Well this isn't going well the thought. Draco didn't understand how it got turned around on him. "You're plotting with someone who worked very hard to get me locked up for the rest of my life."
"Actually, I'm trying to work with your best friends to figure out how I can better help you, because you've been behaving very unlike yourself," Hermione retorted.
"Best friends?" Draco scoffed. "The girl with the star testimony against me, and the guy who couldn't be bothered to even show up to my trial? Fuck, out of the three Weasley's probably my best friend. How sad is that?"
"You're not the only one who's been through shit, you know?" Theo responded. "If you're going to judge us for doing what we had to do when you want us to forgive what you had to do no questions asked, well fuck you."
That shut Draco up. He didn't know what to believe. How could he trust his so-called best friends when they hadn't been there when he needed them most though? Worse yet the people who were the definition of enemies had come to his rescue not once but twice. It was easier to believe it was all a set up. But what would be the point? "Fine I'll hear you out," Draco muttered through gritted teeth.
"Draco, I'm so sor-" Pansy began before he cut her off.
"Not you!" he hissed noting the hurt in her eyes but being unable to bring himself to care.
"Damn it Draco! Stop being such a prat. You don't exactly have a lot of people rushing to your side wanting to be friends, maybe try not to chase off the few who are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. You want to be best friends with me too? I can't blame you. Everyone wants to be my best fucking friend. I don't need to be your only one."
Why did Weasley keep jumping to Pansy's defense? Maybe he had head trauma from his time in Azkaban. That could explain a few things.
"Since apparently I'm the only one you'll let talk let me tell you what's going on. This girl right here was facing every sort of inquisition by the ministry you can even think of. Every single thing she had ever said or done was being held against her. You might remember that time she suggested turning Harry over to Voldemort? Yeah, that time. Kind of hard to prove your innocence with statements like that hanging over your head, especially with hundreds of witnesses. Testify how we want or end up just as bad off as if you had the mark branded on your own arm. What a fucking deal. Even now she's risking so much trying to help you. They've got her on plenty of watch lists. They monitor everything. And she's risking it for what? To be treated like dirt? Man up already."
Draco sucked his breath in through his teeth preparing a response, but Weasley was far from finished.
"You can't seem to do that though can you? Theo didn't ever even say a word against you, but apparently he doesn't live up to your strict friendship standards either. Merlin forbid those standards actually work both ways, you might have noticed that his father just died fighting this insane war. Granted I don't lose sleep over the fact. He made his choices, but Godric, that's your best friend's father and he should be focused on your needs? How is it possible you're still this arrogant?
"Are you done?"
"That depends do I need to explain why you're a complete prat for doubting Hermione as well?"
Draco wasn't sure his pride could take being called out a third time. Maybe he was wrong. He was terrified to hope though. Things generally went poorly where he was involved. Though, perhaps, they had turned around recently. He certainly could be far worse off. "I think I got it."
"Good."
Hermione seemed to recover her voice at this point. Maybe he'd undone some of the damage he'd done by doubting her in the first place? He sure hoped so. He didn't want to hurt her. He missed her. "Do you think we can hold a conversation like rational adults now?" she asked.
"I would really like that," Pansy added as both Weasley and Theo nodded solemnly in agreement.
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Draco replied trying to hold his head high as if he wasn't the reason things had veered off course in the first place. He wasn't ready to completely abandon his pride.
"Good," Hermione replied. "Maybe you can start by explaining what exactly you think our evil master plan is?"
Disclaimer: You know, the usual. I'm not JK Rowling, HP is not mine.
Author's Note: Well I'm terrible. For a few reasons. Writer's block has been plaguing me something fierce. I think I'm okay now, but I'm just too tired to write more tonight. That being said I know I said I'd try to write longer chapters and I'm heading in the wrong direction in terms of word count but I wanted to give you something because it's been too long. Since it is so short I might follow up with another Draco chapter. I haven't entirely decided yet. I'm not going to predict a time I'll have the next chapter out, because clearly, I'm terrible at it, but I promise I will not just disappear without a word leaving this story unfinished.