She had it all planned out. Walk by him at the right moment, make sure he
sees the bag; no doubt he would become irate...it was perfect. And just
about time. She slung the bag, his bag, over her shoulder and made her way
down the hall with an air of purpose. She noted the new DADA teacher, (who
could give Filch a run for his money at creepiness), lurking in his
classroom doorway, and moved to keep as far away from him as possible.
Then, she spotted her mark. Malfoy was coming towards her, his affiliates close behind. She stared straight ahead, hitching the bag higher, not looking at Malfoy until she was just passing him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. If one hadn't been paying attention well enough, one wouldn't have noticed at all. But since Ginny was looking for any kind of reaction possible, she saw it coming a mile away. It was the most miniscule of flinches that ran through his body, virtually undetectable. Grinning inwardly Ginny continued down the hall without looking back. She turned the corner and then up a flight of stairs to a room she had picked out. She stood in the doorway rocking on her heels, searching up and down the hall for any sign of platinum blonde hair.
She certainly didn't expect the arm that grabbed her gruffly around her waist, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind them. Malfoy stood before her, his arms crossed in what should have been impatience, had it not been for that expressionless face of his.
"Malfoy." Ginny said, her voice simpering. "What a surprise."
"Give them back."
"What ever do you mean?" She did her best act of innocence, a near spot on imitation of her twin brothers. Malfoy rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Don't be coy with me. Those are mine." He reached for the bag, but she pulled away before he could grab it. "And I want them back."
"I'm sure you do Malfoy, these books are definitely not something you'd want a teacher to find on you. However, you're not really in any position to be making demands, now are you? I could bring these to one of the professors any time I want." She held the bag behind her back.
"Enough of your games, Weasel. Hand them over." His visage was failing fast.
"Absolutely." She backed away from him. "I'd be more than happy to." She sat back on a window ledge. "That is, if you agree to a deal I have in mind."
"What?" Malfoy exclaimed. He should have known this was coming.
"What do you mean 'what'?" Ginny asked, purely for agitation's sake. "A deal, Malfoy, an agreement and so forth."
"I know what a deal is," he hissed, "don't patronize me. I meant, where the devil do you get off threatening me?"
"Well," she looked up thoughtfully, "you're just so good at it yourself, and you know what they say: 'If you can't lick them, join them'. Right?"
Malfoy eyed her with loathing. He would have to play along for now.
"What exactly did you 'have in mind'?" He asked through gritted teeth.
Ginny shrugged. "It's a simple enough request really." She searched for the right words, then decided it would be best to just come out and say it. "Teach me."
There was a moment of silence.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked, as if he thought it were a joke.
Ginny took a deep breath.
"I don't think it's any secret that our world is facing difficult times. Now that the Ministry has finally admitted to Voldemort's," Malfoy winced slightly, "return, I think it's safe to assume that they will only get harder. And personally, I don't want to go down without a fight." She let the weight of the words sink in, though they affected her more than him, and continued. "So I figure, if you value your comfortable life that is, you can teach me everything you know about the Dark Arts, and I can be ready for what ever happens."
She knew it would happen; it was inevitable. But that didn't make the ring of Malfoy's laughter in her ears sting any less. She stood solemnly, waiting for his outburst to pass.
"Oh thank you I needed that." He said, wiping away tears. "But I wish you would be serious about this."
Ginny had a decidedly peaceful look about her.
"I am serious. I just thought, on seeing your choice of reading material, that you may have an...how can I put this delicately...insiders view of what to expect."
Her unspoken insult was worse than anything she could have said in his opinion. He new exactly what she was hinting at; that he was some sort of child minion of Voldemort's. And he wasn't about to stand for that.
"Look, no one gives orders to a Malfoy, least of all a Weasley. So what ever you had in mind, you can just forget it." He turned to go then, but Ginny called after him.
"Of course!"
Malfoy slowly stopped, looking up as if asking for divine help, then over his shoulder at Ginny.
"I should of known." She continued. "I've watched my brothers beat you to a pulp countless times. Hell, even I've had my go at you. I don't know why I ever thought you would be able to defend yourself in any way."
Malfoy straightened. His cavalier attitude resurfaced, clear in every word.
"If you only knew how wrong you were. Do you have any idea, in that thick head of yours, what would happen if I were to defend myself in the way I know how? Well, I'd be expelled for one, and then those books wouldn't matter, would they?" He stepped closer to her. "Trust me Weasel. I know how to do things you couldn't even imagine in nightmares. I know how to do more things than half the wizards in Azkaban prison, and I...I... am not going to fall for this." He finished, realizing she was only trying to make his pride get the better of him, and made to leave again, not wanting to hear anymore.
He wasn't sure how it happened exactly. All Malfoy knew was that he had ended up on the ground, a great pain surging through his knees and elbows, and the Weasel had somehow flipped him on his back, now sitting on him in a most uncomfortable position. He stared up at her in disbelief.
"Have you gone completely mad?" He said, meaning to yell but not being able to do so as his air supply was rather limited.
"Quite possibly. I'll get up if you agree, it's very simple really."
"You've lost your mind! Get off me!"
"Will you help me?"
"I said, get off!"
"Will you help me?" She asked more slowly, looking down at him with condescension. "We're not going anywhere until you do."
"This isn't happening." He muttered, shutting his eyes in hopes that the mad woman would disappear. But of course he wasn't so lucky. With a resigned sigh, he set his jaw and looked her straight in the eye.
"Fine." He managed to choke out.
Ginny smiled sweetly at him.
"Good boy." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead, from which Malfoy tried to recoil, and then stood, offering her hand to help him do the same. "You can go now."
He helped himself to his feet and backed away from her as if she would strike at any moment, his face livid.
"I won't forget this Weasel. I won't. You're going to regret this, believe me."
"Ah, idle threats Malfoy. Just be here Thursday, after dinner."
With that she walked past him and exited the room, an annoyingly bouncy spring in her step.
Then, she spotted her mark. Malfoy was coming towards her, his affiliates close behind. She stared straight ahead, hitching the bag higher, not looking at Malfoy until she was just passing him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw it. If one hadn't been paying attention well enough, one wouldn't have noticed at all. But since Ginny was looking for any kind of reaction possible, she saw it coming a mile away. It was the most miniscule of flinches that ran through his body, virtually undetectable. Grinning inwardly Ginny continued down the hall without looking back. She turned the corner and then up a flight of stairs to a room she had picked out. She stood in the doorway rocking on her heels, searching up and down the hall for any sign of platinum blonde hair.
She certainly didn't expect the arm that grabbed her gruffly around her waist, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind them. Malfoy stood before her, his arms crossed in what should have been impatience, had it not been for that expressionless face of his.
"Malfoy." Ginny said, her voice simpering. "What a surprise."
"Give them back."
"What ever do you mean?" She did her best act of innocence, a near spot on imitation of her twin brothers. Malfoy rolled his eyes in frustration.
"Don't be coy with me. Those are mine." He reached for the bag, but she pulled away before he could grab it. "And I want them back."
"I'm sure you do Malfoy, these books are definitely not something you'd want a teacher to find on you. However, you're not really in any position to be making demands, now are you? I could bring these to one of the professors any time I want." She held the bag behind her back.
"Enough of your games, Weasel. Hand them over." His visage was failing fast.
"Absolutely." She backed away from him. "I'd be more than happy to." She sat back on a window ledge. "That is, if you agree to a deal I have in mind."
"What?" Malfoy exclaimed. He should have known this was coming.
"What do you mean 'what'?" Ginny asked, purely for agitation's sake. "A deal, Malfoy, an agreement and so forth."
"I know what a deal is," he hissed, "don't patronize me. I meant, where the devil do you get off threatening me?"
"Well," she looked up thoughtfully, "you're just so good at it yourself, and you know what they say: 'If you can't lick them, join them'. Right?"
Malfoy eyed her with loathing. He would have to play along for now.
"What exactly did you 'have in mind'?" He asked through gritted teeth.
Ginny shrugged. "It's a simple enough request really." She searched for the right words, then decided it would be best to just come out and say it. "Teach me."
There was a moment of silence.
"I beg your pardon?" He asked, as if he thought it were a joke.
Ginny took a deep breath.
"I don't think it's any secret that our world is facing difficult times. Now that the Ministry has finally admitted to Voldemort's," Malfoy winced slightly, "return, I think it's safe to assume that they will only get harder. And personally, I don't want to go down without a fight." She let the weight of the words sink in, though they affected her more than him, and continued. "So I figure, if you value your comfortable life that is, you can teach me everything you know about the Dark Arts, and I can be ready for what ever happens."
She knew it would happen; it was inevitable. But that didn't make the ring of Malfoy's laughter in her ears sting any less. She stood solemnly, waiting for his outburst to pass.
"Oh thank you I needed that." He said, wiping away tears. "But I wish you would be serious about this."
Ginny had a decidedly peaceful look about her.
"I am serious. I just thought, on seeing your choice of reading material, that you may have an...how can I put this delicately...insiders view of what to expect."
Her unspoken insult was worse than anything she could have said in his opinion. He new exactly what she was hinting at; that he was some sort of child minion of Voldemort's. And he wasn't about to stand for that.
"Look, no one gives orders to a Malfoy, least of all a Weasley. So what ever you had in mind, you can just forget it." He turned to go then, but Ginny called after him.
"Of course!"
Malfoy slowly stopped, looking up as if asking for divine help, then over his shoulder at Ginny.
"I should of known." She continued. "I've watched my brothers beat you to a pulp countless times. Hell, even I've had my go at you. I don't know why I ever thought you would be able to defend yourself in any way."
Malfoy straightened. His cavalier attitude resurfaced, clear in every word.
"If you only knew how wrong you were. Do you have any idea, in that thick head of yours, what would happen if I were to defend myself in the way I know how? Well, I'd be expelled for one, and then those books wouldn't matter, would they?" He stepped closer to her. "Trust me Weasel. I know how to do things you couldn't even imagine in nightmares. I know how to do more things than half the wizards in Azkaban prison, and I...I... am not going to fall for this." He finished, realizing she was only trying to make his pride get the better of him, and made to leave again, not wanting to hear anymore.
He wasn't sure how it happened exactly. All Malfoy knew was that he had ended up on the ground, a great pain surging through his knees and elbows, and the Weasel had somehow flipped him on his back, now sitting on him in a most uncomfortable position. He stared up at her in disbelief.
"Have you gone completely mad?" He said, meaning to yell but not being able to do so as his air supply was rather limited.
"Quite possibly. I'll get up if you agree, it's very simple really."
"You've lost your mind! Get off me!"
"Will you help me?"
"I said, get off!"
"Will you help me?" She asked more slowly, looking down at him with condescension. "We're not going anywhere until you do."
"This isn't happening." He muttered, shutting his eyes in hopes that the mad woman would disappear. But of course he wasn't so lucky. With a resigned sigh, he set his jaw and looked her straight in the eye.
"Fine." He managed to choke out.
Ginny smiled sweetly at him.
"Good boy." She gave him a quick peck on the forehead, from which Malfoy tried to recoil, and then stood, offering her hand to help him do the same. "You can go now."
He helped himself to his feet and backed away from her as if she would strike at any moment, his face livid.
"I won't forget this Weasel. I won't. You're going to regret this, believe me."
"Ah, idle threats Malfoy. Just be here Thursday, after dinner."
With that she walked past him and exited the room, an annoyingly bouncy spring in her step.