Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any attached characters. Affiliates, copyrights, contracts...etc etc, I'll keep saying big words. I'm making no money off this, blah blah blah, etc.
A/N: I was actually going to not update yet, do all the editing I had planned first, because of several reviews of constructive criticism,then update someday in the future. Then I went to my stats page and saw I've gotten 98 reviews for the last chapter. Now is it fair to the 91 other people that because of 6 they don't get an update? SoI said 'WTF?' #grins# and here you have your update. Enjoy!
Rejected Runespoor
Chapter 28
As easy, or more correctly, as much as he had been able to handle being in the Great Hall and being in a dorm with people around him, he found Snape's classroom stifling. Maybe it was the hot potions with all their fumes or the way people had to crowd round to get their supplies from the cupboard but whatever it was Harry found himself shrinking back away from the crush feeling slightly light-headed.
"Are you okay?" The bushy-haired chatterbox was next to him looking constipated so Harry frowned at her.
"I'm fine! Thanks!" He then proceeded to step away from the wall haughtily and practically faint to the floor.
"Oh!" The girl stepped forward and they both backpedaled into the wall, the Gryffindor cushioning him. There was an 'oomph', a tangle of limbs, then exclamations from classmates.
"Potter! Get off the mudbloods. We don't associate with their type." Draco snapped pulling him up sharply.
"Leave me. I just need some air!" Harry pulled at the neck of his robes as the girl struggled to her feet, face red. "So bloody hot."
"You're claustrophobic?" She said hesitantly.
"What?" Harry turned to her.
"Potter, didn't you hear me tell you, no talking to mudbloods?" The blonde repeatedly snobbishly, expecting a like-minded reply.
"Draco. Get your ingredients and leave me alone." Harry said flatly before grabbing Hermione's arm and looking around. The storage was empty now, so glaring at a surprised Draco, he pulled the girl in with him. "Oh and save me ingredients." He said with an edgy smile. He smirked at Draco's uncertain face as he shut the door.
"What do you think you know then Gryffindor?" Harry said brusquely.
"My name is Hermione Granger! Not Gryffindor! And I've seen claustrophobics. They get dizzy in cramped places, or in this case, a crowd." She rubbed the arm he'd been clutching, half-glaring.
"Sorry about that." Harry muttered shortly. "Now, you can't tell anyone about this. I'm fine okay?"
"Oh." The girl flushed. "I'm sure you are! I was just saying…"
"I can take care of myself, thanks, Granger. And don't tell anyone about this!" Harry finished harshly before turning to the door and pushing it open to find Snape on the other side.
"Well, hardly the first day started and we have girls assaulting perfect Potter." Ah, so he'd be taking this route in class, would he? Harry had figured, not too hard, from the way he'd talked about his father in their conversations that they hadn't been the best of friends. Seems Snape had figured a way to approach him in class.
"We were simply picking out ingredients professor." Hermione said with a renewed flush.
"Funny, since there are none in your hands. Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape sneered with vicious amusement. "Do try to restrain yourself."
Harry hurried to his spot next to Draco at their station together and kept neutral as the blonde sniggered next to him and his other dorm mates and the rest of the Slytherin first years snickered at the Gryffindors. Hermione had retreated to her station next to a red-head boy and a nervous-looking, pale, chubby boy.
"Serves them right. What were you doing associating with them anyway." Draco snorted and turned away to order Crabbe to give Harry his ingredients while Harry looked surreptitiously over at Granger. Malfoy needed to learn that subtly and manipulation were the traits of Slytherin, not false pride and snobbery. Mudblood or not, the girl was smart as a whip and would surely be useful one day…besides, by lunch all the Gryffindors Granger knew would be half-pitying of him and Granger would be practically his new best friend.
As expected by lunch Gryffindors were eying him warily with Hermione giving him tentative smiles from Gryffindor table and the Slytherins around him were getting suspicious. He had Potty on him wrapped under his robes, around his waist and heavy with lassitude after two mice.
"What are you up to?" Blaise finally asked quietly as Harry sat eating slowly and carefully again and ignoring the changing tensions between tables.
Harry looked up with a smile. "I'm…crafting a situation Blaise. Draco needs to be more open-minded to the manipulations one can wreak with a simple dizzy spell."
Draco eyed him restlessly from down the table. "It's an act then? You're not friends with the mudblood?"
"I've not known her a day or talked to her for more than five minutes Malfoy. How could she be my friend?" Harry snorted. "I have no friends. She's a tool."
"Oh. Well you could have said so! You had me thinking you were…" The pointy nose wrinkled. "A mudblood lover. Like the crazy bat up there." Malfoy jerked his head towards the Head table, meaning Dumbledore.
"When could I have told you? While I was spinning my web? Really…" Harry smiled condescendingly, smirking as Draco flushed angrily. Theodore and Blaise muffled snickers as Crabbe and Goyle looked from Harry to Draco confused.
The spoiled little Malfoy would have to grow up. He didn't know half of what went on around him. For a Slytherin he was disturbingly…dense. How could he not know it was an act? And honestly, no one but himself knew half of the man Dumbledore was…
"Bugger you Potter!" Draco stood sharply, his henchmen following and stormed from the hall. Harry looked after them, face blank again and Theodore noted the Gryffindors had seen the little tiff and had taken it…probably just the way Harry had wanted.
"The Gryffs swallowed the bait." He offered quietly. Harry's green eyes looked up slowly and sparkled.
"But of course." He stroked Potty lightly under his robes and heard her hiss sleepily. Slow and easy,a journey of a thousand miles...
Harry knew something was up as soon as Defense Against the Dark Arts started. The way the class began was freaky enough even by his standards. When Professor Quirrell entered the class, Harry felt that spark in his scar again. For a moment, eye to eye with the man, his whole demeanor, face, expression, eyes seemed to change. Harry felt a shiver of, he didn't know, not quite fear, it was just…something! And he wasn't used to being unsure or wrong footed. But a split second later the moment was broken and stuttering, nervous Quirrell was back.
The class progressed to be shown as a farce and Quirrell was quickly classed a useless, games being played by the Gryffindors and the Slytherins conversing quietly. Yet Harry never looked away from the teacher. He was sure something was wrong. He didn't think his imagination was in such overdrive he would imagine Quirrell's eyes turning a murky brownish-red for no reason…
A/N: Lol. And you guys have been waiting too long. That too. Here you go.By no means have I cancelled the editing though. This is just to keep you guys happy.