my notes one may argue the continuation of the fic on the lines of it's utter uselessness an dthe VERY strong lack of reviews (ouch!) :hangs head in shame:

but (clearly),"frankly my dear, i don't give a damn"

oh & apologies for the spacing. i don't get how to fix it. it's horrible but, again; i don't know how to fix it (who am i addressing here?) :P

CHAPTER III

In Which The Boy Who Lived May Continue To Do So

Harry pushed his chair back and kept his hand behind Hermione's chair.

'Mind buggering off Malfoy?' he inquired politely.

Draco couldn't blame Harry for his paranoia about Draco equaling trouble. He kept quiet and shamelessly looked on at now blushing Ginny.

'Yep; Mind answering his question Potter?' responded Blaise in a dangerously low voice.

Draco's gaze instantly traveled from Ginny's innocent eyes to Blaise's barely controlled fury to Harry's hand.

Oh dammit. The hand!

'Oh sorry then. Floo the death eaters and old Voldemort too then. We'll make it a tea party' snapped Harry caustically.

Everyone at the table took a sharp intake of breath at the mention of the Dark Lord except, three Griffindors whose hearts were transfixed by the three Slytherins before them.

'Oh quit it!' Harry snapped. 'Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort.'

As Harry heard Hermione take a deep breath beside him, he kept a hand on her shoulder to keep her calm.

Really now, he thought she'd have gotten used to saying Voldemort's name by now.

Blaise's eyes now looked very, very menacing.

'Mind getting your hands off Hermione?' he bit out.

Harry's brows shot up. Draco did a double take and then smacked his hand against his forehead.

Ginny stopped mentally ravishing Draco and gaped at Blaise. Her eyes were now gleeful, Aha! she thought smugly.

Ron and Pansy blinked and thought to themselves, he did not just say that.

Harry noticed Hermione's deep blush and looked up at Blaise's hand fingering his wand, a muscle working non-stop in his cheek.
Harry would've beaten Blaise up had Zabini been nasty, but right now, Harry was just cavorting.

Seeing Harry's emerald eyes sparkling and his hand off Hermione, Blaise looked less threatening and his grip over the wand lessened. Draco was still smacking his smooth forehead with the heel of his hand when Harry said, 'Well don't just stand there, get a chair.'

The three Slytherins exchanged looks and then Blaise flicked his wand with shameless elegance, bringing forth three chairs.

Draco held a chair for Pansy and Blaise rolled his eyes. He held Draco's chair for him and then received a prompt whack on the back of his head from the young Malfoy.

Everyone laughed. It was surreal. Colin perked up and got his nerve. He asked for permission to take a photograph. The Slytherins were uncomfortable at the idea, but put no objection.
Colin was delirious was joy. Draco had actually managed to acknowledge him.
Neville was slightly apprehensive, but he too managed a smile, seated next to the impossibly handsome slytherin blonde.

'Another crucio for the road' mumbled Draco to Blaise, smiling outwardly.
'Another crucio for the "memory lane" Draco' corrected Blaise, smiling brilliantly at the camera.

Draco chuckled and the camera caught a bewildered bunch of Griffindors with three smiling Slytherins.

If Dean and Seamus were annoyed with Harry for letting Malfoy and Zabini sit with them, they kept their mouths shut. Surprisingly, those two were pretty good company.

If Ron was upset with Harry, he didn't even realise it. He was trying to catch Pansy's eye as she talked to Hannah Abbot, across the table from Ron.

Meanwhile, Harry was talking to Blaise as thought they were long lost brothers. Blaise was trying to be the charming Zabini self that he was around Draco. This he could accomplish provided he wasn't looking at Hermione. Once he looked at her, his brilliant Zabini mind would stop functioning. Hermione could render him utterly speechless. Draco could thank Granger for that. And anyway, Blaise told himself, it's not polite to stare.

Draco had no such scruples. He was talking to Finnegan and Dean about Quidditch and all the vintage brooms that formed his inheritance. As Ron stared shamelessly at Pansy, Draco made Ginny blush under his gaze.

I can make her blush! He was smirking as he listened to Dean talk about the Chudley Cannons and their upcoming team.

Draco was thinking of ways to make the redhead blush even more when Colin pulled his chair closer to Ginny.

Draco refrained from injuring Creevey and asked Ginny, 'Puddlemere looks strong indeed. What do you think Miss Weasley?'

'Don't even know my name' grumbled Ginny before she could think better of it.

'What do you think?' persisted Draco, adding 'Ginny.'

She blushed furiously again.

Merlin, what are you doing to me? She thought. Get a friggin grip Ginevra.

'Their seeker is a bit daft' she replied, finding her voice, 'Even Harry is better, no offense Harry' she called out to the boy who would continue to live (he and Blaise were getting on rather well).

'See,' continued Ginny, 'I couldn't catch the last game too well 'cause Fred charmed the Telly to show a muggle channel.'

Harry overheard and sniggered at the memory. He was there when Fred managed to get the TV to show Baywatch.
Molly Weasley was apoplectic for weeks.

'What?' asked Blaise.

'Baywatch. It's a…' Harry struggled for words. It would take some getting used to, having a polite conversation with a Slytherin.

'Blaise chuckled, 'I know! Bloody muggles are way ahead of us eh?'

Harry's eyes widened comically and he laughed at Blaise's handsome smile.

Their companionship grew on Hermione's nerves. Harry was like a brother to Hermione. Now she wanted to go back to being an only child.

Dean, Seamus and their girlfriends had to leave. There was a double date in order apparently. Blaise and Draco instantly rose to their feet as Hannah and Padma pushed out their chairs.

Their aristocratic manners had Dean and Seamus feeling rather stupid.

As good-byes were said and they left, Ron dashed to hold Pansy's chair for her. He then conveniently found a chair near her.

'Well Gin,' Ginny's eyes widened at the endearment, 'if your Telly shows half naked women and for some reason you don't want to watch' Draco shrugged 'I have a season pass for Puddlemere United.'

He made Ginny feel stupid for not liking Baywatch. Hey! Wait a minute!
'How come you and Blaise know about muggle TV?' she asked.
Conversations at the table, or attempts to make some in Hermione's case, stopped.

Harry had just returned with another round of Butterbeers to go. They all got up to head back to Hogwarts.

'Alongwith which I would like to understand where the change in your characters came from.'

Draco would have sighed except he had better manners.
He looked Pansy and Blaise. Then, Draco took the lead.
'Well, we three are actually not evil.'
'Well said' said Pansy sarcastically.

Draco ignored her. As the wizards waited for the witches to exit the Three Broomsticks before them, he tried to get the right words. Draco never fumbled, but now he didn't need his wit, and he wanted to abridge the gory details.

'See, me and Blaise were pansies, uh, no offense Pans. We, we didn't really care enough for anything to feel ridiculously strongly about.'

'Voldy's cause included' Blaise added from Harry's right.
'You make him sound like a dog' mumbled Ron as he walked next to Pansy.
'Your point being?' Blaise asked, quirking an eyebrow, his eyes alight with mischief again.

Ron managed a smile and Draco continued, 'Lucius, Narcissa and Mr. and Mrs. Zabini haven't exactly been…'
'Good parents?' suggested Ginny, who stood between Pansy and Draco.
'Human' finished Blaise, with an edge to his voice. 'Crucio's were once before waking up and once after dinner.'

Everyone raised his or her brows to Blaise's supposed attempt at humour.
Draco noticed, laughed and said, 'No, Blaise isn't being Blaise.'
'I resent that; said Blaise winking.
Draco smiled, 'Crucio is twice as more painful, ('if that's possible' muttered Blaise) when you are caught off-guard.'

'So I'm dreaming about that lifeguard and then it's like dammit mum!'
Pansy realised that no matter how hard Blaise tried to lighten the situation, the four with them were Griffindors. They thought of others selflessly before themselves.

Here's the guy whose family and godfather were killed and he's feeling sad for Malfoy and Zabini.

She added, 'Well we don't really hate anyone. No vendettas at all. At 16, you kind of can't hate much.'
'McGonnagall maybe' muttered Draco, from between Ginny and Hermione who swatted him for bad-mouthing their housemistress.
Harry cracked a smile, walking between Hermione and Blaise. 'This is absurd. You guys have made life hell for all creatures living for the past 6 years; and today you thought, "hey okay, let's drop by and say hi to Potter!" '

'Actually Harry, I treated everything like the shit I was made to believe I was, to keep it easy. Lucius can really kill me you know.'
'I just kept a low profile' added Blaise, sipping his Butterbeer with a shrug. He made Draco seem foolish for being a caustic prat all these years.
'I followed Draco's path' said Pansy, 'Last year I was snooping in his room. I found muggle books. Bloody pieces of shit were reading comics and discussing poetry all these years, whilst I cried myself silly over the stupid farce that my life had become.'

Hermione gulped. Her own problems seemed rather miniscule by comparison now. She lowered her eyes and asked in a soft voice, 'So you three must've…'
'Hated ourselves' Blaise finished, smiling ruefully.

'Oh lookie, he's finishing her sentences for her!' Draco smirked and Harry laughed.
Blaise looked ready to hurt Draco.

'What prompted you guys? Just walking over to us to join; what'll happen if your parents find out?'
'Beyond concern now Ron, and uh, sorry for the stuff I've said to you and your…' Draco started.
'Chuck it mate. No issues.' He said slowly. Ron managed to smile reassuringly.

'I owe you an apology too Ron' said Pansy.
Ron really wanted to hold her now more than ever. She looked so fragile and upset that it melted his heart. Draco observed the two and then addressed Ron, 'Do us a favour and snog her will you?'

Blaise chuckled.

'You too Zabini. You don't wanna get Hermione angry, she looks nasty when she's angry' said Harry grinning. Hermione swatted his shoulder.
'Does not' mumbled Blaise, drinking his Butterbeer.

'What was that?' asked Ginny, her eyes twinkling, 'Didn't catch the last word in your declaration of lovve.'

Merlin, she just keeps getting prettier and prettier.

'Malfoy, I can ignore it for a minute or two, but now please stop staring at my sister.'
'Pansy, keep him distracted for another minute will you. I'm making a memory here.'

Ginny blushed and Harry wondered...
One ruddy year and everything has changed.