Chapter Three:
Draco was still baffled by that rage he had felt before. He had never acted that way, that cruelly, to anyone before in his life. And I've been a pretty awful bastard in the past. He had been trying to pool his energies into seducing the new girl but he hadn't even spoken to her yet. But I've seen the looks she's been sending my way. She wants me. He just hoped the other Gryff's didn't screw it up and tell her of the house rivalry system before he got a chance.
"Hermione—" Ginny began, but Phoenicia quickly cut her off. "I told you, its Phoenicia now."
"Fine, Phoenicia, are you sure you really want to do this? I mean, you look great," she roved her eyes up and down Phoenicia's, formerly known as Hermione, body, "But, you don't have to do this to make friend, or get people to like you, or why ever. We all like you," she gestured to the Gryffindor common room beyond their closed door.
"I told you that's not why I'm doing it!" she snapped.
Ginny pressed on, though, undaunted, "But you should never, ever change yourself for a guy. I mean maybe if you told me who he was…" she trailed off. "I could—"
"You could what? Spend even more time interfering with my life? Sorry, no thanks."
"Hermione wait!" she chased after her. Phoenicia exploded. "I told you not to call me that anymore! Why don't you just go away! Go snog Harry or something! Oh, wait, you can't! Because he doesn't like you!"
Ginny burst into tears. She ran off and Phoenicia continued on her way.
Later that night, when Phoenicia returned to her room, she was ready to apologize. But suspiciously, Ginny and Lavender both appeared to be sound asleep. At eight o' clock. On a Saturday.
She sat down on the edge of Ginny's bed. "Ginny," she said softly, knowing that even if the other girl was awake she wouldn't respond. "Ginny, I'm sorry for what I said. I'm going through a really rough time right now and I know that doesn't excuse what I did but I truly am sorry. And I didn't mean what I said about Harry. The truth is he actually fancies you but he's never been able to do anything about it because of his friendship with Ron. I said I would never tell anyone I knew that because I wanted to see you two come together on your own, but now I'm afraid that will never happen. Even if you no longer care about me, I still care about you and Harry, and Ron. Don't give up on him because of me. I'm sorry."
She made to get off the bed but then she was being squeezed by a wet ball of cloth and red hair. It turned out to be Ginny and Phoenicia hugged her back. "And also Ginny, you can still call me Hermione if you want." Ginny squeezed her harder. Hermione knew that this was possible because of the deep friendship she and Ginny built after spending all of fourth year together trying to save Harry, not that she got any credit for that.
She and Ginny hugged for another ten minutes, and then, when Ginny had stopped crying, Hermione gently laid her back down and pushed the covers back over her. She slid into her own bed and whispered' "G'night Gin." into the darkness. "G'night Hermione… Phoenicia." Phoenicia smiled as she slipped off to sleep that her best girl friend had finally accepted her decision to change her life.
"Phoenicia," Draco breathed. That was the new girl's name, he finally learned. Her parents must have been like mine, we were both named after magical animals. This was another thing pureblood societies did, though the tradition had died out in most lines. The Dragon and the Phoenix, what fire we would have together. Draco Malfoy was having a horny pre-pubescent boy fantasy in his head, in the middle of charms class.
"Didn't know you swung that way," smirked Theo, beside him. He realized that he had gotten hard while staring at the back of Goyle's head. He was quick to defend himself, "Ugh! I don't! and even if I did don't you think I'd have higher standards than Goyle?"
"I don't know… I did wonder why he and Crabbe used to always follow you around so much, this could explain it all…"
"That is disgusting!" he near shouted. He hit Theo in the arm but it didn't seem to faze him. "Mr. Malfoy, would you care to share why you find the Flitting Fancy charm to be so 'disgusting'?" Flitwick was surrounded by several thin glowing things that looked like spectral butterflies.
"Oh, I don't Professor Flitwick, I think they're beautiful, I was talking about Goyle picking his nose."
Goyle shot him a nasty look and Professor Flitwick looked rather stunned, "Yes well… erm, The Flitting Fancy charm can be used to several different ends as a distraction…" He returned to the rest of the class and Theo turned back on him.
"Who were you thinkin' about this time then, eh? Was it Parkinson?"
"That's, disgusting, you know I would never go out with that pig faced slut. Malfoy's have—"
"Yeah, yeah, Malfoy's have standard's," he mimicked, "we know."
"And if you must know, I was thinkin' about trying to bed that new girl, Phoenicia. Or whatever," He tried to add in an offhand voice, but Theo wasn't fooled. "Do you like her?"
"Well how could I seeing as I haven't talked to her yet, but even you have to admit she is fuckin hot."
"Yeah, she's also a fuckin' Gryffindor. You know we don't do that." He included the whole of Slytherin in that one word, we.
"Yeah but if ever a time arose that I would, that time is now." And with that he turned back to face Professor Flitwick.
"But—"
"Mr. Nott! Detention! And I don't want to see you moving your mouth again for the rest of class!"
"Sorry Professor." But the whole time he kept shooting pointed looks at Draco, who ignored them.
Hermione Granger had hated Malfoy enough that she had gotten to understand him. This was coming very much in handy for Phoenicia Dregavitch. She knew that Draco like to chase his prey, not have it attempt to curl up in his arms, like Pansy Parkinson. She knew what he liked physically, though that mainly had to do with him telling me. And she knew that he only liked to chase for about a week or so before moving on, to some other prey, I mean girl. Still, she had taken every class that he had except for Charms and Transfiguration. But she still got to see him, and more importantly he gets to see me, in Diviantion, Ancient Runes, Arithmacy, Potions, Herbology, and Astronomy.
Despite the fact that Hermione Granger had hated Divination, Phoenicia loved because Draco took it. This was where she was headed now. She walked slowly because she wanted an opportunity to talk to her Draco. Just as she, finally, reached the tower, she heard familiar footsteps behind her. She didn't turn around, for it was too late for chatting, but instead decided to give him a bit of show. She made her way up the ladder slowly, while sashaying her bum from side to side slowly. She twisted her legs apart a bit so her skirt rode up, exposing even more healthy pale flesh. With one last, theatrically sensuous, heave, she pulled herself into the tower. Still she did not turn around, but instead moved into her 'new' usual seat, right in front of Draco's.
Trelawney, of course, instantly began her mystical, mysterious, and constant babbling. Suddenly, her magnified bug eyes appeared directly in front of Phoenicia. "My dear, you have a choice awaiting you! Your road will split in front of you! Which path will you take?" She tried for funny, "Um… the left one?"
Trelawney stalked off, and behind her Phoenicia could hear giggling from more than just a few students. Not the one right behind her though, not the one I wanted to hear.
"Now my dears," she began, waving her hands about imperiously, "we will be attempting to see the future through our inner eyes only! So I would like each of you to lean you heads back, close your eyes, and attempt to look into the future! Behind her, she heard another comment, "She's giving us permission to sleep? Unbelievable." She let escape a small giggle before cutting it off. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back so that it was hanging over the back of her chair. She relaxed.
She felt herself getting pretty sleepy when she sensed something right in front of her. She opened her eyes to see a beautiful pair of silvery grey ones looking back into hers. Her breath caught. "Hi," she whispered. "Hi," he said back; it was the most errotic moment of her life, until then. Then he leaned back away from her. Instinctively she closed her eyes again.
At least twenty minutes later Phoenicia began to have a dream. A very strange dream.
Three cat's, sitting in a black tree. One red, one black, and one brown. The red one jumped away and when it came back its paws were silver, then the black one left and when it came back its paws were gold, the brown one didn't move though. It' entire fur slowly began to turn white. It jumped down the tree, and did not come back.
Instead it ran across the ground and out of its back sprang wings. It soared off into the sun and then was gone forever.
Phoenicia started. She opened her eyes and all she could see were eyes around her. She blinked and those eyes grew bodies.
"Ugh," she groaned. "I had the weirdest dream. What are you all doing here? What's wrong?"
Trelawney's magnified eyeballs again popped into view. "My dear," she cried fervently, excitedly, "You have had a vision! You have created a prophecy!"