Broken Flagstones
Draco and Ginny had reached the Gryffindor common room without too many other incidents; Dumbledore had been wandering by at one stage, and a hurried manoeuvre by Ginny avoided any house points being taken away for magic in the corridors. It involved Ginny suddenly spinning round and flattening herself against the wall. Draco looked a bit surprised for a moment, then started walking again. As he passed Dumbledore, he said "Alright, Prof?" Ginny gaped after him, as Dumbledore replied "Fine, Mr Malfoy. And you and Miss Weasley?". She pulled herself together after a while, responding by clutching Draco by the arm and saying "Not bad. The weekend's going too fast though."
"It always does, I'm afraid." Dumbledore twinkled his eyes at them, and disappeared off down the hallway.
"OK. I never knew you and the headmaster had nicknames for each other." Ginny eyed her boyfriend carefully, whilst a few sparks fizzed out of her robe. Draco looked down at the redheaded Gryffindor.
"We're drinking partners." Draco grinned.
"Ah. When?"
"Every Friday night. Why, are you planning on joining us?" Draco was somehow maintaining that grin.
"Hmmm.no." Ginny looked amused.
"Good. Males only." That grin had turned into the teasing smile.
"Arrogant git" She followed her boyfriend down the corridor, punching him lightly on the arm as she caught up. As they reached the Gryffindor portrait, Ginny stopped.
"Please don't annoy anyone - in fact, try and improve Gryffindor/Slytherin relations." Ginny smiled hopefully.
"I'm sure you meant Slytherin/Gryffindor just then." Draco glanced down at his girlfriend, grinning broadly.
"Oh honestly!" Ginny walked up to the lady in the portrait, murmuring something.
"GRYFFINDOR???? YOUR PASSWORD IS GRYFFINDOR????" Ginny turned around to see Draco almost bent double laughing. "No wonder Gryffindor are supposed to be brave - that's the only defence if all you can come up with for passwords are your own NAME!"
Ginny made a distinct 'humph' sound, and walked through the open hole leading into the common room. Draco, trying to stifle more laughter followed her. He went and collapsed in one of the mismatching armchairs around the fire, giving evil grins to scared looking first years, while Ginny went up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Coming down a moment later, she discovered her boyfriend interrupting a chess game to point out a possible checkmate. The two chess-players looked distinctly disgruntled, but finished the game anyway. Ginny prodded Draco in the ribs with the case of her flute.
"Sorry dearest, but we need to go. Despite you enjoying yourself terrorising small people." Ginny guided Draco to the hole and out towards one of the unused ballrooms in the west wing of the school, where Totalus, the group Ginny played in, were performing later that week.
As they walked down each corridor, some amused glances came their way - most from students in the upper school - telling Ginny that her charm was still in effect.
Nearing the ballroom, Draco could hear the sounds of a tuning lead guitar and someone skilfully mucking around on the drums, and as they entered the huge room saw the source. On the stage at the far end of the awe-inspiring room was Gryffindor's Dean on the drums, Neville playing on his red-stained electric guitar, and Ravenclaw's Cho leaning over her keyboard to talk to Dean. Neville glanced up as he heard Ginny's ankle boots clack towards him across the polished wooden floor.
"Hey Gin. You've got something on your t-shirt."
Ginny glanced down, spotting the small stain on her tight, white t-shirt and performing a quick cleaning charm. "Hey Neville. Thanks."
Draco had never thought of Neville as the musical type, especially not an electric guitarist, but in the sixth year, when Ginny and Cho had tried to start up a band, he had turned up for auditions. Everybody was sceptical, and rumours were flying around the school for a month before the first performance, and, sure enough, Neville was leading.
Ginny was already tuning up her flute to the keyboard, and chatting to her friends by the time that Draco had sauntered over to sit with Seamus Finnigan, Cho's boyfriend, on one of the chairs along the side of the room.
Seamus smiled a little wearily as he glanced up at Draco. "Heyya."
"Hi."
A long pause ensued as both boys watched the group set up the instruments so that they were ready to play. Down the other end of the room, a fourth year was checking a sound desk.
The silence was finally broken by Seamus.
"Have you done the Transfiguration homework yet?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
Neither Seamus nor Draco got the chance to expand on their replies as the group started playing at that moment. Ginny's hands fled down the keys of the keyboard as Draco recognised the start of one of his favourites - a Muggle song, about a homicidal 16 year old who had shot her classmates.
Inadvertently, he found himself humming along, as Neville started singing the verse; 'The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload.'
Cho, Ginny and Dean joined in the singing in the chorus, whilst each playing their particular instruments.
Soon, Draco noticed Seamus looking at him strangely. The Irish lad leaned towards him and said "I've never thought of you as that sort of person."
"What?"
"A homicidal maniac who just wants 15 minutes of fame."
Draco looked a bit shocked. "Well. There's a lot about me that you don't know. Anyway, how do you know what it's about?"
"My mum's The Boomtown Rats' most devoted fan."
"Ah."
Totalus finished playing through 'I don't like Mondays' and moved onto one of Dean's compositions - 'Charmed'. Dean started hitting the snare as Cho played a bass riff, and the sound of Ginny's flute made Draco look up.
"I wouldn't have thought of Cho as a bass guitar person."
"Neither would I, actually." Seamus admitted. "She plays the oboe in the orchestra as well."
"Do you play anything?" Draco sounded genuinely intrigued.
"Does the penny whistle count?"
"No."
"No. You?"
"The tuba." Draco sighed.
"Really? Wow. Why aren't you in the orchestra?" Seamus had half a smile playing on his lips as he asked the latter question.
"Can you really imagine a to-be-dark-lord playing the tuba? It ruins the image."
"Ah. Yes. I can see that might be a problem." Seamus sat there looking a bit perplexed. There was another long pause.
"You could always scrap the whole dark lord idea and join the Salvation Army?"
Draco and Ginny had reached the Gryffindor common room without too many other incidents; Dumbledore had been wandering by at one stage, and a hurried manoeuvre by Ginny avoided any house points being taken away for magic in the corridors. It involved Ginny suddenly spinning round and flattening herself against the wall. Draco looked a bit surprised for a moment, then started walking again. As he passed Dumbledore, he said "Alright, Prof?" Ginny gaped after him, as Dumbledore replied "Fine, Mr Malfoy. And you and Miss Weasley?". She pulled herself together after a while, responding by clutching Draco by the arm and saying "Not bad. The weekend's going too fast though."
"It always does, I'm afraid." Dumbledore twinkled his eyes at them, and disappeared off down the hallway.
"OK. I never knew you and the headmaster had nicknames for each other." Ginny eyed her boyfriend carefully, whilst a few sparks fizzed out of her robe. Draco looked down at the redheaded Gryffindor.
"We're drinking partners." Draco grinned.
"Ah. When?"
"Every Friday night. Why, are you planning on joining us?" Draco was somehow maintaining that grin.
"Hmmm.no." Ginny looked amused.
"Good. Males only." That grin had turned into the teasing smile.
"Arrogant git" She followed her boyfriend down the corridor, punching him lightly on the arm as she caught up. As they reached the Gryffindor portrait, Ginny stopped.
"Please don't annoy anyone - in fact, try and improve Gryffindor/Slytherin relations." Ginny smiled hopefully.
"I'm sure you meant Slytherin/Gryffindor just then." Draco glanced down at his girlfriend, grinning broadly.
"Oh honestly!" Ginny walked up to the lady in the portrait, murmuring something.
"GRYFFINDOR???? YOUR PASSWORD IS GRYFFINDOR????" Ginny turned around to see Draco almost bent double laughing. "No wonder Gryffindor are supposed to be brave - that's the only defence if all you can come up with for passwords are your own NAME!"
Ginny made a distinct 'humph' sound, and walked through the open hole leading into the common room. Draco, trying to stifle more laughter followed her. He went and collapsed in one of the mismatching armchairs around the fire, giving evil grins to scared looking first years, while Ginny went up the stairs to the girls' dormitories. Coming down a moment later, she discovered her boyfriend interrupting a chess game to point out a possible checkmate. The two chess-players looked distinctly disgruntled, but finished the game anyway. Ginny prodded Draco in the ribs with the case of her flute.
"Sorry dearest, but we need to go. Despite you enjoying yourself terrorising small people." Ginny guided Draco to the hole and out towards one of the unused ballrooms in the west wing of the school, where Totalus, the group Ginny played in, were performing later that week.
As they walked down each corridor, some amused glances came their way - most from students in the upper school - telling Ginny that her charm was still in effect.
Nearing the ballroom, Draco could hear the sounds of a tuning lead guitar and someone skilfully mucking around on the drums, and as they entered the huge room saw the source. On the stage at the far end of the awe-inspiring room was Gryffindor's Dean on the drums, Neville playing on his red-stained electric guitar, and Ravenclaw's Cho leaning over her keyboard to talk to Dean. Neville glanced up as he heard Ginny's ankle boots clack towards him across the polished wooden floor.
"Hey Gin. You've got something on your t-shirt."
Ginny glanced down, spotting the small stain on her tight, white t-shirt and performing a quick cleaning charm. "Hey Neville. Thanks."
Draco had never thought of Neville as the musical type, especially not an electric guitarist, but in the sixth year, when Ginny and Cho had tried to start up a band, he had turned up for auditions. Everybody was sceptical, and rumours were flying around the school for a month before the first performance, and, sure enough, Neville was leading.
Ginny was already tuning up her flute to the keyboard, and chatting to her friends by the time that Draco had sauntered over to sit with Seamus Finnigan, Cho's boyfriend, on one of the chairs along the side of the room.
Seamus smiled a little wearily as he glanced up at Draco. "Heyya."
"Hi."
A long pause ensued as both boys watched the group set up the instruments so that they were ready to play. Down the other end of the room, a fourth year was checking a sound desk.
The silence was finally broken by Seamus.
"Have you done the Transfiguration homework yet?"
"Yes."
"Oh."
Neither Seamus nor Draco got the chance to expand on their replies as the group started playing at that moment. Ginny's hands fled down the keys of the keyboard as Draco recognised the start of one of his favourites - a Muggle song, about a homicidal 16 year old who had shot her classmates.
Inadvertently, he found himself humming along, as Neville started singing the verse; 'The silicon chip inside her head gets switched to overload.'
Cho, Ginny and Dean joined in the singing in the chorus, whilst each playing their particular instruments.
Soon, Draco noticed Seamus looking at him strangely. The Irish lad leaned towards him and said "I've never thought of you as that sort of person."
"What?"
"A homicidal maniac who just wants 15 minutes of fame."
Draco looked a bit shocked. "Well. There's a lot about me that you don't know. Anyway, how do you know what it's about?"
"My mum's The Boomtown Rats' most devoted fan."
"Ah."
Totalus finished playing through 'I don't like Mondays' and moved onto one of Dean's compositions - 'Charmed'. Dean started hitting the snare as Cho played a bass riff, and the sound of Ginny's flute made Draco look up.
"I wouldn't have thought of Cho as a bass guitar person."
"Neither would I, actually." Seamus admitted. "She plays the oboe in the orchestra as well."
"Do you play anything?" Draco sounded genuinely intrigued.
"Does the penny whistle count?"
"No."
"No. You?"
"The tuba." Draco sighed.
"Really? Wow. Why aren't you in the orchestra?" Seamus had half a smile playing on his lips as he asked the latter question.
"Can you really imagine a to-be-dark-lord playing the tuba? It ruins the image."
"Ah. Yes. I can see that might be a problem." Seamus sat there looking a bit perplexed. There was another long pause.
"You could always scrap the whole dark lord idea and join the Salvation Army?"