The Exchange – Hardly Enemies

"Haley... Haley, please talk to me." Draco knocked on the girl's door once more. She had skipped breakfast that morning, and even now it didn't seem like she was leaving her room any time soon. Draco had tried before breakfast. He had tried after breakfast. He had tried again after packing a few of his things, considering he was being forced to leave for at least a week. Twenty minutes were left before he had to go to the Great Hall, and yet he still tried.

The girl in question was sprawled across her bed, staring at the canopy of green and silver above. She didn't really comprehend Draco's words through the door. It was like they were echoing throughout her mind. She just wanted to numb herself from everything and so she did.

"Haley, please."

And still no response.

"Haley, I'm leaving for the holidays. It's not because I want to, I'm being forced to. Haley, talk to me, please." He sighed at the silence that met him. "I'll be back within the week, though, I promise you." Draco rested his forehead against the door and sighed once more. 'Harry…'

"Shouldn't you be heading down soon?" Blaise asked as he walked past his best friend.

Draco merely nodded. "Haley, I have to go now. I'll see you in a week, all right?" Silence. He looked over to Blaise. "Take care of her, okay?"

"You can count on me," the boy nodded.

"All right. Merry Christmas, mate. I'll see you in a week."

"Merry Christmas, Draco."

The two blondes hugged briefly before Draco slipped on his jacket and headed out of the common room.

Blaise turned to the locked door. "You know, it would be quite hilarious to find out that you're not even in there," he tried. "Think of it! The Head Boy, talking to a door? Utter madness! Then again, I'd be mad as well… Haley?"

Blaise shook his head at the silence that greeted him. 'What happened last night?' He turned back around and left the girl to her thoughts.

---

Haley did eventually emerge from her room that day. Of course she did. She was hungry. And on her way to the Great Hall for lunch, Haley bumped into Leir.

"Oh, hello Haley." The Hufflepuff smiled.

"Hello, Leir. You're not going home for the holidays?"

"'Fraid not. Perhaps on Christmas Eve, but not right now. How about you?"

"I'll be staying as well."

"That's good. Oh, so how was your trip back yesterday?"

'Yesterday…' Haley thought to herself. It seemed so much longer than that. "It was great going back. I miss it already." She smiled at the boy.

"It's a shame that you had to go, though. The match yesterday was brilliant. Harry Potter's an excellent Seeker. I wish I had the chance to meet him though. Heard he had to take off right away to disarm a Muggle bomb."

Haley burst out into laughter at this rumor. "Really? That's ridiculous!"

Leir smiled. "I'm nearly positive that it's just a rumor, but it's more believable than some of the other things that I've heard."

"Like what?"

"One is that he wasn't really Harry Potter and was just a professional who took some Polyjuice Potion and that if he didn't get back, everyone would see that it's really Viktor Krum."

"Haha!"

"Another is that he just really really needed to use the restroom and he's developed some psychological disorder where he can't go unless he's under the protection of the night sky and because it was day here, he had to floo far far away."

Haley shook her head in amusement. "What in the world…"

"But the one that made me laugh more than the rest is where Harry Potter has developed some sort of problem where he changes into a woman! And he had to leave so soon after the match because it was almost time for him to switch back! Can you imagine? Harry Potter, a woman! Ludicrous!"

Haley forced a laugh at this one. "Right… ludicrous…heh..."

"It's ridiculous, actually. The things people come up with just because he vanished so suddenly." Leir shook his head in mirth. "People need to realize that just because he's Harry Potter doesn't mean his life is one adventure novel after the next."

"Exactly!" Haley smiled. "I completely and utterly agree."

"Well it was nice talking to you, Haley, but I've got to get going."

"Oh wait, I wanted to ask you something."

"Yes? Go on."

"I heard you had detention the other day."

"Oh that. It was stupid really. I just wandered down the wrong way. This place is huge! I ended up getting caught after hours in one of the forbidden corridors. But luck was on my side again."

"Yeah I heard. Just the one detention again. Lucky you."

"Either I'm very lucky or the world is out to get you," Leir joked. "Well I really should be off."

"Oh right. Bye Leir. It's always nice talking to you." The girl smiled.

"My thoughts exactly." He had a joyful twinkle in his eye. "I'll see you later, Haley."

And with that, Leir took off as Haley was suddenly reminded of her growing hunger. Upon entering the Great Hall, Haley spotted Ron with Hermione sitting in their usual spots. She joined her two best friends, sitting across the table from them.

"Hello Harry." Hermione smiled. "How are you today?"

"Tired, hungry, and utterly drained." Haley bluntly stated.

Her two friends gave each other a worried glance. "What's wrong, mate? Did something happen?" Ron asked.

"Wait. Let me stuff myself first. I'm starved."

And as she said, Haley stuffed her face. She didn't really care for manners since there was hardly anyone there to watch her except Ron and Hermione, both of which were slightly disgusted and slightly amused by their friend's eating habits.

"Harry, slow down. You'll choke yourself." Hermione scolded.

"I missed breakfast. I'm hungry," the Slytherin defended.

"But that doesn't mean you have to give up manners," the other girl lectured.

"Just let the man eat," Ron defended. "Food is fuel for the body."

"Exactly! Put her there, mate!"

The two friends high-fived, leaving Hermione shaking her head.

"You two are positively perfect for each other." Hermione commented.

"Yeah, except for the fact that I'm already in love with a girl named Hermione Granger." The redhead smirked, throwing an arm around his blushing girlfriend.

Haley shoveled a spoonful of potatoes into her mouth. "Yeah," she said around them, "and I'm already in love with Drac-" She stopped mid-chew, her eyes wide as saucers as she stared at her friends.

Both Ron and Hermione were staring at the girl in front of them, shock written across their faces. "What?!" They cried at the same time.

"What? Nothing-" She laughed nervously. Quickly she crammed more food in her mouth. "Mrrph, mrrph, mrrph. Hmmph?"

"First of all, Harry, that's disgusting. And secondly, what?!" Hermione tried again.

Haley swallowed her food and drank some juice. "All right, look. That came out of nowhere."

"You're telling me!" Ron blurted.

Haley scooted forward in her seat and lowered her voice. "But yeah. I really think it's true. I think I might be in love with Draco."

"That's wonderful!"

"That's terrible!"

The couple looked at each other with confusion and surprise at the other's reaction.

"That's wonderful?" Ron said. "How can it be wonderful? Harry's in love with Malfoy. Malfoy!"

"Well, it's hardly terrible! I think it's rather sweet." She looked back at the other girl and smile wholeheartedly. "I'm happy for you Harry."

But Haley didn't smile back. "Thank you, but it's not like anything's going to come of it."

At this, Ron let out a sigh of relief, earning a frown from his girlfriend.

"What? Why not?" she asked.

"Well, like Ron said, it's Malfoy."

"What does that matter?"

"It means that although I may like him, that doesn't mean he likes me."

Hermione was skeptical. "Well, that's ridiculous. Of course he likes yo-"

"I mean the real me." This effectively silenced Hermione. "You see? Nothing can come of it."

"Well you don't know that." Hermione tried.

"I do actually. Draco hates the real me. I mean, we had a civil conversation once, after the Quidditch match-"

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that," Ron stopped the girl. "I'm glad we won and all, but what happened in the middle there?"

Haley briefly contemplated what good it would do to tell Ron the truth. But these were her best friends. She couldn't blatantly lie to them. And even if she did, they'd easily figure it out. Haley bit her lip. "I… stopped."

"You stopped. In the middle of chasing down the Snitch, you stopped… You-" Ron gasped. "You didn't?!"

"What-oh!" Hermione exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand as she figured it out. "You were going to let him win?"

Haley braced herself. Slowly, she nodded.

"WHAT?!" Ron bellowed. "How could you?! We were working our bums off and you were just going to let them win?! Har-"

Hermione quickly covered Ron's mouth before he spout out Haley's real name. The people at the other tables didn't seem to notice nor care.

"Please, calm down Ron." Haley said softly but urgently. "Look, we won didn't we? For a brief moment, I wanted him to win but I came to my senses soon after, didn't I? You can't be mad at something that didn't happen."

"Of course you can be mad at something that didn't happen!" He whispered sharply. "I wanted French toast for breakfast and that didn't happen! I'm mad!"

"Ron." Haley frowned. "You know what I mean."

"Okay fine. But why would you even think of doing something like that?"

"I don't know. When I changed that afternoon, he was so cold to me, and all I could think of was making him smile. I thought that maybe if they won, he would smile."

"You were going to give up a match just to see Malfoy smile? Are you insane?"

"Ronald, stop it." Hermione cut in. "Can't you see he's serious?"

The redhead stopped and stared at his friend sitting across from him. "Really? Him?" Haley merely nodded. Ron let out a sigh. "Have you forgotten how much he's tortured us in the past? How cruel he was? The names he's called us? The names he's called my family?"

Haley shook her head. "Of course I haven't forgotten. But there's more to him than that. Despite all his shortcomings, there's a lot more to him that I had never seen before. He's kind and sincere and smart. He makes me happy just to be near him. I can't help what I feel." The girl looked down and poked the food on her plate with her fork. "But like I said, it doesn't matter. He hates me."

"Harry, he doesn't-" Hermione tried to reason.

"Yes he does. The mere mention of my return and he's gloomy the entire day. Stepping on the pitch just yesterday, the tension was practically tangible when he looked at me as me. And just last night, he pointed out that he and I are thought of to be enemies. If he doesn't hate me, then he certainly does not like me." Haley looked back up. "And besides, I think there's someone else, anyway."

The Head Girl frowned. "Someone else? Like who?"

Haley shrugged. "I don't know. But it's certainly not me." She went back to poking her potatoes.

"Harry, though I must say I really don't like Malfoy, I hate seeing you like this even more." Ron spoke up. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe you should just stay a girl."

Both Hermione and Haley looked up at the boy in shock. "What?"

"Just hear me out. The people you're close to already know, right? I mean, of course not all of them, but most of them. And you have to admit, being someone new makes them stop looking at you with star struck eyes. And if you stay a girl, you might have a chance with," Ron inwardly shuddered, "…Malfoy. You've been given this second chance to start fresh with him, right? Maybe that's a good thing."

Haley just shook her head. "No offense to Hermione, but being a girl isn't all that great. I like being a boy. Changing back yesterday made that more clear than ever. I hate bras, I hate panties, and sometimes, I just feel like ripping all of this hair out. And most of all, I hate skirts. They're just an excuse for guys to look at me like a slab of meat. Oh wait." Haley frowned. "I know what I hate more than skirts. Periods." At this, Hermione had to stifle a laugh. "They're disgusting and a hassle and I wish that someone out there, muggle or wizard, would just find a way to be rid of them once and for all."

"Cheers to that," Hermione said as she raised her cup and took a sip. This time it was Haley and her who shared a high-five.

"I'm happy being a boy," Haley concluded. "Though I may possibly love him, I don't think anyone is worth losing myself for. Especially when I'm happy as I am."

"…Period?" Ron cocked an eyebrow. "Please, oh please. Harry, are you on your period?" The boy pursed his lips together, holding back the laughter that threatened to burst through.

"No you jerk. And that's exactly why I didn't tell you when I was."

Ron still snickered, nonetheless.

"You try being a girl, Ron Weasley. In fact, I dare you!" Haley glared.

"Interesting…" Hermione piped. "I'd like to see that as well. Maybe then you'd understand how hard being a girl can be."

"If I were a girl, 'Mione, that would make you a lesbian." Hermione merely rolled her eyes at Ron's comment. "Actually… that might not be so bad…"

"Ron!" She smacked him lightly across his shoulder.

"Anyway, I don't think that potion would work on me. I'm much too masculine for all of this," the redhead flexed his muscles, "to turn into that." He finished by pointing at Haley.

Haley just scoffed. "Excuses."

"Anyway," Hermione trudged on. "What are you going to do now, Harry?"

"About Malfoy? Nothing. I'm actually pretty irritated by him right now. I mean, beyond the whole falling in love with him bit, I am annoyed by what happened last night."

"Why? What happened last night?" Ron questioned.

"We were talking and I really thought we made real progress in our relationship. He talked about his family and I talked about the Dursleys. Things seemed to be going so well. But then on our way back to the common room, Pansy tried to stun me! I only defended myself and he tells me to back off of her. I couldn't believe he took her side after he saw her attack me first. It was like a slap in the face. So this morning when he tried to talk to me, I just ignored him. Considering…everything, I just didn't think I could handle seeing him."

"I wonder why he would do that though," Hermione thought out loud.

"Pansy was saying stuff like he could never love me cause she knows who he really loves," Haley added.

"So do you think he took Pansy's side because she's the one he loves?" The Head Girl wondered.

"I hadn't even thought of that. Do you think that's the case? I mean, they don't seem that close…"

"Well, haven't they been friends a long time?" Ron pointed out.

"But Draco said he only talks to her out of an obligation to his father. How can they be more than friends if it's an obligatory friendship?"

"You've got it all wrong."

The three friends all sat up in surprise at the new voice.

"Oh hello, Blaise." Haley greeted. "Ummm… how long have to been there?"

"Not long. I heard something about Pansy and it just caught my attention, that's all." He looked at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I don't believe I've had the pleasure." He held out his hand to Hermione, which she politely shook. He turned to Ron. "Mister Weasley, good to meet you."

"You must be Blaise Zabini," Hermione commented. "Harry's told us a lot about you."

"All good things, I hope." He smiled at his Slytherin friend.

"Sit, please." Haley pulled on the boy's arm, making him sit next to her. "What do you mean I've got it all wrong?" Haley pushed on.

"Well, Pansy and Draco. Don't let their relationship fool you. They're very much friends. Sure Pansy can be pushy and somewhat annoying, but in the end, Draco and Pansy will always have each other's back."

"Oh…" Haley looked down.

"But that hardy suggests that they're in love with each other. Pansy may have at one point, but I think she's pretty much over it by now."

"Really?" Hermione cut in. "By the sound of it, she's still strung up on Draco. I mean, Harry said that she tried to attack him last night. Why would she do that if she weren't in love?"

"Oh. So that's what happened…" Blaise tapped his bottom lip, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I knew it had to be something to that extent… And considering how you're no longer talking to him, I assume he took Pansy's side?"

Haley merely nodded.

"Ah. Don't get the wrong idea, love. Pansy gets jealous of anyone who gets close to Draco but it's not because she loves him. At least not in the way you might think. She's just very protective of him. After all, she knows what Ethan did."

"She knows?" Haley stared, mouth agape.

"What? What did he do?" Ron looked confused.

The blonde bit his lip. "I can't say. Draco doesn't know that I know and Ethan's pretty ashamed of it. As my best friends, it'd be wrong of me to divulge."

"Aw, come on!" Both Haley and Ron exclaimed.

"Leave him be," Hermione chastised. "If he doesn't want to say, you can't force him."

"Thank you, Hermione." Blaise smiled. "I always knew I'd like you."

Hermione smiled in return, but Ron quickly wrapped an arm around the girl. "It'll do you some good to like someone else too."

At this, Blaise laughed. "I wouldn't dare break up Gryffindor's golden couple. As if I could, anyway."

"That's right." Hermione said to Ron. "So quit being such a prat whenever someone says something like that. I'm in love with you and only you."

"What?"

"I said I'm in love with you, you deaf buffoon."

Ron just smirked and looked at the two across from him. "I'm not actually deaf, of course. I just like hearing her say that."

"Oh!" Haley perked. "You're Draco's best friend so you've got to know who he's in love with!" She looked excitedly at Blaise. "Do you?"

Again Blaise bit his lip. "I…do."

"Who-"

"But I can't say. I promised not to say."

"Ugh. You have the loyalty of a Hufflepuff…" Haley frowned.

"Not that that's a bad thing." Hermione quickly added. She eyed Haley carefully. "Cause if he didn't, he could easily spill your secret."

"That is true..." Blaise smirked. "I have a great upper hand."

"You wouldn't …" Haley said, although she didn't seem to believe it herself.

"No, I wouldn't." Blaise assured, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I told you before. You can trust me."

"Thank you, Blaise." Haley smiled. "Okay, so wait. Pansy only attacked me because she's being protective of Draco?"

"Right. She doesn't like people getting so close to him."

"Especially after what Ethan did." Hermione added her own thoughts.

"So… Draco took her side because he must care for her in return, right?" Haley thought out loud.

"Well I don't know… what exactly did she say to him last night?"

"Basically, she told him to stop playing around with me because there's no way he could love me if…" Haley paused, a realization reaching her. "She was protecting me. Pansy was protecting me." The girl looked back at Blaise. "Do you know if she left for the holidays?"

The blonde slowly shook his head, truly thinking it over. "I… don't think so…"

Haley turned to her other friends. "I'll see you guys later."

And with that, Haley, energy renewed by a full stomach, made her way to the Slytherin dorms.

'It seemed like she was protecting Draco but I just know there was more to it than that…There's more to Pansy than this stubborn little git, I know it...'

She found the girl leaving the common room.

"Pansy!" Haley called.

Pansy looked over at Haley and panic quickly overcame her. She looked to her sides for any quick means of escape, but Haley was just too close. "Look Jones, just stay away from m-"

"I'm sorry." Haley quickly apologized.

Pansy froze. "What?"

"But you have to admit that you were wrong in trying to stun me. I was only defending myself."

"What are you getting at?" Pansy asked, still suspicious.

"Look. I know we haven't really got off on the right foot, but… if you're willing to move on, so am I." Pansy made no move. "Can we just go inside and talk for a minute?"

"Are you going to kill me?" The smaller girl asked cautiously.

Haley rolled her eyes. "Hardly. Now come on. We need to talk." She led the way into the common room, and Pansy slowly, but surely, followed. The two took sat across from each other, both stiff and a little awkward.

It was Pansy that broke the silence. "What do you want from me?"

"Do you hate me?" Haley asked bluntly.

"Of course I do!" The other girl barked.

"Why?"

"Cause you're toying with Draco! He doesn't need this! He doesn't need you." Pansy, as if suddenly remembering who she was dealing with, sat back in her seat as far away from Haley as she could.

Haley remained calm. "Well, what does that matter if you know Draco's already in love with someone else? If you really hated me, wouldn't you want Draco to hurt me?"

Pansy pursed her lips and didn't respond.

"Pansy, I don't want to fight with you. Especially if you're a friend to Draco."

"So you're only playing nice because you think Draco will like you more, is that right? Well let me tell you-"

Haley frowned. "That's hardly the case. I only meant that if Draco can find a friend in you then I want to find it too."

The other girl blinked. "You want to be my friend?"

"As long as you stop trying to attack me and stop assuming that I'm doing anything with anyone."

"But you're the one always prancing around with the boys."

"First of all, I don't prance. Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Well-"

Haley held up her hand, effectively silencing the other girl. "Don't answer that. And secondly, they're my friends. I like spending time with them, sure, because they're my friends. It's not like I'm trying to seduce them or anything."

Pansy's expression grew dark as she looked at her hands in her lap. "It's not fair." She said quietly. "It took three years for Draco to open up to me. And in three weeks, he's already fawning over you. What makes you so special?"

"That's the thing! I'm not special. I'm just your average person trying to get through life one day at a time."

"Obviously, there's got to be something. I've known all of those boys for all the years I've been here and none of them are as close to me as they are to you."

"Well, you're very intense sometimes. And it can get a little annoying. You constantly think you're better than everyone-"

"I do not!" Pansy gaped.

"Trust me, you do." Haley said, blatantly. "Just relax. Stop trying to impress them and just be yourself. Have fun with them. And for goodness sake, stop with the pet names, please."

"I just want them to like me…"

"But that doesn't mean you have to force them to. Let them like you as you are."

"But what if they don't like me?"

"I'm sure they will. This is our first civil conversation and I'm already beginning to like you."

Pansy scoffed, but smiled nonetheless. "You're something else, Jones."

"So I've heard."

The two girls lightly laughed amongst themselves.

"Okay, okay. Be honest now. When you were yelling at me last night, it wasn't just because you were protecting Draco was it?" Haley smirked.

"All right fine. Since we're friends." Pansy mirrored the other's smirk. "Draco is in love with someone else. Who that is, I can't say. You understand."

"Of course."

"Now if he gets close to you, he'll only be leading you on. And you'll be hurt."

"I knew it! You were looking out for me."

Again, Pansy scoffed. "As if. My intention, for the most part, was to focus Draco. If he somehow managed to fall for you, how do you think that would make me feel? I loved him. And he claimed to be in love with this someone else and that no one could make him feel like this person does. I'd be crushed if you could do what I couldn't."

"Oh. Thanks." Haley replied, dryly.

"Seriously though. Draco's my dearest friend. No one makes him light up the way he does when this other person is around. And if I know that you can't make him happy, I will come between you so that he can find his true happiness. I wanted to break you two up before you got too attached like I did."

Haley's heart sunk. She scoffed. "Too late."

Pansy started. "What?"

"Before you get all defensive and angry, I know nothing will come of it, especially after all that you just said. But yes. I suppose that I really have fallen for Draco."

Pansy shook her head. "Nothing will come of it, Jones. I'm warning y-"

"I know. I know, I know, I know." She buried her face in her hands. "I couldn't help it… he's just so-"

"I know."

Haley looked back up at Pansy. There was a small sadness in her eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "How… how did you get over him?"

The girl looked surprised by the question. "Once I realized that we could never be, I just stopped thinking of him in that way. He's kind. And he can often make you feel like you're the only one in the room. But once I stopped thinking of it like that, I realized that he's kind to nearly all he's close to. It's a short list, but it was noticeable. He holds his friends dear. If I couldn't have him, I could settle with being his friend because even as his friend, I know I have a special place in his heart. And that's all I really wanted anyway."

Haley mulled this over. She had to agree. To be Draco's friend was all she really wanted above all else. 'But what if I can't even have that…?'

"Why not?"

Haley snapped out of her thoughts. "What?"

"You said 'But what if I can't even have that?' Why wouldn't you? It seems you already do."

"Yeah, now. But once I leave, things will change. And I'll never have what I have now." Pansy didn't know how to respond to this, so Haley continued on. "I suppose it's a good thing that Draco's gone now. We left on a rather sour note. Maybe this is my chance to distance myself."

"But that's not fair to him." Pansy defended. "You're obviously good friends. Despite your argument, he still holds you dear. How do you think he'll feel when he returns and you've simply brushed him off?"

"I thought you'd be overjoyed at the idea." Haley replied, airily.

"Again, I clarify that I'm only looking out for Draco." Haley gave a light laugh. "Besides, I can see now that you've come to the conclusion that friends are all you and he will ever be."

The green-eyed-girl sighed, looking at nothing in particular. "I'm not just going to brush him off. I'll just… stop looking at him in that light…"

Pansy looked at the other girl with sincerity in knowing exactly what she was going through. "He's not all that great anyway."

Haley looked up at the smiling Pansy with a little surprise.

"He's so sure of himself." The other girl carried on. "He thinks he knows everything, but he doesn't. Did you know that for the longest time, Draco didn't know how to tie his own shoes? Growing up, he always had someone else do it for him or he just used magic. He never learned how to do it by hand until I showed him when he was eight."

Haley laughed.

"Also," Pansy continued. "He's quite possibly the worst chef in the world. It's a good thing that he has house-elves at home cause I'm quite sure he would starve without them."

The two girls laughed at the Head Boy's expense.

"See." Pansy smiled. "He's not so great after all."

Haley returned the smile. "Thanks. You're not as vile as I thought you were."

"And you're hardly the repugnant riff-raff I thought you to be as well."

The two girls looked at each other knowing that though they might not ever be the greatest friends, now, after this moment, they were hardly enemies.

Author's Note/Disclaimer: I own naught Harry Potter and other related objects other than Ethan, Leir, and… well… this story. Muahahaha…

TWENTY CHAPTERS, OMG. OO WHY DID I MAKE THIS SO LONG?! WHY IS THIS ALL IN CAPS?!

Anyway... Another hard chapter to write because dialogue is no longer just on the surface. I have to keep in mind what people know and what they don't know and that's a little hard to write. That's why they should all just stop with the secrecy. Damn you secrets!! You make my life harder!! But lovely. Haha. So… Pansy… I never intended for her to seem evil or anything. Just somewhat misunderstood. It's like she doesn't think before she acts. So that's why she can seem so obnoxious. So… don't hate that she and Haley are on good terms. Yah.

Reviews make me happy! Especially the long ones! Haha.