Disclaimer: Last time I checked I didn't own this. But maybe that changed during the last seconds without anyone telling me?

Author's note: I had this chapter typed up for a really long while, but... it needed to be proofread, and I never felt for doing so... plus, my computer is messing with me. It works all right for typing, but then when I'm on the Internet it totally freaks out and shuts itself down.

To ViviBlack; I just realized that I never thanked you for reviewing on ch. 15. ::slaps herself very hard in the face:: Thanks really much! It's flattering that you say my stories are one of your favourites, especially since you seem to read quite a lot of them; almost always when I'm reading some story your name is there =) Thanks for the review for ch. 16 as well.

And to Kagome Sengoku, Great you got an account. Sadly though, I don't read fics of those kinds you write. But thanks for adding me! ::dances victory dance::


Chapter 17 – No Way!

Everyone stared as I made my way to the Gryffindor table. Someone started to clap his or her hands, but it faded away rather quickly. I blushed violently. Like I've said before, I don't enjoy being in the spotlight. It doesn't match my personality.

"Brilliant!" Ron announced as I sat down.

I smiled shyly.

"I can't believe you did that to a teacher!" Hermione exclaimed in a high- pitched voice. "I agree that he has been acting in a very insulting way, but after all; he's a teacher!"

"Says the girl who attacked Snape in her third year," Ron said and rolled his eyes.

"Oh shut up Ron, will you?"

I chuckled quietly to myself. Actually, listening to their squabble was rather amusing.

"What did you do really?" Harry asked. "I mean, I've heard certain things but the story direct..."

"I said he was the worst teacher we've ever had... but in other words. Then he gave me a detention."

"You're the first student who has been given a detention by him," Ron said and stuck his fork into another piece of chicken.

"You'll miss the game tonight," Harry said, "Hufflepuff versus Ravenclaw."

Yeah, right. I wasn't very upset about that, honestly. But no way I was planning to show up on the detention. I'm usually a quiet and polite girl who never argues, especially not with a teacher, but when somebody passes the line, I can get incredibly mad.

After having finished dinner, I left the others who were leaving as well heading for the quidditch field, and walked up to the dormitory. I couldn't really go and watch the game, could I? I mean, at least Professor McGonagall had been told that I was going to serve detention, and if she saw me... Not to mention all the other students!

I walked upstairs, into my dormitory, and found Ginny, doing some homework, I believe.

"Ginny? Oh, c'mon, go outside and watch the game. You look like you need some fresh air."

She looked up with a wide grin. "I've got a fantastic idea!" she announced.

"Er... okay..." I said, hesitating. Out of my experience, fantastic ideas weren't usually very successful. "What?"

"Harry and you!"

I just stared at her for almost a minute, before I burst out laughing. I laughed so wildly that I had to sit down on my bed.

"Sorry," I said and swept some tears away with the back of my hand. "I didn't mean laughing..."

"But it's a fantastic idea, don't you think?"

"Me and Harry?"

Just the thought almost made me burst out laughing again, but I managed to stop it and only a small giggle slipped out of my mouth.

"Yes, Tamara," she said enthusiastically. "You'd be like the perfect couple!"

"Number one," I said, "Harry's got a girlfriend already, hasn't he?"

"Nope. They never really did get together, and he doesn't seem very disappointed."

"Number two," I continued, "I haven't got any feelings of that kind for him- "

"Don't you think he looks good?"

"Yeah, sure he does, but-"

"And you are good friends."

"Maybe, but-"

"You're perfect for each other, you just don't admit it!"

"Number three," I continued, ignoring her last comment, "he does certainly not like me in that way."

"You haven't asked him-"

"Neither am I planning to!" I interrupted, somehow irritated. "Look, Ginny, I understand you're upset about Dean but... I don't think setting me up with Harry will make you feel better."

"I'm not upset about Dean! Or, well maybe I am, but that's not why I thi-"

"I thought you fancied him, Ginny."

"That was like three years ago," she said and shrugged. "And he definitively never liked me like that."

I sighed. "You go outside and watch the game," I said. "I'd love to come with you, but I can't. However, in two weeks or something, when you've gotten over Dean, we'll talk this over again. Okay?"

She snorted but rose from the bed and walked out of the room.

I sighed. I had enough stuff on my mind without Ginny going on about Harry and me. For the moment, I needed to figure out what to do next. After a while of thinking, I decided to go to the library and do some studying, since it was only about a month left before the OWLs.

The library was all empty except for the librarian and the one person I had not expected to see there at all; my Slytherin brother.

"What are you doing here?" slipped out of me.

He looked up, irritated. "Studying," he snapped. "Like you usually do in the library."

"I just thought that... perhaps you'd be watching the game."

"I would! But McGonagall gave me an extra assignment just because I talked during lesson," he snorted. "Five hundred words, that bitch. What are you doing here? Skipping detention, huh?"

"Studying," I said innocently. "Like you usually do in the library."

"Yeah, whatever. But please skip the rebellious part, please. It doesn't fit you."

"What?"

"The 'telling the teacher he sucks'-part," he said and returned to his assignment.

I sat down at the same table, he looked up shortly, slightly surprised but not saying anything, and I just opened the book that I had brought.

I guess I had read for about fifteen minutes when I heard steps against the library's stone floor and looked up. Professor McGonagall stood there, in front of me, not looking very pleased. Draco looked up as well.

"Hello," he said, "Professor McGonagall, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you, Mr Malfoy," she said coolly, pursing her mouth. "Miss Malfoy, I believe you were supposed to be serving detention half an hour ago."

"I..." I said but couldn't think of anything clever to say. "I think there's been a mistake here," I said, finally.

"I don't think so," she replied. "Professor Frederic Dumbledore was very sure that you were supposed to appear at his office at six o'clock."

I threw a glance at Draco. He simply sat there, leaning back in the chair, watching and apparently enjoying the scene with a smirk on his face.

"But if you don't agree on serving detention," McGonagall said, "I guess you are about to see the Headmaster, as soon as the Quidditch game is finished. He will expect your appearance at eight o'clock. Now, will you excuse me, I am going back to watch the rest of the game."

I looked after her as she marched away.

"Damn it!" I muttered and put my head in my hands, staring out through the window on the small part of the ongoing quidditch game that could be seen through the windows in the library.

But I was yet making my way to the Headmaster's office at five minutes to eight that very same evening. The portrait was already swung open, so there was no need for the password. I entered the moving staircase and it took me up and into his office.

Dumbledore was already sitting in the chair behind his desk and saw me immediately when I entered the room.

"Welcome, Miss Malfoy", he said and took out his wand. He swung it in the air and conjured up a chair at the opposite side of the desk. "Have a seat."

I sat down uncomfortably on the very edge of the chair.

"Headmaster wanted to see me?" I said.

"Yes", he said. "It has come to my knowledge that you have not showed up to the detention, which you were supposed to serve."

"It's a mistake", I said.

He raised his eyebrows. "Really? Out of the version of your behaviour in class that I have heard; you simply rushed out of the classroom after having said certain things, which it's obvious that you will be punished after having said."

"I felt provoked."

"Emotional rages are no reason to insult a teacher in such a way."

"He has been provoking and insulting students during the whole year," I informed. "Today he made Ginny Weasley leave the classroom crying. Ask anyone, he's a..." my voice faded away.

I had planned to say 'a pain in the ass', but maybe those weren't the right words to use in front of the Headmaster.

An uncomfortable silence fell in the room. It felt a little like I was prosecuted for some crime, and was awaiting the judge to make his decision.

"I believe I will have to report this to your mother," he said finally.

I stood up abruptly.

"No, no," I begged. "You don't understand, Professor, if I..." my voice disappeared and I sank down onto the chair again.

"If you what, Miss Malfoy?" he asked calmly.

I took a deep breath before starting to talk in a low but fast voice.

"She'll throw me out. She almost did last year, after I made father go to Azkaban. If I misbehave in any way, if I even just stick a toe outside the line, she'll throw me out. I'll be homeless."

"What makes you think that the rumour won't reach her anyway? Your brother, for instance..."

"He won't tell her," I said. "Not if he knows that she might try to throw me out again."

"I won't write to your mother, then," he said. "But I will be investigating this little incident. You may leave."

I rose again from the chair and started walking towards the exit. Just before reaching it, I suddenly turned around again.

"Am I still supposed to be serving detention?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "It's the best that way."

I didn't bother arguing, but just nodded and left.

I arrived back to the common room ten minutes later, where almost all of the Gryffindor students were gathered. Ginny saw me immediately and waved me over to where she was sitting, alone in a corner doing some studying.

"Tamara, what are you doing?" she whispered.

"What?"

"Don't you think people know? Skipping detention! Your teacher-fight is like the hottest rumour in the whole school, I even heard some seventh years talking about it. Why didn't you go to detention?"

"I didn't feel he had a reason to give me one at all," I said simply.

"But why did you tell me you were going?"

"Because... I knew you'd not like the idea. And I was right, wasn't I?"

"Where have you been, then?"

"McGonagall came and ordered me to go and see Dumbledore... who won the game?" I said, trying to change the subject.

"Ravenclaw," Ginny said before returning to the original subject, unwilling to let go of the details of my whereabouts that night. "You talked to Dumbledore? What did he say? Is it his son?"

"I don't know if he's Dumbledore's son, he didn't tell me. How much did they score?"

"But what did Dumbledore say?" Ginny said, now pretending that my attempts to change the subject didn't exist at all.

"He didn't say very much," I said with a sigh. "I managed to convince him into not owling my mother, and then he said that I still was supposed to be serving detention tomorrow."

"So you're going, then?"

I hadn't decided yet whether to go or not to. And luckily I didn't have to answer her question, since Harry, Ron and Hermione walked over and joined us.

"That was so brilliant," Ron said, amazed.

"Thanks," I said, blushing.

"I can't believe you did such a thing!" Hermione exclaimed. "Do you realize what this could lead to?"

"Get a grip, Hermione," Ron muttered.

"She can get expelled!" Hermione announced. "Insulting a teacher in such a way – not that he didn't deserve it, of course – and then skipping detention?! I heard they took thirty points from Gryffindor for it."

"I won't be expelled," I informed them. "Dumbledore wanted to owl my mother, but I convinced him not to."

"You spoke to Dumbledore?" Harry said suddenly. He had been listening to the conversation in silence so far. "What did he say? About the Professor, I mean?"

"Is he his son?" Ron added.

"He didn't tell me," I said. "And I didn't ask him directly, either."

"He didn't tell you anything?" Ron asked, somehow disappointed.

"Nope. But..." I said but interrupted myself.

"What?" Harry asked urgently.

"I met Hagrid, and he rambled something about the Professor having a rough time, but he didn't want to tell me any details."

"That's strange," Hermione stated. "Ron, wasn't you planning on doing your extra DADA essay before tomorrow? Because it's almost ten o'clock."

"Damn it," he muttered. "You've got to help me, Hermione..." he pleaded.

She sighed. "Actually, I have my own studying to do."

"You'll get perfect results anyway. Please?" he pleaded.

"..."

"Please please?"

Hermione sighed again.

"Please please pl-"

"I will!" she exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

The two of them left so it was just Ginny, Harry and I left.

"He got an extra essay?" Ginny said.

"For not writing the original homework essay," Harry informed.

Ginny yawned, somehow unnaturally. "I'm tired, I'm going to bed," she said, stood up and disappeared up the stairs to our dormitory. While she passed Seamus, Dean, Parvati and Lavender, she glared angrily at Dean, but when he looked up she immediately looked in another direction.

"They broke up?" Harry, who had been watching the 'scene', said.

"Yeah," I confirmed. "It's a shame, they looked cute together."

"They did indeed," he said.

A somehow awkward silence fell between us before Harry spoke again.

"Anyway, it was brilliant, what you did. I so wanted to do so myself, but I managed to skip it."

"Oh... well, thanks, I guess," I said and yawned, no fake yawn though like Ginny had done. "I'm tired too, I'd better go to bed. G'night, Harry," I said.

"Yeah... night."

I made my way through the common room and hurried up the stairs and into our dormitory.

"Back already?" Ginny said innocently – a bit too innocently, actually.

"Can't you just drop it?"

"What did I do?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's so damn obvious that you're trying to get me and Harry together. Too bad none of us are interested, then!"

"I'm not! I mean, you told me you didn't want to, why would I be trying to get you two together if you didn't want me to?"

"Because you're trying to keep your mind full with stuff to get over Dean?" I said softly.

"Not true! I'm totally over him, he's an idiot."

"You broke up less than twelve hours ago," I commented.

"I was over him even before he broke up with me."

I said nothing but sighed and went to get myself ready for bed.


Author's Note: Please. I really need your comments, and even if you think you have anything to say, just... write something! Anything. Reviews make me so happy.

Until next time then,

Megafreak