WHEN HARRY, ALEN, RON, AND HERMIONE WALKED INTO THE GREAT HALL THE NEXT MORNING, THE FIRST THING THEY SAW WAS DRACO MALFOY, WHO SEEMED TO BE ENTERTAINING A LARGE GROUP OF SLYTHERINS WITH A VERY FUNNY STORY. As they passed, Malfoy did a ridiculous impression of a swooning fit and there was a roar of laughter.
"Ignore him," said Hermione, who was right behind Harry. "Just ignore him, it's not worth it . . ."
"Hey Potter!" shrieked Pansy Parkinson, a Slytherin girl with a face like a pug. "Potter! The Dementors are coming Potter! ooooo!"
Harry dropped into an empty seat at the Gryffindor table, next to George Weasley.
"New third year timetables." said George, passing them over. "What's up with you Harry?"
"Malfoy." spat Ron, sitting down on the other side of George.
George looked up to see Malfoy pretending to faint in terror again.
"That little git," he said calmly. "He wasn't so cocky when the dementors showed up in our side of the train last night. Came running into our compartment didn't he, Freddie?"
"Nearly wet himself," Fred laughed, with a contemptuous glance at Malfoy.
"I wasn't to happy myself," George added. "They're horrible things, those Dementors..."
"Sort of freeze your insides, don't they?" said Fred.
"You didn't pass out, though, did you?" Harry asked in a low, almost whispering voice.
"Forget it, Harry," said George bracingly. "Dad had to go out of Azkaban one time, remember, Fred? And he said it was the worst place he'd ever been. He came back all weak and shaking... They suck the happiness out of a place, Dementors. Most of the prisoners go mad in there."
"Anyway, we'll see how happy Malfoy looks after our first Quidditch match," said Fred. "Gryffindor versus Slytherin, first game of the season, remember?"
The only time Harry and Malfoy faced each other in a Quidditch match, Malfoy had come off worse. Feeling slightly more cheerful, Harry helped himself to sausages and fried tomatoes (with some forced bites from Alena).
