I can't believe you had me strung out all over you like that
One minute you're sweet the next minute you're sour
I taste the envious predictions, change with each hour

Limp Bizkit - Stalemate

Harry meandered down the almost empty Hogwarts corridor completely engrossed in his thoughts. He wasn't even sure of the time he just enjoyed these moments to himself. Not many would think him capable of having a rational string of ideas and ideals but he was a lot more intelligent than he let others around him see.

He had come to the conclusion that the headmaster may not be all that he seemed to be. How many times had he nearly escaped death because he did not have all the facts before he went out and did something foolish? How many times had he merely scrapped by putting others around him in danger?

It wasn't just the near misses that he seemed to feel the headmaster was responsible for but how his life had been dictated by the actions of the old coot. He was coming to the conclusion that even his friends were pushed in his direction.

They never saw him. The real him. Ron was often complaining about never having enough money or becoming insanely jealous of the fame of the Boy-Who-Lived, while Ginny seemed to be under the impression that they were "meant to be". She believed one little kiss would solve his attraction to the male species and cause him to fall madly, deeply in love with her.

He shuddered as he remembered her last attempt at catching him unawares. He had just left Quidditch practice when he had been grabbed from behind and pulled underneath the stands. Before he had a chance to whip out his wind in self-defence his emerald eyes locked with the blue eyes of his stalker as she leaned forward to initiate her long awaited kiss.

He had pushed her away roughly and told her rather forcefully to sod off. Much to his disgust Ginny had broken down in tears and had torn off towards the Gryffindor common room to cry on Hermione's shoulder about how mean Harry had been.

His thoughts turned towards the bushy haired girl. Seriously that girl was a know-it-all, what the hell had the hat been thinking when placing her in the house of bravery. It was more than clear that she was a Raven through and through. Perhaps it was because of her bravery in interfering in other people's business? It was ridiculous how many times she seemed to sprout off about one thing or another in regards to his life. Technically it wasn't even his life that held her fascination…it was everybody's. He was sure he had seen Seamus cringe in fear when she started in on her. Dean somehow managed to ride to his rescue.

But she too held the belief that he should settle down with Ginny. It was in those moments that he wondered why he had convinced the sorting hat not to place him in Slytherin. Maybe he would have been better off in the house of snakes? Better he take the chance of survival than that of servitude?

What would have happened if he had accepted the hand of one Draco Malfoy all those years ago? Harry had often thought of different ways he could renew the hand of friendship with the snotty blond. More often than not his good intentions seemed to always end in altercations with the Malfoy heir. The very attractive Malfoy heir…WHAT?