So, here's chapter two. I'm sorry that I failed to explain it in the last chapter, but in my story, a 'plebe', as various characters will call others, is a sixth or seventh year student at Hogwarts who is not a prefect or Head Boy or Girl. While some students (Ginny, Hermione, etc.) don't think much of it, others (Draco especially) use it as an insult, and consider them to be below them in the hierarchy of students.
Anyway, this chapter was long in coming, since I had to take my AP tests (Bio, Spanish, Latin, and Physics...*dies*) and graduate from high school. Then my computer died, poor guy.
It took two weeks (of waiting for replacement parts) and four hours of labor to disassemble and fix him for his resurrection. Ugh. At least I had back ups of my stories saved on zip disks.
Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! I did my best to personally thank you all, but since some of you didn't leave your email address, it was difficult. So, tedel, Howler, seekerpeeker, and Ruby, thank you!
I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I did writing it!
Disclaimer: I own Holden, though I'm not proud of him; Ian, whom I refuse to admit, is based off of some cool guys I know; Tad, and the plot. Rowling owns everything else except Dorothy Parker (and her fabulous work), including me, not that I mind. Don't sue.
*****
Scratch a Lover, Find a Foe
Chapter 2
It really didn't matter to Draco whom she'd been owling, but knowing something so incredibly unbelievable about the Ginny Weasley could prove to be rather good blackmail. Not that he needed anything that she had, or wanted it even. Draco could just make her cower in the hallways from his knowing smirk; he could scare her to death; he could make fun of her as much as he wanted without another outburst like the one she had thrown him that morning.
She could be a tool to embarrass her brother, Potter, Granger. If he tried, (he was sure) he could make her a disgrace to all Gryffindors. Why, Draco had never really considered all the things he could do once he had his thumb over the naïve girl. In the end, if she didn't want to comply or get with the program, well, he could spill. Seeing Ginny lose her pin and receive a howler from her easily angered mother would give entertainment an entirely new meaning.
It was a win-win situation as far as Draco was concerned.
All he had to do was intimidate the truth out of her, and then Draco could have another thing to toy around with. That evening he set his jaw, squared his shoulders, smoothed his hair back, and pulled on some crisp, unwrinkled robes. Draco smirked pride fully to himself as he regarded his visage in the mirror of his room.
It was ten minutes to dinner; he would only need five. Ginny Weasley was a pushover.
"My, don't we look dapper this evening," Pansy called out to Draco as he passed her in the common room to leave. She walked alongside him to the exit. "Ready for a hot night out, are you, Malfoy?" her voice swelled with cynicism, knowing full and well that Draco wore that confident look for two occasions: snogging, or beating some unfortunate creature into the earth.
Draco didn't look at the short girl beside him. Pansy Parkinson was, by all accounts, very insightful, regardless of her obnoxious demeanor. She was after all, in Slytherin. Pansy and Draco were as close as they came to being 'friends' with anyone. I.e., Pansy wasn't ruffled by Draco's curtness and blatantly rude insults, and Draco tolerated Pansy's evident neutrality to him.
By the rest of the world's standards, however, the two were nowhere near as close as real friends grew. There was a genuine dislike behind the subtle insults they threw one another.
"Why do you care, Parkinson? Curious about something you'll never have the pleasure of experiencing?" Pansy just shrugged and tucked her short black hair behind her ear. Her eyes remained hooded when he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
In truth, the thought of kissing Malfoy made Pansy shiver in disgust. True, Malfoy was very attractive with his pale blond hair and lively gray eyes that were always swirling with something, be it anger, arrogance, slyness, or a combination of any of them. His broad shoulders and confident gait gave him a commanding presence when he stalked through the halls of the castle.
So he was attractive. That was reason enough for younger, shallower girls at Hogwarts to pine for his affections, but Pansy couldn't fathom actually kissing her sparring partner. That would be too…weird, for lack of a better word.
"Not exactly, Malfoy. I was only going to send an apology owl to your victim. She's likely to be scarred for life, you know." Pansy replied in feigned thoughtfulness.
"Stuff it, Parkinson," was Draco's terse reply.
Pansy smiled to herself as he disappeared into the corridor. Getting close to Malfoy would complicate things between them, and she thought it wiser to leave the Head Boy to his ways.
*****
The walk up to the library was spent in solitude and slight boredom, but Draco wasn't about to complain that Crabbe and Goyle's early departure for dinner was making him miserable. No, it was just as well that he was alone. The last thing he needed was for them to be breathing down his neck and ruining the countenance he'd use to alarm the little Gryffindor.
There weren't many students left in the library when he arrived, and even they were on their way to dinner. So, where was that girl? Draco expected to have to look in all the shady areas of the place to find her, but there she was, just off of the main aisle.
Ginny Weasley was straightening her books up and slipping her notes back into her bag, smiling at the third years surrounding her who were doing the same. One of them stopped putting his things away and tugged gently on her robe sleeve. She smiled down at him and listened patiently to whatever it was that he was saying. Draco was too far away to hear it, but he didn't really mind.
It was only a third year, after all.
She nodded to the younger student, retrieved her wand from her robe sleeve, set a sugar quill on the table in front of them, and they both sat back down, facing each other at the table as she bid good-bye to the others.
So, Draco thought. Weasley was giving some one-on-one attention to the scrapper? He rolled his eyes. This would take longer than he thought. He moved just a little closer to their table, and saw a nice, narrow space between a bookcase and the wall. It was well hidden in the shadows, and close enough to improve his chance of hearing them finish their lesson...thing.
That was enough for Draco. He crept up to it and eased himself into the space, hiding his hands in his black robes. He blended in seamlessly, or so he thought, with the library's shadows. Draco tuned his ears to catch the last part of Ginny's sentence.
"...add the 'Wasi' suffix to whatever you want to remove, Tad," Ginny explained cheerfully and rummaged in her bag for something. She looked up when she couldn't find what she'd been looking for, and asked the boy if he had anything in particular that was stuck. The boy nodded and showed her a folded piece of parchment that had a wad of blue gum stuck to the front.
The third year flushed in embarrassment as he admitted, "I was chewing it when I fell asleep in Divination...and Trelawney said I would 'be in a sticky situation for such disrespect of Divination's fine qualities...' or something." His tutor snorted.
"Fine qualities indeed," she rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about Trelawney, Tad. You're not the first to sleep in her class." Ginny smiled again and pulled the parchment between them. "Now, this removal charm is very simple to learn, and very useful. It's different from the summoning charm that you'll learn next year because it doesn't necessarily bring the item to you, but rather, sends it to a place you specify in thought,"
The tutor gauged her pupil's face to see if he understood. Tad looked eager to learn, but a little confused between the two charms. It was time for a demonstration.
"Okay," Ginny started, and lifted her transfiguration textbook from her bag before setting it on the floor about four feet from her seat. She moved back, and looked to Tad. "This is the summoning charm that you'll learn in your fourth year. Some students have trouble getting it down, so don't be discouraged. Like everything else that comes with hard work, it just takes practice. Now, watch closely."
Tad stood and walked around the table for a better view of the charm. He noticed how Ginny's wrist flicked gracefully in a semi-circular motion, and how she spoke clearly and calmly.
"Accio book," she said, and immediately the book on the floor flew into her outstretched arm. She wobbled a little from the impact, and turned to smile at Tad. "See?" He nodded thoughtfully.
"But Ginny, why did only that book come to you? I mean, we're in a library. I was afraid all of them would..." Tad trailed off, not sure if his logic made any sense to the elder student.
"That's a good question, Tad. I'm glad you noticed." The boy beamed at her praise. "You see, you have to be very specific, either out loud or in your head, about what it is that you are summoning, and concentrate solely on that object or those objects. While I only spoke the word 'book' with the charm, I only thought about my book." She broke off to chuckle. "Or else, as you thought, I would have been pummeled with every book in this whole library!"
Draco smirked to himself in his dark space. It did present a rather amusing image, seeing the Gryffindor buried in a mound of the dusty volumes that would leap off their shelves to her arms. And the look on her student's face would be priceless! Draco shook his head in disappointment. Too bad she was seemingly well rounded in her studies, and too clever for such a stupid mistake.
But Draco had to pull himself from his thoughts, because they were speaking again, and Ginny was busy shoving the same book down into a crack between their table and the wall. She straightened up when it was securely wedged and pushed her massive hair out of her freckled face with a sigh.
"Now, the removal charm is easier to use, because it doesn't require so much concentration or fluid wrist movement." Ginny cleared her throat and looked back to Tad, who was paying rapt attention to her stance and wrist. Her voice was curter this time, her wrist flick was sharper, and her eyes settled evenly on the book that was stuck between their table and the wall.
"Bookwasi!"
The book sailed from the crack and dropped to the table top with a soft thud. Tad's eyes were large and round in amazement. He couldn't believe how well Ginny had carried that charm out, and he was eager to learn how to perform it himself. After explaining how the removal charm had sent the book where Ginny had intended it to, they both sat down and focused on the parchment and gum affixed to it.
It took ten minutes for Tad to get the removal charm down, since he could get the gum off, but kept sending it to places other than the dust bin that Ginny had pulled closer to them. Each time he missed, Ginny used a wetting charm to reattach it. Tad was surprised that she didn't think touching his used gum time after time was repulsive, but she only shrugged when he pointed it out to her. She explained that she'd handled much worse due to her six older brothers, especially because of Fred and George.
"When you use the charm, think with the back of your mind. Think about the destination... In this case, something along the lines of 'Dust Bin' when you say the charm out loud. Remember, you can use just your subconscious because this charm doesn't require as much thought as the summoning one, okay?" Tad nodded and relaxed in his seat.
He turned his wrist over as he had seen Ginny handle hers, and tried again, this time thinking about the destination with less strain than before. "Gumwasi!" The gum was pulled up, and was headed in the right direction. However, the gum only landed with a squish on the side of the dustbin, rather than in it. Tad's newly formed smile quickly diminished.
"Oh, that was wonderful, Tad!" Ginny exhorted. Tad looked at her, and gave a little grin.
"You think so?" His tutor nodded.
"You've made great progress! And I think you'll really have it down in the next couple of tries. Try being just a little more specific. Think something like 'In the dust bin' this time." Ginny's encouragement fortified Tad's will to get the charm down. If Ginny believed in him, he was certain that he could do it!
His next attempt made both students happy.
"Gumwasi!" The blue wad peeled itself from the parchment like all the other times, but for once, sailed right into the dustbin. Tad's face broke into the most proud and satisfied smile Ginny had ever seen on the boy. "I did it, Ginny! I did it!"
Ginny gushed praises on him. She pushed the sugar quill, long since forgotten, across the table to him, and ruffled his blonde hair. Tad stacked his books together while Ginny stood and (to Draco's surprise) turned to face the teenager who'd been watching them for the past fifteen minutes.
At first, Draco wasn't sure if she was looking at him, because she could have been scowling at a book that was on a high shelf behind him... He would have held to that assumption if she hadn't fixed a mischievous smile on her face before saying "Tad, I think you should know that the removal charm also works on," she paused, boring her eyes into Draco's shadowy hiding place. "people."
Oh. No. Draco did not like this. He didn't like this at all. He tried to squeeze back out of the crack, but to his horror, found himself wedged and unable to move. He was as stuck as that book had been, and now he knew how the book felt, with Ginny twirling her wand amusedly and raising one finely shaped eyebrow. The look of inevitable victory that was dancing in her dark brown eyes made Draco nervous and furious all at once.
He grappled in his robes for his wand, but only had time to wrap his fingers around it when he heard "Malfoywasi!" and felt an immense force pull him forward.
Draco expected to feel something rope-like twine around him, but rather, it felt as though something was yanking on his entire being, drawing him out of the space and shadows like coming down from jumping into the air. It was ten times as strong and abrupt as that though, and Draco felt sick in the moment it took the charm to extract and throw him face down on the carpet in front of the tutor and her pupil.
There was a resounding SLAP of flesh and bone meeting wood and carpet that caused Tad to wince and Ginny to bring a small hand to her mouth in mock alarm. She hid a satisfied smile behind her hand while Draco's fingers twitched and felt the floor beneath him.
He groaned in pain from his position on the floor, and pushed himself up slowly into a kneeling position before struggling to his feet. Tad was standing, wide-eyed with his arms wrapped in a death hold around his books. He looked ready to bolt, as well he should, Draco thought. Ginny didn't look frightened in the least, and to Draco's surprise and annoyance, she sighed boredly and placed her hand on the small of Tad's back. The boy looked up at her in uncertainty.
Had Ginny Weasley just hurled Draco Malfoy to the library floor?! Tad knew that Ginny was a smart, brave, and nice Gryffindor, but for her to do such a thing to Malfoy! He gulped when he saw that she was looking down at him and smiling warmly. Ginny wasn't afraid of Malfoy, and for Tad to see her reassuring expression meant the world to him. A new kind of respect for the older student was being kindled in his heart.
If only he could be as brave as she!
"Thank you, Malfoy," Ginny didn't look at Draco as she picked up her textbook and settled her canvas bag over her shoulder as though nothing had happened. "You were a wonderful example for Tad." She looked at the third year, who was watching her with...pride? What did the scrapper have to be proud of? Draco seethed. So what if he learned a new charm, and saw her practice on the Head Boy?
So what if there was a witness present for Ginny Weasley's signing of her own death warrant?
Draco snarled to himself as he watched her dismiss the student to go to dinner and moved to leave the library too. He stepped out in front of her and waited to hear the library door shut, signifying Tad's departure, before biting out, "You'll pay for that, Weasley!"
Ginny looked up at him, her face as indifferent as she could manage. "Will I, Malfoy?" His hand moved to shove his Head Boy badge into her face, but Ginny took a step back and continued as though she'd expected it. Expected it? Was she assuming that Draco Malfoy was predictable?
"Regardless of whether or not you are Hogwarts' Head Boy, and I am a prefect or a plebe, your rank has nothing to do with revoking mine."
"Then I assume you've taken necessary precautions to cover your tail for this morning?" Surely she had already reported to McGonagall about her 'illness', and maybe she'd thrown in a little fib about the owlery in case Draco decided to turn her in.
Draco was trying to get himself under control. If he couldn't calm himself down, he would be too flustered to outwit or take advantage of the blackmail he'd secured on her.
Outwit? Since when had a Weasley been witty in the first place? Well, witty enough for Draco to worry about losing to anyway.
Ginny just stared at him. "I don't know what 'precautions' you're talking about, Malfoy, since I didn't do anything half as bad as some have," Draco stiffened in anger. "As far as I'm concerned, your attempt at keeping me from dinner is going to waste," she took a breath. "Because I don't plan on sneaking down to the kitchens so you can ruin me when Filch just 'happens' to walk down the corridor at the same time."
"You think you've got it all figured out, do you, Weasley?" Draco was slipping back into his usual self.
"Yes," she replied evenly. "Some things are simple enough to see through." Her tone and glare suggested a double meaning that Draco didn't take kindly to. Before he could respond, Ginny continued, her tone and glare maintained and directed specifically at the blond Head Boy. "Some things are shallow, arrogant, and," she paused for effect. Ginny's eyes held the smirk that she wouldn't allow her face to display. "a hated burden on society."
What? Had the smallest of the small, Ginny Weasley, just called Draco Malfoy a 'burden' to society? Who in the hell was she to talk about being a burden to someone?! Least of all a Malfoy! The Malfoy were wealthy, powerful, and well, they were The Malfoy. As purely bred as wizards and witches came, The Malfoy were respectable in their own right.
They could make or break the society that Ginny spoke of; it only required a choice and very little actual effort on their part. Their reputation and influence would do the rest. Burden or no, it was Draco's choice to be what he wanted, and nobody, least of all a Weasley, was going to choose for him.
What a presumptuous little snot! Making decisions for him when she didn't know anything about him. Draco ignored the commanding little voice that reminded him that he didn't allow anyone to know about his inner workings, and continued to glare at the redhead. Her hair was mussed, her stance was rigid, and her eyes were positively glowing with pride at something.
Maybe she'd thought that she'd outsmarted him, Draco considered as he slowly clenched and unclenched his fists at his sides. She was actually waiting for him to respond, and Draco couldn't organize all the insults clouding his thoughts. He was really beginning to hate the girl....
Girl. Ginny Weasley was a sixth year girl, sixteen years old, surely. Draco hooded his eyes as he swept his gaze over her form, and considered how much of a girl Ginny Weasley really was.
She wasn't tall against Draco, probably only 5'5"; but then, not many girls could compare to his 6'1" height. She had the flaming red hair, sporadic freckles, and stubborn chin that were characteristic to all Weasleys; and large brown eyes that drew an attention unto themselves (Draco had noticed how malevolent they became when she spoke with him) and added emphasis to whatever she was saying or doing.
Ginny had a petite body type, and she carried herself with a grace that betrayed her gangly limbs. Fair skin made her freckles stand out more, but they weren't blotchy or unbecoming on her. She only had a real smear of them across her small nose and cheekbones, and near her hairline.
Speaking of which… Draco's eyes moved higher to take in her mane. It spilled down her back in big, bountiful curls. Ginny's hair wasn't massive, per se. It was just long, thick, and made up of all those curls lying on top of each other.
He regarded her frumpy robes and frowned inwardly. How was he supposed to tell if she looked any more feminine in her torso if she insisted on wearing her uniform all the time? Well, he had held her in his arms that morning. But he'd been too angry and sinisterly pleased at catching her in trouble to notice that she had a slim waist and felt light in his hold.
In any case, his silent appraisal had just earned Ginny a stamp as a bona fide, tried and true, one hundred percent: Female Member of Society.
What had kept him from realizing it before? Her nasty attitude, probably. Draco shook his head. It didn't matter, now that he knew what to do. If he couldn't scare Ginny, he could seduce her.
Half the Hogwarts girls already wanted his attention, so why wouldn't Ginny? Draco knew he was sexy, and while he rarely played on it to his advantage, this was a golden opportunity. All he had to do was get her flustered, and she would succumb. Ginny Weasley would be like putty in his hands.
He allowed this idea to float through his mind a second more before fixing a smirk across his features and moving in for the kill.
*****
Ginny had seen him react to her insult. Apparently she was succeeding too well at being blasé and witty at the same time. It was fun though, to watch Draco squirm in fury and confusion at her behavior. She was sure that he couldn't understand where she got off talking to him like that, but that only added to her amusement.
She would have to remember to thank Ian for teaching her to be subtle with her thinking and insults. The Game was paying off quite well. For an instant, Ginny didn't really care that she was missing dinner. Annoying Draco the way she was proved more satisfying.
Despite how reclusive and quiet Ginny Weasley was at school, she was not a weakling, and her older brother, Ronald, could vouch for it. Along with a scornful tongue, Virginia had many brother-instructed abilities to her credit, and she didn't hesitate to use them ("…especially when she's mad," Ron had been known to say…). Draco had made a big mistake in assuming he could manipulate her. But she'd decided to let him off easily, if he backed down. She rolled her eyes; maybe when Nifflers dig up garbage.
She had really only planned on hurting his pride, setting him in his place. Just let him know whom he's dealing with, she had told herself. Get him angry, and then give him a moment to respond. If he doesn't, well. Leave.
She stood facing him and watched in hidden merriment as Draco seethed with barely controlled anger. Kid didn't expect little Ginny to have such a sharp tongue, did he? She smirked inwardly.
Ginny was about to spin on her heel and make her way to Gryffindor tower when Draco pulled himself together. He relaxed considerably, and tucked his unclenched hands into his robes pockets. Ginny didn't like the ardent look in his eyes, but she held her ground and didn't look away as he took two silent, graceful steps toward her.
Draco closed the distance between them and only had to lean down a little in order to place his mouth beside her ear. "And some things are much more complex than they seem," Draco whispered gently. His breath slid over her neck as he carefully brought a hand up to caress her gleaming hair.
At first Ginny bristled at his proximity, but then she regained her composure and remembered whom she was dealing with. Of course, Ginny thought. He wants to ruffle me up by playing a little game of seduction. Either he's so arrogant that he thinks I'll fall for it, she reasoned, or he's really desperate to come out the winner. Hmph.
"Remove yourself, Malfoy."
"Hm?" Draco was busy running his fingertips up the length of her silky neck. He only made it to the base, though, because that was where her shirt collar began. The girl kept herself covered like a good little virgin, he sneered to himself.
"You will remove yourself, Malfoy," she said sternly. Draco noticed how she tensed beneath his touch. "Or I will remove you." Draco jerked his hand away as though he'd been burned. He wouldn't easily forget the charm lesson that he'd been part of earlier. And yet, a part of him said slyly, he just had.
The Slytherin glared at the prefect as she turned to leave. Was she walking away from him? Unscathed? Uncharmed? Merlin, she was frustrating. He couldn't insult her, he couldn't seduce her, and he couldn't kill her (as much as he wanted to).
"Watch it, Weasley," he called after her. "Or someone will find out where you really were this morning!"
"Someone already does, Malfoy. But I guess you don't count, since you just admitted that you consider yourself a nobody." Ginny said silkily.
Caught off guard, Draco had to think for a moment about what she meant. The door groaned as it fell back into place, shutting him into the deserted library, with only his thoughts and empty stomach to keep him company.
*****
I decided to split this chapter into two parts, because it was absolutely enormous, and I just thought that this was a good stopping place. So.... the next chapter will hopefully be up within the week. It's already halfway done, and promises more Holden development, some Ginny apprehension, and an actual issuing of the challenge.
The 'wasi' suffix is from The Prisoner of Azkaban, when Remus uses it to send a wad of gum ("Waddiwasi!") shooting from the keyhole (that Peeves had stuffed it in) to Peeves' nose. Heh heh... Isn't Remus great?
Thank you all for reading! If you have time for a review, I'd love to hear what you thought.