Fallen & Risen 12: When One Must Change Their Perception

Previously…

"Ah! Filly? Where's Filly?" Neville panicked, searching everywhere for his little plant. Hermione, Heley and Ron looked down around their feet but didn't see the little green thing Neville named Filly anywhere. They completely ignored the two Slytherins standing in front of them.

"Longbottom, are you searching for this?" Draco's voice raised. They all stopped their search to watch Draco. Or more specifically what he was holding in his right hand: Neville's potted plant.

"Fi-Filly…" Neville stuttered, his face draining off color. It was Draco Malfoy who was holding Neville's plant in his hand.

"Fi-Filly…" Neville stuttered, his face draining off color. It was Draco Malfoy who was holding Neville's plant in his hand. Now, the Gryffindors have very good reason to worry.

'What is he going to do to it? Drop it on the floor and squash it under his feet? Cruelly pluck all the leaves off, one by one, then the flower to kill it? Or…'

Neville, Hermione, Heley and Ron looked anxiously at the plant in Draco's hand and at Draco's face. Neville had stopped breathing. He was scared for his Filly. Draco was examining the plant from all angles. There was no expression on his features, hiding any plans he had to torture Neville and his plant. The four Gryffindors gulped. Neville's mouth was dry even though he was sweating bullets. But he still didn't say a word. He couldn't say a word. His throat had lost all moisture. But Neville gathered all his courage to save his Filly.

"Pl-please Malfoy, don-don't break it," Neville pleaded. "Please, give it back to me…" Neville said, looking directly at Draco. Draco stopped examining the pot in his hand and brought his eyes to the brown haired Gryffindor who was pleading with him. Neville was looking directly into Draco's eyes. And what Draco did next would be described as 'throwing a bomb at them'.

"You have a nice Fillubum Draconibulum, Longbottom," Draco said before giving back the plant to Neville. But Neville was too shocked by Draco's words to react. He was froze on the spot, as well as the three Gryffindors next to him. Heley snapped out and took the initiative. She stepped in front of Draco and took the plant from his hand.

"Th-thank you…" Heley mumbled out. However, Draco didn't let go off the plant. He intensely looked at her with his stormy gray eyes. Heley nervously bit her lips and returned his gaze. It seemed to Heley that time froze for a very long time. After a certain time, Draco finally released her from his eyes. He nodded at her and left with Blaise. The Gryffindors only came back to their senses when the two Slytherins were out of site.

"Did… Did that really happen? Malfoy didn't mock us and he wasn't mean. Or was it a dream?" Ron muttered, asking no one in particular. Hermione raised her hand and pinched the face. Not hers, but Ron's. And hard. "Oww! That hurts you know!" Ron yelled, nursing his abused cheek.

"So we are not dreaming," Hermione simply stated dazedly.

"Actually, I would have said he was… civil…" Neville commented, still somewhat shocked.

"Which it cannot be possible coming from him," Ron added.

"But this is proof that we weren't dreaming," Hermione said, looking at the still intact and healthy plant in Heley's hands. "He even complimented your Fillubum, Neville."

They all look at the direction where Draco and Blaise had disappeared. Heley also was a little bit disturbed. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she remembered the intense glare Draco gave her before leaving.

Gryffindor common room.

"Hum hun hum hun hum hun!" Ginny happily hummed a song as she jumped through the portrait of the Fat Lady and made her way to the hearth where Ron, Hermione and Neville were gathered. Ginny stopped when she saw their frowning faces. Except for Heley, they all had a deep frown sculpted on their forehead.

"What's with their weird faces?" Ginny whispered to Heley who sat next to Ron.

"I don't know," Heley whispered back. "They've been like this since we left Herbology."

Ginny and Heley watched them again. Heley was sure she could see Ron's, Hermione's and Neville's brains working madly. Heley guessed it certainly had something to do with Malfoy and his new behavior. At the end, Ron couldn't take it anymore. Forcing his brain to work for so long without giving him an answer got him on his nerves. He exploded.

"THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THEM!" Ron shouted as the jumped up and threw his arms in the air, accidentally knocking Heley off her seat.

"Aaaah!" Heley yelped and fell on her bottom. "Oww!"

"Oops! Err, sorry Heley," Ron apologized, helping her up with Ginny's assistance.

"Grrr!" Heley growled as she smoothed her sore behind. She decided to change seats to one far away from Ron.

"What are you talking about, Ron? And who are you talking about?" Ginny asked. Hermione and Neville sighed.

"It's about Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini," Neville responded.

"What's wrong with them?" Ginny asked again. Hermione proceeded to explain to her what happened before their Herbology class.

"WHAT? Seriously? That arrogant, aristocratic GIT was being civil to you?" Ginny screeched out. Hermione, Heley, Ron and Neville plugged their ears with their fingers. "You must have been day dreaming!"

"I told you we weren't!" Ron retorted, unplugging his ears and checking to make sure that he hadn't become deaf.

"Look," Neville pointed at his Fillibum, which he put on the table next to him. "Proof that we are not lying: Filly is still in one piece."

"No way!" Ginny dropped onto the seat next to Heley. "I don't believe it!"

"There's only one explanation I can find to Malfoy's change of behavior," Seamus and Dean popped out between Ginny and Heley. "The end of the world is coming ahead of its schedule," they simultaneously explained.

"Ahhhhhhh!" Ginny and Heley yelped, clutching at their heart.

"Don't appear out of nowhere like that!" Ginny scowled, furiously waving her fist to them.

"Since when were you here?" Heley asked, trying to calm down her frantic heart.

"That doesn't matter," Seamus answered, ignoring their complaints and inquiries. "What's important here, is why these sneaky snakes were being civil to you, particularly stinky Malfoy."

"Actually, I would think that somebody was pulling my leg if I was told that Malfoy was being civil to Gryffindors," Hermione said, "but I really saw what happened with my own eyes. And for once, I would say that I don't understand anything."

"Sorry 'Miny, even if it is you who says that, I don't believe it," Seamus said. "Draco Malfoy can NEVER be courteous to anyone, except to himself."

"I have a hard time believing myself too," Hermione muttered, sighing. Meanwhile, Heley was thinking about something, her head tilted.

"Well, that wouldn't be the first time that Malfoy did it… being civil…" Heley muttered.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?" Ron, Ginny, Seamus and Dean screeched. Heley, Hermione and Neville plugged their ears.

"What do you mean, Heley?" Hermione asked, unplugging her fingers and checking to see if she could still hear like Ron had done just moments before.

"It happened on the Hogwarts Express," Heley replied before telling them about her first encounter with Draco and Blaise.

When Heley finished, the silence was awfully loud by the corner of the chimney.

"Draco–" Seamus started.

"…Malfoy–" Dean chimed in next.

"…curtly–" the Leprechaun continued.

"…nodded–" followed by his curly hair friend.

"…to you?" they finished together. Seamus and Dean looked at each other, then turned to Heley with their arms crossed in an X. "No way!"

'Those two are the Weasley twin's successors,' Heley thought, sighing exasperatedly.

"Heley, are you sure you weren't dreaming or sleeping back then?" Neville asked.

"No, I was perfectly awake…" Heley stopped, frowning. "…I think…," she sheepishly finished.

". . ." Silence again. "Haaa…" Everybody rolled their eyes. The girl wasn't even sure of herself.

"Heley, I know you're not a liar, but I still don't believe you," Ginny stated bluntly.

"From the first day we started Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy has never behaved the way you just described to anyone. And I'm also sure that in the past ten centuries, no Malfoy has ever behaved like that toward a Muggle born like you and Hermione. And not even to any pure bloods, like Neville or me," Ron said. "One word of this new Malfoy: unusual. (Pause, thinking again) Suspicious. That's it! Suspicious!" he finished, throwing his arms in the air in grand gesture. A chance Heley changed her seat or she would be on her bottom again.

"Hum! Hum!" Seamus and Dean promptly nodded their agreement with Ron. Hermione tapped her finger on her lips, frowning as she thought about something.

"Not only is Draco Malfoy being courteous to you unusual for him, but so is the way he looked at Heley when she took Filly from him," Hermione commented, remembering the scene.

"I would say that Draco Malfoy was actually… nice to you, Heley," Neville mumbled.

"Neville, the name 'Draco Malfoy' and the word 'nice' together in one sentence sounds… awkward…" Dean said, his lips twitching.

"I would even say that they sound wrong…" Seamus added. Ginny was thinking in her own way and came up with her own opinion. She grinned evilly as she slipped a glance at Heley.

"Heh heh, maybe Draco Malfoy likes you, Heley," Ginny teased. They all turned to look at Ginny in horror.

"Naaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ron, Hermione, Neville, Seamus and Dean chorused.

"That's impossible, Ginny, impossible!" Seamus vehemently denied.

"Must I remind you, Ginny, this Draco Malfoy we are talking about. Draco Malfoy!" Ron insisted. "It's impossible for Draco Malfoy to be courteous to - or worse, in love with," his face turned green for a moment as he fought not to puke, "anyone, especially someone from Gryffindor!"

"I don't believe that Draco Malfoy can love anyone beside himself," Dean added. Strangely, only Heley didn't say anything yet. Curious, Hermione turned to look at her. And panicked.

"Oh gracious and great Merlin! Heley, what happen to you?" Hermione tried to shake Heley awake. The black hair girl had turned into a ghost. "Come back to yourself. It's only a joke, right Ginny? Only a joke." Hermione shot an angry glance to Ginny. "Ginny, tell her it's a joke!"

"Heley, wake up! Heley! Heley!" Neville shouting while trying to fan Heley with his hand.

"Ginny, don't scare her!" Ron scowled at his sister.

"Er, sorry… Heh heh heh…" Ginny sheepishly laughed, laughing nervously while Hermione and Neville tried to bring the poor shocked Heley back to her senses.

Yet, for a reason she didn't understand, Heley believed that Draco Malfoy's new behavior wasn't an act nor a play. She didn't feel the loathing or the abhorrent feeling Harry used to receive from Draco Malfoy. What the Draco Malfoy of today emitted differed a lot with the Draco Malfoy of before. Not once did Heley feel disdain, arrogance or hatred from him. It was like they were two totally different Draco Malfoys. Heley could tell that he was… sincere (even if it irked her to think that way). But since she swore to herself to start everything from scratch, Heley had no choice but to try looking at everything with a different point of view and not in Harry Potter's perspective. However, Heley couldn't tell if this new change in Draco Malfoy (which was by the way a little bit scary) was temporary or if it will last longer.

Post on Saturday January 16, 2010. Beta-ed on Monday 18.