Vanessa went to her room to get her money, then she skipped downstairs.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione met her outside the portrait hole and they went
laughing down to the front of the castle. Suddenly Hermione interrupted the
conversation to ask, "Harry, what did McGonagall want?"
Harry slumped down and muttered, "She says I have to leave early to serve my detention." Seeing his friends shocked faces, he continued, "Yeah, I know. And when I tried to reason with her to change the day, she told me that I would be kicked off the Quidditch team if I kept arguing. " He finished and saw the somber expressions his friends wore. "But it's ok. At least I'm not serving it with Snape." He shuddered at the thought.
Vanessa was crestfallen when she heard about Harry's early departure. She wasn't sure what she would do without him, not wanting to impose on Hermione and Ron, but she was quickly reassured that it was fine, so she got on the coach taking them to the village.
Draco was watching Harry and the others, and saw with pleasure that Hermione asked something that upset him. He started to edge over, but was interrupted by Dumbledore telling everyone to board the coach. He got up, heaved a sigh, and then figured that he would find out the down point to Potter's day later. He was surprised when Potter's group was forced to sit near him, and tried to contain himself. He looked down at the floor, then asked himself, 'What the bloody hell am I doing? I need to keep up the Malfoy name, even if it does mean losing everything.' He straightened up and tried to think of a good insult. "So, how's the gang, Scarface?" He gave a smug smile at that, but was upset because Vanessa had her hand over Harry's and was whispering in his ear. Draco then turned to Hermione. "And the mudblood." At the utterance of these words he heard an audible gasp from Vanessa.
"Draco! How dare you call her that! You really don't care about anything do you?" She paused, and tried to calm down.
"Why does it bother you so much, Vanessa? Jeez." Draco expected to hear something about how Hermione is her friend, and it doesn't matter who he says it to, or something similar.
"Why, Draco? Why? How can you ask a question like that? Hermione is my friend for the first thing." Draco sighed, he knew this was coming. "But also," Vanessa paused, then continued in a slow quiet voice "because I am a 'mudblood', as you so eloquently put it, as well. And you don't know how much it hurts to be called a mudblood, Draco, because you are from the pure family, the perfect family." Vanessa choked a little then turned away from Draco. Shaking her head, she muttered, "I thought even you had more class than that." Harry put his arms around her, and Vanessa willingly rested her head on his shoulder. Draco was sitting staring at the scene with an open mouth, shocked by what he heard.
She wasn't pure. She was a mudblo-, oh. Now he couldn't bear to say it. He groaned, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He suddenly wanted nothing more than jump out of the carriage and run back to his room.
Harry couldn't believe it. That stupid idiot had to bring up the mudblood comment. It was oddly nice, though. He knew Malfoy hated non-pure wizarding families, so he knew that he wouldn't have to worry as much about her. He cradled her in his arms, and comforted her while she slowly sobbed into his shoulder. This felt so right to him, and it wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. Glaring at Malfoy, he wondered why anyone would call people names that degraded them so much.
Hermione was shocked at how the scene had played out. She can handle Malfoy, but Vanessa seemed to have a certain weakness for him. She wondered why. Then she realized that when Malfoy had been antagonizing her, Ron had moved closer to her and put his hand on her arm. She smiled and looked up at him. "Thanks Ron." Then she scooted closer to him and saw him blush, but he didn't pull away.
Vanessa was suddenly tired. She just wanted to crawl into her bed, and cry herself to sleep. But since that wasn't an option, she leaned against Harry, letting her emotions out. She soon stopped crying, and started to pull out of Harry's hold, but he gently pushed her back, and met no resistance. She whispered in his ear, "Thanks Harry," and then rested her head on his shoulder.
Draco was sickened by the scene in front of him, and he had caused it. Hermione and Weasel clinging together, and even worse, to make his blood run cold, was Vanessa and Harry. It hurt him so much to see someone he loved love someone else. It was then that he realized what his heart and mind had been trying to tell him.
Harry slumped down and muttered, "She says I have to leave early to serve my detention." Seeing his friends shocked faces, he continued, "Yeah, I know. And when I tried to reason with her to change the day, she told me that I would be kicked off the Quidditch team if I kept arguing. " He finished and saw the somber expressions his friends wore. "But it's ok. At least I'm not serving it with Snape." He shuddered at the thought.
Vanessa was crestfallen when she heard about Harry's early departure. She wasn't sure what she would do without him, not wanting to impose on Hermione and Ron, but she was quickly reassured that it was fine, so she got on the coach taking them to the village.
Draco was watching Harry and the others, and saw with pleasure that Hermione asked something that upset him. He started to edge over, but was interrupted by Dumbledore telling everyone to board the coach. He got up, heaved a sigh, and then figured that he would find out the down point to Potter's day later. He was surprised when Potter's group was forced to sit near him, and tried to contain himself. He looked down at the floor, then asked himself, 'What the bloody hell am I doing? I need to keep up the Malfoy name, even if it does mean losing everything.' He straightened up and tried to think of a good insult. "So, how's the gang, Scarface?" He gave a smug smile at that, but was upset because Vanessa had her hand over Harry's and was whispering in his ear. Draco then turned to Hermione. "And the mudblood." At the utterance of these words he heard an audible gasp from Vanessa.
"Draco! How dare you call her that! You really don't care about anything do you?" She paused, and tried to calm down.
"Why does it bother you so much, Vanessa? Jeez." Draco expected to hear something about how Hermione is her friend, and it doesn't matter who he says it to, or something similar.
"Why, Draco? Why? How can you ask a question like that? Hermione is my friend for the first thing." Draco sighed, he knew this was coming. "But also," Vanessa paused, then continued in a slow quiet voice "because I am a 'mudblood', as you so eloquently put it, as well. And you don't know how much it hurts to be called a mudblood, Draco, because you are from the pure family, the perfect family." Vanessa choked a little then turned away from Draco. Shaking her head, she muttered, "I thought even you had more class than that." Harry put his arms around her, and Vanessa willingly rested her head on his shoulder. Draco was sitting staring at the scene with an open mouth, shocked by what he heard.
She wasn't pure. She was a mudblo-, oh. Now he couldn't bear to say it. He groaned, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He suddenly wanted nothing more than jump out of the carriage and run back to his room.
Harry couldn't believe it. That stupid idiot had to bring up the mudblood comment. It was oddly nice, though. He knew Malfoy hated non-pure wizarding families, so he knew that he wouldn't have to worry as much about her. He cradled her in his arms, and comforted her while she slowly sobbed into his shoulder. This felt so right to him, and it wasn't like anything he had ever felt before. Glaring at Malfoy, he wondered why anyone would call people names that degraded them so much.
Hermione was shocked at how the scene had played out. She can handle Malfoy, but Vanessa seemed to have a certain weakness for him. She wondered why. Then she realized that when Malfoy had been antagonizing her, Ron had moved closer to her and put his hand on her arm. She smiled and looked up at him. "Thanks Ron." Then she scooted closer to him and saw him blush, but he didn't pull away.
Vanessa was suddenly tired. She just wanted to crawl into her bed, and cry herself to sleep. But since that wasn't an option, she leaned against Harry, letting her emotions out. She soon stopped crying, and started to pull out of Harry's hold, but he gently pushed her back, and met no resistance. She whispered in his ear, "Thanks Harry," and then rested her head on his shoulder.
Draco was sickened by the scene in front of him, and he had caused it. Hermione and Weasel clinging together, and even worse, to make his blood run cold, was Vanessa and Harry. It hurt him so much to see someone he loved love someone else. It was then that he realized what his heart and mind had been trying to tell him.