Chapter 5: Insights
Gryffindor's first Quidditch match was against Ravenclaw. The match itself was rather uninteresting. The Gryffindor chasers, spurred on by Ron shouting out plays, totally outmatched the Ravenclaw team despite the fact that the Gryffindor beaters' ineptitude had just about no effect on the match. Ron was also on form though he didn't see much action. Early in the match, "Weasley is Our King" came floating out of the group of Slytherins watching the match but they quieted down as soon as they realized that they were only making Ron play harder. After about a half an hour, Harry caught the snitch granting Gryffindor House a crushing victory over Ravenclaw.
The Winter break was only a few weeks away. In the Gryffindor common room, Harry and Ron were both engrossed in a game of Wizard's chess while Hermione looked on and restrained Crookshanks from attacking the chess pieces. Harry was feeling more confident in his chess playing. He found that he could apply all the strategy training he had received in Grimmauld Place to the game. He caught Ron giving him a strange look several times during the match. Harry was starting to feel more confident as he took Ron's second Knight. Ron stared at him for a long moment and then casually moved his Bishop, which had been lurking at the side of the board, "Checkmate" Ron said as Harry's king was pummeled into submission. Now it was Harry's turn to stare at Ron. Ron's Bishop had been in position for several moves.
"Ron", Harry asked, "have you been holding back on me?"
"Me?" Ron squeaked. "Why would I do a thing like that?" Ron's ears began to redden.
"Well, that Bishop was in place four moves ago. Why did you wait until now to move it?"
Ron opened his mouth to answer, and then closed it again and he began to rock back and forth slightly. "I, uh, well …" Ron took a deep breath. "OK. I admit it. I have been extending the games a little."
Harry stared at him smiling. "What's that all about? Did you think we'd never play again if you beat me too badly?"
Ron looked even more uncomfortable. "It's happened before. Charlie fancied himself quite a chess player and I played him one time and beat him in four moves. He never played chess with me again." Ron looked up at Harry sheepishly.
Harry was grinning. "You dirty prick! Here I am thinking I have a chance now against you, especially after all the strategy lessons I received from Moody and Tonks. Instead, I find out you've been misleading me for six years. I'm astonished by your duplicity. That's pretty funny!" Harry laughed.
Ron looked shamefaced at Harry, "So, you're not mad?"
"No you git, I'm not mad. I think it's pretty funny. I just hope you realize that I am more determined than ever to beat you now". Harry scooped up his defeated pieces and made a mental note to himself to check the school library for a book on Wizards' Chess.
Ron was still grinning as he gathered up his chess pieces when Ginny entered the common room, walked over to her older brother and asked, "So did you invite him yet?"
"What?" asked Ron distractedly as he continued to store his chess pieces in their case.
Ginny huffed at her brother and looked at Harry. "Harry, Mum wrote to us a few days ago and asked Ron to ask you to spend Christmas break with us at the Burrow. The whole family will be there, except Percy." She hesitated for a moment then added, "Please say you'll come."
Harry looked at Ron who shrugged. "I'd love to come for Christmas!" Harry exclaimed. He turned to Hermione who had just released Crookshanks, "Will you be coming as well?"
Hermione flicked a wad of paper for Crookshanks to chase and answered, "Unfortunately my parents want to have a quiet family Christmas this year. I wish I could come though. I'm not looking forward to spending the holidays with my cousins. The boys are too rambunctious and the girls are only interested in fashion and make-up. It's going to be a nightmare."
Laughing at Hermione's plight, "I'll just send a note to Mum then telling her Harry is coming." Ginny turned to Ron and said, "I'm going to send Pigwidgeon".
Ron looked at his sister "Are you asking me or telling me?"
"Thanks Ron" Ginny laughed then patted him on the head and dashed upstairs to her dorm.
"Mental" Ron muttered. He looked at Harry "I'll put these away" he said gesturing to the chessmen and board. "Back in a tic".
Hermione continued to play "fetch" with Crookshanks who was soon distracted by something under one of the chairs. He dropped into pounce position as Hermione said, "I'm glad you're not going to be spending the Holidays here this year, Harry."
"Yeah, this place would be very lonely without you and Ron."
"If Ron hadn't asked you to have Christmas with him, I was thinking … ", she trailed off.
Harry sat down in a chair beside Hermione and watched a blush begin to spread across her cheeks. "What were you thinking?" He grinned innocently at her.
Just then, Ron returned and Hermione said, "Let's go down to lunch then, shall we?" She quickly rose from her seat and hurried for the portrait hole.
"Excellent!" Ron exclaimed. "I'm starving."
Harry stood puzzled for a moment, then shrugged and hurried to catch up.
The day was cold but not uncomfortably so and the sun was shining brightly so after lunch Harry and his friends decided to take a walk around the grounds. Bundled up in their heavy cloaks and gloves they made their way around the castle towards the lake. It was a bright crisp day and they were talking about what they thought Gryffindors' chances were to win the House Cup this year when Harry noticed a lone blonde figure at the lakeside skipping stones. Harry said to his friends, "Is that Malfoy?"
"I think it is" Ron answered, "But where are his baboon bodyguards?"
"Looks like he's alone" said Hermione.
Ron grinned, "Oh I've been waiting for a chance like this for six years" he reached for his wand.
Harry grabbed Ron's wrist and said "No wait." Harry turned to Hermione and Ron. "I want to talk to him again." Ron sighed in frustration and Harry hurried on "I know how you feel, Ron. Believe me, part of me would like nothing better than to pay him back for everything he's ever done to us but I can't help thinking … "
"What if", Hermione said.
Ron looked at her puzzled, "What if what?"
"What if he was on our side?" Hermione said as Harry nodded.
"WHAT?" Ron blurted. He continued in a softer but more agitated tone "Are you both out of your minds? Why would we ever want to associate with anyone like him?" Ron put such vehemence into that last word it sounded like a curse.
"Just think what he could tell us about the Death Eaters and You-Know-Who" Hermione answered staring pointedly at him.
Ron smirked. "OK, that's a valid point. Hmmm. Yeah, I guess he would be a pretty good spy. The chances of that happening are …"
"Better than you think," interrupted Hermione. "After what happened in the Ministry this summer his father has been positively identified as a Death Eater after denying it for fifteen years. All the influence his father used to have is gone. All the political contacts he made are doing their best to distance themselves from him right now so that they won't be associated with You-Know-Who, especially now that the Ministry has officially stated that You-Know-Who is back. So anyone close to You-Know-Who will be denying any connections with the Malfoy family because of this and they would have told their children to do the same thing."
"I get it", said Ron smiling now. "Just as Lucius Malfoy no longer has friends in the Ministry, Draco has no more support among the Slytherins." Ron looked up to the clear blue sky with an angelic smile and said, "Thank you God."
Harry smacked Ron on the shoulder in exasperation, "Nice."
"What?" A more sobered expression came over Ron's face. "I just mean that now I don't feel like jinxing him anymore. I mean, why add injury to insult? This way I get to watch him squirm and I don't even have to lift a finger."
Hermione chuckled as she rolled her eyes and said, "Oh Ron, you're hopeless."
"Thank you" Ron replied and gave her a courtly bow.
Harry laughed with his friends for a moment. "I'm going to go talk to him", he said. Harry held up a hand as Ron started to speak. "I know what you think, Ron. I just feel, I don't know. I can't explain it." Harry sighed in frustration. "I think this will make him more dangerous instead of less dangerous. He's now an outcast probably desperate to prove his worth to the rest of the Slytherins. I think he'd do anything to be `top dog' again. If he blames me for all this, then I think eventually he's going to come for me. And when he does, he's not going to stop until one of us is dead. I never want it to come to that." He looked at Ron and Hermione in turn. "I'm going to go talk to him," he said more firmly. "I'll meet up with you later." He then turned and walked towards Draco.