****I own nothing! Everything belongs to J.K. Rowling! A very spectacular author!
Chapter 8, In the Kitchen with Cookies
Ginny grumbled bitterly early Saturday morning as she sat in one of the large squishy chairs by the fire. She was going to have detention with Malfoy again that night.
She blew at a piece of hair that hung down on her cheek. She looked over at Ron, Harry, and Hermione who were all slouched over large amounts of schoolwork.
Hermione had been absolutely furious after the incident the day before and had taken twenty points from Slytherin since Mrs. Figg had not. She had informed Ron and Harry immediately at the sight of the two boys, Lola and Hermione had both had to hold the furious redhead back afterwards.
"That slimy git!" Ron roared. "I'll kill him! I'll murder him! I'll"- After this a series of swearwords followed.
"He's already in trouble", Harry said though he looked quite angry as well, Ginny was pleased to see this.
His brilliant green eyes were flashing with malice and he looked over at Ginny.
"Are you alright Ginny?" He asked softly.
Ginny felt her face heat up with embarrassment but she smiled, forgetting the aching pain all over her body, and nodded.
"I'm fine"… she had murmured.
Ginny tipped her head thoughtfully to the side now looking at her three friends. She let a sigh leave her lips as Ron peeked over Hermione's shoulder to catch a glimpse of her work.
"Ron!" Hermione snapped and Ron went red.
"Come on Hermione!" He pleaded. "I don't get this last part! I only need a little bit!"
Hermione glared darkly at him. "Ron Weasley! You'll get no where in life by copying! I thought you'd know that by now!"
Ron's eyes flashed and once again, another argument started between the two. Harry had looked up and was now looking helplessly at the two before grinning and shaking his head.
Ginny sighed softly once again. They made such a team, the trio. So perfect together, all looking so very different. Harry with his sleek black hair, his lightning scar, and beautiful green eyes. Hermione with her lovely curls, her cleverness, and sharpness. And finally Ron with his red hair, freckles, and love for nearly everyone… even if he wouldn't show it.
Would she ever fit in with them? She hoped so… Draco was wrong, Harry looked at her now and smiled. She was sure he didn't think of her how she had been before… she was sure, wasn't she?
"Ginny!" A voice suddenly broke into her thoughts and she looked up to see Colin smiling down at her.
He stood dressed in simple muggle jeans and a blue, long sleeved shirt. In his hands he held his camera tightly, he seemed to be shaking with excitement as he gazed down at her. Ginny tipped her head to the side curiously.
"Colin?" She began but suddenly he grabbed her by the hand and pulled her up from where she sat.
She gasped as Colin began to pull her through the Common Room, quite quickly. His hand tangled around the sleeve of her peach coloured Weasley jumper and slipped into her own hand.
He looked back at her, not noticing or not caring that he was now leading her by the hand, excitedly.
"You have to come and see this Ginny!" He exclaimed happily. "It's the most brilliant thing I've ever seen!"
"Oh!" She said as best she could as they turned a corner.
Colin brought Ginny to the entrance hall and straight out into the cold morning air. She shivered as they continued to run, and her side had begun to ache.
"Colin!" She moaned. "Where are you taking me?"
"We're almost there Ginny!"
They were heading towards Hagrid's hutt and Ginny began to hear the loud speech of the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. Instead of bringing her towards Hagrid, Colin brought her around the small Hutt. They stopped by the corner and Colin placed a finger on his lips. Ginny nodded and tried to stifle her gasps for breath.
He slowly peered around the corner and Ginny ducked under him to peer around the corner herself. Her eyes widened at the sight that was before her.
It was a centaur… a beautiful centaur.
Ginny stared transfixed at the creature before her, only had she ever seen one in a book before. She had heard Ron speak about them before, but he had never spoke of it's beauty. The centaur stood tall with a shining body of sleek chestnut, and the face appearing like that of a man seemed to be perfect… unflawed and pure.
Hagrid stood high and tall before the beautiful creature on the path leading into the Forbidden Forest. They were lost in a dull conversation about the stars and planets.
"Isn't he brilliant?" Colin asked in a breathless whisper.
"Yes"… Ginny breathed. "How'd you see him Colin?"
"I came down here because I was going to ask Hagrid about our next lesson", Colin said in a quick whisper. "But when I was coming around the corner I saw him!" He waved his hand towards the centaur. "I wanted to take a picture really badly! So I ran back to the Common Room and got my camera, and then I saw you looking like you were bored out of your mind, so I brought you along to".
"But won't you attract attention if the flash goes off?" Ginny asked, her eyes still fixed on the creature before her.
"I'll just turn it off".
He raised the camera to his eyes and seemed to be focusing in on it. Ginny frowned a moment later when she didn't hear a click, she looked up and began, "Col"-
Suddenly a blinding flash went off and Ginny could only see blotches before her eyes.
"Wha was that?" Hagrid's booming voice suddenly roared, and the sounds of the centaurs hooves pounding nervously against the ground could be heard.
Ginny nearly shrieked, but she clamped a hand down over her mouth, turned and began to run. Colin was tripping over her heels.
They burst through the entrance hall doors and Ginny burst into a fit of giggles, Colin stared at her incredulously, his cheeks red from running in the cold.
"I thought you turned the flash off!" She laughed, torn between amusement and fright.
Colin stared at her and simply shrugged, his cheeks going red. "I thought I did"…
Ginny grinned and took his hand in hers. They began to walk down the hall together without speaking.
"I'll be wanting a picture of the centaur", Ginny said.
"Of course".
~~~
Night came to quickly for Ginny and she found herself standing in her school robes, ten o'clock Saturday night, in the middle of one of the largest corridors in the entire school. Draco Malfoy was standing near to her, they both had their arms crossed and were watching silently as Filch stroked Mrs. Norris in his arms.
"Well?" Malfoy demanded after a moment of complete silence. "We've been waiting for five minutes! What are we doing?"
Filch glared hatefully at Malfoy, then at Ginny. His scowl turned into a hideous smile and he stroked Mrs. Norris even more lovingly.
"Tonight"… he purred. "You'll be polishing the picture frames… all of them!" He howled with laughter at the expressions on the two students faces. "Remember", he pointed to his eyes and then to them. "I'll be watching. You have polish, scrubs, and a step ladder over that way. It's just like the other night, no going to bed until I've said so".
Ginny moaned and watched as Filch crossed the hall and disappeared into a room. She felt like stomping her foot and screaming. She'd rather have been dying at the bottom of a dark damp pit, then be having detention with Malfoy again.
She looked towards Malfoy to see what he was thinking and he was obviously having the exact same thoughts. For his eyes were narrowed, and his grey eyes were a haze of normally carefully hidden emotions.
Slowly Ginny crossed the hall, took a tin of polish and a scrub, chose a picture frame, and began to polish.
"Good work dear!" A fragile old woman in a blue satin dress spoke to her from the picture, she smiled weakly in return.
"This is so stupid!" Malfoy groaned from across the hall, he was once again leaning against it with a stubborn glare. "If you hadn't have brought me down the stairs, I wouldn't be here!"
Ginny whirled on the spot, her brown eyes flashing dangerously.
"What was I supposed to do?" She snapped. "Fall down the stairs and let you laugh with your stupid friends, you great prat! I'm glad I brought you down with me, I hope the bruises hurt!"
Malfoy simply lifted a brow and a look of amusement came onto his face. He smirked and absent-mindedly slicked back a loose strand of blonde hair.
"My my"… he said quite comfortably. "I believe you've begun to have a temper like your brother's. That's not good Weasley".
"You're the one who only gets me this angry Malfoy! Are you happy? You get me raging! Now get to work!"
Malfoy's smirk faltered and then disappeared. His grey eyes became like steel and sent waves of icy vibrations towards her.
"Don't you dare try to order me around Weasley", he spat harshly.
Ginny shook her head in a disgusted sort of way and then turned to continue scrubbing away at the picture frame.
Draco glared across the large hallway at the small scarlet haired teenager polishing a large picture frame. How easily she could anger him… he didn't understand, she angered him just as easily as Potter and her brother did, possibly even more.
How was it that she dared to say things to him? She was of lower stature then him! She was poor, red-haired, covered in freckles, and associated with muggle-borns! She could not say anything about him, Draco Malfoy! He was everything, he had everything anyone ever wanted!
He was very attractive, a pure-blood, and wealthy beyond her imagination! He was everything a wizard should be. He scowled like a very spoiled child.
What was it about her, that made him want to push her down a set of stairs every time he saw her? What was it about her that infuriated him?
He tipped his head lightly to the side and examined her.
As he watched her scrub the gold frame with an unreadable expression on her face he noticed something. She wasn't horrible ugly and disfigured like the rest of her family was, she was actually quite attractive.
Draco scowled even darker at these thoughts, he would have cursed himself it he had been anyone else but himself.
'What the hell are you thinking about Malfoy?' He thought disgustedly to himself. 'Get a hold of yourself'.
He slowly walked towards the polish and scrubs. His father would hear about this detention as well! He would make sure of it! This was slave work! He, Draco Malfoy, had never so much as lifted a wash cloth at home to wipe down a table. That was what servants and house elves were for! He would not be treated like scum, even if Ginny Weasley would.
'How degrading it is', he thought as he began to miserably polish a bronze picture frame across the hall from the girl. 'She is actually willing to clean without complaint… pitiful. My future family, my wife, and my children, will not so much as lift a finger to house clean. Such a thing is unthinkable!'
As Draco cleaned reluctantly he made little progress. When Filch checked in on them, Filch screamed angrily at him for doing so little, and then left once again. Instead of finding Filch frightening, Draco had actually found it quite amusing.
It was nearly midnight when Draco was broken away from his bitter thoughts to see that Ginny was pulling the small step ladder towards a picture frame much higher then she could reach. The sound rang in his ears, and Draco narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
Ginny appeared to be getting tired, it showed in her large brown eyes, and on her pale face. She climbed up to the top of the small stepladder and began to scrub the thick picture frame unenthusiastically.
A wicked idea crossed Draco's mind and he casually walked towards Ginny. She however did not seem to notice, and was lost in her own thoughts.
Draco smirked as he began to walk past the old wooden ladder, his foot shot out and easily kicked the leg in.
A squeal admitted from Ginny Weasley's lips and she fell hard to the corridor floor, landing on her butt.
Her scarlet hair fell into her face and her face became red with embarrassment. Draco laughed happily and felt much better. Ginny whipped her head around and glared up at Draco from where he stood four feet away. He simply smirked down at her and ran a hand over his slicked back hair.
"What Weasley?" He asked.
"You are-! You are-!" She spluttered trying to find the right words to shout at him. "You are the most horrible person I know!" She slowly rose from the ground, wincing slightly as she did so.
"Oh ouch Weasley, that one hurt".
She pointed a finger at him and stomped her foot. "You are such a spoiled brat!" She hissed. "You think you can get away with anything! You won't though! You just wait! One of these days you're going to get in very big trouble, and no one's going to be there to help you! Not even your precious father, who you run to whenever things start looking bad for you!"
"Are you implying"… he began somewhat slowly, trying to process everything she had just spoken to him. "That I wouldn't be able to get out of trouble, without anyone's help?"
"Exactly what I'm implying!" She snapped.
Draco raised a brow and then shrugged lightly. What did he care? He knew he could get out of anything, without anyone's help. He stretched luxuriously and smirked turning to continue on with his detention. Yet, her words kept tugging on the back of his mind.
"Weasel"… he muttered under his breath.
"Oh yes, and you're the little white ferret".
Draco whirled on his heels at this comment, his grey eyes flashed angrily and he stared down at her. She had a look of surprise on her face as though she had not meant for him to hear her last comment. Her cheeks became redder then they already were and she took a slight step backwards, he obviously looked quite menacing.
He wished to curse her! He wanted to hit her! But he could do nothing, his body was shaking with so much anger.
They were silent for an hour more, each very angry with each other, possible hating each other more then they had before the detention.
Ginny could feel her body shaking with fright and anger. When he had turned after her comment about him being a ferret, he had looked as though he were about to wring her neck. She had felt her body freeze and become stiff, she had known she had looked absolutely stupid, but she had never known Malfoy to frighten someone like that.
He had actually looked very frightening… she had been very afraid. When had Draco Malfoy looked dangerous enough to kill someone? He had always just been a whiner or sorts…
She shuttered slightly, he wouldn't do anything to her would he? No…
~~~
The detention had indeed ended with a bang. Ginny had done most of the work and her hands had been aching and red. However, the rest of the detention had not ended peacefully and without conversation. There had been a few more fights and arguments, one resulting in a tin of polish staining the front of Malfoy's robes.
Filch had been furious to come out into the corridor, wondering what all the noise was about, to see the floors and walls stained with polish, and two students covered in head to toe in it. In desperate attempts to save themselves from another detention together the two had both pointed at each other accusingly.
However, Filch had been so furious he had simply chased them both away. Neither had received another detention.
Ginny had stayed in a bathtub the remainder of the night. She had stayed in the hot bubble filled water for nearly an hour and a half. Resting her aching muscles and thinking about how much she hated Malfoy.
She slept until noon that Sunday and the finished the remainder of her homework.
The following weeks Ginny avoided Malfoy the best she could, and unbeknownst to her, he was doing the same thing. She stayed mainly in the Gryffindor tower, or in classrooms, and even sometimes in the kitchen.
It had gotten quite cold outside, and wherever she went people were wearing cloaks or sweaters. Ginny herself was either wearing her school cloak or her peach jumper.
Then Halloween had come, and the visit to Hogsmeade was arousing a stir of excitement through the students third year and above.
It was a very cold, raining Saturday morning, and Ginny was sitting sleepily at the Gryffindor table. She had her hair in a long braid trailing down her back, dressed in her peach jumper and a pair of old faded jeans (the knees had begun to wear out).
She nibbled on a piece of buttered toast, ignoring the conversation going on between Dinah, Leikela, and Katherine. She was only half listening to Lola telling her she was improving on the broomstick.
She had decided not to go to to Hogsmeade that day. Most likely Malfoy would be going, and going anywhere where he might be, was not exactly welcoming to Ginny.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione left breakfast before the mail arrived. Errol swooped down in front of Ginny, sending her piece of toast flying to the floor. Ginny frowned slightly and tried to upright the old owl.
"Oh Errol", she murmured.
She gazed down at what he had brought, a letter and a package wrapped in dull brown paper.
She opened the letter addressed to both herself and Ron.
Ron and Ginny, she read her mother's familiar scrawl.
I hope your all well and that you're completing your schoolwork! We received an owl from Charlie earlier this week, he's doing quite well! He said that a newly hatched Norwegian Ridgeback was sent to him, said it gave him a nasty new burn! Bill wrote and said he was doing quite good as well. I do hope if you see Fred and George on one of your Hogsmeade trips, you'll tell them not to do anything stupid. Oh Ginny, do try not to get into any more trouble! I've sent you both a box of cookies each, oatmeal and raison for Ginny (I know it's your favourite) and chocolate chip for Ron. Love you both! (Behave!) Mum.
Ginny grinned looking down at the package. She absolutely loved Oatmeal raison cookies! She never knew why, but they had always been her favourite.
She gathered the package and letter up in her arms and decided to go and find Ron before he and the others left for Hogsmeade.
"See you later Lola", she said and Lola smiled with a mouth full of eggs.
Ginny sped around the castle for an hour, a frown deepening on her face as she searched for her brother, Harry, and Hermione.
'Maybe they've already gone! They probably have by now', she thought as she turned down the corridor leading towards the Hufflepuff tower. 'Maybe they went into the kitchen for a quick snack though?'
She tickled a pear in a large portrait, it laughed, turned into a doorknob, and then she entered the warm kitchen. She smiled breathing in the smells of delicious food. At least fifty small house elves were hurrying about the kitchen happily, dressed in clean towels draped around them like togas.
"Weezy!" She heard a familiar voice squeal and suddenly a house elf with a high voice wrapped its arms about her waist, nearly knocking her backwards. "Inny Weezy!"
Ginny smiled and patted the house elf's back gently. "You haven't seen my brother Ron, have you Dobby?" She asked.
Dobby let go of her small waist and shook his head so violently that his large bat like ears slapped him in the face.
"No miss!" He squeaked. "Not seen Harry Potter's Weezy for days!"
"Oh", Ginny murmured disappointedly.
She had missed him then…
"Will Inny Weezy stay for hot chocolate?" Dobby asked.
Before Ginny could answer Dobby had taken her by the hand and was leading her towards a hot fire on the other end of the kitchen. She sat down on a warm stone ledge and laid the package of cookies down beside her.
Nearly immediately, three house elves were bringing her a tray consisting of a large mug of steaming hot chocolate, a small bowl full of fluffy white marshmallows.
"Thank-you", she said blushing at the cheeks.
The house elves seemed very pleased with themselves and hurried away to continue on with their work. Ginny stayed and spoke happily with Dobby for nearly a half hour. It was nearly ten o'clock and she knew that nearly everyone in the castle had gone down to Hogsmeade. She sipped at her half full mug of hot chocolate and felt her lids become slightly heavy. Hot chocolate always seemed to make her sleepy, and she did not understand why.
Dobby ran off to continue on with his work and Ginny took a bite out of a very favourable cookie. However she heard the faint laughter of a pear being tickled and set down her mug of hot chocolate. The kitchen door began to open and Ginny's eyes widened. She saw a glitter of white blonde hair…
She dove under a table and sat on her knees, in her hands she clutched one of her cookies. She didn't want to be seen by him! What was he doing still at the castle? Wasn't he supposed to be in Hogsmeade with everyone else? He always went!
She could hear Malfoy's drawling voice speaking to the house elves.
"I've missed breakfast", he said quite simply, but his voice was cold and demanding. "I need something to eat".
The house elves were more then happy to serve him, she could see their feet hurrying about from under the table, rushing to make him a scrumptious breakfast.
Ginny slowly began to move, but then…
CLUNK!
Ginny moaned in pain and clutched the top of her head, no more then two seconds later the white table cloth was thrown up and Draco Malfoy was peering under the table. At the sight of her, crouched under the table and clutching her throbbing head, a familiar amused smirk appeared on his lips.
"You are pathetic", he said.
She groaned and pushed past him slowly raising to her feet. She began to rub the top of her head where she had banged it painfully against the roof of the table.
She sank down on the warm stone ledge where she had been sitting before and breathed deeply, trying to make her head stop spinning.
"Do you normally eat cookies under tables in the kitchen?" Malfoy asked her grinning coldly.
"Shut-up Malfoy", she mumbled in return.
She was hoping he would take the tray of food waiting for him now on the table and leave, but he took a seat beside Ginny on the ledge instead.
He was looking at her, a very amused look on his pale face.
"What?" She asked frowning at him, placing her hands uncomfortably on her lap.
He did not answer and she sat there, feeling hatred and discomfort around him. She should have punched him the arm, or tried to curse him, or screamed swear words at him, but instead she shifted slowly away from him and took her package of cookies up in her arms.
"Do you want one?" She asked quite miserably.
She didn't want him to take one, she doubted that he would anyway, but she had to be the better person, didn't she? Didn't she want him to cry though? Didn't she want to hurt him… she was to sleepy to think right.
He wrinkled his nose down at the package and then stared darkly at her.
"I suppose your mother made those for you?" He asked lifting his head. "My mother doesn't cook, she doesn't need to. We have everything made for us, or we buy it. Not like you could do that of course".
"Good for you", she said sarcastically. "Are you going to take the cookie or not?"
He narrowed his eyes at her and looked away. She shrugged mildly and placed the package of cookies down beside her, taking a large bite out of the cookie in her hand.
She chewed uncomfortably in the silence. Dobby was looking horrified at the two of them sitting beside each other from the other side of the kitchen, but the other house elves were ignoring them completely.
"Aren't you supposed to be in Hogsmeade?" She then asked coldly, after swallowing her mouth full of cookie.
"What's the point?" He sniffed. "I've been there to many times already. Crabbe and Goyle went, Pansy along with them. They can all buy stink pellets if they want, I'd rather spend my time on more eventful things".
Ginny snorted. "Devising plans on how to torment the first years are you?"
Malfoy whipped his head around and glared darkly down at her. She nibbled at her cookie with a grin on her face, an image of Draco writing out plans to taunt people late at night was in her mind.
"Why aren't you going?" Malfoy asked coldly, choosing to ignore her last statement.
Ginny looked up at him, a look of seriousness on her face. "I was trying to avoid you", she answered truthfully. "But obviously that didn't work".
"Can't handle me can you?" He asked with a raised brow, looking smug.
Ginny wrinkled her nose at him. "I can and I have!" She informed him flatly. "But I'd rather not get detention again".
Malfoy gave her this disbelieving look and straightened his shoulders, as though suddenly having more pride.
Before Ginny could comment she slammed the last bit of her cookie into her mouth, she couldn't deal with him today. Not today…
They were silent for several minutes, Ginny began to sip at her hot chocolate again.
"Give me a cookie Weasley", Malfoy said suddenly beside her.
Ginny turned and stared at him, a look of disbelief on her face. Draco had a hand out and lifted a brow when she did not move, or make any indication that she would. Her mouth was slightly agape and her eyes wide.
"You offered me one, so give me one Weasley".
Ginny shrugged, still feeling thoroughly shocked, and took a cookie from the box beside her. She lifted it towards Draco and he took it quickly… His fingers however brushed against her own and a strange sensation went down Ginny's spine.
She wrenched her hand away quickly and Draco stared at her as though she were mad, a cookie in his hand.
"Hell Weasley, what's your problem?"
'What had that been?' Ginny wondered completely bewildered. She had never felt anything like that before, it had felt strange… but good. She shivered.
She turned her head just as Malfoy took a large bite out of the cookie. He didn't eat like Ron who slopped his food everywhere, or Harry who took small bites. He took large bites, but managed to look polite and well-mannered.
'Well at least his parents taught him one good thing, table manners', she thought.
He finished the cookie quickly and shrugged lightly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ginny demanded, feeling slightly edgy, not understanding what the strange sensation had been… or meant.
Malfoy turned his head and smirked at her. "What do you think it meant?" He asked.
"I don't know!" She snapped and jumped up gathering the package of cookies in her arms.
Malfoy grabbed her sharply by the wrist, and the strange sensation went through her entire body this time. Her eyes widened and she wrenched free.
"What the hell is with you?" Malfoy demanded, he obviously thought she was acting a bit mental. "You're acting even madder then you normally do Weasley, and that's saying something".
"Let's make a deal Malfoy!" Ginny snapped, her body shaking with confusion, fright, and anger. What was he pulling by making his touch make her feel so… different. "You stay away from me and I'll stay away from you! No more trying to get me to get my brother, Harry, or Hermione!"
With that Ginny turned on her heels and hurried out of the kitchen. She ran as fast as her short legs would take her to Gryffindor tower.
*** A/N That was chapter eight!!! Yes… well I figured I should put some of the tingling stuff in now. I was a bit mad about the part where they're in the kitchen and Malfou asks her what's wrong. I know he doesn't say it exactly nicely, but he still asks, and I didn't think that sounded very much like him… oh well… I hope you liked the chapter anyway!
I'm really sorry about not updating as often as I did before with this chapter. This week was so busy with school work and a lot of friends are having problems right now. Of course when I went to go and load this chapter it won't let me until Sunday, so I guess no one will be reading this until Monday. Ugh! Please please Read and Review! Thank you to all of you that already have! ^-^