Later, Alex and Ginny were again on Ginny's bed, speaking in hushed tones, so the two other girls in sixth year couldn't hear what they were saying. It didn't really matter, anyway. Megan and Pandora never paid attention to anyone but each other.
"That's so twisted," Alex whispered, "I mean, what are you gonna do?"
Ginny shrugged.
"Not much I can do," she murmured back, "I mean, if he wants to be friends - okay, I guess."
"Ginny," Alex said, aghast, "He's Malfoy. He's a Slytherin. He's a bad person - you know that, especially after -"
"I know all that," Ginny cut through her best friend's words, "But I don't believe in bad people. Everyone's good, deep down .."
"Even You-Know-Who?" Alex asked, eyes wide.
Ginny appeared to think that through.
"Even him," she said softly. Alex just looked at her, surprised.
"I'm starting to think I don't know you as well as I thought," Alex told Ginny, who just shrugged again and nodded.
"Tired?" Ginny changed the subject.
"Completely," Alex said with a bit of a grin, "Jamie's very energetic."
Ginny laughed as her friend rolled onto her own bed.
"Are you two going to sleep?" Megan asked, looking over at the other girls. The fact that there were four of them worked out nicely - two pairs. Megan and Pandora were a lot more cliquey than Ginny and Alex, though, and people sometimes said they (Meg and Pandy) were more than just friends. Ginny didn't know whether or not that was true, but she didn't really care.
"Yeah," Alex answered, "Are you guys?"
Megan and Pandora looked at each other a moment and shrugged before assenting. They all crawled into their individual beds.
After the room had long been silent, Ginny pulled a drapery aside to look at Alex.
"Alexia," she hissed, "You 'wake?"
The girl murmured something that sounded vaguely like a 'yeah'.
"About that thing - with, well, you know - I think I'm going to talk to him about it."
"Mmkay," Alex said sleepily, "Go to bed, Gin."
After a moment, the youngest Weasley pulled the covers over her head and obeyed.
------
"Ah," Alex beamed, "First day of winter vacation! And there's only twelve people staying!"
Ginny nodded. She was happy that most of the Slytherins had gone home for the break. Maybe now she'd get a chance to talk to Harry.
"Who's on the list?" Harry asked. They were at breakfast and for once Harry wasn't stuffing his face.
"Let's see," Alex ticked off a bunch of people, "Us five, three Slytherins, a couple Ravenclaws, and a couple Hufflepuffs."
"Which Slytherins?" Ginny asked automatically, without thinking.
Ron gave her his best steely eyed look.
"Why do you care?" He asked, "You aren't about to go starting fights with that Malfoy git again, are you? I heard about how you socked him in the hall." Inwardly, Ginny knew Ron was proud of her. But that pride was vastly overshadowed by his big brother instincts that bordered on psychotic.
"Speaking of Malfoy," Alex cut in smoothly, "He's staying."
Ginny looked at Alex, surprised. She'd thought Malfoy would want to go home to his luxurious manor and servants for the break. Evidently not. She knew it was egotistical, but couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with her.
"So's Zabini, and that quiet girl, but she stays every break," Alex shrugged, "Oh, and Jamie's staying." The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile that would've made the cat that ate the canary jealous.
"Oooooh," Ginny grinned at her friend, "Lucky you. Just don't wear the boy out too much?"
"I have no idea what you mean by that," Alex said airily, twirling a strand of honey blonde hair around her fingertip. She did a very good job of behaving like an loud-mouthed airhead most of the time, but Ginny knew that it was a facade.
"I do," Ron glanced over at the Ravenclaw, sitting a few tables away, "And I wish I didn't."
Alex just smiled serenely while Hermione shot Ron a strange look. After a few more moments, Ron and Hermione went off to snog, fight, or do homework, one of the three - they all seemed to be equally commonplace with the couple - and Alex wandered over to sit on Jamie's lap.
This left Harry and Ginny alone. Ginny felt her heartbeat accelerate and silently voiced a little 'eep'.
Harry glanced over at her and smiled. He was usually quiet in a group - introspective, Ginny liked to call it. Alex said he was stoned.
"So," he said.
"Uh. So," she nodded. What the hell did that mean? He was looking at her like it was her job to start the conversation. So she did.
"They're having a Yule Ball this year," she ventured, fidgeting in her robes.
"Oh, yeah," he nodded, "I, er," he blushed slightly, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
Her? He wanted to talk to her? About the Yule Ball? Ginny fought to keep from blushing.
"Oh?" She was pleased to hear that her voice sounded very nonchalant, despite how she felt.
"Yeah .. well .. I was wondering .."
She clutched the hems of her robes. He was going to ask? For the first time, ever, Harry Potter voluntarily wanted something to do with her that didn't involve stupid heroics, even if they saved her life. He was going to ask, he had to.
".. do you think Alex would go with me? I mean, I know she's got a thing with that Ravenclaw, but still .. " He trailed off, looking at Ginny hopefully. Meanwhile, Ginny had decided that her heart, previously thumping loud enough to wake the dead, had died and gone still in her ribcage.
"I don't know," she choked out, sure her horror was written all over her face. Harry didn't seem to notice.
"Oh," he shrugged, "Well, could you find out and tell me, maybe?"
"Sure," she breathed, "I have to go." Before my head explodes, she added mentally, getting up and nearly running out of the Great Hall. She was glad Alex didn't follow - she really couldn't stand to see her right now.
She found herself in an unfamiliar hallway, quite lost and not caring, leaned against a brick wall. A few tears trickled down her cheeks - it was a bit like the end of an era. She'd liked Harry for *so long*, and she knew there wasn't a chance with him. He just thought she was a little sister to him. Damn Ron, she thought angrily, for getting so close to him. She also damned Harry, Alex, herself, Professer Snape for the hell of it, and several distant cousins who had played a prank on her last summer involving a hair dye spell.
So immersed in her pain and damning of others was she that she didn't even hear someone approach. She'd slumped to the floor, wiped the tears away, but they kept coming. She felt a presence before her and looked up to see the face of Draco Malfoy, gazing at her with a mixture of disdain and concern in his cool eyes, if that were possible.
"What the hell happened to you, Red?" He held out his hand to help her up and she gratefully accepted it. She knew she must look a mess, but at least she'd wiped the mascara smudges away before he'd seen them.
"H-H-Harry," she sniffled, digging in her pockets for her wand. The tears were slowing down now.
"What'd the git do now?" Draco asked irritably.
"He .. it sounded exactly as if he were asking me to the Ball, but he only wanted Alex .. " She said forlornly. She produced her wand and and muttered a quick incantation to remove the signs of tears and messed make-up (the very little she wore).
"He tricked you?"
"No," she shook her head, "Well, yes, but not intentionally."
Draco sighed, looking at her.
"These damned balls are important to you females, aren't they?"
She nodded meekly. Now that the situation had fully dawned on her, she was wondering what he wanted - Draco Malfoy helping out a crying girl, much less a Gryffindor, much much less a Weasley, was odd indeed. But then, she mentally acknowledged, things had been odd lately.
"Why don't you get him back?" He queried. Now that he'd mentioned it - Ginny thought it sounded like the simplest, best plan she'd ever heard. Make Harry angry and jealous and maybe Ron, too - killing two birds, or boys, with one stone.
"How would I do that?"
He shrugged.
"Go to the Ball with someone else, someone he hates," Draco suggested. Ginny could tell that he thought his duty was done and that he wanted to leave now.
"But .. the only person in school he really hates is .. is you," she said slowly, looking him in the eye. She was getting an idea.
"Oh, no," he backed up and away from her, slightly, "That would kill my reputation, Weasley."
She shrugged.
"We can always say you were using me to get Harry and Ron angry," she offered with a little smile. A slow grin spread over his features, too - catlike and, she thought to herself, kinda sexy. He did have the best lips.
"Weasley," he slung an arm around her with a companiable air, "Or shall I say, *Virginia*, I like how you think."
She smirked up at him and quietly, in hushed voices, they began to formulate a plan.
"That's so twisted," Alex whispered, "I mean, what are you gonna do?"
Ginny shrugged.
"Not much I can do," she murmured back, "I mean, if he wants to be friends - okay, I guess."
"Ginny," Alex said, aghast, "He's Malfoy. He's a Slytherin. He's a bad person - you know that, especially after -"
"I know all that," Ginny cut through her best friend's words, "But I don't believe in bad people. Everyone's good, deep down .."
"Even You-Know-Who?" Alex asked, eyes wide.
Ginny appeared to think that through.
"Even him," she said softly. Alex just looked at her, surprised.
"I'm starting to think I don't know you as well as I thought," Alex told Ginny, who just shrugged again and nodded.
"Tired?" Ginny changed the subject.
"Completely," Alex said with a bit of a grin, "Jamie's very energetic."
Ginny laughed as her friend rolled onto her own bed.
"Are you two going to sleep?" Megan asked, looking over at the other girls. The fact that there were four of them worked out nicely - two pairs. Megan and Pandora were a lot more cliquey than Ginny and Alex, though, and people sometimes said they (Meg and Pandy) were more than just friends. Ginny didn't know whether or not that was true, but she didn't really care.
"Yeah," Alex answered, "Are you guys?"
Megan and Pandora looked at each other a moment and shrugged before assenting. They all crawled into their individual beds.
After the room had long been silent, Ginny pulled a drapery aside to look at Alex.
"Alexia," she hissed, "You 'wake?"
The girl murmured something that sounded vaguely like a 'yeah'.
"About that thing - with, well, you know - I think I'm going to talk to him about it."
"Mmkay," Alex said sleepily, "Go to bed, Gin."
After a moment, the youngest Weasley pulled the covers over her head and obeyed.
------
"Ah," Alex beamed, "First day of winter vacation! And there's only twelve people staying!"
Ginny nodded. She was happy that most of the Slytherins had gone home for the break. Maybe now she'd get a chance to talk to Harry.
"Who's on the list?" Harry asked. They were at breakfast and for once Harry wasn't stuffing his face.
"Let's see," Alex ticked off a bunch of people, "Us five, three Slytherins, a couple Ravenclaws, and a couple Hufflepuffs."
"Which Slytherins?" Ginny asked automatically, without thinking.
Ron gave her his best steely eyed look.
"Why do you care?" He asked, "You aren't about to go starting fights with that Malfoy git again, are you? I heard about how you socked him in the hall." Inwardly, Ginny knew Ron was proud of her. But that pride was vastly overshadowed by his big brother instincts that bordered on psychotic.
"Speaking of Malfoy," Alex cut in smoothly, "He's staying."
Ginny looked at Alex, surprised. She'd thought Malfoy would want to go home to his luxurious manor and servants for the break. Evidently not. She knew it was egotistical, but couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with her.
"So's Zabini, and that quiet girl, but she stays every break," Alex shrugged, "Oh, and Jamie's staying." The corners of her mouth turned up in a smile that would've made the cat that ate the canary jealous.
"Oooooh," Ginny grinned at her friend, "Lucky you. Just don't wear the boy out too much?"
"I have no idea what you mean by that," Alex said airily, twirling a strand of honey blonde hair around her fingertip. She did a very good job of behaving like an loud-mouthed airhead most of the time, but Ginny knew that it was a facade.
"I do," Ron glanced over at the Ravenclaw, sitting a few tables away, "And I wish I didn't."
Alex just smiled serenely while Hermione shot Ron a strange look. After a few more moments, Ron and Hermione went off to snog, fight, or do homework, one of the three - they all seemed to be equally commonplace with the couple - and Alex wandered over to sit on Jamie's lap.
This left Harry and Ginny alone. Ginny felt her heartbeat accelerate and silently voiced a little 'eep'.
Harry glanced over at her and smiled. He was usually quiet in a group - introspective, Ginny liked to call it. Alex said he was stoned.
"So," he said.
"Uh. So," she nodded. What the hell did that mean? He was looking at her like it was her job to start the conversation. So she did.
"They're having a Yule Ball this year," she ventured, fidgeting in her robes.
"Oh, yeah," he nodded, "I, er," he blushed slightly, "I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
Her? He wanted to talk to her? About the Yule Ball? Ginny fought to keep from blushing.
"Oh?" She was pleased to hear that her voice sounded very nonchalant, despite how she felt.
"Yeah .. well .. I was wondering .."
She clutched the hems of her robes. He was going to ask? For the first time, ever, Harry Potter voluntarily wanted something to do with her that didn't involve stupid heroics, even if they saved her life. He was going to ask, he had to.
".. do you think Alex would go with me? I mean, I know she's got a thing with that Ravenclaw, but still .. " He trailed off, looking at Ginny hopefully. Meanwhile, Ginny had decided that her heart, previously thumping loud enough to wake the dead, had died and gone still in her ribcage.
"I don't know," she choked out, sure her horror was written all over her face. Harry didn't seem to notice.
"Oh," he shrugged, "Well, could you find out and tell me, maybe?"
"Sure," she breathed, "I have to go." Before my head explodes, she added mentally, getting up and nearly running out of the Great Hall. She was glad Alex didn't follow - she really couldn't stand to see her right now.
She found herself in an unfamiliar hallway, quite lost and not caring, leaned against a brick wall. A few tears trickled down her cheeks - it was a bit like the end of an era. She'd liked Harry for *so long*, and she knew there wasn't a chance with him. He just thought she was a little sister to him. Damn Ron, she thought angrily, for getting so close to him. She also damned Harry, Alex, herself, Professer Snape for the hell of it, and several distant cousins who had played a prank on her last summer involving a hair dye spell.
So immersed in her pain and damning of others was she that she didn't even hear someone approach. She'd slumped to the floor, wiped the tears away, but they kept coming. She felt a presence before her and looked up to see the face of Draco Malfoy, gazing at her with a mixture of disdain and concern in his cool eyes, if that were possible.
"What the hell happened to you, Red?" He held out his hand to help her up and she gratefully accepted it. She knew she must look a mess, but at least she'd wiped the mascara smudges away before he'd seen them.
"H-H-Harry," she sniffled, digging in her pockets for her wand. The tears were slowing down now.
"What'd the git do now?" Draco asked irritably.
"He .. it sounded exactly as if he were asking me to the Ball, but he only wanted Alex .. " She said forlornly. She produced her wand and and muttered a quick incantation to remove the signs of tears and messed make-up (the very little she wore).
"He tricked you?"
"No," she shook her head, "Well, yes, but not intentionally."
Draco sighed, looking at her.
"These damned balls are important to you females, aren't they?"
She nodded meekly. Now that the situation had fully dawned on her, she was wondering what he wanted - Draco Malfoy helping out a crying girl, much less a Gryffindor, much much less a Weasley, was odd indeed. But then, she mentally acknowledged, things had been odd lately.
"Why don't you get him back?" He queried. Now that he'd mentioned it - Ginny thought it sounded like the simplest, best plan she'd ever heard. Make Harry angry and jealous and maybe Ron, too - killing two birds, or boys, with one stone.
"How would I do that?"
He shrugged.
"Go to the Ball with someone else, someone he hates," Draco suggested. Ginny could tell that he thought his duty was done and that he wanted to leave now.
"But .. the only person in school he really hates is .. is you," she said slowly, looking him in the eye. She was getting an idea.
"Oh, no," he backed up and away from her, slightly, "That would kill my reputation, Weasley."
She shrugged.
"We can always say you were using me to get Harry and Ron angry," she offered with a little smile. A slow grin spread over his features, too - catlike and, she thought to herself, kinda sexy. He did have the best lips.
"Weasley," he slung an arm around her with a companiable air, "Or shall I say, *Virginia*, I like how you think."
She smirked up at him and quietly, in hushed voices, they began to formulate a plan.