Unraveled
Chapter Twenty-Two: Green-Eyed Monster
The night of the dinner approached long before anyone else knew it. Nell and Ryu Ran spent their time preparing the meals. The dinner was going to be a small gathering of nine people: Sirius, Remus, Nell, Ryu, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fiona, and Draco. He'd agreed most reluctantly until Fiona pinned his arm during a practice session and forced him to come.
Nell was sure it was going to be as tense as the first dinner with Sirius and Draco. Fiona and Draco had to continue lessons. Draco wasn't showing up for lessons at Hogwarts anymore, and for some unknown reason, the Headmaster allowed him to continue lessons with Ryu Ran. The lessons were now combined with magic.
Both students were learning how to do illusions that were so life like that they fooled Sirius and Nell. Fiona and Draco even tricked Remus into thinking he had hit a dead end during a visit. Both were reprimanded by their sensei, while Fiona received further punishment from her father. Sirius caved only after a few hours because of her pouting.
Sirius watched them carefully to make sure they didn't arrange any strange illusions for the dinner. Remus was to arrive later with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Fiona was folding origami paper into cranes.
"What are you doing?" asked Draco.
"Folding paper," she replied.
"What are you going to do with those?" he asked.
"Watch," she said as she waved her wand at the flock of paper cranes. They turned into sparrows and flew out a nearby window into the garden. "Pretty cool, huh?"
Sirius smiled. He was amazed at her progress. "Not bad," said Draco.
"Dad, what did you think?" she asked with a smile.
"Very impressive. What else can you make?" asked Sirius.
"Hmm…I think I can make a dog." Fiona started folding another piece of black paper. After a couple of minutes, she folded it into a dog. "Look, it's you," she said as she handed it to him.
"Don't you mean, Scruffy?" he asked with a smile.
"It could be Scruffy," she agreed.
"I can't believe you still play with toys," said Draco with a smirk.
"Let me enjoy my childhood," said Fiona as she charmed the paper into coming to life. The paper dog started parading around the table. "Sit," she commanded, which it did.
"We're here," announced Remus as he stepped in with the trio. Draco's face had a dark look on it as he glared at them and put his wand away. Fiona smiled at Remus and avoided Harry's gaze.
"You haven't been to class, Malfoy. Are you planning to flunk out of Hogwarts?" asked Ron.
"What? Miss me, Weasley?" drawled Draco.
Fiona stood up. "Draco, stop." She looked at Ron and Hermione, but avoided Harry again. "Why don't you tell me what's going on in the real world? Draco's not very good at telling stories," she said politely.
Harry seemed to clutch his jaw each time Fiona spoke Draco's name. It show that they knew each other intimately. It was close to driving him insane. Hermione obliged her by telling her about the classes and the upcoming tests they had to take. Ron rolled his eyes at her, and said, "She doesn't want to hear about that, Hermione. We'll tell you about the Quidditch game that's coming up."
"Like she wants to hear about that," muttered Hermione.
"It's against the Slytherins," said Ron. "Harry and Malfoy will be going toe-to-toe for the match because they're the seekers."
"You didn't tell me," said Fiona as she looked at Draco.
"It's not important," he drawled.
"That's because you lose each time you've come up against Harry, Malfoy," said Ron.
Draco's eyes narrowed at Ron. Sirius and Remus didn't say much because they were watching Harry most of the time. They noticed how tense he seemed and how he gave the impression that he was looking back and forth between Fiona and Draco.
"You must be a really good Quidditch player, Harry," commented Fiona as she took one short, direct glance at him.
"Are you kidding? He's the youngest player to play in the whole school for over a century," said Ron.
"And his father didn't have to buy broomsticks for the other team like someone we know. He got his talent from his father," said Hermione.
Fiona stole a sidelong glance at Draco, who noticeably stiffened at the mention of his father. "Let's talk about something else," she decided tactfully.
"How far along are you?" asked Harry quietly. "With your magic."
She looked startled by him talking to her directly. His emerald eyes caught her ruby ones for a moment. "Fine. We're doing practical illusions along with almost all the regular lessons Hogwarts offers."
"Illusions?" asked Hermione.
"Yes, Granger. We're not talking simple transfiguration, but grand scale. We fooled Professor Lupin into thinking he had hit a dead end a few days ago when he came here," said Draco.
"I got grounded for a few hours," said Fiona with a smile at her father.
Harry watched her as she pulled one lock of her hair behind her ear as she talked. It was getting longer these days. She hadn't bothered keeping it short. It usually grew fast, so she had to get it cut at least every two weeks. She hadn't cut her hair since her mother died. Her voice was soothing. He could sit there just watching her for hours on end, if he allowed himself to do so.
"I'm going to go set up the table. Draco, come with me," she said as she stood up and hit him on the shoulder.
"What? Do I look like a servant?" he asked.
"Yes. Now, come and help me," she replied as she pulled on his ear. "Ow!"
"Do it," ordered Sirius.
Draco stood up slowly, and Fiona grabbed his arm hurling him forward. She let go quickly, which almost caused him to fall on the floor. Luckily, he saved himself in time. His hair shaded over his face, and he had to run his fingers through it, so he could see. Fiona laughed at him as she walked ahead of him. "You did that on purpose! You brat! Come back here and apologize," he commanded.
"Over your dead body. And I wouldn't tempt me, if I were you," she called back. He grumbled some more as he followed her.
"I'm starting to have a hard time figuring out who's a bad influence on who," said Remus thoughtfully.
"Harry, how are you?" asked Sirius, snapping him to attention. He was busy watching Fiona leave to notice much else.
"Fine. Never better," replied Harry.
Ron and Hermione looked away. Ron knew for sure he was lying. He looked at Remus who seemed to be gesturing for Hermione and him to follow. They both looked at each other and stood up. "Let me show you the training area, Hermione. Ron, there's an indoor place where they practice the martial arts that you might be interested in seeing," said Remus as he lead them out of the living room.
Harry had stood up to follow them, but Sirius' hand prevented him from leaving. "Harry, we need to talk," said Sirius in a frank voice.
"What about?" asked Harry without looking at him.
"We've been wondering what's wrong with you. You've been sleeping a lot lately and that accident with your broomstick. Your scar was hurting you, wasn't it?"
"I don't want to talk about it!" flared Harry.
Sirius sighed. At least he knew what to do with that temper, he wasn't James' best friend since childhood for nothing. "Everyone's worried about you. Me, most of all, Harry. Just tell me what's bothering you. Let me help you. Just because Fiona is here, doesn't mean you ceased to exist to me. I was hoping you'd get along with her."
"Then tell me why you're letting Draco Malfoy be friends with her?" demanded Harry as he glared at Sirius, who was surprised by the flames in his eyes.
He paused for a moment, carefully contemplating his answer. "Harry, she's a lot like her mother. I can't crush her spirit, not after all that's happened to her. Thalia was like that. I couldn't keep her from doing things that made her happy. Severus Snape was Thalia's best friend and he's also Fiona's godfather. He stayed away because he hated me. It tore Thalia apart having to choose like that. I just don't think it's fair to keep Fiona from the only friend she's got, even if it's Malfoy. I lost my wife because I couldn't accept some very important things about her. I can't lose my daughter, too. She's the most important person in my life. I've paid attention to her and Draco. Yes, they're engaged by Voldemort, but neither wants to marry the other. He's her friend. The only friend she's got," he said softly.
Harry's hands were still balled into fists. "You don't understand. I don't want Malfoy near her," he said angrily.
Sirius regarded him carefully. A thought dawned on him; Harry acted like James had, especially when other boys paid attention to Lily before. "You hardly know her, Harry," said Sirius slowly, attempting to process the information that had presented itself.
"She won't look me in the eye, Sirius. Malfoy said something about me. I'm sure of it," said Harry.
"I don't know if he did or not, Harry. I'll ask Fiona," Sirius assured him. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad! Who says I'm mad?!" roared Harry.
"I know a mad Potter and an Evans when I see one, Harry. I can see both right now," said Sirius as he tried to calm him down.
"I am not mad," repeated Harry in a lower voice. "I just can't believe that you trust Malfoy. He's no different than he was before. You can't trust him with your daughter. Or, don't you care about her safety?"
Sirius pursed his lips. He would have said something to discipline him. He should have. However, he could see why Harry was so worked up. His daughter wasn't even fourteen yet. She's too young to go out with anyone. Even Harry. Maybe next year, he thought. Still Harry's intentions were a lot cleaner than Sirius' when he was his age. Harry was truly his father's son. "Why do you care so much about her safety, Harry?" he asked.
Harry looked stunned for a moment. Then he looked suddenly flustered as he broke a stare from Sirius. "It's…it's just that…well…she's your daughter, right? You and my dad were best friends. Practically brothers. Shouldn't I worry like that, too? Besides, this is Malfoy we're talking about."
Draco was setting the table just in the next room because Fiona had bullied him into it. She knew how to twist his thumb painfully. He could hear everything that Potter and Black were saying. Fiona was in the kitchen because Nell had asked her help. Draco couldn't see anything, but he had a smirk on his face. So, Potter likes Fiona? We'll see about that, he thought as he set the table.
Nell emerged from the kitchen. "Are you sure you know where you're putting the utensils, Draco?" she asked him.
"Yes, is dinner ready yet?" he asked in a louder voice. He didn't want her to hear about Potter. Not yet. He wanted to talk to him first.
"Sure, let me go and tell them," said Nell as she went towards the living room.
"No, wait. Um…why don't you check what I did?" he asked as he took a long stride over to her.
"O-okay. I'll check. Could you go and gather everyone?" she asked.
"It would be my pleasure, Dr. Lawson," he said to her kindly. She turned her back. The trademark Malfoy smirk appeared on his lips. He walked over to the living room and found Sirius and Harry standing a good distance appear from each other.
"Dinner's ready," Draco drawled.
"Fine," said Harry, growing tired of the conversation he was having with Sirius. He walked off and nudged shoulders with Draco. Both boys were the same height. Harry and Draco were almost six feet tall.
"Watch it, Potter," warned Draco.
"Then stay out of my way, Malfoy," said Harry as he continued without turning around.
Sirius gazed at Draco calmly. "Are you going out of your way to provoke him?" he asked.
"Of course not. Why would I?"
Sirius looked at him again as he walked passed him to go to the dining room. Draco obligingly stepped out of his way. He went off to go look for Professor Lupin and the others. He found them in the den, which Fiona was using as a potions lab.
"Dinner's ready," announced Draco.
Remus nodded. "Oh, by the way, Professor Lupin. Mr. Black has talked to Potter. Just thought you ought to know," said Draco as he walked ahead of them.
"What did that ferret mean?" asked Hermione.
"I have no idea. Do you think Harry told Sirius what was wrong?" asked Ron.
"I'm not sure. But, it seems that Draco is up to something," replied Remus.
The guests gathered at the table with Sirius as Ryu and Nell brought out the beginning courses. Fiona came in with the bread. She took a seat next to her father and Nell. Harry sat directly across from her with Ron and Hermione on either side of him. Draco sat between Remus and Ryu. Remus was next to Sirius.
"Are we going to see the Quidditch game on Saturday, Dad?" asked Fiona.
"You can go as along as you stay with Remus, Hermione, Nell, and Master Ran," replied Sirius.
"You aren't coming?" she asked, unable to hide her disappointment.
"I can't, Fiona. You know that," he told her affectionately.
She bit her lip. She wished she could go out in public with her father like other children. It was so strange to be living in near hiding. She was barely allowed to leave the house. She looked straight across the room and caught Harry's eyes for a moment again. She quickly redirected her attention to her food as she bit her lip nervously. Why does he keep looking at me like that? I don't understand. But…he does have beautiful eyes. So intense. They're almost hypnotic, she thought.
Draco observed carefully. It was fine if Fiona liked Harry. He didn't want to marry her, but of all the people in the world, why did it have to be his worst enemy? Draco wasn't the only one to notice the look. Ron noticed it as well and caught Hermione's knowing gaze.
Remus also watched carefully. He caught Sirius' eye. Fiona avoided Harry again. There was something too strange about him. She didn't know, but he looked at her like he knew her.
"Are you all right, Fiona?" asked Nell with a sigh.
"What? Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired. My school days are longer than most people's, Aunt Nell. Excuse me. I need some air," she said as stood up.
Everyone else looked stunned, but Draco broke the silence. "You've watched her grow up," he said to Nell. "Does she always leave the table like that?" This time, he didn't bother to follow her. Harry spent the rest of the dinner in virtual silence.
*
Dinner concluded soon after that, Remus had to escort the trio back with Draco to Hogwarts. Fiona didn't even show up for dessert. Harry and Draco didn't even throw insults at each other. They glared at each other, making Ron and Hermione very uncomfortable. At least they knew how to handle insults, but this was just frightening.
Sirius sighed as he looked at Remus. "I'm going to go look for Fiona," said Nell as soon the guests left.
"No, I'll go talk to her," said Sirius as he went to go look for her. He had a vague idea where she had gone. He walked outside and found her perched on top of the roof. He apparated next to her. "Fiona, are you all right?"
"I don't know. I feel strange. Why are you making me get along with Harry Potter?" she asked him point blank.
"I grew up with his father. We never thought of having children. In fact, if it wasn't for Harry, you probably wouldn't be here. Your mother absolutely fell in love with him when he was born. She wanted a baby of our own," said Sirius as he gave her a lopsided grin.
"He's strange, Dad. He really is. He doesn't like me. I don't see why you're forcing us to like each other just because his dad and you were friends."
"Harry's been through a lot more than you know, Fiona. I want to give him a sense of family. A sense of belonging. He's a part of our family. I promised James and Lily that I would take care of him in case anything happened to them. Nell made the same promise to your mother, do you want me to break the promise I made?" he asked her.
"No. I just wished he'd stop looking at me like he hated me," she said feebly.
Sirius shook his head. "Are you sure of that?" he asked.
She nodded earnestly. "What else would he feel? My grandfather murdered his parents, Dad. I don't blame him," she said. "He should hate me. It's only natural."
Sirius sighed for a moment. "The stars. They're beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yes," she agreed. "They are. They're almost the most beautiful things I've ever seen." The most beautiful things Fiona had ever seen were Harry Potter's mesmerizing emerald eyes.
*
Harry tried his best to get some sleep. Tomorrow was Friday, and he had to get through to Saturday where he could fight Malfoy legitimately without drawing any added attention. The Slytherin Quidditch team was stronger than ever. He just wanted to beat Draco in front of Fiona. He didn't even care whether or not it impressed her. He just had to wipe that smirk off the ferret's face.
He tossed and turned before falling asleep. He had another strange dream. He saw himself in dress robes headed for the Great Hall. Fiona was outside, looking in. He started walking towards her as he heard the music play…
Harry woke up with a jolt. She looked so left out. Even Draco Malfoy wasn't there, but he was coming towards her. A realization came to him, Draco was no where to be seen in all the dreams he had had of Fiona. It was just him and her. He found himself smiling at that thought.
He would have stayed like that all day, had Ron not pulled the curtains open. "Harry!" he said loudly. Harry had to shield his eyes from the sudden glare of sunlight. Ron handed him his glasses. "Why are you smiling like that?"
"I'm just happy. That's all," said Harry as he got out of bed and stretched his arms. He smiled again as he gathered his things to get ready for class. Another half hour passed, before they were ready to face the day.
"You're looking happy this morning," observed Hermione. She threw Ron a questioning glance, but he merely shrugged. He didn't know what made him so happy either.
They went to class, and for most of the day, Harry's good mood lingered. Until after school, when Draco decided it was time to talk to him. "Potter," he called out.
Harry paused and turned. "What do you want Malfoy?" he demanded.
"Unless you want me broadcasting it, I suggest you just come with me. I've already left my cronies behind. I suggest you ditch Granger and Weasley," said Draco.
"You little…" started Ron, but he stopped when Harry held up his hand. He started walking towards Malfoy. "Harry! Don't go!" shouted Hermione.
"I'll be fine. I'll see you both at the tower," said Harry calmly.
Harry walked towards Draco. "Do you mind if we talk some place more private?" suggested Draco. There was no way he was going to embarrass Fiona on such a public scale. Harry nodded and followed him. Neither of them had any idea that Ryu Ran had brought her on Hogwarts grounds with Dumbledore's permission to go look at the Herbology greenhouses.
"What is it you want, Malfoy?" asked Harry when they were finally far enough from the castle.
"I just wanted to warn you, Potter, before you got any other ideas," started Draco with a smirk.
"What the Hell are you talking about, Malfoy?" demanded Harry impatiently.
"About Fiona Black. I don't need glasses, Potter. Not like you. I'm not blind. I can see what's going on. My warning is simple: don't even bother trying."
"What? Who are you to tell me what to do, Malfoy?!" shouted Harry as he advanced forward. Draco stepped back calmly.
"Potter, wake up. You aren't good enough for her. You should see that. She's bloody brilliant. She can blow Granger off the map with her brains. And she's a musical prodigy, too. Didn't know that did you, Potter? She's way beyond you. I thought it was best not to make you work hard to get her attention. You haven't got a chance," Draco drawled on.
Harry was unable to keep his temper in check any longer. "WHAT ABOUT YOU MALFOY?! AREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO MARRY HER?!" he roared.
Draco looked unsurprised at Harry's sudden outburst. He was expecting it. "I am. That much you know. I have no intention of marrying her. Otherwise I would have already told her about it. No. I don't want to marry her. There is no point in concerning her with it," said Draco with a dismissive hand.
"I'm not good enough for her either, Potter. I know that, too. She's in her own class. Neither of us can hope to get that close," he continued.
"You can't be the judge of who she will like or not," said Harry icily. He suddenly realized that he had exposed himself completely because of the look on Malfoy's face.
"I would take my advice, if I were you, Potter. Give up. You haven't got a chance," said Draco. "This is the first and last time I'll ever do you a favor. I suggest you take it."
He started to walk off. Harry had no idea what came over him. All logical reasoning had escaped him. All he could feel was sheer rage. Without thinking, he walked over to Draco and pulled him, surprising him. Harry's fist landed on his stomach. He doubled over in pain for a moment. Harry didn't stop there.
Draco blocked him quickly, but found that Harry was too fast for him. A blow hard landed on his face, cutting his lip. Draco fought back and hit him in the face, only bruising his cheek. "DAMN POTTER! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" shouted Draco.
Harry pushed Draco all the way up against a tree as he continued to punch his stomach. Draco pushed him away with all his strength, but found that Harry easily blocked. "YOU CAN GO TO FUCKING HELL, MALFOY!" roared Harry as his arm pulled back for a punch that would have most likely knocked him out for sure. Another hand came in and stopped Harry's arm.
Harry felt his arm twisted awkwardly. "Move and your arm will break," whispered a soft, calm voice from behind him. Harry's eyes widened as Fiona's voice registered. He relaxed his body and closed his eyes. Draco, who was badly beaten, said nothing.
Fiona released Harry. She did something that tore him apart. She didn't even so much as look at him as she went to go check on Draco. "Are you all right?" she asked him. Harry backed up. His lip had a nasty bruise on it. Other than that, he was relatively unharmed. He couldn't believe what came over him. He couldn't believe he had done that.
He started to back away even further. Finally, he turned around and walked away as fast as he could before he broke off running for the castle. He ran until he got back into the tower. Peeves the Poltergeist was so surprised that he couldn't even comment as he spun in midair because of the breeze Harry had caused.
Harry would have continued running, but someone stopped him. Professor Lupin had emerged from his office. "Harry!" he called. Harry stopped and looked at Professor Lupin. "What happened?" he asked quietly as his eyes fell on Harry's lip.
"Nothing," muttered Harry weakly.
"Come with me before I'm forced to give you detention," warned Professor Lupin in a way that Harry had never heard before. He walked with him into the office. "Have a seat."
Harry took a seat as Professor Lupin shut the door. He avoided his gaze. "I'm asking you again. What happened?" repeated Professor Lupin.
Harry stiffened up. He was in a bit of pain because of what had happened. He looked straight into his eyes. "Harry. You have to give me an answer. If you do not, you will have detention," said Professor Lupin with a sigh. "Please."
"When is my detention?" asked Harry with a resigned sigh. There was no way he was going to tell Professor Lupin and allow all this to get back to Sirius.
Remus didn't look unruffled by Harry's response. He had expected it. "Fine, you have detention with me. I'll tell you later. Go and get yourself cleaned up."
Harry stood up and left the office. Remus sighed. "Why must I go through this again, Prongs? Wasn't once enough?" he said as he sank into his chair.
Ron and Hermione were in the Gryffindor common room anxiously waiting for Harry to come in. When he did, they stood up in surprise. "What happened?" asked Hermione as she walked up to him.
"Leave me alone," said Harry as he stalked off to his room to get cleaned up.
"What do you think happened?" asked Hermione as she watched his back.
"I don't now, but I think we'd better see what happened to Malfoy first," said Ron.
Meanwhile, Fiona had helped Draco to his feet. She supported him by placing his arm over her shoulder. He couldn't walk straight because of the blows to his stomach. "I don't know where we can go. Do you want to go to the infirmary?" she asked.
"No," mumbled Draco. "No one should see you come into the castle."
"Where then?" she asked.
"Where did you come from?" he asked.
"The greenhouses," she replied.
"It's Professor Sprout's done for the day. It's empty. Let's go to the greenhouse that you were in," he said as his head started to loll.
Fiona helped him into the greenhouse. She used her wand to conjure up some cold compresses and pressed it against his pale skin. "What happened?" she asked quietly.
"Potter. You saw," he told her.
"That's not a good enough answer," she said. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything, Fin. Look at me, do you really think I could have done anything?" asked Draco. His lip was cut and a black eye was starting to show.
"I know you, Draco Malfoy. I know that you said something. It was something you said that set him off like that," said Fiona as she narrowed her eyes.
"Don't you believe me?" he sputtered.
"Of course, I believe that he threw the first punch, but you said the first thing to set him off," she said. "What did you say?"
He looked at her. He couldn't tell her. Why? He wasn't sure. "Nothing. Nothing worth mentioning, Fin. Look, Potter and I don't get along. It's part of the natural order of things. Malfoys have always fought Potters. Potters have always fought Malfoys. It's part of the circle of life," he said nonchalantly.
She eyed him suspiciously as she tended to his wounds. "I'll tell you one thing. He's not going to get away with this. McGonagall's going to hear about this, and the Gryffindor Golden Boy will go down before the Quidditch game," added Draco.
She suddenly stopped what she was doing and glared at him. "Don't you dare!" she shouted. The plants were disturbed. She lowered her voice. "Don't you dare," she repeated.
"Why shouldn't I? He threw the first punch. We've been exchanging words for years, and it's never come down to this. Potty's gone too far this time, Fin. Whose side are you on?"
"Don't. Please? It'll make you look bad, too. I'm not on anyone's side, Draco," said Fiona.
"I don't care. As long as Potter gets what he deserves," insisted Draco with a shake of his head as he struggled to get back on his feet.
"Please. Do it for me. I'm not asking for much, Draco. Just don't get him into any trouble. Please," pleaded Fiona. She was still on her knees. He took one look at her and sighed.
"Fine, but we're not telling anyone about this. Got it?"
"Tell anyone about what?"
"Exactly."
*
Harry cleaned himself up, but the bruise wouldn't go away. He thought of going over to Madame Pomfrey, but decided not to. All the Gryffindors wanted to know what happened. Fred and George managed to get the crowd away from Harry, who was now distraught.
He couldn't shake the feeling he had. He had never felt this way before about anything or anyone. He felt horribly crushed. She had made her choice and sided with the ferret. Part of him wished he had pounded him harder, but another part of him was conscious of the fact that it was his actions that lend to all this. He sighed as he tipped his head back. He was sitting on one of the stuffed chairs in the common room. He was also in a dark corner.
He could hear whispering. "Did you hear? Harry Potter got into a fight," said a first year.
"Who do you think he fought with?"
"No one knows."
"He's not talking."
Harry sighed. He was waiting for Professor Lupin to report this to McGonagall and his detention. If Professor Lupin didn't do it, then Malfoy would. Harry was sure of it. Then the news would spread all the way to Dumbledore, and Sirius would be informed for sure. Great. Maybe I should have just said something before, he thought.
"Harry," said Ginny softly as she approached him carefully. "You didn't come down for dinner. Um…Draco Malfoy. He was there. He looked pretty beaten up. Professor Figg's back. She asked what happened in front of everyone, but he didn't say anything. Did you fight him, Harry?"
He turned his head away. He'd liked Cho for over a year and nothing liked this had happened. She even went with Cedric Diggory for the Yule Ball, and Harry was able to attend it without losing his temper. He was jealous, but this was different. He had never felt so strongly before. But, why Fiona Black of all the people in the world? She was not better than him.
Fiona was the granddaughter of the Voldemort, a mass murderer. He had murdered Harry's parents. He shouldn't have any feelings like the ones he was experiencing. Maybe that was it. That was Voldemort's plan: to distract him, to make him feel things he wasn't supposed to, and to make him do things he normally didn't do. He swallowed. Stop thinking about her. She's not worth it.
"Ginny, leave him alone," said Ron quietly. Ginny sighed and stood up. She looked at Harry one more time before rejoining her brothers.
After dinner, the rumors spread that the two Quidditch seekers had the biggest fight ever. Most assumed it was done with wands, not with fists. Most were able to guess that Harry won the fight because of the lack of injuries on his body. He refused to even talk to Ron and Hermione.
The next morning, Saturday, Harry woke up later than the rest of the Quidditch team. He came to find Hedwig waiting for him. "Good luck," said a note from Sirius. Harry suddenly remembered that Fiona would be attending the game. Remus saw him walk in. They both made eye contact as Draco Malfoy entered the Great Hall.
The boys glared at each other. Draco's lip was healing after Fiona got some salve for it, but he still had a black eye. He still had bruises on his torso and arms from where Harry had hit him. Harry had developed a bruise on his leg. Neither boy went to go see Madame Pomfrey for their injuries. Professor Dumbledore watched them. Professor McGonagall knew what had transgressed, but she couldn't do anything about it unless Draco Malfoy complained, and so far he wasn't budging. She had little choice, but to watch the boys as she looked at Dumbledore, who shook his head.
"I haven't seen this in a while," he told Remus.
"I never thought I'd see it again," said Remus.
"We'll get them today, Harry," assured Ron. Harry nodded. He was going to knock Malfoy off his broomstick, if necessary. Ron scooted away from Harry at that moment. There might as well be smoke coming out of his ears. The rest of the team looked at Harry apprehensively.
"Harry, we've got to fight them smart. Not mad," warned Fred as gently as possible.
Draco was happy to see that Potter was allowing his anger to cloud his judgment. He smirked to himself as he took a sip of pumpkin juice. He was sore, but still very pleased with himself. All the Slytherins harassed him, Pansy Parkinson tried to treat his injuries until he told her to shove off. He wanted to people to at least see what the Gryffindor Golden Boy was capable of.
Harry glared at him again. Draco smirked and held his goblet up high as if to make a toast. This went beyond their past childish competitions. There was no way Draco was going to let Harry take his best friend from him. No way in Hell would he let that happen. He'd knock him off his broomstick first.
Less than half an hour later, the teams were suiting up for the game. Harry wasn't being a very effective team captain by not speaking to the rest of the team. He left Fred unofficially in charge of giving the plays to the team. "We could just say you don't feel well enough to play," offered Katie.
"No," said Harry. It was the first thing he had said all morning. They all marched out to the field where Madame Hooch waited for them. The Slytherins showed up on the other side. Draco was supposed to be team captain, but with his absence, he wasn't really fit to be captain. It really didn't matter to him anyway.
"Team Captains, shake hands," ordered Madame Hooch. The Slytherin captain shook hands tightly with Harry.
Fiona was sitting next to Remus, Nell, and Hermione. Ryu Ran was sitting next to Professor Dumbledore. Professor McGonagall assumed her usual seat next to Lee Jordan.
A lot of people seemed to notice Fiona, despite the large crowd. There were whispers. Most of the boys noticed how beautiful she was. She was amazed when the fourteen players took off on their broomsticks and positioned themselves accordingly.
"Okay, Ron Weasley's the keeper for the Gryffindor team, right?" asked Fiona. "Who are the other two red heads?"
"Those are his brothers, Fred and George. They're the Beaters," answered Remus.
"And the three girls are the chasers," said Fiona as she looked upwards. She spotted Draco and Harry hovering near each other, unable to hear anything they were saying.
"Potter. I suggest you focus on the game. Just because she's here, doesn't mean I don't want you to get distracted. I don't want to win because of her. I want to win because I'm better than you," said Draco.
Harry looked below at the stands. She was there. He had completely forgotten that she was going to be there. This was it. He had to impress her, ignoring Malfoy's taunts, he started to look for the snitch. He was going to catch it, not for himself or Gryffindor, but for her.
She watched as Harry zoomed by in his broomstick. She could barely hear the calls that Lee Jordan was making. Draco followed closely behind Harry.
"Gryffindor is in possession of the Quaffle! Katie Bell scores. Ten points to Gryffindor. Now it's passed to the very fine and dandy Angelina Johnson," said Lee.
"Fine and dandy?!" shouted McGonagall.
"Sorry. Now the quaffle's passed to very alluring Alicia Spinnet."
"Jordan! Stop that! Call the game!"
"Sorry, Professor McGonagall. Now, the Slytherins have it. And it's blocked by Ron Weasley. The bludgers have been hit by the Slytherin towards Gryffindor seeker, Harry Potter. The Weasleys have blocked them."
Fiona breathed a sigh of relief. Another thought came to her: why was she paying more attention to Harry than Draco? Now, Draco had caught up with Harry. They were nudging each other's broomsticks, trying to knock each other off.
"Get the bloody hell away from me, Malfoy!" shouted Harry as he attempted to speed up. Draco wouldn't let him get away that easily. They checked each other again. "I'll knock you off," he said finally.
"Not if I do it first," fired back Draco.
The dispute had caused some of the spectators to look at them. "Potter and Malfoy seem to be having a different kind of Qudditch match," commented Jordan slowly.
"Go back to Hell where you belong!"
"You first, Potter!"
Fiona covered her eyes. She didn't like where this was going, and she still had no idea why they were fighting like this. Madame Hooch blew her whistle.
Both ignored her and continued hurling through the air at top velocities. Madame Hooch blew her whistle again.
"Unbelievable! Potter and Malfoy are completely ignoring Madame Hooch!" said Lee, absolutely flabbergasted.
Ron watched and shook his head. Harry and Draco seemed determined to knock each other off their broomsticks. They collided with each other.
"It's like they're rams," commented Nell as she looked at Remus. "I've never seen anything like it."
"I have," said Remus. "We have to stop this."
Fiona looked around. There had to be something to stop it. Anything. The answer came in a flash. Or rather, in a zipping sort of way. It was the Golden Snitch. Taking a deep breath, she shouted at the top of her lungs, "THERE'S THE SNITCH!" The rest of the crowd only murmured to themselves, or were simply too stunned to say anything. This allowed Fiona's voice to be heard.
Harry's attention was immediately snapped by her. He quickly overtook Draco again, but not without being followed closely behind. Harry willed himself to go faster just to grab the Snitch. In less than a moment, it was in his hand.
"Gryffindor wins! 180 to 50!" shouted Lee. The shouts from the crowd were tumultuous. Fiona noticed that the Slytherin didn't cheer, but everyone else did. She only smiled to herself. Harry looked like he had won the lottery. Draco hovered nearby with a scowl on his face. He made eye contact with Fiona.
She shook her head and broke his gaze. It didn't matter to her who caught the snitch. It only mattered that they had stopped their midair battle. That was enough for her.
*
The Gryffindors celebrated that night. Harry was more than happy. He had beaten Malfoy again. "We're going to win this year! Ha!" shouted Fred excitedly.
"You need something to tone you down," said Angelina.
"We should celebrate. We could win this year with the best record," said George happily.
"Harry wouldn't have caught the snitch without someone shouting where it was," said Hermione, knowing exactly what had occurred. She wasn't sitting with Fiona, but she had heard her shout. She was one of the few people who knew who she was in the entire school. Ron had heard her as well and nodded.
Harry's euphoria broke at that moment, crashing him back to Earth in a big hurry. He stood up. She could have been trying to tell Malfoy where the Snitch was, he thought as a pit grew in his stomach.
"I'm going for a walk. I need some air," he announced.
"People need a lot of air these days, don't they, Hermione?" said Ron casually as he slipped his arm around her shoulders and sat next to her.
The twins and Ginny gaped at him. Ron decided to help Harry out by revealing his relationship with Hermione. "What are you looking at?" he asked innocently.
Everyone else in the common room turned and paid attention to what was going on. Neville smiled and started to applaud. The rest of the Gryffindors followed suit. "What?" asked Hermione exasperatedly.
"IT'S ABOUT BLOODY TIME!" declared Fred and George in unison, causing both Ron and Hermione to blush and place space between themselves.
AN: So tempted to include another part! Must stop here. The next part should also be fun. Confusing, isn't it? Harry's lost his temper more than once. Don't tell me he wouldn't because he does do that. He usually can hold it, but not here. Draco's being very evil, but with noble intentions. However, I doubt that Fiona will appreciate it, even if it's for her. Does she care for Harry? The answer to that and much more will be in the next chapter. What happened to the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor rematch? It was rescheduled, but I decided to go with Slytherin and Gryffindor. It's been a while since they've played, allowing Slytherin to still compete.
This fun chapter is dedicated to my reviewers, especially Chloe Riddle and rinoa. You guys are great and your support allows me to post. And I'd like to thank IvyDragon for being a super beta reader. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. :-p to all the lawyers out there.