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 note- 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.
EXTRA NOTE: TO ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THIS CHAPTER, READ THE A/N AFTER THIS CHAPTER. THANKS! I LOVE YOU ALL!
The New Ginny Weasley
Chapter 10: The Day Before
"Well that went well," Ginny said after a slight pause, as the four friends walked out of Snape's dank, dark classroom.
"I'd say so," said Pansy, thoughtfully, "Snape seems to be taking to you quite well, actually."
"He's a good teacher….in a cynical, evil sort of way. But that's how we like 'em, right Drake?" said Blaise, nudging his blonde-haired friend.
"Whatever you say, Blaise," drawled Draco, but nodding his head in agreement as they walked down towards the Great Hall.
"Gin! Gin, ovah here!" Lorey yelled, waving her arms wildly, though she, Lex and Kay were only on the other side of the hallway.
"Hey kids, whas crackin?" said Kay conversationally, slipping an arm into Pansy's as they all walked into the Great Hall together. The chatter of students at their House tables and the warm glow of the candles on the wall washed over them as they walked to the head of the Slytherin table, as the three excited American girls talked animatedly about their newfound love for Herbology.
"I swear to God, Gin, thas probably THE tightest class I've ever had," exclaimed Lex happily, clasping her hands together as she bounced towards the table.
"Serious, cat, it was cool! We got to touch these weird slimy plant things, and Professor Sprout is sooo nice..." added Lorey as they took their seats.
Kay, who had been nodding all this time to the other girls' statements, burst in with, "Yaaaah, and I booyahed all ovah that plantin' biz…we had to stick a bunch of weird things in pots, and mine was the best and I got House points!" Kay clapped her hands together happily as she and everyone else sat down, settling in to serve themselves lunch.
"I told you it'd be a cake walk," said Ginny, giggling slightly, leaning down to stow her book bag underneath her seat.
"You were right babe, this place is hot. Oooh and guess what? I was talking to this chick Lisanna, and she says that there are always back to school parties in the dorms! So she told me to make sure you come. She said that Gryff parties are sellout, and that since you're the only normal one or something, you should swing by and spend the night," Lex explained in a rush, and then finished with rapid head nodding as if to emphasize her point.
"Uhm….I'm not sure if that's a good idea. It's Slytherin, after all, and I-" Ginny started, but was cut off as Pansy, Draco and Blaise, who had been listening in, started talking rapidly about what was really happening.
"Shite! I completely forgot about the party tonight!" said Pansy, putting a hand up to her forehead in exasperation.
"Don't worry about it, all the others brought enough to cover the upper year kids," Blaise reassured her, then, turning to Ginny, he said, invitingly, "You should really come, Gin. Bring something to sleep in, and dress nice, and you can bring other people if you'd like. Like-this one, for instance," said Blaise, nodding pointedly at the boy who was rapidly approaching. "He'd have…fun, and so would you," Blaise finished, then raised an eyebrow and a half smile as Colin sat down in a rush at the end of the bench, next to him.
"Hello there, Colin. How was class?" Blaise asked politely, with a slight smirk on his face, though Ginny didn't know from what.
"A nightmare! Katie stole my folder and went around the class showing all my drawings to everyone- it was utterly humiliating….those are my really bad drawings, and I didn't ever want anyone to see them…" a flushed Colin said unhappily, as he gestured to the slightly crinkled folder he had set down in front of him with a huff when he had sat down earlier, then stopped as he realized he had begun to confide in Blaise as readily as he usually confided in Ginny,.
"I'm sure they aren't all that bad…" said Blaise mockingly, and grabbed the folder before Colin could open his mouth to protest.
"That's mine, you know!" Colin said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes at Blaise, who was smiling evilly at the younger Gryff, "Give them back! I don't want you to see-"
But it was too late, as Blaise, after dodging Colin's attempted snatch, flipped open the folder…and stopped stone still.
"Colin…." Blaise said, slightly faintly.
"I can't believe the nerve….never in my life…they're mine…it's my business if they're bad…not fair…" Colin rambled, head turned away ashamedly when he realized that Blaise had gotten the folder open.
"Colin…." Blaise said, firmer this time.
"It's not my fault…those are old!....I was just a beginner….stupid Katie…stupid Blaise….ugh…" Colin trailed off as he risked a glance at Blaise, who was still staring at the first drawing in the folder.
Blaise turned his head up in time to catch Colin's covert glance, and said sharply, "Colin!"
"Uhm…yes?" Colin said, keeping his eyes down.
After pausing a moment, Blaise sighed quietly, and chucked slightly. Raising his arm, Blaise reached out and lifted Colin's head up so that the boy was no longer staring at the ground in embarrassment.
"They're brilliant," said Blaise with a finality that caused Colin's eyes to widen. Blaise retracted his arm gracefully as Colin uttered a small "eep", and smiled slightly at the disconcerted Gryffindor.
"And make sure to come to the party tonight," he added, smirking now with a bright glint in his eye. After a final shared glance, the two boys turned back to their empty plates and began serving themselves, talking together quietly about tonight's events.
Lunch passed quickly as Pansy, Kay, Lorey and Lex all talked about the upcoming party, with Pansy throwing in details of previous bashes and Kay bouncing in her seat excitedly at the prospect of her first party off her home continent.
Oblivious to their friends' exchange, Draco and Ginny talked quietly with each other, engaged in their own private conversation as they finished their lunches.
"I don't understand why you freaked when I made that potion earlier, either," said Ginny, taking a last bite of her apple before setting it down tidily and wiping her fingers lightly on her napkin.
"It's not that I "freaked"," Draco said, emphasizing the unfamiliar word, "I was startled. And that doesn't happen often…," said Draco, frowning slightly, almost talking to himself.
"Well you've apologized and all, so it's fine and it's not such a big deal. But you still owe me…and I'm going to think of something…..good, too," Ginny said, drawing out the "good" mockingly as she smiled at him innocently, eyes wide.
"Oh I'm counting on it," said Draco, but then paused, and added, "but since you're a Gryff, and typical Gryffindors have that annoying little habit of being noble and loyal and other such odd characteristics, I guess it's below you to think of anything that is interesting to a Slytherin, of all people." Draco smirked, though he knew that baiting Ginny might not be the best idea. 'Well I guess it could be the best idea, if this plays out right…' Draco's thoughts trailed off and his mind went blank as Ginny's eyebrow went up at his comment, and her smile faded, to be replaced by a vicious smirk that would rival Draco's best.
"I suppose you'll find it interesting enough," Ginny said, calmly. Leaning in close to his ear, she whispered, "but I guess you'll have to wait until tonight." She leaned back and straightened up, then reached underneath her to retrieve her bag.
As she was leaning down, however, Draco caught her arm, and said quietly, "Waiting was never really my strong suit, Ginny. I'll see you tonight." He let go and stood up quickly, the ghost of a smile flitting over his face but then vanished to be replaced with his trademark smirk. He bent down as Ginny straightened and stood up. Grinning, she crossed the space between them in a stride and placed her hand on the top of his spine, then ran it all the way down, lingering at the small of his back. Draco froze, eyes widening, and then turned his gaze to look at Ginny blankly. Giving his back a final pat, her eyebrow quirked, challengingly, and her eyes glinted enticingly. Smiling even broader, she drew her hand back and walked around him, catching up to Kay, Lorey and Lex, who were exiting the Great Hall to go to their next class. Draco straightened, and stared after her. When Colin, who was behind Draco, realized that the older boy wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, he sighed impatiently and brushed past him quickly, reaching the doors and exiting to get to his next class as well. Draco stared. Blaise came up next to him, and stared at Colin's retreating form until it had vanished out into the hallway. Blinking, Pansy, who was still sitting down, looked up at her two bewildered friends, and gave a wild hoot of laughter that caused the both of them to jump slightly.
Angry gazes and two identical sneers turned towards her, but she paid no attention, as she stood up and said, amusement twinkling in her eyes, "Shit, you boys are so whipped."
"We are NOT!"
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"Gin, wait up!" Colin called, panting, as he caught up with her in the hallway.
"Hey Colin, what's up?" said Ginny, looking at him curiously as he approached.
"Nothing. I just wanted you to wait up for me so we could sit together in class," Colin said, and, nodding, Ginny smiled at him and they walked into class together.
"So…what was that thing with Draco back there?" he asked, as they made their way to a set of vacant seats towards the back of the class.
"Nothing. What makes you say that?" said Ginny lightly, though her eyes said differently. "I'm just goin' to get him back for something he did in Potions earlier, thas all," her face lit up with mischief and Colin groaned in sympathy for the blonde Slytherin.
"Gin are you sure that's wise?" Colin asked, softer than before, as they sat down and began to take out their class materials. "I mean, I know he did something in Potions to piss you off, but your methods of revenge tend to be…..uhm. A little….brash? Sometimes?" he asked, then seriously wished he hadn't as Ginny turned to face him fully and eye him suspiciously, all traces of her happy mood wiped off her face.
"Brash? I am NOT brash! If anything, Draco's the brash one! It's his own fault, anyway," Ginny said, heatedly, and Colin cringed. But before he could apologize and attempt to ward off her impending anger, she did it herself, smiling at him amusedly as she finished with, "Besides...it's all in fun. I'm not really angry at anyone. If I were, I wouldn't be talking, remember?"
Colin nodded, remembering the times when people had angered her, and she had holed herself up in her room. The Weasleys in general were notorious for their angry tirades, but Ginny seemed to be the exact opposite. The angrier she got, the less talkative she got. Colin had learned quickly enough, and was now an excellent judge of mood when it came to his best friend, which was why he knew that she was joking, because what she said was the truth. 'If she WERE angry at someone, she just wouldn't be talking,' he thought, relieved. An angry Ginny is definitely not something you want to cross, and, judging by that display at breakfast, crossing Ginny when she was mad was basically a voluntary attempt at suicide. He was about to comment, but was stopped as their Magical Ruins teacher decided at that time to stroll into the classroom, looking around at them owlishly before stating hurriedly.
"Alright kids, settle down! I hope you read your required reading, because we'll be starting off with a little quiz this year!"
The class groaned collectively, and settled in. It looked to be a long, long hour.
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"Good god, why is it that every time you two blow it in class, I have to bail you out!?" Pansy snapped, stalking through the corridor leading to the entrance of the Slytherin common room, with Draco and Blaise hurrying quickly to keep up with her angry strides. The last class of the day had been Advanced Herbology, with the Hufflepuffs, and it had not gone well at all. Justin Finch-Fletchley had thrown a fit when he'd seen Draco and then Blaise putting the moves on some girl that was supposedly his girlfriend, and had attempted to throw both boys out of the green house. Needless to say, Professor Sprout had interrupted the brawl, and, in order to save her friend's arses, Pansy had thought up a quick excuse that, instead of landing her friends with punishment, had ended up herself with deducted house points and a late afternoon detention
"Pansy, it's not like we planned on getting you detention. We didn't think that stupid oaf would actually throw something at us!" Draco said, exasperated, as the three reached the hidden entrance to their dormitories.
"Well it doesn't matter now, does it? I'm going to miss at least half of the party tonight, and Professor Sprout will give me hell during detention. Bloody hell boys, I thought we got over this 5th year!" Pansy ranted even as she was triggering the door to open and they stepped into their warmly-lit home.
With a sigh, she ran her hands through her hair and muttered under her breath about idiotic sidekick boys and their even more idiotic actions, while climbing the stairs to her dormitory in order to shower and change before going down to meet Professor Sprout for her afternoon detention.
Blaise and Draco, left alone in the Common Room, looked at each other, and blinked. Shrugging his shoulders, Draco sighed and flicked a stray hair out of his face before flopping down onto a large couch elegantly. Following his friend's example, Blaise did so as well, propping his feet up on a nearby table with ease.
"Well Drake, looks like we're in a bit of a predicament," said Blaise mockingly, but then shaking his head to imply that his sarcasm was directed more towards himself than at Draco.
"Suppose we are, a bit," drawled Draco, slightly wearily. "Tonight should be quite the party."
"Certainly. With us inviting Gryffindors?" Blaise said, slightly incredulously, then chuckled slightly, "we'll be the talk of the school, that's what. And with my name connected with not just a Gryff, but a..boy, as well, things are definitely going to be getting complicated soon."
"You really are after Colin then," stated Draco, not even bothering to phrase it as a question. Blaise nodded once, shortly.
"And you're after Ginny," stated Blaise, as Draco had just done. This time, it was Draco's turn to affirm without words, and just the barest of nods.
"You're fucked if that idiot brother of hers finds out where she's going to be tonight," said Blaise slyly.
"In the heart of Slytherin?" Draco snorted, then laughed softly, "I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to force his way into here and hex me to death!"
"The heart of Slytherin? More like the bed of Slytherin, Drake. You know as well as I do that you're going to try to get her into bed the second she steps into the dorms." Blaise said matter-of-factly, but then glanced at Draco and stopped, as the look on his friend's face had suddenly gone darker.
"Maybe. But then again, maybe not. Maybe I want more than just that," muttered Draco, putting his hands above his head to stretch out more fully on his couch, staring at the ceiling moodily.
Slightly shocked, Blaise turned back to stare at his portion of the ceiling, and a comfortable silence settled between the two friends. 'If Draco is even remotely considering the possibility of a relationship, and with a Gryff and a Weasley to boot, he must be deep in,' Blaise thought, before his thoughts drifted in a more personal direction, involving attractive, sandy-haired Gryffindors, and skin. 'Lots of skin,' he thought, mouth curling in a slight smile as his eyes closed slightly.
This was the position Pansy found them in, with Draco glaring at the ceiling intently, sprawled out on one couch, and Blaise on the other couch, one arm propping his head up, a content, yet slightly wistful expression gracing his face.
Smiling slightly, Pansy descended the stairs, trying not to disturb the two. Even if they screwed up more often than not, they were still the best mates she could ever ask for, and a little sacrificing was worth their friendship, right? 'Even if sacrificing for friendship involves being mauled to death by giant, poisonous flowers for detention they should be serving, I guess they should be the ones here at the party. They're the ones with prospects, after all. Not me,' Pansy shook her head, trying to banish the bitter thoughts from her mind, and looked again at the boys lounging in the common room with affection. Crossing between the two couches, she simultaneously patted Draco and Blaise on their stomachs, and spoke softly.
"I'm out. Drinks are upstairs by my bed, you know where. Make sure all the charms are in place before nine, or Snape'll throw a fit."
Draco nodded sleepily before covering his face with one arm to block out the glare of the ceiling lights, and Pansy smiled again and strode across the room quickly. Just as she was about to exit, a slightly slurred, yet still distinctly drawling voice called her back.
Turning back, she turned her eyes to Blaise expectantly.
Nothing was said at first. All that was shared was a glance that spoke volumes.
"Thanks," Blaise said, nodding once at her, then turned back around and flopped back down on the couch to bury his head in the cushions.
Pausing, Pansy looked at Draco, who was looking at her as well by now. With an expression that was only reserved for her, he gestured towards the door, and she complied, grinning at him and then winking once, at which he rolled his eyes good-naturedly.
Thoughtfully, and with the traces of a smile on her face, Pansy made her way down to the green houses. Her mind drifted back to their 5th year, and the beginning of the three Slytherin's friendship. Coming from the three most prominent Dark Arts families of the age, they had found within each other similar experiences that no one but them could even begin to comprehend. 'Even if they pretend like nothing is important,' Pansy thought, 'I know that I mean something to them. Boys, no matter how old, will always have an issue with emotional expression,' she finished wryly, quirking her mouth up slightly.
Reaching the door leading to her detention, she paused and sighed, then opened the door and stepped into the brightly lit green house. Walking towards the front of the botanical class room, she thought idly, 'I'm doing this for Draco. I'm doing this for Blaise. Draco. Blaise. Oh bloody hell, I…HATE….PLANTS!'
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Ginny groaned and dropped her book bag on the floor, then threw herself on her bed with a loud, "oomph." She paused, then lifted her head, and said, "You know, Colin, I've just realized something."
Colin, setting his bag down next to Ginny's, sat down next to her on the bed and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" he asked, slightly archly, "and what have you realized, Gin?"
"Well, besides the fact that school is the worst possible thing ever to be invented, and that Professor Snape is actually a normal, sane person and not a vampire as originally thought, I HAVE YET TO COME UP WITH A PLAN FOR REVENGE ON DRACO!" she ended, wailing.
"That's a lot of stuff to realize in a single day…"
"Yes, I know. Thanks for that Colin. You're such a help," Ginny hmphed as she narrowed her eyes at her friend in exasperation, her head raised from the mattress.
After a pause, and another low groan from Ginny, Colin said, with the beginnings of a smile on his face, said, "Well I could help you with Draco…."
Ginny perked up at that, and drawled, "yeeesss?"
"If you help me with…Blaise," Colin finished quickly, looking around at the room idly as he avoided Ginny's smirking gaze studiously.
"Mmmmhmmm….you want in his pants then, yes? We'll just have to make that happen…tonight," Ginny said, leaning in conspiringly.
"Tonight would be fine, yes," Colin said, trying to be nonchalant and failing miserably as his friend's infectious grin caused him to smile as well.
"Tonight…is going to be good. And here's what we're going to do…."
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AUTHOR'S NOTE: So basically…..I fell off the face of the planet for about a month. A little while after I posted the last chapter and took my AP History exam, my computer ate itself and died. It got a virus or something, and everything was completely wiped out. It wasn't fixed until around the third week of May, and by that time, I was panicking because I NEEDED to get this chapter posted. And then I finally got back onto my computer, and realized that I was screwed, because not only were all my previous chapters erased (which wasn't really a problem because I could just read them like any other person on fanfiction.net), I no longer had the practically finished, meticulously polished Chapter 10 that I was waiting anxiously to post as my update. Everything stopped then…my creative wells dried up and I kinda slumped back into school with a dejected air. But NEVER FEAR, I am back and kicking! MWAHAHAAHAH. Just kidding. Anyways, this is the new (and possibly improved-or not) Chapter 10 of The New Ginny, and I APOLOGIZE PROFUSELY to anyone who has been waiting for this. If it is a disappointment, feel free to email me or just post up a review saying how terribly I did and I will try to appease you with the next chapter, which will be up by the middle of next week. Thanks so much for everything, my avid, angry, anxious readers and reviewers. It means a lot that you actually bothered to check up on the progress of this story. I am going to get this story done! It's going to be huge, but I'm going to do it! THANKS AGAIN!!!!! And I'm still really sorry. L.
-Jaylana