Her best friend, not her!
Chapter nine: Pride
"Soo… you and Hermione, huh?" she smirked at him.
Surprise took over the Slytherin's features. How did she know? Was she mad? Was she happy? Why did she know? His head felt swamped with these questions yet there was an unrecognizable feeling in his stomach. A feeling he soon came to recognize as guilt.
Draco took his time with replying. Should he tell her? Maybe just the part about the bet? No, he would have to explain himself… Go along with Pansy's plan? Yes, that seemed like the best option.
"Not exactly," he said after a while.
"Explain," she ordered and sat down beside him.
"We aren't an item. Yet. But I do have feelings for her."
Ginny's darkened by the lack of light eyes bore deep into his own silvers in a very Luna-esque manner.
"That's the reason you became friends with me," she concluded finally. Her expressive eyes held only understanding.
"At first yes," Draco chose his words carefully.
"Right. Ok, I'll be going now," she smiled at him and got up quickly striding away.
Going after her would only be a waste of time, Draco judged, and it could turn out to be very painful if she doesn't want me to. Although, a smirk formed on his lips his eyes glinting in the moonlight, spying doesn't really fit into the 'going after' category.
The boy pressed himself closer to the shadows outside an unused classroom. He had followed the red head almost to the top of the castle, only to stop and wait in an alcove close enough to the door so that he could hear what she was doing.
"Mission accomplished, 'Mione," the girl's voice was muffled by the oak door but the blond could still hear every word clearly.
"And…?" the impatient voice of the other girl in the room inquired.
"He likes you."
"Are you serious?!" apparently Ginny had nodded, for Hermione's squeal of delight almost pierced through Draco's eardrums, "Exact words?"
"He said, quote, We aren't an item. Yet. I do have feelings for her though, unquote."
"Gin, you're a love life saver!" a sound of bodies being pressed together gave him the sign that the brunette had hugged her best friend.
"No. Air. Can't. Breathe," the voice was so soft the boy almost missed it.
Draco pushed away from his hiding place. So she was just using him? Pretending to be his friend so that Hermione could get her wanted boyfriend?! He felt used. Used and lied to. His mind screamed at him to barge in and yell at both of them for playing games with him. His pride and sense of rationality stopped him. Instead he turned on his heel and walked away.
Several floors below and he still couldn't push away the feeling of betrayal. This is why she became my friend so easily, he realized at some point. Had she even been herself? Did he know her as well as he though he did? His head swarmed with questions much like the ones of the confused women in the books his mother made him read. He needed to talk to someone? Blaise maybe, to call off the bet? No he wouldn't understand… Pansy? No, not really. He knew who he wanted to talk to but he couldn't. He couldn't approach her.
I'm mad at her! The blond Slytherin realized, I'm mad at her because she hurt me!
That's what you get for letting your guard down so easily. There's a reason for that wall, boy! A voice sounding suspiciously like his father taunted him.
Draco sighed and took a sharp left in the dungeon mazes, reaching the Slytherin Common Room's portrait. All he wanted to do was get to his rooms and sleep in his comfortable bed. And that's exactly what he did.
A week has passed since Draco attempted to be a spy. A week in which he had acted like his old ice cold self again. A week in which he slept through the whole night. A week through which he hadn't crossed gazes even once with his favorite pair of brown eyes. A very miserable week it was. The whole time Blaise had been asking him if he was sick, Theo had just smiled at him knowingly and Pansy had annoyed him to death with her need for knowledge.
Draco was on his way to Herbology when a blonde Ravenclaw crossed his path. He stared into Looney Luna's sky blue eyes for a moment, feeling like she was reading his soul.
"The redbees have infested your mind. They never planted lies there though," she said and then bounced away from him.
What did she mean by that? The redbees? Red-bees. Weasel-Bee! It hit him suddenly. But how did she know? Draco was unconsciously walking forward, his mind still etched onto Luna's words. What did she mean?
Suddenly he felt himself falling. His arms flew out catching his body, effectively preventing a Bella Swan worth face-plant onto the stone floor of the Entrance Hall. He opened his eyes and had the urge to scream like a bimbo blonde who had seen a spider. Only the sight it was worse than a spider. Much worse. He had tripped on Ginny. She was lying limply on the floor. Blood was all over her face and hands, her clothes were torn and purple bruises layered her pale skin.
Acting purely on instinct he jumped up and gently lifted her into his embrace. It all seemed like a dream to him. The trip to the Hospital Wing, the reaction of the nurse and the blankness that settled into his brain once they kicked him out of the Infirmary.
Ok so this is the chapter!! This part wasn't planned, I swear. I might have to change the summary in the near future lol. Oh well kind of sucky but I still like the progress.
Big thanks to srivera and CornFielder for being my only reviewers for the last chappie =D hopefully I'll get more comments. I WANT CRITICISM!!!! …and compliments of course but yeah XD Review people!!!
Deliya
