Day One

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Draco Malfoy, much to Ginny's discomfort, was staring at her as if she was a lamb and he was a wolf. It was entirely disconcerting. Even the look of disgust on her face was not enough to make him stop staring.

"Ginny," Harry pleaded. "Please stand behind me. I don't like the way he's looking at you."

"Neither do I," Ginny said, taking Harry's advice and standing behind him.

"Listen, Malfoy," Harry warned the other boy. "Go away. Lock yourself inside for a week. You'll thank me later." He paused. "And if ever, ever, ask my girlfriend to kiss you anywhere ever again, you will regret it." Ginny inwardly smiled at Harry calling her his girlfriend.

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Oh, will I, Potter?" He laughed in Harry's face. "She may be your girlfriend now, but not for long, I assure you. Ginny Weasley can't hope for anything better than me. And I couldn't hope for anything better than her. Even if she is a mudblood-lover. People can change." Malfoy glanced longingly at the petite girl poking out from behind Harry.

"Stay away from Ginny," Harry said angrily.

Malfoy smiled coldly and turned away, walking out the door. As he went, he said, "Goodbye, my love. For now, that is." He was gone.

"How could this have happened?" Harry raged at Hermione and Ron, who stopped bickering for a moment to look at him.

Hermione answered, "It's all Ron's fault, obviously. For, one: stealing Malfoy's potion; two: using the potion against him; and three: after having given the potion to him, Ron did not tell us to go away so that we would not be the first spotted." She looked at Ron. "When you were pouring that potion down Malfoy's throat, you weren't thinking about the poor girl OR boy that he would lose himself over. Were you?"

"No," Ron answered. "I was thinking about the fact that he called you...what he called you. I don't know why you always get so uptight when I defend you or fight for you. Like I said, normal girls find that kind of thing romantic."

"Oh, really? Yes, you're right. It is terribly romantic that your sister, my friend, is now being targeted for an actual relationship by the most loathsome, foul creature at Hogwarts. Oh, I think that is just so romantic," Hermione replied sarcastically.

Eyes narrowed, Ron said, "Hermione, did you hear what he called you? How could I not react? I mean, you're my girlfriend, and I love you, and I'm supposed to do those kinds of things. And I didn't mean for him to fall in love with Ginny."

Hermione's snide look softened, and she said, "Well, yes. I heard what he called me. And I really appreciate the effort to defend me. But, Ron–and I say this because I love you–you have to think before you act."

Harry rolled his eyes at the now-kissing couple. Ginny smirked. Ron and Hermione were the strangest people he had ever seen who were apparently "in love." One second, they were squabbling and ready to rip one another's head off. The next, they were kissing and going on and on about how much they loved each other, what they meant to each other, how they felt about each other. It really was enough to make Harry sick.

"I'm sorry this is happening," Harry told Ginny, leading her out into the street. "You don't deserve to have Malfoy be in love with you. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy."

Ginny grinned and laughed. "It's only a week, right? And he doesn't seem so bad. A few cheesy lines, a few empty threats in your direction, and a few minutes of staring. I think I can handle it if that's all that's involved."

"If," Harry said. "That's the problem. If."

Ginny tugged on Harry's scarf. "So...I'm your girlfriend?"

Blushing slightly, Harry said, "I know we didn't exactly decide that we were, you know, dating. But it just sort of slipped out." He chuckled. "I guess I'm a little protective of you. I hope that's alright."

She bit her lip. "It's more than alright. It's lovely. I've been wondering for the past two months what we were."

"So have I," Harry told her.

The tips of Ginny's ears burned red, and she said, "So...boyfriend, where do you want to go now? Maybe–"

"Oh no," Harry groaned. "It's him. Let's go."

But it was too late. Malfoy had spotted them, and he was coming their way. Anywhere they went, they would only be followed. He called, "Oh, hello Ginny."Ginny looked away, utterly horrified. "Don't pretend you don't see me," Malfoy continued. "Besides, look what I bought you." Ginny glaced at him as he pulled a bouquet of multi-colored flowers out from behind his back and handed them to her. She didn't accept. She didn't have a chance to. Harry had ripped them from Malfoy's grip before she'd even gotten a good look at them.

"There you go, Malfoy. For the next week, I will be right here, by Ginny's side, to protect her from–ow. Ow. Oh." Harry's hand had suddenly begun to sprout large lumps–boils. Much to Ginny's horror, Harry's surprise, and Malfoy's delight, the boils were soon traveling up Harry's arm.

"Potter,"said Malfoy. "You are just so predictable. Why do you think I bought two bouquets and put a hex on one?" He pulled out the other bouquet, this one comprised solely of blood-red roses and handed it to Ginny. She seemed to have no choice but to accept them, so that he would go away and she could take care of Harry.

But no. He would not leave.

The boils had reached Harry's shoulders. She needed to get him to a professor.

Malfoy still stood there, leering, and blocking the way.

Finally, Ginny did the only thing she could think of to make him leave–"Could you, perhaps," she asked, directing the question at Malfoy, "buy me a butterbeer? I'm simply parched."

Malfoy looked hesitant. He wasn't stupid. He knew that he was being sent away, and he didn't want to go. But could he really deny the request of his true love? After a few seconds contemplation, he rushed away.

"Harry," Ginny said. "Are you alright?"

"Ye-yes," Harry responded, but now the lower half of his face was covered, and it was spreading both upwards and downwards.

"Sit down," Ginny said. "I see Professor McGonagall over there. I'm going to go get her, okay?" Harry nodded. "Okay." Running towards the pub Ginny spotted the professor in, she dropped the rose bouquet on the ground. Knocking on the window of the pub, Ginny shouted, "Professor! Professor!"
McGonagall looked up, surprised, and came out quickly. "What it, child?"

"Draco Malfoy has hexed Harry. He's got boils all over him. It's terrible," Ginny said it a rush, as she pointed over to where Harry was sitting in the snow, receiving a few strange looks.

"Oh, dear," Professor McGonagall said, hurrying over to Harry. Pulling out her wand she said a few words and the boils shrunk down so that they were tiny dots. "You'll have to see Madame Pomfrey when we get back, Potter. She'll take care of you." She looked back at Ginny. "You say that Draco Malfoy did this?"

Ginny nodded eagerly. "Yes. He put a hex on some flowers, so that when you touch them, I guess this happens. He knew Harry would grab the bouquet–"

"Why would Harry grab the bouquet? Why was Mr. Malfoy giving Harry flowers?"

"Well." Ginny blushed. "Malfoy was giving the bouquet to me, and Harry snatched it away. Malfoy knew Harry would do that. So he'd already done whatever he did to the flowers."

McGonagall looked suspicious. "You are telling me, Miss Weasley, that Draco Malfoy was giving the flowers to you?" Ginny nodded. "I must say that your story is not adding up. Correct me if I am wrong, but you, Potter here, your brother, and Miss Granger are all often getting into trouble, when it concern Malfoy. The four of you seem to detest him–and he you–more than anything. Why would he be giving you flowers?"

Ginny turned even brighter red, so that her hair now matched her face. "There was a–"

Harry interrupted, "A joke. It was a joke of some sort, I'm sure. That was why I grabbed the flowers. Because I worried that there was a curse or something on them, and I didn't want Ginny to touch them."

Professor McGonagall nodded and said, "Very well. Mr. Malfoy will be dealt with accordingly. In the meantime, I suggest that you, Potter, go back early and take a trip to the hospital wing."

Harry nodded. "Alright."

With that, Harry and Ginny headed back to the castle, each keeping an eye out for one Mr. Draco Malfoy.

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Dinner came soon, and, at that point, Harry was completely boil-free. Ginny was glad to see it. Hermione and Ron had also returned to the castle by then, and were arguing over house elves–a topic of debate which they returned to every now and then, once they had run out of other things to bicker about.

"It's slave labor, Ron. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Hermione was saying.

"But they enjoy it," Ron said.

Hermione gave a great heaving sigh, and said, as if it were the clearest thing in the world, "That's because they don't know any better."

"So? That doesn't mean–"

"Everyone," a voice said. "I have an announcement to make." Hermione, Ron, Harry, Ginny, and everyone else in the Great Hall turned their heads to see Draco Malfoy, standing on the Slytherin table.

"Mr. Malfoy," Professor McGonagall screeched. "What are you doing?"

Malfoy ignored her, and said, "I have composed a poem for my dearest love." Ginny paled.

"What's gotten into him?" George Weasley asked, trying to be heard over the laughter echoing around the Great Hall.

Malfoy began reading, looking completely serious:

"She has captivated my heart,

I won't let her break it apart,

She is the essence of my soul,

Without her, I am not whole,

Trust me, she'll soon be mine,

Now, excuse me, and continue to dine,

I hope these words have gotten through,

Ginny Weasley, I love you."

Looking as if he were about to pass out from laughter, Fred Weasley said, "That's too funny. Wait–Ginny Weasley? Ginny! He loves Ginny?"

Hermione, trying not to laugh, quietly explained the love potion to him.

"Oh, that's priceless! Please tell me someone wrote that down. We can torture him with it for ages to come," Ron exclaimed. Someone actually replied in the affirmative.

Meanwhile, Ginny looked as if she were about to die. People were staring at her very hard, and it took many reassuring words in a calm tone from Harry for her to be able to breathe again. She couldn't, however, regain any semblance of an appetite.

Malfoy was being taken away by McGonagall and Snape, both of whom looked extremely upset at the fact that he had decided to attempt poetry. Especially while people were trying to eat.

"Ginny," Lavender Brown said. "Draco Malfoy is in love with you? How did that happen?"

Ginny turned beet red, stood up, and stormed away.

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In bed that night, Harry lay, contemplating how horrible Ginny was feeling at that moment. His thoughts were soon interrupted, however, by Ron's voice, which told him that "Hermione and me are over. We broke up."

"Again?" groaned Harry. "What did you do this time?"

"What did I do? I didn't do anything. It's her. She called me an idiot."

Harry rolled his eyes. "She always calls you an idiot."

"Exactly," Ron said. "She's always putting me down, and I am sick of it. I bet I could find someone who's much more supportive than her."

"Ron. You love Hermione. She loves you. Tomorrow morning, just apologize," Harry advised his best friend.

"Why should I apologize?" Ron asked, indignant. "What did I do?"

Harry answered, "You're being an idiot, that's what."

Ron was silent for a long time. Finally, he said something which Harry had heard from him numerous times before: "Well. Alright. I s'pose I can apologize to her, just this one time."

Though he was certainly entertained by Hermione and Ron's relationship, he really wasn't in the mood for dealing with it at that moment. After all, he had his own to worry about. He wasn't sure that it was going to last through this week.

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A/N: Okay. This chapter's longer than the last one. As you may have noticed, each chapter will be one day of the week that Malfoy is under the thrall of the potion, or whatever. So, seven chapters total (plus a prologue and epilogue–so that's nine). Thanks for your reviews so far. Please continue to review.

Oh, and FYI--Malfoy's poem is supposed to be terrible. And I did write it myself.