Warning: Includes HBP spoilers
Pairing: Ron/Draco, and mentions of Ron/Lavender, Ron/Hermione and Draco/Pansy
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

A/N: I'd like to give a big thank you to Tara for betaing this chapter.

Many thanks to viu, Midnight808, Cammie Jensen, Ingwaz, for reviewing. Thank you, viu, for kindly encouraging me to post my fic at Fire and Ice. I don't mind at all, and I'd love to, but I don't have an LJ account. Maybe I'll try posting it when I get one sometime.

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It was a mistake that Draco chose to continue with Divination this year. He wouldn't have selected the subject if he hadn't thought it was a cushy class. The noise and discomfort of having a class with a pair of Gryffindor girls on their own were something Draco had not expected. But now that he had to tolerate two hours almost every other day with them in the heated, heavily perfumed circular room for a year, he would usually find a seat as far as possible from the two. But sometimes when he came a little behind the others and had no other choice than a seat near them, he had to endure their occasional chatters during class. Their whispers and giggles got on his nerves, especially because he thought he knew what they were talking about - the things that seemed to be the only interest the girls of his age had. The Brown girl was, in Draco's opinion, a total love-sick idiot who could think of nothing else than boys - in this particular case, a Weasley.

Today was one of those unlucky days that Draco found it difficult to concentrate on the ways to repair the Cabinet because of the distraction from a certain nearby table. Lavender Brown was not looking very happy these days, though. In their fragments of conversation that reached his ear, he could make out phrases like 'avoiding me', 'have doubt', 'Hermione' in the same sentence. It was obvious that she seemed to consider Granger as someone who would threaten her and Weasley's so-called relationship. As if that Mudblood had any chance. Then again, this was the same girl who seemed more concerned about Granger visiting the Hospital Wing behind her back than Weasley's condition after he had drunk the mead that nearly took his life away.

When the bell rang and the students were dismissed from the day's lesson, Brown instantly rose up from her seat and rushed to the door, leaving Patil behind. Disgusted with the usual sight, Draco gathered his books languidly and stood up to leave the room allowing a good couple of minutes after the Gryffindor girl's exit. He wouldn't want to witness anything unpleasant on his way back to the dormitory.

But maybe it wasn't his day today, or maybe he was a little too early to leave the classroom. When he turned the corner of a hallway on the seventh floor, some feet ahead stood Brown with her back turned, and in front of her was none other than Weasley, whom Draco'd been trying to avoid any kind of contact with these days. Draco scowled and clicked his tongue. For a moment, he thought of just backing away to take a different route to the Slytherin Common Room unnoticed, but when Brown snaked her arms around Weasley's neck and pulled him down towards her for a kiss, Draco stopped dead in his tracks. He felt a rush of jealousy spread throughout him, but then noticed that Weasley's eyes were half-open. Those blue eyes wandered unknowingly until they landed on Draco's, and he almost shivered at the sudden eye contact.

Weasley broke the kiss, and said something quietly to Brown that made her pout and give him one last peck on the cheek and walk away to the opposite direction from where Draco was standing.

After seeing her off, Weasley slowly turned his head to face Draco. This time, it really did send shivers down his spine. Those threatening glares sent from him were always reserved just for him. Not until now did he fully realize how he'd missed them. But rather than showing it, he quickly gathered his composure and walked over to where Weasley was standing, placing a smirk on his face.

"What do you want, Malfoy?" Weasley spat out in a tone like he had poison in his mouth.

"Nothing," Draco drawled, "you just happen to be in my way as always, Weasley."

Weasley narrowed his eyes, but didn't move an inch. It might've been the angle of the light, but coming close, Draco could tell how pale the boy's complexion was and how distinct the bags under his eyes were. So the venom did cause him harm despite the Bezoar. When Draco had first heard the news, he had almost laughed, but mostly out of hysteria. Weasley certainly did have a special flair in getting in Draco's way, however unconscious. Draco might've felt a bit of remorse for what he had done, although unintentionally, to make the usually vibrant redhead look that way, but he wasn't going to admit it. Somehow, the progress on the repair of the Vanishing Cabinet seemed to have a correlation with whatever it was that he felt for Weasley. The more he cared about him, the less likely he seemed to find a way to fix the Cabinet. He thought Weasley was partly to blame for his unsuccess, and felt that he had to say or do something for it.

"Out of the Hospital Wing already? It really is a pity we all have to face the torture of having to see you and Brown act like cats in heat again," said Draco in a bored tone.

"Shut up, Malfoy. I don't think it makes much difference from what you do with Parkinson."

Draco chuckled and quirked an eyebrow.

"So you've been watching, have you? Found any tips to, you know, use it on your little girlfriend? Or maybe on the Mudblood?"

Weasley's face flushed.

"You totally disgust me, Malfoy."

"So the answer is no? Are you sure? I don't intend to meddle in your little love affairs, and forgive me for having to say this, but whatever you've been doing with that Brown girl lately, you still look a little inexperienced in my eyes, Weasley."

Weasley turned bright red, clenching his fists, and Draco's smile spread wider. He always loved to see the effects of his words on him. Suddenly, it occurred to him that a little surprise wouldn't hurt Weasley.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Weasley," said Draco, quickly glancing down the hall to see that nobody was coming, "I can take care of that."

With that, Draco closed the gap between them and quickly placed a rough hand on the back of Weasley's neck and tugged him towards him for a searing kiss, so unlike the one he must've had from Brown just a while ago, but only to be shoved away in a not so gentle way.

"What was that for? You're insane," said Weasley, furrowing his eyebrows and curling his lips in disgust, wiping them with the back of his hand.

"Am I?" replied Draco, smiling sardonically.

Weasley narrowed his eyes.

"What are you up to, Malfoy? You don't seem to be the same attention-seeking, prejudiced prat I used to know. Well, you're still a prat, I'm sure of that, but a different kind of prat."

Draco snorted.

"You used to know? What did you know about me? Besides, the same goes for you, Weasley. You don't seem to be the same Weasel I knew, like you had your pathetic excuse of a brain replaced by hormones. But I guess that's you."

Weasley looked murderous, but before he could decide to jump on him, Draco quickly walked past him in the same direction Brown had disappeared a couple of minutes ago.

"I'll get you for this, Malfoy!"

He heard Weasley yell at his back, and laughed inwardly. What are you going to do, Weasley, kiss me back?

As Draco walked his way to the dormitory, he was feeling strangely pleasant. It was a bitter kiss, probably the first and last kiss with the redhead, but he knew that at least Weasley had been watching him close enough to note the oddness in him.