Chapter 7: Role Reversal
Ginny stared at the door, which was still slightly vibrating from being closed so abruptly. Had Draco Malfoy just been kind to her? She rubbed her eyes and stood up. Even though he had slammed the door, he had seemed sad rather than angry.
Some of us are destined to live our lives alone. Others have something too special inside to keep to themselves. You're in the second group. Now what was that supposed to mean? If she wasn't mistaken, Draco Malfoy had just given her love advice. Ginny stepped into the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.
He had encouraged her to make amends with Harry! She still couldn't believe it. For the past two days Draco had been attempting to seduce her, then all of the sudden he was urging her to be with his greatest enemy. It didn't make any sense.
We just learn to deal with it. It was so sad. Ginny looked in the mirror, her brown eyes wide. His voice had been different somehow. It didn't have that same cruel, vindictive sneer or scheming tone. What was it? Were these seemingly new qualities in him a fabrication, a result of boredom? Was it something genuine to his character? She reflected on how he had slowly stroked her back, how he closed his eyes when he spoke. He had the perfect opportunity to make a move on her, and he passed.
Turning around, Ginny saw clothes hanging to dry over the towel rack. She reached out to feel them-they weren't wet anymore. She quickly changed out of that hideous gown and into her own skirt and blouse. Then, on impulse, she grabbed the shirt and pants that were also now dry-Draco's clothes.
Something inside her snapped. Ginny walked out to the library with new determination. "Okay, Draco. You yourself said that being alone is no way to live," she whispered. "So I'm going to make sure you don't have to." She paused for a minute, thinking about how this was something she would not usually do, also remembering what Hermione said about people acting differently in extreme circumstances.
She looked over her shoulder, as if afraid that there was someone around who would see her. Upon seeing that the others were elsewhere in the room, she took a deep breath and pulled up her skirt, rolling the top down a few times so it was many inches shorter. "This," Ginny said in a whisper before continuing on her way to find Draco, "is what we call role reversal."
Harry was on his hands and knees, searching for something among the books strewn all over the floor. But he wasn't looking for Ginny's wand or a book about wandless magic. Rather, he was in search of a dirt-flavored puzzle piece.
"Bloody bag," he muttered, "I'm starving." He finally spotted the object he was searching for, and eagerly grabbed it, taking a bite. It was disgusting. Harry shifted so he was sitting with his legs crossed, and forced himself to take another bite. It was the only way. If he didn't eat it, everything else he tried from the bag would taste like dirt, too. He made a sour face, his eyes drifting over to Ron and Hermione.
They were a few feet apart from each other, digging through the piles of books on the floor. Hermione was on her knees, shifting through various tomes. From time to time she would pick one up and page through it with interest. When she deemed it was not what she was looking for, she'd throw it over her shoulder. Ron was also on his knees, although he was not searching with as much gusto as Hermione.
Harry's eyes narrowed as he shoved the rest of the wretched food into his mouth. What were they looking for? Hermione's hands came to a rest on a particularly old-looking book, and she smiled, shifting so she was sitting on the floor. Within a second, her nose was buried within its pages.
Ron glanced over his shoulder and smiled at her. The slits of Harry's eyes became even thinner. But before he could analyze Ron's look, he heard a noise behind him and quickly turned around.
It was Ginny, looking at him wide-eyed and carrying a bundle of clothes. There was something different about her, but Harry couldn't place it. Ginny opened her mouth as if to speak, but quickly shut it and turned beet red before scrambling off in the opposite direction.
Harry shook his head as he watched her run away.
"I'm a fool," Draco slammed his fist against the wall of the library. He was already regretting his behavior towards Ginny. It was so unlike him. He let out a heavy sigh, collapsing onto the floor, his back against the wall. First hitting on a Weasley, now this. He just wanted to get out, so he could get back to despising all Gryffindors, being feared by everyone else...he just wanted to be a Malfoy again.
"I brought you your clothes," he looked up, his eyes meeting the ones of the last person he wanted to see. "They're dry."
"Thanks," he muttered, grabbing the bundle from Ginny. He glared up at her. "About what I said earlier, just forget it. I'm not myself lately."
"No kidding," said Ginny, sliding down next to him. "No one is. Except maybe Harry. He's always a git."
"Yes, yes he is," mumbled Draco, staring off into space. An awkward silence surrounded them, and Ginny shifted nervously. What now? She had never tried to seduce anyone before. She looked at Draco. He was scowling at nothing, clearly unhappy with himself and not wanting her company. Ginny immediately regretted coming over to him.
"What?" he asked after several moments, finally turning to face hers. "What do you want?" His eyes drifted from her face, to her crumpled blouse, to her rolled-up skirt, finally resting on her exposed thigh. "Good lord, Weasley, did your skirt shrink or something?" His voice actually cracked.
"I...uhh..." Ginny stuttered, at a loss of words and actions. She finally decided to do the only thing she knew how to: retreat. Jumping to her feet, she tried to run away but instead tripped on one of the books strewn across the floor, and landed hard on the ground.
Ginny groaned, staring up at the ceiling. She heard Draco shift, stand, and walk over to her. He leaned over her body, his face filled with a grin. "That was the funniest thing I've ever seen," he said, offering her his hand. Thoroughly humiliated, she had no choice but to accept, and allow him to drag her to her feet.
Once standing, Ginny was again filled with an urge to bolt, but Draco held tightly to her arm. His other hand drifted down to her waist, and he pushed aside the edge of her blouse, revealing the rolled-up waistline. "What are you getting at, Weasley?" he chuckled.
Ginny once again tried to pull away. "None of your business!"
"Are you trying...to seduce me?" Draco's grin grew.
"Of course not!" Ginny falsely insisted, trying for the third time to wrench her hand out of his.
Draco was unconvinced, and rightly so. "So why the bloody hell would you make your skirt so short?"
"Uhh..." Ginny stared at their joined hands. "I'm not trying to seduce you..." she started.
"You said that already," said Draco, thoroughly enjoying the situation.
Ginny's mind raced, and finally settled on the only viable excuse. "...I'm trying to seduce Harry," she finished, cringing.
Draco dropped her hand and stared at her in disbelief. "What?"
"Harry," Ginny brushed off her skirt, blushing profusely. "That's right, I decided to take your advice. Just thought I'd drop off your clothes first." She rubbed her hand and glared at him. "Gosh, Malfoy, the world doesn't revolve around you."
Draco's eyes flashed. "Like hell it doesn't," he said before grabbing her around the waist and pressing his lips upon hers. Ginny pushed away with force.
"Remember what happened last time you tried that?" she snapped, her eyes flashing. "Well, I'm off to find Harry." She ran away before he could grab her again.
"Good luck with the deflowering!" sneered Draco, staring after her. His heart was beating with adrenaline, and he was admittedly more confused than ever. He was upset that Ginny was pursuing Harry, but not merely for competitive reasons. And it made him angry that he was getting so worked up. With a deep breath, he picked up his clothes and looked. Upon seeing that no one was in the vicinity, he quickly stripped off the sheet and started getting dressed.
Ginny paused once she was out of sight, leaning against a bookshelf to catch her breath. She had set off to seduce him, and had chickened out. But then he attempted to seduce her, and she once again ran away. "Great job, Ginny," she muttered to herself, "you sure have a way with the men."
"Talking to yourself is never a good sign, even with you," said a voice. Ginny looked up to see Harry, and immediately turned red again. "What?" he asked, looking confused and angry.
"Umm," Ginny's hands immediately went to her waistline, which she unrolled. Harry watched wide-eyed. Something ignited inside of him.
"What happened to your skirt?" he asked angrily. "Did Malfoy do that?"
Ginny turned even redder, if possible. "No, Malfoy did nothing to my bloody skirt." Having her skirt back to its normal length, she started walking away. Is it just me, she thought, or did Harry seem to be defensive? Why would he care what Malfoy and I do?
Harry watched her walk away, and sighed loudly. He turned to head in the other direction, but upon whirling around found himself face to face with Draco Malfoy.
Hermione turned the page and was filled with disappointment. She had thought that she finally found what she was looking for, only to see that it was some cheap imitation. "I don't care about circus magic!" she exclaimed, throwing the book over her shoulder.
"Ow!" came a cry, and Hermione looked over her shoulder, seeing Ron sitting on the floor and rubbing his head. "Watch where you fling your reading materials, girl."
Hermione giggled and picked up another book. This one hit him in the shoulder. "Bloody woman," muttered Ron, getting to his feet and starting towards her. Hermione squealed and hopped up, running away.
Through her laughter, she could hear Ron closely behind her. But she also heard a loud thunk, and the pursuing footsteps stopped. Hermione slowed her pace and looked in curiosity. Ron was laying on his back on the floor, seemingly having slipped on a book. "Oh no, Ron!" cried Hermione, running over to his side. He was unconscious, his ankle was badly twisted. Hermione's eye shifted to the pile of books next to him, having been disrupted from his fall. Underneath a large green volume, barely sticking out, was the tip of Ginny's wand.
The last time they talked it was under different terms, almost like they were friends. But this time it was rival verses rival as Harry's angry green eyes stared into Draco's cold gray ones. "What did you do to her?" Harry demanded flatly.
"Me?" asked Draco. He laughed but his eyes stayed set. "What did you do to her?"
"What do you mean?" demanded Harry taking a step forward, "I did nothing."
Draco also stepped forward, and the boys' glaring eyes and clenched teeth were barely a foot apart. "Her skirt..." started Draco, not sure what to say. Why had Ginny rolled up her skirt for him?
"Yes, let's talk about her skirt," growled Harry, his mind filled with all sorts of ideas of what the sinister Malfoy had done to poor innocent Ginny.
"Let's not," came a third voice, and the two boys turned to see Ginny, who had grabbed her robe and wrapped it tightly around her body. Her face now seemed permanently flushed. "You," she walked up to Harry, "have no right sticking your nose in my business. And besides, you more than anyone should know that I can handle myself." Draco snickered, and Ginny turned to him. "And you...what I do with other people really doesn't concern you either, and if you try one more thing on me..."
"What did he try on you?" demanded Harry.
"Why do you care Harry?" Ginny asked, her eyes demanding the truth. "I thought you hated me. I mean, just hours ago you were giving out personal information about me so Draco could seduce me, and now you're defending me? And after not speaking one kind word to or about me for months, you're suddenly concerned with what happens to me?" Her voice wavered, and she was afraid that she was going to start crying again.
Harry ran a hand through his hair. His eyes shot to the floor. "I, uhh..." he stuttered before giving a sigh of resignation. "Ginny, I don't know. I was so mad at you. But that was a long time ago. And being here with you these past couple days has got me thinking, and now I realize that I..."
"Um, a little help here?" all three teenagers turned to see Hermione coming towards them, struggling to drag a body behind her.
"Ron!" cried Ginny. Harry hurried over to help Hermione. "What happened?"
"It's his ankle," said Hermione between breaths, "it's hurt, but I don't think badly. Let's get him to the bed."
Draco stepped over to offer his assistance, and he and Harry picked up Ron and walked into the room while Ginny followed. Hermione watched them, her hand going to the pocket where the wand was concealed.
She had healed Ron's leg. He was still out cold, but when he woke up he would be better. Not perfect, but better. He still wouldn't be able to completely walk, for that he needed Madame Pomfry's assistance.
Hermione sighed. But even if they got out, who's to say that it was safe beyond those walls? For all she knew, Death Eaters could be wandering the corridors.
And then there were Harry and Ginny...what had they been up to before Hermione interrupted them? Harry had been on the verge of saying something big, she just knew it. If they were to leave now, Harry and Ginny would probably just go on hating each other for the rest of their lives. But if they had a couple more days stuck in here with nothing to do but talk to each other, Hermione thought, who knows? Maybe they'll even make up.
She withdrew her hand from her robe and patted the pocket, feeling the wand underneath the fabric.
"Hermione!" Hermione whipped around guiltily to see Ginny standing behind her. "I need to talk to you." Hermione swallowed hard and followed her into the bedroom, where Ron was laying unconscious on the bed. The other two boys had disappeared. "He'll be okay, right?" Ginny was struggling to hold back tears.
"Oh, Gin, of course he will be," Hermione walked over and took her friend in her arms. "He'll be fine. Until then, we'll let him have our bed. Okay?" Ginny nodded, but didn't stop crying. Hermione had a feeling it was due to more than her brother's injury. "What's up, Gin?" she softly asked.
"Oh, I don't know!" bawled Ginny. "It's Harry...and Draco too! I mean, suddenly I'm regretting what I did to Harry this past summer. I've always said that I was sorry, but that was just sorry for kicking him out of the house. I never meant that I was sorry for rejecting him, but now I'm realizing that maybe I do have feelings for him after all! I mean, I was in love with him for three years after all, that can't mean nothing!"
Hermione smoothed her hand over her friend's hair as Ginny continued. "But maybe that's just because we're stuck in this bloody library. You yourself said that people act differently under these circumstances!"
"True," whispered Hermione, not sure what else to say.
"And then there's Draco!" continued Ginny. "I just don't know what to make of him! First he tried to seduce me, which is most likely due to the situation. But when I was upset about Harry and crying in the room he came and he actually comforted me." She raised her eyes to Hermione's. "And the things her said...oh Hermione, I don't think he would have said them normally, but somehow I just know that they were true. I don't think he'd make it all up!"
"What did he say?"
"Well, he told me to make things right with Harry, because I don't deserve to be alone. And then he said that some people are destined to be lonely and they just have to deal with it, and I know he was talking about himself! Oh Hermione, my heart just broke when he said that. He was so genuine, and seemed so hurt. I don't think just a façade or temporary trait that only came out in these circumstances."
"Wow," said Hermione. Ginny rubbed her eyes.
"Wow is right. And now I think I may have feelings for Harry, yet I'm feeling something for Draco too...I just don't know what to do!"
"Uhh, I hate to interrupt," it was Draco, stepping up to the girls, "but have either of you seen the food bag? Potter and I are starving!"
The girls rolled their eyes, but helped the boys rummage around the floor of the darkening library until they found the bag. As they sat around a table in silence, munching on various items, Ginny sniffed as her eyes darted from Draco to Harry, who were both looking down at the table, avoiding eye contact at all costs. Hermione sighed and stood up.
"I'm going to check on Ron," she said. The three teens nodded as she walked off.
An incredibly awkward silence ensued. Ginny eventually cleared her throat, and both boys looked up at her. "What?" she asked.
"Well, I thought you were going to say something," Harry answered shortly.
Draco rolled his eyes. "Enough of this already. Potter, you were going to say something to Weasley here before Granger interrupted. Now spit it out."
Harry did something he rarely ever did: blush. Briskly standing, he fixed a glare on his face. "It's nothing."
Ginny watched with wide eyes as Harry walked away. Draco looked at her, and opened his mouth to speak. "Ginny...I...uhhh..." he was speechless. For once in his life, Draco Malfoy couldn't think of anything to say. "This is ridiculous," he muttered, standing up and walking in the opposite direction of Harry.
Ginny watched him go, and glanced around the barren library, finally collapsing on the table and yet again bursting into tears.