Title: The New Ginny Weasley
Author: Jaylana88
Pairing: Ginny/Draco, mostly. Will be some Ron/Lavender, and Harry/Hermione sprinkled in.
Rating: R, for language and some explicit content that would probably traumatize young ones
A/N: The usual author's noteà I do not intend to copy, infringe upon, or abuse the characters I have borrowed from J.K. Rowling, but if someone thinks I am, try not to sue. I have no money.
The New Ginny Weasley
Chapter 5: Transfer Students??
Ginny and Pansy strode into the Great Hall, flanked by Draco, Colin and Blaise. All talking ceased the moment they walked in, and whispers spread down the house tables, streams of, "What the hell!?" and "Oh my GOD!" echoing throughout the room.
Ignoring this, Ginny turned to Pansy and said, "I'll talk to you later then?" Pansy nodded, and Ginny smiled in return, "Well Colin? Shall we?" Ginny strode over to the Gryffindor Table, and Colin trailed after her, smiling back briefly at the Slytherins, before jogging to catch up to Ginny. The three watched until Ginny had sat down at her usual seat in the middle, and then walked to their own table, taking their usual places. As Draco waited impatiently for Dumbledore to speak, an angry, "Ginny! Just what do you think you're doing!?" arose from the Gryffindor table. He smirked, snickering quietly to himself, knowing that it was Ron who had just shouted. 'Maybe he'll get so angry he'll give himself a heart attack, and I won't have to deal with him anymore,' Draco thought hopefully. Leaning forward, he tried to catch Ginny's response, and got:
"Doesn't matter…my friends…..no business of yours!" was the quiet response. 'Friends?' Draco pondered, idly. 'Yes I suppose we are…all of us, then. We wouldn't be friends if one of us hadn't gotten out of that compartment alive, but, remarkably enough, here we are.'
"Drake, check it out. It looks like Weasley's going to explode!" nudged Pansy, shaking Draco out of his thoughts, gesturing in the general direction of the Gryffindors.
And it was true: Ron's faced had turned an odd shade of reddish purple, and his arms had begun to wave wildly about. He was facing Ginny, standing up and screaming in her face. He looked furious.
But if Ron looked furious, then Ginny was positively spitting. 'She's lovely when she's angry,' noticed Draco. A becoming flush had spread across her cheeks, and her eyes flashed oddly. 'Merlin, was that…silver in her eyes!? Just the lights, I suppose…' Draco frowned, wondering if he had just been seeing things.
"Attention, students!" rasped a quiet but powerful voice. The entire hall quieted, and Ron glanced up from the argument he was just beginning with Ginny and grimaced, before taking his usual seat next to Harry angrily. Ginny turned towards Dumbledore to listen, unaware of the fact that two people were staring at her oddly once more.
"This year, as always, the Forbidden Forest is off limits to all students. Curfews, also, have remained the same. First through fourth years, curfew is 9:30, fifth years and above, curfew is, once again, 11:30." A collection of groans rippled through the older students at Hogwarts with that particular announcement.
"I am happy to say that this year, the Hogwarts Head Girl will be none other than Miss Hermione Granger, and the new Head Boy will be…Draco Malfoy! Prefects this year will be…" the names were drowned out as students began to whisper furiously about this recent turn of events. 'Draco's Head Boy!?' thought Ginny dazedly.
"You'd think it'd be Harry, since Dumbledore's always favored him," muttered Colin, leaning slightly towards Ginny. She nodded mutely.
'But then again,' Ginny thought, 'it does make sense, because Head Boy and Girl are always the ones with the highest marks, and Harry is supposed to be horrible at Potions. So Draco,' she came to the conclusion, 'should, in fact, be Head Boy.'
"Draco deserves it," said Ginny, whispering furiously back to Colin, who looked a little shocked before a look of understanding came over his face and he nodded wisely, turning back to Dumbledore to listen to the rest of the announcements…
"Also this year, Hogwarts has decided to participate in an overseas transfer program with various wizarding schools in the United States. Three transfer students will be staying with us this year, as if they were enrolled here at Hogwarts. They will arrive here tomorrow, and their sorting will take place immediately at breakfast." Interested remarks went up around the room, some excited gasps and some grumblings of, "Americans…" Ginny grinned with delight, before forcing herself to relax and pay attention once more.
"In addition to that, Hogwarts will also be holding another Yule Ball the day before Christmas vacation, along with a formal Spring Dance in April," Dumbledore said, before beaming at his gaping students.
"And now that all of that has been taken care of, on to the Sorting!" Talk arose quickly about Dumbledore's announcements, which was quickly silenced by the Sorting Hat's booming voice as it recited this year's clever rhyme. Then Professor McGonagall stepped forward, and said, "Alba, Susan!"
"Hufflepuff!" Cheers rose from the Hufflepuff table as the little first year made her towards them shyly.
"Bodin, Elisa!"
"Slytherin!" The Slytherins cheered, and Draco, Blaise and Pansy all got to their feet to welcome the narrow-eyed, blonde-haired girl who sat down at the end of the table hesitantly. And it went on like for a while, the first years being divided up into their houses quickly, with their new houses quickly welcoming them into the fold. Finally the last first year, a tiny little girl with flowing black hair and blue eyes that looked oddly familiar, stepped up to the Sorting Hat determinedly.
"Zabini, Marie!" A slight pause, and then…
"Gryffindor!" shouted the Hat. Blaise looked shocked, then strode all the way across the Great Hall to where his little sister was and gave her a big hug, before leading her over to sit her down at the Gryffindor Table. "Treat her well, or you'll answer to me, and the rest of us," he said, in what was supposed to be a light tone, but with a threatening undertone that left nothing unsaid. "Bye baby," Blaise said, smiling slightly at Marie.
"Bye Blaise…" Marie pouted, before turning to the girl next to her and saying, "So this is Gryffindor, eh?" with a slight smirk, reminiscent of Blaise's and the rest of the Slytherins' trademark facial expression.
Walking back to his own table, he narrowed his eyes at the few Slytherins who were pointing at Marie, and growled out, "If any of you even think of speaking about my sister in a negative manner, you will not wake up tomorrow, I guarantee you." With that said, he settled himself down next to Draco again.
"Well that wasn't entirely unexpected…" said Draco, letting the superior expression on his face dictate his "I told you so" attitude.
"Oh shut it, Drake. Just because you called that doesn't mean you have to rub it in my face."
"And let the feast begin!" said Dumbledore, and trays of food magically appeared in front of their eyes.
Helping herself to a large serving of mashed potatoes, Ginny talked quietly to Colin.
"So what's this thing with Blaise, babe? I saw you two on the train…he looked like he wanted to eat you!" Ginny whispered mischievously.
"No he didn't! We were just having a nice, civilized conversation about photography! And artists…and…and, erm, hands…" Colin gulped nervously when he glanced sideways at Ginny to see her grinning triumphantly at him.
"I knew it! You've got the hots for Zabini!" she crowed softly, delighted.
"Ginny! Enough of that! Besides, I don't even know if he, well…you know. Is into that…" Colin sighed, "though it'd be nice if he were."
"Well, we'll just have to find out…" she said, and glanced towards Blaise, where he was eating and talking quietly with Draco and Pansy. When all three looked up at the same time, Ginny smiled broadly at Colin, then looked back towards them and gave them a little wave. Startled, all three stopped what they were doing and arched various eyebrows simultaneously, before recovering and gesturing at them in response.
"Whoa, they've got that eyebrow bit down to a science- I wonder if they take classes for it…" Ginny said, snickering to herself. Colin laughed, and they both turned back to the Gryffindor table to eat. At the Professor's table, Dumbledore watched the exchange with a mysterious glint in his eyes.
But Dumbledore wasn't the only one to take note of the exchange. Harry Potter, for one, and Hermione Granger, for another, watched as well, with equally horrified expressions plastered onto their faces as a reaction to Ginny's audacity.
"Well," said Hermione stiffly, "what do you think of her now, Harry?" Harry thought back to the first time she had asked him that, back at The Burrow when Ginny had walked through the entrance to the kitchen, looking like she was older than him…..[flashback]
'Wha…what? Ginny? She looks gorgeous!' Harry thought wildly, mouth agape, as she strode confidently into the room after saying something to Mrs. Weasley. 'How come I never noticed her before?' he thought, thinking back to all the times she had been near him, not knowing how incredibly attractive she was.
(Later, at the breakfast table)
"Harry," Hermione whispered urgently, "what happened to Ginny, do you think?"
"Well, she grew up, I guess. She's certainly…changed…" said Harry in a low, slightly wistful tone.
"What, you fancy her or something?" Hermione said sharply, glancing across the table quickly to eye Ginny. Harry risked a glance too, and then quickly turned his head back towards Hermione as Ginny noticed that someone was watching her and brought her head up to meet their gazes curiously.
Turning back to Harry, Hermione ducked her head and continued, quietly, "So you do fancy her," she stated.
"No no…" he said quickly, "it's just that she's very, erm, noticeable. Now, that is."
"As opposed to before, then," said Hermione lowly.
"Well, yes. I mean, I suppose," he said, a bit off-put by Hermione's interrogation.
"Fine time to notice, Harry," she said sarcastically, "Fine time to notice." And with that, she turned towards her plate and picked up her fork to help herself to some scrambled eggs.
[end flashback]
"Well Harry?" said Hermione, a bit louder this time.
"Erm, well. It is Draco, and the rest of those Slytherins," he said quietly, so that no one would overhear, "but they haven't really bothered us for a good while now, not since…well, he died," his voice turned bitter and sad at the thought of Cedric Diggory.
"Harry…I'm-"
"No it's fine, Hermione. I guess what I'm trying to say is, since Ron's already a handful when he's angry, maybe we should leave Ginny be. She's changed. And we'll just keep it at that," Harry said firmly, nodding his head once to affirm his statement.
"Well if that's what you want, Harry. I was just a bit shocked, is all. Ginny's never been, well, like that before…"
"Suppose you'll have to get to accept it, Herm," said Harry, cutting her off, but before the look of hurt could spread over her face, he said quickly, "we'll all have to accept it. Even Ron."
When the last buttered roll had finally been snatched off the tray, students began stretching and filing out of the Great Hall, going in the direction of their various respective houses. Ginny and Colin made their way towards the doors, exiting and turning towards the staircase that would take them to Gryffindor Tower.
"Blaise…" someone asked. Turning around, Ginny saw Draco, Blaise and Pansy exiting the Great Hall behind them, followed closely by Blaise's little sister Maria. "Where's Gryffindor Tower, Blaise?" she asked.
"You see that group of first years up ahead, Maria?" Blaise asked gently. Maria nodded her head rigorously, and he said, "Follow them, and you'll get to Gryffindor Tower, okay?"
"Okay. Where do you sleep, Blaise?" Maria asked.
"In the dungeons, where the rest of the Slytherins sleep," smirked Blaise.
"Well that's not right…." Frowned Maria, before shrugging it off and bouncing over to where the rest of the Gryffindor first years were looking upwards at the gigantic moving staircases with various expressions of shock, awe and horror. Blaise watched his sister go, before walking towards Draco and Pansy, who had been waiting for him at the foot of the opposite staircase to where Ginny and Colin were headed.
Curious, Ginny called, "Blaise!" All three of them stopped, and looked at her expectantly. "Are the Slytherin dorms really in the dungeons?" she asked, stepping towards them.
"Are you joking? It's freezing down there!" said Pansy, shuddering slightly.
"Yes, and it smells like Snape's classroom," said Blaise, wrinkling his nose.
"It's just good for our reputations if we let everyone think that we sleep in the dungeons," added Draco. "The rumor does wonders for the ego," he said dryly, before glancing at Blaise and sniggering, and then catching himself as he did, stopping abruptly. Ginny couldn't help the giggle that escaped, and clapped her hand over her mouth hurriedly. Glancing at Colin, she saw him doing the same, snorting into his hand to cover the smile that threatened to overcome his entire face. By this time, the hallways had cleared, with the rest of the students either still in the Great Hall sitting and talking or in their common rooms.
"Well, we'd better go," said Draco, somewhat reluctantly. "Perhaps sometime you Gryffs will be able to find the entrance to the Slytherin common room. Though I highly doubt that," he said quickly, when he saw Ginny's eyes narrow at him, "because the entrance is in the oddest place imaginable. Though," he added slyly, "you're welcome to try."
"Well, maybe I will," said Ginny, arching her brow at him challengingly. And with a slight bow of his head at her response, Draco turned around and started walking away, Blaise and Pansy at his sides.
Suddenly, Blaise walked back towards the Gryffindors. Gazing at the two, he said seriously, "Take care of my sister, you two. Gryffs are supposed to be act noble and all that shit, but I don't want Maria getting involved in the 7th year house feuds." He looked down, frowning slightly, and Ginny realized how much his sister meant to him. 'He's genuinely worried," she wondered.
"Don't worry about it, Blaise," said Colin smoothly, "we'll watch out for her." He laid a hand on the taller boy's arm, and Ginny's eyes widened. 'They look really good together…' she thought.
Jerking herself out of her wandering thoughts, she said comfortingly, "Yeah Blaise, we'll make sure Maria's alright, and everything."
Abruptly, Blaise stepped back from them and muttered, "It's not that she needs a babysitter or anything…" he looked at Ginny. "But I worry for her," he said in a softer tone. "Potter and your brother are in her house now, and…well. I worry."
"It's alright," Colin said reassuringly. "We'll do what we can."
Blaise took a breath, and seemed to want to say something more, but then decided not to, and stopped himself. Straightening slightly, he nodded quickly and turned, striding towards Draco and Pansy who had been waiting for him at the end of the walkway.
"Well that was interesting,," said Colin lightly. Turning to Ginny, he decided a change of subject was best. "So what's up with you and Draco? If I didn't know better," he said, "I'd say he was flirting with you back there." He looked at Ginny out of the corner of his eye to gauge her reaction as they started up the stairs to their own common room.
"What are you talking about Colin?" she asked sharply. "Since when does Draco Malfoy flirt with Weasleys?"
"Since the train ride here," he said demurely, "I noticed you two were getting quite close…"
"We were not! If anybody was getting close, Colin," Ginny muttered, "it would be you and Blaise!"
"Never mind that. Come on Gin, I know you. You can't tell me that you're not in the least bit attracted to Draco!"
Ginny sputtered indignantly, but then sighed, and said, "Fine. So maybe I'm attracted to him. A little…" she trailed off when she saw Colin smirk. "Stop that, you! You're turning into a Slytherin, what with all the smirking you've been doing!"
"Well what's so bad about being in Slytherin? You were in that compartment with me; they seem like an alright bunch," said Colin reasonably.
"I-you-argh! Colin! Stop it this instant! You're just seeing things that aren't there! And besides," Ginny paused, hesitating, "even if I were, in the smallest way, remotely attracted to him, he would never be caught dead with me in the first place…" turning her eyes down to look at the stairs she was climbing. "So it doesn't matter, and I'd appreciate it if you just dropped the subject entirely."
"Fine, dear," said Colin quietly, "we'll drop it," he finished, 'But only for now, though…' he thought determinedly, and resolved, 'I'll get them together if it's the last thing I do!'
The two walked towards the portrait of the Fat Lady and followed a group of third years into the Gryffindor Common Room.
"So what did you talk to them about?" asked Draco, not looking at Blaise as they strode down the darkened hallway.
"I just told them to watch out for my sister," said Blaise offhandedly, "why, Drakey? Jealous that I got to go back and talk to your girl?" he smirked, and glanced at Draco.
"What girl?" Draco muttered. "I don't recall having a girl…though I'm fairly certain you, dear Blaise, have a boy," he drawled, turning the conversation onto Blaise with ease.
"It's true Blaise," said Pansy, joining in, "we would have been dumb and blind not to notice that you've got the hots for a certain brown-eyed Gryffindor," she exclaimed wickedly.
"Oh enough of that, you two!" he said, exasperatingly.
"Oh come on, Blaisey…" Pansy whined deliberately, knowing that the particular tone of voice she used to whine was what made him irritable and more prone to angry tirades that typically involved well-kept secrets being accidentally blurted out. "You might as well admit it, sweetie. We know you."
"Oh get off it, Pansy! You too, Drake!" he pointed a finger at Draco, who had just opened his mouth to speak. He stomped towards a statue of a knight and glared at his two friends. "Just because you piss me off doesn't mean I'll lose it and tell you anything! I am NOT attracted to Colin! So just leave it alone!" Blaise said furiously. He then turned towards the knight and pulled down the iron axe the statue held in its grasp. The statue gave a shuddering gasp, and then its arm dropped all the way down, pressing into a crack in the wall, which opened up a darkened doorway. Throwing one last infuriated glare at Draco and Pansy, he stomped into the Slytherin Common Room and all the way up to his dorm room.
Draco and Pansy looked at eachother and blinked.
"He's got it baaad…" Pansy said sympathetically of an absent Zabini, and followed Draco through the doorway and into the Slytherin Living Quarters. The statue of the knight moved sideways behind them, hiding the doorway once more.
AN: I know I know- a bit short. But this part was previously the first half of a humongous chapter. I thought it would be better if I split them up and gave 'em to you separately though. Hope you like it! The next bit: stuff gets rollin' and relationships heat up ;)…. Hehe. Please read and review, everyone!
-Jaylana