Chapter Twenty-two
Boring Times

Boring. It was the only word to sum up the rest of Draco's day. To him it seemed like years since he had seen Ginny but in reality it had only been a couple days. As he laid on his bed and stared at the boring green ceiling Draco recalled something Dumbledore had mentioned at the beginning of the year. 'Why does it seem so long since the beginning of the year?' Draco wondered silently. Dumbledore had mentioned a Halloween party where they get dressed up ('just like muggles' Draco scoffed) and get lots of candy. Draco knew Dumbledore hadn't meant "lots of candy" in an adult "you've got too much candy already" way but in a kid way. The type of kid who could own a candy store and still want more sweets. While he was thinking of candy an image of his love floated into his mind. He had no idea as to why though. 'What do Ginny have to do with candy?' Snide remarks joined the silent conversation that was entertaining him from inside the handsome boy's head. 'Her head looks like it's on fire' one remark said. Another argued with it. 'No it looks like a fuzzy muggle cherry lollipop.' Draco chuckled at the thought of a fuzzy lollipop but stopped abruptly.
"God I really need to find something to do. I'm amused with the voices in my head." That brought a small smile to his usually frowning face. He sat up and looked around his and his friends' dorm. He had previously shared it with Crabbe and Goyle well up until their "accident" anyway. He cursed then at night when everyone had been sleeping. Draco had put a silencing charm on then so their screams couldn't be heard. The two had merely annoyed him with their stupidity. He had no other reason to curse them to insanity. Draco had pretended to be the slightest bit sad over the loss of his "friends" but he could have honestly cared less. His father however, was more concerned with his son's bodyguards gone. Although Draco was 5'11 feet of perfectly toned muscle his father still treated him like the small kid he had been. No one had ever dared to really pick on Draco before. He wondered why his father was making such a big deal out of it. His father had told him to find new bodyguards immediately. Draco chose a cocky 6th year boy, Tony Garner, and a quiet, cold boy, Jeff who just happened to be a 7th year. The two had become his roommates after Draco had checked to make sure their parents were involved in the dark arts. Although Draco didn't really care much about the dark arts his parents did. His mom didn't so much now but she used to. He wondered if she had went back to her old ways during the months they hadn't seen each other. Draco was so lost in thought he didn't hear someone enter his room.
The figure was tall, and shadowy. He stuck to the shadowy parts of the room and was wearing a dark cloak with the hood up. The figure looked questioningly at Draco. Cold dark eyes met icy light ones.
"Jeff you are not a vampire the light will not kill you." Draco exclaimed.
Jeff raised his pale hands and removed the hood from his head revealing a head of short, spiked, coal black hair, a thin, ghostly pale face and dark brown eyes, so dark they were almost black. His pale lips were set in a grim frown. Draco found nothing strange about this but decided to comment on his grimness just to start a conversation.
"Why so grim?"
"I am not grim." Jeff spoke in a curt, harsh tone with hardly any trace of the British accent that everyone else in Hogwarts seemed to have.
"Could have fooled me." Draco decided it was time for a change of subject. "Seen Tony today?"
Jeff shook his head. He never was that talkative. Draco sometimes associated conversations with Jeff to trying to talk to a wall. It was a rather rude thought, true, but he couldn't help it. Jeff was so... quiet all of the times. Draco was never one to talk your ear off but could at least carry on long pointless conversations at times. Tony on the other hand well let's not even go there. He talked too much in Draco's opinion and Jeff thought he was slightly insane but that was what everyone thought of Jeff.
"Talkative today aren't you, Jeffrey Duane Thomas." Draco used his full name to get some kind of response back but all he got was a scowl.
"I'm going to the library." Jeff said after a few moments of silence.
"Off to study aren't you?"
"Yes."
"If you don't watch out you'll turn out like Granger, Jeff. By the way if you see her down there give her this message, 'I had fun in Hogsmeade, we'll have to do it again sometime.'" The only purpose of that message was to make Hermione angry, embarrassed, or quite possibly both.
Jeff nodded and looked a bit puzzled but said nothing about it.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Oh Harry do you think he got expelled?" Ginny asked as she plopped down into a seat right next to Harry on the Gryffindor couch.
Harry fought the urge to say I hope so to try and comfort Ginny, who was looking so helplessly at him with her big brown eyes. "Probably not Ginny."
"You really think so!" It wasn't a question.
"Of course he does, you dope. I don't know what you see in that git though. He almost killed a friend of his today and you're worried about him staying at school so you can date him." Ron said as he too fell into a seat on the couch.
"For your information Ron, she sees a handsome, friendly, charming, *man*." Hermione showed up to interrupt the conversation.
Ron scowled. "You'd know wouldn't you, Hermione?" He asked pointedly.
Hermione shot him a dangerous look while Ginny gave Ron and Hermione a puzzled look. Harry turned to face the wall so he wouldn't get involved.
"What's that supposed to me Ronald?" Hermione hissed.
Ron smirked. "Nothing."
'I knew they were hiding something. I was right! It does involve Draco but not in a good way from what I'm hearing. I just hope all isn't as it seems...' Ginny thought as a worried look crossed her face.
"Oh no! I have detention tonight! Bye Harry, Herm, Ron!" She dashed off.
"Bye Gin!" All three said at the same time.
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A/N: Ginny's got detention tonight. I wonder who she had detention with since Draco also had detention. Possibly Snape? We haven't had a Ginny/Draco encounter in quite a while now have we? But Harry still is plotting, Pansy quite possibly too. And what about Ron and Hermione? They are going to have to tell her soon...