Nicole Stevens: Roses and Mistrust

Nicole Stevens: Roses and Mistrust

Chp.11

Ah, it was the day of the ball! It was only now two o' clock. I was out on the lawn with Harry, and we were joining in with Ron and Hermione in a snowball fight. It was actually more of a war than a fight; boys against girls.

I had just succeeded in hitting Harry with a monstrous snowball, right smack-dab in the middle of his forehead. He had been caught off-guard, because Hermione had just managed to hit him in the back. "I give up!" he shouted.

"Good! Hermione, it's a boy's surrender!" I yelled over to her. She nodded, just as Harry took the distraction as a good time to tackle me. He fell, half on me, half into the snow beside me. His hair had snowflakes in it, which looked kind of like dander, but I still thought it looked cute on him. He pushed himself up on his arms and looked down at me, pinning my arms into the ground.

"I win," he whispered.

"Who says so?" I questioned. He smiled, and pressed me even more into the snow.

"I do."

"Well, I don't believe you did. You surrendered," I muttered. His emerald-colored eyes were alight with laughter. "You said you gave up."

"Maybe I lied." It vaguely reminded me of something someone else had one said, but I ignored it.

"I guess you did. I really think it's against the rules, though."

"Do you really care?" he asked, smiling.

"Of course not."

"Good." He kissed me, rougher than usual. It was full of passion, but not as intense and violent as Draco. I pulled one of my arms free from out of his grasp, and hooked it around his neck, holding him down on me. He smiled against my lips, and rolled over onto his back, bringing me on top of him. I looked down.

"Now I win."

"I don't think so!" He pushed me off and onto the snow beside him. Then he stood up above me, with a grin. "See? I win."

"Okay," I said in a defeated tone. "You win, Harry. Now help me up." He bent down and held out his hand. I took it and pulled him down. Then I stood up and looked down at him. He had rosy cheeks, and his normally tousled hair was more of a mess than usual. "I win!" I called out, smiling happily.

"Now you have to help me stand up," he said.

"Nope! No way! If I can pull that trick on you, then you could do the same to me!" I turned around and began walking away. Apparently, Ron had begun to play a game of stuffing snowballs down Hermione's shirt. I began laughing, at the sight of him shoving one of about the size of a football down her shirt. She was giggling and trying to push him away (Ron had asked Hermione to the ball, and Harry had told me the story of the last time there had been a ball).

I stood laughing, until I felt Harry's arms lock around my waist from behind. He nuzzled his cheek into my neck, and held me close to him. I put my hands over his and let him stay in that position. He let go of me, and I turned around to see what he was doing. Harry had a huge snowball in his hands.

"Oh, no you don't!!!" I yelled.

"Run and maybe I won't catch you. It's a better chance than just standing here waiting." I smiled and shook my head 'no'. "Five, four, one!" he called.

I dashed away, but he was too fast, and within seconds he had me pinned to the ground, and was stuffing it up my shirt. "Stop that--it's cold--don't you dare get another, Harry Potter!" He only smiled and began making another snowball. "I swear--you are such a--such a child!"

"I know," he admitted. "But it's really fun."

"Well, maybe for you--don't you--don't do it--if you stick that up my shirt; I swear I'll curse you!"

"It's worth the risk," he stated bluntly. I was freezing cold from the two snowballs that were currently melting underneath my shirt. "Now, for the third--"

"You better not--I'm serious--I'll hurt you!"

"Yeah, maybe you will, but you'll have to be able to stand up first. As of this moment," he indicated how he was sitting on my legs, "I am positive that that won't be for a while."

"Get off me! Now! And then I'll hurt you!'

"Now, why would I let you up, when I know I'll get a beating when you do?" he asked innocently.

"Argh! I tried to push him off, but he held my arms to the ground. "Let me go, NOW!"

"Nah, that's no fun! Now this," he began jamming the third up my shirt, with the other two, "this is fun." He had to let go of my arms as he did this, so I took it as an opportune time to shove him off. He tumbled over, and I stood up brushing off the snow.

I turned around and watched as he sat up, staring amazedly at me. "You pushed me off!"

"Of course! What was I supposed to do, just let you keep filling my shirt with snow?"

"Yes!" he called in an indignant voice as he walked over.

"I guess I should've let you keep SITTING on me then!" I smacked him hard on the back of his head, as he put his arm around me. He laughed along with me, and picked me up in his arms. It reminded me strongly of how Draco had carried me inside the castle, but I ignored this and let him hold me.

He kissed me fiercely, "Fair damsel, I am here to be your hero!"

"Oh, stop it, Knight-in-Shining-Armor Boy! Put me down!" I tried to struggle out of his arms, but it was a useless cause.

"O but that I would, thou wouldst have to give me a gift of your favor," he declared loudly.

"Aright, put me down first."

"O, no, thou must present it to me now." I laughed, despite myself, and kissed him on the cheek. He put me down and bowed. "I send you my thanks, Madam. That I have been given your token is an honor, and may it be that all knights know it!"

"Okay, Sir Never-shuts-up, I need to go inside and get ready for the ball. I'm beginning to worry that you'll get it into your head to start pelting me with snowballs again."

"I hadn't thought of that, but it does sound like a--Where's Ron?"

"Where's Hermione?" I added. We both looked at each other and tried not to snigger. They had most likely gone off somewhere to--never mind. "I didn't think Hermione would ever even consider doing that."

"And certainly not with Ron. I mean it's just," he shook his head disgustedly, "it's just gross."

"Well, after your little act of I-must-save-the-damsel-in-distress-who-isn't-really-in-distress, it doesn't surprise me they've left. I probably would have if I'd been in there position, too." He looked at me and grinned suggestively. "No, Harry. I know what you're thinking, NO. I need to go take a shower, I'm freezing. Later, yeah sure, maybe. Not now. I don't have time."

"Oh, c'mon, just this once? We wouldn't get caught. Zabini goes to empty classrooms everyday, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is I said 'NO'. And besides, it's just--no! I told you, not now."

He gave me his C'mon-Just-This-Once look. I shook my head, but couldn't help smiling.

"You're probably right. We wouldn't want to walk in on Ron and Hermione."

"Ugh, please stop the mental images! I don't want to think about them....or what they might.....I'm going in now, seriously."

"Alright, I'll see you in the Common Room later."

"Sure," I replied. We walked together up to Gryffindor tower. I hurried up to my room, where Parvati and Lavender were ALREADY getting dressed. They were giggling and comparing nail polish colors. I shook my head and rummaged through my trunk to get some dry clothes.

I went downstairs to the shower. Most of the shower stalls were occupied, but I found one empty. The walls around my shower were made of white marble, and the showerhead and faucet were gold.

I tossed my wet clothes aside and turned the hot water on high. It was extremely refreshing, being in the steamy shower. My skin slowly adjusted to the heat. This was Lavender's usual shower, and she always left her hair care products and bath soap in here. I figured it couldn't hurt to borrow some, after all, I wasn't taking it, I was just using it. I squirted some of the vanilla-scented shampoo onto my hands and began massaging it into my scalp. The aroma was wonderful, I was positive that my skin would absorb it. I washed the foam from the shampoo out of my hair, before pouring conditioner onto my palms. I rubbed it all the way down to the ends of my hair and turned the spray of water to wash it out.

Then I borrowed one of Lavender's one-minute-makeover facial masks and used it. She'd probably kill me because I had, but I didn't care. This was worth her torrent of fury. I scrubbed it off with a washcloth and turned off the water flow.

Grabbing one of the large cotton towels from the rack I toweled off and changed into my jeans and shirt. I inhaled the strong scent of vanilla and tossed the towel casually over to the hamper. Oh, wonderful, I missed. I stomped over and threw it in.

No wonder I hadn't made the Quidditch team, I sulked. I thought I'd gotten over that. I didn't make it. I should have let it go.

But, I hadn't. I really had been upset. Of course, I hadn't let on, but it would've been terrific to play with Harry. Oh, well. I can't change the past. I'd just have to practice over the summer. It would be nice to practice with someone, but who was there to practice WITH?

I headed downstairs and went to the portrait hole. The fat lady was sitting and talking with a nun-like woman. "Hey! Lady?" I called to the women when they didn't seem to see me.

"Excuse me?" they asked.

"Do you want something?" the nun asked.

"Yes, I want in. Tempus."

"You could have been a bit more polite," she scolded.

"Yeah, yeah, bite me," I snapped. Thinking about Quidditch didn't help my mood. I stepped through the now open entrance.

Inside, it was loud, because all the girls were upstairs, and Hermione was off with Ron doing something that I REALLY didn't want to think about. Okay, I would like to think about it, but not about them doing it. I'd rather it be me and Harry, but they deserved to have a while alone.

I pushed my way through the swarm of boys, waving at the twins as I passed. Then I went up to my dorm. Caitlyn gestured for me to come and sit with her.

The fifth year girl had short, layered red hair and a stern featured face. Her sharp, chocolate colored eyes were quick to take in any flaws. Yet, Caitlyn usually restrained her natural instinct to criticize and nitpick. She was like McGonagall, only Caitlyn wasn't as old as dirt, and she was nicer.

I sat on her bed beside her. "Hi Caitlyn. What did you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering what you're going to wear. I'm really nervous. I don't want Thomas to think I don't care about how I look." Thomas was her date to the ball. He was a Ravenclaw sixth year.

"Don't worry about it. You'll look spectacular. I'm wearing this iridescent green dress. How about you?"

"A blue floor length gown."

"Sounds beautiful," I said wistfully.

"Nicole, I have some nail polish that'd go perfectly with your dress," Parvati offered. I was suddenly suspicious. Why was Parvati being nice?

"Sure." I went and sat on the floor beside her. She handed me the bottle and I twisted off the cap. I painted my long nails and then my toenails. Once the color dried, Parvati showed me a spell to get all the excess paint off. The color was an exact match. "Thanks for letting me use it." She smiled and nodded.

"Its fine, but I was thinking you might let me borrow your comb." My eyebrows rose. She wanted to use Draco's comb?! "Or maybe that necklace."

"Sorry, I can't loan either of them out. I've got a pair of scarlet earrings you can use though."

She looked extremely disappointed. "No thanks."

"Alright." I went over to my trunk and pulled out my dress. It was unwrinkled (thankfully). I slipped out of my jeans and into the gown. It clung to my hips and was just tight enough over the chest. I had to admit it was a bit low-cut, but I didn't care. The thin straps over my shoulders were made out of the same greenish-black fabric. The hem just barely touched the ground and one of my favorite things about it was the slit up the side.

I slipped on some pantyhose and black high heeled shoes. Caitlyn was staring at me with an amazed expression. "I look idiotic don't I?" I asked self-consciously.

"No, you look just the opposite. You only need a spot of make-up," she replied. Caitlyn was half-blood, so she had all sorts of cosmetics. She handed me a box and told me how to use everything.

I applied a bit of dark burgundy-red lipstick, some base, and a bit of blush. "Now for the final touch," Caitlyn said. She pulled out some white-pink, sparkly eye-shadow and lightly brushed some on. "Voila!"

I smiled and turned to look in the mirror. "Oh, my god," was the only thing I could manage. I looked--fantastic. It was like I had been transformed from beautiful to dazzlingly gorgeous. "Oh--my god."

"What?" Lavender walked over to us. She saw me and her jaw dropped. "Wow."

"Nice looking, isn't she?" Caitlyn beamed. "I told her just a spot of make-up would do the trick."

"What do you think Harry'll say?" I wondered aloud.

"He'll probably fall over. But, he might say 'look, I'm going out with the American beauty queen!'"

"Oh shut up!" I slapped her arm. "It's not funny. I'm serious."

"So was I."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I just wish I looked like you."

"Maybe I could do your make-up?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'd rather do my own," she refused. I couldn't blame her; I'd probably have made her look like a demon out of the fiery chasm of doom (LOTR, I can't help myself).

"I know a smile whitening charm," Lavender suggested. I agreed to let her perform it on me. The charm was very effective. If I went anywhere near a black light, my teeth would be shining.

"My hair. What am I going to do with it?"

"I think you should pull half of it up into a ponytail." I nodded and accepted Caitlyn's suggestion.

When I'd finished, I looked in the mirror. It was hard not to smile. This would definitely be a 'Kodak moment' night. I got Kat (Katharine's nickname) to charm my hair to stay smooth no matter what. By now it was five forty-five. I was feeling jittery. I thought I looked nice, but what if Harry didn't?!

I waved good-bye to the girls and went downstairs. Apparently, the boys were nervous about being late. Almost everyone was down here. I felt like I was under a bright spotlight. Everyone's eyes turned to stare at me, and I felt all of their gazes as I walked.

Harry saw me and was absolutely glowing. He smiled his one hundred watt smile at me, and I returned it gratefully. His attention overrode everybody else's. I went to him and was suddenly able to ignore all the people around us. It was just me and him. There was no one else.

Harry was wearing bottle green robes that matched his eyes. He took my hand and led me out of the portrait hole. "You look--like a dream."

"Thanks. I'm glad. I was worried."

"Why?"

"I thought you wouldn't like it," I admitted. "It's just different from normal, and I wasn't sure what your reaction would be."

"That was stupid," he told me. "You should know me well enough by now, to know that I would love you no matter if you were wearing bed sheets."

I giggled at the thought. "Bed sheets? Nice, Harry. Real nice. I'd like for you to think about how that sounds for a minute. Bed sheets, honestly."

"Actually, now that I consider it, bed sheets would be good." He looked at me and grinned widely.

"Oh, stop. You'll make me blush," I laughed.

"I know. I'm trying to," he joked. We had reached the packed Entrance hall by now. Out here everyone was too busy to notice us. Harry held my hand as we made our way past giggling bunches of girls, and talking groups of boys. We walked through the double doors.

Inside the Great Hall, it was magnificent. There was a platform on the right hand wall, where a band was set up. Instead of the long house tables, there were many small, circular tables to sit about four to six people. There was a space in the middle of the hall for dancing. On the tables were deep purple tablecloths and gold candles in holders. There were golden plates on each table. The wood floor sparkled like new, and there were golden banners on the walls.

Harry led me to a table near the left. He pulled out my chair and I sat down. He sat next to me and said, "At the ball last year, it was for the Triwizard Tournament. I don't know why we're having one this year, but I'm glad we are."

"So am I."

A boy approached our table and Harry muttered, "Hullo, Colin."

"Hiya, Harry! I was wondering if I could take a picture of the two of you together. I'd give you a copy."

Harry looked at me with raised eyebrows. "Sure. Why not?"

Harry and I stood and he put his arm around my shoulders. I smiled for the camera. Click! "Thanks Harry!"

"Welcome Colin."

We sat back down just as Ron and Hermione walked in the door and came to sit with us.

Hermione was wearing crimson robes over a matching dress. She looked beautiful. Her hair was in a tight bun, which surprised me, because of the thickness of her hair.

Ron was wearing navy robes, and his hair was brushed. "Hello all." He stopped and looked at me. "Nicole, what's with all the--" he pointed at my make-up.

"It's make-up. Don't you think it's pretty? I like it."

"Yeah, but--"

"It looks very nice Nicky," Hermione said. It seemed like she was trying not to flush at the way Ron was looking at me. He seemed to have lost his ability to speak.

People started filing into the hall soon. According to Harry, some of the pairings were a bit odd. "Millicent Bulstrode and Crabbe? Goyle and Eloise Midgen? Zabini and Nott? Parkinson and Higgs? And--I never thought I'd see the day, Malfoy's going stag."

"Really?" Ron spun in his seat to see Draco. He was indeed alone. "Yes! I've got a date and Malfoy doesn't! I am going to make him remember this for the rest of his life!"

"Oh, Ron, don't get a big head," Hermione scolded. Ron scowled and turned back around.

"So did you two have fun today?" Harry teased.

Ron blushed scarlet and Hermione shrugged. "It was okay, I guess. And you?"

"Not much. Where were you two off to?"

"Oh, you know, lots of places; Charms classroom, Astronomy tower, all the usual spots." I could tell she was joking, but her tone wasn't playful like Harry's. It was as if things hadn't gone the way she'd have liked when they'd left us outside.

"Right." Harry dropped that thread of conversation. He sensed the awkward silence. "I wonder when dinner is going to start."

As if on cue, Dumbledore stood up, "If you will notice the golden plates on your tables, please. Speak into the plate what you would like for dinner. Thank you!"

"Well, it sounds simple," I said to Harry. "Alright, lamb chops and a baked potato."

The food suddenly appeared on my plate. I realized that my goblet was also filled with pumpkin juice. I began to eat. It was delicious, and the house elves had outdone themselves.

"So, anybody think Britain has a chance for the world cup?" Ron asked conversationally.

"No. Britain doesn't have a hope," Harry replied. We continued with that kind of friendly banter. One thing that bothered me was that Hermione, who was usually very opinionated, was being unnaturally quiet. It was odd, I thought. She always liked to talk. Well, not about Quidditch, but still, she should have said something by now.

After most people had finished eating, Dumbledore stood up. "Hello everyone! Tonight, we have the extreme pleasure of being serenaded by Serena DeMontmore. And here she is!"

A thin teenager (nineteen or twenty at most) with flowing black hair stepped up onto the stage. She was wearing a loose black skirt, an extra long, draping sleeved shirt, and a black knee-length jacket. Her band mates were three guys, two guitarists and one drummer. They struck up a loud rock song. Harry stood up and offered me his hand, "Do you want to?"

"Yeah, sure." I went with him out onto the dance floor, where there were already many couples dancing.

"I don't dance well," he warned.

"Most guys don't."

"Can you dance?"

"Only because I was forced to learn." We began dancing. Harry could dance, not perfectly, but well enough. Fred was dancing wildly with Alicia Spinnet, and I noticed Draco lurking near the doors.

When the dance was finished, we went and sat at our table.

"Ah, hello, Potter, Weasley. Look, it's a weasel and a beaver. Wonder what their children will look like. I was wondering Nicole, if I might possibly have a dance."

"Yes, Malfoy. You can have a dance! Go dance with any poor girl who'll accept!" Ron said defensively.

"Excuse me weasel, I wasn't talking to you. As much as I know you'd love to dance with me instead of the Mudblood, my offer was for Nicole."

"Go away, Malfoy. Nicky doesn't want to dance with you," Harry answered for me.

"I'd rather be answered by her, thanks."

"I can't Draco."

"Fine." He stalked angrily off.

"You 'can't'?" Harry wondered.

"I was trying to be nice, though it seems I've screwed up something. Oh well," I shrugged it off.

"I have to go," Hermione declared suddenly. She stood up and rushed away.

"What was that about?" I asked Ron.

"I don't know. I'd better go see." He stood up and followed out after her.

"I don't get them," I muttered.

"No one does. I've known them for five years, and I still don't understand what they're on about."

"Could you excuse me for a second? I'm a bit cold. I need to go get my cloak." He nodded, wearing a confused expression. "I'll be back in a second."

I turned and walked out of the double doors, getting odd looks from some people. Instead of turning up the stairs, however, I kept going straight, to the front doors. I pushed it open and went outside.

It smells like roses out here, was my first thought. No duh. They summoned a garden here.

I looked around me at the spectacular landscape. There were chest-high rose bushes everywhere, forming a complex maze of intricate pathways. I really needed some time alone. I was going to bash my head against the wall if I didn't have some soon.

I walked a down the first path, then took a right into a little sort of courtyard. In here there was an ice sculpture, which, no doubt, had been enchanted to stay frozen. I sat on a stone bench that was against a bush.

It was peaceful, and the scent of roses was quickly tempting me to sleep. I tried to ignore the feeling that lying down on the bench would be a good idea.

The courtyard had higher bushes than the path. The roses wound in a circle around the outside, forming a wall. I inspected the actual flowers themselves. They were blood red, but, on occasion, I was able to pick out a white flower amidst the sea of red.

Five minutes had passed when I heard a rustling in a bush on my left. "Who's there?" I asked into the still air.

"Me," came Ron's voice from somewhere near my feet. He crawled out from under the shrubbery and stood, brushing off the dirt. "I came out here to look for Hermione."

"Did you find her?"

"Yeah, she told me 'sod off Ron, I came out to be AWAY from you'. What did I ever do to her?! I mean, I know I messed up today, but so WHAT? It's not like I did it intentionally, I was nervous. Can't a guy be nervous these days? She's just overreacting. I didn't mean to, I just couldn't." He wasn't talking to me, and it looked like he was having an animated conversation with the shrub.

"What happened today? She was acting all funny at dinner. Like she had something stuck up her--"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Oh, so you'll have a conversation with a bush, but not with me, someone who can actually listen and isn't sprouting leaves and flowers all over?"

"No, I wasn't talking to the bush. I was--"

"Talking with the bush, oh I understand now." We couldn't help laughing at that.

"No. I was talking to myself. I just don't want to discuss it," Ron said after he had stopped laughing.

"How come? I tell you everything, why won't you tell me this?" He sat down beside me.

"You didn't tell me about the Malfoy-gifts thing," he pointed out.

"Okay, you have me on that one. But, you'd have gone crazy if you'd known. And, I didn't tell anyone about that, so it doesn't count. I told you, uh," I thought hard, "okay, so I haven't told you anything. So sue me. I'm a private sort of person. But, if you explain what happened with Hermione, then I can help, and I'll start telling you everything. I'm a girl, remember? I know it's often hard not to forget, but...."

"If I do tell you what the problem is, then you can't tell Harry. It's embarrassing."

"Right," I agreed.

"And don't tell 'Mione I told you."

"Right. Don't call her ''Mione', she doesn't like it. Calling her 'Mione makes her mad and she's told you not to."

"Yeah, whatever. Alright, so, while Harry was putting snowballs up your shirt, I took Hermione inside. We were in an empty classroom and--why am I telling you this?" he asked himself suddenly.

"Go on," I prompted.

"And she was sitting there on a seat looking really pretty, I think she wanted me to kiss her, but I couldn't do it. I was just too nervous. She stomped out and never told me what was wrong, and now she's being stubborn, and she won't tell me why. It's not that I didn't want to kiss her, it's just--I couldn't. I was embarrassed."

"Okay, Ron. I'll tell you something. Girls are really, really self-conscious. They need to be assured that they're pretty and desirable, and all that. Like, for example, before I came down from my room, I wanted to run to the shower and wash all the make-up off. I didn't know if Harry would like it. All girls want their boyfriends to tell them they're beautiful. Now, I'm betting Hermione is just waiting to be told that she's stunningly gorgeous, and I'm also betting that you should be the one to tell her. She's waiting for you to step up and say it."

"But, I don't get it," he said, frustrated.

"Let me explain, when you didn't kiss her, she might have mistaken it as a sign that you don't like her like that. Hermione probably thought you wouldn't because you didn't want to. I think that once you tell her she's the most beautiful girl in the world, you might want to throw caution to the wind and kiss her."

"But, I'm too nervous."

"Don't be. It's normal to be afraid, but kissing comes naturally."

"Maybe to you...."

"Fine, but I'm warning you, if you don't, she'll never forgive you."

"I'm going to go try then." It sounded like he was trying to summon up all of his courage. "Thanks."

"No problem. I don't want Hermione to be miserable. You I wouldn't mind being unhappy, but she deserves to have a good time," I joked.

"Yeah, yeah." He walked away.

I hoped desperately that I'd been right about what Hermione was upset about. If I hadn't, then I'd have just ruined a perfectly good couple. Also, if I had been mistaken, I would never be forgiven. Oh, well. There was nothing left to do but sit out here and twiddle my thumbs.

Another rustling announced the arrival of a second visitor; Hermione. She saw me sitting there and scowled. "I guess my luck just can't get any worse."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Did Ron find you?"

"Of course not. He wouldn't even try again, unlike Harry, who'd come rushing out to talk with you." Her tone made it obvious that she was somewhat jealous. I blushed.

"He doesn't know I'm out here," I mumbled. "I told him I was going to get my cloak."

"And how long ago was that? No, wait, let me guess; two seconds," she said, her voice covered with sarcasm.

"Actually, it was nearly ten minutes ago. And Ron IS looking for you. He wanted to tell you, that he's sorry he didn't."

"What?"

"He said that he was sorry he didn't do it when he had the chance."

"Really? Ron--Ron said that?"

"Not exactly, but that was the gist," I explained.

"So he apologized?"

"Yeah. Well, after he was finished talking with the bush." I jerked my thumb at it.

"What?"

"Nothing. Hermione, Ron's serious. He really is looking for you. And, we know he's not that capable of thinking in a girl's mindset, so I think you should help him out a bit, and go to the front doors," I told her.

"Thanks." She turned to go, but stopped at the edge and turned to face me. "You're lucky, you know."

"Yeah, I know." She nodded and left, presumably to wait for Ron by the front doors. "So, there's one happy couple. Let's see who else we can help out," I muttered angrily to myself, kicking a stone with my foot.

A minute or so passed with no interruptions, but, of course, the silence couldn't last. It was broken by a couple of girl's voices.

"Yes, I know. Jason's hot isn't he?"

"Maybe, but my Landen is better."

"No way, Draco is the ultimate winner of the looks contest."

I recognized the voices as those of Erin, M, and Sam. They came into the yard and stopped when they saw me. "Oh, hi," I greeted.

"Hey, Nicole," Sam returned.

"Nice to see you," from M, and, lastly, a nod from Erin. They came and sat down beside me. "Sorry if we interrupted anything. We didn't know you were here. Do you mind if we stay?"

"No, I'm just out here because I feel like it."

"Hey, Erin, weren't you just betting us that you could sweet talk Draco Malfoy into being your boyfriend?" Sam nudged her.

"Well, duh. I could get anyone," was her reply. She shook her head, "But I don't really want to. At least not with Draco."

"What's wrong with him?" Sam pried. It came out more like a threat than a question.

"Nothing really. It's just that he can be a bit violent sometimes. And he really seems to have his heart set on somebody else." She gave me a meaningful look. "So?"

"So what?"

"I know, she IS hard to understand, isn't she?" piped up M. M tossed back her long brownish hair. "What Erin means to say, is--"

"What's the dealio? Are you with him, or not?" Erin finished.

"Hey! That'd be a cool beginning to one of my songs;

'What's the deal,

Is it real, la la la..."

"Shut up, M. So are you with him?" Sam leaned over to look at me, her long, brown hair falling over her shoulders.

"No. I'm going out with Harry," I answered. "I'd better be going." I got up and walked away.

"Bye," M called.

"See you later!"

"Whatever," was Erin's good-bye.

I waved back at them and continued trying to find my way back to the castle. There were muffled giggles and hushed voices coming from quite a few of the shrubs. Was it just me, or was plant-life not supposed to talk?

About halfway (okay, maybe it wasn't halfway, maybe I was lost), the dark figure of a girl came out from the left of the path I was taking. As I neared, I remembered the girl as Pansy Parkinson, Draco's old girlfriend. She threw back her long, curly black hair and said to me, "Here she is! Just the girl I was looking for. Are you aware that you seem to have taken Draco's affection from me?"

Well, she certainly got to the point, didn't she? "Um, is it me, or are you blocking my way?"

"Oh, how intelligent of you to notice. I know you did it intentionally. No one could have taken him away from me without the help of a whole lot of flirting."

The pug-like girl had her hands on her hips, and was smirking threateningly.

"Actually, I didn't do a thing. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to be going, d'you know why that is?"

"No," she snapped.

"It's because I have a caring boyfriend in there, waiting for me, and if I stay here for much longer I might lose my temper." I could feel my blood boiling. Every muscle in my body was tense. Dream!Draco had said that this girl was to stupid to use anything illegal on me, but for some reason, I had a feeling she would resort to all means, legal or not, to get me back.

"Ah, too bad. You are going to duel with me, and whoever comes out alive, wins."

There goes my temper. "FINE!" What!? I'd just agreed to a duel with Pansy Parkinson. I mentally slapped myself.

Idiot! Idiot! I am an IDIOT!!!! How could I be so STUPID!!! Argh!

"Ready?" It was a question, that I was certain of, but whether I was ready or not obviously didn't matter. "Tarantallegra!"

A burst of sparks shot from her wand, and I jumped out of the way. Damn! My wand! I just realized I didn't have it. I'd just have to make do.

"Rictusempra!" The silver light hit me in the stomach, and I began laughing uncontrollably. "Serpensortia!"

Oh, now this was just cruel. A large snake came out of the end of her wand and slithered over to me. It hissed and moved back to strike.

Five, four, three, two, o--

A second hissing came from behind Pansy. I looked up and saw someone walking up the path. A fairy soared overhead, illuminating the scene, and the mystery person.

It was Harry.

The snake backed off and Harry raised his wand. "Finite incantatem." The snake disappeared in a cloud of black smoke. "Go away Pansy."

"Make me."

"He doesn't have to. I will." I spun around and saw Draco standing behind me.

He walked over to her and grabbed her wrists.

"Ow! Draco, that hurts!" her voice was pained. He really was hurting her. Intentionally. He knew he was hurting her, and yet he didn't stop. He dragged the whimpering girl a couple of steps. "Please," she begged. "Let me go. I'll leave. Please. Please!"

He turned to her. "No. Come with me. Now!" He jerked hard on her wrists, and she stumbled forward, falling onto her knees. There was a sharp crack, as her knees absorbed the impact of the fall.

"Please," she began to cry, tears dripping down her cheeks.

I ran over to her and shoved Draco away. He fell down, as I knelt beside her. She was rubbing her wrists and sobbing heavily. I hugged her, forgetting everything she'd done to me. "It's okay. We'll get you up to the castle. Can you stand?"

"I think so--hiccup--I'll try." She attempted to stand, but she needed some help.

I supported her, as Harry stood, staring at Draco like he was some kind of dangerous animal. "How could you!? You KNEW you were hurting her! How could you?"

Draco looked up at Harry from the ground.

"Harry, you take care of him, I'll get Pansy up to the castle. C'mon."

She limped with my help down the path. Soon the boys were out of our sight. "Why're you--hiccup--helping me?" she asked.

"Because I don't feel like holding a grudge against you now. And I'm willing to forget what you've done, so long as we can be reasonably nice to each other."

"You--want to be--nice to me? Why would ANYONE want to be nice to me?"

"Well, that's something I've never heard. Um, let's see. You could be a really great friend if you tried, I bet. And I'd like to be your friend, if you will agree not to curse me, or hex me, etcetera."

"But, you're a Gryffindor. You HATE Slytherins," she argued.

"No, that's not true. I may be a Gryffindor, but I'm not prejudiced." She gave me a skeptical look. "Okay, I AM. But, I think I'm a different kind of Gryffindor than most. This whole rivalry thing is getting stupid. I don't care HOW it started, I'm not going to be a part of it. It's childish."

"You don't get it. The Gryffindors are always rude to us, and we are the same to them--you--whatever."

"Okay, the friend-idea is a no-go, so how about if we just agree not to insult each other."

"Deal. I can't promise you about anyone else though."

"It's fine," I said. We went in the front doors and I helped her up the stairs.

After many more staircases and too many doors to count, we arrived at the hospital wing. I nudged open the door with my foot and helped Pansy in. She hopped over to one of the beds and sat down. "Madam Pomfrey?" I called softly.

There were muffled voices coming from the office door. I walked over and out my ar on the door to hear. Naughty me.

I recognized the voices of Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey.

Dumbledore was saying, "I told you not to be hard on her. We need her for the Order. She's a seer, and will be very helpful in defeating him."

"She is a nuisance. The girl talks back to me and it takes all my self-restraint not to put her in detention for a week. I don't think we need her badly enough to resort to indulgence," Snape returned.

"Indulgence? We have not been indulging her, Severus. Nicole," I froze, they were talking about ME, "is doing well. There are only a couple of classes she is doing badly in. One is divination, and we all know why that is, Sybil says she isn't trying hard enough. Another is Astronomy, which she could get a tutor in, if absolutely necessary. And the last is Care of Magical Creatures, but that is because none of Hagrid's monsters like her, which is really a good thing when you come to think of it," McGonagall told him.

Snape muttered sarcastically, "Yes Minerva, but we ALL know you don't EVER favor your own house."

"Are you saying that I am being biased?"

"Of course not," Snape retorted sardonically. "I am merely stating that you have made better judgments in the past."

"Excuse me, Severus, but might I remind you that this is a discussion, not a debate," Madam Pomfrey said.

"What're you doing?" Pansy asked from where she was sitting.

"Shush!" I turned around and stumbled backwards, falling down. I scrambled away from the door over to Pansy. I crawled behind the bed she was on and stood up.

The office door opened and Dumbledore stepped out, wearing a bemused expression. "Ah, hello girls. Is there a reason for your visit at this hour?" He consulted a gold pocket watch that was hanging from his belt. "It's nearly ten o' clock."

"Uh, Professor, Pansy hurt her wrists and fell down, so we were wondering if there was anything Madam Pomfrey could do for her."

"Poppy, this girl requires your expertise. If you would please? Severus, Minerva, I think that it would be best for us to head back down to the ball. I promised Professor Sinistra a dance." Snape looked daggers at me and went out the door. Minerva nodded at me and followed after. "Goodnight Miss Stevens, Miss Parkinson." He turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

"Pansy, would you mind if I," I gestured at the door, "go back down? I'll make your excuses if you'd like."

"Don't worry about it. Go ahead and leave."

"Thank you." I hurried out.

Once I reached the Great Hall, I was out of breath from jogging down the corridors. I smoothed my hair, before remembering Kat's charm on it to stay straight. I went in the doors and immediately spotted Harry, who had a bloody nose and was holding a cloth to it.

I ran (literally) over and sat in the chair beside him. "What happened?"

"Oh, you know. The usual tug-of-war for power is all. Malfoy hit me, so I hit him back. He was saying stuff that just made me so--" he made a violent gesture, "mad."

"What'd he say?"

"Said you loved him, not me. I felt that I should probably hit him then, so I did." His voice was dreary.

"Does it hurt?" I indicated his black eye and bloody nose.

"Hmmm....how should I say this? Yes, this hurts! Ow!" I had hit him roughly on the shoulder.

"Stop being rude. I was just asking. Do you want an ice pack?" This was what my mother (whose mother had been a half-blood) had always done when I'd gotten a bruise.

"Yeah."

"You forgot something," I pointed out.

"Please."

"Good boy," I patted his head like he was a child. I went to the snack table off in a corner and put some ice in a couple of napkins. Then I headed back to Harry. He was concentrating on keeping his head tilted back, to stop the blood flow.

I pulled out the chair and sat. "Thanks," he said as I handed him the pack.

"Harry, do you really want to sit here bleeding, in front of everyone?"

"Bugger them."

"Besides, I promised you we'd get some time alone."

"Alright then, let's go." That was the trick. You had to give him something to get what you wanted. In my case, I wanted to go and I had to give him what he wanted, which was me, so everything worked out.

I held his hand and we went up the marble staircase. He pulled me into an empty classroom and shut the door. "Do you know the nice thing?" he asked.

"No."

"This door has a lock."

I laughed and sat down on the desktop. There was the sound of a lock clicking shut, and he walked in front of me and put his arms around my waist. I locked my arms around his neck and let him kiss me. I began to kiss him back.

I pulled away from him and said, "You taste like blood. It's nice."

He laughed softly and pulled me back to him. His lips on mine had to be one of the best sensations in the world. Even the taste of iron didn't matter. So long as we were kissing, blood was as good a taste as any.

I leaned back, never breaking off kissing. He took the hint and climbed on top of the desk with me. Harry pushed me down so I was laying flat on the desk and he lay down partially on me. I smiled, and our teeth nearly ground into each other.

I'm not sure the desk will hold the both of you dear, the voice said.

Get out of my head. Now is not the time.

It is the time though. There is no other better time to intrude on one's thoughts.

"Something wrong?" Harry asked moving up to look at me, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"No, of course not." I pulled him back on me and kissed him hard enough to bruise. My hand grabbed some of the fabric from his robes and I yanked it down, so Harry was laying heavily on me.

I was serious, dear. The desk is not going to last very much longer if you keep this up. I suggest you warn Harry of the fact that combined you weigh over two hundred pounds.

Fine.

"Harry, I don't think the desk'll last five more minutes with us on it."

"Oh, yeah." He rolled of off me and landed on his feet on the ground. I hopped off after him and was very surprised when Harry immediately grabbed my waist and pulled me over to a wooden bench. He sat down and tugged me so I ended up sitting on his lap, with my legs on either side of his thighs. It was odd how things worked out. He kissed me and I unknowingly tilted my head to the side.

I don't know how long we kept that up, but eventually we stopped. I moved off of Harry's lap. He rose and unlocked the door, letting me go out first.

"Well, I got what I wanted," he stated. "And you?"

"Same." He put his arm around my waist.

"Do you want to go back to the ball?"

"No. It was fun, sort of, but I'm tired."

Not surprising, my 'conscience' said.

Do you know how to shut up?

No, actually.

You're going to learn very soon, I told it.

We went to the common room and I said goodbye to Harry. He smiled at me as I walked away. "See you in the morning."

"Yeah."

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I hope you liked it! Thanks to everybody who reviews! I hope everybody likes this! Great! Chapter twelve might take a bit longer, but I'll try to hurry!