AN: Oh, I feel so bad so being so poor to update recently! ;_; I would like to blame it on having much to do in school before graduating, but that is only part if the reason. To tell the truth, I've been too lazy to actually write this chapter out on the computer ^^" Though I hope that you'll be able to forgive me and that you will enjoy this chapter! ^v^

Chapter 9

The following week, Ginny spent almost every evening with Draco, trying to perfect her flirting techniques. The blonde wished for nothing less than perfection, which forced the Gryffindor to redo all the moves at least a hundred times each.

Even though she would sigh and complain about this, Ginny understood the importance of actually training on the moves. Furthermore, she realized how useful they could be.

By the end of the week, the red-head had perfected the Stare, for which she even received a praise from Draco, telling her that she was almost as good as him, but that it would be another decade before she could compete with him. The Gryffindor had also been taught how to best highlight her good features as well as how to appear interested in the conversation and how to appear alluring.

One might say that she was as ready as she could be.

"Ginny, I must say that you're the best student I've ever had!" Draco said one evening, smugly. "Of course, you would never have gotten this far if it wouldn't have been for my teachings."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "And I presume that you have taught dozens of girls before me how to act like a man-eater?"

"No, but I've taught dozens of girls other things," the blonde replied suggestively to her, giving her a wide grin.

The Gryffindor thought it best not to ask exactly what other things he had taught them, as the boy might actually go on with his story.

Now that would never end well!

"So, I'm ready for my date then?" Ginny said, changing the subject.

Draco nodded. "I dare say so."

This made the girl smile. She could feel how she was getting closer to reaching her dreams.

While losing herself in thoughts, Ginny stopped paying any attention to the Slytherin, who was currently in the process of saying something to her. However, the red-head was soon brought back to reality, harshly, as she slowly realized what Draco was saying.

"… we'll meet at the Three Broomsticks by 3 o'clock tomorrow then!"

Wait, what?

Sending a puzzled look the boy's way, the Gryffindor got a raised eyebrow in return.

"Oh, you didn't think that I would let you go on a date without me nearby?" The blonde said with an almost mocking tone. "Of course I must be there when my creation is set loose!"

Ginny gaped. He couldn't be serious!

"But won't that look a bit… strange?" Ginny had this hope that she might be able to persuade the boy to re-think his plan. "I mean, having you there, staring at me and Justin?"

"No, because I have planned everything!" Draco seemed excited as he said this, which usually was a bad sign. "Pansy and I, along with some other fellow Slytherins, will also be at the Three Broomsticks and once we are there, I'll accidentally spot you. From there on, I simply will have to point this out to Pansy and she will not be able to talk about anything else, allowing me to openly stare at the two of you!"

Oh, swell… This would mean that she, except having to worry about the date itself, also had to endure the tittering of Pansy Parkinson and God knows who else that might be tagging along!

Just wonderful.

Ginny tried her best from there on to convince the boy not to go through with this "brilliant" plan of his, but it was to no avail. The Slytherin was determined to be there, mainly to see how she did, but also, and here Ginny was only guessing, to be the little sadistic person he so often claimed he wasn't.

Oh well, if the red-head could handle having the majority of the male population of Hogwarts ogling her, then a bunch of Slytherins should be a piece of cake! Right?

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It was the day of the date and Ginny, after having put on her clothes as well as her make-up, knew that she looked perfect.

Or well, as Malfoy would have expressed it: As perfect as anyone can be without being him.

She had barely left the dormitory and gone down the stairs, before her brother was on her back.

"Ginny", the boy began, "you are looking a bit ill."

The expression on the boy's face said that if Ginny wasn't feeling ill, he was going to make sure that she would be.

Seriously, was he still that protective of her?

"I'm feeling perfectly fine, thank you", Ginny replied with a sugar coated smile.

"No, I'm positive that you're falling ill." The boy went for something in his pocket. "Here, have some sweets."

He pressed a bar of chocolate into her hand and then stared at her, screaming 'EAT IT!' with his eyes.

Not even giving it any thought, Ginny took the chocolate and threw it into the nearest trash bin. "I grew up with Fred and George, two boys that invented their own brand of sweets that make you ill! Do you seriously believe that I would ever eat a piece of candy without knowing where it came from?"

"Are you saying that I'm trying to make you sick!" Ron cried out, pretending to be offended, but failing. "Preposterous! I would never be able to do such a thing!"

"No, you're right, you're not smart enough," she retorted. "You probably got the twins to do it for you!"

It appeared as if Ginny had really hurt her brother's feelings, along with ruining his "great" little plan. While muttering something about 'ungrateful sister', Ron fled the scene, most likely to sulk over the failed attempt.

Sometimes, that boy was such a mystery.

Not having the energy to think about her brother anymore, Ginny got going. Nothing more of interest happened that morning, but that was mainly because the red-head made sure not to do anything foolish. Like sitting next to her brother and therefore give him the opportunity to spike her breakfast.

Who knows, he MIGHT actually do such a thing!

It later turned out that this was probably the best thing Ginny could have done, as Ron kept his eyes fixed on her during the whole breakfast and sent out an aura of… madness. If things went on like this, the chances of having her brother stalking her were big.

However, Hermione came as an angel sent from above and calmed Ginny down.

"Don't you worry about Ron," the brunette said and gave a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure to keep him as far away from you as possible and if he doesn't want to leave you alone, I'll cast a petrifaction spell on him!"

Hermione sounded almost too happy when she said that. Almost as if she wished for the boy to stalk them so that she could cast a spell on him. But if it was to the red-head's advantage, Ginny didn't mind.

Therefore, the brunette received an approving nod in reply.

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Being her first date and all, Ginny was nervous. Standing outside the Three Broomsticks, the red-head couldn't help to look around every now and then, in search of the Hufflepuff. Every time someone came around the corner, she would tense up a bit, but then relax as she realized that it wasn't Justin.

Though she was being quite silly. This was nothing compared to her last visit to Hogsmeade, when the Gryffindor, together with a certain blonde, had snuck out of the castle.

Despite this little knowledge, the red-head remained anxious and it wasn't until Justin showed up that she could finally let go of the feeling. Mainly, this was because the Hufflepuff seemed even more nervous than her.

However, it appeared that he had spent so much time with Ginny, that he was able to be a little bit less shy than usual and before they had even reached a table in the Three Broomsticks, the boy was his usual chatty self.

It was a nice change, though it would have been more fun if the red-haired girl would have been able to actually say anything instead of only listening to Justin.

After taking a seat at a table and ordering two butter beers, Ginny came to the conclusion that the date was off to a good start.

And what was even better was that Draco was nowhere to be seen!

No sooner had she though that, before the blonde himself entered through the door, accompanied by his usual group of bullies as well as Pansy Parkinson. All of them wore the exact same smug smile, proclaiming to the world that they were indeed a little bit better than everyone else.

The group of Slytherins went of to find a table and unfortunately for the red-head, the table next to hers was the only table available. Of course this meant that the smug little brats made their way towards it.

Sighing quietly, Ginny braced herself and tried her best to ignore the Slytherins. Just as usual, this was harder than what one might think.

Trying her best, Ginny continued her talk with Justin, or rather, her listening on Justin's talk. Soon though, she was disturbed, as Pansy caught sight of them. Sniggering to herself, the black-haired went on to point out the fact that Ginny Weasley was on a date with a Hufflepuff.

The laughs and hushed conversation that followed made the Gryffindor annoyed. Still, the girl refused to fall for the temptation to hex them all and instead gave Justin her full attention. For the next forty-five minutes, Ginny listened intensely to every word that came out of the brown-haired boy's mouth.

As he had showed before, Justin was fun to talk to and Ginny found that she was having a great time. The Hufflepuff would make her laugh constantly, making her almost forget her role to play the flirtatious little red-head. Once Ginny remembered her part, the girl became determined to use some of the things that she had learnt the past week. The only question was, which one?

Suddenly getting a very vivid picture in her mind of Draco, fluttering his eyelashes, Ginny broke out in laughter.

Luckily for her, it appeared that Justin had been in the process of saying something funny, as he nodded approvingly to her laughter and said 'I know, right?'

Thanking her great fortune, Ginny told herself not to think anymore about her coach, as it would most likely have the same result. And the red-head was positive that she wouldn't be as lucky two times in a row.

Although the Gryffindor had promised herself not to think about Draco, she couldn't help casting a glance towards his table.

At the moment, none of them were looking at the red-head and her date. Instead, all of them were deeply involved in some serious conversation, which the blonde was leading. With one arm clasped around Pansy, Draco used the other one to emphasize his point and appeared to be in the middle of one of his never-ending speeches.

Going from the boy to the girl clinging at his side, Ginny felt like something punched her straight in the face, causing her to look away. Giving it some thought, the red-head came to the conclusion that it was because of the realisation that the black-haired girl looked like she belonged next to Draco.

Not that Ginny cared or anything.

Once again returning her attention to Justin, the red-head made sure not to be distracted again. This time she succeeded and before she knew it, it was time to leave.

The date, despite the minor distraction, had gone swimmingly and Ginny was positive that the Hufflepuff now fancied her more than ever.

Though, regrettably for the boy, Ginny knew that she wouldn't be going on a second date with him. He was great fun talking to, but Ginny couldn't shake this feeling off that he was only suitable for the friend category and not the boyfriend one.

Of course, Ginny wasn't looking for someone to hook up with, but a little chemistry was always nice!

When Justin had paid for their beers, which he insisted was the right thing to do, the two of them headed out of the café. If Ginny would have been able to get back to the castle that very minute, still with a happy feeling in her mind, this day would have been perfect. But how could such a thing happen, when they had to walk past the Slytherins in order to get out of the Three Broomsticks?

Two feet away from the dreaded table, Pansy caught the sight of them leaving and hell broke loose.

"Oh, look what we have here!" Pansy cried out with a contemptuous voice. "Little Ginny Weasley, out on a date! With a Hufflepuff!"

All the Slytherins broke out in laughter.

"And here we thought that the Weasleys could sink no lower", Pansy continued in a mocking tone. "Guess you proved us wrong, once again!"

More sniggering took place.

Ginny had learnt, from years of experience, that when dealing with Slytherins, the best defence was to act indifferent. Therefore, the red-head took no notice of them and was just about to turn her back towards them, when Draco spoke.

"Well, what can one really expect, with a family as hers?" The blonde said in a scornful matter.

"The Weasleys are and will forever be a disgrace for the Wizard society!"

Calm down Ginny, mustn't hex boy for being a jerk. Mustn't.

Turning back towards the crowd, Ginny tried her best to appear composed. It was nothing new that most pure-blood families considered hers to be abominable. It really shouldn't be something that could cause her to stir, but somehow, it still had. Perhaps it had been the way Draco had said it; as if the Weasleys truly were nothing more than dirty in his eyes.

Still trying her hardest to restrain herself, Ginny spoke. "I'm sorry", the girl said through clenched teeth, "that my family actually shows compassion towards others and that we actually care for others. Of course your families are better, where everyone is too self-centred to ever think about anyone but themselves."

Almost at her limit now, the Gryffindor thought it best to leave as quickly as possible before she did something… less pleasant towards the stuck-up group, and so, she headed for the door. She had almost passed the Slytherin's table, when a pair of feet came in her way, causing her to fall. Looking up from the ground, Ginny stared straight into the eyes of a rather smug-looking Draco.

Getting back at her feet again, the red-head sent the blonde boy a death glare, before finally leaving the Three Broomsticks, slamming the door shut behind her.

Still steaming, the Gryffindor walked with angry steps towards the school, closely followed by a baffled Justin. She didn't have the energy to even bother speaking with him and instead, she was ranting in her head.

Draco Malfoy was going to meet a very painful end, if it was the last thing Ginny would do! Or at least he would have to endure something so painful that he was going to wish that he was dead!

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The anger that had come over Ginny upon leaving the Three Broomsticks had not gone away as the weekend ended. So, when she was heading for her coaching with the tosser that was the cause of it, the red-head was steaming.

As soon as the girl had entered the classroom, Draco noticed that something was off and gave Ginny a contemplative look.

"What's the matter with you?" The blonde asked, acting as if he remembered nothing of what had happened during the weekend.

Ginny glared at him viciously. "Do you know that I loathe you?"

"Oh?" Draco raised his eyebrow, in what seemed to be amusement. "And what have I done this time to deserve such hatred?"

The boy was treating the whole situation as a joke, something that made Ginny even more furious.

"You are a vile, vicious, conceited and arrogant bastard that enjoys hurting other people's feelings!" The red-head almost screamed in the blonde's face, satisfied that she could finally blow some steam off.

The boy sighed. "You're mad at me for tripping you", he stated with a voice that sounded almost bored.

How dared he use such a tone!

"Yes, amongst other things", the girl hissed back. "Why would you do such a thing to me!"

Draco shrugged, as he himself didn't quite know why he did it. "Felt like the right thing to do I guess", he said after a while. "And seriously Ginny, you shouldn't be so offended by the things I say about your family. I mean, I ALWAYS insult your family!"

"Well, I didn't like the tone you were using this time!" Ginny gave the Slytherin her most ferocious stare. "And I don't like you right now!"

Laughing it off, Draco gave Ginny a wide smile. "Of course you do Ginny! Everybody loves me!"

Having the sudden impulse to throw something heavy at the boy, Ginny restrained herself. Instead, she only replied with a barely audible muttering. "Only in your world…"

"And that is the only world that matters, now isn't it?" Draco said, apparently having heard the muttering.

The Gryffindor refrained from saying anything and instead only glared at him, earning herself a smug grin in return.

That boy was far too conceited for his own good!

When Ginny still remained silent, Draco spoke again.

"So", the blonde began, "it seems that Justin is quite taken by you."

It was evident that the boy was trying to get her to speak to him again. And even though the girl would rather sit in a corner and sulk than let go of her anger, Ginny still wished to be praised for her accomplishment.

"He did, didn't he?" The red-head said, surrendering and thereby giving up the silent treatment.

The Slytherin grinned smugly, apparently once again in the belief that this was all thanks to him.

He was such an ego-centric little blonde.

The rest of the time, the two of them discussed Ginny's date and what she could improve until the next time. The Gryffindor actually got complimented on how well she had handled her first date!

Discussing her date took a longer time than one might think and it was soon time for Ginny to return back to her dormitory. It was not until she was far away from the boy that the red-head realized that she had not gotten her revenge on him.

It appeared that he had escaped his terrible destiny merely by stroking her ego.

Damn that sneaky little bastard!