*Chapter Nine:* /Dash of Creativity/
"Not bad, not bad, Weasley," Malfoy said, his voice lined with something not quite like gratitude. "I got better marks on the homework you did for me than usual, although not so much that it arouses suspicion. Good." He picked at his fingernails and propped his feet up upon a table in the Library. Ms Pince would have reprimanded Malfoy if he had not chosen a meeting spot behind a large shelf of books.
Ginny considered Malfoy for a moment, sitting there, absorbed in himself, and chose to speak nothing – she knew her mouth would betray her, no matter how nice she tried to be.
Malfoy went on. "And I would like you to continue writing papers for me. Although...it appears as though homework bores you."
Ginny looked up and caught his gray eyes. She tried to show no indifference, but it *was* true.
"I do not want you to think of me as a boring man – "
Ginny snorted. 'I don't think of you as a man at all,' she thought.
"– so I have decided that your next task, you can... Hmm..." Draco pretended to look thoughtful for a moment. "Karaoke."
"What?!" Ginny screeched, standing up immediately and fiercely trying to burn holes into Draco's calm, relaxed eyes.
Ms Pince got up from behind her desk and hurried over, peering around a stack of books. She asked if everything was all right, and the two plastered on fake smiles, eagerly nodding Yes, everything was fine.
Once Ms Pince was out of sight, Draco said, "Yes. That's most definitely it. Karaoke. In front of Hogwarts at dinnertime. You can even borrow one of Pansy's old feather boas."
"That's ridiculous," Ginny muttered.
"Ridiculous? I'll tell you what's ridiculous: Two women in love." Malfoy paused for extra effect. "Now, pick a song and a smashing outfit to go with it, and sing to us tomorrow night. Make it great, Ginger."
***
Ginny Weasley felt foolish, but she knocked on the Seventh Year Girls' Dorm Door anyway. Bright-eyed Lavender Brown opened the door and when Ginny asked for Hermione, she said, "Oh, Hermione's in her room."
Ginny nodded thankfully and walked through the girls dorm, avoiding staring at Parvati Patil, whose hair was wrapped up in curlers and whose upper lip was caked with wax. She reached the end, where one otherwise plain door stated by means of a gold plaque to anyone who wished to know, that this room was that of: "Head Girl Granger."
Timidly knocking, Ginny was told to come in. She walked inside and looked around the circular room in awe. It was round and the walls were decorated with rich, crimson tapestries. One golden lion roared above a large mahogany bed, with grand red comforters and pillows. Hermione sat at a desk off to the side, bent over a scroll of parchment intensely, her fingers stained with ink. She looked up when Ginny stepped inside.
"Oh, hullo, Ginny," she greeted cordially. "How are you?"
"I'm good. How are you?" Ginny sat at the foot of Hermione's bed awkwardly.
"I'm just fine, but I have a lot of work." Hermione sighed.
Sensing annoyance, Ginny quickly sat up and asked, "You want me to leave?"
"Oh, no! I didn't mean it like that..." Hermione assured. She walked over to Ginny and put a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back to the bed. "I was just confiding in you all this stress..."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that. You're Head Girl and everything, you can't afford too much trouble." Ginny went on. "You know, there actually is a reason for me coming here. It's, er, about Muggle music."
"Are you taking Muggle Studies?"
"No, it's just I'm, ah, interested. It must be my genes," Ginny added, thinking fondly of her father.
"Well, sure, then! I've got a few CDs I took with me from home. Not sure why – they're useless amongst all of this magic. But you can borrow them anyway." Hermione reached for her CD case in the drawer of her desk and handed it to Ginny. "Give it back...whenever." She smiled at Ginny, and then returned to her desk, picking up her quill again and poising it, ready to scratch at the parchment. "I'll see you around!"
Ginny said goodbye too. She left the dorm and went back to her own, yawning and tucking herself in bed, wondering how on earth she would survive this year.
***
*My Notes:* Hey everyone. This chapter came pretty fluidly to me, especially the part with Ginny and Draco (I may want to try my hand at D/G some day...). But the last was a bit tough. I'm sorry if it's not perfect. Now I have to go do some major brooding about the whole Karaoke thing... ^_~
