Five- Enjoy pt.2
Mr.Weasley couldn't contain his excitement any longer... Harry was directing him to a muggle clothing shop. They had already bought their school supplies which they promptly dropped off at the Burrow. This whole muggle-clothes-shopping thing was all Fred and George's doing. They were the only ones not thoroughly convinced that Malfoy had gone legit (and who could blame them.) and besides it was their secret fantasy to be with Harry. So they put him through a series of tests. Test number one: peacefully coinciding with Harry's close peers. They discussed in the back seat of Arthur's Ministry-borrowed car Draco's score.
"I don't know Fred, he barely said anything to anyone at Flourish and Blotts." said George as he tried to suffocate Pigwidgeon. (Whom Ginny brought to keep the family company.)
"But George in the end it's all the mean things the bloody git says that's gonna' count..." Fred said temper rising.
"Now Fred don't be bitter... If Harry doesn't want us fine... But that doesn't mean we have to be nice to Malfoy does it? A little trick or two and the little prat will be gone... Okay now, back to the grade. I think he should get a 90, ten pts. off cause' I guess I don't like him so much. He did earn the rest because he paid for lunch and insisted that he pay for Ron's books. Also he mentioned absolutely nothing about Hermionie being a halfling."
"Paying for one years worth of books doesn't excuse him and neither does paying for lunch. We also can't rely on Hermionie's blood to ensure that he messes up. So twenty pts. off just for that and another 5 off because of that little snide remark about the car we're in..."
George sighed Fred always liked Harry more. "Let's see then... 30 pts. off no wait 35 and that leaves him with a 75. Not bad, it still passes."
"Well," Fred replied with a smirk on his face. "let's see how well he fairs with test number two: Buying muggle clothing in a muggle-infested environment."
"Jeez Fred you're starting to make muggles sound like the plague..." George replied as he got out of the car. They were here at a local mall. Harry recognized the place immediately. It's where the Dursleys shop for Dudley's gifts and make Harry carry them. There was always a few stores he wanted to check out, but he always knew that the Dursleys would steer clear of them. Hermionie wanted to go to Abercrombie and Fitch to get a couple of pairs of pants. Harry watched as Ron and her went into the store, surprisingly Draco was teaching Mr. Weasley about the currency.
Ron watched as Hermionie picked out clothes. 'They are nice' he thought to himself; 'and they'll look even nicer on her.' He was sick of missing his chances with Hermionie. She always hugs Harry and just gives him a handshake, she was thinking about asking Oliver Wood out during second year, and she's been going out with Viktor Krum for two years. He remembered her crying after fifth year because he found another, he wanted to be the one who stayed with her for a very long time. 'Today's the day... Today is definitely the day, hey why not now?' After she had tried on her things she ended up buying three pairs of pants, two red t-shirts, one goldenrod longsleave shirt, and two hats.
"Hermionie..." Ron said, "It's either now or never mate." said a familiar voice. "Wait a minute, did you hear something?"
"No Ron I didn't. Why? What's it saying?" she replied.
"Ron, it's me Draco..."
"That's impossible, you're with my dad and Harry." As he said this he was looking around for Draco. When he looked outside the store to where Harry and his father were he saw Draco standing there.
"What are you playing at Malfoy your body is out side..." Ron said as he continued searching, he didn't even know why he continued searching when he knew the truth. Malfoy was obviously toying with him. Even if he did apparate Ron would have still heard him.
"My body may be outside, but my mind is in the store." Malfoy said looking at Ron. He was using every nerve of self control to stifle his giggles, 'Could Ron really be that dumb?' he thought to himself.
Ron's brain took a while to register what Malfoy had told him. Of course being Ron he thought of the worst...
"Draco, do you mean to tell me that your brain is somewhere in this store? Is it near me? Eww..."
Draco sighed in disbelief. 'He really is that stupid...' "I'm a projection you twit! An astral projection! Oops." Draco looked to his left and there was Hermionie looking right at his ghostly-looking form.
"I heard that." she said with her hands on her hips. "Imagine if any random muggles were to hear or see you..."
Draco couldn't believe this. Hermionie didn't know about astral projection. She hadn't even read a book about it. Draco laughed to himself about it. 'There must be hundreds of books on it and little miss mudblood; no I mean little miss Granger has no information on it... Ha Ha Ha I guess nobody really does know it all.'
"Let me inform you idiots that when in astral projection you can be seen when you wish to be seen and by whomever you want to see you. Yes my body is out there but I'm an expert at this so my body can function normally with out being robotic or becoming a lifeless dummy." He disappeared from Hermionie's sight and went over to Ron.
"Hey Ron she can't see or hear me anymore so it's just you and me. Tell her that you love her, tell her that you want to be near her, make her feel special."
"Okay." His palms were sweaty as he was walking towards Hermionie. His legs turned into cinderblocks he could barely move and it took a great effort to do so. She was holding her bags she was waiting for him.
"Hermionie I love you." Ron had never felt like this before. He felt as if he had taken a dive into a deep cool pool. He felt his insides turn to ice but when he had gotten it over with the water was feeling warm. All he needed now was an answer, an answer that would either leave him feeling happy or feeling rejected. She looked at him, dropped her bags, and ran into his arms. 'I guess she decided to make him happy. Weasel and the Mudblood as it should be...' thought Draco as he flew out of the store and into his own body. He stopped mid way and saw Fred and George hovering over a piece of parchment. He decided he would investigate since his astral form would remain invisible.
"He isn't in the store with Hermionie and Ron George. I say we give him an F." Fred said almost marking it down on the parchment.
"Patience Fred, maybe Malfoy wants to go clothes shopping with his boyfriend. Ever think of that? No I don't think so."
"I don't know George, I don't think we should test Malfoy anymore. I'm getting sick of looking at him, and besides the real test is going to begin at Hogwarts. Let's see how he treats Ron, Harry, and Hermionie there and then we'll know the real deal."
"But of course Fred, you're right... But first I think we need to pay a trip to our shop you know, to give these little kidlets their arsenal."
"Alas George, you don't trust a thing do you. – Nope. – Okay George you give Harry and Hermionie a couple of fake wands and some Contra-Wand crème candies, they'll need a few Fizzing Whizzbees and some Snail-Trail broom bristle wax. I'll give Ron his fake wands some semi-permanent hexing cupcake mix, for Crabbe and Goyle incase those Death-Eater dunderheads try anything funny, he knows how to handle dung-breath breath mints and I'll give Ron some Lil' Bastard Jelly Beans."
"Fred Ron will just eat the stuff he would never think to give them to anybody. Besides how do we know the jelly beans will work?"
George asked him while quickly writing everything down.
"We tested everything three times. The fake wands will confuse Filch and anyone else. The Contra-Wand crème candies will either a) do the polar opposite of any spell or b) it will backfire on the caster and it's most likely b). It says right on the box "Semi-Permanent Hexing Cupcakes" so if he eats them it's all his fault for being so thick. As for the jelly beans well you better hope that he doesn't eat them, cause they're jelly beans that taste like toilet."
Malfoy decided that he would rather curl up into a little ball and die than admit to himself what just happened. Thoughts ran through his mind as he went back to his body. 'They really do hate me, but it's my fault I gave them a reason to. But I tried so hard to be nice, I tried to get Ron and Hermionie to hook up, I didn't say anything mean to her. I never lifted my wand to any of them. I trusted Harry with my deepest darkest secret. Maybe he already told everyone. What if they're laughing at me?' Draco was losing it but he couldn't take it out on anyone here or else he would have no place to live. But the more he thought about it the more untrustworthy these people seemed. 'Harry told them, he must have told them sometime in Diagon Alley. They probably laughed at me during lunch. Hagrid and Madame Maxamine were in Diagon Alley too, yeah, he must have told them as well... They're all laughing at me on the inside. They all hate me on the inside. They don't even trust me on the inside. Just look at Fred and George, they never trusted me, they were just plotting against me.' A single tear betrayed Draco's thoughts. Mr. Weasley had just greeted his wife as she came from a wonderful muggle shop called Bath and Body Works and she brought with her the intoxicating aroma of summer lilac. She had bags filled with almost every flavor of soaps and candles. Ron and Hermionie had come back from the Abercrombie and Fitch sporting bags full of clothes and everyone was welcoming each other back and asking if they could have some ice cream. Ron ran up to Harry.
"Hey Harry, I bought two pairs of patchy-pants and some shirts and sweaters that are in Gryffindor colors. Hermionie bought some brilliant things too that are in our colors." Hermionie blushed as she told Harry and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley that she and Ron were going out. Draco of course wasn't listening he was too busy driving himself mad with maybes and "what-ifs".
Fred and George ran up to Draco saying "You're on fire!" All of a sudden all the muggles in the mall froze, literally frozen in their place. Within the stopped time Dumbledor appeared. Everyone knew he had apparated, but why?