The Exchange - Friendship Survives
For an instant when Haley awoke, she was surprised to see Draco's sleeping face right next to her. But the flood of memories soon returned. She had half-hoped that it had just been a terrible nightmare from beginning to end, but seeing Draco next to her quickly diminished that idea.
'Leir… Leir, of all people… tried to rape me… If it hadn't been for Draco, he would have…' She studied Draco's sleeping form, trying to remember if he had always looked so striking or if it had just been a recent development. 'No… he was always beautiful… I just never got the chance to see it before… I was too busy hating that stupid smirk of his…'
There was a dull pain in her heart. 'Why is he here? If he knows who I really am, why does he keep leading me on like this? He said he couldn't love me because he knows I'm Harry. So what is he doing here? Is this just some cruel game to you, Draco?'
Her chest tightened and it was suddenly hard to keep looking at the one who held her so gently. Soon, she felt like shouldn't breathe, so she pulled away from his embrace and sat on the edge of the bed.
This was enough to stir the sleeping boy. Draco opened one grey eye after another and looked at the girl whose back was to him. "Haley?" he said, voice still heavy from sleep. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "How are you?" he asked tentatively.
Her head drooped. "Draco… can you do me a favor?"
He immediately moved toward the girl. "Of course. Anything."
"I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me, Draco. You know this…"
He didn't respond, not really knowing where this was going.
"But… in spite of everything… it still really hurts to see you right now…"
"Haley-"
"So please… just leave."
"No wait. Let me explain-"
"Draco, please… I just want to be alone right now…"
"Haley, I know-" He instantly stopped as soon as he saw her bring her hands to her face. His heart leapt to his throat. Was he making her cry again? He couldn't stand that. He raised his hand and gently placed it on her shoulder, but she immediately retreated from the touch. His heart felt heavy with that one movement. Despite what he wanted, he respected her wishes. So after a moment's hesitation, Draco slowly climbed off the bed and walked over to the door. He paused and looked back at the broken girl. "Haley-"
She turned away from him.
Draco suddenly found it harder to breathe. He didn't want to go, but he didn't know what else to do. So, despite what his heart was screaming against, Draco opened the door and left the girl to herself. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against it, hurt and confused. His heart felt like it had been stabbed more than once. And for the first time in a long time, Draco felt like crying.
"How is she?"
The blonde looked up. Sitting just outside the room, Blaise and Pansy were napping on a couch, the latter snuggled against the former. He turned his attention to the voice. Ethan, who had been pacing back and forth, looked at Draco with questioning eyes.
"She's awake. But… not good." Draco was somber for a moment, but then, with the eloquence of a Malfoy, he straightened up and returned his gaze to hazel-eyed boy. "Did you take care of him?"
Ethan nodded, subconsciously massaging his knuckles. They were still red from earlier.
Draco glanced at Blaise. He, too, shared similar bruised hands. "Good."
"Professor Snape showed up after Blaise and I gave him his comeuppance. He didn't exactly approve of our methods, but he didn't exactly stop us when he arrived. Once the badger wakes up from the Hospital Wing, Dumbledore's expelling him."
Draco sneered. "Remind me to visit him before he goes. I have a few things I'd like to share with him myself." Draco moved to go to his room, but Ethan stopped him.
"I never meant to hurt you, you know. I mean, what with all that happened with Haley… I just thought you should know that I would never have taken it that far…"
Draco looked at Ethan from over his shoulder. "I still hate you." He replied, matter-of-factly.
"I know."
"Given, you are growing more and more tolerable as this day progresses …I still hate you nonetheless."
This time Ethan smirked. "I know."
Draco turned his attention back to his door when Ethan stopped him yet again.
"…How did you know where to go?"
Draco paused at his doorknob, but didn't turn to face the other boy. "I didn't. When MacMillan said he had seen the two together, I felt a chill and I… I just started running."
Ethan scoffed and looked away. "Perfect. Of course. You two belong together."
Draco's head visibly sunk at the words, but Ethan didn't notice. Without another word, Draco opened his door and closed it firmly behind him. He sighed. 'I'm not so sure about that…' Finally, in the privacy of his own room, Draco succumbed to the emotions he had fought so hard to keep away. Draco Malfoy cried.
--
Once the boy had left the room, Haley made her way to her bath. She wanted to scrub every bit of skin that Leir had touched. She scrubbed the skin until it was red and raw. It was the only way she felt clean. She was moving on autopilot now. Her mind was still too exhausted to sort through her thoughts just yet. She was sure that she had a lot of explaining to do once she stepped out of her room, but she wasn't sure she wanted to relive the day just yet. At least, not with just anyone. She had the sudden and deepest urge to find Ron and Hermione. They always found a way to make her feel better.
Quietly, Haley slipped out of her room, making sure no one noticed her movements. She wanted to get out of the confining space. She wanted to see her best friends and no one else. So with her invisibility cloak safely secured around her, Haley moved quietly out the door.
Scanning the common room, she immediately spotted Blaise and Pansy sitting together, snoozing. The events of the day must have worn them as well. Ethan was sitting nearby as well, seemingly deep in thought. She was grateful for them. She wanted to thank each and every one of them, but right now, all she wanted to do was see Ron and Hermione. They were always her support and she needed them now more than ever.
Hours seemed to have passed since her encounter in the greenhouse. The sun was already setting, as the sky grew dark outside. She made her way to the Gryffindor tower, and followed one of the younger years into the common room. She saw her friends sitting together in front of the fireplace, hand in hand. Haley envied the two, wishing she could find a love of her own. But the two looked upset, worried even.
'They probably heard what happened…' Haley frowned. Still hidden under the cloak, she took a seat next to Ron.
Ron's eyes widened at sudden dip. Hermione on the other hand wasn't as perplexed. "Harry?" she whispered.
"…Hello…" she replied, quietly.
"Geez, Harry," Ron sighed in relief, placing his free hand over his heart. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"Sorry."
"Let's go to my room," Hermione suggested, standing up and leading the way.
Once all three were in, Haley removed the cloak and hurried over to Ron, wrapping her arms around her best friend.
"Whoa!" Ron said in his surprise, but instantly returned the embrace.
"I missed you guys." Haley waved Hermione over, including her in the hug.
"Harry, are you all right?" Ron frowned. "We heard what happened with Draco earlier."
"And there were rumors about some Hufflepuff as well…" Hermione added. "…But we weren't really sure about that one."
Haley still clung to her friends as she laid out the details of her day. Every so often, Hermione would gasp and Ron would mutter the occasional curse, but they let the girl finish before saying anything else. When she had finished telling the story, Ron and Hermione hugged their friend even tighter.
"I just keep thinking that I did something wrong, today. That maybe I made these things happen-"
"Of course not!" Ron growled. "Leir was psychotic! It wasn't your fault you didn't know his intentions."
"Maybe I'm just too trusting of other people…"
"That's not entirely a bad thing, Harry," Hermione reasoned. "Because of it, you befriended the people who came to your aid. Leir was the only one you had reason to be suspicious of and from everything you've told us about him, there's no way you could've known what he was really like. He gave you no reason to doubt him. He would've fooled anyone."
"Okay then what do I do about Draco? He knows. I don't know how he found out or how long he's known, but he knows. And stupid me fell in love with him…"
"You're not stupid, Harry." Hermione comforted her friend. "He's been really great to you since the beginning. You two have been getting along brilliantly and it's only natural for you to develop deeper feelings for him."
"Well what good does it do me? He can't love me because I'm me. He said it himself."
"Then he's an idiot and you deserve better!" Ron exclaimed. "If he can't get over the fact that you're Harry Potter, then that's his loss. Anyone would be lucky to have you, mate."
Haley offered her friends a small smile. They all sat on Hermione's bed together. "It just sucks… I really thought we had something. Or that we could have something. But now… I'm just worried about what his intentions are. Like… if he really has a problem with me being Harry, then why does he bother being nice to me? What's really going on in his head?"
"Well… maybe he thinks it's all right if you're someone else and that, better yet, you're in Slytherin. Maybe he can't stand Harry, but is okay with being friends with someone he's more likely to get along with?" The redhead thought aloud.
"Think, Ronald," Hermione frowned. "Then why would he bother giving Harry the necklace and making him promise to cherish him? If he knew that Harry was going to change back, then what was the point? It's like he was trying to hang on to what he had with Haley."
"But if he cares so much, 'Mione, then why didn't he return Haley's feelings?"
"Well…" she bit her lip, looking at the other girl in the room. "Maybe he doesn't return those feelings… maybe he really does just cherish Haley as a friend. I mean, he is in love with someone else. That much we know."
Haley nodded solemnly. "That makes sense… he must really care for this person…" She chuckled lightly. "I never imagined I'd be jealous of someone I don't even know."
"So, I guess the only question left is if you're still willing to be his friend after all this."
"But if he knows that I know that he knows, and if Ron's right about him being okay just because I'm supposedly someone else, then how is that possible?"
"Keep up the farce." Ron shrugged. "If you still want to be friends with Draco, and he still wants to be friends with Haley, then when you're with him, just be Haley." He himself looked a little confused by what he just said, but he stood by it nonetheless.
"I guess I can do that… maybe… I don't know." Haley slumped against the headboard. "I do want to keep him as a friend, if nothing more. Especially after today, I'm willing to do what I can to keep Draco as a friend, even if it means keeping up with this charade."
"I just don't know, Harry. This is all so complicated." Hermione sighed. "I wonder what's going through his head. Why is he doing what he's doing? I just can't believe that he'd go through all this trouble of being your friend and whatnot just because you're supposedly someone new. It just doesn't make sense to me."
"Well, we've nothing else to go on. And whatever his reason may be, it doesn't make much of a difference. Draco can't love me because I'm Harry, but he can like me as Haley. So even though things may never be the same once I change back, if it's Haley he wants to be friends with, I'm willing to be her if it means I can still be with him."
Ron groaned and rolled over onto his back. "I just can't believe that it's Malfoy we're talking about."
"If we can't like him for what he's put us through in the past, we can tolerate him for what he's done for Harry." Hermione determined. "That much we can do."
"Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure." Ron said with a wave of his hand.
"So what are you going to do now, Harry?" Hermione asked.
"I suppose I need to do some more explaining. Professor Dumbledore probably needs to hear the story. And then I have to go reassure Blaise and Pansy and Ethan that I'm all right. They all looked a little concerned earlier. They need an explanation. They deserve one." Haley sighed. "And for now, because it still hurts, I'm going to steer clear of Draco. At least until I can tolerate seeing him again. And then finally, I'm just going to put this day behind me and never look back on it again. When I wake up tomorrow, things will be better." She looked at her friends with confidence, despite the doubt she harbored within. 'At least, I hope so.'
"I'm sorry to change the subject, but there's been one thing that's been nagging me since you said it, Harry," Ron pondered. "Colin Creevey's gay?"
"I never said that!" Haley clarified. "I just said that he apparently admitted he had crush on Ethan."
"So… what's the deal? What's going on with Gryffindor tower?"
Hermione cocked her head. "What do you mean?"
"Ever since Harry switched genders, all I've been hearing is this guy is gay and that guy is gay. I feel like I'm a rare breed."
Haley couldn't help but laugh. "That's ridiculous…"
"I know." Ron smirked. "But at least I got you to laugh."
Haley smiled at her best friend. As grateful as she was to the group of Slytherins who came to her rescue, right now, she was more grateful for the pair of Gryffindors who rescued her in a different way.
--
Feeling extremely hungry, she, accompanied by her friends as she was still under her invisibility cloak, made her way to the kitchens. Once there, the trio was surprised to see Professor Dumbledore munching on a rather delectable lemon meringue pie. As they made their way towards him, they were offered a torrent of different foods from the house elves.
"Ah, Mister Weasley, Miss Granger. How good it is to see you."
"Hello, Professor." Both replied warmly.
"And is it safe to assume that Mister Potter is nearby as well?"
Haley responded by removing her cloak.
"Ah, yes. Very good." He took another bite of his pie. "I hope you are well, Harry. I heard what happened."
"I guess I'm still a little… surprised by everything that's happened, but I do feel much better than I did this afternoon." Haley took a seat across the Headmaster. He seemed like he was thoroughly enjoying his pie. Despite not wanting to interrupt the man, she had to know. "Professor… what's going to happen to Leir?" Her voice shook a little in stating the name she so despised, but her friends immediately flanked her, each taking her hand in theirs.
"Mister Valex is currently resting in the Hospital Wing."
"Really?"
"Yes. It seems that Misters Zabini and Maxwell decided on their own course of punishment for the boy. One of the physical sort."
'They beat him up?' Haley was a little stunned. "Oh," was all she could think to say. She tried to hold back her smile, as it didn't seem appropriate to smile at someone else's beating.
"As I'm not really one for violence, I gave them each a detention."
"But Professor-" Ron interjected.
"Of course, that was after I awarded them thirty points each for defending their friend."
Haley shook her head in amusement. 'He's certainly got a twisted way of doing things… But I'm glad.'
"Surely Leir will be expelled, right Professor?" Hermione furrowed her brow. "I mean, what he did was awful."
"Of course," the wise man replied. "We do not tolerate such behavior at Hogwarts. I'm sorry it went as far as it did, Mister Potter. I never thought he would try something like that. He must've really had his heart set on you."
"So you knew he was demented then?" Ron gaped.
"Mister Valex has a record of being rather obsessive, yes. In his previous schools, he would find himself attracted to a girl and he'd begin following her every move. But he'd never gone this far before." The man sighed. "I thought I would give him the benefit of the doubt."
"It really sucks when people let you down." Haley thought aloud.
Professor Dumbledore looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "I suppose 'sucks' would be an appropriate term. Again, I am very sorry that this had to happen to you, Mister Potter. Especially with everything else that's gone on in your life."
Haley shrugged. "It's just another day in the life of, I suppose."
Professor Dumbledore offered the girl a light smile. "On another note, I hear your antidote is ready."
Haley nodded. "It's in my room. Maybe if I drank it when Professor Snape told me to, this wouldn't have happened."
"But I'm sure your reasons for not drinking it then still hold true now." Dumbledore said with an all-knowing twinkle in his eye.
Haley thought about it. "I guess you're right… There are still some loose ends to deal with before I can switch back. It wouldn't make much sense for Haley Jones to suddenly disappear. But I'll definitely be switching back come Monday. Somehow, being Haley Jones got more complicated than being me." Haley said with a light smile. "I'm more than willing to go back now."
"As I thought." The headmaster smiled. He took one last bite from his pie and stood. "I should be going . You'd be surprised by the amount of work one has to do as a Headmaster." He chuckled at his own joke. "Good night, everyone."
"Good night, Professor." They all replied.
He headed for the door but stopped to place a hand on Haley's shoulder. "And Mister Potter, if you need anything, take notice of my late night snack. I'm always here to help."
"Thank you, Professor." Haley replied warmly.
As soon as the headmaster left the room, Ron turned to his friends. "I don't get it. What does lemon meringue have to do with anything?"
Hermione rolled her eyes. "He meant that that is his new password for his office."
"Oh. Oh I get it!" He smiled.
Haley chuckled at the exchange. Soon she was bombarded with food from the house elves, including a piece of the pie Dumbledore had been snacking on. She tried the pie and an idea struck her. "You guys up for a little project, tonight?"
--
Haley was having a hard time trying to keep her cloak on while holding a box in each hand. But somehow she managed to make it all the way to the Slytherin common room with no problems. When she looked around the room, Draco was nowhere to be found but the other three were still sitting near her door.
Haley slipped past them and ducked into her room. She placed the two boxes on her bed and quickly removed her cloak. Grabbing the larger of the two boxes, she was finally ready to face her friends.
"Haley," Ethan stood.
Both Blaise and Pansy's heads turned in hearing her name.
"Hello." She offered a light smile to each of them. She walked over to the armchair next to the one Ethan had been sitting in, across from where Pansy and Blaise currently sat. She placed the box on the table. "I brought this for you as a thank you… for today."
It was Blaise who opened the box and spotted the lemon meringue with a couple of forks arranged to fit inside as well. "When did you…?"
"I snuck out. I didn't really feel like facing you guys-"
"Why? It's not like you did anything wrong." Pansy frowned.
"I know. It's just… I wanted to clear my head of some things first and I couldn't do that just sitting in my room. And that's when I snuck away to the kitchens and after running into Professor Dumbledore there who was eating a lemon meringue pie, I figured I could take one for you all to show my gratitude. Actually, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger helped make this one. But don't worry." Haley added with a smile. "Hermione did most of the work. Ron just sat there preparing the lemons and I helped whip the meringue. I just thought it'd mean a lot more if we made it rather than me just bringing one to you cause, although I didn't exactly express my gratitude at the time, I was really happy that you guys came when you did. I'd be a lot worse off if you hadn't." She smiled at them. "So thanks. And…" she directed her gaze on the boys. "Did you really beat him up once I had left?"
At this, Blaise and Ethan shared a look and grinned sheepishly.
"Let's just put it this way, love. No one messes with our friend and gets away with it." Blaise said, grabbing a fork and diving into the pie.
Ethan sat back down and grabbed a fork as well. "He deserved what he got."
"So what did Dumbledore say?" Pansy asked, grabbing a fork for herself. "Hmm. Not bad. For Gryffindors." A look from Blaise made the girl clear her throat. Quickly she added, "And, um, you, Jones."
Haley regarded her friends curiously for a moment, but answered anyway. "He was sympathetic, even a little let down because he knew that Leir had a record of being overly obsessive but he still let him in the school anyway out of trust. And obviously, that means Leir's being kicked out once he wakes up. We also talked about my return home on Monday. Apparently, it couldn't have come at a better time." Haley scooted forward and lowered her voice. "And now that I think about it, I think it would be best if this didn't get out. I mean, there's been a lot of rumors going around but no one really knows about its substance so please…"
"Don't worry, Haley. This'll stay with us." Blaise assured his friend. "The rumors can just remain rumors."
Haley received nods of agreement from the other two and she sat back in her seat with relief. "Thanks. I just… if people are constantly going to ask if I'm okay, it'll only make me not okay, you know. I just want this to end here." Haley paused for a moment, letting her words settle as another question entered her brain. "But while we're still talking about, what I do want to know, though, is how you knew what was going on. I mean, I knew Draco was looking for me, but you all seemed to know that something else was happening."
"It started out just him looking for you," Blaise said thoughtfully. "But then Pansy gave him his book back about dark artifacts and then he went ballistic and crazy trying to find you. Apparently he knew about the Immobility Orb you received."
"Yeah… I should've known something was off about it the moment it shocked him. Why does it do that anyway?"
Pansy looked pensive. "Those orbs were meant to be held only by certain handlers. Like in a prison, for instance. If an inmate got their hands on it then they could break its spell. I guess you had to be a handler if you were receiving it as a gift. He must have been very confident that you didn't know what it was to give it to you like that."
"Well from now on, I think I'll be doing my own research on dark artifacts so nothing like this will happen again." Haley said lightly. "Okay. So he knew about the orb, but how did you find me? I mean, the greenhouse isn't exactly a place people go for fun…"
"Ethan had mentioned something about a badger," Blaise continued.
"Actually, the thing was that Draco originally thought it was me who gave you the orb. He just kept going on about how I'm untrustworthy and everything like that. But I told him that it wasn't me and that he should stop badgering me about it. I guess that sparked something in his head because the next thing I knew, we were all running after him as he made his way to the Great Hall trying to find that Valex fellow."
"And then we ran into Ernie MacMillan, that other Hufflepuff boy," Pansy picked up where Ethan had left off. "He was pissed off about being barreled over one too many times by Draco earlier, but he eventually spat out that he had just seen you with Valex. And after that, Draco took off running again."
"So we don't actually know how we got to the greenhouse cause we were just following Draco." Blaise concluded. "But whatever reason it was that he decided to go there, it turned out to be a good one because there you were. And just in the knick of time, too."
"Wow…" Haley let her mind digest everything they had said. "Pure luck I guess. But… I just can't believe Draco would go off on you like that. I mean, I know you have your differences but to suspect you of doing that?" She said, looking at Ethan.
"He certainly had grounds to after Ethan molested him." Pansy said, pompously.
Haley was taken aback. "Wait. You what?"
Blaise just shook his head as if to say 'here we go again.'
Ethan looked annoyed as he glared at the girl sitting across the table. "I didn't molest him."
"Yeah, sure. You pulling him aside to a dark corner and groping him doesn't mean you were molesting him. Not one bit." She replied, sarcastically.
"You what?" Haley looked at Ethan, incredulously.
"I did no-" Ethan looked at his best friend, exasperated. "Blaise, would you straighten her out?"
Blaise rolled his eyes sighed, ignoring Ethan. "Haley, listen to me. This is what happened. Even though I'm not remotely pleased to repeat the event without Draco apparent, it seems these two blurted enough out to garner your own conclusions. So I'll set the record straight."
Haley listened intently, her curiosity finally about to be satiated in finding out what it was that Ethan did to Draco that tore the two former friends apart.
"Actually," Blaise frowned. "I don't really think I should without Dra-"
"Out with it already!" Haley growled. She waited nearly a month to find out what had happened and she was going to know no matter what.
"Fine. But if he gets angry, I'm blaming you lot." He pointed at each of them. "All right. So in our third year, when Ethan transferred here from Durmstrang-"
"You went to Durmstrang?" Haley asked in astonishment. Ethan merely nodded as Blaise continued on.
"-He, Draco, and I were all friends. And back then, Draco looked rather… delicate, for lack of a better word. Because of this, Ethan was convinced that Draco had to be a girl in disguise. I mean, forget the fact that Draco shared a room with us and even wore the same uniform as us, Ethan still thought Draco was a girl."
This time it was Pansy's turn to interject with a simple utterance of the word "idiot."
However, Haley had to agree. Back then, Draco did seem to have a fragile nature about him, but never would she have assumed him to be a girl. That was just ridiculous. The expression of disbelief was enough to mirror her thoughts.
Blaise continued, ignoring Pansy's comment. "And being the obsessive prick he can be, and because he had a roundabout way of doing things despite how much harder it makes life for him and the people around him, Ethan decided to prove his theory by approaching Draco himself. And instead of asking, like anyone normal person would, he pulled Draco aside and, without an explanation, he patted his chest."
Blaise demonstrated said 'patting' on himself, drawing a gape from Haley, a scoff from Pansy, and an eye-roll from Ethan.
"Of course, Draco was surprised but that wasn't what set him off. When Ethan finally explained what the hell it was he was doing, that he actually thought Draco to be a girl, Draco was furious. Can you imagine? One of your friends actually thinking you to be a girl when you're not? When they should know that you're not? And the way that Ethan went about it didn't help at all. Draco was embarrassed by the whole thing, and then Ethan went on to say how much he liked Draco and that he couldn't think of any other explanation for his attraction to him except that Draco must be a girl. Of course that was then. We all know why he's twisted now." Blaise wryly said with a smirk.
"Ha. Ha." The other boy replied, dryly.
"Anyway, the look on Draco's face said it all. Too embarrassed and annoyed by what Ethan had said and done, Draco just cut him off. And they've never been the same since."
Slowly, Haley turned to look at Ethan. "That can't be true…"
"Unfortunately, it is." Ethan huffed. "I apologized numerous times, but he didn't seem to care. And he's the type to hold a grudge. You've seen what he's like with me. Consider dealing with that for the past four years."
Haley sympathized with Ethan. She knew what it was like being on Draco's bad end. She briefly worried if that was how things were going to play out once she returned to being Harry, but Ethan drew her attention back onto him.
"Anyway, I just stopped caring after a while. He clearly doesn't want anything to do with me anymore, so it just became easier to antagonize him when I could since he liked to do it to me whenever he could."
"I still think you're an idiot." Pansy threw in her two cents. "Who makes that kind of assumption?"
"I was young," Ethan groaned. "I didn't understand my feelings at the time and it's not like they teach this sort of thing here. There are no classes about what you're supposed to do when you like your same-sex friend."
"Well certainly not that," Haley jabbed. She couldn't help herself. She was too amused by the whole thing. She even found herself smiling.
"Ha, ha. Just let all out, all of you." Ethan exasperated with a sweep of his arms. "I've had enough of this rubbish."
"You can't blame us, mate," Blaise said with a smirk. "What you did was just crazy. Looking back on it, you have to laugh."
"Well since it cost me one of my friends, and a close friend at that, I'm sure you'll understand my lack of enthusiasm. The fact that he now considers me tolerable seems like a feat in itself."
"He said that?" Pansy perked, but in doubt.
"Yes. He did."
"Wow…" Blaise mused. "Look out Haley. Seems you have some competition springing up."
Ethan merely glared at the blonde.
"Actually, there's no competition to be held. It's clear to me that there's no way I could ever be with him. We're of two different worlds and they're just too different to ever collide."
"What?" Pansy and Blaise both stared.
"I like him. I really do. But… I've come to terms with the fact that he and I will only ever just be friends and I'm fine that."
"But you've got it all wrong! He cares about you!" Pansy frowned.
"I don't doubt that. But it's obviously not in the way I want him to."
Pansy shook her head fervently. "No! Listen to me, Har-"
Blaise's eyes widened and he immediately clamped his hand over the girl's. He glanced around the room, and luckily, there weren't that many people left in the common room and the ones who were still around didn't seem to have heard Pansy's slip.
Haley on the other hand was just hit with another mind-staggering blow. "What did you just call me?"
"Ha-Haley. Of course."
"No, no." Again, Haley moved forward and lowered her voice. "You were just about to call me Harry…"
"No, you were just hearing things," Blaise tried to dismiss it.
"Do you know about me?" She asked, stern.
Pansy grimaced. "…Yes?"
In a flash, Haley sat up and looked between the boys. "All right! Which one of you told her?" She looked at Blaise. "It was probably you, wasn't it? I know how much you like her and you decided to show off by telling, didn't you?"
"No! That's preposterous! I would never!"
"You like me?" Pansy glanced at the flustered boy.
Blaise shrugged uncomfortably. "…Maybe. I certainly don't hate you."
Pansy just smiled, which seemed to settle Blaise's nerves as he smiled back.
"Sorry to break the heart-warming moment, but can someone please tell me why everyone around this table seems to know who I am?"
"It was his fault." The smaller girl pointed.
Ethan looked over his shoulders. When he realized that it was just him she was referring to, his expression was one of surprise. "Me? What did I do?"
"I heard you call her by her real name just after Christmas. It was when you had some sort of flipping-out moment and you scurried away to your photo lab."
"So you followed me," Ethan frowned.
"Technically, I was following her. She's my friend and I didn't want you to get your grubby hands on her."
Ethan just sneered at the girl, who merely mirrored the expression.
"So wait… you're okay with it?" Haley said, testing the waters.
"Well yeah. At first, I wasn't so sure. But then I heard what you said to that idiot Finnegan. I really appreciated you sticking up for me like that, despite how terrible I've been to you. And after that, I just thought about how even though you lied about who you are on the outside, you couldn't possibly be lying about who you are inside, especially since you really are a," she lowered her voice, "Gryffindor."
Haley simply scoffed.
"I figured that it wouldn't be so bad having you as a friend after all this, even if you did continue the charade."
Haley had a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "You Slytherins surprise me every day…But wait…" The smile quickly vanished. "If you knew it was me all that time, then why did you suggest I confront Draco? You knew he couldn't possibly care about me as I am so why would you do that?" Haley was referring to being Harry.
"I honestly didn't think that would matter," Pansy replied. She was referring to Harry being Haley. "I thought he liked you for you and that something as simple as this wouldn't matter."
Haley shook her head. "Well it doesn't matter now. He obviously wants nothing more than to just be friends and I'm okay with that."
"Harry, I don't think-" Blaise tried.
"And I'm okay with that." She reiterated.
"But Harry-" This time it was Pansy who tried.
"Please. Just stop. Right now it still hurts to even see him. But I'm okay with just being friends. I don't need any more than that. And I know you guys think I'm right for him, for whatever reason, but I'm clearly not. And I've come to terms with that and I've accepted it. So please… accept it, too."
Pansy shook her head. "But Harry-"
"No buts."
The pair in front of her looked at each other and simultaneously sighed.
"All right." Pansy frowned.
"Yeah, okay." Blaise nodded.
"Good." Haley sat back in her seat. The air seemed to shift directions again, but Haley was determined to shift it again. "So Ethan's an idiot, right?"
"Oh, ha ha." he sneered.
Blaise and Pansy both lightened up and agreed. Haley smiled at her success.
Ethan, on the other hand, slumped in his chair, shoveling another bit of the pie in his mouth. He leered at the people around him and shook his head in vexation. "…I hate you all."
--
It was just after midnight when Draco heard a knock on his door. He didn't want to move. He felt that the one chance he might've had to be with the love of his life just flew out the window. His eyes were raw from the tears of anger and sadness that he had spilt and he simply felt spent. He was angry with Leir for what he almost did. He was angry with himself for not realizing the danger sooner. He was angry moreover with himself for not telling Harry how he felt when he had the chance. And now? The opportunity to admit his true feelings seemed to be on the wrong side of a closing door. So when Draco heard that knock on his door just after midnight, the last thing he felt like doing was going to answer it. But in realizing the time of night it was, he concluded that this knock had to be important. And if it weren't, Draco was determined to unleash his sour mood on the poor fool who knocked on the wrong door.
He hopped off his bed and begrudgingly walked to his door. He flung it open, expecting a victim to yell at, but he was surprised when no one was there. In fact, it seemed that everyone in the common room had retreated for the night. And just as his anger began to boil, he was surprised yet again when his toe lightly kicked a small box in front of it. Draco looked around, but in seeing no one, he picked it up and closed the door. Scribbled on the top was a note, presumably from its sender. It read, "To Draco- Thanks for protecting me. I will always cherish you and the friendship we share. –Love H."
A weight lifted from Draco's back, and his heart skipped several beats. He opened the box. Inside was a small cake, red velvet with white frosting. Under the lid was another note. "P. S. I got you a small one so you won't get fat… P. S. S. I made this one myself… so don't crush it this time. –H."
Draco smiled. His door felt like it just opened a little more.
Author's Note/Disclaimer: I own naught the Harry Potter characters, but instead the characters Maxwell, Valex, Mavillian, and McClarin. Yes. And this story. Yes.
Dude. You should never tell Pansy anything. She's likely to let it slip. But it's not intentional. She really is trying to be a good friend, but she has a habit of not thinking before she speaks. Haha. And that's how I always pictured her. Yes. And yes, Ethan and Draco are on the verge of becoming, not friends, but not enemies. I think he deserves a break for kicking some Valex ass. Everything in this chapter is stuff that needed to be said. Yes. And… what'll become of Draco and Harry's relationship? You'll just have to wait and see. But I like a good dose of angst as much as the next fanfic writer so… be forewarned. And like always, please review!
Yes.