Disclaimer: Okay, you know the drill. . . this disclaimer is a coverall for
all of my story, so I don't have to write it again and again and again. I
don't own the characters of Harry Potter, © JKR. Now that that's all clear,
I must stress I do not plan to receive proceeds for this story. . . though.
. . if any leprechauns happen by. . . I'll gladly take their pot o' gold! I
only own the plot. . . and if I'm good for Christmas, maybe a cupie doll.
WIZARD'S BANE
Chapter One: To Err is Human, To Forgive. . . Divine?
Harry settled back into the comfortable seats of the Hogwarts Express, his eyes drifting closed in a half drowse. His summer had been hellish, the only thing that brought him pleasure was the thought that it would be his last summer with the Dursley's. . .forever. A strange but comforting thought that had consoled the raven haired boy all of summer holiday, that, and the constant owls from his two best friends.
Speaking of. . . "Ronald Weasley, if you don't get out of my way, I'm going to shove you OFF THE TRAIN! And be very happy about it."
"Mione, don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm just making sure Harry's in here." A sound of shuffling greeted his ears and his face split into a grin. A fiery red head popped into the compartment, two blue eyes twinkling merrily. "He's in here."
"Where else would he be? Honestly!" Ron suddenly tumbled through the door, revealing a rather annoyed brunette. "In all our years at Hogwarts, what compartment do we always choose? The very back one. . .right? Right. Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I must put my stuff down and head towards the front of the train to talk to the Head Boy."
Ron rolled his eyes, "I had almost forgot our ickle Hermiekins made Head Girl."
Harry grinned, "Like anyone else would have gotten it? I mean. . .Pansy Parkinson, Susan Bones, or Padma Patil. None of them even meet the standard of our Hermione."
Hermione flushed a pleasant pink, "Thanks Harry. Now, I really must go and speak with the Head Boy."
"Who is it this year?" Ron cocked his head to the side. Hermione made a face, her nose scrunching up as if she had smelled something unpleasant. "Okay, I take it that it isn't Ernie Macmillan, huh?"
"No. . . figures I'd get stuck with Malfoy."
"Rotten luck." Harry sympathized.
"You're telling me." *Not Really. . . *
***
"Ah, if it isn't my FAVORITE Gryffindor."
"Oh. . .really? Is Ginny in here somewhere?"
A muffled "Eep." Met her question, confirming her suspicions. "Draco! I can't believe you! Cheating on me with one of my best friends no less!"
"I knew you'd figure it out. . . Potter, please come out, as the Muggle saying goes, the jig is up!" Ginny gave a little cry and suddenly tumbled forward, out of the luggage rack she'd been hiding in, and into the floor of the compartment.
"'Lo Harry." Hermione grinned, then flopped on Draco's lap, "You've certainly. . .changed. . . since the last time I've seen you. Y'know, I've never fancied you a redhead, much too Weasley for a Potter, if you ask me. I think they have it patented and trademarked somewhere in the Wizarding Society. Ah, but no matter." Hermione flipped her hair over her shoulder like she watched Parvati and Lavender do, and adopted her best preppy expression. "I would APPRECIATE it if you could keep your hand to YOURSELF, Potter. The boy is mine. . .I know he's terribly hard to resist, but please, his Bad Boy Image and nice butt are reserved for my viewing pleasure only."
Ginny giggled uncontrollably.
"And you!" Hermione rounded on her secret boyfriend, "You. . . and Harry. I thought you wanted to BE the Boy-who-lived, not that you WANTED his body!" Hermione snorted.
"What can I say. . . the scar does it for me. And Gods, what Quidditch does for the body!" Draco suddenly primped, batting his eyelashes almost seductively at the Head Girl. "Y'know, you could watch sometime. . ."
"Stop it! Just STOP!" Ginny wheezed between errant giggles, "I can't take anymore! Please, I'm begging you. . ."
Both mock-glared at her. . . "Shut it, Potter." Which, of course, sent them both into a tizzy of laughter.
"Who would have guessed that we would be sitting here, you two dating, and me. . . here, just laughing like old friends?" Ginny asked, pulling herself onto the opposite seat.
"I don't know. . .really. Besides, THIS is all YOUR fault!" Hermione pointed a finger at her best girl friend.
"Okay, one can only take unresolved sexual tension so long, and the longing looks you were throwing each other were nauseating. Even RON, who has to be THE densest person on the planet, was noticing the strain. I HAD to do SOMETHING!"
"So you sent us anonymous letters to meet a certain someone on top the Astronomy Tower and set up quite a midnight feast." Draco finished, smiling at the redhead, "And the rest, shall we say, is history?"
"At least we'll be sharing a Common Room this year." Hermione sighed wistfully. "But, be warned, you WILL have to put up with Harry and Ron."
"Do I HAVE too, love?" Draco whimpered, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, and I HAVE to tell them about. . .us. I can't just let it fester. It's been about five months now. It's hard, they're my best friends. . . I have to let them know, though they might not be too happy with my decision, once they see how great a guy you are, they'll come around." Hermione was talking more to convince herself than either the other two in the compartment. "Okay, so, shall we begin where we left off. . . who's turn was it again?"
"Mine. . . Okay, Draco. Truth or Dare."
"Dare."
"I dare you to. . ."
***
"Do you think we should go rescue Mione from the 'Ferret'?" Ron looked up from his collection of Chocolate Frog cards and smiled.
"Sure, I'm sure she'll be pleased to see us."
"Okay. . ." Harry put down his stuff, wondering if he'd run into Ginny. He certainly hoped so.
***
"It's not we haven't ever done that before, Ginny. . .be creative."
"I wasn't talking about you kissing Hermione." Ginny smirked, Hermione looked horrified. "You have to kiss Harry, the NEXT time you see him."
The Slytherin sat there stunned, his jaw dropped. "Gin, that was just a JOKE!"
"You do know the consequences for turning down a dare. . .right?"
"Okay, I'll kiss him!" Draco said hurriedly, shaking with disgust.
"Hermione. . .oh, hey Ginny." Harry looked into the compartment, a smile on his face. . . so things were going his way.
"Great time to show up Potter." Draco stood, a look of defeat etched onto his face. "Here goes nothing."
"Malfoy. . ." Harry started, warningly, but was suddenly cut off by a pair of warm lips, to be precise, a pair of warm, Malfoy lips. Harry felt his stomach heave. He was KISSING A GUY!
Draco withdrew, a smirk on his face. "Hey, not bad." And turned calmly back to his seat. Harry spit, scrubbed his mouth, and glared at the Slytherin. Ron almost fainted, and Hermione and Ginny were laughing, uncontrollably.
"So. . .I guess this means you DON'T hate me anymore?"
Draco blinked, then smiled widely. "I never HATED you." He said huskily, his voice dropping an octave, much to the amusement of Hermione and Ginny, "Don't you ever get tired of our unresolved sexual tension."
Harry glanced at Ginny then sighed, "Yeah, a little. . ." Then realized who spoke, just as the words fell out of his mouth. "Oh GODS NO! No, what I meant to say. . ."
Draco was on his feet again, his expression one of demure delight. Hermione secretly thought he would make a GREAT actor. "I KNEW IT! You DO love me!"
It was a little too much for Harry, who dropped to the floor in a dead faint. Ginny shook her head. "Leave it to the Slytherin Sex God to sweep the man of my dreams off his feet."
Ron suddenly jumped from his stupor, his face reddening. "SLYTHERIN SEX GOD?!?"
"Do I have to kiss Weasley too, Gin?"
"No, Draco, you're dare is quite over, though very admirable." Ginny replied, seemingly oblivious of her rage-stricken brother.
Hermione sighed, glancing at Harry. "Dear Gods, Enervate already!"
Harry awoke from his faint, scrubbed at his mouth, spat again, cast a cleansing spell on himself, and stared at the Slytherin, then to Hermione and Ginny. "What is going on here?" His voice was low with barely concealed wrath.
"If you must know, we're playing Truth or Dare, but I don't think that concerns you." Hermione answered. "Oh, and another thing, Draco and I are dating."
Harry shook his head slowly, "I could have sworn you called Malfoy by his first name."
"Aren't we observant." She replied sarcastically and then sighed, "And I SAID we ARE DATING!"
Harry put a finger in his ear, shaking it. "You know. . .I don't think I caught that, it sounded like you said you were dating."
Hermione glared, "I did."
"Oh." And then, "WHAT?!?!" Harry faced the blonde. "What have you done to her?! I'll kill you!"
"No you won't, she's quite sane, not under the Imperius or anything, just we're dating." Draco replied, as if explaining something to a particularly slow child. "It's okay, it's Ginny's fault."
"So help me. . .if you say that one more time, Draco, I'm going to rid you of some precious family HEIRLOOMS!"
All males present winced, then Ron stared at Hermione, and then at Draco, and then at Hermione, and then at Draco, and back at Hermione, once more to Draco, and finally stopping on Ginny. "But. . ."
"Sit down," Hermione commanded, "It's about time we explained something to you." Once Ron was sitting her Know-it-all side emerged. "Okay, first things first, Draco has never believed in what his father stood for, yes, he did repeat some terrible things, but children are often the meanest creatures to ever deaden the surface of the planet. Second, for the last year he has been working alongside Professor Snape as a spy into the realm of the Deatheaters, that is. . .up until now. Over the summer, his cover was blown, and he needed somewhere to stay, so he ended up staying with me, it was deemed the safest place. We had been dating for almost three months by then. His very life is in danger, and I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to let anything or anyone at him. Now. . .I know you three don't get on so well, but. . .if you could put aside your differences, I'd be much obliged. Harry, Ron, Draco, if you could. . .think of how strong these ties could make you. Put aside your differences and. . .I don't know. . .I'm not expecting you to become the best of friends, I'm expecting you to act like the adults you are."
Ginny stared at her friend, speechless.
Harry nodded, his emerald eyes catching Hermione's cinnamon ones, noticing the depth of emotion she held for the errant Slytherin. "Fine." He held out his hand to Malfoy. "Once, you offered me friendship. Does that offer remain?"
Draco stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, then grinned, "Yes. . .yes it does." He shook his hand, something weighty suddenly lifting from his shoulders. Then he looked at Ron, his gray eyes uncertain. "The offer of. . .friendship. . . extends to you also. . .Ron."
Ron sighed, then nodded, "Okay, I'm not exactly a fan of this idea, but. . ." He looked at the Slytherin, "I can forgive and forget. . .if you can, Mal-er-Draco." He replied, referring to the time in their Sixth Year Ron had blacked Draco's eye.
"I can."
Hermione smiled, pleased. "Now, Draco, I do believe it was your turn. . ."
Draco smirked, then stared at Harry. "Okay. . .Po-er-Harry, Truth or Dare?"
***
A/N: Well, there's the first chappie of my new fic. I will be updating this shortly, and Double Trouble too. Don't forget to RR.
Love,
~Me~
WIZARD'S BANE
Chapter One: To Err is Human, To Forgive. . . Divine?
Harry settled back into the comfortable seats of the Hogwarts Express, his eyes drifting closed in a half drowse. His summer had been hellish, the only thing that brought him pleasure was the thought that it would be his last summer with the Dursley's. . .forever. A strange but comforting thought that had consoled the raven haired boy all of summer holiday, that, and the constant owls from his two best friends.
Speaking of. . . "Ronald Weasley, if you don't get out of my way, I'm going to shove you OFF THE TRAIN! And be very happy about it."
"Mione, don't get your knickers in a twist, I'm just making sure Harry's in here." A sound of shuffling greeted his ears and his face split into a grin. A fiery red head popped into the compartment, two blue eyes twinkling merrily. "He's in here."
"Where else would he be? Honestly!" Ron suddenly tumbled through the door, revealing a rather annoyed brunette. "In all our years at Hogwarts, what compartment do we always choose? The very back one. . .right? Right. Now, if you will kindly excuse me, I must put my stuff down and head towards the front of the train to talk to the Head Boy."
Ron rolled his eyes, "I had almost forgot our ickle Hermiekins made Head Girl."
Harry grinned, "Like anyone else would have gotten it? I mean. . .Pansy Parkinson, Susan Bones, or Padma Patil. None of them even meet the standard of our Hermione."
Hermione flushed a pleasant pink, "Thanks Harry. Now, I really must go and speak with the Head Boy."
"Who is it this year?" Ron cocked his head to the side. Hermione made a face, her nose scrunching up as if she had smelled something unpleasant. "Okay, I take it that it isn't Ernie Macmillan, huh?"
"No. . . figures I'd get stuck with Malfoy."
"Rotten luck." Harry sympathized.
"You're telling me." *Not Really. . . *
***
"Ah, if it isn't my FAVORITE Gryffindor."
"Oh. . .really? Is Ginny in here somewhere?"
A muffled "Eep." Met her question, confirming her suspicions. "Draco! I can't believe you! Cheating on me with one of my best friends no less!"
"I knew you'd figure it out. . . Potter, please come out, as the Muggle saying goes, the jig is up!" Ginny gave a little cry and suddenly tumbled forward, out of the luggage rack she'd been hiding in, and into the floor of the compartment.
"'Lo Harry." Hermione grinned, then flopped on Draco's lap, "You've certainly. . .changed. . . since the last time I've seen you. Y'know, I've never fancied you a redhead, much too Weasley for a Potter, if you ask me. I think they have it patented and trademarked somewhere in the Wizarding Society. Ah, but no matter." Hermione flipped her hair over her shoulder like she watched Parvati and Lavender do, and adopted her best preppy expression. "I would APPRECIATE it if you could keep your hand to YOURSELF, Potter. The boy is mine. . .I know he's terribly hard to resist, but please, his Bad Boy Image and nice butt are reserved for my viewing pleasure only."
Ginny giggled uncontrollably.
"And you!" Hermione rounded on her secret boyfriend, "You. . . and Harry. I thought you wanted to BE the Boy-who-lived, not that you WANTED his body!" Hermione snorted.
"What can I say. . . the scar does it for me. And Gods, what Quidditch does for the body!" Draco suddenly primped, batting his eyelashes almost seductively at the Head Girl. "Y'know, you could watch sometime. . ."
"Stop it! Just STOP!" Ginny wheezed between errant giggles, "I can't take anymore! Please, I'm begging you. . ."
Both mock-glared at her. . . "Shut it, Potter." Which, of course, sent them both into a tizzy of laughter.
"Who would have guessed that we would be sitting here, you two dating, and me. . . here, just laughing like old friends?" Ginny asked, pulling herself onto the opposite seat.
"I don't know. . .really. Besides, THIS is all YOUR fault!" Hermione pointed a finger at her best girl friend.
"Okay, one can only take unresolved sexual tension so long, and the longing looks you were throwing each other were nauseating. Even RON, who has to be THE densest person on the planet, was noticing the strain. I HAD to do SOMETHING!"
"So you sent us anonymous letters to meet a certain someone on top the Astronomy Tower and set up quite a midnight feast." Draco finished, smiling at the redhead, "And the rest, shall we say, is history?"
"At least we'll be sharing a Common Room this year." Hermione sighed wistfully. "But, be warned, you WILL have to put up with Harry and Ron."
"Do I HAVE too, love?" Draco whimpered, putting on his best puppy dog eyes.
"Yes, and I HAVE to tell them about. . .us. I can't just let it fester. It's been about five months now. It's hard, they're my best friends. . . I have to let them know, though they might not be too happy with my decision, once they see how great a guy you are, they'll come around." Hermione was talking more to convince herself than either the other two in the compartment. "Okay, so, shall we begin where we left off. . . who's turn was it again?"
"Mine. . . Okay, Draco. Truth or Dare."
"Dare."
"I dare you to. . ."
***
"Do you think we should go rescue Mione from the 'Ferret'?" Ron looked up from his collection of Chocolate Frog cards and smiled.
"Sure, I'm sure she'll be pleased to see us."
"Okay. . ." Harry put down his stuff, wondering if he'd run into Ginny. He certainly hoped so.
***
"It's not we haven't ever done that before, Ginny. . .be creative."
"I wasn't talking about you kissing Hermione." Ginny smirked, Hermione looked horrified. "You have to kiss Harry, the NEXT time you see him."
The Slytherin sat there stunned, his jaw dropped. "Gin, that was just a JOKE!"
"You do know the consequences for turning down a dare. . .right?"
"Okay, I'll kiss him!" Draco said hurriedly, shaking with disgust.
"Hermione. . .oh, hey Ginny." Harry looked into the compartment, a smile on his face. . . so things were going his way.
"Great time to show up Potter." Draco stood, a look of defeat etched onto his face. "Here goes nothing."
"Malfoy. . ." Harry started, warningly, but was suddenly cut off by a pair of warm lips, to be precise, a pair of warm, Malfoy lips. Harry felt his stomach heave. He was KISSING A GUY!
Draco withdrew, a smirk on his face. "Hey, not bad." And turned calmly back to his seat. Harry spit, scrubbed his mouth, and glared at the Slytherin. Ron almost fainted, and Hermione and Ginny were laughing, uncontrollably.
"So. . .I guess this means you DON'T hate me anymore?"
Draco blinked, then smiled widely. "I never HATED you." He said huskily, his voice dropping an octave, much to the amusement of Hermione and Ginny, "Don't you ever get tired of our unresolved sexual tension."
Harry glanced at Ginny then sighed, "Yeah, a little. . ." Then realized who spoke, just as the words fell out of his mouth. "Oh GODS NO! No, what I meant to say. . ."
Draco was on his feet again, his expression one of demure delight. Hermione secretly thought he would make a GREAT actor. "I KNEW IT! You DO love me!"
It was a little too much for Harry, who dropped to the floor in a dead faint. Ginny shook her head. "Leave it to the Slytherin Sex God to sweep the man of my dreams off his feet."
Ron suddenly jumped from his stupor, his face reddening. "SLYTHERIN SEX GOD?!?"
"Do I have to kiss Weasley too, Gin?"
"No, Draco, you're dare is quite over, though very admirable." Ginny replied, seemingly oblivious of her rage-stricken brother.
Hermione sighed, glancing at Harry. "Dear Gods, Enervate already!"
Harry awoke from his faint, scrubbed at his mouth, spat again, cast a cleansing spell on himself, and stared at the Slytherin, then to Hermione and Ginny. "What is going on here?" His voice was low with barely concealed wrath.
"If you must know, we're playing Truth or Dare, but I don't think that concerns you." Hermione answered. "Oh, and another thing, Draco and I are dating."
Harry shook his head slowly, "I could have sworn you called Malfoy by his first name."
"Aren't we observant." She replied sarcastically and then sighed, "And I SAID we ARE DATING!"
Harry put a finger in his ear, shaking it. "You know. . .I don't think I caught that, it sounded like you said you were dating."
Hermione glared, "I did."
"Oh." And then, "WHAT?!?!" Harry faced the blonde. "What have you done to her?! I'll kill you!"
"No you won't, she's quite sane, not under the Imperius or anything, just we're dating." Draco replied, as if explaining something to a particularly slow child. "It's okay, it's Ginny's fault."
"So help me. . .if you say that one more time, Draco, I'm going to rid you of some precious family HEIRLOOMS!"
All males present winced, then Ron stared at Hermione, and then at Draco, and then at Hermione, and then at Draco, and back at Hermione, once more to Draco, and finally stopping on Ginny. "But. . ."
"Sit down," Hermione commanded, "It's about time we explained something to you." Once Ron was sitting her Know-it-all side emerged. "Okay, first things first, Draco has never believed in what his father stood for, yes, he did repeat some terrible things, but children are often the meanest creatures to ever deaden the surface of the planet. Second, for the last year he has been working alongside Professor Snape as a spy into the realm of the Deatheaters, that is. . .up until now. Over the summer, his cover was blown, and he needed somewhere to stay, so he ended up staying with me, it was deemed the safest place. We had been dating for almost three months by then. His very life is in danger, and I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to let anything or anyone at him. Now. . .I know you three don't get on so well, but. . .if you could put aside your differences, I'd be much obliged. Harry, Ron, Draco, if you could. . .think of how strong these ties could make you. Put aside your differences and. . .I don't know. . .I'm not expecting you to become the best of friends, I'm expecting you to act like the adults you are."
Ginny stared at her friend, speechless.
Harry nodded, his emerald eyes catching Hermione's cinnamon ones, noticing the depth of emotion she held for the errant Slytherin. "Fine." He held out his hand to Malfoy. "Once, you offered me friendship. Does that offer remain?"
Draco stared at the outstretched hand for a moment, then grinned, "Yes. . .yes it does." He shook his hand, something weighty suddenly lifting from his shoulders. Then he looked at Ron, his gray eyes uncertain. "The offer of. . .friendship. . . extends to you also. . .Ron."
Ron sighed, then nodded, "Okay, I'm not exactly a fan of this idea, but. . ." He looked at the Slytherin, "I can forgive and forget. . .if you can, Mal-er-Draco." He replied, referring to the time in their Sixth Year Ron had blacked Draco's eye.
"I can."
Hermione smiled, pleased. "Now, Draco, I do believe it was your turn. . ."
Draco smirked, then stared at Harry. "Okay. . .Po-er-Harry, Truth or Dare?"
***
A/N: Well, there's the first chappie of my new fic. I will be updating this shortly, and Double Trouble too. Don't forget to RR.
Love,
~Me~