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Finding True Happiness	By : CeliaEquus Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 19445 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I have no claim on the Harry Potter franchise, and am making no money from any of my fan fiction.

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“Confusion”

“The portraits did report some disturbing news,” Dumbledore said, stroking his beard as he studied the ghosts in front of him. All four House representatives had met and decided to speak to the headmaster about Peeves. “Usually the only trouble is that he has been causing trouble, not… the opposite.”

“He saved a student’s life,” Sir Nicholas said. “It would have been bad enough had the boy broken his neck; but the staircase then moved while we were on it. His body could have gone right over the edge, and…”

Everyone shuddered as he left the rest unsaid.

“He has been defiant of the Bloody Baron, as well,” the Grey Lady said. The Baron looked at her, his gaze turning mournful but briefly.

“`Tis true,” he said, his voice softer than usual. The Lady turned her head away from him. With a sigh, he looked down at the headmaster. “I confronted him about his seeming vendetta against my students.”

“He has been obsequious to you for so long,” the Friar said, frowning. “Let the students in the other houses have respite.”

“But Peeves never used to discriminate to this extent,” Nick said, crossing his arms. “We must face the fact that he has changed.”

“Perhaps the students’ energies have altered since the war,” Dumbledore said, sitting back in his chair. He looked around at the portraits. “Has this ever happened before?”

He received a chorus of ‘never’s, ‘no’s and ‘certainly not’s.

“Perhaps it will sort itself out,” he continued, turning back to the House ghosts. “Only if it becomes dangerous should we worry.”

“You have made the mistake of waiting before,” Phineas Nigellus said, glaring from his painting. “Will you ever learn, Albus?”

“Leave it, Phineas,” he said.

“How will you know when something becomes dangerous if the change is gradual?”

“He is right,” the Baron said.

“You are just angered by your loss of power over someone,” the Lady snapped, her eyes flashing as she looked at him. He frowned back.

“I am not…”

“Stop this at once!” the Friar said. He and Nick exchanged a look of exasperation. Dumbledore massaged his temples. Ghosts really were a pain sometimes.

“Thank you for letting me know,” he said. “I will keep an eye on the situation, and if anything particularly troubling occurs do not hesitate to let me know. Peeves has had his moments where he has come through; perhaps he will surprise us again. He is, after all, a part of Hogwarts; and, as such, he has a duty…”

“To aggravate the students,” Nick interrupted. Dumbledore’s frown deepened.

“I repeat: I will monitor this,” he said. “Good evening.”

With much grumbling, the spirits left. After a few more minutes of thought, and consultation with the previous heads of Hogwarts, he decided to research poltergeists.

“Honestly, `Mione; how could you not notice?” Ron asked.

“Don’t call me ‘`Mione’, Ron,” Hermione said. “And I’ve been… distracted. I’m Head Girl…” She trailed off, blushing. Had she been neglecting her duties? No. Maybe.

She didn’t know.

“Haven’t you talked to Ernie about it?” Harry asked, nodding at the Head Boy.

“About Peeves? Why would I? He’s not hurting anyone,” she said, shrugging, attempting to return to her breakfast.

“That’s the thing,” he said. “He… he saved Evan Peterson from some Slytherins who almost got him killed.”

“Where is the problem in this?”

“Uh, he’s a poltergeist, Hermione.”

“They’re not dangerous creatures by nature,” she said. “Are they, Luna?”

“Do you mean that they would never kill anyone?” Luna asked. Hermione nodded. “Of course they wouldn’t, otherwise there wouldn’t be one at Hogwarts. It isn’t the safest school around, you know.”

They chuckled bitterly, knowing just how dangerous it was.

“But Peeves was really good when he helped out in the battle last year,” Hermione said, referring to their sixth year, when Harry had defeated Voldemort. Fortunately for his modest nature, many others had helped, so he passed as much credit onto them as he could. “He saved lives then.”

“I guess we should be grateful,” Ginny said from further down the table. Attention switched to her, and she turned red. “You know, because he hasn’t pranked any Gryffindors for ages. At least not any of us. He’s been focussing on the Slytherins.”

“He put some kind of invisible colouring in all the girls’ shampoo and conditioner, so that when their hair dried it turns all sorts of flashing colours, some with glitter or stars in them,” Harry said. “Of course, Snape sorted…”

“Professor Snape, Harry,” Hermione corrected automatically.

“Professor Snape used potions to sort them out, but it took awhile. By the time they got to breakfast the colours were fading, but they didn’t disappear completely until dinnertime,” he said. “Luckily someone took pictures first. How could you miss that?”

“Oh… I vaguely remember it,” she said, thinking hard to recall the incident. “I must have dismissed it as something that somebody else did.”

“But that first one, when Peeves tipped jelly onto Malfoy,” Ron said, snorting with laughter, “that was bloody brilliant. The blonde git deserved it for what he said to you.”

“I’d say that it was chivalrous if he was doing it for me,” Hermione said, smiling. “Of course, he wasn’t. But it was still very… satisfying.”

Like my secret admirer was last night, she thought, turning even redder. It was the third night in a row he had been to her quarters. She had barely gotten back from patrols when he slammed the door closed and began to ravish her, lining the skin of her neck with kisses which she barely felt. They were so light, so cool, so fresh…

“Hermione? Hermione?”

She shook her head when she finally felt Luna pinching her. “Yes? What is it?”

“You zoned out for a bit there,” Seamus said, joining the conversation.

“Did I? I’m sorry. Just… exams. Schoolwork. My mind is… well, it’s full of it, isn’t it?”

“Is it?” Ron asked. “On seconds thought, forget it. That was a stupid question.”

“NEWTs,” Hermione said. “You… you should all be concentrating on that. Except Luna and Ginny,” she added. “Luna, why are you at this table?”

“She’s been sitting with us ever since we started dating,” Harry said, frowning from across the table. “Are you all right?”

“N-no, I’m fine. I must have just… forgotten that you’re in Ravenclaw,” she told Luna. “Again… sorry. Gods!” She held her head. “I’ve been neglecting my duties! And my friends! This is absolutely dreadful.”

“Boy trouble will do that,” Ginny muttered, but they all heard her. Unfortunately for them, she stood up and left before anyone could ask her to elaborate.

Hermione, however, knew perfectly well where she was coming from. Only her problem was a positive one… and Ginny’s was not.

It was getting increasingly difficult to remember to pull practical jokes on the students and staff members, thinking about things to tell Hermione and to make for her. He had resorted to picking more flowers recently, so he had made up for it as best he could the last few nights.

But this had all drawn attention to his uncharacteristic inactivity.

“I’m already in too deep,” he said, hanging out in a disused classroom. “I need to create a big distraction. Something epic. Something to be remembered.”

Then I can kiss her properly, he thought, smiling. The smile turned evil as he came up with a great idea. Now he just needed a target…

A few days later Malfoy was walking along, minding his own business and thinking about more ways to torment his enemies. Yes, the war had ended and the wrong side had won, but he had strict orders from his father to ‘play nice’.

What his father didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him, and besides, who was going to do anything about it? Those namby-pamby little war heroes didn’t have as much influence as his father, and when he graduated no one would be telling him what to do. No, sir! Draco Malfoy would be his own boss, and he’d find his own way to make sure that purity always came out on top.

Sure, he wouldn’t go to the same lengths as the Dark Lord had. But there were other ways, subtler, more Slytherin-like methods of getting rid of the trash.

Trash, however, was exactly what he got.

As you can see we’re deviating away from Hermione and Peeves as a couple for a bit, and focussing more and more on the outside world. This is to make up for later on, when the focus returns to them solely for a number of chapters.

You’ll see.

Please review! It keeps my plot bunnies fed, especially as they wait for me to start writing them.
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Finding True Happiness