Title: Blue Eyes Blue

Authors: Destria and Darkrose (the_keyboard_gang@yahoo.com)

Series:  Other Side of the Mirror (Part 4)

Note: The story takes place during Harry and co.'s 5th year. And, as far as we're concerned, OotP never happened. So, if you haven't read it, you're in no danger of catching spoilers…okay, maybe one or two. Lyrics are from Eric Clapton's "Blue eyes Blue". Great song. Listen to it sometime.

~*~

  "How dare he!" Draco fumed as he sat down at the Slytherin table. "That little…he…why I…he thinks that he can….UGH!" He slammed his goblet down, still muttering inaudibly.

  "Um…Draco? Something you want to tell us?" Crabbe asked as he traded worried looks with Goyle. "Something going on?"

  "No," Draco snapped. "Nothing at all. It's just-" he looked up and caught a glimpse of Ron's smug smile as Laine and Harry sat down next to him. "…a pest problem. That's all."

  "You should tell Filch," Goyle said, chewing on a piece of meat. "He could take care of it. Exterminate, and everything."

  "No, that's-" He thought for a moment. "Not a bad idea at all. Thanks Goyle, I just might do that."

  Goyle nodded, immensely pleased with himself. Draco, ignoring his dinner, pulled out a piece of parchment, and began drafting a letter.

~*~

  "I don't like that smile," Harry murmured.

  "What smile?" Laine asked innocently.

  "The one you're brother is wearing."

  "Oh? Which one would that be?"

  "Huh?" Harry looked at her confusedly. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, is it the smug 'I-know-everything' smile, the dark 'I'm-up-to-something' smile, the mysterious 'because-I-can' smile, which is it? There are dozens of others, so you'll have you be a bit more specific, because…well, Draco smiles a lot." She said this all in one breath, then took a sip of water. She was oddly happy.

  "Well…" Harry blinked. "I guess I'd have to say it's the 'I'm-up-to-something' smile."

  "Hmm….Looks evil, does he?"

  "Well…kind of. That and really pleased with himself. Why?"

  "Oooh…" She shook her head and glanced at Draco. "Yep," she said. "He's going to do something really evil."

  "Oh, right then, that's oka-" Ron stopped, the color draining from his face. "Excuse me? Really Evil? As in more evil than usual?"

  "Well, yes…"Laine cocked her head to one side. "Last time he wore that look, he had dyed all of mother's hair brilliant pink with orange and green polka-dots."

  The three gave her incredulous looks.

  Laine only shrugged. "She's a very sound sleeper, you see, and father was away on business, so it was the ideal…"she trailed off. "And you really didn't need to know that."

  "Great," Ron squeaked, attempting a smile, images of the things Malfoy could- and inevitably would- do to him running through his head. He was beginning to regret being so cool in his earlier conversation with Malfoy…Except the look on Draco's face after he said it, which was absolutely priceless.

  "Ron? What did you do?" Hermione asked.

  "Nothing…"

  Laine turned, eyebrow raised, looking like a female version of her brother. Ron had to try not to laugh. "What did you say to my brother?"

  "Nothing…" he tried again, trying to look away from that icy stare but found that he couldn't. "God, what are you, part veela?"

  Ron slapped a hand over his mouth as Harry and Hermione died laughing. Laine, however, just blinked. "Well…I think like 45 generations ago, or something…Why?"

  He shook his head, feeling as though his ears were going to burst into flame. "Nevermind. It's nothing, really…"

  "Insulting my family again, Weasley?" A cold voice said. Hermione choked, tears of mirth streaming down her face. Harry just waved.

  "No, why ever would I do that, Draco?" Ron said, just as coldly.

  "I could swear you just said my sister was part veela. Or was that a misguided form of a compliment?" He raised the other eyebrow. "Choose your words wisely, Ron," he murmured just loud enough for the red boy to hear.

  "It's fine, Draco, you don't always have to try to protect me, you know," Laine insisted.

 "Well, someone has to!" Harry and Ron winced.

  "And what," she rose, crossing her arms. "Is that supposed to mean, brother dearest?" Her tone was so like their father's that Draco had to wince as well.

  "Exactly what it sounded like," he managed weakly, standing up straight and looking her in the eye. "I just wanted to say goodnight, anyway. To all of you." He strode off, leaving Ron, Harry, and Hermione in shock and Laine fuming, wondering what it was he was really up to.

  Someone tugged on her sleeve. She looked down sharply at Harry. "Sit down," he hissed. "People are staring." They were indeed. She sat, still wondering at her brother.

  "People always stare at me," she retorted. "I'm used to it by now. You'd think you would be too, since-" She stopped as Harry's gaze went to his plate. "Sorry, Harry," she said in an undertone.

  "It's all right," he muttered back.

  "'Just because you're used to it,'" Hermione quoted. "'Doesn't make it right.'"

  Laine made a face. "Nothing like having your own words used against you."

  Ron sighed. "Tell me about it. She does it constantly."

  "Yeah," Harry agreed. "Why is that?"

  Hermione smiled sweetly, lifting a spoonful of vanilla ice cream to her lips. "Only because I can. And, you all tend to need it from time to time."

  "You know, one of these days we're going to get you on that."

  Hermione chuckled and grinned. "I look forward to it. But until then, you just go ahead and keep thinking that."

~*~

  None of the other fourth year girls seemed to like Laine much, with the exception of Ginny. It didn't really bother her. What bothered her was that now that she was generally seen with the 'dream team' as so many called them, all the girls wanted to be her friend. She ignored them and their gossip, pointedly working on her Arithmancy assignment. Three more problems and she would be done.

  "How can you not love those eyes?" One of the girls, whom Laine personally thought of as Mary Jane, asked another (Barbie).

  "Well, I don't think he's that cute, if you really want to know," Barbie told Mary Jane.

  "You WHAT?" Mary Jane and their friend Eyeliner exclaimed.

  "He's gorgeous," Barbie sighed. The other two started laughing.

  Laine shook her head. A conversation like this took place every night about this time, always about one of three people. Reminiscing about Oliver Wood, Dean Thomas, or, as it was tonight, about Harry. Sad, really. But she had seen pictures of Oliver Wood, and had to agree, he was quite attractive…never told her brother that, though. She didn't have a death wish, no matter how often she joked about it.

  "-And that hair!" Eyeliner was exclaiming.

  Laine sighed, disgusted. The three of them turned on her. One thought ran through Laine's mind: 'uh-oh'.

  "And I suppose you haven't the slightest attraction to Harry Potter," Mary Jane demanded.

  "Well, I suppose he's kind of cute…" Laine admitted as a vision of his laughing face at dinner invaded her mind. "But wouldn't you like to get to know him?"

  The three girls scoffed. "Why for?" Eyeliner demanded. "He's the famous Harry Potter, for Merlin's sake!"

  "So?" Laine retorted. "That doesn't say a thing about his personality. Maybe he's really shallow, thinks only about himself. Doesn't that matter to you?"

  "No," the trio answered in unison.

  "Then, for Merlin's sake, I bet the old wizard's glad he's dead."

  "And what is that supposed to mean, Malfoy?" Barbie snapped, drawing up to her full height- 5'4"- and glaring menacingly.

  "What're you going to do? Claw my eyes out?" Laine demanded, trying not to laugh.

  "Don't tempt me."

  "I'm so scared."

  "You should be," Barbie said, backing down. "Watch your back, Malfoy. You may not like what happens to you if you don't watch your mouth in the future."

  "Ooh, I'm trembling. The thought of watching my back from people who barely reach my shoulders petrifies me." She gave a dramatic shiver and stood up in one fluid moment. "Excuse me, the musings of Barbies anonymous begins to bore me."

  As the door shut behind her, she heard one of the girls ask the others, "What's a Barbie?"

~*~

  "Ugh," Laine muttered as she sat down at a table next to Hermione.

  "What?" Hermione's concentration focused on Laine as she closed her own Arithmancy book.

  "My roommates."

  "What about them?"

  "They're the unofficial Hogwarts chapter of the Harry Potter Fan Club."

  "Oh, really?" Harry looked up from his Divination homework. "What are their names?"

  "Mary Jane, Eyeliner, and Barbie." Hermione snorted and Harry's eyes twinkled. Laine blushed a little. "I don't know their real names."

  "Well," Hermione opened her Muggle Studies book, setting the Arithmancy book on top of a stack of various other volumes. "You're obviously not missing much."

  "Oh, I don't know. Some of those Oliver Wood photographs are quite nice. Especially the one where he's trying to drown himself in the showers."

  Harry choked on a mouthful of tea. "They have pictures of that?" He squeaked.

  "Harry, honey, there are pictures I've seen that would make you blush." He started to take another sip of tea. "Plenty of which are of you." He spat the mouthful out, covering Ron, who had just arrived, in lukewarm Earl Grey.

  "Thanks, Harry, I needed a shower, anyway," he said sarcastically.

  "They have PICTURES!" Harry gasped, sputtering.

  "Of…?"

  "ME!"

  Ron shrugged. "I have pictures of you." Harry raised an eyebrow. "Not those kind of pictures!" Then he understood. "Oh…Wait a second, has Ginny been looking at these??"

  Laine rolled her eyes and sighed. "No."

  Harry chose that moment to streak off in the direction of the girl's dormitories, Hermione, laughing, followed him, leaving Laine alone with Ron for a moment.

  "So…" He said anxiously.

  "Tell me if this sounds totally ditzy, or if it's really just none of my business, but what kind of girls does Harry like?"

  Ron looked at her, his eyes a mixture of emotions. "I couldn't really tell you."

  "You're his best friend."

  "Yeah," Ron shrugged. "He doesn't talk about girls much."

  "Oh…"

  "So about those pictures," Ron deftly changed the subject. "Really, has Ginny been looking at them?"

  "No," replied Laine, as Harry and Hermione returned, Harry murmuring about cursed staircases and Hermione looking a little too calm. " Besides, even if she had, I'd never tell."

  Ron's eyes widened. "GINNY!" He yelled, stalking off, still dripping, to find his sister.

  Laine shook her head. "Brothers."

  "I can't say I can relate," Hermione murmured, taking notes as she read.

  "Be grateful for that fact," Laine told her earnestly. "Very grateful. Speaking of brothers…Sheibe!" She slammed a fist on the table and dashed for the portrait hole. "I'll be back later."

~*~

  Laine dashed down the halls as fast as she could, dodging people and ghosts alike, earning disgruntled cries from many of them. Finally she reached the library, slowing to a fast walk. Madam Pince glared and pointed with her wand at the sign that ordered students to 'walk at a sedate pace'. Laine smiled sheepishly and as soon as the librarian's back was turned, dashed to the corner where she was supposed to meet her brother…an hour ago.

  Draco was lounging in a chair, idly twirling his wand. He looked calmly up at her when she showed up red in the face and out of breath. "You," he murmured. "are very late."

  "I know, and I'm sorry, really I am," Laine apologized between gasps. "I was doing my Arithmancy stuff and lost track of time…"

  "A likely story," Draco drawled, grinning in his sinister way. "I bet you were staring into those deep blue eyes of Potter's, weren't you?"

  "They're not blue," she retorted without really thinking about what she was saying. She sat down in the chair across from Draco's. "They're very, very green."

  Draco arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

  Laine flushed. "Or so…so I've heard," she responded weakly.

  "I'm sure. Anyway," he seemed ready to forget it…for now, at least. Laine was thankful he wasn't going to tease her, but she had to wonder what he was really up to. "About this charm, which one is it?"

  She grinned sheepishly. "Flitwick wants me to review levitation…again."

  Draco groaned. "Fine, but you had better get it quick, this is first year stuff!"

  "Believe me," she murmured, thinking back to the lecture she had gotten from Flitwick (which included the words "almost worse than Finnigan is!"). "I know."

  "All right," Draco sighed. "Let's start at the beginning…"

~*~

  Exhausted, Laine trudged back up to the tower. After levitation, Draco had made her review the summoning charm… review, and review…and review some more. Then he had attempted a few others, whose names she couldn't remember, all she could remember was that she had them down pat. Thank god. Draco truly was a slave master. Must've inherited that trait from Lucius.

  She stumbled through the portrait hole, past a few people who're still studying, and up to her room, not caring to look and see if Barbie and her minions were asleep. Instead, she slipped into a nightgown, and slid into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

  Laine was up early the next morning, slipping down to the common room silently with an ease of practiced grace. Once there, she curled up in a particularly old armchair and opened a book. Given, it was a schoolbook, but she thought it was fascinating. Best not let anyone other than Hermione see her reading it, though, or else they might start to think she was smart or something. She grinned a little at the last mental comment. It wasn't as though any self-respecting Gryffindor would ever come to a Malfoy for help, anyway. Well… anyone except maybe Ginny, Harry, or Ron- Hermione didn't need anyone's help.

  Wishing absently that she had a cup of coffee, she began reading, becoming so engrossed in the material that she didn't notice anyone else in the common room…and apparently, they didn't notice her, either.

  A sudden burst of song broke her concentration, making her nearly drop her book. "'Cause you were only playing, only playing with my heart. I was never waiting, I was never waiting for the tears to start."

  "It was you, who put the clouds around me, it was you, who made the tears fall down…" The very nice tenor continued singing as they came down the boys' staircase. "It was you, who broke my heart in pieces," They stopped at one of the tables, humming for a moment. Laine heard the sound of parchment being shoved into a bag.

  The person moved over toward the portrait hole, singing once again. "It was you, it was you," As they left, the voice grew fainter, but she could still make out the words. "Who made my blue eyes blue…"

~*~

  Laine waited maybe ten minutes before she went downstairs for breakfast. It was still quite early, but she figured a nice, leisurely breakfast was just the thing to have before double astronomy. She couldn't help but laugh silently at herself when she found that she was humming.

  "Stupid song," she murmured moments before she found herself humming once again. By the time she entered the hall, she was grinning stupidly, still humming. "It was you, who made my blue eyes blue…" she sang quietly as she slid into the seat next to Ron.

  He was inexplicably pale as he turned to look at her. "What-" he choked. "What song is that?"

  Laine shrugged. "I don't know, I heard someone singing it upstairs. I kind of like it. Do you know it?"

  "Um…yeah, actually, I do. Hermione lent me one of those…EG things…"

  "CD?" Laine asked.

  "Huh? Oh right. Yeah, that's it," His ears burned pink. "She found a charm in some book she was reading that lets you listen to it, even though the machine that Muggles use to play it won't work here. It's kind of cool."

  "Oh," Laine grinned. "I'll have to see what she has, see if she'll let me borrow one, I left my CDs at Mordremark, because I didn't think that they'd work here."

  "Mordremark?" Ron asked, drawing a blank.

  "Family manor," Laine explained, grabbing a bagel from the basket closest to her. Ron nodded understanding. "Who does sing that song, anyway? I know I recognize it…"

  "Um...Aaron Clackturn?" Ron asked.

  "Ah. Eric Clapton."

  Ron just shook his head. "You're amazing."

  "Thank you?" Laine asked. "Although why, I can't understand. But hey, to each his own…or," she added as an afterthought. "Her own."

  Ron laughed with her, passing the cream cheese before she could ask for it. "You're not at all like the rest of your family."

  "Oh, I don't know about that, Uncle Sirius is a fairly level-headed bloke."

  All the color drained from Ron's face, and Harry, who had just arrived and was draining a goblet of juice, choked, spitting it out onto Hermione, who had just arrived.

  Hermione looked down at her robes, then back at Harry. "Wonderful," she sighed, turning back the way she had come. "Back to the dormitory, then."

  "You," Harry sputtered. "Know Sirius Black?"

  "Well…" Laine shrugged. "He's technically a cousin, but I've always called him Uncle. I've only ever met him once, though. On a family visit to Azkaban. Mother wanted to visit aunt Bellatrix." Silence met her statement. "You know, I have to be honest, from what I know about my Uncle, I'd say he'd never have done the things they say he did. Call me crazy, but I don't think he'd be capable of betraying a friend as close as James was, then turning around and killing innocent people in broad daylight. I just don't think he did it." There was silence again. Harry and Ron were just looking at her, matching expressions of incredulity on their faces. She blushed, ducking her head a little. "Yeah, you probably think I'm completely off my rocker now…"

  "No," Harry said quietly.

  "No?" She looked up, locking eyes with him.

  He smiled and shook his head. "I don't think you're crazy at all." Laine beamed at him, while Ron shot him a poisonous look.

  Laine jumped up, realizing she had forgotten her books in the common room. "I'll see you guys at lunch." She dashed out of the room, passing Hermione as she went.

  Hermione sat down across from the two boys, obviously not noticing the expressions on their faces. "So," She said smiling. "What did I miss?"

  "This just in," Harry said, imitating a Muggle newscaster. "There is hope for the wizarding race after all: A Malfoy, who happens to be a relative of the accused thinks he's innocent."

  "And the accused is?" Hermione asked, not quite following.

  "Snuffles," Ron said simply, finishing off his eggs. "And technically, she's not full-blooded witch." Harry and Hermione just looked at him. He shrugged. "She's part veela, remember."

  Hermione gasped theatrically. "A Malfoy not pureblooded, never!"

  "Oh, indeed, but is it the Malfoy side of the family or her mother's?"

  "Or maybe it's neither." The boys stared at Hermione blankly. She sighed, shaking her head. "Nevermind."

  Draco walked past them, shaking his head as he left the hall. If only they knew about Laine's real father. If only she knew.

~*~