Chapter Seven: Rumors And An Unexpected Kiss

As Ginny entered the Great Hall, she noticed immediately that everybody's head had swiveled right in her direction. And not only that, but the looks they were giving her were very strange. There were looks of anger, astonishment, and confusion. Some people were even sporting grins and nudging their friends. Whispers flew from table to table, Ginny not knowing what they were talking about. She took a few shaky steps forward, and it seemed that the Great Hall buzz got even louder than before.

Suddenly, Draco came sweeping over to her from the Slytherin table, looking very angry indeed. Ginny did not notice this, though, and she smiled.

"Do you have any idea why everyone's looking at me like I have three legs?" she asked him nervously.

Draco scowled at her. "Don't pretend to act innocent, Weasley, I know you told everyone that stupid rumor," he muttered, his eyes narrowed.

"What in God's name are you talking about?" she said, crossing her arms in a snotty way.

"Nothing you don't know about," Draco said coldly, and he walked off, his black robes billowing behind him like a humongous shadow. Ginny unfolded her arms, sighed heavily, and rolled her eyes.

"Wonderful," she whispered to herself. She looked around the Great Hall and realized that more than half the room was still staring at her, so instead of sitting down for breakfast she turned around and started heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

&&&&&&&&&&

Ginny was sitting on a crimson couch in the Gryffindor common room, thinking about everything that had happened that day. She was the only one there at the time, which she actually felt grateful for. All she needed now was for someone to start making her even more confused than she already was.

It was 6:30 P.M., and the day had not gone well for Ginny.

Right after she left her first class, people started staring and whispering to each other, just like they had done in the Great Hall. A few guys had given her thumbs up as they passed her or winked at her. At first she didn't mind all that much, but now she was totally sick of it. She had to know what had been going around about her.

When her last class ended, Ginny made her way back to the common room and found Hermione wrapped in a blanket in a chair, reading. She thought that Hermione would be perfect to talk to – understanding. She sat on the arm of the chair beside her, and Hermione looked up.

"Oh, hello, Ginny," she said, closing her book, called The Complete Guide For Voodoo. Ginny looked at the book with a blank expression.

"Uh - Hermione - what's that for?" she asked uncertainly.

Hermione looked down at the cover and giggled. "It's just for Defense Against The Dark Arts. 7th years are studying how to defend themselves against, well - voodoo."

Ginny exhaled.

"Anyway, what do you need?" she asked, putting the book down next to her.

"Hermione, have you been hearing - rumors?" Ginny said to her, sitting down.

Hermione looked almost fearful. She bit her lip and looked around, trying to find something or someone to help her out.

"Come on, you can tell me the truth," said Ginny, begging her to talk. She had to know what everyone had been saying about her, it was driving her mad.

"Promise not to get angry?" Hermione asked her, still biting down on her lip, her eyebrows nearly all the way up to her hairline.

"YES! Just tell me, for Christ's sake!" Ginny shouted, starting to get impatient. "Did you really expect me to leave you alone about this now that I've already asked you?"

"Okay, okay!" Hermione shouted back, almost laughing at how Ginny was acting. Suddenly she got serious again. "Well, somebody told some people - which was not me, I swear - that… well… that you and Malfoy were shagging in the Owlery this morning."

Ginny nearly exploded. Her eyes got very wide and her jaw hung. "WHAT?" she roared, shooting up from the couch like she couldn't bear to be sitting anymore. "That is so not true! Who said that?"

She put her hand on her forehead, trying to think of whom she saw while going to the Owlery. She hadn't seen anyone at all except for Draco.

"I knew it wasn't true, of course, I was completely shocked that somebody would actually say something as absurd as that!" Hermione told her, breathing heavily and somehow choking out an awkward laugh.

Ginny stared at her. "Who did you hear say that?" she asked, tapping her foot.

Once again, Hermione bit her lip.

"Who?" she repeated.

"The new girl," Hermione told her quickly, and she closed her eyes, thinking that Ginny would scream. However, the scream did not come. She didn't say a word. The shock of this simple sentence was enough to stop all train of thought.

"Blank du Grease or whatever that stupid girl's name is?" said Ginny, looking confused.

"Blanc du Gris," Hermione corrected, and Ginny gave her a dirty look. She couldn't believe it. Her and the French girl had never even acknowledged each other, and now she was spreading rumors about her? It just didn't make any sense, it didn't seem right…

"Look, Ginny, I personally think that you shouldn't take this the wrong way," said Hermione. "Perhaps she had you confused with somebody else -"

"She didn't get me confused, Hermione," Ginny said, putting her hand up to stop her from going on any further. "She's jealous."

Hermione was silent. "Well what were you and Malfoy doing in the Owlery?" she asked after a moment.

"We were just talking, nothing other than that. And I thought you said you didn't believe it?" Ginny said, putting her hands on her hips and arching an eyebrow.

"Just asking," said Hermione, smiling. She then picked her book back up and continued reading.

&&&&&&&&&&

Draco couldn't believe that Ginny did this to him.

What was it for, anyway? Did she fancy him…?

Lovely.

Draco was furious in the freezing Slytherin common room, sitting on a couch with his head in his hands. Suddenly, Crabbe and Goyle came into the room, talking and laughing. Draco turned his head and Crabbe chuckled, clearly not noticing the look of pure venom that Draco was giving him at the moment.

"Well, well, well…" he started to say, but Draco interrupted him in a snap. "If it isn't the Weasel-lover."

Draco was actually shaking. He almost felt like cursing both of them into oblivion, but now was not the time. He did not feel like fighting. Instead, he got up haughtily and stomped out of the common room trying not to hear Crabbe and Goyle chuckling behind him.

'This is unbelievable,' Draco thought bitterly as he strode throughout the Hogwarts corridors. 'Who does she think she is, telling that stupid rumor to everyone?'

He walked outside to a small garden where he sat down on a stone bench. He looked out to the Quidditch Pitch and thought about the first match of the season, how Ginny had stopped him from getting the Snitch. This thought did nothing but anger him even more, and Draco scowled to himself. Then he remembered how she visited him in the hospital wing, and the dream… he hadn't thought about the dream in a long time…

"What is zis?"

Draco turned to his right and saw the new transfer student standing right in front of him. She was looking at him with a slight smile on her face, pretending not to notice the expression of anger on his.

"A complete moron," he answered her, looking down at his feet.

"Oh, do not say zat! I 'ear you answer many questions in class… you actually strike me as ze smart one," she said with a soft voice, sitting down next to him. He could almost feel cold air coming off of her, like she was a cube of ice.

"Yeah, well… if I wasn't such a moron, then why do people talk about me and point at me and -"

"Because you are so much better zan zem," she said, turning his face to her. "Zey are obviously jealous of your good looks."

Draco looked at her. She was so amazingly gorgeous; she looked even better up close than she did far away. It was as if she was begging him to kiss her. Wait a minute, why was she making him face her in the first place? What was she about to do?

All of the sudden, Draco got his answer. Blanc leaned in and kissed Draco tenderly on the lips. Her lips were so… indescribable. It was so perfect, so blissful… his life vanished completely; it was like he was in a completely different world. This was love. This was wonderful!

The kiss grew longer. Blanc kept trying to make it stronger and more passionate, but Draco held back, wondering why he was even doing this in the first place. After thinking about this, Draco pulled his lips away, feeling awkward all of the sudden. He leaned back and looked at her, taking her hands off his face.

"Why did you do that?" he asked her quietly.

Blanc smiled almost devilishly. "I like you, Draco. You are not like most uzzer boys around here. You are --- rich, charming, and definitely handsome," she told him.

Almost instantly, Draco frowned at her and stood up. "So that's all you think I am? Tons of galleons and a pretty face?" he spat at her, getting angry again.

"I did not mean it zat way!" cried Blanc. Her eyes had the most pleading look Draco had ever seen, yet there was something about Blanc that didn't feel right…

"Well it certainly seemed like it," he told her with almost gritted teeth. He walked away and back into the castle, leaving Blanc outside on the bench.

"AYEZ UN TEMPS MERVEILLEUX AVEC VOTRE GINNY PATHÉTIQUE!" she bellowed sulkily, putting her face in her hands and sobbing loudly.

Draco just laughed.