Yeah!! I've gotten a lot of reviews. Again!! Lol. I mean, seriously, I have over 40 reviews in two chapters!! That may not seem like a lot to some of you, but for me…well, let's just say that for my other stories, I got about 30 reviews for seven chapters. Lol.
Let's see…I PROMISE that I'll get to answering the reviews next chapter!! I'm just too tired right now…
LOL!! R/r, please!!
Chapter 3 ~ Arrogant"What the hell was that about?" Ron muttered, as Hermione joined them at the table.
"Oh nothing…" Hermione answered absentmindedly, her face looking as if in concentration, eyes pointed at Malfoy.
"That wasn't nothing!" Harry hissed. "What did Malfoy want with you?"
"Just…just a question…that's all," Hermione answered.
"About…?"
"Er…about Runes homework! That's all!"
Ron raised his eyebrows. "Malfoy wanted to ask you about homework? Why couldn't he have asked in front of us?"
"I don't know," Hermione said firmly. Then, she began to pile food on her plate, and ate rather rapidly.
"Er…Hermione?" Harry asked.
Swallowing, Hermione answered, "What?"
"What are you doing?"
"What do you think?"
"Eating?"
"Right."
"Er…why so fast?"
"I have to go to the library."
"Why?"
"Research." And without further ado, Hermione grabbed a napkin, wiped her mouth, and hurried out of the Great Hall.
"I wish she would stop doing that!" Ron exclaimed, banging his forehead on the table.
"Yeah…" Harry muttered, thinking. Hermione had told them that she would be free all evening. So why was she hurrying off to the library so suddenly? Was it…it must have been something that Malfoy had told her……but what was it?
Switching his eyes to Malfoy, he studied him. He did seem to look rather peaky, but that was just probably because of his newly inherited Veela charms.
All of a sudden, Malfoy moved his eyes toward Harry. Their gaze seemed to lock for a minute, and then, Harry tore away, feeling confused. He wasn't disturbed by the matter, but what really perplexed him was the fact that he could, for once, see no hatred in Malfoy's eyes…no anger on his face.
"So you've been checking him out too?"
"What?" Harry turned to see that Justin Finch-Fletchley had joined the Gryffindor table. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Draco. Or…Malfoy, as he likes to be called."
"What about him?"
"Well, it was obvious that you were drooling over him."
"WHAT?" Harry exclaimed, causing many people in vicinity to look at him. Lowering his voice, he whispered, "What the fuck are you talking about?"
"Don't lie to me, Harry," Justin said coolly.
"Lie to yo- look, I was not checking Malfoy out!"
"Good," Justin answered calmly. "I'm glad. And don't even think about it. Because Draco's mine. I'm going to make him mine."
"Now what happened?" Ron asked, as he watched Justin's retreating figure.
"People have gone mental," Harry answered.
~*~
"Draco, honey…are you all right?"
"Yeah…fine…" Draco gave his head a little shake, while he watched Harry Potter's back receding from the Great Hall.
"You look awfully pale."
Draco grinned. "Aren't I always?"
"Yes…but not this pale…you look rather clammy."
"I'm fine," Draco answered. "Honestly, Pansy, I'm fine…"
"Okay…" Pansy gave him a worried look before returning to her dinner. "You should get an early shut-eye."
"Yeah…" Draco muttered, then he jumped up. "I think I'll go now."
"Er…alright…" But Pansy did not get to finish her sentence. Draco had already gone out of the Great Hall. Sighing, Pansy put her fork down. Why was Draco acting so odd?
Walking swiftly but quietly, Draco easily found Harry and Weasley outside, trying to enjoy the last few drops of sunlight before the darkness too over. Draco sat against a tree that was just feet from the other two. Perhaps…perhaps Draco could just savor hearing Potter's voice…or maybe…if he could get close enough…inhale the sweet smell of green apples that always hung around him…maybe…
"……everyone's been staring at him." Weasley's voice.
"Yeah…but I mean, he is a half Veela now, isn't he?" Potter…Draco's heart jumped. They were talking about him!
"Justin seems rather aggressive about him…" Draco scowled. What Finch-Fletchley needed was a good pounding on the skull.
"Everyone is."
"Yeah…I mean, you have to admit…he does seem…er…different." Making a face, Draco tried to stop himself from retching. The Weasel was talking about him in that way! Ugh.
"I'm not going to deny it." Draco's dinner suddenly seemed to calm down. Harry thought about him too!
"Hmm……So who do you think his mate is?"
"I have absolutely no idea." Draco grinned. He'd never guess. Then, he frowned. Wait a minute…why was he eavesdropping on people's conversations? And it wasn't just any people…it was Potter and Weasley's! His two worst enemies. And if that wasn't bad enough, Draco had begun to think of Harry as his mate! The absurdity of it all…but still, Draco did not move from his spot.
"People have really been talking about him."
"Yeah, and I really don't know why."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, seriously! Okay, so Malfoy looks better…so there's some white glow on him now…but that doesn't make any difference! His inside hasn't changed, just his outside! He's still some stupid arrogant git, and that's exactly what I think about him!"
"Yeah…you're right…"
But Draco heard nothing of Weasley's last comment. His insides had turned cold, and an incredible feeling washed over him, sending wave after wave of endless emotion seeping through him, touching his heart…his soul. He got up, and stumbled, almost blindly, back toward the castle. He thought, that perhaps, he heard Weasley shout out in surprise, but he paid no attention. Shaking, he made his way down to the Slytherin Common Room.
He's still some stupid arrogant git, and that's exactly what I think about him!
Potter thought him arrogant. A git. Why? Why did he?
And why did this hurt so much? Draco was positive that before, he could have cared less. But now……now it mattered. Mattered, as much life mattered…as much as his parents…his family… Potter's comment was like death. Maybe even worse. Draco felt horrible.
"Draco…Draco! What's the matter? Did something happen? Did…did you find your mate?"
"Oh yeah…I found my mate alright…" Draco was not going to deny it. It was obvious. Disgusting, but obvious.
"Really?! Who is she? Is she…does she…well, who?"
"Yeah, who?" Sally-Anne chimed, as more Slytherins gathered around the large armchair that Draco had plopped down on. "Who's the lucky lady?"
"Not…" Draco muttered, feeling horribly queasy.
"Sorry?"
"Not a girl."
"Not a…wait…a…a guy?"
Draco nodded.
"Oh. My. God," Blaise said silently. "It's Finch-Fletchley, isn't it? That's why you're so upset!"
Making a face, Draco said, "No! That's sick! Why in Hell would I like Finch-Fletchley?"
"I dunno," Blaise shrugged. "But you don't seem very happy about the whole thing."
"Well, I'm not," Draco sighed. It seemed like such a long day. He couldn't believe that it was only yesterday that he had turned sixteen and received his Veela charms. It seemed like an eternity had passed.
"So what happened?" Theodore asked gently.
"I can't tell you."
"Why?"
"Because you'll laugh!"
"We won't. Promise. Right, guys?" Theodore looked around at the silent bobbing figures.
"Well, maybe you won't, but we might get some eavesdroppers…" Draco mutely nodded his head toward Thorton and his other friends.
Without a word, Pansy marched over to them.
"OKAY!" she snapped, causing many people to jump. "YOU LOT, OUT! COME BACK IN HALF AN HOUR!"
"But…"
"BUT WHAT?"
"Nothing……"
And they left without a sound. Draco couldn't help grinning, although it was a half-hearted one.
"Okay," he said in a low voice, checking to make sure that no one else was nearby. "I think…I mean, I know…er…"
"Just spit it out," Iris Moon said.
"Okay…it's…I think it's…it's…it's Potter……" Draco hid his face in his hands, waiting for the outburst of laughter to come roaring out. However, when he heard no sound, he looked back up.
Everyone looked rather serious about the whole matter, and some were frowning, though not a disapproving kind. It was more of a worried one.
"Are you sure?" Blaise asked.
Draco almost answered with a "positive", but thought better of it, and said, "I think so."
"Hmm…" Theodore said thoughtfully, then, "Well, does anyone fancy a game of chess?"
"Theodore!" Pansy exclaimed, looking shocked.
Theodore raised his eyebrows. "What?" he asked. "We can't do anything about Draco and Harry! I mean, they're like, soul mates!"
"Well," Sally-Anne said. "We can't help Draco change mates, but we can help him with Potter."
Crabbe's brow was furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked.
Sally-Anne smiled. "Well," she answered. "Do you really think that Potter's going to fall for him that easily?"
~*~
"I'm telling you, mate," Ron said. "It doesn't get weirder than this!"
"Hmm?" Harry jerked out of his thoughts. "What do you mean?"
Ron rolled his eyes. "Well," he said. "First, Malfoy wanted to speak to Hermione, alone, and supposedly, it was about homework. Right after that, Hermione just rushes to the library. Then, Justin comes up to you, and tells you to 'back off' of Malfoy, which really pisses me off, because it's not like you would ever like him. And if that wasn't enough, we actually find Malfoy sitting behind the tree right next to us, doing God-knows-what. Can you explain what that means?"
Harry shook his head. "No."
"Well, me neith- hey! Hermione…HERMIONE!"
"Oh…hi!" she said, sounding breathless, as if she had been running. "What's up?"
"…what have you been doing?" Harry asked.
"Er…research! Remember I told you?"
"Yeah…I remember…" Harry answered. "But…why? Research about what?"
"Oh…just…stuff…" Hermione said.
"Stuff?"
"Yeah! Just…you know…pointless research for my own fun."
"I've never known research to be fun…" Ron commented dryly.
"Well, it is!" Hermione huffed, before stalking away rather quickly.
"Do you get the feeling she's hiding something?" Ron muttered to Harry. Harry nodded.
~*~
"Okay gang," Sally-Anne announced. "We have exactly 29 days to get Harry to fall in love with Draco. Otherwise…well, you know…"
Some people shifted uncomfortably. It was clear that everyone had gotten the picture.
"I actually don't know what we're supposed to do," Sally-Anne confessed. "So we'll have to think of something."
"Why," Draco spoke up. "Is it that everyone is acting like they're in some army base? Lighten up!"
"But…but Draco…" Iris said. "If in…I mean…29 days…isn't very long! And I mean, Potter…he's not exactly……he doesn't……I mean, he's not exactly smart…"
Draco felt his face redden.
"What do you mean?" he yelped, jumping out of his seat. "Don't you dare call him stupid!"
"I…I wasn't…I didn't…" Iris whispered, shrinking in her armchair.
Draco calmed. "Good," he said.
And he was sure he heard Blaise whisper, "He's positive now…"
But he heard someone else whisper, "He's still some stupid arrogant git…" Draco whirled around. No one had moved…no one had said anything…Draco was hearing things…
Arrogant…he hated that word.
~*~
Well, how was it? I know that it wasn't exactly as good as my other chapters…I mean, not as "professionally" written. Actually, reading it over, I think it's kind of stupid…
QUESTION!!: It's sort of obvious now, that Justin is going to try and attack Draco. So…do you guys want him to attack Draco before or after Harry kisses Draco? (Hint: Someone "special" is going to save him!! lol)
Lol. So anyway, answer reviews next chapter…yeah…lol
Review please!!