A/N: I've been getting into a lot of Harry Potter FF lately. (Mainly Tom/Harry pairing.) And I've seen some pretty girly Harry's. It makes me question his gender...

Disclaimer: Shout out to my main girl, J.K. Rowling!

Bonding With Amaranta

When Harry first learned of the "Malfoy" and "Harry" days, he thought it was a superb idea. Since both Malfoy and Harry hated each others guts, it was a great day for them to spend plenty of time with Amaranta, without having to eat each other's brains out. But now he hated them more than he hated Malfoy, because that meant that Amaranta was alone and suffering every other day. Correction: she suffered everyday. And it angered Harry how he couldn't do anything about it.

Amaranta had gotten pretty good with her new smile. The whole artificialness of it sickened Harry so much he was becoming desperate for her to show any kind of expression, even if it were a painful one. She even fooled Hermoine whose womanly intuition he was sure would find something amiss.

"Harry, could you stop glowering so much?" Hermoine scolded him as they walked down the hallway. "I know you miss Amaranta, but don't take it out on the rest of the world. You're scaring everyone."

Never mind, her intuition was still sharp. "Sorry, I just hate how Malfoy treats her. It's not like it was her fault."

"Wow, Harry, you're just a smitten kitten, aren't you?" Ron exclaimed.

The blood rushed to Harry's cheeks. "No, I'm not! Baubles." The new password for the portrait of the fat lady was festive to match the season.

"Same to you," she said smoothly as the portrait swung open. Harry climbed in and found Neville, Seamus, and a few other boys playing with Exploding Snap Cards.

"Hey there, Harry," they all greeted him.

"Hi, guys," he sighed back at them, taking off his scarf.

"Well, it's obvious that you like flowers, Harry," Hermoine said, switching into code, so that the other Gryffindors wouldn't know what they were talking about. "You stare at them all the time when we're walking to class."

"No, I don't," Harry blushed. "They just evoke certain pheromones that make you want to protect them. Besides, don't you think it makes Hogwarts a much nicer place to live in?"

"What's that?" Seamus looked at the three from his card game. "Harry likes flowers?"

"Yeah, but he's too shy to admit it," Ron snorted.

"Well, there's nothing wrong about liking flowers, Harry," Neville smiled kindly at him. "I think they're quite lovely myself."

"Yeah, it doesn't make you any less of a man."

"Thanks guys, but its not being less of a man, that I'm worried about," Harry didn't look at them, but sat in one of the armchairs. "I'm worried of becoming pricked by the thorns."

"Huh?" the guys all looked at each other.

"Oh, Harry," Hermoine sat in one of the armchairs close to him. "You won't get pricked by thorns, because this flower has no thorns. Flowers don't reject the sun."

"But what if its one of those flowers that only opens up to the moon?" Harry argued. "He's the moon."

"All flowers need sunlight, Harry," said Hermoine. "Maybe it's better if this flower stops relying on the dim light of the moon."

"I can't help it if it leans towards the moon!" Harry nearly shouted.

The other boys looked curiously at each other. "Suddenly, I'm beginning to think they aren't talking about the same flowers I'm thinking of," Seamus whispered to Cormac.

"When you see a pretty flower, what do you want to do?" Harry asked.

"Well, it seems like the moon wants to pluck it and keep it for itself," Ron snorted again, hands in his pockets.

"More like run it over with lawn mower, the way he's treating it," Harry grumbled.

"Well, what do you want to do?" Hermoine asked.

"I just want to protect it," Harry sighed into his hands. "Let it have as much sunlight as it needs and as much open space as it wants."

"But the flower is wilting right now," Hermoine said with a tiny grin. "I'm sure the flower would revive if it knew of your feelings."

"Yeah, you should go for it, mate," Ron added. "We got your back. Besides, after you tell the flower, that means you'll get to water it!" Ron winked.

"Ron!" Hermoine hit him with a red face.

"What? It's not like I said 'pollinate'!" Ron rubbed his throbbing temple.

"I think I'll go get some homework done," Harry chuckled. Picking up his things which he dropped on the floor.

"Oh, hey, are you going to do that Transfiguration essay?" Ron asked, escaping Hermoine. "Do it with me, I don't get any of it."

"I swear," Hermoine hissed under her breath as they walked up the stairs into the boys' dormitories. "Ron can be such a pervert sometimes."

Harry would like to say he "bumped into" Amaranta, but it would be more truthful to say he "ran around the school a few times, trying his best not to look frantic" before he finally found Amaranta laying in the shade of a tree. What was she doing? It's winter; it's freezing outside! He walked robotically towards her, anxious to see her, yet afraid all at the same time.

"Hey, Ama—" Harry stopped when he saw her eyes flutter open. "Oh, I'm sorry, were you asleep?" Dammit! He cursed at missing the chance to see her sleeping face, which Malfoy, he was sure, has seen plenty of times.

"Nah, I was just taking a quick nap for lunch," Amaranta rubbed the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"What's wrong? Have you been losing sleep?" He began to fret. "Did you eat something before you took your nap?"

"Yeah," Amaranta lied.

"Malfoy is the reason you haven't been able to sleep, isn't he?" Harry said with a gloomy face. "You've been having rows with him every night so you can't sleep."

Amaranta froze. "Don't be silly! Draco and I are ignoring each other; of course we don't have rows." I always go to him to apologize, but we always end up fighting, Amaranta thought.

He frowned at her. "I hate him."

"Harry —"

"No! I hate that guy for doing this to you! Don't you use that fake smile with me! It may work on Ron and Hermoine, but it won't work with me! Even though it's winter, you're bamboo plant should be fine," Harry pointed out.

Amaranta quickly tried to cover up the bamboo plant she usually carried with her. It was shriveled and beige. "I know I'm killing Mr. Bamboo, but I can't help it," Amaranta looked on the verge of tears, or maybe it was just the cold. "I try to be happy, I really do! Oh, Harry, I don't want him to die because of me!"

Harry couldn't help it. Why did she have to be so cute when she was sad? He fell to his knees next to her, and wrapped his skinny arms around her. He could feel her warm tears against the side of his face.

"H-Harry?!"

He didn't speak. What could he say? Oh, you were really sad, and I really like you, so I just felt like forcing a hug on you? Yeah, that's right, he liked her. He wouldn't run away anymore. He thought it was fine to leave her in the hands of Malfoy, since she liked him so much, but not if he was going to shred her like this.

"Amaranta, I—"

"Oh, my gosh!" A very unwanted voice shouted behind Harry, drawing unnecessary eyes to them.

He quickly jumped off of Amaranta and flicked around, protectively, in front of her. Dianthe Greene was staring and point at them, looking victorious.

"Does Amaranta like Harry Potter? There's no way!" she proclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear. "And here I thought she liked Draco Malfoy, but she's already so quickly changing her views? I didn't know she was so promiscuous!"

"Hey, shut up!" Harry yelled, instantly regretting it. It only drew more attention and more whispers. He could feel Amaranta quivering behind him.

But now Dianthe spoke more quietly. "And after I went through all that trouble too. Looks like I'm just gonna have to change my targets, then, huh, Amaranta?"

"Don't you—" Amaranta spoke out in anger but froze, after she stepped out form behind Harry. It felt like the whole school was there, watching them. Amaranta panicked. Never before had so many eyes been solely on her. She flicked around and ran through the open double doors.

"Amaranta!" Harry called after her, but she was long gone. Harry flicked around to give Dianthe a piece of his mind, but she was already gone. Argh! Dammit! Why does everything always go wrong for me?

Amaranta was in complete chaos. She sat on her bed, hugging her legs and rocking back and forth. It also didn't help that she was skipping Charms class right now.

Me? Like Harry!? Amaranta's mind shouted, but outside, her face betrayed nothing, There's no way! I mean, he's a great friend, but…I always thought I liked Draco…Could Dianthe be right? I like Harry more than Ron, even Hermoine, but I never once considered him anything more. I can't possibly…What happens if Dianthe tells Draco?! He'll kill Harry for sure! I don't want Harry to die.

That's it! A small but of the weight on Amaranta's shoulders had been lifted, but not all of it. I've just gotta avoid Harry for a while. That way, even if Dianthe tells him, then it'll just seem like I was hanging out with Harry to make him jealous. Yeah, that's it. I've just gotta lie low and talk to no one for a couple of weeks.

She felt a slight twang in her chest. She was going to be all alone for at least two weeks. The thought of having no one to talk to, not even sitting near any friends was terrible.

But I've gotta do it, Amaranta told herself. For Harry…for Draco…I can't let Dianthe win!

Getting off of her bed, Amaranta grabbed her things and boldly strode out of the Slytherin dormitory with new resolve.

It took Dianthe a great deal of self-control to sustain from laughing. Amaranta had fallen right into her trap! Just as she had predicted, Amaranta avoided both Draco and Harry (and to avoid Harry was to avoid Hermoine and Ron). For these past two weeks, Amaranta lived her school life alone and silent. She grew more and more fidgety, and even more to her luck, Draco was too busy with his "plan" to eve notice the stressful situation Amaranta was in. Dianthe was positively beaming.

Who would've thought the annoying little brat would've taken her words to heart? Who knows, maybe she did like Harry Potter. That would certainly make things interesting.

Still, if I want to fully enjoy punishing her, she needs to know the crime she committed, so then I can hear her grovel and beg for mercy! Dianthe waited until she reached the girls' bathroom, before she released her maniacal laughter.

When Dianthe walked out of the bathroom, she spotted her enemy twitching down the hallway. Perfect. Now she could move on to phase two of her evil plan. With a few flicks of her wand, Dianthe slowly guided Amaranta into a deserted corridor. Not bothering to hide at all, Dianthe walked right behind the smaller Blommarian and pointed her wand straight at her back. Muttering a few words, a jet of blue light shot into Amaranta's back, traveled up her spinal cord, and lodged itself in her brain. Eyes wide with shock, Amaranta fell flat on her face.

Dianthe stood triumphantly over her prey. "Sorry, sis, but in order to open your heart, I had to weaken your mind," Dianthe said solemnly over the unconscious body. Without another word, she pointed her wand at the young girl's back and said, "Revealus Memorum."