the marriage stone (Discontinued)

Chapter 58 - The Meaning of Things

Draco stopped talking, a look of utter disappointment crossing his face. He looked like a child whose favorite toy had just been taken away. "But what about that Muggle saying?" he pouted. "You know the one. Sticks and stones can . . .break glass houses, but names. . .are. . . irrelevant?" He smiled over at Hermione as if to say 'see, I said something Muggle'. She just sighed and looked down at her eggs with a pained expression. Instead Draco turned to Charlie for approval, and beamed when the man winked at him. He didn't seem to realize that Charlie was trying valiantly not to burst into laughter.

Ignoring the Slytherin, Harry calmly filled up his plate. He glanced over at Ron and Hermione. Neither of them said a word. How odd.

He glanced at Ginny. She was looking down at her plate rather fiercely; Harry could still see the smirk she was trying desperately to hide. He stole a look at Charlie, but he was staring rather pointedly up at the ceiling of the Great Hall, apparently utterly fascinated by the wispy clouds drifting across the sky-scape.

No one spoke, and Harry wasn't about to break the silence. He ate quietly wondering who would last the longest.

Finally Draco just couldn't take it any more. "Well, he won't punch any of you!" he shouted at the others. "Say something!"

Ron and Hermione looked utterly shocked at Draco's outburst, but Ginny just started giggling. "I'll say it," she broke in. "This is better than the leather!"

"Ginny!" Ron shouted in outrage, but his sister looked utterly unrepentant as she looked back down at the photo on her newspaper.

"It's true!" she exclaimed. "Who knew Professor Snape could be so. . .passionate? I'm thinking of starting a fan club."

"It's Snape!" Ron exclaimed.

"Snape and Harry," Ginny agreed enthusiastically as she studied the picture. "You really do look nice in green, Harry. So photogenic."

"Oh, for the love of Merlin!" Ron protested as he grabbed the paper out of his sister's hands. He glared at Harry.

Harry just shrugged. "Don't look at me," he replied. "It's a very long story." He was about to say he'd already gotten into it with Sirius when he remembered Draco's presence. He still didn't know how much they were telling the Slytherin these days. He supposed, married to Charlie, that he was considered an ally now, but still.

"Well, whatever the story is, I don't want to hear it," Ron decided with a firm shake of his head.

Hermione, who'd been remarkably silent up to that point, finally looked up. "Harry, there's something I need to talk to you about," she began, only to have Ron turn toward her in shock.

"Hermione!" he protested. "We discussed this! It's not proper to talk about this. Especially not in . . . mixed company." This time, instead of glancing over at his sister indicating he was referring to females, he shot a wary glance at Draco. Draco looked utterly intrigued.

Hermione glared right back at him. "I am going to discuss this whether you like it or not, Ronald Weasley. And I am going to use crude Muggle terms like DNA instead of prim and proper Wizarding ones like 'essence', so I would suggest that all the purebloods in the room vacate the premises immediately!"

Ron looked utterly horrified by her words, and a moment later he leaped to his feet, grabbing hold of his sister's arm. "Come on, Ginny," he urged. Grumbling, Ginny stood, while across the table a very amused Charlie stood up and pulled Draco away from the table as well.

"Let's give them some privacy," Charlie urged when Draco started to protest.

"But I want to hear about DNA!" the blond Slytherin complained.