My Life is a Movie

Chapter 10: And the Ride Continues

Draco cursed silently as he followed the two hulking figures before him, a disgusted scowl present on his face from having watched the duo messily stuff their faces with pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, and chocolate frogs.

While he had been successful in avoiding Pansy after the meeting, the blond prefect was unfortunate to come across Crabbe and Goyle a few carriages down the train. He spotted his two minions as they exited a nearby compartment, their arms full of sweets that they had apparently just nicked from a couple of third years that were left growling after them. At first, Draco had considered evading the pair so that he could be left alone to sort out everything that was on his mind. However, after noticing the large amount of stolen goodies in their hands, he knew that it would be enough to occupy the two goons for the rest of the journey. Plus, if Pansy were to ever show up they would undoubtedly be there to throw her arse out of the compartment for him. So, after little deliberation, Draco graciously allowed the two to accompany him to his compartment at the back of the train. He even permitted them to walk ahead of him. Although, that also had to do with the fact that he didn't want to be within range of the flying bits of chocolate that tended to shoot out of their mouths as they sucked down their food.

It did not take long for the three Slytherins to reach the rear of the train, and when they did Draco sighed in relief. He intended to spend the rest of the ride figuring out how to get information on Todd and Potter. He had already come to the conclusion that his best bet at finding anything out would be by going after the little Mudblood. Not only did she seem to be the closest to both Todd and Potter equally, but she also appeared to be somewhat absentminded at the moment. Her inattentiveness towards the Heads during the meeting and to her little Gryffindor friend as she was being led out of the compartment proved that. He knew that it would be much easier for him to get information from her without having to work too much, but he still needed to come up with a way to get it out of her.

As Draco walked into the threshold of the last carriage, he was surprised to see the main component of his soon-to-be plan standing in the middle of the corridor. Her back was towards him and she was staring at the floor, but the bush of unruly russet hair was unmistakable. He watched as she suddenly whipped her head up to stare at the redhead standing in front of her, who, at present, was staring back with an accusatory expression in her eyes. Draco decided to move closer in order to hear their conversation.

"You noticed too?" he heard Granger ask in surprise.

"What do you mean 'too'?"

Quite suddenly the view of the two females became blocked by a massive shape of another person. It took Draco about two seconds to remember that he had been following his two housemates, and another two seconds to realise that the two overly large masses were now headed straight towards the Gryffindor duo.

Before the blond could even think about getting out a heads-up, the vast unwieldy figure that was Goyle had forcefully run into the two unsuspecting girls, cutting off whatever it was they were discussing.

Draco moved to one side of the narrow corridor in order to see what had happened. With most of his view cleared he was able to watch as Granger and her belongings got knocked ungracefully to the floor. Mechanically, a few dozen insults came to mind and he contemplated over the one he could use that would supply the most ridicule. However, when the young witch innocently looked up to see who the perpetrator was, all mockery left his head completely.

The brunette's face was flushed with surprise, tinting her checks with a rosy glow that complemented her olive complexion. Her eyes shone brightly as they widened in shock and her brows furrowed in guileless confusion. Her lips parted slightly, obviously searching for words to say, but not finding them.

Draco had no idea why the scene had captivated him so much when it did not appear that she was hurt or embarrassed in any way, but it had still taken much of his self-control to not feel disgusted at the very sight. It's not to say that he found the Mudblood attractive or anything, he just found her expression at the moment rather... intriguing.

"Hey, watch where you're going you skanky dolt!" he heard an aggravated voice yell. Draco tore his eyes away from the figure perched on the floor and looked up to see Goyle being pushed out of the way. The massive Slytherin did not seem to mind, however, as he noisily stuffed yet another piece of pastry down his throat, trailing his fellow duffer into the last compartment to the right.

That left the blond wizard alone in the hallway with the two Gryffindors that were now crouched on the floor, unaware of his company. Rather than helping the girls gather the items that littered the ground, Draco chose to lean lazily against the wall, curious in seeing when his presence would finally be noticed.

The Weasley girl began talking about something or other, but Draco paid little attention to what she was saying. His focus had become consumed by a pile of colorful rectangular parchments scattered a few feet away from him. Curious, he slowly took several steps forward, trying to determine what they were. As he got closer he noticed that there were images of several students wearing Hogwarts uniforms on them. He would have needed to get a closer look to be able to recognize who the students were exactly or even what house they belonged to, but it was clear to him that the small pieces of parchment were in fact photographs. The weird thing about them though was that they didn't move.

A slight chuckle brought Draco out of his investigation, and he looked up to see that Granger had also spotted the photos on the floor. He watched her crawl a few inches towards them, still unaware that he was standing not three feet away. Instinctively, Draco took several swift steps forward, swooped down and grabbed the photos just before her Mudblood's fingers could touch the smooth paper. She gazed up at him with a slight smile on her lips, making him smirk even more.

"Well would you look at that; a Mudblood and a Weasel crawling on the ground. I'm glad the two of you have finally figured out where you belong." Draco sneered explicitly as the two Gryffindor prefects stared back at him, their jaws dropped in surprise. He watched in amusement as their initial shock wore away and was replaced with a mixture of anger, irritation and... fear?

"Malfoy," Granger muttered, acknowledging his presence. She warily eyed the pictures held securely in his hand as she stood up from her crouching position, the female Weasley quickly following suit. The image of the five phony Slytherins could be seen peeking through the openings between the young man's fingers.

Draco raised a pale eyebrow in question when the greeting was not followed by the usual retort. Hmm, what's with the lack of customary insults? he questioned to himself, feeling a tad disappointed. He almost always enjoyed a verbal sparring. Well, only if he won of course.

He had seen how both girls looked from him to the photos in his hand with worried expressions. These things must be valuable, he figured, promptly connecting their fear to the items he held in his hands. I wonder who they're of.

Although he was extremely anxious to find out whom exactly the photos were of, his inherent need for a little cutting banter won over, and he decided that a few minutes of back and forth belittlement wouldn't hurt. It might actually help him clear his mind a bit too.

"Now, now, Granger, is that anyway to greet a superior?" Draco asked in a patronizing tone, hoping his tenor and jibe would bring about at least a few snappy come backs.

The two Gryffindors glared at him silently, contempt evident in both sets of eyes. They looked again from him to the photos and then to each other. Both seemingly contemplating whether or not to retaliate or just grab the photos and make a run for it.

Draco stood smugly as he waited to see which of the females would be first to react. Given normal circumstances, he would have bet that the Mudblood would have already spit out several biting remarks by now. She was the only person he knew that was able to get to him with just a few well chosen words. He wouldn't even be surprised if she used a little physical abuse, considering his past experiences with her. Seeing her now, however, she seemed a little hesitant. Her usual confident and brazen manner currently appeared to be replaced by a contemplative and cautious one.

Slight movement from the corner of his eye caught Draco's attention and he turned his gaze to the youngest Weasley just in time to realise that she was lunging forward to grab at the photos. With his lightning fast reflexes, the Slytherin house seeker was able to move aside and raise the photos above his head, successfully dodging the girl's attempt.

"Give it here, Malfoy, you lousy prat," she growled, jumping up a little to try and reach the photographs.

This pathetic display made Draco want to snicker, but instead he just shook his head and smirked nastily. "I don't think so, mini Weasel," he admonished, bringing his arm back down to his side. Meanwhile, he used his other hand to reach into the inside pocket of his robe and pulled out his wand. "Why on earth would I simply just give these back?" He waved the photos condescendingly in front of them.

Draco was starting to feel quite smug at the moment. The pent up stress and anxiety he had been feeling for the last few months was starting to slowly dwindle away. Not only was his father back and out of prison, but the satisfaction of finally having the upper hand over these worthless Gryffindors was rather appeasing to him, even if the pleasure was simply coming from not giving back a few of their belongings.

In any other typical run in with anyone from their wretched group, Draco would undoubtedly be swearing madly or throwing curses about now. But the truth was that this whole encounter had him feeling rather at ease. In fact, if he were to be completely honest with himself, he might even say that he was having fun taunting the two females.

As he brandished the pictures in front of them, the little redhead shot forward in another foolish attempt to snatch the photos. Draco merely moved the photos out of the way and pointed the tip of his wand to the younger girl's face. "Why you little..."

The tall wizard stepped forward, stopping about a foot away from the Weasley girl. As he peered into her scowling face and defiant, challenging eyes, Draco felt the urge to cast a few minor hexes or jinxes on her just to put her in her place. He knew that he could easily get in several curses before the irritating witch could even reach for her wand to retaliate. He also recalled that Granger's wand had fallen a few feet further down the corridor, making it almost impossible for her to stop him as well.

Just as Draco was about to utter the incantation for the Bat-Bogey Hex (as payback), he felt a gentle pressure on his upper arm that caused him to pause. He glanced down and saw a small feminine hand resting tenderly right above his elbow. He whipped his head around to face Granger, knowing the hand belonged to her (considering she was the only other person in the corridor not including himself or the Weasel).

The brunette witch looked at him expectantly. Her intense cinnamon coloured eyes were filled with concern, apprehension, and a little bit of hope.

At first, the young Slytherin just stared back, unsure of what else to do. He had no idea what Granger wanted or what she was trying to pull. She was gazing at him so impetuously though, that it seemed she was trying to peer directly into his soul, making him feel extremely exposed. She didn't say anything either. She just stared, which caused his discomfort to increase tenfold.

Silence encompassed the corridor for what seemed like an eternity as brown eyes bore into grey, but in actuality the quiet only lasted about several seconds. When Draco finally got his bearings under control he was still feeling a little confused, but he did his best not to let it get to him.

"Get your filthy hand off me, Mudblood!" he shouted, quickly jerking his arm away from the puzzling witch's hold. He pointed his wand at her and sneered.

She flinched slightly at his tone and hurriedly turned her head down. However, he could have sworn he caught a somewhat hurt expression in her eyes before her gaze lowered. Or perhaps it was one of disappointment.

What the bloody hell is wrong with Granger? Draco frowned, ultimately confused. She should be trying to hex me by now, or at least coming back with retorts. Not just standing there feeling wounded because I called her a Mudblood. She never cared about what I said about her before, so why start now? And why does she keep looking at me like that anyway?

"I'm sorry," Granger murmured softly.

Draco stood frozen in total bewilderment. WHAT?! Did Granger just apologise to me? he asked himself, looking at the brunette with scepticism. What in Merlin's name is going on?

He hastily glanced at the other occupant in corridor, interested in seeing how she felt about her fellow housemate's peculiar behavior. The redhead was staring at the older Gryffindor with uncertainty. Surprisingly, she appeared to be nearly as baffled as Draco felt.

He began to contemplate over what action he should partake in that would resolve any of this irregularity.

Should I yell at her again? No. I don't want to see her make that weird cringing face she just made. It's too strange to see her react that way. Maybe I should accept her apology? Yeah right! Where the hell did that thought come from? He considered briefly that he might be able to simply walk away, but that thought was almost immediately crushed. A Malfoy is never the first to walk away. I guess I could just curse her, he decided finally.

The sound of a slight gasp brought Draco out of his musings. He turned back to face the confusing witch, his wand still poised in her direction. Her head was now up and her gaze was focused on something somewhere behind him.

"Petrificus Totalus!"

***

"Are you girls all right?" Harry inquired. He was standing in the middle of the constricted hallway, looking at the girls with concern. Promptly stuffing his wand back into his pocket, he rushed forward to check on them. Ron, Neville, Seamus, and Dean followed closely behind him.

Hermione stood where she was, watching the boys as they made their way towards them. Her mind was muddled with hundreds of thoughts and she couldn't quite bring herself to move forward. She felt a presence stir next to her and she turned her head slightly to see Ginny studying her inquisitively. The brunette returned her gaze sheepishly for several seconds before returning her focus to the boys.

"What happened?" Harry asked when he reached them. "Did that stupid ferret try to hex you?"

"No. Malfoy was just being his annoying, slimy self," Ginny responded, rolling her eyes to emphasize her annoyance. By that time the other four boys had reached them and were gathered around the two girls.

"So what happened?" Seamus asked. "We could hear Malfoy yelling at Hermione all the way from our compartment." Everyone looked at Hermione, seeking an answer.

The usually self-assured witch fidgeted uncomfortably under their gaze. She wasn't actually sure she knew what had transpired mere seconds ago between them and the Slytherin in question. At the time, everything was happening way too quickly for her to even register all that was going on. She barely had time to think. She just... acted. And now she was starting to realise that her actions had been a little too rash.

"Well," Ginny started, sensing the unease her friend was feeling. "Hermione and I were talking in the corridor, minding our own business when Crabbe and Goyle came bounding in. I suppose they didn't see us because they were too busy finishing off the entire contents of the lunch trolley." She twisted her face in disgust as she recalled the image of Crabbe with pastry crumbs and chocolate smeared all over his face (and most of his shirt), and continued. "Anyway, one of those brainless trolls ran into Hermione and all her things fell out of her book bag, so we started picking everything up. I guess Malfoy was behind us, because when Hermione turned around to pick up the photos, he was there and was able to grab them before she could. Then he started talking abou-"

"Wait, he grabbed the photos?" Ron asked, his voice filled with worry.

Ginny nodded.

"Did he look at them?" Harry questioned earnestly.

"No. I don't think so. If he did, he'd be too surprised to even breathe," she reasoned. Ginny thought for a moment then joked, "But you know, now that I think about it, maybe we should just show them to him. He'd die of shock if saw that picture of Hermione and To-"

"Grass!" Harry interrupted loudly. He shot the redhead a warning look and jerked his head subtly towards Neville who was standing next him, hoping she would understand what he was trying to communicate. He sighed in relief when he saw the look of realisation in her eyes.

"Er yeah... grass," Ginny stated awkwardly. "Hermione and grass." She couldn't help but make a face that suggested that even she didn't believe what she just said.

"Why would Malfoy be shocked at seeing a picture of Hermione and grass?" Neville asked in a bewildered tone. "He sees that all the time at Hogwarts."

"Hey, Hermione, is that your wand?" Ron interrupted (helpfully for once). He pointed to a wooden stick on the floor several feet behind them.

Hermione stared at Ron for a moment as she tried to register what he had just asked. She had been too busy thinking about why she had acted the way she did with Malfoy that she almost didn't hear his question. I should have thought it through a little more, she scolded herself. She was starting to feel a tad regretful for not having been wholly prepared, like she usually was, before taking action. What if Malfoy starts getting suspicious? Ugh! Of course he's going to get suspicious. I just apologised to him for crying out loud! Damn it! I knew I should have talked to someone about it first.

Ending her internal debate and mentally taking note to talk to Ginny, Harry and Ron about it, she twisted around to see where Ron was pointing.

"Yes, it is my wand," Hermione admitted when she saw that it was indeed her wand on the floor. She turned back to the others, a blank look occupying her face.

"Why don't I just get that for you then," Dean volunteered when she made no move in getting it.

"Oh, yeah... thanks."

After Dean had retrieved the wand and handed it back to its owner, he, Neville and Seamus left in search of Terry Boot. Apparently Terry owed Seamus 10 galleons after losing a bet on a recent Quidditch match between the Kestrels and the Harpies.

That left Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione behind to debate over what they should do with the loathsome ferret's body. They knew the spell would eventually wear off soon, and they didn't intend on being around him when it did.

Ron immediately recommended that they chuck the blond out a window or off the back of the train, insisting that they'd be doing the entire Wizarding world a favor by getting rid of his pathetic arse. Eventually though, they decided that it would be best to just leave the Slytherin where he was. It wouldn't be long until they reached the station at Hogsmeade (about another two to three hours) and they knew Malfoy wouldn't be bothering them for the rest of the day. He most likely wouldn't want to show his face in front of them for awhile. At least until he was able to think of something worth threatening them with, which usually took some time.

So, ignoring Ron's suggestions of setting off a few dungbombs in Malfoy's pocket before they left, the four Gryffindors began to make their way back to their compartment, with Harry stopping briefly to pry the photos out of Malfoy's petrified hands.

Although Hermione still felt a bit awkward from her uncharacteristic-like actions from earlier, she couldn't help but get in one last peak at the motionless body lying on the floor. As she took in his long lean form, white-blond hair, and sharp facial features, she couldn't help but notice again how much Malfoy and Todd looked exactly the same.

Well, except for the eyes, she corrected herself, smiling slightly as she recalled the way Todd would look at her with his warm blue eyes. But Malfoy's are still a beautiful shade. If only they weren't so cold and angry all the time.

Unconsciously shifting her gaze to said eyes, Hermione was surprised to see the lack of malevolence radiating from them like there usually was. Instead, they seemed to be returning her gaze broodingly, a touch of worry evident. Although he couldn't move his head, Malfoy's eyes followed her unwaveringly until she was out of his range of sight. Feeling timid, she looked away and continued following her friends down the hall, all the while wondering if her speculations could actually be true.

As soon as Hermione stepped into their compartment she heard the door shut behind her.

"OK, Hermione, what's going on?" Ginny asked, wasting no time in getting straight to the point. "What were you thinking?"

Knowing exactly what the younger girl was referring to, Hermione sat down and sighed. Although she was confident that she could fully explain her questionable actions from earlier, she was still a little hesitant. She knew that the motive behind her actions was perfectly logical and sensible to her, but she was afraid that her friends would somehow disagree. Actually, there was no doubt in her mind that they would disagree; she just needed to find a way to change that.

"Before I tell you what I was thinking, can I please just ask you all to have an open mind about what I have to say?" Hermione asked. "I know my intentions might seem a little ridiculous at first, but just hear me through, all right?" She looked around the room to see if everyone understood.

Both Harry and Ron seemed a little confused at this. They weren't aware of what Ginny was talking about in the first place when she asked Hermione what she was thinking. But by the imperious tone of the redhead's voice and the demure manner of the brunette's, they figured that whatever it was must be serious. They nodded in response to Hermione's question though, and she smiled back at them to show her appreciation.

"This isn't about what we were discussing right before those two idiots ran into you is it?" Ginny inquired, an accusatory expression once again gracing her face.

"Well... yes, but -"

Ginny scoffed. "You can't actually believe that gash, Hermione! I mean think about it. We're talking about Malfoy here! The corrupt, prejudice, whiny little ferret whose Father is not only a Death Eater, but You-Know-Who's right hand man."

"Yes, I know," Hermione replied carefully. "But why do you suppose he acts that way?"

"'Cause he's a Malfoy. That's how Malfoy's are."

"Exactly! Malfoy's like that because that's how his father taught him to be. That whole pureblooded ideology has been drilled into him since he was born and that's probably all he knows. But n-"

"Which is all the more reason to believe that Malfoy will never turn good," Ginny insisted. "That's all he's ever been taught. It's his way of life. There is no possible way that Malfoy will ever stop being his selfish, evil, pretentious self."

"Can you just hear me out?" the older witch requested firmly, a bit miffed by the interruption.

"Wait a minute," Harry said, joining in on the conversation. He looked at Hermione dubiously. "Are you trying to say that you think Malfoy is going to turn good somehow?"

"Yes, but you guys-"

"What?!" Ron cried out, finally understanding what everyone was talking about. "You think Malfoy is going to switch sides or something? What the bloody hell-"

"Would you just listen to me for a minute?!" Hermione snapped, letting out a growl of frustration. It was no surprise that her friends were reluctant in believing that there was an actual chance that Malfoy would change his ways and 'turn good'. After all, it had taken days upon days of reading, researching and analyzing on Hermione's part to even consider the theory plausible. But all she was asking for right now was for them to just let her explain herself before they started in on all their allegations.

The room remained silent after Hermione's tiny outburst, so she used it to her advantage. "Look, I know this may seem a little unlikely-"

"Ha!"

"OK, very unlikely," Hermione admitted. "But let me just say what I have to say first, and then you can go ahead and tell me how crazy you all think I am."

"Fine," Ginny conceded. "We're listening."

***

"How does it go?"

"I dunno. Just do it."

Draco lay still as the two hoarse voices continued their conversation. It had been about two minutes after the group of Gryffindors left him to rot in the corridor when Crabbe and Goyle had exited their compartment to go looking for him. Or was it the lunch trolley they were looking for? In any case, he had been stuck listening to the two halfwits try and figure out how to revive him from the wretched body bind for over five minutes and he could literally feel himself slowly going mad.

"What do I do?" Goyle grunted.

"Say the spell."

"Which one?"

"The one that will fix him," Crabbe replied logically.

"How does it go?"

There was a slight pause and then Crabbe answered, "I dunno. Just do it."

Draco tensed inwardly. He wanted so badly to scream his arse off to his two henchmen. 'Finete Incantatem', you stupid idiots! he shouted in his head. Honestly, even first years know the damn spell!

"Fine," Goyle said, looking down at the rigid body. He moved forward until he was directly above Draco. Bending over slightly so that he could easily aim his wand at the blond's face, he took one breath and opened his mouth to cast a spell.

Draco's eyes widened with terror as he watched the large Slytherin point his wand directly in front of his face. Oh fuck! Draco cursed before willing his body with all his might to get the hell out of the way.

"Reparo!" Goyle muttered, waving his wand in some sort of complex motion.

Before the stream of gold sparks could hit Draco right between the eyes, however, the effects of the full body bind had thankfully worn off and he was able to roll out of the way. Unfortunately he collided with the wall of the corridor instead.

"Ugh..." Draco moaned, rubbing the side of his head that had hit the wall. When the pain had subsided considerably, he sat up and glared at his two idiotic companions. "What are you smiling at?" he demanded.

"I fixed you," Goyle answered simply with a silly grin on his face.

"You fixed me?" Draco spat disbelievingly as he got up from the floor. "You didn't fix me. You bloody well almost killed me, that's what you did."

Goyle's proud grin left his face completely and was replaced with a frown. He looked over to Crabbe, wondering what it was that he had done wrong. However, his fellow comrade was too busy licking off the remnants of chocolate from his fingers to pay him any mind. "Sorry Malfoy," Goyle mumbled guiltily.

Draco rolled his eyes and started for the compartment. He really wasn't in the mood to put up with any of this at the moment. Not only did he have the Todd/Potter thing to worry about, but the whole Granger thing was starting to get way too confusing as well. Shit! I should have looked at those photos when I had chance. I bet those have something to do with it, he reasoned, remembering the way Weasley and Potter had sounded worried when they thought he had seen them. I need to find out what the Mudblood's trying to pull, he told himself. There has to be a reason she's acting so peculiarly. And what the hell was up with that smile she gave me before she left? All Draco wanted to do right now was get to his compartment and think. Hopefully he'll have this all figured out very soon.

"Hey Malfoy," Crabbe grunted roughly.

"What?" Draco asked harshly, still making his way to the compartment.

"I think you dropped something."

"I didn't drop anything," Draco insisted, not bothering to turn around.

"But this one's got your picture on it."

Draco stopped in his tracks. "What are you on about?" he asked, turning around.

Crabbe and Goyle were looking at something in Crabbe's hand, and both had confused expressions on their face. This normally wouldn't be any surprise, but this time it had managed to spark an interest in Draco.

The blond wizard just stared at them, pondering over whether or not he should investigate whatever it was they were looking at.

"I didn't know you were friends with the Mudblood," Crabbe stated when they were done examining the object. He held out his hand so Draco could take what was in it.

"You guys look cute though," Goyle commented off-handedly.

Draco shot Goyle an incredulous glance before he moved forward to take the item from Crabbe, or more accurately, the items. Curious, he looked down to study the smooth pieces of parchment he was just handed.

Recognizing what they were Draco asked, "Where did you find these?"

"On the floor where you were lying down," Crabbe answered.

Hmm, I must have dropped some of the photographs before I fell, the quick-thinking Slytherin concluded reasonably. That sense of self-satisfaction that he had been feeling earlier was starting rise up again and he couldn't help the smirk that was tugging at his lips.

The first image appeared to be of some outdoor area, probably somewhere outside of Hogwarts. Hogsmeade, perhaps? Draco wasn't actually sure. All he could see in the motionless image was several students he didn't know who were standing around near some trees. There were also a couple of other people in the background carrying an assortment of strange objects he had never seen before. The second picture looked to be of the same place, but this one didn't have any people in it. Instead, some sort of white building could be seen in the midst of the tress. The weird thing about the building though, was that it had wheels attached to the bottom of it. There was also a sign on the door that read 'cast trailer'.

Draco found himself frowning. What the hell is a cast trailer? he wondered. Mentally deciding to look that up later, he turned to the last image. So this is what they didn't want me to see.

Looking back at him was an image of himself. Well, not himself, but someone who looked an awful lot like him. Draco studied Todd's likeness carefully. He had forgotten how similar they actually looked. No wonder the Weasley girl said I would die of shock if I saw this, he thought to himself. If I hadn't known anything about Todd I would have thought this was me and I'd probably kill myself for actually having my arm around a Mudblood.

It was then that Draco switched his attention to the other person in the picture. There was something off about her, but he couldn't seem to place it. Of course it did seem a bit unsettling to see Granger smiling happily with an arm around a guy that looked exactly like him, but Draco had seen her like that at the Leaky Cauldron (not to mention sporadically when the image would randomly pop up in his mind), so that couldn't be it. Maybe it's her hair, he concluded hesitantly, not actually sure he believed that. It seems less... appalling. Well, it still looks horrendous, just not so much.

"Malfoy, I think we should change into our school robes now," Goyle suggested, bringing Draco out of his analysis.

He looked up to see Crabbe and Goyle trying to rub the chocolate off their shirts and brush all the crumbs off their clothes. He scowled at them disgustedly and watched for several seconds before he pointed his wand at them to cast a scouring charm.

Both boys stared down at their now spotless clothes in wonderment. They then turned to each other with looks of awe on their faces as if they didn't know how their garments had suddenly been cleaned.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You two go put on your robes," he instructed. "But try not to get anything on them."

Nodding fervently they headed off towards their compartment. Draco stood there watching them until they disappeared through the door.

How daft can you get? he wondered, shaking his head in disbelief. He peered down at the picture one last time and was about to stuff them into his pocket when something caught his eye. He stared at the image of Granger and frowned, finally realising what it was that was amiss about her. Why is she wearing a Slytherin robe? Wait, why are they both wearing Slytherin robes?