Third Place - Angst

The Three Broomsticks was crowded with the inundation of the Hogwarts student body. It looked to Harry as if every student from third year on up was trying to squeeze into the establishment. No wonder Draco had smirked as he walked away with his friends. He must have known what it would have been like. Harry had seen it crowded before but this was insane. As he made his way through the crush towards his friends who had secured a table in the back, Harry deduced that it must be the weather forcing everyone in here. The clouds had built up as Draco and Harry had walked to town and the snow started falling before they even reached Honeydukes.

"Oi! Harry!" Harry looked up at the greeting and was promptly knocked sideways by a large patron trying to escape the invasion of Hogwarts. Finally, Harry grabbed hold of the table and helpful hands pulled him in and onto a chair.

"Didn't think I was going to make it, there," Harry said breathlessly. The faces ringing the table all smiled.

"We didn't think so either. Where's Malfoy?" Seamus said, looking around. "I'd have thought they'd have parted the sea for him."

"He was smart enough not to come in here, the git." Harry unwound his scarf and placed it in his lap. "He's off with the Slytherin pack doing Merlin knows what. But I'm sure a screaming bunch of third years will let us know soon," Harry laughed.

"You two seem to be getting along lately," Dean observed. Harry nodded.

"He's still a jerk, but we're getting on."

"You mean getting it on."

The entire table stopped and turned to cast surprised looks at the speaker of those words.

"Um, wasn't that funny?" Neville asked with a blush rising. "I just, uh, thought..."

"No no, Nev, it was hilarious," Harry assured. Then he smiled and patted his shy friend on the shoulder. "Just didn't expect locker room humor out of you."

"Yeah, good one, Nev."

"That was funny, mate."

Neville looked around at the encouraging smiles and managed to blush a deeper shade of red. Harry laughed.

"Well, hello, Master Potter," Madame Rosmerta greeted as she appeared out of the crowd. "And how are we doing these days. No longer dying at a woman's doorstep, I hope?"

"No, ma'am, just dying to have some of her good food," he said with a wink. Madame Rosmerta playfully tapped him on the shoulder.

"Such cheekiness. Well then, what will the lot of you have? I must move on and feed the masses."

The group ordered and then set about gossiping and grousing. There was big news still from the spectacle at the Halloween feast two weeks before. Two Ravenclaws had spiked the punch. Ravenclaws! And there had been much funny business that night.

"Yeah, well, I heard Pomfrey had to order an emergency supply of hangover medicine flown in from St. Mungos. Dumbledore wasn't happy about the extra expenses," Ron said.

"Did the Ravenclaws get expelled?" Neville asked.

"No, just suspended," Hermione answered. "In fact, Harry, your attackers should be coming back soon from there own suspensions in just enough time to take the finals before Hols. All except Duncan, of course. He still has a possible Azkaban term."

"They're going to send him to Azkaban?" Harry asked in shock.

"He was trying to kill you!" Ron exclaimed. "He outta get the Kiss for it!"

"That is what Malfoy is pushing for," Hermione said.

"Draco wants him to get the Kiss?" Harry asked in horror. Draco hadn't even mentioned that!

"No, Lucius Malfoy. He's the one pushing for a full public court hearing. To humiliate and punish the family as much as the son, I bet." Hermione explained as she picked up her cup of tea.

"Yeah, Harry. You didn't think ol' Lucius would let a slight against his family go unpunished, did you?" Ron asked. "I mean, normally I hate the bastard, but what Duncan did was evil and I hope he does go to Azkaban."

"I'm not part of Lucius's family!" Harry argued.

"Come on, Harry, what do you think you are then?" Ron asked with a look that clearly said Harry was being na�ve. Well, maybe he had been. But the thought that Lucius Malfoy would do anything on his behalf was just too crazy to be believed. He really ought to read the papers more often. Perhaps it was time to get over his hatred of the press so that he knew what the heck was going on in the world.

"Well, whatever happens, it's out of any of our hands," Seamus commented.

"Yeah, so tell us, Hermione. Have you caught the thief?" Dean asked excitedly.

Hermione put down her sandwich and swallowed. "Hmm, not yet."

Harry looked up in confusion. "What thief?"

"Someone's going about pinching clothes in the Tower," Ron explained.

"Not anymore. She or he has branched out. I've heard that Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw have also had missing things reported. At the prefect meeting we compiled a list and there are at least forty articles reported stolen." Hermione sounded like a detective from a crime drama Harry had seen on telly once. He was waiting for her to pull out a notebook and start flipping through it.

"Well, they had better return my stuff," Seamus huffed. "My Gran knitted that blanket when she was a young widow and it's the softest thing you'll ever lay a hand on!"

"I suppose they can keep my jumper. It was my best one, didn't scratch at all. But I know mum can make me another one," Ron said.

"It's very odd that they are stealing clothing and bed linens," Hermione murmured, a glint in her eye. Harry didn't like that look.

"Are we going to order afters?" he asked hurriedly. There was a round of agreement and they all set about deciding what they wanted and who would share what with whom.

Draco and Harry shared a carriage with Crabbe and Goyle on the way back to the castle. Harry watched out the window as the world began to turn completely white. The first snowfall was always the most magical for him.

"Nice lunch, then?" Draco asked casually. He had his hands folded behind his head and his eyes at half-mast. Crabbe and Goyle were just sitting there and occasionally making side glances at Harry. It was very strange to have the Slytherins be wary around him. They weren't exactly sure how to treat him now that Draco wasn't using him as a whipping boy anymore.

"Yeah, except for the crush of people." Harry gave Draco a knowing look as he turned away from the window. "What'd you do? Tromp to the Shrieking Shack and scare a bunch of third years?"

Crabbe and Goyle both snickered and nudged each other. Draco cast an annoyed look at Harry.

"Apparently I have become predictable. I'll have to think of new ways to entertain myself," he said with a definite leer in Harry's direction. Harry laughed and looked out the window again.

Just on the edge of the forest, Harry caught a glimpse of a shadow. But strangely, the shadow moved and seemed to be following their carriage. It looked human in shape but Harry wasn't sure. The sun had already gone down and the evening gloaming was not helping his vision. Just as he was about to draw Draco's attention to it to get another set of eyes to figure it out, it disappeared. Harry watched for a few more moments but it didn't appear again.

"What the hell is so interesting out there, Potter? Or have you just nothing interesting to talk about?" Draco's annoyed voice grabbed Harry's attention. "Well, I suppose you would be in good company then, right?" he said nastily to Goyle and Crabbe. Both of the hulking Slytherins grinned and nodded. Harry grinned back.

"I just like watching the first snowfall. Turns everything into another world, you know? I used to love watching it when ever I was cleaning the gutters or what not at home," Harry said with a dreamy smile on his face. Draco's eyes sharpened and pierced Harry where he was. Harry was so startled that he looked down at himself expecting to have found a 'Draco Stinks' button on him somewhere.

"What were you doing cleaning gutters, Potter?" Draco asked sharply. Crabbe and Goyle seemed to shrink in on themselves and gave Harry a sympathetic look. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I assume that muggle gutters are in the same place as wizard gutters, yes?"

"Um, yeah," Harry said confusedly.

"Then," Draco went on with a voice like a silk covered knife, "that would mean that you just implied being outside, on the roof, when it was snowing. Is that correct?"

"Oh," Harry said as his eyes lit up in understanding where the conversation was going. "Yeah. I'd clean the gutters out when it first snowed because then it was sure that autumn was over and no more leaves would gunk up the gutters, my uncle always said. A bit dangerous, but from there I could watch the world transform, so it was kind of nice."

"Nice!" Draco barked. Harry actually jumped, not having heard that particular tone for a while. "It was nice that your stupid muggle relatives tried to kill you?" Draco's relaxed position was long gone and his silver gaze had become molten. "Tell me, Potter, did you ever fall?"

"Um, well, it wasn't ever-,"

"Answer me now," Draco said angrily and words immediately began to spill out of his mouth. The voice was stridently telling him to shut it quick or else be humiliated, but the desire to please was too afraid of upsetting Draco any further.

"Yes, Draco."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I fell. Three times."

Draco's eyes went from molten to ice. "You fell three times?" he said dangerously.

"Yes, Draco," Harry whispered.

"And what happened when you fell?"

Harry bit his lip but wasn't sure exactly what Draco wanted to hear so he decided to just tell him everything. With his heart in his mouth and breathing rapid he began rambling. "The first time was when I was six years old. I slipped on the slush and fell off the roof. But my jacket got caught on the eave and I had to wait for my uncle Vernon to come get me down. I lost dinner for a week for not finishing my chores and screaming for help where the neighbors could hear me. The next time I was about nine and my foot slipped on some wet leaves. I tried to break my fall with my hands and right before I hit the ground I just stopped and kind of floated down. My family never knew about that because I got back up there quick. The next time was when I was ten. My cousin Dudley and his friends started throwing rocks at me from the ground and I tried to avoid being hit. But I wasn't paying attention after I got a cut on my head and it bled into my eye. I sort of just ran out of roof and fell. I got extra chores for a month for making my Aunt Petunia take me to Hospital to fix my broken leg and for fighting." Harry ran out of words and looked at Draco worriedly.

The blonde's face was a mask of fury, his fists clenching and unclenching. Harry winced, waiting for the blow. Draco thought he was a clutz and an idiot! Harry started to lower himself onto his knees in front of his Supero to beg for forgiveness. Harry refused to lose the little amount of ground they had made and would grovel on his belly if that was what it took. He deliberately drowned out the voice and its screaming to not dare lower himself like that.

Just as his knees touched the floor of the carriage Draco's hands shot out and Harry instinctually flinched. But instead of hitting him, they grabbed his arms and pulled him back up onto the seat. Opening his eyes in bewilderment, Harry watched as Draco visibly tried to calm himself. He took several deep breaths and unclenched his jaw. Finally, Harry felt the terror leave him and normal silver eyes looked at him.

"I'll make them kneel to you, Harry," Draco said intently in a low voice. "I promise you that."

Harry nodded hesitantly and the rest of the ride was spent in silence for all four of them.

Indago - Chapter 40

Back to Chapter 38

Back to Results