Jekyll would like to give CheshireMiko a cookie for giving the most unexpected review she ever has gotten.

Jaclyn has to state with clarity that, NO, Jekyll and she are not girlfriends.

Jekyll however finds the thought quite amusing and interesting.

Jaclyn was quite busy with blushing after that question.

Jekyll happens to be happily married to Sirius' motorcycle.

Jaclyn believes she is married to Tom Felton… and Orlando Bloom.

Jekyll also bestows great thanks on aznMi for beta-reading it again!

The co-workers Jaclyn & Jekyll,
Who are both happily married,
(please let us live in our fantasy world a little bit longer)
Present with embarrassment for the lateness

THE PHOTO
Chapter 9

Draco stopped walking, leaving his companion to walk a few steps alone before turning around to look questioningly at him. Draco stared past Dani where he could see Blaise starting to walk the last meters towards them.

"Hello, luv, I was looking for you," the other Slytherin said with a small smirk

"Well, you found me," Draco answered, outwardly calm, while cursing inside his mind the misfortune of meeting the sable-haired boy. "What is it?"

Blaise ignored his curtness and wrapped a possessive arm around his waist. "What colours are you wearing at the Ball?"

Oh Merlin, here's the dreaded topic.

"Why would you need to know?"

"Because luv, that way I can arrange my robes to complement yours. We'll be the perfect couple!"

"You didn't even ask me to the damn ball yet!"

"You're my boyfriend, Draco," Blaise said in an obvious tone. "It's only logical that we'd go together."

"Either way; I already asked Dani to go before we started 'dating'."

Blaise raised a brow and glanced to Dani who looked cluelessly from one to the other.

"Is that so?" Blaise said slowly. "I'm sure she won't mind letting me take you, right?" This was directed at Dani. She looked confusedly at Draco who was making faces and trying to tell her something with his facial expressions.

Not understanding what he was trying to make clear to her, she nodded at Blaise. "Um, sure. I wanted to go with Davis anyway."

"So, that's settled," Blaise said with a grin as he led Draco into the castle with Dani not far behind. "I'm sorry to leave you so quickly, luv, but I have to arrange something."

He pulled Draco to him for a quick kiss and walked away with a small smirk, not noticing how Draco rubbed a sleeve over his mouth. The blonde got an odd look for that from his brown-haired friend.

"I don't know what's up, Draco, but something odd is going one here," she said with a confused frown toward the one she claimed to be her best friend.

"Yeah, well." Draco shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay," she finally said reluctantly. "Anyway, I need to leave, too. Got a detention."

Draco raised quizzically a brow. "At this time? Normally, those are in the evenings."

"Well, you know professor Jekyll. She needs to be different. Well… bye."

Draco stared, frowning after his friend. Something was going on between her and that professor as well.

Harry flew down and stepped off his broom. He felt a few satisfying pops as his muscles stretched. Flying with the Hufflepuffs had been the best idea he'd ever had.

His annoyance about the photo had completely left his mind as he taught the girl certain moves and tactics that would make her performance improve. Granted, she would have to train hard on those to make them work, but he had told her so and she seemed rather determined to become his next rival.

He looked forward to it.

"Oy, Potter!" someone called out and Harry turned around to see Nathaniel, the chaser who had been training her before him, walking toward him. The chaser stopped a few feet away and stared with dark, penetrating eyes at him. His behaviour shouted: 'I don't like you, and I don't know what the hell you're doing here.'

And for a moment Harry though the guy was about to hit him when the chaser raised a hand. Thankfully enough, he turned out to be offering his hand for a handshake. Harry shook it enthusiastically.

"You're not so bad, Potter."

"I know," Harry grinned smugly and the dark look on Nathaniel's face was replaced by a small smile.

"But perhaps you should practice a bit on something called modesty."

Harry pulled a face. "Heard about it. Tried it. Didn't like it."

This time the chaser let out a chuckle and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "See you around."

Harry watched him go with a big smile. He had found a new ally in the Hufflepuff and you never had enough of those. He walked back to the castle, intent on having a nice hot shower to relax before a certain bushy-haired girl dragged him off to the library.

As he went up the many stairs to the Gryffindor dormitories, he was grateful that no one was around. He didn't want his good mood to disappear through either hero worshippers or dumb questions about the photo.

Harry recited the password to the Fat Lady, who smiled welcomingly at him and granted him entrance by swinging her frame out from the wall. He quickly ran up the stairs to the boys'

dormitories where he shook his sweat soaked clothes off and went into the bathroom.

The nice, hot shower was exactly what he needed and he couldn't keep himself from moaning in delight when the warm streams of water trailed over his back. He turned and reached to turn the hot water knob a little bit more, when he heard a loud pop coming from somewhere in between his shoulder blades. Apparently that one had not gone yet when he had done his stretches after practice.

"All I need now is someone to give me a massage and I'll be a happy man," he muttered happily as he grabbed a towel and started to dry himself off.

'Wish I could help you with that!' a male voice commented and Harry froze in his movement, then turned around slowly.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," he said as he stared at his own reflection.

'Why not?' the mirror asked on a friendly tone.

Harry wrapped the towel around his waist. "It's just… uncomfortable to know someone sees me while I'm naked, even when you're not a living person."

'But you have nothing to be ashamed of!'

"That's not it. I just…" Harry shrugged, wondering why he even bothered trying to explain himself to a mirror. "I'm going to get dressed. Bye."

A little while later he could be found walking back down to the common room where he glanced around. There were only a few students around and none of them was Hermione. He stopped a girl he knew Hermione had helped sometimes.

"Hey, have you seen Hermione?"

"Huh? Oh, her? Yes. Yeah, I, um, saw her in the library a little while ago," the girl answered shyly, then walked to a table where her giggling friends were.

She walked away before Harry could thank her and he blinked for a moment before going to said place. He had to search for her but finally found her with his other best friend.

She was scolding Ron and for a moment Harry just stood there, leaning against a bookcase to watch them, amused.

"You should be more careful, Ron. You can't just walk up to people and tell them to stay away from someone!" Her face was red. "Especially when that someone is me!"

"But Hermione! He was staring at your-um-"

Her eyes narrowed dangerously as he tried to avoid them. "And how would you know that? Ronald Weasley."

"I, um," he glanced to the side and spotted Harry. He quickly jumped up. "Hi, Harry!"

Harry pushed away from the bookcase and strolled to his friends, hearing Hermione hiss, "This isn't over yet," to Ron, who paled but pretended to ignore it.

"Harry, I heard the oddest rumour. Something about you training a Slytherin?" He laughed a bit to show how unbelievable he thought it was. Harry sat down beside him and nodded thanks to Hermione, who had brought his book bag along and now pushed it towards him over the table.

"Actually, it was a Hufflepuff."

"Are you insane? You don't go helping the enemy!"

Harry raised a brow quizzically. "Enemy?"

"Well, technically they are! They are our opponents in Quidditch. You don't go helping them improve! Even when they are rubbish."

"I disagree."

"Me too," Hermione added and both Ron as Harry looked startled at her.

"Look, Harry here likes a challenge, that's probably why he and Malfoy are always in a fight. Now, he doesn't really enjoy the Quidditch against Hufflepuff, because it's too easy for him to win. But if he trains their seeker, he will be against not only a better opponent, but also his own student which will make it more of a thrill."

Both boys stared open-mouthed at her.

"And it gives Harry something to do, since well, you-know-who is gone."

"I didn't realize you knew me that well, Hermione. Maybe even better than I know myself! But you still can't say Voldemort's name, even though he's dead?"

She blushed. "Well, I heard that he might come back if you say his name."

"That's ridiculous!" Harry said.

"Well, you never know!" the normally very logical girl said in her defence.

"I still don't understand why you have to train that Hufflepuff. If you want something to distract you, then train our team! Or start teaching DA again."

"That's not the same, Ron." Hermione argued, trying not to flinch as Harry childishly chanted 'Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort' over and over again.

They were however stopped from going into a full-out argument by a fierce glare from the Library caretaker, which literally made their hairs freeze, and soon they were studying.

'Mischief managed.'