Harry awoke that morning with a simple feeling of dread. He dressed quickly, as everyone else was already gone and met Ron and Hermione in the common room. They left the Gryffindor Tower and entered the Great Hall, taking their usual seats at the Gryffindor table.
Harry stole a look at the Slytherin table, and wasn't exactly sure why he did. Malfoy was there, as usual, telling an animated story causing the section of his table to go up in roars of laughter. Malfoy glanced in his direction, a small sneer playing across his lips and then said something about him. Harry didn't care, and went back to eating.
"So, you think the Canons are going to win the tournament?" Ron asked while shoving a piece of roll into his mouth. Harry thought for a moment.
"You know, they do have a good team this year, I s'pose it is possible."
Ron only nodded in return, Hermione however rolled her eyes,"Honestly." she said under her breath,"You two have homework to do, AND you need to start thinking about this project, I don't think talking about Quidditch teams is going to help you now."
After Hermione had spoken her mind, the three had gone quiet, saying nothing until they had reached the Gryffindor Common room again. "Books." Hermione said sternly. Ron turned and mocked her a tad as they both walked up the stairs to the boys dormitory and retrieved their books from their trunks.
Hermione was there, Crookshanks sitting in her lap. She was absentmindly stroking him behind the ears. "Bloody furball." Ron muttered as he sat down far away from them both.
Harry opened his books and began writing the rest of the essay for Professor Lupin. (He had since returned, no one else was qualified for the job, and Dumbledore convinced everyone that he would be safe, as long as he drank the potion Snape was to prepare before every full moon.)
"Why do we have to write about Wizard Duels? I don't understand the point, and I don't think we will use this in the future."
"It's not the point of doing it, it's about you knowing the basics and how it's usually done." Hermione said reading the current Daily Prophet.
"I know how to do it!" Ron said.
"Ron, I hardly think what we did during our second year, was a wizards duel, it was more like a 'Lockhart try to make himself look all great by teaching us stuff he didn't know' duel." Harry pipped in.
With Ron and Harry finally finishing their essays, the trio left the castle and took a walk around the grounds, taking shelter from the sun under a large tree by the lake. They spent most of the afternoon there, talking aimlessly about nothing, and watching the giant squid from time to time. When that got boring, they walked to Hagrids hut and helped him care for the new shipment of Flobberworms and helped him with the hippogriffs.
"Oh my!" Hermione began,"It's just about halfway through lunch!" and she broke off at a run.
Ron, Harry and Hagrid watched her,"What's with 'er?" Hagrid asked stroking a hippogriff under the chin.
"I'm not sure," Harry began,"but I think she's worried about missing lunch."
Harry was on the edge of his seat all during dinner. He had his bag at his feet, complete with the packet for his project. Loud talking was coming from the Slytherin table, and once again, Malfoy was the center of it. Harry was dreading meeting him after dinner, he didn't want to, and yet, he was very compelled to do so. He was being torn in two different directions, and for once, he was unsure of which direction he should take.
One by one, and sometimes in groups, the students began to leave. Only Ron, Hermione and Harry were left at the Gryffindor table, while the Slytherin table was quite packed. All the students from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw table were officially gone.
"Malfoy, are you coming?" Someone asked the blonde, Harry guessed it was Goyle.
"No," he said, Harry stole a sideways glance at him,"I have some things," he said indicating towards Harry,"to take care of." he finished with a menacing tone.
Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson laughed,"Oh, we understand." Pansy said, and lead Crabbe and Goyle out of the Great Hall.
"Don't listen to them mate," Ron said,"He's just trying to get at you."
"Yeah," Hermione said,"Just don't leave with him..I still don't trust him."
With Ron and Hermione gone, Harry was alone at his table. Malfoy wasn't making a move to sit with him, as if sitting there would somehow contaminate him. "Well Potter?" he asked hands clapped in front of him on the table. "I'm a Malfoy, I go to no one, they come to me."
Harry sighed heavily and left his table and joined Malfoy at his. "Did you bring the packet?" he asked pulling his from his bag.
"Yeah." Harry said placing his on the table. Malfoy, like him, hadn't opened his yet. They did at the same time, and Malfoy snorted.
"A love potion." he sneered. "Why the bloody hell is Snape making us make a Love potion?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Harry asked reading his own list.
Both were quiet for a few minutes, Malfoy's brow had creased as he was studying the list. Harry did the same,"Sounds easy enough, we just have to harvest the herbs during the right moon phase and we just have to get a few potion ingredients from Snape. If we follow the timeline, all should be well."
Harry eyed him,"How do you know so much?"
"Did you honestly think I was an idiot Potter?"
Harry though for a moment,"Well, yeah. I just figured you were passing because of your money and because of the position your father once held."
Draco rolled his eyes,"Honestly Potter." he said gathering his things and shoving them into his bag one by one,"I am not an idiot, I am nothing like my father, and you have no idea what my life is like." he closed his bag and flung it over his shoulder,"And if you think that you are going to make me do all the work, you are wrong." He was leaning on the table now, he glared at Harry and stood, with one final sneer, he walked off briskly, leaving only the faint smell of his expensive cologne.
After the initial shock of what Malfoy had said, Harry too gathered his things and made his way to the Gryffindor tower where Ron was stationed beside the protrait whole,"Did he try to curse you? Did he try to get you in trouble?" When Harry said nothing,he became irritated,"Tell me he did something atleast!" he said throwing his hands in the air.
That night, Harry found it hard to sleep. The words that Malfoy had said to him during their meeting in the Great Hall kept repeating over and over in his head. Perhaps he had him all wrong, perhaps there was something more to him, something that Harry didn't quite understand yet. Finally, after several hours of conversation with himself, Harry drifted off into a fitful sleep.
Harry stole a look at the Slytherin table, and wasn't exactly sure why he did. Malfoy was there, as usual, telling an animated story causing the section of his table to go up in roars of laughter. Malfoy glanced in his direction, a small sneer playing across his lips and then said something about him. Harry didn't care, and went back to eating.
"So, you think the Canons are going to win the tournament?" Ron asked while shoving a piece of roll into his mouth. Harry thought for a moment.
"You know, they do have a good team this year, I s'pose it is possible."
Ron only nodded in return, Hermione however rolled her eyes,"Honestly." she said under her breath,"You two have homework to do, AND you need to start thinking about this project, I don't think talking about Quidditch teams is going to help you now."
After Hermione had spoken her mind, the three had gone quiet, saying nothing until they had reached the Gryffindor Common room again. "Books." Hermione said sternly. Ron turned and mocked her a tad as they both walked up the stairs to the boys dormitory and retrieved their books from their trunks.
Hermione was there, Crookshanks sitting in her lap. She was absentmindly stroking him behind the ears. "Bloody furball." Ron muttered as he sat down far away from them both.
Harry opened his books and began writing the rest of the essay for Professor Lupin. (He had since returned, no one else was qualified for the job, and Dumbledore convinced everyone that he would be safe, as long as he drank the potion Snape was to prepare before every full moon.)
"Why do we have to write about Wizard Duels? I don't understand the point, and I don't think we will use this in the future."
"It's not the point of doing it, it's about you knowing the basics and how it's usually done." Hermione said reading the current Daily Prophet.
"I know how to do it!" Ron said.
"Ron, I hardly think what we did during our second year, was a wizards duel, it was more like a 'Lockhart try to make himself look all great by teaching us stuff he didn't know' duel." Harry pipped in.
With Ron and Harry finally finishing their essays, the trio left the castle and took a walk around the grounds, taking shelter from the sun under a large tree by the lake. They spent most of the afternoon there, talking aimlessly about nothing, and watching the giant squid from time to time. When that got boring, they walked to Hagrids hut and helped him care for the new shipment of Flobberworms and helped him with the hippogriffs.
"Oh my!" Hermione began,"It's just about halfway through lunch!" and she broke off at a run.
Ron, Harry and Hagrid watched her,"What's with 'er?" Hagrid asked stroking a hippogriff under the chin.
"I'm not sure," Harry began,"but I think she's worried about missing lunch."
Harry was on the edge of his seat all during dinner. He had his bag at his feet, complete with the packet for his project. Loud talking was coming from the Slytherin table, and once again, Malfoy was the center of it. Harry was dreading meeting him after dinner, he didn't want to, and yet, he was very compelled to do so. He was being torn in two different directions, and for once, he was unsure of which direction he should take.
One by one, and sometimes in groups, the students began to leave. Only Ron, Hermione and Harry were left at the Gryffindor table, while the Slytherin table was quite packed. All the students from the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw table were officially gone.
"Malfoy, are you coming?" Someone asked the blonde, Harry guessed it was Goyle.
"No," he said, Harry stole a sideways glance at him,"I have some things," he said indicating towards Harry,"to take care of." he finished with a menacing tone.
Crabbe, Goyle and Pansy Parkinson laughed,"Oh, we understand." Pansy said, and lead Crabbe and Goyle out of the Great Hall.
"Don't listen to them mate," Ron said,"He's just trying to get at you."
"Yeah," Hermione said,"Just don't leave with him..I still don't trust him."
With Ron and Hermione gone, Harry was alone at his table. Malfoy wasn't making a move to sit with him, as if sitting there would somehow contaminate him. "Well Potter?" he asked hands clapped in front of him on the table. "I'm a Malfoy, I go to no one, they come to me."
Harry sighed heavily and left his table and joined Malfoy at his. "Did you bring the packet?" he asked pulling his from his bag.
"Yeah." Harry said placing his on the table. Malfoy, like him, hadn't opened his yet. They did at the same time, and Malfoy snorted.
"A love potion." he sneered. "Why the bloody hell is Snape making us make a Love potion?"
"How am I supposed to know?" Harry asked reading his own list.
Both were quiet for a few minutes, Malfoy's brow had creased as he was studying the list. Harry did the same,"Sounds easy enough, we just have to harvest the herbs during the right moon phase and we just have to get a few potion ingredients from Snape. If we follow the timeline, all should be well."
Harry eyed him,"How do you know so much?"
"Did you honestly think I was an idiot Potter?"
Harry though for a moment,"Well, yeah. I just figured you were passing because of your money and because of the position your father once held."
Draco rolled his eyes,"Honestly Potter." he said gathering his things and shoving them into his bag one by one,"I am not an idiot, I am nothing like my father, and you have no idea what my life is like." he closed his bag and flung it over his shoulder,"And if you think that you are going to make me do all the work, you are wrong." He was leaning on the table now, he glared at Harry and stood, with one final sneer, he walked off briskly, leaving only the faint smell of his expensive cologne.
After the initial shock of what Malfoy had said, Harry too gathered his things and made his way to the Gryffindor tower where Ron was stationed beside the protrait whole,"Did he try to curse you? Did he try to get you in trouble?" When Harry said nothing,he became irritated,"Tell me he did something atleast!" he said throwing his hands in the air.
That night, Harry found it hard to sleep. The words that Malfoy had said to him during their meeting in the Great Hall kept repeating over and over in his head. Perhaps he had him all wrong, perhaps there was something more to him, something that Harry didn't quite understand yet. Finally, after several hours of conversation with himself, Harry drifted off into a fitful sleep.