Title: More than Mrs. Potter

Author: Joy

A/N: Sorry for the slightly slower than normal pace but I think it comes out better if I do.

12.Making it up

Harry still remained under the invisibility cloak as he eavesdropped on his girlfriend and his rival. He prayed that they wouldn't bring Hope into the conversation. Harry knew if Ginny believed that Draco really felt for Hope she would help Draco get her. That was not something Harry wanted... He didn't like Hope in that way but he didn't want her burdened with Draco. Fate however was not on his side.

Ginny smirked, "Okay... Now onto Hope. You are such a wanker to drop her like that. Me...I understand, but her?"

Draco lied not wanting to discuss this with Ginny, "She just reminded me is all...I couldn't do what I did if I didn't push you all away."

"Do you like her?"

"She's all right," Draco said in a non-committal way.

"No romantic type feelings... I've seen you staring at her."

"She's attractive...and funny... a Slytherin."

"Good things..." Ginny stared at him a moment, "Come on D. We both know you have a thing for her. When are you going to ask her out...without making a big show of it?"

"I can't," Draco stated.

"Why?"

"Because she hates me...and other reasons."

Gin shook her head, "I don't know about your other reasons but she doesn't hate you. You just hurt her...a lot."

Draco sighed, "You don't know all that she said to me after..." he gestured at her.

"Like I said...you hurt her. You just have to be honest and expect it to take time to fix."

"I'll do it tonight...if an opportunity arises... Happy?" he commented.

"Now that we're cool...yeah I'm happy," she answered. "I want you to be happy and I honestly believe that Hope can make you happy."

Harry stayed hidden but moved closer as Hope stormed into the room. She moved quietly, attempting not to bring Draco's attention down on her again...despite her entrance. Hope brought out her books cattycornered to the Slytherin Prince.

Ginny stood up and smiled, "Hi there Hope...How are you today?"

Hope looked at Ginny, then Draco with a glare, and then back to Ginny. "Fine," she muttered before immediately beginning to research.

"Well... I am still supposed to be resting. Poppy would have my head if she even knew I was here, so I am going to skip out tonight. "

Draco's eyes went big, "Um...are you sure?" He was about to be left alone with the girl of his dreams...not of the good right now.

"Yeah...I need cuddles from my boy...but first I need to chat with our Headmaster. Night."

Harry would have left with Ginny but he was morbidly curious about the conversation about to occur.

Malfoy looked up at Hope knowing this was going to be a difficult conversation. "Hello Hope."

"Hi," she responded curtly.

Draco looked uncomfortably, "How are classes?"

"Fine."

"Haven't had a chance to see you much lately."

Hope glared at him sharply, "Whose fault is that?"

Draco winced, "Mine...I know."

"Damn straight," she said in her typical American accent.

He swallowed, "I'm sorry."

"Whatever," she growled. "We covered this already."

"No...I'm sorry. I screwed up. You are one of my only real friends and I treated you awful."

"I just got to experience the Draco Malfoy everyone knows and hates...again," Hope said with venom.

He shut his eyes in pain, "I know. I'm sorry. I never wanted you to know him...that version of me."

"April seemed to enjoy him...you seemed to enjoy her too," she snipped.

Draco swallowed, "I broke it off."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be that guy anymore."

Hope looked at him with indignation, "Really? An easy lay doesn't interest you? From what I was told, Harry got to hear just how much you enjoyed her talented little hands... oh, wait. I got to see you orgasm at dinner because of her hands once. I should have known... What was that Draco? Why did you do that to me?"

Draco ran his hand through his hair, "I'm sorry...I don't know any other way to say it. I got lost for awhile there."

"Why was that anyway?" she questioned.

"I..." he began but censured himself.

"Come on Malfoy...It's not like you can make stuff worse between us."

Draco sighed, "The stuff with my dad, the Deatheaters...the stuff with Ginny just tipped the scale."

Hope glared at him, "That's bull. I want to know why you went about hurting me!"

His anger flared, "You rejected me!"

"How the hell did I reject you! You ran away from me and then started ignoring me, making out with random girls and then finally April. HOW DID I REJECT YOU?" she shouted.

"You pulled away...You saw it...her...and you pulled away. That is how you rejected me," Draco answered in the same loud tone.

Hope shook her head and sighed, "Draco...You were thinking about a lot of things right then. I am used to guys thinking about having sex with me or my friends or each other for that matter. I am not used to accidentally seeing the image of my child with a guy. I was shocked...that's all. If you had stuck around for two seconds or answered me when I called out to you I would have been able to explain. But you took off. I tried to talk to you but you just kept walking away until you started to make out with a girl every time you saw me coming... Do you have any idea how much that hurt?"

He swallowed, "I think so...you pressed all your feelings into me, remember?"

"Don't be a smart ass."

Hope folded her arms and glared at him, "So..."

"So what?" Draco answered.

"Are we going to talk about Faith or not? Have you buried her or what?" she grumbled at him.

"I don't know what to say...I'm...I don't know what to say," he stumbled. "Well...the train...and the polyjuice potion and...getting even with Harry."

"That was going on for well over a month...since the train."

He shrugged, "It takes a month to brew that potion...and I needed enough."

Hope went wide eyed, "Are you telling me that all that time the three of us worked together you were plotting to hurt Ginny?"

"No...I...Look I had a vague notion that I would mess with Potter's head. The more time we spent together the less likely it was...but then that bastard went and picked Ginny up from one of our meetings and snogged her right in front of me...us. He gave me this smirk that I just wanted to rip off his face," Draco said angrily.

"Why did it bother you so? I know you two were sort of flirtatious but that is each of your personalities. I never thought that... do you like Ginny?" Hope asked looking away.

"No...Yes...just not in the way you are asking," he said.

"How then?" she questioned.

"She was the first person I let see me...the real me... And then he took her from me...he taunted me with it," Draco growled.

Hope shook her head, "You guys haven't exactly ever gotten along but...from what I saw on the train Harry was trying despite his insecurity. You are the one that pushed...you must understand why he would be territorial?"

"I guess...I just hurt. He was rubbing my nose in the fact that she chose him over me...that his needs came first," he responded. "It's just like at home. My father's needs came before everyone else's. My mother always catering to him and his needs."

"But you're okay...now...right?" Hope asked quietly.

Draco nodded, "Yeah...It's just...she's important to me... no one has ever really mattered before."

"And me...do I matter?" she asked quietly.

He looked down then at her shyly, "Yeah."

Hope straightened up, "Well good...you matter to me too."

"Yeah?"

They sat quietly a moment.

"Hope?"

"Yes Draco."

"Will you have dinner with me...tonight?"

"I always have dinner with you, Malfoy."

Harry smirked. Hope was not going to make this easy on Malfoy.

"I meant with me..." She raised her eyebrow. "Fine...Go with me to Hogsmeade?"

"Now that is more like it Mr. Malfoy...but no. Until you are ready to talk to me about Faith and what she meant, I won't be going out with you. When you grow up then we'll see."

"I suppose that's fair," Draco muttered but reached over and stroked Hope's hand. She looked up at him with a slightly awed gaze. Draco collected his book and moved next to Hope on her side of the table before taking her hand. Hope could only look at him dumbfounded before Draco kissed her brow. "Close your mouth luv. You'll catch flies."

Harry could only smile...Things were as they should be...now.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Harry managed to use a falling book as a distraction so he could sneak out of the study room and scurry away undetected. Just as he was about to reach the Gryffindor portal he was tugged to the side. "Heard anything interesting today Harry?" Ginny asked with a smug smile.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh nothing...just did you really think you could hide under your cloak and I wouldn't notice you?"

Harry bit his lip, "Yes actually I thought I could."

"Wrong." Ginny regarded him for a moment, "So did Draco get the guts to ask her out?"

"Yeah...but she's gonna make him work for it. She kept talking about some girl named Faith. Is she a Slytherin?" Harry commented.

"Don't know. Maybe."

Harry smirked, "They're well suited for each other."

"That they are...just like," Gin said as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "we are well suited for each other." She murmured against his skin.

Harry gripped Ginny's hips possessively, "That we are." He pinned her to the wall kissing her softly while rocking his lower body against her.

"Want something Harry?" Gin asked sucking on his earlobe.

"Oh yeah," Harry panted. "My room...now."
Ginny ran a finger over his lips, "Calm down there, Seeker boy. I need to be taking it easy. I have already over exerted myself a few times of late."

Harry nuzzled her neck, "How bout I give you a long, relaxing backrub and you sleep in my room tonight?"

"I really like the fact you are Head boy some times."

"So do I," and with that Harry moved them as quickly into his room as possible.

TBC...

Repeat after me: Joy's birthday is tomorrow so I will REVIEW as a present. Joy's birthday is tomorrow so I will REVIEW as a present.

Thank you.