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"It takes years to build a good reputation, and only seconds to destroy it." – Will from Glee (Season 1, episode 17)

Chapter Two: Fights, Reputations and Revenge

Arianna Kraft wearily eyed the pacing seventh year knowing that sooner or later the girl was going to turn towards them and demand answers. She hoped like hell that someone would know the correct reply because she didn't have a bloody clue as to his whereabouts. Ari couldn't even blame the Gryffindor when she started calling him names under her breath, they were all correct, and he was almost twenty minutes late. She had reminded him of the meeting. For all the good that had done, she might as well have saved her breath.

You are not your cousins' keeper! She reminded herself firmly, it was something she was still working on, this need to make sure he got where he was supposed to, outside of class and meals, and managed to stay out of trouble. She had discovered early on in their relationship that she was horrid at it.

"I'm going to kill him." Hermione Granger muttered to the room at large as she finally stopped pacing and turned to address the assembled students. "I will be the first Head Girl in history to be expelled for murdering the Head Boy. Then I'm going to be sent to Azkaban to rot, but it will be for a good cause." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, Ari wondered if that was supposed to have had some sort of calming effect on the girl, she didn't think it had worked if it was. Hermione's next words confirmed that. "I will, of course, make sure that none of you are implicated in the crime."

"She's going to have to get in line behind me." Pansy hissed from her left, causing Ari to stifle a giggle.

"Do get your knickers out of that twist, Granger, I'm here. Now let's get this bloody meeting done with." Draco Malfoy sneered as he strode through the doorway and draped himself on one of the two remaining chairs that were set up around the large round table making Hermione glower and a few others laugh out right.

"Don't think for one minute you have any effect whatsoever on my knickers, Malfoy." Hermione ground out between clenched teeth.

"Thank Merlin for small favors." He said snidely, Ari briefly wondered if he knew he sounded like a little snot.

"Is that what you do every time you pull your pants down?" A new voice asked, laced with innocence and curiosity. Ari wanted to pound her head against the table when she realized it was the youngest Weasley joining the, err, conversation.

Draco studied the redheaded girl who was sitting rather closer than necessary to that annoying camera idiot. He could see Ari out of the corner of his eye glaring, silently warning him to watch how he phrased his next insult.

"I'm sure that's what you do whenever you crawl into Potter's bed; I myself have never had any complaints, want to judge yourself?" He asked, putting just the right touch of boredom in his tone. He rather liked the way the chit flushed up with what he figured was most likely anger, her brother on the other hand had turned an unattractive purple. "Oh, that's right; you prefer you're…friend's bed, right?" The whole school knew that while she had been dating the boy-who-just-wouldn't-bloody-die she had spent most nights in the fifth year boy's dormitory, cuddled up to the git with the camera, Potter had made sure of that when he had confronted her in the middle of the Great Hall.

Weasley the elder was actually foaming at the mouth a bit, Granger physically holding him in his chair and hissing something at him, probably threats, the girl was really good with her threats, if only she would follow up where her idiot friend was concerned. Weasley the younger was smirking.

"Stooping to gossip, Malfoy?" She questioned, her brows drawn up, "How very…common of you."

"Enough!" Granger said firmly, cutting into the conversation. "You are all more than welcome to hex, maim, and or kill each other once we leave this room, but for now, we are done trading insults. One more word, Malfoy, and I'm going to let Gin hex you, I swear to God!"

Draco opened his mouth, because really, how could he not with a threat like that, only to snap it closed and glare at his younger cousin. The bloody bint had kicked him.

"Alright." Hermione murmured, releasing a huff, "I call this meeting to order. After last night's…incident, Dumbledore has decided to re-evaluate how we, as prefects, go about our duties." While she talked she passed around thick packets and small purple velvet bags, Draco had to fight the urge to say something insulting about Dumbledore. She must have realized it too, because she cut him a glare so lethal he was a bit amazed that he wasn't bleeding everywhere. "Starting tonight we will begin patrolling the corridors in pairs, with a set route. No, Patil, this is non-negotiable. If you look to your packets it has the schedule for the whole of the term, along with a listing of partners. As those of you who actually paid attention during the welcome feast know, Dumbledore is pushing for unity among the houses this year. He did take this into account. The pairings were assigned with disregard to house, year, and gender. In the small bag you will find a circular charm, you are to keep this on you at all times during patrol, as it has a communication charm. The complete instructions for its uses and directions on setting it up are also in your packet. Now, I hereby close this session, have a wonderful dinner everyone!"

Draco blinked as the door slammed closed behind her as she all but ran from the room. He hadn't even been aware that she was working her way towards the door.

"Ta, Malfoy!" The little redhead cooed as Looney Lovegood and the boy she had been snuggled up against pulled her out of the room, her brother, all but growling at her to shut up, right behind them.

"That was horrid, even for you!" Ari said, leveling her best glare at him. The girl wasn't in Slytherin for nothing, she had a very good glare, maybe even better than Grangers, but her tone rankled.

"Don't I get credit for not calling Granger a Mudblood?" He asked nastily, causing the blonde girl to wince at the derogatory term and Pansy Parkinson to narrow her dark blue eyes at him. He immediately felt like slime, Ari may have gotten into the house that prided purebloods the most in the school, but she was still the daughter of Lucius Malfoy's half-blood bastard sister and a muggleborn wizard. He had originally stopped using the name because he knew Ari didn't like hearing it, and she was the only family he could honestly claim to like.

"Ari-"

"Save it, Malfoy." She muttered, hurt lacing her voice. Now it was his turn to wince as she pushed out of the room without a backwards glance.

"That was low, Malfoy, even by your standards." Pansy told him quietly as she gathered Ari's things that the sixth year girl had left behind in her exit.

"Shut it, Pans."

"No. Don't you get it, Malfoy? She's the only person in this school who has your back without question, the only one who really gives a fuck, Merlin knows why, and you say shit like that just to hurt her."

"Well maybe she shouldn't give a fuck. It's not like I deserve it, if I treat her as badly as you seem to think."

"You great wanker, she loves you!" Pansy hissed, "I don't think she cares if you deserve it or not, but one day you're going to push that family bond to the point where she really is going to give up on you, then you're going to be alone. Maybe you should take some time to think about that."

XXX

"Are you alright?" Ron asked as Luna and Colin sped up, giving the siblings a measure of privacy.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Ginny questioned without looking at her brother, "It's just Malfoy, it's not like his opinion actually matters."

"About last term-"

"Stay out of it, Ron." Ginny demanded, cutting him off. "What happened is between Harry and I, he's your best friend and I don't want you having to take sides any more now than I did when it first happened."

"I just want you to know," he started, choosing his words, "if I had to choose, I would choose you."

"But you're not, because you're going to stay out of it." Ginny told him firmly even as her eyes misted over from the warm glow his words had produced.

"Right." He agreed with a nod even as his eyes lit with a mischievous light more suited to her and the twins. "I could still kick his arse for you." Ron felt some of the tension that had settled on him in the meeting melt away as his sister finally looked at him with a small smirk.

She had to admit, her brother had filled out since becoming the Gryffindor keeper. He also had seventeen years of functioning as the punching bag for their five older brothers, and managing to hold his own fairly well. "I don't think it would be a very fair fight." She told him.

"You really think I could take him?" He asked, looking like he was seriously considering driving his fist into the face of the boy-who-lived, and rather enjoying the imagery.

"I wouldn't bet against you in an actual fist fight, maybe in a duel, but just you pummeling the hell out of some bloke? My money's always on you." She said honestly, "Besides, you fight dirty."

"Well, I learned from you and the twins. Speaking of which, what happened in there? You don't usually jump into shit like that, it's more my style."

Ginny shrugged, "Malfoy was annoying me."

"That's because he's an annoying little wanker." Ron muttered giving her a slight body bump, making her laugh.

XXX

Ari wasn't in the Great Hall. Granger was there though, looking brassed off and glaring at Potter. The Weasley's were there, huddled up and smirking, probably planning Malfoy's murder; Pansy rather thought she would cheer them on if they actually tried for the git.

Ari wasn't in the common room either, Pansy knew because she had checked. She had looked through the entire Slytherin house in the hopes of finding the younger blonde only to come out slightly frustrated.

She finally tracked her down in the back of the library pursuing a small battered book bound in green leather. Pansy didn't need to see the title to know that it was considered a banned book, anything that could make a pissed off Slytherin smile at it the way Ari was currently smiling was probably illegal.

"You forgot this." Pansy said as she slid the packet and small bag across the table. Ari flushed and shoved the small book in her bag, but not fast enough, Madam M's Ghastly Spells and Potions, Enemy's Beware. "I'm not entirely sure that Draco will forgive a Madam M." Pansy told her as she slid into a seat, there really wasn't much of a reason to hurry back to the Great Hall, dinner was almost over.

"I'm not sure I care what he would forgive." Ari muttered as she flipped through the stack of papers. "I'm not even sure if I want to forgive him."

"Don't be like that Ari. You know you mean a lot to him. He's just, well, he's Malfoy." Pansy told her, at a loss to explain what about the boy was so damn frustrating.

"I'm not just going to forgive him this time. I'm always forgiving him and letting things pass. I'm tired of it. If he actually cares he's going to have to be the one to show it, Malfoy name be damned." Ari said stubbornly as she finally found the listing of partners. "Oh, that's just beautiful." She murmured, her eyes shining.

Pansy eyed her wearily, it appeared there was something that would be making Draco very uncomfortable in the near future. She had no idea just how right she was.

XXX

A/N: I couldn't find a quote or lyrics I liked, also, I couldn't think of a good chapter title. If anyone has better, let me know.