Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to the Harry Potter books or movies. I am just borrowing them for a bit of fun. Hope you enjoy it. Please feel free to review however like I have said I will put the bad reviews in with my owl so she can poop on them! The good reviews will get the reviewer a shout out in the author note in the next chapter!
Chapter 14: Girl Talk and Potions
When Ginny returned to her dormitory she found Hermione sitting on her bed waiting for her. "Hey Gin want to come have some girl talk with me? I was thinking we could go talk in my room since I am head girl we would have the room to ourselves and I really need to talk to you about some things."
"Sounds great since I also feel like I need to talk." Ginny said without hesitation.
They walked to Hermione's room and shut the door. "So what is up Hermione?" Ginny asked as soon as the door was shut.
"I just had to tell you what happened today on the trip to Hogsmeade. Since it involved you and what your brother saw today!"
"What did my brother see today that would involve me?"
"Well let's just say that Ron seen Draco giving you money and of course this bothered him."
"Tell Ron that Draco was giving me the money Millicent and he had collected from the other Slytherins who want me to make them handkerchiefs."
"What you are joking with me right? Slytherins wanting to buy something a Gryffindor makes? This is too weird."
"No it is actually true. Here is the list of who wants one and what they want on theirs." Ginny handed Hermione the list.
After quickly scanning the list she noticed that Greg Goyle, Vincent Crabbe, Millicent Bulstrode, Draco Malfoy, and several other Slytherins were on the list. "Draco and Millicent want more?"
"Yeah they each want one for each day of the week."
"Cool Gin. I am so happy for you. So did you get all the supplies you needed to make them?"
"Yeah and still had a quite a chunk of change leftover. Millicent raised the cost but refused to take anything for being the go between. She charged them all 1 Sickle and 15 Knuts when we had agreed on only 1 Sickle when I made her first two. She even paid 1 Sickle and 15 Knuts for each of the other five she wanted me to make. Draco paid me for four more because I owe him a Valentine's gift."
"Wow Ginny you are getting to a certain Slytherin boy's heart. I can't believe he hasn't even called me mudblood since long before Christmas. He usually calls me Granger now."
"Really?" Ginny looked at Hermione with a great surprised look on her face.
"Yes really Gin. So tell me all about your day."
Ginny recapped the day for Hermione leaving out the fact that Charlie was engaged. When she finished she asked Hermione for a recap of her day. After she had finished telling about how Ron and Millicent couldn't stop talking about the handkerchiefs Ginny had made the girls laughed. "Truly a loving and supportive big brother I have."
"Yeah and get this…Millicent wants to help you get started with your own business when you graduate. She thinks her and Draco can help you get the business space. I couldn't believe the way she was so confident in you. Of course as she pointed out she is friends with Draco and any friend of his is a friend of hers."
"Really?"
"Yes and apparently Draco thinks of you as a friend."
"Yeah I know he does because he told me that himself."
"You're kidding when did he tell you this?"
"Today when he gave me my other Valentine's gift you know the parchment."
"Oh really was that the same time I heard him telling you that someone has beautiful as you deserved to be spoiled?"
"You heard that? Did Ron? Oh my God I never thought about it but a Malfoy called me beautiful. Don't Malfoys hate Weasleys? I mean don't they insult us instead of befriend us?" Ginny finally started to piece together the fact that a Weasley and a Malfoy were actually becoming friends. She also realized that she wanted this friendship to go farther than that.
"Yes I heard that but I don't think Ron did. Yes a Malfoy called you a Weasley beautiful. Yes normally Malfoys hate Weasleys and insult them not befriend them. However this one has started changing for the better. I think it all started at the beginning of the year with the first trip to Hogsmeade."
"Hermione you promise not to tell anyone especially Ron and Harry what I am about to say?"
"Of course I won't. Our girl talks are just that ours!"
"I think I am falling for him. I mean I even sent Draco a note signed Cinderella."
"So it was you!"
"What?"
"Millicent told me when the guys went to the bathroom all about this letter Draco received. She asked me if I thought it could be you. I told her I didn't know but that if it was I hoped you didn't get your heart broken. Millicent seemed to think Draco feels the same way. She said normally he would have argued with her suggestions for what to wear but today he wore exactly what she had recommended."
"Yeah and get this we think she planned it so we matched!"
"She did! She thought this would be a good test of how strong the feelings are."
"How is that?"
"Simple if you two compliment each other or didn't seem to notice that meant you felt comfortable enough with one another that being dressed alike could even mean something good to both of you."
"Wow well we did both. We didn't notice until the end of the day when McGonagall and Snape pointed it out."
"Really and that is when you compliment each other?"
"Yeah you got it."
"Ginny maybe we should head down for dinner."
"Yeah I think so."
A few days later Ginny sat in Potions class feeling stupid once again. She had just added the wrong ingredient and knew it. She walked up to Snape. "Professor I messed up I added bat wings to my potion and now I don't know what to do!"
"Relax Miss Weasley! Just leave it simmer until the end of class. I will send a note to your next teacher with one of your classmates telling them you will be absent. I will get someone to come and help you. I will have you finish both this time's and next time's since you seem to have jumped ahead of yourself."
"Wait a minute are you saying I was looking at next time's potion?"
"You are quite correct. They are very similar and do similar things to the body however they have three different steps that often cause a person to confuse the two."
"Thank you Professor but what should I do until the end of the class? Should I start again with the correct potion?"
"That would be good you can work on it right over here so that you don't get the two mixed up." He pointed to a station that was clearly labeled with the correct potion on the cauldron.
"Thank you Professor." Ginny was relieved when the potions master hadn't taken points from Gryffindor for her stupidity.
As the rest of the class filed out Ginny handed the note Snape had written for her next teacher to Colin. "Can you give this to McGonagall?"
"Sure no problem Gin. Don't worry you will get it. See you after class." He responded.
Ginny was now back to working on the second potion adding the ingredient that she had messed up with on the first batch. She soon heard someone enter the classroom and then she heard Snape tell them what to do. "You will help Miss Weasley to finish her potion from this class which she is working on over there. Then you will help her finish the one she was supposed to make next class. She can explain what happened well you help her. I am going to leave and I will check back in a while."
The person must have nodded because Snape said, "Good I will be back later."
She soon felt someone come up beside her. "Let me guess Gingersnap you accidentally opened to the wrong page? So how many points did you lose your house and how many detentions did you get?"
She looked up to see Draco. "Draco!" Her mouth dropped open.
"Yeah who were you expecting Prince Charming." With this they both laughed.
"No! I honestly didn't know who to expect. Anyway yeah I opened the book to the wrong page. Although as soon as I realized what I did I went up to Snape and explained. He was so calm and just told me to relax leave it simmer. He then told me that he would write my next teacher a note explaining my absence and then he would have me finish both potions with the help of someone."
"Wait he was calm?"
"Yeah I know shock of the day. On top of this he didn't take house points nor did he give me detention."
"Double shock of the day!" Draco said than added. "Maybe he is your Prince Charming."
"Ha Ha your cute Dragonboy."
"Yeah I know I am cute. But hey if you want to remind me I don't mind!"
"Oh well then you are definitely cute but I think you would be cuter if you would help me finish these two potions so we can have dinner tonight not six months from now."
"You got it Cinderella!"
"What did you call me?"
"I called you Cinderella. Why do you ask?"
"Draco are you implying that you think I wrote that letter to you?"
"No." He said loudly however he was thinking how much he wished she had.
"So why Cinderella?" She asked as she finished the potion she was supposed to complete during class.
"I can't for the life of me come up with a list of girls I wouldn't go out with that had been close enough to smell my cologne. So I have taken to calling you Cinderella in the hopes you might get mad enough to do the work for me!"
"I see. Well then maybe I should start calling you Prince Charming especially after the things Millicent and Hermione had talked about in Hogsmeade. Hermione was telling me that Millicent owned up to having you dress like me! Also the fact that your bodyguards were there waiting with me until they seen you off in the distance that morning. They claimed that Pansy was on the warpath again and they were to allow no harm to come to me."
"Millicent sent them that day. Although I am very glad she did."
"Millicent must be a really good friend."
"She is and Mill thinks of you as a friend too."
"Yeah Hermione told me that too." She said as they finished cleaning up the first potion after she had taken a sample of it and labeled it. She placed it on Snape's desk and then moved to the other cauldron.
"So Hermione is like your best friend?"
"Yeah she is. We spend many Friday nights in her room just having girl talks."
"It sounds like she is a really good friend. Millicent likes her too." Draco replied as Ginny added the next ingredient to the potion they were working on.
"Yes she is. I should tell you that Ron was a bit upset by you giving me money!"
"Why?"
"He didn't like me taking money from a Malfoy for any reason. I explained it to Hermione and she told him. He calmed down a bit."
"That explains why he apologized today in class."
"HE WHAT?"
"Yeah I know I was like now what is he up to? But you just explained. I am sorry I had Ron mad at you."
"It is ok I am use to it by now."
"Speaking of your brothers when are you meeting Ron to practice?"
"Oh we set up Sunday afternoons. I will be practicing alone a couple of nights a week until I can figure out who I want to have accompany me for Charlie's wedding and George's wedding."
"Well if you can't get one of your brothers I could help you if they don't mind."
"What you play piano?"
"Yeah don't look so surprised."
"Well would you mind practicing with me until I figure out who to con into playing for the weddings."
"Sure I would love to. Besides I like hearing you sing." He said as he sat down at the table next to the cauldron and motioned her to do the same.
"What does it have to simmer some more?"
"Boy Gin nothing gets by you."
"Very funny Dragonboy." She said as she sat down next to him. She looked down at the open book. She reread the instructions.
"How is it coming in here?" Snape's voice rang out in the silence. He looked worried.
"Great we are just waiting for the second potion to simmer for the second time." Draco answered.
Snape walked up to his desk and took her potion sample. He quickly graded it as he had the rest of the class. He handed her the parchment he had written her score on.
"No way!" She said in surprise. This comment made Draco look worried and Snape happy.
"Yes Miss Weasley that is your grade for that potion." He replied. This added to Draco's worry and he pulled the parchment from Ginny's hand.
"Is this taking into account that she told you the mistake she made and the fact that she is making two at once?"
"Yes Draco I also took into account that she willingly accepted the help I offered her. She also explained to you her mistake. I think Gryffindor deserves to have 30 points." He responded.
"Added or taken from them professor?" Draco asked cautiously.
"I am adding them for Miss Weasley's open confession of her mistake not once but twice and for her willingness to accept the responsibilities without complaint. She also found herself working with her worst enemy but didn't shy away from the help."
"Sir, Draco is not my worst enemy anymore. He is my friend."
"Yeah that is right we are friends." Draco added with a big smile on his face. "She is the reason I made that decision I discussed with you and Dumbledore."
"Well I am proud of both of you for becoming friends." Snape replied as he walked back out of the room.
"What is up with that?" Draco asked.
"Well one of two things has happened. Either he is engaged to be married or he got lucky last night." Ginny said innocently.
"Ginny I am shocked at your answer. However I think you are right. That is usually the only times a man looks that happy when he is a Slytherin."
"Now I will know when you have been active the night before we see one another." She said with a laugh.
"It isn't true with me Gin."
"Why is that are you crabby anyway?"
"No I am a virgin!"
"Draco Malfoy a what? No way! I mean you are the um how can I put this?"
"Male slut of the school?" He asked with a smirk.
"Yeah something like that."
"God I hate how girls talk about me like that. Pansy started that rumor to keep the girls away from me. She refuses to accept that I don't like her in that way. She thinks that by saying those things girls will not want me for fear I will use them and break their hearts."
"So how may girls have you dated?"
"None but don't let anyone know. I haven't found anyone who makes me feel like I am worth anything."
"Well Dragonboy I can name two girls who think you are worth a lot."
"Oh and who would they be?"
"Cinderella and I."
"Really you think I am worth a lot?" He asked as Ginny got up to finish the potion.
"Yes really. Ok now what do I do?" She replied as he got up and stood very close beside her.
"Add this and then let it bubble until it turns blue. At that point it will be done." Draco said as he handed her the right ingredient.
She did as he instructed and when it was finished she collected a sample, labeled it before putting it on Snape's desk came back to where Draco stood. She quickly cleaned up her mess. She put one arm around his waist and pulled him to her in a one arm hug. "Thank you for all your help Dragonboy."
Placing his arm around her shoulders he replied. "You are welcome Angelface."
"Ah I see you have finished your tasks. If you wait one minute I will give you your grade." Snape said as McGonagall followed him into the room.
"Hello Professors!" Ginny and Draco said at the same time. They still had their arms around each other but they quickly dropped them.
"Hello." McGonagall answered. Soon Snape gave Ginny her results and they were once again outstanding. The two students were excused to head to dinner.