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It was very subdued in the great hall the following morning during breakfast. Harry continued to look up towards the stage where the professors were every couple of minutes and saw that Dumbledore and Snape still weren't there. He couldn't help but wonder what they were up to, what they could be going over at the moment. He was so caught up in his thoughts as hadn't noticed that Ron slowly took a seat across from him and cleared this throat.
"Hey." Ron began awkwardly.
"Oh, Ron." Harry smiled. This was this first time his friend was speaking to him in days, maybe he had finally gotten over his relationship with Hermione.
"I still can't believe Snape in our defense teacher, of all the bloody luck."
"Well-"
"But on the plus side we've had a different defense teacher every year. Maybe something will happen to him and he'll be gone next year."
Harry laughed a little as he appreciated Ron's attempt to get things back to the way they were between them. He then shrugged.
"Well, you may not like him but you have to admit he's done a good job so far at teaching us spells."
"Yeah." Ron begrudgingly agreed. "But look at what we had in the past, Umbridge, Lockhart. You don't have to do much to be better than them."
"Lupin was a good teacher." Harry responded as he remembered his father's old friend. "And Moody wasn't that bad either, he was just a little…"
"Mad?"
Harry nodded.
"It wasn't really Moody most of the year." Ron remembered. "Did you ever notice the change?"
"No, I didn't." Harry had to give the devil his due, Barty Crouch Jr. had it down perfectly.
"Do you remember having class with Professor Quirrell?" Ron then asked, referring to their first year defense teacher.
"Not really." Harry responded. "I've sorta blocked him out."
That was understandable as he was attacked by him back when he was only eleven, his first year at Hogwarts. The two friends continued to reminisce and Harry felt releaved they were talking again but hadn't noticed that nearly everyone in the hall was now looking at the same thing with great interest. Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley had come walking in side by side and hand in hand. It was right then did the boys notice where everyone's attention had gone.
Ron looked over and saw his sister holding hands with the boy who had tormented him every chance he got for the past six years, smiling and talking to each other like it was nothing.
"What the bloody hell?" He asked himself.
Hermione, who was sitting with Padma and Parvati Patil were looking at each other in confusion before going back to the scene before them, but nothing could prepare them for what they witnessed next.
Malfoy leaned down and kissed Ginny right on the lips and she gave it right back, not even trying to push him away or anything. Ron's eyes widened in shock for a moment before he lifted himself right to his feet and rushed towards the two of them.
"Ron!" Hermione yelled, knowing full well what he might do.
The pair wasn't even paying attention as Ron came towards them and roughly shoved Malfoy away from Ginny.
"Get your slimy hands off my sister!" He yelled as he pulled her back.
"Ron, calm down." She then said. "It's okay, he was-"
"You act like she's your woman, Weasley." Draco then laughed. "I treat her good, so calm down."
Ron's brows furrowing in confusion as he looked at his sister. Treat her good? What the hell was going on?
"Ginny what is this?" He asked. "What are you doing with him anyway?"
"Crabbe and Goyle tried to attack me a few days ago." Ginny explained. "Draco saved me from them."
"He's probably the one who sent them after you in the first place."
He was getting angry and he hadn't even noticed Ginny using Malfoy's first name just then. Draco grinned as he continued to watch the two of them.
"He wouldn't do that." She defended. "He's not what you think he is, Ron."
"Wouldn't do that? Wouldn't do that! Ginny do you even know who you're talking about here? This is Malfoy! He's been trying to make our lives miserable for years!"
"I told you he would react like this, Ginny." Draco then spoke as he examined his nails, now looking bored by this whole thing.
"Just because you have a problem with him means I have to?" Ginny questioned. "Yeah, he's said a lot of things but you've said a lot about him as well. You're not completely innocent here."
"Are you kidding me!"
At this the professors were now looking at each other, thinking about going down to break them up. By this everyone in the hall was looking on at the three of them, Harry and Hermione exchanging glances as they didn't like were this might be going as they saw that Ron's face was turning red from anger.
"He's been making fun of our family for years!" He then yelled. "Have you gone completely mad? Did Malfoy curse you or something?"
"I wouldn't do that, Weasel." Draco responded. "I take care of my girl. Just look at her neck."
Ron then looked at the necklace around Ginny's neck. It didn't belong to her and he knew there was no way their parents could have paid for something like that…Malfoy had to have given to her. He quickly took it in his hand and snatched it off causing Ginny to gasp.
"We don't need your stinking money!" Ron then threw the necklace back at Malfoy.
"We!" Ginny questioned. "There's no 'we' here!"
"You know, for someone who claims to care so much about his sister, you seem to like upsetting her." Draco sighed. "She's not a little girl, stop treating her like one and let her make her own decisions."
"Sod off, Malfoy!" Ron yelled.
"Weasel, don't you ever get tired of just telling me to sod off? Don't you know any other reply besides that one?"
"As a matter of fact, I do."
Ron then came forward and punched Draco right in the face making him stumble backwards and nearly fall to the floor. Ginny grabbed a hold of Ron and tried to push him back as nearly everyone in the hall stood up and started making commotion as they looked on at the fight.
"Ron, stop it!" Ginny screamed.
But by this point Draco was back up and rushed right back at Ron, punching him right back before tackling him to the ground. The two rolled around on the floor, punching and cursing at each other before McGonagall came forward with her wand and used a spell to break the two apart.
"Mr. Malfoy and Mr. Weasley!" She yelled. "Fifty points from each of your house for this! Now you both follow me to the infirmary."
The hall of students went back to being silent as Ginny walked over to the Gryffindor table while breathing deeply. Hermione put a hand on her shoulder as her friend took a seat next to her.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Ginny answered.
Harry looked at Ginny for a moment before looking at Hermione and it was like they could read each other's minds. They both wanted to ask Ginny what she was doing with Malfoy but knew that now wasn't the right time. Ginny placed some food on her plate as they all tried to go about breakfast as normally as they could.
Harry then suddenly looked back at the stage and again, no Dumbledore or Snape. He needed to ask Snape about his next lesson and decided to head to his classroom to look for him.
Getting up from his seat, Harry exited the great hall and began in the direction of the defense classroom when a voice got his attention.
"Potter!"
He spun around to see Percy Weasley heading towards him.
"Percy?" He began, surprised to see him. "What are you doing here?"
"I can go where I please." Percy said snidely, "I'm here on ministry business and therefore have access to all areas of the school."
"What business?" Harry asked, unable to resist.
Percy glared at him but then smirked.
"I am not at liberty to say anything, especially to you."
He was a little taken aback by the older boy's words, but he really shouldn't have been. The third child of Arthur and Molly Weasley really never seemed to like him that much for whatever reason.
"Ron just got into a fight." He then stated. "He was taken to the infrimary."
"I'll worry about that later. Now, where is Professor Snape?"
"I was looking for him too, he's not in the great hall."
Together, the two of them then turned to walk down to the defense classroom. When they arrived, sure enough Snape was inside talking something over with Dumbledore. They both stopped when they realized Harry and Percy were there.
"Professor Snape." Percy greeted before turning to the older wizard. "Headmaster."
"Hello, Percy." Dumbledore smiled.
"Professor." Harry began. "You didn't say if we would be having a lesson tonight."
"No, not tonight Mr. Potter." Snape answered simply before going over to the door. "Now if you two will excuse me."
He then closed the door on the two of them as Percy smirked before turning to head to the infrimary while Harry stared at the door wondering what was going on between Snape and Dumbledore before finally turning away to head to his first class of the day.