Name: The girl next door
Whom I happen to hate…
Rating: M
Summary: Draco Malfoy and his family have to be part of the Death Eater rehabilitation program. To do that, they must give up all their money; give up magic for a year, and move into a muggle neighborhood, guess who his next-door neighbor is? A funny story!
Author: Chaos
Warning: Does not follow all of the books plot.
A/N: Something about it just makes my heart swell up with glee and a feeling crawls up my chest and I just want it to be there forever. What do I call it? Love.
DMGH
Chapter 14: Halloween
As Halloween drew nearer Hermione's sickness lessened. She still puked every now and then, but she it wasn't as often as it had once been. She and Draco had both told Ginny everything that happened from the time he moved in next-door to Hermione, to finding out she was pregnant.
Together Draco and Ginny helped Hermione with her mood swings, and founds way to make her feel more comfortable with them. Harry and Ron were still oblivious to all of it. However Ron did seem to be getting an eye for Nikki. When Harry suggested that he ask her to the seventh year banquet. Ron blurted something about not liking her at all, and how she was off her rocker.
When Halloween finally arrived, everyone seemed extremely pleased. The Halloween feast was enough to look forward without Dumbledore mentioning that they could all camp out in the Grounds.
Of course Hermione, Draco and Ginny had decided to stay inside as it was becoming brutally cold for the beginning of November. They all agreed it would be best for Hermione, and themselves mind you, that they stay inside.
On that night all the students made their way into the Great Hall for dining. Hermione and Ginny sat in front of Harry and Ron who were already arguing over the fact of Ron's lack of confidence to ask a girl out.
"Please, I'd like to see you try Harry it isn't that simple you know," Ron commented. Harry turned to Ginny.
"Ginny I was wondering if you'd like to go to the seventh-year banquet with me," Harry said. Ron stared open mouthed. Ginny giggled.
"I'd love to Harry," she said. Harry shrugged at Ron.
"See, not that hard," he boasted. Hermione giggled, and Ron glared at him mumbling something that sounded like a 'whatever'.
Hermione looked at the Slytherin table and found Draco among the others he was talking to Blaise Zabini, and a group of other Slytherin members around him. He smirked at something one of them said. He must of felt someone's eyes on him because he then looked up and his eyes locked with Hermione's who smiled slightly. He smiled back at her and looked back down at his plate.
"What's up with you and the mudblood," Blaise asked. Draco fought with his might not to pounce Blaise at that moment, he couldn't afford to cause a scene.
"Why do you ask?" Draco said. Blaise smirked.
"You two seemed friendly, smiling at each other. Always sneaking glances when you can. I'm not stupid, I've noticed." Draco only now noticed Blaise was whispering. He had been the whole time.
"Why are you whispering?" he asked Blaise. He put on a look of surprise.
"Draco, mate, I'm your friend. Do you really want me to shout this out to the world?" Blaise asked. Draco was surprised. He had just realized that he had a great friend. One who cared about him and was able to keep a secret.
"She's having my baby," Draco took a shot. Blaise stared at him for a moment unbelievingly. When he saw Draco look at him seriously, he sighed.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yes," Draco answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Alright then," Blaise smiled. "Congrats," he said. Draco smiled as Blaise patted him on his back. From the Gryffindor table Hermione watched this and smiled. She had the strangest feeling she knew what they were talking about and was happy Draco had found someone who was as happy for him as Ginny was for her.
"So I told him to bugger off," Ron said through a mouthful of ham.
"For God's sake Ron, chew your food first." Ginny scolded. Ron rolled his eyes. The four of them laughed slightly.
"Has anyone heard from Hagrid since he sent the note?" Hermione asked. Ron looked down at his food.
"Ron," Harry asked. Ron looked up.
"Alright, Alright," he swallowed his food as to avoid being asked to do it again. "Nikki and I went down to see him. Wondering what he wanted," he spoke.
"Nikki got a note too?" Ginny asked. Ron nodded.
"Anyway, we went down and Hagrid told us he had something to show us. You'll never imagine what he had. I almost died right there." he explained. Everyone was staring at him. "A wood Pixie," he said. They all stood back a little.
"Is he mad?" cried Ginny.
"What's a Wood Pixie?" Harry asked suddenly feeling quite dumb.
"Wood Pixies are these greenish pixies with loads of venomous fangs that like to live in damp and dark woods," Ginny explained.
"They never stop still. Ever since the International Confederation of Wizards denied them their rights as Magical Creatures and made them more of a certain vermin because of their poison, they've hated humans. They're always trying to bite us and poison us to death," Hermione said.
"Why on earth would Hagrid want one of those?" Said Neville joining in their conversation.
"Hagrid's always loved dangerous animals," Luna's misty voice said as she came in from the Ravenclaw table and joining them as desert appeared on the tables, she sat next to Neville.
"Personally I think he has worse satiny issues than me," said Nikki taking a place in between Ron and some other Gryffindor sitting next to him.
"And that's saying something," Hermione teased. The lot of them laughed.
"Hagrid had been bit," Nikki continued the story. "He needed our potions books to see if there was anything in there that might help him." she continued.
"Oh god," Hermione said sounding terrified at the fact that Hagrid had been bit by something so terrible..
"I made the Stalagmite Concoction for him," she explained. Hermione nodded. "Ron and I have been going there every few days to check on him and the wound." she added.
"It's getting along alright," Ron said. "He should be good in about a week," he added.
"Does he still have it?" Harry asked. Ron and Nikki nodded in unison.
"Yeah, keeps feeding it powdered sugar, to calm it down," Ron explained. They looked up at Hagrid who smiled at them and gave them two thumbs up. His hand still wrapped with a cloth.
"What about the exams?" Neville said changing the subject. Hermione jumped.
"I completely forgot we had them," she said. Everyone stared at Hermione for a while. "What I am allowed to forget once in a while aren't I?" she said. Luna nodded and muttered an "Of course,"
"What's wrong Harry?" Ginny asked seeing Harry stare at his plate with a dumbfounded smile.
"Oh I was just thinking," he said pausing. "It's ironic isn't it? On this very night sixteen years ago I lost my parents." Every one looked a bit sadly at him. "And on this very night six years ago, Ron and I saved Hermione from a mountain troll and she became our best friend." Hermione and Ron both smiled lightly remembering that night.
"We sort of created a bond that can't be broken by anything not even a fully grown mountain troll" he said. Everyone seem to smile at this. "I lost something on Halloween, and ten years later on Halloween I earned something I can't live without now. Ironic isn't it?" he asked.
"Oh Harry," Hermione said wrapping her arms around him from across the table. Ron joined in. Ginny, Neville, Nikki, and Luna clapped cheerfully as the three best friends hugged.
From the Slytherin table, Draco watched Hermione hugging her best friends and the others clapping for them. He smiled slightly to himself, somehow wondering if he and Hermione had the bond she had with her best friends, and if they didn't, would they ever get a chance to form their own bond?
Once everyone was seated again, the chattering began once more. All of them filled themselves with pies, ice cream and all the sweets they could imagine. When at last the last of the deserts cleared away Dumbledore stood up and everyone turned to him. He smiled brightly at the students before he began to speak.
"Many years ago, four founders created a very powerful bond. It would be the first of many powerful bonds created at Hogwarts. I do not wish to bore you with useless information on how friendship in between houses has saved us numerous times. I know you will not listen to what I have to say on that subject. However," he added. "I do have a few last minute things to say. It is a good thing when in grave times we remember what is good in our lives and treasure it. But it is a wise thing to know what we have and treasure it even more on a daily basis.
"Those who can master that one simple task, that can find huge treasure in the simplest of things," he said, his voice now almost a whisper. "Will always find shelter from the rain," he said. Suddenly it began to rain down into the Great Hall stopping just about the head's of each of the students.
"Off you trot," Dumbledore said cheerfully and watched his students trudge away from the Great Hall.
"Personally I think Dumbledore is a bit mad," Nikki said.
"Mad?" said Harry. "He's brilliant. But yes a bit mad." he added. The group then found their way into the room of requirement where in front a fire they all sat and shared memories they had, had through their years at Hogwarts. Suddenly Harry got up.
"I've just thought of something," he said. The others looked curiously at him. "I've got to go speak with Dumbledore." He said. "See you all in the morning," he added hurrying off out of the room. The group looked around at each other for a moment before turning back to the glowing fire that was making them rather sleepy.
DMGH
"Is this what you really want?" Professor Dumbledore asked. Harry nodded. The old Headmaster nodded and walked over to his desk and picked up his wand. He waved it around and muttered an incantation.
Before Harry appeared a stone bowl with a silver liquid inside. Harry smiled at it.
"Let me show you the spell," Dumbledore said demonstrating it for him. Harry paid attention, he would have to remembered it well, he had a lot of work ahead of him.