Rejection and Acceptance

As the day finished, Ron Weasley and Blaise Zabini received glares from their frineds as well as from anyone who knew their names. No one was happy with the declaration Dumbledore had made, and they all knew who they had to thank for it.

However, it was not the forefront thought in everyone's head. The Ravenclaws were very eager to know how Dumbledore had gotten his message around the whole school. Regardless of what year they were in, Ravenclaws had their heads together discussing the possibilities that it was another new-found spell from Dumbledore, or an older less-known spell, or even dark magic.

Ron Weasley, as he was subjected to the glares of his peers, found he much preferred the side-kick friend position behind Harry. However, he had other things to set his mind on. Such as the smile he had seen Harry give to Malfoy, right before Zabini tried to hex him to oblivion. And he was going to talk to Harry IMMEDIATELY... As soon as he found the other boy, since he seemed to be disappearing incredibly fast from every single class, and they had no time in which to talk during their first day of classes.

Frustrated from his inability to find Harry by himself, Ron skipped the common room, in order to wait for his prey. Finally he had a chance to speak to his wayward friend.

"Hello Harry." Ron said, trying not to have any inflections in his voice.

"Hello Ron. So are you happy with your efforts now? Will you just give it a rest and work with Zabini so you don't have to be in detention all the time?" Harry sighed.

"I had a question for you." Ron said, as he turned scarlet under Harry's words and struggled not to lose his temper and get the conversation off track.

"Alright, ask away."

"How come you lied to me and 'Mione? Why didn't you tell us you were friends with Malfoy?" Ron spat out the name.

"I am NOT friends with Malfoy!" Harry snapped indignantly.

"Oh, then why were you smiling him when you were in class? Why didn't you stick up for me in Potions!?" Ron demanded angrily.

"I didn't stick up for you cause you were being right bloody stupid, right along with that Blaise Zabini character! And I smiled at Malfoy cause we just happened to have the same thought!" Harry defended himself. "Is it so bad, that for ONCE i don't want to be in detention every week? I don't want to be fighting all the time, I don't want the teachers mad at me all the time. I've been offered a way to avoid all this, is it so bad to take it? And now thanks to you and Zabini, I am going to have to spend a lot of time with Draco Malfoy. So if you want to snap and snarl, go look in the mirror!"

"So you're admitting you want to be friends with that git! FINE go be his bloody friend, but don't come anywhere near me while you are around him! I will NEVER be your friend as long as you are his. So if you have decided that his friendship is worth more than mine, don't come near me again!" Ron snapped and stomped to his bed, jerking his curtains all the way around his bed.

Harry sighed and let himself fall back on his bed after closing his curtains. He sighed again, and waited as his fellow dorm-mates returned and fell asleep. He tossed and turned in-capable of sleep. When finally, all of his dorm-mates were in their beds and asleep, and the hall outside was silent of any more students, Harry gave up. He stood up and walked down to the common room. Staring morosely into the fire, he got lost in his thoughts.

~~ ~~ ~~

"Harry, Harry... HARRY!" A voice started at a whisper and then got louder as someone shook him awake.

"Huh, hm, wha?" Harry mumbled as he slowly woke up and stared around, his mind still in his dreams. Finally, his brain caught up in wakefulness and he stared up at Hermione.

"Come on, it's almost time for breakfast and I'm hungry. Please go get Ron?" Hermione requested.

"Sure. On my way... Gonna take a shower first." Harry informered her as he woozily stood up and stumbled up the staircase. Stopping in his room first to grab some new clothes, Harry exited the room again and took a five-minute shower. After spelling himself dry and changing his clothes, he returned to his dorm and threw his pjs on his bed. Then he retraced his steps to Ron's bed, charting up the episode of the previous night to dreams. Opening the curtains he shook his best friend awake.

"Ron, c'mon Ron, 'Mione wants ta go eat. Aren't you hungry? You're always hungry." Harry teased.

"Huh, wha, who?" Ron asked confused as he woke up. Seeing Harry, he jerked away from him. "Don't TOUCH me you filthy Slytherin-loving git!" He snapped furious of the other boy.

"What the BLOODY FUCK is your problem?" Harry demanded of the other boy.

"You are! You and your bloody new Slytherin friend! Have you made plans to visit him already this summer?" Ron sneered.

"Oh, so because i want to have a pleasant year, and i want to listen to DUMBLEDORE, and be more mature than i was last year that insults your childish mind? I happen to think that even though you would prefer to brawl with the Slytherins all year long and end up in detention every week if not every day, I happen to WANT to play Quidditch. And i WANT to grow up. So when you decide it's time for you to grow up to, I'll be around." With that Harry turned around and crashed down the stairs. Reaching the common room, he looked for Hermione.

"Harry." Hermione called coming down from the girls dorms.

"Let's go 'Mione. That prat can starve for all i care." And he strode out the portrait hole trusting Hermione to follow him. Upon reaching the Great Hall, Hermione and Harry took seats opposite each other in their normal seats.

Hermione debated talking to Harry about the shouting she had heard, which she assumed had been him and Ron, and his reactions. Watching him stab at his food, she decided to wait until he had calmed down and instead ate her food talking to Lavender and Parvati who sat beside her.

When Ron entered the Great Hall, Harry had ducked under the table for Hermione's dropped book. As he headed over to sit beside them, Harry popped up with the book and Ron's face changed drastically. He changed his course, a stormy glare on his face. passing them on his way to sit beside his sister he whispered menacingly to Harry "Snake-loving git."

"Shut the bloody FUCK up you stupid immature, spineless prat!" Harry shouted jumping up so violently his chair flew back and stopped right before slamming into a chair at the Hufflepuff table. "I'm going to the library, you want to come with 'Mione?" Harry tried to mederate his voice, but it still came out snapping. Stalking out of the Great Hall to see if Hermione was following.

Hermione was watching Her two best friends actions and reactions. Deciding her best recourse to staying out of their fight was to ignore them and not get into it, she stayed with Lavender and Parvati, talking and studying as she waited for her class to start. She frowned when the two girls started talking about the boys behaviors, not wanting to think about it, but incapable of forgetting about it as the two gossipers lived up to their names.

~~ ~~ ~~

Draco surreptiously followed Harry to the library, keeping enough distance and time between themselves that no one would guess where he was going. He had been paying attention to Harry at breakfast, and even though he didn`t hear what Ron had said, he and everyone else had heard Harry`s retort. Figuring Harry could maybe use someone to talk to since Hermione didn`t seem to be doing so, Draco decided to go see if Harry would talk to him.

Reaching the library Draco looked around and spotted Harry. Walking over he sat in front of the other boy.

"Hey." He started casually.

"What do you want?" Harry sighed wanting to be alone.

"Actually, nothing much. Just wondering if you wanted to have any type of conversation with a friendly person?" Draco answered.

"We're not friends." Harry warned softly.

"I know, but if you remember I'm trying to prove to you my sincerity in wanting to be your friend. I'm not lying you know. I know it's hard to be trusting of me, but I want to try. I'm not saying it will be easy of course, but I do think it's possible. Besides, we have spend a lot of time together now don't we? We have what, three, four classes at least? And with Dumbledore's newest decree we are going to be working together in every one of them and outside of them to do homework."

"Yeah, I suppose so." Harry admitted.

"So, care to tell me what the Wease... erm Weasley said that got you so agitated?" Draco asked softly.

"Nothing much. Just called me a Slytherin lover... I'm not you know. I don't like you guys, I just want us to have a calm life this year. Not too much to ask is it? Besides, it's what Dumbledore wants. I'm just listening to Dumbledore." Harry finished halfway between a plea and an explanation.

"Of course, everyone knows that. Everyone believes you. Weasley is just mad at the moment, he'll come around. He always does, remember?" Draco soothed him.

"Of course, he's my best mate." Harry assured Draco not very convincingly.

"Yeah, come on we've got Care of Magical Creatures with.... Hagrid." Draco informed him, getting to his feet.

"Yeah." Harry agreed, standing and following Draco through the castle and outside to the exterior classroom. Arriving together as some of the last students, they were treated to Ron's unforgiving glare and disbelieving stares from the rest of the class.

"Don't worry on it." Draco advised, walking over to the other Slytherins.

"Alrigh class. Get into yer groups now. Jes like Dumbledore said. You all was grouped yesterday wasn't you?" Hagrid called out, diverting his classes attention and setting them to work.

*AN* Thank-you to everyone who reviewed and liked it and please don`t hesitate to give suggestions, cause they will all be considered!

Crazy Pedantic: You are of course mostly right, but remember also, Hermione is slightly less Slytherin-hating than the boys in the books. And she is very much inclined to listen to the authorities, like Snape and Dumbledore, so even if just for that (and the all-important marks) she will try to get along with the Slytherins... or at least Pansy.