From Friendship, True Love Springs

Harry Potter six

Draco sat in the Slytherin common room playing chess. He was not playing with Crabbe and Goyle however, but a 5th year pupil called Solicius Theodore who had recently bragged to the entire Slytherin common room that he could beat anyone at chess. That made him the perfect opponent for Draco.

He was good and could think fast. But he was no match for Draco, who from an early age, had been taught wizard chess.

Today, Draco's mind was not on the chess. It was on Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

They were driving him mad. He was crazy about Hermione. But so was Ron.

Draco Malfoy had never in his life been denied anything he wanted. So he was furious that cheap little red-head Ron Weasley was even a serious contender for something Draco Malfoy desired so badly.

"Checkmate!" called Solicius suddenly. "You lose!"

It was the first time Draco had ever lost. He stood up angrily and walked away.

Divination lessons always seemed to come round too fast for Harry. He sat in the same old place he always sat, Ron opposite. Professor Tralawney fluttered to the front of the classroom.

"Today class, as preparation for your exams, we are going to re-do something we did some years ago. We are going to read teacups."

There was a groan as the class moved to the sink to collect a teacup. "I haven't forgotten dear," Professor Tralawney said to Neville Longbottom, "Choose a blue as I'm rather attached to the pink."

Harry and Ron returned to their seats each clutching a teacup, Harry's pink, Ron's blue. They sat down and drank. There were only dregs left which they swilled around the cup. After all this was done, they swapped cups. Ron flipped open his copy of Unfogging The Future.

"What can you see, Ron?" asked Harry.

Ron gazed into the pink cup and tried to remember the last time. "Erm, that's an acorn. Ohh good for you, Harry, you're going to receive some money. "

"My turn," said Harry. He inspected the blue teacup. "There's a sort of cat animal, more of a kitten really." He checked his book. "That's means that love is on the horizon."

"Give me that." Ron reached for and grabbed the teacup. He looked hard at it. "I don't think it's a kitten really, more of a..."

Professor Trelawney leaned over and took the cup off Ron. "Let me see dear, I will interpret correctly." She turned the cup in her hands. "Hmm, I see bad times for you ahead my dear." Then she stopped and let out a gasp.

"No," she said. She put the cup down on the table and backed away.

"What is it, Professor Trelawney?" asked Ron.

"It is," gasped Professor Trelawney, "The Grim!"

"I've got the Grim?" said Ron puzzled.

"You, dear?" replied Professor. "It is Harry that has the Grim. After all it is his cup."

"It's my cup," said Ron. "I've got the Grim. I was just checking my cup."

Professor Trelawney looked disappointed.

"I am most sorry, dear, I must have read it wrong." She picked up the cup and examined it closely. "Ahhh, I see now. My dear it is not the Grim."

"That's good, " said Ron brightly "What is it then."

"It's a horse," she turned the cup in her hands, "Yes I can see it. "

"What does it mean then?"

"It is not good my dear. The horse represents bad luck, maybe failing a test or losing money."

The bell rang at the moment so she gave the cup back to Ron, who rolled his eyes at Harry. They both washed up their cups and left the classroom. As they walked to the library, Harry and Ron discussed the Divination lesson.

"Did you see her face when she realised that cup was mine? She looked really fed up."

They both laughed

As they walked round the, they could hear raised voices. Ron looked at Harry puzzled.

Hermione was standing in the middle of the corridor, arguing with Malfoy. He looked furious about something.

"I'm sorry Draco, I really am," Hermione was saying.

Harry and Ron reached them. Harry had a funny feeling he knew what this was about.

"What's going on?" asked Ron as they stopped next to Malfoy.

Draco turned away from Hermione and looked at them. "Oh look who it is," he sneered.

"Draco," said Hermione warningly.

Draco ignored her. "So this is who you dumped me for, is it?" he laughed. "This piece of filth."

"Who are you calling filth," yelled Harry and lunged for Malfoy. Ron grabbed him and stopped him.

"Ron, what did you do that for?" asked Harry.

"Malfoy," said Ron, "did you say she dumped you?"

"No Weasley, we split up. It was a mutual decision. No one dumps Draco Malfoy."

Upon seeing the look in Ron's eyes, he smiled. "Oh yes, I forgot. You thought she liked you, didn't you? Well, I'm sorry Weasel, but I'm the one she wants."

"Hardly likely, Malfoy, if she's dumping you," said Harry coldly.

"She is not dumping me, we're splitting up. Anyway, what I meant to say was I'm the one she evidently prefers to that loser and its not hard to see why."

Ron wasn't listening to Draco and Harry. He looked straight at Hermione and said, "Hermione."

Hermione looked at him with big unhappy eyes and whispered, "Oh Ron."

"Is it true?"

Hermione looked at the ground and after a little while, she replied, "Yes."

That was all Ron needed. At her answer he turned on his heel and ran. He didn't know where he was running to, he just wanted to be alone.

He ran out of breath and stopped in a coridor somewhere. He didn't know where he was. He leaned against the wall trying to get his breath back. His head was spinning and feelings of pain and rejection were washing over him.

He felt like he was going to cry and so he buried his face in his hands so that no one passing would see.

"Ron!"

Ron turned around to see Hermione standing behind him. Despite what she had done to him, Ron still felt something for her. Then he noticed Harry stood behind her and behind him, he noted with misery was Draco.

"Why have you followed me Hermione?" asked Ron despairingly. "To taunt me?"

Hermione looked shocked. "No Ron never. Ron I'm sorry."

"You've already said that."

At that moment Pansy Parkinson and a group of her Slytherin friends passed by. Catching sight of Ron, Harry, Hermione and Draco her eyes narrowed into slits. She and her friends walked a little further down the corridor and then stopped to have a conversation. Pansy, Harry noticed, kept her eyes on Draco and the little group all the time.

Hermione took a deep breath and said, "I dumped him for you, Ron."

From behind Harry, Ron heard Draco's voice mutter, " I wasn't dumped."

Hermione turned to him and said, "Please, Draco, I'm trying to talk to Ron."

"I'm not going away," muttered Draco, "I'm staying put."

"Hermione ignored him and turned back to Ron. "Ron, I like you."

"Yeah. As a friend", said Ron darkly.

"No, Ron not as a friend. More than that."

She offered her hand to Ron and her slipped his hand into hers.

"Ron, I was stupid to even look at Draco twice. I shouldn't have, especially when I've got someone like you. I am so sorry, Ron."

Ron's face brightened, "You mean..."

Hermione smiled, "I care about you, Ron."

Ron smiled back at her.

"HOW COULD YOU PREFER THAT STUPID WEASLEY TO ME?"

Both Ron and Hermione looked up at Draco who looked furious.

At the sound of his voice, Pansy Parkinson left her group of friends and hurried over to him.

Ron and Hermione had by now got over Draco's interruption now wandered off hand in hand somewhere. Harry smiled inwardly to himself at how well things turned out.

"Harry, good luck for your match against Slytherin tomorrow."

It was Cho Chang. Harry smiled back at her. Then he remembered.

"I've got to go to Quidditch practice"

Draco, who was now being consoled by Pansy who was telling him that, that stupid mudblood didn't deserve him, that she was perfect for him and they should get together, looked up in shock.

"Oh no! I've missed Quidditch practice."

Both Harry and Cho Chang laughed. "Too late now. I don't think your team will be pleased. They can't practise without a seeker," said Harry.

He then walked off off to fetch his broomstick, laughing quietly at Draco. On his way he passed the rest of the Slytherin Quidditch team who were looking extremely cross.

Harry was pleased. If his team were angry at him, it served him right.

THE END