OMG I finally finished this chapter! I promised I would, and I did! I did! I surprised myself when I did, 'coz I was struggling through my writer's block, getting there line by line, and then suddenly the chapter was finished! I actually did a happy dance, I was that overjoyed!
Okay, it's short, but I was really struggling on this one, so pwease don't be angwy! (yip! yip!) Thank you to all the people who reviewed and begged for more of this, 'coz without those luvly reviews floating around in the back of my head i probably would have given up on this altogether. I like this chapter more than the first one. Hopefully you guys will too. And I guess I've committed myself to writing more of this story now, so you can be happy in knowing that some actual romance is gonna happen (eventually). So enjoy the fruits of my labour, peeps!
Warning: Slash. Don't go bitchin' to me about how disgusting it is. All homophobic comments will be laughed and then ignored. And if you're not a homophobe but you still dislike slash with a passion, then fair do's. I'm not gonna force you to read it.
Disclaimer: I don't own them. You know I don't. I would not be on if I owned the characters from Harry Potter. And I don't claim to own them either, nor do I make any profit from this story, so you have no basis upon which to sue me, all you people who sit around itching to sue people. So don't!
P.S. Italics are thoughts. Bold italics are words with emphasis. But you could have figured that out for yourselves.
Potions the next day was tense. The Gryffindors were watching the Slytherins every move, convinced that any second they were about to unleash some ghastly prank. The Slytherins in turn were convinced that the Gryffindors were up to something, and so returned the suspicious glances with twice as much venom. Even Snape had recognised the heavy air and was keeping his head low at his desk rather than risk walking up and down the classroom between the uptight students. And among all the scepticism and suspicion, sitting very awkwardly, was poor old Draco.
He was trying desperately to ignore the situation surrounding him. As far as he was concerned, the entire world extended as far as his desk and no further. There certainly was no such person as Harry Potter, staring at him as if he was the very scum of the earth, and there was definitely no such boy as Neville Longbottom. No, Neville Longbottom and his adorable puppy dog eyes did not exist, and all Draco had to worry about was putting his finely powdered gnome teeth into his potion at exactly the right time.
"Draco?" Pansy Parkinson waved her hand obtrusively in Draco's face, shattering his fantasy and scaring him half out of his wits.
"Wha...what? Who's there?" he spluttered, accidentally dumping all of the gnome teeth into the potion at exactly the wrong time.
"What do you mean 'who's there'? What's wrong with you?" Pansy snorted, failing to notice the sickly green smoke that was beginning to billow from Draco's cauldron. She continued to prattle on about how Draco had been acting like a complete pillock since last night and how people were beginning to think he had lost the plot, until the smoke had enveloped her in a smog-like grip. Only when she began shrieking for help did Snape dare to move, swooping down on Draco the way he had done so many times before with Neville. Neville himself was staring wide-eyed at the chaotic scene before him, thanking his lucky stars that it hadn't been his cauldron for once. Draco didn't even want to acknowledge what Potter and Weasle were thinking.
"Draco Malfoy!" Snape spluttered, obviously at a loss for what to say. "This is something I expect from Longbottom, not from someone such as you!" He paused, conflicting emotions flickering across his hooked features. Finally, a side won, and he screwed his face up in disgust. "Ten points..." he muttered, forcing the words between his teeth. "Ten points from Slytherin." Snape shot one last withering look at Draco before performing a hasty scouring charm on his cauldron, sending Pansy to the Infirmary and then storming back to his desk to sulk over the points he had just taken away. Draco was left with the rest of Slytherin glaring at him like he had just declared his undying love for Harry Potter. Or Neville Longbottom. Either way, they were pretty pissed off.
"Nice one Malfoy!" Blaise Zambini chuckled. "Maybe you ought to partner up with Neville next time. You can compare cauldron-exploding tips!" A few boys snickered behind their hands, making Draco's blood pound through his ears with both embarrassment and anger. This was the price of being perfect; one slip-up and suddenly you're a disgrace. All he could do was sneer at those who dared laugh at his misfortune, and then blunder on through the day until he could go to bed and cry into his pillow. It was killing him not to cry right now; he could feel the hot tears burning behind his eyes. It wasn't fair! He had never asked for any of this, but it had happened and now his life was falling down around his ankles. Draco just wanted everything to go back to normal, and he certainly didn't want to think about Neville Longbottom ever again!
"So, what do you reckon's up with Ferretface, then?" said Harry with a mouth full of bacon. He began gesticulating with his fork and almost knocked over Hermione's pumpkin juice. She held her goblet still and glared at him, not that he noticed. He was far too engrossed in the latest topic of conversation: Malfoy falling off his pedestal.
"I dunno." Ron answered him, also enthralled by the topic. "It's almost like he's had a personality transplant. I mean, when have you ever known him to screw up in Potions? And when has he ever begged us for mercy?"
"Never!"
"Exactly!"
"Well I think you're both making a whole big issue out of nothing!" Hermione snapped. Harry and Ron ogled at her like she had just grown an extra head. "So what if Malfoy blew up the Potions lab? All he's done is prove that it can happen to anyone, whether they be 'filthy mud-bloods' or 'high and mighty Malfoys'."
"Alright then," Ron smirked, delighted at finally knowing something Hermione didn't, "Explain why the Ferret was snooping around in our dormitory the night before last, by Neville's bed no less!" The desired effect was achieved, as Hermione gasped in shock;
"How on earth did he get into your dormitory?" she asked.
"Not the point." Harry replied. "The point is that he was snooping around Neville."
"But what's that got to do with him messing up in Potions yesterday?"
"Maybe nothing..."
"But maybe something." Ron cut in, waggling his eyebrows suggestively (a/n - not that kind of suggestion. Patience, readers!) in the hope of some reaction. To his disappointment, Hermione merely shook her head dismissively.
"You're clutching at straws, boys." she sighed, "You're so desperate for Malfoy to be the evil nemesis you always make him out to be that you're inventing suspicious connections between two completely separate situations."
"But you admit that it was suspicious that he was snooping around Neville's bed?"
"Well it's not normal, is it?"
At just that moment, the subject of the trio's animated conversation swept into the hall. If Draco was cracking up, he sure didn't look like it. His face was set in stone, betraying no emotions whatsoever; eyes fixed on the path ahead. The sudden hush that had spread through the room seemed to escape his attention and as he walked past the Gryffindor table he didn't even stop to sneer at Harry. He just walked in, sat down, and began to eat his breakfast. Harry and Ron were severely disappointed.
"You'd think that he'd be at least a little cringe worthy, wouldn't you?" Ron huffed.
"Isn't he even the tiniest bit annoyed that the whole school's talking about him?" Harry huffed with him.
"Well what did you expect, for him to walk in crying his eyes out?" Hermione snorted back. Both boys gaped at her, which she ignored, being the mature and clever person that she is. Gaping did not become her.
Meanwhile, over at the Slytherin table, Draco was trying his hardest to control the urge to run away and hide. He knew as soon as he walked in that everyone was talking about the cauldron incident. Heck, he knew that before he walked in! Draco's only comfort was that the cauldron incident was enough of a scandal to cover up what was really wrong with him. The gossipmongerers were too busy squawking about Draco's fall from grace to bother looking any further into the matter, which meant he was safe...for the moment.
"Hey Malfoy!" called a voice. Draco groaned inwardly. "Met up with Longbottom yet? I reckon if you put your heads together, you could come up with some revolutionary explosive, add another wonderful achievement to your name." Surrounding Slytherins snickered at the not-so-funny joke.
"Go hex yourself Zambini!" Draco snapped. He ignored the fact that Pansy Parkinson was hovering around Blaise the way she used to hover around him. So what if Zambini had replaced him as top dog? At least Pansy would leave him alone at last; Zambini was welcome to her! Mind you, it hadn't taken everyone long to adjust to this new order of things. Where on earth was their sense of loyalty?
Bunch of spineless, fickle kiss-ups! Draco thought. Who needs them? He ignored the little part of him that whined 'I do!'. Malfoys don't need people, he told himself, People need Malfoys! All he had to do was turn the other cheek, and then have his revenge when he had rebuilt his social status and won over Neville. Whoa! Won over Neville? Where in the name of Merlin did that come from? We are not entertaining such thoughts, remember? Draco mentally reprimanded himself, and then sighed when he realised that he was becoming slightly schizophrenic. It was definitely not normal to have so many arguments with oneself, that was for sure. Maybe he needed help. But...who from? A shrink? His mother? Dumbledore? Draco shuddered, and then cheered himself up greatly with the thought that he still had the rest of the day to get through. Great.
FEEDBACK! You know by now that without feedback my will to continue this shrivels and dies. So REVIEW! I think everyone was slightly more in character. No?
Saziikins: Hi there! My sister's got the same name as you, although she spells it Sazzykins. Isn't that just a lovely irrelevant coincidence? (glances up at chapter) Characterization fab? Snape amusing? Draco's musings spot on? Plot great? swoons Oh, thank you so much deary! I'm so flattered! I shall keep this fic going just for you! (dances round room) So happy! Must keep writing for lovely fans!
Veritas Indolentia Adamo: (cringes) I'm continuing! I am! Just don't hurt me! (grins) To be honest I don't know why Blaise is being such a git. Is there a reason why he shouldn't be? However, I like the possibilities your interesting story might wield. Do tell, my little meringue, do tell. Together, we shall rule the world of HP slash! Or not... As always, many thanks for dropping by. I love ya for it!
Eelectric-diva-Nina: (whips out copy of HP and checks) So it is! Soz, I will spell his name right next time. (whaps self round head) Zabini! Zabini! And in this story he's such a git because...um...well, I'll think of a reason later. I guess seeing as several people have asked, I shall have to make his git-ness relevant to the story or face the wrath of the OOC squad. (grins) I'm glad you're enjoying so far, and thanks for the heads up. Live long and prosper!
olivialynlee: Thank you! I'll try and update soon, I will. And seeing as you like this pairing, I feel dutybound to recommend Ink by vanillafluffy. Much better than mine, trust me. Thankies for reviewing!
