The difference
Ch. 2
After we separate from Lissa, who was going to Ollivander's, I blindly followed Pansy as she lead us to Madam Malkins.
As per usual, I make a game with Draco, out of trying to check inside.
"Oh look, Drake." I call after him. "Seems your golden boy's inside."
He froze, hand outstretched for the door handle, as he takes in my words.
I push past him, and open the door, getting Madam Malkins attention as the tinkling of a small bell sounds our entrance.
I look over to see Harry being measured on the same stool Draco has said he had been standing on the first time they'd met, the one Draco had been on left empty.
"Hello dears." Madam Malkin greeted from behind the counter, one of the younger witches she had hired for the summer working on Harry. "What can I help you with?"
"As soon as our other two friends arrive, the four of us girls will be needing new school robes, he will be in need of both school robes and new dress robes." I tell her with a smile, pushing Draco in the direction of the empty stool so he could go
getmeasured first.
He looked at me and pleaded with his eyes for me to let up, and I seriously would have considered doing so with the look he was giving me, if it weren't for such a good, if not completely hilarious cause.
"Come on up, dear." Madam Malkin directed Draco, ushering him towards the empty stool.
I silently laughed as Harry finally turned tosee who had entered the robe shop.
His eyes widened marginally in shock and the look of fear that crossed his face was definitely worth the tongue lashing I would receive later.
I went and sat down next to Pansy, watching the two boys as they tentatively began their usual back and forth, without all the malice. It was good to see Harry crack a few smiles and even laugh at some of the things him andDracowere arguingabout.
/I then turned to look out the window, waiting for two of our threemissing friends to show up.
I turned back to the boys when I heard the witch who was measuring and fitting Harrypipe up.
"Alright dear, all done." She told Harry with a small smile.
"Er, thanks." He mumbled.
He awkwardly stepped off the stool and took a few steps towards the door before turning back to face Draco.
"You know, Ron and Hermione aren't back yet." He said, wringing his hands. "So I reckon I should wait here for them."
Deals grin was now shinning an extra 50 watts brighter than before.
"I reckon you should." He drawled with a smirk. "Wouldn't want them worrying about their golden boy, now would we?"
Pansy and I both had to stifle ourlaughterwhen he used that little pet name for Harry, her with her hand and me with a not-so-subtle cough. He shot us both a death glare before turning back to Harry with his smirk back in place.
Just as I was about to relax and go back to watching out the window for our friends, the bell at the door rang. All eyes flew to the red head standing in the door way.
"Freia!" I squealed, rushing over and pulling her into a bear hug.
"Alice, let the poor girl breathe." Pansy told me with a giggle as she came over.
I reluctantly let go and looked at her.
Her hair was shoulder length and laying in their usual ringlets, she had naturallysun-kissed skin and her doll like brown eyes were brighter than her usual bored attitude.
"You're looking extra happy today." I notice. "Anything special happen?"
She nodded softly.
Freia was a year younger than us, but Dumbledore made an exception for her, and let her skip her second year.
The Ravenclaw smirked at Pansy as the brunette tried to appear taller than her. Pansy was the smallest girl in our year, with me not far behind.
She was teased for it in first and second year, until Freia stood up to her follow Ravenclaws for her.
That was when Dumbledore decided that Freia could take all her classes with us.
She also spent most, if not all, of her nights in our dorm room because her dorm mates constantly bullied her for being a year ahead and for befriending the most 'dangerous' and well known Slytherins at Hogwarts.
Pansy finally gave up, crossing her arms over her chest with a humph and a small glare sent Freia's way.
"Oh, come off it Pans, you're fun sized." Freia told her with a grin.
Causing me to snicker at the muggle world reference, Freia being a halfblood.
Pansy then turned her glare on me.
"Oh, come on, it was funny." I protested between laughter.
It took me a momentbefore I could calm down and when I did Freia looked rather amused.
"Do you have a dress for this year yet?" She asked me, pointedly ignoring Pansy's glare.
"No, I haven't bought one yet." I told her honestly and, I'll be it, a bit hesitantly. "I was thinking I would just buy one at the dress shop in Hogsmeade our first weekend this year."
"I was planning on doing the same." She told me.
"I thought it was only mentioned to forth years and up?" Pansy mused to herself.
"I technically am a forth year, and I doubt I'd be the only thirteen year old attending if it happens to actually be a dance like everyone is suspecting." Freia told her. "What about you Pans?"
"I already have one that used to be my elder sister's" she told us with a grimace.
She hated even the idea of hand-me-downs, thinking it was wildly unfair.
We went on to discuss whatelse wethought could happen this year, when the two missing pieces of the golden trio came in, followed by Lissa, her new wand in hand.
The one she had up until now was a family heirloom that once belonged to her great, great, great, great grandfather, who was well known for being a purest and for dabbling in the dark arts. She snapped it at the end of last year and told her mother
it was a Threstal in her final class of care for magical creatures.
She came over to me with a shy smile.
"I'm up after Draco." I told her with a smile.
"Pansy should be up now though, since she was after Harry." I said, nudging the brunette at my side.
She gave me a light glare before skipping up to the stool next to the two lovebirds flirting away, oblivious to the Gryffindors that had walked in moments ago.
It took a moment for the duo to notice Harry as well and I took glee in watching Ron's gobsmacked expression form on his, now, glowing red face.
Hermione just looked smug.
Finally, after moments of anticipation on my part, Ron exploded.
"Harry! What the bloody h-" Hermione cut him off with a sharp look and an elbow to the ribs.
"Language Ron." She told him, her eyes back on Harry and Draco.
Harry was now looking at the two of them with wide eyes, turning slightly pale, as Draco smartly took a step back.
"My language should be the least of your worries, Hermione." Ron seethed.
"Why is that Ron?" She asked him dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"Because Harry's hanging with a bunch of of Slytherin's!" He bellowed. "And not just any Slytherin's, but Malfoy and his followers!"
Hermione was gaping and him, not sure what had caused him to voice these thoughts in front of said Slytherin's, but it just gaveRon more room to talk.
"They're just a bunch of evil death eaters in training and stuck up, prejudice, pureblood's!" He ranted.
"Excuse me, I think we've heard quite enough." I told him, crossing my arms over my chest, and fixing him with my darkest glare. "First of all, we're not Draco's followers, were his friends."
"Best friends actually." Pansy snipped.
"Second of all, were not all 'death eaters in training' as you so nicely named us." I continued viciously.
"Some of us don't even want to be pureblood's, let alone follow some madman on a killing spree." Lissa whispered hoarsely.
"Some of us aren't evenpureblood's." I spat at him.
"Or Slytherin's." Freia piped up.
"And you're barmy if you call usprejudice after all the things you just called us." I told him, rolling my eyes at the look of complete shock on his face.
Hermione was back to looking smugly over at Harry and Draco, and Icouldn't help the smirk that fell to my lips.
"So Alice." Hermione began, a smirk pulling at her lips as well. "Have you, Lissa and Draco finished that essay for muggle studies yet?"