A/N: Alrighty, here's what happened. Ginny is a very naughty girl. I started off with this set in Harry's fifth year but Ginny was not acting like a fourteen-year-old. I threatened her with all kinds of things, but she knows she's one of my favourite characters and so she got her way. As I result, I changed it so that Harry and co. are in their seventh year and Ginny is in her sixth. I think I've changed everything but I might have missed some references to the wrong grade. If you find anything I missed please let me know so I can change it. Thanks to Courtney for Beta-ing this for me and to Faith for nagging me to get it done. Here it is sweetie; told you it was on its way!
"You didn't tell him who your friends are?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"Well what was I supposed to say? That my two best friends are in Slytherin?"
"We-ell…"
"Harry isn't exactly open-minded when it comes to people in Slytherin. According to him they're all evil. If I tell him who my friends are, he'll be gone in a matter of seconds. I thought you wanted me to tutor him. I don't like lying, but I'm doing this as a favour for you. I don't really care if Boy Wonder fails, except it will make me look bad as a tutor. But there are plenty of Ravenclaw girls who'd jump at the chance to spend some time alone with the Boy Who Lived. I'm lying to my friends too. Maybe you should ask Mandy…"
"Lisa, I asked you for a reason. Just tell Harry to butt-out if he's asking about your friends. He's seeing you to study, not socialize."
Lisa looked scandalized. "But that would be rude!"
"Honestly Lisa, your best friend is Draco Malfoy and you can't even tell somebody to butt-out?"
"I can tell him, I just don't want to tell him. He'll think I'm rude."
"First of all, no he won't, he'll think you're normal. Second, it doesn't matter what he thinks of you! He's just Harry!"
"Oh that's a good line. It's just Harry Potter. Honestly Hermione-"
"Honestly Lisa…"
Both girls grinned. At that moment Professor Vector arrived and both girls hastily turned their attentions to Arithmancy.
* * * *
Draco Malfoy stared at Blaise Zabini in amazement. "What did you just say?"
Blaise rolled her eyes. "Do you really need me to repeat it?"
"Yes."
"As you wish. I think Lisa has a boyfriend."
"Lisa."
"Yes."
"Our Lisa."
"Yes."
"Lisa Turpin of Ravenclaw."
"Yes Draco! Yes!" Blaise shrieked as Lisa rounded a stack of books and headed towards the two Slytherins.
"Couldn't you guys find somewhere other than the library to do that?" Lisa asked, a smile playing on her lips. "After all, the noise is meant to be kept to a bare minimum in here…"
Draco smirked at Lisa's remark, causing Blaise to flush and stammer.
"Oh Draco, I've been meaning to ask you…have you finished that Transfiguration paper yet? It's due in two days and last I saw you only had one line. And I believe that line was 'Harry Potter is a stupid git,' which, by the by, won't earn you any points with McGonagall."
"Do we have to talk about homework?" Draco complained.
"You happen to have a lot to thank homework for."
"Is there a fairyland where that's even possible? Because I'm thinking even fairies probably hate homework."
"Well, there's the fact that if it wasn't for homework you never would have met me for starters. And if that isn't enough for you, how about the fact that it's because of homework you aren't evil?" she asked, leaning forward and brushing his left forearm lightly. There were only three people in the world who could get away with that. One was his mother. One was Blaise. And the third was Lisa. And Lisa was, at that moment, very glad of the fact, though she'd prefer it if he weren't glaring at her like that. It made her really uncomfortable. Lisa wondered for a fleeting moment if Draco knew just how scary he could look, then decided quickly that he did. He had probably cultivated that look in the mirror. Lisa then wondered what else he did in front of the mirror.
Draco frowned. "Lisa, it isn't like you to throw books around. Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Lisa said hurriedly. "I was just thinking how lucky we are that just because our names mean something they don't affect who we are. I mean, think about it. Your name is Draco Malfoy. That means you're a dragon with bad faith. And Blaise would be a male who stuttered and…well, I haven't found much out about Zabini yet, but I'll keep you posted. As for me, I'd be the 'oath of god' who shared her surname with an infamous Muggle criminal, or it could be that it's a useful anagram for turnip, I haven't found that one out yet, but if it's the thief thing at least one good thing will have come out of it because I'd get to be in Slytherin with my friends and what was I talking about again?"
"Lisa. I honestly have no idea."
"Oh good, that makes two of us then."
"Three," Blaise piped up from behind her Witch Weekly. When Lisa started to rant, which admittedly she didn't do very often, it was usually a good idea to have a distraction at hand.
"Um. Make that four," a tentative voice offered as a face popped out from behind a stack of books. "I honestly couldn't help overhearing." There was no apology in her tone; she was simply stating a fact. "But…aren't you Lisa? The Lisa-"
"Ginny!" Lisa exclaimed suddenly, leaping to her feet. Ginny had left the shelter of the books and was looking far less tentative than before. In fact, she was looking downright frightening. She was staring at Draco with a look of utter loathing on her face. Lisa quickly maneuvered herself between them, her eyes searching Ginny's face imploringly.
"I completely forgot that Professor Snape asked me to meet you here for tutoring," Lisa forged on recklessly, her eyes locked with Ginny's, almost pleading.
"Uh, yeah. Sorry, I think I'm early. Should I come back later?" There was a slight hint of warning to her tone, indicating she should not come back later, but be addressed, as an issue, right now. Draco, Blaise and Lisa each privately thought that if they had to choose between Ginny and Voldemort for a blazing row and possibly death, they'd each invite Voldemort in and give him a foil (Draco), a wand (Blaise) or an anvil (Lisa, who had a rather fond love of Muggle cartoons).
"No! No, that's fine. Umm, we'll just go over to the other side of the library." Lisa smiled at Ginny, waved rather nervously at her friends, and led the red-haired time bomb over into another corner.
"Okay, the first thing you should know is that Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini are my best friends. The second thing you should know is that Hermione knows and has known since before she asked me to tutor Harry. The third thing you should know is that my friends don't know I'm tutoring Harry, and Harry doesn't know I'm friends with them and I'd really like it to stay that way. Should I stop making excuses now and listen to what you have to say?"
Ginny nodded, her face unreadable. "When I first saw you with them I froze. I thought it was an evil plot or something and that you were in on it. And then I listened and watched you and saw that it wasn't a plotting session, it was three friends talking amicably. Which I admit frightened me on some level because one of them was Draco Malfoy and no, I'm sorry, I hear that name and I still think Dragon with Bad Faith. But you're right. Draco may be nasty, but he's not evil. I heard that too. And I'll tell you what, I'm glad he's not a Death Eater in training, it's cuts another person off my list of people who want to hurt Harry."
"Ginny…" Don't ask! Don't ask! "Do you love Harry?" Where the hell did that come from?
Ginny stared at and Lisa actually thought flames would consume her at any moment. Then Ginny laughed.
"That is the last thing I expected you to ask me. Yes, I love Harry. But not the way I used to. I used to be an infatuated child. Now I'm more grown up and the fact that I saw him wear a pink shirt with orange stripes really helped me decide how stupid I was…and forget I ever mentioned that shirt. There were death threats then, which I am now passing on to you." And Ginny did, and Lisa was shocked at the imagery created by this sweet-faced girl. Okay, this sweet faced girl who sometimes managed to make Draco Malfoy look frightened. "Now, back on topic. I'm not doing this because I feel I am the best bodyguard Harry Potter will ever get."
You are, Lisa thought, and was immediately glad she hadn't spoken aloud. She was relatively sure the essence of Ginny's ability to frighten people who didn't think they knew what fear was had something to do with the fact that she had no idea just how frightening she looked.
"I'm doing this because Ron will only accuse two people, Snape and Malfoy, and Hermione will only accuse things that have actually pointed a wand at him and chanted the killing curse. Something to do with the difference between intent and deed but I think it got lost in the translation. I'm the odd musketeer. I'm the one they don't know they have. Besides, I always wanted to be a detective. Especially one who wore a trench coat. And I can think of a number of people who would claim to be clients just so they could find out if I only wore a trench coat."
Lisa felt her jaw drop open in surprise and almost thought she heard the thud of it hitting the floor. Was this sweet little Ginny Weasley standing here talking to her?
"Anyway," Ginny said, abruptly changing the subject. "I came to talk to you about art. Harry thought it might be something we had in common. For some reason he thought you didn't have any friends."
"I do." Suddenly Lisa was struck by an inspiring thought. (A/n: No, it doesn't have the same effect as a lightning bolt.) "Why don't you come and meet them?" It only occurred to Lisa as she led Ginny over to Draco and Blaise that her inspiring thought might not have been very wise. She seemed to be doing a lot of that lately. Not a good sign for a Ravenclaw.
"Now I know you each other, but I doubt formal introductions have ever been made. Draco, this is Virginia Weasley. Ginny, this is Draco Malfoy. Blaise, Ginny. Ginny, Blaise Zabini."
Ginny nodded in Draco's general direction then smiled at Blaise, almost shyly. "I've always wondered…"
Big Uh-Oh. Very Big Uh-oh.
"…How you came to be called Blaise?"
"Well, how did you come to be called Virginia?" Blaise returned, in an attempt to turn the tables on the Gryffindor. But Ginny didn't seem at all surprised by the reaction. Instead she grinned, almost wickedly, and Lisa realized she had never thought of Ginny Weasley as somebody who was able to grin wickedly. After all, she was a Gryffindor. It seemed the same thoughts were occurring to Draco and Blaise too, because they looked very much like they were trying not to look confused or surprised or both.
"Not a wise choice in name, I'm afraid." Lisa was sure she heard a snort and it hadn't come from Ginny, Blaise or herself. "But it was the name of my great-grandmother. Is that how you came by your name?"
This Gryffindor did not act like a Gryffindor.
"Actually, it isn't a family name. My parents heard the name Blaise not long after I was born, thought it was beautiful and decided on it immediately. They filled in the birth certificate, sent out letters to the entire family…and somebody wrote back asking if they had been mistaken in assuming that I was a baby girl. However, my parents don't like to admit to mistakes, even blindingly obvious ones, so they decided I should remain Blaise. And that is the reason many students think I am actually a transvestite who performs on the weekends under the stage name of Chloe. Of course, it was by the combined efforts of Draco and Lisa that that rumour was both started and quashed."
"I actually hadn't heard the one about the transvestite, but can you really…perhaps now isn't the best time," Ginny finished hastily. She looked suddenly and very sharply at Draco Malfoy. "Alright, why haven't you insulted me yet?"
Draco grinned. "You think my life revolves around tormenting people? Well, you'd be right. However, there are a few people in the world I wouldn't hurt and Lisa happens to be one of them. She introduced you, therefore she must see you as an ally or…dare I say it…friend. Even if you do have a crush on my mortal enemy."
Ginny grinned. "Hate to disappoint you on both counts Malfoy, but firstly, I don't have a crush on Harry. It has something to do with a shirt but that will never again be mentioned. There's no point having a crush on him anyway, he's infatuated with-" Ginny broke off and glared at a smirking Malfoy, while trying not to grin herself. Not only had she walked right into that one but she'd actually been the one to lay that one and to point herself firmly down the path. "The second thing I'm going to disappoint you on is that you aren't Harry's mortal enemy because he already has one and you just can't have two mortal enemies. So you'll have to choose between Ron, Hermione or myself instead. I'll certainly be a lot more fun though, because I'll actually try to think up cunning comebacks instead of calling you a slimy git, a ferret or slapping you."
"Okay, I'm actually going to do something I've never done before," Blaise declared. "I'm going to go to Professor Dumbledore's office, and then I'll ask nicely for the Sorting Hat, then I'll threaten to donate it to the poor if it doesn't give me a good reason why it Sorted Ginny into Gryffindor instead of Slytherin."
"Oh you can't do that," Ginny broke in, looking very disturbed. "Even the poor deserve a better looking hat than that!"
There was a moment of silence as the trio tried to work out whether Ginny had insulted herself or the Sorting Hat. Should they laugh or offer her money? What did you do with a poor person if you didn't insult them?
"If one of you doesn't make a noise or a movement soon I'm going to have to go and ask Harry to fight off another basilisk."
She couldn't help glancing at Malfoy as she said this but he showed no visible reaction. Lisa on the other hand did. Her eyes widened slightly and she forced herself not to glance back at the door. "Speak of the devil…" she muttered as lightly as she could. She looked at Ginny in a very 'We have to get the hell out here!' kind of way.
"Oh no!" Ginny's hand flew to her mouth in an almost silent gasp. They weren't very visible from here, but attracting too much noise could cause a problem.
"If Harry tells Ron he saw me talking to Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini, without any physical violence, there will probably be a Weasley Row. Of course I always win those because I'm the girl and they think it's my prerogative…" Ginny's mouth twitched into a smile. "Which it is. In any case, I have to vamoose. Very urgently if I actually just said the word vamoose. Lisa, I still need help on that Potions assignment…come with me?"
"Of course!" she exclaimed, acting like she was the one doing Ginny a favour. She picked up her books, jammed them into her bag and the two girls darted behind a side stack of books and hurried away. "Sometimes I wish I was a Slytherin. Maybe then I wouldn't mind lying."
* * * *
"I'm very confused," Draco commented as he watched Lisa and Ginny scurry away. "And I don't like being confused."
"Well which part are you confused about?" Blaise asked wearily. "The part where a Gryffindor gets along with two Slytherins, who get along with her too? The fact that said Gryffindor could very easily pass for a Slytherin? The fact that Lisa seemed very nervous from the moment Ginny showed up to the moment they scampered off? Or that fact that one of them said something that nearly made you trip over as you went to get a book? And then one of them said something that made you drop that book on the way back?"
Draco looked at her coldly. It definitely wasn't his coldest look, but anybody who was less used to it might have reached for a cloak. "I did not trip. I never trip. I faltered. And I did not drop a book. I do not drop books. Somebody else dropped the book."
"I saw you. I saw open your mouth in shock and drop the book. Then you picked up the book and came back here. What did they say?"
"Nothing. Well, a lot apparently, but I didn't hear anything. And I didn't drop the book."
"Draco, I have known you all my life. I have known Lisa all my life. I know something is wrong with Lisa, I know it has something to do with a boy, and I know she occasionally pictures you naked."
"What?"
"Just thought I'd make sure you were listening," Blaise lied, crossing Draco off her list. "But, I also know when something is wrong with you. And from the moment Ginny Weasley turned up you have been very confused. And most of that confusion has something to do with the fact that she didn't try to kill you. Don't know why you're so surprised. She never attacks first. And don't worry, I don't tell Lisa about you picturing her naked."
"Well that's comforting. It's not like I picture her naked on purpose anyway. But don't you ever tell her that it's part of my nightmare."
"Draco, you are the only seventeen year old male who would have nightmares about every girl in the grade running after you naked."
"I wouldn't be if anybody else ever pictured Millicent Bulstrode naked."
Blaise shuddered. She never asked if she was in Draco's dreams, she was pretty sure she was, but he never mentioned her either. Some things were just better left unsaid. She only wished Draco had thought of that before mentioning Millicent Bulstrode naked.
* * * *
Lisa was writing in her diary, updating it with the events of the day when suddenly something occurred to her. Ginny had been looking like she could have burned Draco on the end of a pitchfork when she first came out from behind the stacks. And she rather looked like she would have if she'd been given the chance. Then Lisa had interrupted, dragging her away, begging her not to spill her secrets before spilling them all out to her. And Ginny had known. She'd been listening almost the entire time. She already knew he wasn't evil. So why was she looking at him with such a fierce hatred? And why did that disappear as soon as they'd begun to talk?
Meanwhile, Draco was also pondering the affairs of the day (Hell, that sounded like a trashy romance novel). He'd lied to Blaise – of course he had. No Malfoy would admit to stumbling or to dropping a book, especially over something he overhead. What a lousy spy he'd make. Luckily he'd been able to drive Blaise away by mentioning Millicent Bulstrode naked. Although perhaps not so luckily as it also made him sick to the stomach and he'd had to make a hasty trip to the bathroom, just in case. He'd never admit it to Blaise, and especially not to Lisa, but he had actually heard something that had almost made him fall over.
He'd heard a hushed conversation at first, but nothing coherent. Then, at the exact moment when he was probably in the best position for hearing, Ginny decided to say, quite clearly, "But you're right. Draco may be nasty, but he's not evil." The nasty but apparently non-evil Draco almost fell over in shock. He wasn't sure which shocked him more. The thought that Lisa might have called him nasty behind his back instead of to his face, or the fact that Ginny Weasley didn't think he was evil. Of course he was evil. He was the epitome of evil. He was evil down to his stylishly pointed, Italian leather and incredibly expensive boots! He just wasn't a Death Eater. Which seemed to be the same thing to Ginny.
And, as if that wasn't enough, on his way back to Blaise after having collected his book he'd had to hear Ginny say, "Besides, I always wanted to be a detective. Especially one who wore a trench coat. And I can think of a number of people who would claim to be clients just so they could find out if I only wore a trench coat." Draco had dropped a book. Luckily, Lisa and Ginny hadn't noticed him but Blaise certainly had. But Ginny Weasley! The good little Gryffindor! How could she be thinking of herself wearing only a trench coat? Only bad girls did that! And Ginny was most definitely not a bad girl. Oh, and who could forget her mentioning that Virginia wasn't a very appropriate name. Draco had almost choked in surprise. And then there was the other thing. The thing that had festered in his mind since Ginny Weasley had turned up.
The loathing in her face had chilled him to the very core of his being. But then she'd discovered that he wasn't evil and she came back and everything was different. She hadn't loathed him, she'd enjoyed nettling him and enjoyed being nettled and had even made a joke about them being mortal enemies. She'd made it sound like a game. And then he'd realized. To him it had been a game. It had been a game he had started because Potter didn't want to be his friend. Hating Potter, complaining about Potter, getting Potter into grief…It was all a game. And meanwhile, Potter had had a real mortal enemy. As in one that Literally Wants To Kill You. And Ginny had dropped the hint. Perhaps that was why she'd been friendly. That must have been why she'd pretended to stop loathing him. It had to be to help Potter.
Ginny paced. She was very good at pacing. She had always been good at pacing. It was her thing. Unfortunately, it annoyed the hell out her dorm-mates, who had practically kicked her out of the room and had told her to pace somewhere else. So Ginny paced somewhere else. Until she'd annoyed the few late night companions in the Common Room. And again she had been evicted. After being evicted 12 times (even Moaning Myrtle evicted her!) Ginny finally went somewhere she knew she'd be able to pace in peace. Unfortunately it was very cold on the Quidditch Pitch.
The fact that it was 1 o'clock in the morning probably didn't help. But at least now that she was pacing in peace she'd be able to think. She'd overhead Blaise Zabini and Draco Malfoy act like normal people. That was incredibly weird in itself, but then she'd heard Lisa saying that Malfoy wasn't evil. And she'd touched his arm, where the Dark Mark would be if he had it. At that moment Ginny had known that Malfoy wasn't a Death Eater. He might be nasty but he wasn't evil. But when she'd made her presence known she'd seen his eyes and she'd hated him. With all her being, she'd hated him. Because he looked like Lucius Malfoy, who had handed her life to Tom Riddle on a platter. Worse still, he'd provided the means that had controlled her, which had coerced her into killing roosters and attacking students.
Then Lisa had distracted her and she'd calmed down again. She'd managed to remain calm while Lisa introduced her to Malfoy and Blaise properly too, and throughout a small conversation with Blaise. Then she'd rounded on Malfoy, infuriated that he hadn't said anything. She wanted to him to say something that would liken him to his father so that she wouldn't feel bad about hating him, but he hadn't. He'd teased her, but pleasantly for once, and only after she'd been rude to him. Then she'd begun to enjoy the banter and then Harry had had to walk in. She'd always assumed that Malfoy had known about the diary and about Tom, but she'd mentioned the basilisk and he hadn't reacted. Of course, he could just be an incredibly good actor, but Ginny doubted it. But the thing that Ginny still couldn't get her head around was that she'd enjoyed spending time with two Slytherins. And that one of them had been Draco Malfoy.
