Chapter 7: Names
Draco walked languidly, several paces behind Ron and Hermione, smirking to himself as he watched the rhythmic swish of Granger's backside.
Ron and Hermione, were not quite walking next to each other. Hermione primly ignored Ron, walking with her usual assurance and confidence, strode along the corridor as if she was quite alone and happily so.
Ron was shooting little glances at Hermione and moving closer so that they were walking together. It was not to be however, Hermione, still ignoring him moved away each time so that within minutes, she was so close to the cold brick wall, the fine hair on her arms and neck were beginning to stand on end.
"Ronald! Would you kindly walk straight!" she snapped, finally, still attempting to stride along as quickly as possible.
Ron, getting a fright as she turned to him angrily, tripped over his feet narrowly missing a headfirst appointment with the wall. He sprawled messily on the ground, tripping an unprepared Hermione, the two of them ending up in a tangle of limbs and angry faces.
Draco, for his part, began laughing hysterically, gasping for breath.
"Ron! You idiot! What is your problem?" Hermione asked angrily, rubbing a bruised elbow.
"My problem?" Ron raised an eyebrow as he prodded a tender spot on his head, " 'Mione, I didn't bloody do it on purpose!"
"Oh no? You kept on moving closer and closer, so that I had to move away and wound up right against the wall!" Hermione began to extricate herself.
"Hermione, what's the deal with that? I mean we never had a problem walking together before. You have been so damned touchy lately!" Ron said, still on the floor.
Draco, continuing to howl with laughter, leaned against the opposite wall for support.
"Touchy? Touchy?" Hermione focussed on Ron, ignoring Draco completely, "I'm not the bloody touchy one! Unlike some people I can keep my hands to myself!"
Draco leaned against the wall, wiping tears from his eyes as he caught his breath.
"I wasn't trying to touch you Hermione! Just because, for some reason, you are acting like if I did accidentally brush your hand, you would be tainted or something!" Ron seemed genuinely confounded, as he stood and brushed himself off.
Hermione shot daggers at Ron, "I would be bloody tainted because you are probably covered in her germs!"
Draco's jaw dropped and he watched the interaction between the two Gryffindors with growing alarm.
"THAT DOES IT!" Ron roared, "You can bloody well insult me all you like, Hermione Granger, call me stupid, call me an idiot, I don't care! But I am sick to death of you having a go at Lavender for no good reason!"
"I have plenty of reason! She is horrible, she's all over you all of the time and it's completely disgusting!"
"Nice to know you think I'm disgusting after all the times I have stuck up for you." Ron rejoined angrily.
"Stuck up for me how? It's always Harry who defends me if someone says something nasty." She glared at Draco and continued, "Or I defend myself."
"That's for sure." Draco muttered. Leaning against the cold stone wall, hands in pockets.
"You can bloody well shut up, Malfoy!" Hermione turned to him.
"Don't tell him to shut up! He hasn't done anything, its all you Hermione! You are being so selfish! I've stood up for you heaps! I get a lot of flack for being your friend you know! Because of you I get called a blood traitor, and do you know why that is Granger?" Ron spat, having worked himself into a rage.
Draco swallowed roughly and spoke with urgency, "Don't say it Weasley, you will regret it."
"Why is that Ronald?" Hermione, ignoring Draco entirely, asked angrily through clenched teeth her hands on her hips as she glared up at him.
"Because you are a filthy mudblood!"
Hermione stared at him for a moment, her lips pressed together firmly, she turned away.
Draco's eyes widened as he flicked his gaze between the two of them.
Hermione turned back suddenly, crashing her fist into Ron's face.
"So be it." She said, and stalked off, "I'll get the hat."
The two boys stared after her as she turned a corner, leaving them alone, leaning against opposite walls.
Draco swallowed, not knowing what to say.
"We should just go back to class I guess." Ron muttered.
"No way mate, you will have to get that checked out by Pomfrey." Draco gestured at the rapidly darkening bruise on Ron's eye.
Ron sighed. "No I think I'll leave it. I deserved it."
Draco shrugged. "So did I, but I still went to Pomfrey."
Ron laughed shortly, "That's because you are a vain git who can't stand not being pretty for the girls."
The two began to walk back to class, Draco turned to Ron, smirking.
"Aw Ronniekins, you think I'm pretty?"
Ron snorted as Draco continued, "Besides, it will just infuriate Granger more, since chicks dig war wounds, Lavender will go mad over it."
"That seems to be the underlying problem." Ron nodded. "Maybe you are right."
Draco stopped briefly as they passed the door to the potions class, so that the 5th year girls had a perfect view of him. "I am always right... At least I am when it comes to girls." He grinned as they past the classroom, "and potions."
Ron buried his head in his hands, turning to lean on the wall. "How can I take it back?"
Draco reached out his hand, patting Ron consolingly on the shoulder. "You can't."
They stood silently for a while, both in deep thought.
"Did you ever want to?" Ron asked all of a sudden, "take it back I mean."
Draco froze for a moment, unprepared, then slowly nodded.
"I couldn't though, not really."
Draco gestured down the hall and the two began to walk again.
"The first time," Draco looked apologetically at Ron, "The first time I didn't really know what I was saying, I was only eleven after all, and it isn't like my parents had told me it was a bad awful thing to say like yours obviously had."
Ron nodded.
"My parents said it all the time; I was brought up to think it was true. It wasn't until I began to think for myself about what it really meant that I tried to take it back."
"I don't really remember you coming over and apologising." Ron said.
"Well no, I couldn't really; it was a standard by then wasn't it?" Draco looked at Ron with seriousness, "It was expected, you know?"
Ron nodded, letting the silence grow.
"But I tried to. It was just so hard; everyone always thinks I'm up to something." Draco grimaced, as he added "At the Quidditch cup, I was so worried, that they would find her."
"You didn't have to warn us."
"No. I didn't" Draco answered shortly.
"You aren't a Deatheater." Ron ventured cautiously into the growing silence.
"Not yet." Draco answered grimly.
They walked in silence, each boy lost in thought. As they reached the door to the DADA classroom, Draco turned to Ron once more.
"So yes, in answer to your question, I do wish I could take it back."
Draco took a breath, then with his usual demeanour firmly back in place, strode into the classroom, adding; "Go to Pomfrey."
Ron went.
Harry looked up as Draco strode back into the classroom, he jumped to his feet in outrage when he realised Ron and Hermione weren't with him.
"Where are they Malfoy?" Harry said pointing his wand in Draco's face, "what did you do with them?"
Draco frowned, stopping in front of Harry's desk.
"Hermione is getting the hat. Ron had a run in with the wall, so he's gone to Pomfrey."
There were smothered gasps as the class digested Draco's use of Hermione and Ron's first names.
"The wall?" a puzzled Harry asked, lowering his wand.
Draco leaned forward hissing, "I'd ask them about it later if I were you Potty, they won't appreciate you airing their dirty laundry in public."
Draco straightened and returned to his seat, whispers following him. He threw himself into his seat next to Blaise. He kicked his feet up and crossed them on the desk, ignoring Blaise's inquiring looks pointedly.
Harry stared, dumbstruck at his desk. Neville leaned across the aisle and tugged on Harry's robes. Harry turned to him smiling slightly when he realised who it was.
"Sit down Harry, mate." Neville said quietly, "We will talk to Ron and Hermione later, I'm sure it will be fine. Relax."
Harry nodded and sat reluctantly.
"Bloody Drama queens the lot of you." Ernie said into the silence.
"Who asked you?"
"Shut it or I'll hex you, McMillan you idiot."
Harry and Draco answered at the same time, ignoring each other. Draco opened his DADA textbook and began to re- read chapter seven. Granger had given a pretty decent summary actually, although he thought she had left out a few pertinent details. He wondered if she would be okay, she did drive Ron to it. Draco bit his lip in consternation as he realised she probably thought it was his fault and his influence that Ron called her a mudblood.
Pansy leaned sideways in her seat eyeing Draco who was sitting across the aisle from her, with curiosity. She had never seen him bite his lip before in her life. She thought it was weird and prodded him in the shoulder, eliciting a grunt, but no other reaction. She frowned, then noticing an intensity creep into his gaze, looked up as Granger strode in to the classroom, with the sorting hat held in front of her. Pansy frowned again, Granger walked down the aisle and placed the sorting hat upon the desk in front of Draco, who was still reclining with his feet up.
The reverence with which she placed the hat at Malfoy's feet, like a servant would for their master, made Pansy laugh.
Draco glanced at her.
"Ah and the humble servant returns; here is the hat you required, oh master." Pansy snarked.
Draco's mouth flickered in a small smile as he stared at a fuming Hermione with one regal eyebrow raised.
Hermione flicked her wand and the parchment pieces flew from the desks and the sorting hat turned itself on its crumpled point to catch them.
Once all the names were in the hat, Hermione spoke;
"Draw the damned names Malfoy."