Bloody hell.

Ron had come to a realization, and it was pleasant and disturbing and relieving all at once.

It was breakfast, and Hermione was sitting next to him. Close enough for their thighs to press up against each other, their elbows to bump if she turned the page of her book as he reached for his goblet of pumpkin juice.

And his heart was not rattling in a cage, should there be a constriction at all. His breathing? Normal. If it had been possible to be discreet about it, he would have checked his pulse.

Ron took a risk and glanced at her. A second later her freckled nose rose from her book and she sent a soft, shy and genuine smile his way.

He was full of love for this girl. But maybe he didn't have to be in love with her. Maybe he could care about her in just the way she wanted him to. Not that he was all that aware of just how he could know exactly what that bit would be.

As this passed through his conscious in a half-second, the only way Ron knew to translate this discovery into something comprehendible to the human race-was to smile broadly at this best friend and throw an arm around her shoulders, continuing to eat his ham and bacon as she rested her head momentarily, eyes closed, against his chest before she continued, with a smile still intact, to read her book.

Maybe now he could care for her as he always said he did, so approving of Ron's affections did Harry seem, so willing to help him get the girl of his dreams, to help out his best mate.

As if on cue to the violent scene that flashed through Ron's mind, Lavender, who was sitting next to Harry down the table and across from Ron, quietly choked on her juice, coughing into a napkin. Ron noticed, with Keeper instincts he was proud to say he had developed, that Harry's shoulder closest to Lavender shifted and Harry, instead of blushing with shame, smirked into the scrambled eggs he began to wolf down.

Ron's eyes narrowed and he told Hermione, hating Harry even more when concern played heavy in her gaze, that she should head to class without him.

-

Ron was thankful that Harry too was walking alone. Even before Ron was told of what Harry had done, Harry had distanced himself from him and Ron had been worried. Now he was glad that those Harry had snuggled up to, Dean and Seamus and Parvati and Lavender-had noticed the berth Ron, Hermione and Ginny had given him. This enough had caused rumors.

Ron had not confirmed anything, nor did he believe Ginny had told anyone. If they had, surly anyone they had informed of Harry's assault on Hermione would be backing him up right now.

But no. He was alone. This was, as Ron had always wanted to say, personal.

When Ron was perhaps ten feet behind Harry, catching up to him quick after delaying his pursuit from the Great Hall so as not to seem too obvious in his intent, Harry stopped and abruptly turned, a set look across his face.

It was lucky for Ron he did not pull out his wand, for Ron strode right into him and pushed the shorter and spectacled boy, albeit better built, against a wall.

It was in this state that Draco, Pansy on arm, had whispered with delight-"Lovers' duel." But this scene would become much more true to his words than he was aware.

Harry, having not noticed the two spectators, egged Ron on.

"So, finally come to avenge your whore, eh Ron?"

Pansy felt Draco stiffen as Ron's wand pushed further into Harry's neck.

"Getting your ass kicked will be less humiliating if you keep your lying, arrogant mouth shut."

"But I know you best, Ronnie-kins. None of your pretenses will keep my words from affecting you."

Ron and Pansy rolled their eyes at his call. Draco, wondering how to intervene and still cause maximum damage, hardly paid attention.

"Yet you can't know that Hermione means a hell of a lot more than what you almost made her to be. I love her, Harry. But I know when to back down. I'm not immorally obsessed." The last cry was delivered with Ron's wand reaching a further point in Harry's neck.

"If I am, why did it take my obsession so long to steal her tight ass out from under your grip?"

As Ron's face reached a horrendous shade, he backed up, still wand taut, ready to cry out a curse-

When Draco snapped his fingers, Pansy laid his wand in his hand, Harry pushed off Ron's wand, grabbed his wand and shouted destituo sensua at Dracojust as Draco shouted capitis abrupi in return.

He did not know if it was her reflexes or not, her instinct to avoid heart-breaking danger.

But Pansy pushed him out of the way, her momentum carrying her into Harry's line of fire.

His spell cast astray, Harry was pushed into the wall by Ron, who watched as their strange blonde nemesis-who could never seem to act human-fell to his knees, an inhumane moan of despair howling out of him, overcoming him as he held Pansy's shoulders, shaking her until she looked right into him, cried out his name.

And relief crashed into him, speechless but for a single "I'm here," until something seemed to snap inside her that made her spine arch off of the cold stone.

With her own despairing cry, she fainted.

Ron shot back to Harry, who seemed unable to hide his delight that his spell had caused more damage than possibly intended.

"Still playing the sex god, are we? Pansy'd suck me off too if I was a rich spoiled death-"
And as a feral growl began to rise from Draco, Ron had already shouted seiunxi with the most conviction he'd ever cast into malicious intent.

But this boy was no longer his best friend.

And as Harry fell forward, blood spurting from his nose and mouth, his ears, Ron's knees began to shake with the impact of what he had just done, but not enough to keep a scream from rising in his throat as Harry fell against Ron, his blood flowing as he coughed into Ron's shirt. In less time than it took Draco to realize Ron had just severed many of Harry's arteries with a single spell, Harry was against the wall again, face contorted as Ron, unable to speak, crashed his fist into Harry over and over again, pounding his face, his stomach.

Only Draco could see that Ron was nearly crying.

And sensing Ron's breaking point, he laid down Pansy and reached a hand onto Ron's shaking shoulder in a heartbeat, restraining him as they both watched Harry slide to the floor, clutching his side and unable to speak or comprehend the pain he was in, glasses shattered, shards having broken his skin.

It was as Ron began to pale that Draco clasped his hand tighter against Ron's shoulder, turning his attention from the boy writhing on the ground.

"Take Pansy to the Hospital Wing."

Ron's eyes widened and he glanced to the petite girl, as conscious as a painted doll, holding herself on the cold floor, dust in her hair.

"But you're…"

Draco, for the first time, looked directly into Ron's worried eyes and saw the conflict behind them. But he didn't know what to say.

"I'll avenge them myself. You'll only get in the way."

But Ron, who should have been insulted, looked directly across from him and saw the same conflict brewing.

Draco watched as Ron muttered something to Pansy and gathered her into his arms. He walked off and did not look back.

Harry, who seemed to be bleeding only from the ears now, recoiled his hand from his out-of-reach wand as Draco, with a sigh, delivered a swift kick to the boy's ribs.

-

After McGonagoll was halfway into a very suspicious glare, Malfoy realized his mistake.

Draco Malfoy was holding a very bloody Harry Potter in his arms and his story was that Ron had done the damage defending Pansy Parkinson and Draco himself.

Right.

But before Malfoy could think of how to fix his story, Hermione walked out of McGonagoll's office, where he had called the professor from just moments before.

And at the sight of him, holding a bloody Harry in his arms and her own mentor staring with arms crossed, Hermione's expression darkened, and Draco felt his ability to lie shatter as her gaze rested on him.

Luckily, McGonagoll did not notice Hermione's exit from her office and so Hermione's internal assumptious rage was not given a chance.

"Well I suppose for right now it won't matter. Get to Madame Pomfrey's office-oh, Miss Granger, perhaps you can escort your less developed Head Boy to the Hospital Wing. Honestly, how could you think to leave him without a Head Girl to assist him? You're supposed to be doing these things together. Off you get, go."

It's still too short to make up for everything, isn't it?

I've got more written up but it's not typed yet.

I highly recommend a lovely book called 'Fly by Night' by Francis Hardinge, I believe. He makes me think of Dr. Suess for teenagers with a twist of Lemony Snicket. I actually stumble over his allusions, and it's a terribly twisty story.

So I guess Malfoy was born July fifth, which makes him a charming Gemini, not a charming Leo.

Ah, well.

Draco Malfoy, June fifth (1990?)

You are, in many ways, an eternal child. Your mind is bright, alert, curious, flexible, playful, and always eager for new experiences - and your attention span is often quite brief. You grasp ideas quickly and once your initial curiosity has been satisfied, you want to go on to something else. You crave frequent change, variety, meeting new situations and people. Your mind operates in a very deliberate and methodical manner and you dislike being rushed or forced to give an opinion before you have thoroughly ruminated and digested an idea. You are also difficult to influence once your mind is made up.

Yeah. I actually made an astrological profile for him. .sigh.