Not your usual Veela mate

A most wonderful thing has happened today, Harry

Monday, Sept 2

Harry Potter was not having a good day. He was tired and cranky due to not having gotten much sleep the previous night. On top of that his friends were really bugging the hell out of him and for no good reason at all. Considering the summer he had had, you'd thought he'd get some slack, but oh, no, he was the blasted Boy Who Lived, who cared if he was happy or not, as long as he was around to do his 'duty'.

Snorting with contempt, Harry looked out over the hall, trying to distract himself from his dark mood. He really couldn't afford to lose his temper at the moment, and the way Hermione was harping on him, when she wasn't scolding Ron for his eating habits, it was all he could do not to blow up at her. Merlin and his beard, but when had Hermione turned into a nagging, scolding, not to mention disapproving, mother? The way she was treating them you'd think they were three years old. Glancing at the witch, Harry found himself pitying any children Hermione might ever have; he had a feeling that they would not have an easy childhood.

Not wanting to go there, Harry swiftly turned his attention elsewhere. A movement caught his eye, and Harry watched with amusement, and some curiosity, as Draco Malfoy, the bane of his existence, strolled up and down the tables in the Great Hall. Intrigued, he watched as the blond moved past the Hufflepuff table. Was that a look of relief on his face? What in the world was the other boy up to?

A swift glance to the sides told Harry that neither of his friends had spotted Malfoy's odd behaviour yet, which was a bit strange, especially considering how closely Ron usually kept tabs on Malfoy. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry went back to watch as the blond more slowly made his way up and down the Ravenclaw table. It almost looked as if he were looking for something, but what?

Harry all but forgot about his bad mood, too intrigued by this new mystery. Then Malfoy turned towards the Gryffindor table. Bracing himself, Harry waited for the disparaging comments that always flew through the air when the two of them got near each other. But, as their eyes locked, Harry felt a strange feeling in his chest, and he was startled by the look of longing and yearning in warm silvery eyes, and Harry found himself wishing he could ease the pain he saw in them.

That thought brought him up short. Since when did he care about Draco bloody Malfoy? Opening his mouth, Harry was about to demand to know what was going on, but something held him back. He wasn't sure what was going on, but somehow he just knew that this was not the place, nor the time, to demand answers.

Deciding to go with his instincts, after all, they seldom led him astray, Harry shrugged, closed his mouth and turned away from Malfoy, picking up his tea cup in an attempt to distract himself from the other boy.

"Harry! Are you even listening to me? We really need to buckle down and start studying early this year. No more slacking off and absolutely no more 'adventures'. It is vital that we put all our energy and efforts on our school work; the N.E.W.T.s is only a year away and there is a lot of material to learn and review before then."

Biting back a sigh, Harry couldn't keep a flash of annoyance from appearing on his face. He bloody well knew how important the N.E.W.T.s was. He bloody well knew how little time there was left; Hermione had after all only been harping about them since their third year. But, bloody hell, they hadn't even gotten their schedules yet.

Absentmindedly, Harry watched as Draco turned around and left the hall, wishing he could do the same. Instead he sighed and mumbled, "Yes, Hermione, I know," knowing from experience that it didn't pay to ignore her when she acted like this, since that would only prolong the lectures, giving her more things to lecture him about.