Chapter Seven: No Show
"Wow look at it outside, a great day for flying."
Harry looked up from his book, glancing outside the window beside Ron.
"Yeah it is… too bad we can't have tryouts in it."
"Why can't we?" Ron asked, his eyebrows pulled downward in confusion.
Harry simply glanced at him pointedly, studying his book once more.
"Wha- oh." He said after a moment's recollection, "Right." Ron leaned back in his chair, "So what are you going to do?"
Harry shrugged dejectedly, "I don't know."
"You don't know? Look mate, Dumbledore hasn't been back yet. I say don't go unless you have to. And talking to Dumbledore comes before that."
Hermione mildly cleared her throat beside the two of them, eyeing Harry from over the edge of her book.
Ron face twitched with irritation, "Trying to be Umbridge?"
Hermione glared, roughly setting her book down.
"I'm nothing like that foul woman Ron."
"You're doing a good job with your impression." Ron said, deliberately clearing his throat afterwards.
Hermione took a deep breath, turning her head to address Harry.
"I don't want to see you punished for not going Harry. Just think about it before you make any rash," she said, scowling at Ron quickly, "decisions."
They both looked at him expectantly, Harry feeling the demanding pressure to choose one side over the other.
Harry shifted in his seat, "I don't know yet. I mean, I can't exactly go sit and talk with her. And I don't want to, which I'm one hundred percent sure she feels the same way." Ron grinned while Hermione frowned, opening her mouth to speak, "But," Harry continued, raising his hand slightly, "What Hermione said to you the other day is true. If Dumbledore hated the idea, he would have changed it somehow by now. So there's nothing he can do. Or is going to do." He looked away forlornly.
Hermione blushed slightly guilty, "It's still worth it to talk to him Harry."
The blacked haired teen turned to her, "So you think he will?"
"I-" Hermione slipped a lock of hair behind her ear, "It's hard to say Harry. I do believe what I said earlier." Harry face immediately fell, so she hurriedly continued, "but I do thinking it's worth a shot to talk to him. He may just be waiting to see if you're comfortable with it or not."
"Well Dumbledore's not here right now, so what do you suggest he does today?"
"He goes."
Ron let out a huff of disagreement, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Well I say he doesn't. Dumbledore will change it and get him a new partner when he gets back. He's not going to try to become friends with Ella Malfoy. The whole situation is just not right."
"Ok, so he doesn't go. Then he gets stuck with detentions."
"So? Loads better than dealing with her. She's nearly as unpleasant as her brother."
"Is it worth five detentions? Or ten? Or Harry being suspended from the Quidditch team because of it?"
Harry responded quickly, "You don't think they'd go that far do you?"
"No they-"
"You never know. That's what I'd do if I were a professor trying to get two students to do as instructed."
Harry sighed in frustration, "Hermione she doesn't want this as much as me. Even if I wanted to meet with her, she never would."
"I wouldn't punish the student who was actually trying though."
Ron planted his feet on the floor, "Yeah, Hermione I agree with you. That's what I'd do to." Hermione's expression turned from one of annoyance to surprise, "But these aren't just any two students that you're dealing with."
Hermione shook her head, "We're never going to agree on this."
"No we're not." Ron said roughly back, staring her down.
"Listen, I don't want you two going at each other's throats because of it. You've done it enough already." Harry said, shutting his book, "I get where you're coming from Hermione but would you expect me to sit down with Draco Malfoy?"
"If you were instructed to, you'd have to Harry. It's not a matter of wanting to or not, or expecting you to, it's a matter of following the rules or suffering the consequences."
"Following the rules. Rules are all you ever talk about." Ron said.
"I'm being practical." She snapped back, her cheeks burning red.
Harry ran an exasperated hand through his hair.
"It's one o'clock. It doesn't start until two. Let's just go down there and eat lunch first. I'll deal with it when the time comes."
Ron and Hermione picked up their things, quickly following Harry.
"Hey Harry," Neville said, as the teen sat down beside him.
"Hey Neville."
"Anything good today?" Ron said, licking his lips as he sat down across from Harry, his eyes wide at all of the food on the table.
"Yeah, there's meatloaf, soup, fish and crisps down there-"
"Sold," Ron exclaimed, hopping up from his seat to make his way towards the baskets Neville talked about, plate in hand.
"Surprised to see you here Harry." Dean said a few minutes later, sitting down across from him next to Ron.
"Well it is lunch."
"Yeah, but I thought you'd be long gone by now and I don't blame you in the slightest." He observed the teen in front of him, "Are you planning on meeting with Malfoy's sister?"
"You're a brave soul if you do Harry." Seamus said beside Dean. "I'd be out of the country to avoid that troll."
"I-"
"He's not sure yet." Hermione replied, cutting him off. She sent Harry an encouraging smile.
Harry picked a variety of items from the nearby dishes, his appetite slowly dwindling each time he checked his watch, every bite eventually tasting like rotten wood. He looked up at the staff table, his heart sinking when Dumbledore was once again not present.
Students began to trickle into the room with more frequency and soon, the entire hall was buzzing with excitement. Harry wiped his clammy hands onto his pants, and by the time McGonagall stood, his stomach was tied in knots.
"Attention please!" McGonagall's voice rang out to the hall. The students' voices went out as a flame, a hushed silence descending onto the hall.
"Today starts the first of many meetings in our attempt to integrate the houses, to help strengthen the bonds of unity and friendship within these walls. Today's gathering will last until five o'clock, at which time you are free to spend the rest of the day as you wish. Our next meeting with commence on Wednesday, in which you will meet with your partner from three to four o'clock." She paused, surveying the hall for a moment, before pulling out a thick stack of parchment from behind the table, placing it where her plate no longer was. She tapped the stack with her wand, the pages instantly fluttering around the Great Hall, one landing in front of each student.
"What each student just received is fifteen questions that are to be discussed and answered by their partner, reaching a few sentences in length. These questions are to help start communications between each student and act as a guide and icebreaker for the pair. As a reminder, you are not finished with your meeting when you have finished the questions. You will stay paired until five o'clock, where everyone will meet in here once again to turn in their papers to their Heads of House."
McGonagall nodded briskly, as the other staff members rose from their seats.
"You may begin."
There was a moment of hesitation within the hall. Slowly, students began to rise, stepping over their benches as their eyes scanned the hall, trying to make contact with their partner.
"Hermione?"
Harry twisted at the waist, seeing Connor Bradley standing a few feet from Hermione. He had drawn Ron's attention as well.
"Connor Bradley." He said, raising his hand for her to shake.
"Hermione Granger." Hermione said rather bashfully, standing from her seat. She reached out and shook his waiting hand.
"It's nice to official meet you, seeing as we didn't really get to before." He joked, smiling brightly down at Hermione. He was at least a good foot taller than her.
Hermione gave a nervous laugh, "You too."
"Hello Ron!" A loud feminine voice rang out. Harry spotted Lavender quickly coming up to greet Ron.
"Err, hi Lavender." Ron said distractedly, looking torn between listening in on Hermione's conversation with the Ravenclaw and giving his full attention to the girl now beside him.
Harry was pulled back to his other side as Bradley began to address him.
"How's it going Potter?" Connor asked. They had spoken to one another in the hall throughout the years, giving a friendly hello each time they past. Playing Quidditch gave everyone an opportunity to get to know the other members a little better. With the Slytherins as an exception.
Harry nodded in greeting, "Not bad, how are you doing?"
"Good. Wished there was a match today though, the weather's perfect for flying." He said in a slightly wistful tone, his bangs slipping from their wisped position and falling slightly into his eyes.
He addressed Hermione once again, "I managed to snag some cookies from the bins before they got rid of the food and I was thinking… well, it's a great day out. Would you want to go do this," he raised the parchment in his hand, "outside? Or would you prefer to do it inside somewhere?"
Hermione shook her head, "No I agree with you, outside would be nice. It's beautiful out."
"Sounds like a plan," he said, giving her another grin, "ready to go then?"
"Yes." Hermione said, grabbing her parchment as well. She looked back at the table quickly, waving to them as she heading out the hall.
Harry rotated back around, noticing Ron's eyes still trailing after them.
Harry felt Neville leave his side, and turned to see the teen's awkwardness come out as Hannah Abbot came up to him, each giving the other a familiar hello. Harry waved at Hannah as she looked his way, the shy blonde smiling warmly back at him.
As the students mulled around him, Harry reluctantly looked up across the hall, spotting a head of bright blonde hair at the Slytherin table. Nearly every student with emerald ties and insignia sat unwavering in their chair, as if trying to block out the inevitable. He caught Luna making her way bravely over towards Draco Malfoy, addressing him kindly though still in her aloof persona. Draco, surprised by her appearance, didn't acknowledge her, the aversion clear on his face. Ella's face twisted as she looked Luna over in reproach, the blonde's arrogance coming out the more Luna spoke. She eventually rose from the table, haughty plowing her way through the gathered students to reach the Entrance Hall.
Harry's face darkened and his resolve quickly hardened. There was no way he would meet with her. She was a Malfoy, their entire family was snobbish and filled with bigotry notions. And if that wasn't bad enough, her father worked for and supported a man that wanted him dead. Hermione may be right in pointing out the possible ramifications, but consequences be damned. He couldn't see how Dumbledore or McGonagall could expect him to sit with her for a minute let alone three hours. They were neither blind nor stupid.
Why bother wasting his time?
Harry stood quickly, leaving his parchment behind as he made a quick escape out of the Great Hall. He caught a fleeting glimpse of Ella's long blonde hair before it turned a corner, as she no doubt made her way to the dungeons. Shaking his head, Harry took the stairs two at a time, wanting to create as much space between him and the horrible situation as possible.
Ella flipped another page of the text, her wand lazily swooping through the air in direct patterns as she mouthed the words of a spell to herself, smiling in satisfaction when she felt she had sufficiently learned it, moving on to the next one.
She looked up as her brother stalked through the entrance, Crabbe and Goyle in tow. A few others seeped in behind them. One look at Draco's scowling face and she knew it hadn't gone well. It didn't surprise her, she hadn't expected it to. What did surprise her however is why her brother didn't just bail?
"Have a fun day?" Ella asked casually, going back to her book.
Draco slammed into the emerald chair beside his sister, glowering at the ground below, as if it had personally offended him.
"That was the biggest load of bullshit I have ever seen or heard of in my life."
Ella swallowed back a smirk, "Went well then?"
Draco's head snapped to her.
"Finding this funny?"
Ella shrugged, "Maybe a little." Draco growled, "Why didn't you just leave?"
Draco's jaw clenched, "I tried to, I was just out of my seat when that half-breed Flitwick came by, standing within earshot the entire time. I couldn't get up and leave. It was especially hard when Lovegood kept persistently making conversation with him."
Ella let out a snort of laughter while Draco continued to rant.
"This whole idea is worthless nonsense. Over my dead body would I ever become friends with Lovegood. She kept rambling on about colburks and folgils-"
"What are those?" Ella interrupted, feigning keen interest. Her mockery went unnoticed by her brother in his current state.
"I don't bloody well know. Apparently the first is an ailing sprite that clings onto your skin to gather your happiness. And the second is some invisible fly or something that gives you delirious hallucinations."
Ella nodded, trying not to smirk, "Sounds like you really bonded."
"Shut up." Draco replied aggressively, disheveling his smooth hair with a frustrated hand.
"What else happened?" She asked, returning to her book.
"Nothing, I just had to listen to more garbage that came out of her mouth. Then I had to listen to her drone on about her pathetic excuse for a father. I swear I'm less intelligent after our 'conversation'. She's belongs in St. Mungo's in the incurably insane ward. Nothing she said was remotely worthy to note."
By this time half of the common room was filled, students basking in their common surroundings and friends. An irritated Blaise walked into the room, Pansy talking actively beside him. Ella groaned.
"What?" Draco asked in a snappy tone, turning in the direction she was facing. He answered with a groan of his own. "I'm not in the mood for her."
"Well get ready for her, she had to go an entire three hours without you. You know what that means… lots of cuddling you have to make up." Ella teased, giving him a wide smirk.
"Shut it." He said tiredly, sinking sulkily back into the chair.
Ella simply grinned in reply.
"Ella, Draco." Blaise said, nodding in greeting as he sat down next to the young witch.
"Hello Blaise." Ella answered back, raising her wand once again to practice her spell movements.
"What's with you?" Blaise asked, looking questioning at Draco's fuming mood.
"Luna Lovegood." Ella answered, trying to swallow a laugh, only partially succeeding.
"Ah, I see." Blaise responded, lifting his feet to rest them on a nearby chair. Ella glanced sideways at him, the two sharing a grin at Draco's sullen mood.
"Draco! How was your day?" Pansy nearly cooed, pulling up a chair beside him.
"How do you think it was?" He snapped, leaning his head on his hand as his elbow pressed onto the arm of the chair.
"Awful I'm sure. A flobblyworm would be a more interesting partner than Lovegood."
Draco simply huffed in reply.
"How was your eventful day?" Ella asked, addressing Blaise.
"It was amazing actually," Pansy answered, causing Ella to raise an eyebrow at her, "I was paired with a seventh year from Ravenclaw. We sat by the lake all afternoon and we have so much in common. He disapproves of mudbloods learning magic just as much as we do! He's a fan of the Bulgarian Quidditch team and his favorite food is stuffed crab. And the best part is he's related to Sebastian Moore." Pansy gushed.
"Who's that?" Blaise questioned out of what appeared to be politeness. He hardly looked interested.
"Who's that? Blaise, he's only the most internationally known celebrity there is right now. He wrote the Crescent Moon series."
"Of course." Blaise said sardonically.
"Who's your partner Pansy?" Goyle asked, speaking up for the first time in a week. Ella was slightly surprised he could string a sentence together he spoke so little.
"He's a seventh year Ravenclaw."
"Yes but what's his name?" Ella asked.
"It's, ah-" her brow furrowed in an attempt to concentrate.
"A true soul mate," Ella mumbled under her breath. Blaise overheard, coughing to cover the chuckle that escaped his lips.
He leaned over in his chair, whispering in a hushed tone, "Come on, you know it's difficult for her to think so hard."
Ella snorted, grabbing the glass of water on the table quickly to distract herself.
Ella cleared her throat, interrupting Pansy's guesses.
"And how was your day Blaise?"
He shrugged, "it was good."
"Who were you with again?" She asked curiously. She could hardly remember who anyone had been paired with. The startling revelation that she'd be with Potter erased all the other couples from her mind.
"Grace Hannigan."
Ella's face screwed up in remembrance, "Isn't she a Hufflepuff?" She finally said with a tone of sympathy.
"Yes, but she's not so bad. Actually has some intelligence to her. She's attractive too." He added a moment later, casting Ella a sidelong glance.
Ella nodded distractedly, returning to her book, "If you say so."
Blaise's eyes lingered for several more moments before he looked down at his own book, his brow creased ever so slightly.
"Did you meet with Potter today?" Draco asked suddenly, emerging from his sullen mood for a moment.
Ella bit her tongue, closing her eyes for a moment, "No Draco I didn't. You saw me leave."
"Oh, right." He said, crossing his arms once more over his chest, "Potter's probably a mess thinking of how he could have 'disappointed' Dumbledore by you not meeting with him today."
"I hardly think so. He doesn't want anything to do with me either."
"Why, did you talk to him?" Draco asked reproachfully.
Ella rolled her eyes, "No. He told you as much when you went to confront him didn't he? 'For once Malfoy I think we are on the same page. I don't exactly intend to have anything to do with her'. Isn't that what he said?"
"Yes. And he better keep it that way."
"I can take care of myself thank you very much." Ella snapped, her grasp on her wand no longer loose and idle.
"I'm just making sure he doesn't try anything funny-" Draco began.
Ella turned towards her brother, pointing her wand at his chest, "Well don't. It's common knowledge Potter hates us just as much as we hate him. Stop trying to shelter me or whatever the hell it is you're trying to do. What are you afraid of Potter doing? I'm quick with my wand Draco, I can curse Potter just as easily as I can curse you if you don't shut up." Ella exclaimed sharply, as she slammed her book shut and swiftly headed up the stairs to her dormitory where her brother could no longer bother her.
Harry tossed down another card, the deck sparking as it connected. Whizzing sounds buzzed from the center, smoke smoldering from the card. Harry sighed, idly tossing down another as he sat alone in the common room.
Frowning as he lost yet again, Harry gave up, throwing the rest of the cards onto the table, scattering them across the oak surface. He stood and crossed the fireplace to the window on the far side of the room. His fingers unlocked the clasp of the window, breathing deeply as it opened, leaning on his crossed forearms as he gazed out of it. He'd waited an anxious three hours for his friends to come back and hear how their days went.
Loud laughter and voices suddenly filled the spacious room behind him and he peered over his shoulder, a massive number of Gryffindor's tumbling into the room. There were no signs of Ron or Hermione however.
"Hi Harry." Neville's voice rang out near him as the volume in the room increased, students expressing the excitement of their afternoons.
"Neville," Harry said, pulling back from the window, "How'd your day go?"
Neville beamed, "It was brilliant. I had a lot of fun hanging out with Hannah. I suppose to helped that we already know one another… took away some of the nervous that I'd usually have."
Harry smiled, "That's great Neville. What did you do?"
Neville came to stand beside him, leaning against the wall, "We sat by the lake, nearly everyone did. And we just answered the questions on the parchment McGonagall gave us. Ended up feeding some bread to the Giant Squid too. It was really nice."
Harry could have been imagining it, but he could have sworn he saw Neville's cheeks redden.
Loud laughter drew their attention to the portrait hole, as Ron stepped through the entrance, Lavender's arm looped through his.
"Oh Ron, You're so funny!" Lavender babbled, as she patted his arm lightly, a giggle emitting from her lips. Ron for his part looked taken aback, but a large grin was forming on his face.
Harry waved a quick goodbye to Neville as the brunette headed upstairs and turned towards Ron, the redhead spotting him instantly.
"Hey Harry." Ron said. Harry lifted his eyebrows at him and he could see Ron's ears instantly redden from where he stood. He disengaged himself from Lavender's grasp.
"See you Wednesday Lavender."
Lavender gave him a bright smile, "Can't wait! Maybe we'll even see each other before then?"
"Uh, yeah, maybe." Ron said in offhandedly, giving her a small wave in parting before walking over to sit at a table with Harry. Lavender bit her lip, waving goodbye in response as Ron left her side.
He slid into a chair across from Harry, leaning on his forearms.
"Good day?" Harry asked in amusement, as they both watched Lavender walk away to sit with Parvati, looking back at Ron occasionally.
"It's was alright." Ron said, staring back at Lavender, his forehead creased slightly. He turned back to Harry, staring at him for a moment before his eyes went wide.
"So how'd it go this afternoon? What happened?" Ron asked enthusiastically, his eyes boring into Harry.
Harry lifted one of his shoulders in a half armed shrug.
"It was good."
"It was good?" Ron echoed back in astonishment, his eyes as round as saucers. "You actually had a good time with her?"
Harry shook his head, "I didn't meet with her. I sat up here and did homework and played some exploding snap."
Ron put a hand over his heart and laughed in relief, "Blimey Harry, you had me going there for a minute. I thought you actually sat down with her. That would have been a tale to tell. I'm glad you didn't make yourself suffer through that. What made you decide not to?"
Harry's face clouded over, "I saw Luna over their trying to talk to Draco. Their reactions to her were just..." He paused, looking vexed, "Luna may be a little-"
"Off her rocker?" Ron offered.
"-different," Harry finished, frowning at Ron, "But she's nice. They looked at her like she was something filthy on the bottom of their shoe. She doesn't deserve to be treated like that. And I just… realized I couldn't go through with it. Why would I want to spend a second of my time with her? Granted, I don't know her so I can't say for sure how it would have gone. But what I do know of her, I don't like or respect. Why even try?"
Ron nodded in understanding, "I don't blame you in the slightest for not going. Ella Malfoy is just like her brother. We may have interacted more with Draco than her, but's still a Malfoy and acts like one, though maybe more silently. Both of them… bloody wankers. I'm glad you didn't. I would have been in pain for you if you had."
Harry rubbed his face out of stress, "I just hope nothing comes of it."
Ron waved his hand, "Nothing will. Don't worry mate, they aren't going to punish you for not seeing her, they'll get where you're coming from. If they haven't already came to that same conclusion themselves. Especially after you talk to Dumbledore."
"I hope so." Harry said, staring at the dark wood of the table, deep in thought.
"Hey, you want to play a game of chess?" Ron asked, standing to walk to a cupboard near the fireplace.
"Yeah, sure." Harry said, relieved at the idea. He could use a distraction.
Ron tugged at the board on a high shelf, rattling heard from within the cupboard as he shut it quickly, pressing his hand against the door. He threw the set on the table, opening it up and placing the pieces.
"So you just sat out here all day? Didn't go flying at all?" Ron asked, lining his side with red players.
"No, I figured if any of the professor's saw me flying out there, it wouldn't go over too well."
"Ah, right idea there." Ron muttered, his mind already absorbed in the game.
"Pawn to C eight."
Ron suddenly looked up, glancing around the room.
"Where's Hermione?"
"What?" Harry asked distractedly as he stared critically at the board, though he knew trying was no use. Ron won nearly every time.
"Where's Hermione?"
"Pawn to D three." His white piece slid forward into position. He looked up from the game into Ron's confused stare. "She's not back yet."
"What?" Ron asked perplexed, "Where is she?"
Harry lifted his shoulders, "Out with Bradley still I'd imagine."
Ron looked up at the clock on the wall, "But it's nearly six."
"I'd think she'd be back soon then." Harry answered. Ron looked down at the board for a moment, staring unfocused at his pieces. Harry cleared his throat, "It's your turn Ron."
"What? Oh." Ron said vaguely, "Pawn to E five."
Harry watched as Ron's pawn moved pointlessly over near Harry's. A moment later it broke in half, taken out by Harry's piece. He looked over the rim of his glasses at his friend's still glazed expression. He chose not to point out his mistake.
Harry studied the board, a moment later jolted from concentration as the chair beside him moved, a person falling into it gently.
"Oops, sorry Harry." Hermione said apologetically, moving her chair back a bit more to give him room.
"Where have you been?" Ron asked indignantly, looking her over.
Hermione's face was lit with a smile, one that seemingly nothing could wipe off her face.
"I've been with Connor for the house meetings."
"Those ended fifty minutes ago." Ron pointed out plainly, waiting for a reply.
Hermione laughed, "Just because you're no longer required to see your partner anymore after five doesn't mean you can't. We just lost track of time." She explained jovially, smiling back and forth between Harry and Ron.
Harry glanced at Ron's silent form, "Did you have a good time?"
Hermione beamed in excitement, "Oh yes. We found we actually have quite a lot in common with one another. You know, to tell you the truth I was slightly skeptical of the hats choices in some of the pairings, like yours for example Harry," Hermione said shooting him a look, "It didn't make me hold much faith to the accuracy of the couples. I didn't know much about him, just that he's a chaser. And that, well, he's a fairly popular topic in a lot of girl's conversations. I wasn't certain on how well we'd get along. But it paired us very well I believe. It found mutual interests and personalities between individuals and paired accordingly. With very good results, everyone's been buzzing with excitement from their time spent today. For the most part at least, nothing's perfect. But Connor's a really wonderful person-"
Ron stood up jerkily, drawing their attention.
"What's wrong?" Hermione asked startled, her face etched with slight alarm.
"Nothing," Ron murmured stepping back from the table, "I just forgot to give Lavender her quill from when we were together today. I should give it back."
Ron walked away from the table over towards the corner of the room where Lavender and Parvati sat in deep conversation, the pair looking up eagerly as Ron approached. Harry happened to glance down at Ron's arm, finding no quill in his hand.
A/N: I don't know if anyone really reads the author's notes at the end of chapters, but I'll plow ahead anyways...
I'm sorry for the long wait! I've been pretty busy the last few weeks with finals and Christmas shopping, it's been a little hectic. But as promised I cranked out another chapter. I'm nearly done with the next one and have break for a few weeks yet, so I should have it put on the site in more of a timely manner than before.
I know some of these past chapters may have been a little slow, but I try not to have filler that is unimportant. Everything I add for the most part has a purpose, whether it's noticeable now or in the future. So if the story still seems intriguing to anyone, just hang in there because this chapter coming up starts getting into interactions between our favorite couple!
Thanks once again for the reviews, and please don't hesitate to submit them, they are always appreciated. I hope everyone had a good holiday and has an eventful New Years. Until next time!
Also, happy birthday to Nienerz! Sorry I couldn't get this out on your birthday, but hopefully posting the chapter now will make up for it :)
