-I Don't Own Harry Potter-
The title answers the question at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 12: Ginny Has Brothers, Nitwit
Draco sat at the Slytherin table, fuming. He could feel the scornful stares from his housemates. It almost made him wish that he hadn't gotten back at the stupid Weasley girl. Almost. He haarumphed into his poridge.
We. Ha. WE! HA! Him, work with HER? Not likely. But then that thing in the back of his head (Common sense or something as odd...) said, She's not stupid...She set that whole escapade up. It couldn't be that bad to work with her. Maybe she's thought of a way out of this.
Draco growled in response.
--------
However, a week passed and Draco still found himself at a stand-still. He stopped by Snape's office after Potions, on the pretext of needing help on an assignment.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Draco?"
"You know my -erm- assignment?" Draco looked at Snape in a way that he hoped communicated to the teacher he was not talking about a class assignment.
"Ah...yes, I believe I do. Why? Are you having trouble with it?" Snape's face showed that he understood what Draco was trying to tell him.
"A little. This paragraph right here is a little confusing to me." Draco pulled out his textbook and opened it, pointing to a page. However, the page wasn't a part of the book, it was a note to Snape he had written previously that explained his situation.
"Aaaah. Yes, well I see how that could cause a problem with your ability to do the assignment, however, this is a do-it-on-your-own assignment and I am unable to help you. My sincere apologies, Draco."
Draco's shoulders slumped. He had so hoped that Snape would be able to help him. "Yes, well, see you next Thursday, Professor."
"Goodbye, Draco."
--------
Draco was walking to the library to see if there were any books that could help him with his little problem. However, the fates seemed against him and he ran into the last person he wanted to see.
"Malfoy! What a -erm- pleasant surprise! Fancy seeing you here!" Ginny Weasley smiled sardonically up from a book. "What causes you to grace us poor deprived souls with your presence?"
"Weasley."
"Yes?"
"Bugger off."
The impertinent red head laughed and settled back in her chair and begun to read again. Draco humphed and headed for the nearest bookcase. After staring at books with titles like "How to Banish Unwanted Pests" or "Housekeeping: 101 Spells To Make It Go 10 Times Faster!" for about 10 minutes, Draco shook his head and stomped off to a more likely shelf.
He heard the Weasley girl chuckle, and he spun around. "What?" he asked irritably.
She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Are we insecure today? Hmm? I wasn't laughing at you. I am reading a book, you know."
Draco glared at her and turned on his heel to face the books. Damn it! Why was he acting the fool today? Angry and not thinking clearly, he randomly pulled a book off the shelf and sat down to read it. Flipping the book open, he stared at a detailed diagram of a disembowled creature. He grimaced and quickly closed the book.
This was hopeless. He wasn't going to find the answer in a book! "Gaaaar!" Oops. Did he say that out loud?
The stupid girl looked up again, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Need help with something, Malfoy?"
He sneered at her but she just shook her head at him. "Come now. You're not getting anywhere..." she lowered her voice, "And I don't want Lord V coming back either. Just think of it as an agreement to work towards a common goal. I'm not helping you, I'm helping ME."
Ah. That, he could understand. A common goal. Yes, very good way of putting it. "Alright. But on a couple conditions.
"Number one: You won't tell the 'Terrible Trio'," Draco sneered, "about this." She nodded.
"Two: This is MY project, and I don't have to follow anything you tell me to do. I might not think that it would help, and I will use my discretion on the matter." Draco missed the signs of feminine fury growing on Ginny's face, and continued.
"Three: You-" he was cut off.
"Let me guess, I have to follow all your directions. Right?" If Draco had known anything about females (his knowledge was limited to Pansy Parkinson and she just barely qualified) he would've taken the low, controled tone of voice, the slight shifting of jaw, and the steady stare as danger signs. But he continued on, oblivious to the roiling storm growing in Ginny's chocolate eyes.
"No no no, you don't understand, I talk, you listen."
Ginny stood up. "What? Would you care to repeat that?" For someone as short as she was, Draco thought, she could be pretty imposing. Her body was tensed with restrained fury, and her eyes snapped. She looked like a furious Roman goddess, Draco thought idly, and then gagged.
"I said, would you care to repeat that? You talk, I listen?" Rather than getting shrill and loud, Ginny's voice got lower, softer and was heavy with promised pain. "Don't you know anything, Malfoy? How many times must you be taught? You talk, I listen? No, now YOU listen to ME. I have an idea about how to get you out of this mess, but I am seriously considering not helping you, Voldemort or none. You are such an ass, Malfoy! By Merlin!"
"Weasley, every team needs a leader..." Draco tried speaking with athority. Ginny socked Draco in the jaw with the practice of someone who has done it before.
"Shut up. I don't have to take this. Why I even thought I could work with you, I don't know. Well you know what? You can find your own way out of this bloody mess. See if I care." Ginny turned on her heel and stormed out of the library.
Draco sat in the library with a stunned look on his face. This was beginning to become a pattern when Ginny Weasley was involved.
Where HAD she learned to punch like that?
The title answers the question at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 12: Ginny Has Brothers, Nitwit
Draco sat at the Slytherin table, fuming. He could feel the scornful stares from his housemates. It almost made him wish that he hadn't gotten back at the stupid Weasley girl. Almost. He haarumphed into his poridge.
We. Ha. WE! HA! Him, work with HER? Not likely. But then that thing in the back of his head (Common sense or something as odd...) said, She's not stupid...She set that whole escapade up. It couldn't be that bad to work with her. Maybe she's thought of a way out of this.
Draco growled in response.
--------
However, a week passed and Draco still found himself at a stand-still. He stopped by Snape's office after Potions, on the pretext of needing help on an assignment.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Draco?"
"You know my -erm- assignment?" Draco looked at Snape in a way that he hoped communicated to the teacher he was not talking about a class assignment.
"Ah...yes, I believe I do. Why? Are you having trouble with it?" Snape's face showed that he understood what Draco was trying to tell him.
"A little. This paragraph right here is a little confusing to me." Draco pulled out his textbook and opened it, pointing to a page. However, the page wasn't a part of the book, it was a note to Snape he had written previously that explained his situation.
"Aaaah. Yes, well I see how that could cause a problem with your ability to do the assignment, however, this is a do-it-on-your-own assignment and I am unable to help you. My sincere apologies, Draco."
Draco's shoulders slumped. He had so hoped that Snape would be able to help him. "Yes, well, see you next Thursday, Professor."
"Goodbye, Draco."
--------
Draco was walking to the library to see if there were any books that could help him with his little problem. However, the fates seemed against him and he ran into the last person he wanted to see.
"Malfoy! What a -erm- pleasant surprise! Fancy seeing you here!" Ginny Weasley smiled sardonically up from a book. "What causes you to grace us poor deprived souls with your presence?"
"Weasley."
"Yes?"
"Bugger off."
The impertinent red head laughed and settled back in her chair and begun to read again. Draco humphed and headed for the nearest bookcase. After staring at books with titles like "How to Banish Unwanted Pests" or "Housekeeping: 101 Spells To Make It Go 10 Times Faster!" for about 10 minutes, Draco shook his head and stomped off to a more likely shelf.
He heard the Weasley girl chuckle, and he spun around. "What?" he asked irritably.
She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Are we insecure today? Hmm? I wasn't laughing at you. I am reading a book, you know."
Draco glared at her and turned on his heel to face the books. Damn it! Why was he acting the fool today? Angry and not thinking clearly, he randomly pulled a book off the shelf and sat down to read it. Flipping the book open, he stared at a detailed diagram of a disembowled creature. He grimaced and quickly closed the book.
This was hopeless. He wasn't going to find the answer in a book! "Gaaaar!" Oops. Did he say that out loud?
The stupid girl looked up again, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Need help with something, Malfoy?"
He sneered at her but she just shook her head at him. "Come now. You're not getting anywhere..." she lowered her voice, "And I don't want Lord V coming back either. Just think of it as an agreement to work towards a common goal. I'm not helping you, I'm helping ME."
Ah. That, he could understand. A common goal. Yes, very good way of putting it. "Alright. But on a couple conditions.
"Number one: You won't tell the 'Terrible Trio'," Draco sneered, "about this." She nodded.
"Two: This is MY project, and I don't have to follow anything you tell me to do. I might not think that it would help, and I will use my discretion on the matter." Draco missed the signs of feminine fury growing on Ginny's face, and continued.
"Three: You-" he was cut off.
"Let me guess, I have to follow all your directions. Right?" If Draco had known anything about females (his knowledge was limited to Pansy Parkinson and she just barely qualified) he would've taken the low, controled tone of voice, the slight shifting of jaw, and the steady stare as danger signs. But he continued on, oblivious to the roiling storm growing in Ginny's chocolate eyes.
"No no no, you don't understand, I talk, you listen."
Ginny stood up. "What? Would you care to repeat that?" For someone as short as she was, Draco thought, she could be pretty imposing. Her body was tensed with restrained fury, and her eyes snapped. She looked like a furious Roman goddess, Draco thought idly, and then gagged.
"I said, would you care to repeat that? You talk, I listen?" Rather than getting shrill and loud, Ginny's voice got lower, softer and was heavy with promised pain. "Don't you know anything, Malfoy? How many times must you be taught? You talk, I listen? No, now YOU listen to ME. I have an idea about how to get you out of this mess, but I am seriously considering not helping you, Voldemort or none. You are such an ass, Malfoy! By Merlin!"
"Weasley, every team needs a leader..." Draco tried speaking with athority. Ginny socked Draco in the jaw with the practice of someone who has done it before.
"Shut up. I don't have to take this. Why I even thought I could work with you, I don't know. Well you know what? You can find your own way out of this bloody mess. See if I care." Ginny turned on her heel and stormed out of the library.
Draco sat in the library with a stunned look on his face. This was beginning to become a pattern when Ginny Weasley was involved.
Where HAD she learned to punch like that?