Two Houses - A Draco Malfoy Fanfic

Chapter 3

-3 YEARS LATER-
"Oh my God, Neville. I can't believe you want to sign up!" I was saying to Neville as the biting autumn wind rustled the leaves around our feet. I had my long dark hair up in a bun and tucked inside my yellow and black striped hat.
"I didn't say I wanted to. I was just saying it would be nice to be not bullied and win at something for a change." Neville answered solemnly as his gold and red scarf waved in the wind. I smiled at him, and gave him a little hug, but not before I checked to make sure Draco wasn't around. Draco and Neville did not get along, and I wanted to make sure I wasn't another reason they didn't like each other. I was friends with both of them; but neither of them knew I was friends with the other. That secret had managed to be kept over the years, for both of their sakes.
"I was just saying that it would be great if you could, but we're not old enough yet. You definitely could win it, if you got picked." Neville shrugged, and finally gave me a little grin.
"Thanks, Sage." After that, Neville had to go to Astronomy and he said he would catch up with me later. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang schools had showed up about a week ago, and people had been signing up since then. You did have to be seventeen to participate, and we were both still fifteen.

Draco had been going on in the library about what he was going to do to try and get in his name in the Goblet of Fire, usually while he was "helping" me study for Potions. Potions was never my best subject, and I had asked Draco for help in the middle of my first year. Often times, our studying sessions ended up with me studying and him talking, which I was fine with. I had always liked listening to his voice; it calmed me down and sometimes I felt sleepy, just sitting in the warm, cozy library with a book listening to Draco talk. Recently, he had been suggesting ideas and seeing what I thought of them. Draco was determined to get his name into the Goblet of Fire, whatever it took. Always such a gloryhound. His most recent opiffony had been an Aging Potion.
However, that had been shot down pretty quick when the Weasley twins had tried that and both had gotten long white beards. Neville and I had witnessed it, and we had laughed until we were crying. I had told Draco about it later, minus Neville, and he had chuckled. His remark had been,
"Typical of blood traitors." I chastised him a bit about he shouldn't be saying those things, and then told him that the Aging Potion wouldn't work, unless he possessed a burning desire to be Dumbledore for at least 2 weeks.
"Well, maybe I do, Sage!" Draco had replied, laughing, and poking me in the ribs, making me laugh. "You never know! That beard could be pretty sexy..." After we had sat laughing for a while and running out of breath, we had wished each other goodnight and we had gone to bed, unknowing of the trials that awaited us within the following weeks.