"Get the hell off me! Creep!" shouted a female voice from one of the carriages on the train. "I said GET OFF!"
Draco Malfoy happened to be walking past that one carriage when he heard the shouts. He saw a boy, maybe a sixth year, coming on to a third or a fourth year.
Draco pushed the door of the carriage open and walked in, grabbed the boy by the collar and screamed in his ear.
"Leave her alone, alright? She obviously doesn't want you here! Now get out!"
The boy, afraid of what Draco would do, hurried out of the carriage as fast as his legs would carry him.
"You alright?" asked Draco. As he turned around he suddenly realised who he was talking to.
"Ginny Weasley?"
"I'm fine! I could have handled that myself!"
"My God! I didn't realise it was you! Should have left him to it then, Weasel. I didn't recognise it as you, you've curled and coloured your hair haven't you? I admit you look quite nice! Auburn hair suits you better but then again if I had your hair colour, I'd have dyed it when I was born!" replied Malfoy, sitting down opposite Ginny.
"You can never be nice about anything, can you? You always throw compliments back in people's faces. Now I'd prefer it if you left, please?"
"Don't you want my excellent company, Weasel?"
"Modest little shit aren't you?" Ginny snapped back, "stay for all I care, just don't talk to me!"
"But that would be a waste of two and a half hours, wouldn't it?"
"Do NOT talk to me, I said!"
Draco was about to reply to Ginny with an excellent comeback when the carriage door flew open.
"What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" screamed Ron Weasley at the top of his voice.
"Chill, Weasel! I was actually helping your sister!"
"You? Help someone? My arse! I'd love to see the day!" replied Ron, mockingly.
"He did actually, Ron," said Ginny quietly, "some weird boy, a sixth year, came in here and started trying stuff on with me, and he wouldn't leave. Draco was walking past and he stopped the boy and sent him away. He did help me," said Ginny hardly daring to believe her own words.
"See Weasel, I can be nice. When I want to be!"
"Yeah, well, you can leave now, Superman!"
"And leave the company of your beautiful younger sister? I'd prefer not! And who the hell is Superman?"
"Don't worry. Please just leave! Now!"
"Oooh! Getting on Weasel's nerves am I?"
"Out!"
"Alright. By the way, Ginny, you're welcome!"
"Bugger off!" replied Ginny.
"Feisty little madam aren't we?"
"Out!" screamed Ron and Ginny in unison.
* * * * *
Two and a half hours later, the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station and everyone climbed off and headed for the carriages which would lead them up to castle. Ginny and her best friend, Sarah, were walking towards the queue for carriages when Ginny was joined by Draco.
"What do you want?" asked Ginny.
"Oh, nothing," smiled Draco.
"Just leave us alone please!" Ginny asked.
"I'm just waiting for a carriage, relax!"
"On you get! Three to a carriage please!" shouted a tall man to the hoard of teenagers.
"Come on you three!" said the man, talking to Ginny, Sarah and Draco.
"He's not coming in our carriage!" pleaded Ginny.
"Stop your whinnying lass, in ya get young lad," replied another man.
"Great! Stuck with that idiot!" said Sarah, angrily.
"You can relax as well! God, both of you are total worriers!" Draco said.
The three sat in silence as they headed towards Hogwarts' castle.
Draco stepped out after the carriage stopped. Reaching for Ginny's hand, he bowed the two girls as they stepped down. Snatching her hand away, she stalked off with Sarah towards the castle.
"You should be flattered! Sort of," said Sarah to Ginny as they entered the Great Hall.
"Why? He's a little shit, he gets pleasure from insulting me and my family! Very flattering indeed!"
"Maybe he does that because he likes you, boys are weird like that. When I was in primary school there was this boy who used to take the piss out of me, BIG style. On our last day of year six he said that he actually did it because he fancied me."
"Yeah well boys are weird! What the hell is year six? We're only fourth years!"
"Oh yeah, you don't know, it's the year before first year in Hogwarts. Anyway, I'm serious, maybe he does like you!"
"I seriously doubt it, come on, we're going to be late, I want to see the Sorting this year. My cousin is starting this year.
Sarah and Ginny settled into their seats at the Gryffindor table when Ron came storming over followed by Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, his two best friends, trying to catch up.
"What he hell is Malfoy up to?" screamed Ron at Ginny, making half the school turn around to look at them.
"Shut up Ron, you're making a scene," muttered Ginny, keeping her head down.
"I saw him bowing at you and you holding his hand! What the hell was that all about. Heh?" bellowed Ron.
"Ron! Stop it! If you sit down I'll explain!"
"No!" replied Ron.
At this Ron stormed over to the Slytherin table, pulled Malfoy out of his seat by his collar and screamed, "You leave my sister alone! Got that!"
Malfoy sniggered as Ron's face turned red in anger.
"I said 'Got that?'" Ron spat as he pushed Draco against the wall.
By this time, Ginny had run over to Ron and was tugging at his sleeve.
"Get off him you idiot! You'll get yourself expelled!"
"Malfoy, just say yes or I'll punch your teeth in!"
"No, I won't! You do that! It'll just get me very pissed off."
Ron let go of Malfoy and spat at him, "Just leave her alone, she's already had her life wrecked by your scum of a father, I don't want her hurt again," and stalked off to the Gryffindor table. Ginny turned to walk back to the Gryffindor when she felt Malfoy's hand on her shoulder.
" I do really like you and I need to speak to you, please?" but Ginny pushed his hand off her shoulder.
"Alright, but not for long, when?" she said angrily.
"Tonight, Astronomy Tower, North at 11p.m. lease be there?"
"Ok!" With that, Ginny walked back to the Gryffindor table. The Sorting Ceremony was about to start.
But Sarah was too busy trying to get what Draco said out of Ginny.
"Shut up! I'm watching the ceremony!" said Ginny, slightly peeved.
"Just tell me what you spoke about!"
"Ok! I'm meeting him tonight at the Astronomy Tower, ALONE!"
"Oooh! You'll have to tell me every-,"
"Sssh!"
"Sorry!"
* * * * *
The Sorting Ceremony was over, Ginny's cousin was in Gryffindor, unsurprisingly, and everyone was tucking into their food. All Ginny's worries were forgotten as she ate, drank, talked and laughed with her friends. But the feast had to come to an end and when Dumbledore shooed them to bed, her worries returned. She didn't really want to meet Draco tonight, but she had promised and she never went back on her promises. When 10:40p.m. came around, Ginny set off for the long journey to the tower trying to dodge the teacher and not be late. After an unfortunate encounter with Peeves, Ginny arrived at the tower at 11:05p.m. Draco was already there, sitting on a bench, in his black robes, with his hair gelled back perfectly. When he realised Ginny had arrived he jumped to his feet and walked over to her.
"I thought you weren't coming for a moment then."
"I'm only five minutes late, anyway, I wanna get this over with. What did you want to speak to me about?"
"Well … um … yah well … like I said earlier … I do really like you, since we first met in that shop in Diagon Alley."
"Is that all? You already told me this earlier!"
"You're making things hard for me."
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" said Ginny sarcastically. Ginny was becoming impatient and Draco said nothing.
"Is that all then? I'll be going if there's nothing left to-," Ginny was cut-off mid-sentence by Draco leaning forward and kissing her gently on the lips. Ginny thought, "For someone so horrible, he's not that bad." What was she thinking! This was Malfoy! The person who took the mick out of everything she did and said. Ginny pushed him away in disgust.
"I … I'm … Im really sorry," blurted Malfoy, blushing.
"Yeah well … ," said Ginny and ran off down the stairs and back to her common room.