Chapter 7

When Ginny woke again, she found early morning light creeping in through the high windows of the wing, and Hermione curled up in a chair beside her. Hermione was reading a huge old tome and making notes on a scrap of parchment.

"'Hogwarts; a History' I presume?" Ginny asked with a smile.

Hermione smiled and put the book and parchment aside. She stretched her slight frame out of the chair.

"Right in one, old girl," she said, folding the blanket that had been draped over her lap.

Ginny was truly glad to see Hermione. Besides Nat, Ginny had few close friends. Hermione was sometimes more like a pushy older sister, but she was honest and loyal, and Ginny could trust her to give straight answers. As Ginny thought about how she was going to question Hermione, Hermione reached beneath the chair and pulled out a small cloth bag.

"I brought you some things, you know, toothbrush and so forth, so you can clean up for breakfast." She tossed the bag onto the bed and sat back down.

"If you hurry, we might even be able to have a cozy little chat before going to the Great Hall."

Ginny didn't like the twinkle in Hermione's eye. There was no way the prefect could know that Malfoy had been there the night before, was there? She dismissed the possibility and rummaged through the bag, then glanced at Hermione. The older girl was studying her intently.

"Bad night?" she asked solicitously. "You look like you didn't sleep a wink. Oh, nice jacket, by the way."

Ginny flushed slightly and looked away guiltily. Hermione didn't comment, just chuckled. How interesting, Hermione thought. She had brought Ginny's sleepwear and knew the jacket hadn't been among the items she'd brought.

"Oh, I brought you a change of clothes, too. It's all hanging in the bathroom near the shower."

Ginny was relieved that Hermione didn't say anything else about the jacket. She gave her a small smile and picked up the bag Hermione brought.

"You forgot the mousse," she said as she hopped lightly out of bed.

"No, I didn't bring it on purpose. Your hair is long enough now that you don't need it."

Ginny wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, but then it hangs in my face."

Hermione stood again and put a sisterly arm around Ginny's shoulders. She gently steered the younger girl toward the bathrooms as she spoke.

"Your hair does not hang in your face, it frames it. It looks pretty like that. And the boys are finally noticing. So humor me for today because I dumped all the mousse in the dustbin!"

Ginny didn't know whether to laugh or protest, but didn't do either as Hermione continued.

"I asked Dobby to bring us some toast to tide you over. I'm sure Madame Pomfrey would have done, but she seems to be unwilling to wake up. What on Earth did you do to her?" This last was added as Ginny suddenly looked mortified.

She quickly explained what had happened, using the story about not being able to find her wand and knocking over the glass. When she finished, Hermione looked both amused and horrified. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle the guilty laughter.

Finally getting herself under control, she said, "Poor thing, and its my fault, too."

"Your fault?" Ginny asked, puzzled.

"Well, I was supposed to put your wand in the drawer and take your bloody things away. I'll do that now. But when Malfoy arrived and he and Ron had another row, well, I got distracted. Then Madame Pomfrey threw the lot of us out."

"What row?" Ginny seemed to remember some yelling but wasn't clear on the details. She didn't get an answer, though, as they had arrived at the bathroom door and Hermione pushed Ginny inside.

"After your shower!" she said firmly, and walked off.

Ginny took her bag to the back of the bathroom and the single shower stall located there. She showered, shampooing twice to make sure all the blood was gone. When she finished, she toweled her hair dry, and wrapped the towel around herself. She looked through the clothes Hermione brought and snorted with disgust. Hermione was always trying to get Ginny to dress more femininely and took advantage of Ginny's current situation.

Moving aside the regular undergarments, Ginny picked up the dark green turtleneck sweater. That wasn't too bad, but the wool, plaid skirt! Hermione knew Ginny hated skirts. There were also black tights and black, flat-heeled 'dress' shoes that strapped over the instep. Finally, the robe Hermione brought was one of the new robes Ginny's mother had insisted she bring. It wasn't the comfortable, loose, billowy garment she loved, but a newer style many of the girls were wearing. The upper portion of the robe was more fitted, accentuating the waist and bust. The lower portion flared into a full skirt, but only fastened to about mid-thigh, leaving the legs exposed when the wearer walked.

Ginny bristled with indignation, but could hardly run around in a skimpy tee shirt and bright orange boxers, as Hermione well knew. Grumbling, she dressed, then brushed her teeth. She yanked a comb through her hair, pulling it straight back from her face and avoiding the mirror. She knew how ridiculous she looked without confirming it by her reflection. She was gathering her things when Hermione tapped on the door.

"Almost done? Dobby's brought the toast."

Ginny was about to snap a sarcastic reply, but her growling stomach stopped her. Well, she was hungry. She stuffed her things in the bag Hermione had brought, but stopped at Malfoy's jacket. What was she going to do with it? He'd said keep it, but that didn't seem right. Undecided, she simply draped it over her arm and left the bathroom.

As she joined Hermione, Ginny's stomach gave another growl. She hadn't eaten since yesterday morning, and then had only picked. She dropped the bag and jacket on the bed and took a slice of toast from the tray on her bedside table.

Hermione was also nibbling on a slice of toast and looked approvingly at Ginny. Ginny scowled. Hermione smiled.

"Don't be mad, it was all I could find," she lied.

"You mean, all you looked for," Ginny accused.

"Well, yes, that too. Besides, you look great." Hermione handed Ginny a cup of tea from the tray and sat down on the chair.

Ginny took a long sip and sighed. Then she leaned against the bed and put the cup down. She met Hermione's eyes.

"Hermione," she began hesitantly. "What really happened yesterday?" she asked. "I mean after I got hit by the Bludger. And did Ron say why he did it? And what about the row? And why do I seem to remember things that didn't make sense?"

Hermione looked slightly uncomfortable. She sipped her own tea for a moment, then cleared her throat.

"Ginny, you know Ron wasn't aiming for you, right?"

Ginny rubbed the back of her head, although it wasn't sore any longer. "No, he was aiming for Malfoy, stupid git."

Hermione bit her lip. "I understand that Malfoy said something rather provoking to Ron..." She let the statement hang.

Ginny clicked her tongue. "Well, even I could see that," she said impatiently. "That's no excuse. Ron had already been warned about interfering. And I don't just mean in the game. What bloody right did he have to-to..." Ginny realized she was no longer talking about the Quidditch match. Hermione's interested expression told her that the older girl knew it, too.

"Er, he didn't have any right to, uh, jeopardize the game," Ginny finished lamely. "So, what happened?"

Hermione sighed and looked at her watch. She jumped, spilling tea on her robes. "Good heavens, you certainly took your time with your shower!" Pulling out her wand, she impatiently waved the tea away with a cleaning spell, and stood. She took Ginny's cup and her own and place them on the tray. The tray disappeared.

"I promise, Gin, after breakfast I'll give you the whole story, okay?"

She studied Ginny's face for a moment, then brought the wand back out. "But first, those dark circles under your eyes have to go!"

Ginny flinched as the wand approached her face, but Hermione only tapped the delicate skin under the eyes with the wand. Ginny felt a slight tingle.

"Much better," Hermione smiled. "Now let's eat!"

Hermione tried to take one of Ginny's arms, but Ginny crossed them and planted her feet.

"Huh-uh! No way, not until I get some answers." Ginny looked stubbornly at Hermione. Of course, Hermione could simply go on to breakfast without her.

Hermione sighed. "Well," she said almost to herself. "That is why I came down here so early." She sat again.

"All right, but only facts and only once. Ron is going to kill me, because he wanted to tell you himself. He thinks I'll give you a biased account." Both girls snorted at this. As though Hermione was ever anything but honest; painfully so at times.

Now Hermione's expression became stubborn. "I'm only going to relate facts, not answer questions, not give opinions. It's up to Ron and Malfoy to give you their versions. Agreed?"

"Yes! Of course! Now, please get on with it!" Ginny jumped back on the bed. She absently picked up the jacket and held it on her lap. Noticing her book on the table, she stuffed it into the bag.

Hermione thought for a moment. "Right, then. Ron hit the Bludger straight at Malfoy's head. You apparently saw where it was going and moved to cut it off. Hmmm, and why did you do that? Oops, breaking my own rules. You screamed just before the Bludger hit you. I suppose Malfoy looked up and saw you get whacked on the head, then fall off your broom. I didn't see him, I was too busy watching you."

She paused for a moment, evidently editing her own account because she murmured, "Facts, only, no opinions."

"Anyway," she continued, "Malfoy turned his broom and came up under you and caught you before you fell very far. Then he sort of floated down to the ground with you."

Ginny caught her breath. She remembered strong arms and that familiar scent and now realized that she must have been at least semi-conscious at the time. She blushed and lowered her head so Hermione couldn't see the flush spreading over her face.

"Well, when he landed, Dean, Harry and Ron came flying down, Harry with the Snitch. There was a lot of confusion, Madame Hooch was blowing the whistle, Madame Pomfrey was trying to get Malfoy to let you go, and, naturally, Ron was bellowing at Malfoy. Malfoy was ignoring everyone and yelling for Madame P to tell him where to take you."

Hermione closed her eyes and looked as though she were getting her thoughts in order. She opened her eyes and Ginny saw that speculative gleam in her look.

"I ran onto the pitch to see if I could help. Dean was talking to Harry and they both looked unhappy. Then Dean tried to get Madame Hooch and Malfoy's attention, but Madame Pomfrey finally told Malfoy to fly you to the hospital wing. He flew off with you, and Madame Pomfrey grabbed your broom from Natalie's hands and followed."

Hermione could see by the look on Ginny's face that she had lots of questions, but she'd promised Ron. Besides, she would take Ginny aside later if Ginny still wanted more answers.

"I wasn't doing much good, so I came up to the castle. Madame Pomfrey was having fits, because she thought both you and Malfoy were injured. He was covered in your blood. He finally laid you on the bed and let her do her work. The rest is pretty routine; she healed the cut, but wouldn't give you anything for the pain until you woke up. She wanted to be certain your brains weren't knocked loose, I suppose."

The last was said in a teasing voice, but Ginny barely smiled. She couldn't. She remembered the nasty, bitchy things she'd said to Malfoy the night before. Gods, she was an idiot! She jumped slightly when Hermione spoke again.

"Oh, yes, there is just a bit more." Hermione looked very pleased with herself. "Madame Pomfrey had to keep pushing Malfoy out of her way. She finally threw both of us out. She told him if you woke up and saw him hovering over you with his bloodstained robes, he'd likely give you a heart attack. We were leaving when Ron came charging in. He started in on Malfoy again, you know what I mean..." Hermione rolled her eyes. "Malfoy said in that snotty voice of his that he was just leaving anyway, but he'd be back. He was, too, right after you took the potion and fell asleep. They had a huge row and Madame Pomfrey kicked them out again."

Ginny's face was still red, and she looked like she would burst with questions. Hermione relented slightly.

"All right, Ginny, one question. But," she held up a warning finger. "Make certain it's something you'll just die if you don't know the answer to right now."

Ginny gave her a look full of gratitude and tried to think. She had so many more questions now; she almost decided to just wait until later. But one question popped out before she could stop herself.

"Did he really hold me the whole time?" She blushed furiously, realizing how much the question revealed of her feelings.

Hermione smiled. "Wouldn't let anyone near you. I've seen some fancy flying, but Malfoy carrying you unconscious while zipping through the crowd, that was amazing."

Hermione stood and stretched again. "Come on, now, Ginny. I'm starved!"

Ginny's smile was so wide that her cheeks were starting to hurt. She wished she had been awake to enjoy it. Suddenly she frowned.

"I, uh, don't think I feel like eating right now," she stammered nervously. Hermione looked at her as though she had grown an extra eye or something. "I, er, well, what do I say to Malfoy if I see him?"

"What do you usually say to him?" Hermione asked.

" 'Sod off, Malfoy'?" Ginny quipped with a small grin.

Hermione shook her head and sighed. " 'Thank you for saving my ungrateful, cowardly little neck' would be much more appropriate, don't you think?"

Ginny chuckled and nodded. "All right, I'm a coward. But since I'm also starving, we better go."

"Finally!" Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Ginny picked up her bag and the jacket and fished her wand out of the drawer. The two girls then headed for the dining hall.

They were still a bit early; there were few students in the great hall yet. As they sat down, the Ravenclaw Seeker, Cho Chang, came over to greet them. Ginny was no longer jealous of Cho, hadn't been since her one disastrous date with Harry. But Cho was probably the prettiest girl in school, and Ginny felt decidedly gawky and unfeminine around her.

"Hi Hermione, hi, Ginny," Cho said sweetly. She turned to Ginny. "Look, I can't stay, we're practicing early, but I had to tell you how amazing you were! The way you flew was awesome, especially when you knew you were going to get hurt! I could never do that!" Ginny was blushing and stammering. "And the way Malfoy caught you was so romantic," Cho paused and seemed to realize that she was embarrassing Ginny.

"Well, I have to go," she said. She gave Ginny a quick hug and walked off with the rest of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. Ginny turned to Hermione to comment on this unusual behavior when Justin Finch-Fletchly and some other Hufflepuff players stopped by to talk to Ginny. They also seemed to think she'd done something wonderful and one of them went so far as to slap her on the back, saying, "That's the way to take one for the team!"

Ginny turned amazed eyes back to Hermione, but then stared over her shoulder. Hermione turned to look and stiffened. Millicent Bulstrode was approaching with the Slytherin Chasers in tow. Hermione was about to rise but Millicent ignored her, and stared at Ginny, hands on hips. Ginny rose, realizing that Millicent was a good six inches taller than her and probably outweighed her by thirty pounds.

Millicent then surprised her by extending her hand. Ginny took it cautiously.

Millicent pumped Ginny's hand twice, vigorously, then dropped it.

"Good show, Weasley," she said gruffly.

She turned to Harry, Ron and some other Gryffindors who had just entered the Great Hall and were standing at the table staring at Millicent. She gave Ron a quick, disgusted look, then turned back to Ginny.

"Bloody stupid what your brother did, but no accounting for family. And bloody stupid to ask for a rematch but Hooch wouldn't listen. Gryffindor would have won even without the interference. Knew Malfoy'd be pissed as hell and he was. Blamed me for not stopping it." The large girl sighed. "But there is a rematch and we'll be practicing hard for it. Just wanted to tell you we were impressed."

She turned away and Ginny sat again, giving Hermione a weak grin.

"You're a hero, Ginny," Hermione said brightly.

"Wow," Neville said. "I never heard her say that much in the last six years. Didn't even know she could talk!"

The others nodded and sat down, murmuring to themselves. Ron muttered and took the seat next to Hermione. She leaned over and spoke soothingly in his ear, gently rubbing his back. Ginny was still amazed at the general good will she was feeling.

Ron seemed to calm down, but muttered, "I'll just bet Malfoy was pissed off. Probably jumping for joy that his pathetic team had a second chance!"

Ginny, Harry and Dean turned to stare at him. He reddened.

"What?" he demanded. "Jeez, a guy makes one lousy mistake..."

"And costs us the game because he can't control his stupid temper," Ginny snapped at him.

Brother and sister glared at each other, not noticing how quiet the now rapidly filling hall had become.

Hermione gave Ginny a nudge. "All right, girl, you're on. And remember, 'sod off' is not an option!"

Ginny looked where Hermione was nodding and saw Malfoy standing in the doorway, looking at her. She blushed, but quickly stood, smoothing her robes and wishing she had at least glanced at her reflection once so she would know how silly she looked.

Ron reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going? You are not going to go talk to him."

Ginny looked down at Ron's hand then into his eyes. He let go abruptly. "Ginny, you don't understand," he tried again. "You don't know what he said."

Ginny froze. He was right; she didn't know what he had said that had made Ron so angry. Then she realized that it didn't matter. Whatever he'd said, Ron had provoked it with his own behavior.

"Ron, I don't care if he said he saw me two-stepping stark naked down the middle of Main Street. At the very least I owe him a proper thank you." Ginny spun around marched toward Malfoy, ignoring Ron's indignant spluttering.

Malfoy moved to meet her and it seemed to Ginny that every eye in the room was on them. Ginny smiled nervously as she came to a stop a foot or two from him. Malfoy was not smiling, though. He looked her up and down and seemed to be displeased. She knew it! She looked horrible. Then he spoke.

"I wanted to thank you, Weasley. Although I've been told in no uncertain terms that you only stopped the Bludger to prevent a foul and not," his eyes flashed for a second, "to save my undeserving neck."

She looked down, embarrassed. Her head shot up again as he murmured quietly, "Green is a good color for you. You should wear it more often. And skirts, too. You look great."

Now she saw that he meant it, but he didn't look at all pleased by it. She didn't know what to say to such a grudging compliment. Instead, she cleared her throat.

"I wanted to thank you, too. And apologize. I told you last night I'd regret what I said, and I was right. So please accept my apologies and my thanks."

She put her hand out tentatively. He looked surprised, but took it, his warm fingers clasping her cold ones in a firm grip. Conversations began again and Ginny sighed with relief. She started to pull her hand away, but Draco didn't seem ready to let go. She looked down at their clasped hands, feeling a tingle of excitement traveling up her arm. She felt the impulse to snatch her hand away before he realized what he was doing to her, just by holding her hand.

Instead, she leaned close and whispered, "Make you a deal, Malfoy. I'll wear skirts more often if you wear black silk more often!"

He dropped her hand and stared at her. Then he smiled and nodded. Ginny grinned and turned back to her table, hurrying to slide in between Natalie and Hermione. Ron, naturally, looked ready to do murder, and Natalie wanted details, but otherwise, no one seemed to notice.

The teachers filed in and food appeared. As they were eating, Ginny chanced a look at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was seated on the end of the table with the rest of his Quidditch team. He wasn't talking much, but he was smiling. Even as she watched, he glanced up at her and the smile grew broader. She quickly looked away.

"Hmmmm, kind of attractive when he's not sneering or smirking," Hermione murmured.

"I told her he's not bad-looking for a white guy" Natalie chimed in from the other side.

Ginny hmphed at them. "I don't know what you two are on about." But secretly she agreed with them.

"Oooh, someone's not happy, though," Natalie exclaimed. "Check out that Parkinson girl."

Ginny and Hermione glanced back at the Slytherin table, where Pansy was sitting with some other sixth year girls and looking, as Nat had said, extremely bad tempered. The Slytherin girl was darting glances at Malfoy then whispering to her friends. Suddenly they all looked toward the Gryffindor table and the look of intense hatred Pansy directed at Ginny made her shiver. Ginny tried to look away, but the malevolence in the glare held her spellbound.

Pansy jumped suddenly and looked away. Ginny followed her eyes and saw Malfoy speaking down the table to Pansy. His face wore his usual bored expression, but something in his eyes made Ginny glad it wasn't her he was talking to.

Natalie grabbed Ginny's arm and exclaimed, "Whew! Wonder what that was about. Anyway, that was some flying you two did yesterday." The conversation turned to the game and how effective their strategies had been. Ginny felt a headache coming on, and was now feeling the effect of a concussion coupled with little sleep the night before. As breakfast ended, groups of students milled around visiting. Others went off to the library or, like Ginny and most of the other Gryffindors, wandered back to their Common Rooms. Dean wanted the team to get together to discuss the game, but Ginny begged off, pleading fatigue and a headache. She moved to the stairs leading to the girls' dorms but Ron intercepted her. He laid his hand on her arm, this time careful not to grab her. She stopped, looking at him.

"Ginny, I'm not trying to interfere. I just want you to know the whole story," he said earnestly.

Ginny looked like she was about to push past him, so he said quickly, "Are you afraid to hear it? Afraid that git may not be what you seem to think he is?"

Ginny sighed and sat on a nearby chair. Was he right? Was she afraid to hear it, despite what she'd told him earlier? Just how bad could it be, she wondered.

"All right, Ron, I'm listening. I'm tired, my head is aching, thanks to you, but I'm listening. I warn you, though. Just facts. No opinions, no names, just bare facts. Agreed?"

Ron pulled up another chair and sat. "Agreed," he said.

Before he started, though, Ginny spoke again. Her voice was hard. "Just remember, Ron, you were the one going after Malfoy, not the other way 'round. So don't try to make it sound as though you were just defending yourself. Or me, for that matter."

Where was the shy, agreeable, sweet girl that used to be his sister? Ron wondered. The one who used to drive him nuts because she always wanted to tag along with him and his friends?

"Well, okay," he began, "maybe I did ask the slimy git a few--hey!" Ginny had risen and started walking away.

"Okay, okay, sorry, forgot. Now, sit down!" Ginny sat again. Ron made a face, then said, "I asked MALFOY why he was bothering you. Cheeky bas-" Ginny started to stand again. "Oops, habit. Anyway, he had the nerve to ask whether it was you or me who thought he was bothering you."

Ginny couldn't help a small smile, but her stomach was in knots. "What did you tell him?" she asked calmly.

"I said you didn't need to tell me, I've got eyes, don't I?" He sounded slightly indignant.

Ginny vaguely wondered when Ron's last eye examination was, but only said, "And?"

"He said he was sure that if he were 'bothering' you, you would tell him to sod off in 'no uncertain terms.'" Now Ron looked extremely indignant. "He also said that he was sure you didn't tell me what to do with Hermione and that I should mind my own business."

"Hear, hear!" Ginny said loudly, causing several heads to turn toward them. "Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

"Bullshit, Ginny," Ron snapped. "You're my little sister, and I'm just watching out for you. That IS my business."

Ginny glared at Ron for a moment. "The only thing hurting me lately, 'Big Brother', happens to be you. I've got bruises on my arms, a cracked skull and a scar on my head, all because of your 'concern'. I'm not sure I'll survive more expressions of your caring, Ron."

Ron sat back, startled. When had Ginny begun to stand up to him? Where had the sarcasm come from? He was used to, well, kind of pushing her around. Now she was pushing back and he didn't know what to do. He was just trying to protect her. Didn't she realize that?

Ron tried to pick up the thread of his story. "Uh, yeah, well, I kept at him a bit, and he finally said in that sneering, snotty voice, 'Want to know what's going on, Weasley?' 'Yeah,' I said. Then he says, calm as you please, 'Not nearly as much as I plan, Weasley, not nearly as much as I plan.'"

Ron looked scandalized. Ginny looked confused, then amused, then she actually chuckled. Ron's mouth dropped open. Ginny laughed harder.

"Ginny, you're laughing," Ron said stupidly.

That caused Ginny to whoop with laughter. It wasn't really that funny, but she thought she must be slightly hysterical. That was what had caused all the fuss? He hadn't said anything at all! It wasn't even a threat. Just slightly suggestive. Ginny could see him saying it, too. She had seen him say it, his face cold, controlled. Just trying to get Ron off his back. Ginny tried to control herself, but one look at Ron's angry, embarrassed expression set her off again. Hermione and Harry were looking worriedly at them across the Common Room and Ginny finally subsided into small hiccoughs of laughter.

She actually could see how an overprotective brother who really disliked the speaker could interpret anything in such a vague comment. Well, it wasn't that vague, but certainly nothing to get murderous about.

"Oh, Ron, that was it?" she asked, still smiling.

"'That's it'? Wasn't that bad enough? He's practically bragging that he's going to, er, well, you know!"

"Actually, I don't know. Maybe he was going to ask me to go to Hogsmeade with him? Maybe he wanted help with his healing classes. Goodness knows if he's as bad as you and Harry, he could use the help. Maybe I just had to be there to catch the innuendo?" Ginny stood again. Ron jumped up and looked down at her.

"Look, Gin, maybe I did overreact a bit,"

"A BIT?" Ginny demanded incredulously.

"Well, uh, okay, a lot. But I'm just trying to protect you from creeps like Malfoy."

Ginny looked up into his worried face and relented a bit.

"Ron, believe me, I'm flattered that you finally noticed you have a little sister. I'm glad you don't see me as a little pest any more. And it is nice to know that if I need protection, you're ready to jump in and defend me. But, in this case, you're barking up the wrong tree. Malfoy got one thing right. I would certainly never think about advising you on your love life. I expect the same consideration. If ANYONE ever treats me in a way I consider out of line, whether it's Malfoy, Harry, or even you, I'm more than capable of putting them in their place. Now, I'm going to go lay down."

She brushed past Ron and almost ran into Harry and Hermione, who had been hovering just out of earshot. She hurried up the stairs and threw herself on her bed.