Author's Note: This is a lighthearted and romantic fanfic about Draco (whom I LOVE! lol) It's not supposed to be realistic, etc etc, just cute and amusing! So enjoy! and please review! More chapters are on the way!
---
"Another year at Hogwarts", Draco Malfoy sighed getting off of the Hogwarts express, elbowing a rather large Goyle in the process. "How exciting…"
He walked towards the school carriages, and paused for a moment, hearing a familiar voice behind him.
"Of course I can't wait for Quidditch to start Ron! Especially since I'm captain this year!" exclaimed the enthusiastic voice of the 'boy-who-lived', Harry Potter.
Draco grimaced at the sound of all that happy chatter. He turned around, "well," he said to Harry, "I expect that you are equally as excited to get your arse kicked by Slytherin this year."
"Dream on, Malfoy" said Ron, frowning at the sight of Draco, "Griffyndor have beat Slytherin for the last three years!"
"Hmm... an unfortunate incident I agree. However, this year I am also captain, and I guarantee we'll beat your filthy lot, Potter".
Harry, who was no longer smiling, nor happy, turned to Ron and Hermione, "Let's go get a carriage. Malfoy isn't worth our time."
"Yep" Draco thought sarcastically, "a great start to the year…"
A few minutes later, Draco entered the great hall, followed by his band of Slytherins; mainly Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson.
"Draco, darling" Pansy simpered, taking hold of his arm, "Let's go, all the Slytherins are at the table already, and I'm famished"
Draco pulled his arm away, muttering under his breath, "of course you are, as always…" but he followed her to the table and sat down, an undoubtedly gloomy expression displaying itself on his pale features.
They were just in time for the sorting, and Dumbeldore had just stood up to make his usual beginning of year speech.
"Welcome, welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Before we begin the sorting, I would like to introduce a very special student joining our fifth year students this year. Her name is Ana Doukova and she has just transferred here from the Salem Wizarding Academy in the United States. I am sure you will all give her a very warm welcome. Now on to the sorting! Ms. Doukova, up here if you please."
As the new girl walked up on the stage, several mouths, mostly male, dropped open. She was tall and slim, and had long, golden-blonde hair that reached half-way down her back. She had bright blue eyes that sparkled with confidence, and a warm smile that seemed to be directed at everyone in the hall.
Draco, in spite of himself, stared along with the other males. "Well, well," he thought, grinning to himself "Maybe this will be an interesting year after all."
He watched her look out over the crowd, and suddenly her eyes met his. He felt almost a jolt of something… and quickly looked away.
As the sorting hat was placed on her head, Draco found himself wishing she would be in Slytherin.
But he sighed with regret as the hat yelled out "Gryffindor!" and the Gryffindor table erupted in cheers.
He watched her walk towards the Gryffindor table and sit down next to Harry.
"Of course" he thought bitterly, "Who else..."
---
Ana, meanwhile, was extremely nervous but terribly excited as she walked towards the Gryffindor table. They had made such a big deal over her being there! She wondered about that boy though, the pale blonde at the Slytherin table whose eyes had looked at her with such intensity…
She shook herself out of her thoughts and sat down next to a curious boy with tousled black hair, green eyes and a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
"Hi!" he said, "I'm Harry Potter. Welcome to Hogwarts." She was momentarily shocked, but smiled and replied, "Hey, its great to meet you, I'm really glad I'm here."
Suddenly the whole table erupted in chatter and she found herself surrounded by eager questions and friendly introductions.
"Psst! Harry! Introduce me!" came the eager voice of Ron. "Us too!" cried Fred and George.
"Ron!" said Hermione indignantly,
"Oh come on 'mione I just want to meet the new girl!" said Ron innocently.
"Oh sure..." replied Hermione sarcastically. "And the fact that she's pretty has nothing at all to do with why you want to meet her."
Harry laughed, "All right, all right, I'll introduce everyone! Ana these are my best friends Ron Weasely and Hermione Granger." Ron's ears turned pink as she smiled at him.
"This is Fred and George, they're Ron's brothers, umm... that's Dean and Seamus and Neville" he said and continued to name all the others at the table.
She laughed, "It's great to meet all of you." She turned to Harry, "So, you got a Quidditch team here?"
"Yeah," he replied enthusiastically, "I'm captain this year. What position do you play?"
"Well at my old school I played seeker, but I could do chaser as well."
"Great! Well try-outs are next week. You should definitely try out."
"I will, thanks," she smiled, and for some reason he blushed…
---
Later, when Ana was busy talking to Seamus, Harry found himself looking wistfully at her, only to be interrupted by a tap on the arm from Ron.
"Wow!" Ron whispered to Harry, "She's really something isn't she. Gorgeous AND plays Quidditch! Bet she's smart too."
"Ron!" Harry exclaimed, "You're going out with Hermione!"
"So, doesn't mean I can't look!"
"You prick!" Harry laughed
"Oh come on! I saw you looking at her like that!"
"Like what exactly?" said Harry indignantly, blushing
"That dreamy-eyed, misty look you get when you like a girl!" Ron started to laugh
"RON! SHUT UP!" Harry yelled.
The table went quiet, and Ana looked at him curiously.
"Ahem" Harry cleared his throat going bright red, "Sorry"
"I'm going to murder you!" he hissed at Ron, who was now gasping with laughter, and trying hard not to fall of the bench.
---
Later that evening, common rooms and dormitories in all the houses were buzzing with conversation about the new girl. After all, it WAS the most exciting thing to happen at Hogwarts since Fleur Delacour the previous year. Well, at least that was the general consensus among the males at Hogwarts.
Most of the conversations went along the lines of, "Wow, she's gorgeous" and "Wonder if she'd date me?" Most of the males, in fact, were already starting to think of some devious plan in which they could make her kiss them…
In the Slytherin common room, however, there was one boy who did not agree with the opinion of the general masses.
"Wow," exclaimed Roderick Nott, "She's bloody gorgeous! Too bad she's not in Slytherin eh Malfoy? Bet you'd be all over her then!"
Draco smirked, "Well I don't see anything special about her. She's just a girl, after all," and with that he stormed into his dormitory, leaving Roderick looking after him in astonishment.
---
Draco lay awake in his bed for a long time, listening to the sounds of Crabbe and Goyle snoring. He put a pillow over his head, trying to block out the sound, as well as the thoughts running through his head. He kept thinking about that new girl, Ana, and that moment when their eyes met across the great hall.
"Ah!" he thought, "Why do I keep thinking about her! Sure she's pretty but there are a lot of pretty girls at Hogwarts! I must just be tired or something…" and with that he drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
---
The next morning, Ana walked down to her first class, Potions, with Harry, Ron and Hermione.
"So how's the potion's teacher?" she asked, "Snape, right?"
"Oh he's horrible. Slimiest git on the face of the earth, except maybe for Malfoy." Replied Ron
"AND we have it with the Slytherins AGAIN this year!" Hermione moaned, "Sorry Harry."
"Not a big fan of the Slytherins then, Harry?" Ana asked,
"Well," Harry replied, "Snape hates me for something my dad did, and there's one particular Slytherin who just hates me for no reason."
Ana looked curious, "Hmm… This is going to be an interesting class."
As they entered the dungeon, Harry, Ron and Hermione took their usual seats, Harry with Ron and Hermione with Neville, although to Ana's amusement, Harry attempted to push Ron of his chair to make room for her.
She smiled at him, "It's okay Harry, I'll find another seat."
At that moment Snape walked in, and frowned at Ana, giving Harry a hateful glare.
"Ms. Doukova, is it? I suggest you take a seat and stop chatting to Potter this instant. Here, this seat next to Mr. Malfoy appears to be empty." He motioned to the empty chair beside the pale, blonde boy she had seen earlier.
"Sorry Professor," she answered, and went to sit by Draco, smiling at Harry, who was mouthing, "Sorry" at her from across the room.
"Hi," she said, looking over at Draco.
He turned to face her, and she was astonished by the handsomeness of his features. His skin was pale, but slightly tan from the summer months. His face was angular, and yet soft, with protruding cheekbones, and soft pink lips. His light grey eyes shone with intensity and intelligence, and they were framed with long, dark eyelashes. His hair was white-blonde, almost silver where the light hit it, and it was brushed back, with a few strands framing his face.
He watched her blue eyes glide over his face, and said, "Hello, I'm Draco Malfoy." He put on his trademark smirk, "So tell me, how was it living in the land of hamburgers and cowboys."
For a second she stared at him, shocked, and then grinned, letting out a little laugh. "Not as bad as you might think. Although I do miss those cowboys." She paused thinking, "Hey you know, I saw you in the great hall yesterday…"
He smirked, "Yes, you and the rest of the female population, I'm sure. After all, I am incredibly gorgeous and irresistible, but then, you've obviously noticed that."
"Yes," she replied frankly, "I have".
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, not knowing what to say, simply staring at her.
She laughed at his expression, "Well, well, speechless are you? I was actually going to say I have noticed that you are also conceited and self-absorbed."
This time he laughed, noticing the sparkle in her eyes, "Aha, but you didn't deny that I am gorgeous and irresistible did you?"
She was just about to reply, when she noticed Snape standing by their table and clearing his throat.
"Well, well Mr. Malfoy, when you are quite through listing all your physical attributes, or lack of them as it may be, to Ms. Doukova here, perhaps you would be so kind as to name all of the ingredients needed for the Moriortis Potion."
Draco glared at Snape, "err… certainly Professor. Umm… mudsbaile, wolfsfoot…" he broke off, uncertainly.
"Hesselfrass, Dragon scales, aura of minksop, and three sprigs of holly."
Snape frowned at her, "correct, although if I am not mistaken, your name is not Mr. Malfoy."
"Sorry Professor," she replied.
"Well, as a new student I suppose I can make allowances." He turned to the rest of the class. "Now, I expect a perfect Moriortis Potion by the end of this class. Instructions are on page 452 of your books."
"Thanks" Draco whispered, "I owe you one."
"Yes," she smiled at him, "you do"
---
Throughout the class, Ana and Draco continued to talk and laugh, barely paying attention to an increasingly annoyed Snape. Strangely, Draco found himself liking her more and more. She was easy to talk to, she was just as witty as him, and did not take his sarcastic remarks to heart; instead she often shocked him and made him sputter at her sharp replies. He felt odd, and somewhat free. She did not expect him to be a certain way, like everyone else at the school, and he felt that he could really be himself around her…
Suddenly he shook himself out of his thoughts, "This is ridiculous! I don't like her! I don't even know her! And she certainly does not know me!"
But he watched her make the potion, pushing her long golden hair behind her ear.
"What?" she saw him watching her, and blushed slightly.
"Huh?" he shook himself mentally, and tried to cover up the fact that he had been staring at her, "Um nothing. Just wondering why you were adding mugwart and essence of lavender, when the book clearly doesn't say that. Don't tell me you can't read?"
"Shut up, Draco." He liked the sound of his name on her lips. Everyone always called him Malfoy. Stupid. Why was he thinking about her lips anyway?
"I can read, don't worry. This will make the potion better, trust me."
"All right" Draco drawled, "But if we fail this class, be prepared for a beating."
"Can't wait to get your hands on me, huh Draco?" She replied teasingly, resting a hand on his arm.
Draco was just about to reply, when Snape addressed the class. "Alright. Everyone should be ready to bottle their potions now. Ideally, the potion should be a light pink color, with a translucent quality" He looked around the class. Harry and Ron were prodding their cauldron with their wands, trying to carve out a foul-smelling brown goo. Hermione and Neville were hastily adding the last ingredients to their potion, which while not as bad as Harry's, was still neon pink and smelled of rotten eggs. The rest of the class was also struggling with a various array of multicolor potions, none of which resembled pink and translucent. Snape walked around the class, giving out marks to each pair. "Dreadful, dreadful, oh my, a nice 'Troll' for you Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasely. How you two call yourselves wizards, I will never know." Harry and Ron shot Snape evil looks and Ron made an exceptionally rude hand gesture once Snape had turned away.
"We're dead!" hissed Draco, looking down at their potion which was a lavender color, and released purple steam, "That's not pink!"
"Relax." Ana whispered back, "its fine."
Snape now walked over to their table and looked down at their potion. "Well," he smirked, "I suppose they don't teach you much in America. Can't say that I'm surprised though. 'Dreadful'"
Ana cleared her throat. "Professor Snape, if you'd care to test the potion, I'm sure you'd find it to be quite satisfactory."
Snape glared at her, "Test it? I see no point in that. You have added mugwart and essence of lavender to this potion, which is clearly NOT in the ingredients list."
She glared back at him, then took a vial, filled it with potion and gave it to Draco. "Drink it" she commanded.
"Wh-What?" Draco stuttered. "You want me to test your so-called shrinking potion! What if I remain small forever?"
"Well that wouldn't be much of a change then would it," she replied silkily, "especially in certain areas." The rest of the class broke out in laughter, and even Snape twitched the corners of his mouth.
"I hate you!" he hissed at her, grabbed the potion and drank it in one gulp.
There was a small 'pop' and Draco shrank down to the size of a small action-figure. She picked him up and placed him on the desk, where he sat down and sulked.
"Oh please let him stay that way forever!" Ron whispered, but loudly enough so that everyone could hear. The classroom again broke out into laughter.
Ana cleared her throat, "As you can see professor, this potion not only makes the subject smaller than the original potion, but also increases the amount of time the subject can stay small. For example, Draco here, could remain small for up to 12 hours. Furthermore, this potion also has an easy spell which will return the subject to his original size, unlike the other potion, for which you had to mix an antidote." She pointed her wand at Draco and said clearly, "Grandemeris," and with another small 'pop' he returned to his original size.
Snape stared at her with an open mouth, "But how did you- even I don't-" he cleared his throat. "Altering potions is very advanced magic. How did you learn to do this?"
"Well," she replied, "My great-grandfather is Stefan Minski. He was the one who invented this potion, and many others besides. He's been teaching me since I was a little girl. And your textbooks seem to be outdated. He has already made several alterations. Not only to this potion but to several others as well."
"Minski?" Snape stammered, then cleared his throat again. "Well, as much as I hate to admit it, you are right about this potion, so I suppose, I must give you both passing grades…" He gave her a rare smile, "Good job Ms. Doukova. Class dismissed! And I want two rolls of parchment on the side-effects and dangers of a poorly made Moriortis Potion. See that the rest of you improve your potion skills by next time, or it will be 'dreadful' on all your OWLs!"
As they walked out of the dungeon, Ana shot Draco a self-satisfied look, and smiled. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm. "I did not appreciate that comment by the way."
She feigned innocence, "and which comment was that Mr. Malfoy? I believe there were many comments made throughout the class."
"You know which one!" he glared at her, and then grinned as a remark came to him. "But if you like, I will personally prove to you that I am not small… anywhere!"
Suddenly she grabbed his hand and pulled him into a deserted hallway. Then she pushed him against the wall and stepped close to him, resting her hands on his chest. He looked at her in shock
"Oh really," she said in her most seductive voice, "well how about a private showing?"
Then she stepped away from him and burst out laughing. "Draco! The expression on your face! Priceless!" She was now laughing so hard that she sat down on the ground.
Draco, still shocked, glared at her, but seeing her laugh, grudgingly started to grin and laugh until he too was laughing on the floor beside her.
She took a breath, wiping her eyes, "Draco, really, you know you should never try to out-wit me. You'll always lose!"
He was still laughing, "That's not true! I'll get you one day! Wow," he said in afterthought, "I haven't laughed this much in years."
He stood up, holding out a hand to pull her up. She took it and stood up slowly, smiling and looking into his eyes.
He flushed, and glanced away, dropping her hand. "Well, we'd better go to class. I think we're already late."
"Yeah," she replied, "Well, I'll see you later right? I had a lot of fun with you today."
"Sure," he smiled back at her, "I had fun to. By the way, you totally showed Snape today! I've never seen him stutter like that!"
She laughed, "Well, I prefer making you stutter. See you later."
He stood there for a long time, watching her walk away, paying particular attention to the sway of her hips under her school robes. He has a million thoughts zooming through his head, all of which, were about her.
---
Ana caught up with Harry, Ron and Hermione on their way to transfiguration.
"Wow!" exclaimed Hermione, grabbing her arm, "Are you really Minski's granddaughter? He's the famous wizard isn't he? Heard he was great friends with Dumbledore! Bet you were top of your year at your old school! Will you teach me how to make that potion? I –"
"Hermione! Shut up!" said Ron pulling her away from Ana.
"Anyways, we wanted to congratulate you on that amazing show in potions class today!" Ron shot a glare at Hermione, "Man, I'll never forget the look on Snape's face! To think he was actually wrong for once! And Malfoy! The 'too small' comment! Pure genius!"
Ana laughed, "well thanks Ron, but I was just joking about Draco, who by the way, offered to prove me wrong, and Snape didn't seem to mind being wrong about the potion."
Ron and Harry burst out laughing at this, "Malfoy offered what? Oh, that's rich!" exclaimed Ron, "you shoulda taken him up on that offer!"
"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione, slapping his arm
Ana laughed, "No that's okay, I respectfully declined!"
Then Ron turned serious, "But you know, it is odd that Snape let you off so easily, and did he SMILE at you? I don't think I've ever seen him smile before!" he thought for a moment, "Hey, maybe he's got a crush on you too! Wouldn't be surprised. He's a complete wanker, he is. Oof!" Ron let out an exclamation as Harry elbowed him hard in the ribs.
"Blimey Harry! What'd ya do that for?"
Ana smiled, and then thought about what Ron said, "Too? What do you mean too? Who else likes me?"
Ron started coughing loudly, a cough that sounded oddly like 'Harry'.
She looked at Harry with a new interest, and he blushed under her gaze.
"Ron's a prick" he said, trying to lighten the situation.
She smiled, studying his face. He wasn't as handsome as Draco, of course, but he did have a certain, rugged charm to him. His long, messy black hair, his square features, and piercing green eyes definitely gave him a unique look…
As they walked into the Transfiguration classroom, Ron purposely sat with Hermione, so that Harry was paired up with Ana.
"So" he said when they sat down, "Sorry about sticking you with Malfoy in potions this morning, I tried to push Ron off the chair."
She grinned, "That's okay. I had fun with Draco."
Ron turned around in his chair, "Did you just say that you had FUN with MALFOY?"
"Umm… yeah… he was nice, and funny. Why?"
"Because," Harry replied, "Malfoy is the one that hates me for no reason. Not to mention he's done horrible things to me for the past four years."
"He was probably only nice to you 'cause he wanted to get into your trousers." Came Ron's voice.
"Ron!" exclaimed Hermione again.
Ana felt that this probably wasn't the best time to defend Draco, but she did it anyway. "Just because you want to get into someone's trousers, Ron, doesn't mean everyone else does."
Ron gaped at her, and turned beet red.
Harry and Hermione, however, broke out into hysterical laughter.
Ana laughed as well, "Sorry Ron, couldn't resist."
He grinned grudgingly, "Well at least that explains how you got along with Malfoy!"
During the rest of the class, Harry, Ron and Hermione regaled Ana with stories of horrible things Malfoy had done, so that by the end of Transfiguration, Ana was seriously doubting her friendship with Draco. Although, she supposed, there were two sides to every story.
---
Later that evening, Ana was determined to talk to Draco. She walked down with Harry to dinner, but her thoughts wandered to Draco. She engaged in conversation with Harry throughout dinner, but her eyes kept wandering over to the Slytherin table, wanting to catch a hint of those cool, grey eyes. Finally, when dinner was almost over, she saw Draco leave the great hall by himself. She stood up, excused herself from the table, and followed Draco out the great hall doors.
"Hey! Draco, wait up!" she called after him. He turned around, and waited for her to catch up.
"Hey, we didn't get a chance to talk at all for the rest of the day. It sucks that we don't have any more classes together."
"What? Missed me already? He replied, smiling.
"Oh please, as if YOU didn't miss me."
He grinned, but didn't deny that comment. "So what was it you wanted to talk to me about?"
"Well," she replied hesitantly, "you".
The smile faded from his face. "Oh, let me guess. Potter, Weasely and Granger regaled you with stories of how I'm a complete bastard, is that right?" His expression grew bitter and he turned away. "Well, let me save you the time and tell you it's all true. I'm a bastard, my father's a bastard, I tried to kill Potter, etc, etc." He was suddenly overcome with a surge of hatred for Potter. Now she would expect him to be like that too.
She took his arm, and turned him so that he was facing her again. "I won't deny that's what they said," she told him, "but I never said I believe them."
"Oh please," he spat, spitefully, "Why wouldn't you believe perfect Potter and his mud blood friends? Everyone always believes them."
Now it was her turn to get angry, "Well, I'm NOT everyone, and you certainly aren't helping your case by calling Hermione a mud blood." Her voice softened, "Why follow their expectations? After all, you proved to me that you aren't like that." She smiled up at him, and looked into his grey eyes, "Unless it was, to quote Ron, 'all an act to get into my trousers'. In which case I will certainly have to kill you."
He gazed down at her and let out a soft laugh, "That's definitely what it was. So if it worked, when do I get in your trousers, then?"
She patted his arm sympathetically, and smiled, "Try, never." And with that she turned and left.
"Damn!" he called after her, his mood much improved.
---
That night, Ana's thoughts were on Draco. He intrigued her. There seemed to be something dark about him… But he was also charming, witty and incredibly gorgeous. She wondered about him, though, what about all the things he had done to Harry? She was sure they were not lying, and he hadn't denied any of it, had he? He seemed so different around her than everyone else. Was she seeing the real Draco, or was the real Draco sarcastic, bitter and cruel as most believed? And what about Harry? He clearly liked her, and to most he would seem the obvious choice; honest, brave, kind. But she just wasn't attracted to him in that way. She sighed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for another tomorrow.
---
On the other side of the castle, Draco also couldn't sleep. He kept thinking of her. Ana. He sighed and mentally hit himself. Why did he have all these emotions over some girl? Especially one he's known for such a short amount of time. And why had he gotten so angry over the whole Potter thing. Malfoys weren't supposed to show emotion. And he wasn't supposed to be nice or have all these feelings, he thought with disgust. But her words kept returning to his head, "Why follow their expectations?" He tried to push her out of his head, and resolved that tomorrow he would go back to being the Malfoy everyone expected. After all, he didn't care what she thought…did he?
---
The next morning was fairly uneventful for Ana, and she ended up spending most of her time with Harry, Ron and Hermione. She didn't see Draco all day, however, and got a strange feeling that he was avoiding her. After lunch, she walked down with the rest of the Gryffindors down to Hagrid's cabin, for their Care of Magical Creatures lesson. She knew they had it with the Slytherins, and she was looking forward to talking with Draco again.
Most of the Slytherins were already there, and were standing in a circle, huddled around something, which they obviously found very amusing.
"Stop! Malfoy! Don't do that to Trevor! Give him back!" came the extremely agitated voice of Neville Longbottom.
Draco, who had somehow gotten hold of Neville's toad, was pointing his want at it, and making it do extremely high somersaults in mid-air. The toad, in the meantime, was extremely terrified, and was making squeaky croaking noises.
"Longbottom, I would, but really it's FAR too entertaining." Drawled Malfoy, encouraged by the laughter of the other Slytherins.
Harry and Ron were now furiously attempting to have a go at Draco, but Hermione held them back.
Ana was shocked, and furious. "Draco" she said coldly and walked up to him, "What are you doing?"
Surprised by the sound of her voice, he turned around and dropped the toad, who hopped madly back into the arms of Neville.
Recovering, Draco smirked, "What does it look like I was doing? Having a bit of fun, what else?" but he faltered as her furious gaze bore into his eyes. He pulled his eyes away. She had made him feel so stupid. Why had he done that? And why did he care what she thought?
At that moment, Hagrid came out of the Forbidden Forest, carrying a tether attached to a very large male unicorn. Draco saw his chance and stepped away, avoiding her gaze for the rest of the class, and hardly saying a word.
At the end of class, as Harry, Ron and Hermione started to walk back to the castle, Ana saw Draco behind them, walking by himself.
"I'll catch up with you guys in a minute ok?" she told Harry,
"Sure," he replied hesitantly, glancing back at Draco "See you in the castle"
Ana waited for them to walk a little further up the hill, and then walked down to where Draco was standing.
"So, are you going to tell me what that was all about?" she confronted him, "Or was that just you being a selfish bastard?"
He glared at her, "Fine, it was stupid. And a perfect example that proves that your little Potter and friends, were right about me." He turned away from her.
"That wasn't really you," she replied softly, "What happened to yesterday's Draco? The one who was nice… and funny?"
"She thought I was nice?" he thought, but then rounded on her, "Don't presume to tell me what I'm like!" he said angrily, "You don't even know me!"
She sighed, and looked at him with a disappointed expression that made him want to take back those words. "No, I guess I don't."
Draco watched her walk towards the castle, and sat down on a stump, hating himself. Why did he always have to screw everything up? She had actually liked him. She thought he was NICE? He didn't think anyone had ever thought of him as nice. He sighed, and thought about Neville's toad. Why had he done that anyway? On afterthought, it was just cruel and stupid. He had acted like a first-year… Then he stood up with shock at a realization which had suddenly forced its way into his mind. He liked her. He actually liked her! Shit. Why did this year have to get so complicated?
---
Ana caught up with Harry just as he was entering the castle, "Hey, wait up!" she called out.
He turned around. "Oh, hey." He shot her a puzzled look, "So what's up with you and Malfoy?"
She sighed, "Oh nothing, I just realized that you were right about him, that's all."
He looked at her curiously, feeling that there was something else she wasn't telling him, but he shrugged it of and said, "Okay, well we'd better hurry, or we'll be late for History of Magic. Binns hates in when we're late."
She gave him a smile, and then to his surprise, took his hand in hers, "I guess it's over with Draco, and Harry's really sweet…not that there was anything with Draco in the first place…" she thought bitterly, and followed Harry into the History of Magic classroom.
---
The next few days passed rather uneventfully, although Draco and Ana made a special effort to avoid each other. She was still angry and frustrated at him, and he, well, he didn't know how to act anymore. Even the Slytherins had noticed a change in his personality. He was quiet and gloomy, and hardly made any snide remarks at all.
"Draco, darling" squeaked Pansy Parkinson in Potions, "What's wrong, you've seemed so distracted lately." After the incident in Care of Magical Creatures, Ana was now paired with Harry, and to his dismay, Pansy had come to sit beside Draco.
"Huh?" Draco replied, interrupted from shredding his quill to bits in anger as he watched Ana touch Harry's arm, and laugh at some comment he had made. Draco was sure it was a ridiculously stupid one. "What do you want?" he snapped back at Pansy, "Just leave me alone will you?"
"Al-alright," she muttered unhappily.
He sighed. Something had to be done, but what? He couldn't allow her to go off with that bastard, Potter! He supposed he could apologize, but Malfoys NEVER did that…
Ana was extremely fidgety as she sat through Potions. She kept feeling Draco's intense gaze on her, but she refused to glance in his direction. AND she kept flirting with Harry. What was wrong with her? She didn't even like him in that way, really. Was she trying to make Draco jealous? And was that fair to Harry?
She was snapped out of her thoughts by Harry's voice, "Are you excited about Quidditch tonight?"
That was the other reason she was fidgety. It was Quidditch try-outs. She was fairly certain she would make the team, but she still had butterflies in her stomach. "Oh yeah, definitely! Can't wait!"
He saw her nervous expression, "Don't worry, I'm sure you're great."
She laughed, "Oh, I'm not worried, but I'd be worried if I were you. About keeping your seeker position, that is."
He laughed at that, "Well, you're probably right. I bet you're loads better than me anyway,"
She smiled blandly at his comment. She knew he was trying to be nice, but she couldn't help thinking what Draco would say to that. "Probably something extremely conceited" she thought.
---
Much to Harry's dismay, and the dismay of the other Gryffindors trying out for the team, the pitch had been double-booked. With the Slytherins.
"Well," said Madam Hooch, the Quidditch instructor, "You'll just have to share. Gryffindors to the right, Slytherins to the left. Or you can take turns. Captains decide."
Harry and Draco walked over to the middle of the pitch. "Well, what do you want to do?" asked Harry
"I really couldn't care less, Potter" snickered Draco, "You take it first for an hour, then we'll take it."
"Alright" replied Harry, a little surprised by the fact that Draco hadn't insulted him at all.
He called the Gryffindors over, and Draco was surprised to see Ana dressed in new Quidditch robes. "This should be interesting" he thought, and walked over to sit in the stands. He wondered if she was any good at Quidditch.
"Alright" Harry explained to his team and the people trying out. "I'm captain, and I also play seeker. Fred and George are beaters, Ron is keeper and Angelina is chaser. So that means we really only need one chaser for the team this year. Any of you who wanted another position, sorry." Several people huffed and walked off the Quidditch pitch. All who remained were Ana, and a couple of third year boys, who Harry didn't know.
"So, let's get started. Ana you go first." She nodded, and they mounted their brooms, and flew into the air.
It was so exhilarating to fly, it was probably her favorite thing in the world. It felt like you could leave all your worries, everything on the ground. She raced up into the sky, and spun around, laughing.
She was interrupted by Harry shouting, "Ana and Alicia, try to score a goal on Ron. Fred, George and I will be the other team. Ready! GO!" and he threw Alicia the Quaffle. Alicia raced towards the goal, but was intercepted by Harry. She passed to Ana, who was already beside her. Ana accelerated and raced towards the goal, easily dodging Fred and George by diving beneath them. She passed back to Alicia, who sped forward, was again intercepted by Harry, and passed back to Ana. Ana grabbed the Quaffle, and flew towards the goal. Suddenly, Harry was right in front of her. She screeched to a halt inches before him, smiled and dove underneath him, ascending in front of the goal. Not seeing Alicia within range, she feigned throwing the Quaffle left, leaving the right goal unprotected. She banked sharply right and threw the Quaffle straight into the goal. She stopped, out of breath, and descended to the ground.
The rest of the team soon landed beside her.
"Great job!" exclaimed Harry, "I think you're probably on, although I still have to try those other guys."
Ana laughed, giddy from the adrenalin, "Thanks, yeah go ahead, I'll be on the stands. I need some water."
She walked over to the stands, where she found Draco waiting for her. He was standing with his arms crossed over his chest, leaning on the side of the wall.
"Hey." He said
"Hi." Ana replied coldly, refusing to look him in the eyes.
"You flew really well out there." Draco said in a strained sort of voice.
"Thanks." She turned to leave.
"Wait" he called out. "Come on! This is hard for me to say. I don't think I've ever complimented anyone before."
She turned back to him and looked at him coldly, "A fact that you are no doubt, proud of."
Now it was his turn to get frustrated, "Look, shut up, will you, I'm trying to apologize!" He looked into her blue eyes. "I'm sorry about the toad thing okay? It was stupid and childish and I regret it…"
She smiled at him slyly, "I appreciate it, but it's not me you should be apologizing to."
He stared at her blankly, then he realized what she was saying, "No! Longbottom! I can't apologize to Longbottom!"
"It wouldn't hurt you to learnt a bit of humility."
"But – Longbottom? "
"Yes." She laughed at the expression of absolute disgust on Draco's face. "And right now is a good time, don't you think?"
She grabbed his hand and pulled him back to the castle. He was still in shock, "how did this go so terribly wrong?" he thought.
Ana pulled him all the way to the Gryffindor common room, where Neville was doing his potions homework. Draco attempted to escape but she pushed him closer to Neville. He cleared his throat. Neville looked up, and seeing Draco standing over him, let out a squeak of shock. Draco cleared his throat again, "Look Longbottom," he hissed angrily, "I'm sorry about your toad alright? I'm sure that now we can be the best of friends" he added sarcastically. Neville squeaked again, and stuttered, "Um… that-that's okay…"
Draco turned back to Ana, "There. Satisfied?"
She giggled at his disgusted expression, and pushed him back out of the portrait hole, "Well it's a start." Suddenly, not knowing what had come over her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick hug. He was so shocked that he didn't even have time to react, but he felt his heartbeat quicken as he felt her warm body pressed against his. Draco's silver hair tickled her face, and he smelled like peppers and lemon… she felt a kind of nervous, tingly feeling and let him go slowly...
Ana looked up at his face, slightly flustered, and then laughed at his expression, "You act as if you've never gotten a hug before! Now you'd better go, or you'll be late for your Quidditch practice."
As he walked back towards the Quidditch pitch, Draco thought about what she'd said. The truth of it was; he couldn't ever remember someone giving him a hug like that, the kind that you give to a close friend…
---
The next few weeks passed, and Ana remained friends with both Harry and Draco, a fact that was not well received by both parties.
"Why, oh WHY do you insist on hanging around with Malfoy?" asked Ron desperately, after one potions class.
"Oh Ron," Ana sighed impatiently, "We've been over this before…"
"Yeah," Ron admitted, "but do you have to be so chummy with him? Haven't we told you enough stories about him? AND he's a mean, self-involved git!"
"Look Ron," Ana replied, her voice getting slightly icy, "I don't know what he was like before, but all I know now is that he's changed. He's really not so bad. He IS my friend, and you'll just have to deal with that."
Ron sighed impatiently, and walked away shaking his head.
Ana turned to Harry. "Does it bother you as much as it does Ron?"
Harry shrugged his shoulders, "Honestly, I just can't understand how you can stand Malfoy, but I can't tell you who to be friends with. And -" he admitted grudgingly, "he does seem to have matured this year. He pretty much ignores me know, instead of saying whatever foul thing comes into his head. But I suppose you had something to do with that?"
Inwardly, however, Harry still felt loathing towards Malfoy, and an odd feeling of jealousy when he saw Malfoy with Ana.
Draco, too, did not like that Ana was friends with Harry and Ron. "Why are you friends with THEM?" he hissed at her one day, when he saw her laughing with Harry.
"Draco," she replied calmly, "Don't tell me who to be friends with. After all, look at YOUR friends." She looked pointedly towards Crabbe and Goyle, who were stuffing pastries into their mouths as fast as they could.
Draco glared at her, "First of all, they are not friends, they're followers." Ana rolled her eyes, "That's completely different. And POTTER…"
She broke him of, "Draco, why do you hate Harry so much?"
He paused, unsure of what to say. He had never really thought about it. Nobody had ever questioned his hatred before, including himself. "I… uh… I just do okay!" he snapped angrily.
She crossed her arms and gave him an appraising look, "Well" she said coolly, "When you think of an actual reason, be sure to let me know. Otherwise, don't tell me what to do."