Chapter 14

Ginny stared, open mouthed.

"Make-make him jealous?" she asked apprehensively.

"Exactly." Ally looked her up and down, calculating. "Now, you've already got a figure that could make any guy go hot, so you don't have to worry about that. What you do need, however-" she jumped up from the bed and began pacing the room, a look of deep concentration on her face,"-is a new wardrobe, and something for that hair of yours."

Ginny fiddled with her hair indignantly. "What's wrong with it?"

Ally looked chagrined. "Well, nothing's wrong with it exactly, but…It's just that you always keep it pinned up, where no one can really see it. Why don't you just let it down for once?"

Ginny looked doubtful. "Do you really think it will help?"

"I know it will," Ally responded confidently.

Still, Ginny hesitated.

"Look, Ginny, do you want the boy to notice you or not? I mean, in the right way."

Ginny sighed inwardly. Ally would be saying that if she'd seen the way Draco had kissed her that morning. He'd definitely noticed her then.

But, she reminded herself, it obviously wasn't enough.

That had been more for punishment. No, if she really wanted him to like her, she was going to have to go to extremes. And Ally was very, very, good at extreme.

"All right," she decided, pulling the pony-tail holder out of her hair and letting it fall down around her. "Let's do it."

Ally grinned. "That's my girl!"

***********************

Draco pulled open his door a few hours later, hair still slightly damp from the shower he'd taken and his clothes clinging to him attractively. Perfect.

He was going to sweep her off her feet.

He headed down the stairs and towards the common room below, knowing that was where everyone else was likely to be. Too bad that everyone included everyone. Like Pansy Parkinson.

The girl was sure to get in the way, but- Well, he'd just have to get around her somehow. He would find a way.

He entered the room confidently, feeling much better now that he had a definite goal in mind. He had started out on this trip with a little game of seduction in mind, but now he realized that that was not the way to capture Ginny Weasley.

To capture that girl, you had to get to her heart. And to get to her heart, you had to be able to talk to her without starting World War III.

It would take some effort, but Draco was prepared for that.

Now, if he could just find that girl!

His eyes scanned the room, but didn't see her. Wait. Was that-no way!

But it was. Sitting on a little couch in the corner of the room, laughing and smiling provocatively was Ginny Weasley.

Her long, shining red hair cascaded over her shoulders and down her back in rippling waves, and that outfit…Draco thought he would choke. She had traded in her robe for a strapless red tank top that showed off her abs, and a pair of tight fitting hip-huggers that showed her off perfectly.

She was also surrounded by all three of the other boys on the trip. Neville even seemed to be drooling slightly.

Draco felt a fierce, fiery anger rising inside of him. The way those boys were looking at her…

Where was McGonagall? Why didn't she stop this?

But the Professor had suddenly vanished, it seemed.

Well, Draco couldn't just stand there and watch them goggle at his her like idiots.

Eyes off!

Without another thought, he stormed across the room, right towards where the group was clustered. He almost made it too, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Oh there you are, Draco. I was beginning to wonder what had become of you. Why don't you come on over here and sit with me," Pansy simpered.

It was the last thing Draco wanted to do.

He looked over towards where Ginny was sitting, and found that she was watching him.

Her eyes held something…indefinable. Was it triumph? Or something else?

She turned away then, and seemed to laugh even more loudly at something the Hufflepuff boy said, placing a hand on his leg as she did so.

What was she up to? Something wasn't quite right here. She wasn't just flirting outrageously for no reason, she wasn't like that. No, there was something more…

Their gazes met, and Draco thought he saw something like hope flicker in her eyes. Something was definitely going on here.

But he couldn't just go up and demand to talk to her, that wouldn't help his cause any if he embarrassed her like that, and it certainly wouldn't help his reputation if he couldn't resist telling those other boys off while he was at it.

So he would have to draw her out, and make her come to him.

"Sure," he told Pansy, taking her arm and leading her to the other side of the room. "Sure."

They walked away then, but the whole while Draco felt her eyes on his back, following him.

Just what kind of game was Ginny playing now?

************************

The next day, Ginny awoke bright and early, and the morning sunlight streamed through her window. Ally had forgotten to pull the curtains the night before.

Ginny glanced over at the other girl, who was still sleeping peacefully.

Your plan didn't work, she thought a little sadly. I flirted with every guy down there, fellow students and village boys, for hours last night and Draco barely even gave me a glance. I don't think he's jealous at all.

"You've got to give him a chance," Ally would say. "It's only been one day. And maybe he thought he couldn't talk to you last night with all those people around."

So what was she supposed to do, flirt obnoxiously with a couple of the guys and then run for a back ally so he could catch her and talk to her alone? That sounded like something out of a bad romance novel.

And she wasn't that desperate, was she?

Well, it couldn't hurt to give it one more shot.

I'll try it again today, but if he refuses to take any notice of me again, I'm quitting. It isn't worth embarrassing myself like this.

I think.

So that's what she did.

When McGonagall rounded them up to take them on a tour of the village- the first activity on their agenda- Ginny made sure to hang around every boy she met. She smiled, she giggled, and she flirted like the best of them.

And all day, Draco payed her absolutely no attention. None. Nada. Zip.

Then night fell, and they made their way back to the inn. They were supposed to get a good night's sleep, because tomorrow, McGonagall promised, the real fun would start.

Ginny was almost afraid to ask exactly what "real" meant. Lots of walking and climbing and sweating she supposed.

The were served dinner in the inn's dining room, then they all retired to the common room for awhile to talk before dinner. And once again, Ginny did everything in her power to make Draco jealous, and Draco seemed intent on hanging out with Pansy and ignoring her completely.

It was with a heavy heart that she finally dragged herself up the stairway and towards her room. It was hopeless. Draco had made his decision about her, and was obviously not going to change it.

She was so preoccupied with her thoughts, that she didn't notice that someone was following her.

Until that someone grabbed her around the waste and pulled her back down the hallway and into his room in the time it took her to gasp in surprise.

The door closed behind them, and Ginny found herself staring Draco Malfoy in the face.

"Wha-What do you want?" she stammered, nervously biting her lower lip. It wasn't everyday a Weasle got dragged into an empty room by a Malfoy.

"You know what I want."

"I do?" Ginny asked, her eyes widening slightly.

Draco sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. "Yes, you damn well do you little…little…Well, actually I can't think of a name good enough for you right now, but when I do you can be sure you'll find out about it!"

For some reason this struck Ginny as insanely funny. Malfoy, not being able to come up with a good name for her? Someone call in the Minsitry!

She started laughing. She tried to smother the giggles with the back of her hand, but didn't succeed.

Draco stared at her, eyes wary. "What," he asked dryly, "is so funny?"

"Not-Nothing," she tried to get out, but was immediately consumed by another fit of giggles.

Now Draco looked even more suspicious. "Have you been drinking?" he asked. "Because if you have, you'd better tell me right now so we can get someone to put an anti-hangover spell on you, or McGonagall's sure to notice when you can't get out of bed in the morning."

That stopped her. "No, I have not been drinking," she replied haughtily.

"Ah, yes, I forgot. You're the perfect little student. Never step an inch out of line. Such a tragedy. You'd be a good bad girl."

Now it was Ginny who was looking wary. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you know exactly what that's supposed to mean." Draco's eyes met and held hers, and a feeling so intense ran between them that Ginny could practically feel it in the air around them.

"No I don't," she said softly, in a voice that was no more than a whisper.

Draco smiled, a slow, maddeningly attractive grin that had Ginny's heart leaping.

He was going to kiss her, she knew it, her entire mind screamed it. Now if only he would move just a little bit closer…

He stepped forward, pulling her closer to him, and his face lowered until she could feel his soft breath tickling her ear.

What was he waiting for? Kiss me, damn you!

Draco's smile widened, and it was almost as if he could read her thoughts.

"Do you want me to, Gin?" he asked huskily.

There was no answer, for Ginny was frozen in place, her heart threatening to pound through her chest and her eyes wide with fear. Fear, and something else. Something very close to desire.

Draco watched her carefully. "You do, don't you? And I will, Gin, as soon as you say you want me to."

No response.

"Come on, Ginny, that's all you have to do. One little word. Just say yes."

Ginny couldn't stand it any longer. There was too much pleading, too much passion in that voice. And she was aching to answer, to tell him what he wanted to hear.

"Yes," she whispered.

She braced herself for the death-defying kiss she was sure would come, but Draco pulled back abruptly.

"Yes?" he asked in surprise.

Ginny blinked, her little fantasy shattered. "What?"

Draco raised his eyebrows. "You said yes. I didn't think you'd say yes…"

Ginny's eyes widened as his words hit her. "You mean…you didn't really want to… I thought you-" her eyes filled with tears and she couldn't go on.

He'd been playing with her again.

"No," Draco started immediately, looking for all the world like he regretted his words. "It's not like that. It's just that you were flirting-"

Ginny cut him off. "You bastard!" she flung at him, angrily wiping her tears away. "That's got to be the lowest thing you've ever done, and that's saying something!"

"No! I-" Draco tried to protest again, but Ginny was having none of it.

"Don't even start with me, Draco Malfoy. I don't want to hear another word. I've heard enough! The only reason you're having anything to do with me is because you think it's amusing, you think it's some sort of game! And yes, I admit, I tried to play back at you, but that didn't work, did it? Then you tell me it's never going to happen again," Ginny raged, "and a day later your back at it! What do you want from me, Draco, huh? What do you want?" she broke off then, more tears shining in her eyes that she would not let fall.

Draco was horror stricken. He'd only wanted to find out how she really felt about him, and what that whole show today had been for. But when he'd finally got her to prove that she cared about him, he'd had to open that big mouth of his and blurt out the first thing that came to mind, which also happened to be the stupidest. Now she thought he had been toying with her again, when that was really the last thing on his mind.

"Ginny, I didn't mean it like that. I swear I wasn't-"

"Draco, don't even go there. I should have known better when you spent all day ignoring me and hanging around with Pansy Parkinson, the Bitch from Hell." She paused for a moment to catch her breath, her chest heaving as if she'd just run a marathon. "You might have fooled me once, Malfoy. You might even have fooled me twice. But no more. From this day forward, I want nothing more to do with you, and I don't want you to even try to have anything to do with me. We have always been enemies, and we'll always be enemies. I won't let you get to me again."

Draco didn't know what to say. What could you say to something like that. He'd tried explaining, but she just wouldn't listen. And after the way he'd treated her the day before, he really couldn't blame her. But…

There are no buts. Draco Malfoy took a deep breath, and summoned his courage. He would need every bit of it. "That's the way you want it then?"

Ginny nodded determinedly.

"Okay. You win. From this day forward, I won't bother you at all."

*********************

A/N: Man, I'm evil. Just when you think that they'll finally get together, another problem in their potential relationship springs up. Hah, ha, you thought they were going to kiss, didn't you? Well, don't worry, so did I when I started this chapter, but then…the rest of it kind of sprung up. So what do you think? Oh, and next chapter is when things really start happening. Because next chapter, we go for a hike. And you all know what happens when you go on a hike. Some people get lost…Gee, I wonder who that will be…

Oh, and I hope you all noticed, I gave you a particularly long chapter. I decided that the way this story keeps expanding, I might have to start making the chapters longer or it's going to end up being like 30 chapters. It's already 46 pages long!

Thanks to all of my great reviewers:

Kneh13: Well, the ego's gone a little…lol

Forbidden. That's good. So, what's the name of your fic, I'd like to check it out. Is it HP?

Marybecca: You are appreciated!

Stubbornarse: Well what do you think now?

LiBlackDragon: Aaw, I'm sorry. And of course I'll try to read your story if I have time!

Laura: Thanks.

Hallee87: Uh hu…well, I bet it didn't turn out the way you thought, did it?

Swaummyjs06: Good. Is there anyone that actually likes that girl? She gives me shivers. (no offense if you do, lol)

Aidenfire: Was it what you expected?

The Totally Sarcastic Sprite: *breaks out into giggles and can't write anymore*

Emerald Storm 1: Actually, yeah, I did have to end it like that. Don't ask me why. You think the story's classy huh? That's cool.

Dragonsprincess: Yes, a very funny picture. Go Wild West cowgirl! Lol.

XoSexyLilHuniXo: Bet you didn't expect it to be all of them, did you? *grins*