AN: not much to say, See the bottom of the page for a couple points of clarification in response to reviews. Forgive bad spelling, it's the charitable thing to do because I do try, but there's only so much one person can do in the ongoing fight against Voldemort, I mean typos^_^ oh, it's bit long, sorry.
Disclaimer: Do you honestly think I own these Characters?? I don't
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Draco sat ensconced near the hearth and held out saucer towards Ginny. "Weasley, you had better not have made me come down here for nothing. Now eat."
Ginny gave a mental sigh. I don't want milk you idiot. Give me real food! And technically, you don't eat milk. You drink it.
Of course, Draco couldn't hear her, but let it not be said Malfoy's were stupid. "I know what you want Weasley, food that you would eat." He leaned close to her as she sat on the table looking mournfully into the saucer of milk. "You're a kitten, kittens need milk. And as much as this world would benefit from one less Weasley to breed," his lip curled in disgust "I don't think I really want to kill you yet."
Ginny looked at him and glared balefully, the one human expression that cats could make, and then looked at the milk. This is so demeaning. She thought as she sneezed into the liquid, the white droplets coating her whiskers. I'll get you next time Malfoy. She thought angrily, unknowingly (mis)quoting an old muggle cartoon show.~
Harry watched as Ron paced. Hermione flipped yellowed pages in a musty book. Maybe I'll find another location spell, one that will work, she had said.
Ron was concentrating on who he was going to beat up when the missing girl was returned to them while Harry was doing what Harry did best, sitting there and randomly clutching at his scar.
"I've got it!" Hermione cried.
"Spill!" The boys cried excitedly.
"We'll go to Dumbledore." She said gravely. "He must know where we can find her."
"No Hermione." Harry answered solemnly. "Haven't you learned by now that we can't go to Dumbledore or the teachers? It's not in our contract. And it's distinctly against our self-imposed code of self-sufficiency."
Hermione deflated and her face fell. "Oh yeah."
Ron patted her awkwardly on the back. "Don't worry 'Mione, we'll keep thinking."
Unfortunately, the obvious was never so obvious to the three saviours of Hogwarts 6 times over, and the Marauders Map lay disregarded and forgotten in Harry's trunk. Poor idiots.
~
Hogsmeade was bustling and a few flakes of snow fell softly from the heavens. Ginny watched people from her vantage point of Blaise's shoulder. The Seventh Year Slytherins were making their way to the Three Broomsticks to warm up and drink some butterbeer. Ginny licked her fangs at the thought of butterbeer. Maybe they'd let her have some.
"Blast! Get that cat out of sight." Draco pulled Ginny, who meowed in protest, off of Blaise's shoulder but it was too late. The Dream Team had spotted the Slytherins and Ron and Harry were on their way over to ask Malfoy a few questions.
Draco quickly assumed a cool façade, his demeanour nonchalant as the two drew near.
Harry started, "Malfoy, we've got a couple – "
"What did you do to her?" Ron broke in angrily, his fist clenched at his side and face red.
Draco raised a pale eyebrow slowly in an expression of innocence mingled with curiosity. "Whatever do you mean Weasley? Done what to who?"
Ron ground his teeth and his face grew puce in shade. It set off his hair strikingly. No, really, it did.
Harry held out a restraining arm to Ron, much good it would do. "Malfoy, look. We know you had it out – "
"Don't' you mean in?" Draco asked with a smirk.
"Whatever. The point is, we know you were trying to get back at Ginny, so what did you do to her?"
"Ginny?" He looked questioningly at Blaise who shook his head in bafflement. It was an act of course.
Draco turned back to Harry, "Never heard of her."
Ron spluttered beside Harry in anger, any minute now he was going to start frothing at the mouth, Draco knew it.
Ginny mewed pitifully at the two Gryffindors and squirmed as Malfoy's grip around her middle tightened, cutting off her breath. Harry and Ron's eyes flickered to her briefly but then swung to Malfoy.
"As lovely as chatting with you is, Potter, I find I grow tired of this tedious conversation." Draco said with a smirk before beating a hasty retreat with his crowd of Slytherins.
~
Ginny listened to the laughter of the Slytherins around her with interest. Quidditch and school were the main topics of discussion. Mostly Quidditch though and Ginny wished she could add her two bits.
Wait a minute. I don't' want to talk to these people. No! They're Slytherins, and he turned me into a cat! Bad Ginny for thinking such a thought! Bad!
And yet her head cocked in interest as Malfoy lay out some new Quidditch strategies for Blaise and the other seventh year players around him.
They sound just like the Gryffindor boys. An idle thought flew into Ginny's head and then she scoffed. Yeah right, Ginny, just like Gryffindor boys, except for the pure evil part. Oh yeah, the pure evil part. Duh.
Draco's face was animated above her, a real grin making his grey eyes flash as blond hair fell into them. He flicked it out of the way with a long hand covered in calluses.
Where'd he get calluses? Malfoy works at something? Maybe he works at a pottery shop…Ginny's thoughts were growing non-sensical as her body began to grow tired. She could feel her muscles unconsciously relaxing and she sagged down.
She barely stirred when Malfoy scooped her up and placed her among the folds of his scarf on his lap.
Weird. Here I am, technically speaking, on Malfoy's lap, and I'm not even protesting. This cat thing must be affecting me more…
Ginny fell asleep, not even finishing her thought.
~
"We need a fourth Draco. This game doesn't work as well without a fourth."
"There's no one else around who knows how to play." Draco stated.
Blaise, Draco and Gregory Goyle were seated around a table set up in their dorm, trying to start a game of poker. Muggle poker. Ginny was sitting on the table watching them, idly cleaning a white paw. Suddenly Draco's eyes lit on Ginny with a suspicious gleam in them. Ginny looked up at him and immediately started backing away, her tail a stiff bottlebrush and her fur raised. She hissed and scrambled backwards, forgetting there was an edge to the table and fell with a soft thump to the floor. Malfoy quickly seized her and brought her up to eye level.
"You know how to play poker?" he asked with a hard squeeze. Ginny shook her head.
"Tell the truth now…" He squeezed harder, and harder. Ginny struggled for breath and mewed in pain, her eyes growing wide. Finally she nodded.
Blast you Charlie, that's the last time I let you teach me any muggle card games!
Draco grinned ferally. "Good. We need a fourth."
Um yes…well. As much as I'd really, really, really, like to play, somehow, I don't think my paws will hold the deck that well. Dumb ass.
Draco set her down on the bed and with a spoken command of "Don't move" backed away several feet. Withdrawing his wand he pointed it at her. Ginny jumped away but the bedspread tangled her clumsy paws and it was too late. Déjà vu.
"Ack!" Ginny coughed and struggled to breathe, eventually coughing up a tiny hairball.
"Eww…" She wrinkled her nose and looked at the saliva-covered fur in girly disgust. Suddenly she whipped her head up and looked at Draco Malfoy's smirking face. Her eyes narrowed and she untangled her legs from the mussed bedding, shakily standing to her feet and glaring at him.
Draco spoke first. "Ready to play poker?"
Ginny flushed in anger. "No Malfoy. I'm leaving." She started to the door of the dorm room.
"Weasley, are you stupid? If you go a step nearer that door, I'll hex you so fast and you'll be back to a kitten, you won't know what hit you."
Ginny turned and pushed a hand through her tangled red curls. She smoother down her sweats and tank top and walked back to the table, ignoring Malfoy.
"Right, so poker. Who's dealer?" She glanced questioningly at Blaise who sat in a rather Malfoy-esque pose, smirk and all.
Goyle gaped, his jaw flapping like a fish's as he stared at Ginny. "Draco…your cat…" he trailed off, his normal look of utter confusion on his face.
Draco made a noise of derision. "Honestly Goyle. Obviously she's not a cat."
A red flush lit across Ginny's cheekbones and nose, highlighting her few freckles with amazing clarity.
"I'll deal." Draco said as he lowered himself in the vacant seat beside Ginny and quickly shuffled the deck of cards.
~
Ginny gazed at her cards in seeming consternation. Very carefully she selected two cards with great deliberation and set them on the table. "Two."
"Could you go any slower?" Blaise asked her in irritation. Ginny simply glanced at him and shot him a withering stare.
The betting proceeded and then Draco then Blaise laid their hands down. Goyle was out, had been since before the first round of betting. It was never clear if he understood the concept of discarding correctly.
Ginny looked at the cards on the table, then looked at her own hand.
"Sometime tonight Weasley if you don't mind." Draco drawled as he waited.
Ginny kept her face very blank and laid her hand.
Blaise's jaw dropped, Goyle was…er…he didn't understand anyways, and Draco's face grew pale.
Ginny acted confused. "I've only played a couple times, is that good?" She asked sweetly and innocently, the paragon of childish ignorance.
"We've been swindled Malfoy." Blaise said chokingly.
Draco looked at the Royal Flush. "Inconceivable… " He muttered. "Actually, it is inconceivable. And Zabini, you're right; we have been swindled. You cheated Weasley." He accused.
"Now ferret, don't get your knickers in a twist." Ginny dropped the innocent face quickly and her amber eyes were amused.
Draco's jaw visibly clenched.
"What do you reckon Zabini? How'd she do it?"
"No wand, so no magic. Well I'm stumped."
"And here I thought Slytherins were supposed to be deviously sly." Ginny taunted. She was obviously in her element and enjoying it. "Honestly though, would you believe me if I told you that I didn't cheat?"
Draco leaned close. "No." he breathed and Ginny's stomach jumped suddenly before she regained be in command of her body.
"Well I didn't." Ginny said firmly.
"Prove it." Blaise added quickly.
Ginny chewed her lip in consternation. "I can't prove it."
Draco's eyes suddenly glinted and his face lit up. "I've got it. Here's what we'll do weasel. We'll play strip poker. And if your luck holds, we'll know you were cheating and back to a kitten you shall go for a much longer while."
Ginny furrowed her brows. What was he trying to pull?
He continued. "And if your luck does not hold, we'll know you weren't cheating and you'll get to finish playing with us."
Ginny looked at him dryly. "There's no difference between the outcomes Malfoy."
He grinned wolfishly. "No there's not, is there?"
Blaise laughed. "Nicely done Malfoy."
Ginny looked at him swiftly. "Another thing, why is it that all Slytherins call each other by their last names?"
Blaise looked at her. "You call Malfoy, Malfoy."
"Yes but only if I don't use Ferret. And besides, we have a history of animosity, which immediately allows for last name basis. You do not."
Blaise shrugged. "Speaking of paradoxes, here's one for you, Is Nothing, Nothing, or is it something?"
Ginny furrowed her brows before she grinned in comprehension. "Oh I get it. 'Nothing' is a noun; therefore it's 'some-thing'. But if you have 'nothing', you don't own anything, which means you can't have something. But how can that be if Nothing is a noun?" She laughed a little.
Draco ground his teeth a bit. "Wow. As much as I'm fascinated by this…the game everyone." He brought their attention back to the table.
~
Ginny gulped and laid her five cards on the table.
The boys her grinned while Goyle slobbered. Ginny gulped once more and her eyes flew around the table. Ginny gulped once more and her eyes flew around the table. "You're not really going to make me are you?" she pleaded a little.
Draco smirked. "You want to be a kitten again, then no, of course not." He drew out his wand and started twirling like a pen. Not a quill, those are rather difficult to twirl, but yes a pen.
Ginny's eyes flashed. "You know, when I tell my brother what you did to me, he's going to hex you so badly…" She trailed off.
Her nostrils flared and Draco's eyebrows rose. "Well? Take something off."
"You know if you keep moving your eyebrows like that, one day they'll freeze like that and your mother will never love you again." She spat at him.
"Stop stalling."
"I've decided, please turn me back into a cat." She crossed her arms and waited. "I didn't want to play anyways."
Draco looked at her. Stupid Gryffindor, foiling his plans. Now what could he do, short of killing her of course.
He looked at her with hooded eyes and drawled slowly, "As I recall it, you didn't have a choice in the matter now did you."
Ginny scowled. "Oh bugger off." She said quietly. "Haven't you done enough."
She whispered this so quietly Draco wasn't' even sure if he heard it.
Blaise stood up suddenly. "Well that's it. I'm finished with poker. Heading to the common room now." He glanced at the comatose form of Goyle briefly. "I suppose I'll take Goyle with me."
Ginny watched the retreating form of Blaise with something akin to panic in her eyes. Gulping suddenly she turned wide eyes to Draco who was sitting relaxed in his chair, shuffling a deck of cards skilfully. He was leaned back but he looked coiled, ready to spring on her at any moment.
"Well Weasley it's just you and me." His tone was snide as he flicked up hard eyes at her.
"Look Malfoy," Ginny glanced around and stood up. She wasn't comfortable sitting in such close proximity to him – it was doing funny things to her stomach. "If I just say I'm really, really sorry I even sacked you and promise never to get in your way again, or tell my brother's what you did to me to exact revenge, will you let me go?"
Draco cocked his head as if considering it before a predatory smile sprang up on his face and in one smooth motion he rose from the table as well. "No."
Ginny backed away as one of Draco's long strides brought him nearer. "No?" She questioned, her eyes darting around futilely.
"A most definite no. I rather like besting your brother and Potter for once."
"You're evil."
"Thank you." He smirked at her.
She narrowed her eyes in exasperation, recovering some of her poise. "Only a Death Eater like you would ever take something like that as a compliment."
If Ginny thought Draco's face before was mean and hard, she was entirely unprepared for the look of pure rage that swept across his features. If she thought he was scary before, she now revoked and revised that opinion.
She emitted a small 'eep' as suddenly Draco lunged at her in anger and tackled her to a bed behind her.
His nostrils were flared and his eyes snapping and flashing in pure unadultered anger. She squirmed beneath him, but his grip was strong on her arms and she couldn't escape.
"I've had enough of those types of comments Weasley. From you, from Potter, from Granger and the rest of the whole bloody Gryffindor house. Let's get one thing straight shall we, I'm am not a Death Eater."
Ginny shook and her face was pale. "P-Prove it." She stammered out defiantly.
Malfoy looked a bit stumped, unfortunately. "Can't."
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Then I guess you can't really complain if I don't believe you."
"Look Weasley, just because someone has the dark mark, doesn't necessarily mean they are a Death Eater."
Ginny looked at him blankly. "Right. And next thing you know, the Weasley's will be next to the Malfoy's on the social ladder."
Malfoy looked at her blankly. "Did you just insult your own family?
Ginny looked panicked. "Erm…no."
"Right. Excuse me if I don't believe you."
"Will you let me go if I do?"
"Which brings me to an excellent point, we've been sidetracked." He shook a finger in her face and Ginny tried to shrink away. In a flash his face had regained all the anger it had lost during the sidetracked-ness and Ginny's regained it's terror.
"Weasley, I've had it with you."
"Then the question of the day would be, why are you insisting on having me around?" Ginny raised her eyebrows.
"A good point, one I intend to remedy." He shot back quickly, but his mind was spinning.
Draco's hand suddenly had his wand in it, but his face was cruelly contemplative. Ginny watched the impassive face of Malfoy in a bit of awe. Obviously he was thinking through something. But other than the occasional twitch of his lips, his face remained utterly unreadable.
Ginny began to squirm again and to her surprise, Malfoy retreated. Ginny sat up slowly and stepped off the bed, her knees cracking, as her joints were wont to do. "Malfoy – "
Draco raised a hand imperiously and cut her off. "Shut up Weasley." His brows furrowed imperceptibly and his wand was still pointed at her, laxly though now. "I've decided, you may go. If you swear to never tell anyone about this."
Ginny nodded quickly, eagerly and tousled red hair fell into her face. "Deal Malfoy." She made to walk out the door.
"Weasley, not so fast." Malfoy's voice brought her back sharply. "First we sign, a written contract, and then you must wait until the Slytherins are in bed like good little students. It won't do for you to be seen walking around our common room now would it?"
Ginny flushed furiously as she considered the unmistakeable logic of his reasoning. "Fine." She stomped back to the table and sat down in a chair defiantly.
Malfoy drew a paper onto the table and in a deep, green ink started writing, in an elegant cursive script, the beginnings of a contract. Finishing the last sentence with a flourish, he pushed the paper and quill towards Ginny.
Ginny picked up the smooth piece of parchment and commenced to read. She took her time and some of his.
"Weasley," Draco drawled after an interminably long time "Are you naturally slow, or is it something you cultivated?"
"Malfoy, do shut up." Ginny didn't look.
"Your eyes have been on the same line for the past three minutes. Haven't moved. Thinking about Potter?" He smirked lightly.
Ginny folded the paper and turned to face him. "Why must everyone throw that stupid infatuation I had when I was a little girl in my face? He really is an insufferable git you know, as I'm sure, all too well."
Malfoy's eyes were a little shocked before he recovered his composure. "Blast, now I have something in common with a Weasley."
Ginny shot him a look of disgust as she deliberately turned away and then with an almost hesitant movement, signed her soul away to the devil right on the dotted line. Or rather she signed the contract of her assured silence willingly, albeit under duress.
Once she finished Draco almost snatched the paper from her fingertips.
"Possessive a bit are we?" She asked smoothly. "So now what?"
"Now," He tapped his long fingers on the desk, "We ignore each other. Preferably."
"Ah. How creative."
"Funny, I could've sworn I basically told you to stop talking."
"Funny," Ginny responded in like "I could've sworn that I don't care."
"Well bully for you." Draco rolled his eyes in a distinctly juvenile way.
Ginny leaned forward in a conspiratorial manner and her eyes twinkled with a mischievous light; she knew she was treading on dangerous ground but what was living without risks…right. "You know, you're not as evil as you like to think you are."
Draco's jaw clenched and suddenly his long fingered hand was grasping Ginny's jaw. "Now Weasley, you've once again incurred my wrath."
His smile reminded Ginny of a cat about to pounce and she licked her lips a bit in nervousness, at the same time she was noticing how strong and cool his hands felt on her face.
No Ginny! Bad Ginny! Bad thought Ginny! NO, NO, NO, NO!! Ginny's mind screamed at her in vehement denial.
"You know Weasley, you're not half as repulsive as I could've sworn you were."
Ginny managed to wrench her head out of his grasp. "Stop you charmer, you." Her tone was dry and her eyes flashed as her hand moved to slap him.
Draco caught Ginny's wrist and flexed his fingers tightly. Ginny couldn't help the grimace of pain that flashed across her face. "Bad idea Weasley."
Suddenly Draco's arm was firmly snaked around her waist, one arm still trapped in his and the other trapped between them, and his face was drawing closer. "You know, Ginny," Ginny's eyes flashed dangerously at the use of her first name "I've suddenly figured out how we can spend our time until you can leave."
"Don't' you even think – "
Draco's mouth had closed over hers in a violent kiss and she suddenly found herself snogging one of the most eligible seventh years in school. She found herself ruthlessly shutting up the voices in her head, that quite rightly told her stop, and going against everything in her nature, and kissing him violently back.
Molly Weasley woke up in a start, Oh Dear god, my baby is making out a boy, I know it! Now there's mother-radar for you.
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AN: A) Yes, in case you didn't notice, Blaise Zabini is a guy in here.
Before you get your panties in a twist, lets remember that this fanFICTION. Key
word was capitalized. They are my puppets, and I can do what I want with them,
so next week, I'm turning Malfoy into a girl. No JUST KIDDING! But hopefully
you see my point. I am the master puppeteer, mwahahahahahahahahahahaha. Oh dear
it's late.
B) I raise the same point in response to the problem of teachers having alarms
for Transfigurations. And another point is that if they did have alarms, can
you imagine the racket that would be going on during the times when students
are doing Transfiguration homework??
Other than that, I have nothing to say.
Click the button down there, review, tell me your thoughts. I appreciate it. It
makes me feel like I'm not a JUST computer nerd who sits and write pointless
stories that don't' have a chance of ever being published because they're
pieces of Fanfiction. It eases the pain somewhat ^_^
