AN: here's the comic relief. I needed it after writing the last couple chapters of "Vampire's Soul"... Ethan makes an appearance in this chapter.
"You're going to owe me a house by the time you get back to teaching! Half the time I don't even know what I'm supposed to be doing! I know that thing with Millicent was bad, but come on, this is worse! This isn't easy, you know, and neither Heero or Duo and some of the others kids won't listen to me, Harry! And I thought they liked you. It's stressful." Harry simply watched Ethan talk, blinking.
After Harry and Draco were finished, Harry let the wall come down between them and Padma. Draco, for the most part had gotten tired of all the noise she was making, otherwise he and Harry most likely would have gone to sleep in front of the fire.
To their surprise, it wasn't her; she seemed to had actually fallen asleep in her chair, somehow. No, the knocking was coming from the door.
"Should we answer it?" Draco asked.
"It's probably just Ethan." Harry pulled out his wand and floated Padma to the corner, where he, once again, put up wall around her. On an afterthought, he made a vent at the top; he was mad, but he didn't really want to kill her...
"You and Ethan have gotten close? I don't remember you two talking much, before." Draco asked.
"We didn't. But, with you guys gone I would have gone more mental than I already am, if I didn't have anyone to talk to," Harry said while he walked to the door. "You're not aloud to be jealous, Draco." Harry turned around and smirked at his lover.
Draco just glared at him as Harry finally opened the door, barely missing Ethan's hand as it tried to knock on the door that wasn't there.
"Finallyit'sabouttimei'vebeenknockingonthisbloodydoorforeverwhathaveyoubeendoingthiswholetime!" Ethan muttered as he entered, closing the door behind him. "Nice place, by the way, never thought I would ever get to see in here." He whistled to himself, glancing around him.
Harry and Draco just stood there waiting for him to finish.
"It's good to see you too, Machigai." Draco said dryly.
"Hmm..." Ethan just stared at him for a second. "Make up your mind, Malfoy. Are you talking to us or not?"
"I'll talk when I feel like it."
Ethan just shrugged, he didn't really care, he was simply curious. He turned back to Harry. "But as I said, you own me. This is getting dangerous for me."
"What happened?" /It's always something.../ "Is anyone suspicious?"
"McGonnagal noticed that I was out too often and threatened some of the other Slytherins that she would get Pomfrey to put me in the hospital wing if I was "truly" sick. Then I had to get some of the guys, and as much as I hate to say it, Millicent, to take my place every couple of days! McGonnagal and the other professors seem to believe that it's me, but they're embarrassing me! Especially Millie; why did I ask her! I can't believe she believes they're me!" Ethan finally seemed to run out of steam, dropping to the floor to sit down.
"Has he been like this the whole time? He isn't acting like himself." Draco whispered as he and Harry joined the distraught boy on the floor.
"Stress..." Harry whispered back.
"Oh."
"Good to see you're finally talking to each other..." Ethan muttered.
"Ethan, I promise I'll give you a big present if you keep doing this for me." Harry tried bargaining with him. "I'll even let you tell Keller 'Potter sucks', so she'll talk to you."
"Really?" Ethan's face turned hopeful.
"Yes."
"Fine. As long as you don't give me something like one of Draco's presents. Which are still terrorizing Crabbe and Goyle, by the way. You would think things that small would get tired, but they don't. To exhausting."
"You got me a present!" Draco asked Harry, his eyes had gone wide.
Harry nodded. "But you're not getting your present right now." Draco's face fell. "But you will get to see it." Draco's face lit up. "But you'll have to wait." Harry couldn't help laughing.
"Please quit playing with me, Harry. Why!"
"I'm trying to stay out of Dumbldore's eye, for the moment." Then Harry turned thoughtful. "On second thought, if you pretend to be Padma pretending to be you... Well, I wouldn't mind playing nice with you. We can let Dumbledore believe that I'm sufficiently distracted for the moment. I'll let you see your present tomorrow; it isn't going anywhere. I just hope you like it."
Draco hugged Harry close, grinning. "I'll like it, Harry. I honestly thought you weren't going to give me a Christmas present at this point."
"Maybe it's time for me to leave," Ethan finally spoke up. He pulled himself into a standing position.
"So you'll still help us?" Harry asked, trying to fall over under Draco's added weight. "Even if you might not have to keep impersonating me?"
"Yeah, I'll still help. Just promise someone will tell me what's going on when this is over." Ethan left before Harry could say anything more.
"I hope we can trust him." Draco said as he and Harry picked themselves up. "There's only so many people we can stuff in a closet."
"I do too. I like him." Harry smiled slightly.
"Sure," was all Draco said.
Now they had more important things to do. Like figure out what to do about Padma.
