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Chapter 11
Cara woke up as an unpleasantly loud noise ripped across her eardrums.
"WHERE WERE YOU????" Ginny shrieked even as she landed full-force on Cara's bed.
Cara groaned and yanked her pillow over her head. Sleep. She needed more sleep.
It was yanked out of her hands and a glaring set of brown eyes, followed by a rats-nest of bright red hair, appeared in its place. "Well?" demanded Ginny, voice still shrill and grating for someone who'd gotten only a few hours sleep. "I waited up in the common room until nearly midnight. Harry had to wake me up and make me go to bed. I was downstairs asleep, dammit!"
Cara groaned. "You have awful bedhead," she said sleepily towards the ceiling.
Ginny just growled. Cara sighed. "I got caught on the stairs," she said. "I didn't get back until really late." And then she promptly, stupidly, revealingly blushed a bright fiery red as she remembered just WHY she'd taken so long to get back to Gryffindor. Oh dear.
"You're blushing," Ginny said. She whipped out her wand, and Cara cringed. Oh, please don't hex me, not first thing in the morning, she mentally whimpered. But Ginny pointed the scary magic stick at the bed curtains instead. "Aurus impervious," she snapped. And then looked back at Cara. "Spill it," she said.
"Um," Cara started, trying to think of something good. A nice little lie. Maybe she was stuck in the trick step in the third corridor from the left of the tower? Nah, everyone knew it was there and they'd even put a glow-in-the-dark flashing neon pink sign next to it.
"Don't you um me, young lady," Ginny said. This time Cara gulped as the scary magic stick was pointed at her. "You were blushing. You got back to the tower very, very late." Ginny's eyes got wide, and her jaw dropped. "Oh my god! You were with a BOY!"
"No I wasn't!" Cara immediately protested. More like a really sexy boy, she thought, and blushed again. Crap, damn, double damn. Damn once for the thought, damn twice for the blush.
"Ooo!" Ginny squealed. "Who was he? That cute fifth year from Hufflepuff? He's had his eye on you for weeks…"
"iwaswithdracomalfoy," Cara muttered under her breath. Hoping that Ginny wouldn't catch it.
Unfortunately, the abrupt end of chatter from her best friend told her that her wish wasn't about to be fulfilled. "Did you just say 'Draco Malfoy'?" Ginny said. Very quietly, and very scarily. Cara nodded meekly, risking a glance at her friend. The sight wasn't reassuring. While Ginny might not have her 'mad' face on, which meant all parties should take several large steps backward and have a good shield spell ready, she DID have her 'blank' face on. That meant you had no freakin' clue what she was thinking, and your chances of figuring it out before she blew were slim to none.
And then that damn wand came up again. "Explain."
Cara was suddenly irritated, and that damn little voice in her head that made her do crazy things like, oh, say, kiss Draco Malfoy when he least expected it, had her reaching up and yanking the wand out of Ginny's hand. "Geeze, would you give it a rest?" she asked, not really bothering to hide the pissed off tone in her voice. "I'm your bloody friend. Don't point your wand at me like I'm some kind of enemy."
Ginny sat back, her 'blank' face now gone. "I… I'm sorry," she sighed. "I was just so mad, because I waited and waited, and I was worried when you didn't come. And then I wake up and you're right here safe!" She raised her hands and dropped them again. "You're right. No wands on friends."
"Unless they're holding an unauthorized emergency chocolate supply raid," Cara corrected, one corner of her mouth quirking.
Ginny smiled back, and then sighed. "Dammit, it's too early," she grumbled. "Why'd you have to wake me up, you bitch."
"Why you little…" Cara started, but Ginny was already pulling the covers back and sliding in next her.
"Shut up and give me your extra pillow," her red-headed friend ordered. "And quit hogging the blankets. Some of us need our beauty sleep." Cara grumbled as they silently fought over pillows and blankets and getting comfy in the bed that was plenty big for two small-sized females.
Finally, getting sleepy again, she heard Ginny speak up again. "Did you kiss him?" her friend yawned.
Cara sighed, a little wistful. "Yeah," she said.
"Why?"
"Because he was cute. And he saved my life from falling off the stairs when stupid Ravenclaws made them invisible and the staircase moved."
There was silence. "Huh," Ginny grunted. "Ok." Then, "which Ravenclaws?"
Cara snuggled down further. "They'll be the ones losing their ears at lunch," she said sleepily.
"I'll tell Colin to be ready with his camera," Ginny yawned again. "Good thing we don't have class this morning." There was more silence before she spoke softly again. "Do you like him, Cara?"
Cara took a long time before answering, letting sleep creep closer and closer. "I don't know," she finally said.
Ginny sighed, a sleepy sound. "Yeah," she said. "Just… be careful."
"Yeah," Cara murmured back.
"Wake me up for lunch."
"You wake me."
"Whatever."
"Bitch." And then Cara slipped into sleep.
**********
Draco was in the Room of Requirement. It was really quite a marvelous place. He'd trailed Potter and his little gang of 'Dumbledore's Army', as they'd called themselves last year, and realized that the room could be extremely useful. Particularly with his little situation this year.
"Protego!" he panted, diving out of the way. He winced as the bolt of light seared his right arm. Dammit, that hurt. "Furniculous! Incisisious! Petrificus!" he sent bolts back at the shadowy figure across the room as fast as he could, and slumped in relief when it finally dissolved.
He sat and leaned his head back against the wall and breathed heavily. That was the fifth bout this morning, and he was starting to get tired. And worse, he was still afraid that he wouldn't be ready, wouldn't be fast enough. She was going to get him at some point, he thought wearily, and sometimes he didn't care.
But he'd woken this morning from a dream of soft, chocolate-flavored lips, and been driven to come here and practice. He didn't like the urge, or rather, didn't like the reason why. Bloody girl, he thought. Why'd she done something like that last night, kissing him? She was supposed to just stay frightened and away, like every other good Gryff. But no, the stupid girl had been singing and dancing, and then crying and clinging to him, and then bloody fell asleep on him. And then ended the evening by kissing him!
He growled in frustration, shoving a hand through his damp hair. Gods, he was a mess. Two weeks tutoring, and he'd lost all the icy façade he'd managed to build up over the last sixteen years. And, he wrinkled his nose, since there was no one to see, he needed a shower.
Heaving himself up, he started for the doorway. It was still early enough to get that shower, he thought. And then, lunch.
**********
Cara was sitting at lunch, not quite awake yet, when she saw them. Her eyes narrowed to slits and she nudged Ginny next to her. "There they are," she said.
Ginny immediately peered the wrong direction. "Where?"
Cara smirked. "Watch," she said, getting up. As she headed for the Ravenclaw table, she saw Ginny waving frantically at Colin. She smirked. Get ready, camera boy, she thought.
She sauntered over until she stood right behind the two third-years. They had their heads together, whispering frantically, and didn't notice her until she stood right behind her. She leaned down and said as soft as a breeze, "Hello, boys."
Two heads jerked around and smacked into each other. She smiled in satisfaction at the whack and subsequent howl. "Who're you?" said the one on the left, rubbing his head and scowling.
She beamed at them. "I'm the girl you trapped on the stairs last night," she said. The two looked at each other nervously.
"Ah, riiiight…" the one on the right said. "Um, you're not mad, are you? Because it was just a joke…"
"A joke. Hmm…" she tapped one finger against her bottom lip. "A joke. Yes, I see how that could have been a joke." She started to laugh, quite gently. "Why, it's positively funny! Just imagine me standing there, watching the stairs vanish!"
The two looked at each other again, confusion in their faces. "Uh, good. You're not made, then."
Cara waved her hand airily. "Mad? Me? Heavens, no. It was all quite exciting. Really, I have to thank you." Casually, she pointed her wand ever so slightly towards the two. "Well, I should be going. Enjoy your lunch, boys," she said, and sauntered off.
As she walked away, she started counting silently. One… two… three… four… and five. Right on cue, her extra-special-favorite-hex-known-only-to-Great-Uncle-Max took effect. Two screams rang out behind her, followed closely by a roar of laughter. Cara sighed in pleasure as she sat down again at the Gryffindor table.
"Oh. My. God." Ginny had her head down on the table, she was laughing so hard. "You weren't kidding, no ears."
Cara buffed her nails casually. "Have I mentioned Great-Uncle Max before?" she murmured sweetly. "He's written a few books on creative hexes…"
Ginny's brother leaned over, grinning hugely. "Awesome, Cara. That was awesome." He turned back toward where Harry was still snickering. "Wouldn't Malfoy look great that way?"
At the mention of his name, Cara's eyes turned toward the Slytherin table. Her eyes skimmed over heads until she met a pair of surprisingly amused gray eyes. Her own eyes widened. Oh. My. Draco's face was relaxed, clearly approving of her little revenge. And unbelievably handsome, she thought a little dazedly.
Uh-oh. She was in trouble, she thought, watching him turn away, a quirk still at the corner of his mouth. Deep trouble.
"Miss McDouglas!" Cara cringed at the sound of McGonagall's voice. Make that super deep trouble.
**********
Draco strode down the hallway, lips twitching still. So the little Gryff hadn't been exaggerating when she said the two pranksters would be loosing their ears. He wasn't sure he knew that particular spell, and briefly wondered where she'd found it.
She'd probably get detention for it, however, he thought, pulling it in the middle of the Great Hall with the entire school for an audience. A trait that definitely proved her lack of Slytherin-ness. He would have chosen a nice, secret spot and hit the two when their backs were turned. Oh, he would have found some way of ensuring complete public humiliation, but crafty got you farther than blunt confrontation.
He supposed that he should let the two off rather easy, now that Cara had had her fun with them. Draco suddenly caught his thoughts. Since when did she become 'Cara'? Probably since she kissed you last night, an annoying little voice in his head said.
Draco grumbled and tried shoving that little voice back down where it belonged. Why, in the last year and a half, did he have to grow a conscience? It was annoying, it got in the way of all sorts of things, and it gave him unpleasant feelings of guilt or duty. And dammit, it made him think things that sounded suspiciously like something Potter or one of his cronies would say.
He grumbled and stepped through the doorway of the Potions classroom, breathing in the faint fragrance of herbs and steam that always hung about the place. Ahh. He was early for class, and settled into his desk, relaxed since there was no one else about.
He had begun to spread out his things when Professor Snape came striding through the door. "Mr. Malfoy," the Potions Master said.
"Sir," Draco answered, looking up at him.
Snape paused in the front of the classroom and looked at him with narrowed eyes. "The Slytherin corridor fell victim to another ridiculous prank last night," he said. Draco inclined his head. "Have the culprits been suitably reprimanded?"
One corner of Draco's mouth refused to stay down. Ah, yes. "Sir, I believe the students responsible have been, ah, reprimanded by another party."
Snape nodded. "Very well." He vanished into his office without another word. Draco settled back to wait for his class and amuse himself with more images of earless Ravenclaws.