The End Of The World
Author: Lee Velviet
Chapter Three - Draco's Revenge
-
The Headmaster's office smelled of sweets and night air, and of the crackling fire in the stone hearth. Ginny sighed, swinging her feet in the too tall chair before Albus Dumbledore's desk. The ancient Wizard had been busily marking something in yellowed book when she'd arrived.
He put down his quill and smiled at her kindly. "Ah, Miss Weasley. I understand we have a bit of a problem?"
Ginny shrugged, trying desperately not to seem disrespectful. "I don't think so, sir. I just thought maybe Ron was pulling my leg."
Ron and the others had run straight to Professor McGonagall when they'd arrived at the castle - making Ginny miss the sorting ceremony, because she'd been sent Madame Pomfrey and then on to Dumbledore.
The headmaster's blue eyes twinkled in the candlelight. "You don't remember young Harry Potter, I believe?"
Ginny shook her head. "No. Everyone acts like I'm supposed to. I don't understand. I honestly thought Ron was pulling my leg, really. I'm utterly bewildered."
"No, no, I'm afraid he was not, "Albus said softly, and oddly Ginny felt some of the tension leave her body, making her relax slightly.
"So, this Harry Potter? He really did all of the things Ron said? He really saved me from Vol - erm, You-know-who?"
He nodded.
Ginny bit her lip, blushing slightly as she stared at her feet. "A-and I...well, Ron said…he said I…That I…" She looked at him. "He said I was in love with him."
"Er, well…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably.
Ginny blinked. "I didn't love him. I know I didn't." She looked at Dumbledore almost desperately. "In fact, I-I think I may have disliked him rather intensely."
"There is a very fine line between love and hate," he said wisely.
She shook her head. "If what I'm feeling is akin to love, this Harry should think about running far from me."
The old Headmaster laughed.
"Madame Pomfrey told me that it was a memory charm that did his to me,"
"Yes, it does seem to be the most likely suspect."
"Who would do this to me, Professor? Why?"
Dumbledore sighed, clasping his gnarled heavily veined hands atop his desk. "I cannot answer; I do not know."
Malfoy. He'd been there when she'd come to on the floor. Of course, she thought suddenly. Why wouldn't he want me to forget Harry? He must be laughing his head off!
She didn't tell her suspicions to Dumbledore, however. It would be far more satisfying to get back at him herself.
"Can the charm be removed?" she asked.
"Yes, but the risk, I fear, is far too great, the price that may be paid, far too dear. It could mean possibly damaging your mind. No, I think it's probably best to put this episode behind you and become re-acquainted with Harry. You were quite good friends in the past."
In the past…a feeling of hopelessness washed over her. No, she didn't want to go back to that. She nodded, managing a small smile before she got up to finally retire to the dormitory. "Thank you, Professor."
The walk back to the Gryffindor tower would have been a lonely one if it hadn't been for Sir Nicholas - or Nearly-headless Nick - following on her heels, floating along behind.
"I did hear what had happened to you," he said in his gruffly musical voice. "I think I shall stay near - Peeves has been in a state this eve, as it is the beginning of the new term, and I did have to chase him away from the first years as they arrived at the tower this evening."
"Thank you, Sir Nicholas." Ginny was rewarded with a ghostly smile. He preferred to be called that, but hardly anyone bothered. Sir Nicholas was the Gryffindor ghost, and as considered an oddity, as his head had never been quite completely severed when he'd been executed some four hundred years before.
Ginny walked along the dimly lit corridor and was indeed happy to have Nick's protection, such as it was.
Nick bowed when they arrived at the huge portrait of the fat lady in the pink dress, and left her with the new password - "Snitchnip!"
Ginny crawled through the hole and found herself face to face with the boy Harry.
"Oh, er, Hullo, Ginny." He stepped back from her; reaching up to adjust his glasses - a nervous gesture she was sure. "Is everything okay? Are you all right?"
Sighing, she stepped forward as the portrait closed gently but firmly behind her. "Yes, I think so…thanks for asking." There, another forced smile. She really was getting better at those.
Harry pushed a hand through his hair, and she found herself staring at the neat, raised white lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. It was true, all those stories…
"Ginny?"
She flicked her eyes down to his guiltily. "Sorry…it must be so annoying to have people stare at you like that all the time,"
He shrugged. "The first year was weird - but I'm sort of used to it now." He smiled at her crookedly. "Are you hungry? I got permission from Professor McGonagall to take you down to the kitchens to eat if you like, since both of us missed dinner." He waved a crumpled piece of paper in his hand.
The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with him, but something that warred within her finally won and made her say, "Sure, all right."
The grin that spread across his face was worth the part of that cursed and howled inside.
"Is everyone else in bed already?" She asked as they climbed back through the portrait hole.
"Yes, I think so."
They walked for a moment in silence before Ginny asked, "Why did you miss dinner?"
Harry was quiet for a moment before he answered truthfully, "I waited outside the Infirmary to see if you were all right."
Ginny found a bitter smile tugging at her lips, not quite knowing why. "That was thoughtful of you, Harry."
He blushed.
Ginny felt a cold rush across her chest, crashing with the warm fuzziness that had started to reside there. What was wrong with her?
"So, uh…do you really own an invisibility cloak?" She asked, changing the subject.
Harry looked over at her blankly before blinking and nodding. "Well, yeah. My Dad left it to me. But it's kind of a secret. Being able to sneak about and all requires a certain amount of discretion"
"Oh, sorry. Ron told me," she said apologetically.
"S'okay. You knew…before anyway. I trust you." He laughed suddenly. "Besides, if it's a secret in Hogwarts it means everyone here already knows anyway."
She laughed, and the feeling felt odd, as if she hadn't done it in a long time.
Harry looked at her oddly, too. She guessed she hadn't.
"I haven't been very happy for a while, have I?" She asked quietly as they began to descend the steps.
"No, I would guess not," Harry, murmured. He stuffed his hands in his pants pockets.
No more was said until they made their way into the kitchens, and Dobby the house elf met them ecstatically, after Harry tickled the giggling pear in the large painting in a lower hall, and it swung open.
Harry rolled his eyes at Ginny a bit as Dobby began bringing loads of food to a large round table in the center of the room, bowing and scraping and chattering excitedly about having the famous Harry Potter back at Hogwarts for another year.
"He really likes you," Ginny commented, taking a half-hearted bite of an apple.
Harry looked over at the tiny house-elves clattering about the cupboards and making a noisy racket. "Yeah. He's dangerous though. You have no idea what he put me through the summer before my second year at The Dursley's. I do like him, don't get me wrong." He laughed. "You should see what we give each other for Christmas every year."
Ginny frowned curiously before Harry stuck out a leg and pulled up the end of his trousers slightly. A striped green sock glared at her. "Interesting."
"No, see?" He stuck out the other leg. It had a red and blue polka-dot sock on it.
"You give each other mis-matched socks?"
Harry grinned leaning close. "Yeah, he loves them. I just wore these tonight so I wouldn't hurt his feelings."
Ginny giggled, putting a hand over her mouth. She couldn't imagine anyone else doing that for a house elf. It didn't really surprise her that Harry had taken the time to bother, though.
When Dobby came around again Ginny had to bite her lip to stop laughing-Dobby had on a pair of miss-matched socks as well.
By the time they got back to the Gryffindor tower it was very late, and Filch had about tackled them in the hall until he very sadly realized that they had legitimate permission to be about. He left them at the Fat Lady's portrait, walking away, stooped and bent, and muttering sorrowfully to a red-eyed Mrs. Norris.
Before Harry could say the password, Ginny put her hand on his arm and asked curiously, "What does Snitchnip mean?"
"Oh, it's a Quidditch thing - if anyone catches or touches the Golden Snitch before a Seeker, it's called Snitchnipping. Kind of an illegal move I suppose."
"Oh…" she watched as the portrait opened, and the Fat Lady snorted in her sleep slightly. Harry stepped through first, turning to help her through.
"Thanks," she said as the portrait closed behind them.
"Sure." He looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he just smiled and turned. "Goodnight, Ginny. Good luck tomorrow."
"Goodnight, Harry." She watched him disappear up the winding stone steps and sighed, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Cold, tired, and very confused, Ginny let herself into the fourth year girls dorm and found her bed, falling across it and into a deep, exhausted sleep.
The first day of classes, Ginny found herself to be the favorite topic of discussion among the students of Hogwarts. She heard her name being bandied about in the halls and dusty corridors as she walked by, felt the curious, measuring stares of hundreds of students on her skin as she passed from class to class.
Her bewilderment soon turned to resentment, and then from resentment to anger as the day wore on. Her moodiness was evident as she made her way to her least favorite and last class of the day - Snape's Potions.
She found herself glowering at a pair of first year Slytherins as they gawked at her while she passed, and had the satisfaction of seeing them turn away and quickly move off in the opposite direction.
Ginny entered the murkily lit dungeon, and ground her teeth as she spotted Draco Malfoy standing near Snape's desk, looking smug and superior - as per usual.
No surprise there.
What is he doing there? He's a sixth year, Ginny thought darkly.
She ducked into an empty seat near the back, and watched disinterestedly as the class began to fill. There were more Slytherins there than Gryffindor's that year, and she felt the other Gryffindors' angst as they were forced to partner their enemy house.
The Slytherins weren't terribly happy either.
Ginny realized the seat next to her was empty - no one had wanted to sit next to her, not after her misfortune the day before. Just in case she was indeed cursed, of course.
Ginny felt hurt and largely hacked off as Snape stood at last to address the class. His face wore its usual sour, 'I bit into a huge lemon' expression, and unnatural pallor, and his long, ravens wing colored hair looked as greasy as ever.
She tensed as his piercing black gaze swept over to her and narrowed. 'Here it comes,' she thought bitterly.
"Well, well," Snape said loudly as his thin lips twisted cruelly, "it looks as if we have another Gryffindor star in our midst. Weasley, it doesn't look as if you have a partner this year. Indeed, one wonders why, if you are so terribly popular of late."
Several Gryffindors looked at Ginny guiltily, while the Slytherins sniggered.
Ginny almost bit through her tongue holding back a less than appropriate response that she knew would have her in detention for a month, but couldn't stop herself glaring back at Snape stonily.
The man stared back in dislike before turning away and speaking to Malfoy in a low voice.
Ginny had the satisfaction of seeing Malfoy's smile drop, and he looked ready to vehemently deny whatever Snape had just told him, but a look from his teacher made him shut his mouth. Ginny was impressed - Snape had to be one of the only people able to make Draco Malfoy be quiet.
Malfoy walked past Snape, pulling his robes to one side as he passed the Gryffindors, as if not to sully them, and took the seat next to her, much to Ginny's horror.
She looked at him in cool dismay as he sat as far from her as possible.
"What's wrong, Malfoy? Did you fail Potions last year?"
He ignored her taunting whisper as Professor Snape began an outline of what they would be learning that term-or at least, trying to.
Later, as she was researching the ingredients needed for a simple pepper-up potion, Snape suddenly explained, almost as an afterthought, that Malfoy had become his teachers assistant that year, and since the class was of an uneven number, Malfoy would be partnering anyone left without one - at which time everyone turned to stare at Ginny and Draco, who both slouched in their chairs and turned their heads in opposite directions.
"Oh, joy," Ginny muttered, blowing a wisp of red hair out of her eyes, only loud enough for Malfoy to hear.
"I'd rather be plucking off my own fingernails with a pair of rusty pliers than sit here with you for the rest of the year, just so you know," the pale blond muttered from the side of his mouth as he began measuring out ingredients.
"Why bother doing it yourself when you have a perfectly willing partner beside you to do it for you?" Ginny hissed back vehemently.
Malfoy's pale, oddly colored eyes shot over to her fiercely, their opal-like, silvery iridescence glinting angrily. "Remember how I told you you've finally grown a backbone? Well, you'd best keep it to yourself if you don't want me ripping it out!"
She snorted, eyes narrowed. "Rip it out with what? Your ferret teeth?"
"Weasley!"
Her red curls tumbled into her eyes as she snapped her head back to the front of the classroom. Snape was glowering at her threateningly. She swallowed her ire - just barely - and looked back at her book, knowing it was odd that he hadn't taken points from Gryffindor.
The sneer she shot at Malfoy after Snape turned away was so fierce that another Gryffindor who saw it shivered and flinched.
Malfoy just smirked, pushing his hair back from his forehead.
When the hellish class finally ended, Ginny had to stay in her seat for a few moments while everyone else left - her knees were trembling and her breath came in jerky, short gasps, so intense were the feelings she was having.
The last to leave, she found her way blocked by Malfoy, who had draped himself lazily across the exit.
"Not you again," a hateful look was on her face.
He regarded her coldly. "I just wanted you to know, that little stunt you pulled on the train will not go unchallenged." He straightened, standing a good foot taller than her.
She looked up at him mockingly. "Really? And how are you going to do that?" There's nothing more awful than what I'm already going through, she thought dully.
"You'll see soon enough," he said evilly, patting his pocket.
Rolling her eyes, she pushed past him, managing to tread heavily on his foot as she walked off. "Whatever."
"Ow!" He howled, "You little bitch!"
"Didn't know you'd noticed!" she threw back over her shoulder. "How observant of you!"
-
Ginny had been left with a very unwelcome thought. Draco Malfoy was indeed very good looking. Although she made disgusted noises and awful faces, she couldn't get the thought out of her head. His gleaming pale blond hair was striking, and his odd, opal colored eyes reminded her of those of a dragon she'd once seen in one of her brother Charlie's books. His skin was a white pallor, with an almost translucent quality, showing not a blemish, his thin, cruel looking lips washed pink with color, and his cheekbones high and sharply defined, with hollows beneath as if he too, could never quite make himself eat as much as he should.
Ginny shook herself as she made her way into the Great Hall to meet Hermione and the others for dinner. The face she made inadvertently caused some first years loitering near the doors to scramble away from her, and she was so lost in her troubling thoughts she didn't notice everyone staring at her as she swept through to her seat at the Gryffindor table with an eerie grace, her long red hair painted with gold from the thousands of floating candles and her black robes seeming to float along behind her.
"Traitor," she found herself muttering as she sat at the table next to Hermione. She put her chin on both of her hands and glared across at Malfoy who was smirking nastily at her from the Slytherin table. How could she think he was good looking? Mal-ferret?
Ginny schooled her face into an uncaring mask and picked up her pumpkin juice. Finally, she noticed the Great Hall had become oddly quiet - she looked around and saw that several of the students had stopped chattering to stare at her.
Annoyed, she wondered what the big deal was. All she'd done was lose a few memories…right?
"Hi, Gin," Ron mumbled around a mouthful of food.
"Hi," she said with a sigh, and smiled across at Harry slightly.
"How was your first day?"
Harry and Ron scowled in obvious agreement.
Ginny held up a hand. "Stop right there - no further explanation is needed."
Harry grinned as he picked up a fork. "How was yours?"
Ginny turned up her nose. "It - and forgive me for saying this - sucked monkey balls to be perfectly honest, and I have two reasons - Snape, and Malfoy." She said this matter-of-factly as Hermione gaped at her and all the boys within hearing distance choked and snorted with laughter. "I have to put up with Mal-Ferret as a potions partner all year."
"Mal-Ferret!" This sent Harry and Ron into renewed gales, and even Hermione almost laughed.
Ginny's statement was passed all along the tables until everyone was sniggering and laughing, and Ginny saw Malfoy bend his ear to Victor Crabbe as he whispered something into it. She watched his cheeks flush in anger, and his head snapped up, narrowed eyes catching Ginny's, his lips pressed into a hard line.
She smiled at him sweetly.
He scowled threateningly.
"Why is Malfoy in a fifth year potions class anyway?" Ron asked, still chuckling. "Did he fail?"
"No, he's going to be Snape's assistant - the little rodent got himself a free period somehow, and the class is uneven, so I got saddled with him."
Harry shook his head ruefully, and took a long drink of his pumpkin juice. "No one deserves that. If it had been me, I'd already have detention for the whole year by now." He looked at Ginny, eyes twinkling. "You must have the patience of a saint."
Ginny ignored Ron's sudden snort and sighed. "I don't know how long it'll last, though. Oh, well," she said cheerily, poking at her food, "You'll know I've reached my limit when I come walking in here one night with Mal-Ferret's bloody, severed head."
"Ew, that's disgusting." Hermione shuddered, while Harry and Ron cleared their throats nervously and gulped some more juice.
As dinner began to wind down, Ginny noticed Harry watching her intently. She kept her eyes on her plate, however, feeling oddly nervous. When she did look up and catch his eyes on her, she quickly looked away, and found herself looking at Malfoy across the room. He grinned at her, one brow arching superciliously.
She frowned, looking back at Harry, and noticing a flush high on his cheeks, a fevered glint in his shimmering emerald eyes, instantly knew something was up.
"Harry, are you all right?" Hermione was already asking.
Harry stood up, coming around the table to stand behind Ginny - she looked at him, frowning, over her shoulder. A bolt of horror shot down her spine and she sent a withering look across the room at Malfoy, who was near howling with laughter.
Harry took her hand in his, making her half-turn, and fell to one knee.
"Harry, don't - "
"Ginny, I love you. Will you marry me?"
Half the girls in the hall sighed at once, slumping onto their hands, leaning on their elbows and over all melting.
Ginny almost swallowed her tongue.
-
"I'll murder him!" Ginny shouted back in the Gryffindor common room, making everyone present jump and stare.
Harry was still on her heels as she began to pace, and that was bad enough, but what was worse was that he wasn't even looking stupid, stumbling after her mindlessly, acting like some lovelorn puppy. He looked handsome and dignified, and was acting like a mature, perfect gentleman. He watched her with concern. "Ginny, luv, don't be so upset - "
"Don't call me 'luv'!" Ginny snarled, still pacing like a caged animal. "You don't mean it."
Harry looked at her hopelessly, his heart in his eyes.
"Arrrgh!" She stopped her frantic movements and tried to smile at him. "I'm sorry, Harry, none of this is your fault." She fisted her hands. "Malfoy is going to pay, though, in a bad way."
Ron, who was caught between laughing hysterically and being totally pissed, said for the hundredth time, "I can't believe he actually put a love potion into Harry's drink."
"And there's no way to prove he did it, "Ginny bit off, talking through her teeth.
Harry pushed a hand through his hair, his voice unusually calm and steady for someone who was under a love spell. "Well, there's no doubt about that. Everyone knows he's been itching to do something. He covered his tracks well though - love potions are highly illegal. He obviously didn't want to get sent Azkaban. I wonder why he took such a chance, just to get at us."
Ginny shrugged guiltily. "It's my fault. He was getting back at me. I've been antagonizing him."
"Good idea, Gin, antagonize the son of a Death-Eater!" Ron snapped, throwing himself into a chair.
"Ron, you aren't helping. You now what she's been through." Harry said quietly, his eyes intense.
Ron scowled and looked over at Hermione, who was busy with her homework. "How long did Madame Pomfrey say it would take for this to wear off?"
Two to three days," Hermione said automatically, eyes skimming her parchment. "Maybe longer, depending on it's potency."
"Two to three days!" Ron made a face. "I don't know if I can take it- it's turning my stomach!"
"Shut up, Ron." Harry murmured, watching Ginny walk away over to the carpet before the fire and lower herself to it.
"I can't believe this!" Ron growled to Hermione, who was shaking her head.
Harry went over and sat next to Ginny, but wisely didn't try to touch her.
Hermione looked at Ron and jerked her head at the opposite side of the room.
He shook his head, unwilling to leave the two alone.
Hermione glared and jerked her head harder. He rolled his eyes and stood to follow her.
Ginny and Harry watched the flames in silence for so long that most of the students lost their interest and wandered off to bed.
Ron and Hermione sat on the other side of the room, playing wizards chess. Every now and then one of them would laugh.
At last Harry cleared his throat and said her name softly.
"Yes?" Ginny was too sleepy now to think. Her method of revenge against Malfoy would have to be decided on the next morning.
"I want to tell you - I mean, I want you to know, what happened between us."
Ginny felt her skin tighten in warning. A now familiar feeling of dread curled across her chest. "I really don't think I want to remember, Harry - please don't say anything."
He sighed roughly, and she snuck a look at him from the corner of her eye. He looked strained, tired. He reached up and pulled his glasses off, laying them on the carpet. He rubbed his eyes and she watched him draw his knees up, and he leaned his forearms across them, his large, long fingered hands dangling loosely.
She bit her lip. "I'm sorry about all this," she said miserably.
Harry looked at her, the handsomeness of his young face undeterred by the fames of his glasses for once. He took her breath away, and left an ache in her chest that was some how not unfamiliar. She could see the clarity of color in his green eyes, and the points of his thick spiky black lashes surrounding them. His messy blue-black hair fanned across his forehead, hiding his scar, and gleamed softly in the light from the fire. Ginny felt her heart seize and it actually caused her pain to look at him suddenly.
"It's not really your fault," he said gently. Of course he would say that, she thought. He thought he was in love with her, and you never blame the one you love.
Why not? She thought ruefully. She'd once loved him…and now she was practically blaming all this on him.
"I think I'm going for a walk." Ginny tried not to roll her eyes as Harry stood up with her abruptly, and she sighed. "Good night, Harry," she tried to say gently, but pointedly.
His face darkened. "Right." He turned away, and then looked back at her. "Wait here for just a second, will you?" She watched him disappear up into the boys dorms, and he came back moments later, a beautiful, lightweight cloak across his arms.
"Here," he said slightly breathless, dumping the cloak in her hands.
Ginny frowned, holding the silky, expensive fabric carefully. Realization dawned on her. "It's your invisibility cloak, isn't it?"
He nodded. "Yeah. You should use it. I don't want Filch seeing you. Who knows what kind of trouble you'd get into."
Ginny swallowed, her throat slightly tight suddenly. She pushed the cloak back into his hands, "Thanks, Harry, but I can't use it."
His eyes went wide behind his glasses. "Why?"
"You don't understand-this is something very precious to you…and you're only letting me use it because you fancy yourself in love with me. What if something happened to it while I had it? After this spell wears off, you'd never forgive me."
Harry seemed to think about this very seriously, and after a moment, he draped the cloak over her shoulders, putting a finger over her lips to still her protests. "I trust you, Ginny. I think, no, I know, even though I may not be quite myself right now, that I would do this for you even if I wasn't under a love spell." He drew the hood up over her head, causing her to completely disappear. "You can give it to me in the morning." He grinned at her, and turned away again, to go upstairs.
Ginny caught the warm look of yearning in his eyes before he went though, and a weight dragged in her chest as she whispered a quick thank you, and practically ran from the room.
Ginny was unlucky enough to almost collide with Filch as she rounded a corner, so extreme was her need to exit the castle for a few minutes time.
She held her breath and backed away slowly as Mrs. Norris' red eyes looked up at her, her twisted whiskers, twitching. Filch held a lantern in hand, and swung toward Ginny threateningly, looking disappointed when he saw no one.
Mrs. Norris meowed, and made toward Ginny again, even though she knew the cat couldn't see her, Ginny turned and tip toed quickly away, hearing Filch muttering, "What is it, my dear? You hear something, yes?"
Ginny took the back stairs into the kitchen, and then through the silent, cavernous room, to a side door, which led, thankfully, directly outside.
She slumped against the closed door when she was safely through, and sighed, taking a deep breath of the cool night air.
She had just straightened a bit when there came a rustling from the bushes to her right, and Draco Malfoy, pushed out, growling to himself, and tugging his cloak from several twigs.
"But Draaaayyycoooo, I thought we could finally get together this year, you know - "
Ginny almost choked on her laughter as she tried to silence it. Pansy Parkinson came tripping out of the bushes after Malfoy, looking ridiculous in a spangled purple robe and far too much Muggle make-up on her pug face.
Malfoy, stopped in his tracks, his cloak swooshing as he turned on the girl and snapped vehemently, "Pansy, how many times do I have to tell you, I can't bloody stand you? I risked getting detention to come out here for five blessed minutes to myself, not to snog you in the bushes and listen to you whine about your delusions of grandeur. I'm never going to marry you, no matter what my father may be saying, I'd have to throttle you to death with my bare hands within the first week! You annoy me almost as badly as Potter! For Merlin's sake, stop following me around, and give me peace, woman!"
Pansy's face twisted into a hateful glare, making her even unpleasant looking, if that was possible.
Her hands fisted on her ample hips. "I hate you, Draco!"
Malfoy sneered at her, slitting his eyes. "I wouldn't want it any other way, my love," he smirked at her, rolling his eyes as she stalked away.
"Evil bloody cow," Ginny heard Malfoy mutter, and then he lowered himself onto a step right next to Ginny's feet.
She rolled her eyes, stuck. She watched him look out over the dark landscape for a few moments, barely breathing for fear he would hear. She wished he would go, so she could brood for a few minutes before dragging herself into bed.
He showed no signs of moving though, and finally, her feet and legs going numb from the cold, after fifteen minutes, Ginny sighed, making him jump, and dragged the hood off her shoulders.
"What the -Weasley!" Draco had jumped up, and was looking up at her from the ground, at where her head seemingly floated on the steps above. "What the hell are you doing out here?" He asked angrily.
She took several steps down to the springy grass where he stood. "Trying to have some time alone, like you apparently."
He looked her up and down, a hateful look on his pale luminous features. "You're nothing like me, Weasley, sorry to disappoint."
Ginny felt her temper flare. "As if Id want to be like you, cold and sour, and jealous, evil and unhappy, and a suspected Death Eater for a father."
His face twisted into a dark scowl. "Jealous of who? You?" He snorted. "That's bloody unlikely."
"Harry."
He gave her a trademark scoffing sneer, one corner of his lips rising, one eye narrowing disgustedly. "Right, jealous of a boy who has to live with common Muggles and dresses in clothes not fit for a dustbin."
Ginny took a step toward him, her eyes calculating. "It's true, isn't it? You are jealous of him, don't bother denying it - everyone knows."
"'Everyone knows'." He snorted, taking his seat again. "Noone knows a thing about me, Weasley - they never have." He looked up at her coldly. "You can push off now, you know. I was here first."
Ginny felt her nostrils flare. "Bite me, Mal-Ferret." She walked past him, accidentally stepping on his hand where it rested on the steps.
He howled, jumping to his feet and clutching his throbbing hand.
She turned at the top of the steps and blinked at him innocently.
"Sorry, didn't see your tail laying there."
He glared at her, the moonlight turning his eyes to white hot silver.
"Watch your back, little Weasley," he ground out between his too sharp white teeth. "Or I may just take you up on the offer."
Ginny very deliberately turned her back on him, and slowly walked back indoors, pulling her hood over her head as she went, but she had to steel herself against a shiver of unease going up her spine.
The trip up to the tower was uneventful, thankfully, and Ginny crept into the girls dorm and carefully hid Harry's cloak before crawling into bed and falling into a restless sleep.
-
TBC