An Altercation

Dinner had long been over, yet the great hall was not empty like how it's supposed to be, at this time of the night. The false stars from the enchanted ceiling blinked down at the queer scene, the floating candles providing light to the large room.

Students dressed in their green and red house colors stood in silence. The two bickering blondes, antsy brunette, raven pacifier, and the redhead siblings who looked puzzled at the ongoing event; all looked lost for words when they were interrupted by a slithery voice, icy and secretive with an inaudible hiss of hostility in every syllable. Not to forget Blaise, the only one not giving much attention to the newcomers because his eyes refused to part from his friend. Blaise felt a tremor run up his spine as he saw the shaking pupils and clenched fists of Draco. He looked like he was barely controlling himself, and that was a matter of great concern.

The rest stared at the small party of four that had just joined them. They were not supposed to be here, yet they were, and this complicated things.

Draco couldn't help but narrow his eyes to the one in the front, who visibly seemed to be the leader. The rest he couldn't care less about, for they were all just a sorry bunch of brainless dimwits, but this guy.

He was someone new and unknown, and he gave Draco an unsettling feeling which he didn't like.

He made a mental note to steer clear of the bronze head in the future. Instinctively his hold around his mate tightened, who then lifted her head to gaze up at him but found his eyes staring at the unfamiliar stranger. Hermione tried once again, in vain, to free herself from the arms that caged her to that firm chest. It made her heart race and body heat up. These feelings were too new and bizarre for her to adapt to so quickly. The only thing she felt like doing at that moment was to run far away from them, forever avoiding them. Ignorance was bliss, but she was too unaware of the fact that she could be happier if she gave in to these feelings instead of bottling them up. While the cage of his muscular arms was akin to prison for Hermione, despite the pleasure it gave her; Ginny could only struggle to suppress her internal cooing at the protective hold and stance of Draco, who was standing in a slant angle, hiding Hermione from evil eyes. He was ready to whisk her out of harm's path, should any danger dare to come her way.

"Quite a show you're putting up," Zander drawled, walking forward before stopping at a certain distance from the group with his cronies right behind him. "A loss really that no one else is here to enjoy it, quite a lot you could make if you did that on a stage. I wonder what the title should be, hmmm, how about- 'perfection is nothing but a false imagination.' Or, 'Perfect idols who're not that perfect?' What do you think?"

Draco scoffed. 'Such a childish jib.'

Harry stepped in before Ron could retort.

"So you've come to see the show?" He asked, "Who are you?" A straightforward question, but Zander was incapable of giving forthright answers. "Just an..." His lips formed a cheeky smile, an arrant glaze in the dark pools of his eyes, "admirer of the 'Golden Trio,' the war heroes. Quite a lot I have heard, and it is with immense pleasure that I introduce myself as a humble inferior," a dramatic bow, " before your greatness."

But weren't you dissing us just now? Draco thought, amused by Zander's words. Harry, Hermione and Ginny also took note of the two-faced boy. Ron and Blaise continued with their observations.

Zander's companions didn't seem to like his words, their displeasure clear as a see-through glass on their faces. They thought he was going to insult and threaten them, but what was he doing?

Zander knew what was going through their minds as he felt their disapproving glares at the back of his head, but he ignored them. 'What would these fools know? Keep your friends close, but enemies even closer."

He planned to gain their approval and enter their tight-knit circle. Then destroy it from the inside. However, he made the mistake of underestimating them.

A cold voice responded," Your assistance is appreciated but unwanted. Why don't you tell us who you are and why you were hiding in the shadows when you're supposed to be in bed?" Hermione decided she didn't like this guy. She didn't desire to make another enemy and start a meaningless fight. But that also didn't mean she was willing to let anyone disturb their life in any way possible. Her friends shared the same thoughts as her. Being at the center of the war had toughened them up. They could see past the fake mask of admiration and wonderment that Zander had tried to put up. The malice in his eyes was far too pronounced.

Zander's smile tightened. His thin lips moved," I could ask you the same question. I would have thought it was one of your infamous late-night adventures, but it doesn't seem to be so. I may be new here; still, I happened to have learned about the enmity between Slytherin and Gryffindor houses, continuing since the beginning of this esteemed school. Yet, there seems to be a friendship brewing in the cauldron, a forbidden romance its fuel." His gaze lingered on the couple before moving on to Blaise and finally coming to rest on Ivan. Ivan had been watching the passive-aggressive altercation from the side-lines with narrowed eyes. He didn't know what to make of this boy. He remembered seeing the copper head on the first night at Hogwarts. While Ivan and the rest of the new students awaited outside the great hall nervously chatting with each other, this guy was the only one in a relaxed state, aloof and silent. He was stoic and unapproachable, which made the others want to stay away from him, and that is what Ivan did. So when Ivan felt Zander's wandering eyes stop on him, he unknowingly put his guard up.

Zander let out a light laugh, which was bone-chilling and echoed in the large hall.

"You were also fighting over a girl." Not a question, but a statement.

"And you were eavesdropping on us all."

Zander zeroed in on Draco whose haunting silver eyes seem to bore through him as he locked gazes with him.

"Now quit stalling and answer our question. Who are you?" Draco wanted this unprecedented meeting to end already. Initially he had only wanted to warn that blue bug to stay away from his mate, but now with the interference of this mud-head that would have to wait. He could feel Hermione relaxing in his hold, leaning on him. From her tired expression he could tell she needed to get to bed and have a good rest.

Theodore Nott abruptly spoke up to answer before Zander could even begin to move his lips.

"We're here to question you, Malfoy!" His face twisted in a scowl, his voice was nasally and high, very unpleasant to hear. Draco resisted the urge to cover Hermione's ears.

"You are fraternizing with the enemy." Theo's glare was accusatory and his grimace full of contempt and disgust. He never liked Draco but his parents forced him to worship the ground the cherished heir of the revered Malfoy's walked on. Not anymore, though. He could finally vent his frustrations.

Zander frowned at the boy who had spoken up. 'Fool! What does he think he is doing?'

Blaise smiled coyly and answered in a bright voice, a high contrast to the harsh and uneasy atmosphere. All eyes shifted to him. "What enemies? The war has long been over. And are you sure that they are the real enemies? From where I stand that doesn't seem to be the case," his expression hardened and became more serious by the end.

Theodore was left fuming, at a loss for words. Zander tried to soothe the tension in the room.

"Why do you say that? We're all from the same house, we should look after each other. It's three minutes till curfew starts and Filch will be coming for his nightly rounds. We should disperse to our sleeping quarters."

Harry agreed with a tight nod. This conversation could wait, it wasn't worth getting in trouble for. He took Ginny's hand and said to no one in particular, but it seemed like he was addressing everyone present in the hall. Ron, who was in a daze as he tried to make sense of the weird conversation just now, followed is friend when he began to walk to the huge double doors.

"We'll talk to you later 'Mione." Wishing their best-friend a goodnight, the three exited the hall and hurried back to their dorm. They did not look forward to waking up the fat lady.

Hermione looked at the back of her friends before turning to face the blue-eyed blonde," Good-night Ivan."

Her soft voice startled Ivan. He gave a nod and a small smile in her direction, glared at Draco and jogged away to catch up to the other three.

Draco scoffed, unhappy that she spared him more than a single letter. He took a sharp breath in when his mate's feet stomped on his. She clearly heard him. The force could have made any normal man jump with their leg in their hands, moaning in pain. However, the Veela simply held in his wince and with gritted teeth he spoke to his friend," Let's go Blaise." He took Hermione's hand.

Before they walked out they heard-" My name is Zander, and I look forward to the next time we meet Malfoy, Granger."

Leaving the troublesome foursome in the hall, Draco, his mate and his friend disappeared into the darkness outside the double doors.

Pansy was left staring at the back of his wide shoulders, and his hand holding that wretched brunette's in a strong grasp. She seethed, screaming internally. 'This isn't how this was supposed to go. Just you wait Granger, Draco will be back in his rightful place, beside me, in no time at all!'