A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed!! I'm not that pleased with this chapter, but I've done all I can with it. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: Do I look like JK Rowling to you? I didn't think so. DON'T SUE ME for the love of God, I have no money anyway.
Chapter 21: Of Showers and Stink Bombs
After dinner, Harry led a motley crew to a remote wing of the castle. Draco, Neville and Blaise kept a close watch behind them, making sure no one was following them to wherever they were headed. Harry led the way with Ginny and Bill of either side of him, the two red heads chattering back and forth across him animatedly as they walked. Pansy was stationed between the two groups, amused at the sight they had to have made as they tromped their way through the dusty corridors. Although, her nose wrinkled as she brushed at the sleeve of her robe, I could do without the dust.
She had never been to this part of the castle before, and by the condition of the dust on the ground, not many other people had either. She risked a glance behind them and froze for a moment. There were no footprints marking their progress down the hall. She frowned and glanced at Draco, who nodded once, briefly, before continuing his conversation with the other boys. So, he noticed it too, she mused. I wonder if Dumbledore was the one to set that spell up of if it's a part of the castle itself? She mentally shrugged and continued after Harry, all the more intrigued to find out where they were headed.
Harry led them down yet another corridor before coming to a stop in front of an empty patch of wall. He glanced around, making sure to have their attention, before stepping forward and through the wall.
Pansy blinked and Draco gave a small snort of surprise. And just where did Mr. Potter learn about all these neat places, I wonder. Pansy narrowed her eyes slightly, determining to herself to ask the dark haired boy when she had the chance. She exchanged a glance with Draco and had to lift a hand to hide the small smile that appeared on her face at Draco's apparent irritation with Harry for going ahead without one of them at his side. Draco drew himself up and stalked through the wall, hot on the other boy's heels. Pansy raised an elegant eyebrow at his disappearing back, shrugged, and stepped through right after him.
The hallway they emerged into was happily much cleaner and dust free than the previous ones. Harry waited for them all to arrive before leading them a short way down another hall. He knocked briefly on a nondescript door and then entered after a long moment.
Sirius and Remus were standing near the fireplace, eyes bright as they watched them all enter the room. Sirius grinned when he saw the troop enter behind Harry, his eyes lighting up speculatively. "Harry, you shouldn't have," Sirius teased the boy gently. The younger man grinned at him.
"Well, more hands does mean more pranks." Harry shrugged and crossed the room quickly, giving his godfather a hug before throwing himself down onto one of the loveseats near the fireplace. Pansy strolled in slowly, her eyes quickly taking in the room and the two adults that seemed to be staying in the apartments. She recognized Remus, but the taller one…surely that isn't…
"You're Sirius Black." Blaise folded his arms across his chest, eyeing the ex-convict carefully. The Slytherins stayed standing on one side of the room, declining to sit just yet. Harry understood their paranoia, so he stayed silent, but watchful, letting his godfather handle his own introduction. The dark haired man nodded affirmatively, but stayed quiet. Harry rolled his eyes at him.
"Sirius is innocent, Blaise. He's not going to kill any of you," Harry shifted on the couch, making himself comfortable, feeling the need to speak up since Sirius seemed unwilling to do so just yet. The sable haired boy raised one eyebrow at him.
"I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about, however, is the effect twelve years in Azkaban has on a person." Sirius winced slightly at the mention of the prison, but looked the young man in the eye. He spread his hands slightly and shrugged, doing his best to appear normal and sane.
"Azkaban is Azkaban. Here is here. I'm as sane and rational as anyone else here, and the only people I'd like to kill at the moment are in Gryffindor Tower – and wherever the Dark Lord is," he added thoughtfully. A slow smile spread across Blaise's face at Sirius's answer and Neville hid his own grin behind a hand.
"Well, then. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir." Blaise inclined his head slightly to Sirius, who bowed slightly in response. The Slytherins now settled into the room, finding places to sit on the couches and chairs near the fireplace. Harry ended up somehow squished between Remus and Draco on the loveseat – even when there was plenty of space for either of them to sit elsewhere in the room.
He shifted on the couch carefully, conscious that he was pressed shoulder to knee to Draco; the heat from the other boy's body a pleasant source of warmth for him. He was cold again, and Harry was beginning to worry about the ever-present chill in his bones. I'll go talk to Madam Pomfrey soon, he absently promised himself. For the moment he let himself relax into Draco's side and soak up the heat that the other boy gave off.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you all. Bill, we applaud your bravery, conviction, and well placed verbal rampage, bravo." Sirius took up a dramatic posture in the middle of the room, and bowed slightly to the other man, who blushed, grinning. The animagus now turned to where Pansy, Blaise and Neville were sitting.
"As for you, my dear Slytherins, old and new, welcome, well met, and please – if you could find it in your hearts to spare an old man a map of that ever confusing maze you call a dungeon, it would be most helpful." Pansy smirked at him, her eyes twinkling with amusement. Blaise snickered at Sirius's antics and Neville laughed quietly. The lanky older wizard spared a wink for them, then spun dramatically and crossed the room to stand in front of the fireplace.
"Now, I'm sure you're all curious as to why the dearest godson of my heart brought you all here today." Sirius winked at a blushing Harry. "We have come up with," Sirius paused theatrically, "a plan." Draco started to snicker and Harry elbowed him slightly in the ribs.
"Heaven save us. Gryffindors with plans. The world is coming to an end," Draco shot at the older man and elbowed Harry back. Sirius sniffed disdainfully and flicked long fingers at the blond.
"Your lack of confidence does not bother us," he said haughtily, drawing himself up and sticking his nose in the air. Harry finally broke down into giggles, bringing one of his hands up to hide his mirth. A quick glance at Sirius showed that the animagus hadn't missed much, and was finding it hard himself to keep a straight face.
"And just what would this plan entail?" Draco asked, freeing one of his trapped arms and laying it along the back of the couch, causing Harry to settle into his side, perfectly fitting into the loose half-embrace.
"First," Sirius' face lit up and a maniacal grin blossomed on his face as he looked around at the gathered students. "First, you see, we need to get into the Gryffindor showers…"
*_*_*_*_*_*
Ron hadn't slept very well. Bill's appearance, and subsequent self-removal from the family had haunted his dreams; he couldn't believe his oldest brother had disowned himself. It was just – simply – too impossible to be true, and yet it was. He knew his Mum was going to be heartbroken when she found out, and he could only hope that his Dad and Percy would be there for her.
He swung his feet out of his bed and sat with his head hanging down for a long moment. The room was eerily quiet – he'd thought he'd enjoy having a room to himself, but instead he found the silence unnerving. Growing up with such a loud, noisy family, he'd come to associate the loud arguments, the pounding on the floorboards and his mother's strident voice echoing up the staircase as the typical sounds of home. This new silence was almost – oppressing, in a way.
Ron sighed and shook his head, trying to clear the last traces of sleep from his eyes. He got up slowly, yawning hugely as he padded over to his wardrobe to get his clothes for the day. What he needed was a good shower to wake him up.
The boy's shower was, of course, crowded as usual that late in the morning. Ron grumped to himself as he slipped into the last open stall, just in front of Colin, much to the younger boy's dismay. The blond was about to argue with Ron, when a well-placed glare sent the little tattletale running for the hills. Ron smirked to himself as he stripped and stepped under the spray of the water; older years go first, everyone knows that.
Ron was about to wash the lather from his hair when the water for the entire bathroom suddenly shut off. The redhead blinked stupidly at the faucet for a moment, as exclamations of alarm from the others rang out; then he began tugging at the nozzles. Nothing happened. The boys on either side of him were beginning to mutter darkly when they all suddenly heard several light, sizzling pops sound around them. Ron looked up, his shoulders tensing – living with two brothers who were practical jokers had taught him many things; he knew a prank when he saw one. He wiped at the shampoo in his eyes, cursing as he felt the suds start to dry on his skin, leaving behind a wet, sticky residue.
As the stink bombs went off, the smell of vomit and sour diarrhea filled the air immediately, saturating the hot, humid bathroom with the nauseating odor. The smoke from the stink bombs was thick; it wrapped around the boys, filled their stalls, and imprinted the foul odor into their skin, their cloths, and their hair.
Ron felt bile rise up in his throat as the smell hit him, and he pushed frantically at the door to his stall in order to get out and make it to the toilets in time. He didn't care if he was stark naked and covered with shampoo later – he wanted out. Unfortunately, the latch didn't cooperate and he didn't make it in time. As he stumbled out of the shower with vomit streaking down his torso, he slipped in a puddle of puke that Dean had left on his own way to the toilets. The awful feel of the chunks of vomit on his skin made Ron's stomach roil, causing him to turn his head to the side and dry heave. He blinked watery eyes and tried to breathe through his mouth – but the smell burned the back of his throat so bad he could taste it. He rolled to his hands and knees unsteadily, whimpering slightly when he saw the mess he'd been laying in.
A moan made him turn his head to see Lee Jordan curled up in a ball near him, vomit nearly covering the other boy's body from head to toe. Ron slammed his eyes shut, only to have them fly open a moment later when shrieks from the girl's shower room could be heard. Ron started to his feet, his first thought for Hermione, but he ended up slipping in the muck and falling back onto the tile floors, smacking his hip and elbow on the way down. He gritted his teeth and tried again.
From behind him the water in the shower stalls suddenly turned on at full blast. A frigid, torrent of water shot from the showerheads, cutting through the humidity of the room, but none of them cared. Ron paused for a moment, held back by the continuing cries of distress coming from the girls' side. Finally he dived under the water with most of the other boys, leaving Hermione to deal with the prank and the effects of it on her own. He wanted to get himself clean first before he helped anyone else.
Ron scrubbed and scrubbed at the muck covering him, dry heaving occasionally as chunks of vomit sloughed off his skin reluctantly. But no matter how hard he scrubbed, the odor remained; he could smell it, as though it were permanently burned into his nostrils and the back of his mouth. He spat and moved to brush his teeth, ducking out of the frigid spray, his lips tinged blue. He hoped cleaning his teeth would help in getting rid of the smell and the taste; something had to work, otherwise he'd not be able to eat the entire day. The toothpaste didn't diminish it at all.
To top everything else off, it wasn't until they were all huddled in the common room with the girls, babbling at their horrified Head of House, that they realized their skin was turning a bright, neon orange hue.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Harry was poking at his breakfast, moving the eggs around on his plate but not eating them. He tried to keep his eyes to his food and refrain from looking over at the curiously empty Gryffindor table. His eyes flicked up once and a huge grin threatened to take over his face. He coughed slightly and tucked his head down, bringing up a hand to rub at his mouth in order to hide the grin he knew was there. It really wouldn't do to get caught grinning like a fool, especially today.
There was a commotion at the entrance of the Hall and Harry glanced up quickly. The bright, orange visages of most of the Gryffindor House greeted his sight; his eyes grew wide as he looked at them, and then his nose wrinkled as traces of their smell drifted across the room. Gasps arose from the Hall as the gossipmongers' eyes lit up and their speculations began to flow. McGonagall stalked angrily up to the Head Table, a hard, pinched look on her face, but Harry could tell that she was also trying very hard not to laugh – the sight of the bright faced Gryffindors was hilarious to behold, if hard to stand because of the smell. Harry dropped his eyes back down to his plate, firmly clamping his hand over his mouth. He knew he was grinning and he couldn't help it; it was just too perfect. Their plan had been executed flawlessly and he was fairly bursting with pride.
Dumbledore rose slowly as McGonagall came to a stop in front of the Head table, an amazed, bright twinkle in his eye. The older wizard mentally shook his head at the pranksters he knew were responsible – it was a classic performance, certainly up there with replacing the soup with vinegar and gluing the History of Magic Professor's office furniture to the ceiling. Good show, boys. Wonderful choice.
"Professor McGonagall," Albus tipped his head slightly to the torn woman. Minerva flicked a glance over to where Severus was seated, but then settled her gaze back onto the Headmaster. The Potion Master was gleefully watching the humiliated Gryffindors with an almost predatory gaze; reveling in Gryffindor House's humiliation.
"Headmaster Dumbledore, I would like to request that Gryffindor House be excused from their classes before lunch; the, ah, incident has left many of them shaken." Minerva calmly folded her hands in front of her, waiting for the Headmaster's judgment. She knew who was behind the prank – it screamed of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, the last of the true Marauders; she could recognize their style of prank pulling anywhere. Although it was a tad more viscous than she ever remembered them being.
"Of course Minerva. I'm sure Madam Pomfrey would be more than happy to help you, should you need her expertise." Albus smiled slightly at the Transfigurations Professor.
Minerva nodded stiffly, a small smile crossing her face before spinning on her heel, marching back to the huddled Gryffindors. With curt gestures she ushered them out of the door and back to their dormitory, trying not to laugh or make a face at the smell. Whatever Sirius and Remus had used, it was potent.
Harry smirked as the Gryffindors ran from the Hall with their tales tucked between their legs. A muffled snort from beside him told him that Draco was also amused by their victim's retreat as well. Draco turned and looked at the dark haired boy, winking once with a wicked grin on his face. Draco had been the one to suggest a more, well, potent odor for the stink bombs – once he'd been informed of how the muggle invention worked. The blond looked quite pleased with himself as he watched the humiliated Gryffindors from across the room. Harry smiled back at him, feeling a little odd; Draco's smile had made his stomach clench and his body flush with heat. Please don't let me be blushing.
Harry quickly glanced back to where the last Gryffindors were trailing out of the Great Hall, thinking about the night before. He, Draco and Blaise had snuck into the boys' showers while Neville had stood guard for them; the ex-Gryffindor had been terribly nervous but determined to help them set up the prank. Pansy, Millicent and Ginny had gone to do the girls showers, and Neville had also kept an eye out for them as well. The Slytherin girls were grinning madly all night long; there had been an evil glint in their eyes and the boys had refrained from asking what exactly they were cackling about.
The entire plan had gone off without a hitch, and Harry couldn't feel anything but happy about it. Exactly how Sirius and Remus had rigged the pluming, though, was a question Harry stored away for later; the two had attempted to explain their plan to everyone, but had ended up losing Harry two minutes in. He sighed slightly. A small brush to the back of his hand had him looking up into Draco's eyes. He shrugged slightly and nodded to the Gryffindor table.
"Planning for later, is all." Draco narrowed his eyes at the other boy briefly before nodding slowly.
"Your godfather mentioned something about a book he sent you?" Draco picked up his goblet of pumpkin juice and took a long pull from it. Harry glanced away hastily, turning his eyes forward only to see Pansy, Millicent and Ginny watching them like hawks.
"Something wrong?" he asked nervously, not understanding the look in their eyes but knowing, somehow, that they were up to something. Ginny and Pansy exchanged a look and then shook their heads, attempting to look innocent and non-threatening.
"No, nothing at all," they chorused, smiling brightly. Harry stared at them for a long moment. Alright. Girls are weird. Very, very weird.
"Right." Harry blinked and glanced away. Creepy. He turned back to Draco, who was also looking at the girls with an odd expression on his face. "The book. Yes. I have it in my bag. We can take a look at it during lunch, if you want." Draco looked back to Harry and his expression relaxed. He nodded eagerly, and Harry soon found himself mirroring the maniacal grin that was on the blonde's face. Harry had quite a few pranks he wanted to try out on the Gryffindors – Ron especially.
*_*_*_*_*
Lavender huddled on the couch in the Gryffindor common room, a miserable expression on her face. She could still smell the horrid stench from the stink bombs on her skin – no amount of scrubbing or perfume seemed to help. It also didn't help that their skin simply wouldn't change back to its normal color – they'd tried every spell they could think of, but nothing seemed to work. She glanced over to one of the tables to see Hermione frantically searching through her text books, convinced that the counter spell for the color change was in there somewhere. A surprising number had also joined her at the study table, all of them desperate to have their normal skin color back. Ron just sat on one of the many chairs in the room, a horrible, ugly expression on his face. There was no doubt as to who he thought had done the prank.
Lavender stiffened suddenly and carefully glanced around the room. She got up and slunk over to where Ron was sitting and plopped down onto the chair next to him, interrupting his brooding on purpose.
"He really has to pay. There's got to be some way of getting revenge on Him for this prank," she said into the fireplace, knowing Ron would fill in the blanks for her easily. She purposely left out naming anyone, giving Ron just enough rope to damn himself completely. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the redhead start and a thoughtful expression come over his face.
"Yes. Harry certainly does. Got any ideas?" She nodded slowly.
"He needs to be taught a lesson, that's for sure. A lesson he'll never forget…" she leaned over and began whispering into his ear. Ron nodded every once in a while, a slow, evil grin transforming his face.
Seamus watched the pair from across the room, a worried frown bringing his eyebrows together severely. He picked at his robe, unhappy with the smell emanating from his skin, unhappy with the fact that his skin was orange – but most of all unhappy because he knew why they did it. Oh, he had no illusions as to who was responsible for the prank – only Harry, Ginny and Neville knew how to get into Gryffindor showers without being seen. It had to have been them – and Seamus couldn't find it in himself to blame them. What Gryffindor – what he'd done was unforgivable; he hadn't stood up for his friends. He had folded, completely, like a scared little kid when Ron and the rest of the House had focused their attention on him, to get him to go along with their plans. He deserved no mercy from them, none at all.
Seamus picked at the lint on his robes and sighed. He'd made a right mess of things, he had. But I don't want to switch Houses. I love Gryffindor, I don't want to leave. He bit his lip and stilled his hands, glancing back up to where Lavender and Ron where talking. He'd watch them then, and see what became of their plans. If anything seemed – odd, or potentially dangerous, then he'd inform the Headmaster. But until then…I'm keepin' me head down. The last thing I want is to be thrown out like poor Harry.
He swiftly brought his eyes back to his hands as Lavender and Ron suddenly got up from their seats, grabbed Hermione and Dean from their studying, and headed for the far corner of the room. By keeping his head down he missed Lavender's cold, assessing look, as well as her slight nod to Ron in his direction.
*_*_*_*_*
DADA with Bill was fun. The curse breaker was in his element, explaining to the class his job with passion in his eyes and tone. The class soaked it up, eyes fascinated with Bill's excitement for his work, his calling. Professor Montevay allowed the intrusion with grace, but sat behind her desk frowning slightly throughout his presentation, her dislike mainly stemming from Bill's familiarity and relaxed attitude with the students. But even she couldn't deny that he certainly made an impression on all of her classes and that none of her students had nodded off or goofed around while he was speaking. The lack of Gryffindors during classes was noticeable, though, and by lunch the Hogwarts rumor mill was overflowing with speculation.
Draco was enjoying the mostly Gryffindor-free day; especially Potions class. There, Severus had been able to let his guard down a little and have an engaging, informative discussion with the class – clearly something the older man had enjoyed immensely, as did the students.
Draco had taken the moment to lean in close to Harry's ear and whisper, "How long should we wait for the next prank? I could get used to the absence of the Gryffindorks." Harry had grinned, suppressing the little shiver that ran down his spine at the feel of Draco's breath hot on his ear, and tried to keep his attention on what the Potions Master was lecturing about. It didn't really work. At lunch, Harry kept shifting in his seat, inching closer to the other boy as the break wore on. Draco is just so warm, he thought, relaxing a bit when the blonde's shoulder lightly brushed his own. It's like sitting next to a furnace. Draco seemed to have no problems at all with Harry's proximity.
Gryffindor House slowly started to trickle in during lunch, causing a twitter of laughter to erupt in the room when each new orange face passed through the large double doors. Most of the smell had managed to fade away, but the skin discoloration was staying true. Most of the House managed to walk in with their chins held proudly high, but a few, like Ron, were glowering at anyone and everyone who even dared to look their way. Ron sat at one end of the Gryffindor table, his mood setting precedence for the rest of the upper years around him. Only Hermione was mostly immune to the sour mood, her head stuck into her book, researching as she ate.
Draco frowned as he glanced over at the proud House – something was off. It wasn't just the mood, it was something else, a wariness was there; Draco felt a chill touch slide down his spine as his gaze swept over the gathered fifth years. The pale eyes narrowed as they scrutinized the students, but as quick as the feeling was there, it was gone again. He shook his head faintly and nibbled on his lower lip. He'd have to talk to Pansy and work out a closer watch on Gryffindor House – something told him they would need it.
He glanced to his left to see Harry pushing food around on his plate, but not eating it. Draco had noticed Harry's closeness throughout the day, but tried not read too much into it. The other boy was pale, and a fine tremor could be seen running through his hands. Draco frowned again and picked Harry's free hand up in his own, not liking how chilled his extremities were.
"Harry? Are you alright?" Draco gently buffed the smaller hand with his own, trying to get some warmth into it. Green eyes turned to him, wide and shuttered.
"I'm fine, really. Just a little cold, that's all." Harry tried to pull his hand from Draco's grasp, a light blush beginning to spread across his cheeks. Draco wouldn't let go though.
"Harry –,"
"Aw, lookit the little queers. So is this really why you switched Houses? So Malfoy would have an easier access to your arse?" The entire Slytherin table stiffened at the rude tone. Draco lifted furious eyes to look at the owner of the voice.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Ron, although the redhead was looking over at them with bright, vicious eyes. Michael Corner from Ravenclaw stood opposite from Harry, an ugly sneer on his face. Draco slowly let Harry's hand drop to his side, and began to stand, his eyes smoldering with anger. Harry just looked at Michael silently, his face white. His eyes flicked past the Ravenclaw to where Cho was sitting; she was staring at Harry evenly, her eyes hard. She had never forgiven him for Cedric's death, but had stayed mostly silent when the rest of the school had turned on him that year. Harry let his gaze wander over to Corner before returning to Cho – the sixth year raised her chin defiantly and folded her arms across her chest. Ah, I understand now, Harry let his gaze drop and he returned his attention to Draco.
" – miserable, bloody self out of my sight I will personally make sure you will never see anything again. Are we understood?" Draco was standing, fists planted on the tabletop as he ripped into the offending Ravenclaw. Michael was pale, his eyes wide as he stared at the blond in front of him. But he didn't back down.
"That's right. You Slytherins get off on torturing people, don't you? You're all evil; we know it, especially now that you have Potter in your ranks. I mean, look what you've done to the Weasley family? Breaking up their line of succession, causing their only daughter to switch Houses…"
"How dare you!" Harry finally found his voice. He shot to his feet next to Draco, his hands clenching into fists at his side. "You know nothing. I'm not bloody evil and neither is this House. If you want evil, then why don't you wander on over to Ronald Weasley and ask him what his family did to Ginny? That is evil." Harry's eyes were spitting green fire. A commotion from the Gryffindor table showed Ron being held back by Dean and Lee, while the rest of the group looked at Harry murderously. Corner was about to retaliate when a new voice interrupted them.
"Now, boys. What is going on here?" The Headmaster's genial tones caused them all to snap their mouths shut and look down guiltily. Harry glared at the Ravenclaw fiercely through his lashes.
"Nothing sir. Just a conversation." Corner sneered at the other boy, but nodded his head in agreement with Harry's explanation. The Headmaster looked at them all evenly, clearly not convinced. He raised his eyebrow slightly at Harry, who dropped his gaze and wouldn't meet the older wizard's eye.
"Well then, why don't you all have a seat since I am sure this conversation is now over," Dumbledore said gravely. "Besides, it's getting near class time. Off you go." The older wizard paused for another moment before moving on towards the entrance, smiling and nodding occasionally to the students. Corner sneered once more at Harry, then spun dramatically on his heel and stormed off after the Headmaster, pausing only briefly in order to gesture curtly for Cho to follow him.
Harry shook his head slightly at the other boy's attitude and that Cho would allow him to do such a thing. The petite girl refused to make any more eye contact with him though, as she hurried from the Hall, close on Corner's heels. Harry slumped into his seat, not caring that he slouched or that his elbows here on the table. Draco also sat slowly after a moment, his back ramrod straight as he watched the Ravenclaws file out of the Great Hall. His pale blue eyes were icy and furious.
"How dare he, that little…" Harry covered his face with his hands, a strange feeling creeping over him. It almost felt like despair. Can this year get any fucking better? He sighed and scrubbed his face, running his hands through his hair.
"They dare because they think they're right. They all 'know' I'm evil, just like they 'know' all Slytherins are evil. It's actually pretty simple when you think about it. Public opinion has always ruled people's attitudes, it's just the way things are. The more accepting popular media is about certain subjects, the more the common people will start to accept the attitude and make it their own." Harry sighed tiredly and uncovered his face to see the surrounding Slytherin students regarding him proudly. "What?"
"Harry, that was brilliantly, completely and totally Slytherin of you. We're so proud," Pansy winked at him and Draco slung an arm around his shoulders, his mood altering abruptly. Harry blinked at the people around him. I – they – he stopped for a moment and tilted his head slightly. Neat. That was incredibly – neat. They didn't freak. Of course, they are Slytherins, so they would tend to think in basically the same way, but still… He smiled back hesitantly after a moment. Draco's arm tightened briefly around his shoulders before letting go. With a sigh he hauled himself to his feet.
"C'mon Harry. Off to class." The blond waited impatiently for the dark haired boy to get to his feet. As soon as Harry had grabbed his rucksack, Draco had latched onto a part of Harry's robe and was leading him out of the Hall, much to the amusement of Pansy and Ginny. Harry followed obediently, while also trying to get the other boy to slow down.
Pansy leaned over to Millicent and nudged her carefully. "Did you see that?" the pale girl asked her friend. Millicent stared at Pansy for a moment.
"What? Those two? Oh please. A blind man could see that," Millicent flicked her hands, brushing crumbs from her fingers carefully. Pansy made a face at the other girl and turned back to Ginny.
"Now, all we have to do is come up with a plan to get those two to actually notice one another in, ah, that way…" Ginny nodded slowly, a thoughtful frown coming over her face. It would take some work – especially with Harry being so clueless, but it was doable. Definitely doable. The girls shared a conspiratorial grin and got up from their seats, dragging Millicent away from the last of her tea.
*_*_*_*_*_*
Bill was in the DADA classroom, flipping through the textbook for the year when the sound of the door opening made him raise his head. The sight of whom was at the door, however, made his expression go dark.
Ron stood alone at the threshold of the room, a strange, pained expression on his face. He let the door close behind him and took a few hesitant steps into the quiet room.
"Bill," Ron look down and buried his hands into his robes. He looked back up. "I – can we – please, can we talk?" The sadness in the younger boy's tone made Bill reluctantly nod. Ron quickly crossed the room until he was in front of the older redhead.
"What did you want to talk about?" Bill asked quietly, knowing the answer.
"Why, Bill. Why did you leave the family? Why?" Ron's expression was desperate. The curse breaker sighed.
"Ron, you know why I left. What you, what Mum and Dad have done to Ginny was unacceptable. I don't know what's gotten into you –,"
"Gotten into us? Gotten into us?! What about you, Bill? We're your family for God's sake! You don't just abandon your family at the drop of a hat!" Ron raged, cutting him off mid-sentence. Bill felt his blood pressure begin to soar.
"Just like you did with Ginny?" Bill snapped back, giving into his anger. Ron paled dramatically.
"That was different."
"Exactly how was that different? Please, by all means, explain that one to me." Bill folded his arms across his chest and glared at the young man in front of him.
"She petitioned to switch Houses Bill. She's in Slytherin and most of all she supports Potter. Do you need any more proof than that?" Ron nearly shouted into the other man's face. Bill uncrossed his arms and drew himself up to his full height, towering over the other boy.
"Ronald Weasley bite your tongue. That's Harry you're talking about, and who bloody well cares what House Ginny's in? It shouldn't matter! She's your sister – or was, anyhow, until you lot went insane. And Harry's no more evil than I am," Bill ground out to the shocked redhead. "Harry's good, and strong and a hundred times more loyal and courageous than you ever were. How he put up with your temper tantrums for the last four years I will never know. At least now he has friends and Housemates that will stick with him, through thick and thin." Ron's face began to flush red.
"You – you – you," he sputtered. "I can't believe you just said that. We're insane? Us? Oh no, I don't think so. We're the ones that know the truth. We're the ones who will be there to hold the wizarding world together when Potter joins You-Know-Who. You'll see then just how wrong you are, you'll see." The younger boy hissed, spittle flying from his mouth as he spun on his heel and stormed out of the door. Bill stared after his retreating form, disbelief and shock in the forefront of his mind. What the hell has Molly and them done to that poor boy? Or was he that easily fooled all along and I just didn't see it? Bill shook his head slightly and perched on the edge of Professor Montevay's desk, slumping slightly. Oh Harry, Bill sighed, shaking his head.
He pushed himself up after a moment, hearing the sound of children heading his way. Classes were about to start again, he needed to get his head in order. He closed his eyes briefly and took a couple deep breaths. When he opened them again his expression was more open, and the faint lines of stress around his eyes and mouth had disappeared. He would talk to Ginny and Harry later, right now he had a class to focus on.
End Chapter 21
Review Responses:
Das, Ice Lupus, Jamie Lynn Potter, Kristine Thorne, keebler-elmo, Jade Maxwell, AnImE-aNd-Hp-FrEaK, azntgr01, Harmoni, AsMiLiNgFoOl, Tenshi-Chikyuu, Stormy1x2, LL, BOB, SephyGirl, S.Wing, Kira6, Rhiannon, ShaeLynn, Fatalonie-The Grinning God, xikum, TigerBlak, SilverDragon49, Illucia, Mary North, Moonfairy2000, bfergu01, AnDraia, Dillon, rayvern, tati1, Jackie, Lukaret, darkness, shakiya, SparkySparkles, Baby Sphinx, Belle, death-resurrected, ReflectionsofReality, Evelyna, Tanya, ChaosLord2, Sophie W, Nox7, In-The-Shadows, Renee Fay, TanisaFyre, Ped, Shinigami, Usagi Serenity Yui Cosmos, JPalmgren, Relle, buh, Demon child, carshaa, Bellatrix, kate, lil peppa, NayNymic, The angelic vampire, Silver Lady, : THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING REVIEWS!
Lady FoxFire: Am gonna answer those questions asap. Thanks for reviewing!
Milkyweed: Unfortunately, I can't lower the rating because there will be some NC17 stuff in the story, otherwise I would. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reviewing! Once I get the darn website up, I'll make sure to post the url so people can go there instead.
Athenakitty: Sirius will be freed, I'm just working out how. The Weasley's are crushed that Bill disowned himself, I'm trying to get a scene of them into the story, but right now those parts just seem really forced and ucky. Thanks for another awesome review!
Tainted Love1: I type really fast, and I don't update as quick as I should =/ Who ever knew insomnia was good for something? Thanks for the wonderful review!
Lilie the mouse: no, the fox isn't Percy. Thanks for reviewing!
Isilme Domitus: Bill's not going to adopt Ginny, but he'll be joining the same family with her. Thanks for reviewing!
Lady Otaku: It will get more pronounced later on =) Thanks for the review!
Ms. Talon: Yes, Blaise and Neville will hook up. Hagrid will reappear soon. The Slytherins will get an eye opener into Harry's life with the Dursleys, but that's not for a while yet. Thanks for the review!
Jes Imagin: Sorry!