When Harry, Hermione, and Ron were discharged from the hospital wing the next day, they found it to be almost deserted. Angrily, Ron slapped a hand to his forehead.
"Damn it!" He shouted, earning a glare from Hermione for his language. "I forgot today was a Hogsmeade day. I was hoping to pick up a few sweets. Mum sent some money for Scab- I mean, Pettigrew's food, but..yeah…" He trailed off, giving Harry an apologetic look. Harry just laughed, which resulted in Hermione looking at him incredulously.
"I know you're probably going to be mad at me, Ron, but I just realized something that, to me, is hilarious. You've been sharing a bed with that filth for the last three years and neither Fred nor George said anything about it!" He laughed again, shaking his head. This earned a similar grin from Voldemort, who had decided to remain silent throughout all that transpired after their discharge.
The four had begun wandering about the grounds, Hermione and Harry filling Ron in on the events on the night previous. When asked about how they got away, Harry shrugged and mentioned using a Patronus. Voldemort nodded approvingly at how easily Harry lied to his two closest friends. His nodding became a chuckle when Hermione wrapped an arm around Harry and laid her head on his shoulder, causing Harry to shoot a glare towards the apparition. That didn't stop Harry from wrapping his own arm around Hermione in what felt like an awkward sideways hug. Hermione didn't seem to mind, though.
"You know, Harry, you keep doing all these noble and chivalrous things for me and one might think you fancy me." She teased, laughing at the blush on Harry's face. It was clear she had no clue that Harry did, in fact, fancy her. Ron, on the other hand, was red-faced for an entirely different reason.
"Oi! I helped, too, y'know! The troll, the Chamber, hell – I even broke my leg for you guys!"
Hermione rolled her eyes, but because of how she was angled, only Harry saw. Harry knew that Ron was also starting to crush on their mutual friend. He figured Ron didn't actually like Hermione, but felt affection towards her as she never judged him for his family's lack of wealth, always helped him with his homework, and stuck by him even after all the fighting the two did. Noting Ron's jealousy, Harry decided to curtail what might have turned into another fight.
"Ron, relax, mate! She's teasing me. Hermione's just trying to keep the mood light so I don't dwell on last night too much. Who commanded the chessboard when we stopped Quirrel? Who joined me to rescue Ginny? We both know I can go on, mate." Harry turned to Hermione, "And thanks, Hermione. I appreciate what you're trying to do." He gave her a slight squeeze.
Hermione smiled and opened her mouth to say something, but was cut off by an unwelcome guest:
"Well, if it isn't Potty, the Weasel, and his little mudblood girlfriend!" Draco Malfoy drawled, "Off to have a little crying session now that the half-breed got sacked? Talk about irony. Who would have guessed that a wizard named Remus Lupin was a werewolf!?"
The Gryffindor trio stopped, with Voldemort walking behind Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Voldemort caused a flashing sign with arrows to point at Crabbe and Goyle with the words 'dumb brute' on it. He looked appraisingly at Draco for a moment, before shrugging in a non-committal way. It was almost as if he were trying to say Draco was actually worth something.
"Hello, Draco. How are you today? I would have thought you would have taken advantage of the last Hogsmeade trip before summer?" Harry asked politely, earning a shocked look from everyone else there, sans Crabbe and Goyle. Those two were too dense to understand anything.
"What are you on about, Potter?" Draco asked, completely confused.
"I noticed your mother doesn't send you sweets and the like anymore, now that you can go to Hogsmeade and all. I'm sure it's a sign of your growing independence that she lets you choose your own sweets now by buying them during these trips. Of course, you may already have some saved from the last trip, or perhaps you intend to just buy some from the trolley once you're on the train. It's cheaper to buy the goods from Hogsmeade, though, not like you couldn't afford it. However, a wealthy family such as yours does not remain so by needlessly throwing away it's coin. I think you're too wise to think otherwise, though." Harry replied, not removing his arm from around Hermione.
Draco opened and closed his mouth a few times, with no words coming out. One could see the how flabbergasted he was at how Harry was treating him. Hell, did Harry compliment him? Draco grabbed Crabbe and Goyle and turned to walk way, but not before Draco said one parting message.
"See you around, Potter!"
"I'll write to you sometime this summer, Draco!" Harry called after him.
Watching the Slytherin trio depart, Harry took note of the three faces around him. Ron looked angry, once again. Hermione looked almost proud. Voldemort just had this smirk on his face.
"That was brilliant, Harry! Draco never even knew what hit him! He probably expected some angry retort or even a hex or two, but he never expected you to be nice to him! He's probably going to be confused for the next couple weeks, or until one of his parents tells him. Oooh, that was so clever! I wish I would have thought about that back in primary school…" Hermione gushed.
Ron was, well, Ron.
"Harry! What the bloody hell was that!? Why would you be nice to that slimy git? You didn't even defend Hermione! And what was that about writing to him this summer? What the hell, mate?!" He ranted.
"Ron, relax. Relax! I'm borrowing a tactic I've seen Dumbledore do a lot. Misdirection, avoidance. You play chess, you know strategy!Think! How is what I just did going to affect Malfoy?" Harry asked, patiently.
Ron stood there, fuming, but did as Harry asked and began thinking about the interaction between Harry and Draco. Realization struck, rather quickly.
"I get it! It's like when the Queen's in danger, but you decide to move a pawn on the other side of the board! It's such an unusual tactic that throws your enemy off because you didn't do what they expected! Not only that, but that comment about writing to him this summer will really throw him off because, now, he will always have some part of him thinking about you whenever he sees an owl delivering mail. He never knows when he will get the letter, either. He could wake up every morning thinking that today might be the day he gets written from Harry Potter! Imagine if you actually did befriend him, Harry! Or at least trick him into thinking you two are friends. Four years of never having to hear him bully us again!" Ron zoned out, no doubt fantasizing about a world where Draco Malfoy never bothered him again.
Harry noticed that both Voldemort and Hermione were looking at him as if they had never seen him before. Harry, himself, didn't recognize himself after the interaction between Malfoy and himself. He simply had a thought and felt it was the best way to go about it all. He shrugged, and the trio walked back to the castle to enjoy dinner.
Dinner was a boring affair, if you had asked Harry. Whispers echoed off the castle walls, but Harry paid them no mind. No doubt, there were rumors circulating about Harry's actions the night before. As far as anyone knew, he had cast a patronus strong enough to repel hundreds of dementors. After all, how else could he have prevented himself and Hermione from being Kissed? The whispers stopped abruptly when Albus Dumbledore strode to the podium.
"May I have your attention, please? Thank you, thank you. That's quite true, Misters Weasley, quite true. Now, I have a few end-of-the-year announcements before we announce the winner of the house cup. First off, the Minister of Magic has agreed to remove the dementors from the grounds of Hogwarts. It has been decided by the Wizengamot that Sirius Black will not attempt to attack the castle again. We know little of Mister Black's motives, but it is clear that whatever he was searching for here is gone. Secondly, it is my regret to announce the resignation of Professor Lupin. For reasons I am no doubt you are aware of, he has decided to step down from the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Let us all wish him well in his future endeavors, and thank him for a spectacular year or learning. No doubt better than the last few, I'm sure."
The students and staff all rose and applauded, with a few laughs at Dumbledore's comments about Lockhart and Quirrel. Harry glanced over at the Slytherin table and made sure Draco saw him. Draco, although reluctantly, clapped a few times. Snape, on the other hand, clapped a single time before seating himself.
Lupin rose, looking rather rugged after the events of last night. He gave everyone a slight wave before seating. Professor Dumbledore remained standing as the rest of the audience returned to their seats.
"Thank you, Professor Lupin, for a wonderful year. Now! I believe we have some cups to award, correct?"
As expected, Gryffindor had won both the Quidditch and House Cups, which left Oliver Wood a crying mess of emotions. Harry felt a sense of pride at being able to turn around Gryffindor's bad Quidditch Streak, especially for Oliver. He recalled similar stories of muggle sports players who felt such emotion following a championship win, especially if it was their last game with that organization. He gave Wood a pat on the back, before getting up. Harry walked up to where Lupin's office is and waited.
A/N: So there's chapter four. Let me know your thoughts on this chapter. A special thanks to Tyler'sPrincess for the review. Check out the story "The Mother's Child!" by Tyler'sPrincess and give some feedback as well. Did you like how Harry handled Draco? And give your thoughts about pairings. I know I've hinted at a Harry/Hermione pairing, but nothing is concrete yet. I'm actually considering having Harry go through various relationships, so he's pretty much open to date almost any witch out there. He won't be polishing another wizard's wand, however. I never understood the fascination with taking straight people and turning them homosexual. It isn't appealing to me, so I'm not going to write it. Almost anyone else is fair game, however. I will say that I do intend to have some sort of interaction between Narcissa Malfoy and Harry. No spoilers, but he's not going to be having sex with her. At least, not anytime soon! I won't be writing any smut, but the rating will increase as Harry grows older. Now, I speak directly to the guests who have been reading, please review. Take the time to do so and speak up. I see on the traffic page that I have guest views, but that's it. I do not know if you guys and gals read the chapter or not. Perhaps you just read a few lines, think "this is garbage" and exit. I'm writing this for myself and you readers. Anyway, the next chapter will cover the homecoming of Harry and the early parts of the summer. If you'd like, I may do a jump to the Burrow. You all have a voice, readers. Until next time - NeoR