A/N: Finally I've come up with a decent Chapter 7....I hope you enjoy it! Please R&R, I will be forever grateful.
Disclaimer:
Some might call me pretty, but I'm definitely smart
I like theatre and music, really any kind of art
I love Harry Potter, and I'd like to pretend,
But I'm NOT J.K. Rowling in the end.
Chapter 7 FRIENDS
The corridors of Hogwarts echoed with the carols of the fluttering ghosts, the professors were all in a rather cheerful mood, and Peeves was hanging mistle-toe throughout the castle. Their winter holiday began at the end of the week, and there was no one more excited than the seventh years.
Yes, although it was only December the seventh year itch began to kick in, and in more than one way at that. As the winter holiday was fast approaching it became increasingly clear that the seventh years were beginning to lose interest in school altogether. Really the only thing they had left to do was take their N.E.W.T.S. "Why did they have to stay in school for a whole nine months if it really wasn't necessary?" , was the question many of them were asking themselves. As a result "the itch" began to spread like crazy amongst the students, causing a lack of motivation and energy that was put towards the completion of their work.
In another sense, the seventh years were experiencing a different type of "itch". This itch involved the love fest that seemed to be the center of attention at Hogwarts. Love was in the air infecting all who inhaled the old yet fragrant scent of the school. It was like a drug, only you didn't have to snort or inject it, ok maybe you did, but it was a like drug in that it was addictive...terribly addictive. Since boys couldn't get into girls dormitories, girls went to boy's dormitories. Suppose that muggle saying "JUST SAY NO!" didn't seem to be cutting it. Yes, the "itch" had taken over.
The winter air had seeped through the stone walls and filled the Great Hall with frozen air. At a corner table sat the most unlikely combination of seventh year students: Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, Harry Potter, Ron Weaseley, and Draco Malfoy. Neville, Seamus, and Ron had managed to get the ideal seats, those on the opposite side of Draco, while Harry had arrived late to this convenient little get together and was forced to sit next to his nemesis.
Draco was the first to speak up, as the others searched frantically about the room with their eyes for some point of focus other than Draco.
"Now, I've invited you bunch of lion hearts here to umm", Draco stopped himself short. Come to think of it, he wasn't really sure what he had invited them here for. O yes, that's right, Ginny made him promise to get to know her friends better. How Ginny could have that power over him was beyond his egotistical self. Lately, Ginny seemed to have that affect on him, she made him want to do everything for her. He gave a faint smile and quickly realized that four pairs of eyes were staring intently at him, "O right, umm... Well gentlemen, I called for this little...pow wow, to umm, to well, to get to know you better!"
All four jaws dropped. Had Draco Malfoy, the pure-blooded, cold hearted, self-obsessed, wannabe-broom-jock just walked his Death-Marked, live-or-die-for-my-hair self into their lives and expected them to welcome him with open arms????
"I think NOT!" Ron yelled in his face.
"The rage of the red heads continues I see", Draco muttered under his breath.
"You think that after seven years of treating us like, like, your HOUSE ELF" Ron said triumphantly (Hermione would have been so proud), " that you can suddenly change everything with one little 'pow wow'", he ended tauntingly.
"Yea, Malfoy, are you sure you're straight in the head? We're GRYFFINDORS, we're bad at Potions, we hate Snape." Neville added, surprisingly enough. He seemed to put emphasis on the latter. Harry however was speechless. He didn't know how to respond to Malfoy's extremely sudden change of heart.
"I'm straight in the head alright, Longbottom. And yes, as a matter of fact, I think this friends thing is going to work quite well." The four of them were astonished. "Now, where shall we begin", his eyes flitted from one face to the next and landed on Seamus', "Finnigan, pray tell, what has your seemingly meaningless life added up to?"
"Er—well umm, I, umm, I, I, I have girlfriend!" Seamus gulped. For some reason quite unknown to him, he felt that Draco really had changed. Yea, so maybe he was still making wise cracks at him, but it seemed to be in a more playful manner than a malevolent one.
"Finnigan with a girlfriend? The idea! That's good one, mate, really is. Possibly the best one I've heard all year!"
"No, I'm serious Malfoy. Padma Patil and I have been dating since the first Quidditch match of the year."
"Well, CONGRATULATIONS FINNIGAN! Couldn't say I saw that one coming. Really, you know, I would never have guessed that girls would start falling for guys with umm... how shall I say this... SPELLOTAPE NEEDS!" 'Spellotape needs' was the phrase used to describe people in need of what muggles called plastic surgery. Quite to Draco's surprise everybody laughed at his crack.
"Well, umm , I umm, I have a girlfriend too." Neville chimed in. He too was compelled to give way to Malfoy's change of heart, "Susan Bones...from Hufflepuff."
"Is that so Longbottom, you running around with badgers now are you? Is she 'loyal and friendly'?" Draco asked, putting emphasis on the 'friendly' part.
It seemed as though Harry was having an out of body experience, looking down at their extremely odd situation, staring at the laughing bunch of seventh year students: Slytherins mixed with Gryffindors. He was actually having fun, talking about girls....with his nemesis. The person that he detested MOST above all the rest, ok so maybe Voldemort, Snape, Lucius, Bellatrix Lestrange. Peter Pettigrew and the rest of the Death Eaters were fit in there somewhere, but nevertheless...
"What is it, Neville? I thought you and Susan were having a great time?" Ron added to the conversation.
"I, umm, I'm umm, I, I can't", Neville's face flushed, "I can't do it!" He blurted out. The whole table shook with laughter.
"Well, umm, you don't have to do it on your first couple of dates, mate!" Seamus said.
"O, poor Finnigan here must not understand the meaning of...ahem... 'love's final aim'!" Malfoy teased.
"Maybe that's because he's never gotten there!" Ron said, fighting off the laughter.
"Ron! You promised!" Seamus said as his cheeks flushed a bright red.
"Really?" Harry asked, stunned by this wave of new information.
"Wait, what do you think I'm talking about?" Neville asked innocently.
"Well, er— " they all responded.
"I can't, I can't, I can't"
"Spit it out, Neville!" Harry prompted.
Neville took a deep breath, "I can't commit! Alright? I have a fear of commitment! I don't know... it was like," Neville got a wistful look in his eyes, "as soon as Susan and I became a couple, all of these opportunities have made themselves available to me. It's like girls think I'm cute now that I'm off the market. I get these looks from these girls, but then there's Susan and...." By this time Ron, Seamus, Draco, and Harry were stifling their laughter ineffectively by coughing incessantly.
Draco sighed, taking in a deep breath and exhaling with a comment about Eden Ebony. Harry's ears perked and his electric blue eyes turned to ice. He suddenly realized that he could see his breath as he exhaled warm air into the frozen air around him. Conversation came to a screeching halt and all eyes were on Harry and Draco. Perhaps, the only thing that could ever come out of this friendship was chaos.