A/N: So, this is the bit where I apologize profusely for the lack of updates, and make up some stupid excuse as to why I haven't posted any more chapters, seen as I've already written 5 of them. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I've been busy, and this story has (unfortunately for you guys) been the very last thing on my mind lately. It's only a bit of writing, after all.
But, you should all be happy to hear that my chapters are getting longer and longer. Are you proud? g
Oh, and the same disclaimer applies. I own nothing but the plot, and a few two-dimensional characters (Lisa, Michelle) that are only there to drive the plot. So, don't sue me!
Chapter 4. Lessons and Life
The first lesson of the week was double Charms with the Ravenclaws, which I was thoroughly looking forward to. Not only because I liked the lesson, but also because I was dying to talk to my two best friends. I turned out to be quite lucky, as we were recapping the summoning charm. Of course I already knew it from when I had learned it in the D.A. the previous year, but it was great fun none the less. It was the ideal time to ask Lisa and Michelle about the rumors, as there was absolutely no chance that anyone could hear us with all the commotion going on.
"Well… we only told Nora." Lisa said when I asked them, referring to her sister in Hufflepuff. "We're sorry, but she swore not to tell anyone." She added as she caught the look on my face.
I had concentrate on something else to resist the urge to bash both my friends' heads together. "Nora?" I exclaimed incredulously. "You told Nora Briggs something that could potentially cause an inter-house slaughter if it's heard by the wrong ears? Did it ever occur to you that I didn't want the whole school to know?" I cried disbelievingly. I could not believe they had done this.
"Hey! She's my sister!"
"And Ron's my brother - but do I go telling him every little thing you two say and do? Oh, what's he going to say when he finds out…" I sat down on the cold floor with my head in my hands and sighed. Ron was going to kill me.
Lisa looked incredibly flushed as she fingered her prefect badge nervously, her blonde hair in an immaculate up-do, as always. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something more to me, but decided against it. She pointed her wand at a pile of cushions and started summoning them towards her outstretched hands lazily. So, I challenged Michelle, the pretty brunette Ravenclaw instead with my death-glare. I knew 'Chelle wouldn't want to argue but I really didn't care. Someone was going to have to face up to what had been done here. My friends had betrayed my trust and I was not about to let them shrug it off.
"Well?" I demanded, glowering at Michelle, who shrugged unabashedly.
"Nora promised she wouldn't tell anyone." She said, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yea right. And pigs fly." I remarked. Everyone knew what a blabbermouth Nora was.
"Well, actually, there have been sightings around Northern Ireland and some of Scotland of certain types of cows flying… I dunno about pigs though." A dreamy voice behind me said. I recognized the voice immediately to be that of Luna Lovegood.
"Luna!" I greeted her cheerfully, although I felt slightly guilty that I hadn't paid much attention to her before now. I had been so intent on having a rant at my two friends that I had forgotten all about Luna.
"…Although some say that it's probably just drunken people seeing things…" She was still talking about the cows. Good old Luna - I had to smile as Lisa let out a snort.
"Well, never mind. What's done is done. Malfoy knows now, and it's only a matter of time before Ron and Harry will find out - and I can guarantee you fireworks. Until then… there's not much any of us can do." I said looking at Lisa, who did not look back. Michelle nodded in agreement and went back to practicing the Summoning Charm. I stared down at the two thumb-sized purple bruises on my wrist and found myself feeling even more angry about Harry.
This, I thought, was going to be one long year.
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"Is it true?" A very angry redhead cornered me on my way to Potions later that afternoon. A sense of foreboding overtook me as I nodded slowly. Ron's eyes bulged in surprise as he stared at me disbelievingly. "You like Malfoy? What happened to Harry?"
"Harry is a friend of mine, nothing more. And I used to like Malfoy." I sighed, wondering how many different people I would have to make that little point clear to.
"Used to? So you don't anymore?" The color was slowly beginning to fade from Ron's cheeks.
"No."
"Oh. But he just said - " Ron stopped suddenly. He clamped his hand over his mouth and muttered something.
"What, Ron? What did Malfoy say?" I had a feeling I was not going to like this. If that little ferret had been going around saying things…
"He just said some things about - about when he saw you on the train… I thought he was just saying it to try and get to Harry but I had to check."
Oh dear. Malfoy is using this to taunt Harry.
"I… Umm…" It suddenly became clear to me that there was not really much I could say that would make the situation any better. My brother was angry with me for something that was now seemingly out of my control. Ron raised his eyebrows at me, probably waiting for a justification. The corridor was now practically empty and I knew I was going to be late for Snape's lesson if I didn't hurry up. It would only give him another reason to pick on me.
"I have to get to class. I've got Snape." I said quietly, not looking my brother in the eye. He nodded and let me pass (although I was convinced he wanted to say something more), and I hurried down the corridor as quickly as I could.
Two minutes later I arrived in the dungeons feeling flustered and irritated. The door to Snape's classroom was open and I could hear the droning of his voice through it as I walked closer. I poked my head around the corner and stepped into his classroom, having rarely felt so nervous in all my life.
"You're late, Miss Weasley." He snarled, and about twenty heads turned to face me.
"S-sorry, Professor."
"Ten points from Gryffindor. Now, take a seat and tell me how to make a Hail-feather Potion." He said calmly, ignoring the sighs of the Gryffindors in the room. I scurried to my seat beside Lisa whilst the class waited in almost total silence. Quietly, I began to recite what I had revised just a few nights ago at Grimmauld Place, shooting apologetic looks at the Gryffindors for losing them ten points. When I finished, Snape merely nodded curtly, before instructing us to set up our cauldrons and start making it. Obviously he had found nothing to criticize me for, and for that I felt slightly better.
"I will not put up the instructions for this potion - it is not difficult. If Miss Weasley can manage it, I am sure the rest of you will have no trouble." He sneered unpleasantly.
He was proved wrong, though. Marcus Adagios, a Slytherin prefect, had managed to blow up his cauldron causing an eruption of incomplete Hail-Feather Potion all around him. Louisa Ashley, a shy little Gryffindor, had forgotten to stir the potion before heating, and it had began to emit a foul smelling green gas that had made her and three other girls around her faint. Snape had disappeared into his study for a moment, returning with four small vials full of pink liquid, which he had poured unceremoniously into the girls' mouths. They had woken up and been sent straight to the hospital wing, after which Snape had removed thirty points from Gryffindor for 'stupidity'.
When he had come to check my potion he could find nothing to complain about, but poor Lisa had forgotten to add the root of Dandelion, a vital ingredient. Snape had removed a further five points for this.
Other than that, the lesson had been fine. Of course, The Gryffindors were used to Snape trying to dock points at every opportunity, but a grand total of forty-five points on the first day? And he had taken none from Adagios, even though he had blown up his potion. That was so typical of Snape, favoring his own house above all.
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Late that night, I awoke abruptly. I lay there for a while, trying to figure out the cause of my sudden awakening. Almost afraid to move, I listened intently. I could have sworn I had heard something. I couldn't remember having a nightmare, or any other dream to wake me up. So it must have been a noise of some sort. Listening carefully, all I could hear was the soft snoring of my roommates, and longed to be in their place. I did not feel the least bit tired, but I knew I would be grouchy in the morning if I didn't get enough sleep. And I didn't want to be tired when I met my new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, now did I? I rolled over to my side and hugged my blankets close to me, pinching my eyes shut tightly. I wanted to sleep.
But there it was again! My heart began to pick up its pace. I could hear tapping, but without moving the thick drapes around my four-poster, there was no way I was going to see what was causing it.
The tapping was so loud, I was surprised my room mates hadn't woken up too. I mean, I knew they were heavy sleepers from when I had sneaked around during my first year at the command of Tom Riddle, but this was just ridiculous!
I shuddered slightly as the disconnected memories of 'The Chamber' came flooding back to me. It wasn't as if it was something I could easily forget, and I still had nightmares about it occasionally (although, these had become much more infrequent in the last year or so). I still found it disconcerting that even the slight connection to my terrible first year made me feel all cold and clammy inside.
My curiosity finally got the better of me. Brushing aside my fears and reaching for the drapes, I pulled them to the side and slid my bare feet to the cold floor. Of course, I did have slippers, but it was too dark to find them. The tapping became even louder, and ever persistent it continued to draw my attention - so I left the slippers.
The Gryffindor dorm looked surprisingly eerie in the dark. Now its warm reds and welcoming air seemed to have disappeared in favor of dull tones of gray. Making my way towards the window (which was where the sound was coming from) I took careful care not to bump in to anything.
Then my breath caught in my throat. Something was there. I had seen a flicker of something in the window.
Creeping forward even slower now, it was all I could do to stop myself from screaming to wake the whole house up. I could nearly reach the half-drawn curtains…nearly there…just a few steps…
Quickly, as if afraid I would never do it if I had to endure it slowly, I grabbed the edge of the curtain and ripped it open. Then I stepped back in confusion.
"Hedwig?" I breathed. I was not sure whether to laugh at my own stupidity, or worry for Harry's safety. Why was the owl here in the middle of the night? Surely Harry wouldn't write to me this late?
The answer was right before me. As I opened the window carefully, so as not to push Hedwig off the ledge accidentally, I let the bird in. The magnificent owl ruffled her feathers slightly, then held out her leg importantly. The small piece of parchment was folded several times, and on the top most of folds it read 'Ginny' in familiar writing. So Harry was writing to me.
The note was simple, but the effect was not so.
Ginny, it read, I miss you.
Well, I thought, at least it was straight-to-the-point. It was almost uncharacteristically straight-to-the-point for Harry, but then he had not exactly been acting like himself lately, had he? No, I thought. No he had not been acting normally at all. And judging by the nature of this note, I was probably partially to blame.
I sighed, and shivered slightly as the breeze from the window lifted my hair. A couple of years ago this little note would have earned itself a shrine so I could worship it day and night. Hell, even during the holidays I would have happily framed the letter and kissed it goodnight before having pleasant dreams about The-Boy-Who-I-Had-A-Stupid-And-Crazy-Obsession-For.
But now… now he could send me the letter ten times over, and it would not change my feelings for him. Yes, a Boggart had turned in to Harry's dead body, so I obviously cared for him. Naturally I worried about him - I was my mothers' daughter after all, wasn't I?
But his little pecks at night had proved to me something; I loved him, but purely as a friend, or another brother. There was just no 'chemistry' there. I was not even sure if there ever was.
Images of a certain handsome Slytherin were again flooding my mind. He could make the blood curse faster through my body, even if he wasn't touching me. It had never been like that with Harry.
There must be some 'chemistry' there…
These thoughts were entering my consciousness even more often than before. Since the incident on the train where Draco Malfoy had actually tried to help me (something I had thought him completely incapable of), I had actually seen him in a slightly different light. I shrugged the thoughts away, shivering a little more, then closed the window.
It was not until I was in bed when I realized that Hedwig was still in the room. Reluctantly, I de-tangled myself from the duvet, and reached for the owl.
"Hedwig. You silly bird. You can't stay here." I whispered as I unlatched the window again. Hedwig hooted softly; then actually pecked me. My eyes widened in surprise.
"Hey! That hurt!" I said truthfully. Hedwig hooted again and repeated the offence.
"Ouch!" I jumped back so she couldn't reach me again. The bird merely held out her leg and let out another, slightly louder, hoot. Suddenly it dawned on me. She was waiting for a reply!
"You little bugger…" I muttered as I hastily scribbled 'Harry, we need to talk about this another time. Right now your bird is pecking me silly and I'm tired. Goodnight. G.'
I rolled up the parchment, not even bothering to worry about neatness. It was too late and too dark to be fussing over minor details; right now I just wanted sleep. Once the parchment was steadily in Hedwig's grip, she straightened her magnificent wings and fluttered into the night. I watched her go with awe, wishing that some day perhaps I could be just like a bird, flying high with not a care in the world.
Of course, we have brooms… A voice inside my head added cynically. Had that voice not been mine, I would have slapped its owner for popping my bubble.
Closing the window for the second time, I jumped back into bed. Not two minutes later, the familiar tapping-sound was back. I would kill Harry in the morning! This was getting ridiculous!
As soon as I had freed the owl of her burden, she hooted softly and disappeared into the night. I turned my attention to the note and frowned slightly.
So it's true then, about Malfoy. Sorry I bothered you, and sorry about Hedwig. She's pretty persistent sometimes.
Harry.
P.s. I miss you because I think I love you.
Needless to say, sleep didn't come to me for a long, long while. After what seemed like an eternity of worrying about Harry's shocking confession, my eyes began to feel heavy again. Wisps of pink and shades of orange began to filter through the drapes, and I finally fell asleep.
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"…still. But maybe she's not well. She's always up and ready - "
I blinked a few times. It seemed like had only just shut my eyes. Man, I was tired.
" - before us. Maybe we should just leave her to sleep. We're going to be late anyway."
…Leave her to sleep…late anyway…
"Shit!" I screeched suddenly and jumped out of the warm bed with lightning speed. "We're late?"
Late! I was going to be late for my first Defense lesson of the year! With a new teacher!
"Yeah. Are you ok?" Lisa turned from the door and gave me a worried look. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the other two roommates disappear down the stairs.
"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be! Why didn't you wake me up?" I was only half-aware that my voice had risen by about an octave as I hurriedly grabbed a skirt and slipped into it. Shitshitshitshitshit…
"What do you mean 'why didn't you wake me up?' you always wake us up! None of us set our alarms because we thought you'd be up at the bloody break of dawn again!"
"Yeah, well… My inner alarm-clock seems to have gone on vacation." I said sarcastically, pulling on a school jumper and reaching for my robes. "So I take it we've missed breakfast then?"
Lisa nodded. "And we've got about two minutes to get to lesson. You need to do something with your hair."
"No time." I said simply, then grabbed her arm and practically dragged her down the stairs, through the common room, and out into the near empty corridor. Only a few stray students were now hurrying along to get to their classes. We were so obviously late. I caught Lisa's eye then, and we both took off at a run.
Moments later, out of breath and red of face, we arrived in the DADA corridor. Giving Lisa a reassuring nod, I opened the heavy wooden door to the spacious room. Once again, every eye in the class turned to meet us. My eyes traveled beyond them, however, right down to the front of the class.
I could feel my jaw drop in surprise as realization hit me. Standing in front of the class was a familiar figure, cloaked in light blue and peering behind his trademark half-moon spectacles.
"Dumbledore…" I breathed in awe. Was he to be our new teacher? I glanced over at Lisa, who was trying to stutter an apology. I could practically feel the heat radiating from her face - hell, I could probably toast marshmallows on it if I tried.
"Miss Weasley, Miss Briggs. Please sit." Dumbledore said with a smile and a wave of his hand. We did as we were told, amazed by the fact that he hadn't taken points or yelled at us.
"I was just telling the class that I am going to be your Defense against the Dark Arts teacher this year. I am sure you are all wondering why?" He raised his eyebrows and received a few nods from around the room.
"I will be teaching fifth, sixth, and seventh years from now on. Professor Moroley - the teacher you met at the feast - will be teaching the lower years." After this he paused for a long while, as if wondering what to say next. Some of the Slytherins snickered slightly, but if Dumbledore heard them, he made no indication that he did. He cleared his voice again and continued.
"I trust you all know about the recent Death Eater escapes. I am also sure that you understand what this means - the Dementors have left Azkaban."
To this, nobody made a sound. Everyone remembered the horrible creatures from our second year. Dumbledore was no longer smiling when he sat behind the large wooden desk at the front of the class.
"Consequently, I have decided to start working on the Patronus charm straight away. By the end of this term, I expect all of you to be able to produce a fully formed Patronus. After this, I shall teach you useful defense-spells. Ladies and Gentlemen - the threat of Voldemort is very real. It is upon us whether we should wish it or not." He said with a hint of sadness in his raspy voice, frowning at the strangled gasps around the class as he said the name of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"There is one thing I will not tolerate in my classroom any longer. To fear a name… that is a terrible thing. It only increases fear itself. In this class, we will fear no names. Now, for homework I would like you all to research about a boy named Tom Riddle." He said with a glance in my direction. I nodded slightly, letting him know that I was all right about the task. After all, I was being asked to research something that had nearly killed me.
"You will all have access to the restricted section for this task. I would advise you to hurry with it, though. The sixth and seventh years have also been given the same task. It may be wise to complete the research before the library is crowded with people all looking for the same book." Dumbledore smiled, then clapped his hands.
"Now, on with the Patronus."
Thus commenced our very first lesson with the headmaster. I managed to produce a slight silvery sheen from my wand, and so did two of the Slytherins. The rest of the class still hadn't managed anything, but Dumbledore smiled at them encouragingly, and reassured them of their progress. It was, after all, very advanced magic. I wouldn't be surprised if the two Slytherins who had produced something had actually received training from their Death Eater-fathers over the holidays. As for me, well, Lupin had always said I was a gifted witch, and I was now proving it proudly.
"Wow, what a lesson. Dumbledore is such a great teacher!" Lisa talked excitedly on our way to the next lesson.
"Yeah." I agreed distractedly. I had just noticed a certain blonde Slytherin walking not far from us. He was without his goons again. Suddenly something within me clicked. I had to go and talk to him, though I had no idea what I wanted to say. I turned to Lisa quickly, trying to look as casual as possible. "Look, Lis…could you gimme a minute? Or go ahead and I'll meet you in class."
"I thought you didn't like him anymore." Lisa quirked a perfectly shaped eyebrow and nodded towards Draco.
I only rolled my eyes as she let out a little girly giggle. "You do, don't you! Okay, see you in class. Don't be too late."
"It's only professor Binns. I doubt he'd even notice if I were missing all lesson. Not," I added seeing the horrified expression on my friends face, "that I would spend that long with Malfoy!"
"Yeah yeah, I believe you." She winked. "You should have done something with your hair. But then again, it will only get mussed up anyway."
"Shut up." I laughed, trying to smooth down my locks quickly, as I made my way towards Draco. Gathering all the Gryffindor courage I had been blessed with, I sprinted to his side. He smirked as I fell into step next to him.
Say something intelligent! My mind was screaming.
"Hi." I said shyly. Oh God, Oh God. Think of something else to say!
"Hello, Weasley." He nodded with an amused look upon his face. "Trying to be civil?"
"Actually, I don't even know why I'm here, talking to you." I admitted truthfully. Draco's response, however, left my mouth hanging wide open.
"You're here with me because I did a beckoning charm on you."
"You what?" I screeched in surprise. Draco smirked imperiously then turned into a smaller corridor leading to the arithmancy classrooms. The corridor was practically empty now, but I followed him anyway. Professor Binns would never notice if I came in late, I reminded myself. Besides, I had to find out why Draco had beckoned me.
"Why?" I managed to croak, not even bothering to disguise my amazement.
"Well, I wanted to try it out on someone."
"So you just - just did t-that to me? Why?" I stuttered. My astonishment was beyond words.
"Yes. Like I said," He said, stopping and turning to face me "I just wanted to try it out."
He smirked again and at that minute I only wanted to melt. Those gray eyes…the blonde hair…He was - to coin the phrase - 'eyecandy' in it's greatest form. I watched as his eyes swept over me, taking in my messy hair and wrinkled clothes. I blushed a little under his scrutiny, but could not bring myself to say anything.
"You look rough." He finally said. To my endless surprise, I did not hear a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Could I tell him why I'd been up all night?
"Yeah. Couldn't sleep last night. Got a couple of…umm… letters in the night."
Did I just tell him that?
"Potter?"
"Yes."
"Are you two - "
"No."
Draco seemed to relax a little at that. I chewed my lip thoughtfully, wondering how completely unnatural it was to find a Weasley and a Malfoy alone in a corridor talking about…well…relationships. Once again, Draco was the first to break the silence.
"You're going to be late for lesson." He said, startling me out of my thoughts a little. He seemed to notice, and again his face took on an amused expression.
"I've got Binns." I replied, then immediately wished I hadn't. Did I have to make it so obvious that I liked him?
"Oh. Poor you. Goblin rebellions? He won't even notice you're gone, though."
"What you got?" I asked curiously, trying to shift the conversation onto him again.
"Arithmancy. Vector's gonna kill me. How's your wrist?" He must have seen the bruises, because he was now frowning a little, looking down at my hand.
"It's fine. Thanks." I said quickly, flinging my hand behind my back as if it would stop him from seeing the damage. Talking to a Malfoy was one thing - but I didn't think I could handle him being worried about me as well!
"Liar." He stepped closer and reached for my hand. Before I could protest, he was holding my wrist lightly in his long fingers, examining the ugly purple bruises. I could feel myself blushing, but could not do anything to stop the heat rising to my cheeks. When did Malfoy get to be so gentle?
"Potter's got a nasty grip on him. Is that why he was writing to you? Apologizing?"
I didn't reply. He locked eyes with me and all I wanted right then was for him to kiss me. Gods, what was I thinking? My knees were weak and my head felt giddy as I tried to pull my hand away. Something stopped me from doing so, though. Malfoy had pulled out his wand and was pointing it at my wrist. I stiffened, and he looked me in the eye again. "I'm just gonna heal them."
Then he muttered a few words and tapped the wrist gently. When I looked down again, the marks were gone.
"T-they don't teach healing charms until seventh year!" I whispered in amazement. Draco let go of my hand and it dropped to my side.
"Well, I got into quite a few scrapes as a kid, my father being who he is…My mother taught me so I could heal myself if she wasn't there." He looked a little distant when he spoke, and I shivered at the thought of Mr. Malfoy. He was, after all, mostly to blame for my little 'misadventure' in my first year. I wondered what it was like to live with the man.
"Well, Thank you." I said quietly.
"Your welcome. I have to get to class. Already ten minutes late. I'll see you around Weasley… and keep away from Potter. He should take anger management."
"He's had a tough time." I tried to justify Harry's behavior, but Draco only shrugged and then headed down the corridor.
I watched him until he turned into a classroom, before slowly turning and making my way to the lesson I was now ten minutes late for. Being late was becoming a bad habit for me, I smiled to my self.
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I hope you liked it. In the next chapter, we get some more Draco/Ginny interaction… and lots of other cool stuff too. When I get round to posting it. LoL.
Review me happy! Tell me what you think! I like long reviews!
Oh, and a big thank you to all of those who have already reviewed. They've all been very encouraging! Thanks, you're my heroes! XxX
Sara x