Chapter 9

Something passed between them over the next few hours on that journey, something silent, unspoken, but there just the same. A sort of, mutual understanding, or a truce, if you will.

Ginny was the first to speak. "Charlie said it was very "helpful" of you to find a way out so that I could stretch my legs."

Draco looked up, an eyebrow raised at her rather lame attempt at conversation. But Ginny knew that he was just as bored as she was. What else did he have to do?

"I'll bet he did," Draco muttered, crossing his arms and going back to glaring out the window, a pastime he'd kept up rather well for the last half-hour.

"He said we'd better be careful up in those mountains."

Ginny switched tactics, and felt a brief surge of triumph when a flicker of interest showed on Draco's face.

"Oh really? Why?"

"Well, he wasn't really sure of all the details-"

"Just tell me," Draco interrupted impatiently. Why did she always like to drag things out.

"-but it seems that there is some kind of dragon that's been migrating that way. I forget what he called it," Ginny continued as if he hadn't said a word.

"You would," Draco goaded her. Oops, there went that promise to himself to be really charming…Then again, they hadn't actually reached the mountains yet, had they?

Ginny responded with silence, until Draco couldn't stand it and gave in. "Okay, okay, so what's so dangerous about this dragon?"

Ginny turned her eyes back to him, incredulous. "I'm sorry, I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you just ask what was so dangerous about a dragon?"

"Yeah, that would be the question," he said smugly.

Ginny looked at him as if he'd lost his mind. "Well, besides the fact that it's a dragon, I guess it would be dangerous for…nothing!"

"Good, then we've nothing to worry about." Draco said dryly, actually managing to hold that cool, carefree expression for about two seconds. Then he snorted with laughter at the unbelieving expression she wore, unable to contain himself, and Ginny felt her face turning red.

Stupid prat! she thought viciously as she started to reach for her wand, determined to wipe that smile right off his face.

But then she remembered: Draco didn't have a wand to fight back with. And she'd been the one who broke it. Not liking to have an unfair advantage, she dropped her hand hastily.

Draco pretended not to notice. She was lucky he hadn't ripped her to shreds earlier on the spot.

So there they were, one glaring, the other ignoring the glare, when McGonagall opened the door again. "Have you-no, I see you haven't." She started to back out, closing the door behind her again, but Ginny and Draco both pounced on her.

"No wait!"

"We've apologized!"

"Honestly!" Ginny crossed her fingers on that one.

McGonagall stopped, looking back at them warily. "You've both apologized to each other?"

Ginny and Draco darted a quick glance at each other. "Yes!" they chorused, both willing to do anything so long as they didn't have to be stuck together by themselves again. It was bitterly unproductive punishment, as McGonagall would have known if she'd only been there. They just couldn't stop arguing. One minute they'd be talking like old friends, the next they were back to dueling with words.

Luckily for them, McGonagall didn't know.

And it was with great relief on both parts that they were given their seats back in the larger compartment and the Transfiguration Professor returned almost thankfully to her own room.

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It was dark by the time they arrived in the mountains.

The moon was just coming up over the horizon, and the stars were beginning to twinkle in the dark sky. It was beautiful.

Unfortunately, the students didn't have very much time to admire it. As soon as they set foot on the ground there was a mad scramble to find everyone's trunks and belongings, and Professor McGonagall had her hands full sorting it all out.

Only two people stood away from the chaos, both on opposite sides of the little clearing they had come to rest in, and both pointedly ignoring the other.

Draco Malfoy glanced up at the night sky, arms crossed in his usual stance of distant coolness. His three trunks were already placed beside him (he'd been one of the first out of the carriage, and apparently, the only one with enough brains to- okay, okay, so he'd pushed everyone out of the way to get to his own stuff first. Big deal.)

Now though, as he sat there waiting for the rest of the students to gather their own things, he couldn't help casting the occasional glance towards the only other student who was standing out of the fray.

Ginny was standing there, looking up at the stars too, but unlike Draco, she was actually admiring it. There were so many stars, it was incredible. Even back home the sky had never looked like this. She was liking the mountains already.

A cool voice brought her back down to earth, and she realized with a start that Draco had snuck up behind her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked casually, as though they were perfect strangers who had just met each other. Not opponents, not competitors, and certainly not enemies. It was strangely unnerving.

But Ginny was prepared for his sudden personality change (hadn't he been doing the same thing all day?), so it was fairly easy to ignore him and turn away.

Or it would have been, if only he hadn't looked at her like that. Ginny found that she couldn't pull her eyes away, it was like being hypnotized.

Then Draco blinked, and Ginny pulled herself back together. Embarrassed, she felt her face flame. She'd been goggling at him, right there in front of everyone.

"Sod off, Malfoy." This time, she did turn around.

But Draco wasn't ready to call it quits just yet. Slowly, quietly, he walked forward, until Ginny heard his voice right beside her. His breath lingered gently on her ear, making her hair flutter as in a soft breeze.

"I don't think either of us really wants that," he hinted suggestively, and Ginny felt her pulse speed up by what seemed like a thousand thousand times.

What was the slimy git playing at? One moment they were yelling at each other and he was smirking that horrible smirk of his, the next he was, for all appearances, trying to seduce her! What kind of game was he playing?

Wait! An idea had suddenly hit her, and she felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. A game. Draco was playing a game with her. It was the only thing that explained his strange behavior. Yes, that had to be it. He was trying to..to make her like him, then he was going to break her heart.

Ginny wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. After all, it was quite obvious that Draco was a player when you thought about it. He had all the attributes and gave all the indications.

Well, she wasn't going to be taken in as easily as he thought. She wasn't a fool. And here, now, away from most of her other friends and family, Ginny felt a sense of daring, of adventure, that she found she'd often been lacking.

Draco wanted to play? That was fine with her, he'd made the perfect choice; two could play that game.

Ginny turned to face him, a smile spreading across her pale features.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind you staying," she lied coyly, glancing over his shoulder back towards the carriage to see if they'd been observed yet. "But I bet she would."

Draco spun around.

The "she" Ginny had been referring to had been Pansy.

Draco groaned, then scowled fiercely. He'd finally been getting somewhere with Gin-that Weasley brat! Actually, he wasn't sure where exactly it was he was getting, but that smile she gave him had definitely read "SOMEWHERE".

He just wished he knew why.

Pansy caught up with him then, a bright, annoyingly cheerful smile on her face.

"We're finally here!" she squealed excitedly, her shrill voice sounding harsh and grating in the silence of the night. "Who were you talking to anyway?" she asked curiously, peering over his shoulder.

"Oh, just-" Draco began convincingly as he moved to look to. Already he was planning a way to explain Ginny's presence. But she wasn't there anymore. "no-one," he finished lamely.

Somehow, Ginny must have managed to slip away. He allowed himself a small, fleeting smile before turning back to Pansy. Good girl.

Pansy accepted Draco's explanation, though she still didn't look entirely convinced. Draco couldn't blame her really, but he tried to take her mind off it. What went on between him and Ginny was their business, and he'd be damned if anyone else was going to find out about it.

"Come on, let's go see what McGonagall wants us to do with our stuff."

A/N: Yet another chapter finished, and a longer one too. What's the deal with Ginny's sudden change in attitude and what unlikely events will it bring about? Find out in the next chapter.

Thanks again to those of you who reviewed:

Hostile Pan Twirler- You know, I hadn't thought of that, but it was kind of nice of him to tell her. And a laxitive? That's a good one! I've never heard it phrased so…er… elegantly either, lol.

Marybecca- *giggles too* Yes he did!

Pokey2- I know, I love to put them in strange predicaments that are somehow funny. Then I make them glare at each other. Oh no, better run, I think they are trying to give you a death glare. Wait, now they're turning it on me!

Harmonia1- Thank you.

Aidenfire- Oh, you'll love what qualifies as "charming". I guarantee it!

Forbidden- Yeah, I know what you mean. I like typing really long chapters too, sometimes, but after wrestling for months with the at least-ten-page-long-chapters in The Soul Keeper, I needed something a bit lighter and easier.

Kneh13- Good, it's decided then. Draco has mood swings. It must be those raging teenage hormones, lol.

tRuTh- I'm glad you liked them. And of course I'll email you, I did, didn't I? *grins*