20 – Out of the Bag

DRACO

There was a quidditch practice session scheduled for Thursday. Draco didn't plan on attending it. He had told Montague that there was something wrong with his leg and he didn't feel well. He hadn't told him that the thought of a broomstick still filled him with a slight feeling of unease and embarrassment. Or that he would rather spend the evening with a certain Gryffindor. Montague didn't need to know that.

And so while most of the people were still gathered in the Great Hall for supper, he made his way out of the castle and across the school grounds toward an inconspicuous willow tree. Half-way there, he noticed something strange. Two shadows, sneaking across the grounds, every now and then stopping and hiding between thick hedges and wide trees. They seemed to be chasing something. Or someone…

Something about the duo seemed vaguely familiar…
As he got a bit closer, he finally recognized the red-haired weasel and the brown mass of hair of Granger. What the hell were they doing? Aside from not so subtly hiding behind trees?

…

HERMIONE

Of course it was wrong to spy on her best friend. Everything in her told her that she shouldn't do it. That she needed to stop this nonsense right this instance. But here she was. Sneaking across the castle grounds and cowering behind a tree. It had been Ron's idea. He had said it wouldn't be spying because Haley would tell them eventually and shouldn't they make sure she wasn't doing anything stupid? As her friends? Hermione had tried to argue with him of course but in the end, the boy had been too stubborn. He would have gone without her if it had come down to it. And since she couldn't watch his every move, she had decided to come with him. If only to make sure his reaction to whatever they were going to witness was somewhat contained.

…

HALEY

What was taking him this long? Usually, Draco was the one who always arrived at the willow first. But now it was her who was waiting for him stupidly. She sighed, leaning against the old willow. Had something happened? Maybe he had been held up somehow… Wait. Weren't those steps, she heard? Before she could turn around and check, she felt soft fingers covering her eyes.

Haley turned around with a grin.

"Miss me?" The blond asked, smug smirk in place.

She rolled her eyes but nonetheless stepped forward, curling her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. Against her lips she could feel him grinning, as his arms came up around her waist. Was it too much? Did she seem too eager? Either way, she didn't really care. They were dating for Merlin's sake. She was allowed to show him some affection.

"Bloody hell!"

Shit. Why was she imagining Ron's voice now? The girl pulled away and opened her eyes, slowly turning her head… and looked straight into her best friend's horrified blue eyes.

…

DRACO

The timing of that boy was terrible. They had been in the middle of kissing, hadn't he noticed that? He seemed to be in a state of shock, the way he was just standing there, his eyes wide and mouth gaping open. He looked rather stupid like that. For some reason Haley was copying that expression. It didn't suit her. It looked funny though. He grinned despite the tension surrounding them.

…

HALEY

No, no, no, no, no. How could this have happened? How could she explain this? How–?

"What the hell is this shit? What did you do to her you git?" Ron spluttered once he had found his voice again. His face was red with a rage that seemed unquenchable. He was never going to understand. She felt like she was going to cry. Or faint maybe. In search for some kind of support, she reached for Draco's hand, gripping it tightly. It grounded her somewhat.

"Get away from her, you bastard!" Ron thundered, taking a step toward them, his eyes filled with fury. He didn't get far though. Because Hermione appeared from behind a tree and held him back by his arm. Hermione was here, too? Haley didn't know if this made everything better or worse.

…

HERMIONE

There were at least two people who looked as if they were on the verge of a mental breakdown. Haley was the first and Ron the second. Malfoy seemed… not troubled in the slightest. Malfoy. Merlin's beard, Malfoy. Him of all people? What was Haley thinking? No wonder, she hadn't told them about this. Her friend looked like she was about to break into tears. Hermione noticed Haley grabbing Malfoy's hand. It seemed like an almost unconscious action. Like she was intuitively seeking the boy's comfort. And Malfoy? There was a fond smile on his face. And his eyes… they were resting solely on Haley. Ron took that moment to find his voice again.

"Get away from her, you bastard!" he boomed, stumbling toward the pair with a murderous look on his face. Shit. Why was it always her job to keep things from escalating?

…

HALEY

"Ron! Wait a second!" Hermione called. Haley didn't dare look at her. She was too scared of what she might find on her friend's face.

"Let go! You saw what he did to her!" Ron hissed. "If I get my fingers on him I'll-"

"Don't touch him," Haley protested quietly. But Ron heard her. And her words seemed to shock him so much that he stopped fighting against Hermione's hold.

"What?" He whispered, staring at her in disbelief.

It had been the wrong thing to say. Shit. How did she fix this? What could she say? How had this even happened?

"H-How'd you find…?" She asked weakly. She couldn't even finish the question.

"They were following you," Draco informed her. She stared at him, frowning.

"What? You saw them? Then why didn't you go back?" What the hell?

"You said you wanted to tell your friends. I thought you'd already done that."

"Well I haven't!" Haley groaned, pulling her hand free. "I mean, didn't you find it strange that they were following me, if they were supposed to know about us?" she hissed in exasperation.

"What do I know? Perhaps they didn't believe it!" He argued. His brows were furrowed. The first sign of annoyance. Now, she was fighting with him as well. Perfect.

"Didn't believe what? Haley, what the bloody hell is he talking about?" Ron fumed.

"I was referring to-" The blond started but the other boy didn't let him finish.

"I wasn't talking to you, bastard! I was talking to my friend!"

"Don't call me 'bastard', bastard-"

"But that's what you are! A bas-"

"Stop it!" Haley yelled, stepping between the two boys. Merlin, the testosterone. "For Merlin's sake, can't we try to act like civilized human beings about this?"

It was silent for just a second. Then both boys started talking at the same time.

"He's not even a human being!" Said one, while the other argued, "I'm not the one who's acting like an arse!"

Haley took a deep breath, staring from the boy who'd been her first real friend to the boy she only recently learned to care for. There was no way, the two would sit down and talk to each other like civilized people. One of them had to leave. She turned to Draco with a look that silently asked him to understand that she needed to try and fix this. And that she couldn't do that while he was there.

"Let me talk to him," she whispered, reaching for his hand and giving it a light squeeze. He shot the other boy a sceptical look but gave a short nod in the end. "As you wish," he mumbled, leaning over and pecking her temple quickly. Without a doubt aware that that would rile Ron up even more.

"If you touch her one more time, I swear-" Ron started but –

"I'd like to see you try to stop me," the Slytherin drawled with an arrogant sneer that Haley hadn't seen in a long time. She sighed. Was that really necessary? The blond winked at her, before letting go of her hand and strutting past Ron.

The redhead turned around, muttering, "I swear, this time he's really gone too far." He started following him but this time it was Haley who was grabbing his arm.

"Ron wait, let me explain, okay?" She pleaded, no idea what she was going to tell him.

"What's there to explain? He obviously hexed you somehow. Or used some blasted potion or curse, what do I know! He deserves to pay!"

He wasn't listening to her. "Ron, please! I – There are no spells involved, okay? He's done nothing to me – I just–" She bit her lips. Her next words would be explosive for sure. "I like him, okay? I like him."

Ron stopped trying to free his arm and stared at her, flabbergasted.

"What?" He asked. "No, that's not true – that's not – Hermione, she – what about Luna?" he finally blurted.

"Luna?" Now she was confused. What did Luna have to do with anything?

"Yes, Luna!" He sounded angry now, pushing her hand off his arm. "Long blonde hair, blue eyes? Do you remember her now?"

"Don't be stupid. Of course I remember her."

"You should have remembered before going around bloody kissing other people behind her back! Does she know you're cheating on her?"

Haley gaped. "Cheating?" She echoed. "I'm not – I – wait, you think I'm cheating – I mean I'm dating Luna?"

"Well, yeah," he spat, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What?" She still couldn't believe it. "But why? What gave you that idea?" And why was he that protective of her?

Ron snorted. "Come on, don't play dumb. The secret meetings, the notes, the gloves you knitted for her! And all those times in the library when you visited her or held her hand!"

"Ron," she groaned. "You got it all wrong. Luna is my friend. There's nothing else between us. Nothing!" She was starting to get an idea why her friend was so invested in this.

"Yeah? Then how do you explain the notes and everything?" He pressed.

"The notes were actually from Dra – Malfoy," She corrected herself, figuring it would only annoy him further if she called the boy by his first name. "Luna helped us communicate with each other."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"Because we're friends." She said simply. "And she's also Draco's… friend."

He snorted again. "Very funny." Haley sighed.

He seemed to think about something for a moment. "So… there's really nothing going on between Luna and you?" He asked carefully.

She nodded. "We're just friends. I promise."

His eyes softened somewhat. "Okay. But then… Malfoy… you – you weren't serious, earlier, right?" He shook his head, a pleading look on his face. "You don't – him and you… you're not seriously…"

This was her out. The last chance. She could pretend this had all been a prank and make up some story that explained why she had kissed him…

No. She didn't want to do that. She owed it to her friends to be honest with them. Even if they did spy on her.

"I was serious, Ron. I'm dating him. Draco." It went from her lips so easily. She remembered not being able to even think the word dating. Much less refer to the boy by using his first name. But now that she had admitted her feelings to herself it seemed as easy as talking about magic.

Her friend took a step back, clouds darkening his eyes. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "This doesn't make any sense!" He shouted. "Why him? He's a Slytherin! Have you forgotten everything he's done to us? What he called Hermione? How he treated Hagrid? He almost got Buckbeak killed! Don't you remember?"

"I do! I remember all of it," she shot back, her voice starting to tremble. "I was wary at first, too! But over the last months I got to know him better and–"

"Oh, please, don't tell me there's actually a decent human hiding inside him and all this time we just bloody misunderstood him!"

"Ron, no," she pleaded. "If you would just let me explain–"

"You don't have to explain!" He spat. "I get it. He fooled you somehow. I just don't understand… that you let him."
It was all there plain on his face, rendering her speechless, making the tears shoot into her eyes. Disbelief. Disappointment. Betrayal. But he didn't resent her, did he?

He didn't waste another minute standing there and instead turned around and ran away.

"Ron!" She called. "Wait! Wait!"

Hermione chose that moment to step back into the picture.

"Let him go," she told her. "He'll cool off. You know how he is. He needs time." The girl had placed one hand on her friend's shoulder, keeping her form going after the boy.

"What about you?" Haley whispered, still not looking at her.

"Me?" The other girl asked.

"Do you need time as well?" Why did she keep whispering?

"Well, I… I'm not that surprised. I've had some time to… consider this."

"What?" Haley frowned, finally looking at her friend's face but the expression didn't give away much.

"Well," she sighed. "At first we thought it was Luna who you were secretly meeting like Ron said but… the more I thought about it, things didn't quite match up." Hermione's brow were scrunched up slightly in what Haley liked to call her Sherlock Holmes face. Her mind was off pondering the facts, leaving the emotions for later. She didn't know whether to be glad about the reprieve or whether to be anxious for the delayed reaction.

"For one, the way you kept interacting with Luna, the smiles, the secret conversations… it was too obvious. That's not how someone behaves who's trying to keep their relationship a secret." It sounded logical to Haley. But it didn't explain Hermione's other suspicion.

"I figured that Luna was your way of communicating with the person you were really seeing," she concluded. "And then one afternoon, when I needed a book from the back of the library I saw the two of them sitting together. With that blond hair. Like the hair Ron found on your coat." She paused, narrowing her eyes. "I felt foolish for even considering it. That's also why I didn't share that idea with Ron…" The tone of her voice was slightly wistful, like she was caught in a memory or a feeling. "I decided to… observe instead. That night when you crawled into my bed, I heard you talking. You said you liked him. Him. So, that's when I knew you were definitely not seeing Luna."

What? She had been awake that night? Haley hadn't said anything in her sleep, had she?

"And then the next morning when one of Ron's brothers mentioned Malfoy, you almost choked on your drink. He'd been in some kind of accident. When he entered the hall, I could tell how relieved you were at the sight of him. Even though you were trying to hide it. So, I asked myself… what reason would there be for you to feel relieved instead of the least bit gratified at Malfoy's expense?"

Hermione was watching her now, one eyebrow raised thoughtfully.

"If you knew," Haley whispered. "Why didn't you say anything? Why follow me?"

"I didn't know." She snorted. "It was merely a suspicion."

Haley sank to the ground, leaning against the tree and sighed. She couldn't deal with the suspense. She still didn't know what her friend thought about all this.

"I was scared," the other girl admitted quietly. "Of being right."

Now it was Haley's turn to snort. Hermione Granger? Scared of being right? That was one of the most ridiculous things she had ever heard. Did she wish she'd been wrong? Haley didn't dare to ask. The brunette plopped down next to her, pulled her legs up and rested her arms on top of her knees.

"Stupid, right?" She sighed. "Honestly, though. What were you thinking?" With the facts gone, there was ample room for feelings now. Tired. That's what she sounded like. Tired and disbelieving and… sympathetic? Disappointed? Haley wasn't sure. Not sure at all.

She shook her head. "I was thinking a lot… in the beginning. Fighting all of this for a long time… I doubted him… doubted everything… even my feelings." She swallowed a lump that had formed in her throat. "Until I just… let myself feel." A soft smile formed on her face. "And the way I feel when I'm with him is incredible. I couldn't describe it to you if I tried."

…

HERMIONE

She was talking about Malfoy. Malfoy made her face glow like a rising sun. Malfoy made her feel incredible in a way she couldn't even put into words. She was talking about Malfoy.

"Yes, I'm talking about Malfoy," Haley said somewhat defiantly.

What? Had she just said that out loud?

"It's hard to understand, I know that." The girl continued. Hard? More like impossible. "But… I thought with some time… you could try…" She was pleading with her voice, with her eyes, with her trembling lower lip. This was her friend. But how could she expect her to simply smile and say 'I understand and I'm happy for you'? If it were anyone, anyone else, she would gladly do that. But like this? She still wasn't completely convinced this wasn't all an elaborate joke.

Hermione took a deep breath. "I want to be happy for you, I do but… I still remember… all the things he did to us. What he called me. Hagrid. I just – What do you even–" She bit her lips, shaking her head. What do you even see in him? That's what she had almost asked. Almost.
Her friend didn't reply.

"Haley, I didn't mean–"

"It may be hard to believe but he's trying, you know? He's trying to be something more than what everyone expects of him." She was obviously trying to stay patient.

"Of course, that's what he wants you to believe–"

"I'm not stupid!" Haley turned to her, something like annoyance burning in her gaze.

"I never said–"

"But you did! You think I'm stupid for trusting him. That I'm too naive to see that he's using me for some nefarious Death Eater plot, am I wrong?"

Hermione frowned. "You have to admit it's a little strange that Malfoy suddenly shows interest in you. And his father is a Death Eater. You saw it with your own eyes." They definitely needed to find the way back to the more rational path. For a moment she thought, Haley was going to get even angrier. But instead, the fire in her eyes went out like an extinguished flame.

"But Draco's not," she said quietly, almost silently, her voice delicate like a snowflake. It touched her in a surprising way. "He actually helped me with the Triwizard Tournament."

"What?" Had she heard that right?

"The gillyweed. It came from him."

"But you got that from Dobby," she protested.

"It was him who told Dobby about it," Haley insisted. "He also slipped me a note, telling me to meet him by the kitchens, which is where Dobby found me and gave me the gillyweed."

What? Was that the truth? "Are you sure?" Hermione asked just to be sure.

"Yes." The girl nodded to emphasize her point. "See? Why would he help me if he was plotting against me? And that was even before Voldemort returned."

She did have a point there. It didn't make sense. Unless Malfoy was toying with her. Unless… he was serious about her?

"So, have you been going out ever since then?"

Haley shook her head. "No. I was still crushing hard on Michael Corner then, remember?"

Right. How could she forget. She wasn't sure who was the worse fit out of the two boys.

"He kind of… spilled his heart to me after Michael ditched me at the Yule Ball." Her hand wandered to her shirt, touching something that was underneath it. A necklace? Hermione had always wondered what had happened with Michael Corner that night.

"That's how he won you over?"

Haley chuckled. "No," she said. "Not really. I'm not even sure I believed half the things he said that night." There was a faraway look on her face. Far away in memory land.

"So?" She was really trying not to sound too impatient. It was a challenge.

"After the tournament everything was different. He stopped… even acknowledging me. You probably remember our meeting on the train at the start of term?"

Hermione nodded. Malfoy had been a git as always and following that… Haley had been obsessed with finding out why he was suddenly ignoring her.

"I was so done with his shit," She rolled her eyes. "And then one day he asks for a second chance and practically begs me to come to Hogsmeade with him."

Hermione doubted that the Slytherin had actually begged. What was she supposed to make of all this?

"He kept asking, too. So, I said yes. If only to stop him from bothering me." She seemed to be lost in a memory again. A memory Hermione couldn't see. "He surprised me in the end. In a positive way. In many ways actually." There was something gentle and soft about her face.

"You really care about him," Hermione blurted. "You really care about Draco Malfoy." Impossible. But she could see it now. Clear as day on her best friend's face.

"I do," Haley replied shyly, looking at her fingers. "It just happened. Over time." She shrugged. As if she was still surprised about it herself.

"This is crazy," the brunette stated, barely suppressing the urge to tear out her hair. This was more than crazy. She turned to the raven-haired girl, grabbing her shoulder and staring into her green eyes urgently. "I mean, do you even know what that means? Have you actually thought about the implications?" No matter how hard she tried, she simply couldn't wrap her head around all of this. What had the Slytherin done to make the girl care about him? The arrogance, pettiness, cruelty… how could her friend look past all of it? Even worse, how could she actually enjoy being with him? Haley was one of the bravest, most compassionate and selfless people she knew. She had such a good heart. She helped people. Whereas Malfoy took pleasure in being cruel to others. So why… But maybe that was just the thing. Perhaps Haley thought she could…

"What if it's just-" she bit her lips, wondering how to phrase it best. "You know, that thing you have… the saving-people thing."

"What?" Haley frowned.

"You know, your thing. Like when you saved Fleur's sister during the tournament. She was never truly in danger but you couldn't leave without saving her."

Something clicked on her friend's face. She tensed, narrowing her eyes slightly.

"You think I'm trying to…" she paused, perhaps considering the idea. "to save him?"

Hermione nodded. It would make more sense than any other explanation.

"That doesn't make sense at all!" Haley protested indignantly, glaring at her. "I don't have a 'saving-people thing'! Why is it so hard to imagine that someone could genuinely care about him?" Was she hurt? At the behalf of Malfoy? She jerked away from the touch of her hand.

"It's not that I think no one could ever care about him. I'm sure his parents do." Hermione sighed. "But why should you? After everything you've been through, you deserve to be with someone who doesn't give you any more pain. Someone sweet and kind like… like... I don't know... like Neville maybe."

Haley chuckled softly. "That's not the way it works, I'm afraid. You can't choose where your heart leads you." Hermione looked away. She knew that only too well. How often had she wished, her heart would not skip a beat, every time Ron smiled at her with his blue eyes lit up and those freckles all over his face. Well, nowadays he smiled at someone else more often. How much even the thought pained her. Stupid heart. How foolish it was.

Haley placed her fingers over Hermione's hand, squeezing it gently, as if she knew what she had been thinking just now.

"I know your worried and you only want what's best for me. I get it. But still… I know, what I'm doing. You can trust me." She smiled. It wasn't Haley who she didn't trust. But she kept that to herself. "You know, maybe in some parallel universe another Haley is actually dating Neville."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. What had brought that on? Was she trying to change the subject?
"What about Malfoy then?" She asked, deciding to humour her.

Haley grinned. "Who knows? Maybe he'll charm you instead?"

Hermione snorted. "Don't be ridiculous," she replied, rolling her eyes. Merlin, what a preposterous thought.

"Only if you're not mad?" The other girl said it like a question. For a moment, she watched her friend, taking in her whole form. She was still her best friend. Even though she'd hid all of this for such a long time. Had she been dealing with all of this on her own?

"You could have talked to me, you know?" Even to her own ears she sounded slightly disappointed.

"I wanted to," she whispered after a while. "I wanted to tell you so badly. But-" Her voice was suddenly small. Almost inaudible.

"But?"

"I was afraid."

"Why?"

"I thought… you'd be mad. Or think I'm crazy or… stop talking to me. I…" she kept her eyes to the ground. "didn't want to lose you. Or Ron." She added after a second.

Something in Hermione's chest hurt. "For the record, I do think you're crazy," she sniffed. "But that doesn't mean you're going to lose me. We've been through so much together."

Haley made a sound that was a mix between a sob and a laugh. "I'm so glad," she breathed, finally looking at her again.

"You still don't approve of him, though." Her friend stated.

Hermione sighed. "I'm not going to lie," was all she replied.

Haley nodded. "It's fine, I didn't expect you to. Maybe time will convince you." She doubted it.

"Maybe." She answered simply. After all, she couldn't tell her friend, that it was more than likely her relationship was going to end in nothing but heartbreak. Or could she? Should she?

"Now I only need to figure out what to do about Ron." Haley muttered seemingly to herself. Right. There was still Ron. Hot-headed, impulsive, irrational Ron. But he was a loyal friend. And fiercely protective. Hermione had always liked that about him.

"You don't think, he's going to go after him, do you?" She was pretty sure Haley meant Malfoy with him. The concern in her voice unnerved her for some reason.

"It's Ron." She stated, not completely sure, what the words even meant. It's Ron, he's known for his impulsiveness. Or It's Ron, he's not going to actually go that far. Or maybe even, It's Ron, he's your friend, shouldn't you be concerned about him instead of Malfoy? Hermione wasn't sure what she had intended to say. And Haley didn't ask.

…

HALEY

Ron wasn't in the common room when they arrived at their tower. Nor was he in his dorm, according to Dean Thomas. But then, where was he? Haley even resorted to checking the Marauder's Map because she couldn't find him. She hoped he hadn't done anything rash…

There. She finally found his name on her map. He was just entering the common room. She threw the map back onto her bed, slipped the chocolate frog card she had found while looking for the map into her pocket, and left the dormitory. She caught sight of his red hair, just when he was about to enter his own dorm. The girl swiftly followed him, slipping into the room before the door closed.

"What the-?" He asked in surprise.

"Haley, what are you doing in here?" That was Neville. Damn.

"Sorry, Neville, would you give us a moment?" She asked politely.

"Oh. Sure." He replied, picking up a book and getting up from his four-poster.

"Don't bother, Neville. There's no reason to-" Ron began. But the other boy was already at the door.

"It's not a problem," he said with a smile. "Just tell me when your done. I'll tell the others, too."

"Thank you, Neville." Haley smiled back, hoping he wasn't going to tell the others the two of them were alone inside the boys dormitory. She didn't need those kind of rumours on top of everything.

A tense silence filled the room after the door closed behind Neville.

"Ron." Haley started, her voice soft and uncertain. The boy didn't look at her. He only shook his head, as if he could make her disappear like this. She didn't know where to start.

"Where have you been?" She asked finally.

"What?"

"Hermione and me returned ages ago," she clarified. "Where were you?"

He shook his head again.

"Ron, you… you didn't go and do anything stupid, did you?"

He snorted. "I'm not the one going around and doing stupid things."

She sighed. "Look, just – tell me you didn't go after him."

"Why? Afraid I hurt that git?"

"I don't want either of you to get hurt! Dammit!" She burst out impatiently.

He suddenly looked at her. No. Glared was the better word. "You almost sounded like my friend just now," he spat.

"I am your friend!" She balled her hands to fists in frustration.

"Oh, yeah?" The boy leaned down, so his blazing blue eyes burned right into her own. How tall he was. "Friends don't lie to each other! Friends don't keep massive secrets from each other! Friends don't betray each other for their enemies! What the hell, Haley?"

His anger only angered her more. This was ridiculous! "I'm sorry for hurting your feelings, Ron! Next time I'm choosing a boyfriend I'll make sure to consult you first!"

The two Gryffindors stared each other down for an explosive moment. Neither of them ready to back down first.

"Whatever." The boy said finally, turning away and reaching for the door handle.

"Wait!" Haley called. She wasn't done yet. "Can't you just – I'm not asking you to approve of him. I'm not even asking you to understand. I just… please tell me you'll leave him alone."

He didn't answer. All he did was look at her in a way that seemed to say 'Why are you asking this of me? Have you gone crazy?' She didn't know if she was crazy or not. But she did know, that she didn't want her best friend and her boyfriend to get into a fight that involved wands or possibly fists. Who would she root for?

It was time for her plan B. Haley fetched the chocolate frog card from her robe pocket and shoved it at her friend.

"What now? You think a bloody chocolate frog card is gonna solve thi–bloody hell!" He looked at the card more closely, holding it in front of his eyes. "That's Agrippa." His gaze kept wandering across the little card almost hungrily. "Shit! I've been looking for this one forever! With this there's only one card missing and I'll-" For a moment an almost childish joy had overcome his facial features. Then it was clouded over again.

"Are you bribing me right now?" He asked warily.

"It's not a bribe, I simply-"

"You simply gave me this as a present, so I'll keep my mouth shut and leave your little snake prince alone."

"Not quite–"

"Then what? Where did you even get this?"

"Neville. I exchanged it with him."

"When? Today? Yesterday?"

She looked away. "At… the beginning of term," she admitted. She did feel slightly bad for keeping the card from him.

"Wow." Ron stared at the card as if it had personally offended him. "Malfoy's done a great job turning you into a Slytherin."

Haley threw her hands up in the air. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm hardly a Slytherin!"

"Is there anything else you've been hiding?"

"It's a damn chocolate frog card, Ron!" Was he seriously getting riled up over that stupid children's card?

"Today it's a chocolate frog card. But what is it going to be tomorrow?"

"What?" She replied tiredly. What was that supposed to mean? What were they even talking about any more? She didn't know. Helplessness was weighing her down. Why did all of this have to be so complicated? Why couldn't things be easy for once? Had the room been this cold from the beginning? There was an unfamiliar distance between them. Similar to that time in fourth year when Ron had been mad about the goblet of fire choosing her. Was she losing him? Over a boy and a chocolate frog card?

"Ron," she pleaded, reaching out to the boy.

"Don't." He cut her off, raising one hand like a shield. A shield protecting him from her. A thousand needles seemed to prick her heart like it was a pincushion. "You've made your choice. You obviously prefer Slytherins to your own kind now. I don't want anything to do with that lot."

Her throat was starting to burn. No. Don't cry, don't cry, Haley thought desperately. But it hurt. Ron's rejection hurt so much. She thought about Sirius. Shouldn't she be used to the feeling by now?

She sniffed, feeling the tears start to pool in her eyes. Merlin, she hated crying. Her friend made a gesture as if he wanted to touch her arm but stopped himself in the last second. He gazed away, a trace of something akin to sympathy or perhaps regret in his features.

He sighed heavily. "Anyway, I won't go after him," he muttered. "And I also… won't tell anyone… about this."

Haley's heart leapt. Was there still a chance…?

"Go now," Ron said, nodding at the door behind him. There wasn't anything left to do or say, so she gave a nod and walked toward the door.

"Thank you," she whispered just when Ron said, "Keep this."

He had slipped the chocolate frog card back into her pocket. His eyes lingered on the card in her pocket a while longer, almost longingly. She raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Friends don't have to buy each other's trust," the boy said quietly. Then he opened the door, silently asking her to leave.

Later when Haley sat on her bed and took out the chocolate frog card to have a regretful look at it, she felt the urge to laugh and cry at the same time. Agrippa had left his portrait. And all that was staring back at her was a blank frame.

...

A/N: As promised you get this long-awaited chapter sooner than usual :) So, the cat's out of the bag now. Was it how you imagined? One line was a bit stranger things inspired... let's see if someone catches it :D Hopefully the POV changes weren't too confusing but I wanted to include as many reactions as possible.
I'm sorry, this is so angsty and dramatic... I promise there will be some more fluff and fun stuff in the next chapter!

Thanks for reading! I can't wait to hear your thoughts :)