Ginny tentatively aproached Draco Malfoy as he left the Great Hall after breakfast. She cleared her throat quietly.

He whirled around, looking like he expected Voldemort himself to be standing there holding a camera and yelling 'CHEESE!'. When he saw her he made a disgusted face and raised an eyebrow.

"what do you want, Weasley?"

She swallowed and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had no idea how to handle this situation. She couldn't do it. she just couldn't do it. she was way too embarassed to do anything but bite her lip and stand still.

"um…"

He looked at her like she was a moron. Oh, shit…what do I do?

"did you need something Weasley, or were you just going to stand there looking like you just ate about a hundred Pepper Imps?

She had to think of something! She couldn't say what she had intended to say, and she couldn't think of anything else. Think, Ginny, think!

"can I borrow your copy of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi?"

Ok, so not the best thing she could have thought of, but any longer and her head would have exploded from all the blood rushing to it.

He gave her a look.

It was one of the worst looks she had ever received.

It basically meant, 'you are a weirdo, I hate you, never come near me again, argh.'

He reached into his bag and handed it to her. she grabbed it and ran away as fast as she could.

That didn't go so well.

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That evening after dinner, Ginny tracked Draco down before he got to his common room. She was horrified to even look at him after her disaster that morning, but she had a very important piece of info she needed to get rid of.

"Draco."

She was amazed at how calm and collected she sounded. It must be that when you get really and horribly scared you get very calm.

She'd have to remember that.

He was giving her the look again, but she ignored it.

"here's your book back."

She handed it to him. he glanced at it and shoved it in his bag.

"was that all, Weasley?"

She took a deep, steadying breath.

"no."

He raised his eyebrows at her, as if wondering what she could possibly be intending to irritate him with.

"I wanted to say…"

Here that amazing calmness faded away. Maybe there was a certain amount of being scared where you were calm, and if it got worse than that, you went completely insane. She definitely figured she was insane.

"I like you."

She spat the words out, kissed him full on the lips, and sprinted back to Gryffindor tower as fast as humanly possible.

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The next morning when Ginny left the Great Hall, she found Draco waiting for her. she stopped, spun away from him, and ran like hell. He chased after her until he finally caught her by the lake.

"Weasley."

"Malfoy. What do you want?"

He smirked.

"I have something to tell you."

Her heart almost leaped, but she forced it back down.

Shut up. He probably just wants to tell me-

"I don't like you. In fact…"

Here he paused, as if to consider his precise feelings on a particularly nasty rash.

"I hate you. Goodbye, Weasley. Please, if you insist on falling in love, try to direct your attentions towards someone who wants them."

And he stalked off. Well, more like strutted really.

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Draco walked slowly across the grass, considering name after name. he didn't know any of them. Finally…

"G. Weasley. So you are dead."

He stared at the gravestone with a look of cold detachment.

"I'm not exactly sorry to hear it."

He sat down next to her grave.

"but, if you can keep a secret, and you can, because you're dead, I'm glad you have shuffled off this mortal coil only because I know you would have hated what this world has become. At least you died before Potter."

He paused to set a bouquet of roses on the grave.

"want to know another secret?"

His calm face shifted, his straight posture slouched.

"I never hated you. I admit I didn't have any romantic interest in you-it wouldn't have worked out anyway-but I never hated you."

He sighed and flopped backwards, lying on the ground.

"I never loved you, either."