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

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, and Ryan… However, that's not muck to brag about.

Chapter Twelve: Fanning the Flame

            "Just look at her!"

            Draco often 'overheard' peculiar conversations while reading in the library. Most  of what he heard was amusing tainted gossip and lies about secret relationships or vulgar teachers, but since September first, the only thing people felt was worth gossiping about was the youngest of the Weasels. It seemed that every time she dropped a book, twenty more lies were spread about her, and the fact that she ignored her peers' silver tongues only increased it. Most of it was terribly disgusting, some of the lies that had been spread, and nearly everyone had gained a new phobia of the spiked girl. However, Draco still found joy in hearing the newest thread, no matter how obscene.

            The reason being was, in the past few weeks of getting to know her, Draco had learned that she wasn't as hardcore as she wanted everyone to think, just terribly cold. Yes, she might be a lot more cruel and confident, but she wasn't as evil as the sheep imagined. Some rumors spread were much more malicious than others, and the majority originated from the tongues of Gryffindors. However, their motivation was still a mystery to him.  So for that reason, he listened to the upcoming conversation with vigilance.

            "Huh-What are you going on about now?" the girls chestnut-haired accomplice said as her head snapped up from her book where she was once reading..

            "Ginny, you dolt!" the blond hissed, and Draco noticed that sure enough Virginia had just walked into the library and taken a seat in her usual spot, only to have scarhead Potter next to her a moment later, Daily Prophet in hand. Draco wondered what was going on, but listened intently to her next comment nonetheless.

"Am I the only one who has noticed how friendly she's become with Harry lately? She decides to become a-a hooligan over the summer, and now she acts as if she owns this school!"

            "Oh Hillary," Her friend sympathized, "Just because she doesn't cower before him anymore and keeps to herself, doesn't mean that she's suddenly become another Malfoy."

            Draco scowled at the foul usage of his name. Why was it that these Gryfs also referred to him as the lowest scum of the universe? He wasn't the one bad mouthing the people in his own house. In addition to the defense of himself, Draco could name several other peers who were much more evil than he, without even trying. Just because he was well spoken and fought dirty, those backstabbing-supposed-lion-hearts figured him to be the worst thing on earth. It would have aggravated him if being bad didn't feel so damn good.

            "Yeah, well, that's just because she's probably screwing him." Hillary mumbled in a harsh undertone, which Draco nearly missed. Here came another, underplayed rumor that had been slowly making it's way around the school, but surprisingly, this was the first he'd actually heard it voiced. Vince and Greg had caught wind of it a week ago, and informed him of it in the most direct way possible. It was quite nauseating how brainless his two cronies were, but they got the job done and that was all that really mattered to him.

            Though the thought was soon forgotten, because it seemed as though there was something disturbing in the Daily Prophet. Harry had been pointing to a certain article and Virginia noticeably paled. Draco idly wondered what had happened. He watched as Harry, who looked greatly pained, sympathetically wrapped his arm around her shaken shoulders. Though he happily noted that she quickly brushed them off and Harry turned away sadly to continue speaking. Ginny looked as though she was torn between puking, crying, and shattering into a million pieces. Draco really wanted to know what was happening, but since Potter was around he would have to wait until later, and he turned his attention back to the spiteful girls.

"WHAT!" her friend hissed in an angry tone, "Sorry-What give you the right to make that kind of assumption? You're just sour because she wouldn't let you copy her charms homework like she always use to… "

Hillary was now becoming huffy and more dramatic as she spat back, "That may be true, but that's no reason to ignore the obvious. If they're not-you know whating-then they're pretty damn close. Have you also missed how they have been heavily flirting. They're only in the library almost every goddamned day!"

Flirting? Draco smirked as he rubbed his eyes on the back of his palms and then ran his hands through his gelled hair. Well, at least someone finally realized what it was they were doing. Draco was well aware of all his actions and pretty sure that Gin was also.  They might not be screwing, but flirting? Hell yes.

Potter was still talking to her, but Draco could tell by her vacant expression and unconscious chewing of her black nails that she wanted nothing more than for him to back off. He seemed to be going off on something, and didn't notice that Ginny was staring at the article with all her might, trying her best to ignore him. This caused Draco to wish that he had taken the time to read it this morning; because it had to be something really interesting by the way she was focused on it.

"Fighting no less." Her friend inserted stubbornly.

"That's not what I saw… Anyway, I have my bet on that they're in it together. I bet it's an elaborate scheme, and that the only reason that she's putting up with Potter is for a front, so she can screw him over for the person she's really interested in."

"And who's that?" her friend added blandly with a crooked eyebrow. She looked as though she was beginning to get aggravated with her friend's growing resentment, and Draco couldn't blame her, "You were spying weren't you?"

"Tibby! How can you be so dense-Malfoy o'course! And the library is a public place. If they wanted privacy they would have gone to a broom closet…"

"Hillary!" Tibby exclaimed before stifling a fit of giggles, "Don't be so perverted!"

"Well, it's true isn't it? And you know that was well as I do." She responded indignantly.

Tibby's eyebrow rose once again, as she brushed her hair behind her shoulders and replied sternly, "Maybe not as well as you…"

"I don't know if it's true, but it sounds more likely than what everyone else is spreading… And it wouldn't be so unimaginable to think that she joined the dark side.  Especially after what happened in her first year, those sorts of terrors could corrupt anyone…"

"I know…"

"Maybe she told Ryan about it and that's why he broke up with her. Ryan was never one who would give into to anything he felt was unmorally fit." She continued, but Draco didn't. Potter had just left her table, groping her like usual, just to spite him, and the suspense was killing the handsome blond. Who cared what other people thought, he concluded that as long as he didn't do anything too drastic nothing could really cause her to be worse off than she already was. Weasley seemed to be really worked up about something and there was now way in hell that some stupid rumor about him screwing her was going to stop him from taunting her. Plus he had to return the third book.

A/N: Yes, I know that was an incredibly short chapter (with a cliffy,) but it's very much needed and you'll see why soon. I had an epiphany at two o'clock in the morning last night and I finally came up with an actual plot for this story. I noted only a few of you noticed that there wasn't once yet. ^__^* Well, don't fret, because there is one now. So maybe, it will allow me to update sooner… Err, sorry about that… It's a thing called writer's block and I get it every so often. And it also didn't help that during my first week of break I couldn't hold a consistent thought. No kidding.

Thank you wonderful reviewers for all your helpful tips, comments, praises, and put-downs. I love nice corrective criticism. It really helps me and I take it all to heart. I love you all dearly, so please keep doing it. 3

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