Chapter 14
The end of the first task was a triumph. Not only for Harry but for Hermione and Draco as well. Even if it had been Professor Moody who had first made him think to use his broom, the two of them had been the ones who had had to stay up all night learning the Accio charm with him…
And so to know that he had not only completed the task but had actually done really well in it, was as much payback as they could have asked for and a bit more.
In actual fact, as soon as it was over, Harry seemed as if he was then a calmer, happy boy, even as he stood in the ring still, covered in dirt and blood.
"He did it, he did it!" yelled a clearly delight Hermione into Draco's ear as she threw herself in his arms. Throughout the task the two of them had been standing together and for a lot of it she had been holding his hand.
She had gone through all the motions as they two of them had watched their friend, at time it seemed, fight for his very life.
The two of them had gone through it together. The fear, the terror, the sheer bloody joy of the ending...
Over the roar of the crowds, the two of them celebrated and then decided it was time to make their way to the champion's tent.
"He did it and he did it very well," said Draco. He knew it was silly but after the way that the two of them had coached him while he had been getting ready – well, he felt the way he thought a proud parent might when they saw their child walk for the first time.
They had been the ones who had really helped him. And it had paid off – big style.
As soon as he caught sight of Draco and Hermione, Harry ran over to his friends. It was quite clear that there was going to be no arguments between the three of them that night.
"I cannot believe how well you did," said Hermione as she there her arms about him, still truly in shock.
Part of her was even thankful that he was alive; at the end of the day that would have been enough. His score was the icing on the cake. They had all been reminded that day that the risks to Harry were very real. The fire had proved that.
Perhaps that was the reason when Draco turned around he saw, Ron was there.
It was quite clear Harry had not expected him to be there anymore than Draco had.
None of them had – in the run up to the tournament, he had not shown any signs of coming around - it had been a bit of a shock to Draco to see that he really could be that cold to his friends. He had not thought Ron had it in him.
But apparently, he had had come round now.
"I am an idiot and an arse – and I know you did not put your own name in that cup," the ginger haired boy begun as he looked at the three friends who he had missed more than he was ever going to tell them.
"Well done, thicko – you have finally decided to listen then!"
"Harry – he us trying to say sorry!" Hermione said.
As much as Draco was sure she did not want Ron to get away with what he had done lightly any more than he did, the rift between the lot of them had gone far enough. There was going to be safety for them in numbers.
Draco watched impressed as the fiery red head cleared his throat and made the decision that he was not going to make any attempt at a comeback at what had been said to him.
Ron knew he had done wrong and if his friends were going to have a go at him over that – well, then it was fine by him. It was probably there right to after the way that he had been acting.
"Yeah, I have – the way that I was Harry," said Ron as he shook his head, words failing him; his shame was on his face.
It actually seemed as if Ron would grovel if that was what it was going to take for Harry to forgive the way that he had been acting.
Draco and Hermione made eye contact. They were not going to allow it to come to that.
"I am so sorry for what I did to all of you – I guess I just made a bad situation worse."
"Well, that is one way to put it," Harry nodded.
"Then he can make it right – he already has as far as I am concerned as he is saying sorry!" Draco reiterated what Hermione had said to him. Potter had always been a stubborn buggar when he was in the mood to be...
Harry looked at Ron as if he was making his mind up about him all over again for a moment before he stepped forward and embraced him.
The two of them were brothers – brothers fought and got pissed at one another.
And at the end of the day, when all was said and done, they forgave one another. Having five brothers and one sister, Ron knew that better than anyone.
Over the top of the two of them, Draco and Hermione looked at one another as if they were proud parents once more – squabbling kids made up? Check.
XXX
"You know when I think of all us lot had to go through to work out how on earth you were going to get past the dragons, I think it is a lot easier than what the lot of us are about to go up against now!"
Along with Neville, Ron, Harry, Michael and Terry, Draco was walking back up to the castle after they had had their Care of Magical Creature's lessons.
Ever since it had been announced there had only been one thing on the boys mind; the Yule Ball.
If there was going to be a ball then the lot of them had to get dates. And if they had to get dates then they had to ask girls to go out with them.
And if they...
"How the hell are we meant to you know – ask?" Neville asked.
"Well, I think opening our months is going to be a good place to start," laughed Michael but he knew it was a serious question. He had only given such a mocking answer because in all seriousness he had no idea how they were meant to ask them.
Draco knew who he wanted to ask though. When he walked in to the ball he wanted nothing more than to have Hermione on his arm. She was going to look so beautiful.
But then there was still the question in his mind of what if she did not like him in that way. The two of them had always got on but...
He wasn't sure still.
If he did ask then she said no there was going to be so much awkwardness between them – and then they were not going to be able to hang out as they had done ever since they had been kids.
But if she went with someone else then it was going to hurt him – to see her with someone else.
"Well, seen as it is going to be so easy for you, you can tell us all how to do it when you have a date," said Ron as the lot of them made their way to the front of the school.
Michael rolled his eyes knowing he had been asking for that. They were all in the same boat though. It was not as if any of them had much experience with girls.
But if they wanted to get dates for the ball then they had better get some soon.
XXX
"I saw Dragon on the way up here. He looks a lot happier than the last time I saw him," said Jane as she walked in to the dungeons.
She had hoped that once the kids had found a way past the first task they were going to be able to have a bit of rest and relaxation before the lot of them had to face the second task and if what she had seen was right, then that wish was being fulfilled. Of course, she knew they had the ball to contend with but that was going to be a lot of fun with any luck.
"Yes he seems to have settled back down somewhat."
"I saw Ron was with them when they were on their way back up to the castle – he seems to be getting on a lot better with them all again. I take it he said sorry to them?" she asked.
The two of them often had a chat before their class begun. It was a nice relief for Severus to be able to talk to someone freely who he knew cared for him, but also knew he did not owe his allegiance too.
Someone who was just a friend. Even as a child, he had not had many of them.
"Yes he did so not long after the first task was over. The next class they all came down for it was as if they had never fought at all."
Due to his perhaps more bitter streak, it always amazed Severus when he saw people able to forgive so easily. And it was obvious that then children could.
It had struck him then that the lot of them were almost brothers in the way that they related to one another, Draco, Ron and Harry. They fought; but then they got over it in record time. Even though he had seen Lucius as a brother, the two of them had never been able to do that.
But then they were Slytherins.
"Well, that is the gift of being a teenager for you," Jane muttered as she sat down at the work bench.
"Oh, how I do not miss those days."
"You must have had some fun when you were young. Don't tell me you did not misspend your youth at all, for I will not believe you!"
"Oh, I did misspend it as you say, as you well know. But not in ways I am very proud of now."
"I guess not –" she said as she begun to regret her light hearted teasing. It was not as if it was something he was going to take part in – he had not for quite some time.
It was just now that she was doing something she felt a lot better in herself, and she felt more light hearted. She was preparing for the war in a way that meant she was going to be able to fight back without having to fight as it were.
She was not going to be sitting back and doing nothing and so she was not going to have a lot of time to get scared or anything of the like. Not anymore...
Instead, she was just going to make sure that her family were proud of what she was doing.
As she looked back at him, she saw there was a certain look in his eye and what he said confirmed what she thought – he regretted what he had said, as soon as he saw her face fall causing a shift the mood of the conversation.
"And what of your misspent youth Jane?" he asked surprising her.
"Wouldn't you like to know?"
XXX
A couple of days thought had been enough for Draco and then he knew even if she did say no then he did at least have to ask Hermione.
He had weighed it up and it was worth it – to know at the end of the day even if he did have to see her with another guy on that night, then he had tried.
He had not completely let himself down.
It was as he saw her with her down in the library; he finally admitted to himself how much he liked her. He knew he had crushed her for a while. She was pretty, and she was smart and she was kind. A lot of their year did not see it, a lot of their friends didn't see it, but she was also very funny.
He did not see what there was not to like.
On top of everything else, she was the first girl he had ever had such thoughts about. He remembered a time not so long ago when he thought girls, in any shape of form, were gross – not so any more.
If they came like Hermione, then they were ok.
He had been standing there for a while when he saw she had noticed him and was looking at him – trying to figure out what he was doing. How was she to know he was trying to screw up the courage to ask her out?
He did not remember the last time he had had to find so much guts. It was at time like these, he wished he had a little more Sirius, and a little more Gryffindor inside of him.
But there was no more time for such thoughts. If he was ever going to get the words out of his throat then he had to bite the bullet such as it was.
"Hey," he said as he walked over to her.
"You ok? You looked a little lost when you were over there."
He nodded but she did not look as if she was much confident in his wordless response as he sat by her side and got his books out.
"Have you looked at the Runes for this week yet? I had a go at it this morning and I thought it was going to be pretty easy, but in the end I took a couple of hours over it, which was annoying because then it run in to the time I had put aside to work on the potions."
"Go to the ball with me?" said Draco in response as his mouth went dry. His friend had said it was as easy as just saying the words – but it was a lot harder. The insecure teenager wished he had kept his mouth shut as soon as he had said the words. But by then it was too late. He had said the words. "Please?"
Her brown eyes turned on him and he couldn't read what was in them. He saw hope and he saw joy first – but then he saw disappointment.
"I have said yes to someone else already."
But at that moment she wished she hadn't.
Ever since he had given her the book for her birthday, she had seen him in a new light. He was – he was more than a brother figure to her. In fact, she did not think she saw him as a brother at all. She wondered if she ever had.
She might have fooled herself into thinking that due to the fact she had lumped him in with harry and Ron in her thinking process. But he was a very different boy to the two of them.
He was a lot more mature, and he was in his own way, very handsome. More than once since the two of them had been in their fourth year, their eyes had met and she felt as if she could drown in his. They were so deep.
She knew there was a lot he was holding back from her. She suspected if Harry had had a bad time when he had been young, so had Draco. Ever since they had had the class with the Boggart the year before she had wanted to ask him who that women had been and why she had frightened him so much...
But it had always felt too personal.
"Oh...oh, that's ok," he said with a shrug and a forced smile.
"You know, if I had not said yes to someone else already then I would go with you – I would," she said to him. She wished he had come to her sooner. She would far rather go to the ball with Draco than Viktor. The two of them would have had a great night together. In fact, she wished she was able to take back the yes she had given to Viktor. "I would have been proud to go with you."
She had only said yes because she had been so shocked he had thought to ask her. It was not as if she was in awe of him as so many other girls seemed to be – he was, after all, just another boy if you took away the fact he was a world class Quidditch player. But he was also a kind boy who had made her laugh many times that year. When he had asked... it had seemed the right thing to say yes.
He had not made her giggle as much as Draco though.
She felt trapped now she knew she had to go with him even though she had got a better offer.
"Why don't we get on with the runes?" he said to her as he got his books out his bags. He wished she had not given him that pity speech.
It was easy to say she would have gone with him when she didn't have too.
XXX
Part of him knew it was still going to be a good night and Draco knew he would find a way to enjoy himself at the ball - but a small part of him was tempted to go to professor Flitwick and take his name off the list of kids who were going to be staying at the school for Christmas.
Go home; be with his father and Jane...
The fact that the ball was going to be social event of the year at Hogwarts stopped him – that, and the fact he did not want Hermione to think he was feeling funny about her even if he was.
After she had said no, the two of them had sat awkwardly together for an hour as they had tried to do their homework.
He had not wanted to be the first one to go as he had not wanted to make her feel any worse than she had at that moment – and she had not wanted to go in case it looked as if she was trying to get away from him. And so the two of them had got stuck in a very unconformable limbo.
He knew he should have just kept his big mouth shut.
What an idiot. He had seen her with Krum. He should have known that she was going to go with him.
For a Ravenclaw, he felt as if he had been very dumb indeed.
"For a night which is meant to bring a lot of joy to a lot of people, the Yule ball appears to be making a lot of trouble," said Luna as she sat down with the newest Quibbler at Draco's side.
"Is it that clear?"
"That you have suffered the humiliation of being turned down? Yes."
"Thanks Luna," said Draco with a chuckle. If anyone else had said that to him then they would have got a hex or two in their general direction – but the dreamy girl could not have meant anything by it he knew. It was not as if she had a bad bone in her body. "Who are you going to be going to the ball with?"
"I am only a third year – I can't go unless I am asked."
"Would you like to go?"
"I think it would be quiet interesting to go to."
He turned to her with a friendly, but sad smile.
"Come with me?"
She considered his offer for a moment before nodding. "Ok."
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