Draco scowled (big whoop there) and strolled down the hallway, ready to kill and/or dismember anyone who crossed his path. He had just left the Yule Ball (and his clingy partner Pansy) and was walking towards the Slytherin common room. The Yule Ball had been dreadful, and he had no wish to attend one ever again. Ever. Fortunately enough, though, the Triwizard Tournament didn't happen to often, so he didn't have to worry about it too much. Suddenly, he bumped into another student, and they both fell over.

"Watch where you're going!" Malfoy scowled, rubbing the back of his throbbing head angrily.

"Me? You're the one who was staring off into space with a scowl on your face." said a distinctly female voice, and when she sat up, he remembered her from one of his father's dinner parties.

"My apologies." Draco said, mockingly.

The girl merely stood up and glared at him while dusting off her Ravenclaw robes.

"We've met before, I believe, at one of my father's dinner parties." he said, trying to get her attention. He had just realized that his girl was rather pretty.

"Yes. My name is Astoria Greengrass." she said, cautiously eyeing him while picking up her books. Typical Ravenclaw.

"A pleasure, I'm sure. My name is Draco Malfoy." he said, bending down to help her pick up her books in what he was sure was an act of chivalry.

"Thanks, it's pleasure to meet you too." she said, curiously tipping her head to one side and looking at him oddy while he helped her.

He ignored her curious looks and kept picking up her books, then tried to make conversation.

"So, why weren't you at the ball?" he asked, finishing picking up her (numerous) books.

"Didn't want to go, I wanted to study in the library." Astoria said, taking the books from him.

"Ah, I see! No wonder you got into Ravenclaw, then." Draco said, making Astoria's lip quirk a bit.

"Yes, it wasn't my family's first choice, but it was where I wanted to go, so they got used to it eventually." Astoria said, trying (with limited results) to smile.

"May I walk you to your common room? I haven't got much to do, and I think you could use some help carrying these books." He said, making her smile genuinely this time.

"Alright." she said, looking flattered.

Fred and George, however, were NOT as lucky as Draco to bump into a pretty girl. Instead, the just lazed around the corridors (after Fred having seen Angelina off) and bemoaned their failure to get a single galleon out of Bagman.

"The old codger's not going to give us our money, is he?" George asked a scowling Fred.

Fred just gave George a look that clearly said that the answer was perfectly obvious, and that George should know by now.

"What? I'm not the one who stole your pillow and stuffed it full of dungbombs! I already told you it was Lee!" George said, making Fred give him a sharp look.

"I thought my pillow was thrown off the Astronomy Tower, and it blew into Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewt patch." Fred said, accusingly.

"Yes, well, about that. You see I was...ahem, using the pillow case to carry dungbombs to Snape's classroom for a bit of Snape Hunting, and...well...let's just say that Peeves has a bad habit of tripping people at the wrong times." George said, trying to act cool, but miserably failing, and then giving in.

"George! That was my lucky pillow! I've had it since first year! How COULD you, George? How COULD you?" Fred said, making George shrug a bit and tug at his collar.

Just in the nick of time, however, voices could be heard coming down the hallway...now THIS was familiar! Fred and George quickly hid in (give you three guesses, and the first two don't count), yep, you guessed it (and on the first try too! I'm impressed) the broom closet.

"Well isn't this just a blast from the past!" George said, and Fred nodded; their squabble about Fred's lucky (for what, we'll never know) pillow.

"-see the look on the bloke's face as he bit into the pudding? He looked as though he'd never eaten before!" Draco said, making Astoria double over with laughter (it was a wonder she kept walking).

"Then he had the NERVE to ask if we'd ever heard of REAL pudding! As if!" Draco finished, stopping until Astoria recovered her breath after laughing so hard.

Fred and George gave each other identical looks, and there was no way that George could mistake it for anything else, but the look of "magic mistletoe, here we come!" Fred, surprisingly, pulled it out of his pocket. When George asked him why he had brought it to the Yule Ball, Fred grinned.

"Because I wanted to see if I could catch Eloise Midgen under the mistletoe, of course!" Fred said, then looked at George's revolted expression and laughed.

"You thought I was serious? How could you mistake me for a mass murderer? I'm hurt! Nah, just yanking your wand, I actually used it on Angelina in the common room." Fred said, and George nodded in comprehension and agreement.

Then Fred turned his attention back to the couple, who were starting to walk now, and levitated the mistletoe over their heads. Draco's reaction was truly worthwhile, for it portrayed him at such a moment that it rivaled his time as a ferret. The exact expression could never be reproduced, for on anyone else it would be impossible to combine looks of horror, anger, smugness, and excitement all at the same time. Astoria just looked shocked, with a splash of anxious thrown in. Draco then shrugged, dropped Astoria's books (which hurt quite a lot when they fell on his toes, thank you very much), and started to snog the living daylights out of her.

Draco's P.O.V.

Mmm...Astoria is quite different from Pansy...

Astoria's P.O.V.

Even though he is a pompous git, he's still not too bad to snog...mmm...this would be better if I didn't already have a boyfriend!

No one's P.O.V.

Resisting the urge to shiver with repulsion, Fred dug out the camera (which they kept on person at all times, thank you very much...you never know when you can find some premium blackmail material) and raced out for a few quick snapshots. Draco and Astoria looked up, quite shocked.

Fred just gave them an airy wink, and said cheerily, "These will make a fortune, won't they, George?"

"I think a certain someone's boyfriend will be VERY interested in this!" George said, ducking out of the broom closet, and giving Draco and Astoria an airy wink.

"Not to mention the other certain someone's girlfriend!" Fred said, grinning slyly.

"What do you want so that you won't release those photos?" Draco said, in an unusually high voice.

"Hmm, let's see...I think forty galleons should do it, George, don't you agree?" Fred asked, and Draco spluttered at the price.

"What, can't afford it, Malfoy? Gone a bit stingy, what with being one of the wealthiest gits in England!" George said, and Draco composed himself, though he still looked enraged.

"Fine. You'll have them by tomorrow morning." Draco said, sneering at them as if they were common filth. It was a look that was most probably commandeered from his oh-so-sodding-uptight mother.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Malfoy!" Fred said, throwing him a roguish wink.

Fred and George chose that moment to make their exit, leaving the young couple alone. Fred lazily flicked his wand, summoning back the magic mistletoe that they owed so much to.

"Well, at least now we don't have to keep begging Bagman for money!" Fred said, happily strutting back to Gryffindor tower.

"Um, about that..." George said, and Fred turned around sharply.

"No...no, you didn't! First my lucky pillow, then THIS!" Fred said, advancing on his twin.

"Now, Fred, let's not be too hasty!" George said, scrambling to get out of the way.

"This is IT! DIE, GEORGE, DIE!" Fred yelled, and started to chase George around the castle.

And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, that George is lucky to be alive.