AN: Okay, so here is chapter three...Draco's actually not in this chapter although he's mention way too much for him not to be, but I actually just sat down probably an hour and half ago and wrote this whole chapter from scratch. So I hope you enjoy it and please tell me what you think, even if you think it's the worst piece of crap you've ever read, I'd still like to know that...sadly enough. Anyway, thanks to my reviews for reviewing and I hope I don't disappoint any of you, and I hope you enjoy this.
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to Harry Potter, I am not J.K. Rowling, and unfortunately I don't make any money from doing this...so please don't sue, I don't have that kind of money. Hope you enjoy the chapter.
Pansy sat quietly in the library waiting for her visitor. She had been waiting for almost half an hour now, but finally when she looked around the bookshelves for one last time, he arrived. The gangling boy sat down and faced her. Pansy straightened herself up immediately.
"Theodore, you are close with Draco, right?"
The boy stared at her for a moment; then replied: "Define what you mean by close."
"Well, like, he'll tell you anything?"
Theodore shook his head. "No. Draco and I barely talk. There really is only a few people he will confide in, and sorry, but I'm not one of them."
"Then who is?"
"Crabbe, Goyle, but that was obvious, and then there is Zabini."
"Are they the only people?"
"Yes."
"Okay. I guess I'll try and talk to Zabini, because those two goons are just morons and I would prefer not to have anything to do with either of them." Theodore shrugged at the girl's response.
He said goodbye and walked out of the library leaving Pansy alone to think of how she was going to convince Zabini into talking to Draco for her. She knew she could get Nott to do it because she'd always been able to get anything she wanted from him, but it wasn't going to work this time.
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Hermione sat in the common room reading when Ron came in. She noticed that the redhead look depressed and was about to confront him and ask what was troubling him when the boy looked up and began smiling as if nothing was wrong. Hermione watched him for a moment; then decided she wouldn't get an answer out of him even if she were to ask what was bothering him, so she just wouldn't ask.
"Hey Hermione, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Okay, see I have this problem. Well it's not really a problem, but it's been bothering me for the past couple of days." Hermione closed the book she had been reading and devoted her attention to her friend. "And scarily enough, it's about Draco." The bushy haired girl's eyebrow rose in suspicion; which Ron had been expecting. He gauged her expression for a moment, but decided there was nothing to worry about and continued. "See I could swear that when we were in the hospital together and Harry had come to visit me, but I wouldn't allow him to be thrown out like Pansy had been, I thought I saw a tear come down from Draco."
Hermione stared at the redhead for a moment confused; then replied simply: "What?"
"That day I had kicked Pansy out of the hospital wing because her voice was annoying me. Then Harry came by later and Draco wanted to kick him out because he wasn't allowed his visitor, so I shouldn't be allowed mine. But I wouldn't allow Harry to be thrown out, and when Pomfrey came out and shooed him away I turned back to Draco and noticed what looked like a tear."
"Okay. You know when you add more words to things it makes more sense." The boy smiled, but didn't say anything. Hermione continued: "So is that all that was bothering you about Draco, or is there more I should know before I tell you what I think."
"There's more." Hermione shook her head and Ron continued: "So then, remember how we had left Potions and I stood outside making insults at Draco?"
Hermione shook her head, but held up her hand for him to stop for a moment. "I just have one question."
"What?"
"Since when did you start calling Malfoy, Draco?"
Ron stopped for a moment and thought about it; then shook his head. "That doesn't matter right now. So you remember the day?" Hermione nodded her head again. "Okay, well then I turned around and saw him there behind me, and he looked as hurt as he had in the hospital when Harry wouldn't leave. He looked as if he was about to cry again."
Ron collapsed against the armchair across from Hermione and waited for the girl's reply. Hermione took a moment to think about what she had just been told; then returned her focus to Ron. "Have you ever found yourself thinking of Malfoy?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean like you are thinking about all of this stuff that just recently happened between you and Malfoy. Have you ever done that before?" Ron continued to stare at her confused. "You are thinking right now about why Malfoy looked at you the way he did or nearly looked like he was going to cry after you insulted him, have you ever thought along these lines when it comes to him before?"
"Not that I can think of, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Ron, do you like anyone at this moment?"
"No, why?"
"No reason. Well I think Malfoy may just be going through the same issues as yourself, but neither one of you know it."
"And what issues am I going through?"
"I can't tell you that. I'm not always going to be around to solve all of your problems, and I think this one would be a good problem for me to back away from and let you figure out the solution and the answer to it all."
Hermione smiled happily and jumped up from her chair and left the common room. Ron stared after her with a mixture of anger and amazement. He returned his attention to the fireplace and thought about what Hermione had just said to him.
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Blaise stood in the hallway waiting for Pansy. He had received a note a few hours ago, saying she wanted to meet him and talk to him about something. So here he was, waiting for her in one of the darkest hallways in the whole castle. He only hoped she was going to kill him over something he'd done. He was about to leave on that thought when the dark-haired girl emerged from one end of the hallway.
"Leaving so soon?"
"No, I was just getting tired of waiting for you."
"Well I'm here now."
"Yeah, so what do you want?"
"Draco will tell you anything right?"
"Most things."
"Well do you think you could get him to tell you something?"
"Depends."
"Depends on what?"
"On what it is that I'm trying to get out of him."
"I need to ask you a favor."
"Is this about asking Draco something he won't tell just anybody?"
Pansy gave him a 'no-duh' look and went on. "Will you?"
"Depends."
"Depends on what now?"
"Depends on what I get out of the whole situation."
"Well, what do you want?"
"I know what I don't want."
"What?"
"I don't want to do any of my homework for a month, including that potion in Snape's."
Pansy's lips tightened. "So let me get this straight. You'll do what I want if I do all of your homework for a month?"
"No."
"No? What do you mean no?"
"I mean I'm not stupid enough on two bases of that situation. One: I'm not stupid enough to not do my homework for a month, especially this year. And two: I'm not stupid enough to trust you to do my homework for a month."
"Are you insulting me?"
"Yes."
"Fine! Then what do you want that you will allow me to give you in exchange for this favor I am going to ask?"
"If you ask me what I think you are about to ask me; then when Draco responds with how much he dislikes you and doesn't want you to be near him, you obey. And get lost. Don't ever talk to him again, nor talking to me, Crabbe or Goyle about him…ever again."
Pansy stared at the taller boy taken aback. "I have enough confidence to know that those are Draco's real feelings, so I will take you up on that, but that's not entirely what I wanted to know from him."
"Fine. What else is there?"
"Find out if he is in love with someone else."
"You want me to find out if Malfoy is in love?"
"Yes. I heard him talking about making some kind of love potion and I want to know who it's for." She smiled. "Of course, he knows he doesn't need to make me a love potion, for I am already in love with him." Blaise rolled his eyes at her. "Anyway, so do we have a deal?"
"Yeah, we have a deal."
"Alright. I guess I'll see you around then." Pansy left the hallway without another word. Blaise watched after her a little annoyed, and knew Draco would be as well.
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Harry found Ron still sitting in the armchair the way Hermione had left him about an hour before. He noticed his best friend was deep in thought as he stared at the blazing fire. Harry had met Hermione on the way up here, and Hermione told the whole story to Harry and exactly what she thought of the situation, and as Harry stared at his best friend and thought of what Hermione had told him he had to agree with her.
Harry went to leave, but Ron caught a glimpse of the movement beside him and came out of his trance. He looked up at his friend, who was smiling down at him innocently. "What?" The redhead asked suspiciously.
"What?"
"What?"
"What the hell do you mean what? I was just standing here and you stared asking me what."
"You were looking at me funny, and you're looking at me weird now, what is so peculiar about me today?"
"Nothing and I wasn't looking at you weird."
"Yes you were."
"I was not."
"You so were."
"Whatever, Ron. Oh by the way, you do know that you have been sitting in that same chair in the same position as when Hermione left you an hour ago?"
"And how would you know if I had or if I hadn't?"
"I met Hermione on the way up here, and she described how she had left you and when I came in you were still in the same position."
"Oh shut up."
Harry laughed at his friend's response. "Come on. It's almost time for dinner and we might as well start heading down to the Great Hall and get you out of this common room."
Ron grudgingly got up from his seat. Harry walked out of the portrait hole and Ron followed, but on his way out he gave one last glance at the fire in the hearth, but nothing more came to mind and he left.
On the way down the boys met up with Hermione who was on her way up to get them. The trio walked down and into the Great Hall as one unit. Hermione would occasionally give a glance to Ron, and find the redhead off in his own world thinking again. She'd never seen him thinking so much about one thing. Harry found himself glancing over at his best friend as well. Harry noticed that Ron was so far out of it, that he could tell Hermione anything he wanted at the moment and Ron wouldn't hear a word of it, so he turned to Hermione and whispered in her ear (not wanting to take any chances) that he agreed with her theory about Ron's situation.
As they entered the Great Hall Harry and Hermione watched Ron instinctively and saw Ron's eye drift to the Slytherin table, but immediately come out of his trance by the smell of food. The two looked at each other then followed Ron down the table to their spots.
Ron munched happily and as always tried to talk with his mouth full so merrily. Harry and Hermione didn't mention anything about what Ron had said about the situation with Malfoy, because they knew he would deny the whole situation, but instead allowed him to talk absent-mindedly about whatever came to mind.
After dinner the trio returned to the common room. Ron returned to his armchair and Harry and Hermione sat down next to each other on the couch. It was almost as if the armchair was a portal, because the moment Ron sat down in the chair and his eyes transfixed upon the fire Ron was off in his own world again.
Harry turned to Hermione finally after almost five minutes of complete silence. "I'd hate to think that that is really what's going on, but I can't help but believe it. It's the only explanation as to why he would think about it for so long, but that still doesn't account for what's going on with Malfoy."
"What do you mean, of course it does."
"How?"
"Malfoy wants that attention and when he doesn't get it, he gets upset and the result is that he ends up near tears."
"I still just can't believe that the two of them—"
"Shh. He's moving around too much for him to still be in a trance."
Harry's attention turned quickly to Ron, who really was moving wildly. Soon the redhead came out of his trance and looked at his two best friends, both of which looked at him wide-eyed and hoping that he didn't hear they were talking about him. "What were the two of you just talking about?"
"Nothing really, just how you were sitting so peacefully in the armchair and it was the only time we'd ever seen you so tranquil." Hermione responded without hesitation.
Ron looked at them suspiciously. "I don't believe you."
"Well fine, but it's the truth."
Ron shrugged and got up from his chair. "I'm heading to bed, are you coming Harry?"
"Yeah."
AN: Okay so it's the end of another chapter. And what the bloody hell is Hermione and Harry talking about? They know something, and something tells me they don't like what they know. But you won't know what they are talking about until later, so you must stay tuned...and damn it don't I sound like one of those stupid advertisement people at the end of my chapters...oh well, I hope all of you thoroughly enjoyed it and watch for the next update.