Chapter 6

An homage to your thighs.

"Look!" said Blaise, "An owl just landed next Granger". Blaise wiggled his eyebrows in a meaning way

"It sure did, Blaise, it sure did" Draco snickered. "What did you write to her, btw?"

"Oh just a little homage to her thighs. She'll love it! She'll think someone will be under the table pinching them, right about…now."

"Oh really?" Draco said impressed.

They looked over just in time to see her squeal and her embarrassed pink cheaked face dissappear under the table with food flying everywhere in the commotion.

Draco roared with laughter. A little louder for good meassure.. Blaise snickered. Several other slytherins who had witnessed the spectacle across the room, joined in.
He saw her flustered, grabbing her belongings and rushing out of the great hall. He felt a pang of guilt. What were they doing, really? He wanted to go after her. Calm her down. Apologize for his friend and come clean, and tell her…how he felt, but of course that was impossible.

"Let's see, how many points is this? One for heightened stress level, two for screaming, three for falling over. Six in total. I think it's a tie, Draco!"

"I don't think she was falling over… She just ducked."

"Neville fell over, look! That must count for something?"

"That oaf always falls over, it doesn't count at all. I don't think it even had anything to do with her. Don't try to steal points! You only got three, accept it!"

"Allright, allright..easy there, dragon boy."

Draco squinted at him but when he saw Blaises dificulty at keeping a straight face, he had to smile back. It was too hard to stay angry at him. Blaise was after all his best friend.

"So, we're gonna have to start planning our next move", Blaise continued.

"Can it wait? Im too hungry." He said and helped himself to some mince pie.

"Yeah, of course. I need to rewrite my essay for professor McGonagall. For some reason I don't think she likes me very much."

"How so?"

"She didn't particularly enjoy my theory on animaguses being more ruled by their instincts and emotions and less by reason and intellect, being more intouch with their animalistic side. I think she somehow interpreted that as animaguses are less human than other wizards and witches. " Blaise smirked.

"You better make it perfectly prejudice-free this time."
"Good thinking".

"Oh hey guys, whats happening?" Pansy came thumping down between them." I just talked to Milicent and she said buckteeth threw a fit, tossing food around… is it true? Im not surprised. Shes so tightly wound she must have sa spare wand stuck up her bum. I knew she was gonna crack eventually. Such a basket case, right?"

Draco zoned out. Pansys highpitched voice drained him of energy. And he found it harder and harder to hear her her mean little comments about everyone and especially Hermione. He used to find her funny. But recently he had begun to see her for what she really was. A pathetic insecure girl with no personality and nothing to offer but her quick and mean observations of other people. He was sick of it.

He thought of Hermione. He never overheard her spreading gossip or say anything mean about anyone, unless it was about him and maybe his friends. But she never attacked. She only defended herself. And with good reason and panash. He didn't deserve someone like her. She was truly good and fair. And he - he had started a game about taunting her. He was pathetic. He was a kid in the playground. Worse! He was a young man whos only way of getting contact with his crush was to play ghost and scare the shit out of her? What was he playing at? What was wrong with him?

"Maybe I'm not any better than Pansy, he thought gloomingly."