Disclaimer: As always, I do not own the Harry Potter Saga. Yet.

A little note.


*Sigh*...Smelly Ginny...Just wondering, has anyone been in her shoes before?

No matter, this little fic, is supposed to be a one-time chapter. Yes: addicted, attentive, affected, afflictions and aflame, were all little sections in a long chapter. But somehow, I changed my mind and posted them separately. Thus, the vague timeline, the creepiness and the general oddity of the story, or maybe thats just me.

Anywho, the next chapter may very well be the last. You'll understand the dead ends, and the infamous 'Golden Line'. I promise.

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Afflictions....

She woke later than usual. It was already past lunchtime when her eyes snapped open and the memories drifted back. As she later buttoned her white shirt, she thought about yesterday's rain shower...

They went their separate ways when they finally reached the Hall. Ginny was so dizzy then that she missed out his soft drying incantation, and trudged her way up to the Gryffindor's towers.

Zipping her skirt, she grabbed her tie before retying her hair in the usual high ponytail and storming out, only to come back again to grab her sandals.

She had a club meeting right after Lunch. The last one before their Newspaper's debut. Ignoring her stomachs growl, for she slept as soon as her head touched the pillow, thus missing Dinner.

And now, apparently, Breakfast and Lunch...

::::

She stepped into the room and was immediately met with open wide stares. Some even went right ahead and voiced their concern and worry that she might have quit.

She shushed them good-naturedly and told them to worry about their debut tomorrow and not her. That, of course, started a ripple amongst them and they all went right ahead and immersed themselves in their work.

Before seating herself, she caught sight of Draco leaning against the open door of his private room. He was amused, that was clear, from his raised scarred eyebrow to the lazy grin playing around the corners of his mouth.

Blushing, she ignored him, and the ticklish fluttering in her belly, and proceeded to get on with her work. She finished her project already, but it needed another final revision before handing it in.

As she looked around amidst the many parchments scattered atop the shiny surface of her desk, (God she desperately needed a binder.) she half listened to the conversation between Draco and Colin.


"What is this?"

"....Um, thats my final draft..."

"I see...Come here, closer. Good. See this, it sounds English, doesn't it? Doesn't it? Yes. It even looks like English, but see here, when you look closely at it, and actually read the damned thing, you'll make no sense of it."

And here, Ginny unconsciously felt the change in Draco's manner. Even though she wasn't quite looking at him, and even though she was currently in the process of tidying her desk to better search for her project, she felt every hiss and snap of his bite.

She felt his voice sharpen from the mild tone he was using before, and imagined his stare raking its way through Colin's soon to be crumbling defenses.

"In future, if you can prove yourself more capable than this insignificant blabber, I suggest you proofread your work a dozen to million times before attacking unsuspecting readers with misspellings, grammar mistakes and other God only knows what atrocities."

Pause...

He never fails.

Now forgetting all about her project, she looked at him as he watched Colin step away dejectedly. His mouth curling sadistically and his eyes were gleaming richly at the defeated look on the younger boy's face.

Sigh.

Black snakes are innocent, the gold are venomous...

His gray narrow eyes swerved to where hers were staring, and when they met, time didnt stop. Sparks didnt fly. No.

Was it perversity that I longed to talk to him?

Was it humility to feel so honored?

His eyes questioned hers, and after a moment, his mouth broke into one of his rare sweet smiles.

I felt so honored.

But then he turned his back. Turned and left into his private room.

A sort of horror, a sort of protest against his withdrawing, into that horrid black hole.

He glanced back, and his mouth curled into the usual malicious smirk before closing the door with a final stab.

Deliberately going into the blackness and slowly drawing himself after...

...And I wished he would come back...

And I wished he'd come back.

.....My snake.

...

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she went back to her missing project and continued to search for it, loosing hope and gaining panic each second.

By the end of the meeting, everyone declared themselves done, and Ginny felt the air tighten around her as Draco emerged from his room, checking on everyone. When he glanced her way, a questioning eyebrow to the state of her project, she nodded her affirmative..

...

She lied. So what?

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It was just before dinner. The sky was...Something. A whirl of blue descending into a gulf of green and yellow. A veil of pink was shielding the expanse, as the sun finally rested.

She was standing there. All alone. Infront of the dying golden rays...Humming. A song to herself.

He watched as her lips moved, her neck arching to the beat inside her mind, and her fingers as she strummed them upon the window's pane.

He'll never know what 'they' were. Neither will she.

Her body never tensed, nor did her humming stop.

As he neared her back, her heat a welcome to his coldness, he thought about running his fingers down her spine.

But then, they were alone. No one was watching.

He wrapped his arms around her, engulfing her, and drowning her with his being. Breathing her in, he held her tighter to him.

As sincere as Winter.

And still she hummed, arching her neck, and facing the darkness that beat the sun. Never turning towards him.

Affected. Yes. I think we already established that.

Addicted. All the more, and ever.

Attentive. She is now.

Gasping, she wrenched herself from his grip, only to be forcefully crushed back and facing him, panicking when his hands locked around her neck.


Not that. She'll never be able to cope with this.

He pushed her against the window. The cold, seeping against her cheeks, molding into her veins, made her eyes widen, and lulled her mind to scream.

No. Dont do that to me.

Still, he did. Ginny heard footsteps, and with shame heard the whoop of encouragement.

Draco smirked in response, and when they left, he stopped.

He stopped acting, that is.

.....But still, she cried.

He smiled as she fisted her hands and caught them in her mouth, her face pathetically willing itself to calm.

Ginny felt his fingers against her neck, where he held her a moment ago. Held, not gripped, he made sure she never bruised. It was all an act, Ginny recited.

But still.

It hurt.

It hurt, still, when he stood watching, his fingers touching, erupting the many sobs that raked her voice with its haunting tunes.

She wanted to hit him.

Wanted to hug him.

Wanted to scream.

Wanted to empty herself.

Into him.

And before the Dinner bell, the smaller form of two standing shadows, grabbed the first and kissed him with the passion capable only by the hurt.

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Eh.End of chapter four.

(Hm, that snake line, is an actual poem. You'll find out soon.)

Na na na na ..na..na...na..nananan..naaaah,na..when you're looking like that...lalala..lala..lala..laaa..la....hmm..hm...hmm...

PS. Ignore the above, if you please...