The next morning, Haley still felt bad about treating Malfoy the way she did. 'But if I weren't Haley, he'd still be the nauseating prick I'm used to…But at the moment, I am Haley who Malfoy's done nothing to…' It was right there and then, just outside the Slytherin common room that Haley decided to try again with Malfoy. 'If I can't be friends with Malfoy as Harry then I should at least try to be his friend as Haley.' And with this in mind, Haley hurried to the Great Hall, hoping that Draco was there already.
And he was. With Crabbe to his left, Goyle in front of him and with no sign of Pansy anywhere. Haley strode over to where Draco was sitting, planning to take the seat next to the blonde boy. That is until Pansy shoved Haley out of the way and took the seat for herself. Haley stumbled backward, her mouth agape and staring at Pansy who smirked maliciously over her shoulder at the new girl.
When Pansy latched herself onto Draco's arm and began nuzzling it, Draco turned to sneer at the girl and yell at her to 'sod off' when he gaze caught sight of Haley. If Draco wasn't surprised to see the Haley standing there, he was without a doubt surprised to see the look in her eyes when their gazes met. Within the pools of jade, Draco saw shock, anger, sadness, and what surprised him the most: guilt. Before the blonde could say anything, Haley dropped her gaze to her shoes and walked away.
'Stupid Pansy. I should hex her…' Haley thought. She was about to walk back out of the Great Hall when she bumped into Professor Snape.
"Miss Jones." Snape drawled. "I was searching for you."
"Well here I am." Haley replied, feeling deflated.
Snape cocked an eyebrow before handing the girl a piece of parchment. "Your new schedule. You'll undoubtedly be pleased to see you still share classes with your…other…half." And with that, Snape made his way over to the professors' table.
Haley looked over the parchment to see that she did in fact still have Potions and Care of Magical Creatures the same time she usually did. Her Transfiguration and Divination classes as well as Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts classes switched places. Haley sighed and slowly made her way to her first class of Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The class went by slowly. Their new professor, Professor DeMoins, was teaching them how to cast a Patronus, something Haley already knew how to do from her third year. Professor DeMoins split the students up into pairs to practice, Haley ending up with Malfoy.
"Listen Malfoy," Haley said when everyone else was distracted with their own spells. He just looked at her lazily with his stormy gray eyes. Eyes that Haley couldn't seem to look into. Instead, she looked down at her feet. "I-I apologize for the way I acted yesterday. I was…being a…"
"An arse." Draco said for her. She took a small step back from the boy. "A pain in my arse? An annoying, ungrateful git?" Haley only dropped her head lower. Draco sighed. "And so was I."
Haley's head shot up in surprise to see Draco smirking although his eyes were filled with sincerity. "I was rather…pesky about watching you. When I got into my room, I thought about your situation. A new girl in a new school, meeting new people…add a pesky guardian and I'd be angry as well."
Haley smiled. "Well, I feel…bad about being uptight with you. You haven't done anything to me worth my actions…"
"A truce, then?" Draco stepped forward, his hand stretched out to her again. "I'll try not to be so bothersome if you try not to be such a pain?" He smirked again.
Haley smirked in return. "Deal."
And after getting yelled at by Professor DeMoins for not doing what they're supposed to, Haley smirked again as she set her stag-shaped patronus at a stunned Malfoy for a second time in her years at Hogwarts.
* * *
"'Ello, 'aley!" Hagrid greeted the girl as she walked over to the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. She had walked off before Draco did who had decided to wait for Crabbe and Goyle who ended up stunning one another instead of casting the patronus.
"Hello, Hagrid." Haley smiled at the gentle giant.
"Heard you was havin' some changes!" Hagrid laughed. "Hope the Slytherins aren't causing you too much trouble, are they?"
"No, they're actually tolerable. For the moment."
"Haley!" Seamus smiled, hooking his arm around the girl's neck. "How's my favorite American?"
Dean tossed a look at Seamus as if to say 'what about me?'
Haley cleared her throat and nodded towards Dean. Seamus grinned before wrapping his other arm around Dean's neck. "Well, after Dean of course! No one could ever come before my best mate!" Dean rolled his eyes.
"I'm fine, thank you. And how are you this morning, Seamus?"
"Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"
Haley couldn't help but smile at her friend's exuberance.
"Hello, Haley." Hermione greeted, walking up to her friends with Ron at her side.
"Morning, Hermione." Haley greeted in return.
"Well, looky here." Came Pansy's voice from behind the friends. "Aren't you a disgrace to the name Slytherin? Surrounding yourself with measly Gryffindors. Tsk, tsk."
Haley could feel the tension rising off of the Gryffindors. She was sure that one of them was going to attack the pug-faced girl. And if they didn't she would have.
"Parkinson, is there always something up your arse or are you always a pain?" Came Draco's drawl from behind the girl.
Pansy instantly flushed and spun around to look at the blonde. "Drakie, baby, just look at her. You'd think she thinks she's better than us the way she acts."
Draco rolled his eyes. "It's a free world. Let the girl do what she wants." He said with a wave of his hand. Crabbe and Goyle snickered at his sides when Pansy's mouth began moving as if she were a fish. Pansy turned red with anger and was about ready to curse everyone when Hagrid announced the beginning of class.
Haley walked over to Draco's side. "Thanks. Again." She whispered into the boy's ear.
"No problem. Just remember it when one of your Gryffindor friends decide to attack me."
Haley smiled before returning her attention back to Hagrid.
* * *
The rest of her day was spent in ease, having no more problems with Pansy who resorted into glaring at the girl rather than saying anything. Transfiguration with the Ravenclaws and Herbology with Hufflepuffs flew by like a breeze. During lunch, Haley didn't pay any attention to anyone or anything other than her stomach and food from having skipped breakfast. Potions class wasn't much of a problem for all they did was learn the key ingredients in the Hydrengia potion, a potion used to re-hydrate a person, usually a muggle, lost in the desert. That's why many muggles have hallucinations under the scorching sand, believing the witch or wizard that appears to be some fairy-god-person or something of the sort.
In her last class of the day, Divination, Haley found herself alone since Draco had Arithmancy instead and since the Gryffindors already had the class. She searched either side of the room for someone she could sit with but then was distracted by a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see two boys looking at her, one with sandy blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes, the other with black hair and hazel eyes. Both were in Slytherin.
"Hello," the blonde said. "My name's Blaise Zabini. He's Ethan Maxwell." Blaise said motioning to the other boy. "You can sit with us if you want."
"Um, thanks." Haley smiled. She followed the boys to their seats, taking the seat next to the aisle and Blaise.
"Ethan doesn't talk much. Only if a professor calls on him."
Haley looked around Blaise at Ethan. He didn't seem to care that his friend was talking about him. "Oh." Was the only thing she thought to say.
Blaise chuckled. "I noticed that you were always with Draco or around him in the other classes." He said bringing his voice down so that only Haley could hear him. "Since he doesn't have this class, I thought I should step in."
"Um, thanks."
"I've been best friends with Drake since forever. Nearly grew up together."
Haley looked at Blaise, cocking at eyebrow. "Really? I've never seen you two together." Though Blaise might have thought since yesterday, Haley meant ever. Not once had she seen them together while at Hogwarts.
"You don't have to be near someone all the time to be best friends, Haley. It's like…just because you're in Slytherin doesn't mean that you have to hate the Gryffindors, eh? Or at least, you don't seem to have a problem with them." Haley smiled. "Good. Neither do I."
Just then, Professor Trelawny stepped in, making an effort to have her robes billow around her feet. She made a dramatic stop next to Haley. "Miss Jones. I sensed that your presence would appear soon. I knew that you would come." She pressed her forefinger to her forehead. "As I now know your inevitable fate. My dear Miss Jones, beware the number seven! If you do not, you will suffer a most disastrous death! My poor, poor girl!" And with a dramatic sigh, Professor Trelawny floated to the front of the classroom to proceed with her lesson.
Haley rolled her eyes and upon hearing Blaise's chuckling again, she turned to face him. "This is why I love this class. That woman is a funny one, isn't she? Can't believe her for a second. In fact, just the other day, she predicted that I would dislocate my shoulder the next time I ate a baked potato. I've been eating baked potatoes ever since."
Haley giggled. For some odd reason, she couldn't help but trust the boy. 'Guess I was wrong about the Slytherins. Well, about some. I still think Pansy's a pain in the arse.'
* * *
Once class had ended, Blaise, Ethan, and Haley all made their way back to the common room.
"Excuse me." Ethan said, as he made his way to the boys' dormitories.
"Wow. That's the first thing I've ever heard him say." Haley giggled.
"I told you he doesn't talk much. But after a while, he opens up a bit. Give him time to get to know you and I'm sure he'll say more than two words." Blaise plopped onto one of the couches in the common room.
Haley sat down in front of the blonde and sighed, knowing all the homework she had to do for the night. It wouldn't be so easy since she couldn't bother to ask Hermione for help. 'Maybe I could ask Draco for help…he is head boy…' She looked up at Blaise who was currently staring at the ceiling.
"What?" He asked, sensing her gaze on him.
"Nothing." Haley flushed and looked at her hands in her lap.
Blaise looked at the girl and smiled. "Liar. Bet you're wondering about me and Draco."
Haley thought about it. "Actually...yeah. You claim to be best friends but I have not even had the slightest hint of your friendship. I mean, I know you said 'friends don't always have to be around each other' but he doesn't say much about you at all."
Blaise chuckled. "How you do go on."
Haley flushed. "I'm sorry. I just-"
"No apologies. I didn't mean it in a bad way. I guess you noticed in the 25 hours that you've been here that I don't follow Draco like those other three."
Haley looked at her hands. "Well...yes."
"I don't like those three. They're awfully nasty. Mumbo and Jumbo were raised that way but Pansy has no real excuse. I suppose it's only because she likes Draco. I can't stand them a bit. No intelligent conversation can ever be risen from any of them. It makes me a bit sad of Drake that he has to put up with them."
"So they aren't friends?"
"I'm not quite sure about that. But I do know that it wasn't Draco's choice to have them around. Crabbe and Goyle Senior used to always follow Draco's father so they forced their children to follow Draco. And Draco was forced to accept them as his lackeys. But maybe as time went on, they did become friends."
Ethan came back from where ever it was that he decided to go and took a seat to the left of Haley.
"No, no, no, no!"
The three Slytherins turned to look at the source of the voice who was currently approaching them.
Draco looked at each of them, anger evident in his eyes. He stood in front of Haley. "What in Merlin's sake do you think you're doing with him?" He growled pointing to someone behind him.
"Draco, he's your friend." Haley countered, slowly growing angry with the Head Boy.
Draco looked over his shoulder. "Not him, him!" He pointed at Ethan who was simply lounging in his chair, not really caring about what Draco was saying. "Stay away from him."
Haley jumped up out of her seat and glared up at Draco. "Don't tell me what to do."
The blonde boy snatched Haley's wrist and pulled her away from the other two. Haley looked back at Blaise who shook his head as if to say 'I don't know what's so wrong.'
He pulled her outside of the common room, out into the hall. "Do not linger around Ethan Maxwell, ever."
Haley snatched her hand back green eyes now felly ablaze with anger. Sure, she and Ethan weren't exactly friends but no one bosses her around especially about who she could and could not be friends with. "I thought we came to an agreement where you don't nose into my business anymore."
"When it comes to Maxwell, it's a different story."
"And why's that?"
Draco blew out a frustrated sigh. "Just trust me on this, Haley."
"Your friend Blaise doesn't seem to have a problem with Ethan. Why don't you tell him to get away from Ethan?"
"That's because Blaise doesn't know."
"Know what?"
"That's none of your concern." Haley threw her hands up and turned around. But Draco continued on. "What matters is that Blaise can handle himself-"
"And I can't?" She spun back around. "I think, Draco Malfoy, that I can take care of myself perfectly fine. And I don't need you to tell me otherwise." Haley growled at the boy before storming off to find her friends.
"That was uncalled for, Malfoy."
Draco spun around to meet the face of Ethan Maxwell. "Sod off, Maxwell. And stay away from Haley."
"Or else what?" Ethan smirked, cocking an eyebrow.
Draco glared at the other boy. He snarled in warning before brushing past the hazel-eyed boy and entering the common room.
Authors Notes/Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter characters. But Ethan's mine. But I'm not so sure if that's a good thing...
Okay. Honestly, I thought I had posted this a while back so that's why it didn't come out 'til now. Sorry about that. Just when you think they're gonna be friends they both shoot off their tempers. Sheesh. Too much yelling. I think I'll go for a more calm chapter next. Two stubborn people will not work together if against each other. But two stubborn people are hard to split up if they do work together...Hmmmm...