Okay, this is my first fic, so please go easy on me! I like the end of this
chapter the best.. I have three chapters of this written- if you want me to
continue please review and tell me so!
A big thank you to all the authors of the stories on my faves list, in no particular order: Asterix, Kei, Cat Samwise, bonkers, goldie, Wolf of Avalon, LilaStar, sIttInprItty, Darkangel Rose, Piri Lupin-Snape, and an extra note of thanks to Kerbi and Kalariona, authors of my two all-time favorite HP fics (Betrayed and Darkness or Light What is Your Choice? If you like one of them, don't read the other, because they're about as different as they come.) Kudos to A-Plus (can you find the margarine?) and an extra extra note of thanks to Kerbi again, for putting up with my reviews that I wrote of all her stories when I was bored, and for adding that margarine. Did I mention please review? (Shutting up.)
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"The Sleeping Potion is quite complicated to make. The dandelion roots counteract the negative effects of the rat tails as well as ensuring that the potion is a rich, smooth brown.."
Ginny tuned out Snape's droning voice, turning her thoughts instead to the same person she had been obsessed with since she had first seen him. He was so handsome, so brave. He had been glorious to watch at the first task and heroic at the second. And she could have gone to the Yule Ball with him! If only Neville had asked her two days later, if only she could have said, "Sorry, Neville, but I'm already going with someone." Then she knew Harry would have had a good time instead of stepping on Parvati Patil's feet for one dance and talking to Ron the rest of the evening. He would have asked her to go for a walk. She imagined his smooth voice saying, "Ginny, you look even more beautiful in the moonlight." And she would have smiled and put her arm around his waist. And he would have turned toward her, and taken her into his arms, and said-
"Weasley, you seem to have brewed a potion I don't think I have ever encountered. Kindly explain yourself."
Ginny's head snapped down to her cauldron. It was boiling, lumpy, and bright pink. "I-I think I started to brew a Sleeping Potion and it. sort of.. turned into something else, sir."
Snape stared down his nose at her. "Well, then, I think your grade has turned into something else. A zero, in fact. And an essay on your-" here he wrinkled his nose at her cauldron "new potion and what you did wrong, due Thursday."
Ginny ran up a flight of stairs. She was barely on time for Charms, but she could tell she was going to be late when Malfoy stepped out in front of her.
"Weasley."
Ginny tried not to scream. The last person she wanted to talk to right then was Draco Malfoy. "What do you want, Malfoy? I'm going to be late for Charms."
"I hear you're having trouble in Potions, Weasley."
"Oh, do you?" Ginny tried to push around him, but he stepped sideways and blocked her.
"I just wondered if you needed any- help."
Something was wrong here. Ginny suddenly realized that Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be seen. Malfoy almost never went anywhere without his bodyguards. "Not from you."
Malfoy smirked. "I would think that when your Sleeping Potion turns lumpy and pink, you'd be accepting help from anyone."
Ginny resisted the urge to punch that smirk off his face. She didn't want to get in a fight now, when she needed to hurry.
"Let me by, Malfoy. I really need to go." He stayed where he was. Ginny sighed irritably. "Fine. What do you want?"
"To help you in Potions."
"You mean, you want more opportunities to torment me. If you don't move in five seconds, I'm going to break your arm." To Ginny's vast surprise, he moved aside and let her pass.
"Okay, Weasley. Your loss."
Ginny dashed up the stairs. She didn't have time to wonder.
Draco watched her run until she turned the corner. Her hair flew behind her. Like fire, he thought. Like flames trailing behind her. He shook himself mentally. She was just another girl, there to conquer, boast about and dump. Like so many others before her. He sighed. He was getting bored of this already. All he had to do was look into a girl's eyes and his cold, grey ones would turn her to jelly. He'd had seven girlfriends so far this year, but none of them were challenging to be with or talk to. None had their own minds.
Ginny's hair disappeared around the corner. Her hair was like her mind. Fiery, wild, unpredictable. He knew he wanted her. Badly. And he knew he was going to get her. Eventually. All he needed was time. She would be a challenge. She had her own mind and knew how to use it. But he was confident that he could win her over.
At breakfast the next morning, Ginny sat with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ron were having a friendly row about Quidditch.
"That was a foul, that was. He stuck his elbow between her arms and knocked the Quaffle to Anders. That's cobbing!" Ron snatched the last muffin. Hermione, who had been reaching for it, glared at him.
"No, cobbing is just contact with the body, he didn't touch her!" Harry argued, spreading margarine on his toast.
"Look it up, cobbing applies to balls and people!" Ron said through a mouthful of eggs.
"Actually, cobbing, according to the Standard Rulebook of Quidditch, only applies to physical contact between one player's elbow and another player's body," Ginny informed Ron. "Harry's right." Of course. Harry was never wrong.
"I didn't know you had the rulebook memorized, Weasley," said a drawling voice behind them. "Turning into Granger, are you?" Ginny closed her eyes and tried to ignore him, but Ron had already turned around.
"You leave her alone, Malfoy!"
"I was talking to the other Weasley," Malfoy said, glancing pointedly at Ginny. She noticed he didn't look at her face, but her hair.
"I play Quidditch. I know the rules, even if you don't. Well, of course you don't, otherwise you'd know you're supposed to catch the Snitch, not dive in the way of Bludgers." Harry laughed as Hermione quietly took the opportunity to steal the muffin off of Ron's plate. Ginny's heart jumped. He had laughed at a comment she had made.
Malfoy's eyes were glittering madly. Ginny looked at him with some trepidation. He usually looked like that before he made a comment that caused Ron to start a fight. She got up quickly and left, not wanting to be part of the scene. To her surprise, Malfoy followed her and left Ron, Hermione and Harry alone.
"Go away, Malfoy!" she hissed, turning on him.
"I want to help you in Potions," he repeated, grinning. Ginny did a double take. Malfoy was grinning? Not smirking, not smiling coldly, but actually grinning? He was grinning at her hair, though, not her eyes.
Ginny sighed exasperatedly. She did need help in Potions, and Malfoy was the second best in his year. Nobody was better than Hermione. But Ginny didn't have any money to pay him, and she certainly couldn't accept his help for nothing. Then she'd owe him a favor, and who knew what he'd make her do.
She turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs and toward Gryffindor tower. He kept following her. And watching her hair.
She turned around suddenly, nearly stomping on his toes. She was sorry she'd missed. "Stop following me, stop bugging me, and stop staring at my freaking hair, Malfoy!" she burst out angrily, only she didn't say "freaking". He remained calm, still grinning. Ginny noticed how white his teeth were. Probably charmed, she thought bitterly.
"Language, Weasley. You don't want any innocent first years running in on you talking like that, do you now?"
"You want to hear words first years shouldn't hear, do you?" Ginny yelled and called him some things she wouldn't have said in front of Ron, not to mention first years.
Wow. Draco had never seen her angry before. She was usually cool and collected, like him. The new emotion became her. Then he absorbed what she had just said. Oops. He hadn't wanted her that angry.
"Goodness, Weasley. I didn't think an innocent third year could know words like that."
"Innocent third year? Innocent? I'll show you innocent!" She spat the words out at him. He was about to try to placate her when she punched him in the jaw.
He was knocked over by the force of the blow. He was of two minds. One said, 'Wow. That girl has quite a left. See what happens when you provoke her?' The other one said, 'Ow! That hurt!' The latter squashed the former very quickly and he launched himself back at her.
He grabbed her, pinned her arms against the floor, and whispered, "Let's see if I can still use that jaw." Then he kissed her soundly. She tried to get her hands out of his grip, but he tightened his hold, so she bit his lip hard instead. He rolled off her, bleeding. She jumped up and sat on his knees, positioning her fist a foot away from his groin, elbow bent, at the ready.
"Don't move a muscle." That's extremely clichéd, thought Draco, but he didn't say so. He knew when to keep his mouth shut. He might not have a brain like Granger's, but he knew when he was in mortal peril, and now was one of those times. Well, almost.
"I'm stopping here because I don't want to be expelled," Ginny told him menacingly. "I'm going to get up and walk away. You are going to get up and walk in the opposite direction. Next time you try to harass me I'm not going to let you walk away with just a bleeding lip."
And a broken jaw, Draco thought, although he knew it wasn't true.
"Do I need to use smaller words, or is that understood?" Ginny said in the same low, warning tone.
"Understood." Draco knew when he had lost. The battle not the war, he told himself sternly. He was going to win Weasley. Eventually.
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Thanks for getting this far, I will put the next chapter up if I get enough reviews. I am moving Friday so I may or may not get a chance to do it soon. We'll see.. Smooches! (Yes, I know I absolutely never say that, but it's 1:16 in the morning, so gimme a chance, okay?) (Shutting up.) Zel
Review.. Review.. Review.. Review.. (Shutting up.)
A big thank you to all the authors of the stories on my faves list, in no particular order: Asterix, Kei, Cat Samwise, bonkers, goldie, Wolf of Avalon, LilaStar, sIttInprItty, Darkangel Rose, Piri Lupin-Snape, and an extra note of thanks to Kerbi and Kalariona, authors of my two all-time favorite HP fics (Betrayed and Darkness or Light What is Your Choice? If you like one of them, don't read the other, because they're about as different as they come.) Kudos to A-Plus (can you find the margarine?) and an extra extra note of thanks to Kerbi again, for putting up with my reviews that I wrote of all her stories when I was bored, and for adding that margarine. Did I mention please review? (Shutting up.)
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"The Sleeping Potion is quite complicated to make. The dandelion roots counteract the negative effects of the rat tails as well as ensuring that the potion is a rich, smooth brown.."
Ginny tuned out Snape's droning voice, turning her thoughts instead to the same person she had been obsessed with since she had first seen him. He was so handsome, so brave. He had been glorious to watch at the first task and heroic at the second. And she could have gone to the Yule Ball with him! If only Neville had asked her two days later, if only she could have said, "Sorry, Neville, but I'm already going with someone." Then she knew Harry would have had a good time instead of stepping on Parvati Patil's feet for one dance and talking to Ron the rest of the evening. He would have asked her to go for a walk. She imagined his smooth voice saying, "Ginny, you look even more beautiful in the moonlight." And she would have smiled and put her arm around his waist. And he would have turned toward her, and taken her into his arms, and said-
"Weasley, you seem to have brewed a potion I don't think I have ever encountered. Kindly explain yourself."
Ginny's head snapped down to her cauldron. It was boiling, lumpy, and bright pink. "I-I think I started to brew a Sleeping Potion and it. sort of.. turned into something else, sir."
Snape stared down his nose at her. "Well, then, I think your grade has turned into something else. A zero, in fact. And an essay on your-" here he wrinkled his nose at her cauldron "new potion and what you did wrong, due Thursday."
Ginny ran up a flight of stairs. She was barely on time for Charms, but she could tell she was going to be late when Malfoy stepped out in front of her.
"Weasley."
Ginny tried not to scream. The last person she wanted to talk to right then was Draco Malfoy. "What do you want, Malfoy? I'm going to be late for Charms."
"I hear you're having trouble in Potions, Weasley."
"Oh, do you?" Ginny tried to push around him, but he stepped sideways and blocked her.
"I just wondered if you needed any- help."
Something was wrong here. Ginny suddenly realized that Crabbe and Goyle were nowhere to be seen. Malfoy almost never went anywhere without his bodyguards. "Not from you."
Malfoy smirked. "I would think that when your Sleeping Potion turns lumpy and pink, you'd be accepting help from anyone."
Ginny resisted the urge to punch that smirk off his face. She didn't want to get in a fight now, when she needed to hurry.
"Let me by, Malfoy. I really need to go." He stayed where he was. Ginny sighed irritably. "Fine. What do you want?"
"To help you in Potions."
"You mean, you want more opportunities to torment me. If you don't move in five seconds, I'm going to break your arm." To Ginny's vast surprise, he moved aside and let her pass.
"Okay, Weasley. Your loss."
Ginny dashed up the stairs. She didn't have time to wonder.
Draco watched her run until she turned the corner. Her hair flew behind her. Like fire, he thought. Like flames trailing behind her. He shook himself mentally. She was just another girl, there to conquer, boast about and dump. Like so many others before her. He sighed. He was getting bored of this already. All he had to do was look into a girl's eyes and his cold, grey ones would turn her to jelly. He'd had seven girlfriends so far this year, but none of them were challenging to be with or talk to. None had their own minds.
Ginny's hair disappeared around the corner. Her hair was like her mind. Fiery, wild, unpredictable. He knew he wanted her. Badly. And he knew he was going to get her. Eventually. All he needed was time. She would be a challenge. She had her own mind and knew how to use it. But he was confident that he could win her over.
At breakfast the next morning, Ginny sat with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry and Ron were having a friendly row about Quidditch.
"That was a foul, that was. He stuck his elbow between her arms and knocked the Quaffle to Anders. That's cobbing!" Ron snatched the last muffin. Hermione, who had been reaching for it, glared at him.
"No, cobbing is just contact with the body, he didn't touch her!" Harry argued, spreading margarine on his toast.
"Look it up, cobbing applies to balls and people!" Ron said through a mouthful of eggs.
"Actually, cobbing, according to the Standard Rulebook of Quidditch, only applies to physical contact between one player's elbow and another player's body," Ginny informed Ron. "Harry's right." Of course. Harry was never wrong.
"I didn't know you had the rulebook memorized, Weasley," said a drawling voice behind them. "Turning into Granger, are you?" Ginny closed her eyes and tried to ignore him, but Ron had already turned around.
"You leave her alone, Malfoy!"
"I was talking to the other Weasley," Malfoy said, glancing pointedly at Ginny. She noticed he didn't look at her face, but her hair.
"I play Quidditch. I know the rules, even if you don't. Well, of course you don't, otherwise you'd know you're supposed to catch the Snitch, not dive in the way of Bludgers." Harry laughed as Hermione quietly took the opportunity to steal the muffin off of Ron's plate. Ginny's heart jumped. He had laughed at a comment she had made.
Malfoy's eyes were glittering madly. Ginny looked at him with some trepidation. He usually looked like that before he made a comment that caused Ron to start a fight. She got up quickly and left, not wanting to be part of the scene. To her surprise, Malfoy followed her and left Ron, Hermione and Harry alone.
"Go away, Malfoy!" she hissed, turning on him.
"I want to help you in Potions," he repeated, grinning. Ginny did a double take. Malfoy was grinning? Not smirking, not smiling coldly, but actually grinning? He was grinning at her hair, though, not her eyes.
Ginny sighed exasperatedly. She did need help in Potions, and Malfoy was the second best in his year. Nobody was better than Hermione. But Ginny didn't have any money to pay him, and she certainly couldn't accept his help for nothing. Then she'd owe him a favor, and who knew what he'd make her do.
She turned on her heel and stormed up the stairs and toward Gryffindor tower. He kept following her. And watching her hair.
She turned around suddenly, nearly stomping on his toes. She was sorry she'd missed. "Stop following me, stop bugging me, and stop staring at my freaking hair, Malfoy!" she burst out angrily, only she didn't say "freaking". He remained calm, still grinning. Ginny noticed how white his teeth were. Probably charmed, she thought bitterly.
"Language, Weasley. You don't want any innocent first years running in on you talking like that, do you now?"
"You want to hear words first years shouldn't hear, do you?" Ginny yelled and called him some things she wouldn't have said in front of Ron, not to mention first years.
Wow. Draco had never seen her angry before. She was usually cool and collected, like him. The new emotion became her. Then he absorbed what she had just said. Oops. He hadn't wanted her that angry.
"Goodness, Weasley. I didn't think an innocent third year could know words like that."
"Innocent third year? Innocent? I'll show you innocent!" She spat the words out at him. He was about to try to placate her when she punched him in the jaw.
He was knocked over by the force of the blow. He was of two minds. One said, 'Wow. That girl has quite a left. See what happens when you provoke her?' The other one said, 'Ow! That hurt!' The latter squashed the former very quickly and he launched himself back at her.
He grabbed her, pinned her arms against the floor, and whispered, "Let's see if I can still use that jaw." Then he kissed her soundly. She tried to get her hands out of his grip, but he tightened his hold, so she bit his lip hard instead. He rolled off her, bleeding. She jumped up and sat on his knees, positioning her fist a foot away from his groin, elbow bent, at the ready.
"Don't move a muscle." That's extremely clichéd, thought Draco, but he didn't say so. He knew when to keep his mouth shut. He might not have a brain like Granger's, but he knew when he was in mortal peril, and now was one of those times. Well, almost.
"I'm stopping here because I don't want to be expelled," Ginny told him menacingly. "I'm going to get up and walk away. You are going to get up and walk in the opposite direction. Next time you try to harass me I'm not going to let you walk away with just a bleeding lip."
And a broken jaw, Draco thought, although he knew it wasn't true.
"Do I need to use smaller words, or is that understood?" Ginny said in the same low, warning tone.
"Understood." Draco knew when he had lost. The battle not the war, he told himself sternly. He was going to win Weasley. Eventually.
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Thanks for getting this far, I will put the next chapter up if I get enough reviews. I am moving Friday so I may or may not get a chance to do it soon. We'll see.. Smooches! (Yes, I know I absolutely never say that, but it's 1:16 in the morning, so gimme a chance, okay?) (Shutting up.) Zel
Review.. Review.. Review.. Review.. (Shutting up.)