~*~
Two Months Later
Ginny had kept herself to herself since it had happened. The swelling on her
cheek had died down now, but the cut on her face was deep, and had just started
to form a scar. She'd used a range of imaginative excuses to explain it, and
told her mother that she had ripped her robes on a tree when she owled home
asking for a good sewing spell. Even Fred and George had noticed the change in
Ginny's mood, constantly bombarding her with jokes in an attempt to make her
laugh.
Mealtimes were always the worst. Although she now sat with her back to the
Slytherin table, she could always feel him watching her. Should their eyes
would unexpectantly meet he would give her a disgustingly smug look, causing
her to blush to the roots of her hair.
Harry had confronted her a number of times about that night. Each time she had
refused to tell him anything, saying she had just had an argument with someone.
He gave her a very bemused look when he overheard her telling Ron and Hermione
that her cut cheek was due to a Potions experiment that had gone wrong, but
Ginny could rest easy in the knowledge that Harry wouldn't say anything to
anybody.
One morning, just before Herbology was due to start, Ginny was trailing behind
Ron, Hermione and Harry, who were all off to Care of Magical Creatures, when
Draco sidled up to her, a look of pure poison on his face. Ginny's entire body
tensed, she kept her head down, focused on the dewy grass beneath her.
"It's been a while, Virginia..." he drawled. "How have you
been?"
Ginny was furious. How dare he come and speak to her after what he did.
"Get away from me," she hissed angrily, still refusing to look up.
"That's not what you said last time," he continued, raising his voice
slightly. "You seemed more than happy for my...company, shall we
say?"
Tears of humiliation stung in Ginny's eyes.
"What's going on?" Ron snarled, his eyes fixated on Draco, realising
there was something going on. The trio plus Ginny stopped dead in their tracks.
They'd had enough experience with Draco in their time to know that he was bad
news. Ginny felt a rush of love and gratitude towards her brother, and
instinctively moved closer to him.
"I was just enquiring about the welfare of your sister, Weasley,"
said Draco innocently, shrugging. "Haven't spoken to her in a while,
that's all. It seems a shame to loose all contact with someone you were once
so, uh, close with." He grinned nastily. Ron paused.
"What the hell are you talking about?" spat Harry viciously. An angry
fire glinted in his eyes, and Ginny watched his fists clench.
"Hasn't Virginia told you about it?" Draco raised his eyebrows and
laughed. "It was quite a night. Little fireball, that one...didn't you
know?"
He walked off without a backward glance. Ginny wanted the ground to open up and
swallow her. She felt embarrassed, humiliated, and disgraced. She looked up
slowly, not sure what to say.
"Ginny." Ron swallowed hard. "What was that all about?"
"I - I - don't know," Ginny stammered. "You know Malfoy, always
making up all kinds of rubbish." She had to laugh at how unconvincing she
sounded.
"What did he mean, you were once close to him?" Hermione asked,
wearing a puzzled expression.
"I told you, Hermione," Ginny repeated. "I said he made it
up." Her voice sounded less shaky this time. "I need to get to
lesson."
She took once glance at Harry's face. He looked like something awful had just
dawned on him. It occurred to her that it probably had. Ginny turned on her
heal and half ran to Greenhouse Four.
She didn't pay much attention that lesson, letting Colin bear most of the
workload. Instead, she replayed what had just happened over and over again in
her head, refusing to believe that Harry had figured it out. She hoped and
prayed that nothing more would be said on the matter, that she would just be
able to keep her shameful secret to herself.