I'm going to tell all you readers a sad little story before we get to the
real story:
Every morning, after breakfast, she goes to her computer. She opens the lid of the laptop reverently, hopefully. She logs in.. clicks her e-mail application.. holds her breath in desperation.. and.. nothing. Not one review. No one has bothered to acknowledge her hours of tireless dedication to bring you this story. No one cares. She signs out and closes the laptop. Dejected and broken, she sits for a moment. A lone tear makes its way down her sallow cheek. This is the story of her life. She is alone.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but I do appreciate reviews a lot.
To my sad numbers of reviewers of the last chapter so far:
Fresh-AngelBabe: No, the coconuts are in the Arctic. We eat margarine. If we ate coconuts, we'd all come down with Alzheimer's. I think.
Hplova4eva: Thanks for the long, detailed review :P j/k short and sweet is good too. Actually, at this point, ANY review is acceptable.
Forbidden: Well, you sort of already do know how it turns out, right? I mean, you've read the fifth book? I guess I'm just good at suspense *preens and kicks laughing reader in rear end * BTW, thank you for reviewing more than once. It wouldn't kill the rest of you to do that, you know!
Please review, please please please!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ginny's Potions grades improved rapidly over the next month. It was a sunny yet chilly day in mid-April when disaster struck.
Draco lounged against a bush, reading a letter from his mother. He heard voices from the other side of the bush.
"Come on, Hermione, just another inch is all I need, I swear. I won't even copy, I'll write it in my own words, like you always say. Please?"
"Ron, no! If you had planned this out, you would have done all this days ago."
"We've only got five minutes until class. I won't ask you for help again until after the Easter holidays, okay?"
"That's what you said three days ago when you needed help with your Potions assignment."
"And who helped me then, eh? Ginny, that's who! You didn't do anything, so that doesn't count."
"How she's gotten so good at Potions so fast, I don't know. Wasn't she averaging a D last month?"
Draco smiled. He didn't blame her for not telling them. He knew what the Gryffindors would do to her if they knew she'd been studying with him. He also knew what the Slytherins would do to him of they found out he'd been tutoring her. Better to keep it quiet.
"Yeah, she was. I dunno what happened."
"She's been really secretive lately, too, have you noticed? Never mind, of course you haven't. But I think she's hiding something."
"Oh, great. Remember the last time she was hiding something? How that turned out?"
"Oh Ron, she's not being possessed by the Heir of Slytherin again."
"I was talking about Percy's girlfriend. We better get to class, we'll be late.."
Draco got up, folding the letter. He had to get to class too. He followed them back to the castle, still listening in on their conversation, which had turned to Rita Skeeter.
"What I want to know is how she manages to get around Hogwarts when she's banned here. I mean, it's not an invisibility cloak, Moody said so. And there was nobody around at the second task, when Viktor-"
"So what did you say to Vicky? Are you going to go snog him over the summer?"
"I haven't decided whether to visit him or not yet. Besides, that's none of your business."
"It is so my business! You're my friend, I care about you going off to Bulgaria with an eighteen-year-old you hardly know!"
"I'll discuss that with my parents, thanks. Anyway, there wasn't anyone around, so Skeeter must be using some kind of spell to listen in-"
Draco smirked to himself. If only she knew. He couldn't wait until Skeeter was found out. She would be, eventually. Then she'd be the one all the stories were written about. He wouldn't tattle, though. He liked the articles she wrote about Potter. He fingered his "Support Cedric Diggory!" badge. Then-
"MALFOY!"
He looked up, startled. Weasley and Granger had stopped talking and were both looking at him.
"He's been listening to us!" Weasley said, outraged.
"I didn't know it was against the rules to walk along a Hogwarts corridor," Draco said lightly.
"How long have you been eavesdropping?" Weasley demanded loudly.
"I think I came in on the bit where you were begging Granger to let you copy because you hadn't finished your homework. Typical of a Weasley, shirking. From what my father tells me about Arthur Weasley, you've got it in your blood. That and an inability to recognize a Galleon. I suppose if you've never seen something, you can hardly be expected to-"
Draco was cut off my a sharp pain in the back of his head, followed by a sharp pain in his nose as he crashed into the floor.
"You go, girl!" he heard Granger say loudly. Draco rolled over. Ginny was standing there, sleeves rolled up, cold gaze directed at him.
"Nobody says things like that about my family, Malfoy."
This was a different Ginny than the one he helped with Potions, joked and laughed with. The warmth was gone from her eyes, replaced by ice. Draco noted how much prettier she was in a good mood. Then he noted the wand in her hand. Not good.
Draco rose to his feet, backing away from her. Then he felt two more wands pressing into his back. He realized the position he was in. Then he decided that pointing out that Ginny was supposed to call him Draco would not be the best plan of action.
"Apologize to Ron." Ginny's voice was quiet but firm.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." When three wands were pointed at you, and one of them was Granger's, it was not the time for dignity.
Ginny turned to her brother and Granger. "Don't mention this to Harry."
"Why not?" Weasley asked, puzzled.
"We won't," Granger said firmly. "Don't worry, Ginny."
Her fiery locks twisted and tossed as she glared at Draco again. "Don't bother with the dungeon tomorrow. I'm done."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Okay, imagine a gold medallion dangling from a thin chain. It is swinging, so beautiful. You are sucked into the abyss of gleaming gold.. Back and forth, back and forth.. review. review... review... review...
Every morning, after breakfast, she goes to her computer. She opens the lid of the laptop reverently, hopefully. She logs in.. clicks her e-mail application.. holds her breath in desperation.. and.. nothing. Not one review. No one has bothered to acknowledge her hours of tireless dedication to bring you this story. No one cares. She signs out and closes the laptop. Dejected and broken, she sits for a moment. A lone tear makes its way down her sallow cheek. This is the story of her life. She is alone.
Okay, maybe that was a little bit of an exaggeration, but I do appreciate reviews a lot.
To my sad numbers of reviewers of the last chapter so far:
Fresh-AngelBabe: No, the coconuts are in the Arctic. We eat margarine. If we ate coconuts, we'd all come down with Alzheimer's. I think.
Hplova4eva: Thanks for the long, detailed review :P j/k short and sweet is good too. Actually, at this point, ANY review is acceptable.
Forbidden: Well, you sort of already do know how it turns out, right? I mean, you've read the fifth book? I guess I'm just good at suspense *preens and kicks laughing reader in rear end * BTW, thank you for reviewing more than once. It wouldn't kill the rest of you to do that, you know!
Please review, please please please!
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Ginny's Potions grades improved rapidly over the next month. It was a sunny yet chilly day in mid-April when disaster struck.
Draco lounged against a bush, reading a letter from his mother. He heard voices from the other side of the bush.
"Come on, Hermione, just another inch is all I need, I swear. I won't even copy, I'll write it in my own words, like you always say. Please?"
"Ron, no! If you had planned this out, you would have done all this days ago."
"We've only got five minutes until class. I won't ask you for help again until after the Easter holidays, okay?"
"That's what you said three days ago when you needed help with your Potions assignment."
"And who helped me then, eh? Ginny, that's who! You didn't do anything, so that doesn't count."
"How she's gotten so good at Potions so fast, I don't know. Wasn't she averaging a D last month?"
Draco smiled. He didn't blame her for not telling them. He knew what the Gryffindors would do to her if they knew she'd been studying with him. He also knew what the Slytherins would do to him of they found out he'd been tutoring her. Better to keep it quiet.
"Yeah, she was. I dunno what happened."
"She's been really secretive lately, too, have you noticed? Never mind, of course you haven't. But I think she's hiding something."
"Oh, great. Remember the last time she was hiding something? How that turned out?"
"Oh Ron, she's not being possessed by the Heir of Slytherin again."
"I was talking about Percy's girlfriend. We better get to class, we'll be late.."
Draco got up, folding the letter. He had to get to class too. He followed them back to the castle, still listening in on their conversation, which had turned to Rita Skeeter.
"What I want to know is how she manages to get around Hogwarts when she's banned here. I mean, it's not an invisibility cloak, Moody said so. And there was nobody around at the second task, when Viktor-"
"So what did you say to Vicky? Are you going to go snog him over the summer?"
"I haven't decided whether to visit him or not yet. Besides, that's none of your business."
"It is so my business! You're my friend, I care about you going off to Bulgaria with an eighteen-year-old you hardly know!"
"I'll discuss that with my parents, thanks. Anyway, there wasn't anyone around, so Skeeter must be using some kind of spell to listen in-"
Draco smirked to himself. If only she knew. He couldn't wait until Skeeter was found out. She would be, eventually. Then she'd be the one all the stories were written about. He wouldn't tattle, though. He liked the articles she wrote about Potter. He fingered his "Support Cedric Diggory!" badge. Then-
"MALFOY!"
He looked up, startled. Weasley and Granger had stopped talking and were both looking at him.
"He's been listening to us!" Weasley said, outraged.
"I didn't know it was against the rules to walk along a Hogwarts corridor," Draco said lightly.
"How long have you been eavesdropping?" Weasley demanded loudly.
"I think I came in on the bit where you were begging Granger to let you copy because you hadn't finished your homework. Typical of a Weasley, shirking. From what my father tells me about Arthur Weasley, you've got it in your blood. That and an inability to recognize a Galleon. I suppose if you've never seen something, you can hardly be expected to-"
Draco was cut off my a sharp pain in the back of his head, followed by a sharp pain in his nose as he crashed into the floor.
"You go, girl!" he heard Granger say loudly. Draco rolled over. Ginny was standing there, sleeves rolled up, cold gaze directed at him.
"Nobody says things like that about my family, Malfoy."
This was a different Ginny than the one he helped with Potions, joked and laughed with. The warmth was gone from her eyes, replaced by ice. Draco noted how much prettier she was in a good mood. Then he noted the wand in her hand. Not good.
Draco rose to his feet, backing away from her. Then he felt two more wands pressing into his back. He realized the position he was in. Then he decided that pointing out that Ginny was supposed to call him Draco would not be the best plan of action.
"Apologize to Ron." Ginny's voice was quiet but firm.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it." When three wands were pointed at you, and one of them was Granger's, it was not the time for dignity.
Ginny turned to her brother and Granger. "Don't mention this to Harry."
"Why not?" Weasley asked, puzzled.
"We won't," Granger said firmly. "Don't worry, Ginny."
Her fiery locks twisted and tossed as she glared at Draco again. "Don't bother with the dungeon tomorrow. I'm done."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.- .-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
Okay, imagine a gold medallion dangling from a thin chain. It is swinging, so beautiful. You are sucked into the abyss of gleaming gold.. Back and forth, back and forth.. review. review... review... review...