Punishment

Chapter Two – The Start of a New Beginning

Part 1 – Thinking

"Harry, are you mad at me?"

That was Hermione first line when Harry emerged from the portrait hole. He and Ron had apparently been waiting for him. Harry was now building up a headache and he was leaving the next morning.

"No, Hermione, I'm not." Harry had answered, rather irritated.

Hermione heaved a sigh of relief. "Then why didn't you answer me back in the Great Hall?"

"I didn't hear you." He wasn't really in the mood to talk right now.

"You ―" Hermione began.

"Hermione," Ron cut in. "I think Harry has a headache right now. We might just want to cut back on the questions, okay?"

Harry, at once, felt a rush of gratitude towards Ron. Thank god at least one of his bestfriends recognized something.

Hermione nodded, "Right."

Harry started to make his way to the Boys' Dormitories. Now, he didn't really mind Ron following him, but Hermione was all in all a different matter.

"Hermione, if you didn't notice, I'm going to the Boys' Dormitories." Harry pointed out politely.

"Yes, I know. I'm just concerned is all, Harry." Hermione replied with a small smile. "Right, Ron?"

"Yeah…"

***

Harry opened his closet as Hermione sat down on Harry's chair and Ron sat on his bed. He started rummaging through it.

"Harry," Ron started uncertainly. "What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm looking for clothes,"

"But the ones you're wearing look fine to me."

"No, no, no. Clothes to pack, Ron." Harry said, throwing some of his robes on the floor.

"But why are you packing clothes?" Hermione asked, innocently curious.

Harry paused and turned, his eyebrows raised. He looked confused. Very confused. He looked at Ron then he looked at Hermione and then he looked at Ron again. Harry walked slowly to the space in front of his two bestfriends.

"You mean to tell me," he began. "I haven't told you about ―"

"No, apparently not." Ron said. "Whatever it is, no. You haven't. Harry, sit."

Harry, surprised by Ron's sudden outburst, sat down and obeyed. "Uhh…" he said, really unsure what to say.

"Harry," Hermione began. From the tone of her voice you can tell this was going to be one of those 'friendship' lectures again. "You know you can tell us anything. We'll help you. We're your friends and we're always here―"

"Yes, yes, I know," Harry said, rolling his eyes inwardly. "And we're always here when you need someone to listen. Honestly, you guys, I've heard that one about a million times already!"

"But it's true," Ron said with a sad smile. It seemed that everyday he and Hermione were growing more distant from Harry. "You know that right?" He squeezed Harry's shoulder a bit. "Now, what was it you wanted to tell us?"

"It's about that thing that happened in class. With Malfoy and…and all. We got punished for it. It was actually part of the reason that happened in the Great Hall."

"Oh? What's your punishment then?" Hermione asked.

"Do you mind if I just come right out and say it? I mean, I don't really think that there would be any…err… proper preface or something like that. Please forgive my bluntness. We're supposed to…that is…"

"Yes?" His bestfriends said encouragingly.

"Malfoy and I are supposed to go to the Muggle World and go to school there for one whole year."

Ron stood up, his eyes wide. "You're joking!"

"No," Harry said with a sad smile, "we're going to the Muggle World alright."

"That's not a punishment!" Ron said, outraged. "That ― That's inhuman!"

"I'm not surprised," Hermione said matter-of-factly, "With the trouble you caused, I think that your punishment is just right."

"Hermione!" Ron said with a glare. "How could you say that? One ― one year…" he sat on the bed with a plop. "Without you." Ron looked up, it meant more to him that he could imagine.

"Oh, Ron," Harry said, sitting beside Ron, "you'll manage. Malfoy wouldn't be here anymore then, now, would he?"

"I guess so…" Ron replied faintly, his eyes began to mist. I'm gonna miss you, mate. Ron thought, but didn't say.

"And I'll be here." Hermione added. "This is going to be an experience." She had this weird glint in her eyes.

This made Ron laugh. "Yeah." he smiled. "Anyway, let's get you packing." He dried his eyes with his sleeves, they weren't really wet but they were going to be.

The three stood up and helped Harry pack his things. They found lots of hidden treasures, 10 Galleons, 4 Sickles and 2 Knuts to say the least. They also found an array of bizarre clothes that they never knew existed. Most of which were Dudley's size, so that explained most of the clothes.

As soon as they were done, Harry made them swear they wouldn't tell anyone his and Malfoy's punishment until they'd already left. Hermione and Ron hesitated before agreeing.

After taking their oaths (yes, they had oaths), the three of them went out of the portrait hole together, they made their way to the Great Hall for dinner…

Not knowing if it was their last time to walk there with each other.

***

"Hiya, Harry!" Colin said as he did enthusiastically.

"Hi, Colin," Harry said with a smile, he couldn't be annoyed by him now. He was, after all, going tomorrow.

The three sat down with Harry in the middle. Before they started eating, Professor McGonagall clinked her goblet with a teaspoon. The Great hall silenced, most of the students were interested since Dumbledore rarely made any announcements when the year was about to end. They looked on apprehensively.

Among the hundreds of thousands of people present then, only nine, in (well, sort of, two of the six didn't really understand) knew what Dumbledore was going to say.

***

Draco went into the Slytherin Common Room with a boom. All people present turned their heads.

He snapped and as though by magic, of course they were in a magical world, Crabbe and Goyle appeared by his side. The people in the room followed the three until they disappeared as they went out of the Common Room.

***

The three went to an empty classroom.

"Draco?" Crabbe said.

"Why'd you bring us here?" Goyle asked. Draco was surprised he said a coherent sentence.

He went to stand by the window, it was raining. Were the skies crying for him? Nah… for Potter maybe. "Draco?" Crabbe said again, bringing Draco back.

"Oh, right. It was because  - do you -  err … remember that little explosion we had in class?"

"Oh, that one." Goyle said. "No need to say sorry, I only had to wash my hair for an hour." He smiled thickly.

"I'm not going to say sorry, halfwits." Honestly, he was going to be banished from the wizarding world tomorrow, and he couldn't even have a civil conversation form Crabbe and Goyle.

"I'm here to tell you what out punishment is. Mine and Potter that is," Draco started to pace around the room. "Our punishment is… well, to be frank, we're going to be-"

"Frank?" Crabbe said thickly. "But I like you as Draco, not Frank!"

Draco decided to ignore this idiotic excuse for an argument. His raised eye brows were the only thing that proved his acknowledgement. "We're going to be banished to the Muggle world." he spat the 'M' word out.

Goyle and Crabbe gasped, thinking (yes, people, they do that) that this was the desired effect Draco wanted.

The two held their faces aghast for a while and let their faces fall. "What again?"

Draco urged himself not to bang his head against the wall. This was obviously going nowhere. Instead, he said exasperatedly, "No! Never mind! Ugh…" he rolled his eyes. "The point is, I'm not going to be here next school year, okay?"

Crabbe and Goyle's faces fell. "What?! Why?!"

"Oh god. It's the punishment!!! The punishment!"

"Punishment?!" Crabbe exclaimed. "What punishment?"

"Oh, never mind!"

Crabbe looked at Goyle. Goyle shrugged. Draco looked disbelievingly at them. He left the room.

***

"Good evening, everyone!" Dumbledore said with energy. "I am quite sure that you are having a nice time right now with your friends after intense studying," he smiled particularly at the Ravenclaws who blushed, "and now you are here, with your housemates whom you are to be with until you graduate from Hogwarts, and hopefully by then, you know where your loyalties lie and where they don't." his eyes made a hard-to-miss twinkle as it scanned the Hufflepuff table. "But, today is a day to forget differences and try to cooperate with each other," His smile widened as he looked at the Gryffindor and Slytherin table, "as what two students from two houses will do tomorrow, as they leave the comfort of Hogwarts." With this, the whole of the Great Hall gasped and whispers emerged from each corner of the room.

Harry caught Draco eye. Draco bit his lip. Harry smiled comfortingly and with that Draco nodded and they broke eye contact.

"Now, now," Dumbledore said a bit more loudly so that everyone would hear which they did, "these two have been rivals since their first year and for one whole school year, next year to be exact, they will forget their past and build a brighter future."

"Now, I wouldn't say completely forget their past," Draco mumbled to himself.

"These two people," Dumbledore continued as the hall quieted down, "are actually in this very room right now."

Harry gulped. Why, oh, why, oh, why did Dumbledore have to humiliate him and Draco in front of the whole damn school?! But then a bit of hope came his way as he saw a familiar blue sparkle in the old man's eyes as he looked his way. He followed his gaze to the Slytherin Table to see a very much paler than usual Draco. Once again, he saw the very same sparkle. He could also see Draco's face regaining a bit of color again.

Another stream of whispers emerged.

"Harry, are you okay?" Hermione asked, her voice dripping with concern.

"Y – yeah…" Harry said, but he was sure that fear was apparent on his face.

"Don't worry," Ron said with a pat, "Dumbledore will spare you."

Harry smiled. "Yeah…"

Across the room, Draco shook his head. "Maybe, Potter, maybe."

"Draco?!" Harry said suddenly.

Some people looked at him in silence. They turned their head from him to Malfoy and to him again. They looked rather puzzled, but then, Harry would be, too if he wasn't the one who just said his enemy's first name aloud. But he was. He was Harry Potter, the Boy Who Had Bloody Things Always Happen To Him.

"Draco?" he said, thinking up something to cover what he'd said, Gryffindors were never the lying sort, that sort of thing went to the Slytherins. Draco, suddenly thinking of this logical theory, thought something up, but then he couldn't really tell Harry, so it was kind of useless. "Draco?" Harry said again. "Did I say Draco? I didn't say Draco, I said Miko. Miko's my … err…"

Cousin. Draco thought, the Miko thing worked, maybe this would, too. Cousin, Potter, cousin. Draco had always fancied the name Miko. He'd heard it once in a muggle movie… what was it? Poka- something. Whatever. Oh. Right. Cousin, cousin, cousin, cousin.

"Cousin!" Harry exclaimed. "Miko's my cousin. I get it already! Jesus!"

"You have a cousin named Jesus, too?!" Ron exclaimed.

"No, Ron, no."

"Oh, sorry."

All the others were still looking at Harry.

"What?" Harry said. "There's nothing! Nothing with Miko! Go away, shoo!"

They turned back to Dumbledore who had gone to another announcement. He had spared them. Ye-hey.

Wait. Draco. He was in Harry's head. Saying what Harry was supposed to say. What had happened then? How did he do that? A form of Dark Art? What?

Just then, he heard Draco again. /No, duh, Potter. It's not Dark Arts. I don't know what it is, really. I just thought up an excuse and you apparently heard it in that big head of yours./

Harry had, one way or another, gotten the idea. He thought stuff up, Draco heard them. Draco thought stuff up, he heard them. Seemed logical enough.

/Draco, I thought you and I were … err … that is to say… you know. Maybe it wasn't Dark Arts, hell, I can't believe I thought it was in the first place! Just, please… don't do that. I wouldn't want to break my … err … you know … with you…/

/Potter, how can you say that?! You can't be my 'you know' if you can't even say the damn word!/

/Sorry./

/Say it then!/

/You mean think it./

/I'm rolling my eyes, Potter. I'm rolling them./

/Okay, okay!/

/Still not thinking it!/

/But…/

/Potter, if you don't hurry up, we stop it right now! And, mind you, I don't want to! Come on! No one's gonna hear…/

/What if I accidentally say it out loud?!/

/If you do that, you're a prat./

/Fine. I don't want to … break … my … Draco!/

/I'm not yours!/

/I didn't mean it that way! I just-/

/Fine. We end it then./

Harry stood up. "Okay! Alright, Malfoy! I don't. Want. To. Break. My. Friendship with you!! I want to be friends with you! God, I can't believe I just said that." He added, sitting down whilst covering his face with both hands.

"Potter, you prat. I said you needn't say it aloud. I just said – thought think it. Not say it." He chuckled.

"Well," he stood up, flashing Harry a big smile, the whole of the Great Hall, teachers included, was looking at them.

"I guess we won't be ending it after all."