Chapter Three- Challenges

(Alternative chapter title: Draco Puts the Restricted in "Restricted Section")

Everyone stared at Ginny open-mouthed. Ron dropped the caramel flavored towel he had been munching and scratched his head. Harry buried his face in his hands with frustration and Draco just sneered. "You Gryffindors aren't particularly known for hygiene, you know," he drawled. "I don't want to find out how much worse you smell after a week...or even a day."

Ron and Harry jumped to their feet angrily. A small smile played on Hermione's lips as she peered up from her book. Should I tell them? She observed Ginny walk up to Draco with her fists clenched. Hermione hid her grin with the book. Not quite yet.

"Would you be quiet, Malfoy?" Ginny spat, her face buring and her blood boiling. Being trapped was bad enough, she could not contemplate the hell it would surely be with this prat insulting them at every opportunity. "In a few days you're not going to be smelling too pretty either." She took a deep breath, trying to calm down. Releasing her fists from the tight balls they had formed, she firmly placed her hands on her hips and continued with the most rational voice she could muster. "It's unbearable enough that we have to be stuck in here with each other, let's try to eliminate the cleanliness problems first."

Harry muttered something under his breath and the fire reignited in Ginny's eyes as she turned to him, teeth bared. That was Hermione's cue. She didn't mind seeing her friends argue with Draco, but when they turned on each other, she drew the line. "It's all right, guys," she said calmly, standing up.

Draco focused her malicious eyes on her and once again sneered. "Of course you would say that, mudblood. What do you know about being sanitary anyway?"

Before Harry or Ron had a chance to jump in and defend her honor (which she knew they would do), Hermione quickly explained herself. "I don't mean we have to bear it. I mean there's a lavatory in here." She received four blank stares. With a laborious sigh, she continued. "I'm not really supposed to tell anyone, but I'm sure this exception can be made. During my first year, especially before I was friends with Harry and Ron, I spent all my time in the library. It began to get annoying to go all the way to the common room when I had to use the bathroom. So Madame Pince let me use hers."

Ginny was surprised. "A bathroom...here? How come we didn't know about it? Where is it?"

"Right next to her bedroom," Hermione answered, as if it made perfect sense.

Draco snickered. "The old biddy sleeps in the library?" Harry and Ron also laughed.

Hermione grew defensive. "Of course she does. Most of the professors have their personal chambers adjacent to their offices. They have to live somewhere you know." The boys were silenced- it actually did made sense.

It was Ginny who finally spoke up. "Well..." she started, jumping from foot to foot. "Could ya show it to us? I really gotta go!"

Hermione smiled, grabbed Ginny's hand, and started walking toward the back of the room. Harry and Ron followed, but Draco hung back. If this was going to work, the Weaselette really needed to stop doing such unappealing things like scrunching her nose and doing the potty dance. He assured himself that it would all be worth it, and hurried to catch up with the others.

Ron fell backwards onto the four-post bed. "This is comfortable," he said as he stared at the ceiling. "So how are we going to decide who gets to sleep on it?"

Draco paced around the small room, taking it all in. It was accessed through a door hidden by a bookcase (how cliché, he thought). There was a bed, a small bedstand, and a wardrobe. Opposite of the secret bookcase door was the door to the bathroom. He hadn't a chance to look in it before the female Weasley ran inside. The bed was relatively large- it could certainly fit more than one person. But there was no way in hell he would share the bed with any Gryffindor...well, there was one, but he would have to work around to that. He waited a moment before answering the question. "Do you have no sense of etiquette?" he jeered as he faced Ron. "Of course the ladies get the bed. It's only right."

Harry whipped around from the wall painting he had been observing. "You have manners, Malfoy? Who knew?"

Not allowing himself to be ruffled, Draco smiled steadily as he stared down Harry. "Of course, Potter. Where I come from, they teach us decency and chivalry. Concepts obviously foreign to you."

Ron sat up. That didn't make any sense. Malfoy was never civil towards Hermione. But then again, Draco seemed to think that her bloodline somehow made her less than human. Ron decided not to say anything because he didn't want to provoke any arguments. It had been bad enough already in the short time they had been in the library together. He lay back down on the bed, wondering when and how they would get out.

Smiling at the fact that he had won the little spat with Harry, Draco sauntered over to the wardrobe and raised his hands to open it, stopping upon hearing the bathroom door open. He watched as Ginny Weasley emerged. Her hair was once again secured tightly in a bun, all stray stands tucked away, and her face was shinning from being freshly scrubbed, the freckles standing out more prominently than ever. She held her robes in her arms, wearing simply her school skirt and blouse which showed more of what had previously been left up to Draco's imagination. Overall, he decided that it was satisfactory. Could be better, but acceptable. Much better than before she freshened up, at least. Noticing his scrutiny, Ginny glowered and shoved past him, stalking off into the library. Draco smirked once more. She wasn't going to make this easy. He was glad.

But the fun, once again, would have to wait, as Draco realized that he really had to use the bathroom too. He walked up to the door, but Hermione slipped past him. "How chivalrous of you," she said with a devious grin before closing the door.

Draco shook his head as he glared at the wooden door he now found himself facing. "She's not a woman, she's a mud..." before finishing the sentence, he looked over his shoulder, seeing Harry and Ron's threatening stares. "Err...scratch that." Of course he always spoke his mind- he was Draco Malfoy, he never backed down on the account of some freckle faced weasel and four-eyed toad. But without the company Crabbe and Goyle, his will to speak his mind diminished quickly. No way he was going to pick a fight, especially when these two were already acting like McGonagall with PMS. He gave them his best innocent grin, crossed his arms across his chest, and leaned against the bathroom door, patiently waiting his turn.

Ginny sighed. Okay, so they had a bathroom, and even a place to sleep. But that didn't solve the boredom problem. She took in the library, which under normal conditions was looming and threatening, but now it was downright scary. The long room had lost its symmetry, some towering shelves remained standing, and some blocked the path on the floor. Books were strewn everywhere, and rays of light from the high windows cast creepy shadows over everything.

Ginny slowly started to walk around the library. This was Hermione's view of Heaven- nothing but books and more books. But Ginny needed something to do, not just sit around staring at a page of paper. Reading for barely twenty minutes before, she had grown extremely uninterested. Besides, she had never been big on reading. Rounding a corner, Ginny decided that she might as well learn to love the activity- there wasn't much else to do in a library, especially when you're stuck with four people you'd rather not talk to. She reached out a hand to the nearest shelf and was about to grab a book when she observed that it had chains around it. Running her fingers along the spines of the books, she realized that she was in the Restricted Section.

Alarms going of in her head, Ginny hurriedly drew her hand away and started running in the opposite direction. Then she stopped. Why shouldn't she just read one of those books? It really was a small transgression considering all that was going on. And it wasn't like she had Filch breathing down her neck or anything.

But then there was the small fact that she was scared. It was true- she had been a bit afraid of books ever since the whole fiasco with Tom Riddle's diary. Not afraid of class texts or anything, just of books with the potential to be evil- like the ones in this section. But she would have to get over that silly fear at one time or another. And there would never be an opportunity better than this one.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny reached out and grabbed the nearest book. A quick glance at the title revealed that evilness wasn't the only factor that put a book in the Restricted Section. Her eyes had barely grazed the words 101 Uses for your Wand Other that Magic- a Witch's Guide to Driving a Wizard Wild before she dropped the book and moved away from it like it would bite her. Pushing back a stray strand of hair, Ginny nervously chewed her lip and peered over her shoulder, as if afraid someone would catch her even looking at something so smutty. Her eyes returned to the book. She didn't know that such reading materials existed, let alone in the Hogwarts library!

Cool water splashed over the porcelain skin as he wet his hair, and he left his head hanging down as the droplets fell down the drain. Strands of his silvery hair fell in front of his eyes, which he closed. He remained still for a minute, savoring the feel of the water running from his hair to his face, smoothly gliding over his nose and chin before plunging to the sink. Abruptly, he shook his head, water flying in all directions, and reached for a towel. After drying off his face and smoothing back his hair, he observed himself in the mirror. He gave his reflection that trademark sneer. "You look good," he said, "real good." He quickly eyed the bathtub, contemplating a refreshing shower. But upon remembering that Harry and Ron were waiting for their turns, and afraid that they may burst in on him, he decided it was best not to. He'd just do it in the morning.

With one last wink at the mirror, Draco headed into the bedroom. Being greeted only by the glares of Harry and Ron, he decided to go look for Ginny. Now refreshed, he was more than ready to make his move.

He stepped into the library and paused, his eyes scanning the room. It sure was big. And even though many of the shelves were toppled over, enough remained standing to make it impossible to see the entire space. Draco started making his way around the library, his senses alert for any sign of the girl. Finally he stopped, hearing soft, feminine breathing on the other side of the shelf. The books were too thick to see through, but the breaths were unmistakable- quiet and quick, as if she were concentrating. Probably reading another book. He would just have to provide her with something more entertaining to do.

"So," he began as he rounded the corner, "anything good to read in this cursed place?" He stopped short when he saw that it was not Ginny, but Hermione. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking up at him quizzically. Not wanting to appear a fool, Draco pretended like he knew it was Hermione he had addressed. "Well, answer me, Mudblood," he said as he looked down at her, "what are you reading?"

She paused, as if contemplating whether or not to answer. Her eyes showed not fear, but wariness. Finally she spoke. "I'm researching wandless magic," she said simply.

Draco narrowed his eyes. He had heard rumors of such a thing before, but it was not a concept he would expect someone like Hermione to buy into. It was more the stuff wizard tabloids were made of. "Does such a thing even exist?" he asked dubiously.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Hermione said. "Performing a spell without a wand is very rare, but it has happened before. This, of course, does not include accidental magic, like when you feel a surge of emotion like anger and something unexpected happens. That happens to all of us. What wandless magic entails is the witch or wizard stretching out his or her arm, saying a spell, and something happens- just as if they had a wand. The experts are divided as to if it only happens with certain people, or if it's achievable for all. For our sake, I'm hoping for the latter."

"Wandless magic..." Draco mused. It sounded believable enough. This could just be his ticket out of here. He smiled at the prospect, forgetting to be nasty. "That's amazing."

Hermione hesitantly returned his smile, "Of course most of the research is speculation, but if it's possible, it truly is amazing."

Draco was really interested; and even if she was a mudblood, he could not deny that Hermione knew her magic. If there was a way to do it without a wand, she'd find it. He hunched down on his legs so he was even with her. "So, what's the last recorded..."

"Step away, Malfoy." Draco turned his head to see Ron glaring at him. Harry was right behind him. "Just leave her alone, all right?"

Draco scowled. For once, he wasn't actually doing anything wrong. But then again, it was probably better that they didn't know he was actually being nice her. He stood back up, meeting Ron's glare evenly. Without a word, he left to search for the other Gryffindor.

Hermione returned to her research, but she couldn't focus. That last encounter had been so odd. Draco Malfoy had acted almost human. She glanced at Harry and Ron, who were leaning against the shelf and talking. It was astounding; he talked to her like he would talk to a friend. Maybe he was only mean when there were people around to see him. As a Malfoy, he sure had a lot of pressure to live up to the name. Perhaps deep down, he really was a good person.

Hermione let out a quiet, cynical laugh. Yeah right. When people are confined to a relatively small area with the same people for an extended period of time, they were bound to act strange. She had learned about it in a muggle sociology class she had taken at a community college over summer holiday. Draco was probably starving for company, and would settle for anyone. The minute they were out of the library, he would return to being his spiteful self. But in the meantime, other qualities were bound to emerge in not only Draco, but also the rest of them, and Hermione wasn't especially eager to see what sort of things came out in the others, or even herself.

Ron glanced at Hermione, wondering what was so funny. Probably something in that book. "I'm bored," he said dully.

"This has to be the fiftieth time you've said that in the past five minutes." Harry frowned as he pushed up his glasses.

Ron nodded. "Exactly. Don't you feel the same?"

"Yeah, I guess. There really isn't much to do in here except read and talk. And Hermione is the only one who thinks reading is fun."

"And," added Ron, "talking gets boring too. Especially when it's only you and Hermione to talk to. We've been friends for so long, it's like there's not much left to talk about."

"I for one am sick of talking," declared Harry. The boys looked at each other sat in silence for about a minute.

"Look at her," Ron pointed at Hermione. "She doesn't even realize that an outside world exists. She is totally consumed in that bloody book."

Harry stared at Hermione. Her hair was wilder and longer than ever, and it fell in untamed waves across her face and down her back. She was constantly shoving it away from her eyes, which focused intensely on the book, barely blinking. Best of all, she had the endearing habit of bringing her finger to her mouth to lick before turning the page. Looking at her, an idea crossed Harry's mind. He smile mischievously. "Well, then let's interrupt her."

Ron lowered his voice and leaned towards Harry, interested. "What should we do? I'm sure we could rig up some sort of great prank."

"Not a prank," answered Harry, "a challenge."

Ron blinked. "Challenge?"

"Yeah, like a competition." Harry's grin grew wider as he anticipated Ron's reaction to his next statement. "Whoever kisses her first- romantically- wins."

Ron's face twisted. "But she's Hermione!" he said simply, as if the simple statement was obvious, and sufficed to explain his disgust.

Harry shrugged. "It's all in fun. I normally wouldn't do anything of the sort. But we don't have much choice. Unless you have a better suggestion of how to waste time."

"Well..." Ron still hesitated.

Harry increased the pressure, "Or unless you think you can't win."

"No, no," Ron quickly shook his head. "It's not that, at all. It's just..."

"Oh c'mon," pressured Harry. "It's not like I'm asking you to do it to Ginny. But, hey, that's an idea."

Ron's face twisted even more. "No way! Let's stick to Hermione."

"So you're game."

"Of course!" Maybe he would finally be able to beat Harry at something. "What are the rules?"

Harry thought for a minute. "Only one rule: she has to initiate the kiss. It wouldn't be fair if we just took her by surprise. Other than that, anything goes." He extended his hand. "Do you accept the challenge?"

Ron grinned, and reached for Harry's hand, shaking it rapidly. "You're going down, Potter."

Wandering once more around the library, Draco reached the area he immediately recognized as the Restricted Section, and again heard breathing. But this time he checked before he spoke. There was no mistaking the red hair- this was Ginny. She was lying on her stomach in the middle of a clearing, legs kicking casually in the air. She was twirling her hair like before, and he was thankful that she wasn't scrunching her nose again.

Draco decided against talking right away, instead he quietly approached her. He took the opportunity to slowly size her up and down. Finally, his eyes zeroed in on the cover of the book she was reading. "101 Uses..." he couldn't help but laugh out loud as he read the title. Ginny's eyes abruptly snapped up to his and she immediately dropped the book. Draco swooped down and grabbed it before she had a chance to regain her composure.

Ginny scrambled to her feet, but did not speak. She watched in utter embarrassment as Draco opened the book to a random page. He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head as he scanned the page. "Wow, it's even illustrated. I'm impressed." His eyes once again focused on hers. He relished how her whole body grew stiff under his stare. "Nice reading selection, Weasley," he commented.

Ginny turned bright red and grabbed for the book, but he pulled it away. With a sigh, she attempted to explain herself. "No, it's not like that. I was just..." his eyebrow raised higher as she fumbled for an excuse. "...bored."

Draco grinned: perfect opportunity. He turned the book around, displaying the page to her. "Bored, eh? Wanna try?" She let out an indignant gasp, reached her hand behind her back and threw the first thing she could grab. The book hit him square in the stomach. He flinched, but resisted the urge to double over in pain. Okay, if she resorted to physical violence, this was going to be more of a challenge than he originally thought. "Calm down, Weasley, it was a joke." He once again eyed her sleazily, "besides, we don't have any wands, remember?"

Ginny regarded him. He was being gross, but talking to him was better than reading a boring book- or a vile one. She put her hands on her hips. "I wasn't really reading it. I guess I was just interested when I read the title."

He sneered again. "Whatever you say, Weaselette."

She glared. "I have a name you know."

Looking at her, his smile faded a bit. Now she wanted to be buddy-buddy with him? She was a confusing girl indeed. Oh well, he would just go with it. "Okay," he said, "Ginny." At hearing how he said her name, unexpected shivers ran up and down Ginny's back. She let out a small involuntary gasp.

Perfect, Draco thought, it worked. He slowly stepped forward. Seeing his advance, Ginny's eyes widened and she took a step back, right into the bookshelf. There was nowhere to go. She desperately searched for an escape route but could find none. She couldn't find her voice, either, otherwise she would have told him off. Instead she was rendered helpless, leaning against the shelf because her own legs gave no support. Draco grinned and stepped even closer. He leaned forward and she shut her eyes in fear, bracing herself for what was to come.

Ginny suddenly felt a hand grab her own, and sensed herself being dragged away. Opening her eyes, she saw that the hand belonged to Hermione. "You won't mind if I borrow Ginny for a moment, do you Draco?" she called over her shoulder. Draco just stood there, astounded, and watched the mudblood pull the redhead into the bedroom. He turned to see Harry and Ron running towards them, like they had been chasing Hermione. What was going on?

Hermione slammed the door, quickly tuned the lock, and sank to the ground, panting. Ginny stared at her. "Thanks for saving me Hermione," she said, sitting down on the bed.

Having caught her breath, Hermione stood up and took a seat next to Ginny. She lowered her voice. "What in Merlin's name has gotten into your brother?"

Harry and Ron stood on either side of the bookcase that was the entrance to the bedroom. They stared at each other, competition burning in their eyes as they hunched over, as if ready to pounce on the first thing to come out of the door.

Draco stood back, watching them with an amused smile. He now understood perfectly what was going on: they had taken up a little challenge of their own. And it sure was entertaining to see his archenemies' mode of seduction was comparable to Aurors chasing down a Deatheater. No wonder Hermione had been running so fast. He wondered when the girls were going to come back out again. Maybe never, if the mudblood was smart.

But his interest in Ginny had grown since their last encounter, and he wanted to make another move...now! Patience, he told himself, is the key to seduction. Maybe he should give these two goons a piece of advice- Harry and Ron continued to grin like idiots as they waited for Hermione to come out. Then again, maybe not. At least watching them provided him with some diversion. Shaking his head, Draco walked slowly back to the restricted section and picked up the book. The title once again brought a smile to his face, and he slyly slipped it into his pocket.