Chapter 15: Mini Murder Mystery Masquerade
A/N: There's this giant, nasty moth that's flying around my room, and it's bugging the hell out of me. I hate moths. Ew.
Ginny spent the last couple days before the masquerade completely oblivious.
She noticed that Derek was talking to her again, a fact that made her immensely happy; it'd be a shame to lose a close friend, but she didn't notice how often Harry stole looks at her or how often Draco followed her after her classes. She just had too much on her mind.
"Hey, Gin!" Harry said enthusiastically. Ginny smiled at him as she walked toward the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.
"You look really nice today," Harry continued.
"Err, thanks, I guess."
All through breakfast, lunch, and dinner Harry talked to no one else but Ginny, telling her she looked pretty or smelled nice or something to that extent. Ginny noticed this new attention finally but didn't know what to do. Hermione noticed too as she watched carefully, wondering if she'd done the right thing.
Is Harry flirting with me? Ginny wondered casually. Once, the thought of the Harry Potter liking her would've meant everything to her, but now, it simply had a lesser effect. She blushed at the thought but nothing more.
One evening Harry invited Ginny out to the grounds with him, Ron, and Hermione. They were just going to have some fun in the last of the snow before it all dried up because of spring.
"So will you go?" He was asking her. Harry smiled that dazzling smile that only The-Boy-Who-Lived could procure, so she couldn't say no. He held out his hand like a gentleman, and she took it hesitantly.
The four of them walked through the corridors briskly and were outside in no time. There was only a thin layer of snow left on the ground, but they were all excited to find that it was perfect packing snow.
Ginny made a snowball and launched it at her brother, giggling uncontrollably. Ron spun around in shock, throwing a snowball right back. Soon, an all out snowball war was going down. It was Harry and Ginny versus Ron and Hermione.
"Ah!" Ginny squealed as Ron hit her again. Harry smiled, pulling her safely behind some trees.
"Alright," Harry began, smiling, "on the count of three, we attack."
Ginny smiled, and they both started making as many snowballs as they could carry.
"One," he said.
"Two." Ginny got ready, poising a snowball in her hand.
"Three!" Harry shouted.
They ran out from behind the trees only to find that Ron and Hermione had tried sneaking forward. Harry and Ginny bombarded them with snowballs, laughing hysterically before running away again. Ron and Hermione fell down, laughing and rolling around in the snow.
"That was great!" Harry grinned at her.
"I can barely breathe!" Ginny exclaimed. She hadn't felt this carefree in a long time.
They both collapsed in the soft snow, breathing hard with smiles plastered to their faces. After a few silent minutes, Harry rolled onto his side and looked down at Ginny, noticing how lovely she looked with her hair all wild and fanned out around her head, like an angel.
"Gin?" He asked uncertainly.
"Yes?" She looked up at him and stared into his green eyes.
"Do you want to go to the masquerade with me?" He said the words so quickly that Ginny could've sworn she had imagined them. Only the look of anxiety and hope on Harry's face told her that she had heard correctly.
"Oh," was all she said. Ginny felt a twinge of some sort somewhere deep in her heart. This isn't right her heart told her, but her heart wasn't in control of Ginny anymore. It was her head, her mind that would make rational and smart choices, not choices made on a whim.
Ginny saw Harry's face fall; he looked so sad.
"I don't know," Ginny said quickly, feeling awful for hurting him but not knowing what else to say. She'd have to think up an excuse, and she'd have to do it quickly.
Harry rolled onto his back, sighing dramatically.
"It's okay to say no, Ginny." His words were dead, and Ginny heard the pain in his voice. She took his hand in a comforting way and started speaking.
"I just broke up with Derek," Ginny explained. "It's just so soon, you know? And what would Derek think? We break up and then all of a sudden I'm going to the dance with Harry Potter? That would just be cruel."
Harry digested her words, believing her instantly.
"You're right," he admitted. "I wasn't thinking. These last couple days I've just had an urge to ask you, and I didn't want to wait too long, scared that someone would ask you before me. I didn't even think about Derek."
"It's okay," Ginny said, giving his hand a squeeze.
"Can we go as friends?" Harry asked her hopefully. Ginny's stomach churned; she wasn't sure about this.
"Just friends?"
"Yep, just friends." Harry's voice was so hopeful that Ginny just couldn't say no.
"Alright," she agreed. Harry sat up abruptly, grinning down at her.
"Great!"
He pulled her up from the snow, and the four of them set out for the common room so they could dry off. This isn't right Ginny's heart screamed at her. Oh, shut up, Ginny thought back. We're only going as friends!
Upon reaching the common room, Ginny made the excuse that she was tired so she could go up to her room to be alone. Hermione followed instinctively.
"How are you, Ginny?" Hermione asked, sitting down on Ginny's bed. A couple of months ago this phrase would've bugged Ginny like crazy, but it was nice to know that Hermione meant it now.
"I'm," Ginny began wearily. "I'm weird."
Hermione gave her a curious look.
"How so?"
"Well," Ginny started, but then stopped.
"Well?" Hermione prompted.
"Harry asked me to go the masquerade with him." She said the sentence oddly, feeling her heart and head start battling it out again. One wanted Harry, and the other wanted D—.
"What's wrong with that?" Hermione interrupted innocently.
"Nothing." Ginny looked at the brunette in confusion. "Or something. I don't know."
Silence passed as both Ginny and Hermione went deep in thought. Ginny was trying to calm down the all out battle that was raging within her, but it was pointless. She could argue back and forth for hours on what she should decide to do with her life.
"I told him no," Ginny admitted.
"What?"
"Yeah, I know." Ginny smiled sadly. "I'm not exactly sure why either, but I did say that we could go as friends. I reallydon't know why I didn't wholeheartedly agree to go with him. I'm not dating Derek anymore, so it's not like it would be bad, but…" She trailed off.
"But it didn't feel right." Hermione said the words confidently, knowing that the only person Ginny would say 'yes' to would be Draco. Ginny nodded in agreement but didn't say anymore. Why didn't it feel right? She wasn't tied down to anyone, and Harry was an amazing and caring person. She should've leapt at the chance to say 'yes' and let him sweep her off her feet.
This is so confusing.
Ginny thought about this…thought about it until a rapping on her window interrupted their thoughts. Hermione got up to let the white, graceful owl in, untying the parchment from around its foot and sending it on its way again. She gave the parchment to Ginny.
Not expecting mail from anyone, Ginny opened it, thinking that it was just from her mum or dad asking how school was going. Ginny was startled to see that it was from Draco.
Ginny,
I can't explain everything that's gone through my head these last couple of months, and even if I could, it wouldn't make any sense. All I know is that I can't stop thinking about you. Everything reminds me about you, and when I close my eyes, it's you I see in my dreams.
Every single day I regret letting you go.
You once said those same words to me. Can I assume they still hold true?
I would love it if you would accompany me to the masquerade. Please?
Draco
Ginny's heart stopped, or she could've sworn it stopped for the length of time that she didn't breathe. She reread the letter five more times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. No, the words were really there.
Hermione watched with a panicked face as Ginny casually tossed her the letter; every word Hermione read sent a wave a pain to her heart. Draco still cared about Ginny!
"What are you going to do, Ginny?" Hermione asked after a period of time. Ginny sat there quietly, not feeling anything. She couldn't think, could barely breathe, and she didn't know what to do.
"You can always tell Harry that the whole 'friends' idea wasn't going to work," Hermione tried, but Ginny made no response. "What are you going to do, Ginny?" Hermione repeated the question.
"Nothing."
"Nothing?" Hermione was shocked.
"Nothing."
Ginny crinkled up the letter, throwing it mercilessly across the room and flopped down on her bed, pulling the curtains around her. Hermione took this as sign that Ginny wanted to be left alone, so after smoothing out the piece of parchment and setting it on Ginny's nightstand, she walked out of the room silently.
The next day, the day before the masquerade, brought Ginny even more trouble.
"Hey Ginny!"
Ginny turned to see Derek sprinting down the corridor to catch her, so she waited patiently as he took a second to catch his breath. They walked quietly for a while until Derek couldn't control himself any longer.
"Will you go to the masquerade with me?"
Ginny stopped immediately, turning to face Derek, confusion plastered across her face.
"I'm sorry, Derek," Ginny said, shaking her head. "I can't. It would just be too weird."
She kept walking, hoping he would take the hint and go away, but Derek was more determined than she realized. A pep talk from Dani had given Derek hope that Ginny would come running back to him.
"Please, Gin," he begged. "It wouldn't be weird or awkward or whatever you're afraid of."
The old Ginny would've just mumbled a small apology and continued on her way, but the new Ginny was pretty irritated. She broke up with him because she didn't like him anymore. How does that say: ask me to the dance because I really want to go with you?
"Look Derek," Ginny said harshly. She was going to have to set this kid straight. "Going to the masquerade with you would be both weird and awkward, and I don't want to. I don't like you anymore. I'm sorry, but it's true. I would still love to be friends, but you need to understand that we're just friends, nothing more, not friends with benefits or dating on and off, just friends."
Derek's face fell. This wasn't how Dani said it would happen.
"I'm sorry," Ginny repeated, a little more delicately this time. She walked away quickly, hoping that this time Derek would understand. Taking a deep breath, Ginny tried to ignore the pounding in her head. The attention from all these boys was driving her crazy—something any normal girl would love, but Ginny just thought it was a pain. She didn't know who she liked, and until she could understand her own desire, she was going to swear off boys for good.
Ginny walked toward the Great Hall with a mixture of anxiety and worry. She was anxious to compete in the challenge, getting the butterflies-in-the-stomach sensation, but she was worried about seeing Draco and Derek.
Harry had walked her down there, acting the perfect gentleman, and Ginny wondered if she would have to explain to him too that she only wanted to be friends.
The Great Hall was decorated in dark colors, an eerie sensation exuding from every corner. It gave Ginny chills, and she smiled to herself, looking forward to this mystery. She loved to solve a good mystery.
The sixth and seventh years were waiting outside the Great Hall while all the younger students were inside, already dancing and having a good time.
"This is a murder mystery that you will need to solve." Dumbledore's voice boomed over the music and laughter from inside the Great Hall. Everyone listened intently.
"Each team will have a piece of parchment with clues and facts about the mystery you're supposed to solve. Someone has been "murdered," and it is your job to find out who did it. You will find clues around the Great Hall that will lead you to the murderer. Some of the younger students are in on this competition as well, so you may use them to your advantage by asking them if they saw anything or if they know what happened, but I'd be careful. They're also eager to stretch the truth a bit, but other than that, they're merely there to have a good time. Be careful who to trust and don't be quick to accuse. When you find the true killer and accuse him or her of their crime, you should receive a checkmark on your piece of parchment."
He looked at the students with a glint in his eye. This was probably his favorite of all of the challenges. Solving this mystery would demand wit, cleverness, and patience.
"You have the entire night," he continued, "to solve this mystery. You may enjoy yourself by partaking in the merriment, but I advise you to use your time wisely. You may begin."
There was a rush to get into the Great Hall, but Ginny and Lavender held back, waiting it out and also searching for their teammates.
Draco barely listened to a word that Dumbledore said; he couldn't take his eyes off Ginny. She looked absolutely stunning in a deep, wine purple colored dress with a matching mask that came across her face elegantly. Her brown eyes shown through the holes in the mask, and her lips were tempting as always. The strapless dress clung to her body perfectly, and Draco was finding it difficult to breathe. Even though she was wearing a mask like everyone else, he could easily spot her in the crowd because of her gorgeous red hair. Half of her curly hair was pulled up into an elegant bun and the other half was left to cascade down her back.
The girl next to him waved him over, so he regained his composure and made his way over to Ginny and who he could only assume was Lavender.
"Looking dashing as always, Draco," Lavender said flirtatiously.
"You ladies are looking beautiful as well." He reached out and kissed Lavender's hand, making her giggle like a silly little girl. Draco reached for Ginny's hand, but she pulled it away, walking into the Great Hall.
"Come on," she said. "We'd better get started."
Draco merely shrugged and followed after her. He wasn't bugged that she hadn't written him back, and he had mentally prepared himself for whatever she had in store for him. Winning Ginny back would require him to take it a step at a time, and he was prepared for the struggle. They had barely set foot in the Great Hall when Lisa bombarded them.
"Where have you been?" She huffed at them, waving a piece of parchment in their faces. "I've already checked out the crime scene and have discovered some important clues."
Ginny looked over Lisa's shoulder to see a roped off corner of the Great Hall that she could only imagine was this so called "crime scene." She was eager to go check it out, but Lisa stopped her when she tried to walk that way.
"Nope, here's the plan," Lisa stated firmly. "We split up to cover the room quicker and meet up here in an hour to compare clues. Lavender, you come with me, and Ginny, you head off with Draco. And if I could find either Blaise or Derek, I would tell them that they were paired up too. Oh well. See you in an hour!"
Lisa disappeared into the crowd, dragging Lavender behind her.
"Hey Gin," Draco said.
Great, Ginny thought. I'm going to have to spend the entire night with him. Awesome, just awesome.
"Hi Malfoy," she replied evenly.
Draco cringed a little at her coldness, but that wasn't going to stop him.
"You look beautiful," he said, putting his hand on her chin to make her look at him. She didn't say anything, but Draco saw the pain behind her eyes. Oh how he only wished he could make all the pain go away.
She looked away again, making her way to the roped off corner, and Draco followed after her, giving her some space. He watched her bend down to examine the bloody "body," searching this way and that.
"Look!" She exclaimed, pointing to something Draco couldn't see.
"What?" He asked, bending down next to her.
"Just there!" Ginny pointed down at a small hair on the stone floor. It was jet black, an obvious clue.
"You think it's the murderer's?" Draco asked anxiously, and Ginny nodded. A small cough from behind them made the two investigators whip around. Alone at one of the tables set up was a shady looking boy, who was glancing left and right.
Ginny and Draco looked at each other, and the boy coughed again. Ginny rushed over to him, pulling out a chair next to him. Draco followed suit, turning the chair around so he sat on it backwards, interrogation style.
"Tell us what you know," Draco demanded dramatically. The boy raised his eyebrows but kept his mouth shut. After giving Draco a look, Ginny took over the interrogating.
"Did you see what happened here?" She asked, looking the boy straight in the eyes. She noticed a black cord-like rope tied around the boy's neck; it was hardly a fashionable item, but then again, Ginny didn't know what types of fashions the younger students went through. The boy looked suspiciously around him and leaned forward, keeping his voice low.
"Didn't see it happen," he mumbled, "but I got here as he was leaving."
"Who?" Ginny asked, her adrenaline pumping. She was now fully into this mystery, dying to figure it out. The boy shrugged.
"Didn't see his face," he whispered again. "He had this mask on."
"We're all wearing masks, genius." Draco rolled his eyes, but stopped after Ginny gave him a death glare.
"Go on," she urged him.
"As I was saying," he continued, giving Draco a nasty look of his own. "I got here right after it happened, and a tall, suspicious looking guy was rushing off in that direction." He pointed deeper into the Great Hall.
"Thanks a lot," Ginny said, giving him a quick smile.
"Yeah, yeah," the boy replied. "But you didn't hear it from me."
With that, the boy took off, disappearing into the crowd of students.
"That was pretty intense," Draco commented, but Ginny wasn't listening.
"Should we believe him?" She asked Draco, momentarily forgetting that she was trying to ignore him.
"What do you mean?"
"Dumbledore said some of the students would help out and give clues, but he also warned that others would try to confuse us." Ginny was thinking it over when a tiny girl walked past them; she had the same cord-like necklace around her neck.
"Let's just keep this information in our mind," Draco said, bringing Ginny back from her thoughts. "In the mean time, I think we should go in the direction he advised."
Ginny nodded, and they walked deeper into Great Hall, staying close to the wall and looking everywhere for clues. They found a few more stray hairs, concluding that the murderer definitely had black hair.
A group of girls were gathered around a table, talking animatedly. Ginny heard bits and pieces of their conversation.
"I saw the whole thing!" One blond girl was saying.
"No you didn't," her friend objected. "You were with me the whole time."
"You guys might've missed it," another girl said, "but I saw it happen."
Ginny stopped Draco, motioning for him to be quiet. She listened intently.
"What happened, Susie?"
"Yeah, Susie, how'd it all go down?"
"He came out of nowhere and killed the other guy," she whispered. "His mask covered his face, so all I could see was his sickly pale skin."
All the girls shuddered and started mumbling. It even sent a shiver down Ginny's spine; she knew it wasn't real, but these kids were really playing up this "murder" quite well. Before Draco pulled her away, the Susie girl flipped her hair, allowing Ginny to barely see a black necklace tied around her neck.
"Look," Draco said, pointing to the ground. Ginny saw a small puddle of "blood" and automatically started feeling queasy.
"I need to sit down," she muttered. "This is all too real. It's actually starting to freak me out."
Draco smiled at Ginny. This was the first time she'd actually talked to him without running away or disappearing. He watched her fan herself off, even lifting her hair off her back to try and cool down.
"You good?" He asked after several minutes. Ginny grimaced but nodded. They stood up, but Ginny started wobbling, nearly falling flat on the floor. Draco stopped her from falling, telling her she should sit down again.
"No," Ginny argued. "We need to solve this thing."
"Slow down there, Nancy Drew," Draco said with a smile on his face. "We've done enough sleuthing for the moment. How about a little dance break?"
Ginny looked up at him nervously. Dance with him her heart said. Just tell him to get lost her head argued back. Oh, this was all too much.
"Come on." He grinned, and all of a sudden, Ginny's head was clear. Her wooziness was gone, and the battle of head versus heart was on hold. Could that be a sign? Could it mean something?
"A little dance won't hurt," Draco said with a pout, but Ginny was still unsure. "Stop thinking about it and just dance with me."
So without an answer, Draco took Ginny's hand in his and pulled her to the dance floor where a nice slow song began to play. He wrapped his hands around her waist, and Ginny hesitantly brought her hands up around his neck.
"So how's it been going for you, Ginny?" Draco asked casually as their hips moved slowly to the beat.
"Err," she stammered. This was weird. "I've been fine."
"That's good," Draco said with a nod. He didn't know why he was asking these things, but he was just glad that she was talking to him again! And it felt so right to have her arms wrapped around his neck. He wanted to pull her closer and kiss her until someone had to pry the two of them apart. But he didn't.
"So where'd you get the dress?" He continued, trying to make her relax. "You once told me you owned nothing." He smirked at the memory, remembering his suggestion that they would both go to the dance nude.
Ginny couldn't help but smile, thinking about the same thing that Draco was.
"It's only an illusion," Ginny explained. "I still own nothing, so I just decided that an illusion would be better and easier."
Draco raised his eyebrows.
"So what are you really wearing then?"
Now it was Ginny's turn to smirk.
"What if I told you I was wearing nothing?" Why am I flirting with him? The idea bugged her, but she didn't stop.
"Well," Draco began, "I'd pray that you slipped up and only performed a weak illusion."
"Fat chance," she informed him.
"Rats!" he answered, grinning uncontrollably.
Ginny smiled and looked away. She forgot how easy it was to be herself around him. She didn't have to fake happiness or hide confusion and sadness; she could just be Ginny, nothing more. Draco watched her, feeling his heart ache. He wanted to be with her so badly, but he feared that if he pushed her too far too soon, then things would be over for good. He would give her space for a moment, but only a moment.
Draco noticed the pearl necklace Ginny was wearing. It was the necklace he gave her for Christmas! His heart sped up as his mind began to jump to conclusions. What did that mean? Was it a sign? Does she still care about me?
The song ended, and they pulled apart awkwardly.
"We should keep going," Ginny mumbled, feeling empty as Draco pulled his hands away.
"Right."
They took off, searching for more clues and evidence but not having as much luck as they originally did.
"Hey hot stuff!" Ginny turned around to see a second or third year boy, standing in front of her and looking her up and down.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, doll."
Ginny was just about to slap some sense into the kid, when he held up his hands in defense.
"Wait a second, wait a second!" Ginny stopped, her hand still poised to strike. "I just wanted to dance with you," he explained. Ginny rolled her eyes and started walking away.
"I'll tell you about the murder if you dance with me!" He called out after her. Ginny and Draco gave each other skeptical looks but listened to the proposition anyway.
"What do you know?" Ginny asked him suspiciously, noticing that this kid wasn't wearing the black necklace.
"No way." He shook his head. "You dance with me first then I tell you what I know."
Ginny whipped out her wand, performing a nonverbal spell on the kid before asking him again.
"Are you telling the truth?" Ginny asked, waiting to see if the spell was activated.
"Nothing but the truth, cupcake!"
At that point, the kid's sandy brown hair turned bright purple, and Ginny rolled her eyes.
"Right," she said. "Nothing but the truth."
She walked away, dragging Draco along with her and hearing the kid freak out as he realized his hair was purple.
"What did you do to him?" Draco asked in astonishment.
"Oh, nothing," Ginny replied, but she smiled at Draco's shocked appearance. He looked so cute when he was surprised…no! Don't think that! "It was a charm that detects when someone's lying. It's so much easier then brewing Veritaserum, and it's almost as reliable."
"Impressive," Draco muttered. Ginny grinned but pulled him aside anyway.
"Here's the really impressive thing," she explained to him. "Notice how there are a few kids wearing black rope-like necklaces?"
Ginny pointed out a passing kid who had the necklace even though his friend's neck was bare.
"So?" Draco asked. It was a lame fashion statement, so what?
Ginny explained that she thought that the students wearing the black necklaces were the ones that knew the truth. All the other kids, like the twerp that tried to dance with her, were just lying to throw them off.
"Really?" Draco wasn't to sure about this theory.
"Well, there's only one way to find out!" Ginny hurried off in search of students wearing the black necklaces. After questioning them, Draco and Ginny had gathered enough of the same evidence to realize that Ginny's theory was true.
They ran into Lisa and Lavender and told them about their big break through. Lisa's eyes got wide as she heard the news.
"Are you absolutely sure?" Lisa asked, questioning anything that she hadn't discovered herself. Ginny nodded.
"Yes," she explained. "All the students with those necklaces know the truth, and if we can just find the one or two of them that know who the murderer is, then we're set."
Someone laughed from behind them. The group turned around to see another group of masked figures sneering at them.
"Wow," one voice said. "You guys are so slow. We figured that out an hour ago." She laughed annoyingly. "We're already done. We just caught the murderer, and now we're free to enjoy the rest of the night."
Ginny knew that it was team Brains and Beauty that she was talking to. Only they would be that smug and annoying.
"You're lying," Lavender said.
"I'm afraid not," the girl continued, showing them her parchment. Sure enough, there was a giant checkmark at the bottom that confirmed what they said was true. The group just laughed and made their way to the dance floor, pushing younger students out of the way.
One little girl went sprawling to the floor, and Ginny rushed to help her up.
"Are you okay?" Ginny asked the girl sweetly, barely noticing that the tiny brunette wore the black necklace. The little girl, who must've been only a first or second year, nodded her head, beckoning Ginny to lean forward.
"I know who did it," she whispered.
"You do?"
The girl nodded and whispered the name in Ginny's ear. After divulging the secret, the little girl scurried off, disappearing in a crowd of masks.
"Come on," Ginny beckoned, making her way to one of the side doors. She spotted the murderer, and she was going to accuse him.
"Hey Ginny!" Harry's voice interrupted her thoughts. "How's it going?"
"Not now, Harry," Ginny said, trying to make her way to the murderer, but when she looked again, he was gone. "Great."
"Do you want to dance?" Before Ginny could answer, Harry was guiding Ginny to the dance floor. She tried to get away, but Harry made a sad face so she reluctantly gave him one dance. They were in the middle of the crowd, swimming in a sea of masks, a situation that made Ginny dizzy again. As soon as the dance was over, Ginny rushed off to her group.
Draco was glaring at her.
"Have a nice dance?" He asked through gritted teeth. Ginny looked at him incredulously, not in the mood for his childish antics. If he wanted to pout and be jealous just because she danced with Harry, then he could mope around all he wanted. She didn't care.
"Yes," she answered coolly.
"You're crazy Ginny Weasley," he stated, trying to keep his cool. He had tolerated her behavior for a long time now, but this was too much. Ginny dancing with Potter was just as bad as Ginny dancing with Christian.
"And you're just jealous, Draco Malfoy," she retorted. They glared at each other, oblivious to Lisa and Lavender who were watching with interest. "Let's just finish this," Ginny mumbled.
"Fine."
Draco turned around to some random kid and accused him.
"You did it! You killed him, didn't you?" The kid shook his head nervously and ran off.
"What are you doing?" Lisa cried.
"I'm ending this," Draco seethed, grabbing more students and accusing them.
"Stop it!" Ginny ordered. "Stop acting so childish."
"I'm childish?" Draco asked unbelievably.
"Yes, yes you are." Ginny glared at him. "You're mad at me, and you're punishing our team. Look!"
She grabbed the piece of parchment from Lisa's hands and shoved it in his face. Every accusation caused the document to write a minus five in bright red along the bottom. She gave him a I-told-you-so look, and this only pushed Draco even farther. Luckily, Blaise showed up from no where, slightly sweaty but grinning all the same.
"Wow, Draco, my man," he was saying. "It looks like you need to calm down."
"And where have you been?" Lisa asked Blaise shrilly.
"Just enjoying the night," he said smoothly.
"You've left us to do all the work!"
"And I'm sure you're doing a fabulous job," Blaise answered casually. "You need to relax Lisa, seriously. You want to dance? Maybe that will calm you down."
Lisa looked shocked; her mouth kept opening and closing, but she never said anything. Blaise only shrugged, turning to Ginny instead.
"How about you, Miss Ginny," he said, acting all suave. "Would you like to dance?"
Ginny was about to answer yes, just to piss Draco off, when she noticed Draco glare at Blaise.
"Never mind," Blaise said quickly. "Lavender, dear, would you like to dance?"
"Absolutely."
The two walked to the dance floor, leaving Ginny and Draco to argue and Lisa to stand there with a shocked expression still on her face.
"What if I wanted to dance with him," Ginny said, turning on Draco.
"Well, that's just too bad."
"Why, Draco?" Ginny began, egging him on. "Huh? Jealousy got the better of you? Seriously, why? Are you afraid that I'll go and run off with Blaise, maybe spend the night with him or something? Maybe we'd crash at my place or maybe his. Actually, I've never been to the Slytherin common room, so I think I'll ask if we could head down the dungeons this time."
Ginny knew she was being a wench, but she was on a roll. She couldn't stop, and the look of frustration and anger on Draco's face only made her continue.
"Oh, what's wrong, Drakey?" Ginny asked in a baby voice. "You're not jealous, are you?"
"Of course I'm jealous!" he shouted rounding on Ginny. This, at last, silenced her.
He was breathing heavy and looking determinedly away from her face.
"What?"
"I'm jealous, okay?" Draco's voice was deathly quiet. "How can I not be? I hate seeing you with any other guy that isn't me, and the mere thought of you shagging Potter or Zabini drives me absolutely crazy. I don't even know why because you obviously don't care about me."
Before Ginny could say something he stalked off, leaving her alone and feeling awful.
What did I just do?
Ginny groaned in frustration, but she didn't have time to think. She just noticed a masked figure in the corner of the room; she couldn't see his face, but she knew that pale skin and greasy, black hair anywhere. Forgetting Draco for the moment, she walked in his direction, leaving a still shocked Lisa behind.
"You did it," Ginny said unenthusiastically. "You're the murderer."
"You got me," he drawled, pulling off his mask. Severus Snape stood looking at Ginny.
"Now what?" Ginny asked.
"I don't know," he said lazily. "Don't you have a date or friends that you can go and have a good time with?"
Ginny turned around and walked away, feeling numb. Her head hurt again, and her breathing was shallow. Suddenly, dizziness swept over Ginny, making her lightheaded. She tried sitting down, but she couldn't stop stumbling; the room just wouldn't stop spinning. Blackness was closing in, and she could barely see anything. Ginny would've hit the floor as she fainted if someone hadn't caught her.
A/N: So I had to change this whole beginning to have less Harry in it or else I'm pretty sure you guys would've killed me, haha. But here it is! I totally didn't plan for the chapter to end this way. What do you think? Too dramatic? Thanks for reading and reviewing!
Rebecca: I have those nights when I read until very early in the morning too. Guess what time it is for me now? Four freaking thirty! Haha. I'm glad you like my story thus far, and I'm open to critiques if you read this in daylight hours.
Ti-Ti: Thanks for all your reviews! It's people like you who make me write late into the night (or early, early morning) so I can finish chapters. Thanks very much for all the encouragement!
Hallie: Yeah, I'm glad Derek's not a problem anymore, but things between Ginny and Draco aren't going to be that smooth yet! It is my story, so I'm gonna keep you waiting! Haha, sorry!