Chapter 2:
"Mudblood, can't you teach your boyfriend some manners?" Malfoy snapped as he walked by, Harry wanted so badly to defend Ron, but the man was eating with his mouth open.
"Call her that one more time..." Harry let the threat hang in the air.
"What? The Weasel's girlfriend? Woah, didn't knew that Potter could be jealous," Malfoy scoffed, his voice a tad bit harsher.
Hermione was like a bloody sister to him. The fact that Malfoy could even suggest that made him want to throw up. Ron looked about as green as Harry at the thought.
"Fuck you," Harry gave him the finger and he noticed Malfoy's ears go pink in anger.
Malfoy opened his mouth, likely to make a retort, but it would seem that he had nothing to say. Honestly, that comeback was weak, why was Malfoy so tongue-tied?
Harry rolled his eyes, and made the decision to not waste his time dwelling on it. Harry suspected that even Merlin would have difficulty even beginning to understand what the Ferret was thinking.
"Malfoy sure is creative with his insults today," Ron snorted sarcastically once he had swallowed, but Harry wasn't paying attention.
Cedric Diggory had just walked into the great hall... And that was the moment Harry knew he fancied the Hufflepuff. His caramel hair looked windswept, but it looked almost purposeful. A first year Hufflepuff girl walked up to him, and seconds later he was explaining something animatedly to her and pointing to a parchment. He was likely helping her, and Merlin did he have a noble heart. Soon enough, he had a flock of first-year students asking him for help. Harry's heart-melted when the he didn't seem bothered by it and continued helping them.
"You think if I asked Diggory would help me with my charms homework?" Neville wondered aloud.
"Neville, you do know I can-" Hermione responded, in a bossy voice.
"He'd help you," Harry stated, completely certain of this.
"He probably would. But as I was saying before Harry rudely interrupted me, I can help you with your charms homework. What are you struggling on?"
Neville sighed exasperated, before explaining where he was stuck. Harry knew that pain all to well, Hermione's snappish and terrible tutoring abilities were the reason he never let on when he was struggling with work. Hermione may have been intelligent, but she acted like everyone knew what she was talking about. She got easily frustrated when Harry or Ron would make mistakes, and end up taking over in the end. Not like Harry was complaining about that bit, but he didn't enjoy the constant lectures.
The swarm of first years was proof that Cedric, was much better at tutoring than Hermione. That was likely why Neville had wanted to ask him initially.
Harry's eyes drifted across the hall to the Ravenclaw table. Cho was talking animatedly with Fleur and a group of Ravenclaws. Harry noticed how the light reflected on her sheen of straight black hair. He could see the corners of her full lips turn up into a smile, and Harry wished desperately he could be closer to see it. This was the moment he cursed his idiocy, and wished he was more intelligent. Then he'd be in Ravenclaw, and he could have a conversation with her.
Suddenly, Cho's stopped talking and her head swiveld to the head table. Harry felt Hermione tap his shoulder and saw her hand pointing their in his peripheral vision. He decided to shy his eyes away from the beautiful creature that was Cho Chang. He looked up to see McGonagall tapping her glass, looking particularly stern today. Although, when was she never stern?
"The yuleball is approaching - a traditional part of the triwizard tournament an an excellent opportunity to socialize with our foreign guests. Now, the ball will only be open to fourth years and older, although, if you wish you could invite a younger student as your plus one."
People - especially girls such as Lavender and Parvati - began whispering and giggling. Harry rolled his eyes, but he noticed Malfoy staring at him wide-eyed, his expression full of- was that embarrassment? He had to be looking at someone else, maybe the git had a crush in Gryffindor and was planning on asking them to the ball.
"Dress robes will be worn," McGonagall continued to go on, undeterred by the chatter that had spread through the hall.
"Eh, Ron, a chance to wear those robes our mumsie got for you," Fred whispered from the side of his mouth.
Ron flushed pure red. Harry was too busy contemplating why Malfoy would fancy someone in Gryffindor to feel sorry for him.
"And the ball will take place on Christmas day, finishing at midnight in this hall. Now, the Yuleball is a chance for us all to- er- let our hair down," McGonagall continued, and Harry found it impossibly difficult to imagine the woman ever having her hair in anything than the tight bun.
"I encourage our champions to bring partners to this ball, as they will be representing their schools." McGonagall concluded, before sitting down in her seat again.
Harry's first feeling was relief, but when he came to the realisation that she had meant him, the pressure weighed on him like a ball of fire. He would *have* to have a partner, or else risk looking like an absolute idiot. But how the hell was he going to get up the courage to ask Cho? Or Cedric for that matter. Harry had just realised he liked both of them, he wasn't even close to the stage where he wanted to do something about it.
Malfoy was still staring at the Gryffindor table. It was starting to freak him out, and those gray eyes burned through him. He *knew* Malfoy couldn't be looking at him, but he was a nervous wreck. Harry dug his fingers into his hair and groaned in frustration.
"Harry, are you alright?" Hermione asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Just peachy," Harry muttered weakly.
It was the day after the Yule ball had been announced, and it seemed to be the only thing people were talking about. It got so bad, that Snape had threatened to give them all detention if they didn't shut up.
"Potter, stop daydreaming about Weaslette and pass me the bloody scarab shells!" Malfoy demanded next to him.
"You really think I like Ginny? She's like, a baby," Harry muttered and passed him the shells.
"Well then, whodo you like," Malfoy drawled as if he didn't care at all.
Harry opened his mouth, about to win the crown for "#1 idiot in the world" by giving bloody Malfoy the blackmail material that was his love life.
"Why do you, care, Malfoy?" Harry quipped sarcastically.
Malfoy's ears went pink, but the ferret kept his composure as he said "When have I *not* cared about your life. Now chop the Marigold petals."
"What the actual fuck, Malfoy?"
"10 points from Gryffindor for profanity, Potter," Snape drawled behind him.
Malfoy smirked and Harry glared at him before chopping the damned petals. Why did he have to be paired with Malfoy?
"If you had come here earlier, you could've sat with that Gryffindor girl you were staring at yesterday in the great hall," Harry decided to give Malfoy a taste of his own medicine.
"As if I would fancy a girl from Gryffindor," Malfoy scoffed
"I dunno. What else would you be staring at-"
"Potter, are you thick?" Malfoy snapped, "the recipe said to cut them up finely! These chunks are huge. Pass me the bloody petals."
Harry passed the ferret the petals, finding nothing wrong with the quality of them. Malfoy was likely looking for an excuse. He bet that Malfoy fancied a really ugly girl, someone that *deserved* his snobbishness. Or maybe... It wasn't a girl, but a boy. But that idea was impossible, just because Harry discovered his feelings for a male, doesn't mean everyone did.
An image flashed in his mind of Mr. Dursley having a 5 hour meltdown because two girls had kissed each other full on the lips at some ice skating rink. Somehow, the heathen had blamed him even though Harry wasn't even there.
Harry wasn't certain how the Wizarding world viewed the topic, because nobody had brought it up. Malfoy hadn't seemed the bothered that he assumed it was a girl, he was likely just pissed he had assumed it was a Gryffindor. But there weren't any tables behind Gryffindor, so it made no sense.
"Now, pass me the scalmander eyes." Malfoy demanded.
Harry passed the eyes gingerly, trying to keep his fingers away from them as he held the tin that held them.
The rest of the potions class consisted of Malfoy ordering him around, and Harry miraculously succeeded in keeping his cool.
Harry wished desperately that Malfoy wasn't so difficult. He wished desperately that he could understand what the hell was going on with his feelings. Oh Merlin, asking Cho out was going to be a real chore wasn't it? And what if Cho said no? Could Harry get up the guts to ask Cedric, and risk Malfoy's reaction that was likely to be cruel?
(A/N find out in the next episode of... Poke- I mean um... Harry's Yule Ball disaster)