Quick note – thanks for the Reviews peoples! More review mean more chapter updates so keep em comin' and so will I! On with the story…

Chapter Three – Another Malfoy Problem

By early Monday morning, two days after Gryffindor's win and one day after Ron's mysterious disappearance and reappearance everything seemed to be heading back to normal. Harry's fantastic and celebratory move seemed to be thinning in conversations and he was not being slapped on the back as much as he had been. Ron had indeed been hit with a very strong Confundus charm, from whose wand had yet to be determined but at least he had made full recovery. However, half an hour later as the trio made their way to Potions, Ron began wishing he had not recovered from the curse at all for the homework that had meant to be completed over the weekend had not yet been completed.

'Maybe he might excuse you after being cursed?' Hermione suggested, but Ron shot her down immediately.

'It's Snape, Hermione!' Ron spat, completely panic stricken as he scribbled some notes for the essay, 'he'll kill me-'

'I would never kill a student, Mr. Weasley,' came a cold voice; Snape was behind them and it appeared, with the look on his face, had been so since the Great Hall.

'Please sir,' Ron pleaded, as Snape snatched the one paragraph essay from him, 'I was hit with a Confundus charm the other night and-'

'Are you sure about that, Wealey?' Snape spat, shoving the parchment back at Ron that held on it a large "T" for "Troll" on it, 'or perhaps you had too many Butter beers celebrating Gryffindor's, lucky win?'

Harry noticed Snape's eyes flash warningly in his direction before stalking ahead of them and opening the Dungeons to allow the students in.

'Well at least you didn't get a detention,' Hermione said positively, but she spoke a little too soon.

Just as everyone had sat down and silence had come once more, Professor Snape turned and looked in particularly in Ron's direction.

'Homework,' Snape started, his eyes flaring, 'I expect you have all completed the required essay despite the excitement of the weekend. But if you haven't, well you will be staying behind after class.'

Ron stiffened beside Harry and gulped.

'However, that will be at the end of class,' Snape went on, turning to the blackboard and beginning to write on the board, 'today's potion will be Selucia's Draught…'

'Potter!' came a voice, Harry looked around to see Malfoy sneering at him behind Snape's back, 'I hear your ex-girlfriend is so pissed off at you about getting with Mudblood here that she's quitting the team! Is it because of that or is it because she closely resembles a troll?'

'Fuck you, Malfoy!' Harry hissed under his breath, Malfoy turned in his seat just as Snape turned from the board, his dark eyes gleaming upon Harry.

'What did you say Mr. Potter?' Snape asked with an eyebrow raised.

'Settle,' Hermione hissed in a whisper through her teeth, her eyes were flashing and she looked distinctly as if she didn't agree with what Malfoy had said.

'Umm… nothing, Professor,' Harry stuttered back, the Slytherin's in the front row began snorting with laughter; Harry's hand clenched near where his wand was kept.

'Quiet…' Snape hissed directly at the Slytherin's, although he did not initiate any punishment, 'are my ears deceiving me, Mr. Potter or did you just curse in my classroom?'

'No sir,' Harry said sternly, 'I was just umm… talking about the essay with Hermione.'

Snape looked at Hermione, who looked sideways at Harry as if she didn't want to go along with the story.

'Miss. Granger?' snapped Snape.

Hermione took a breath.

'Sorry Professor,' Hermione said, 'we were, but-'

Snape looked back at Harry.

'Five points from Gryffindor,' Snape hissed immediately, 'each; for talking when not asked to.'

Hermione stiffened and Harry clenched his teeth as Snape turned back to the board and continued writing, Malfoy and his goons did a high-five silently and began writing the potion ingredients down. Hermione looked briefly sideways at Harry raising her eyebrows as if to say "They're just sore losers, forget it," before writing the Potion herself.

When Potion mixing began, Harry found the Potion itself becoming quite easy, but Snape was on the prowl and most likely exceeded on the hope of getting back at Harry for defeating Slytherin in Quidditch. And just as Harry had thought, five minutes in Snape had stopped at his Potion and began tutting.

'Dear me,' Snape mumbled, shaking his head at Harry's cauldron, 'don't tell me you forgot to add the- oh you did. Potter, please read the third line of the ingredients for me.'

Harry looked down at his parchment and began reading the third line he had written down.

'Once sliced mandrake roots are finely added, allow solution to simmer,' Harry read, having just successfully completed that; Hermione gasped slightly from her cauldron two tables down.

'Good, good,' Professor Snape said happily, he turned to the board, 'now… please read the third line that "I" have written on the board.'

Harry turned to the blackboard and felt his stomach drop.

'Well?' Snape hissed.

Harry gulped and read.

'Once brought to boil, add to solution three pinches of salt and seven drops of Phoenix tears,' Harry said, looking around and Snape.

'Mhmm…' Snape said, nodding, 'tell me Mr. Potter did you do that?'

'No sir,' Harry said truthfully.

'Thought so,' Snape withdrew his wand and wiped the cauldron clean, 'please start again, Mr. Potter. And perhaps follow the ingredients properly.'

Harry grumbled as he shifted his cauldron and began again keeping his eyes down from Snape and from the Slytherin's.

One hour and two cauldron solutions later, Harry left the class with Hermione extremely pissed off, he had it half in his mind to follow Malfoy out to lunch and give him a piece of his mind; but as Ron had not completed his homework Harry and Hermione waited outside the class where she was attempting to calm him.

'He's not worth it,' Hermione reassured him, holding his hand and standing close as Harry watched Malfoy stalk off sniggering stupidly with his goons, 'their sore losers… just forget it. Please.'

Harry brought Hermione closer to him and they waited in unison for Ron to appear; when he finally did he spotted them and rolled his eyes.

'I have detention,' Ron snorted, looking coldly at Hermione in particular, 'three times this month.'

'It's not going to abrupt Quidditch Practice is it?' Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

'Just once,' Ron said, 'next week I have my first one, Tuesday night.'

Harry sighed.

'Change the practice time then,' Hermione suggested as they began to walk up to lunch.

'Can't,' Harry said immediately, 'times are booked specifically for each house. Ron will just have to practice in particularly harder than the others during other practice sessions.'

Ron looked gloomy at this statement and some so all through Lunch. Malfoy sat smirking as if he had been the one that had caught the Snitch acrobatically on Saturday, instead he seemed to be telling the other Slytherin's how badly Harry had reacted to his statements and that they should actually start using it on him for the remainder of the time Ginny is in hospital.

'Let's just kill him,' Ron suggested out of the blue after lunch once they ascended the steps heading for the Gryffindor tower as they had a free, 'bloody murder, how sweet that could be-'

'Killing him won't resolve the issue,' Hermione hissed, 'he'll get bored of it anyway. He always does.'

Although as the week went, the month even, Malfoy didn't seem like getting over how much Harry and Hermione's relationship was a joke or for that matter Ginny lying in the hospital wing. Even though Ginny was recovering quite well, it didn't look like she was going to be able to play in Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff at the end of the month in which Malfoy yet again, kindly reminded him.

'Chaser down, Potter,' Malfoy said happily as they passed one afternoon in the corridor, 'I heard McLaggen's taking her place, some substitute he is. Then again, I suppose you'd rather him than getting Mudblood on a broom- now that'd be a catastrophe!'

Harry had rushed forwards withdrawing his wand and just about to curse him it was Hermione, the calmest of the three, who stepped forwards and hit him with an intense curse.

'Stop being an ass!' she ordered as Malfoy lay still on the floor, his face and neck swelling up and his eyes were popping; Hermione turned and left leaving Harry and Ron to follow in her footsteps, wondering what the curse had used.

'So much for not resolving the issue,' Ron hissed as he and Harry reached the Fat Lady corridor only to see the portrait hole close, 'damn she must be upset. You'd better go- I was going to see Ginny anyway.'

Ron left and Harry nodded as he crawled through the Portrait hole to find it practically empty, it was lunch time anyway. Hermione sat sulking in one of her favorite pouffé chairs, her head was in her hands and she didn't look up when Harry sat down beside her.

'Hermione?' Harry whispered, putting a comforting arm around her, 'babe, you alright?'

Hermione looked up at him with large puffy eyes.

'He's awful,' Hermione said, lashing forwards and putting her head on his shoulder, 'he's terrible! He's a snitch! He's a… he's a… he's-!'

'I know,' Harry said, pulling Hermione closer to him, 'just try not to think about it Hermione. Remember what you said? Just ignore him and he'll go away.'

Hermione nodded but did not stop sulking, Harry felt quite angry now; Malfoy was bringing Hermione to tears and Harry thought it was his own fault. But there was no time for insecure thoughts of Draco Malfoy, for the Quidditch match against Hufflepuff was this Saturday and Malfoy was right; McLaggen was definitely not up to scratch.