AN: do you see how short this is? Life has been crazy busy. Let me elaborate though I'm sure you don't care that much. I'm a lifeguard, and finishing up yet ANOTHER course so I can actually work for Leisure Aquatics according to their training. So my weekends have been full. I just got my drivers license and spent my weeknights driving for practice, and I just had ankle surgery. Did I mention I'm in school???? I'm very sorry for the lack of length, lack of recognizable plot, and lack of spell checking. Consider this an interlude for more exciting (and longer) things to come. Hopefully a conclusion soon *winks* ^_^
Well, happy reading.
Disclaimer: Not mine *points to JK Rowling* It's hers. Well the characters at least.
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Second class of the first day with Malfoy. Life couldn't get any worse. Scratch that, it would and Ginny knew it. How many more hours were there until the day was over and she could retreat to her room?
Draco's face was in a permanent scowl, red spots on his cheeks in a state of heightened anger. Ginny was shrinking into her worn cloak as much as possible, attempting to be invisible to avoid the snickers, the jibes, the glares and the taunting.
Her brother was mad at her too; he had sneered at her and even refusing to meet her gaze in classes. Ginny was attending all classes with Draco. It had been decided what with the testing, it would be better for Draco if he wasn't taken out of his classes, and it certainly couldn't harm a bright student like Virginia Weasley to be advanced, no matter how temporarily, a year.
Ginny laid her head on her arms and hid from the cruel world as Draco sat stiffly, staring with intensity at the notes, beside her. She hated him, what had she been thinking letting him kiss her?! Stupid, stupid, stupid. And now there were rumours, bad ones, worse ones, and ones that would have besmirched her reputation, had she one worth besmirching. As it was, Draco was doing much worse than she on the besmirching front and in that Ginny took some small consolation.
Transfiguration was over. Two down…how many more to go? Ginny groaned.
Draco paced his side of the room agitatedly. He could hear the faint movements of Weasley stirring in her sleep from beyond the partition; she was groaning a little bit and tossing about fitfully. Nightmare probably. He smirked to himself and began tapping the fingers of one hand repeatedly against his other, behind his back. Not for any reason, he was irritated, annoyed, bored and couldn't get to sleep.
"That's the last time I drink three cups of coffee while studying…no more…I need sleep. I may be terrified of becoming an insomniac…" He cocked his head curiously, pausing mid pace before continuing.
Hi grey and green tie was loose around his collar and the cuffs of his white sleeves were rolled up. In his sock feet and with now floppy hair, without his cement-like gel, he was the epitome of relaxation. Except for the pacing…
"Why am I pacing? Why am I talking to myself? No more coffee, ever." Draco shook off the effects of the beloved beverage and threw himself into his chair, staring with intense fascination at his capable hands, noting the calluses coating the pads of his fingers. "Dad shouldn't see those…" He muttered to himself, his forehead puckering in thought.
He dimmed his light as he suddenly caught the scuffing of feet from outside the hospitable wing. Accompanying whispers floated in as the door creaked open and he grinned in fiendish delight. The three musketeers had come to play. He stood silently, glad he had turned out the light as the students crept in stealthily.
"Why are we doing this again?"
"We need to get some incriminating evidence against Malfoy. I know he was behind Ginny's disappearance."
"Geez, boys." Came Hermione's exasperated whisper. "Ron, we went over this before we left the common room. Didn't you pay any attention to us?"
"I was," Malfoy heard knuckles cracking and he winced at the image of an angry Ron Weasley "too busy beating that mannequin of Draco that Seamus transfigured for us…" His speech had deteriorated into a bestial growl.
Draco winced but continued listening. The boy wonder spoke up, his nasal-voice as always the embodiment of good sense.
"Well since this is the only time we'll be able to speak to Ginny without the interference of Malfoy, shouldn't we at least make sure he's really asleep, before we wake Ginny up needlessly?"
Ron heaved an exasperated sigh. "I tell you, he's to vain to give up his beauty sleep…" He threw back the curtain to Draco's side of the room, flinching as he caught sight of the very angry, very pale face of one caffeinated Draco Malfoy.
"Should've listened to Scar Face, Weasel." He hissed in anger. "And now that your plans have been foiled once more, I suggest you get out" he hissed "before I do something rash." His face was cold in rage. "Again."
Ron's face contorted. "So you did do something to Ginny!" He accused, his blue eyes sparking in anger.
"Wouldn't you like to know." He smirked knowingly and shut his mouth, pale brows lowering over glinting grey eyes.
Ron simmered angrily, his hands clenching and unclenching. "Ron, it's not worth it! We'll get caught if you fight now!" Hermione tugged at his arm and Harry nodded as he glared at Draco from flashing green eyes.
Ron growled but allowed for himself to be pulled away and towards the door. "This isn't over Malfoy."
Malfoy just smirked at them as they left. Turning he heard a muffled sound from Ginny's bed. He whirled and saw he quietly laughing, tears streaming form her eyes.
"What's so funny Weasley?" He spat out.
Ginny sat up and wiped away the signs of mirth. "Do you realize that this animosity between you and those three is hilarious? It's just like watching some muggle movie!"
Draco's face darkened. "I wouldn't' know. He turned abruptly and made to close the partition on the sounds of her quieting laughter. He stopped and turned. "Were you awake the whole time?"
Ginny smirked in a distinctly un-Gryffindor-ish manner. "Of course."
He nodded. "Couldn't sleep?" he questioned.
"Truthfully, yes." Ginny conceded.
"Me either." Draco's face grew thoughtful. "Weasley, are you any good at Chess?"
Ginny looked at him confused before responding. "Why? Do you want to play?"
Draco grew exasperated. "Never mind. Go back to bed." He made to turn once again.
"No wait, I know how to play chess, I'll play with you." Ginny said with a laugh. "No need to get so offended."
Draco rolled his eyes.
"Oh that was mature."
"Do you want to play chess or not?"
"Fine. I'll stop." Ginny grabbed a blanket off the foot of her bed and yelped quietly as she set her bare feet on the cold stone floor.
Draco pulled out a chess set from his trunk and looked around for a spot to set it up. Ginny pointed to their two chairs, and with her wand transfigured a small chess table from a piece of thick parchment.
Draco drew his own chair close and sat down while Ginny followed and curled up in the second one. She wrapped her blanket securely around herself as Draco set up the chessboard, the black and white pieces yawning as they settled into position.
Ginny blinked a couple times. She was white. First move. Her mind shut down and conversation, well the conversation that there may have been if it wasn't Draco Malfoy sitting across from her, stopped.
Draco could feel a slow grin growing on his face and he quickly schooled his features. He had been holding back to gauge her ability and completely underestimated the littlest Weasley. So apparently she was more than just a pretty face, she was an excellent strategist too. Draco hadn't played against some one this good since, well since the last time he played his father. Draco subconsciously relaxed, dropping the façade of cool impassivity he normally held.
Ginny flicked her eyes up to Draco's face quickly. He looked totally different. He didn't look like he was sucking on something sour; instead he looked…pleasant. Dear God, hell has frozen over! She smirked to herself. Well what did you expect Ginny, that he's an arse all the time? She paused.
The answer was undeniably yes. He was an arse all the time. Even his own house of Slytherins attested to that! He was the king of arse-ness. And speaking of kings, perhaps you'd better watch yours Ginny, you're two moves away from being in checkmate if you don't concentrate!
Three long games later, Ginny dozed off to sleep and Draco, lacking the ambition and motivation to move to his bed, fell asleep in his chair as well.
Day broke and Draco cracked an eye open slowly. He could see a red haze through the sleep blurring his eyesight. Slowly he realized that was the sun lighting on Weasley's hair. Blindingly bright hair. Stupid redheads. He snarled inwardly. He was not a morning person after being up to the wee small hours. Who was except for freaks and sanity-deprived people?
He hated mornings and he was tired, and he didn't think Dumbledore and Snape had found a solution to his problem of being bound to Weasley yet.
"If you frown like that for long enough, eventually your face will freeze that way. Of course, since it is an improvement…" Ginny's sleepy voice trailed off, she was obviously awake.
"Shut it Weasley." He growled at her and with rapid movements suddenly left his chair and stalked to the nearby, adjoining washroom.
Ginny smirked to herself as she watched his angry form stalk away. Oh nice plan Ginny, hack off Malfoy so you can have a very, very, very bad day as opposed to a very bad day.
She stretched and yawned, her blanket falling down around her. She was very stiff from her night in the chair. No matter how comfortable chairs could be for sitting in, they never seemed to be comfortable for sleeping in.
She mentally prepared herself for another day of Malfoy's cold silence, cutting remarks or, dare she think it, exciting snogs. She blushed deeply. After all, who wouldn't?
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AN2: Reviews make me happy, when I'm happy I write. Constructive reviews (anything but spelling and typos please) make me especially thrilled especially if they are about inconsistencies of plot.
~It's "keep the writer happy week"~
