My greatest apologies for my long absence. I have not had any chance to do any work, and although I have begun a few projects, I just can't seem to bring them through the way I wish to.
This is a piece I wrote a while ago, meaning almost a year, if not more, and I'm not sure whether or not I should continue it.
If you guys review it, I'll consider continuing it, but bear with me – it might take a bit before I have the time! School has been particularly hard on me lately, and although I know you all don't really care, I feel as though you should know. Hehe.
This is a piece I have named Camping. Writing like this always feels awkward for me, because I don't enjoy writing about their school years when we all know perfectly well what really went on, but it was a first try sort of thing.
This is chapter one.
"Oh, honestly, Ron, quiet down! And you, too, Harry – do you see anyone else making that much noise?" Hermione reprimanded the boys as she gestured to the rest of the Great Hall. It was the first day of their seventh year and classes were beginning in the afternoon. A cheerful mood settled upon the students over the weekend, and Harry and Ron were chatting up a storm about something. Ginny, sitting next to Hermione, rolled her eyes and shut her Potions book.
Letting her eyes travel slowly across the hall, she raised her hands and brushed her fingers slowly through her red hair. It was long and straight, falling over her shoulders in thick strands, and the ends curled prettily by her lower back. Ron and Harry began speaking again in hushed tones, and she droned them out, watching the other students.
At the Ravenclaw table, she saw Luna eating quietly. Ginny's eyes traveled further and stopped on the Slytherin table. Malfoy was sitting in the middle, surrounded by Pansy Parkinson, Blaise Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle. He smirked as Zabini said something, suspiciously pointing to the Ravenclaw table, and Ginny scowled, disgustedly turning away as Goyle began picking his nose.
As she was about to ask Hermione what her first class was, a loud tinkling rang through the air, and she turned to the High Table, spotting Professor Dumbledore as he rose. Slowly, the tables quieted down and everyone turned to watch him. He put his hands together slowly and called, "Good morning! I hope everyone has gotten settled in well and is ready for classes! And now, the major news I am honored to give will be announced! A new project has been organized for you this year, a project that we hope will teach you a bit about life outside of Hogwarts, an adventure you might have never planned to be taking! The professors and I have decided to take you camping!"
Loud whispers erupted within the hall as students turned to their friends, astonished at the news. Ginny's face broke into a surprised smile and glanced at Hermione, who grinned and pursed her lips, watching the Headmaster. He was standing silently, smiling, as everyone quieted down. Then, he continued, "This school year has been shortened by four weeks, during which time our adventure will take place. Every school day, all students will gather in the large classroom across from Professor McGonagall's at seven in the evening. For two hours, you will receive a lesson on living in the Muggle world, geography, and proper ways of traveling and camping. There will be groups of students working together to organize this adventure, seven students in each group. In the groups, there will be one student from each year. There will be no particular pattern about who's working with whom, and there will not be more than two students from the same house. In some cases, there will only be one student from one house. Think of this as an assignment; you will be graded on how well and productively you work. By the end of the year, you will be graded on how well you did, as much as how well you get along with the members of your group. Use your time wisely and enjoy the experience. Classes will begin today. Don't be late!"
With that, the professor sat down and continued eating. Ginny laughed, staring at her housemates and said, "That man is positively amazing!" Ron and Harry shook their heads, watching for others' reactions, and Ginny turned to Hermione, her smile dropping at the expression on the girl's face. She followed Hermione's line of vision and spotted Malfoy and his cronies guffawing at the Slytherin table. Pansy was making a show and the rest were laughing at her. Soon, Malfoy shook his head and looked up, catching Hermione's gaze. He sneered and leaned over to Zabini, murmuring something.
Quickly, both she and Ginny dropped their gazes and said, "Git." Harry and Ron stared at them and Hermione shook her head, "Never mind."
"That sounds like a really good idea to me, don't you think?" Ginny said to Hermione. Her friend shrugged and muttered, "I don't think it's a very good idea. I mean, I'd love to go camping and all, but if I have to deal with two Slytherins every day, I'm not sure I'll be able to enjoy the experience. You saw their reactions - they'll make this as hard as they possibly can, especially since this is like a Muggle thing, and if they're paired with me, a Muggle … let's just not even think about it. I hope I have some Gryffindors I know, maybe Luna, too."
Ginny nodded and looked back at the Slytherins. Malfoy and Zabini had already left, but Parkinson was still there, talking to Crabbe and Goyle. Ginny gathered her books and stood, "Hermione, I'll meet you in your commons – I forgot my jacket."
Hermione stood with her, "Wait, no – I'll go with you. I'm through eating."
Together, the girls exited the hall and headed for the stairs. They walked in silence as they approached the Gryffindor common room and then Ginny asked, "What's your first class?"
They stepped through the portrait and Hermione answered, "Oh, Double Potions with Slytherin. Isn't that nice. At least it's not first thing in the morning and we get some time to prepare for it. I really am glad about the new schedule that Professor Dumbledore's come up with. I mean, we get to sleep late and have half the day to ourselves. But our curfew's early nonetheless, which is a tad disappointing."
"Well, that's true, but if we have classes from twelve to five, and then these new ones from seven to nine, we get most of the morning to ourselves and then that one hour between five and dinner. Oh, hell, you're right, it isn't enough. But I've made myself a promise," Ginny murmured as they climbed the stairs, "to go to sleep early and wake up at about seven. That way, I have two hours to work on homework before breakfast and two hours to work on it after. But these classes – do you think they're really that necessary? I mean, maybe the classes are, but really? Two whole hours? Isn't that a bit much?"
Hermione watched as Ginny dug a light green windbreaker from her trunk and threw it onto the bed. Together, they gazed at themselves in her full-length mirror on the wall beside it and corrected their clothing. The girls looked almost identical in their matching white blouses, ties, black skirts (although Ginny's sat much lower on her hips), their high socks, and their black shoes. Also, their hair was up neatly and their faces were clear of any make-up.
Ginny grabbed her windbreaker and they descended the staircase. "I don't think they're necessary at all. I mean, we have Muggle Studies for that if anyone wished to learn. And who says we'll enjoy camping? It's nice that he's making an effort to create that damned inter-House unity, but I just don't think this will turn out well."
Ginny laughed and pushed the Portrait open. The corridors were generally empty, since most of the students were still at breakfast. Some had escaped to their common rooms, or outside, but none were roaming around the castle, which was favorable to Ginny and Hermione, because it gave them a level of privacy in their conversation.
"I just hope I'm not paired with Malfoy," Ginny called as she walked outside and Hermione went in the direction of her Head commons.
Classes went by quickly that day, much too quickly for Ginny's taste, and before she knew it, she was walking to the Great Hall for dinner. She took a seat by her brother and began piling things onto her plate. Harry, sitting across from her, watched with an open mouth as Ginny stuffed her face with mashed potatoes and fish.
Noticing this, Ginny put her food down slowly and laughed. Harry smiled and said, "I didn't realize you had Ron's eating habits. It's a bit peculiar, if you ask me. I mean, I don't remember Fred, George, or Percy eating like that."
The redhead in front of him wiped her fingers on a napkin as she muffled more laughter, and then retorted, "But I still live with Ron! If you don't eat fast, you don't eat, and I have learned to live with that rule. I suspect it'll stay with me for the rest of my life."
Harry nodded, chuckling, and soon, Hermione joined them. Before she even reached her seat, she declared, "I do not like the new schedule."
The fork that almost reached Ginny's mouth went back to the plate as she looked up, "Why?"
Her friend threw her legs over the bench erratically and looked at her as she grabbed a piece of bread, "Because it's not even nearly enough time! First, instead of the traditional ten hours of classes, we only have seven, and two of them don't even count! That gives us five hours to fit our entire schedule into! See, maybe that matters absolutely nothing to you, because you," she gave a pointed look to Harry and Ron, "only have five classes to get to, but I have eight, and a five-hour span is definitely not enough to learn what I am supposed to. I am going to have a discussion with Professor McGonagall."
Ron looked stricken, "What? No, Hermione, no, you can't do that! They might change the schedule! And then, I'll have to sign up for more classes! Do you want to see me suffer like this?"
Hermione ignored him and bit into an apple. Ginny spoke up, "What will you say to her, though?"
"Just that this schedule isn't working out for me. Ask her to prolong the school hours. Maybe she'll just give me a Time-Turner again. I really don't care, I just need her to do something about this – I am fairly sure that I signed up for eight classes. When I got my schedule this year, it said I would have each class for about thirty-five minutes. And then, I go to my first class and it lasts for an entire class period! I caught McGonagall after class and complained, but she just said that the schedule had been changed and there would be some oddities at first. I mean, what the hell does that even mean??" Hermione smacked her spoon against the table.
Ginny snorted, "I bet she was making an attempt to sound smart, Hermione."
The older girl smiled and muttered, "That doesn't bloody well help me. I just hope that when I talk this over with her, she'll actually listen. I mean, I am severely concerned with my scores!"
Ginny nodded, "I know, Hermione. We all know, no offense."
Ron and Harry helplessly watched this exchange as their happiness slowly slipped away at the hands of Hermione Granger. Finally, as most students began dispersing to the classes for later that evening, the two girls rose and exited the hall, still in deep discussion. Harry and Ron looked at each other, swallowed, and followed.
"Quiet down, students," Professor McGonagall called over the clamor in the classroom, visibly holding a long piece of parchment. Gradually, the noise began to subside, and every student in the school looked up at her, anticipating more information. The witch looked over the crowd of students and began.
"This new assignment is, you may say, an experiment. We are conducting it for one year only, and it is an experience you don't want to miss out on – because your grades have a direct link to it. This class will be called 'Travel' and you will be studying here for the bit of traveling you will do at the end of the year. Every day, excluding the weekends, you will meet for a two-hour session with your groups. Keep in mind, your groups will have much interaction with others', but the thing you need to be worried about most is staying, or becoming, in some cases, friends with your teammates and staying so at least until the end of the year. This class, mind you, is for a grade, and you will be required to pass to graduate. Even those of you in first year – if you do not pass, when seventh year comes around, you will not graduate. Is that clear?"
A stunned silence passed as a few of the first years nodded tensely. Satisfied, the professor continued, "In each group will be one student from each year - and that is it. Seven students total, and you will be working separately for most of the time these classes will be going on. Now, you might be paired with someone you aren't particularly partial to, but that is something you will be required to fix over the course of the semester. Please be kind to your younger teammates, particularly the first years, all right? And now, I will begin listing the groups. As soon as I name your group, please gather as a, well, group beside the doors. If you haven't met yet, please introduce yourselves and stand quietly. When I'm done, we will travel to the library. I'm afraid this classroom is just not large enough."
Ginny closed her eyes tightly and crossed her fingers, hoping for the best group possible – maybe with Hermione as the seventh year, or maybe even her brother. Slowly, McGonagall began calling off groups of names and Ginny saw some people begin lining up by the door.
" … Harry Potter, Stewart Ackerley, Lena Johnston, Aaron Matthews, Euan Abercrombie, David Tassow, and Millie Andrews. Next group: Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Patrick Elwood, Anne Gerrard, Ian Thompson, Larry Emerson, Renee Wilson …"
Ginny shut her eyes even tighter, crossing her fingers to the point of feeling them quiver, almost as if the bone was about to be dislocated. She slowly relaxed her fingers and opened her eyes, spotting an anxious Hermione behind her, watching McGonagall wide-eyed. Ginny turned back around, a smirk gracing her lips, and tuned back in to McGonagall's voice.
"Next group: Draco Malfoy, Ginny Weasley, Carl Anderson, Miles West, Justin Kimberley, Lucas Graham, and Daniel Pritchard. Next group …"
Good grief, Ginny thought. I'm the only girl in the group. I'm the only Gryffindor in the group! Holy poo muffins, Malfoy's in my group!
She opened her eyes, staring ahead, like a deer caught in headlights. Not that she'd know the term. Malfoy, sitting two rows in front of her, looked just as disgusted to be paired with her as she was with him, and made sure everyone around him knew it. She spotted Harry's sympathetic smile in the corner of the room and smiled back, slowly rising from her seat.
The other boys in her team, approaching Malfoy, all looked satisfied with their group members. Ginny squeezed her eyes shut and tried to imagine that this wasn't happening. She did not just get grouped with Malfoy for the rest of the year!
When she opened her eyes, she noticed that none of them were standing by his seat anymore. Malfoy had confidently walked on and crossed his arms as he stopped at the end of the line. The boys halted behind him as well, and Ginny stood behind them, suddenly afraid of him.
He didn't even express that he noticed her, he simply smirked out over the Slytherin section of the room as his mates got paired with Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, and Ginny was glad, she didn't want to face him now. She watched as McGonagall announced the last few groups, "Hermione Granger, Malcolm Baddock, Tracy Whitman, Alexia Yates, Ryan Jasper, Brenda Waswan, and Reese Swan. Next group: Elliott Morton, Leon Karlson, Melinda Bratman, Missy Fortier, Ashton Jason, Xavier Holliwell, Kara Elmore. And the last group: Jesse Delwyn, Cherry Tristan, Willis Vivien, Nelly Jackson, Ben Long, Stephanie Rodnick, and William Christopher. Would everyone please gather by the door."
Ginny watched a crestfallen Hermione make her way toward her group, also containing no Gryffindors. Finally, as McGonagall led them out of the classroom, Ginny saw Malfoy walk slowly in step with her a little ways away from her. He was watching her, she could have sworn it, but when she glanced at him, his eyes were averted toward the ground, and she felt foolish.
They quietly filed into the sanctuary and McGonagall seated each group at separate tables. Ginny's group was sitting in the quietest corner of the library. As McGonagall moved on, Ginny took the seat farthest away from the corner, hoping to make herself closer to Hermione, whose group sat in the center of the library. The boys seated themselves as well, and Ginny was surprised when Malfoy didn't raise his feet onto the table as she had expected him to. He simply crossed his arms, leaned back, and watched her.
The boy Ginny assumed to be Miles West, wearing Slytherin robes, sat beside her and gazed at her, too. The rest of the boys talked in hushed tones for a while before turning and watching her as well. She shifted uncomfortably before murmuring, "Well."
A sneer crossed the face of the pale blond sitting across from her (which was as far away from her as possible, given the round table they were sitting at) before he drawled, "Just about the most intelligent thing I've heard out of you, Weasley."
Boiling anger rose up in Ginny's chest as she narrowed her eyes and leaned forward, "If you can do any better, then please, begin a discussion!"
He leered and set his jaw, watching her patiently. Before she could continue, McGonagall's voice rang out through the library.
"Students, please quiet down and listen to the directions. You are to come up with a destination you want to make it to in the four weeks of traveling you'll get at the end of the year, and you're also to come up with the route best to use in getting there. Once you're done, sit quietly, and a professor will approach your group. Begin."
Ginny cleared her throat as students began to talk excitedly. She wasn't feeling any better about having to sit and accept Malfoy's bullying, and she sure as hell wasn't getting anything done.
She shivered – her small form got cold rather fast – and turned back to her table, which was expectantly watching her. Slowly, she gritted out, "Any suggestions?"
Several came at her at once, and she extracted a piece of parchment from her pocket, unrolling it and writing them down.
Carl Anderson, a Hufflepuff, had suggested Rome. Daniel Pritchard came up with Wales, Justin Kimberley had shouted Panama, Miles West calmly announced Kiev, and Lucas Graham wanted to visit Barcelona. Ginny nodded as she wrote these down, and looked at Malfoy expectantly. The blond raised his eyebrows and drawled, "The Maldives."
Ginny was taken aback by his confident suggestion, because the Maldives were a place she'd dreamed of visiting herself, ever since she was a child. She looked up and blinked, "How come?"
Malfoy sneered, "Weasley, it's not your job to ask. Your job is to come up with a good suggestion."
Ginny felt a warmth spread up her cheeks, and even though she couldn't blush, she was sure everyone knew what she was feeling. Without uttering a word, Ginny inscribed Maldives twice. She quickly wrote their names down at the top and turned the parchment around. "How do we want to get to these places?"
Miles raised his hand and muttered, "Why don't we take one of those Muggle planes?"
Malfoy snorted and Miles bowed his head, stopping his suggestion. Ginny pursed her lips and engraved plane by his name. The four boys quickly rattled off their ideas and Ginny looked at Malfoy.
He busily uncrossed his arms and checked his watch, a disdainful look passing over his face, before drawling, "Apparition or Port Key."
Ginny nodded and wrote the idea beside his name; her suggestion had been a Muggle plane. They were through, and Ginny rested her quill on the table, looking around. In a few minutes, Professor McGonagall approached their table and took the parchment, "I'm glad you came prepared, Miss Weasley. Some students had to memorize their group's suggestions and list them to me."
Ginny smiled and looked back down. But McGonagall didn't leave, and Ginny looked up as the woman asked, "Now, Mister Malfoy, you suggested the Maldives. What is your reasoning behind that proposal?"
Ginny's eyes darted to the lean blond in front of her, who was currently glaring at the table, before he replied, "Because I think it would be an interesting place to visit."
The professor nodded, apparently accepting his explanation, and went on, "And Miss Weasley? What made you suggest the Maldives as well?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Ginny saw Malfoy's head tilt a little as he studied her, but ignored him, answering, "I think it's a really exotic place. My family visited there once when I was about four or five, and I loved it. I think it would be nice to visit and see the amazing climate and clean waters there."
McGonagall's eyes widened a bit, but it could have only been the lighting, so Ginny looked down and listened as McGonagall continued asking the other boys about the places they wanted to visit. When she was through, she folded the parchment and left to speak with another group.
Ginny shifted uncomfortably as the entire group began staring at her again, and gazed over Malfoy's shoulder at the bookshelves behind him. The pale boy smirked and uttered, "I can't bloody believe I'll have to see your face every day for two bloody hours. If it had been Baddock … or Hampton – "
For some reason, his words ignited red, hot anger inside of Ginny and she broke in, "Well, then, you asshole, why don't you just go ahead and ask McGonagall to change your groups? I don't know about the others, but I certainly didn't want to be paired with you and am not happy with this arrangement, ferret."
She saw some of the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws snicker as she said the words. With a confident smirk, she crossed her arms and glared at him. He, on the other hand, had obtained a strange look in his eyes as he smirked back and didn't respond. Ginny scrutinized him for a moment before turning to the younger boys and asking, "So, what houses are you guys from?"
A small, dark boy beside her spoke up, "I'm Justin. I'm from Ravenclaw. Third year."
Ginny nodded and another, chestnut-haired boy beside Malfoy jumped in, "I'm Carl, I'm from Ravenclaw, too."
The next boy that spoke was, Ginny gathered, Lucas, "I'm from Hufflepuff. Second year."
A lanky boy beside Carl said, "I'm Daniel, I'm a Hufflepuff. First year."
Ginny nodded, and Miles drawled, "I'm Miles, Miles West. Slytherin. Fourth year."
The redhead smiled, nodded, and went on, "I'm Ginny Weasley. Sixth year Gryffindor."
And everyone turned, awaiting Malfoy's introduction of himself, but it never came. Rolling her eyes, Ginny muttered, "That self-righteous prick is Malfoy. He's a seventh year Slytherin."
The boys, even Miles, exchanged sneers and Malfoy's eyes narrowed. He leaned forward, glaring at Ginny, and muttered, "And the one with her hand-me-down knickers in a knot is Weasley. Actually, all Weasleys have their age-old knickers in knots, so I'm not surprised."
Ginny's narrowed eyes rivaled his until she closed them and leaned back, grumbling, "I don't have enough time for this."
"Right. Is that why you're just sitting there?" Malfoy's unpleasant voice drawled again, sounding distant, and she opened her eyes, surveying him. He had leaned back as well, studying a bit of lint on his royal robes. Her eyes traveled over his face, taking in the white-blond hair that, for once, was not drowned in hair gel, and his irritated smirk, gradually leaving his features. What was left was a clean, straight, perfectly aristocratic face, topped with angelic hair. It was a stretch, but Ginny could have considered him good-looking, if she had narrowed her eyes and tilted her head just so.
However, many girls did have a fancy for him. Perhaps his perfectly clean, mature image was what drew them to him. It would be later in their twenties that girls would start loving the others for their different appearances, but for the moment, they had eyes only for Malfoy and his good looks. The worst part of all was that he knew it, and he reveled in it. Ginny could admit it to herself, true, Malfoy was a pretty sight to look at, but she wouldn't consider taking it anywhere past that.
As if noticing his gaze on her, his eyes looked up, but by then, Ginny had already looked away. She was good at that sort of thing. She often studied her friends, it was simply the way she was, and she had learned how to smooth things over when she got caught. Sighing dramatically, Ginny crossed her arms. Quickly, her eyes turned blank and her expression gave nothing away.
Carefully, Ginny said, "We still have an hour and a half in here, Malfoy. Don't you suppose it would be easier if we just tried to not talk to each other?"
Malfoy shrugged one shoulder and drawled, "Whatever you say."
Ginny rolled her eyes and murmured, "Where is McGonagall?"
Carl shook his brown hair out of his eyes and said, "Last I saw, she was with the group behind that bookshelf." Ginny followed his pointing finger and smiled, spotting the professor's gray hair from under her blue hat. Then, her eyes traveled to Malfoy, whose disgusted gaze lingered on Carl before falling on his robes once more. Before she could make a biting remark, Justin said, "It's going to be a while. The other teachers aren't helping her."
Miles smirked, "I dunno why they should, Kimberley. She's managing well enough on her own."
All right, it's only been, what, half an hour, and I already am not fond of two of my group members. Something must be done, Ginny wailed inside her head, and, giving the two Slytherins a dirty look, she crossed her arms on the table and lay her head down, groaning angrily.
That evening had passed by slowly, and although she could only bear to speak to five members of her group, Ginny found that they weren't half bad. Although Miles had seemed like an arrogant git at first, the more Ginny talked to him, the more she liked him. He was a quiet boy, but he was sweet, and from what Ginny gathered, he was supportive of Muggles. Carl was very charming, and although Ginny wasn't attracted to him, she found that he seemed to be fond of her. Justin had a very loud persona, but Ginny enjoyed talking to him because he was able to completely engulf her in his wild stories, which was a good trait to have when accompanied by a very annoying Slytherin. Lucas was much quieter than anyone else in the group – he rarely talked, unless he was addressed directly by someone, and Ginny took a liking to him. He had a very intriguing personality, and she found more than once that the entire group turned and watched him, waiting for him to speak. Daniel was very smart, very friendly, and absolutely adorable. Ginny liked him from the start as her own brother. He was very tiny, but he made up for it in smarts and voice. He was the main talker of the group that evening.
At nine, McGonagall dismissed them, and Ginny walked back to the common room with her dorm mates, Keely, Courtney, Audrey, and Vianne. Keely was beautiful, with her dark blue eyes and smooth, copper-brown hair, and she and Vianne were best friends. Ginny never liked them before in her years at the castle, but they were extremely nice. Vianne was crazy, lively, and talkative. Ginny took a liking to her just as she did to Justin. She was small, athletic, and had long, blonde hair. Audrey was more of a loner than anyone else in the group, but she was intelligent and quiet as she listened to Vianne's chatter. Courtney was the most unpleasant of the group. She was arrogant, proud, and snobby. Although she was popular among the other sixth years, her dorm mates didn't enjoy her company much, because she followed them around looking as if she wished to be anywhere but where she was – with them.
They climbed the stairs and got ready for bed, still excited with emotions from spending two hours with people they didn't know. Ginny brushed her long hair out and braided it, changing into a large shirt of Charlie's. After she brushed her teeth, Ginny climbed into her four-poster and began talking to Vianne, who slept to her left, and Courtney, whose bed was across from her.
"Who were your group members, Courtney?"
The brunette glanced at Ginny, lifted her chin a bit higher and said, "I don't know. I didn't ask for their names."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny turned to Vianne, "And you?"
"Well, there's this guy named Japheth Marxwell, who's a seventh year, and then the fifth year is a girl named Liana Hunt. The fourth year is Joshua Nerter, the third year is Caycee Johnston, then Allison Hardwall, who's a Gryffindor, and then Mario Ford. They're not nice. I wish I were in your group, Ginny. Justin and Carl are so polite!"
Ginny nodded, tearing her eyes away from the girl's scarlet lips – which Vianne seemed to think was pretty – and smiled, "Yeah, actually, I like them, too. They're really sweet, and the Hufflepuffs, as well. The only member of my group I cannot stand –"
"Draco Malfoy's in your group, isn't he?"
Ginny turned, looking at Courtney's excited face, and said, "Yes."
The pretty girl across from her sighed dreamily and murmured, "I wish he was in my group."
Ginny snorted, "No, Courtney, you don't. The boy is a total ass and I can't stand him. No matter how much I wish he wasn't in my group, I'm glad he isn't in yours."
"You shouldn't concern yourself with whether or not I can handle the man, Ginny. He is a very good guy and I say that because I know him. Don't fool yourself, because you don't know Draco at all."
Ginny's eyes widened and she lifted her hands in defeat, pulling the covers higher up to her chin, looking around at her roommates quietly.
"Merlin, Courtney, what's got your knickers in such a twist? All Ginny did was say –"
"She insulted someone she doesn't know for reasons that don't exist. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing if I told you how much I can't bloody stand Dean Thomas."
Ginny lifted up a warning finger, leaning forward on the mattress, and said, "Alright. That's bloody fantastic, Courtney – you can get mad at me for Malfoy if you want, but no one – no one – will talk bad about Dean. He is a great guy and as much of a man as Malfoy is, if not more. Attack him in anyone's presence but mine, got it?"
The green-eyed girl in front of her sighed and shrugged a shoulder, "Whatever."
Rolling her eyes, Ginny snapped all of her curtains shut, except the ones facing the wall, and lay down, covering herself securely with her warm blanket. With any luck, the year would pass by quickly, and she wouldn't have to talk to Courtney under any circumstances.
When she woke up the following day, a horrible headache struck her, and it was so painful, she could hardly walk straight. She climbed out of bed slowly, careful not to bump into things through her blind movement across the cold floor, and knocked on the bathroom door lightly, murmuring, "Anyone in there?"
Her voice was caked with an air of having just awoken and she wasn't surprised when no one answered, it was most likely not even seven. She pushed the door open numbly and stepped in, rubbing her warm hands over her face. She dug inside the cabinet behind her for any headache-relieving potions, and when she came upon the remains of an extremely strong one, she pulled it out, tipping the vial dangerously above the burgundy carpet.
Ginny pulled the stopper and downed the light yellow liquid, wincing at the starchy taste in her mouth. Within moments, she felt the pain dissipate and her eyes opened wider, muscles relaxing in her face. The small girl gently tossed the vial into a basket by the door and began getting ready for classes.
A small hum escaped her lips when she opened the towel drawer and spotted a small piece of parchment, folded over many times, with edges so ripped, it seemed to have been folded and unfolded more times than was welcome. Ginny grasped it gently, unfolding it with care, and her eyes widened when she read the top of the parchment in big, black letters – Contraception Spell.
It wasn't so much that she was embarrassed that some girls in her dormitory were already sleeping with guys, that it was shock that her dorm mates were actually sleeping with guys!
She pulled her wand out and pointed it at the parchment, muttering a spell she'd learned from Bill, and a small, brown-haired, green-eyed face flitted out of the parchment. Ginny's jaw dropped and she flicked her wand again, several times, after which Vianne and Keely flowed out as well.
If she remembered correctly, and the spell worked, Courtney was the last one to hold the directions, and before her were Keely and Vianne. Ginny shook her head, adamant at their dirty minds, but found herself memorizing the directions nevertheless. It was uniquely simple spell, requiring only a flick of the wand and two short words, however complicated its repercussions.
Ginny folded the parchment once more, tossing it back into the drawer, and slowly crept out of the bathroom. The others were sleeping soundly and she was able to reach her bed and begin her homework without waking any one of them.
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