The next morning at breakfast, Draco made sure to stop by the Gryffindor table and tell Hermione how greatful he was for her attempted rescue. He also thanked Ron, telling him to thank his brothers as well before heading off to the Slytherin table to discuss the incident with Blaise. Harry was right behind him, taking a seat next to Ron.
"Hermione- could you please keep an eye on Draco today?" Harry asked, filling his plate and glancing over at the Slytherin table. Draco appeared to be in a heated conversation with Blaise.
"Of course Harry," Hermione said.
"Why would *you* being doing that, Hermione?" Ginny asked, sitting down.
"We have all our classes together, actually." Hermione replied, reaching over to get Harry's attention, "Harry, I wish you'd tell me where you go on weekend nights."
"No deal, 'Mione." Harry replied, grinning.
"A guy just needs his privacy sometimes, woman!" Ron said, dodging a roll.
"Well *I* think you should stay in the dorms, honestly Harry- you can't be serious about all this Malfoy stuff." Ginny said, staring right back at everyone that stared at her. Not many knew Draco was a Veela or that Harry and he were bondmates. Even a lot of the Order were kept in the dark. Most were just told that Draco and Harry were dating, after Draco and Blaise had escaped Voldemort and rescued Dumbledore. That was enough of an explanation.
"Well, that's not going to happen, Gin." Harry said, turning to glance back at the Slytherin table just as Draco looked up to meet his gaze, giving him a suggestive grin. Rolling his eyes, Harry turned back to his food.
"I'm just saying, Harry, I think you're too deep in this. He could be a Death Eater, I know he walks around with a disillusionment charm on."
Harry's eyes flashed a bright green and he slammed his fists into the table, raising to his feet. He leaned over the table, his face blank but with a deep underlying rage he snarled quietly,
"Watch your mouth." Ginny turned her chin up defiantly meeting his gaze.
"Why should I Harry, you don't know if he is or not!" She snapped.
"I know about the charm Ginny, and quite frankly it's none of *your* damned business." Harry bit back.
"Ron..." Hermione said cautiously.
"If he hit you, Ginny, I'm not going to stop him." Ron said through a mouth full of food.
"Ron!" Hermione scolded.
"What?" Ron swallowed, "I'm not."
"I'm not going to hit her," Harry growled. Hermione glanced over to the Slytherin table to see Blaise and Draco standing and heading over. Ron followed her gaze and sighed,
"I guess I've got this one," he said, "she's my responsibility afterall," he added standing and going to meet them half way. Harry had missed the interaction, not breaking his gaze from Ginny's. She, however, did notice.
"I think he should come on over, I'll tell him what I think of him myself." She snapped, leaning in closer to Harry bravely. Hermione rolled her eyes,
"Ginny, if you do that, *I* may hit you."
"And *you* Hermione, you should be ashamed! How many years has he tormented you? How many? How can you just forgive that?!" She snapped, "I just wish you would hit me."
"You don't know him, Ginny. Nor do you know his story. You need to grow up."
"I *know* my brother is dead, killed in the battle Dumbledore was supposed to have died in. I *know* another brother doesn't have an *arm* because of Lucius Malfoy. That's what I *know* Hermione."
"You. Don't. Know. Shit." Harry snapped, grabbing his bag and storming off.
"That's right, Harry, run!" Ginny called after him, smirking.
"One day, Ginny, you're going to *know* all of it. I hope, on that day, that it isn't too late and you haven't lost another brother!" Hermione screamed, grabbing her own bag, "it may already be too late." she added so that only Ginny could hear her.
Ginny turned to look at Neville who was watching the entire fiasco quietly, eating his food and minding his business.
"I suppose you know what's going on too? You're such a good follower of the Slytherins afterall, not that they'd have a use for your incompitence," she seethed. Neville reached down grabbed his wand and pointed it at her,
"I'm not personally interested in your shit today, Ginny Weasley." With a flick, Ginny's hair began to grow out of control. Screaming, Ginny grabbed at it, trying to pull it off the table. Neville grinned over his shoulder, "How's that for incompitence?"
Ron, Draco and Blaise were standing at the Ravenclaw table, Ron trying to explain why it was a bad idea to go over when Harry stormed out, unnoticed. They all three turned at Hermione screaming at Ginny, with the rest of the Great Hall- everyone silent and watching. As Ginny's hair began to take over the Gryffindor table, Ron sighed.
"I'm going to get a howler for this, for sure."
Hermione sat directly behind Draco in Charms class later that day, grumbling at Neville about points having been taken from Gryffindor. Neville just shrugged, what could he say? She'd deserved it. Ginny sat, seething with rage, in the back of the class. Her hair now looked as though it had been chopped to pieces. Draco was trying to listen to them and pay attention at the same time when Flitwick called on him.
"Draco, you're reasonably good at duelling are you not?"
"I'm decent, Sir." Draco replied, sitting forward at his desk.
"I thought so, I saw your duel with Mr. Potter when you were younger. Please, come up and demonstrate with me?" Draco nodded, raising and going to the front of the class. He rolled up his sleeves, watching the professor quickly and drew his wand. Flitwick drew his wand, but before he could cast a charm, Draco had disarmed him. "Draco, I hadn't said to begin."
"You didn't say it was supposed to be fair either." Draco said, "I've never had a wand pointed at me in a duel that wasn't meant to be unfair."
"Good, Draco, very good. Ten points to Slytherin. Miss Weasley, you're good at charms aren't you? Why don't you come up? Fair this time Draco, fair." Draco nodded in understanding.
"I'd love to." Ginny said, smiling. Hermione spluttered,
"Sir, I don't think that's a very good idea."
"I don't think this is your class, Miss Granger." Flitwick said, his tone a warning.
"Draco can defend himself," Neville said, placing a reassuring hand on Hermione's arm.
As soon as she neared Draco, Ginny silently cast a spell at Draco, easily blocked by the blonde who just grinned back at her, infuriating her.
"Little rusty, little Weaslette?" He asked, making her anger worse, the two circling each other. Draco fired off another spell with the slightest flick of his wand, meant to be gentle. It struck it's mark, knocking Ginny back a few feet but not throwing her as it would if he'd meant it. Flitwick clapped, happily.
"I'd say you're more than decent, Draco, well done!" Flitwick laughed and Draco bowed as the class clapped. Hermione yelled, pointing as Ginny raised her wand at him again,
"FINITE INCANTEM!" She roared, a blast of white light rushing from her wand and hitting Draco with such force it pushed him forward a bit.
"Merlin." Neville gasped, grabbing his cloak and rushing to Draco's side. They'd known he had the disillusionment charm to cover scars from the Dark Lord, the Slytherin had to tell them so that he didn't set off the wards at Thronton House, but they'd never seen him without it.
Draco bowed, going to one knee to try and cover himself up quickly. Neville slid down to him, the cloak flowing out as he placed it over the blonde.
"Draco, I am so sorry," Neville whispered, putting an arm around the shaking Slytherin. He shot a look of pure hatred at Ginny, Hermione coming to Draco's side.
"No one said duelling was fair," Ginny snapped.
"You're right, no one did! Incarcerous!" Hermione roared, wrapping Ginny in ropes. As the rest of the class stared, Hermione and Neville led Draco out into the hallway. They didn't get far before they heard Flitwick roaring at Ginny that *he'd* said it was supposed to be fair and deducting more points from Gryffindor. Hermione sighed.
"Neville, go fetch Blaise quickly please."
Draco stood, pulling Neville's cloak a bit tighter around him, head down and shoulders shaking. Hermione frowned and reached out to touch him,
"Are you actually crying, Draco?"
"What is her problem?" Draco hissed and Hermione stepped back, he wasn't shaking because he was crying, he was shaking because he was mad and a male Veela's fury was unmatched. Hermione sighed, a bit frightened. She couldn't decide if telling Draco about Harry and Ginny was a good idea or not.