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Chapter Five : Glad You Spent Time With Your Boyfriend

"You don't do it on purpose, but you make me shake." - Something Corporate

Harry sprinted down the hallway, cursing Ron with every step he took. Ron had led him on a walk back to the tower after breakfast and when Harry asked when class started, Ron shrugged and reminded him that he didn’t get an owl in potions so doesn’t take the class. Harry glared at him before making his way hastily to the potions room. He flung open the giant wooden door.

“Sorry, Professor” Harry tried to catch his breath. “I was-“

“I don’t care what your excuse is, Potter. Twenty points from Gryffindor for being late to my class and detention if it ever happens again. Now take a seat” Snape barked from his position at the front of the classroom. Harry glared at him before taking a seat next to Hermione. When Snape’s back was turned, Hermione leaned in.

“Where were you?” She whispered to her best friend. Harry shook his head.

“Ronald Weasly” Harry said, irritated and Hermione nodded her head in understanding.

“Alright now you all- by some sort of miracle,” Snape glared at Harry, who glared back “Have managed to get into this owls potions class. I will not tolerate any nonsense in my class. If your grades begin to-“The door was flung open once again and Rylie came in, looking flushed.

“So sorry, Professor Snape. I’m afraid I got lost.” Rylie said sweetly, adjusting the books in her arms. Snape nodded in understanding.

“Very well, Ms. Bryant. Take a seat.” Snape said calmly and gestured to the seat next to Draco. Rylie smiled and began to make a move for the seat when Harry stood up, outraged.

“Professor! I’m late and I get punished and she-“Harry pointed towards Rylie. Rylie was staring at Harry, startled by his outburst. He made the mistake of looking at her. She gave him a look like she dared him to say that she deserved a punishment. Harry lost his voice looking in Rylie’s hazel eyes. He hated those butterflies in his stomach.

“Another outburst like that Potter and I will dismiss you from this class.” Snape snarled. “Sit down. 5 more points from Gryffindor.” Harry slammed down into his seat and maintained a vicious glare at Snape. Rylie also took her seat next to Draco. She smiled at him then looked over at Harry, who was glowering. He could feel her eyes on him and he looked over to meet her gaze. She smirked, as if to ask him if he expected anything else and Harry shook his head slightly. No, he hadn’t expected anything else. And as time went on, he began to expect a possible relationship between Rylie and him less and less. That thought did not make Harry’s first day back any better.

Rylie’s first day at Hogwarts was excellent. It seemed that no one needed to be told twice what being a Bryant meant, so Rylie got a lot of respect from all the students and a lot of the teachers. Well, Rylie called it respect. Someone else might call it fear. After potions, Rylie went to Care of Magical Creatures where she had her first class with Ron. Ron was very nervous to see her, and so was Hagrid. He fumbled through most of the lesson, terribly afraid he would make a mistake. It was like that with most of her classes, except for transfiguration. Professor McGonagall would not give Rylie any special treatment. Rylie found that to be her least favorite class, even though it was the one she was best at.

Rylie woke up, on day two, content with her Hogwarts experience so far. Actually, she didn’t see how it could be better. She had Nicolle – one of the first real friends she had ever made. Rylie and Nicolle spent almost the entire night talking down in the common room before the fire about just about everything. Rylie wondered to herself how it was possible to become such good friends so quickly, but she didn’t mind. Rylie also had Draco – who was still her best friend, even with Nicolle. She had respect, and she- Rylie realized what could be better. A removal of Pansy and the weeds, as Rylie and Nicolle now called them. They were like leeches, feeding off of any and all gossip. It was enough to drive Rylie insane.

Rylie got dressed in her Slytherin robe, brushed her hair, and then headed down to breakfast. She was surprised to find that Nicolle had already left, seeing as they had been up till 3 am, but shrugged it off. Nicolle had told Rylie that she didn’t like eating when there were a lot of people there, so Rylie didn’t think much of it. Rylie made her way out of the common room, down the hallway and into the Great Hall by herself. She was going to wait for Draco, but she knew him too well. He’d be asleep for at least another twenty minutes. Rylie walked up to the Slytherin table and sunk down in an empty seat next to Nicolle. She looked up from her breakfast and seemed mildly surprised to see Rylie next to her.

“Hello, Rylie. Had a good night?” Nicolle asked, placing her toast down on her plate. Rylie began to pour herself a glass of orange juice.

“Pretty good. Kind of tired this morning though. Didn’t help that Pansy snores loud enough to wake up the entire tower.” Rylie told her, with an eyeroll and a yawn. She fished her schedule out of her bag and looked to see what she had first period. Defense against the Dark Arts. Rylie squinted. “Hey Nicolle, what do you-“She was cut off by Draco taking the seat next to her.

“Hey Rylie, ready for day two at Hogwarts?” He asked, stealing a piece of bacon off her plate. Nicolle leaned in and looked at Draco, then quickly leaned back and pushed her hair slightly in front of her eyes so he wouldn’t see her blush. Rylie saw though, and she smiled just a bit. It seemed someone had a little crush on Draco. Rylie wondered why Nicolle didn't tell her that in their long conversation.

“I’m ready. Hey Draco, you know Nicolle right?” Rylie said, leaning so that Draco could have a view of Nicolle. Draco moved in closer to Rylie, looked at Nicolle and shook his head.

“No, can’t say I do. Are you new too?” Draco asked. Normally, he would have been a bit nastier, but of she was a good friend of Rylie’s then there was no need. Nicolle turned her head and looked at Draco. Rylie saw that while they both had blue eyes, Draco’s were like ice and Nicolle’s were like a deep river.

“Actually I’m not. I’ve been here since first year, just like you Draco.” She said softly. Draco titled his head to the side slightly and tried to remember her at all.

“Oh I- I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around before.” Draco said, half intrigued and half confused. Rylie was confused as well. Why did no one seem to know who Nicolle was? Why were they not in any of the same classes? Where was she hiding out? Nicolle simply shrugged.

“I’m not really a center-spotlight kind of person.” Nicolle admitted, paying tons of attention to her half-eaten toast. Rylie turned to Draco and leaned in real close.

“She’s a de la Torre.” Rylie whispered in his ear. “She’s Jacqueline and Antoine de la Torre’s daughter.” Draco’s eyes immediately widened and he moved to see Nicolle.

“Really?” Draco whispered back. Rylie nodded her head and then returned to her breakfast, before remembering her question that she was about to ask Nicolle when Draco showed up.

“Oh hey, what do you learn in defense against the dark arts?” Rylie asked. Both Draco and Nicolle turned to stare at her.

“You’ve never taken defense against the dark arts before?” Nicolle asked wondrously. Rylie shrugged her shoulders

“No. I’ve taken Dark Arts classes, but never defense against it.” Rylie really didn't see the big deal in it.

“Then, how did you get into an owls class?” Draco was just as astounded as Nicolle was. Rylie looked at him like he had just asked the stupidest question in the entire world.

“Draco come on. Do I really need to answer that?” He knew just as well as she did that anything a Bryant wanted, a Bryant got. Draco nodded his head in sudden understanding. Rylie sighed and stood from the table. “I’m going to do some quick background research on this defense against the dark arts before class, Draco. See you there. Nicolle, I’ll see you at dinner.” Rylie didn't wait for either of them to say anything before taking her bag and walking out of the great hall. Draco and Nicolle watched her go before looking at each other. Nicolle gave him a weak smile and it took all of Draco’s self control not to smirk at her. Instead he simply nodded his head and returned to his lunch, unaware that Nicolle was ecstatic just to have him within five feet of her.

As Rylie approached the hallway, she looked in her bag once more for her schedule. It didn’t seem to be in her bag though and she began to wonder if she had left it at the table when she ran into someone who was also not paying attention to where they were walking. Rylie slammed to the ground and the contents of her bag went everywhere. “Watch where you’re going!” Rylie snarled.

“I’m so sorry.” An apologetic voice said. Rylie looked to see a girl with brown hair and brown eyes attempting to collect all of Rylie’s things.

“You should be.” Rylie said, grabbing her smashed ink bottle and quill off the floor and stuffing them into her bag. “What’s your name anyway?” Rylie demanded, now standing up and brushing herself up. The girl opened her mouth to speak, but someone answered for her.

“Granger!” Draco said, coming to stand next to Rylie. “What are you doing, you filthy little mudblood?”

“Relax Malfoy, I was only apologizing” Hermione snapped at Draco.

“Apologizing for living?” Draco replied. Rylie was getting irritated. Why did Draco always feel it necessary to fight her battles?

“Finally, Malfoy. You have realized that you are worthless and don’t deserve to breathe.” Harry came to stand next to Hermione and determinedly did not look at Rylie. Ron came up next to Harry.

“Oh look it’s the boy wonder here to save the day! And his faithful sidekick, weasel.” Draco sneered, crossing his arms. Harry glared at him.

“Shut up, Malfoy. I spent time with Mad-Eye this summer.” Harry told Draco, fingering his wand. Draco raised an eyebrow

“Glad you spent time with your boyfriend, Potter.” Harry ignored the comment.

“He taught me a useful little spell, one I’m sure you’re very familiar with.” Harry said with a smirk. Rylie glanced at Draco, who was eyeing Harry. She had no idea what was going on.

“Draco, what is he talking about?” Rylie asked Draco. Ron grinned, knowing where Harry was going with this.

“So tell us Draco, a white ferret again? Ron asked with a laugh.

"Shut up, weasel."

"Or should we mix it up with a black ferret?" Ron said. "Though you're ugly as a flobberworm either way, so I suppose it doesnt really matter. Maybe we can make you white and Bryant over there black. Would you like that, Malfoy?" Draco looked like he was going to lash out or explode. Rylie began to think about stunning Draco to keep him from attacking Harry when someone tapped lightly on her shoulder. Rylie spun around to see Nicolle standing behind her.

“You forgot your schedule, Rylie.” Nicolle practically whispered. Rylie smiled gratefully as she took it from Nicolle’s outstretched hand.

“Thanks Nicolle. Now come watch. Draco’s about to put on a show.” Rylie said, taunting him. Draco gave her a dirty look before taking out his wand and pointing it at the golden trio. Nicolle stood beside Rylie and watched Draco, half interested and half terrified. Rylie wondered how she could possibly be a de la Torre when she was so shy and skittish.

“How bout I give you another scar to match the one you’ve already got, Potter?” Draco was incredibly angry; Rylie saw that in the way his shoulders were all tensed. She knew it was never a good idea to get him angry as he had his father’s temper. His father was not a pleasant person. She decided that she better calm him down before he hurt someone. Rylie wasn’t just worried about anyone, though. She was worried about Harry. 'NO!' Rylie mentally scolded herself. 'he's your enemy, remember? your enemy and nothing more.' She had to constantly remind herself of that fact, especially when they made eye-contact. Sometimes, she could half convince herself that she didn't like him, but Rylie couldn't fool the butterflies in her stomach whenever she saw him.

“Draco just forget about it. You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” Rylie said, pulling on the sleeve of his robe. He brushed her off.

“Shut up and back off, Rylie.” Draco snapped harshly. Nicolle’s mouth dropped slightly and she looked from Draco to Rylie. The golden trio also glanced at each other, knowing that what Draco had said was not acceptable to Rylie. Rylie herself took a step back.

“What did you say to me?” She asked threateningly. He turned to face her, lowering his wand slightly. She looked in his eyes and saw the anger was still burning.

“I said back off. Just leave me alone to deal with this.” Draco told her. Rylie narrowed her eyes and reached for her own wand in her pocket.

“It doesn’t look like your dealing with this, Draco. It looks like you’re acting like a moronic jerk who likes to pick fights with people out of his own insecurities.” Rylie snapped, taking a step closer to him and shoving his shoulder. “Am I right, Nicolle?” Rylie asked, without taking her eyes off of Draco.

“I really don’t want to get in the middle of this.” Nicolle said, fidgeting nervously with her fingers. For the first time, Harry, Hermione and Ron all noticed her standing there. Only Hermione knew who she was though. She smiled weakly at her, and Nicolle smiled a little in return. Harry and Ron were giving each other questioning looks. If she hung out with Rylie and Draco, did that mean she was just as dark and powerful as they were? Harry suddenly realized something. For all his years at Hogwarts, it seemed to have been him, Hermione and Ron against Draco. Draco was thought of as alone in this particular scenario because Crabbe and Goyle didn’t really count for anything. Now, it looked like it was him, Hermione and Ron against Draco, Rylie and whoever this Nicolle girl was. The Golden Trio versus the Dark Trio. Harry shivered slightly. He didn’t like his odds. It seemed a lot fairer when the numbers weren’t.

“See? I’m right. So stand over there and let me take care of Potter, alright?” Draco insisted, growing more and more irritated with Rylie. Rylie didn’t move.

“First off Draco, Nicolle didn’t answer. So you are not right, you never have been, and I doubt you ever will be judging by your small mind that can’t handle your overlarge ego.” Harry couldn’t help but laugh at this comment. Draco snapped his head and glared at him fiercely.

“Shut up Potter.” Draco said.

“Second, Potter has nothing to do with this what-so-ever! This is entirely between me and- and-“ For the life of her, Rylie couldn’t remember Hermione’s name. She waved her hand carelessly in Hermione’s direction to signify to Draco who she was talking about. “And bushy chipmunk haired girl over here, okay? Stop trying to fight my battles. God knows I have a lot more experience than you anyways.”

"And whats that supposed to mean?"

"I think we both know what it means, Malfoy. I think it means that if it was me against you, I'd win hands down on talent alone."

"That's not true."

"You want to give it a go, then?" Rylie asked, flourishing her wand and giving him a look to try her. Draco only stared at her. He knew better than to take her on. With a smirk, Rylie spun on her heel, took Nicolle by the hand, adjusted the bag on her other shoulder, and marched down the hall. Ron grinned.

“Shut down, Malfoy. It’s got to hurt.” Ron tried to provoke Draco, who only shot a death glare at him before marching off in the opposite direction. Harry grinned at Ron and Hermione then couldn’t help but look over his shoulder in hopes to see Rylie. For some reason Harry couldn’t explain, that outburst only made him love Rylie more.

Down the hall, Nicolle followed Rylie. “Rylie? Where are we going?” She asked, trying to remove her wrist from Rylie’s grip. Rylie sighed and released Nicolle.

“I have no idea.” She admitted, running her fingers through her hair. “That boy irritates me to no end!” Rylie kicked the wall out of frustration. Nicolle smiled just a little.

“He’s kind of cute when he gets excited.” Nicolle whispered, not really wanting to be heard. Rylie spun towards her.

“Cute? Maybe. Dangerous? Absolutley. He really needs to learn to control his temper and learn that I can handle myself. It’s like he thinks I’m his little sister or something.” Rylie ran her fingers through her hair again, really angry with Draco. Nicolle shook her head miserably.

“No I don’t think he does. I think he really likes you.” Rylie could tell each word hurt Nicolle. That’s when Rylie remembered that Nicolle had a crush on him. Rylie smiled.

“By the way, why didn’t you tell me you liked Draco?” Rylie asked, almost forgetting all of her angry. Nicolle blushed madly.

“I don’t” She mumbled, her face going redder from the lie.

“For how long?” Rylie asked, knowing that what she had said was a lie. Nicolle took a deep breath.

“I don’t know. Second year, I suppose.” Nicolle admitted, not looking Rylie in the eye. Rylie’s jaw dropped. Second year? That’s four whole years and he didn’t even know her name.

“My God, Nicolle. That is a long time.”

“You’re telling me.” Nicolle agreed, nodding her head. Last night, Nicolle had mentioned that she was very into the arts and liked to write poetry and songs. Rylie wondered how many of them were about Draco.

“If you want, I could try to help you two along.” Rylie said with a grin and a playful shove at Nicolle’s shoulder. Nicolle looked at Rylie curiously.

“What about you and Draco?” Nicolle asked. She had been almost positive they were together. Rylie, who first had to register Nicolle’s words, stuck her tongue out like an eight year-old might when someone suggests that boys don’t have cooties.

“Me and Draco? No way. I’ve known him way to long. Besides, we’re best friends. That just doesn’t happen.” Rylie said shaking her head.

“I don’t think he knows that Rylie. You should see the way he looks at you.” Nicolle said, wishing that he looked at her like she was the only person in the entire world. Rylie studied Nicolle for a second and briefly wondered if she should tell her about Harry. Instantly she shook the thought away. No, that particular secret would go with her to her grave.

“Ridiculous.” Rylie waved the very idea of Draco liking her off. “You’ve seen how hard-headed and outgoing he is. If he liked me, he would have told me. Now, I think it’s time for class. What do you have?” Rylie asked Nicolle curiously. Nicolle looked down at the floor.

“I don’t know. I forgot. Need my schedule. I’ll see you at dinner Rylie.” Nicolle said in one breath before rushing off to the Slytherin tower. Rylie shook her head at the absurdity of the girl before making her way to her class and thinking of ways to get back at Draco.