(A/N: I'm so SO sorry that it's been so long since I've updated. The thing is, for the first three months I didn't update I was high on pain meds after my foot surgeries. I couldn't even read because the letters were dancing. Then for the next nine months, I was without a laptop as my old one finally bit the dust for good. After that, I moved. Then I was sick for a couple weeks. Then, I was frantically looking for a job. Then my job started taking up a good chunk of my time. But one of my new year's resolutions is to post at least one chapter of something to this site each week. All that being said, I don't own Harry Potter. Enjoy!)

Chapter 23: Sneakiness and Un-sneakiness

When we got word from Hagrid about the dragon hatching, Ron and Hermione decided that it would be a brilliant idea to bicker about going to go see it at top volume on our way to Herbology where anyone (namely Malfoy) could hear about it.

I rubbed my temples and barked out, "Oi! Isn't this something that we shouldn't be talking about at loud volumes where anyone could hear? In fact, I think Malfoy did hear us judging by that smug look he has about him right now."

Harry nodded along with my mini-rant. Hermione and Ron looked sheepish. "Anyway, why don't we see the guy about the thing during break?"

~oOo~

The baby dragon was cute in a spindly, violent sort of way. Hagrid named him Norbert, which going by how Hagrid has named his other pets, probably means he's going to be a vicious little monster. Right now, though, he's fun to play with like I did with the Smith's family cat.

"C'mon, Kayla! It's late and we need to feed him so we can give Harry his cloak back!" Ron exclaimed nervously, watching me poke the dragon and then remove my hand from his reach when he would inevitably try to bite me.

Hagrid, who had been chuckling at my antics, sighed and put in, "He's right 'bout tha', don' want Filch ter catch yeh."

Ron grabbed the bottle of chicken blood and brandy and hastily went to stick it in the irritable dragon's mouth.

"Wait, he's kinda bite-y right- "I started.

"Argh!" Ron yelled grasping his viciously bitten hand.

"Now." I finished. "Are you going to be okay? We should get you to the infirmary."

As we left, Ron was understandably freaking out. To be honest, I was too, but I was focusing on helping my twin.

"What are we going to tell Pomfrey? We can't tell her what actually happened, Hagrid will get in major trouble!" Ron whispered urgently on our way to the Hospital Wing.

"Leave that to me, just play up the pain." I replied, releasing the tears I was holding back in preparation.

"M-madame Pomfrey!" I called out weakly.

"What's the matter? Why are you two here so late?" The matron asked urgently.

"Fred an-and George modified one of our textbooks to bite us! It got Ron and I d-don't think whatever potion they used agreed with him!" I wailed, clutching a groaning Ron.

"It will be alright, dear! Just let me sort him out. Of to bed with you!" Madame Pomfrey stated firmly.

"Please be okay." I whispered, hugging Ron before I went back to the common room to tell Harry and Hermione what happened.

~oOo~

To add to the problem of being bitten by him, Norbert was also growing extremely fast. There was no way Hagrid could continue to keep him, so we convinced him to let us write Charlie to see if he could take him to the reserve.

When we got the positive reply from Charlie, we brought it to Ron to cheer him up during his recovery. We made the mistake of leaving it with him, though.

Why was this a mistake? Well, Malfoy found it when he went to taunt Ron.

Time to bring in reinforcements.

"Hey Darren, could you distract Malfoy for the entirety of tomorrow night?" I asked him quietly while we worked in the library.

"Um, why?" He asked suspiciously.

"I will tell you when we get through with what we're doing so you can't be implicated." I shot him a pleading look.

"So, since you just used the word 'implicated', I'm going to leave that for now. I guess I'll distract Malfoy for you. Slimy git has been hogging the bathroom in the mornings anyway." He replied with a put-upon tone that didn't match his smirk.

~oOo~

Since Harry's cloak could only fit two of us with a hulking baby dragon, it was decided that I would once again be the one left behind. It ticked me off, but this wasn't the time to make a big stink about it. While I waited up for them, I wondered what Darren was doing to distract Mal-fart.

~oOo~

*Darren POV*

"What are you up to, Mudblood?" Malfoy asked caustically.

I quirked a brow at the much used slur, "Well that's no way to talk to the person who knows the location of your beloved hair products."

His sneer froze and he just glared as he growled, "Give them back or I'll hex you!"

I crossed my arms and smirked, "And how will hexing me make me inclined to help you?"

Right as Malfoy was about to retort, Zabini came in with a disgusted expression that didn't match his laughing eyes, "Malfoy, you are truly disturbed."

"What are you on about Zabini?" He snapped.

"Displaying your 'special juices' in such a fashion is just asking for a spot in St. Mungo's mental ward." Zabini drawled with a smirk.

Malfoy went disturbingly pale and ran to the common room. I followed sedately to watch my handiwork in action.

The pale prat was gaping in horror at the pink frilly basket pinned to the board filled with the pink and purple container of hair potions all re-labelled as 'Malfoy's Special Juices.' Around him, the older slytherins were making some truly brilliant comments.

"Why couldn't you just vanished it like a normal person?"

"There's pride and then there's….. this."

"Is he trying to attract a suitor like this? It's such a crass move."

Seizing the moment, I decided to pipe in, "Is this why he's in the bathroom so long every morning? Disgusting."

Observing the shade of purple Malfoy was turning, I savored the moment.

~oOo~