Draco Malfoy – 4 Ginny Weasley – 6
Then the homework started piling on. Ahead by two points, Ginny considered her position safe, and let the competition and all thoughts of it fall to the back of her head. The situation with Parvati, Padma, and Lavender seemed safe – either the Patil twins had not confided in each other what had happened that one day, or they were surprisingly fine with it. Ginny stopped worrying. And Hermione, now apparently (according to rumor) playing catch-up to Harry in potions, was consistently in a bad mood, so Ginny not only stopped asking for advice, but talking to Hermione altogether. Ginny slipped comfortably back into her previous life. She still tried to dress better, and smiled and complimented women. But she was no longer seeking out points. So she focused on her schoolwork. Which, after all, wasn't a bad thing.
Nonetheless, at one point, maybe a week after her encounter with Parvati and Lavender, Hermione approached Ginny to tell her Malfoy had just got another point. The other Carrow – Flora, a Slytherin girl in Ginny's year. Nothing really consequential. Nothing unexpected. Malfoy was running through the Slytherin girls. But he would run out soon.
Although the score was now 5:6 in her favor, which meant Malfoy was catching up, Ginny simply couldn't be bothered. Maybe she'd just had so much sex in such a short amount of time that the desire sort of went out on her.
So the next part snuck up on her.
Ginny and Luna were sitting together at the dinner table when Ginny noticed Hermione rushing towards her.
"I knew it was a bad idea!" Hermione said, sighing loudly and flinging herself on the table. "Oh, Ginny, I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have convinced you into it."
"What are you getting at?" Ginny asked, confused.
"It's gotten out, Ginny," said Hermione gravely. "It's public news now! Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff for Merlin's sake asked me if Ginny Weasley was really trying to compete with Draco Malfoy to sleep with more girls." Ginny opened her mouth to say something, but Hermione continued instead. "It must have been Parvati and Lavender."
"So Padma -?"
"Well, I don't know about Padma. She seems fine. But I'm positive it's gotten to her this time, too. Positive. Marietta Edgecomb – Padma's best friend – made mention of it in History of Magic."
Ginny sighed heavily. "This changes the game completely."
Hermione nodded. "It really does. This means to get a point you either have to -"
" - lie - "
" - and try to convince a girl she's not just a point." At this moment a strand of hair fell down Hermione's face. She made an exhausted noise and tucked it behind her ear. And Ginny thought, well, what if a girl isn't just a point? "Or you have to find girls who either don't know, or are fine with it."
Ginny's thoughts took over and for a moment she stared off into the distance. What she was really worried about was a certain person finding out...
"What are you looking at? Trying to collect me?"
Ginny was called back to attention with a start. She had apparently been staring straight at a Hufflepuff 4th-year. A 4th-year who knew.
Ginny and Hermione traded stunned looks. "Did that just - "
"Happen? Yes. I guess we need to be careful."
Ginny shivered off the yucky feeling of being talked to like that, and put her mind back on track."Look, Hermione – what I really need to know, is – does Malfoy know?"
In reaction, Hermione turned her head towards the Slytherin table. "I really don't know. In fact, come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I saw him. It must have been days..."
"What if he does know?" Ginny asked.
"If he does -" Hermione stopped herself and thought. Then she reached out a sympathetic hand and touched Ginny's. "We'd really be in trouble then."
"Do the Slytherins know?"
"Maybe not, but you can never tell. You know, give me a moment, I need to check the list, I feel as if- " Hermione reached a hand into her bag and pulled out the piece of parchment. "Alright, so three in his year I see, then two – wait." Hermione held the parchment close to her face. "Wait." Hermione's face contorted into one of confusion. "That can't – what?!"
"Let me see," Ginny said, taking the parchment from Hermione. On Malfoy's list, after the five Slytherins, there was -
"Demelza?" Ginny asked.
"That's really odd, isn't it? That he would just so happen to sleep with a Gryffindor not even in his year and with whom he likely has no contact whatsoever?!"
"Do you mean - "
"I do, Ginny," Hermione said. "Ginny, I think this was intentional. I think Malfoy knows."
Draco Malfoy – 6 Ginny Weasley – 6