Chapter 5

A/N:  Special thank to: Don Sample for reminding me about Dawn and chess.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Dawn asked as she and Hermione stopped at a portrait of a very fat lady.

"It's fine.  People do it all the time."  Hermione must have sensed Dawn's nervousness.  "Come on, let's go play chess."

Hermione said a password that Dawn didn't catch to the portrait and she swung open.  Dawn entered the room and she and Hermione found there way to the couch.  They sat down happily pulling a board to them and beginning to play while chatting nonstop.

"Hey, guys.  What's going on?" Ginny sat down on the chair near them smiling.

"Not much." Dawn shrugged.

"Hey, Ginny, do you want to play the winner?" Hermione asked.

Ginny shook her head.  "I probably shouldn't.  I broke the pieces of the board at home."

Hermione smiled and the girls launched into a discussion about what they should do on the next weekend when they had some free time.

"Well, I may have to study..." Hermione was saying.

Both Dawn and Ginny rolled their eyes.  "Stop thinking about work for a second, Herm."

"What else is there?" Hermione asked jokingly.  They all laughed.

"Why don't we go down to the village?"

"Great!" Hermione exclaimed.  "There was a muggleborn witch who just moved in there and opened up a muggle cinema.  It's the rave of the town!  They're even showing this old musical.  You know?  When people burst out into song."

Dawn shuddered.  "Maybe we should try a different one.  Bad memories."

They both looked a little confused.  "But the cinema sounds like fun.  There is this great bracelet in the jewelry store that I can finally afford," Ginny was saying when the portrait opened and Harry and Ron both came in.

"Hey," Harry said flopping down on the couch next to Dawn.  She didn't like him sitting this close to her, it caused an unpleasant heart racing effect.  He had discarded his robes, and was now wearing a simple pair of jeans, and a black T-shirt.  He looked amazing!  She didn't even notice Ron, even though yesterday she thought he was pretty cute.

"Hey," Hermione answered jumping up to hug Ron.  "When did you get here?" she asked when they had separated.

He looked down.  "Two days ago."

Hermione's jaw dropped.  "And you haven't said anything to me?"

"Sorry, you haven't been around."

"Why didn't you just come to the library?"

Harry answered this time.  "That would require Ron to step inside a library."  They all laughed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Harry smiled as he looked around the section of the room.  He, Dawn, Hermione, Ron and Ginny were all hanging out together happily without fighting.  Maybe all five of them could be friends.

He had since moved of the couch where he was seated next to Dawn not liking the way it took five minutes to form a sentence.  He was now sitting next to Ginny who was reading despite the noise in the room.

He glanced over at Dawn, she had beaten Hermione at chess and was now playing Ron.  The three of them were now having a conversation about Dawns opening move.  She lead with her knight every time.

Harry's eyes wondered over the three of them until the settled on Dawn.  She smiled, and laughed every now and then.  She talked in a light carefree voice, and Harry never wanted to look away.

"Staring at her won't do you any good," Ginny commented quietly so the other didn't hear her.  She didn't even look up from her book.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked a little defensively tearing his eyes away from Dawn.

"I mean staring at her will only creep her out, and defiantly not get her to like you."

"Like I care," Harry lied.

"Fine, if you don't even want her to like you, and don't want my advice.  As a girl, I may know what the problem is and do a lot to help you.  But if you don't like her I won't even bother-"

"Alright, alright.  I like her. She's just so amazing!  I know I haven't known her for that long.  But she makes me feel like I'm sixteen again.  It was a decade ago, and I'm talking like I'm one and acting like I'm one.  But sdhe still hates me."

Ginny grinned.  "The problem is she's in the same house as the Ravenclaws.  How many aurors from Ravenclaw have you dated."

Harry paused for a moment and started to count on his fingers.  Finally he gave up and shrugged.  "A lot."

"Exactly.  So all day she hears all of these girls talk about what it was like to date you. And so to use American slang, she thinks you're a player."

"And how, pray tell, do you suggest I get her to think otherwise?"

"Stop staring at her, stop being overly nice to her.  And above all other things, stop flirting with her."  Without another word Ginny turned back to her book and Harry shook his head and returned his attention to the chess game being careful not to stare at Dawn.

"Stop staring at her..." he mumbled under his breath.  "This may be harder than I thought."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Dawn leaned back during one of Ron's long speeches about the importance of leading with a pawn.  It was something about tradition and what not.

She quietly mumbled for Hermione to hear, "He's doing it again."  They both knew she wasn't talking about Ron rambling.

Hermione slowly looked over at Harry.  "Yes, he is."

"Why does he keep on doing that?" Dawn asked taking Ron's rook.

"Maybe because he likes you."  Hermione replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I seriously doubt that." Dawn whispered before moving her queen and saying louder to Ron, "Check."

"Well, maybe if you got to know him, you'd find out and then maybe you'd like him-" Hermione was cut of by Dawn.

"I don't think so."

"Why are you so defensive about him?"

"Maybe because I know for a fact that he is extremely judgmental.  Or maybe because if he didn't like me, and then all of a sudden he decides he does like me, who's to say he won't decide to hate me again at any given moment."

"He won't."

"He might.  Checkmate."

As Ron started in disbelief at the board, Harry quickly stood up and excused himself mumbling something about having to meet someone or other.  And Dawn finally realized that in the last ten minutes, he hadn't looked at her once.  And much to Dawn's surprise there was a sinking feeling in her chest.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This is all a bloody disaster!"  Harry said to himself once in the hall way.  It took entirely all of his energy to not look at Dawn.  He had finally given up and made up some bloody excuse that he couldn't recall.

"Talking to yourself, Potter," Malfoy's voice came from behind him.  "I knew you were off your rocker."

Harry turned to face him.  And then realized that he didn't have a combat.  "What do you want, Malfoy?"

"Very few things, and yet the universe does not seem to want to supply them.  You see, I'm not a spoiled golden boy.  So I don't get everything I want on a silver platter in front of me."

"Shut up."

"If that's your wish, it would be a crime not to shut up, after all it's what you want."

Harry who's mind was still full of thoughts of Dawn was having considerable difficulty coming up with  reply's.  "At least I'm not a spoiled daddy's boy."

"How could you be?  Your father is dead."

"What do you want?" Harry repeated trying to buy time.

"Didn't I already answer that question?  I was just innocently walking down the halls on my way to meet a friend, and I ran into you.  Since I was a bit early I decided to bug you for a while."

But Harry stopped listening to Malfoy as soon as he said 'friend.'  "That friend better not be Dawn," Harry said taking a step forward, suddenly knowing exactly what to say.

"And what if it is?" Malfoy replied calmly.

"You think I don't know who you and your father are in with.  Everyone knows he's a death eater, and everyone knows you're the same.  I don't know what interest Voldemort has with Dawn, but I can tell you one thing.  You are not going to hurt her."

"Oh, for crying out loud, she doesn't even like you, Potter."

"Doesn't mean I should let you use her.  I know this little friendship is nothing but fake on your part.  So why don't you do yourself and Dawn a favor, and stay the hell away from her."  Harry took a step toward him and glared into his eyes.

"Is that a threat?"

"That's what I was shooting for."

Malfoy pushed past Harry and made his way down the hall.  He didn't even stop to yell back at him, "I wasn't going to meet Dawn."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"So," Hermione began wiggling her eyebrows, "What's up with you and Malfoy?"

Dawn sighed from her position laying down on the couch.  "Everyone asks me that, but seriously, we're just friends."

"Really?"  Hermione did not look convinced.

"When I'm with you, I feel totally relaxed and at ease.  I can tell you absolutely anything without a second thought.  With him it's the exact same way.  Why does everyone care so much?"

"Just the girls, and only because they all want him for themselves.  Everyone knows he's the hottest thing that ever set foot on the earth."

Dawn couldn't help but think.  Except Harry.  "Did you just call him Draco?"

"No,"

"You did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did.  Spill."

There's nothing to spill.  The jar's empty."

Dawn shot her  a suspicious look before changing the subject.  "How's Harry at chess?"

"Not as good as you.  He's alright I suppose, but he can't beat Ron to save his life.  Admit it," Hermione sad grinning.  "You like him, don't you?"

"No!  He's so egotistic!  He thinks all the girls will just fall at his feet."

"Dawn, I don't mean to burst your bubble, but all the girls do fall at his feet."

"Well, I will not be one of them."

"You and your bloody pride!  He's not that bad you know.  He's not being mean to you anymore.  What's the problem?"

"The problem is I don't trust him."

"You'll never learn to trust him if you don't spend time with him."

Dawn shook her head.  "Look, I have some abandonment issues, okay?  If he changed his mind about hating me so fast, couldn't he change his mind about liking me too?"

Hermione looked thoughtful.  "I don't think he would."

Dawn pushed a small smile.  "I'm just not ready to give in yet."

Hermione shook her head smiling.  "Your so stubborn."

A/N:  Next chapter may be a little slow, but chapter seven will be really interesting.