Okay, I want to get a something straight before I start this. I'm not sure how long this will be. It could be a novel; however it could also end up only being a couple chapters. I'm not quite sure yet but please, oh please, bear with me.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the original people or places from that wonderful series. J.K. Rowling, however, does. I am also not being paid to write this.
Title: Mistakes
Summary: "One of these days you are going to realize that you made a terrible mistake. But by then, it'll be too late." Before Ginny Weasley's six year at Hogwarts, she never thought that she would end up the object of affection of two boys. She never realized those two boys would be Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini. However, her small Soap Opera is only the beginning of the troubles plaguing the Wizarding World.
Time: Harry, Hermione, Ron, Malfoy, and Zabini are all in their seventh year. Harry is Quidditch Captain, so is Malfoy. Ginny is in her sixth year. Voldemort is still out there.
Chapter 1: Introductions
"Ginny, you would not believe the horrible meeting that I just had," Hermione Granger fumed as she walked into the prefect's compartment on the Hogwarts Express. Ignoring the nervous looking fifth years, she continued on, "So, I walked into the heads compartment, waiting for Dumbledore, and you wouldn't guess who walked in!"
"Voldemort?" Ginny guessed half-heartedly as she lowered the magazine that she had been reading.
"Very funny. It was Draco Malfoy. He's Head Boy. Can you believe it?" The bushy-haired girl was pacing in front of Ginny, looking very upset.
"What did the Fabulous Ferret do this time?"
"Well I was planning on being civil, so the second I noticed who it was I said 'Hello Malfoy' very politely and he goes on this ridiculously long speech about how my hair has become 'impossibly bushier' and my teeth 'ridiculously yellow and large.' I can't believe I will be stuck with him all bloody year!" And with a groan Hermione sat herself down next to Ginny, looking quite moody.
"Well at least you can keep a watch on him. You know Harry will accuse him of something new again," She rolled her eyes and laughed at Hermione's ridiculous expression. Spying on Malfoy was probably the last thing the older girl would have liked to have done. Hermione, however, was determined to keep her bad mood in place.
"My life always ends up like this… doesn't it?" Hermione sighed with defeat.
"You life always ends up like what?" Harry and Ron had just joined them, both uncaring that they had missed the perfect's speech that Dumbledore had given.
"Where were you two?" Ginny asked in confusion.
"In our compartment of course, waiting for you two! You didn't show up so we decided to come looking for you both. Why are you guys in here anyway?" Harry looked genuinely confused. Hermione and Ginny shared a significant look and began laughing hysterically.
"What? What is so funny?" The girls however were unable to speak, so Ron turned to Harry, "Do you know what they are laughing about?"
"No idea," Harry shrugged his shoulders as he watched his favorite girls laughing uncontrollably. He smiled and shook his head as if they were the silly ones.
"Harry… Ron…" Ginny gasped, "We were at the perfect's speech. Which you two obviously forgot about." The boys looked rather dumb stuck for a moment, and then the look of shock slid from their faces and became worry.
"Damn… McGonagall's going to kill us, mate," Ron had a very frightened look on his face as he stared at his best friend.
"Wouldn't that be a tragedy?" A sarcastic drawl came from the entrance to the Head's compartment. Draco Malfoy stood there, looking like Adonis, with an arrogant smirk on his face. Ginny scowled as the good mood left her immediately.
"I don't believe anyone asked you for your opinion, Ferret." Ginny's glare intensified as Malfoy's smirk became more pronounced.
"Well, that's the real tragedy, isn't it? My opinion is highly valued. Well, even if you didn't ask for it, you probably couldn't afford it. Anything with the word 'value' in it is out of your league, isn't it Weasley?"
"Anything with the word 'classy' in it is out of your league then, isn't it Malfoy?" Ginny said as she noticed the fifth year girls eyeing the blonde Slytherin.
"Funny, I don't see you getting any Weaselette. Potter still holding on to his virginity?" He knew he had won this fight as Harry and Ron both stood up to protect Ginny's honor. Malfoy smiled as they started threatening him and pointed to his shiny new Head Boy badge. "Scar head, Weasel, remember who you are talking to. You don't want to start off the year with a detention, do you?" The boys fell silent at once as Malfoy smirked and walked away.
"Hermione, I am so sorry. He is such an insufferable git!" Ginny's anger was fuming as she watched the older boy walk out of the prefect's compartment.
"Since when is Malfoy Head Boy?" Ron and Harry both looked quite angry. Ron was quickly become the color of a radish while Harry's face was drained to blood all together.
"How could Dumbledore do this? Even though his father is a known Death Eater and he is probably going to follow in his footsteps!"
"Harry, we don't know for sure that Lucius Malfoy is a Death Eater," Hermione spoke calmly but her voice was quite firm. She had been adamant all summer in her scolding of the three other students whenever they suggested that anyone was a Death Eater. She had told them multiple times what a serious accusation that was.
"Oh stuff it, Hermione. We know he is a Death Eater! I saw him with my own eyes in that graveyard."
"Harry, don't talk so loudly!" And that started their usual argument about Hermione not trusting Harry and Harry being completely unreasonable. Ginny and Ron just shared a significant look and tried to ignore him. This tactic worked until Hermione had finally had it.
"Okay, but if you really want to talk about this kind of stuff we need to get a private compartment!" She whispered, staring significantly at all the other prefects located in this compartment.
"Fine, lets go," Harry still sounded angry, but he looked like he was going to let it go.
The four friends left the crowded compartment for the solace of their own, and the rest of the train ride was consumed by Malfoy bashing.
As they all made their way to the school, Ginny was lost in the crowd. All she could think about was the way Malfoy's eyes had seemed to light up when she had argued with him. It was strange, but he filled her thoughts, distracted her. Ginny didn't even notice where she was going until her foot caught on a rock and she was making her way toward the cold, hard ground. However, a pair of very strong arms wrapped around her waist at the last second and a soft chuckle was heard in her ear.
"Weaselette, you really need to be more careful. You could have hurt yourself, and we wouldn't want that now would we?" This boy's voice was deep and attractive; his smell was woody and exotic. She turned to face him with a smile that quickly slipped off of her face as she took in who it was. Blaise Zabini had always been a handsome boy. His dark skin and perfect features made him irresistible to most of the Hogwarts female population. However, he was Malfoy's right hand man. If Malfoy didn't exist, it would definitely be Zabini with the title of 'Slytherin Sex God.'
"It is usually proper manners to thank those who save you." Zabini's voice was mocking, the way most Slytherins sounded.
"Sod off Zabini," Ginny whirled around and stomped off toward the castle, angry at herself for letting her guard down. Zabini was sure to go to Malfoy and the other Slytherins about how much of a klutz she was.
"Weaselette! Hey, Weaselette! Come back here, you!" Zabini was running to catch up with her and she quickened her pace.
"What part of 'Sod off' do you not understand?" She asked as she turned to face him. Zabini looked confused, almost innocent. Hah, she thought, he is anything but innocent.
"Well I was just wondering why you were so angry with me. I just saved your life after all."
"Saved my life? Zabini, you stopped me from falling. I'm positive that was not a life-or-death situation." She gave him a smirk any Slytherin would be proud of and stalked off again.
"Weaselette, that doesn't matter. I don't care if you don't like me, I would rather not talk to you myself-"
"Then why don't you stop?" She suggested.
"Your manners really need some touching up. Didn't your blood traitor parents teach you anything? You don't interrupt your betters when they are speaking to you. Especially me. My opinion is very important," She couldn't help it; she sniggered at how similar Zabini and Malfoy were.
"What?" He asked her impatiently.
"Malfoy said the exact same thing to me today," She responded with a smile. She was rewarded with a very un-Slytherin smile and laugh in return as he looked at her in astonishment.
"I just insulted your family and all you say is that I am like Malfoy? Well, I like to think that I am," She looked at him in confusion. Who would want to be like Malfoy?
"You want to be like Malfoy? You Slytherins have very twisted minds. You idolize the weirdest people," Zabini only shook his head as if she didn't know what she was talking about.
"You don't know Malfoy like I do. You see only what he wants you to see," He smiled knowingly at her and she felt warmth spread through her stomach. Maybe he isn't that bad.
"What do you mean by that?"
"It appears that I have said too much. Weaselette, watch where you are going next time. I don't want to have to touch you again." Or maybe he is.
Ginny waited until Zabini was out of sight before making her way slowly up to the castle. She couldn't believe it; she just had an almost civilized conversation with a Slytherin – Blaise Zabini no less! Her thoughts as she walked toward the start of term feast were not just on Malfoy, but on Zabini also. However, when she got to the door of the Great Hall, the latter was looking through a crack in the doors with a sour expression on his face.
"Excuse me, but why are you standing outside of the door instead of going inside them? That's what they're for you know, you just push it open a little more and you can get into the magical world inside!" Her voice was sarcastic and a smirk was on her lips. He turned toward her with not a smirk, but a genuine smile.
"You make a horrible Gryffindor, you know that? With that smirk on your face you look like a genuine Slytherin," He laughed as her smirk became a grimace.
"And with that smile you look like a genuine Gryffindor," His own smile fell, "now can you answer my question? Why are you standing outside of the Great Hall?"
"The feast has already started. I don't want to go in there! I'm trying to catch Draco's eye to see if he can create a distraction…" She laughed and gave him an incredulous look.
"I'm surprised. Don't the Slytherins just live for attention?" He returned her laugh with one of his own and smiled knowingly at her.
"Not all of us love. I for one would like to go in there unnoticed," He gave her one last look before going back to his fruitless attempt at catching Malfoy's eye.
"He's never going to look. How about coming down to the kitchens with me for a bite to eat?" She couldn't believe what she had just asked. This boy had some kind of ability to make everyone around him nice to him. And she hated it.
"Weaselette, I will not go on a date with you. No matter how much you beg," Amusement made his eyes light up and, though she hated to say it, made his face look even more attractive. She scowled at him and glared, her caramel eyes becoming slits.
"I wouldn't go on a date with a Slytherin; much less you Zabini, if there were no other men on the planet. Fine, you get the choice of either going in there and causing a scene or not eating. Take your pick, I could care less," And with that she stalked off to the general direction of the kitchens, waiting for Zabini to come calling after her.
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2…
"Weaselette! Wait up!" Knew it, she thought smugly.
"Zabini, I thought I told you-"
"I know you didn't mean that Weaselette. Everyone wants me around. You're no exception," She couldn't help it, she laughed and the sound filled the empty hallway. His joking smile grew bigger as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.
"Weaselette, you are so much different than I remember you being. When did you grow a backbone?" He looked at her curiously as she shrugged out of his embrace and gave him a wary look.
"I've never really talked to you before," She finally said after a long moment of silence.
"No, but whenever myself or Draco even looked at you, you would cower and run away. I guess you just… grew up?" His eyes trailed along her body, taking in her full breasts and slim figure. She suddenly felt embarrassed and uncomfortable as a soft blush rose in her cheeks.
"Keep your eyes in your head, Zabini. We aren't friends or anything. We just happen to be two people who are forced to walk together by rather unfortunate circumstances that are out of our control," Ginny clarified. She didn't want to give the Slytherin any ideas.
"Oh, my dear Weaselette, don't tip-toe around my feelings! Of course we aren't friends love, we never will be. A Zabini and a Weasel? No, quite doubtful," He shrugged and looked indifferent, but there was something wrong with the expression. It was too blank. Like the one Malfoy sometimes acquired.
"It's settled then."
"Oh, nothing is settled love," Zabini's teasing smirk made her smile and the two continued their walk to the kitchens in complete silence. As they got to the portrait of the bowl of fruit, they found it open and ready for them. Seeing as it was the start of term, no one knew the password. Dumbledore must have expected some students didn't make it to supper and decided to leave the kitchens open.
"Dobby!" Dobby launched himself into Ginny's arms, excited to see her.
"Friend of Harry Potter! Dobby is happy to see you! Is there a service that you and your friend need doing?" His voice was so excited that Ginny couldn't help but smile at the small house elf. She felt Zabini's eyes on her but she didn't really care.
"Could you make Zabini and me some food? We missed dinner," She smiled in what she hoped was a sheepish way, still aware of Zabini's eyes on her back.
"Of course friend of Harry Potter! Anything!" Dobby then ran off to the back of the kitchen where the pair could hear pans banging and making a lot of noise. Ginny kept her back to Zabini, not wishing to look at him.
"Zabini, you are going to burn a hole in the back of my head," Ginny noted as she finally turned to face him with her eyes narrowed.
"I'm just trying to figure out why you have changed so much. Not shagging Potter got your knickers in a twist?" Her anger boiled and her eyes became slits.
"Dobby, can you make that To-Go?" Ginny shouted over to the house elf. His small head appeared behind a stove.
"Of course! One moment Miss, one moment!"
Neither the Slytherin nor the Gryffindor looked at each other as they waited for their food, they stood in a stoic silence, looking at opposite walls.
"Your food, friend of Harry Potter!" Dobby said as he rushed toward Ginny and Zabini with two boxes of food.
"Thank you so much Dobby," Ginny said as she watched Zabini leave the kitchen without a word. "No goodbye, how very Slytherin," She hadn't thought that the dark boy heard her until she heard him yell over his shoulder.
"Goodbye Weaselette! I know you hope we see each other again!"
She rolled her eyes and just grunted her acknowledgement as she set off toward Gryffindor tower and her very soft, warm bed. At least I won't see Malfoy or Zabini in any of my classes. And that was the last thought that registered before she was taken by her lethargy.
Okay, review and tell me if you like it! Now, I'm going to do this new little thing after every single chapter. I want you to guess the song. Please. Name and Artist. The lyrics may or may not be part of the chorus!! The first one to guess it will be acknowledged in the next chapter! REVIEW!
Never really said too much,
Afraid it wouldn't be enough,
Just trying to keep my spirits up when there is no point in breathing,
It doesn't matter anyway,
Words can never make me stay,
Words will never take my place when you know I'm leaving.
Ciao