Disclaimer: I own neither Draco Malfoy, nor Ginny Weasley. They, as well as all other magical lingo, are owned by JK Rowling.
This story is written to be a Draco/Ginny romance.
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Chapter 4 – To Be Ignored
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What a jerk! She could hardly believe that she'd been close to talking to him a few days earlier. She smacked her Charms textbook to her forehead, earning a glare from Hermione. She whispered an apology, and picked up her quill, pretending to think.
She'd waited outside the locker room, hidden in shadow, waiting for him. It wasn't long until she realized his mates were all gone, yet he was still in the air. She'd watched him, for how long she did not know, but she knew one thing. The boy had grace. If only he could learn to keep his big mouth shut!
Her gaze fell to the floor, where her books were piled haphazardly next to the table. She sighed. She'd owled home about her bookbag, but she didn't know when her mum would be able to send her a replacement. She's probably digging up one of Charlie's old ones from the attic, she thought bitterly.
But what upset her most was the fact that when her bag had broken, nobody stopped to help her. Not Ron, nor Harry. Not even Hermione. She'd simply been left behind, as the three marched off to dinner. Completely ignoring her.
And who should happen to walk past? Malfoy. The git! He wasn't even going to look at her, let alone help her.
But, she reminded herself, he did…sort of. And she couldn't forget the strange look on his face.
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She couldn't catch his eye. She spent the entire meal staring straight at him, her spoon missing her mouth several times duly. Not one glance. He was completely engaged in conversation with his housemates. The girls laughing, the boys howling, and Draco smirking.
She blinked. Malfoy smirking. What did I say? She wasn't able to contemplate that much longer –
"Shh, Ron, not so loud!"
Hermione's loud whisper instantly drew her attention, but not her eyes' focus, to the three Gryffindors huddled in conversation next to her. Ron, Hermione, and Harry.
"I just mean, 'Mione, that Harry needs to talk to Dumbledore as soon as possible! I mean, this sort of thing can't be good!"
Harry looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening in. He apparently didn't notice the trance Ginny seemed to be in, watching Malfoy closely, and listening to them intently. Ignoring her, he went back to the others, adding one thing.
"We'll discuss this later. And if I can help it, I don't want to get Dumbledore involved just yet."
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Weeks passed by, and Ginny decided to refresh her look. Perhaps a haircut? During lunch one Saturday, she'd ventured a try with a pair of scissors in Myrtle's bathroom. She cut long strands of her lank hair, watching them fall in the sink in front of her. She wanted it to be dramatic. She cut her long, red hair, until it was a shoulder-length bob. She spent hours looking at herself in the small scratched mirror. The cut wasn't perfect, not straight or even, but it looked wonderful! She could help but smile.
Back in the common room, after dinner, she smiled broadly at her brother. It felt a bit painful; her face unused to the gesture. His eyebrows rose and looked at her curiously, as though she were ready for a trip to St. Mungo's. She nodded her head, flipping her newly cut hair about, hoping he'd comment on it.
"What's gotten into you, Gin?"
She sighed and walked away, back up to her bedroom to look at herself in the mirror again. She thought it was noticeable. But nobody really seemed to notice. Not even Ron. She frowned.
She entered her room, and looked hopefully around at the two roommates in the room. They were flipping through Witch Weekly. They murmured a greeting to her, before getting excited over an article featuring latest hairstyles.
Ginny sighed and collapsed on her bed.
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The Sunday following her haircut, Ginny spent in the library, where many students bustled about, trying to finish up their assignments. She was tapping her fingers on the table, ignoring whatever book was laid out in front of her. Her eyes stared off at the bookshelf across from her.
"Bloody hell!"
She turned her head at the sound of the breathy curse. There stood Malfoy, staring at her. His undivided attention. His eyes grazing her hair, looking closely at her face. His arm was raised, reaching for a book on a shelf, but frozen midway. Unveiled, unabashed, completely lost, attention. She glared back at him, wondering what he was on about.
Why all the attention all of the sudden? Didn't want to even glance at her for the past few weeks. And for some reason, that made her feel more lonely than she already had.
She snorted and turned her eyes to her book. It was a few moments before she saw him move out of the corner of her eye. He heaved a sigh and surprised her by sitting across from her.
Swallowing hard, she dared a look up at his face. He was sitting in wide-eyed wonderment, still openly staring at her, not just her hair, but her face, her neck, her hands. She felt herself blush furiously.
"What - What do you want, Malfoy?"
Without saying a word, his face transformed into a well-practiced smirk. He rose gracefully out of the chair and stepped back toward the bookshelf, only shaking his head.
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In a matter of days, people slowly started to register the fact that the Weasley girl's hair was, indeed, different, somehow. She smiled painfully at them, admitting she had cut it. She thought back to the stare she'd earned from Malfoy when he first caught sight of her hair.
Seriously, she didn't think it was that bad. What did he know anyway? About girl's hairstyles?
She sighed, sitting in her Transfiguration class, waiting for it to end. She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her silky hair, coming up short. It wasn't that bad, was it? Somehow, all the hollow compliments she received didn't matter much, didn't boost her self-esteem.
Though the stares she'd received from Draco Malfoy over the past days were something entirely different. Those stares made her want to raise her eyebrow and smirk at him. Those stares made her want to wink back at him. Those stares made her want to cut her hair every-damn-day. Those stares. Made her want to stare straight back.
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"Well, Weasley, what in Merlin's name have you done to your hair?"
She looked over her shoulder, seeing Malfoy approaching her. She turned back to the lake, keeping her gaze trained on the setting sun.
"Leave me alone."
But he didn't. Instead, he joined her, sitting beside her on the grass, looking rather uncomfortable. Not used to sitting on the ground, she supposed. He wrapped his arms around his knees, staring into the sunset.
Her attention was now trained on his shiny, black shoes. Malfoy. She looked to his black, school-robes. Malfoy. Crisp white-button-up, Slytherin green tie, thick gray sweater. Malfoy. His silver blond hair reflected the reds and oranges of the sunset. His eyes the color of a stormy sky.
He tilted his head, gazing at her. A smirk slowly formed on his face. Malfoy. Everything about him – was Malfoy.
"What do you want, Malfoy?"
He didn't reply, instead he locked eyes with her, blinking several times against the lake breeze. He let his gaze slowly wander over her face, her lips, her nose, her neck, her hair, his own smirking mask slipping into something – different. Something very much un-Malfoy-like.
And when he looked at her, she felt special. That gaze spoke to her of longing. Of feeling. Of worship. She shook herself, reminding herself who he was. And who she was.
Unable to look him directly in the eyes, she focused on her hands, lying in her lap. He didn't say a word, still staring. A cool breeze swept over them, right up off the lake. She hooked her hair behind her ears, and made to stand up, half expecting him to stop her. He didn't. He didn't stop her when she stood, not when she brushed herself off, not when she put her shoes back on – not even when she walked away.
Hanging her head, she walked away – back to the castle, back to the Gryffindor tower. Back to being just Ginny Weasley, plain and simple Ginny Weasley.
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.: Author's Notes :.
Sorry my update has taken forever!! Please forgive me. I was up late and felt inspired to write this. Not sure if it fits the mood of the story. I can't help but get all dramatic and angsty! Sorry! Then again – most HP relationships, to me, at least, seem like they are full of angst and drama: like Draco/Ginny, Harry/Ginny, Ron/Hermione. Maybe even James/Lily – though I see their relationship being a lot more fun-loving and goofy. Sad, really. Anyway, I hope you liked this! I know most people understand what it means to get a haircut and have nobody notice! Sucks! So Ginny went for something new and different, what does Draco think? By that last bit, I imagine he's thinking a lot of things! We'll see exactly what in the next chapter. Stick around – might be up soonish – like 4/22 or 4/23.
Thanks for reading – Please review! I'd really appreciate it! Might even encourage me to write more sooner!