Chapter Nine: The Daily Prophet, Part 2
"Are you almost ready?" Blaise asked Draco as he packed his bag.
"Yeah, I just need to get Her-, I mean Granger's work from Snape," Draco said.
"You've been thinking about her haven't you?" Blaise accused.
Draco narrowed his eyes at Blaise and shook his head. He walked to the front of the class room. Snape turned around and handed him a piece of parchment rolled up, and then about 5 small pieces of parchment not rolled up, "These are notes for her other Professor's to say you have permission to get her homework," Draco took the five papers, "and these are her notes from today," Draco took the roll of parchment.
"Thank you Professor," Draco said.
"Once she is better I would like you to explain the project you will be assigned to do with her," Snape said.
"Yes Professor," Draco said exiting with Blaise.
Once the door was shut Draco examined the notes to the other teachers, "She has: Ancient Ruins, Charms, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures and Defense against the Dark Arts. A long with Potions, surprising she isn't in Muggle History isn't it? It's probably too easy for her,"
"You haven't answered my question yet," Blaise reminded him.
"Why would I, Draco Malfoy, ever be thinking about a mudblood?" Draco asked as he still wondered why she wasn't in muggle history, even if it was easy. Perhaps she didn't always like being a know-it-all, or perhaps she didn't want to bring more attention to the fact she was muggle born. He would be sure to ask her if they ever got on friendly terms. But it's not like I want to.
"It's not weird that you are," Blaise told him totally disregarding Draco's denial, "you saved the life of a girl who has thought nothing but horrible things about you, but that's only because she doesn't know that there's any thing good,"
"So it's alright to say she's been in my every thought since I've awoken and I don't know why?"
"Perhaps, what have you been thinking?"
Draco was about to describe the thoughts when he noticed every one was watching them, "Blaise does every body some how know of my one good deed?" He asked Blaise observing the whispers and girls giggling.
"I'm starting to think so," Blaise said trying to ignore the people.
Draco shook his head, "you know," Draco said trying to change the subject of his thoughts. Truthfully, he was not ready to share them when he wasn't sure of them himself, "if you get any nicer to Potter and Weasley, after this event and every thing...people are going to start to notice there is some thing good in the house of Slytherin?"
"There had to be some time didn't there?" Blaise asked.
"Possibly," Draco said, "I just don't think the judgmental people in this school are ready to accept it as easily as we're just not being stereotypical Slytherins any more,"
"Perhaps," Blaise said, "You know," he said observing the people, "I think just about every person knows you caught Granger yesterday...not one face hasn't turned to marvel at you,"
Draco sighed, "They can't help it Blaise, it's not the Hermione Granger thing, I'm just too dashing,"
Blaise laughed and stopped when he noticed a girl had ran up to them, "Hello," She had an Irish accent, seemed young enough to be a first year and had the Gryffindor symbol on her robes. She had blue eyes, dark straight hair, the tips of which were burnt. Draco noticed she was clutching a pen (a muggle writing device) and the Daily Prophet, "I'm Sandy Finnigan,"
"Um hello," Draco said.
"I was wondering if-,"
Blaise noticed Draco's face on the front page of the news paper, "Mate!" Blaise said pulling the Prophet from under the girls grip hands, "Look!"
Draco took the paper from Blaise and examined it, "what in bloody hell...," Draco said, his eyes widening.
The girl took her news paper back, "I was wondering if you could sign your picture for me," she directed to Draco.
"What?" Draco said, staring at the paper in the girl's hand, still not taking it in.
"If you could just sign your picture," She said giving him the paper with the pen, "My brother Seamus is always saying you're a bad person, he said you were mean and to stay away from you but this article just proves that's not true, and if you signed it would mean even more. What you did was so amazing. I hope I'll be able to save some body's life like you have someday,"
"Um," Draco took the pen and signed his picture, not really aware of what he was doing, "great,"
"Thank you!" She said throwing her arms around him for a hug, "you're my hero," Draco tapped her back lightly and she ran off to probably go blow some thing up again. Draco looked around the halls, every one shooting him glances. He now noticed that every single one of them had the Daily Prophet in their hands. They were whispering and he could hear all of it.
"Hero?" Draco said after the girl was gone. He shook his head, "Blaise, I've just been hugged," He said as if hugging was abnormal.
"I don't think that's your biggest problem," Blaise said taking him back to realization.
Draco nodded and walked up to a few Hufflepuff third years, "could I borrow this for a second?"
"Sure!" The four girls squealed, each holding out a copy.
He took just one and thanked the girls, pulling Blaise into an empty class room to read, "Hogwarts switching staircase causes top-witch to fall into the arms of an enemy?" Draco digested this and the gigantic picture of him holding Hermione Granger, the mudblood in his arms, "This isn't good,"
"I know," Blaise said.
"My father will receive this, he is one of the first people to receive the Daily Prophet every morning, well at least he is given it by my mother," Draco shook his head, "why this? Why all of this confusion when there is already enough confusion,"
"Your father isn't that much of a threat is he?" Blaise asked, considering the tone of Draco's voice was pure fear as soon as he breathed the word 'father'.
"Blaise," Draco said as if Blaise were mental and tried to make this particularly obvious that his father was indeed a threat, almost a bigger threat to him then Voldemort, "is Hermione a mudblood? Is Potter the only person ever known for surviving the death curse? Or any encounter with Voldemort for that matter? Is Pansy a little slut that's obsessed with me? Is Weasley's family so poor that they-,"
"I get it," Blaise said, cutting him off. He looked at the paper for a moment considering it then said the first thing that came to mind, "I guess you were serious about the more then lecture thing eh?" Draco nodded, "well, you could always avoid him,"
"How do I manage that?" Draco said, "I'm going home in just over two weeks,"
"Yes," Blaise said, "But, you know the applications for the trip for Ancient Ruins is still open, you're interested in that class. You could sign up,"
"But you have to write an essay to even be considered a spot to go, I would never make that. Besides that's two weeks after summer starts and I'll be back here a week before school starts again,"
"Exactly, that only leaves three weeks, just come stay at my house. Besides I'll help you with your essay so that's no problem at all," Right now this seemed like the best possible offer, avoiding his father at all costs. But how could he possibly avoid his father for ever? Soon enough his father would find him. His father could apparate here, his father could go to Rome where he might be studying this summer if he found out he would be there. His father could go any where! Hunt him down to give him just and fair punishments for his actions. But I don't feel like I've done any thing wrong. Draco argued with himself. At first I questioned it, but saving lives isn't a bad thing, even if it's saving a life of a mudblood. "So there, you have no reason to not come," Blaise decided, "Besides this is much more wiser then facing your dad,"
"I'll have to face him some time. And with no luck at all he will find me,"
"Then it is much wiser for the time being," Blaise reasoned.
"That's true," Draco admitted, although he didn't seem convinced, "are you sure this would be okay?"
"Positive," Blaise said, "I'll owl my mother at lunch," Draco sighed and nodded, fear still building up in his mind with every passing second. Blaise looked at his watch, "Look we'll be late for class, come on," Blaise took the paper off the desk and handed it to Draco, "a souvenir?"
"If only," Draco said shoving it in his bag and following Blaise out of the class room.
Blaise clapped his hand on Draco's back, "Don't worry mate, it will all be fine,"
"If only," Draco repeated with a sigh walking to Ancient Ruins a long side Blaise, trying to ignore prying eyes, looking to see where he headed.
Ancient Ruins was fine. Draco had always loved that class. But his liking for it overcame the seriousness he held for the class, so he never did well. Draco was becoming more confident with the hopeless plan until Professor Gibbs began to talk about the trip.
"And the essay's are due today," he said, "with minor exceptions of course, for various reasons. The ultimate and complete dead line is the ending of this week, no further applications will be accepted after Friday," Draco sighed. Now what? "Class dismissed," The Professor said.
Draco looked at Blaise, "I have no hope of getting in on that trip now,"
"Don't worry; we'll explain it to him tonight at dinner alright?" Blaise asked.
Draco nodded with out the slightest bit of confidence and went to the front of the class room and gave the Professor the piece of parchment given to him by Snape. "Professor Snape would like me to pick up Grangers work," Draco said simply.
"Very well," The Professor said gathering pieces of work they begun today, "Could you let her know about the dead line for the essay? I know she was interested in it,"
"Yes Professor," Draco said taking the papers.
"Oh yes, and congratulations," Professor Gibbs said pointing down at his copy of the Daily Prophet, "Read it during breakfast. And I have to say, I had a very wrong opinion about you Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry,"
"Oh, uh, it's okay Professor," Draco said walking back to his desk shaking his head. "This is unbelievable," he said to Blaise. "I'm going to get her other home work from the other classes we don't have today. Coming?"
"How about I meet you in the Great Hall or at Care of Magical Creatures? I'll write a quick note to my mum and bring it down to the Owlery,"
"Alright," Draco said, "see you,"
"Bye," Blaise called after him.
Draco shook his head once he was out of the class room. First the only girl my father wants me to have a future with annoys me to death. Then I save the life of the last girl my father wants me to ever be associated with. Now it's in the paper so my father will definitely find out and want to punish me in some form. And what's just as worse I'm doing favors for her now, voluntarily! I'm beginning to care about her as more than a mudblood; even more then just as a person I could talk to with out insulting. What's happening to me?