I'll Take That Chance

CH 16 - He'd Been On the Receiving End of That Voice Before

Harry woke Sunday in a bad mood. Try-outs had been abysmal and he was going to have to reschedule them for the coming weekend. The same weekend Lucius Malfoy was getting the Dementor's Kiss. After Draco had gone off with Professor McGonagall, Harry hadn't seen him all evening. He was extra edgy and that was part of it. The photo in the paper scared even him and he couldn't imagine how Draco had reacted when he saw it and he hoped he was doing ok. And then he was still angry at Ginny for how she had acted towards him in front of everyone.

Harry turned over in bed and pretended to be asleep. He didn't feel like talking and he certainly didn't want to go down to the common room where he would be hounded by all the kids from try-outs yesterday. Maybe he would go down and visit with Hagrid or Kreacher. Ron and Hermione were going off to Hogsmeade to help plan their first weekend trip and he didn't want to sit in the Great Hall alone either. He groaned and turned his face into his pillow. He should be doing homework. With Hermione so busy and Draco having been out of commission he was very behind in Potions.

He could hear Neville humming to himself as he got up and dressed. He couldn't tell if Ron was up or not. He waited until he heard Neville leave before he sat up and pulled back his curtains. Ron's bed was empty. Time for homework, then, he thought.

He changed out of his pajamas and was pulling out his books when Ron came barging into the room out of breath.

"Are you and Malfoy out in the open?"

"What?" Harry's mouth suddenly went dry. He put his books down.

"I was just coming into the common room when I heard two girls talking about you and Malfoy. Apparently someone saw you guys holding hands yesterday."

"What? Where in the world would they have seen that? The only times we've been alone have been in the library and the hospital. And we've never touched each other..." Harry trailed off, thinking hard.

"Have you?" Ron had noticed his hesitation.

"Well, when his mother came to visit he couldn't get his shirt on so I helped him a little. But no one was there! And then yesterday on the quidditch pitch we were talking but it was after everyone had left. He did grab my hand to help me up off the ground. Maybe I held on for longer than just a grasp, but only a few seconds longer."

"Nice," Ron said with a wink. Harry threw his pillow at him. Ron dropped it on his bed and shrugged. "I wouldn't worry too much about it then." Harry nodded but he had a funny feeling it wasn't just a coincidence. The story was way too specific.

"I'm going to try and get caught up on homework this afternoon so I may be in the library when you get back from Hogsmeade."

"Okay. Want us to pick anything up for you?"

"No, thanks though." They walked down the staircase and found Hermione talking animatedly with Ginny. Some of the students sitting around stared at him and started whispering behind their hands. This was nothing new to him, but accompanied with the story Ron just told him, he was sure something was up. They walked over to the girls and as soon as they got close enough, they stopped talking. Ginny was red in the face and Hermione looked angry.

"What's going on?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Ginny said with a smug tone. She turned on her heel and waltzed out of the common room. Hermione turned to Harry and chewed her lip.

"What's going on Hermione?" he asked her. She looked between he and Ron and sighed.

"Ginny... She thinks she saw you and Malfoy together on the field after your practice. And she thought she saw you holding hands, or so she says. And she asked someone about it who in turn asked someone else, and now..." Hermione paused. She shook her head and tears were pooling in her eyes.