Title: Babbling Idiots

Author: poeticdownfall

A/N: Heh...I went back and re-read the previous chapters and realized that a plot has yet to form...that will be taken care of THIS chapter! Scout's honor! Well, I know the dreams and everything are at least consistent...but their meetings all seem to just be that...a meeting. THEREFORE! This chapter awaits...

A/N2(much later on in life): Well, I've bet that you've noticed my absence of late...I have many excuses, but I bet you don't want to hear any of them. But I do have one thing to say. clears throat SORRY! With that out of the way, please note that I am a very busy girl (soccer, engineering, 4.0GPA (that's right!!), drama, church, blarp blarp blarp, right?) and fanfictions are not my life. I am merely doing this because...I want to. I just enjoy public input as well. Now, without further ado, THE FIC!

Chapter Six: You Know What Keeps Me From Acting...Fucking Auditions

Lust, like, love. They all had something in common. They all were emotions pointed towards the opposite sex. Or the same sex in Goyle's case. Did that mean one had to lead to the other? Could I safely lust after Draco without falling into that deadly cycle? Pfft, of course I could. The only other thing those three words had in common was the fact that they all began with the letter "L". But so did lollipop, Larry, and lake, and they had nothing in common. Unless, Larry ate his lollipop by the lake.

Oh, dear.

But there were more things plaguing my mind besides the blonde Slytherin, surprise surprise. Christmas was coming up and everyone was busy, exluding myself. Mum and Dad decided that this year they would celebrate together as a couple instead of together as a family while Ron was rather enjoying his alone time with his lohver Looney Luna Lovegood. And, of course, Harry and Hermione were attached to each other's lips like super glue.

Egods, I couldn't be tired of Christmas already could I?!

Alone, alone, alone. That's what I was as I strolled through Hogwarts many courtyards that had been bewitched to sing carols, chime bells, and grant you many merry greetings. One garden gnome, decked out in complete Santa gear, had even sang in a barbershop quartet with three other gnomes right before professing his love for me. I let him down as easily as I could before striding over to a bench.

"Little Weasley's a heartbreaker, eh?"

I spun around and saw Draco emerging from the shadows. "So says the king of broken hearts..." I huffed, turning back around.

He stood so he was directly behind me. I refused to turn around. "Nice night, eh?"

"Mmm."

He walked around the bench and took a seat beside me. He was quiet and so I was I. It was almost nice as the snow began to softly coat the scenary around us. I held out my gloved hand and watched the flakes melt into the wool fabric. Draco was watching me, I could sense it and it made me quiver and shake with...fear? I needed to know.

"Malfoy?"

"Mm?"

"Why are you here?" my voice shook with trepidition.

He smirked. "Well, since Father Dearest is locked tight in Azkaban, Mother has been doing her damndest to live the 'good life'. So she flew off to Burmuda for the holidays, sent me a couple hundred galleons as a present, and well, here I am."

I nodded. "I'm sorry."

He looked at me with a quirked an eyebrow. "Well, Weaslette...what's your sob story?"

"Oh, Mum and Dad are away on a romantic Christmas deal...Harry and Hermione are tighter than a fat kid in spandex, and Ron can't seem to let go of the fact that a girl, yes a girl with a vagina and breats and everything, is paying more attention to him than the greeting lady at Flourish and Blotts..."

Draco let out a snort of laughter. "I had heard about him and Looney Lovegood...nice to know the prat has found someone to pant over..."

"What about you?"

Again, he quirked his eyebrow. "What about me?"

"Well, I know you're with Pansy, so why aren't you spending the holidays with her?"

I saw a shudder of disgust ripple through Draco and had to surpress a giggle from breaking through and shattering our barely civil conversation. "I'm not with that pug!" he cried, throwing his hands in the air. "Is it my fault that she attaches herself to me whenever we're in the same damn room?" he roared, pacing back and forth. "I'm tired of being associated with that whore!"

Wow, look what I did! I marveled at my work. I, and I alone, had caused Draco Malfoy to have a complete and utter, desperate breakdown. Here he was, roaring and pacing in front of me, his hands flying through his hair and he rambled on and on about the audacity of the Pug Parkinson. The entire time, I was shaking from the laughter bubbling in the back of my throat. When one slipped through, Draco stopped his ranting and glanced over at me.

"Do you think this is funny, Weasel?" he sneered.

Despite his domineering stance and the fact that he was entirely pissed off at my reaction, I continued to tremble with giggles erupting from my tightly drawn lips. "It's just...you...you look like...like a...a madman!" I burst, clutching my stomach and almost rolling onto the snow covered pathway.

He watched my outburst with eyebrows almost reaching his hairline. "Looks like you're the mad one, Weaslette..." he drawled.

"Look at me! I have girls throwing themselves at me and I just don't have the sexual compacity to satisfy them all!" I continued, already knowing I was condemning myself. "And, oh! My pockets are so full of money that I can't seem to budge from this spot! Women, money, fame, and fortune! OH! WOE IS ME!"

He sat back down beside me on the bench and waited. When I wiped all the tears from my cheeks, he turned to me. "Finished?" he drawled, throwing an arm on the back of the bench.

I nodded and sighed. "Oh, my tummy..." I mumbled, a chuckle pushing past my lips again.

"You know...I have half a mind to hex you into next week...noone makes fun of a Malfoy."

This time, it was my turn to quirk an eyebrow. "I do believe that you were asking for it..."

"Asking for it?!"

I nodded. "Must I repeat myself...I might hyperventilate if I do..."

He sighed and shook his head. "You're a mess Weasel...a complete and utter mess..."

I noticed our knees were shoved together on the tiny seat and his arm was wrapped warmly across my shoulders, his fingers curled against my elbow. I gulped and let out a trembling breath. My next question would probably send him back to castle in a worse hissy fit than I had just witnessed, but at the moment, I didn't care.

"Malfoy..."

He gave another sigh. "What is it this time? I was serious about the hexing..."

I smiled. "I - uh - just wanted to know if you could help me with my Potions essay...I know that you're good at it...and you're even Snape's assistant in my class...so I was just wondering if you could..."

"Sure."

"R-really? I mean you don't have to...I just - "

"Please, spare me the drama...and stop talking before I change my mind. I'm well aware of your marks in that class. You're in desperate need of my, how should I put it, more than excelling knowledge..."

I laughed again. "Whatever. Meet me in the library, then?"

"Tomorrow, noon...don't be late.

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Fuck, I was late. I ran as hard and as fast as I could down the crowded halls. Today was the last day before break. Even though classes weren't in session, students busied themselves with copying addresses and promising to write as soon as they got home. I didn't need to be bothered. I was already late.

"Ginny!"

Dammit! I growled, realizing it was already 12:10 and I was more than a few corriders away from the library. "Hello, Lizzy!"

She grinned and strolled up to me, ink and parchment in hand. "Hullo Ginnums!" Oh that dreaded nickname! "I just wanted to see where you were staying for Christmas! I want to mail the package for you to the right place, don't I?"

I nodded, "Yea, um...I'll actually be staying here...so if you could send it here that'd be fantastic!"

I tried to push my way back through the hall but she refused to move. "Why? I thought your family was so close and everything!"

I sighed and put on a fake smile. "Oh, we are! My parents just wanted to spend this year together..."

"Oh how darling! You know...my parents went on a cruise to the Bahamas last year and had an aboslute ball!" she cried, her eyes getting a glazed look.

"Oh yea? Well, that's nice but - "

"The sand, the beach, the fish...Mm! I wish I could've gone, but I had to - "

"If you'll excuse us, Miss Cagle, but I need to borrow Miss Weasely for a moment or two."

I looked up at my rescuer and met steely gray eyes. Oh those eyes...

"Oh, of course...um...Bye Ginnums!" she cried before backing away like a dragon caught humming an Elton John love song.

"Thanks, Malfoy...I thought she'd never stop...you know she's always babbling about something! She can't seem to understand that sometimes talking isn't really necessary! Sometimes just shutting up is an appropiate action to take!"

He looked down at me. "Good advice...maybe you should take it to heart, Ginnums..."

I was too surprised to say something back. He had called me Ginnums! That bloody name Lizzy had thought was cute and endearing. Damn him! But as soon as I had a rebuttal to his snarky response, I was being dragged through the halls with more than a curious thrown at mine and Draco's hands. HE HAD MY HAND IN HIS! I had to bite my lip to keep from spinning in a victory dance. His hand was rough against mine, the callouses rubbing against the smooth palm of my hand. Probaly from Quidditch... I thought silently.

Before I knew it, we were sitting down at one of the many tables in the quiet room. "You were instructed to research Xavirius, am I correct?"

I nodded. "And construct a three foot essay about it..." I groaned, already dreading the assignment. "You know, Snape is the only proffesor to assign homework over the holidays?"

He shrugged, flipping through a book. "He's trying to teach you..."

"Teach my arse..." I mumbled, reaching for another book.

For more than an hour, both of us scribbled notes from shelves and shelves of books. He was cute when he concentrated, I noted, watching his gray eyes skim the page he was reading. A lock of pale blonde hair fell into his face and he absently blew at it. I sucked in a breath of air and calmed myself. STUDY! I commanded myself. But, resistance was futile. I looked over again, this time our eyes connected and I felt a wave of heat flush from my blue painted toenails to the tips of my curly red hair.

"You're supposed to be studying the book...not me...Ginnums..." he drawled, reaching for my parchment.

I scoffed. "I wasn't 'studying' you..." I was drooling at you...

He shook his head at my wimpy notes. "Alright, here's your first mistake...you say that Xavirius is counterpotion but you don't say what kind of reaction it gets...you have to include every detail when you take notes, or you'll leave out something and get a bad grade."

"Thank you, oh King of Essays..." I said sarcastically, snaching my paper back. "I think these are good notes!" I bragged. "Let's see if you have room to talk..."

Before he could cover them, I grabbed his parchment and widened my eyes at its contents. This boy was a good note taker. There were diagrams and graphs and charts filled on this small piece of paper. "Wow..." I breathed.

He gave a satisfied smirk and took the notes from my hands. "This is why I make good marks and you...don't."

I stuck my tongue out at him and pouted. "Then teach me out to take notes!"

"It's not that easy..."

"Scared?"

His feathers ruffled and he glared at me. "I am anything but scared, Weasel."

I shrugged. "Then, it'd seem to me that you could do a simple thing like teach a poor witch how to take notes, hm?"

His glare intensified and he grabbed a book and flipped to a random page. "Alright, lesson number one..."

"You don't have to be all high and mighty about it!"

"Lesson number one..." he said again. "Shut up and let me teach."

I pouted again, but let him continue.

Three hours passed by with my first lesson with Draco. I hated to admit it, but I had actually learned more in a short three hours time with him than I had all year with Snape. When it was over, I stood and stretched my arms in the air, giving a long yawn. "Well, that was infomrative..." I grinned.

He smirked. "When you weren't staring at my body I guess it was...but I don't blame you...I am pretty delicious..."

I smacked his arm and began gathering my stuff into my bookbag. That day, Draco had taught me how to take good notes and form them into a comprehensive essay. It had been a long day and the short afternoon was already fading away. My stomach growled with hunger and I blushed.

"Hungry?" he asked.

I nodded. "Just a little..."

He nodded and began gathering up his own stuff. "Meet me just outside the Astronomy Tower in one hour..."

I didn't even ask what for. I just nodded as my response and walked with him out of the library. But before we could near the door, he dragged me into his arms and stared down in my green eyes. He leaned down close to me, his breath tickling my lips. Oh gods, this was it! My eyes fluttered closed as his lips brushed my cheek. My knees were sinking! Oh dear me, I was going to faint! His lips skimmed my ear before he whispered in a hot voice, "Don't be late..."

He pulled back and smirked before stalking off.

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A/N: Once again I apologize for the loooong delay, but hopefully, with more snow days, I will be able to post sooner and sooner!