Serpent On Fire | DRACO x OC | HERMIONE x OC

Green Velvet

Harry, Ron, and Hermione all stood towards the back of the courtyard tower, joining in the cheers and applause during the now famous duel between Pansy and Aster. Ron and Seamus bet on Aster - two galleons each. It gave Harry fond memories of Fred and George taking bets during the Triwizard Tournament, though this one was far less harmless than that.

When Aster started to fault, Harry could see Hermione's brow furrow with worry. The last time he'd seen her like that was last year in the Department of Mysteries. There was genuine panic on her face, and he thought she would've been tempted to hex Pansy all the way from where they stood.

Harry expected to find Io in the crowd, but she wasn't there. The only other twins he knew were Fred and George, and if one of them had been in that situation, he doubted that they would have done it alone. So when Io appeared out of nowhere to deflect that last jinx, he cheered. It was like one of the action movies Dudley always went on about where the hero (or heroine) saves the day.

Once it was all over, he took a step towards her, but stopped the moment he saw Draco Malfoy approach her first. He couldn't help but stare as Malfoy rushed her off without a word.

"Are Io and Malfoy friends?" Harry asked Hermione, whose head was turning everywhere and there to find Aster. She managed a weak waive before Aster and Blaise started their conversation in the courtyard.

Hermione finally stopped. "Well, they are in Slytherin. You can't expect them not to be familiar with each other."

"Yes, familiar, but are they friends?"

"Does it matter?" Ron managed to contribute while counting his winnings.

"No... I suppose not."

Saturday was his next lesson with Dumbledore. As vague as he was, the lessons seemed more about learning how Voldemort came to be. By now, Harry was able to land on his feet steadily after peering in the pensive, but he still never knew what to expect.

However, to others, there was a more pressing matter at hand. Slughorn's Christmas party was only a week away, and Slug Club members were scrambling to find dates.

By the start of the week, Harry spent the second half of Potions class in the library after being cut loose early for having found a bezoar and presenting it to Slughorn to Hermione's dismay. Being in the library seemed better than being in the common room with others who had a free period.

He absent-mindedly flipped through the pages of the Prince's potions book. Even though he'd been reading it so intensely, he was too distracted to be entertained by the Prince today. Ginny was going to the Christmas Party with Dean, and he had no idea who he'd ask - if there was anyone he'd be willing to ask at all.

The sound of footsteps coming reached his ears as someone entered this section of the library.

"Harry," Io smiled at him, holding two Herbology books in her arms. "Out of Potions early again?"

Harry nodded, unsure of what to say after seeing her with Malfoy.

She sat next to him, opening one of the books straight to a section on Venomous Tentacula. They sat next to each other in silence. He didn't know if she felt the same kind of tension, but he chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking if and how he could ask her about that day.

"Are you going to Slughorn's Christmas Party?" He decided to ask instead.

Io sat upright, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "Um, yeah. Aster is going with Blaise, and she told me Slughorn has been wanting to pick my brain about our uncle."

Harry turned to face her, closing the potions book. "You're not going with anyone?"

"No. I'd rather not bring a date; I don't even really want to go as it is."