The next day, you had finished your homework early and decided to spend some time outside of the castle. You found a nice spot between two pillars in the shade of the courtyard and sat down, propping up your bag beside you and fishing out one of your favorite books.
It was a nice day, sunny with very little clouds, but it was creeping closer to winter every passing week and there was a noticeable chill in the air that coaxed you to keep your robes on.
You hadn't spoken to Draco since your outburst the night before. He only sent Pansy after you the one time before she decided to stop taking his messages, though she told you he had asked her to pass pieces of information along to you several times throughout the day.
Figuring you had less of a chance running into him outside of the common room, you settled down in your new spot and prepared to sit there for as long as you could manage before boredom inevitably took over.
A low murmur hummed in your ears and you looked up from your book to see Harry walking down the corridor, bag tucked into his side. His jaw was set and clamped tightly, giving him a serious demeanor. You closed your book and set it down next to you, waving him over. Harry's eyes lit up and he hurried toward you.
"They all hate me," he sighed, looking back over his shoulder. You peeked past him at a Hufflepuff girl who was leaning against one of the stone pillars. On her lapel was a round green pin with the words 'Potter Stinks' flashing across it in bold, purple letters. The longer you watched it, you observed that it was actually enchanted to swirl around and change phrases to say 'Support Cedric: The Real Hogwart's Champion.'
You pressed your lips into a frown. "Please don't listen to them. They just think you put your name in the goblet to cheat the tournament."
"Well, I didn't!" Harry snapped, flashing you an intense look. You drew back and his gaze softened. "Sorry."
You shook your head. "It's alright. And I know you didn't, but they don't. They're ignorant." You both huffed as another Hufflepuff walked by, flicking her badge and making a picture of Harry appear on the reflective plastic surface. "Like the badge, Potter?" She smirked, cackling to herself as she disappeared down the corridor.
Sighing, you tossed your book back into your bag so that you could focus on Harry. "I'm sorry about the buttons. Someone in Slytherin is mass producing them but I can't figure out who it is yet."
Harry shrugged and adjusted the strap of his satchel. "Not your fault. Thank you, though. It means a lot." You glowed in the praise, pushing your shoulder up against his. "Don't mention it. It really hurts to see you so distraught."
A sad sigh rumbled in his chest. "You may just be the only one who feels that way right now," he continued, making you straighten back up and give him a funny look. "What about Ron and Hermione?"
He shook his head. "Ron still thinks I'm lying about putting my name in the goblet and Hermione is avoiding both of us because she doesn't want to get caught in the middle of the fight." Harry ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair. "What about you and Malfoy?" He asked, a twinge of disgust radiating from his voice as he spoke his name.
You copied his shrug with a sad smile. "He made a really mean joke last night so I'm avoiding him."
Harry's shoulders raised in a defensive stance. "What did he say about you?" He asked, his voice deepened into a near-growl. You looked up at him, confused, before opening your mouth in a wide O. "Oh no, he didn't make fun of me! He was celebrating because your name got drawn."
"Oh," he said, shoulders lowering. You fell into silence, listening to the birds flying overhead coupled in with tidbits of overheard conversations. "I guess we're in the same boat then, right?"
You met his eyes and smiled warmly, leaning back into him. "I suppose we are."
After that, you collected your things and decided to walk with Harry as he crossed the courtyard. He appeared to be on a mission but he hadn't told you what exactly he was after.
In the corner, you both spotted Cedric Diggory lounging on a stone bench underneath a pine tree. He was surrounded by other Hufflepuffs as they laughed about something. You followed closely behind Harry as he approached them, saying nothing even though whatever he was going to do felt like a bad idea in the making.
As you got close enough for them to spot you, Cedric's friends started to boo, some even scoffing and turning away. You wanted to tell them off for being rude but you held your tongue, remembering your etiquette lessons. You hated taking them with all of your heart but they were useful in certain situations, even you had to admit.
Cedric sat up on the bench and watched you and Harry for a moment before standing up to greet you. First, he nodded respectfully at Harry, then flashed you a toothy smile and stuck out his hand for you to shake.
"You're (Y/N) Firethorn, aren't you? I heard we had a transfer student but I didn't have a chance to introduce myself."
You shook his hand with a diplomatic smile of your own. "Just (Y/N) will do. It's nice to meet you, Cedric."
Harry put a hand on your shoulder. "Could you give us a moment? I need to speak with Cedric privately."
You nodded and Harry took another step toward his fellow champion. "I'll be right back. Wait here," he instructed, walking over to the other side of the tree so they could have their private conversation.
Assuming it was about the first task that was fast approaching, you didn't think to question it. For a moment you just stared at Harry's back but then you looked over to Cedric's friends and noticed that they were eyeing you up uncomfortably. You twiddled your thumbs and turned around awkwardly, deciding it was probably better to wait somewhere else.
Seeing another empty spot by the castle doors, you began making your way over in that direction, unknowingly walking right into a trap. The world seemed to darken as a large cloud moved to cover the sun.
"What's wrong, Firethorn? Did Potter abandon you?"
You jumped, startled by the sudden voice. Looking up into the willow tree you were passing under, you saw Draco lounging between two thick branches. He was eyeing you as a predator would his prey. The implication made you shiver and you threw up your hand, turning to walk away from whatever dramatic scheme he had planned. However, you were stopped short when your path was blocked by Crabbe and Goyle who stood side by side, arms crossed as they looked down at you unforgivingly.
A whooshing sound could be heard and you twisted around to see that Draco had jumped down from his perch and was approaching you with drawn-out steps. You were frozen to the ground as he leaned his mouth right beside your ear, whispering so that only you could hear him. "We need to talk," he said.
His voice was low and genuine, sending you back to the night you had first met. It was the same voice he used to greet you as he bowed to place a kiss on your hand. The same one he used when he asked to walk you to your car. For a moment, you wondered to yourself if this was the tone he used to get what he wanted from people.
This idea cemented itself into your head as he pulled back from your ear, a shit-eating grin plastered on his pale face. Looking down, you also noticed the plastic button on his cloak. It was the same one that all of Cedric's friends were wearing. 'Potter Stinks,' it read, just like the others.
A frown found its way to your face, tugging down at the corners of your lips. "I don't have to do anything," you announced, folding your arms over your chest and sticking your nose high up in the air. Hopefully, he would get the memo and leave you alone until you were actually ready to talk. Anger from his comment the night before was still present in the forefront of your mind.
His confident leer fell. "At least tell me why you've been avoiding me?" He all but begged. It was the most genuine request you'd heard from him since arriving at Hogwarts. Your resolve almost broke down completely when another person entered the scene.
"She doesn't have to tell you anything, Malfoy!"
Harry bounded up to you, hand clutching his wand at his side. He broke through the Crabbe and Goyle barricade and stood with his shoulder against yours. You looked between the two boys, sensing a deep tension. "Uh oh," you murmured under your breath before cowering back slightly.
"Ah, well if it isn't the champion of cheaters," Draco looked Harry up and down disapprovingly. "My father and I have a bet, you see. I don't think you're going to last ten minutes in this tournament. He disagrees. He doesn't think you'll last five."
A few other Slytherins chuckled, having heard the commotion and decided to investigate. As a matter of fact, a sweep around the yard told you that the potential argument had gathered everyone's attention.
"I don't give a damn what your father thinks, Malfoy!"
Harry came to stand between you and Draco, taunting the blonde boy while shoving him backward by the shoulders. "He's vile and cruel. And you're pathetic."
Draco looked down at his uniform, his face mirroring one of disgust mixed with wounded pride. Harry decidedly had enough for one day and turned back toward you, reaching down for your hand while still glaring daggers at the Slytherin prince.
"C'mon, (Y/N)," he said. You took his hand and let him start guiding you away from the group. "Let's go someplace else."
As you and Harry were retreating, you heard a fumbling sound and looked over your shoulder with wide eyes to see Draco struggling with his wand. He grumbled to himself as he prepared to cast a spell, wand pointed directly at Harry's back. Before he could get the chance, Professor Moody rounded the corner with his own wand drawn.
Without uttering a word, Moody flicked his wand and you watched before your very eyes as Draco disappeared. In his place was a small white ferret with large black eyes. The little creature looked stunned for a moment before it began screeching in confusion.
"Oh no you don't, sonny," Moody grunted, flicking his tongue out between his lips. "I'll teach you to curse someone when their back is turned."
Harry processed the scene, laughter spilling from his lips as he looked on with glee. You were torn. On one hand, Draco probably deserved punishment for what he almost did to Harry (and all of the other things he's done) but on the other, was being turned into a ferret really the proper punishment?
Moody cleared his throat and raised his wand again. In his eyes, you saw the same look he gave you right before he cast the Cruciatus Curse on the spider just yesterday. You were reminded of the sick pleasure he drew from torturing the small creature. Who was to say that a ferret would be so different in his eyes, even if that ferret were technically Draco Malfoy?
"No!" you cried out, dropping your bag to rush over and swoop the ferret out of midair. The Imperious Curse holding it there had lifted and you cradled the fuzzy animal in your arms. "Please, Professor, you can't hurt him. Not like this, you just can't!" Ferret-Draco shivered in your hold, making you even more nervous.
The commotion attracted Professor McGonagall who approached with concern blazing in her kind eyes. "What in the world is going on?" She asked, looking between Moody and yourself. She eyed the ferret in your arms and gasped. "Ms. Firethorn, is that a student?"
You nodded shakily. McGonagall put a hand over her mouth. "Oh dear," she sighed. You looked over to Harry for comfort but saw that he was still hunched over with laughter.
"Ms. Firethorn, place whoever this is back on the ground," she instructed, pulling her wand from the long draping sleeve of her robes.
Shaking your head, you held Ferret-Draco as close to you as you could. His tiny animal body still shaking wildly. McGonagall tsked. "Please, Ms. Firethorn, I can assure you that Moody will not do them any further harm."
You gently crouched down and pulled the ferret away from you, ignoring how his claws dug into your shirt in an attempt to stay put. As you backed off, McGonagall flicked her wand and a cloud of golden dust appeared around the spot of grass where you had left him. When it cleared, Draco had been transfigured back to normal, looking disheveled and honestly quite traumatized. He began to stumble and you came up beside him, offering him a hand. Once he was balanced, his eyes flickered nervously from yours to Moody's.
Fear turned to anger and mortification and he pointed a finger at the unhinged teacher. "My father will hear about this!" He cried out, voice breaking halfway through.
Moody limped closer, using his walking stick to balance himself. "Is that a threat? I can tell you stories about your father that could curl even your greasy hair, boy!"
Draco wasted no time before taking off in a sprint, the rest of his gang of loyal Slytherins jogging to keep up behind him. A nervous laugh forced its way up to your throat and you found yourself in the middle of an unprecedented giggle-fit. The situation was actually quite funny when looking back at it.
Harry finally came up behind you and patted your back reassuringly. "You know," he started, "he doesn't deserve someone like you protecting him."
You were about to disagree when Moody came up behind him, clapping a hand to his shoulder. "Potter's right, you know. That boy needs to realize there are consequences for his actions. The day will come when you won't be able to defend him."
The ominous sentiment stuck with you even after he announced that he needed to talk to Harry in his office and they both left, leaving you alone once more in the courtyard. Sighing, you walked over to go pick up your bag and saw something shine in the corner of your eye.
After hoisting the bag over your shoulder, you went over to inspect the object just to see that it was the badge Draco had been wearing. It must've fallen off during the transfiguration process.
With a satisfied hum, you snatched the pin from the dirt and clutched it tightly in your hand. As you walked back through the doors of the castle, you saw a trash bin by the wall and tossed the pin inside. You listened as it clattered against the bottom of the bin and smiled at the sound.
(A/N: Unrelated to this chapter, 4th book and 7th book Harry are my favorites. As well as 1st and 3rd Draco and 4th, 5th, and 7th Neville. 1st Hermione will always be my number one overall, though. What about you guys?)