Partners, Rumors, and Unnecessary Drama
After Potions class, which had been especially irritating since they were forced to take exams on the very last day, the entire class had, for a brief moment, genuinely hated their Potions professor with a passion. Said professor, however, seemed to receive that hatred like some kind of worship… and didn't appear bothered by it in the slightest.
Harry walked with his friends, looking like he was planning something truly evil in his head, while at the same time noticing something a bit strange.
Every time they passed by other students, those students seemed to glance toward Draco and Hermione, whispering among themselves. Some gave Hermione a thumbs-up. Others did the same to Draco.
Meanwhile, Daphne looked thoroughly entertained, watching the expressions on both of their faces. For some reason, ever since they had separated that afternoon, the two of them had suddenly become popular.
Well… more than they already were.
"Why is everyone staring at us…?" Hermione asked, unable to ignore the mix of looks she was receiving. Some girls looked at her with clear hostility… others as if she were some kind of inspiration.
"Because someone doesn't know how to lie discreetly," Draco said lightly. He sounded slightly annoyed, but still couldn't help the faint amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Remember I helped you at the Quidditch World Cup with Parkinson, so helping me now shouldn't be a big deal," Hermione replied immediately.
"I'm not complaining," Draco answered calmly.
"Oh…" Hermione said, before feeling embarrassed all over again.
Meanwhile, Harry watched the whole exchange with mild interest before stepping a bit closer to Daphne.
"What's going on with them?" he asked, unable to shake the feeling that he was missing something.
"Hermione didn't know how to reject that handsome Durmstrang boy, so she lied and said Draco was her date. But our classmates found out and spread it around, and now they've basically been forced into being each other's partner. And now Hermione feels like she has to be careful with her own lies," Daphne explained, sounding slightly excited as she watched them.
"Ohhh… sounds like a soap opera," Harry said, equally interested and amused.
"Yeah… now we just need a third party, maybe Draco's illegitimate child… or a past love showing up," Daphne added, clearly enjoying the situation.
Harry nodded in full agreement.
"We can hear you, you know," Draco said, turning toward them with a slightly annoyed look.
"You shouldn't be enjoying your friends' problems," Hermione added, giving them the same expression.
"Oh… look at that, they're already in sync," Daphne said. "You're making great progress," she added, giving both of them a thumbs-up.
They both rolled their eyes at the exact same time, which only made them more annoyed when they realized it… much to Harry and Daphne's amusement.
"Speak of the devil…" Harry said, shifting his gaze slightly as if he were about to watch the next episode of a drama… now complete with popcorn that appeared out of nowhere.
Well, not exactly nowhere.
Laki, the Greengrass family's house-elf, had appeared and handed them to Daphne. She had probably asked for them beforehand, just in case.
Harry joined her as they both watched how the scene unfolded.
The third person to appear was none other than Pansy.
She stood at the other end of the corridor, wearing a genuinely tragic expression as she looked at them. Especially at Hermione, whom she stared at with real hatred for a moment… before suddenly turning around and running off in tears.
"Mm… I was expecting more hair-pulling and maybe a few slaps… but it's still dramatic," Daphne commented.
"Enough!" Hermione snapped, already irritated by their attitude, while Draco let out a quiet sigh.
Still… he had to admit this might not be so bad.
At least now, no one seemed to be bothering him asking him to be their date… and maybe he had finally gotten rid of Pansy for good.
Although…
That last look she gave Hermione left him with a faint bad feeling.
…
After the last day of the term, the holidays finally began.
And the excitement for the ball only kept growing as the date drew closer. Even now, there were still a few unfortunate souls who hadn't found a partner.
And others who seemed so happy about having secured one that they practically floated through the corridors, exchanging shy, embarrassed looks with their dates whenever they crossed paths.
The fact that Draco and Hermione were going together was already quite eye-catching, with some Slytherins occasionally making teasing comments like "Cinderella."
But at this point, Hermione had more money than some of their families, so the joke didn't even make sense anymore.
The only thing they could still fall back on were those tired "mudblood" insults. But even that was starting to lose its edge, since Hermione's mother was now a professor at Hogwarts, where, supposedly, only witches and wizards could teach. It confused a lot of people… making them wonder if Hermione might actually be half-blood instead.
Which, in a way, while still annoying… was far less offensive than being considered completely muggle-born.
Meanwhile, some Slytherin students seemed determined to expose Susan as a muggle at all costs, but she was genuinely good at hiding whether she had magic or not. If anything, she seemed to enjoy messing with them.
Of course, a bunch of teenagers couldn't possibly match her intelligence or experience, so she had no trouble confusing them again and again.
So at this point, no one really had anything solid against Draco's date. Maybe a few overly obsessed fans… but honestly, who in their right mind would try to go after Hermione Granger, knowing that anyone who messed with Malfoy, Potter, or Greengrass's friends might end up floating in the Black Lake?
Because of that, even with the castle still full of students during the holidays, the group seemed unusually relaxed. They spent their time wandering near the Forbidden Forest, visiting Red and his "army," or heading out to Hogsmeade with Neville and the others.
It almost felt like, for once, they were just normal teenagers.
In their daily lives.
At a magical school, with magic and everything… sure.
But still normal.
And since their mothers were professors, they sometimes took the chance to spend time together as a family, eating in the headmaster's office, where everyone gathered… even those who didn't actually work at the castle.
The only remaining nuisance, of course, was Carrow and his group.
At this point, they were the only ones still actively trying to find someone to bother. But even they seemed to be getting pushed aside more and more, slowly turning into the castle's outcasts, while the four houses appeared more united than ever.
Maybe that was why, lately, that group had been unusually quiet.
Just watching.
Observing them as they passed by, wearing those mocking smiles, as if they were the ones winning something… even though it didn't really look that way at all.
Even the other Slytherins seemed to be distancing themselves from them.
So, from Harry's group's perspective, it just looked like they were waiting for someone to approach them, just so they could act arrogant about it.
So they ignored them.
"Here," Luciel said, handing Harry an envelope, the two of them meeting in a slightly secluded spot, away from prying eyes, as if they were exchanging something illegal.
Harry opened the envelope just a little and glanced inside before nodding. Then he pulled a pouch from his waist and tossed it to Luciel.
Luciel caught it, opened it, and the bag expanded far beyond its original size. He slipped his arm deep inside, clearly revealing it was an extension pouch, and began checking its contents carefully. Faint metallic sounds echoed from within as he nodded, visibly pleased.
"Perfect… everything seems to be here. It was a pleasure doing business with you," Luciel said with a smile.
"Of course," Harry replied, just as amused.
"Still… I think you're overcomplicating things. Both of you are," Luciel added with a playful smile, glancing at him, clearly interested in how things would unfold.
"Making it easier would take away the fun," Harry said, smiling.
"If you say so," Luciel replied calmly, shrugging before turning away and leaving, raising a hand in farewell without looking back.
Harry opened the envelope again for a moment, studying its contents more carefully.
His smile widened slightly.
"This is going to be fun…" he murmured to himself.
Then he turned and walked off, clearly satisfied.