Chapter 11

"Oh crap!", Tracey said.

"Ouch", Liza nodded.

"That's sad", Farah conceded.

They were all leaning over, reading Pansy's letter from Horse. She'd barely let it sink in when they began to pick it apart. There was nothing callus about the way which they spoke about him, his situation, or the depth he had gone into, but it still felt inappropriate somehow. After sharing so much with them she now felt that she wished she hadn't on this occasion.

Then she gave a moment to actually reflect. Almost comically her mind went where Tracey's did, and Liza's, then the same as Farah she thought of how sad it was. She could align herself to the pain he'd shared, and it made her feel bad for him. Other than that, she didn't quite know what else she was supposed to think. It was a lot to take in and she wasn't sure how she'd want to respond. While she sat thinking she stared at the page as it began to bleed.

Catching her attention, she watched as tiny ink marks blotted through and began to form the familiar loops of the cursive scroll. Watching on as the letters "P.S." formed. The others noticed and started to lean forward again. Frowning she snatched it up and leaned back with it clutched to her chest. Ignoring there 'Boo's' and protests she leaned back and re-opened the letter for herself.

Her expression must have betrayed her though as the girls noticed all of her reactions as the delayed effect seemed to write his postscript after reading his letter, her eyebrows shooting up with surprise with what she read, then a thin smile that flashed across her face.

"Crap!" she cursed herself for displaying it all to them. They all cried out for more details, but she simply stuck her tongue out at them while beginning to fall back into deep thought.

Unaware that Harrier was watching her intently, she'd apparently seen 'all' of the letter she glanced to her in shock when she spoke, pulled away from her thoughts. "Now that's a man", she purred.

Pansy tilted her head, looking from Harrier and back to the letter. "It is?"

"I'd say", she leaned down to her and inclined her head to Horse. "That's a guy who isn't afraid to look like a fool. That's some real courage to send a message like that". A gentle smirk played on her face, "and look at the way he's bolted to get away from that situation, any other time I'd think, what a child".

"But now?" Pansy questioned. The others began to simply fade away as there was something about Harrier's engagement that drew her in.

"He's just found out his best friend is dating his girl. His best mate! and he's not blaming them? Pfft", she scoffed. "That boy, is going to be trouble for someone".

"He is?" Pansy cocked her head.

Harrier looked like she wanted to swat the girl, but she softened, turning to her. "Pansy, you're a looker, but you've been hooked on the one guy for", She smiled kindly, "quite a while". "I've been getting hounded in this place for years, and this lot, you don't just carry on without picking up a lot about boys".

"I don't need to tell you about the good-looking ones, but that truth you were told by grandmother, that it's not all about looks", She raised her eyebrows, "she was right". "The big and small, skinny and chunky, they'll all surprise you. Then they'll act clingy, or they'll be nervous, bold and stoic, and weirdly there each as appealing. But then you get that one who's just different. He'll figure out what he's about, don't care about some of the things they'd all normally get there ends in a twist over and he'll have a way of just charming your arse off without even trying and…well he's already started to give you a bit of a wind up". She pressed her finger to the last line. Seeing Pansy's face twist into even further concentration she giggled internally, not sure the girl was truly getting it. "It's hard for me to dumb it down to your level because I'm afraid of heights". She laughed as Pansy hit her with her shoulder.

Pansy looked back down, a brief internal discussion waged on as to whether Horse was a bit much for her right now, while dealing with his own drama. Thinking about herself and Draco. She decided very quickly that if she'd had the option to talk to Tracey, back when her heart broke last year in the same way she could talk to her now, it would have made all the difference. With that, she pocketed the letter from Horse, deciding she wasn't done with him yet. Besides, he'd certainly gone one up on her with his, all but tiny, flirtatious line. And after how good Weasley had made her feel back in Potions, she wasn't going to shy away from another challenge.

She heard laughing from the Gryffindor's. She turned to look, once again, her eyes finding Weasley after, once again, just that moment having him on her mind. She noticed he sat alone to one side, Saint Potter and Granger opposite sitting side by side. As she squinted, she saw they sat shoulder to shoulder with what she decided could only be described as a very cosy look. The image made Pansy's mind whirl into action as a strange notion that placed Horse and Weasley in her head for a single moment, contemplating if they were the same. The idea would have been laughable once, but she'd decided her life was now upside down from what it once was so, why not. All that had happened the evening before was much more thrilling a drama if there was any truth to the notion that Potter and Granger were, possible.

As she watched on, she noticed Weasley being taken away to speak with others before he came back to sit with his friends. He said something and again there was more laughter, even Granger seemed to cackle. It automatically pulled her thought away as impossible, he'd surely not be sat with them if he had only just written her letter hours before.

For the remainder of breakfast Pansy wasn't off the hook as she had to go over that mornings Draco drama. It was enough to make her want to storm off for a good shout at the lake when they asked her. The reminder that she was the eye of a hurricane of drama wasn't something she found exciting. That was saying something as there was a time she lived for it, misfortune, and scandal at other people's expense. The problem now being that she was finding that while it was herself who was the subject, it wasn't quite that fun anymore.

All this did nothing except to drag Draco back to the forefront of her mind as she looked at Tracey, she'd clearly thought she was helping but Pansy wasn't sure. Draco had a complexity about him and fobbing him off didn't work well for you if you were the focus of his attention.

The idea that the group had circled to shield her was deeply warming and she couldn't be mad at them. They placed themselves in a position to guide her and apparently the cost was being open and up front about her private affairs. She had to wonder, was this normal. Was this what it was like to be a part of a group entirely made up of females.

"I've decided I'm done with this now", she declared to the girls. They all turned to her questioningly, "I've got enough banging around in my head, if he wants to speak, he'll have to come pestering me because I can't be arsed".

"Good Gal", Tracey beamed. Pansy saw the instant fire in Harrier's eyes as she bored into Tracey.

Pansy still didn't know what they were on about.

Hermione was sat with unusual amounts of trepidation and equal measures of joy as she felt as though she sat on a knife edge. She was cozying up, somewhat covertly with her boyfriend who was all looks and lust in her eye. She allowed herself the assessment of him with all the talk of other boys being 'Hot', she was pleased to say she was most definitely happy her boyfriend could instil as much arousal in her as he did. Then there was the other side of the knifes edge where she saw that she was still intently aware of Ron sat opposite her. She was again, so happy to be sat with him, but still waiting to be brought out of the daydream by an outburst of volcanic emotion at their Coupling situation.

It didn't come though and the longer it went on with barbed retorts and with a wickedly funny jab here and there between them she allowed herself to fall on the side of the comfort she was feeling from Ron's acceptance. She believed there was still a price to pay somewhere along the line, a hefty toll for her romance but if it meant she got to move on from this, better than they were and back to a version of how they should be, she'd pay it.

Hermione noted very quickly that something had Ron's attention and whatever it was, a certain look had come over him. Even from where he sat, she looked up at him and saw his eyes flicker a burning blue and yet seem all the darker and menacing. The smile that slithered up his face made her swallow as she found the image as a whole all the more attractive as she'd be all the less willing to admit. Finally, she turned to follow his eyeline and with a mild disgust saw Parkinson.

"Oh, bloody hell Ronald!" she moaned in a way that had Harry chuckling in her ear as she'd almost perfectly mimicked Ron without meaning to.

"Shut it you", Ron hissed, and Hermione felt an all too present playfulness to his words.

Part of her, a big part, thought that she really ought to drop it. The issue of, "That Girl", as she thought of her had been the catalyst for the evening before. She also had to agree with Ginny, that she had no high ground on the matter of Ron's affections. Not when she considered what she had been getting up to with Harry. But then there was Parkinson, and Hermione be damned if she wasn't the one girl, she could easily bring herself to call a Bitch if she was to use such language. A truly vile individual whom she genuinely believed a person of reasonable firmness would not find any amount of goodness within her.

Hermione would have pushed the question, 'What could he possibly see in her', but in all honesty she knew what it was he was 'seeing'. Another point of dislike for the girl, in Hermione's eyes she had undeservedly taken on a number of more aesthetically pleasing physical features. Two of which, she crudely thought, definitely had his attention. 'But still', the very small part in her head that wasn't academic or troubled by morals said, 'she's still an ugly vile little snake. Even blusher on a Rottweiler does not a poodle make. She wouldn't deserve him, never mind what he sees in her'.

When Hermione went to speak again there was a jolt of realisation in her as the playfulness in Ron's voice registered again. At first, she didn't like it as she considered it a false behaviour in him to maintain face around her. But as he showed more signs of his old self it softened her. Then the fact that he had just told her to 'shut up', floated in. Even when they fought in the past, he would never say something like that. Then it hit her, all the jabs and shots they had been firing at each other since they sat down. They were evolving. They were not the same friends they had once been, and they were morphing into something new.

As she considered how easily she'd laughed off his jabs that, not long ago, she'd probably took offence to. She realised how easy she was finding firing them back to him with vigour. The crudeness of banter was beneath her, or it had been, now though she was enjoying their rallies. She had been worried his plea to go back to how things were would not be something that was sustainable long term. But maybe an attitude change in them such as this, was just the sort of thing that made it all doable.

On that thought and with little consideration to how far she was pushing her own envelope she decided to send him a jab back, a sharp one with an excess of sass. "Just make sure you wash it when you're finished with her Ronald!"

There was a mild chuckle from Ron who has still trying to tear a hole in Pansy with his eyes. Then what Hermione had said hit him and his head snapped from the girls to her in disbelief. His eyes were wide and face drained white as he choked. Somewhere to Hermione's immediate right her boyfriend spat his mouthful of orange juice making a fourth-year scream.

'Maybe not that sharp', Hermione thought as her eye's went as wide as the other two as she realised what she'd said.

Minutes later the three were finally coming down from the fit of laughter Hermione's jab had erupted in them. The hall was now filling up and the House tables were growing louder.

Ron was disappointed when he'd seen that tall, very good looking blonde he usually noticed, pull Pansy down to sit with her. From where they'd been since then she'd had her back to him. With a sour face he shrugged it off. She was a thing of beauty alright and more than that, forbidden, gods that was exciting. But she wasn't everything to him, not by a long shot. She held his attention so much, he guessed, because she was the first to ever give him those kinds of looks and flirt with him like that. But it didn't mean he was hooked on her. Not when he had this so-called newfound popularity of sorts.

That thought made him look for the source of that bit of information. He found Ginny had come along at some point and was sat with her friends. Her friends, "What had she said exactly? Thought he was hot", that made him smile. And as he looked at her he noticed the gentle smile Ginny gave him now they had finally noticed each other. Ginny's expression was a fleeting 'hello', but Ron was continuing to smile at her only this time the connotation behind it had changed. It was dark and menacing, Ginny spotted it for what it was instantly. She traced his eyes as they lingered to her left and right, taking in her friends.

Ginny gave a warning glare from a far and mouthed, "piss off", silently. She saw Ron chuckle as he got up from his seat and make towards her. "Don't you dare", again she silently mouthed knowing he could read her.

Ron came over, standing over his sister. "Gin", he said brightly, too brightly Ginny thought. "Just came over to nick some more Croissants, we're out". Ron looked at each of the girls she was with and gave them an oversized grin, "Ladies, how are we", the girls began giggling together.

"Oh, you know damn well you have plenty of bloody pastries back down there and this lot were fine before you showed up", She smirked at him shaking her head.

"Ginny don't be mean", a dark-skinned girl with pretty eyes smiled up at him, "he's only being nice".

"Yeah Gin, only being nice".

Ginny scoffed, shaking her head more she laughed, "oh you really are a prick".

"Ignore her Ron", another of Ginny's friend had now turned to look at him fully. "She's just grouchy because she's embarrassed her…", the girl gave him a little wink, "big, brother's come to see how she is…".

Ginny stood up, "oh no no no", she shook her head, "we are so not doing this". She reached up putting her hands on his shoulders, trying to heave him back and away from the bench they all sat on. "You really need to bugger off before I Hex your horn ball arse into a toad".

"Toads turn into princes with a kiss", the winking friend added over Ginny's shoulder.

"Gods Penelope!" Ginny turned her head in disgust, "please can you absolutely not!".

"Oh but Gin, every girl needs a Prince", Ron grinned down to his sister as he found her reactions to be priceless, the girls too burst into giggling.

"That's it!" Ginny now resorted to putting all her weight into pushing her brother away from her friends.

"Gin put him down", Fred popped his head into the scene as he pulled his sister from Ron, "I think you should sit down…". Fred made no attempt to be subtle with his over-the-top acting, as he gathered as many glances from the surrounding table as he could. "Sit down and give our brother some space…I fear he's terminal", he bowed his head solemnly, "with embarrassment".

George then poked his head from the other side of where Ron stood and threw a hand up silencing Ginny then pointed at her chair, telling her to sit. He had the same over dramaticism his twin was mocking with, "don't argue dear sister, this poor soul needs our love, not our dismissal", he put his arm around his younger yet much larger brother.

"Have I gone completely mad?", Ginny questioned the three of them as she backed away from her idiot siblings, even Ron wore a look of bewilderment, clearly nonplussed with what the twins were up to. By this time the whole Gryffindor table was watching on in amusement.

"Yes", Fred answered her flatly, "but that's by the by dear sister. Sit yourself down, your causing a kerfuffle, we don't need everyone knowing our business", he finished as loud as he dared.

Ginny glared at the incredulousness of her moron brothers accusing her of causing a scene so much that it was all she could do to just do as instructed and sit back down, watching on as the others did.

"Will you two prats just get on with it", Ron continued to stare down at them, clearly in the dark.

"Oh, look at him dearest", George said to Fred, "the picture of confusion…how could we tell him so …to toy with his heart and emotions".

"Don't dearest blood", Fred bit the knuckle of his balled fist, soaking in the delight of the other students who were enjoying the pantomime before them. "How could one so young and ugly take the news that his best friend is in love…".

Ron and Ginny gazes snapped to each other in a heartbeat, Harry and Hermione too. Then the four all seemed to find each other in the next beat. Soberingly they collectively thought 'What were they playing at, even the twins knew not to play with this kind of fire". Trying to remain unphased, not knowing what was about to come out, none of the four had any idea what to do.

"Stop messing now boys, whatever this is you've had your fun", Hermione tried to sound even, but her voice was shaky and weak.

"Hermione!…"George said sombrely, "we barely even thought about how this effects you", he bowed his head and turned to Harry. "But we want you, of all people to know, that we do not judge you Harry".

"That's right", Fred reaffirmed, He now stood with his hand on Rons shoulder as George did the same to Harry, "we don't discriminate old chum. But we can't allow young love to suffer in the dark…those unspoken things staying unsaid, never to allow it to blossom out in the open".

Harry was so tense and the heat was rising in his cheeks as George held both his shoulders. "Well said brother. You, ugly dearest", George was now looking at Ron, "we're sorry to tell you this so abruptly, but your best friend here", he patted Harry's shoulder, "Harry Pooter here, was heard in the common room, only this morning…".

"Declaring his love to you…what was it brother dearest? RON, IS HOT NOW", Fred finished.

"REALLY, REALLY HOT", George's grin was equal to his twin's as they smiled at each other, a job well done.

There was a chorus of laughter that came from most of the table, a collective groan from the others who were now well versed in the twin's antics and had been hoping for some real dirt being dished out in the punchline. Instant relief washed over the four as Ron clattered his brother with a swipe of his large hands.

"Gits!" he laughed, "Is that true Harry?" he turned to his best mate, "am I hot now", he finished by striking a pose, lifting a finger to his lips and pushing his rear end out.

"You two", Harry pointed at the twins, "are bloody idiots". He turned to Hermione who was in a fit of laughter having been there that morning, "you can shut it and all". He then turned to Ron, "you're a prat carrying it on". He stood finally and while pointing his finger, shouted down the table, "and you, Finnigan, that was way out of context this morning you bloody gossip queen".

Harry's admission only helped in fanning the laughter as everyone realised something had genuinely been said. The twins continued in calling Harry there, 'brother-in-law dearest', even taking to bowing for a small applause.

Ron was happy to see Ginny got a decent laugh out of it with her friends.