Defence Against the Dark Arts was never Hayley's favourite subject, but since Professor Snape took over teaching it, it had got so much worse. Not only was she bad at it, she was humiliated every lesson because of it. She barely even got into the lesson before she was told off for something.
'Miss Potter,' Snape began sourly. Hayley resisted the urge to ignore him. 'not only do I feel that it is pointless that you turn up to this lesson, but it is even more pointless to appear in such a state of undress.'
'I'm sorry?'
'Your shoes.'
Hayley glanced down at herself. So out of everything to point out that was wrong with her uniform, he had to go for her shoes? She wasn't the only one wearing converse! At least hers were black. She could see Alivia Hancock wearing purple ones across the room.
'Oh.' Was about all Hayley could say. What did he expect her to do? Go back and change them?
'I do not want you in my classroom looking like this.'
'Right… so where do you want me to go?'
Snape turned back to the class. 'Page three-hundred and ninety-four,' then turned back to Hayley, his cloak swirling around him. 'go down to Professor Slughorn and give Draco Malfoy a message. I want you to tell him to come to my office straight after his lesson finishes.' He didn't wait around for her agree or ask any questions, just marched off to the front of the classroom.
Hayley sighed and left the room. It wasn't even lunch yet and already she was in trouble! With any luck Professor Slughorn would give her another job to do so she wouldn't have to go back to Snape's lesson. He was right about one thing though; it was pointless her attending his class.
She got down to the dungeons, to Snape's old classroom, and knocked on the door. After a moment she heard Slughorn call out 'Come in!' and she pushed the door open. The class was working inside, and almost no one even noticed her come in. Harry grinned at her, she smiled back.
'What can I do for you, miss Potter?' Slughorn asked her.
'Well, Professor Snape asked me to deliver a message to Draco Malfoy.' Hayley explained. Slughorn nodded and smiled.
'Mr Malfoy,' He called. Draco looked up from his cauldron. 'Outside, please. You have a message from Professor Snape.'
Hayley followed Draco outside the classroom. Why she couldn't just have given him the message inside the classroom was a mystery, but then again, Professor Slughorn was a strange mystery himself.
'What's the message?' Draco asked her. She couldn't read his tone, he was definitely different from last night.
'Oh. Snape wants to see you straight after this class, you have to go to his office.' She informed him. Draco rolled his eyes.
'Not again,' He muttered.
'What?'
'Doesn't matter,' He told her. 'was that it?'
'Was that what?' Hayley asked him, confused.
'Was that the whole message? Can I get back to class now?' He asked her moodily.
She glared at him. 'Yes. That was the whole message.'
He turned away and began to walk back into the potions classroom.
'Wait,' Hayley called after him. He spun around.
'Yes?' He said sharply.
'Why are you so eager to get back to class?'
Draco thought for a moment, there was a prize in this class. They were competing to win a vile of luck potion, and that was something he really wanted. But, Harry Potter seemed really good this year, and besides him there was always Hermione Granger. She was such a nerd that she did everything really well.
'There's a competition, and I want to win it.' He told Hayley. She shot him a confused glance.
'A competition?
'Yeah,' He thought of something else. 'why are you so eager to skip class? Aren't you doing your OWLs this year?'
She shrugged. 'Yeah. But I got sent out of Defence class.'
'Why?'
She kicked her shoe against the floor.
'Your shoes?'
'Yeah,' She moaned.
'But I've seen about five people in your year wearing those.'
'I know,' She smiled. It vanished. 'Hey! I'm not wearing them to fit in, you know.'
He held his hands up in mock surrender. 'Alright. Never said you were.'
'You implied it.'
He smirked. This was the person she spoke to in the corridor last night! She smiled back at him.
The bell rang, ending their conversation.
'Oh great. I've completely missed the opportunity to win the Felix.' Draco groaned, leaning against the wall.
'I'm sorry,' Hayley told him quickly.
He shook his head. 'Nah. It's not your fault. It's Snape's fault really, if you think about it.'
The class started to leave the room. It didn't surprise Hayley that her cousin and his friends weren't amongst the first people to leave. It took them ages to do anything. She didn't realise, however, what his reaction would be when he noticed his cousin talking to his arch enemy.
'Hayley!' Harry called out to her.
'Hey, Harry,' She turned around and smiled at her cousin. It didn't take him long to notice who she was standing with.
'Malfoy?' He spat, glaring daggers at Draco.
Hayley glanced between the two of them, silently begging them not to get into a fight.
'Malfoy, you stay away from my cousin, d'you hear me?' Harry yelled, his wand drawn. Draco rolled his eyes, evidently not in the mood for one of Harry's rants.
'I think the whole school can hear you, Potter.' He said, considerably quieter. Before Harry had a chance to retaliate Draco stormed off down the corridor.
'What the hell was that about?' Harry raged. Hayley actually felt worried for her own safety.
'Harry, maybe you should calm down a bit, mate.' Ron advised him. He lost all that confidence when Harry turned back to glare at him.
'Hayley,' He spun back around to his cousin. 'why were you with him?'
'I was giving him a message from Snape.' Hayley explained honestly.
'And that's all? Just one little message?'
'Yes! What else would it be?' Hayley retorted, suddenly becoming increasingly angry with her cousin.
'I don't know… you were just alone in a corridor during class. Let's think now, what reason does everyone else use when they do that?' Harry was practically yelling it her now. And she wasn't going to take this from him of all people.
'For one, they don't do that in corridors, Harry! Broom cupboards, empty classrooms, yes. Corridors? That's just wrong!' Hayley shouted. 'And I am not doing it with Draco Malfoy!'
Harry took a step back, suddenly realising what he'd just accused his cousin of.
'Oh,' He muttered. 'I… I'm sorry Hayley.'
'It's alright.' She smiled.
'But, I don't want you talking to him again.'
'What?'
'You can't talk to him.' Harry repeated.
'You're joking right?' She looked him in the eyes. He wasn't joking. 'You're forbidding me to talk to him? What control do you have over me?'
'I'm your cousin, Hayley. And I'm older than you are!' Harry shot back.
'Oh yeah, of course. I forgot that my cousin can give me orders like he's my dad!' She screamed at him. Harry remained silent. He didn't like it when she talked about her parents. Hayley was in the same situation as Harry was, except Voldemort hadn't even attempted to kill her because she wasn't there. She'd been staying with her grandparents. Consequently, her parents had been killed and she no lived with her grandma.
'Hayley, look, I just-' Harry tried to explain himself.
'I think you've said enough,' Hayley said quietly. She turned around and marched off down the corridor.
'Where are you going?' Harry called after her.
'Away from you!' She shouted back. He'd really given her fuel for the fire now. Harry turned back to his friends, who looked stunned to say the least.
'What should I do?' He asked them desperately, hoping his cousin wasn't heading straight down the nearest route to Draco Malfoy at that moment.
'You can't do anything,' Hermione told him quietly. 'she's going to do what she wants to, Harry.'
'But what if she goes to him now? What if they start like… seeing each other, or something?' Harry started panicking then.
'Harry,' Hermione put her hands on his shoulders. 'there is nothing you can do. I'm sure she won't start anything with him. She was only delivering a message to him, she probably doesn't even like him.' Hermione told him confidently. He nodded weakly. She was probably right.
Hayley wandered slowly to the dungeons. What was she going to do? Wait outside Snape's office for him? And say what? This was definitely the least well thought out plan she'd ever had. She stopped in the Entrance Hall to think about what she was doing. She really needed someone to talk this over with, but there was no one she knew who'd understand. She could try and explain things to Ginny, but she hated Draco just as much as Harry did! Going to the dungeons was a bad idea. She shouldn't go looking for Draco Malfoy – it was like looking for trouble. But at the same time, she didn't feel like going to the common room.
She decided she needed to get some air, and the transfiguration courtyard was only a few minutes away. She found a quiet spot and a bench to sit down. The fountain in the middle of the courtyard was sprinkling water into the base underneath. It sounded so peaceful. It was very tranquil, and people only walked past every half an hour or so. Hayley took out a book and started reading.
Draco left Snape's office feeling in a terrible mood. Why did he always have to be so condescending? He just needed to sit down and think about things. Being in the common room would only depress him further. He hated this whole damn school! He didn't even know where he was walking to, but apparently the transfiguration courtyard seemed like a good idea. When he got there he had no idea why he'd thought that. He say Hayley Potter sitting on a bench reading a book, and yet he still continued to walk towards her, and then to sit down next to her.
Hayley glanced up from her book.
'Oh… hi,' She smiled at him.
'Hey,' He sighed. Hayley shut the book.
'What's wrong?' She asked.
He looked at her. 'Why should I tell you, Gryffindor?'
She rolled her eyes. 'Fine. Be that way.' She opened the book again. Why did he have to be like that?
Draco watched her continue to read her book. 'I'm sorry,' He forced himself to say.
'That's better.' Hayley smiled back at him. He couldn't help but smile at her.
'What did Snape want?' She asked him.
'Oh… just to give me this homework that I forgot to pick up.' Draco lied. Hayley raised her eyebrows.
'Really?'
'Yeah.'
'Cool,' Hayley smirked at him. She knew he was lying, but decided it probably wasn't important.
'How about you? How come you're sitting here?' He questioned.
'Well,' Hayley deliberated whether she should tell him the truth or not. 'I just… needed to space, I guess.'
'Space from who?'
'Harry,' She told him.
He smiled. 'Well, I understand that. What did he do?'
'I probably shouldn't tell you.'
'Why not?'
Hayley put her book back into her bag. 'He told me I have to stay away from you.'
'What? Why?'
'He saw me talking to you outside potions, and now he's practically forbidden me to speak to you again,' Hayley explained. 'I think he's worried something will… happen.'
Draco stared at her. Harry seriously thought he'd start something with his cousin? She was a Gryffindor! He wasn't even her friend!
'That's… interesting.' Draco muttered, not really sure how to respond to it.
'And I keep thinking, why is he so set on me not getting into anything with you? I mean, what's the problem with it if I did? Who's he to control me?' Hayley continued. Draco tuned out to the rest of the things she was ranting on about. The floors she was finding in this was wondering why her cousin might have a problem with this… rather than the fact that it wasn't going to happen! She thought it might happen!
'Look,' Draco started, not even sure if Hayley had finished what she was saying yet. 'Potter, I think you're seeing this from the wrong angles.'
'Really?'
'Yeah. I mean your main problem is that your cousin is trying to control you, rather than the fact that the thing he's trying to control you about… is never going to happen!'
'Shit, calm down.'
'I'm not angry, it's just that… that… you know, we're not even friends and Potter's contemplating that we might be more than that, it's just…' He stammered, suddenly becoming very nervous. Hayley placed her hand over his.
'I know nothing will happen,' She told him slowly. 'And that's why I was focussing on Harry trying to control me.' She explained.
Draco nodded. 'Yeah, okay… cool. Well, maybe… maybe we could be friends.'
'What?'
'You know… uh… hang out now and then, talk to each other, that sort of thing.'
Hayley smiled. 'Malfoy, I know what a friend is.'
He smirked. 'Yeah, that's a good thing.'
'So… how do we go about being friends? We don't see each other,' Hayley said. 'Ever.' She added for effect, and with a smile.
'We could start with dropping the Malfoy, and calling me Draco.'
'Right, um… Draco,' Hayley said slowly. That was strange. 'So, I guess you could call me Hayley.'
'Yeah… Hayley.' He replied.
'Weird isn't it?' Hayley laughed.
'Yeah,' Draco grinned at her. 'but we'll get used to it.'
Hayley smiled back at him.
'So,' He said awkwardly. 'are you coming to the next Hogsmeade visit?'
'Yeah. Are you?'
'Yeah,' he replied. 'Um… so, do you maybe want to get a drink then?'
Hayley glanced at her watch, she really had to get going. 'Sure. Yeah,' She picked her bag up from the floor. 'It's a date.' She smiled and began to walk away.
'It's what?' Draco called after her. She didn't mean it like that! She just meant it was set!
'Nothing!' She shouted back, and left for her common room.
