Gone Awry

The Great Hall fell silent when Draco and Ash entered. They could feel their peers staring at them as they made their way across the room to the seats Tracy and Blaise had reserved for them. Once they sat down a low murmur erupted as people told each other what had happened and what others had heard and made up.

"Hey you two," Ash smiled ignoring the stares and the talks.

Her friends smiled up at them. "These people are so annoying!" Blaise growled.

"Oh, that's not true. I find it quite entertaining to see them all guessing like that and making up their rumours..." Tracy smiled to herself.

"But its annoying how they walk up to us the whole time asking us the most absurd questions and what happened. I could -" Blaise went on, but Tracy interrupted him.

"Uh! Wanna know the best rumour I've heard so far?" Draco and Ash looked at each other and nodded. "Well, there is this one rumour that some Hufflepuff came up with, saying that the two of it were caught by Pansy having sex in the snow in front of the haunted house and that she was so angry that she freaked out and attacked you - hurting you so bad that you had to be send off to the infirmary."

Ash and Draco had tears in their eyes from laughing so hard once the story finished. "Wow" Ash said, chocking on her laughter, "Pansy? Hurt - us? As if she could even harm one of my hairs if I presented it to her. And anyway, she would never hurt her little Dracie-Poo," she added pinching Dracos cheek when she said Pansy little nickname.

"Hey, don't underestimate her," Tracy warned.

"I'm not. I'm actually overestimating her already." Ash returned with an sly look on her face. Tracy just shook her head.

"What other rumours are flying around?" Ash asked, hoping to move away from the topic of Pansy.

"Well, none quite as good as the other one, but still entertaining. There's one about you tormenting a small little puppy, until the mother dog came and attacked you."

"What do these people think of us?" Ash asked shocked. "First I'm a slut and then I'm a cruel person that could hurt an innocent little doggy? What else is there? Any of the rumour suggesting that I'm actually a man in disguise?"

"Nope, haven't heard any of those yet." Tracy answered. "But there was one about Draco being a girl in disguise."

"Your joking, right? Right?" Draco asked with eyes as big as plates and mouth hanging ajar.

Tracy laughed and nodded, "this time I actually am."

Relieved Draco let his head hang. "Never joke about something like that again. It's not funny." He was voted wrong however by the laughter of his friends.

"Your face-" Ash gasped between two of her laughing fits.

"-was worth it!" Blaise ended her sentence and finally their laughter ebbed away and was rekindled again by a couple of other rumours and jokes. Throughout the evening Ash felt as if everything was turning back to normal, even forgetting what happened every now and again.

After dinner, Ash's voice was gone due to all the laughing and talking and her stomach felt as if it was ready to burst, thanks to all the delicious foods she had stuffed into herself.

They were just about to leave the room when a voice called out for them to wait. A few seconds later Ron appeared in front of them panting. "Thanks for waiting."

"No problem." Ash told him smiling.

"I wanted to ask if you're alright." Ash nodded an affirmative. "Also... I - I wanted to say sorry for being such an ass to you the past weeks I really had no right. We're still family, right?"

"Correct," Ash said pulling her cousin into an hug and giving him a kiss on the cheek. When they pulled apart Ron tensed a bit and looked at Draco - who looked back, confused.

"Thanks for being there and protecting her. I guess your not the spineless git I always thought you to be," Ron told him.

"Sure..." Draco said confused while Ash hit her cousins arm and laughed. Hugging Ron one last time they separated and went to their common room.

"What was that?" a bewildered Draco asked once Ron was out of sight.

"I think that was a failed attempt at being nice to you."

"Why would he do that?" Draco asked shocked.

"Well, because he heard what happened and thought it nice of you to save me from that bastards curse."

"Alright..." Draco shook his head.

"Be happy that he didn't try to hug you," Tracy whispered making him flinch at the thought.

"You guys are impossible." Ash told them as they reached the common room wall, adding "Lime Drops" to open the wall.

Once they entered they went over to their usual seats in front of the window, where Theodore, Daphne and Pansy where already sitting. As the saw them coming, Theodore smiled at them and the two girls sent Ash glares that where meant to kill - thank merlin they couldn't.

"Now I know what I was missing the whole time during dinner!" Ash whispered into Blaise's ear.

"What?" he asked confused.

"The burning glares of my two BFF's." Ash told him with sarcasm dripping from every word making Blaise chuckle.

When they sat down Pansy came over to Draco and tried to sit on his lab. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh Dracie, I just wanted to tell you that I forgive you."

"Forgive me what?"

"Oh you know, telling me to shut up and leave. I understand that you were having a bad moment and that you didn't mean it."

"I really did mean it, you were annoying me to no end." he told her.

"But Draco, I love you."

"That's nice of you."

"Is that all you have to say?"

"Yeah, what else should I say?"

"Well, how about that you love me as well."

"That would be a lie," Draco told her with absolutely no emotion in his voice.

Tears appeared in her eyes when she jumped up and stared at Draco in shock. "But...But..." she tried saying something before she stopped and looked next to Draco at Ash. "It's all your fault you little whore!" she screeched and in a fit of rage jumped at the other female. "You bitch took him away from me! You and your shinning blond hair and those big green eyes."

The tears where now showering over Pansy's face as she tore at Ash's hair. In return Ash tried to push the girl off and then started slapping the attacking girl when she couldn't get her off. Quickly the people around them got up and tried to prise Pansy off of Ash.

After a minute of struggle they finally managed and Pansy ran into the dorm rooms to cry. Daphne followed her after sending Ash another death glare and saying "You little boyfriend stealing whore; first Blaise and now Draco - don't you have any morals? Better watch your back you little bitch, we'll get you back for this. Believe me."

"What was that just now?" Ash asked after the girls had vanished. All of them shook their heads. "Wait. Did she just say boyfriend stealer? First Blaise, now Draco?" Turning to Blaise she asked "You had a girlfriend?"

"Nope."

"I think she meant her marking him as hers." Tracy suggested helpfully.

Nodding she turned to Draco. "Pansy's your girlfriend?"

"Not that I know of." Ash nodded.

"Why do I always get falsely accused of stuff?" Ash pouted. "First as an slut, then as a dog terrorizer and now as an boyfriend stealer."

The others just shrugged still a bit perplex of this evenings events. "What are you planning on doing now?" one of them asked.

Ash shrugged. "I guess Operation Glare just got an new target."