CHAPTER IX

Hermione was fumed. How dare the albino ferret addressed her with such derogatory words! It was not just about his use of 'mudblood'. To be honest, she was already very used to that word she didn't care anymore. But, the way he said it, as if he was really disgusted by her, that … well, that unexpectedly hurt!

She thought he had gone over that. And she thought he had made somewhat a truce with the whole Gryffindor house, including her, since his sister joined Gryffindors. It had seemed so until just today. Or was it because he had seen how she wouldn't do anything to his sister, even with him belittling and being cruel to her, that he was back to his usual self before her? He must have felt very itchy do just that long ago and decided to do so immediately soon as he had seen it would be okay. Well, she still wouldn't stoop that low into trying to get him back through his sister, especially because Hermione had genuinely grown fond of the younger Gryffindor. But, if he could treat her like rubbish, so could she. Just you wait, ferret! She resolved.

"Hermione! Where are you going? Wait, wait for me…!" Ernie struggled to get through the bunch of students separating him and the Head Girl as she walked very quickly, almost sprinting, toward the edge of the village.

"Hermione!" he was finally able to catch her arm, and forced her to stop.

"Let go off me, Ernie!" she turned around and huffed, pulling her arm, but the Head Boy wouldn't budge.

"No, I won't! Where are you going?"

"I'm going back to the castle, all right! I've had enough for today. You enjoy the rest of the trip yourself!"

"But, Hermione, you can't just leave because of Malfoy!"

"Who says I can't? And who says it's only because of him? Now will you just let go off me?" Hermione pulled her hand harshly and, after succeeding, really ran away this time.

Before the Head Boy managed to run after her, however, he was knocked out hard that he fell with his butt on the ground.

"Ouch! What the…"

"Sorry… I was … running after my puppy and didn't see you," a coffee brown-haired girl, about 12 or 13, stood in front of him, explaining sheepishly.

Before Ernie had a chance to say anything, however, she fled and ran quickly down the village. He stared at her back, and didn't feel like having seen her before. He shrugged, decided it looked like she was not a Hogwarts student.

He then remembered he was trying to catch up with Hermione, and immediately turned around, and saw the Head Girl nowhere.

He cried frustratedly before deciding to go back down the village. A big glass of butterbeer could hopefully enhance his mood, which had been all right before the Slytherin ass ruined his lovely day with the girl of his dreams!

Crystabelle giggled as she returned to normal pace, drawing the attention of Hogwarts students sputtering around nearby. They stopped to look at her strangely.

She turned around, facing a window display of a dress robe shop to avoid their stares, as she didn't feel like stopping her giggle. That was funny! The look on the Head Boy's face as she knocked him down by running straight onto him. Serve him right; forcing the Head Girl to stay like that, when all Crystabelle could see on Hermione's face was how miserable she was and how she looked like she could go insane if she had to stay any longer around the dimwitted Head Boy. He was apparently very insensitive! Or maybe his skull was too thick even Hermione couldn't get through it to make him understand he wasn't wanted. Geez, even she could see from afar how the Head Girl looked very irked by him.

Crystabelle also relished her successful disguise. So far no one recognized her as she walked around with this mask body of a muggle. She stared at her reflection on the window glass, fixing a stray strand of coffee brown hair on her forehead and checking her now light green eyes more thoroughly. She grinned; thinking she looked quite okay. It would have been better if she could have kept her own face. Although some say it was rather pointy, she liked it no matter what. But, what was the point of keeping her face when what she needed was a good disguise to be able to wander around the wizarding village freely?

Anyway, back to the dark brown hair, she had purposefully ordered her house elf, Dimmy, to pick a strand of hair of a brunnette for the Polyjuice Potion. She enjoyed charming her hair to change into different colors, liking how they made her look like different persons each time. But she liked best when it was dark brown, she thought somehow it suited her and made her look a little more ... sophisticated. But, well, her mother always reprimanded her when she found her changing her hair color, saying she should be proud of herself, that she was already very pretty with her platinum blond hair, and that many even envied the Malfoys' trademark color. So, she did it less often, and only when she was alone in her room.

Deciding to continue her wandering about Hogsmeade, Crystabelle grinned one last time at her reflection before turning around to join the hustle and bustle of chattering students.

"Now WHAT, Draco? Just a moment ago you barked here and there like a mad dog. And now you look as miserable as a silly girl just being dumped by her pathetic excuse of a boyfriend. What's wrong with you?" Pansy scolded him from her chair diagonally across from the blond, who put his chin on the top of his folded arms resting on the table, staring emptily at the half-empty big glass of butterbeer he was rubbing absentmindedly against the wooden table. The other occupants of the table, Blaise and Crabbe and Goyle, said nothing, but similarly watched the odd behavior of the Slytherin Prince.

"Shut up, Pansy. Go bothering someone else," He said flatly before having another gulp of his butterbeer, sighing, and then going desolate again.

"Arrghh…! I give up on you lot!" she cried, before standing up and marching out of the table. This not-so-often Hogsmeade trip shouldn't be ruined by the boys, who were somehow rather moody today (well, one was rather and another was being extremely moody). She decided to enjoy the rest of her trip alone. It's not like she couldn't have some fun without them. Perhaps she was even lucky enough to find Daphne Greengrass and her gang, and they could have some fun girls' day. She regretted why she hadn't just decided on that before leaving for the trip, preferring instead to go together with those four idiot boys!

Blaise and Crabbe and Goyle watched her huff and flee the overcrowded Three Broomstick, while Draco remained as desolate as he had been. The situation was rather awkward, no one dared to say anything in fear of prompting the Slytherin Prince's anger. Although him looking forlorn and sighing every now and then was rather disconcerting, that was still better than seeing him barking and lashing out at everyone all the times, especially if they became the victims of those lashing out themselves.

Not long after, though, the peaceful moment was interrupted by the entering Head Boy, who just passed through the front entrance of the pub and now drew to a halt in front of the Slytherins' table.

"Malfoy …" He said menacingly; his eyes glaring dagger at the blond, arms shaking, hands clenched and unclenched. Who wouldn't be mad at the stupid person ruining your hard-gained, much-anticipated date! Although he was only a Hufflepuff, and they were often mocked at as being a bunch of cowards who always opted to stay out of trouble, and personally he also always felt rather intimidated by the Slytherin, he could act out of character, too, occasionally, especially when being put in a situation like the one he had just had!

Ernie wouldn't even consider that perhaps he was also the cause of Hermione's anger and fleeing. All he could think of was that it was all the Slytherin Prince's fault!

Draco tilted his head slightly, and as soon as he saw who it was addressing him, abruptly stood up and met him face-to-face (not really face-to-face, actually; for the blond was a few inches taller than the Head Boy).

"You… good-for-nothing-Hufflepuff!" He was again as enraged as he had been. His pale face reddened, hands were, too, clenched and unclenched, and his body shook in anger.

Blaise watched the interaction between the two boys with amazement, while other occupiers of the pub stopped chatting now and started looking toward the two quarreling boys' direction. Blaise himself felt irked as soon as he saw the sandy-haired Hufflepuff entering (because of the jealousy and all), but he had no idea Draco was also having a problem with the moron; and obviously a more serious one, too, seeing the way the two glaring murderously at each other now, hands ready at wands.

"What's your problem, Malfoy?" Ernie spat. "Next time go find someone else to bully! That's very childish of you; mocking her and making her run away like that!"

"Ahh… so you're mad I just ruined your lovey-dovey date? Let me tell you what, you thick-skulled head! The way I see it, it was already ruined with the mere fact that you're part of it!" He sneered, as severely as a Malfoy could, glancing purposefully at the empty space beside the Head Boy, silently reminding him of the non-presence of his date. Draco actually had no idea what had happened between the Head couple. He only said what came across his mind first and perhaps, because he had wished so, that the date had indeed gone wrong from the beginning, those were the words that ended up coming out of his mouth. Apparently, it struck just the right nerve.

"You…" Ernie didn't even bother to use his wand, and launched himself immediately at the obnoxious blonde, sending them both toppled on the floor. He launched his punches on the Slytherin's face, but could hardly cause any injuries as the blond had been quick to protect his face with his arms. And, just suddenly, Ernie was being put on the opposite position, with Draco on top of him, sending well-targeted punches right at his nose, jaws, neck and chest as the Head Boy had been too surprised to make a good defense of himself. They changed positions, rolling about the floor several times, set to cause as many damages as possible at each other before the gathering crowd finally woke up from their trance and decided to break them apart. Not before the fight left ugly bruises and scars on each of their skins, though.

"YOU SLYTHEIRN BADASS!" Ernie yelled as he was being forcibly dragged to the back of the room.

"YOU DIMWITTED, DISGUSTING HUFFLEPUFF!" Draco yelled back as he harshly tried to release his arms, which were being held back by Blaise and Crabbe.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU IDIOTS!" He then barked at his friends, and swept blood from the corner of his mouth as Crabbe, who was cowered by his lash, let him go, making it easier for Draco to pull his other arm out of Blaise's dead grip. Contrary to his friends' fear, that he would hunt down the Head Boy, however, Draco fled the table and storm out of The Three Broomsticks.

Just when he slammed the door of the pub and turned right, however, he was smashed onto a short brunette, who staggered back on her feet and almost fell if he hadn't been quick and caught her arm.

"Merlin, sorry, are you okay?" he helped her stand on her feet. In the absence of his clear mind, Draco often forgot that as the Slytherin Prince he shouldn't have acted too nicely like that.

The short, 12-year-old something girl looked up at him, and immediately looked surprised.

"Draco, there is blood on your lips," she raised her hand very swiftly Draco didn't have a time to react, wiping the blood on his chopped lip, making Draco flinch and instinctively step back.

He narrowed his eyes down at the weird girl, "Who are you?" as he wiped the rest of the blood from his lips.

Crystabelle's eyes widened. She cursed herself inwardly. Stupid! Stupid! How come she forgot that she was supposed to be in disguise and was not supposed to know him!

"Oh, you don't know me. I'm just some passerby," she laughed nervously, while slowly stepping away from her brother.

Draco narrowed his eyes even more. "If I don't know you, how come you know me? And you act like we've known each other very well." He followed the girl slowly, staring at her suspiciously.

"Oh, well … actually I just mistook you as another person. How very silly of me," she again laughed nervously (she couldn't think straight and try to act naturally in a very unplanned situation like this!), and kept stepping back as Draco stubbornly continued to follow her.

"I clearly heard you call me Draco. You obviously thought it was me," his stares were now accusatory.

"Oh, no! You heard it wrongly, really. I said Marco, not Draco! Anyway, sorry, you're definitely not him. My brother is a bit taller and his hair is not that blond," she pointed out, more confidently this time.

But, alas, she used just the very wrong words! For "my brother" immediately gave her away. Draco briefly glanced down at her dark grey autumn coat, which instantly made Crystabelle curse herself even more loudly inwardly, as she just realized it was a birthday present he had given her just several months ago!

"Crystabelle… What. Have. You. Done? Where. Did. You. Get. The Polyjuice Potion? It's illegal, you stupid brat!"

"No, no. You're wrong. I'm not Cris… not Cris whatever you just called me. You must have mistaken me for another person," she still hopelessly offered, stepping further away back, and started turning her head right and left to see a possible way escape.

"Oh, hey! That's my brother! Marcoooo, it's me!" she pointed out to her left, waving, which made Draco instantly look toward the same direction. Then she quickly, albeit stealthily, raised her wand, sending a jinx to her brother's feet and then ran swiftly toward the opposite direction.

"HEY!" Draco yelled, but was tripped just as he was about to run after her. He cursed, and then shouted as he tried to un-hex his feet, which were apparently tied with an invisible rope.

"CRISSY….! STOP THIS INSTANT! I SAID STOP!" he roared.

Obeying him while he was in that mood would be the stupidest thing to do, so Crystabelle ignored him and kept running away, regretting that it looked like she had to end her joyful Hogsmeade trip right now.

"CRISSYYYY…! WAIT 'TIL I GET YOU!" she heard her brother growling loudly, and very angrily, from afar.

Hello, there, everyone... Sorry again for the ... 2 months stall? Well, seeing I'm getting busy with job, side job, and postgraduate study applications and all; I guess I must say now I can't promise you regular updates, thus I will no longer have to say sorry every time I publish the new updates later than my previous plan. More reviews to my stories, however, will of course encourage me to update sooner. So, please review :)).

MasterArbor, who still generously review every chapter of this story, I again thank you a bunch, and, answering to your question, my first language is ... surprise, surprise...! Indonesian (have u ever heard of that?)

ReneeAicirtap: thanks, your review is very encouraging. So, what do you think about this chapter?

AlphaGamJen: the time setting of this story is Hermione's, Draco's, Harry's and Ron's seventh year, which means Fred and George, having been a few years older, already graduated and I imagine they were working at their joke shop. Hermione only met the twins last summer as she visited The Burrow during the summer holiday. Is that clear for you? Thx 4 reviewing :)

TheseFamiliarPages: Yes, I can't stand Ernie too! Anyway, his ignorant and irritating treatment of Hermione during the 'Heads date' is I guess definitely the end of him (unless I change my mind somewhere in next chapters). And, well... yes, this perhaps means it's now time for a real race between Draco and Blaise! :D

thfourteenth: Ah, yes, your defining of Crystabelle's personality is about the very same reason why I also like her a lot and make her a main character of this story.

Thanks for others: DIANA-FANofHOTNESS4ever, GuurrlyGalxoxo, Bricet, hayden3080, FiOnAFiO, stargirl supernova, icha, redflower ... for the reviews.

C'mon, guys! Give me good reasons to continue updating by continually REVIEWING and START reviewing for those who haven't. THX! :D