Ginny practically ran to the Great Hall, stopping to catch her breath once inside. It was early, but she still spotted Draco, Emmy, and Blaise sitting at Slytherin table, eating breakfast. She ignored the strange glances she got as she rushed over to them, still trying to catch her breath. They all gave her startled glances, and Draco seemed more than a bit angry with her, as he just turned around and ignored her.
"You need to be careful… around Harry.." Her breath was coming out sharply, and she glanced over at Harry, who was staring at her with a small, wicked smile. She pressed forward, continuing, "He's.. well, just, don't talk to me, ok? He's going to hurt you guys if you do.. He already.. He.. well.." She was faltering. Should she tell them about the Crucio? She didn't want them to worry about her.. but she also had to let them know what he was capable of. "He cast Crucio on me this morning. And.. and he said that you would be next if you talked to me.." Draco turned around at the mention of Crucio, his anger disappearing. She saw worry, then it disappeared in a wave of hatred. He stood up, looking as if he were about to murder Harry. Blaise forced him to sit back down, then looked back at Ginny incredulously.
"Gin, you have to tell Dumbledore. I mean, Potter has gone too far this time. Crucio!" Ginny ignored the comment, and was staring at Malfoy, who was getting angrier by the minute.
"How dare Potter! He can't control us… Let him try, let him try to Crucio me.." He put down the bit of toast he had been chewing, standing up again. Blaise was about to stop him when he took Ginny's arm and dragged her out of the Great Hall, still muttering about Harry's insolence. Ginny saw Harry stand up and follow them slowly out of the corner of her eye, and tried to say something to Draco, but he ignored her.
Draco turned to Ginny outside of the Great Hall, putting his hands on her waist and snogged her almost desperately. Ginny could feel everything just slide away. Her blood was pounding in her ears, roaring like it did when she used a portkey. But this was no portkey. This was Draco Malfoy, yet he managed to act everything and nothing like his father at the same time. He broke off, looking over Ginny's head, then talking quietly to her.
"Ginny, I don't know what it is about you.. You change me. I can be fuming, angry like I was at Potter just now.. And you make me forget about it. You make me nervous, Ginny. I can barely talk without stuttering around you, and I can never think of anything intelligent to say when I talk to you. I don't mean to do it… you just.. I dunno, overpower my thoughts." He glanced down at her, his gray eyes searching her brown ones.
"I could barely stop thinking about you. When I saw you with Harry… Ginny, you have no idea how it hurt me. I just wanted to go crawl up into some dark corner and die. I figured that you really never did care about me, that I was just imagining things, and that you really had liked Potter the whole time.. Then Blaise told me what he had done to you. How could you let him do that to you, Gin? I would've happily told Dumbledore about his precious Potter, and you know how much I despise Dumbledore." He let all of this out in a rush, and Ginny could barely keep herself from bursting into tears. She had put him through all of this.. But, it was for him, remember? It was all for him..
"And then I saw him.. I actually saw him beating you. And I couldn't do anything about it. I should have been there for you, Ginny, I should have been there…"
"Malfoy. I thought I warned you to get your Slytherin hands off of my girlfriend?" It was Harry. Draco put an arm around Ginny, and she could almost see him change from Draco to Malfoy.
"Potter, you don't deserve to have a girlfriend, let alone one like Ginny." Harry bristled visibly, snarling like a dog.
"Don't make me tell you again, Malfoy. Get.. your… dirty.. hands.. off.. of.. GINNY!" Malfoy laughed coldly.
"What are you going to do about it, Potter?"
"Don't test me, Malfoy." Harry took out his wand, slowly raising it. Malfoy did the same, still with a cold smirk on his face.
"I could easily tell Weasley what you're doing to his sister. I don't think he'd be too happy with you… Neither would Dumbledore, for that matter." Harry paled, then darkened, and Ginny drew back. Malfoy's grip grew a bit tighter, not letting her run off.
By now, there was a crowd slowly growing around the two boys. Ginny saw Ron and Hermione looking blearily between Harry and Draco, who had an arm around Ginny.
"Draco… maybe we should go.." Ginny whispered softly, spotting Professor McGonagall, who started striding quickly towards them. Draco noticed and he lowered his wand, taking Ginny's hand and pulling her off into the Great Hall, walking past Harry.
"We'll settle this later, Potter.." He snarled, then pushed back through the doors and headed back to Blaise and Emmy. Blaise gave Malfoy a cheeky grin, and Draco sat down next to him, raising a pale eyebrow.
"What was that all about, Malfoy?"
"Nothing, Zabini. Just had a little.. business to discuss with Potter. You can go back to flirting with my cousin now." Blaise gave just a hint of a blush and dropped the subject, eating quietly.
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Ginny had another blur of a day, drifting through her classes with a hint of a grin on her face. She managed to look forward to Potions, even if it meant just a few minutes with Draco.
"Gin! Hey!" Ginny turned slowly, on her way to Charms, to see Hermione bustling towards her. Well, it was too late to ignore the girl; she was almost on top of her.
"What was going on this morning?" Well, that girl has tact, doesn't she? Ginny sighed, knowing that this would have to crop up eventually.
"Hermione.. You really wouldn't understand. Go ask Harry. Maybe he'll tell you." Ginny turned around and walked into Flitwick's class, slamming her books down. I've avoided it for now, she thought, but I know Ron's going to have a fit when I see him. Then she turned to Professor Flitwick, writing down the complicated charm he had written down on his board.
Ginny avoided the main hallway after Charms, and took a long route to Potions. She slipped inside, managing not to talk to anyone who might have seen what had happened in the morning.
Emmy was sitting in the cold dungeon quietly, already preparing the ingredients for the potion they had to make today. Ginny sat next to her silently, wondering what was on the girl's mind. Emmy stopped once all of the ingredients were ready, shaking her head silently.
"Do you really think that Blaise might.. well, do you think he likes me, Ginny? Has he said anything about me?" Ginny turned away for a minute, getting a hold of her oncoming fit of giggles. She turned back to Emmy, trying to keep a straight face.
"Well, he's never really.. mentioned you, but.. Oh, I dunno, Emmy. I would assume so. I mean, what guy wouldn't like you? You're the prettiest girl I know. So don't worry about it. I'm sure he does." Emmy looked slightly relieved, but still troubled. She shrugged, then started the potion.
The class crept on in silence, everyone trying to concentrate on their potions. Emmy and Ginny, as usual, were finished first, and had the potion done with fifteen minutes left to spare. They sat in companionable silence, each thinking about the man of their fancy.
Hmm. I've gotten Draco into such a mess, haven't I? I'm sure that no Slytherin mate of his, except for maybe Blaise, will care too much for me. Then again, no one in Gryffindor will be too happy, either. Especially Ron.. Ron was going to be a problem. He would never, never believe Ginny if she said that Harry had used the Crucio curse on her just that morning. She still couldn't quite believe it, either. She was just starting to believe that Harry would actually beat and blackmail her, and then he uses an Unforgivable Curse on her.
The bell rang, and both girls jumped, sharing a smile before sweeping out of the dungeon. Ginny immediately found Draco among the masses of other student, and gave him a smile, walking over to him.
"Hello, love," he said with a grin, kissing her on the cheek. Ginny blushed; Draco was certainly in a good mood today. She turned to watch Emmy and Blaise stand rather awkwardly near the door, chatting. She grinned, remembering when she and Draco had been like that. Not really sure of anything.. You still aren't sure of anything, Ginny Weasley. You're just saying it to make yourself believe.. said an evil voice in her head. She tried to ignore it, turning back to Draco. He was watching her with a small smile, his eyes flickering to Zabini and Emmy when she turned around.
Suddenly she heard ragged breathing behind her, and Ginny was yanked backwards and into Harry's grip. She felt his wand against her back and stood, shocked, as he put a hand over her mouth and slipped the invisibility cloak over her.
Where is he taking me?
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