A/N I know I forgot the disclaimer on the last chapter, sorry about that. Please don't sue me. Most of the characters in the story are J.K. Rowling's. Please do not assume they are mine. Anything you recognize is obviously hers.
Further more, I would just like to say thank you for reading, and putting up with long waits. If you would like to please review. I will put no pressure on you to review more than this, so please remember if you choose to. Have a great day/evening/night.
Chapter Three
Ginny's POV
Why did I have to go and see him last night? Gosh that was such an idiot move. Lunch is on and I have to walk right past the Slytherin to get to Gryffindor's. Maybe I will just skip lunch. But I am in a crowd of hungry people, getting pushed towards the great hall. Great! No avoiding him now. He even called me perfect. No, no, no! Get your mind off of that. Think of other things! Hmm, Ron had grown a lot in the last two years. He was more of a giant then anyone in the family. Finally a body to match his big head! I let out a small giggle at that. We were almost at the great hall. The doors flung open and everyone was rushing to their tables. I hung back a bit, when I thought I saw Drac-Malfoy. Malfoy not Draco! I always have to correct myself.
I walked into the great hall after the great hall after the crowd was seated. I hurried towards the Gryffindor table, but someone's legs were in the way. I glanced over at the Slytherins. Dr-Malfoy gave me a smile. If it could be called that. People were starting to stare. I didn't want to stop and talk to him, and I sure as hell wasn't going to step awkwardly over his legs. A part of brain I was trying to ignore kept reminding me how handsome he was, and if I tripped I would land is his arms... No! I took my leg back and kicked Malfoy as hard as I could. He gasped and pulled his legs back. I kept on walking. I didn't look back until I reached the Gryffindor table.
"What was that?" Hermione asked as she sat down. She was later than I was. Harry sat down next to her.
"Malfoy's staring. What's got his wand in a twist?" Harry had picked up some wizard phrases over the summers he spent with us.
"If he did one thing to you!" Ron's face was red. I rolled my eyes. That protective older brother thing was starting to wear off.
"Malfoy" I had to mentally correct myself before I talked. I would NOT call him Draco. "is just being a annoying git. Like usual." I dished myself out somebeans and toast, trying to avoid Hermione's eyes. She always seemed to know what was going on. She started to have a conversation with her friends, but she would always glance at me after several minutes.
After a while Harry and Ron had gone on to talk about the quidditch practice we were having later. Hermione moved over to talk to me.
"You know he's been staring out you all of breakfast, right?" she talked quietly.
"Who?" I took a bite of my toast.
"Malfoy." suddenly my mouth felt dry. I swallowed my mouthful. It made my throat feel grainy and gross. I glanced over my shoulder. Sure enough his eyes were fixed on me. We made eye contact. He didn't look away or flinch. I turned around.
"You okay?" Hermione was motioning towards my hands, they were shaking.
"Fine, fine." But I wasn't. I could feel his stare on my back. I stopped eating and left the hall. I walked hurriedly around the Slytherin table and only looked at my feet as I passed. By the time I was out of the doors my cheeks were flushed and I was trying my best just to walk straight. I just had to get back to the common room. No one would be there, I could freak out.
I felt eyes on my back. Crap! It's Draco trying to get revenge for me kicking him! Another part of my brain chimed in. He wouldn't do that! Of course he would. He's a Malfoy. He called me perfect. He tried to trip me.
My mind kept having the argument even after I decided to keep climbing the stairs. I was almost at the top of the second staircase and I couldn't take it anymore. I swivelled around and almost lost my balance. It took me a couple of seconds to regain it, and as I glanced around to see who was watching I caught a glance of blond hair and gorgeous grey eyes disappearing around the corner.
Harry's POV
After Ginny had left Hermione tried to rejoin our conversation, but she knew nothing about quidditch. So Ron started talking about the potions class and hard the classes were. I thought back quickly. The grey room, brightened only by people's smiles, the glances at Hermione when she wasn't looking. The spilled potion. The cleaning. The feeling of Hermione in my arms. I felt my face going slightly red and I smiled at the thought.
"What are you smiling at?" Ron asked accusingly. After all the fun I made of him a while ago, I deserved it. His face was half laughter and half hypocritical.
"Nothing." Out of the corner of my eye I could see Hermione look down. She was smiling too.
"You've got to be on about something!" he looked at Hermione. "Everyone knows but me!" I looked at Hermione. We had been friends so long, we could communicate without talking. We decided to tell some truth, just not all of it.
"I tripped up the stairs on the way back from potions. That's all." Hermione's voice was utterly believable. Ron looked at her for a long second.
"Alright..." he trailed off, "But if you two are hiding something!" He seemed to end the exclamation there. Hermione and I looked at each other shook our heads and went back to our lunches.
Ron spent the rest of the time staring at us, which was a nice change from staring at the Ravenclaw table, although slightly uncomfortable.
Hermione stood up to leave a bit later, brushing the crumbs off her sweater.
"Oh wait, I'll walk with you. I have to grab some books anyway." she nodded and smiled at me. Ron was still swallowing his food and before he could say anything we left the great hall. We headed for the stairs when Hermione turned around and looked at me.
"Why did you want to come with me Harry?"
"Your my friend."
"You very well better change your answer. You and I both know that is not the reason." she almost hit me in the face with her hair when she turned to look at me.
"Ok. Well maybe I just wanted to spend time with you."
"Better. Not a great answer, but better." we continued to hurry up the stairs. She was walking faster than I was and made it to the portrait of the fat lady before I did.
"Lemon Fry." she said. Whoever came up with the password this week was a complete twat. Hermione held the portrait open for me as the fat lady started talking about this week's buzz among the portraits. Hermione rolled her eyes at me. I rolled my eyes back as I came through the door.
Hermione stopped by a table and put some books down. I walked up behind her and put my hands around her waist. She spun around in my arms and looked at me. Or rather at my lips. She couldn't seem to focus on anything else. I tightened my arms around her waist. I leaned forwards, bit by bit. She didn't seem to mind.
"FINALLY!" an excited squeal came from behind us. Hermione and I split apart like shattered glass. I spun around to face the squealer. It was Ginny.
"Ginny! Nothing happened!" Hermione sounded so fed up with the world in two little sentences.
"Oh. Well... I'll just leave then..." She stood there for a moment then picked up the bag she dropped in her excitement and headed for the portrait door. I looked at Hermione. There was no getting that moment back now.
Hermione looked at me, and burst out laughing.
"I can't believe that happened!" she said through her fits of laughter. "Every time something happens, something messes it up!" her laughter was contagious. Soon we were both leaning against chairs, in fits of laughter that didn't seem to be ending anytime soon.
Draco's POV
What was I doing? I followed around Gin-that Weasley girl around after lunch. I almost ran up the stairs to catch her when she lost her balance. Almost. Instead I hurried around the corner. What. An. Idiot. Gods that was Granger's line. What was Weasley doing to me? I went through my next two classes in a blur. By the time I got back to the Slytherin common room, I had completely forgotten about the quidditch practice this afternoon.
"Malfoy! Malfoy!" little Josh Yucson came running up. He was the team's newest chaser. Our previous one had graduated last year. "Malfoy! Quidditch practice! Everyone else is going to start heading down to the pitch if you don't hurry!" he sounded excited. I sighed.
"I'll be down in a minute. Get ready to go." I said over my shoulder. This was going to be a long day. I ran up the stairs and changed into some jeans and t-shirt to practice in. I grabbed my broom on the way out the door and hurried to meet my team. They were already out by the dungeon entrance. I met them by the doors and we walked out to the pitch together. There was already a team out there. Crap!
We reached the pitch and started for the bleachers. Until their time was over we would just have to wait. I plunked down in a seat about two rows in front of my nearest team mate. I started to watch the players in the air. Maybe I could learn a few tactics from what they were doing. I angled my face upwards, but away from the sun. The teams were doing some unusual patterns. Their red and gold robes were flashing and- wait. Red and gold? I found myself watching one person with bright red hair flying around her face.
The red clad people stopped flying around and huddled together at the centre of the pitch. Three people came flying up to the stands where we were sitting. They hopped off their brooms and headed straight towards us. Dean or Seamus whats his face in the front. Harry behind him and a red-head in the back. I couldn't tell which one. Right before whats his face started talking Ginny came out from behind the bigger guys and marched towards. She sounded like she was going to say Draco but she changed her mind.
"Malfoy you stupid git! It is our practice time! Take you and your team off our pitch before I have to do it for you!" She stormed right up to me, grabbed my robes and pulled me up. She whispered so no one else could hear. "This is far from over." Then Harry and the other guy each grabbed one of her shoulders and gently pulled her back. She turned around and stormed back to her broom. I watched her fly away and then turned back to the Gryffindors in front of me.
"This is still our pitch for another fifteen minutes. If you don't mind we would be happier if you left." Whats his face was trying to be polite.
"Screw you and your band of idiots!" of course Bulstrode had to speak up now.
"Sit down!" I turned to face her. "I can and will remove you from the pitch. I suggest you shut up, and keep quiet!" I turned back to Potter and his friend. "Would you mind if we stayed here?"
"Yes I think we might." Potter's friend had to be the most polite mudb- muggleborn I had ever met.
"I don't think I can convince my team to leave without causing a riot." I said it as quietly as I could. "Do you think you could just not do any plays you would use in any games? We will sit here quietly. I can guarantee that." Harry nodded. Whats his face looked astonished at me.
"Ok. We can do that. But we might have to do the same to you in the future." he said. He still looked astonished. I nodded. I turned around and tried to quell the team before I looked up and watched Ginny laughing in the air with her friends.
Ron's POV
That tiny blond form that was standing so close to me the other night was now sitting in the stands, watching me play quidditch. She had stood so close to me. She told me I wasn't alright. She never touched me, just stood really really close. She took a deep breath like she was breathing me in, then asked if she could watch me play quidditch. I didn't know what to say. She was standing so close to me, and she was doing that head tilt, I just couldn't deny her what she wanted. I said yes. Dean had freaked out at me when I snuck her in, saying 'this is a closed practice, no girlfriends allowed!' but he gave in. It was only Luna. She probably wouldn't tell her quidditch team anything. Probably.
When I started walking towards the pitch I heard Luna tell Dean "He's not my boyfriend." I walked farther away and whether it was the distance or her talking quietly, I barely heard the last word "Yet."
So now I am flying around and I can't get my mind off her stunning blue-grey eyes and the way her hair falls over her eyes, or even the way she would fit against my chest.
"Ron!" someone called "RON!" Natalie was calling from the ground. Practice was over. The Slythrins were coming onto the pitch now. I flew to the ground, hopped off my broom and ran off the pitch. I caught up to Harry, he looked at me and shook his head.
"Better not leave your girlfriend behind." He started to walk ahead of me.
"She is not my girlfriend!" I called after him, but I couldn't help but add that one little word, "Yet." I turned around and headed back to the pitch. Luna was waiting by the stands.
"Thank you for letting me stay here." she said when I got closer.
"No problem. Not like you caused a lot of problems." I stuck my hands in my pockets. I felt very awkward all of a sudden. She nodded at me. We started walking towards the castle. We didn't say anything until we reached the entrance way.
"So... I have to go have a shower." She nodded.
"That will be nice."
"So see you at dinner?"
"You'll see everything at dinner." I looked at her strangely as she said that. She cocked her head at me. I wasn't really sure what to do, so I held my hand out for a shake. She swatted it aside. I was about to say something but she cut me off with a hug. She really was tiny. After my growth spurt, she only came up about halfway up my stomach. I patted her shoulders. She hung on about two seconds to long, then let ago and without a word, walked down a hallway to the left. I was left there in the entrance way feeling very confused. I had to shake my head to make the rest of my body move. I hurried up the steps to take a shower.
I came back down to the great hall. Looking around, I realized Luna wasn't there. One less distraction to put up with. Another part of my brain piped up. She is not a distraction. I started walking towards Harry, trying to keep Luna off my mind.
The quidditch team was talking quietly about some new tactics and I joined them. In a little while, Luna was off my mind. My hands were waving around wildly as I tried to explain a plan I had for a new play. This one involving bludgers. Everyone was shaking their heads.
"That is an absolutely terrible idea." Natalie, always polite.
"Ron. I think you might have got dropped on your head when you were a baby." Dean the team captain, who was usually polite, saying something rude. My plan must have been bad.
"You mean dropped on his head more than once." Ginny piped in "He couldn't have looked like that if he hadn't been dropped at least once." Before I could say anything, someone sat down beside me. I glanced over, expecting it to be Hermione. It was Luna. I couldn't think of anything to say. Everyone was staring at her. My mouth was hanging open.
"Don't mind if I sit here?" her voice was light and airy, as if this was the most normal thing in the world.
Hermione's POV
Harry and I were on much better terms now. No awkward silences for us. Although it wasn't clear whether or not we were actually dating, it made my days much more bearable. At dinner, Harry was talking to the quidditch team, so I started to read instead of talking to anyone. There was a loud gasp. I peeked over the pages of 'Hogwarts, A History' (an amazing book) to find Luna sitting at our table. Harry looked over at me, sitting down a few spaces from him and shook his head at me. He didn't know what was going on. He motioned for me to sit next to him. I got up and quickly switched seats.
"Why is Luna over here?" I whispered to him.
"No idea." he whispered back. I leaned over him to look towards Luna. She and Ron were having a quiet conversation, until she let out a high pitched laugh. Ron reddened. Wait. Ron?!
"Did you know about that?" I motioned towards the obviously new couple.
"I don't know if they are even dating. She watched us practice, then she just sat down next to him like the most normal thing in the world. Ron hasn't told me anything!" he sounded so stricken. His best friends life was a mystery to him. Luna and Ron were only sitting a few seats down from Harry and I.
"So, since when have you to been going out?" I was trying to face Luna, but Harry and Ron were in the way. She leaned over Ron and I leaned slightly over Harry.
"We're not. Not yet anyway. Most of us don't know the future. We are just friends right now. Like you and Harry." she was pulled back into conversation by Ron and Ginny. I looked at Harry. Harry cheeks were slightly swollen. He was trying not to laugh. We had sort of had a thing going. We hadn't kissed yet, but we had talked about going to Hogsmeade together.
"Do you think she knows?" I whispered to Harry. There was a lot of whispering going on, hopefully nobody would hear our conversation. He let put the breath he had been holding.
"I don't know. She could. She's like that." I nodded at that comment. She was just... that. That was the easiest way to describe her without being insulting. I looked around the Hall. Almost everyone was looking in our direction. Malfoy was staring at Ginny, as per usual. Neville had gone over to the Hufflepuff table when no one was looking. He was sitting next Hannah Abbot. She was sweet. Neville deserved someone like her. My scan swept back towards our table and caught Lavender Brown staring murderously at Hannah and Neville. I laughed out loud.
"What is it?" Harry asked. I grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the great hall. We sat down on the benches by the stairs.
"Neville is sitting by Hannah. Hannah Abbot." I started to explain.
"Nothing's weird 'bout that. They've been doing that a lot lately."
"I know. But Lavender was staring daggers at Hannah." I finished. His mouth fell open. I started to laugh again. He put his hand over my mouth.
"Your laughter is contagious. No more laughing!" I raised my eyebrows. He wanted to play dirty? Then dirty it was. I quick as a wink, flicked my tongue out of my mouth, letting it rest on Harry's hand for less than a second, then retracted it. His eyebrows raised slightly. He pulled me towards him. I ended up being on his lap. He slowly removed his hand from my mouth. I started to say something about playing dirty, but he put his mouth firmly to mine before I could protest. I was shocked at what was happening, but I didn't pull back. When the realization hit me I leaned in towards him, and he seemed to let out a relieved sigh.
There was a sudden footstep and we scrambled off each other. The great hall door was scraping open. We scrambled up and apart from each other. We looked at each other. Crap! Can't we just get one moment of peace? A bobbing red head came out the door. Her giggles stopped mid stream.
"What have you two been doing out here? For five minutes?" I could feel my cheeks flush at Ginny's question. I looked at the floor and tried not to look guilty.
