Chapter 4- Guy Talk
A half an hour later, no one was dancing any more, most likely because McGonnagal was sitting to the side of the floor, watching the scene like a hawk.
Ron and Neville were playing Exploding Snap again, and Dean and Seamus had gotten tired of waiting for their dates, so they had gone to bed. Harry, Charlotte and I were having a discussion about our class, Communicating With the Dead. I think that it is an interesting sort of subject, but not particularly true. I don't like to comment on it very much, though, because I know that Harry really wants to speak to his parents.
[pic]
Harry shook his head. "It's nasty how Parkinson goes along with everything Malfoy does. She's done practically EVERYTHING for him."
All three boys nodded, as though it was a hidden truth.
"How do YOU know?" I inquired, quirking my brow.
Ron frowned solemnly. "Malfoy's always telling us."
"Not us, exactly," Neville put in. "More like the world."
"Yes," Harry agreed. "He stands in the loo, going on about how godly he is, and how does this and that. It's rawther discouraging when you're trying to pee to have to hear him chattering on like that."
"Sometimes he isn't even using the bathroom," Neville whispered seriously, leaning forward. "He's just standing there, blathering. It makes me feel very.. Insecure."
I had to smile at all of this. "I never knew that Hogwarts had a social club- in the boys' bathroom!" Charlotte and I began to giggle.
"Listen, as far as everyone else is concerned, a bathroom is a place that you don't hang around in. As for Malfoy, he lives there," Ron told us solemnly.
That made us laugh even harder.
"It really is NOT funny at all!" Harry declared. "It's sick and it's wrong. If I had any sort of love life, I wouldn't go telling it there!"
"Love life?" Ron snorted. "You call directing that sleaze around 'love'? I would think that, being so prestigious and all, Lucius Malfoy could have taught his son to respect women."
"Lucius is a woman!" snorted Harry. He and Ron seemed to think that this was hilarious. Ron guffawed and pounded the table.
Neville looked alarmed. "That can't be true," he said quietly, as if to himself.
"Oh, hush up!" I told Harry and Ron, because people were beginning to stare. "And you know, Pansy HAS a mind of her own. She doesn't HAVE to follow him around. It can't be Malfoy's fault ENTIRELY," I said.
They all fell quiet.
"Excuse me, but did you just defend Draco Malfoy?" Ron inquired with a tone of amazement.
That was when I realized that I had. "Well- not really, I-"
Harry stared at me. "Yes. Yes, you did." \ "So what if I did!"
Ron gaped at me. "Aren't you the same girl who slapped Malfoy in third year?"
"Yes, but I was simply stating a fact just then," I returned hotly. I couldn't even believe MYSELF for sticking up for him. I wondered why I had.
A half an hour later, no one was dancing any more, most likely because McGonnagal was sitting to the side of the floor, watching the scene like a hawk.
Ron and Neville were playing Exploding Snap again, and Dean and Seamus had gotten tired of waiting for their dates, so they had gone to bed. Harry, Charlotte and I were having a discussion about our class, Communicating With the Dead. I think that it is an interesting sort of subject, but not particularly true. I don't like to comment on it very much, though, because I know that Harry really wants to speak to his parents.
[pic]
Harry shook his head. "It's nasty how Parkinson goes along with everything Malfoy does. She's done practically EVERYTHING for him."
All three boys nodded, as though it was a hidden truth.
"How do YOU know?" I inquired, quirking my brow.
Ron frowned solemnly. "Malfoy's always telling us."
"Not us, exactly," Neville put in. "More like the world."
"Yes," Harry agreed. "He stands in the loo, going on about how godly he is, and how does this and that. It's rawther discouraging when you're trying to pee to have to hear him chattering on like that."
"Sometimes he isn't even using the bathroom," Neville whispered seriously, leaning forward. "He's just standing there, blathering. It makes me feel very.. Insecure."
I had to smile at all of this. "I never knew that Hogwarts had a social club- in the boys' bathroom!" Charlotte and I began to giggle.
"Listen, as far as everyone else is concerned, a bathroom is a place that you don't hang around in. As for Malfoy, he lives there," Ron told us solemnly.
That made us laugh even harder.
"It really is NOT funny at all!" Harry declared. "It's sick and it's wrong. If I had any sort of love life, I wouldn't go telling it there!"
"Love life?" Ron snorted. "You call directing that sleaze around 'love'? I would think that, being so prestigious and all, Lucius Malfoy could have taught his son to respect women."
"Lucius is a woman!" snorted Harry. He and Ron seemed to think that this was hilarious. Ron guffawed and pounded the table.
Neville looked alarmed. "That can't be true," he said quietly, as if to himself.
"Oh, hush up!" I told Harry and Ron, because people were beginning to stare. "And you know, Pansy HAS a mind of her own. She doesn't HAVE to follow him around. It can't be Malfoy's fault ENTIRELY," I said.
They all fell quiet.
"Excuse me, but did you just defend Draco Malfoy?" Ron inquired with a tone of amazement.
That was when I realized that I had. "Well- not really, I-"
Harry stared at me. "Yes. Yes, you did." \ "So what if I did!"
Ron gaped at me. "Aren't you the same girl who slapped Malfoy in third year?"
"Yes, but I was simply stating a fact just then," I returned hotly. I couldn't even believe MYSELF for sticking up for him. I wondered why I had.