'That's right,' said Draco.
'I've got a better idea,' said Harry. 'Why don't you just get the hell out of here?'
'See, I know this girl, Hermione, ' said Draco, as if Harry hadn't spoken. 'And she's a wonderful girl to be around. Smart-really smart-pretty, too. One of the bravest people I've ever met.' He was gazing off over Harry's head now. 'Only thing is, I have this feeling she's really unhappy about something. She cries when she thinks I'm not looking. She stares off into space a lot. And whenever you're around…' Draco looked directly at Harry now. 'She watches you.'
The flush was beginning to recede from Harry's face. Now he looked startled. 'She won't even talk to me,' he said.
'No,' said Draco. 'You won't talk to her.'
Harry looked at him wonderingly. 'Why are you telling me this?'
'I don't know,' said Draco thoughtfully. 'The only way I can do this sort of thing is to tell myself I'm not doing it. Right now I'm telling myself I've come here to talk to you about what an annoying bastard you are. It's working so far.'
'Is she really unhappy?' asked Harry in a hushed voice.
'Miserable,' said Draco. 'Look, Potter. I'm asking you. Talk to her. You're her best friend. Or you were.'
The flush was quite gone from Harry's face and now he looked pale and unhappy.
'I can't,' he said.
'Oh, yes you can,' said Draco, whose temper was beginning to fray. 'What are you afraid of, anyway?'
'That she was right,' said Harry. 'I took her for granted, all these years I took her for granted completely. She should make me pay. And pay. There's just not enough pay-' 'Look,' interrupted Draco, 'you want to wallow in guilt, I'm all for that. Knock yourself out. But,' and now he leaned forward and glared at Harry, 'I won't be second-best. I won't be with her because she can't be with you.'
'Harry?' said a voice that sounded like it was coming from behind the chair.
Harry spun around, looking startled. 'Sirius!' he said. 'I nearly forgot I arranged to talk him now.'
He got out of the chair he was sitting in and went to kneel by the fireplace. Draco followed him and saw that Sirius' head was floating in the fire. Sirius' wild dark hair had been clipped, he was clean-shaven, and he looked neater and more groomed than either of them had ever seen him.
'Sirius,' said Harry in pleasure, reaching out a hand as if he could shake Sirius'.
As he did, Draco saw the scar on Harry's palm, the twin of his own. Apparently he hadn't gotten it healed either.
'Lookin' sharp, Sirius,' said Draco cordially, dropping to his knees next to Harry.
An expression of pleasure at seeing Draco flitted quickly across Sirius' face, to be replaced by something that looked like alarm. 'I didn't know both of you would be here,' he said to Harry.
'Sorry,' said Harry. 'I put a Barring Charm on the doors to discourage anyone from coming in, but it didn't work on Malfoy. Typical,' he added, glaring at Draco.
'You'll just have to take my being a Magid- and therefore way better than you-into account from now on, Potter,' said Draco.
'I'm a Magid as well as you, git,' said Harry, sounding vexed.
'So you say,' said Draco with a tone of great superiority. 'But what have you done?'
'Stop that!' said Sirius irritably. 'You two bicker like an old married couple.'
Harry and Draco let out identical yells of horror. 'Right, then,' said Sirius. 'Never mind what I was going to say. I'm clearing off. Harry, I'll send you an owl.'
And he vanished.
'Sirius?' said Harry, in blank astonishment. Then he turned on Draco, 'Thanks a lot, Malfoy.'
But Draco was looking thoughtful. 'I wonder what it was he had to tell you?'
Harry sat back against the legs of an overstuffed armchair and shook his head.
'Well, I'll have to wait for his owl now,' he said irritably. 'Why don't you get out of here, Malfoy? You're giving me a headache.'
'Fine,' said Draco, standing up. 'Oh. One thing, Potter.'
'What's that?'
'It's not in my nature to be self-sacrificing,' said Draco matter-of-factly. 'I don't know if this is just some lingering vestige of that Polyjuice spell or what. But if it is, and this generous phase that I am in passes, and you are still making Hermione miserable, then I will come back here and I will yank out your ribcage and wear it as a hat. Understood?'
'Understood,' said Harry, grinning despite himself. 'And a big gold star for imagery.'
'Thanks,' said Draco, and went out through the portrait hole.
The next day, it rained, complete with thunder, lightning and a sky that looked like wet black iron. Which went well with Hermione's mood. She sat in the common room, curled in an armchair, staring moodily at the spluttering fire. She wondered vaguely where Crookshanks was. It would have been nice to have a cat to curl up on her lap right about now.
The portrait door opened and Ron stepped into the room, shaking water from his robes. 'Hey, Ron,' said Hermione, glad to see him without Harry. Then she saw how anxious and worried he looked, and paused. 'Ron, is everything all right?'
'I'm not sure,' he said.
