why_me_why_not (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
why_me_why_not) wrote2005-06-20 04:23 am
why_me_why_not) wrote2005-06-20 04:23 am
Picking Up the Pieces -- Chapter 20
Title: Picking Up the Pieces
Author: why_me_why_not
Rating: PG
Summary: Draco & Harry are thrown together after both face situations that have turned their lives upside down. Will they become friends themselves?
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. I don't own the characters. I just borrow them and let them play around in my head (as long as I get to watch). No copyright infringement or disrespect intended. Please don't sue b/c I have less than nothing.
beta:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lilian_cho
A/N: links to previous chapters under cut
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
A/N: for anyone who doesn't know, I usually post my fics on OWL (the link to my profile there is hobbit_tabby ) If you get a chance, stop by & register (and make sure you mark me as a favorite author *g*), read some fics, post some fics, have fun...I'd really appreciate it! For anyone who hasn't read my Tauri speech before, Tauri is a wonderful archive; the staff is friendly & helpful & the site is easy to use for authors and readers--plus there is OWL post available to let you know when your favorite author has posted, or when your favorite fic has been updated. And there are plenty of other fandoms to enjoy. So, go check it out! You'll like it, I guarantee!
“The Mudblood’s a little young for you, isn’t she, Draco?”
Draco looked into the smirking face of Theodore Nott. Without a second thought, Draco drew his hand back and punched Nott.
Satisfied that he had effectively wiped the smirk off of Nott’s face, Draco turned around calmly and walked away. He knew it was Pansy and Daphne with Nott, and they would be more worried about his bloody nose (or in Pansy’s case, keeping the blood off her shoes) than hexing him, and he was surrounded by DA members if someone did try to hex him.
Harry had walked out of the Great Hall just behind Nott and the others, just in time to see Draco stalk off. He shot a quick glace at his friends and took off after Draco. “Malfoy! Hey Malfoy! Wait up!”
Draco didn’t stop until he was almost to the dungeons. “What do you want, Potter?” he asked wearily.
“What was that about?”
“Exactly what I would like to know, Mr. Malfoy.” The boys looked up to see the Potions Master looming over them. “Care to explain what happened?”
“Misunderstanding,” Draco replied tersely.
Snape raised an eyebrow. “Misunderstanding?” he repeated, obviously waiting for Draco to elaborate.
Draco glared at him. “It’s not your concern. Besides, he deserved it.”
“Everything that goes on in Slytherin house, or with its students, is my concern, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points from Slytherin for your disrespect, and you will report to my office immediately.”
“But Professor!” Harry started to protest on Draco’s behalf. Draco kicked him lightly in the foot.
Snape’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Harry. “Twenty five points from Gryffindor, Potter. This is none of your concern.”
Harry bit his tongue to keep from saying anything else. Shooting daggers with his eyes at Snape’s back, Harry mouthed to Draco, “DA meeting.”
With a glance at Snape, Draco shook his head and mouthed back, “I don’t know.”
“Come after. I’ll wait.”
Draco nodded and hurried after Professor Snape.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Inside Professor Snape’s office, Draco dropped down into the chair Snape indicated and stared sullenly at his Head-of-House.
“Well, Mr. Malfoy, I’m waiting.” Professor Snape took a seat behind his desk. “Why did you feel it necessary to hit Mr. Nott?”
“He called Karissa a Mudblood,” Draco finally said with a sigh.
“As far as anyone knows, she is a Mudblood.”
“But she’s not! And besides, I’ve decided that I don’t like that word.” From the way he said this, it was clear that Draco believed whatever he thought should be decreed general law. “Even if a witch or wizard has no immediate magical parents, they didn’t ask to be magical. Just like a Squib didn’t choose to be born without magic. It’s not something any of us can control.”
Surprisingly, Snape didn’t comment on Draco’s apparent new outlook on the subject of blood purity. Instead, he said, “You must not draw any more attention to Karissa. She is outspoken enough, and extremely intelligent enough, to draw sufficient attention to herself. If word gets out that Karissa is your sister, she’s going to have an even harder time. And if Lucius finds out…Draco, the Dark Lord wants her because he failed to kill her that night, but Harry Potter is still his top priority. Lucius, on the other hand, is after you, but he hasn’t made a move against you yet because he’s certain you will be brought to him over the holiday break. He’s willing to wait for that. But he would not wait to kill Karissa. If Lucius finds out the truth about Karissa's parentage, he'll stop at nothing to kill her. She's an example of his mistake, and her existence goes against everything he stands for. He would find a way to get to her immediately. You know that, don’t you?”
Draco nodded. “I do know that.”
“Good. I expect you’ll show more self-control in the future?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, then. You will have detention on Sunday and Monday for assaulting another student. You’re free to go.”
Draco reached the Room of Requirement as the others were leaving. He noticed that only the older students that were there. He waited for everyone but Harry to leave before he entered the room.
“Miss me?” he asked with a smirk, taking what he was starting to think of as his usual seat.
“You wish!” countered Harry with a grin.
“Where are the younger students?”
“This was more of an unofficial meeting. We were discussing the trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Aurors are supposed to be stationed around Hogsmeade for safety, but we still have to be prepared for anything. I wish you would consider sticking with some of the DA members; if there is an attack, you’re going to be one of the main targets.”
“And you’re going to be the other one—what’s your point? Are we supposed to stay here and cower in fear? If we’re too scared to go about our normal lives, doesn’t that mean he wins? Besides, Hogsmeade is relatively small, and I’m sure there will be DA members close by if something does happen. As long as it’s not Finnigan or Thomas, I’ll be alright. They’d probably take advantage of the situation and hex me themselves if we were attacked.”
“Malfoy!”
“What? They would! Besides, I’m trying to keep up the pretense of friendliness with the other Slytherins. I do have to live with them, you know.”
“I know.” Harry summoned Dobby for two butterbeers. “So what was that about in the Great Hall earlier? With Nott?”
Draco scowled and told Harry about his conversation with Karissa and with Snape. “I never thought she’d take it to mean that I don’t want her as my sister. I thought she would realize what my father--our father—had done and hate me for that.”
“She’s a Gryffindor. She’s not going to judge you based on your father’s actions.”
“Why not? The rest of you do.”
“We would have given you a chance, but for five years you’ve been nothing but a complete prat. The Gryffindors in our year dislike you based solely on your actions.”
“Gee, thanks, Potter.” Draco was silent for a long moment, staring at nothing, before bringing the subject back to Karissa. “She still hates me, though. I told you she was going to hate me when she found out. So what do I do now?”
Harry hesitated. He wanted to say something, do something to comfort Draco, like Draco had done for him when he was upset about Sirius, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. “Draco,” he finally said, “she was going to find out eventually. You’ve known that. You’re going to have to talk to her, explain the situation. You might want to have Remus or someone who knows the situation help with that. I’ll come with you, if you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Harry knew that somewhere along the way they had moved past not-enemies to being friends, but he didn’t say that to Draco. Instead, he impulsively grabbed Draco’s hand and pulled him towards the door. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“To talk to Remus. If we hurry we can catch him and be back in our dorms before curfew. Otherwise you’re going to worry about this all night.”
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Back in the dorm room later that night, Draco couldn’t help but remember how enthusiastic Harry had been when it came to helping Draco, and how special it made him feel. He fell asleep with a smile on his lips, telling himself he was excited about the first Hogsmeade visit and not his friendship with a certain Gryffindor.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Draco glared at his snickering dorm mates. “I lost a bet,” he grumbled.
The snickers were rapidly escalating to full-blown laughter. “But Draco, those robes…that color…” sputtered Goyle, still trying to hide his amusement at Draco’s outfit.
“They’re Gryffindor colors! I bloody know that, alright! Now sod off!” Draco turned quickly, intending to catch Pansy in the Common Room and get a head start to Hogsmeade before he had to deal with too many questions about his attire, and managed to run directly into Blaise Zabini as he came back into the dorm room.
“Watch where you’re walking, Malfoy!” Blaise gave Draco a slight shove and walked past him.
“Don’t touch me, Zabini!” Draco turned to face Blaise, eyes blazing with restrained fury. It would be so easy to take his current frustration out on Blaise, but he wouldn’t give the prat the satisfaction.
“You’ve always thought you were so much better than the rest of us, Malfoy,” Blaise sneered. “But guess what. I know how to hurt you now. I know your secret, and you wouldn’t want that to come out, would you?” Blaise picked up a book off his bed, apparently the reason he had come back into the room. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some studying to do.” He started to breeze back out of the room but stopped just beyond the doorway. “By the way, your robes are the wrong color, did you know?”
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Pansy was a leech, Draco decided. At one time, she had clung to him in awe of the Malfoy name and fortune. Now she was sticking to him in hopes of earning a place of honor in dark circles by helping deliver him to Voldemort. Throughout the day, she kept trying to persuade him to agree to spend the holidays with her. Like he would willingly go anywhere near William Parkinson after what he had witnessed that man do to Karissa’s aunt and uncle.
Theodore Nott had apparently decided to excuse Draco for his behavior from the night before, or else he was willing to pretend at least. He was part of Draco’s entourage in Hogsmeade, along with Daphne and Millicent. They were also joined by several fifth and seventh year Slytherins at the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
Draco made sure that he crossed paths with Harry several times during the day, never wandering more than a store or two away. He told himself it was because of the prophecy, because he knew if something was to happen that Harry needed to be protected at all costs so he could defeat Voldemort. Draco was simply covering his own tail. Besides, he wanted Harry very much alive in order to pay him back for the snickers and stares he had been receiving all day. Gold and red dress robes, indeed. He was half-tempted to spill something on them, but his Malfoy pride wouldn’t let him.
Draco was also mindful of the DA members that seemed to be everywhere. Granted, a large portion of the student population was part of the DA, but Draco noticed there was always at least one small group of upper-year DA members in his immediate vicinity. At least none of them tried to talk to him, though one of the Patil twins did smile and wave when he was in Honeydukes buying a box of sweets for Karissa. And a box of fudge for himself. Because he liked fudge. Not because Harry had told him last night that it was his favorite.
They were heading back to Hogwarts, Draco carrying his purchases as well as Pansy’s, when there was a sudden chill in the air and screams from up ahead. Draco looked up, and his eyes widened. Dementors! Damn! Chaos ensued as all the students began to run towards the gates of the school, yelling at each other and yelling for the professors. Draco was right behind Pansy when she started to fall, and he reached to try and steady her. Instead, they both slide backwards, and Draco felt a sharp pain in his right leg as it caught on the jagged edge of a rock. His foot landed in a crevice between two rocks on the hillside and threw them off balance. He hit the ground, Pansy falling on top of him, and his stomach revolted at the cracking sound as his ankle twisted.
Pansy jumped up, glanced quickly between Draco and the Dementors, and took off running. The other Slytherins were long gone.
“Pansy!” Draco yelled, astonished that she wasn’t going to at least help him up. “Pansy, you bitch!” Draco frantically untied the laces on his boots, trying to loosen them enough to wiggle his foot free. A shadow appeared over him, and he looked up, afraid of what he was going to see.
Chapter 21
Author: why_me_why_not
Rating: PG
Summary: Draco & Harry are thrown together after both face situations that have turned their lives upside down. Will they become friends themselves?
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it's not mine. I don't own the characters. I just borrow them and let them play around in my head (as long as I get to watch). No copyright infringement or disrespect intended. Please don't sue b/c I have less than nothing.
beta:
lilian_choA/N: links to previous chapters under cut
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
A/N: for anyone who doesn't know, I usually post my fics on OWL (the link to my profile there is hobbit_tabby ) If you get a chance, stop by & register (and make sure you mark me as a favorite author *g*), read some fics, post some fics, have fun...I'd really appreciate it! For anyone who hasn't read my Tauri speech before, Tauri is a wonderful archive; the staff is friendly & helpful & the site is easy to use for authors and readers--plus there is OWL post available to let you know when your favorite author has posted, or when your favorite fic has been updated. And there are plenty of other fandoms to enjoy. So, go check it out! You'll like it, I guarantee!
“The Mudblood’s a little young for you, isn’t she, Draco?”
Draco looked into the smirking face of Theodore Nott. Without a second thought, Draco drew his hand back and punched Nott.
Satisfied that he had effectively wiped the smirk off of Nott’s face, Draco turned around calmly and walked away. He knew it was Pansy and Daphne with Nott, and they would be more worried about his bloody nose (or in Pansy’s case, keeping the blood off her shoes) than hexing him, and he was surrounded by DA members if someone did try to hex him.
Harry had walked out of the Great Hall just behind Nott and the others, just in time to see Draco stalk off. He shot a quick glace at his friends and took off after Draco. “Malfoy! Hey Malfoy! Wait up!”
Draco didn’t stop until he was almost to the dungeons. “What do you want, Potter?” he asked wearily.
“What was that about?”
“Exactly what I would like to know, Mr. Malfoy.” The boys looked up to see the Potions Master looming over them. “Care to explain what happened?”
“Misunderstanding,” Draco replied tersely.
Snape raised an eyebrow. “Misunderstanding?” he repeated, obviously waiting for Draco to elaborate.
Draco glared at him. “It’s not your concern. Besides, he deserved it.”
“Everything that goes on in Slytherin house, or with its students, is my concern, Mr. Malfoy. Ten points from Slytherin for your disrespect, and you will report to my office immediately.”
“But Professor!” Harry started to protest on Draco’s behalf. Draco kicked him lightly in the foot.
Snape’s eyes narrowed as he turned to Harry. “Twenty five points from Gryffindor, Potter. This is none of your concern.”
Harry bit his tongue to keep from saying anything else. Shooting daggers with his eyes at Snape’s back, Harry mouthed to Draco, “DA meeting.”
With a glance at Snape, Draco shook his head and mouthed back, “I don’t know.”
“Come after. I’ll wait.”
Draco nodded and hurried after Professor Snape.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Inside Professor Snape’s office, Draco dropped down into the chair Snape indicated and stared sullenly at his Head-of-House.
“Well, Mr. Malfoy, I’m waiting.” Professor Snape took a seat behind his desk. “Why did you feel it necessary to hit Mr. Nott?”
“He called Karissa a Mudblood,” Draco finally said with a sigh.
“As far as anyone knows, she is a Mudblood.”
“But she’s not! And besides, I’ve decided that I don’t like that word.” From the way he said this, it was clear that Draco believed whatever he thought should be decreed general law. “Even if a witch or wizard has no immediate magical parents, they didn’t ask to be magical. Just like a Squib didn’t choose to be born without magic. It’s not something any of us can control.”
Surprisingly, Snape didn’t comment on Draco’s apparent new outlook on the subject of blood purity. Instead, he said, “You must not draw any more attention to Karissa. She is outspoken enough, and extremely intelligent enough, to draw sufficient attention to herself. If word gets out that Karissa is your sister, she’s going to have an even harder time. And if Lucius finds out…Draco, the Dark Lord wants her because he failed to kill her that night, but Harry Potter is still his top priority. Lucius, on the other hand, is after you, but he hasn’t made a move against you yet because he’s certain you will be brought to him over the holiday break. He’s willing to wait for that. But he would not wait to kill Karissa. If Lucius finds out the truth about Karissa's parentage, he'll stop at nothing to kill her. She's an example of his mistake, and her existence goes against everything he stands for. He would find a way to get to her immediately. You know that, don’t you?”
Draco nodded. “I do know that.”
“Good. I expect you’ll show more self-control in the future?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Very well, then. You will have detention on Sunday and Monday for assaulting another student. You’re free to go.”
Draco reached the Room of Requirement as the others were leaving. He noticed that only the older students that were there. He waited for everyone but Harry to leave before he entered the room.
“Miss me?” he asked with a smirk, taking what he was starting to think of as his usual seat.
“You wish!” countered Harry with a grin.
“Where are the younger students?”
“This was more of an unofficial meeting. We were discussing the trip to Hogsmeade tomorrow. Aurors are supposed to be stationed around Hogsmeade for safety, but we still have to be prepared for anything. I wish you would consider sticking with some of the DA members; if there is an attack, you’re going to be one of the main targets.”
“And you’re going to be the other one—what’s your point? Are we supposed to stay here and cower in fear? If we’re too scared to go about our normal lives, doesn’t that mean he wins? Besides, Hogsmeade is relatively small, and I’m sure there will be DA members close by if something does happen. As long as it’s not Finnigan or Thomas, I’ll be alright. They’d probably take advantage of the situation and hex me themselves if we were attacked.”
“Malfoy!”
“What? They would! Besides, I’m trying to keep up the pretense of friendliness with the other Slytherins. I do have to live with them, you know.”
“I know.” Harry summoned Dobby for two butterbeers. “So what was that about in the Great Hall earlier? With Nott?”
Draco scowled and told Harry about his conversation with Karissa and with Snape. “I never thought she’d take it to mean that I don’t want her as my sister. I thought she would realize what my father--our father—had done and hate me for that.”
“She’s a Gryffindor. She’s not going to judge you based on your father’s actions.”
“Why not? The rest of you do.”
“We would have given you a chance, but for five years you’ve been nothing but a complete prat. The Gryffindors in our year dislike you based solely on your actions.”
“Gee, thanks, Potter.” Draco was silent for a long moment, staring at nothing, before bringing the subject back to Karissa. “She still hates me, though. I told you she was going to hate me when she found out. So what do I do now?”
Harry hesitated. He wanted to say something, do something to comfort Draco, like Draco had done for him when he was upset about Sirius, but he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do. “Draco,” he finally said, “she was going to find out eventually. You’ve known that. You’re going to have to talk to her, explain the situation. You might want to have Remus or someone who knows the situation help with that. I’ll come with you, if you want.”
“Really?”
“Of course.” Harry knew that somewhere along the way they had moved past not-enemies to being friends, but he didn’t say that to Draco. Instead, he impulsively grabbed Draco’s hand and pulled him towards the door. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“To talk to Remus. If we hurry we can catch him and be back in our dorms before curfew. Otherwise you’re going to worry about this all night.”
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Back in the dorm room later that night, Draco couldn’t help but remember how enthusiastic Harry had been when it came to helping Draco, and how special it made him feel. He fell asleep with a smile on his lips, telling himself he was excited about the first Hogsmeade visit and not his friendship with a certain Gryffindor.
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Draco glared at his snickering dorm mates. “I lost a bet,” he grumbled.
The snickers were rapidly escalating to full-blown laughter. “But Draco, those robes…that color…” sputtered Goyle, still trying to hide his amusement at Draco’s outfit.
“They’re Gryffindor colors! I bloody know that, alright! Now sod off!” Draco turned quickly, intending to catch Pansy in the Common Room and get a head start to Hogsmeade before he had to deal with too many questions about his attire, and managed to run directly into Blaise Zabini as he came back into the dorm room.
“Watch where you’re walking, Malfoy!” Blaise gave Draco a slight shove and walked past him.
“Don’t touch me, Zabini!” Draco turned to face Blaise, eyes blazing with restrained fury. It would be so easy to take his current frustration out on Blaise, but he wouldn’t give the prat the satisfaction.
“You’ve always thought you were so much better than the rest of us, Malfoy,” Blaise sneered. “But guess what. I know how to hurt you now. I know your secret, and you wouldn’t want that to come out, would you?” Blaise picked up a book off his bed, apparently the reason he had come back into the room. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some studying to do.” He started to breeze back out of the room but stopped just beyond the doorway. “By the way, your robes are the wrong color, did you know?”
***** ***** ***** ***** *****
Pansy was a leech, Draco decided. At one time, she had clung to him in awe of the Malfoy name and fortune. Now she was sticking to him in hopes of earning a place of honor in dark circles by helping deliver him to Voldemort. Throughout the day, she kept trying to persuade him to agree to spend the holidays with her. Like he would willingly go anywhere near William Parkinson after what he had witnessed that man do to Karissa’s aunt and uncle.
Theodore Nott had apparently decided to excuse Draco for his behavior from the night before, or else he was willing to pretend at least. He was part of Draco’s entourage in Hogsmeade, along with Daphne and Millicent. They were also joined by several fifth and seventh year Slytherins at the Three Broomsticks for lunch.
Draco made sure that he crossed paths with Harry several times during the day, never wandering more than a store or two away. He told himself it was because of the prophecy, because he knew if something was to happen that Harry needed to be protected at all costs so he could defeat Voldemort. Draco was simply covering his own tail. Besides, he wanted Harry very much alive in order to pay him back for the snickers and stares he had been receiving all day. Gold and red dress robes, indeed. He was half-tempted to spill something on them, but his Malfoy pride wouldn’t let him.
Draco was also mindful of the DA members that seemed to be everywhere. Granted, a large portion of the student population was part of the DA, but Draco noticed there was always at least one small group of upper-year DA members in his immediate vicinity. At least none of them tried to talk to him, though one of the Patil twins did smile and wave when he was in Honeydukes buying a box of sweets for Karissa. And a box of fudge for himself. Because he liked fudge. Not because Harry had told him last night that it was his favorite.
They were heading back to Hogwarts, Draco carrying his purchases as well as Pansy’s, when there was a sudden chill in the air and screams from up ahead. Draco looked up, and his eyes widened. Dementors! Damn! Chaos ensued as all the students began to run towards the gates of the school, yelling at each other and yelling for the professors. Draco was right behind Pansy when she started to fall, and he reached to try and steady her. Instead, they both slide backwards, and Draco felt a sharp pain in his right leg as it caught on the jagged edge of a rock. His foot landed in a crevice between two rocks on the hillside and threw them off balance. He hit the ground, Pansy falling on top of him, and his stomach revolted at the cracking sound as his ankle twisted.
Pansy jumped up, glanced quickly between Draco and the Dementors, and took off running. The other Slytherins were long gone.
“Pansy!” Draco yelled, astonished that she wasn’t going to at least help him up. “Pansy, you bitch!” Draco frantically untied the laces on his boots, trying to loosen them enough to wiggle his foot free. A shadow appeared over him, and he looked up, afraid of what he was going to see.
Chapter 21
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Hooray for Harry and Draco being not-enemies-almost-friends-but-scared-to-admit-it.
Wow, that was a long hyphenation.
Because he liked fudge. Not because Harry had told him last night that it was his favorite.
*SQUEE* That's so precious.
Oh, and I never liked Pansy. She just seems too mean.
Okay, I'm done. ;)
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Poor Draco is right. He never did master the Patronus charm... ;)
>>>>>Hooray for Harry and Draco being not-enemies-almost-friends-but-scared-to-admit-it.
>>>>>Because he liked fudge. Not because Harry had told him last night that it was his favorite.
I think Harry is probably more willing to admit they're friends, but Draco is still making justifications. For now, anyway.
>>>>>Oh, and I never liked Pansy. She just seems too mean.
I used to feel that way, and Pansy is definitely a royal bitch in this fic, but I have started to like her & even have a plot bunny for a Ron/Pansy fic that I'm going to write once PutP is finished.
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BTW, I think I'm going to write a second part to The Three Little Gryffindors, and it's partially your fault. :) As if I didn't have enough plot bunnies running around in my head!
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Do you happen to have a link to Aspen's A Year Like No Other? I thought I had it bookmarked, but now I can't seem to find it. Was the fic ever finished?
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LOL, too too true. *squee over Seamus just because I can*
Update?
Re: Update?
Re: Update?