Disclaimer: Wo0tness! The sixth HP books comes out in the summer! And it's not written by me! Take a hint. Lol
Man, this story is really rolling. Okay, not really. It'll probably take like, five more chapters to get to the lovey-dovey part. Though, I'm not exactly sure I know how to make that happen........ teary-eyed I'm sorry everyone! I know how much you want to get to the good part! I'm just no good at these things!
Oh yeah. And there's a train station at Diagon Alley, kay? Because I say so!
Chapter Four:
It Is AWKWARD
The next day found Ron looking very surly at the prospect of spending time with Malfoy at Diagon Alley. And he didn't bother to hid his irritation.
"Can't he just get the stuff himself?" Ron said, as Hermione and Harry were getting ready to get on the train. "I mean, what if someone sees us?"
"Ron, what are they going to believe is more likely? You and Malfoy buying Potions ingredients for a class, or the two of you picking out curtains for your new house?" Harry rolled his eyes.
"Ew, Harry, don't even say things like that," Ron shuddered. "You'll give me nightmares."
"That's the least you deserve after all this complaining. Sometimes I swear, you couldn't last a day without expressing discontent about something," Hermione scolded him. "So come on, we're going to miss the train if you don't hurry up."
Not wanting to be hauled out of the common room by Hermione again, Ron quickly finished checking his reflection in the mirror and hurried out after the other two. They made their way down to the Entrance Hall, where most of the 6th years were waiting.
"Blaise!" Hermione called as she saw him, and went over to talk to him.
"Hey. What is she doing?" Ron's eyes narrowed as he watched them talk.
"Um, talking? Most normal teenagers do that," Harry answered.
"You know what I mean! I meant, why is she talking to a Slytherin on her own free will!"
Harry sighed melodramatically and patted Ron on the head. "You'll learn when you're older, Ronniekins."
"Don't call me — What? You've got to be kidding me!" Ron looked back over at Hermione. "No way would I allow it!"
"Since when where you her parents?"
"Even so, Hermione can't like Zabini."
"Why's that?"
"Because — ! Er, well, I mean, come on, Harry!"
"Ron. Just chill. Hermione's old enough to think for herself. Heck, she could probably think for herself way before we could. So just drop it."
"What a friend you are."
"Oh, come on. Are you telling me you still like......" Harry stared at Ron as he flushed red, ".....her."
"Maybe....."
Harry let out a laugh. "Wow. I never would have thought it. I thought you gave up after she started dating Krum."
"Just leave me alone to die in peace, Harry," Ron muttered jokingly.
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"And so, I was telling Ron to stop complaining," Hermione explained to Blaise, "about having to work with a Slytherin for Potions. I mean, come on? How childish can you get? And he's already what, sixteen?"
"You're telling me," Blaise muttered.
"And who might you be talking about, Blaise?" Draco asked, annoyed, as he came up to the couple.
"No one, Draco." Blaise smiled.
Hermione was about to respond when the caretaker, Filch, started to usher everyone out of the hall towards the train. Ron, dragging Harry by the wrist, came over and took Hermione's shoulder.
"Come on, Hermione," he said, glaring at the two Slytherins. "We should get going."
Hermione turned to look at Blaise and say sorry, but Ron was already pulling Hermione down the hall. Draco looked at Blaise and sighed, exasperated.
"Will he never give up?"
"Probably not," Blaise shrugged. "Well, let's go."
The two got onto the train, and since it was only the 6th years going, there were plenty of compartments to choose from. Draco picked one near the back, and Blaise followed him in.
"Man, it's so nice to be away from that brat," he mumbled, sitting down with his feet up on the opposite bench.
"You mean Pansy?" Blaise asked, sitting down near the door.
"Duh, Pansy. God, she's always fawning over me and getting in the way."
"I thought you liked her?"
"Naw. That's just because father wanted me to associate with the children of 'prominent member of society'." He paused. "Speaking of liking, what about you? You seem awfully fond of that Granger girl......."
Blaise blushed. "No, I don't. I just, you know, like to talk to someone who can string together a full sentence without either stuttering or just stopping midway."
"Ah. So, I suppose that would rule out an awful lot of Slytherins," Draco replied. "Either way, you'd better watch out. Weasley looks like he would kill someone if they ever got too close to the little mudblood."
"Don't call her a mud — Oh gods, I do like her, don't I?"
Draco shrugged. "You could always blame it on something you ate."
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"Shouldn't you be over there with Malfoy?" Hermione asked Ron, pointing to the other side of the Apothecary where Malfoy was gazing uninterestedly at the shelves. "I don't think he's going to voluntarily get the ingredients."
"But — " Ron started, but stopped as Harry, Neville, who was partnered with Harry, Hermione, and Blaise, who was holding a list of potions items, glared at him. "Oh, fine. Just don't leave without me, kay?"
Hermione nodded and Ron grudgingly went over to where Draco was. "Okay. Hermione says we actually need to do something. So let's look for this stuff."
Draco sighed wearily, and pulled out the list they had made earlier in the library. "Here."
Ron took the parchment with a suspicious look at the Slytherin. "What's this? No rude remark about how you have to work with a Weasley, or comments on how stupid I am? Are you sick?"
Draco shot an angry glare at him. "No, I am not sick, Weasley. So, let's get on with it." He motioned to the sheet.
"Chill, okay. Um...... oh, here's the newt eggs." Ron indicated a container on the shelf. "Er, you want to measure them? I'm not so great at that."
Draco snorted and rolled his eyes, measuring out the right amount eggs. The bag sealed itself magically and Ron looked at the next item on the list.
"Beatles's eyes and lizard scales are in the same section," he observed, peering around the shop. "You can get that while I get the hedgehog heart and unicorn hair."
Nodding slightly, Draco went over to the opposite wall to fetch the right ingredients. Ron managed to get the heart and hair without causing any major damage. Ron was then fiddling with a small box of magical worms, thinking of some good pranks he could pull with them, when Draco's voice startled him.
"I saw my father earlier. In the Alley. I'm not too fond of him. That's why I didn't say anything when you came over."
Ron stared at him, wondering why on earth he was telling him this. "Okaaaaay......"
Draco shrugged. "Thought you wanted to know."
"Not just randomly when I'm trying to concentrate!"
"Whatever." Draco took the other packages from Ron and walked over to the register. On the way he grabbed a small box of thyme, and Ron followed silently, regarding Draco carefully. 'One second he's all bitchy, the next, he's answering personal questions, and then he's back to bitchy! God!'
As Draco purchased the items and also bought the wolfsbane that you could only get behind the counter, Ron thought about the Slytherin's behavior. Usually, he never showed his true feelings, preferring to abuse others and often be an annoying prick. But today, he hadn't blown up too many times at Ron. Was what he said today a real remark, something truthful?
Ron finally shrugged away the thoughts he had and turned around to see if Draco was done with everything. At that same time, two noisy four-year-olds came gallivanting by, singing on the top of their lungs and crashing into Ron. He wobbled helplessly for a moment, before falling forward onto Draco and his armful of potions merchandise.
"Bloody — !" Ron sputtered as he knocked into Draco, who in turn fell backwards onto his back. Ron managed to stop his fall before his head bashed into Draco's, and sighed with relief. It was then that he realized that the two of them where in a very awkward position, Draco lying of the floor, Ron with his arms on either side of him, propping himself up, and his face just inches from Draco's. He froze for a moment, then seemed to come back to his senses and quickly leapt up.
"God, Weasley!" Draco exclaimed. "Can't keep your balance even if the people pushing you over are toddlers?! You are pathetic." He got up slowly, making sure his bag wasn't crushed.
The two were gathering quite a crowd as Ron yelled back. "Well, if you hadn't, hadn't taken so long, I wouldn't have zoned out!"
"Now you're blaming me for what you do with your spare time? Geez, it was only two freaking minutes."
Harry and the others had made their way over to them now, and were trying to calm down the two boys.
"It's alright Ron. It's not entirely your fault," Hermione said soothingly, patting him on the shoulder.
"Yeah," Blaise added. "Don't be so mad, Draco. It's not like anything got broken, did it?"
"No," Draco grumbled, not looking Blaise in the face.
"I think you should apologize," Hermione and Blaise said simultaneously, then glanced at each other in surprise.
Draco and Ron made faces.
"No way."
"It's his fault!"
Blaise glared at the two of them, something he didn't do very often, and Draco finally gave in.
"Hmph. Even though it's your fault, I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Yeah," Ron replied. "Though, it's not my fault."
"Agh!" Hermione exclaimed, throwing her hands up. "You know what, just forget it. If you're done, Malfoy, I think we'll take Ron outside to hang out before we leave."
"Alright," Draco said. "I'll hold on to these things, then. So Weasley doesn't ruin them."
Ron looked like he was about to respond to that, but Hermione looked at him threateningly, and the three of them plus Neville exited the shop.
"This has been a pleasant trip today, hm?" Blaise smiled, looking at Draco.
"Bite me."
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Mwaha! It's Ron's worst nightmare! Shopping with Malfoy! Laladeedeelada. Teehee. You happy? I speeded things up. Not much, but a bit. Lol
Okay, so Draco's a little OOC because he dislikes Pansy, but hey, after like, five years of her obsessing over him, you can at least see why he wouldn't like her.
I've always wondered that, how you bought potions ingredients specifically for something not from school...... Oops. Need to sleep. Midnight again. I have school tomorrow, darn it.