Took me a while didn't it? But here it is, and I hope you like it.

Chapter 21: Previous Engagements

Friday evening, Ginny began to get ready for her tutoring session with Malfoy. Tomorrow was going to be the Hogsmeade trip, and she didn't know why, but she really was looking forward to it. Despite the fact that their odd relationship started off with mixed feelings, mixed emotions, and even more mixed intentions, they had come out of it with somewhat of a good friendship. Malfoy didn't even hint and what happened at the beginning of the year.

As her worries left her shoulders and flew south with the birds and the changing weather, Ginny began to notice a change in her school attitude. She was once again at the top of her game. Always turning in her work on time, gaining points for Gryffindor, and she was flying better than ever during games and practices. And all it took was for any possible relationship with a boy to take a momentary backseat. Had it really taken a backseat though? She was spending time with him all the time. He helped her with some of her work, and even she gave him a hint or two about transfigurations to Malfoy's dislike.

They had fallen into a comfortable rhythm, and it started to annoy her. What had happened to change his mind? Why was she all of a sudden no longer worthy of a Malfoy? But these thoughts only arose every once in a while. Like Friday's potions session.

"Hey, I have to clear something up with you," Malfoy slowly began as he shifted her ingredients around, unconsciously with his hands. He did this every once in a while, Ginny began to notice, her study of people kicking in. And it was always when he had something on his mind, or some sort of worry. It had happened more often as the year went by.

"Okay, shoot. What is it?" Ginny asked, smacking his hand away from one of the ingredients so that she could use it. His hands would still, waiting for the bottle to come back, and then suddenly they'd shoot back into motion, arranging bottles by size, color, alphabetically. On closer study, Ginny had realized just how organized Malfoy's mind was. How he had to have everything in some sort of order. It was so subtle, though. Not like Hermione who freaked and panicked if she couldn't find something or if Harry and Ron messed with her homework stack.

"Well you know how we're going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?" He asked tentatively , arranging bottles in a circle.

"Yeah I was thinking, maybe we can meet somewhere in Hogsmeade. I sort of promised Harry I'd go with him and buy some more potions things and ink," Ginny replied half distracted by a rather complicated series of directions. She brushed back her hair in frustration. And Malfoy just watched with a weird detached look on his face, hands still shifting bottles. That is, till he knocked over two bottles. He quickly put his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat as he began to read the page she was focusing on so.

"Yeah that's fine. It's just that I need to break our plans," He finally broke. Ginny's stirring spoon made a loud clank as she let it slip from her hand. Draco ignored the hand on the table that was flexing uncomfortably. He traced his slender steady hand over a line in the book and added, "You need to add the roots first, stir five times, and quickly add this," As he placed a bottle he had tripped earlier in her flexing hand, at the same time lightly touching it, trying to steady her grip, their hands slightly gravitating to each other. Neither noticed at the time, the minds focused on two completely opposite feelings.

Ginny quickly began to stir, almost viciously, as she prepared to go on with the procedure. Finally, she dropped the spoon she was stirring with on the table, quickly turning to Malfoy, and calmly said, "Excuse, me I didn't understand. So we're not going to Hogsmeade?"

Malfoy looked over at her and audaciously responded, "Well, I didn't realize it at the time, but I had already made a plan for Hogsmeade. And since I had done that before suggesting that the three of us meet up and do something… after all it wasn't something important. Those brooms are going to be there for a while, no one can afford one," Draco replied with a small confident smile, "so you don't mind do you? You already have something to do there and go with people…"

Ginny looked at him for a second, slightly put off that she was being jilted. But quickly regained her composure, determined to be just as calm, confident and unmoved as he was. "Oh yeah it's not a big deal. Harry was kind of sad that I haven't been hanging out with them lately. So were Luna and Neville. We were going to try and meet up sometime, but this gives me an opportunity to spend some time with my friends. And anyway, Harry wanted to see the brooms. I can always go with him," Stressing the words 'friends' and 'Harry' for an added effect. Turns out she pushed the right buttons, though Malfoy didn't show it.

"Well then it's settled then. I guess I'll see you at the library on Sunday. We both know you'll leave homework off till the last minute," Draco replied with a smirk.

"No actually, I've finished all my homework. Wanted to keep my weekend free," Ginny replied casually with a grin on her face. Draco didn't say anything, just gave her a smile and again went back to shifting bottles, though he knocked over a lot of them often for the rest of the evening.

As they made for the door at the end of their time, Draco reached past her and held open the door for her. "I'm sure I'll see you at Hogsmeade tomorrow?"

Ginny paused in the doorway that they were sharing, neither noticing how close they really were standing in the limited space as they unofficially battled each other with civilities. Finally she gave him a smirk and replied over her should, "You better count on it."

Draco continued to hold the door long after she had passed through, with a slight crooked smile playing at his mouth.

----------------

"Hey Hermione, where's Harry?" Ginny asked breathlessly as she darted into the common room. She quickly began to scan the room of people.

"Gee, Ginny, I'm fine, how are you?" Hermione asked, closing her book. "How was your tutoring session?"

"No offense, but I really need to find Harry," Ginny began, throwing her stuff on the coffee table and slouching into an arm chair.

"Why? Need to use my owl again," Harry asked from behind her with a smile. He had just entered with Ron, slightly winded, covered in grass and mud.

"I'll just take these up, okay Harry," Ron stated as he grabbed their brooms and jumped up the stairs to their room.

"No actually I was just wondering if you'd want to go to Hogsmeade tomorrow. You know, the Luna, Neville, everyone. I feel like I haven't hung out with you guys for the longest time," Ginny said with a charming smile.

"Well it seems your social calendar has filled out more since we first began hanging out…" Harry teased as he too, took a seat. Hermione, meanwhile sat silently observing the whole thing with a little smile on her face. Of course, she had it all wrong in her head.

"I know you need to restock on some potions ingredients, you said so yourself yesterday, so I thought you'd want to go, because I need to get some stuff as well, ink, and whatnot."

"Oh. Well, alright then. I'll go tell Neville," Harry replied, thought not so enthusiastically as before.

"Well I'll be seeing you Hermione," Ginny brightly said, as she jumped out of her seat and grabbed her things once again, skipping up the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

Hermione shook her head and laughed. It seemed to her like everyone was going bonkers lately, and no one was on the same frequency as everyone else.