"Hermione must have it out for you, Ron. What did you do this time?" Harry was asking as he watched her breeze past them icily, nodding as she greets him and not Ron who shrugs like he was indifferent about the whole fiasco. His red ears, however, told a different story.
"She's just mental, Harry..you know how she gets." He excuses, suddenly seeming completely interested with his thumb nail. Harry arches a brow.
"That's all, eh?" He asks, before nodding to himself in agreement. "Right. Well, no matter I s'pose. Er...Oh! Look, there's Ginny and Dean." He says then, elbowing him to get their minds off of an apparently tender subject. This time, it wasn't just Ron's ears that turned red. It was his whole face.
"What does she see in him?" He gripes, cracking his knuckles like he might actually do something about it. "I don't like that bloke."
"Yes you do." Harry scoffs. "You just don't like that he's dating your little sister."
Ron had no comment, and even if he had, it wouldn't had mattered after what happens next.
"Well, if it isn't Weasel King and Potty." Came the familiar and sickeningly lazy drawl of Draco Malfoy. Snickers from his cronies were ever accompanying it. "Wow, Weasel, I didn't think you could get much uglier. You look like a great spotted tomato."
Harry could see Ron's shoulders stiffen, his knuckles turning white as they both turned to face the trio behind them. Draco stood just in front of and between Crabbe and Goyle who were cracking their knuckles, looking somehow less intelligent then they ever had before.
"Sod off, Malfoy." Ron says in the calmest voice Harry was sure he'd ever heard him use. This couldn't mean good things for the blonde before them, and Harry was compelled to stay out of it, just to see what might happen....like that would ever happen.
Draco looks Ron over, unimpressed, as he smirks and shifts his eyes to Harry, his demeanor darkening. "6th year's going to be a bad one for you, Potter." He raises and lowers his eye brows in a quick threatening motion and steps towards him, a hand raising to tell Crabbe and Goyle to stay back. The both of them shift their eyes to Ron, and stay there.
"I'd watch my back if I were you, Draco." Harry hisses under his breath. "Now that Daddy's not here to scare people into doing your bidding...things are going to change."
Draco's jaw stiffens and he reaches up quickly, grasping hold of Harry's tie, and wrapping it around his hand as he pulls him close angrily. They were nose to nose, and before Draco could say a word, the tip of Harry's wand pressed firmly up under his chin. "Watch...your...back." Harry repeats through clenched teeth.
"I'm telling you you're going to pay for it, Potter." Draco hisses, letting him go, shoving him back in the process. He takes a few steps back and points at him. "You all will pay...even that filthy Mudblood, Granger"
It was Ron that pointed his wand this time, face flushing further in anger. "If you try and harm a hair on her head, Malfoy, I'll.."
"You'll...what, Mr. Weasley?"
Snape.
Draco looks behind them and smirks, motioning to Crabbe and Goyle that they should go. When they turn though, it's to find themselves faced with Professor McGonnagal. "What is going on here?" She asks insistently, looking from one set of boys and then to the other before to Professor Snape who stood behind Harry and Ron. Ron was the first to spout off.
"Draco's being a bloody Git, that's what, and making..."
"You would do well - Mr. Weasley, Potter - to put your wands a-way." Professor Snape interrupts. They both do so, though Ron moved with more reluctance. "Now then...Draco, what's going on here?" He asks boredly, arranging his robes around him some to show just how unamused with this whole stand off he was. "Surely you weren't making empty threats against them...were you?" He arches a brow.
Draco smirks and gives a shake of his head. "No sir...I don't make empty threats." He says matter of factly, eyes glancing to Harry and Ron as he said so threateningly. Ron opens his mouth to speak, going for his wand again, but Harry grabs his arm, his own lips thin in his utter loathing as Professor McGonnagal tuts them all.
"This is unacceptable." She says, shaking her head. "We can't have students pulling their wands on each other in the halls, no matter what words are said. It just cannot happen. Potter, Weasley, ten points - each - from Gryffindor for aiming your wands at another student -"
"But Professor-!"
She casts a dangerous look to Ron for interrupting and he pipes down, swallowing thickly as she looks to the smirking Draco. "And even though I saw no wands in your hands, I don't believe for a moment that there were no words in your mouth. Five points each from Slytherin."
Professor Snape looked less then amused, but said nothing on the matter. Draco however, was incensed. "You have no proof." He hisses angrily.
"And TEN points for talking back, Mr. Malfoy." She informs him.
"Draco, Crabbe, Goyle. Move along. Now." Snape says threateningly, breezing his way between Ron and Harry to grab Draco by the scruff of his shirt and turn him away down the hall.
Professor McGonnagal steps out of their way and turns to watch them go before she looks back to the duo before her. "I am disappointed in you both." She tells them, shaking her head. "I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your cool. Especially in these dark times. Don't let me hear about something like this again, or I promise you it will be a weeks worth of detention next time." She looks from one to the other, trying to catch their shamed and lowered eyes. Once she does, she asks: "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes P..professor." Harry stammers apologetically.
"Weasley?" She asks.
Ron looks up at her through his hair and gives a feinted nod. "Y...yes Professor." He mumbles.
She looks between them again before nodding with a sigh. "Good. Now move along...Lunch has already begun."
"She's just mental, Harry..you know how she gets." He excuses, suddenly seeming completely interested with his thumb nail. Harry arches a brow.
"That's all, eh?" He asks, before nodding to himself in agreement. "Right. Well, no matter I s'pose. Er...Oh! Look, there's Ginny and Dean." He says then, elbowing him to get their minds off of an apparently tender subject. This time, it wasn't just Ron's ears that turned red. It was his whole face.
"What does she see in him?" He gripes, cracking his knuckles like he might actually do something about it. "I don't like that bloke."
"Yes you do." Harry scoffs. "You just don't like that he's dating your little sister."
Ron had no comment, and even if he had, it wouldn't had mattered after what happens next.
"Well, if it isn't Weasel King and Potty." Came the familiar and sickeningly lazy drawl of Draco Malfoy. Snickers from his cronies were ever accompanying it. "Wow, Weasel, I didn't think you could get much uglier. You look like a great spotted tomato."
Harry could see Ron's shoulders stiffen, his knuckles turning white as they both turned to face the trio behind them. Draco stood just in front of and between Crabbe and Goyle who were cracking their knuckles, looking somehow less intelligent then they ever had before.
"Sod off, Malfoy." Ron says in the calmest voice Harry was sure he'd ever heard him use. This couldn't mean good things for the blonde before them, and Harry was compelled to stay out of it, just to see what might happen....like that would ever happen.
Draco looks Ron over, unimpressed, as he smirks and shifts his eyes to Harry, his demeanor darkening. "6th year's going to be a bad one for you, Potter." He raises and lowers his eye brows in a quick threatening motion and steps towards him, a hand raising to tell Crabbe and Goyle to stay back. The both of them shift their eyes to Ron, and stay there.
"I'd watch my back if I were you, Draco." Harry hisses under his breath. "Now that Daddy's not here to scare people into doing your bidding...things are going to change."
Draco's jaw stiffens and he reaches up quickly, grasping hold of Harry's tie, and wrapping it around his hand as he pulls him close angrily. They were nose to nose, and before Draco could say a word, the tip of Harry's wand pressed firmly up under his chin. "Watch...your...back." Harry repeats through clenched teeth.
"I'm telling you you're going to pay for it, Potter." Draco hisses, letting him go, shoving him back in the process. He takes a few steps back and points at him. "You all will pay...even that filthy Mudblood, Granger"
It was Ron that pointed his wand this time, face flushing further in anger. "If you try and harm a hair on her head, Malfoy, I'll.."
"You'll...what, Mr. Weasley?"
Snape.
Draco looks behind them and smirks, motioning to Crabbe and Goyle that they should go. When they turn though, it's to find themselves faced with Professor McGonnagal. "What is going on here?" She asks insistently, looking from one set of boys and then to the other before to Professor Snape who stood behind Harry and Ron. Ron was the first to spout off.
"Draco's being a bloody Git, that's what, and making..."
"You would do well - Mr. Weasley, Potter - to put your wands a-way." Professor Snape interrupts. They both do so, though Ron moved with more reluctance. "Now then...Draco, what's going on here?" He asks boredly, arranging his robes around him some to show just how unamused with this whole stand off he was. "Surely you weren't making empty threats against them...were you?" He arches a brow.
Draco smirks and gives a shake of his head. "No sir...I don't make empty threats." He says matter of factly, eyes glancing to Harry and Ron as he said so threateningly. Ron opens his mouth to speak, going for his wand again, but Harry grabs his arm, his own lips thin in his utter loathing as Professor McGonnagal tuts them all.
"This is unacceptable." She says, shaking her head. "We can't have students pulling their wands on each other in the halls, no matter what words are said. It just cannot happen. Potter, Weasley, ten points - each - from Gryffindor for aiming your wands at another student -"
"But Professor-!"
She casts a dangerous look to Ron for interrupting and he pipes down, swallowing thickly as she looks to the smirking Draco. "And even though I saw no wands in your hands, I don't believe for a moment that there were no words in your mouth. Five points each from Slytherin."
Professor Snape looked less then amused, but said nothing on the matter. Draco however, was incensed. "You have no proof." He hisses angrily.
"And TEN points for talking back, Mr. Malfoy." She informs him.
"Draco, Crabbe, Goyle. Move along. Now." Snape says threateningly, breezing his way between Ron and Harry to grab Draco by the scruff of his shirt and turn him away down the hall.
Professor McGonnagal steps out of their way and turns to watch them go before she looks back to the duo before her. "I am disappointed in you both." She tells them, shaking her head. "I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping your cool. Especially in these dark times. Don't let me hear about something like this again, or I promise you it will be a weeks worth of detention next time." She looks from one to the other, trying to catch their shamed and lowered eyes. Once she does, she asks: "Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes P..professor." Harry stammers apologetically.
"Weasley?" She asks.
Ron looks up at her through his hair and gives a feinted nod. "Y...yes Professor." He mumbles.
She looks between them again before nodding with a sigh. "Good. Now move along...Lunch has already begun."