Back in the Gryffindor common room, the girls glanced around, and seeing that everyone had gone to bed, Hermione let loose,
"Oh my god!" she shrieked, while still trying to keep her voice quiet. "I cannot believe that was actually Malfoy!!" Dawn laughed,
"I did tell you!"
"Yeah, but… he said thanks to me, Dawn! He was…nice! I have never heard a civil word leave his lips, girl!" Dawn giggled at her friend's amazement. "I can't believe this! First full day of school and you've reformed Draco Malfoy!!" Dawn collapsed into a chair, laughing.
"Ok, one, It wasn't me, I think he's always been like that inside, but he's been afraid to show it; and two, we've actually been here half the summer, so for us its technically like the seventh week of school!"
"True, I guess. But I still can't believe it!!"
"Can't believe what?" yawned Ron as he and Harry came sluggishly down the stairs. Dawn and Hermione both cracked up at the thought of what Harry and Ron would say if they told them. "What?" Ron groaned, obviously practically asleep on his feet.
"Nothing." Dawn said, chucking the cloak to Harry, who easily caught it even in this semi-conscious state. "Thanks for the loan Harry."
"No prob." He yawned, "But where'd you go? You said you'd explain later." Hermione cocked her head to one side.
"Huh. I did, didn't I?" she smiled, and took Dawns hand briefly. They grinned at the boys and headed for the girls stairs, ignoring the sleepy cries of 'Hey!' from behind them.
Sitting on the window seat in their dorm, whispering so as not to wake the other girls, Hermione and Dawn chatted, while Dawn finished her letter to Buffy, including the way Hermione had found out about Draco and her acceptance of it. She also wrote about Wesley being there, knowing how that would shock her.
"So what is the deal with Windam-Price?" Hermione asked. Dawn scrunched up her face, and surveyed Hermione. She'd only known this girl one day, and she already knew most of her secrets. Would it really hurt to tell the rest? She decided it was a little too much, too soon, so she just shrugged,
"He was my sister's teacher for a while, that's all."
"Then how come you knew him? What kind of teacher?" Dawn wracked her brains, and smiled,
"Fighting."
"Fighting?" Hermione raised her brows.
"Yeah, like martial arts an' stuff. Buffy has always been into that kinda dealio."
"Oh. Cool." Hermione shrugged. "He doesn't seem the type though." Dawn chuckled,
"Yeah, that's why he did the teaching, not the actual fighting." She bit her tongue a moment to late, but luckily Hermione missed the real meaning behind the words.
Next morning, their first lesson was potions. Snape was being as awful as usual, and seemed to have decided to hate Dawn almost as much as Harry. The problem was, she had begun to rather enjoy the actual potions bit. She was quite good, and he found it very hard to trip her up. Yesterday he'd had a huge go at the whole class about always having the right ingredients to hand. At the start of this lesson, Dawn noticed Snape whisper to Goyle, one of Malfoy's cronies. Goyle, a nasty grin on his face, had soon 'accidentally' knocked half of Dawn and Hermione's ingredients on the floor. The little jars smashed, mixing the various powders into what both girls new to be a highly dangerous combination. They groaned, and flashing evil looks at the boy and the teacher, they began cleaning up the mess. Snape pretended not to notice.
"Right." He bellowed, "I hope no one is missing ingredients, after what I said yesterday." No one could miss the horrid smile on his face. Dawn rolled her eyes,
"Great, there goes a whole buncha points!" she whispered to Hermione, who nodded. Just as Dawn was getting back to her seat, she noticed something floating beneath the desk. Reaching her hand under, she came up with three small jars, with a note stuck to them,
Dawn and Hermione,
Crabbe and Goyle's! Enjoy.
-D
Dawn smothered her laugher, and passed the note to Hermione, setting the jars on the table. Hermione snorted a laugh, but stopped it. They each flashed a smile across the room, and Draco knew they'd got the note.
When they began the potion making, Snape started pacing through the rows of desks, checking ingredient. When he reached the two girls, his eyes went wide, and he frowned. Dawn kept her head down, knowing she'd laugh if she didn't. Snape fumed, as he looked around, knowing he'd pretended not to see the spillage, he couldn't demand to know where the ingredients came from. Across the room, the two enormous boys sitting near Malfoy were scratching their heads. 'Where'd they go?' Dawn could hear them whispering. Eventually, a nervous hand was raised,
"Er, Sir?" Crabbe said. Snape swept over to them.
"What?" he snapped.
"We, err, can't find our ingredients sir." Goyle gulped. Snape rolled his eyes, and glared at the two girls. He didn't notice that Draco was trying very hard not to laugh. Snape said nothing, but fetched spare ingredients for the Slytherins. A murmur passed through the Gryffindors as they agreed that any of them would just have lost twenty points. Harry turned confused to Hermione and Dawn who were laughing silently. He nudged Ron, who shrugged and mouthed 'we can ask later'. Harry nodded, and they continued.
At the end of the lesson, the girls deliberately took a long time to pack up, and the boys waited. When everyone else had left, Draco, who had also delayed himself, followed the girls out of the room. The second they were in the corridor, Dawn broke into a huge grin, and much to both Harry and Ron's shock, hugged Malfoy. More, he hugged back.
"Thank you sooo much!!" Dawn squealed.
"Ah, it was nothing." Draco smiled, trying his best to pretend Potter and Weasley weren't there.
"Yeah, thanks." Hermione said shyly. Ron and Harry looked extremely confused. Draco smiled at the girls as they began walking down the passage.
"Those idiots deserved it." He shook his head, "I used to like Snape… I never thought he'd stoop that low!" Dawn laughed,
"Yeah, well people surprise you sometimes." This time no one missed the real meaning to her words. When they came to the entrance hall, Draco raised a hand in a small wave,
"See ya." He said, and turned to go. Dawn hesitated a moment, then pulled him back. He looked at her, concerned, and after another minute hesitation, Dawn kissed him. Then smiled,
"See ya." Draco smiled a smile even Ron and Harry could tell was genuine, and started up the stairs. Once they were outside, on their way down to Hagrid's for care of magical creatures, Ron finally managed to speak,
"Ok." He blurted, "Did I just miss several chapters, or what?!" Dawn and Hermione giggled a little. "See!" Ron said to Harry. "Hermione, that was Malfoy. M-a-l-f-o-y!"
"Yep." Dawn smiled,
"What's with the kissing him?" Harry gasped,
"Why, you jealous?" Hermione quipped. Harry went bright pink,
"No! Just… Malfoy!?"
"I already told you. You guys don't know the real him! We would have been slaughtered by Snape if it wasn't for Draco!" Dawn protested,
"She is right y'know." Hermione agreed, "I mean, I've only seen it a couple of times, but he is different."
"But…!?" Ron exclaimed, but he couldn't actually think of a retort.