Hermione and Daisy broke off from the group after class was over. They huddled by the wall, conversing quickly in harsh, fast whispers. Harry and Ron looked at each other, bewildered.

"What's that about?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, but I reckon it's got something to do with Malfoy." Harry looked at the boy sideways as he exited the room. Malfoy's stance was nervous, and he looked at the two girls as if he was frightened of them. Hermione saw him and smiled kindly, then Daisy waved. He looked at them suspiciously until Marcus pulled him away.

The boys waited for the girl until they finished talking. Kyle immediately started chatting up Daisy, while Harry and Ron confronted Hermione.

"Let's go to class and I'll tell you on the way." She said. The six walked to History of Magic as she explained her odd reactions.

"Well, Daisy and I were in Ancient Runes, a class we share with Malfoy, you know?" She started. "And there was this fascinating rune on frost, but anyway, Draco's muggle, Marcus, had this big grin on his face the whole class..."

*Flashback*

"What is he so happy about?" Daisy whispered to Hermione. The witch looked at Marcus.

"If I had to guess, it would be that he knows a pretty funny secret." She said. Marcus was smugly looking at Draco, who looked back, annoyed.

"What secret?" Daisy asked.

"How should I know?" She answered.

After class, Marcus and Draco held back to discuss something. Hermione dawdled by the door, keeping Daisy with her, using a spell to hear what they were saying.

"How did you know?" Draco whispered furiously to Marcus.

"Dude, you sleeptalk." The muggle said, lighthearted. "Anyway, it's okay. I'm fine with gay people-"

"Did you tell him?" Draco asked.

"Of course not!" Marcus said, indignant. "I'm not a snitch."

"Right..." Hermione thought to herself.

Draco relaxed. "Good."

Marcus saw Hermione and Daisy listening, though Draco's back was to them. "Yeah man, no one knows that you're in love with Harry Potter."

"Shush, you insolent muggle!" Draco wailed, but Daisy had already heard. She gasped, then covered her mouth. Draco spun around and his eyes widened when he saw the two.

Hermione, caught, gave a brilliant smile and backed up, pushing Daisy out the door. "Er... bye, Malfoy, Marcus." The second her foot was out the door she grabbed Daisy and they sprinted to Defense."

*End Flashback*

"So that's why Malfoy acted like that." Ron said when Hermione was finished. They had reached History of Magic, but Binns didn't notice the class at all, so several students were talking or sleeping. Kyle, Daisy, and Dudley were sitting behind the trio.

Hermione nodded. "And if he didn't think you knew before, he's sure now." She said to Harry. "He probably thinks I'd tell you, and he'd be right if you didn't already know."

"This won't be good." Harry muttered. "It was awkward enough last night when he DIDN'T know."

"Wait, what happened last night?" Ron jumped in.

"Well, I went down to the kitchens after hours..." Harry filled them in. Hermione pursed her lips.

"At least you weren't rude." She said. "You'll have to be extra cautious from now on. Malfoy will be skittish and he may turn his frustration into malice if you turn him down rudely. My suggestion is to-"

Ron cut her off. "Harry has to be cautious? This is Malfoy's problem, not his! I say he should just tell the bloke he's not interested, just out with it! There's no reason NOT to hurt the git's feelings, I mean, it can't be helped. Rejection always hurts."

Hermione huffed. "As I was SAYING, my advice is to let him down gently, perhaps with Marcus there as a buffer. Actually, Marcus would just confuse everything, there can't be two of you facing him. Catch Malfoy when he's alone, like after hours, not that I'm condoning sneaking out, but it's best when no one's around." She took a breath. "Ronald is absolutely wrong, there is every reason not to hurt his feelings. Malfoy is only human, like the rest of us, and he's a bit more spiteful as well. He could very well feel wronged if you hurt his feelings and turn all of his power against you." She looked Harry in the eye sternly. "You remember how he's acted so far, without even a proper reason. Imagine that tenfold. And then double it."

Harry and Ron shuddered. "That would be a living hell." Ron agreed. "Don't do that."

Harry looked between them. "Yeah, good advice." He said weakly.

Through the rest of class, he contemplated the various ways he could do this incredibly unpleasant thing. Several suggestions floated through his head, but he dismissed them all. One thought drifted through and stuck, and try as he might he wasn't able to shake it away. The thought was this: If he didn't reject Malfoy, then there would be no hurt feelings and no loose ends. It was easily the least messy idea and best for both ends. He found himself leaning more and more towards this path. He hated hurting feelings, even Malfoy.

Then he jolted himself back together. What in Merlin's name was he thinking? Him, accept Malfoy? As a boyfriend? Even to spare Malfoy's feelings, he couldn't do that. There were some things you just couldn't avoid. Malfoy would just have to get over it, he told himself firmly.

Then he started pondering WHY he had been pondering that particular idea for so long. Was there some subconscious part of him that DIDN'T think it would be horrible to date Malfoy? Of course not, he thought. Why would there be? Malfoy's never given him a reason to think otherwise. He's never even had a conversation with the boy until the other day...

Luckily, Harry was saved from his own thoughts by the end of class. Hermione and Ron stood up, alerting him to this fact. Grabbing his books, he followed his friends out of the room. Dudley grabbed his arm.

"Harry!"

Harry looked back. "Uh, yes, Dudley?"

"Is the professor really a ghost? I was wondering the whole class." Dudley looked pale.

Harry almost laughed. "Yes, Dudley. Professor Binns is a ghost."

"How is he... you know, still there?" Dudley looked back, then followed the group on the way to the next class.

Ron heard the question. "Well, he was teaching a long time ago, and one day, after class, he died of old age. Then, the next day, he got up and started teaching again anyway."

Dudley gulped. "Are... are there... others?"

Ron and Harry exchanged incredulous looks. Was Dudley so absorbed in his food at breakfast that he didn't notice the crew of ghosts float through the walls?

"Of course, Dudley, Hogwarts has tons of ghosts." Daisy answered him. "I met a lovely one today, his name is Nearly Headless Nick. If you meet him, ask him to show you why he's called Nearly Headless."

"I met the Bloody Baron." Kyle added. "He was sort of... scary."

Hermione nodded sympathetically. "He can be. But he's actually my favorite."

"How is the Baron your favorite?" Ron asked.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "He's the only one who can put Peeves in his place. Honestly, that poltergeist needs to learn manners. Do you know what he did before break? He filled Mcgonnagal's hat with fish and meowed at her. At Professor Mcgonnagal!"

The boys all burst out laughing. Daisy shook her head. "That's just awful."

"I know." Hermione glared at the boys. "Well, come on then. It's not my fault if Snape deducts points for tardiness." She and Daisy strolled ahead while the others collected themselves.

Dudley sobered first. "Who's Snape?" He asked, a bit apprehensive.

"The Potions instructor." Harry told him. "I'd suggest not breathing in his presence."

Dudley was confused. "How do I not breathe? Is that a freak- I mean, a, a wizard thing?"

"No. It's a fear for your life thing." Harry answered as they walked into the Potions classroom. Grabbing seats, again with the muggle trio behind the wizards and witch, they hushed up in preparation of class.

The rest of the students poured in over the next few minutes. Harry looked at his clasped hands when Draco and Marcus walked in. Draco uncharacteristically froze when he saw the golden trio and Marcus had to drag him to a seat in the back, flagging down Fox to sit with them. Harry winced. That not-rejecting him option was sounding pretty good right about now.

No it wasn't, what was he thinking.

Snape breezed in a moment later. "Turn your attention to page 245." He instructed. "This is a group-effort potion. In my opinion, such things are unnecessary, even cumbersome, but Headmaster Dumbledore requires a lesson that includes our... visitors." He stood at the front board and scowled around the room. "I will write the ingredients on the board and six of you will pair together to complete the potion. Mr. Longbottom, if your kettle explodes this class you and your guest will remain behind to clean it up."

Neville's friend, Alexander, glanced nervously at him. Neville gulped.

Snape turned and started to write. The class flipped their books to the required page.

"The Draught of Endless Sleep." Hermione read. "I've heard about this one. This puts whoever drinks it into a sort of coma."

"Sounds dreadful." Daisy commented, moving her chair across the golden trio's desk so that she could work with them. Kyle and Dudley did the same. "What's the first step?"

Ron read the ingredients list that Snape had written down. "Well, I guess Kyle and I will go collect the ingredients." The two boys got up and went to the cupboard. Hermione and Harry read over the instructions.

"This is vile!" Hermione protested. "Tentacles of a giant squid? Ugh... a Mackled Malaclaw's bladder!"

"Who harvests those?" Dudley wondered outloud. He looked up when he felt eyes on him. All three were staring at him, then they started laughing. Dudley smiled. It felt oddly nice to make people laugh instead of laughing at them.

Ron and Kyle returned to the table, loaded with various items. The students got to work. Harry, Ron, and Hermione began prep work, sorting out the ingredients for steps. The muggles helped by locating them and handing the items to their hosts.

Just as Harry sprinkled in refined manticore horn powder, the potion gave a puff of green smoke and turned vivid vermilion.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Kyle asked.

"No..." Hermione fussed over the instructions. "What did we do? Did we stir it too fast? Did we add the year-old fairy dust before the Augurey quills?" She appeared quite frazzled.

"You probably forgot to add the frost giant eyes." A voice said behind them. "Stir six times clockwise and add four veela hairs instead, and it should go back to the proper color."

Hermione turned around. "Oh, thank you Malfoy. I was worried it was irreversible!"

"Happy to help." Draco looked at Harry as he said it, then walked away.

"What was HE doing over here?" Ron asked. Hermione watched Draco's movement.

"He was going to ask Snape a question." She said. "Look, there he is talking to the professor. Harry, will you find the veela hairs?" Harry didn't hear her.

She looked at him. "Harry?" He was staring after Draco, with an expression Hermione couldn't place.

"Are these them?" Daisy asked, holding up some fine, white hairs. Hermione nodded.

"Yes, thank you." She stirred six times and then tossed them in. The potion boiled back down to a dull blue. The group sighed with relief.

"He's not so bad anymore." Hermione commented to no one in particular. Harry, in his reverie, heard her, and the words joined to that inviting idea in his head.

Dudley sneezed, shocking Harry back into reality. "Bless you."

"Thanks." Dudley wiped his nose. "That powder stinks."

Hermione finished adding the ingredients and Ron bottled some of the solution. Harry took it up to Snape to grade.

When he returned, there were about five minutes left in class. Daisy was once again chatting happily with Kyle and Dudley was helping Ron clean up.

"Harry," Hermione whispered, not moving her head. "Don't look, but Malfoy's staring at you."

Harry was wondering why he felt eyes on him. "Oh Merlin..."

Hermione handed him her book. "When I let go, drop it and pick it up. I want to see what happens."

Harry wanted to ask why but he had no time, for at that moment Hermione took her hand away. Harry fumbled with the book and let it slip to the floor. He bent to pick it up and then set it on the table.

"What was that about?" He asked, a bit annoyed.

Hermione's eyes sparkled. "Oh, nothing."

Aww…. You guys know what that was about, don't you? We're getting into some plot twisters here soon, be on guard! I have an idea of what I want the next chapter to be, but school started this week so it may take me even longer than usual to get you an upload. So… be patient! Alright, DFTBA! Blair out.