A/N: Here's chapter 4 for you!! I hope you like it just as much as the previous three, and I'm sorry for the time it took me to get it out!!

Disclaimer: Check chapter 1.

***

I stared into the mirror, as I put on a light pink lip-gloss.

"Ginny are you coming!?" Sharon screeched.

I slipped on the gloss and made a trail leading up to my eye. "Shit," I whispered quietly, turning on the tap in the bathroom of the girls' sixth year dormitory, and splashing my face. "No, I'll just head out on my own!"

"All right," She said. She opened the door and she and the rest of the girls in my dormitory filed out.

I dried my face with a towel and looked at my reflection. I re-applied my lip-gloss. I then took it off and it put it back on six more times before hurling it across the room.

I felt like I was trying too hard.

Well, I had a right to be. I was already late for dinner, where Malfoy and I were going to walk in together hand in hand. If it looked like I had tried too hard, then people were going to think I actually liked Malfoy. I sighed. Well, that's what I want them to think, isn't it?! I shook my head, walked across the room, picked up the gloss, applied it, and raced out the door before I could think twice about it.

It was just lip-gloss after all.

I sped down the stairs through the empty common room, and ran out the portrait hole slamming into something quite solid.

"Malfoy!" I gasped.

"Yes, it's Malfoy." He quirked an eyebrow.

"You're not supposed to know where the Gryffindor Tower entrance is!"

He smirked. "Slytherins know where every entrance to every tower is," He grinned smugly.

"That's frightening," I stated.

He shrugged. "So, ready to 'go public'?" He smirked.

I bit my lip. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Malfoy stared at me like I was crazy. "No, I'm not sure, Weasel! You're the one who's supposed to be sure! You blackmailed me into this!"

"Oh..." I said stupidly. "Right."

Malfoy gave a very exasperated sigh, and shook his head. "Well... are you, then?"

"I don't know."

"Why?"

I looked up at him. "You care?"

"Of course I don't," he snapped. "But if you're going to back out of this then you'd better do it now."

"I just don't know if Harry will... get jealous."

"So you're gonna wuss out?"

I stared at him. "No!"

"It sounds like it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but he cut me off.

"You know what I think Ginny?"

"What?"

"I think that you are scared." I once more tried to retort but was again cut off. "But you shouldn't be."

I laughed. "Why not?"

"Because of course Potter will be jealous."

"He will?"

Draco looked highly annoyed. "Malfoys don't lie."

I snorted, and covered my mouth with my hands desperately trying to stifle my giggles.

Malfoy sighed. "Well, okay, sometimes we do, but – Oh, shut up!"

I immediately stopped laughing, and looked up, but was surprised to see Malfoy grinning.

"But," he continued, regaining face. "I'm not now."

I nodded. "Shall we go then?"

"Yes, we shall," Malfoy mocked. He offered me his elbow.

I stared at him thinking 'what the hell', and I linked arms with him, as we headed down to the Great Hall.

And for some reason, just because Malfoy was there with me, I didn't feel quite so nervous anymore.

***

I stared into the Great Hall of all the merrily chatting kids and teens sitting at their respective tables. Had there always been this many people in the school?

Malfoy and I stood there, in the hallway, as though there was an invisible wall not allowing us to enter.

"You ready?"

I nodded, and took hold of Malfoy's hand, like we had planned. I began to walk forward but Malfoy stayed rooted to the spot. I started tugging, but he still wouldn't budge. I dropped his hand.

The better question was, was he ready?

"Draco!" I snapped.

He looked up at me. "Oh. Right. Come on then."

I rolled my eyes, and once more took hold of his hand. It was sort of warm, and comforting. I blinked as I realized what I was just thinking. Bloody hell, this was Malfoy! Pull it together, Ginny!

We both took a few steps forward, then I strengthened my resolve, and we entered the Great Hall.

I felt as though every head had swiveled in our direction. That wasn't entirely true. Only the Gryffindors and the Slytherins were staring. But it was enough to make me wish I could disapparate out of here. I swallowed, as I looked over at the Gryffindor table, and held on to Malfoy's hand a little more tightly.

Ron seemed to be having some sort of spluttering out-burst, only without speaking. It was as though words could not describe his anger. Although, colors seemed to be doing the job fine. He went from pale, to very pale, to red, to purple and right now he was settling on a nice blue-green sort of a shade. He looked a cross between wanting to throw up, and wanting to cross the Great Hall and beat Malfoy to a bloody pulp.

I mustered a smile at my fellow Gryffindors, trying to send them an apologetic look. I knew this was shameful to them. Hermione's mouth was dropped open, and she had this half harsh, half awed look on her face. It was as though she was frightened at the idea that I was with Malfoy, but amazed at my guts to walk through the Hall hand-in-hand with him in plain sight of everyone.

That makes two of us, then.

I then locked eyes with Harry. It was as though he was burning a hole in me with his gaze. Maybe Draco and I were still walking... I was no longer sure. In fact, I wasn't really sure of anything at that moment. The only thing that I was sure of was him. Because in that second, every feeling I ever felt for Harry came rushing back and I had never wanted someone to love me so badly in my entire life.

I wanted to be able to describe his face. I wanted to say that he killed Cho with his butter knife, stood up, punched Malfoy and then declared his love for me. I wouldn't have even minded to say that jealousy was evident all over his features. But there was nothing on his features. His eyes were questioning, and hard, his mouth was set; his face was impassive.

I averted my gaze, realizing that we had finally reached the Slytherin table. Our thirty-second walk seemed to have lasted an eternity. I struggled not to lose face in front of the Slytherins as I sat down. Pansy Parkinson was eyeing me with extreme dislike.

Crabbe and Goyle were staring at me hungrily. And no, not the passionate sort of hungry, the hungry that said they wanted to pound me to the ground and eat my corpse for dinner. "Is this allowed?" Goyle asked thickly.

Draco stared around at his fellow irritable Slytherins before making a loud declaration. "She's here because I invited her here, and that's all that needs to be said, and all that's going to be said so you treat her like you would treat me. With some respect." He stared at them all to say 'Or else you die' which I found quite amusing, considering half of the guys at this table could have taken Malfoy on any day they wanted too.

Still, they nodded grouchily, and went back to their meals. Crabbe and Goyle seemed dissatisfied with this response, and gave me one last look before turning away without another word.

I raised my eyebrows. Well, all hail Draco, King of the Slytherins.

***

"So, how did we do?" Malfoy asked me, as we walked to the Gryffindor portrait hole, sometime after dinner. We had hung around in the Great Hall for a bit, as to avoid the 'after-dinner' crowd.

"I think it went over well."

Draco smirked. "I thought your brother would have a heart attack."

I sighed. "I almost forgot that I have to deal with him."

He shrugged. "Ah... you can take him."

I laughed. "Well, I don't think he'll actually try to beat me up..."

"Ah... right." Malfoy nodded. "Well, in that case... I can take him."

I shook my head, but smiled.

"So, you think when you get inside Potter will throw himself at your feet and kiss the hem of your robes?"

I snorted. "I'm not some queen!"

Malfoy grinned. "Sure, not to me. But maybe to him..."

I laughed. "I don't think so."

"Well we all knew Potter was stupid."

I looked up at him; the strangest feeling taking over me as I wondered how there was this actually semi-sincere person hiding inside Malfoy's facade.

I stopped outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. "Thanks Malfoy."

"For what?"

"For... this whole acting thing with me. For pretending to be my boyfriend."

"I didn't really have a choice," He muttered.

I shook my head. "Sure, but it's more than that. Thanks for... being nice about it. And... well, for walking me up here. Like you... care, or something," I mumbled.

He stared at me. "You're weird, Weasley. Runs in the family."

I rolled my eyes. "See you at breakfast tomorrow."

"I can't wait," Malfoy said sarcastically. He turned away, and I watched him leave until I could no longer see his frame walking down the long deserted hallway.

"Puckish pixie," I said to the Fat Lady. I almost wanted to tell her that she could take her time in opening up for me. That I was in no hurry to get inside. That I wouldn't have minded if she never opened for me, and I had to stay out here in this hallway never having to face the people inside for the rest of my life. But I never got a chance, because she swung forward, and a pair of arms dragged me through.

I looked up at Ron's blazing eyes. "Don't say it," I whispered. His hands were holding onto my shoulders so tightly it was bruising. "Don't tell me that I'm stupid."

Ron took a few collective breaths. "He's trash, Ginny." I would have rather had him scream. Ron said it with such venom that it felt ten times worse than if he yelled so loud that it was piercing. He let go of my shoulders slowly, and I rolled them around to rid the pain.

I suddenly looked over his shoulder, and saw that Harry was standing not ten feet behind Ron, with his hands shoved in his pockets, and Hermione was sitting in front of the fireplace biting her lip, both wanting, and at the same time not wanting to get involved. "He is not," I said quietly.

Ron shook his head, and laughed sourly. "I'm not going to yell at you. I can't find good enough words to describe what you're doing, but you're making a mistake. I don't know what the hell you're thinking, but you should know that you're going to get hurt. He's a Malfoy. You don't belong with him."

A hot swoop of anger then flashed through me. "Oh yeah!? Then who do I belong with?"

Ron shook his head. "I don't – A Gryffindor! That's who! Maybe even a Ravenclaw... Hell, a Hufflepuff, even! But Ginny for Merlin's sake not him! Not a damned Slytherin!"

Well, Ron was yelling now, that was for sure. "You don't know him," I snapped. "The same way that you don't know me."

Ron sighed exasperatedly. "Not this again."

I felt like I had been slapped. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Nothing. Forget it, I'm going to bed," He turned around, and stalked off. "You – You go ahead and be with him, but when something happens, I won't be here for you to come crying too." He paused, halfway up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. "The time will come when you wished you had listened to me." He climbed the rest of the way up, and a door slammed in the distance. Hermione then got up and threw me a half exasperated half apologetic look, before chasing after Ron.

"Yeah, listen to this," I growled to myself, making a rude gesture with my hand up at the boys' seventh year dormitory. I whirled around, and found myself suddenly staring into emerald green eyes. I had forgotten he was standing there.

"Is he really your boyfriend then?"

The anger of my heated argument with Ron was now colliding with my sudden hatred for Harry. It was not a good mix. "What's it to you?" I spat.

Harry furrowed his eyebrows. "You know what it is. He's a Malfoy."

I laughed derisively. "Are you going to get on my case too, Harry? Say that you worry about me getting hurt--"

"Ginny--"

"--Because you obviously don't worry about my feelings, because the last time that we actually had a real conversation, you left me for that b--"

"Don't bring that into this," Harry cut in with burning eyes. "This is about you being with a Slytherin. With a Malfoy."

"Why do you care that I'm with him?" I yelled angrily.

Harry looked as though he were having an internal struggle with himself. "I don't," He managed through gritted teeth.

"Then stay out of it!" I snapped. I whirled around and sped up the stairs to the girls' dormitory, slamming the door behind me, not caring if I woke the other girls up. I sunk down to the floor, and put my head in my hands.

I was no longer certain if the whole plan was even worth it anymore.

***

A/N2: Well, there's chapter 4. Took me a bit longer to get out, I know. I'm sorry about that! I hope you liked it though! I had some trouble trying to get Ron's reaction right. I didn't want him to be way over-done, but of course he was going to be angry. Well, you can tell me your questions, comments, and concerns in a review!!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed Chapter 3...

HP Blonde Crazy Chick, StephanieCook (*blushes* Thanks!), kei-chan, Lorenzo (*lol* Yes, really only 13. I'll be 14 in about 2 weeks though! ;-)), Kristen Michelle (Thank you so much for helping me with this chapter! You... stop protesting, because without you this chapter wouldn't be here!!  Hehe), allieshee (G/D or G/H you ask? You'll see soon...), fredngeorgegirl, magicrulz718, Lucia Dreams (hehe maybe...), Kaeldra, odd-random-person0306, Lioness-07863, Shellyk (*lol* You're review made me laugh :-D), Eris Queen of the Shadows, goobersprinkle (I inspired you?! Awesome! *lol* I will definitely read and review that! Just keep reminding me, in case I forget :-P), KeeperOfTheMoon, Katrina (Many people are asking me that! You'll see!), AmaraDragon, Sauron, Walking Contradiction (Your reviews are always so nice and sweet! Thanks!), eclectus, Sandi, kat, hpdancer92, Jessika Organa Solo (Oh, thanks for informing me! I just learned the phenotypic genes control how you look, but that was 7th grade science, so I'm guessing my teacher didn't go into further detail. Sorry about that!!)

...You guys rock!!

Please review!! I'll try to get chapter 5 out quickly!