Jay Morris

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, just the gremlins in my head.

"Chapter 14: Adjusting"

Draco was getting ready for his first class of the day, Divinitation; how boring. He looked at the Slytherin ring Devine had given him, Devine still had the original four rings, and put it on.

Hermione? Silence.

Draco tried again. Hermione?

Yes?

How are Harry and Ginny?

Oh, you're not worried about me?

I am, but I can feel how you feel.

They're doing okay considering. Any memory of Neal sets them off.

I can understand. Let's do something tonight.

Why?

They need to get out, and school is eating my brain.

That's only because I'm not helping you.

We wouldn't be doing homework if you were with me.

What did you want to do?

Let's go on a picnic or something. Let's just get away from school, even if it's just for a Hogsmeade Visit.

We have one tomorrow, can you wait that long?

I'll try. Be ready for me throughout today okay?

Sure . . . Draco-honey.

Ha, ha, ha.

Draco woke out of his "mind" state just as Crabbe and Goyle came up behind him. "What?"

"We thought you wanted to walk to class with us."

"Go ahead, I'll catch up."

"But"

"Go! I'm sorry."

Draco looked at them, and they nodded. They had gotten used to the new Draco. Never making fun of anyone, apologizing if he lost his temper, and even being nice to muggle borns. The rumor also was that he was going out with Granger.

"Let's get to Divinitation before Trelawney predicts we'll die to make fun of us."

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Draco met up with Hermione, Ginny, and Harry at Hagrid's hut. Since he was no longer concerned about what others thought of him, he became a full member of their group. Ron was in the hospital wing brooding over Tanya.

After tea, Hagrid asked how school was, now that they were back.

"It sucks," they said simultaneously.

"Oh."

"Everyone treats me like I'm possessed, and that I look like I have five eyes," Draco said. "You'd think they'd get used to it by now."

"They have to adjust an image of five years, to a new image that changed in only two months," Hermione said.

"I know, but that doesn't make it any less annoying."

"At least we can go to Hogsmeade tomorrow, and I can forget about all the stupid school social problems I'm having."

"Um, there might be a problem wi' that," Hagrid muttered.

"What's the problem Hagrid?" Ginny asked. Hogsmeade was a lot of fun.

"After Hermione's attack," Hermione collected all the dishes and took them to the kitchen to keep from being seen crying "Dumbledore forbid any more Hogsmeade visits. Only students who have a personal escort from the Ministry itself go with them everywhere. And I have a sneaky suspicion that they won't let you four off school grounds."

"You're probably right. They wouldn't let me when Sirius was still wanted as a fugitive," Harry said. He had gotten used to everyone all over again, and was actually being mostly social.

"Well, I need a slight vacation. Anyone up for a game of Quidditch?" Harry and Ginny nodded their heads, and Draco looked at Hermione for any sign of her having control of her emotions again. She turned around, and said, "One problem. There's only four of us."

"We'll go two on two, no beaters and no seeker. What do you say?"

"How can we beat Harry on his Firebolt?"

"Well, actually I now have a Firebolt. Narcissa ordered it for me, she was so happy about dad being out of the house."

"And what are Ginny and I going to ride?"

"Well, you can have my old Nimbus Two Thousand and One. And I'm sure someone on the Slytherin house team will let her ride on one of their Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones. They just need a little persuasion." Everyone laughed at Draco's very persuasive tone of voice.

"Tomorrow, Quidditch?" Draco asked.

"Can I watch?" a voice asked.

Everyone turned to see Professor Dumbledore standing there.

"Sure Professor Dumbledore."

"Oh good. I want to be there just in case. Oh, may I invite Professor Devine to join us? Good. I'll meet you there at nine sharp in the morning shall I? Good." Dumbledore left the house, and all it's occupants in a state of shock.

"I guess we're playing now huh? Oh by the way Harry, these two rings are for you two." Draco fished from his pocket two rings, the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

"Are these two rings the ones you told me about; the ones that will change to the Gryffindor one like Hermione?"

"Yep."

The put them on, and Draco whispered Can you hear me now?

Ginny yelped in surprise, and Harry looked around the room for the voice.

"It's okay. The rings give us telepathy. Devine doesn't have to use a ring for telepathy, which is why you were able to contact him without a ring. We can talk to each other with our minds, which is how I was able to arrange this meaning."

"If only we had these things last year?"

"Don't talk about last year. I swear Umbridge like me," Draco said. He shivered at the thought of Umbridge, and everyone else covered their mouths as if to keep from puking.

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It was a perfect day for Quidditch. The four of them met in the Great Hall, had a hearty breakfast, and hurried out to the Quidditch field. Draco had cohersed Montague into letting Ginny borrow his Nimbus Two Thousand and One. When they got to the field, Dumbledore and Devine were standing there with brooms of their own. Draco looked questiongly at Harry and received a shrug. The girls were having a hard enough time keeping up with their pace.

"Hello. I thought I'd make your game more interesting, and Professor Devine has agreed to help me. He will be the overall keeper, and each of you will have to score on him, team or individually, and I will referee. Sound like fun?"

"Sure. But why are you doing this for us?"

Devine looked at Dumbledore and smiled. "Since you four can't go into Hogsmeade, I agreed to watch out for you four when you wanted to have some fun outside of my class. So, let's play."

None of them left the Quidditch field until four in the afternoon, Dumbledore had made arrangements for a lunch to be brought to them. And Devine had proved to be a better Keeper then thought at first. He had been scored on one out of every six shots, in a total of fifteen games. Each game was half an hour long. Dumbledore rode very well, despite his age, and was an excellent referee. Ginny and Harry had paired against Draco and Hermione for a while, and then the girls went against the boys. In the end it ended up being the girls that won, and the boys were in shock.

"Professor Devine?" Harry asked.

After finishing a bite of turkey sandwich, "Yes?"

"How did you get so good at being Keeper?"

"Well, I was Keeper for my last four years on the team. The other two were spent as Chaser, and I just worked at being Keeper because that's really what I wanted to be."

"Did you ever think of a professional career in it?"

"No. I never wanted to make a sport the center of my life. Because as soon as I get too old, or not good enough I lose my job. I wanted something a little more concrete, so I went into the Minstry of Magic. And you know how my life went after that."

"What was she like, if you don't mind me asking?" Hermione asked.

"How do you describe a dream? She was just drop dead gorgeous. Light brown hair, deep blue eyes, somewhat shorter than me, and very smart. She was a poet, by passion. She could take something as inconstant as an ice cube, and make you want to know more about it."

"What else?" Ginny asked.

"What else? Well, she was a full-blooded witch, and was not rich or poor. She was a caring wife, an excellent, excellent cook, and was one of the best riddle solvers I've ever met. That's actually how I proposed. I gave her riddles to solve to find where to meet me, and then I proposed in a riddle."

"How sweet."

"I never knew how much you cared about her James," Dumbledore said. "I loved that girl as my own daughter; just like Laura. And I love you and Maurice just like you were my own sons. That's how I like to think of you."

"I like thinking of him as the uncle everyone wants," Draco said.

Everyone had a good laugh at that.

"Yeah, sure Draco. Everyone wants a quarter vampire in their family."

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've got to get to my Potions essay about the Irreversable Potions, or Snape might try to skin me alive. And I did promise Montague I'd have his broom back before he got back."

"I'll come help you," Hermione said. "You said you wanted my help on it anyway."

"Yeah, we need to get going too," Ginny said. "Harry's going to help me with my Transfiguration homework."

"I'll see most of you tomorrow in class," Devine said. Dumbledore simply waved from where he sat.

N/A: There is a line in this chapter that will play a very, very, cruel irony later. I'm only hinting at something that's in pencil not stone. Please give me reviews.