Chapter Nineteen: A Slytherin and... erm a Gentleman?
Harry walked to dinner at the Great Hall with his two friends. It was Friday night,
after a very awkward Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and they were on their way to
dinner. Finally, it seemed that the conflict between his two best friends had drawn to an
end.
It seemed to have been settled Thursday before or during dinner, as they both had
not shown up. Ron had mentioned something about clearing his head, and then walked off.
Harry had been unsure of where he had gone, until he noticed that he was missing from the
Gryffindor table at dinner, and so was Hermione.
She hadn't been eating much lately; she never did when she and Ron were fighting.
Harry supposed it was her way of dealing with the situation, what happened when she got
anxious. She would just go into the Great Hall and sit by Ginny or Lavender and Pavarti,
and they would all stare viciously at Ron, while Hermione simply looked down, avoiding him
as he did her.
Their mutual absesnse at the table that night could have meant one of two things.
Either they were having another fight or trying to work things out. Harry had certainly
hoped it was the latter.
While Ron would really never approve of Hermione's choice, he respected that it was
hers to make, and finally was able to realize that she really did care about the snobby git.
They took their usual seats at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, and not a moment late
to hear Dumbledore make an announcement.
The headmaster cleared his throat as he saw that most of the students had arrived
for dinner. There were a couple who would be late, as usual, but the announcement was
quite short notice, and they would certainly get word of it before the next day.
He cleared his throat, and all was quiet.
"Students, I have an announcement to make. As you are all aware, it was said that
there would be a homecoming ball this year, and with it, of course, a homecoming game.
You have had some news from your heads of house, and I trust been keeping track of the
House games. Points gained from the homecoming game will be doubled for both the
competitors, as an added incentive. The current records, after four games, are as follows:
Gryffindor leads, having defeated both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Ravenclaw and Slytherin
are tied for second, with one win versus Hufflepuff each, but Ravenclaw has one loss to
Gryffindor. And in third place we have Hufflepuff. I know not all the teams have played
against each other, but as it now stands, the match Sunday will determine who goes to the
Homecoming Game versus Gryffindor, which has already secured a spot."
He paused momentarily as cheering erupted from the Gryffindor table. When all was
quiet again, Dumbledore resumed. "As you know, for a ball you must have dress robes,
and some of you may not, so we have arranged a trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow. I ask that
you make good use of your time there, as it may well be the last trip scheduled before the
ball, which is to take place at the beginning to middle of November. Thank you for your
time."
The headmaster had just taken his leave when the chatter carried on. The
Gryffindors were all excited, the Hufflepuffs disappointed, and the Ravenclaws and
Slytherins staring daggers at one another.
Moments after Dumbledore left, however, the announcement was the last thing on
anyone's mind, as chaos erupted from the Slytherin table.
Ron had been talking about how they had filled positions on the Quidditch team
nicely, boring Hermione to death, as was routine at this point, since she had no aptitude for
flying on a broomstick, and Harry had been half listening, since the redhead had a way of
repeating things constantly until every last detail was drilled into one's head, when it
happened.
The shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson could be heard across the Great Hall, as usual,
while she ran rather like a lap dog to Draco Malfoy and his minions.
"Dracccckkkkkkkkiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeee!!"
Malfoy looked up, just in time to see her sit on his lap and knock him backwards,
forcefully planting kisses on his lips, and all over his face.
If it had not been for what he knew about the current situation, the entire thing may
well have left Harry feeling quite perturbed. Instead, however, he felt a fit of laughter, as
what he saw with his eyes registered in his brain.
The series of emotions that ran across the blond Slytherin's face could be easily
deciphered, as first annoyance, as the voice resembling a banshee called out his name for
all to hear, then surprise, as she knocked him over, and then likely disgust (though his face
was out of view at this point, that was only how Harry would have reacted himself, but he
imagined that anyone in their right mind would).
What happened next left nearly the entire Great Hall in a stupor. It was certainly
unexpected. Pansy Parkison seemed to fly off Draco, or rather, he threw her off, with such
a fervor that she landed, rather than on her feet, right on her butt in front of everyone.
Her eyes were wide, and the bleach-blonde, pug-faced girl was unable to make a
single sound come out of her mouth. The entire Great Hall was consumed in a deafening
stillness.
Draco broke the silence, his harsh words cutting through the air, rather like a knife
that he was forcing into Pansy's heart at that very moment, shattering it to a million pieces.
"Listen, Pansy, and listen well. I am not into you. I feel nothing towards you. As a matter
of fact, I feel repulsed by your nagging and constant approaches and attempts to seduce
me. But you know what disgusts me even more, Pans? That you could do this after what
you saw last night, and after what I told you this morning. I already have a girlfriend. Yes,
you heard right, I am with someone. As a matter of fact, she's right there," he said,
pointing to Hermione.
With one last look at Pansy, he spit on the floor and wiped his mouth, and strode
over to the Gryffindor table, where he resumed his speech. "Listen well, all of you. I am
going out with Hermione Granger. Yes, that's right, she is my girlfriend. If you do so much
as to hurt one hair on her head," he paused as he surveyed the venomous looks coming
from Pansy, Millicent, and their group, "you'll not only have Potter and Weasley to deal with,
but me to worry about before you even have the chance to think about them. If you think
I'm kidding, try me." With those words, he bent down on one knee before Hermione, and
took her hand in his, planting a kiss on it, for everyone to see. He winked at her,
whispering, "don't' want to gross you out or anything... Pansy, you know..." And with that,
he turned on his heel and left, students turning their heads as he passed, and murmurs
consuming the Great Hall as he stepped out.
Author's Note
Hope you found those chapters enjoyable, I'll be adding more shortly (and now that I'm
back on my computer at home, it should be easier to wrap this thing up and start on my
next project... hehe). Okay, so for now, please r&r (your time is greatly appreciated!!)
Thanks as always,
E. Caddy Compson (persephoneia)