Becoming Beta

Chapter 30

A/N: Thanks as always to the lovely brownlark42. She's like a surprisingly warm Friday afternoon in the middle of October.

I make a manip for every chapter, find me on tumblr at crochetawayhpff.

I love reading your reviews! So let me know what you think! Also! By my count, there are 9 chapters left. And I'm ahead and have a schedule. I'm hoping to be done with this story right around Valentine's day!

Harry couldn't believe Hermione just left him and Ron with the great prat in the Room of Requirement. Didn't she care about her friends at all anymore? And wasn't it a good thing if Malfoy couldn't get the vanishing cabinet to work? No vanishing cabinet, no Death Eaters in Hogwarts. Seemed like a win-win in Harry's book.

He sighed and scrubbed at his face. Clearly, nothing was going to be resolved at the moment. It was a showdown and Malfoy was too busy staring after Hermione to even bother insulting Harry or Ron. What was the world coming to that Malfoy couldn't be bothered to insult one of them?

"Fine, we'll leave. But just so you know, Malfoy, I need to search this room," Harry muttered.

"For what?" Malfoy asked as he tipped his head to the side, clearly curious about what they were keeping from him.

"None of your fucking business, is it?" Ron spat.

"Listen, Weaselbee, I get it. You're poor and broken and you think all these things can be put to good use," Malfoy swept his hand around indicating the huge room full of objects, most of them old and broken. "But this is just rubbish, better off looking elsewhere. Maybe I can find some castoffs at the Manor for you?"

Ron immediately turned red and whipped his wand out to point it at Malfoy.

"Fuck off you fucking half-breed!" Ron shouted and took a step closer.

"Calm down, mate," Harry told Ron and grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Temper, temper Weaselbee. The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Malfoy asked with a smirk.

"Seriously, Malfoy? Shut the fuck up or I won't hold him back," Harry responded.

Malfoy laughed, "I'm not scared of either of you. I can out duel you any day."

Malfoy brought his own wand up and raised it at Ron.

Harry threw up his hands, "Fine! Fight, I don't give a fuck anymore."

Ron cast the first hex, but Malfoy blocked it. Harry decided he had to stay out of this. Hermione was angry enough these days, and he didn't want to anger her further by ganging up on her boyfriend.

Malfoy got Ron's wand and started laughing at the other wizard. Ron ran at Malfoy and tackled him to the ground. Ron got at least one hit in before Malfoy overpowered him. Malfoy was grunting and ferocious in his counterattack against Ron, who was shorter than him by quite a bit. He got three punches into Ron's face before Harry dragged him off. Malfoy gave Ron one last kick in the kidney's before Harry managed to get the other two wizards separated entirely.

"You're a fucking psycho!" Ron shouted as blood dripped from his nose and a cut above his eye. He was a mess of red — red hair, red face, blood everywhere.

"No, I'm a fucking werewolf. Don't you forget it Weaselbee," Malfoy growled. He had dropped both wands in the scuffle and bent to pick his up. Then he kicked Ron's wand and it went spinning under a large cabinet. Malfoy wiped his own face with a handkerchief that he pulled from seemingly nowhere and left the room.

Harry was pretty sure he heard Malfoy mutter, "Fucking pricks," as he walked away.

"You alright?" Harry asked Ron as he summoned Ron's wand and handed it to him.