A/N: I promised another update soon…and here it is! Yay for me! Okiedokie. This chapter is basically preparing for some BIG things that are about to come…so it's basically just setting up for the next few chapters, but I tried really hard to make it interesting anyway. Just to let everyone know, some big things are about to happen in this fic, including the revealing of some more secrets, so you know the drill—the more reviews…the more excited I am about getting these out! Hehe!

TheBeautifulLetDown: I know it's sad, but it will get better…I promise! Thanks!

Tigerlily727: Ahhh! Please don't hurt me! curls into the fetal position. Haha… thanks so much!

DarkKestralSilkeQueen: Thank you! Yeah..it's pretty mushy…but some action packed chapters are ahead! 

Shalalabang: Thanks so much! Here's that next chapter! Enjoy!

Fille-chica143: Thanks for reading! Touching…really??? Well… thanks!

Chapter 17

Back to Normal

"Ron, can I talk to you for a second?" Harry asked.

Ron stood there with Pansy attached to his arm and glared. "Sod off Potter." Ron whispered something in Pansy's ear and retreated down the hallway.

Harry turned to Ginny, "Babe, I just don't get it. Why does your brother hate me all of a sudden? Do you think it's because we're dating?" he panicked.

"Don't worry sweetheart!" she replied. "He'll come around."

-

"Draco, I just don't know what to do. I've tried everything and he still refuses to talk to me."

"Hermione, I don't even know why your worrying about Weasley. I've always said he's a git!"

She groaned, "Not helping Draco!"

"Sorry" he mumbled.

"I just don't get it" Hermione sighed, " it's like we're best friends and all of a sudden SNAP, he hates us."

"It's pug-face that's doing it… I guarantee it."

Hermione glanced up at Draco looking puzzled, "Uh, who?"

"Pug-face… you know… Pansy."

"Oh!"

"She's always hated Weasel and now it's like her tongue is attached to his tonsils."

Hermione laughed goodheartedly. 'He always is good for a laugh!' she thought.

"Listen, I got to go down to lunch, Harry will be wondering where I'm at." She replied and left Draco there in the hallway staring after her.

-

Draco sat down to lunch in the Great Hall and was annoyed to notice that Weaselbee had begun sitting with Pansy at the Slytherin Table.

"Pansy, may I speak with you for a…"

Draco was about to say, 'second' but Pansy had already sprinted to his side.

'Oh Hermione owes me for this one. Now, she'll probably never leave me alone.' He thought to himself.

"Listen Pansy, what's with you and the weasel?"

"Oh Drakie Poo!" she replied, "Are you jealous?"

'Hah!' he thought, 'Yeah, right now I'm jealous of Longbottom. He may be a prat, but at least he's far away from you.'

She squealed annoyingly, "Oh! Don't you worry! I've got what I wanted! I'll be done with him soon!"

Then, to Draco's obvious benefit, Pansy pranced away to powder her nose.

Draco cautiously got up and slipped into a seat by Ron hoping that no one would notice.

"Listen Weasley…"

"Malfoy, what do you want?"

"Eh, eh." Draco shushed, "I talk; you listen!"

He took a deep breath, " I don't know what fried your brain in the last couple days, but you need to pick your little freckled butt up out of that seat and go crawling back to the remaining members of the precious Golden Trio."

"Hah!" Ron laughed, "they never appreciated me…"

"Oh that's complete rubbish! Hermione has yet to stop droning on about how much she misses you and frankly, I'm bloody sick of it. Now, I can't very well speak for Potter, but I know you remember in 4th year the second task in the triwizard tournament- as disgusting as it is, you were the thing that meant most to him in the world. Not even you are dumb enough not to realize that that means something."

Ron just sat there shocked.

Draco stood without a word and left Ron there deep in thought.

-

After lunch, Ron met Pansy in the Astronomy Tower. He greeted her and leaned in to give her a kiss, but she shrugged him off.

"Oh Weasley, get off me. I don't have all day."

"Babe, what are you—"

"I only came here to tell you that I got what I wanted from you and now I'm done."

"Done? You mean…"

"I mean finite, I'm finished, gone, flown the coop."

He stood there staring at her in disbelief.

"Oh…I'm leaving you, you idiot! I already got what I wanted from you!"

Ron's feet remained glued to the floor as he pondered her words.

'She must not have wanted much because we only kissed…' he thought in confusion.

He slowly made his way out of Astronomy Tower and to the Gryffindor common room. He grumbled the password and entered through the portrait hole only to be faced with the two people he'd been working so hard to avoid.

Ron laughed nervously trying to figure out what to say. 'I can't believe Malfoy was right.' He thought.

"Ha. Ha. Ha…Hah." He sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'm an ass, I know it."

Harry's face broke into a smile. "It's just Pansy fed me all this crap about me being a third wheel, and you both not appreciating me. I guess I just stopped thinking with my head and started thinking with…well, another part of me." His ears started to twinge a faint red.

He waited for Harry or Hermione to say something. Several seconds passed with the three just staring at each other.

Then, with a shout of laughter, Harry and Hermione tackled Ron in a huge hug.

The world was back to normal again with the Golden Trio back together.

"Well, mum told me to ask you both if you're still coming down for Christmas?"

Both nodded.

"And she invited Kyle, too." He smiled, but both Hermione and Harry's faces formed into a frown.

'So much for getting a break from him.' Hermione thought.

Then she gave Harry a look that said, 'There's a lot we need to fill him in on.'

-

A/N: Eh! I know… it wasn't awesome and it was fairly short too, but I needed this chapter before I could move on to the BIG stuff. And I'm sorry that Kyle, I mean Sirius, I mean Kyle... oh you know... wasn't in this chapter! :) And I'm so close to 100 reviews, please review.