Harry Potter and the Fifth House

You Lose Sixty Seconds of Happiness

Chapter Four: It Never Was Okay


Draco manoeuvred past Cedric and Anthony as they left and rushed to the Tigerlily table.

He sat down just as a roaring started above them.

"Morning," he greeted, nodding at the others as a package dropped in Neville's lap.

Hermione answered, "Good morning, Draco. Are you feeling okay? It's rare for you to wake up later than Blaise."

Ron snorted, "It's rare for anyone to wake up later than Blaise."

Draco gave a weak smile, smoothing out the pieces of hair that were still sticking up as Blaise threw a piece of waffle at Ron, "I'm fine. Just a bit of a bad morning, I suppose."

"Should we get something from Madam Pomfrey?" Hermione questioned as a letter dropped onto the table in front of Draco.

"I'll be fine for now. You can worry about me if I still haven't slept tomorrow," Draco answered, ripping a bit from a piece of bread and holding it for his owl which sat on his shoulder.

His fingers slipped under the envelope's seal and tore it open as the rest of the house continued their conversations.

A small smile spread across his lips as he pulled the letter from its place to find his name scrawled across the parchment in his father's handwriting.

Lucius had ended up having to work the day the Hogwarts Express left so rather than both of his parents seeing him off, he had gone back to his mother's house a day earlier and been seen off by her.

He unfolded it quickly and read the words, his friend's carefree voices distant as they spoke about not being ready for the first day of classes and wishing they had dropped certain things that year.


"Neville!"

At the sound of the voice, Blaise lifted his arm from around Neville's shoulders and linked his fingers together above his head.

Neville glanced over at him. Blaise gave him a small smile, "Go, go. Susan will get upset if you don't sit with her."

"Neville, come on!" Susan insisted. "Hannah already ditched me for her boyfriend, you can't leave me too."

Neville let out a soft laugh before nodding."She's already getting upset about it."

"Well," Hermione said, stepping up and looping Blaise's arm through hers as Neville went to sit with Hannah, "you'll just have to stoop low enough to be my partner."

Blaise gave a dramatic sigh as Ron and Harry passed them, settling in a table behind Seamus and Dean as the Gryffindors turned to speak to them. "I suppose you'll have to do. I'll lower myself enough to have Draco sit with us too so he won't be alone." When there were no dramatics or returned insults,

Blaise glanced behind him to see Draco staring at something on the opposite wall. He called again, "Draco?"

"Ah." The blonde snapped out of whatever thoughts he was having. "What?"

Blaise eyed him for a minute before saying, "Are you sitting with Hermione and me? Professor Sprout has never minded when we tripled before."

Draco nodded, "Yeah, okay."

He was glad Hermione looked just as worried as he felt as they watched Draco claim one of the back tables for them.


"I wonder what we should do later," Colin mused, tilting his head back as they walked down the hallway, tilting his head back and staring at the ceiling. "Classes just started so we won't have to do any homework."

"You should let me cut your hair," Astoria declared. She reached up and tugged on a strand of his hair. "You've let it grow out too long over the summer."

Colin swatted her away. "I don't think there's anything wrong with it."

"There is! Right, Luna?"

Luna gave a little laugh before answering, "I think it looks fine. It suits him nicely."

Astoria crinkled her nose. "Just because it looks okay doesn't mean it's a good look for him."

"Well I don't particularly want a haircut," Colin interrupted. He waved a finger towards Luna, "Why don't you give her a haircut? Those curls are getting out of control."

The Slytherin's eyes lit up. "Oh! That would be so much fun. What do you think Luna?"

She fumbled for some kind of excuse. "Oh um...Maybe you can-" She was cut off by a large group of people running past them. She watched them before looking over at her companions "Do you guys know what's going on?"

"No but..." Astoria reached out, grabbing the arm of one of the Slytherin boys running past. "Hey! Where is everyone going?"

"Malfoy got in a fight with someone in front of the Great Hall! Mad eye turned him into a ferret!"

Luna processed the information before shrieking, "What?"


"Stop him!" Hermione shrieked. "Harry, stop him!"

Despite her screaming in his ear and pulling on his arm, Harry was too busy staring at the ferret being bounced around in the air.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," growled Moody, as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..."

The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly.

"Never – do - that – again -" said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.

"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice.

Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.

"What – what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.

"Teaching," said Moody.

"Teach – Moody, is that a student?" shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.

"Yep," said Moody.

"No!" cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing.

Hermione rushed over to him and Harry tuned out their Professor's conversation as he focused on him.

"Are you alright?" Hermione questioned, her hands wrapped around Draco's biceps as she ran her eyes down him.

Draco shook his head, looking relieved for the touch when Hermione launched herself forward to wrap her arms around him.

"You should've just brushed it off," Ron chided.

"He was talking about my mother," Draco answered. "Was I supposed to just let him get away with it? You would have done the same thing."

"I would've hit him before trying to hex him," Ron corrected. "You went straight for your wand."

Harry chewed his lip before asking, "Are you really okay Draco? You've been weird all day and now this."

Draco was silent for a minute before saying, his hands tightening their hold on Hermione's waist, "My dad sent me a letter to tell me he was fighting with my mother for custody."


En: I cannot remember for the life of me why this chapter took so long to get up.

It is betaed now though! Welcome back to Emma, right everyone?

Next Time: a memorable lesson