The Trap

                 She'd set up an incredibly convoluted plot that, put simply, set up a series of wards and echo spells that would act like a trip-wire whenever they were crossed by anyone holding a Home Stenographer Quill ™. Luckily for Ginny, she was the only person in the entire school who owned one, therefore it would be quite difficult to catch anyone but Malfoy in her little web.  It had taken her every bit of spare time she possessed, from passing periods to authorized breaks, to set up the magical spider's web she'd designed. The final product was an impassible, invisible net of wards that would trap only the person they were looking for.

                Snape and Filch would have killed for the plans to that one.

                Perhaps she'd sell Filch the plans once she was done with them….

                Ginny mused over this silently and sat on the floor of a corridor down in the dungeons, leaning against the wall, and waited for Dinner to be over with. Luckily for Ginny (yet again), she didn't have to wait very long—in fact it seemed Draco had gone and left the Great Hall with the idea of going to sleep and getting some good rest.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

                Ginny hadn't been in the Great Hall for Lunch or Dinner—even though she was female, she was still a Weasley, and anything important enough to make a Weasley miss two meals in a row could only mean one thing. Bad news for a Malfoy.

                Draco had become considerably more, and more uncomfortable sitting in the Great Hall. He'd even started to suspect that every stray noise was, somehow, a trap that had been masterminded by the youngest Weasley. Finally, after Draco had snapped and accused Pansy of wearing a wire, he got up and left the Great Hall. He desperately needed some sleep before his paranoid delusions drove him insane.

                He supposed that the guilt didn't really help much either, but that was beside the point. Right?

                "Honestly, I'm developing emotions," Draco grumbled under his breath. "Too much time with Gryffindors, that must be it." Draco scoffed and turned the corner.

                The moment he turned the corner he realized something was dreadfully wrong. It didn't take him long to figure out what. The paper wards on the walls and the faint blue glow around either of the two stone statues that lines the entrance to the hallway gave it away.

                "I just walked into a trap." Draco froze; he didn't dare move for fear of setting the unknown menace off. Draco stood like that for nearly five minutes before he started to hear strange sounds. Was that…someone laughing?

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

                She couldn't take it anymore! He'd stood like that, one leg off the ground a few inches, his hands in his pockets, and his head bent forward slightly, for five minutes without moving. He looked like a Slytherin Flamingo!

                Ginny broke out into a fit of laughter and had to steady herself on the wall to keep from tumbling over. Draco was so startled by this abrupt show that he spun around to see who it was—even though he knew subconsciously. Then it just got funnier.

                Draco set off the trap and was 'pulled' back as if he was one of those draw-string dolls. After being dragged down the hall by some unseen spell he was securely adhered to the wall by, yet another, curse. His face was so extraordinary that Ginny nearly passed out she was laughing so hard.

                He looked something between confused, startled, and angry. Hysterical it was.

"Funny Weasley!" Draco growled and glared at her. She was beginning to turn the same color as her hair due to the lack of oxygen getting to her head. Draco's shouting didn't do much—she, apparently, thought that it was very funny.

"Shut your trap and let me down you ruddy Weasley!" Draco snapped at her again and she calmed down slightly.

"All in due time," Ginny snickered and took a deep breath as she stood up, "Dear, dear Malfoy."

"What's wrong?" Draco sneered. "You couldn't even stay out of Malfoy Territory?"

"What?" Ginny blinked and she meandered over to him.

"You remember, line down the center of the castle and all that?" Draco smirked and Ginny looked a tad taken aback. She'd forgotten all about it—it was written across her face almost as clearly as it would have been if she'd just used a quill.

"Well…" Ginny paused but quickly recovered. "That's non-applicable."

                "Non-applicable?" Draco eyed her and was about to make a smart comment when Ginny cut him off.

                "You have some of my personal property," Ginny stated flatly and Draco cocked an eyebrow. "Oh don't claim that you've no idea what I'm talking about. The only reason this worked is because you're carrying a Home Stenographer™ Quill." Ginny sent him a flat look and he just stared back at her.

                "Well?" Draco asked and Ginny continued to eye him.

                "Well, what?"

                "Are you going to let me down so I can get it, or are you going to search me and take it?" Draco asked dryly. "I'd rather not hang up here until the Quill gains sentience and hops off to you on its own."

                Ginny looked and him and then pondered what to do next. She could let him down, but then they'd either get into a duel, he'd run, or—knowing the powers-that-be—they'd start kissing for no reason whatsoever. Then again, she could search him, but that wouldn't take care of the delicate issue that is her diary. If he'd figured out how to get the quill to transcribe it, he might not have the pages with him.

                "Weasley, though I am eternally captivated by the ambiance of the Dungeon, I would prefer to get down and go to sleep now." Draco drawled, and the words of the Weasley twins found their way into his mind. He was supposed to get in her good books, just how was he supposed to do that? Be…nice?

                The very thought was appalling…though strangely not as stomach turning as he would have predicted.

                "Alright," Draco paused and forced himself to use her first name, "Ginny, I'll give you your quill."

                His act of kindness was ignored, however, because Ginny was far too shocked that he'd called her that.

                "Don't call me Ginny." Ginny stated stonily and Draco let out a heavy sigh.

                "Alright, Virginia." Draco corrected himself, an act that he abhorred more than any other.

                "Only my Grandparents, and my Father ever call me that," Ginny said unenthusiastically.

                "Gin?" Draco tried and wondered just how he was supposed to get in her good books if he couldn't even use her first name.

                "You shorten my nickname into a type of liquor?" Ginny cocked an eyebrow and examined Draco suspiciously.

                "Really, then what would you like me to call you?" Draco was quite sure that had anyone in Slytherin heard this they would drop dead from the subsequent heart attack.

                Ginny stared at Draco with something that looked like mildly panicked concern. Had he hit his head when he connected with the wall?

                "Well," Ginny wanted to demonstrate just how creepy this was for her, "Draco, if you insist on calling me something other than Weasley, I suppose Ginny is…alright." Ginny said through gritted teeth and wondered just what his angle was.

                "Ah, yes," Draco replied nonchalantly. He now knew why she'd given him that look—it was unnerving to have her say his name…not that it was particularly painful, just terribly alien. "Now, if you'll just let me down, Ginny, I'd be…happy…to give you your quill." Draco wasn't sure about the word 'happy,' but he used it anyway.

                "Very well…" Ginny spoke slowly and drew her wand cautiously, as if expecting something to jump out and eat her any moment. She cast the counter-curse and Draco slid down off the wall and landed on his feet.

                "Took you long enough—." Draco snarled and then paused as he realized that he'd probably ruin everything if he continued on. "Err…Thank you, Ginny."

                "Stop that." Ginny commanded and brandished her wand menacingly.

                "Stop what, Ginny?" Draco asked in a pained voice and Ginny narrowed her eyes.

                "Stop using my name, it's disturbing, eerie, and downright unnerving."

                "Thank Merlin, I was getting sick of addressing you every sentence." Draco muttered and dusted off his robes. Apparently he hadn't even really realized that he'd said that aloud.

                "Swear to me you'll never do that again." Ginny pointed her wand straight at his head and he eyed it dispassionately.

                Draco didn't have a chance to respond for they were interrupted.

                "Miss Weasley!"

                Ginny paled as she heard Snape's voice directly behind her. Draco smirked and folded his arms across his chest.

                "What's this?" Snape asked and swooped up next to Ginny. "Having a repeat of the other day, Miss Weasley? Trying to injure my prize student?" Ginny had to resist the urge to scoff, if she gave in it would be quite detrimental to her health.

                "Um…" Ginny gulped and looked at Snape out of the corner of her eye. "No…?"

                Snape smiled maliciously and looked down his nose at her, he looked like he was really going to enjoy punishing her.

                "Lying now, are we, Miss Weasley?" Snape's voice dripped with malevolent intent.

                "I was just—." Ginny tried to come up with a lame excuse, but Snape cut her off.

                "Detention. Tomorrow morning. Five. You're searching the school stores for ingredients." Snape commanded with a hint of triumph mingled with amusement in his voice. "Now I suggest you go get some sleep Miss Weasley. Tomorrow will be a long, long day." Snape smirked and stared icily at Ginny as she retreated from the dungeons.

Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to come out with this chapter. I was plotting out well…the plot. I think I've managed to design the rest of the story so the delays shouldn't be very long for here on out. Thanks for you patience and inevitable (at least I hope it's inevitable) bribery.