Chapter 9: Bad Advice
It wasn't until that Saturday that Harry and Ron moved into action. Draco had been avoiding them, naturally, but they also wanted to talk with him in a quiet place; somewhere Hermione wouldn't pop in on the conversation.
"What if he doesn't come?" Ron said, half hopefully, half in doubt.
"He will. He always comes when Madam Pince leaves."
"But what if she comes back early?"
"We'll have fifteen minutes, at least. I can't imagine her being any quicker with her tea."
"Do you really think he'll listen to us?"
"At least it's worth a try."
Ron looked silently at the library door for a moment, then turned anxiously back to Harry. "I still don't know. Maybe we should do this aft…"
The loud squeak of rusty door hinges caused Ron to freeze mid-sentence. Both boys turned quickly in their hiding place behind a bookshelf, peering at the figure that had just entered the library. It was Draco. He looked cautiously to the left and right, then closed the door as quietly as possible. Taking careful footsteps that echoed nonetheless in the empty library, he headed toward Harry and Ron's bookshelf.
Draco went a little past it, finally sitting at a table and opening the book he had been carrying. He sat silently, reading. Noiselessly, Harry and Ron walked up behind him.
"Draco, we want to talk to you."
Draco jumped at the words, though getting his composure back quick enough to keep from falling off his chair. Wheeling around to face Harry and Ron, his eyes turned into slits of gray clouds.
"Well bully for you. Too bad I don't share the sentiment," he drawled, standing to leave.
Ron grabbed the chair and turned toward Harry, who gently, but firmly set Draco back down in it.
"You're going to hear us out, Draco," Harry said sternly.
Draco didn't say anything, but scowled deeply.
"You've been bottling everything up, Draco," Ron said, looking down at the top of Draco's head from his spot still behind the chair, "And it's all seeping out in the worse way."
"We want to make things right," Harry added quietly, "This is not the way to start the year. Let's bury the hatchet. Hermione's birthday is in two weeks. We're having a party on the quidditch pitch; we'd like to invite you."
"I'd rather go live the in the Forbidden Forest," Draco snarled, pushing Harry back so he could stand up. He felt uncomfortable trapped in the chair.
"Would it kill you?" Ron scoffed, putting his hands on his hips, "Just come, Draco."
"Why should I?" Draco said quietly, eyes narrowing further, if that was possible.
"Because you're her friend. She wants you there," Harry said, "And so do we. You're our friend, too."
"I have no friends," the boy hissed, "Only back-stabbing Gryffindors."
He turned to leave, but Ron stopped him, grabbing his shoulder.
"Okay, so we weren't there for you over the summer," he said firmly, "We're sorry. It may sound harsh, but we're just not used to you. That's all changed now. Be there for Hermione. She's been depressed over this since the start of school. At least forgive her."
"She deserves whatever she gets. She's nothing but a self-centered, big-headed little bit-"
Ron didn't let him finish. His fist caught Draco across the face, and he would have willingly done more if Harry hadn't held him back. Draco stared loathingly at Ron, holding a hand up to his jaw.
"Ron. Ron! Stop! It's not worth it!" Harry said, struggling to keep his friend calm.
"Did you hear what he called her?! Like he should talk. No one's more self-centered and big-headed than that Death Eater wannabe!"
Draco launched himself forward, but Harry stopped him with his hand before he could land a punch. Both boys tried to get to each other, Harry in the middle and having a little trouble.
"Hey, stop it, you two! STOP!" Harry yelled, his words actually having some effect, "I thought we were past the name-calling."
"So did I, but if he's going to go on like that then—"
"Oh yeah, Weasley, like you haven't had a part in it."
"At least I didn't start it, you little ferret."
"Hey, enough of that!" Harry said sternly, suddenly acting very much like the father of two young children, "Ron, apologize."
"I will if he says he's sorry about what he called Hermione."
Harry looked helplessly at Draco. Looking down in a far corner, Draco said very quickly, "I'msorryforwhatIsaid."
"Me, too," Ron said reluctantly, "Sorry. I didn't mean it."
It was quiet a moment, then Draco added, a little spitefully, "But I'm still not going to the party."
Ron's eyes flashed dangerously, but Harry quickly answered.
"Why not?"
"You guys don't really want me there. You're just inviting me to ease your precious conscious. I'm not going to let you get away with it that easy."
"No we aren't," Ron said.
"Think about it, Weasley. Do you really want to be my friend?"
Ron looked at Draco a moment, then his gaze flickered away. He glanced at Harry, unsure of what he should say.
"You're coming, Draco!" Ron commanded furiously, trying to cover up the awkward silence, and his doubts, "I don't care if we have to bound you hand and foot and drag you there, but you're coming!"
"That is if someone doesn't beat you to it," Draco said sullenly, staring at the wall.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, uncertain.
"What do you mean, Draco?"
"Nothing… Nothing," he repeated more firmly.
"Draco, you can't say 'nothing' when you mean something," Harry said, "We're your friends. Tell us."
"It's nothing, okay? I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone."
"Oh, let off it, Draco," Ron said, a little heatedly, "You don't have to be the pompous little Slytherin all the time, you know?"
Draco's eyes narrowed into slits. "Thanks, Ron. That makes me feel so much better."
He turned to go, but Ron quickly stepped in front of him. "That's not what I meant. You're acting like you think everyone expects you to: haughty, indifferent, and callous. But I know that's not you. Act like yourself for once. You can trust us, Draco."
Draco glared at him a moment, glanced over at Harry, and then his head and shoulders drooped.
"Fine. You know how I said I had a little trouble getting out of bed our first day? It had nothing to do with sleep-deprivation. When I woke up, I found each arm and leg tied to one of my bedposts. I felt like I was on a rack. At least they were satisfied with tying me up and didn't try to stretch me, or I might actually be taller than Weasley right now."
"Who would do that?" Harry asked, disgusted.
"Some first years trying to show-off. Anyone, really. It took me quite a while to get out of that mess. Nearly every morning I wake to another prank. This morning, someone had made my bed curtains fuse together and I eventually crawled out underneath them."
"Why don't you tell a teacher?"
"Oh yeah, being a sniveling little tattle-tale will make me really popular."
"So you're just going to let this continue?"
"No wonder he didn't make it into Gryffindor," Ron muttered. He wasn't as quiet as he meant to be, for Draco heard him.
"Why would I want to be in Gryffindor, Weasley?" Draco said, a notable bitter twinge in his voice, "Slytherin is the noblest house of all."
"Yeah, if you like dirty cheating rats as roommates."
It didn't take a genius to know another row was on the way. "Why don't you tell Snape, Draco?" Harry quickly intervened, "I'm sure he'd help you."
Draco was quiet, as if thinking it over. "I guess, maybe…"
"Might be the first intelligent thing you've done all year," Ron said resentfully.
Harry shot him a sharp look, clearly to remind him that their purpose was to make-up with Draco, not make things worse. Ron looked a little sheepish.
"Well, apparently you've been doing some serious arse-kissing, Weasley, because I can't imagine your 'intelligence' had any part to play in your becoming Head Boy. What did they do, just pick the most pathetic person in the school?"
Ron managed to keep his self-control intact, though his knuckles were white on his clenched fists and his jaw would surely break if he gritted his teeth any harder.
"Draco, please," Harry said miserably.
"It's your sidekick who needs a talking to, Potter. He's the one who keeps this going, not me," Draco said angrily, gesturing at Ron.
"Look, Draco," Ron said quietly, taking gentle hold of his forearm, "I'm sor—"
He didn't get a chance to finish. Draco screamed in pain, wrenching his left arm away from Ron and cradling it protectively.
"God, Weasley, how thick can you be?!" he yelled angrily, "Most people learn the first time not to do something when it gets bad results, but you just keep going!"
"What's wrong with your arm, Draco?" Harry said after a moment, more than a little curious.
"Noth…" Apparently Draco realized that 'nothing' wouldn't cut it. "Just a little sore. That's all."
"That's more than just a little sore, Draco. That's painful. Let me see."
"No!" Draco said, his eyes going a little wide, clutching at his arm.
Ron and Harry looked at each other, then advanced on Draco.
"Draco, tell us what's going on," Ron said firmly, "What is wrong with your arm?"
"None of your business!"
"Yes it is," Ron said, grabbing his wrist. Draco quickly yanked away from him.
Now Ron and Harry were really determined. Ron grabbed hold of Draco to keep him from getting away while Harry seized his wrist and went to pull back his sleeve.
"It's my arm!" Draco yelled angrily, struggling against Harry to keep the sleeve down, "I think I know what's best for it! Let me go!"
Ron had just taken hold of Draco's other arm, straining to keep control of the struggling boy. Harry, ignoring Draco kicking at his shins, grabbed hold of the sleeve and…
The door creaked open. All three heads turned to see Madam Pince standing in the doorway, a cup of tea in one hand and a look of utter shock on her sharp face.
"What are you doing in here?!" she shrieked angrily, rushing in and ignoring the fact that most of her tea was sloshing onto the floor, "The library is off limits when I'm away! Out, out, out!!! You are banned for the rest of the day!"
They were shooed out of there before any of them were even sure what happened. Harry and Ron watched the door slam behind them, then Ron looked up.
"He's gone!"
Harry looked up, too, and saw Draco was nowhere in sight. "He got away. We have to find out what's wrong with his arm. This isn't the best news…"
"Well, at least we found out one thing," Ron said with a grin, "Those Slytherins actually have a sense of humor."
Harry turned sharply to him, scowling, and Ron looked down at his feet.
"Well, I didn't say it was a [i]good[i/] one."
****
Harry and Ron didn't get much of a chance to talk to Draco over the next two weeks. Not that they hadn't tried; Draco just had a knack for avoiding them. In Care of Magical Creatures and Potions, he simply ignored them, no matter how annoying Ron got.
So when that fateful Friday arrived, they were still unsure as to whether or not Draco would come. They and Hermione had Prep for the last class of the day. It had actually been quite interesting to watch Sirius' transformation with each class. It was always chaos in there, naturally, and at first Sirius seemed happy about it, taking everything in stride. Then his smile had become strained. One day the smile disappeared altogether, replaced with a displeased scowl. Today, however, he was just desperate.
"Please, Mr. Finnigan, sit down. Miss Brown, Miss Patil, please stop talking. And whoever keeps making my chair pull out from underneath me, stop!"
Whatever Sirius tried to do to regain control was ignored, the class too excited about the upcoming weekend to care. He ended up declaring a free day, then slumping dejectedly into his chair.
"We tried to warn you."
Sirius looked up to see the trio at his desk.
"It was a natural mistake, though," Hermione comforted him, "You've never had the experience, so you couldn't be expected to know. And it's still fixable."
"How?" Sirius groaned.
"You need to be commanding. No one, absolutely no one challenges your authority," Hermione said, as if she was an expert on the subject, "And fear is always an ally. You were in Azkaban, after all. Use it to your advantage."
Sirius looked at her in surprise, then glanced at Harry. "And she looked so innocent saying that."
Hermione smiled.
Suddenly an explosion blasted from a corner of the room, followed by the impressed guffaws of the boys over there. This set Sirius off again.
"Whining, bickering, throwing and exploding things, talking when I'm talking, and questions that have nothing to do with what the class is about!" Sirius said, running a swift hand through his hair, "Harry, are these your classmates or wild animals out to destroy every shred of sanity I possess?!"
"Both," Harry smiled.
Sirius stared at him darkly. "You're not helping, Harry."
Another explosion emitted from the corner, the whoops even louder this time.
"I think I'll check that out," Ron said, his tone clearly showing he was going to join the fun rather than stop it.
Hermione sighed. "I guess I'll go chaperon," she said, following Ron.
"So how's your school year going so far, Harry?" Sirius asked.
"Pretty good. The school part at least. Draco's mad at us. Did you ever fight much with Dad?"
Sirius smiled. "Not all friendships are like yours, Ron's and Hermione's, Harry. We had plenty of fights. Heh, we didn't even like each other the first time we met. Things always worked out, though."
"But… Well, Draco's just being so pig-headed. How did you ever work through things like that?"
"I wouldn't know. I was normally the pig-headed one."
Harry didn't get a chance to find out more, for something zoomed over their heads, ricocheting off the blackboard, bouncing off the ceiling, and finally landing on Sirius' desk. They didn't even get a chance to see what it was before it exploded, burning everything Sirius had on the desk into cinders. The corner filled with boys exploded with laughter. Harry looked over and saw Hermione sitting on a desk in the middle of the group, wearing a very guilty grin. Sirius stormed over there, livid. Hermione had her hands over her mouth, but Harry could tell she was smiling and trying very hard not to laugh.
"I'm sorry, Sirius," she said, the giggles taking over, "It wasn't supposed to go that way."
"Detention, Miss Granger!" Sirius said, trying to keep his voice calm, but failing miserably.
Hermione laughed. "Okay, I promise not to do it again."
"I'm not joking, Miss Granger!"
The smile slowly faded from Hermione's face. "You…you can't mean it, Sirius."
"That's Professor Black, Miss Granger, and I mean every word," Sirius said, eyes flashing, "Mr. Filch will inform you—"
"It's not fair!" Hermione yelled, standing up, "They spend the whole class period goofing off and blowing things up without you turning a hair, and I do one little thing wrong and you absolutely explode!"
"Another word out of you, Miss Granger, and you'll be facing a week of detentions!"
Hermione opened her mouth in protest, then thought better of it the longer she saw Sirius' unyielding countenance. Eyes narrowing, she swept past him and sat sulkily in her seat. Sirius looked up to see the rest of the class gawking at him.
"Everyone back in their seats now," he said.
The whole class did so without the slightest bit of hesitation, the shuffling of feet and the scraping of chairs the only sounds breaking the quiet. Sirius walked to the front of the room, every eye watching him warily, except for Hermione. She looked murderous.
"I have tried to be reasonable," Sirius said, disdain strong in his voice, "I tried to make things fun and relaxed, but all you did was ignore me and goof off. From now on, all that ends. For the rest of the class period and as homework tonight, research twenty jobs: starting salaries, education needed, environment, and the like. It's due next class period. You will then narrow the jobs down to one which you are interested in and then write a 60 centimeter paper on it."
No groan of objection arose. No one dared to say anything. The room was as silent as a tomb until the bell rang, when everyone quickly and gratefully left the room.
"What great advice, Hermione," Ron said contemptuously, as they walked to the Gryffindor tower " 'Be commanding. Absolutely no one challenges your authority.' What a thing to tell a teacher."
"Oh shut up," Hermione snapped.
~*~*~
A/N: *deep sigh* Well, that's the end of that chapter. I don't know really what to think. That ended completely opposite of what I was thinking. It's so odd…. I hadn't planned that at all… *shrug* I'm still in a bit of a weird daze-y sort of thing over it…
Well, thank you everyone who reviewed!!! I appreciate it SO much!
Celtic Ember: ^_^ Well, I hope you like them.
Taracolloween: Thanks! *cowers* But I hear I might be told off in your next review… *grin*
jona: Thanks!
Jim: I'd love to post more often, but try and convince my teachers to give me less homework. Somehow "I need to get my new chapter done" isn't a good excuse for them. ^_^ Thanks!
abbey: Thanks!
Raven of Death: lol. I've been wondering that myself. I used to hate the little ferret so much, but since I wrote fanfiction… it's strange. Heehee, I only started watching Golden Girls because my grandma did and now I'm hooked. ^_^ Thanks!
Jeanne: *grin* Shan't say nothing 'til you say please. I'm not very good at writing feasts right now. Maybe soon. ^_^
Nallen Riddle: ^_^ Thanks.
summersun: ^_^ Thanks. You'll find out…though how soon, I'm not sure.
chrestomanci: ^_^ Aenigma Aeternus means "Riddles Forever". I've a group of HP friends who call themselves the Riddles, so that's our motto. ^_^ Thanks! I'll check it out.
Moon Warrior: ^_^ I wish I could have one, too! But I can't find any. Can't imagine why… Yes, more Percy soon. And I share your sentiments about high school. Thanks!
1726dedicatedfan: ^_^ Yeah, I really write too much. Hope you didn't get in too much trouble. Yeah, someone had to point out to me that I had left poor Hagrid in the dust. I dunno, I just don't feel too partial toward him… *shrug* Maybe it's a subconscious protest to WB's portral of him as more of Harry's father figure. ^_^ It's def. not like JKR, 'cause I seriously doubt if I didn't post for 2 years that I'd have people still waiting anxiously for the story. *grin* Thank you, Andrew!
sweets: Heehee… I'm loving all the response to this. Can't tell you now, though. Thanks!
Mrs. Grim: No, I don't really mind if people don't review, though I always LOVE getting the input. ^_^ Heehee, I'm gonna be evil a bit longer. I promise you'll find out eventually, though. Ha, and I love the BS quote! ^_^ Thanks!
jim: Thanks!
illusoire: Depends on the strength of the signs of affection you mean. Def. yes, though I try to keep it in moderation. I'm not too good at writing romance. But soon enough… oh wait, never mind. ^_^ Thanks
Trisana: ^_^ Maybe. Thanks!
Julia: ^_^ Yes, more Percy soon. I've got the idea formulate, just need to stick it on paper. Thanks!
Thank you all! I have to go really quick right now, so…
Be excellent to each other!
-Ady