Never explain yourself. Your friends don't need it and your enemies won't believe it--Belgicia Howell
A friend will help you move. A really good friend will help you move bodies--unknown (at least to me)
Ginny sat at a table near the rear of the library, quills and parchment spread out in front of her. Her herbology textbook was open, but Ginny could only stare at it blankly. Once again, the herbology homework made no sense. She couldn't ask Draco Malfoy for help since he no longer came to the library. Not that she would. He'd been hateful and rude to her the last time they spoke. Not only that, but he hadn't spoken to her since she'd returned from holidays a month ago, not even in the hallways. Remembering what her friend Bob had said, Ginny realized that he'd been right: it was Malfoy's loss, after all. Ginny really didn't need his company, anyway. At least, that was what she told herself.
All her other homework was done, and she wasn't really getting anywhere with herbology, so Ginny stuffed everything back into her bag. It was time to get back anyway. Before she could stand, she heard a familiar voice.
"Failing herbology? Who the hell fails herbology?"
Barely glancing at the tall blond boy who was standing behind her chair, Ginny pushed away from the desk and stood. Hefting her bag and flipping her long braid over her shoulder, she moved around him toward the library exit.
"So, that's the way it is, Weasley? We have one little argument and suddenly I get the silent treatment? Fine, Weasley, be that way."
Ginny continued to walk away, ignoring him.
"Aw, come on, brat," he said, catching her up and pacing her. "Don't be that way. Come and sit down."
It was almost an echo of what she'd said to him the time she'd been laughing at him for being so conceited. She was still angry at his spiteful outburst before the holidays, but Ginny could feel the grin twitching at the corners of her mouth. As she stopped and looked at the tall young man standing beside her she didn't notice that others were watching them, whispering behind their hands.
"Be what way, Malfoy? You mean I shouldn't take the fact that you yelled at me to grow up and tell someone who cares personally? I wasn't even going to say anything, but you kept on and kept on until I told you. You shouldn't have asked if you were just going to throw it in my face!" Ginny watched as he rolled his eyes at her.
"God, brat, are you still on about that? Jeez, I guess you'll bleat about it until I apologize, right? Fine, then. I'm sorry I yelled at you, even though I didn't actually raise my voice. There, happy? Christ, I thought we were friends. I don't claim to be all-knowing about friendship, but I thought friends could say what they felt to each other and not have to worry about it. Shit, Weasley, you call me an arrogant, conceited git all the time and I don't go on about it, do I?"
Ginny felt the grin tugging at her mouth again. "I only tell you that because someone has to try to keep you humble, Malfoy. If not for me, you wouldn't be able to fit your inflated ego through the door. Besides, there's a difference between telling you what a git you are and you accusing me of 'bleating' about how bad I have it when I have 'fucking' everything."
He frowned at her, obviously thinking.
"So I suppose when you insult me, it's in the spirit of public-mindedness and I shouldn't feel offended? Is that it?"
"Something like that, Malfoy," Ginny agreed, crossing her arms and smirking at him. "Even you should see the difference."
His own mouth was twitching, but he tried to hide it. "First off, brat," he said finally, "don't say 'fucking'. It's not a nice word and it's just wrong to watch you say it. Second, you're right. There's a difference. But, again, I thought we were friends."
Ginny was staring at him as thought she'd never seen him before. Draco Malfoy was lecturing her on her language? Now that was funny! She tried not to giggle, she really did, but she couldn't seem to help it. The young man watching her was torn. He was being laughed at again, something this little Gryffindor seemed to do all too often. On the other hand, she wasn't storming out the door with her face all puckered up in outrage anymore, so that was to the good.
Putting on his best arrogant smirk, he said, "Something I said, brat?"
Smiling, Ginny nodded. "I can't believe you of all people have the nerve to talk to me about my language! I was just repeating what you said. And if we're friends, Malfoy, why haven't you bothered to talk to me for the last month?"
"Why haven't you bothered to talk to me, brat?" he countered. "You know it takes two to make a conversation."
Smug, Ginny thought. He looked damned smug right now. "Because I was the injured party. You should have come to me first," Ginny proclaimed, lifting her chin.
"What the hell do you think I just did, Weasley? So, you got what you wanted. I apologized, and I came to you first. Any other little things that I should know about so we can get out of the middle of the room and stop attracting attention?"
"Well, you could always stop calling me brat. That would be nice."
Grinning, Draco shook his head. "Sorry, Weasley, but even you can't have everything."
Ginny couldn't help smiling back. He had an awfully infectious smile even if she rarely saw it. Despite Draco's words, neither teen noticed the attention they were drawing.
"And since you've flashed that beautiful smile at me, I'm supposed to succumb to your questionable charm and forgive you for being an insufferable prat? Is that the way it is, Malfoy?"
"The day you 'succumb' to my charm and looks will be a very chilly day in hell, Weasley. Even I know that. But, as for forgiving my being an insufferable prat, that's what friends are for, isn't it?"
He reached out, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her closer. "And we are friends, right, brat?"
Ginny sighed, but couldn't help smiling brightly at him. "Well, Malfoy, when you put it like that, I suppose so."
"Good!" he said, releasing her. "Now, brat," he continued, motioning toward a table. "How about you show me what's bothering you in herbology this time?"