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A/N: Here comes another update. Don't forget to vote at my profile page whether you want a sequel or not. If you vote for a new story, the next chapter of this one will be the last one. Otherwise we'll make a slight detour before this story ends ... :)
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Whatever it takes ...
Chapter Twenty-One: What's got into you?
„Draco." Pansy called and drew nearer when the blond swung around.
„Pansy. How are you?" Draco asked quietly and folded his arms in front of his chest.
„I miss Blaise so much." she replied in a whiny voice and flung her arms around Draco's neck. Draco patted her back reluctantly.
„You like him very much, right? Poor you." he muttered and tried to withdraw, when he heard her sob. „Hey, Pansy, I'm sure he's alright."
She slipped out of their embrace and looked at him, nodding. Draco attempted to give her a smile.
„I'm sorry that you've got expelled from the team." The corners of his mouth sagged. „You're the best Seeker Hogwarts has." Pansy continued, tears were glistening on her cheeks.
„I believe there are a lot of people that disagree." Draco stated dryly and cleared his throat.
„That Weasley girl loves you, that much is sure, though. And you love her, that's all that matters. I've seen the two of you at Hogsmeade yesterday." Pansy said in a somewhat choked voice and Draco furrowed his brow. „Too sad we couldn't work things out but now I'm glad you've found someone that seems to be good for you."
Draco stared at her for a moment.
„Are you kidding me, Pansy?" he finally asked.
She gave him a smile and continued,
„I hope we'll stay friends."
„Of course we do." Draco said in a low voice and bend down to peck her on the cheek. She let out a deep-drawn sigh and closed her eyes, when Draco seized her upper arms before he stroked them.
„Let me know when you hear something from Blaise." she told him and backed off.
„I will, Pansy."
„Bye." she said and left.
Draco looked after the girl he knew since childhood, while she hurried back to the castle, her cloak billowing around her ankles in the cold breeze.
„Leave!" Ginny spat and the owl fluttered into the air. Ginny slammed the window shut and slumped down to the floor, crying.
She clapped her hands to her face and wept freely, wondering how she could ever have trusted this philanderer.
„Blaise, what are you doing here?" Draco was surprised at the presence of his friend when he returned to his room later.
„I still have some things left here. I just came to pick them up." Blaise drawled, not looking at his former room mate.
Draco let out a laugh of disbelief and shook his head.
„Why have you done this?" he asked after a moment of silence, eyeing Blaise, who waved his wand to make two bags pack themselves magically.
Blaise didn't answer. The blond Slytherin Seeker was just about to press for answers again, when his Eagle owl appeared in front of the window once more. Draco hurried to take the letter off the owl's leg.
He looked down at the envelope and his insides gave a lurch.
„From your little girl?" Blaise muttered slyly but Draco didn't answer.
He had slumped down on to the edge of his bed, a muscle in his jaw jumping. Draco ripped the envelope open and a hundreds and hundreds of shreds were whirling at his face like a blizzard.
„Bollocks." he hissed and jumped to his feet, waving his hands to get rid of the paper.
„Pity." Blaise said in a low voice and faced Draco all of a sudden. The blond froze at the vicious expression that was skewing his friend's features.
„What?" Draco asked, while Blaise waved his wand and the bags vanished into thin air.
„Your little girl." Blaise pushed past Draco, bumping into his chest deliberately.
Draco gave a warning growl,
„What?"
„She tastes good." Blaise hissed and opened the door to leave. „Very good."
„Ginny?" There was a soft knock on her door again and she froze.
„Yes?" she called between two sobs.
The door was opened carefully and someone stepped inside.
„Ginny." he said once more and squatted down next to the ginger picture of misery on the bed.
A sudden rage was racing through Draco's body and he clenched his fists.
„You nasty bastard." he muttered when he realised what Blaise had just hinted. Draco stormed off the room, willing to beat the living daylights out of his pal.
„Ginny ... uh ... Ron told me that you're not feeling well. I ... er ... was wondering whether ... uhm ...." the boy stammered, while Ginny was still not looking at him.
„Are you alright?" he asked in a low voice and touched her shoulder. Ginny sobbed again.
„Hey, don't cry." the boy whispered and stroked her back. „Tell me what's wrong."
„Oh Dean!" Ginny whined all of a sudden, flinging her arms around the neck of her tall ex-boyfriend, who gasped.
Unable to find Blaise at the Slytherin Common Room, Draco chased to the Great Hall.
How dare this filth touch Ginny? His insides churned again at the very thought of it.
„Dean." Ginny whispered and pressed herself against his slender frame. The tall boy sat with his back against the wall and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The ginger girl rested her head against his chest and listened to the steady beating of his heart.
„Let's go and find Ron." Dean suggested uneasily after a moment of silence. „He's really worried."
„I don't want to." Ginny whined and looked up at him. „It hurts so much."
„Are you in pain?" Dean furrowed his brow worriedly.
Ginny clapped one hand to her mouth to suppress the sobbing.
„What's this?" Dean gently took her hand and looked at the blood-crusted owl bite on her finger.
Ginny started crying again.
„Shhhh!" Dean whispered and tightened his grip on her.
„Calm down."
He drew nearer and stroked her hair with his fingertips.
„You have what ... ?" Ron stopped abruptly and flung his bag down to the floor, swinging around to face Hermione. His eyes flickered and he was breathing heavily now.
„But I had to do it ..."
A muscle in Ron's jaw started to jump, while he let his eyes wander over his friends face. Then he let out a snort and shook his head.
„Hey, Longbottom!" Draco snapped and hurtled towards the chubby Gryffindor student.
„Y-yes." Neville stammered, his face very pale now.
„Tell me the password for Gryffindor Tower!"
„B-b-but I ... er ... I'm no-no-not allowed to tell it ..."
„Don't talk rubbish, Neville. I'm a Prefect, you can tell me." Draco tried it from another angle, giving the Gryffindor a predatory smile that was rather a snarl.
„Then why don't you ... er ..." Longbottom blushed badly. „ ... er ... ask Professor McGonagall?"
Draco glared at the boy, trying to fight back the sudden fit of rage and impatience that was just washing over him.
„Are you taking the piss?" he spat, his face crimson. He seized the other by the collar and dragged him towards the staircase to Gryffindor Tower.
Neville whimpered.
„Well then, I'm sure you're planning on asking me in when we get there, right?" Draco ground out, pushing Neville roughly.
„S-s-sure." Longbottom stuttered and stumbled up the stairs, Draco, whose strong hand was still grabbing Neville's cloak, at his heel.
„Ginny a plotter?" Ron furrowed his brow and took one step towards his fellow Gryffindor Prefect. „Associating with the enemies from Slytherin against Harry as the Seeker of the team? What in the name of all descendants of Merlin made you think that, Hermione?"
He seized her upper arms, his face only inches away from her reddened features.
„I- er ... I thought ..." she stammered and tilted her head to look up at him with wide eyes.
„What?" Ron's grip on her arms tightened.
„I thought you knew that." Hermione said and wriggled in his grip. „I had to report that she's with Malfoy."
„So that's why she wasn't there down at the pitch today. She got expelled from the team too, right?" Ron was now so close to her that Hermione could feel his heart race against her chest. „Because of you, Hermione!"
Her eyes watered. The tall redhead averted his gaze, the muscle in his jaw was jumping again.
Then he said in a low voice,
„That's ridiculous. What's got into you? She's got nothing to do with this!"
He let go of Hermione as if she was a Blast-Ended Skewt, that had just burned his fingers.
Lividly he turned around, grabbed his bag and resumed running up the winding path to the castle, the Quidditch robes, he was still wearing, flapping behind his back.
„Unbelievable!" he shouted at the top of his voice, while Hermione's voice came from behind,
„Ron! Wait!"
But her friend just shook his head and rose his free hand in refusal without looking at her again.
„Ron ... let me explain ..."
Hermione sighed and tried to make up the lost ground between her and the ginger hunk.
Ginny held her breath for a moment and locked on to Dean's fuliginous gaze.
It seemed like her head started swimming, she could hear her heart beat buzzing in her ears. Then, as if forced by an invisible hand on the back of her head, she leaned in to plant a short kiss on his soft lips.
„Tell me where her room is!" Draco ordered and pushed Neville through the Portrait Hole, following him swiftly.
Neville cleared his throat nervously.
„I said: Tell me where Ginny's room is!" Draco barked louder now.
„Up this stair ... er ... and then ..." Neville stalled.
Draco turned around to face the Gryffindor, tight-lipped, his brow arched sharply.
Neville flushed again,
„ ... the second door to the right." he continued faintly.
„Good boy." Draco patted Neville's cheek patronisingly, then he stormed up the stairs to Ginny's room.
„I wonder why you would know this, though." he called over his shoulder, certain of his victory.
„Ginny." Dean gasped and withdrew, surprise was mirroring in his eyes.
„I'm sorry." Ginny muttered meekly and cleared her throat, confused herself by what she had done. „It won't happen again."
But Draco had underestimated Neville Longbottom.
„Help! HEEEEELP! We've got an intruder here."
Draco stopped and drew his wand at lightning speed,
„Silencio!" he hissed and flicked his wand at the boy downstairs.
Nimbly Neville dove away behind one of the sofas and the spell missed the target.
Meanwhile several girls had left their dormitories to see what was going on outside. When they noticed Draco, they started screaming.
Unnerved by all this kerfuffle, Draco called,
„Ginny! Ginny!"
He ran the remaining stairs up, determined to find her.
„Stupefy!" Neville's voice came from behind all of a sudden.
Draco whirled around, shouting,
„Protego!" and Neville was thrown backwards, landing on a small coffee table that broke under his weight.
„Ginny!" Draco exclaimed once more, resuming his climb.
„Ron." Hermione panted when she had reached him. He let out a sigh and stopped to face her again.
„I didn't know they'd expel her from the team."
Ron snorted, eyeing the curly head.
„You have to believe me." Hermione begged and grabbed his arm. She could feel his biceps tense up at her touch.
„Ron!" she whined but he only shook her arm off.
„I just can't believe you did this to her." the Gryffindor Keeper muttered and locked on to her glistening gaze for a moment.
„What's going on outside?" Ginny asked when she perceived several screams. Dean shrugged.
Ginny struggled to her feet and went to the door. When she heard someone shout her name, she opened it with a jerk.
Spotting Draco, running up the stairs, she gasped.
„Ginny!" he called when he saw her, taking two stairs at once now. „I have to talk to you!"
„What's going on?" came Dean's voice from behind and Draco froze.
The tall boy built himself up behind the redhead, his wand drawn.
„Malfoy! What are you doing here?" he barked, pushing past Ginny to protect her.
„So that's the way it is, huh?" Draco sounded devastated, but he let out a derogatory snort, eyeing Ginny in her night shirt from head to toe, then shifting his gaze to the boy that had just exited her bedroom.
„Draco!" Ginny called and tried to reach him, but Dean held her back. Ginny bit her lower lip, struggling in her former boyfriend's grip, staring at the platinum blond dream of her sleepless nights.
„What's going on here?" Ginny perceived Ron's voice from downstairs all of a sudden.
„Malfoy!" he snapped when he spotted the Slytherin on the stairs. „Hermione, get Professor McGonagall. Now!"
Ron's shoes thundered on the wooden stairs when he stormed upstairs.
„What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" he growled, grabbing Draco's cloak from behind, pulling him back so that the blond staggered.
„That's none of your damn business, Weasel!" Draco spat and whirled around.
„Ron, don't!" Ginny begged.
„You shut up, Ginny. Go to your room!"
Draco let out a growl and grabbed Ron's cloak.
„Don't talk to her like that!"
Ron seized Draco's arm and yanked him downwards. Draco jumped at Ron in return and they rumbled down the stairs in a bundle of fists, wands and cloaks.
„Draco!" Ginny screamed and ran to the balustrade.
When the two boys touched down ruggedly at the landing of the stairs, Professor McGonagall's voice filled the Common Room.
Both boys struggled to their feet, moaning.
„Mr Malfoy! What-are-you-doing-here?" McGonagall yelled in staccato at the top of her voice.
Ginny gasped, while Draco remained silent.
„I believe you know that you are not allowed to enter the Gryffindor Common Room, let alone the girl's dormitories, Mr Malfoy?"
The Head of Gryffindor House frowned at Ginny upstairs, who wrapped her arms around her chest, noticing that she was wearing nothing but her night shirt.
„I can assure you, Professor, that this won't happen again." Draco stated coldly. „Never ever."
His gaze wandered to the ginger girl and Dean Thomas, who was standing next to her.
Ginny sensed that she blushed badly and her insides clenched at the unreadable expression on Draco's face.
„He's harassing my sister immorally, Professor." Ron exclaimed, his face still flushed with rage and adrenaline.
Draco snorted, side-glancing at Ron.
„I believe you're well aware, Mr Malfoy, that, should you violate the school rules again, you will be expelled immediately."
Draco bowed his head.
„I also advise you to stay away from Ms Weasley. Should I ever see you near her again, you will be expelled too."
Ron gave a malicious laugh, while Draco said nothing.
„But Professor ..." Ginny retorted.
„Mind, that you are still on probation yourself, Ms Weasley, and now get yourself a dressing gown or something."
A displeased expression crossed the age-lined face of Minerva McGonagall.
„Follow me, Mr Malfoy! I will personally see you back to your Common Room. Be sure that I will also inform Professor Snape as well as the Headmaster about this incident."
„Yes, Professor." Draco muttered servilely and followed the teacher to leave the room.
„Draco!" Ginny called one last time, but he didn't look up.
„Ms Weasley." Minerva McGonagall warned, not looking at Ginny either.
Then the two left the Common Room.
„What's got into you, Mr Malfoy?" the Head of Gryffindor House chided when they were in the corridor.
„I don't know, Professor. I'm sorry." Draco lied quietly, walking one step behind her.
He was wringing his hands nervously, wondering whether he could ask the austere lady about what he was having on his mind.
TBC
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