Chapter 11 - Hogsmeade weekend

The next Saturday was a Hogsmeade visit, and Draco and Caitlin were going together, with Blaise, Fred, Lee, and George. They headed to Zonko's first, where Fred, George, Caitlin, and Lee looked at the shelves, choosing a few pranks from it, to use against the rumor starters, as well as looking at them to help come up with a few ideas for their own products. Draco and Blaise had watched the four, hanging a bit back. Draco watched Caitlin flit among the shelves with a near devoted look on his face, fascinated as she picked up pranks with a practiced air, or examined one to turn to the three Gryffindors and comment about making a product of their own with some aspects of the one in her hand.

She sometimes would catch these looks and grin at him, clearly at home surrounded by the various jokes and prank objects, and the grin would make him turn away and blush, causing Caitlin's grin to widen.

After spending about a half hour in the shop, the 6 went to Honeydukes, where Caitlin got a few sugar quills, Fred and George each grabbed a handful of chocolate frogs, Lee got Bertie Bott's Beans, Draco got some Acid Pops, and Blaise got a few packs of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. After they purchased their candies, the group split, Draco and Caitlin went to the Three Broomsticks while Fred, George, and Lee went to a Quidditch shop and Blaise went to Gladrags to get some new robes, some of his were getting small.

When Caitlin and Draco reached the Three Broomsticks, they found an empty table towards the back and Draco ordered them both butterbeers. She smiled at him from across the table as they chatted quietly until drinks came.

They laughed as they sipped at their butterbeers, until a shadow feel over them. Caitlin looked up, seeing who was standing over them. It was a Slytherin girl, flanked by two beefy boys of the same house that she had seen the years before behind Draco. Crabbe and Goyle, she though Harry had called them once? The girl she had seen simpering over Draco in the past, the thought of which made Caitlin's blood burn with anger and that green monster of jealousy rear its ugly, unwanted head.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by Draco's cool question to the trio of his former friends, "What do you want, Parkinson?"

The pug-faced girl shook out her short black hair and stated in an all to sweet voice, "I just wanted to make sure your okay, Drakey. You stop talking to all of us suddenly, then you send out all those letters to those horrible blood traitors and mudbloods, and now", Caitlin could fell Draco's anger from across the table as they waited from Pansy's last reason for Draco 'not feeling well', "And now, you are dating a mudblood that used to date and is best friends with people from the biggest family of blood traitors-"

She was cut off from saying anymore when Draco stood, his blue eyes like ice, and his wand was quickly poking at her throat, "Don't you dare", Draco hissed, "Insult my girlfriend or her friends. You're just jealous because you've wanted me for years and I've never given you the time of day. If you insult my choice in girlfriend, you insult me, and I don't recommend you do that."

Pansy was pale now, she was a similar color to the white shirt under her Hogwarts robes, "Drakey, you know I didn't mean- I would never-"

Draco's eyes flashed, "Get out, Parkinson. Now", Parkinson's eyes started watering, "I said now Pansy."

The Slytherin girl wailed and ran out of the bar, Goyle and Crabbe bumbling after her.

Caitlin let out a sigh of relief when the Slytherins exited the door, leaning heavily against the wall. The look in Draco's eye had scared her and she was the one being defended by him.

When Draco sat back down, Caitlin smiled weakly at him across the table, showing him that she was ok.


Draco saw Caitlin's weak smile and immediately felt sorry for her getting dragged into his drama. He reached across the table and grabbed her hand muttering to her, "I'm sorry. That was my issue and you didn't deserve to be dragged into it."

He watched as her cheeks redden and smothered a grin that threatened to break across his face. It showed him that his feelings were at least in part returned by the brunette Hufflepuff, which joyed him greatly. It meant he had a chance, and that he wasn't just looking in the dark for a girl who might not ever even think about him like that. Now was the time to put the plan into full effect.

Draco smiled at her as he became aware of her stuttering, "It's-uh, it's fine. I should of ex- expected it seeing how the people you used to call friends aren't the type of people to let thi- things go."

Draco waved it off, pretending he didn't notice her stuttering, "But I could have talked to them and prevented Pansy from coming here and insulting you."

Caitlin smiled at him and he could have melted like a girl at it, "It's fine, really. Even if you had confronted her before this, she still probably would have come here and 'talked' to you. I'm used to people treating me like the scum on their shoe, and it doesn't bother me anymore, because I know I'm better than them all", here her confident speech ended and she cleared her throat awkwardly. He watched her take a deep breath and then say in a much quieter voice, "But, on another note. Did you mean what you said to her? That she's wanted you forever and you've never even really looked at her?"

Draco hid a smirk and laughed, "Yeah, I meant every word of that. Why, did you believe the rumors that we were dating, to be married soon after the end of school?"

Caitlin flushed again and nodded, "Well, it looked true because she was always hanging off your arm and following you around like a sick puppy."

Draco smiled at her in a reassuring manner, "That was all her, trust me, as soon as we would get out of sight from people I would peel her off me and walk away from her quickly. She never knew how to take a hint that I didn't like her, and that hasn't changed since we were little."

Caitlin nodded, seeming to understand, which made Draco smile as they finished their butterbeers, "Come on, our friends are probably wondering where we are. We promised to meet them like 5 minutes ago.", Draco said, standing up and holding out his hand to help Caitlin up.

Caitlin took it with a smile and a muttered, "Thank you", but when she stood, she didn't let go of his hand.

Draco couldn't hide a grin that stretched across his face as the two walked hand in hand to where they had promised Fred, George, Blaise, and Lee they would meet them, hope and love lightening his heart.