Of Apples and Oranges

II: x: The Great Compromiser

Snowflakes fell on the heads of the Slytherins visiting Hogsmeade for the first time. They sat upon a hill outlooking the Shrieking Shack. They had taken their butterbeers to go and were happily sipping them as they watched the flakes fall.

"Aurum, I've been thinking," Gregory said. He placed his hand next to hers.

"That's a dangerous pastime." Vincent commented.

"I know, but I really want you to stop hating me." Gregory looked deeply into Aurum's eyes.

"I never hated you or stopped liking you even. I'm just tired of you talking about my brother like he's the devil." Aurum replied.

"I will if it means I get to hear your laugh again." Gregory chuckled unsurely.

Aurum gave a slight snicker and rested her head in the crook of his neck. He pulled her close to him with his free arm around her. Vincent put his free arm around Gregory's shoulder and Draco did the same with Aurum.

"I've had a lot of good memories in that house." Aurum noted, looking at the Shrieking Shack. She sipped her butterbeer and gained a butter mustache from it. "I've skipped so much school there."

"Soon we can skip together." Draco smiled at the prospect.

"How come you get to be her animagus? You haven't lived beside her for thirteen years." Gregory commented.

"No I haven't, that's exactly why I get to." Draco answered. A rustling in the bushes alerted him to the presence of others. "Hush, we can't talk about her lycanthropy out in the open."

"I've actually came out to a few Gryffindors." Aurum shrugged.

"What about Slytherins and Hufflepuffs? They'll try to report you. I know how they are." Draco rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you can't just go around saying that. It's like saying, 'Hey guys, I've got an MTD!' or something," Vincent said.

"Can't we talk about Sirius and Remmy at least?" Aurum groaned. There was another rustling in the bushes.

The four stood from their warm, cozy, and comfortable positions to investigate the people listening. Draco held a finger to his mouth in front of the other three and then turned to pull back the bushes to reveal Ronald and Hermione with the absence of Harry for once.

"So uh... who's Remmy?" Ronald asked cheekily. Gregory, without a moment's hesitation, dragged the redhead from his hiding space and into the snow by his ginger locks.

"Gregory! Not so hard!" Aurum pleaded.

"Honestly, don't be such a brute." Hermione huffed.

"Yes, that was rather rough. He's bleeding." Draco added right after Hermione, pointing to the ginger's forehead which was scraped by some branches.

"This weasel could have heard you talking about your lycanthropy." Gregory stomped the snow below him. He covered his mouth. Aurum sighed. It was a wonde rher secret was still secret around Slytherins.

"Well, if he didn't know before, he sure knows now." Vincent squeezed his eyebrows, cringing at Gregory.

"It's fine. If Ginny knows, then he does." Aurum shrugged. "It's no big deal."

Gregory lifted Ronald to his feet. "If this gets out, you're as good as dead."

"Don't threaten." Aurum cried out.

"What can I do, Aura?" Gregory was taken aback.

"You can be nice." Vincent joked.

Gregory stared down at Ronald. "I would be nice if Weasel wouldn't be such a—" Gregory stopped for he was hit in the side of face with a snowball. He let go of Ronald's shoulder and wiped the snow off of his face. "Vincent! What was that about?"

"It wasn't me, I swear!" Vincent threw up his hands.

"It wasn't us," Aurum said about her and Draco. "Hermione?"

"No." Hermione huffed, wrapping her arms around Ronald who ran back to her.

Vincent was hit by a snowball and looked around for the perpetrator.

Draco shrugged and laughed. Then, he was hit by a snowball. He turned to Aurum. "That was too close to be a throw from anyone else."

"It wasn't me though." Aurum looked towards the sky and giggled. Someone briefly flipped the hair out of her eyes. "Draco, you know I don't really like when you do that."

"It wasn't me," Draco said. "Maybe it's the ghost of Potter."

At that same time, the four caught Ronald, Hermione, and what seemed to be the disembodied head of Harry Potter laughing.

The Slytherin quartet ran off screaming. Aurum tripped on her robes and shrieked the shrillest and loudest as she ran to catch up with her male friends.