Tutoring A Dragon

Yelling, Bruising, and a Big Meeting

Ron, Harry, and Ginny were walking down to the Great Hall, with Ron in between Harry and Ginny, who were making eyes at each other. When suddenly a loud, sweet voice called out from their right. "Ron! Ronniekins! You left this in the common room," exclaimed Padma Patil, running up to them.

"What?" asked Ron looking her up and down.

"This," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and laying one on him.

Catcalls and wolf whistles came from all around as Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs made their way to breakfast.

Harry and Ginny, who noticed that Ron was a tad occupied, tiptoed away.

After they'd made sure they'd gotten away, Harry stopped, leaning up against the stone wall. "Wow," he said.

"To think," Ginny said, standing beside him, "that Ickle Ronniekins has finally found a girl. And a respectable one to boot." She looked over at Harry. "What she sees in him, I haven't a clue. What about you, how d'you feel?" She tipped her head on his shoulder.

Instinctively, he put his arm round her shoulders. "Well, since I slept on it," he grinned, "I think I realize that Hermione and I wouldn't have worked out. So," he shrugged, "I guess I'll have to find someone else. Anyway, are you ready for breakfast?" He held out his hand and she slipped her tiny one into his larger appendage. "My lady," he said, bowing.

"Good sir," she said, curtsying.

They made their way down the corridor. Unfortunately, the direction they'd gone had led them right to the base of the Astronomy Tower. Also unfortunately, Hermione and Draco had barely made it out of their common room without kissing. They were currently standing beside the closed portrait hole to their quarters kissing.

"Hi, Hermione!" called Ginny, chirpily.

Hermione and Draco seemed to not hear them, and continued their display of affection.

"Hermione," said Ginny loudly. "We're going to be late for breakfast. Are you and Romeo coming or not?"

"Bloody, sodding hell Ginny," said Harry angrily. "Let's leave the humping rabbits to themselves. After all, they certainly don't care for anyone else." He pulled Ginny after him. She waved goodbye over her shoulder to Hermione and Draco, who were still in their own world, strolling with their hands twined, gazing into each other's eyes.

"Fuck 'em," Ginny heard Harry mutter.

~*~

When Harry made it to the giant staircase that led into the Entrance Hall, he stopped dragging Ginny. "Sorry, Gin," he said, taking her hands in his. "I-I don't know what came over me. It-It's just to see her with Malfoy is just too much right now." He pulled her to him. "And you, you've been so supportive. And understanding. You've been a true friend to me, and so much more. Forgive me?" His emerald green eyes poured into her sapphire ones. "Please?" he said, in a small, pathetic tone.

She smiled up at him through her lashes. "Of course, Harry. Anything, anytime." He grinned, and kissed her hands.

"Now," he said, twining his fingers through hers, "let's go get some breakfast."

They walked into the Great Hall, smiling broadly. Ron was sitting at the close end of the table, facing the Ravenclaw table, a dreamy look on his face. Suddenly, he looked up, as if he had been watching the doors from the corner of his eye, and stood up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled. Some of the chatter in the Hall stopped. "Leave off my sister, Harry! I won't have you corrupting her!"

"Ron!" exclaimed two voices. Heads turned as Hermione, who was sitting noticeably farther down the table from Ron, and Ginny took on the very purple Weasley. Unnoticed, Padma Patil got up from her table and slid over to stand beside Ron.

"Ronald Weasley, what do you think you're doing? Yelling at Harry in the middle of the Great Hall like that?" said Hermione, who had come over, glaring at Ron.

He stared at her. Shaking his index finger at her he yelled back, "Oh, and I suppose snogging Draco Malfoy every night is any better than yelling at someone in the- What Padma?" he said, exasperated, looking down at his girlfriend and Prefect partner.

"Confrontation in front of a large group about your insecurities is not a good idea, Ron," she quietly reminded him.

"I wish you weren't that sensible," he muttered. He looked up at his two former best friends. "I suppose we can continue this after breakfast," he said, resigned.

"In my quarters," said Hermione firmly, before going back to her seat.

Harry and Ginny shrugged and made their way to the far end of the Gryffindor table to eat their breakfast.

~*~

Hermione sat, toying with her pancakes. Why did everyone have to make such a huge fuss over Draco? She looked up to see Draco smiling reassuringly. He gave her a small wave and glared at Zyrius Leiveir, who had said something smart to him, most likely about her. Hermione sighed, and picked up a slice of bacon. Chewing on it, she wrapped five more in a napkin and went back to her quarters, to get ready for the "meeting" later.

~*~

"So, you and the Mudblood smart-arse, eh Malfoy?" drawled Zyrius Leiveir, over his cinnamon-sprinkled oatmeal. "Thought you could do better than that."

"Shut the hell up, Leiveir, or I'll be forced to move you mouth to the place that does the thinking for you. And," he said, picking up a knife, and tipping it in between his fingers, "if you insult Hermione anymore, I'll do it without magic." Draco grinned at the scared Seventh year, and got up from the table. "Oh, wait," he said. "I forgot to put this away." He threw the knife. It whizzed through the air, burying itself two inches into the oak table. It had landed right in front of Zyrius Leiveir, who gulped, turning white.

~*~

Meanwhile, Ron was still staring across the Hall at his ladylove, Padma Patil. Her twin was seated catty-corner to him, rolling her eyes.

"Honestly, Lav," she said to her best friend, Lavender Brown. "You'd think they hadn't seen each other in weeks, or even years, not minutes or hours." She lowered her voice to a dull roar; "You should have seen them this morning, making out in that corridor three halls down from the Ravenclaw common room!" She giggled, and Ron frowned at her. She was disturbing his thoughts.

"Shut up, Parvati," he grumbled. He looked down at his toast, and started eating, his eyes hardly leaving Padma's.

~*~

Harry and Ginny ate in silence, until Ginny broke it.

"Are you going to go to the 'meeting'?" she asked Harry, biting into a strawberry.

He watched the juice dribble down her chin. Shaking himself, he answered, "Yes, I think I should. Will you come with me? I don't think Ron will kill me if you're there, and you'll have to hold my robes so I don't kill Malfoy." He grinned cheekily at her and she, in turn, rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes you're as bad as the twins," she said, laughing. She moved so her mouth was by his ear, "But sometimes that's not too bad." She rose from the table. "See you at the meeting," she called over her shoulder.

Harry grinned, and just finished his toast.

~*~

Meanwhile, in the Astronomy Tower, Hermione was pacing around her common room, wringing her hands.

"What a to-do, what a to-do!" she said, nervously. "What am I going to do?"

Strong, warm arms wrapped around her middle. Draco whispered comforting things into her ears as he steered her over to a couch. Sitting her down, he proceeded to massage her shoulders with a vengeance.

After a bit, Draco sat down beside Hermione and cupped her face in his hands.

"It'll be fine," he said. "Everything will turn out right, in the end."

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Draco stood up and went to answer it. It was Ginny, who held in her hand a large black bag.

"She needs makeup. Stat," Ginny stated, moving past Draco and grabbing Hermione's arm and pulling her up to her chambers.

The next guests were Ron and Padma, who were holding hands. Padma looked strained, as if something was paining her.

"Ron," she hissed, "You're hurting me. Loosen your grip."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized loosening his cinch-like grip on the petite brunette's hand. She rubbed the throbbing appendage, to bring circulation back into it.

Soon after this, Harry came in, glared at Draco and Ron, and stomped across the large, circular room to sit in a squishy red-and-gold striped couch.

A half an hour after that, Hermione and Ginny came down from the bedroom, looking refreshed. Hermione's hair had been put up into a bun. She smelled like an exotic flower, and had even put on lipstick. Ginny joined Harry on the couch.

There were three couches that faced one another in that room. One was red- and-gold striped, which was occupied by Harry and Ginny; another was blue- and-silver striped, which was where Padma and Ron were seated; the last was green-and-silver, which was where Draco was sitting. All of these couches could hold at least three people if not more.

Hermione looked around at each couch. Ron glared and her. Harry spread his legs, while Ginny whacked his shoulder. Draco scooted over and patted the seat beside him. She joined her boyfriend on the couch.

"Now," she said. "Let's get the ball rolling, shall we?"