LookitDom: Looking over the stats of the stories both me and MineGeorgi have submitted, I noticed that this story is on around 24 people's alert list, and it got me wondering, if there are that many people reading this, then why do I get around 5 to 8 reviews per chapter? So I've settled with this idea.
If I don't receive at least 11 reviews on this chapter, I won't be putting up the next for a very, very long time. (I was thinking around 15, but I thought I'd be a little bit more nice.)
And if anyone sees any mistakes, please point them out to me, I don't want to be posting a rubbish chapter up. Thankies.
xXx
The Golden Trio's meal went by without bother, although Harry could have sworn he could feel a pair of eyes bore into the back of his head, but he just shrugged the feeling off, not letting anything ruin the meal.
Ron chattered excitedly to Harry about Quidditch strategies, Quidditch teams and Quidditch in general really. Hermione on the other hand, spent some of the time nudging Harry and gesturing to the necklace in a 'You-better-tell-Ron-what-you're-going-to-do-all-I-will-do-it-for-you' sort of way. Harry sighed at her and let Ron carry on with what he was saying.
The Slytherins walked out while glaring at the three and Ron was more than happy to return the favour by sticking his middle finger up at them through the window. Hermione then proceeded to lecture Ron about his middle finger and why he shouldn't use it in such a crude manner. Harry watched as Malfoy left.
What was the blonde boy staring at? Weren't his eyes a little…low?
Dear gosh he was staring at Harry's package.
Harry was relieved when he realised that Malfoy was staring at the package he bought not his package.
The Gryffindors sat and talked long after their meal had finished and gone, about nothing and everything, Harry was having the most fun he had had all day until Ron brought something up.
"So what shall we do tomorrow?" Ron asked, grinning at Harry.
Harry didn't catch on. "What do you mean? Its class tomorrow, unless you mean you want to play Exploding Snap or something?" Harry blinked.
Ron shook his head. "No, I mean for Malfoy's birthday."
"Ah…I was meaning to talk to you about that…" Harry glanced at Hermione who gave a knowing nod.
"I knew you wouldn't hold out on me Harry! All that talk about not having enemies, I knew that wouldn't last," Ron grinned broadly at his dark haired friend. "I have some plans…I was thinking to get him with something at breakfast, so the embarrassment will last longer."
"What are you on about Ron?" Harry looked at Ron with a questioning look on his face, until it hit him. "You're not still on about pranking Malfoy are you?"
"Of course I am Harry! I'll even get my brothers to help so we won't have to most of the work!"
"No Ron! What I said before, I meant it! I don't want enemies! I even got Malfoy a bloody present!" Oops, Harry didn't want to tell Ron that yet.
"You WHAT! Are you mental Harry!" Ron looked at Harry as if he was mental, as if he just poured his Butter beer onto his head and started tap dancing on the table wearing a sombrero.
"I must be mental if you think buying a present for someone is a sign of a mental person," Harry shot back.
"No, buying a present for someone is ok, but buying a present for Malfoy, Harry, M-a-l-f-o-y, is mental!"
"Ron!" Both boys jumped as a new voice joined in the fight. "Get a grip, you're his friend, you should be supporting him!"
Ron cringed. "Supporting him? He wants to be friends with Malfoy, Hermione!" Ron said with his voice coated in disgust.
Hermione rolled her eyes at the red head. "Ron, you should be supportive of Harry, if he wants to do this then he can, he just wants us to support him in this choice."
It was now Hermione's turn to receive Ron's famous 'Are you out of your mind?' look.
"Forget it Hermione, Ron doesn't have to support me like a friend would," Harry glared at the table in front of him as if it was the reason for all of his misery.
Ron gawked at Harry. "Harry! I would support you but…it's Malfoy! The person who's favourite hobby is to bad mouth my family! And Hermione!" he gestured towards Hermione who kept her eyes downwards, clear that she fully understood what Ron was saying.
"How can you expect me to support something that goes against everything I've ever understood, it's like going against my family. Everything he has said to me has either been an insult to me, my friends, or my family, how can you expect me to support that?" Ron asked sadly, staring at his best friend in disbelief.
Harry looked up at Ron, suddenly understanding. How could he expect Ron to do something like that?
"I'm sorry Ron," Harry said quietly and sighed. "But…I'm going to do this, for myself," Harry stated simply, determination shined in his eyes.
Ron shook his head and stood up from the table. "Well I'm sorry mate," he looked back at Harry. "But I don't want any part in this," he whispered sadly and walked out of the pub.
xXx
The Slytherins ate more food, much to Malfoy's dismay. But at least time ticked by faster, since they were all together, Draco could have an intellectual conversation with someone, that someone had to be Blaise, since an intellectual conversation with Crabbe and Goyle was close to impossible and Draco couldn't have one with Pansy without her groping his leg unfortunately.
Draco's brain was working hard on trying to figure out what Potter had planned, he just knew he was planning something, the way he fingered his package, how shifty he was when Draco asked about it and how Potter keeps casting him nervous glances every so often. At least he knew he was making Potter sweat, that was one thing he was glad about, even though he didn't have the ability to read the Gryffindor's mind to find out what he was planning. Pity.
By the time they all finished eating, Pansy suggested going back towards the castle, mainly because she was tired now. The other three boys agreed while Draco scowled darkly. So they left, but not before casting sharp glares over to the three Gryffindor's, and Blaise almost flew back inside the pub to beat the snot out of the Weasel when he flagged them all from inside. Draco could just hear the Mudblood's incessant ramblings about the Weasel and his middle finger even as they all walked away.
The blonde Slytherin was still lost in his own thoughts and didn't hear Pansy's shrill voice yapping on about nothing in particular, but then a hard tug on his cloak brought him out of his trance.
"Draco! Have you been listening?" Pansy asked, annoyed.
The boy shot her a glare and wiped non-existent dust off his cloak where she touched it. "Firstly, never, ever, touch me without my permission again," he continued to glare as she rolled her eyes. "And secondly, why should I listen to the shrill ramblings of you?"
Pansy shot him an annoyed and dark look before sticking her nose in the air and striding on in front of him.
Blaise raised an eyebrow at his friend. "You're never usually that harsh unless your mind was really set on something," he grinned. "You were thinking about Potter again weren't you?"
Draco turned and gave Blaise a cold look. "I am not 'thinking about Potter' I am merely thinking about what he is up to, he is up to something, I can tell."
Blaise searched his friend curiously, trying to determine why in Merlin's name would his friend even be bothered about what Harry-bloody-Potter is up to. He grinned again at the thought of winding his friend up. "Well it seems to me you're becoming quite obsessive with that Gryffindor."
The blonde stormed over to where Blaise was standing, glad that they were both the same eye level. "I would never become obsessed over someone as worthless as Harry Potter," he spat Potter's name out as if it was venom in his mouth.
Blaise smirked. "But I think you are showing signs of being obsessive, or maybe," Blaise faked a shocked expression. "You're jealous!"
Draco cringed. "Me? Jealous? Of Potter? Why should I be?" he sniffed.
"Because his attention is on something else and not you? Admit it Draco, you always prefer it when Potter's attention is on you, that's why you dedicate yourself to making his life miserable, don't think I haven't heard that pathetic sob story about you and Potter when you met on the train in first year. 'Boo hoo, Potter didn't want to be my friend, he chose the Weasel and Mudblood over me! Boo hoo hoo,'" Blaise imitated Draco in a shrill voice.
Draco saw red. "How dare you accuse me of being jealous of some…package!"
The darker Slytherin rolled his eyes. "It seems that way to me Draco, c'mon, ever since you realised Potter was trying to ignore you you've been more on edge about him lately, you want his attention, you practically thrive off it, this is just your sort of way of getting into his life without actually becoming his friend, which you actually wanted to be when you both first met," Blaise had a thoughtful look on his face. "So all this is just because he turned you down huh?"
The grey eyed boy blinked at Blaise, then scowled. "This has nothing to do with that blasted meeting, it has nothing to do with that train and it certainly has nothing to do with him turning me down! If anything I'm glad he did!" Draco sniffed before turning to carry on walking back to the school. "Harry Potter is a lowlife, stupid, moronic, selfish, up his own arse…" Draco's voice faded as he walked further away.
Blaise raised an eyebrow at him, then turned to look at Crabbe and Goyle, who seemed to just stand by and listened to the whole thing.
"He sounds like a girl who just got dumped and is living in denial," Blaise said thoughtfully.
The two boys nodded and followed Blaise after Draco.
xXx
"Harry, don't be so upset," Hermione soothed as they both walked out of the pub several minutes after Ron had stormed out.
"I can't help it Hermione, Ron was really upset, I can't believe I missed those reasons! Of course he wouldn't support this idea! Of course he hates Malfoy! And with good reason!" Harry sighed and leaned against a wall.
Hermione looked at the castle in the distance desperately; they both really should be getting back now. "Look, Harry," she stood next to him and leaned against the wall. "If you can get over all of those horrible things Malfoy has said, then he can at least support you, granted it may take him a little longer to get over the shock of this because Malfoy's and Weasley's have never really gotten along, but he should at least support you in your decision. Just because you want to be civil towards Malfoy doesn't mean your going to become best friend's with him, and it's not as if Ron has to become friend's with Malfoy either, he just has to accept the fact you don't want to be enemies anymore. It doesn't mean he has to stop being enemies with him too."
Harry nodded weakly throughout Hermione's speech. "That's true…he just has to accept it…"
Hermione forced a smile and pulled Harry off the wall. "That's right, if you want, I'll talk to him about it, tell him to stop being so stupid and accept your decision, it's the least he can do after all you've been through."
Harry just nodded. "Thanks Hermione."
She shook her head. "You don't have to thank me Harry, now c'mon before we're late!" she pulled his sleeve and led him out of Hogsmeade and towards the castle, not noticing the red blurs between the trees that seemed to grin in the shadows.
xXx
A red head stormed through Hogsmeade fuming, wizards and witches alike only just made it out of his rampage out of Hogsmeade.
He was then suddenly distracted by two other red heads that were grinning madly just on the outskirts of the trees and seemed to be chatting excitedly amongst one another.
Ron smiled broadly and called out. "Fred! George!" he waved and ran over to them.
"It's Gred-" one began.
"-and Feorge," And one finished.
Ron shook his head at the two, still smiling. "Whatever, now listen, I need help with this prank…"
Fred and George's faces immediately erupted into the same smile Ron was sporting only moments before. "Prank?" they both said at once.
Ron nodded.
"What kind of prank?" One twin asked.
Ron grinned evilly. "A prank on Malfoy."
"Oooh!" Both twins echoed and leaned in closer. "And tell us brother dear, what kind of prank are we thinking of here?" the other twin asked.
"A prank that will most likely humiliate the ferret in front of the entire school, during breakfast, so the humiliation will last longer throughout the day."
The twin's smiles broadened. "Ronald dear…" one wiped a non existent tear from his eye.
"…we're both so proud of you…" the second finished and faked a sobbing noise, then they both put Ron in a headlock and gave him a monkey scrub.
Ron's face reddened from trying to escape his brother's grip, he smoothed his hair back out and carried on. "So what do you two think?" he asked excitedly.
Both of their smiles turned into devilish grins. "Here's what we think…" and whispers soon filled the air.
xXx
LookitDom: I'm thinking of trying to make my chapters longer (shrugs) and FINALLY, I'm getting somewhere with this.
I quite liked showing Blaise's character as being more defiant and head strong towards Draco, quite like Draco himself, but a little tiny bit more laid back about it all. I also liked him showing up Draco just after Pansy strutted off, shows he's not afraid of Draco even if everyone else is and he's prepared to prove he's right and Draco's wrong even if Draco is the son of a death eater / wealthy / heir to a very strong family / 'Prince of Slytherin'
And to remind everyone: If I don't receive at least 11 reviews on this chapter, I won't be putting up the next for a very, very long time. (I was thinking around 15, but I thought I'd be a little bit more nice.)
