Life was good. Music was playing loudly. Pansy was trying to get me to dance with her, while I was arguing with Ginny that maybe I wasn't quite as bad as a seeker. I swear it, right before Pansy pulled me into a dance, I heard Ginny utter: "You just wait, Malfoy. I'll make you a decent seeker before you graduate." See, I am not hopeless.

The rest of the evening I was not able to spot Ginny anywhere, but I was thoroughly distracted by the party. After countless quidditch stories retold and butterbeers, with sore feet from dancing with Pansy, I finally fell asleep.

The next morning breakfast was quiet. Potter's fanboy was petrified.

Later on the day after potion class just ended professor Snape is still yelling at Potter. He must have had a death wish, throwing a firecracker into the cauldron of Blaise and Greg. Got halve of the students drenched in swelling poison. Vin then nudged me. "Joining me?" I nodded.

"So, what are we heading for?" I asked.

Vin looked a bit flustered. "Well, you know. Ginny just seems a bit.. shaken up the last few days and all. Wanted to make sure she was alright." Classic Vin, I thought, bulky guy, but really just a pile of mush. "She's usually in the library, you know, writing in that book. She does that a lot." He then smiled happily. "She's so concentrated when she writes, like she forgets everything around her." That was quite detailed for Vin. Wait - I smirk, does Vin fancy Ginny? Well, if he does, his father better not find out.

Vin seems not to notice my growing smirk. "Maybe Hermione is with her, sometimes she does that, sits with Ginny, even helped me with transfigurations, you know I need it." I grew uncomfortable. Hanging out with Ginny was one thing, but Granger? What would father say.

Vin smiled at me teasingly. "Don't be like that, you are not a hundred procent your father." My face must have shown how ludicrous the idea of me being decent to Granger was.

I sighed. "I'll play nice."

Vin looked happy with my reply. "You know, she helped you. I heard you were pretty terrified when Ginny threatened to hex you. Did you ever thank her?"

I started spluttering "I.. well, what.. I mean.. No." Vin must have gone crazy. "Of course I did not, you know I cannot thank a you-know-what." Boy, I chastised myself, get yourself together. Malfoy's are eloquent and certainly do not splutter. "Besides she ran of," I decide haughtily.

We arrived at the library. I shortly hoped that Granger would not be ssitting anywhere near Ginny, but I had no such luck. Vin clapped my back. "Guess Granger is here too," he piped up. He seemed quite happy about it. "You know, I was quite nervous about you knowing about me hanging out a lot with Gin and Hermione, but thanks for being so cool about it." Oh Merlin, now I definitely can't be rude about Granger, as I manage to keep a smile on my face. Vin happily strides towards the table where Ginny and Granger are seated. I followed him. My father probably would never find out, right?

Ginny is furiously scribbling in her notebook. There is just something about that book. Something odd. Like I have seen it somewhere around the manor, but that would be ridiculous. One, how could she have gotten it? Two, what would such a dreadful looking book do in our manor? Vin nudged me. Granger is looking at me wearily. "Thanks for uhh, saving me from Ginny's wrath." Now she looked just confused. "You know, the counter spell? Green-haired Ginny?" It seemed to ring a bell. Now it just got awkward. She looked at me with preening eyes, like she was asking me if I wasn't going to mock her. She did not seem to realise that it would be actually quite what-I-deserved, or something like that, if she would mock me. I had not been kind to her. As no taunting words came, I realised not everyone was like that- like me and that she was probably more comfortable being the harassed kid than the bully.

Granger seemed to relax, but still looked warily at me. I got the urge to run away. But Malfoy's do not run away. Grangers do. "So," I started, "That book-thing Ginny has, is it healthy?" I winced, how very eloquent, father would be ashamed. Well, I am already talking to granger, I am kind of ruining it already.

Granger looked a bit conflicted between laughing and anger. "For you information, books don't cause diseases," she snapped, holding her book protectively.

I felt my face colouring. Vin did not help me as he seemed busy ogling Ginny. He was totally distracted and did not notice the awkward air between Granger and I. Ginny was still fully concentrated on her black notebook. How could it have not been full yet? Come on, Malfoy, be eloquent. "What I meant to say was, I'm worried about Ginny. It is like the book has kidnapped my red-headed friend." Good, that sounded kind of smooth.

Granger pursed her lips, not in disgust, thinking briefly on it. "She is really protective of it. Plus, I have never seen her as such a book person. You make a point it is weird." She then looked at the clock, seems to be shocked at the time and says: "Shoot- potion, I mean, I really have to go to.. the loo, see you another time, Malfoy" Exactly, Malfoy's do not run away. I thought, Grangers do.

Vin seemed to have stopped ogling at Ginny and now looks mostly nervous. Maybe a little nauseous. I gave him a pointed look. "Talk to her." Then I walked away. When I got in the common room people were excitedly whispering about a dueling club that would start. I made my way to the notice board and I started getting a little excited as well. It was tomorrow.

I decided to spend the short break visiting Sev. "I believe congratulations are in order, Draco," he said as I walked into his classroom. "I knew you could beat that arrogant bully." The last part he blurted out scowling. I rolled my eyes and enjoyed a game of chess with Sev.

The next day I am heading to the duelling club excitedly. I hope Sev gives that bigheaded Lockhart an unpleasant surprise. "I hope professor Snape holds the duelling club," Theodore says, interrupting my thoughts, "Imagine what sort of spells he'd be able to teach us."

I smirked, already knowing that he was asked to lead the event together with Lockhart. "Then we would have our first decent lesson in defence of the dark arts," I said happily. He told me when we had tea yesterday. I could not wait to see him take Lockhart down a peg or two.

And he did take him down. I smirked. That's my godfather, I thought, as he tossed Lockhart through the room using expelliarmus. I started applauding happily and almost every student joined in, laughing and cheering on Severus. Well, he deserves to be liked for a change, I mused.

Lockhart quickly stands up and tells everyone that he let Severus win. Seriously? He could beat him without a wand. Then he starts making pairs of students to duel, probably too chicken to loose from Severus again. I'm paired with Potter. Then mayhem ensues. Weasley's wand misfires and he hits Seamus, Granger is in a headlock from Millicent and I'm firing a tickle and leg-locking jinx at Potter, while narrowly missing his expelliarmus.

Then Lockhart tries to get the students attention, failing miserably. One "silence" from Snape and all students stop dueling. Lockhart calls Longbottom and Finch-Fletchey on stage, but Snape interrupts. Now I am eye to eye with Potter. Severus strides towards me and whispers instructions for a spell in my ear. Potter looks wearily to us. I had never heard of the spell, but coming from Severus, it couldn't be too bad. He hated Potter, sure, but he would not let me get into too much trouble, right?

So after bowing I raise my want and yell "Serpensortia." An angry black snake is conjured from my wand and is hissing at Finch-Fletchey. Severus nods at me, looking extremely pleased. He just wants to stride forward, showing all students that he is always in control, but Lockhart flings the snake into the air while telling everyone that there is no reason for panic and that he will deal with it, making it hiss even angrier. It is looking dangerously towards Finch-Fletchey. Then something happened no-one saw coming. And I mean no-one. Potter started talking to the snake, that seemed to only get even angrier at Finch-Fletchey. I felt shocked. Potter cannot be a parselmouth. He is a Gryffindor. His mother was a muggleborn. It is an extremely rare talent. Salazar himself was a parselmouth! How could Potter be a parselmouth? Then before the snake can attack, Snape destroys the snake and the rest of the dueling club is cancelled.