Title: Being Nice Doesn't Always Pay Off…
Author: Cactuskitty
Chapter: Six
Summary: Ginny gets mad at a friend and decides that it's time for her to change. In this chapter, Ginny has some fun…

A/N: When Ginny is reading, everything in bold and in parenthesis is her thoughts or her yelling in her journal.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Harry Potter book series, they belong to J. K. Rowling, so please don't sue. All I own is the little plot there is, Hillary, Brian, Tibby, Megan, and Ryan… But that's not muck to brag about.

Chapter Six: Palm Reader

Palm Reader smells of brandy and cigarettes

As she sells me sweet forgets, she needs something to get her through, she runs a scam like me and you, yeah me and you

Freud said that love was a good psychosis, butI don't know, I've had too many doses

He's a creep and we all know he probably made it up

-Palm Reader

Third Eye Blind

The next day, Virginia went to breakfast early as she had the previous day and wasn't really in a talkative mood. She had been questioned beyond reason the last night by the hens in her dorm. They seem to think that the only reason she had changed was to steal their boyfriends, a charge that was brought about because Megan's boyfriend had been missing all day as well without reason, and they instantly assumed that she had lain with him. Ginny's refusal to answer any of their time wasting accusations only infuriated them further. However, that story had a good ending, because after a three hour long inquisition they decided to give her the silent treatment, a verdict reached by none other than Hillary the evil pea-brained blond herself.  And after a night like that she had no intention of speaking to a certain ferret-like person by the name of Malfoy, or anyone other than Fred and George for that matter, because she still wasn't sure how she was going to handle any situation. Let alone one with someone who petrified her and left her to rot only the day before. Though Ginny happened to have very bad karma, because a few minutes after she sat down at her usual spot Malfoy sauntered into the Great Hall, and wasted no time approaching her at the empty Gryffindor table. Ginny quickly resolved to play it cool, like nothing had happened, especially since she had to consider the little pride that still remained in her feeble body.

"So the little weasel finally decides to immerge from her hole. I noticed that you weren't at lunch or dinner yesterday. Where could you have been?" He pretended to ponder like she had the other day, "Well let's see, I know you weren't still petrified because when I left for my first class you weren't there. So you can't use that as an excuse. Wait, don't tell me you were still depressed about that little boyfriend of yours so you decided to stay and sulk in your dorm." He sneered down at her.

"Oh Draco, am I really that foreseeable?" She exclaimed in a sarcastic voice, and she quickly added, while flicking her hair behind her ears, "I'm so pleased that you care enough about me to check and see if I'm present at meals, that's so. . .so charming."

He cringed and replied almost too quickly, "I don't give a rat's ass as to what happens to you little weasel; I just happened to observe that you weren't there."

"Sure you don't." She said in a serious tone, chewing her red nail involuntarily.

           "Don't be so sure of yourself little rodent. You have nothing to be proud of. You don't even have a boyfriend any more." That last line stung like salt on an open cut, and he knew it. That's why she made sure face stayed as despondent as before, but Malfoy noticed that they mischievous glint her russet eyes disappear and her complexion paled further. However, Ginny was a survivor, she managed to keep her cool; she promised herself that she was not going to let him get the best of her.

"At least I didn't have to pay for mine, unlike you Malfoy." She knew that line had been used one too many times, but she was grasping at straws.

"I know you didn't Weasley, because your family wouldn't be able to pay for it." Draco shot back so fast that the candles could have gone out, his smirk had widened. He wanted nothing more than to watch her squirm, and she knew that. Hence the reason her brain kicked into overdrive as she was forced to spit out a retort in order to stay in the game. However, her luck seemed to return as she hastily pieced one together.

"Wow, that was original Malfoy. Making fun of my family's financial status, you think someone as intelligent as you, or should I say, someone who thinks they are intelligent, like you, could come up with something more creative." She was doing much better, so she chose to continue, "Why don't' you tease me about something like my disposition (oh wait, that's been done), my name (check!), my love life (oh yeah, you've done that one too), or you could just fire up a few about my family (except, you've also done that already.). Well what's it going to be Malfoy? Hit me with something, I'm waiting. Or are you speechless? Or just tired of overused comebacks?

"I guess it's the first. Well, Malfoy, if you don't have anything to say to me I am going to continue eating my breakfast if you don't mind." She stated quite proudly, as she coolly served herself some scrambled eggs, her favorite breakfast food and began to spread marmalade on a piece of toast.

After a minute of his gaping silence Draco responded with as much dignity he could muster, "Excuse me, but who do you think you are to dismiss me? No one tells me what to do, I'll leave when I desire." With that he took a seat down next to her and stole her piece of toast just before she could take a bite..

"Fine, go a head and eat our food. I don't mind if you eat with me, but Ron might. Do you really want another bruise?" Ginny scowled as she irritably watched him contently eat her toast. And she was sure that he didn't like marmalade, but that didn't' stop him from eating.

"I never asked for anyone's approval and I'm not scared of that twit. If he wants to fight me then I'm not going to hold him back, and this time I'll be ready."

She nodded in silent agreement, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in her direction. Then after a second of silence and Malfoy had devoured the last crumb of her toast Ginny mumbled in a blasé tone as she took a bite of egg, "Of course, and I'm sure you are aware that he is standing behind you." Malfoy immediately spun around to find no one there, and Ginny couldn't help but burst into a short fit of giggles.

"You thought that was amusing didn't you?" He scowled, eyes narrowed and arms crossed.

"It was your own fault, you ate my toast. . . If only you could have seen your face. . .I wish I had a camera!" She said between snickers.

"Well, at least I finally got you to lighten up. If only you'd smile more often Weasley, you might even be almost acceptable." As he said this with an almost bemused expression, and Ginny instantly sobered and returned to the game.

She stared him straight in the eye and questioned him suspiciously, "According to whose standards Malfoy?"

"Do you honestly think I would use anyone's standards other than my own?" He had started to smirk again; he knew he had gotten her attention, and he began fix himself a Belgium waffle.

"What is that suppose to mean, Malfoy?" Ginny yawned, just to prove that his affection meant nothing to her, before taking another bite of egg.

"Whatever you want it to, Virginia. Whatever your little cold heart desires." He leaned towards her and sneered as he noticed her eyes flicker.

Once again she didn't move an inch, but she did look at her hands as she said in a serious voice, "I must inform you of something; Draco. Unlike most girls in this school I don't dislike you, at all."

"Really?" He kept his face composed, but his heart was racing for a reason unknown to him.

"Oh yes 'really.' In matter of fact, I feel quite different about you then some of the girls I know. . ." She sat a little farther in her seat so that she could feel the warmth of his face, and his breath against her lips. And she managed to make herself seem bashful, and uncomposed.

"How is that?" He said with a smirk on his face.

She leaned in even closer, but towards the side of his face, so her lips brushed his ear, and his eyes closed. She heard his sharp intake of breath as she whispered, "Wouldn't you like to know." After that final comment she set down her fork and left the table.

Draco's eyes snapped open to see her leaving, and he remembered how to breathe once again. "What was that supposed to mean? …Damn you and your infernal games…Where do you think you're going, little Miss Virginia? You still haven't answered my question."

Ginny paused, turned, and gave him a despondent glance as she said blandly said. "See you around Malfoy!" As she thought to herself, Merlin, this is going to be fun, and continued walking out of the hall.

However, since her mind was focused on playing the game instead of her surroundings, she didn't notice the person, who had been eavesdropping on their conversation for the past half hour. They had been standing next to the double doors. She was so in tune with her thoughts that she didn't even detect them until she was half way to the library, since she had nowhere else to go in the hour and a half before she had her first class. She barely thought about it as she turned sharply and began leading them down the same corridor she had taken Harry down the first day of school. Though this time she decided to take another approach, instead of warning them, she just turned and yelled deciding to prove to Harry how capable she was.

"Stupefy!" However, when she saw whom it was she cursed, she then truly wished she hadn't…

A/N: I am sorry this chapter is so short and a cliffhanger, but I really wanted to write something like this again… Oh, and I am sorry if their conversations are confusing, but they are that way for a purpose. The reason is because, as I've mentioned one other time in the story, they are both big in playing games. So that's why everything they do or say to the other person is like moving a chess piece, and every move counts.

Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I wouldn't continue writing if it wasn't for you guys…and I am so sorry that the formatting on my last chapter sucked. I don't know why, it looks fine right now. And I would repost it, but that would mean loosing all of my wonderful reviews.

*Next review is number 40 so remember to request a song!!!