Where Your Loyalties Lie

Chapter Nineteen: Ginger Draco

The next morning, I hurriedly got dressed and went downstairs to eat before Draco was even up. I let Maddie sleep since it was a Saturday. On weekends during breakfast, they don't really care if you sit at your house table. I kept my hood on and my head down so nobody could see how red and puffy my eyes were from crying last night.

"Good morning." Seamus had come to sit down next to me.

"Morning," I said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now."

"Hello Kate!" Now George came and sat down on the other side of me with Fred across from me.

"Hey," I sighed.

"Come on tell us what's wrong," Seamus urged me. I looked up at him. "Have you been crying?"

I put my head down again and replied, "A little." He took my hood down gently. "It's Draco. He called me a slut," I said in a barely audible whisper.

"WHAT?" Seamus, George, and Fred shouted.

"You are not even close to being a slut!" George assured me.

"Thanks. Oh, Claire came back from my mom's house. She got it."

"Great!"

"It's in my dorm. I got to go get it."

"We'll come with," Fred said, standing up.

"No. It's suicidal for you to go into the Slytherin common room. You can wait outside the entrance." All three of them, even though Seamus didn't know about the prank, nodded and we made our way down the steps to the dungeons where the common room is located. I quickly went up to my dorm. Maddie was still asleep so I silently got the hair dye and put it in my pocket. When I got to the common room, Draco was in there. I tried to walk as fast as I could without him noticing me but it didn't work.

"Katie! We have to talk. I'm sorry. I never meant to say that. I was angry and it just slipped out." I continued to walk without answering. He followed me out into the corridor.

"Back off Malfoy," Seamus said threateningly. The twins pushed me behind them.

"Fine I get it. Have fun with your two new best friends and boyfriend." He turned around and went back into the common room.

"Come on Kate, let's go. You don't need that git," George said as he led me up the stairs. Once we got to the twins dorm, Seamus staying in the common room, I sat down on George's bed and just stared at the floor. The room blurred and I saw once again what Draco said before going back into the Slytherin common room. "You okay Kate?" George asked as the room came back into view. I hate flashbacks sometimes, I thought in my head.

"Kate?" Fred asked gently.

"Yeah, I'm alright. So tonight we need to have you two talk to Draco and distract him while I put this in his shampoo bottle." I told them as I pulled out the hair dye. "Sound good?"

"How do we distract him?"

"I don't know, start talking to him in the hallway or something."

"Okay." Fred and George said.

~~~~

The next morning, I was sitting in the common room with Maddie when we heard a scream. Moments later, Draco came into the common room. His hair was the same color as the Weasleys. I tried to hold back my laughs but failed as I asked, "What happened?"

"Someone must have put hair dye into my shampoo! Since when are you talking to me?"

"Well you said sorry and it seemed like you meant it so......"

"Friends?"

I shook my head no and he had a hurt look on his face until I said, "Best friends." I went over and hugged him. Whispering in his ear, I told him, "You forgot to put on your sling."

He quickly looked at his arm and said, "Oh look, my arm healed over night!" I laughed. "Now I have to go and tell Professor Snape what happened. He'll know how to track the person down."

"You do that!" I called after him as he hurried out of the common room. As I sat back down, I realized something. "Crap."

"What?" Maddie asked.

"Father is gonna know I did it. I asked him about a potion that turns hair red."

"You did it?"

"No, Fluffy the three-headed dog did it. Yes I did it!"

"Is that what you and the Weasley twins have been up to?" I nodded.

At lunch in the Great Hall, Draco had many snide remarks made towards his hair and everyone kept looking at him. I found it rather amusing. "Can't Madame Pomfrey change it back?" I asked him.

"Yes, but she's gone to Diagon Alley today to get more supplies. She'll be back after dinner tonight."

"Katie, could you please follow me to my office?" Father had appeared behind us. I nodded and followed him silently. After we sat down, he said, "I know you and the Weasley twins are responsible for dying Mr. Malfoy's hair."

"Wow, you are good. How long did it take you to figure it out?"

"I knew as soon as he came running in my office."

"Well I'm not going to deny doing it. What's the punishment?"

"All three of you will serve detention next Saturday."

"That's not fair. I deserve it, but Fred and George don't. All they did was distract Draco. I got the hair dye, thought of the idea, and put it in his shampoo."

"Very well. You have detention and they have 5 points from Gryffindor each." I nodded my head in approval and then left. Wow. Instead of being grounded, I get detention, I thought.

"Kate!" Two gingers exclaimed as they jumped out at me, making me jump.

"I have detention next Saturday and you two got five points from Gryffindor each," I stated.

"How's that fair?" George asked.

"Because I did most of the work." They looked at each other and shrugged. "Now I'll see you two later. I have homework."

Later that day, Maddie and I were working on our homework when Draco came in. "My hair is now back to its sexy white blond color!" He announced.

"Katie, don't you have something to say to Draco about his 'sexy hair'?" Maddie asked with a smirk as I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yeah, um. OK don't be mad because you know you deserved it, but I, with the help of Fred and George distracting you, am the one responsible for your hair turning ginger this morning." I looked up at him. "Are you mad?" I asked.

He shifted his weight to his right foot as he thought. "A little, but I do have to admit I deserved it."

I smiled. "Yay!" I cried, standing up to give him a hug before going to bed. I had gotten my best friend back today.

*A/N: This chapter's short...sorry! But this is a good stopping place.*