Chapter Twenty-eight

Draco whispered in her ear, "Don't let the Mudblood frighten you. She thinks that she's all that. I can't believe I was going out with her."

"YOU WERE GOING OUT WITH," yelled Araminta. Everybody in the Great Hall turned to look at her, and she lowered her voice to a low whisper. "You were going out with Hermione Granger?"

"Yeah," said Draco, and Araminta thought that she saw a hint of longing in his stormy gray eyes. Then he used a very macho voice to say, "I'm over her. Ready to move on."

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, sure, whatever. You're so stuck on her." She said to Araminta, "He keeps sending her owls and presents but she sends them back because she thinks he doesn't really love her and that he's just using her because he needs some dental work. That's dumb because Madam Pomfrey fixed her teeth for her. Why can't she just fix Draco's, you might ask? Anyway, it makes me sick to watch the two lovebirds mooning over each other." She held a hand to her forehead and kicked her feet, giving a little moan like the girl on PBS TV.

"Shut up, you bint," said Draco. "You're just jealous that I had a girlfriend. You don't even have a boyfriend."

"Yes I do!" Pansy said. Pansy scowled at Draco.

"Then tell us who he is then," said Draco.

"We've been through this a hundred million times, Draco Malfoy. I'm not telling you anything about my love life!" said Pansy Parkinson.

Araminta was very curious about who Pansy was dating. She knew she could get Pansy to tell her if she could just get her alone. Maybe they could go powder their noses together, and Pansy would tell her in the bathroom after dinner. She saw Pansy turn her head and look at the staff table. Araminta wondered if Pansy was dating Professor Flitwick or somebody.

Araminta had a brilliant beyond brilliant idea. "So, Pansy, who are you going to the Quidditch Ball with?"

"Well, it's not official, but I'm going with--" Pansy clapped her hands over her mouth. Her blue eyes were as wide as dinner plates and they looked like they were going to fall out of her head. "I'm not telling you!"

Araminta poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice and then selected a slice of pizza with sausage, mushrooms, and green pepper. She chewed thoughtfully. How was she going to trick Pansy into telling the truth, let her fathers find their foretold love, get rid of her snotty Aunt Hermione once and for all, and get back to the future so she could save Melannen?

There had to be a way. She didn't know what she was going to do if there wasn't.

(I love my Araminta; she is such a never-give-upper.)