Disclaimer: I certainly do not own Harry Potter. That belongs to J.K Rowling.
I am really really sorry I couldn't update earlier. You remember when I said everything was against me? Including the laptop charger? Well...it turned out I was right and the laptop charger actually just stopped working. So I had to use the last minutes of my laptop to order a new one, but of course while I was waiting to get a new laptop charger a very important art assignment comes up, so I had to focus on that. And various crappy things like my relatives taking my room for the holidays and me babysitting.
You know busy Christmas can be!
And I am busy being dieased with a cold! :3
Chapter Five
Suspects and Plots
'The plan into getting Harry to like me is going well so far, sure he doesn't realise that I plan to woo him. But he need not know...for now,' Draco plotted as he silently gazed at Harry as his thoughts processed.
Harry who noticed Draco's glance gave an uncertain smile back in which Draco beamed a smile back in return.
'But how to get closer to him...hm...since his friends are always with him, I may have to be closer to his friends,'Draco thought glancing around the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
Draco then felt someone staring at him and noticed Ron Weasley glaring daggers at him.
'Weasley is going to be the hardest to convince to trust me,' Draco thought not even bothering returning nothing but a blank look at Ron.
'If I react to Weasley's attacks that's only going to encourage the fool. Maybe Hermione, will be easier to convince that I mean them no harm,'
The young Malfoy elegantly took a bite out of his apple.
'The sooner the better, the person who I adored for years will be mine,' Draco thought determinedly.
Ron leaned over to Hermione.
"I don't trust that slimy git," Ron muttered angrily glaring at Draco's back.
"Oh honestly Ron," Hermione tutted rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.
"He's after something!" Ron protested prompting Harry who was opposite him to give him an annoyed look.
"Just drop it Ron," Harry hissed taking a swig of water from his goblet.
"If Draco is acting friendly something must be wrong!" Ron carried on as if his two best friends had just lost their minds.
"Oh dear someone acting friendly how terrible," mocked Ginny from beside him.
Ron gave his little sister a cross look before turning back to Hermione and Harry.
"Look Ron, don't you think that if Draco was planning to harm us he'd be...well less open about it?" Hermione tried to reason.
"Yeah, you know more than anyone else that if Draco was plotting something he wouldn't just come up and try to befriend us he's not like that,"
"If he didn't mean it, you think he'd risk losing his we are better than you Slytherin posse befriending some Gryffindors?"
"Unless they're in on it," Ron protested.
"Well I didn't hear anything that they knew about him being friendly towards me," Harry answered back.
He decided to keep quiet about Draco knowing he was there half the time, knowing that it'll fuel the fire with Ron suspicions towards Malfoy also Harry really wanted to give Malfoy a chance. Since the reformation of his cousin who bullied him for years he decided that people can really change.
"Whatever I still don't trust him," Ron growled chewing his chicken furiously.
"You've never really liked the Malfoys since you heard dad slag off Lucius and that was when you were six," Ginny revealed giving her brother a smug look.
"Lucius tried to kill you once! Of course I wouldn't like the prick!" Ron roared at Ginny.
Ginny bristled, the whole Tom Riddle's diary incident was a especially touchy subject with her and the people who knew about it often avoided it.
For a few moments an awkward silence loomed over their part of the Gryffindor table, that tactless comment earned a swift elbow in the ribs by Hermione.
"My point is Ronald," Ginny said unusually calm.
'Oh dear, full name is never a good sign,' Hermione thought.
"We shouldn't judge people based on their parents or their background that'll make us as bad as them, also we are no longer in fear anymore we can live normally now with Voldemort gone,"
Ron's sister then turned away from her brother and ate her dinner. It was obvious she was going to give him the cold shoulder treatment for a while now.
Harry had to silently agree with Ginny, with Voldemort defeated he can finally live life like a normal teenager, something if he was truly honest with himself was what he always wanted.
"Ginny," Harry said breaking the silence.
Ginny plopped her head up at Harry obviously indicating that she was not giving the silent treatment to him.
"I've been thinking this my birthday...but I need to ask you," Harry started.
"Wait are you confessing?" Ron blurted out earning a huge glare from his sister and his friend.
"What? No! I was just asking where she got the Witchy Warts magazine," Harry rambled turning red.
"Oh the Witchy Warts magazine...well I found it in Fred and George's room." Earning a surpised look from Harry.
"God forbid why had 'that' kind of magazine in there in the first place," Ginny explained.
The indication of 'that' kind of magazine made Ron choke on his drink and Hermione a little pink on the cheeks.
'Hm, would it have something to do with their thriving new business perhaps?' Harry thought to himself.
"Oi mate," Seamus said to him besides him.
"You're gaining a few loving glances you are mate," grinned Seamus indicating to the Ravenclaw table.
Harry looked to where he was looking and indeed saw Cho Chang lovingly gazing (hopefully) at him.
But the Boy Who Lived was blissfully unaware of a couple of certain factors.
1. Ginny was glaring daggers at the Ravenclaw girl.
2. Cho's friend Marietta was giving an icy look to both Harry and the rest of the Gryffindor table.
3. These loving glances was notimpressing a certain Slytherin.
"Draco," Blaise called out after the Grand Feast and the Slytherins were in the dormitories.
"What?" Draco growled out.
"What's crawled up your ass?" Blaise asked bluntly.
After a moments silence Blaise simply said "Has it anything to do with a certain Potter?"
"Yes," Draco sighed angrily.
"Look the guy isn't going to throw himself at your feet after you've flirted with him onetime, if that's what your upset about," Blaise said simply.
"No, I'm just worried that he...won't..."
"Feel the same for you?" Blaise finished.
Draco sighed "Yes,"
"If not it wasn't meant to be, besides you haven't even got to be his friend yet you know nothing about him," Blaise shrugged.
"I do! His birthday is July 31st!" Draco protested.
"Really...then do you know what his favourite colour is?"
"..."
"His favourite type of music?"
"..."
"His hobbies? His favourite food? OR what he enjoys doing subject most?"
"Okay...maybe I don't know much about him then," Draco said thoughtfully.
"Well find out then, he might like you a bit better," Blaise replied wisely.
After a few moments Blaise said "You're planning to get closer to Harry's friends to get to him aren't you?"
"How the heck can you know that?" Draco asked.
"Ah, Draco to me your mind is like an open book," Blaise smirked.
Draco scowled at Blaise the fact that could read him, the thought that he was easy to read was in fact quite insulting to him.
"Well all we know about Granger is that she likes to read, gather what types of books she likes," Blaise thought aloud.
"And what? Just give it too her-"
"No no no, give it as an apology,"
"...Apology?" Draco frowned. He did not like the sound of that.
"You grew out of favour of her for being a prat and by calling her a mudblood half of the time for the last couple of years,"
"Ah," Draco responded not really liking to admit he was wrong.
"So give her an apology present,"
"But that's...so...not like me! She'll think I've cursed it or something," Draco spluttered.
"Well come up with a better plan," Blaise remarked.
"What about the Weasel?" Draco asked quietly.
"Ehh...give him enough space to cool off for now,"
"Hn. Gladly,"
"I'll look into Weasley," Blaise declared walking away.
"Why exactly are you helping me?" Draco asked suspiciously.
"Nothing better to do is there?" Blaise responded with a grin to his face.
'That's definately one ally I plan to keep,' Draco thought to himself.
"Hi Harry," a third year Gryffindor battered her eyelashes at him.
Harry looked down to see that the girl had the latest addition of Witchy Warts in her hands to which he thought 'Hell no!'
The Gryffindor common room was filled with people, so Harry could easily slip away looking like he just didn't hear the girl at all.
He then bumped into Neville, Ron, Hermione, Seamus and Dean all huddled in the corner near the fire place.
"Hi Harry!" Neville greeted his toad Trevor clasped in his hands.
"So Harry," Seamus asked arms folded.
"What was with you talking to Draco today?" Seamus interrogated with his Irish accent shining through.
"Well er..." Harry began unable to think where to start.
"Draco wants a fresh start," Hermione said simply with the Chesire Cat grin returning on her face.
"What?" Seamus, Neville and Dean exclaimed.
"Draco wants to become friends," Harry finally admitted. Slightly glad it was off his chest.
"I smell a rat," Seamus said quickly furrowing his eyebrows.
Neville didn't say anything, either because he was too shocked or because he couldn't find anything to say.
"That's what I told him! But he won't listen me!" Ron exclaimed to Seamus.
"Well why would that asshole all of a sudden want to become friends with you?" Seamus asked.
"He might be up to a trick," Dean said thoughtfully.
"Ugh," Harry's headache suddenly painstakingly returned.
"Listen, if you want to distrust Malfoy fine. But I personally am willing to give him a chance," Harry said standing his ground.
"But what if-"
"If I'm proven wrong fine, you were right. But what's the worst that could happen?"
"Death," Seamus said grimly.
Harry had to fight the urge to burst out laughing right then and there.
"Malfoy is many thing Seamus but a killer?" Hermione asked amused.
"He's-"
"Perhaps have been previously been a coward and a bully but I don't think he has the instinct to kill," Hermione explained smoothly.
Harry was glad for a second that he wasn't the one who had to explain it.
"W-well, I still smell a rat," Seamus muttered stubbornly.
"Just be on your guard Harry," Neville said looking worried.
"Don't worry I will," Harry said seriously.
"Best safety lies in fear,"* Hermione smirked turning to read her book.
"Guys, I've got a major head I'm going to go to bed," Harry announced walking away tired of the conversation.
'Draco I hope you really do mean that you wanted friendship, because I'm going to look like a right fool if you're not.' Harry thought as he walked up the stairs of the boy's dormitory.
And with that The Boy Who Lived prepared to go to sleep.
A/N: * Title of an Emilie Autumn song which is derived from a passage from the Hamlet play by Shakespeare.
Seamus I feel in the Harry Potter series is alot like Ron. Both loyal to family, both stubborn and both hot-headed. This is why I choose to write Seamus on Ron's side with the whole Malfoy debate thing.
Hermione is a smart girl, she can read people well which is why she probably knows more about Draco's intention then most people.
However, I feel she's also the type of girl who likes to see something happen and have facts proven, since she's an anti Luna Lovegood in a way (I didn't say that the J.K Rowling did) so she isn't completely on Draco's side she's alot more open minded than Ron though.
Ginny cares for Harry but she can understand why Harry would want to give Draco another chance and them become friends. Yeah I know she's also hot-headed but she also knows her brother very well.
Yeah I've been thrown in the new year, I have to complete my art coursework, I have a college interview and going to America in January.
Till Next Time
~Blazenix