"Malfoy! Come here."

Lucius Malfoy began to head towards his master.

"Yes, my lord, what can I do for you?"

"I have heard good things about you, Lucius. But that son of yours is doing a HORRIBLE job. I told you to tell your boy to BEFRIEND Harry Potter. NOT despise him. I want him to lure Harry to me. I do not wish to travel yet. Now get your little Draco to follow my orders, before I have to FORCE him to."

"I will, master. You have my word."

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione got back to the Gryffindor common room, Harry told both of them what his dream had been.

"How many times do you have to defeat him for him to give up?" said Ron.

"Oh my, Harry, not again!" said Hermione as she grabbed Ron's hand. Harry looked at them holding hands gloomily. His eyes turned to Hermione, he felt himself drifting off... He imagined himself fighting Ron and flying off with Hermione...

"Harry!!" he heard Ron shout.

"Hello??!" He felt his left arm get pinched.

"Ouch!" Harry shouted. "Watch it!"

Harry looked at Hermione longingly once more, but then thought of Cho.

Harry glared at Malfoy. As Malfoy sat there in pity, and Ron was reviving Hermione, Harry ran through the crowd to go get Dumbledore. But, too late, he was already coming. "What's all this ruckus about?" said Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, the fat lady got out of her portrait! She is down in that hole in the floor!"

Dumbledore looked down at the fat lady whose head was now in the barrel of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Dumbledore sighed and said, "Everyone go eat lunch! I'll take care of this!"

Hermione just got up and wobbled towards Ron. She fell in his arms and looked at him. She then came back to her normal sense. Harry grabbed the two of them and dragged them downstairs to eat.

"Professor Dumbledore, what happened?" asked Prof. McGonagall.

Snape sprinted into the room at that same time. "Oh my goodness!" he exclaimed.

Dumbledore gave Snape an awkward look.

"Well, Minerva," he said as he turned to McGonagall, "it seems that our Gryffindor woman has indeed escaped from her portrait." Dumbledore smiled. His eyes gleamed underneath his half moon spectacles.

"Not to worry. I'll have her back in no time."

"Who do you think is responsible for this trick? And what spell could they have used? I've never heard of such a one as this."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Perhaps just one of the students' tricks. Or otherwise, it could have been Voldemort. We do not know. As for the spell, it would have had to be an older student, actually, for it takes great concentration.

It is the spell of Jenovared, which brings to life anything fictional or drawn."

As Harry was cutting himself a slice of turkey, he began to think about what had happened.

It couldn't have been Voldemort.. could it? No. He would have felt his scar. But who could have done it then?

"Hey, buddy!" Harry jumped as Malfoy came and squeezed his way in between Ron and Harry.

"Hey!" said Ron, "What are you doing?!" Malfoy ignored Ron.

"Oh, PLEASE forgive me, Harry!" said Malfoy. "I just can't STAND that Crabbe and Goyle!

You were right about them completely! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"OKAY Malfoy!" said Harry, "Geez, calm down, fine, I guess--" Harry sensed something fishy about this, but wanted Malfoy to stop nagging at him. "-- I'll forgive you."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!" Malfoy hugged Harry.

"Grroff!!" said Harry.

"Oh- uh- sorry," appologized Malfoy.

"Excellent, Lucius," came a cold, musty, ear splitting voice.

"Your son has gotten Harry to forgive him. You've done well."

"Thank you, my lord," came the voice of Lucius Malfoy, "Is there anything else I can do to please you?"

"Just continue with what we have planned, Malfoy, and nothing else. DON'T INTERFERE WITH WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO! We have everything perfectly set up. And I DON'T want you messing it up! IS THAT CLEAR?!"

"Yes, master, forgive me!" said Lucius cowardly. "I will follow your orders! I never said--"

"DON'T SPEAK!" said Voldemort angrily. "Now sit. Be a kind man, and keep your opinions to yourself."

"Yes, my lord." Lucius sat down in a chair, facing the window.

***

"So, what do we do first?!" asked Malfoy excitedly.

"Well- to start off- you can't be here- so go back to the Slytherin table."

"Oh- uh- rright," said Malfoy. Harry nudged Ron and said:

"Did you see that?? That was weird!" Ron paid no attention. He was too busy staring at Hermione. Harry sighed. He began to consider hanging out with Malfoy again. Maybe I really should... he thought.

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the fat lady, floated her up, and placed her back in the portrait, saying:

"Refrogrutti!" The fat lady looked upset, but was relieved that she at least still had her bubblegum. She put the remainder of what was in her hand into her pocket. Snape looked pleased.

"You and Minerva go ahead and eat lunch! I'm just going to stay behind a bit longer and make sure the fat lady is ok," said Snape.

Dumbledore looked at Snape strangely. "Ok!" and Dumbledore and McGonagall left the room.

"Now for some of those sweets!" said Snape. But just as he was jumping in, the room turned into a large mud puddle full of slimy toads.

Snape began to get the ugly look he used to have back on his face. *Croak* A toad was looking up at him. Snape could have sworn the toad looked like it was about ready to burst out laughing.

"Oh, what are you looking at, slime ball?" said Snape.

He pointed his wand at the toad, and it sprouted wings. The toad happily flew out of the hole in the floor above and out of Snape's sight.

Harry tapped Ron on the shoulder. There was still no response.

Harry looked mad and finally made up his mind. He got up and went to sit with Malfoy.

"Hey, Malfoy."

"Oh, hey, Harry!" he said. "Wanna hang out in the Slytherin common room? I can sneak you in later!"

"Sure," said Harry, "can't wait."

Malfoy kept on talking, but Harry didn't hear a word he said. He was too busy thinking about Ron and Hermione... Thinking about if he didn't say anything, how it might have still been the same... He'd be sitting there with Ron, laughing and talking and listening to Hermione rant on and on... He'd be having the time of his life.

But, instead, he was sitting there with Malfoy, agreeing to sneak into the Slytherin common room later. What had gotten into him?

After he had finally left Hermione and Ron, he found Malfoy who looked quite happy.

"Hey Harry!" he said "come on, lets go to the common room! " he said walking with Harry.

Malfoy kept blabbing on about his mother and father who told him that if he didn't behave this year they would take away his eagle owl...

"I said," Malfoy continued "I'll buy another owl if you do" Malfoy looked up at Slytherin common room door

"Dragon Blood" he said and the door swung open.

"Malfoy we've been waiting to do something with you all... "

" Wha. what's he doing here?" said a confused Crabbe.

"I told you we're not friends anymore!" said Malfoy looking strategically at Goyle and Crabbe.

"Oh right." they said walking away.