BURROW!"
She felt the familiar tug of the floo network instantly and after a few seconds, Harry opened her eyes – smiling slightly as she was met with the familiar warmth of the Weasley's cozy living room. Though she was surprised to see that none of the Weasleys were actually in the room to wait for her as they usually did, she took that time to compare their living room to the living room in Potter Estate.
Frankly, all Harry could mention about the living room back in her house was that it was hardly ever used at all – only for when her father had invited some of his important guests over or for when they were hosting a Ministry party. Otherwise, whenever Sirius, Remus or Tonks would come over to visit, Harry and James often just hung out with them in the kitchen – eating over the kitchen counter.
In contrast, though the Weasleys' living room was about a size smaller, Harry absolutely adored the way it always seemed to be radiating with warmth and welcome whenever she came over. There would always be that special sweater that Mrs. Weasley would be magically knitting by that plush green armchair by the corner – and the smell of freshly baked cookies would be wafting in from the kitchen.
It was, perhaps, the closest smell of 'home' that Harry ever got to experience, and she enjoyed every single overnight visit she had with the Weasleys – to the point that Ron teased her about being an 'adopted member of the family'. Harry didn't mind this of course; it made her feel even more welcome.
Sighing and managing a small smile at this, Harry slowly drifted back from her thoughts and stepped out of the fireplace – searching around the room for a sign of any of the Weasley children.
"Hello? Anybody home?" Harry grinned when she noticed a freshly baked batch of cookies waiting for her by the living room coffee table. Grabbing one and taking a large bite, she called out again.
"Ron? Ginny? Mrs. Weasley?"
She heard a noise coming from the backyard of the house and began to head toward it, munching on her cookie as she went by. Just as she was stepping out from the sliding door leading to the Weasley's yard, however, she heard a loud voice shouting – which caused her to stiffen in alarm.
"PILE ON HARRY!"
Eyes wide, Harry had just enough time to whirl around and see a haze of four red blurs heading straight for her before she yelped as she was tackled to the grass – right at the very bottom of the pile.
"ARGH! What are you doing?! Get off me!" Harry could barely speak through their laughter as she wrestled with Ron, Fred, George, and Ginny all at once – all of whom had jumped right on her and pinned her to the ground. Still laughing, she managed to shove Ron away from her and he grinned as he jumped up, reaching down to help her stand. Taking his hand, Harry glowered at them as they stood up.
"Good morning, Harry! How are you?" Ginny greeted her with a cheeky grin, laughing when Harry just aimed a swipe at her and she narrowly ducked, taking a few steps backward to avoid being hit.
"I'm fine, other than the fact that I just broke my back. Thank you very much, you guys." Harry grumbled, pretending to glower at them but failing miserably when Fred and George both swooped down on her and wrapped their arms around her shoulders – sandwiching her right in between them.
"Harry, Harry, Harry! How are you this morning? It's so good to see you again! How's the Minister?" Fred intoned cheerfully – but before Harry could answer him, George had also chimed in. "Yeah, we hear he's been really busy nowadays. Always on the newspapers, I tell you." He added.
Harry opened her mouth to answer but she ended up smirking ruefully when Fred interrupted her again. "But not too busy to be on the dating scene is he?" He winked at her and pulled out a copy of the latest tabloid in his pocket. Whistling, he pointed to the picture of her dad on the cover – standing beside Hadriana Sloveckia, a Russian supermodel and the latest woman to be linked to James Potter.
"Now that is certainly one fine prize to be had, if I do say so myself. Are you sure your father's too busy to be with you because of work? Or because he's too busy spending time with this?" Fred joked, grinning at her when Harry just scowled at him and yanked the cheesy tabloid back from his hands.
Skimming through the contents of the article, the scowl on her face deepened even more and she glared back up at him. "Dad is hardly serious about this brainless walking toothpick, they just went out to dinner a few times. Nothing more to that." Harry told them, earning a teasing grin from George.
"Your father is officially my idol, Harry. Power tripping all day and doing nothing but sitting behind the big desk, running the show and dating supermodels. Ah, that is the life." He and Fred bumped their fists together in agreement to that, causing Harry to scowl again and Ginny to roll her eyes.
"Don't mind these two, Harry. They're just hyped up because they've had a crush on Hadriana Sloveckia since forever." She told her, and Ron added to this by scoffing and shaking his head. "Are you mad? Who doesn't have a crush on Hadriana?" He grinned widely and turned to Harry. "Ginny and Hermione have been arguing since last night that supermodels like Hadriana look very artificial–"
"And they are, Ronald! I'm sure Harry will agree with me." Another voice had spoken up irritably, and they all turned around to see Hermione walking out of the house with a large book tucked between her arms. As soon as Harry saw Hermione's miffed expression, she laughed and gave her a warm hug.
"Hermione, it's way too early for you to be arguing with Ron right now." She teased, causing the brown-haired girl to blush slightly but otherwise glare at Ron again in annoyance. Rolling his eyes, Ron just snorted and gave Harry and Ginny a cheeky grin. "Hermione argues with me about everything, Harry. So what else is new?" He nodded towards Fred and George, who were sniggering again and hiding behind a group of bushes near the front entrance of the house. "Ah…That should be Neville arriving."
Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing, Harry hung back with Ron, Hermione and Ginny and let the scene unfold. Just as Neville had poked his head out of the house to look around, Fred and George had pounced on him – tackling him and calling loudly for Harry and the others to join them.
Amidst Neville's shrill protests, Harry burst out laughing as she and Ron jumped onto the top of the pile – much to Neville's dismay as he grunted his annoyance and began shoving them all off him. "Argh! You guys suck, you're not exactly light weight you know! Argh, get off me!" He protested wildly.
Rolling their eyes, Hermione and Ginny watched them with amused smiles. They turned to meet each other's pointed gaze before looking back at the other five teens and muttering at the same time.
"Boys will be boys."
"I heard that!" Harry drew back from the pile, indignantly pushing her hair away from her face.
Laughing, Hermione walked over to her and helped her back up on her feet, dusting the dirt off her robes. "Come on you guys, let's go back inside. Mr. Weasley should be arriving soon." She offered a hand to Neville as well and after he got up, he, Hermione, Harry and Ron all headed back into the house.
As they were entering the living room, however, Hermione had reached over and pulled Harry aside; causing the other girl to sigh as she was forced to meet her best friend's concerned brown eyes. Frowning pointedly at the black-haired Gryffindor, Hermione raised an eyebrow at her in question.
"Well…?"
Meeting Hermione's soft gaze, the smile on Harry's face faded and she looked away quickly before Hermione could notice the sudden brightness in her eyes. When it didn't seem as though Hermione would let up on her question, however, Harry shook her head, and shrugged helplessly.
"He's not coming."
Without looking up, she heard Hermione's soft, sympathetic sigh of disappointment before she was enveloped in the other girl's tight, comforting hug – which, truthfully, made Harry feel even worse.
"Oh Harry…Sweetie, I'm sorry…" She hesitated before saying anything else, tightening her arms around the smaller Gryffindor and gently caressing her mane of long black hair. "We'll try again, okay? I'm sure that your father really wanted to go with you this time. Maybe he really was just too busy?" Hermione offered her a small smile of encouragement but Harry couldn't bring herself to believe her.
Nevertheless, she looked up and managed to reward Hermione with a very grim smile.
"Or…Maybe Malfoy was right."
When Hermione looked confused at her statement, Harry just looked away.
"Maybe my Dad really doesn't give a shit about me."
Without waiting for Hermione to respond, Harry quickly extracted herself from her arms and rushed back inside the house after Ron and Neville.
"What are we looking at here, Moony?"
Remus Lupin nearly jumped at the sound of James' voice from behind, and he whirled around, coming face to face with the young Minister of Magic himself. Frowning and casting a brief glance over his wristwatch, Remus turned around and rewarded his best friend with a skeptical look of disapproval.
"Aren't you supposed to be getting ready to watch the Quidditch Cup with Harry, James?" He asked, watching as his best friends' eyebrows furrowed and he sighed heavily, walking way from him. Without looking up, James busied himself with searching around the abandoned house around them and talking to some of the Ministry Aurors who were already collecting evidence or clues from the area.
When Remus continued to glare at him, however, he finally relented and let out an exasperated sigh. "I was going to go, but then I heard about this case with Bertha Jorkins mysteriously disappearing for more than two weeks now. And I had to investigate. I mean, we know Bertha back from school. What do you suppose could have happened to her–" He was cut off when Remus sighed and shook his head.
"Prongs, don't change the subject." He set down the photograph he held in his hand back on Bertha's coffee table before walking over to James. "Harry was really looking forward to spending time with you today. She was telling me all about how excited she was. I can't believe you let her down." Remus admonished him lightly, earning another glare from James as he scowled and looked away.
"I know that, Remus. But what can I do, I was needed here–"
"You know as well as I do that you weren't. I specifically wrote to you to tell you that we'd be fine investing Bertha's house on our own. Bloody hell, James, this isn't even a dangerous mission, we were just sent here to look for any clues hinting on her disappearance." Remus gave a frustrated sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Besides, knowing Bertha back from school, she probably just got lost and forgot the way back again." He kidded lightly but James just shook his head at him and frowned.
"That doesn't mean we should still take her disappearance lightly. Especially with so many muggles being killed nowadays for absolutely no reason. Something doesn't seem right." He said out loud – more to himself than to Remus. Still frowning, he walked over to Bertha's cluttered work desk.
Folding his arms over his chest, Remus shook his head and watched him cautiously.
"How did you even know where Bertha's house was, James? I didn't even tell you." Remus asked suspiciously, watching as James flinched at this and glanced back at him with a slightly rueful smirk.
"Well, originally I had planned on spending the day with Harry today. But then, Peter showed up and when I asked him about this case, he mentioned that you were investigating Bertha's house. That's was when I asked him the address." James would have continued but Remus suddenly cut him off.
"I should have known. Peter keeps wasting your time, sending you to these assignments–"
For his part, James looked up from the drawers he was searching and shook his head. "Actually, to tell you the truth, this time Peter seemed particularly keen to have me spend time with Harry. He agrees with you in saying that Bertha probably just got herself lost on the way back from a vacation." James scoffed and let out a humorless laugh. "Now if only we could just find out where the chit went."
Still frowning, however, Remus relented and walked over to where James was searching through a new set of drawers by the corner of the living room. "Well, it's your call I guess. I'm just saying that I think you're neglecting your daughter, Prongs. Harry is such a wonderful kid, Nymphadora and I enjoy having her over all the time." Remus mentioned lightly, causing James to chuckle and shake his head.
"You say that now, Remus. But that was after all of the evil escapades she put me and Sirius through raising her." His eyes softened as he thought about his daughter. "I swear, that girl was the most evil baby on the planet." James mused, shaking his head as he recalled all of those sleepless nights he had when Harry was still a baby. He and Sirius were absolutely no match against his little prongslet.
Remus laughed at the memory as well and shrugged at him in response. "Well, I suppose she just got that from her father." He kidded, before he knelt down and began tugging on the bottom drawer of the work table. "Why don't you try and make it up to her by still trying to make it later? At least until the last half of the game. I think the game won't be starting until six anyway." He suggested.
Frowning, James sighed and shook his head in response. "No, I can't do that. I promised Hadriana that I'd have dinner with her at nine, I doubt I'd make it in time." He chose to ignore the disapproving scowl on Remus' face again and stood up, walking over to one of the kitchen counters.
Snorting in disbelief, Remus shook his head and made a face. "You do know that I despise that woman completely, right James?" He mentioned but James just smirked at him and offered him a shrug. "That makes three now. You, Sirius and Harry." He chuckled again and offered him a grin. "Peter seems to like her for me though; he mentioned that the public is keen with her. So let's see where it goes."
Remus made a face again and stood up, walking over to take the evidence bag one of the Aurors behind them were offering him. "Maybe, but I just don't understand the attraction, James. I mean, sure, she's beautiful. But she's vile, self-centered and vicious. She doesn't compare to a strand on Lily's hea–"
"Drop it."
Sensing at once that he had gone too far, Remus cut himself off immediately and glanced at the taller man. He noted that James' jaw had tightened and the humor in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a cold guardedness that Remus knew all too well. Sighing in defeat, Remus retreated and spoke again.
"Shall I take these samples down to the office then, Minister?" He asked formally, watching as James seemed to appreciate the diversion of his attention as he glanced back at Remus and nodded.
"Yes, if you don't mind."
Remus excused himself slowly, weaving his way through the remaining Aurors scattered around the house and exiting through the floo network in the fireplace. Once he was gone, James allowed himself to glance at the direction his friend had come from, his bland expression heavy with exhaustion.
He knew that both Sirius and Remus were only looking out for him and Harry – just as they've always done ever since Lily had died – but often times, James found their concern tiresome. His best friends were the only ones who actually knew who James was before that night in Godric's Hollow and those times when they would bring up how much he had changed since then bothered him immensely.
It was, perhaps, the only thing that James would ever admit to himself – but he knew that he had become a cynical bastard. To be honest, being who he was now was the only reason that allowed him to carry on with his life and forget about the pain of losing the woman he loved more than anything.
The night that Lily was murdered was the single most horrifying memory in James' life.
And he could still remember every second of what happened as though it were just yesterday.
Back then, James had already known that Voldemort had been after them after hearing about the prophecy – how a child born of the seventh month would be the only one capable of killing him. The instant James heard about the prophecy, he was terrified – because he knew that evil bastard would be going after his daughter and he couldn't let that happen. He sought help from Albus Dumbledore immediately, asking the older Wizard if he could arrange for him and Lily to be protected under his care.
Dumbledore agreed to cast the Fidelius Charm on his and Lily's home in Godric's Hollow, and told James to select a friend – that one person he could entrust with his family's life – to be their Secret Keeper. Naturally, James had initially chosen Sirius to be his Secret Keeper but then he realized that Voldemort would have handpicked Sirius easily, so they chose Peter as their secret keeper instead.
That night, however, Peter had come running to them in the middle of the night – telling them that Voldemort had learned that he was the Secret Keeper. To protect them, he had fled and transferred the secret to Lily's muggle family instead. The minute she heard this, Lily was frantic and insisted that James floo over to them and remove them of the burden before the Death Eaters found out. James agreed, though not before learning that the Death Eaters were already on their way to Lily's family.
James rushed over to that muggle neighborhood immediately, but that had proven to be the one mistake he would regret for the rest of his life. By the time he got there, Lily's parents were already dead and he saw that along with them, Lily's sister Petunia and her husband had also been murdered.
From how he remembered the gruesome scene, James knew that Lily's parents had died first. Their bodies were bound to the floor and laden with symptoms that could have only come from the effects of the Cruciatus curse. Beside them, however, James noted that Petunia and Vernon Dursley's deaths were not nearly as gruesome and that they were not strapped down like Lily's parents were.
And then it had all come crashing down on him.
Lily's parents may not have betrayed Lily by giving Voldemort the secret, but James could not exactly say the same about Petunia's loyalty to her sister. In fact, if anything, James would have been certain that Petunia would have given the Death Eaters her sister's own life if it meant saving her own.
Panicked, James fled back home immediately – but it was much too late.
Lily had already been murdered and nothing could have prepared James for the sight of walking into his home and seeing the lifeless body of his beautiful wife sprawled on the floor of Harriet's nursery room. Her gleaming red hair was strewn all over the place, caked with blood, and clutched in her hand was the gleaming silver heart-shaped locket that held hers and Harry's picture the day Harry was born.
James had never known that he was capable of crying so much, but he fell to his knees that night and wept – his cries intermingling with the Harry's from she was left alone in her baby cradle.
The Dark Lord had disappeared forever – but the price had cost James the only woman he loved.
He was never the same man since.
"Minister…?"
Blinking rapidly to clear his head of his thoughts, James turned around to meet the anxious face of one of his youngest employees – Percy Weasley – and nodded to acknowledge him. "Yes, Weasley?"
James had to hold back his annoyance when Percy stared at him for a few awestruck seconds, but soon the young wizard recovered himself and handed him a slip of paper. "Pettigrew just owled. He says you're needed back in the office right away. You have a meeting scheduled with Barty Crouch, Sr." He told him, immediately causing James to flinch in realization and hastily check his watch in surprise.
"That completely skipped my mind. Alright, alright, I'm on my way." He didn't bother waiting for Percy to respond as he adjusted his robes and gathered his things, heading toward the exit of the house.
"The rest of you, keep searching! I want to find out where Bertha went off to when I get back!"
Harriet grinned widely, enjoying the familiar rush of exhilaration breezing through her as she, Ron, Hermione and Neville cheered loudly from where they were seated up in the Top Box for the Quidditch game that evening. Behind them, the rest of the Weasleys were also cheering loudly and were decked out in their commemorative bright green outfits – in full support of the Ireland Quidditch Team.
"And on behalf of the Minister of Magic, I'd just like to welcome you all to the Annual Quidditch World Cup!" Peter Pettigrew announced loudly from one of the top stands in the golden stadium that night. As the crowds of Quidditch fans below him cheered their acknowledgment, he grinned and waved cheerfully at them before resuming his seat – right in the Minister of Magic's place in the top stands.
"Bloody hell. I wish your Dad could have been here instead. I hate that smarmy git with a passion." Neville whispered derisively to Harry as they watched Peter Pettigrew chatting casually and laughing with the Minister of Magic from Ireland and Bulgaria, both of which were seated beside him.
Chuckling at the genuine dislike she heard in Neville's voice, Harry offered him a weak grin.
"You and me both, Nev. I hate him even more for getting to watch the game while my Dad is working." She muttered back to the other Gryffindor, surveying the crowds below them in mild interest.
Fortunately, one of the benefits that she and Ron both had as being children of Ministry officials was that they were able to secure their seats right in the best place in the stadium – the Top Box – just beside all the other VIPs who were invited to watch the game. Seated around them, Harry could make out several more familiar faces of her father's top officials – all of which had nodded at her in greeting.
To her left, Ron suddenly caught her attention by nudging her sharply and pointing to the Bulgarian Quidditch players who were beginning to line up in the Quidditch pitch. "Merlin's beard, Harry, look! It's Viktor Krum! One of the best seekers in the world! Would you look at that? He's right there!" Ron had practically screeched out in his excitement, causing Hermione, Neville and Harry to laugh at him.
"Aw, well aren't you like a fanboy with a crush, Ron?" Ginny teased behind them, earning herself a glare from her brother as he turned back around and childishly stuck his tongue out at her.
"Shut up!"
While Neville and Harry laughed again, Hermione just made a face and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, I certainly don't see what the big deal is, Ron. I mean, sure Viktor Krum is talented but to be honest, he's just about as talented as Harry is over here. Nothing to get all worked up over." She told them and at this, Harry's smile widened and she reached over and hugged her best friend in return.
"You are my best friend, Hermione." She commented impishly but Neville just made a face and pretended to give Harry a mocking glance. "You can't seriously be comparing our Harry to Viktor Krum, Hermione. I mean, no offense Harry–" He added quickly when Harry had turned to scowl lightly at him.
"–but Viktor Krum is more than a 'talented Quidditch player'. He's an artist! He's–"
"A god!" Ron supplied with a grin, causing Harry to laugh and Hermione to scoff at him.
She would have said more to that, but then they heard Ludo Bagman's voice announcing the official start the Quidditch match, which then diverted Ron, Harry and Neville's attention immediately.
The game had started off easy enough, and using her binoculars, Harry watched as one by one, Ludo Bagman introduced the players of Bulgaria and Ireland to the cheering crowd of fans. Once all the players had been introduced and the whistle to begin the game was sounded off, the match began immediately – and all of the Quidditch players began zooming around the field on their sleek Firebolts.
Eventually, as the game continued to progress, Ireland began to lead the match over Bulgaria by a few points, and the Irish side of the large golden stadium was screaming loudly with their support.
"Did you see that save?! I thought it was going through! Bloody hell, that was brilliant!" Ron and Harry shot each other a grin and high five before they peered through their binoculars again, watching as Ireland's keeper tossed the Quaffle back to one of their Chasers and the game commenced again.
Just as she was in caught up immensely in watching Viktor Krum going for a graceful dive towards the center of the Quidditch pitch, however, a light tap on Harry's shoulder caused her to jump slightly in surprise. Whirling around, she couldn't help the friendly smile that suddenly lit up her features when she found herself face-to –face with the tall smiling boy who was standing right behind her.
"Cedric! What are you doing here?" She exclaimed with a laugh as she and the Hufflepuff exchanged a brief hug, drawing the attention of the other spectators seated around the Top Box. Unaware of this, Cedric laughed at her surprise and shook his head, rewarding her with his friendly grin.
"Watching Quidditch, of course! You know I wouldn't miss this match for the world, Harry. What about you? Who are you watching with, is Uncle James with you?" He asked, his eyes curiously skimming around the area for a sign of Harriet's father but she shook her head slightly and answered.
"Nah, he couldn't make it tonight, Ced. But he would have been happy to see you though, he's been asking about how you were. How's Uncle Amos, then? Is he doing well?" Harry asked with a smile.
Cedric had opened his mouth to answer her but even before he got the chance, another voice had spoken up behind him to answer her. Both of them looked up at the person who was approaching.
"I'm perfectly fine, Harriet. How sweet of you for asking." Amos Diggory told her, rewarding the Gryffindor with a warm smile just as he had stopped to stand behind his son. Placing a hand proudly on Cedric's shoulder, Amos peered down at Harry and couldn't resist giving his tall son a knowing wink.
"I should have known that the minute I lost you in the crowd, you would have gone straight for Harriet over here." He teased, causing Cedric to flush bright pink and glare warningly at his smirking dad. eHe
"Dad!" He hissed, elbowing the man lightly and causing Amos to laugh at his reaction.
"Well, it's the truth, you know. Cedric here talks about you all the time, Harry. You wouldn't believe how much I've heard about you these past months." Amos saw the miserably embarrassed look on his son's face and finally relented, chuckling as he began to back away. "In any case, I think I'll leave you two now to talk before I embarrass my son further. It was nice seeing you again, Harriet. Please send my regards to James; I'll meet with him soon." He told her, to which Harry nodded in response.
"Will do, Uncle Amos." She forced a smile again as he left, leaving Harry and Cedric staring awkwardly at each other. Ignoring the way Hermione was nudging her side teasingly from behind, Harry cleared her throat loudly and looked up, meeting Cedric's embarrassed look with a comforting grin.
"Ah don't worry about it, Ced. You know how much your father has wanted to set us up since we were children, his teasing is nothing new." She kidded, causing the slight tension in Cedric's shoulders to loosen as he smiled at her in obvious relief. "Yeah, tell me about it. It's really getting embarrassing. I'm very sorry if he's been getting out of hand as of late. It's even reached the Daily Prophet." He mused, causing both of them to wince as they recalled the article written by Rita Skeeter.
Forcing a laugh, Harry waved the incident away and gave him another reassuring smile.
"Like I said, don't worry about it. Our fathers have been working together since forever, those rumors are expected. We're just going to have to keep correcting the rumors every now and then." She told him, but to her surprise, Cedric just stared thoughtfully at her, and a curious smile lit up his face.
"Cedric?"
Harry fused her eyebrows together in confusion at his expression.
"Is everything okay?"
As though blinking out of his thoughts, Cedric suddenly flushed again as he glanced back up and met her confused look with an apologetic smile. "Yeah, sure, we'd just have to keep correcting those rumors, huh? A–anyway, I'd better go, Harry. I think my Dad is signaling for me to get back. So, I guess I'll see you in school?" He leaned over and pulled her into a hug again before Harry got a chance to react.
"Er, yeah…I guess so. See you, Ced!" Harry managed to give him a slightly confused smile before he left, heading back to where he was seated next to his father by the corner of the Top Box. As soon as he was gone, Hermione had nudged her sharply again and had yanked her back down into her seat.
Rubbing at the slight pain in her ribs from where Hermione had kept poking her, Harry glowered.
"Hermione, what is it?!"
To her further annoyance, Hermione just raised an eyebrow and smirked pointedly at her.
"I refuse to believe that you really are that dense, Harry."
When Harry continued to look at her as though she had grown two heads, Hermione let out a sigh of exasperation and gestured discreetly to where Cedric and his father were seated. "Harry, you do realize that Cedric likes you, don't you?" She pointed out bluntly, causing Harry to sputter in disbelief.
"Wh–what are you talking about? He does not–"
Though he was still watching the game beside Hermione, Neville let out a snort of disbelief.
"If Diggory was any more obvious with his attentions, Harry, he might as well have Rita Skeeter publish his undying love for you. Merlin, how could you not notice the poor guy's intentions?" He added in agreement, to which Harry responded to by blushing darker and pointedly turning back to the game.
"I am not having this discussion with you guys right now." She mumbled under her breath, but to add more to her dismay, Ron chimed in further by scoffing angrily and turning around to glare at her.
"Don't you dare date a Hufflepuff, Harry! Especially a prissy little pretty boy like Cedric Diggory! Dean, Seamus and I despise him! He walks around the bloody school like he's such a perfect angel–"
"Cedric is a gentleman! He also happens to be one of the sweetest guys in Hogwarts, Ron–" Ginny tried to argue in from where she was seated nearby but Ron glared at her and cut her off insanity.
"He is not, he's a bloody menace! You deserve better, Harry, you should stay away from him–"
Groaning and hiding her thoroughly red face miserably in her hands in the middle of her friends' arguing, Harry got up from her seat and began to weave her way through the aisle towards the exit.
"Cedric is so a gentleman, Ron! You're just jealous that a lot of girls like him and not you!"
"That is so not true, Ginny! I'm your brother, how could you say that to me?!"
"Ron, Ginny's right you know. Cedric is a pretty nice guy and he might be good for Harry."
"You have to admit…Diggory is kind of an arrogant git though, Hermione."
"I can't believe you're siding with Ron, Neville! I thought you respected Cedric?"
"Well, I do…a bit….But he does get a little cocky from time to time–"
"If anyone cares, I'm just going to get some more popcorn–" Harry mumbled under her breath, but none of her friends seemed to have noticed as they continued to argue loudly amongst themselves.
Shaking her head at her friends' antics, Harry quickly excused herself from the rest of the Weasleys and began to head towards the Top Box exit, pausing just as she reached the stairs leading down towards the snack stands. Just as she was about to step down, however, she gasped as the sole of her left shoe scraped along the first step, causing the Gryffindor to trip instantly and come crashing down the flight of stairs. In panic, Harry let out a meep and grabbed at the nearest person who had been on his way up to the Top Box, nearly causing him to stumble as he managed to catch her in his arms.
Oh great…Nice going, you clumsy imbecile. Couldn't you have been more careful?! Harry scolded herself miserably, her cheeks already flushing with embarrassment. Shaking her head, she steadied herself again and forced her gaze up to meet the surprised, mercury gray eyes of her unwilling savior.
Unfortunately, the moment she realized who it was, she nearly stumbled over again.
"…Malfoy…?"
Draco Malfoy stared back at her with wide eyes, their faces mere inches apart.
"Potter."
Blushing hotly, Harry found herself at a loss for words she met the equally embarrassed stare of the blonde Slytherin in front of her – who at that moment seemed to be sharing her predicament as he struggled for something to say. Slowly, it dawned on the two rivals the full awkwardness of the strangely intimate position they found themselves in – with Draco's hands around her waist and her arms wrapped around his neck – and they broke apart immediately, their cheeks flaming with realization.
"Wh–what are you–" Harry sputtered indignantly for a few seconds, her cheeks turning almost as red as the Gryffindor scarf she was wearing. "I–I mean, I'm sorry. I didn't see you, I tripped and–"
To her surprise, Draco was blushing just as much as she was as he gave her an answering glare.
"Watch where you're going, Potter! You could have barreled me over!" He managed to stammer, his cheeks still red as he pulled himself further away from her and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, well you didn't have to catch me." Harry grumbled back, unable to say anything else.
They stared awkwardly at each other for a few more seconds again, both teens shuffling their feet uncomfortably and trying to hide the flaming redness of their cheeks. Finally, when Harry managed to gain a semblance of control over her embarrassment, she cleared her throat and spoke up again.
"W–well…Thanks for…Whatever. Catching me…I guess. See you in school, Malfoy."
Not wanting to see his reaction, Harry was already walking around him to leave but to her surprise, Draco had called out to her, and the sudden lightness of his voice caused her to freeze in place.
"Harry."
Thoroughly amazed at having heard him call her by her first name, Harry turned around slowly, blinking back at him in question. Draco hesitated for a few seconds, but eventually he spoke up softly.
"You look…different."
She gaped at him in shocked confusion, her eyes growing as wide as a pair of Quidditch Quaffles.
"…Excuse me?"
Clearing his throat, Draco hesitated again but he managed to look up and meet her eyes.
"I meant…Your hair is down." He gestured briefly to her long black hair.
At this, Harry's eyebrows arched up further and she glared back at him in mild annoyance.
"Er…yeah…so?" She asked him irritably, her eyes already narrowing in anticipation. Knowing the Slytherin, Harry was already bracing herself for the witty insult that she was sure was going to follow.
Thus, she was thoroughly astonished when, instead of insulting her as she originally anticipated, Draco had shoved his hands into his pockets again and offered her a small, boyishly embarrassed smile.
"It suits you."
To her utter dismay, Harry felt her cheeks flushing darker at his rather unexpected compliment. It didn't help the situation that Draco was looking just as taken back with his own comment as Harry was. In fact, the Slytherin's eyes had widened as he stared at her, obviously in shock over his own words.
They stared at each other for another awkward round of minutes– both of them unsure of how to react to Draco's last comment. Fortunately, the moment was effectively broken when a loud, high-pitched voice had suddenly called out from the Top Box, breaking their intense staring contest instantly.
"Draco, hurry up! You're going to miss the rest of the match!"
Following the source of the voice, Harry caught a glimpse of Draco's girlfriend, Pansy Parkinson, who was fully decked out in a glamorous frilly dress, waiting impatiently for Draco up in the Top Box. Shaking her head and suddenly pulling herself further away from the blonde Slytherin, Harry was relieved when she saw the way Draco finally seemed to have snapped back to his senses. Clearing his throat loudly, he stepped away from her and rewarded her with his familiar sneer of disdain.
"Out of my way, Pothead!" He hissed, a light blush still lingering on his pale cheeks.
More than relieved to be rid of the awkwardness they had just shared, Harry quickly obliged.
"Go on and scurry back to your girlfriend, Malfoy."
Shooting her one last dirty glare, Draco didn't answer and stomped back up the stairs, heading back to where he was seated with his parents up in the Top Box. Harry watched him go for a few seconds, her features still creased in confusion over what had just transpired between them. Then, shaking her head, she finally let out a relieved sigh and began to head down towards the popcorn stands.
A/N: Aww… Now isn't young love just the sweetest thing in the world? (^_^) A very pleasant and warm thank you to everyone who's read, reviewed, and faved this story thus far. Your support and encouragement mean the world to me, thank you so much! I really like the way this story is moving itself right now, and I'm very excited to see where my muse will take me in the next few chapters. :D
Next Chapter: James and Augustus decide that a change is definitely in order for Harry. :D
Do share your thoughts, love and comments by sending me a review, sweeties! Till next time, cheers!
