DISCLAIMER: Aieee…I KEEP forgetting this! Not mine not mine not mine~
AN: Wow you guys! That was really impressive, I felt so glad when I checked my email yesterday! I'm honestly starting to think that reviews are good for health or something. Thanks to all of you, who are so encouraging, I get up at midnight with excellent ideas for a new chapter(ENRAGING my mom in the process might I add),but I gotta excuse myself for this one. It might not be quite up to par because it was written while I was doing three other things. Ie, drooling over my new Josh Hartnett poster, reading Sherwood Smith fanfics(I LOVE court duel, anyone who knows a good fic site, pls recommend, an DO tell me what "Vidanric's b'day surprise" is) and watching Friends, but I figured I needed to put one more up this week..so here ya go! Enjoyyyyyy
NOTE: There is smthn weird going on either w/ff.net or my comp, and it is causing all my parenthesis and inverted commas to appear as this ". So when you see that, just assume a parenthesis was meant to be there, and continue reading the dialogue.
Ginny and Draco exchanged a look, then Draco raised his hand.
" Malfoy?"
" Well Professor, what exactly is it that you want us to do?"
Professor Mcgonagall looked at the two of them. Draco and Ginny were sitting as far apart as possible, and the expressions on their faces were distinctly uneasy. Obviously she would have to assign them a task which would force them to work rather closely.
" You have read the chapters I assigned for homework, I presume?"
" Yes Professor."
" Well Miss Weasley, would you care to tell me what exactly the content
of chapter 5 is about?"
Ginny gulped and looked up at Professor Mcgonagall.
" The chapter talks about the different types of Transfiguration there
are. It explains how the person performing the spell can affect the end
result, so basically at this level, the item produced from
transfiguration depends on the person who does the spell."
Mcgonagall smiled. This answer was perfect for her to explain.
" Very good Miss Weasley! Well class, this is why I partnered you together. You will all have the same object to begin with, and use the same spell. However, your level of expertise and the effort you put into the spell, determines the object it will be transfigured into."
Pansy Parkinson raised her hand.
" What does SHE want?" Professor Mcgonagall thought to herself in exasperation
"Yes Miss Parkinson?"
" But Professor, why do we need to partner up with people for this?"
" Because, Miss Parkinson, the end result of your transfiguration also
depends on how you work with your partner. As I mentioned, this is a
very complicated spell, so you and your partner will need to
communicate and be completely in sync in order to achieve the desired
result. The spell has been written in your textbooks, ready for you to
perform. I hope there are no more questions?"
There were no more questions. Everyone in class was far too busy digesting this latest bit of information.
" Communicate and be completely in sync, she says. Well you tell me, how
am I supposed to do that with someone I was lying on top of last night?"
Ginny muttered to herself as she clattered her possessions around. She didn't know that she had said this aloud, and her cheeks turned scarlet when Draco turned to her, his eyes widening.
" Please, oh please, tell me you didn't just hear what I was thinking?" Ginny winced.
Dracos embarrassed expression gave way to a slow smile.
" Actually, you did, Weasel. And that flush that you were trying so hard to rub off is back with a vengeance!"
Ginny frowned. How come he wasnt feeling the least bit awkward about this? That was definitely the impression he was giving off earlier on. Well, if he was going to feel comfortable, there was no reason for her not to!
" Well come on then, lets get cracking on this spell. What exactly are
we going to do?"
Draco was taken aback. How had she bounced back so quickly? One moment she was the color of her hair, muttering things under her breath and refusing to meet his eye, and now she was her regular confident self, behaving as though nothing had happened! He resolved to do the same.
They opened their textbooks and read the spell. Ginny then drew the object out from under the table; it was a small bottle of bath salts (Obviously, Professor Mcgonagall had done this on purpose). She shivered involuntarily and shook her head, laying the object on the table and sneaking a look at Draco.
For a moment he too lost his blank expression and gave a start, staring at the bottle before him. When Ginny realized that Draco was as affected as she was, she gave a secret smile to herself. Draco meanwhile took a deep breath, willing his face to stay calm and resume its expression, while he suppressed the urge to run both his hands through his hair.
" Alright," Ginnys voice was slightly unsteady " It says here, that we will be required to point our wands at the, the," she stopped for a minute, unsure how to continue.
" Bath salts?" Draco finished for her.
" Er yes, we will both be required to point our wands at the desired object, and perform the spell at the same time."
Draco was about to reply, when they heard sniggers coming from the table near them.
" My wand is already pointed at the desired object," said Rick, a sixth
year Slytherin, staring straight at Ginny.
Ginny looked puzzled. Why was he looking at her? And where was his wand? Most of all, why was Dracos face so furious all of a sudden? It then dawned on her, and she turned away, looking down at the floor.
When Draco heard the insolent remark made by Rick, all his awkward feelings melted away. All he felt was fury at the vile comment made by him and how Ginny would feel because of this, he forced his features to reassemble, and when he spoke, his voice was steely.
" Apologize,"
Rick looked up at Draco, noting the Prefects badge, the age difference and also the several inches of height they had between them.
" I was just—"
Draco interrupted at this point, smiling mildly, he said
" I said apologize, or you and your "wand" are going to find yourselves in a particularly unpleasant situation."
Rick scowled.
" I'm sorry Weas-" when he saw Dracos expression he quickly changed this
to Ginny.
" Its fine" Ginny mumbled, and sank back into her chair.
The entire class had stopped its work, gazing at the scene that had enfolded in front of them. Mcgonagall included. She had no idea that Draco felt protective towards Ginny.
Only the bright glint in Dracos eyes gave away his anger, his calm was calculated to intimidate, and it had worked.
" Are you alright?" Dracos voice changed completely when he addressed the redhead, and Ginny turned towards him, puzzled at the strange expression in his eyes.
" Im fine, thanks Draco. You didnt really have to do that."
Draco smirked,
"That boy has been annoying me for a while now! His ass deserved what was
coming to him anyway!"
Ginny grinned at his slangish manner of speaking, and suddenly, it seemed as though the mood between them had lightened a bit. She couldnt help the secret delight she felt at Dracos defense of her.
" Calm down Gin, he would probably do the same for anyone else." She
reasoned with herself.
Draco was thinking something along those lines too, but he knew very well that this was not the case. He would not have felt and reacted that way if it had been anyone else, but Ginny.
" Alright, are you ready?" Ginny looked up at him, suddenly determined to do her best on the spell.
" Yes. Lets say the spell at the count of three shall we?"
" One, Two, Three…Transformera!"
It seemed to work. Suddenly, the jar of bath salts rose into the air, surrounded by golden sparks. Ginny gazed up at it, enthralled, then the object began to fall to the table, and Draco caught it in his hand.
It was a beautiful white rose. Draco held it up in front of him, admiring the pearly color of the petals, and then inhaled the scent. When he did so, a bolt of shock ran through him. It smelt exactly as Ginny had the other night! Of roses and peach! His hand shook for a moment, and he quickly placed the rose on the table and walked towards Blaise.
" Blaise, can I see your bottle for a minute?"
" Not a problem"
Draco looked at Blaises bottle. The bath salt type was seaweed and mermaid musk which was the same as his, but it smelt quite different. Draco was extremely puzzled. Why was it that only his flower smelt the way Ginny did? He looked back at the table to see Ginny holding the rose, the expression of tenderness on her face making it even more beautiful. He slowly walked nearer to her, watching her gently stroke the petals and inhale the scent.
Ginny took a deep breath, the smell that washed over her was of roses and peach. Roses and peach! That was the same bath foam she had used yesterday! Was this why Draco had reacted so strangely when he had done the same? She turned around and looked for him, only to see him standing right behind her, his eyebrows raised.
" Smells familiar doesnt it", he managed to say.
" Y-yes, it does."
" You know what I find confusing Weasley? The fact that everyone elses smells quite unlike ours."
Ginny frowned. So he was back to calling her Weasley was he? She hated this, how could he behave so tenderly one moment, and go back to being a superior prick the next?
" Well Malfoy", she glared at him, " I wouldnt really know!"
Mcgonagall who had been observing them keenly all this time, was glad to see that her idea about the smell had taken effect. However, it seemed like Draco was going to great lengths to makeup for his momentary slip in defending Ginny. Mcgonagall realized that he was upset with himself for revealing his feelings for Ginny in such a manner, and was behaving like an ass to cover it up.
She sighed wearily and made the conclusion that the hormones and emotions in those two were far more complicated than any spell ever made.
When the class ended, Draco and Ginny were the only ones to have gotten the white rose as a result. Mcgonagall drew attention to this and talked about how a good relationship between partners was key to getting the object of importance. This of course drew many curious stares from the Slytherins; the star of their house had performed well as usual, but with a Gryffindor? Ginny refused to meet anyones eye and was just about to run out of class when Draco called her name, and she turned around and walked towards him.
Draco was cursing himself for what he was doing.
" What is wrong with you man? One moment you are her knight of honor, and the next your being a complete prick! Why cant there be one indifferent medium?"
As he was thinking this to himself, he noticed that the rose was still lying on the table and that Ginny hadnt yet gone out of the classroom. He called her name, immediately regretting doing so. As she walked towards him, he sighed resignedly and held the rose out in front of him.
" Here."
Ginny looked confused.
" Are you..Are you giving this to me?"
" Well it doesnt really look good with my outfit does it?" Draco replied
testily, thrusting the flower towards her.
" We can just leave it here" Ginny shrugged, trying not to take it from
him, and testing him to see what he would say. Draco sensed this, but
played right into her trap.
" No, you should keep it." He said, smirking slightly.
" Why dont you give it to Parkinson?" Ginny was being annoying now, but
she had her reasons.
" Why dont you give it to Potter?" Draco replied, mimicking her.
" Because I dont like Harry!" Ginny burst out, clapping her hand over
her mouth after she said this.
" Well neither do I, and Im not particularly fond of Pansy either, so you should have it." Draco replied, smirking more than ever, until he realized that he had just admitted that he was fond of Ginny.
He hoped fervently that she wouldn't figure it out as well.
Ginny hadnt figured it out, but she was unreasonably pleased that Draco did not want to give the flower to Pansy. She smiled at him and reached for it, he smirked back and drew it out of her reach. Ginny stopped, frowned and waited for him to lower his hand, when he did, she lunged for it, only to find herself snatching at thin air again. Dracos laughter echoed around the classroom.
" Fine then, Malfoy. You can KEEP the bloody flower, I dont have time for your stupid games!" Ginny snapped in a huff, stomping off. She was stopped in her path by Draco who grabbed her hand, turned her towards him, and gently pushed the flower into her shining locks of hair.
" I cant think of a better place to see it." He whispered, and practically sprinted out of the classroom, leaving Ginny open mouthed with shock.
" Shouldntve done that, shouldtve done that, shouldtve DONE that!" Draco muttered to himself as he ran frantically down the corridor.
Ginny touched the rose in her hair, and was about to take it out. She hesitated, and then pushed it back in, picking up her bag and walking slowly out of the classroom.
Mcgonagall, who had been hiding out behind her storage closet, had observed all that occurred. She crept out, and heaved a sigh of relief. Her plan had worked somewhat the way she wanted it to. It had removed all the awkwardness between the two of them, but the fighting seemed to have returned full force.
" It is SO obvious that the two of them have feelings for each other. Why dont they just see it and act on it? What is Draco going to do when he sees her again? Does Potter like Ginny as well? Why am I asking myself so many questions?"
" I think the main question is, why are you talking to yourself?" came a voice from the doorway.
Mcgonagall snapped around, and there, lounging against her doorframe was Professor Snape.
" Well Severus, Ive done my part. We now definitely know that the two of
them are harboring suppressed attraction for each other. At least we
didn't have to make them like each other!"
" Making them admit it that they do will probably be far more difficult," countered Snape
" Thats not my problem anymore. You and Remus have to devise a way in which to bring them together."
" Its all very well for you to say Minerva! You could put them in a same class! How can I help it if Weasley is so good at Potions she doesnt need tutoring, so polite she doesnt need teaching and so on time that she cannot have detention?"
Mcgonagall was openmouthed.
" What is it?" Snape questioned irritably
" You do realize that you just complimented a GRYFFINDOR dont you?"
Snape looked astonished, then he rubbed his forehead.
"This work is getting to me."
" Talk to Remus, Im sure the two of you can figure something out together."
Mcgonagall replied as she breezed out of the room, leaving Snape dismayed at the idea of working with an old enemy alone.
Surprisingly it went far better than Snape expected. Lupin was sympathetic to Mcgonagalls don't care attitude and the two of them agreed that Women didnt know a thing about working together. This established, Lupin volunteered to be the next in his shot at bringing Draco and Ginny closer to each other.
" I have a particular lesson that just might work" he replied, grinning slightly.
" What is it?"
" The force shield charm" Lupin replied.
Snape frowned for a minute.
" That sounds familiar, two people got stuck in it during our time. Wait it was a prank wasnt it? Someone made the shield, and another person went into it, unfortunately the person who performed the spell somehow found himself stuck in the shield as well! Who was that?"
Lupin was very quiet for a second, he then muttered something inaudible.
" Yes?"
" I said, James and Lily Potter!"
Snape was taken aback, then it came back to him. For some inexplicable reason, the school had been in a furore after this event. He certainly remembered that!
" I remember."
Lupin looked up, amazed.
" You do?"
" Hogwarts worst enemies were walking into the Great Hall holding hands! This was something even a boy usually buried in his books noticed."
Lupin grinned.
" Well all you have to do is tell Draco that he is in charge of a certain
detention. Ill handle the rest."
" Right."
They parted ways, marveling at how they had cooperated with each other. Snape found it rather unnerving
" Things will go back to normal the MOMENT this blasted problem gets solved." He muttered to himself as he walked to his office.
The next morning Ginny and Draco both woke up feeling guilty. They had broken their resolve to avoid each other! This time however, it was going to work. No words were to be said and no emotions (in Dracos case) were to be displayed.
Unfortunately, they had Lupin to contend with this time. He had sent a message to Binns that he needed Ginny for a quick errand during her History of Magic class.
Binns asked Ginny to take a message to Lupin, and she made her way to the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, curiously wondering what the message was, and why Binns had chosen her of all people. The moment she entered the classroom however, her stomach jumped, and her heart entered her throat.
There, staring straight at her with an expression of confusion on his face, was Draco Malfoy. She cursed Binns for sending her, Lupin for demanding her, and Draco for looking so delicious.
Lupin pretended to be engrossed in some papers on his desk, while he was actually observing the two of them.
" Minervas right. You can cut the chemistry between them with a knife!"
He then looked up and smiled.
" Ginny! Just who we need."
" Yes Professor?"
" You see, the 7th years are performing a charm called the Force
Shield charm, and Draco has no one to practice with. Do you mind
volunteering?
The corners of Ginnys mouth turned down. This was like some horrible nightmare! Why was it that no matter HOW hard she tried, she could not avoid him? She felt worse however, upon noting that she was actually happy to see him.
Draco was staring at her, trying to absorb what Lupin was saying. Surely, surely he wasn't a partner with Weasel AGAIN? He narrowed his eyes. What exactly was going on? Why did he seem to be encountering her all over the place especially when he had decided to avoid her?
" But Professor, I left my wand in the classroom" Ginny replied, trying to make an excuse.
" Thats alright Ginny. You only need one wand to perform this spell. All you need to do is put your hand on Dracos wand as he says the spell, and get into the shield."
Draco gritted his teeth. Lupin of course, made this out to be the easiest thing in the world, while actually it was more difficult than all his subjects combined!
" Arithmancy included!" he thought to himself as he watched Ginny make her way towards him, her hands twisting into each other.
***************************************************************** AN: Ok, Ill leave off here shall I? Sorry I couldnt put in any Colin, Harry, Ron or Hermoine in here. It's just that I felt like I should focus on the teacher's attempts to get them together. Next chapter will involve the actual performing of the charm, Snapes part to play in the game, and another plan made by all three of the teachers. It also features Harry putting the moves on a (resistant) Ginny, and Colin bailing her out as usual!
AN: Wow you guys! That was really impressive, I felt so glad when I checked my email yesterday! I'm honestly starting to think that reviews are good for health or something. Thanks to all of you, who are so encouraging, I get up at midnight with excellent ideas for a new chapter(ENRAGING my mom in the process might I add),but I gotta excuse myself for this one. It might not be quite up to par because it was written while I was doing three other things. Ie, drooling over my new Josh Hartnett poster, reading Sherwood Smith fanfics(I LOVE court duel, anyone who knows a good fic site, pls recommend, an DO tell me what "Vidanric's b'day surprise" is) and watching Friends, but I figured I needed to put one more up this week..so here ya go! Enjoyyyyyy
NOTE: There is smthn weird going on either w/ff.net or my comp, and it is causing all my parenthesis and inverted commas to appear as this ". So when you see that, just assume a parenthesis was meant to be there, and continue reading the dialogue.
Ginny and Draco exchanged a look, then Draco raised his hand.
" Malfoy?"
" Well Professor, what exactly is it that you want us to do?"
Professor Mcgonagall looked at the two of them. Draco and Ginny were sitting as far apart as possible, and the expressions on their faces were distinctly uneasy. Obviously she would have to assign them a task which would force them to work rather closely.
" You have read the chapters I assigned for homework, I presume?"
" Yes Professor."
" Well Miss Weasley, would you care to tell me what exactly the content
of chapter 5 is about?"
Ginny gulped and looked up at Professor Mcgonagall.
" The chapter talks about the different types of Transfiguration there
are. It explains how the person performing the spell can affect the end
result, so basically at this level, the item produced from
transfiguration depends on the person who does the spell."
Mcgonagall smiled. This answer was perfect for her to explain.
" Very good Miss Weasley! Well class, this is why I partnered you together. You will all have the same object to begin with, and use the same spell. However, your level of expertise and the effort you put into the spell, determines the object it will be transfigured into."
Pansy Parkinson raised her hand.
" What does SHE want?" Professor Mcgonagall thought to herself in exasperation
"Yes Miss Parkinson?"
" But Professor, why do we need to partner up with people for this?"
" Because, Miss Parkinson, the end result of your transfiguration also
depends on how you work with your partner. As I mentioned, this is a
very complicated spell, so you and your partner will need to
communicate and be completely in sync in order to achieve the desired
result. The spell has been written in your textbooks, ready for you to
perform. I hope there are no more questions?"
There were no more questions. Everyone in class was far too busy digesting this latest bit of information.
" Communicate and be completely in sync, she says. Well you tell me, how
am I supposed to do that with someone I was lying on top of last night?"
Ginny muttered to herself as she clattered her possessions around. She didn't know that she had said this aloud, and her cheeks turned scarlet when Draco turned to her, his eyes widening.
" Please, oh please, tell me you didn't just hear what I was thinking?" Ginny winced.
Dracos embarrassed expression gave way to a slow smile.
" Actually, you did, Weasel. And that flush that you were trying so hard to rub off is back with a vengeance!"
Ginny frowned. How come he wasnt feeling the least bit awkward about this? That was definitely the impression he was giving off earlier on. Well, if he was going to feel comfortable, there was no reason for her not to!
" Well come on then, lets get cracking on this spell. What exactly are
we going to do?"
Draco was taken aback. How had she bounced back so quickly? One moment she was the color of her hair, muttering things under her breath and refusing to meet his eye, and now she was her regular confident self, behaving as though nothing had happened! He resolved to do the same.
They opened their textbooks and read the spell. Ginny then drew the object out from under the table; it was a small bottle of bath salts (Obviously, Professor Mcgonagall had done this on purpose). She shivered involuntarily and shook her head, laying the object on the table and sneaking a look at Draco.
For a moment he too lost his blank expression and gave a start, staring at the bottle before him. When Ginny realized that Draco was as affected as she was, she gave a secret smile to herself. Draco meanwhile took a deep breath, willing his face to stay calm and resume its expression, while he suppressed the urge to run both his hands through his hair.
" Alright," Ginnys voice was slightly unsteady " It says here, that we will be required to point our wands at the, the," she stopped for a minute, unsure how to continue.
" Bath salts?" Draco finished for her.
" Er yes, we will both be required to point our wands at the desired object, and perform the spell at the same time."
Draco was about to reply, when they heard sniggers coming from the table near them.
" My wand is already pointed at the desired object," said Rick, a sixth
year Slytherin, staring straight at Ginny.
Ginny looked puzzled. Why was he looking at her? And where was his wand? Most of all, why was Dracos face so furious all of a sudden? It then dawned on her, and she turned away, looking down at the floor.
When Draco heard the insolent remark made by Rick, all his awkward feelings melted away. All he felt was fury at the vile comment made by him and how Ginny would feel because of this, he forced his features to reassemble, and when he spoke, his voice was steely.
" Apologize,"
Rick looked up at Draco, noting the Prefects badge, the age difference and also the several inches of height they had between them.
" I was just—"
Draco interrupted at this point, smiling mildly, he said
" I said apologize, or you and your "wand" are going to find yourselves in a particularly unpleasant situation."
Rick scowled.
" I'm sorry Weas-" when he saw Dracos expression he quickly changed this
to Ginny.
" Its fine" Ginny mumbled, and sank back into her chair.
The entire class had stopped its work, gazing at the scene that had enfolded in front of them. Mcgonagall included. She had no idea that Draco felt protective towards Ginny.
Only the bright glint in Dracos eyes gave away his anger, his calm was calculated to intimidate, and it had worked.
" Are you alright?" Dracos voice changed completely when he addressed the redhead, and Ginny turned towards him, puzzled at the strange expression in his eyes.
" Im fine, thanks Draco. You didnt really have to do that."
Draco smirked,
"That boy has been annoying me for a while now! His ass deserved what was
coming to him anyway!"
Ginny grinned at his slangish manner of speaking, and suddenly, it seemed as though the mood between them had lightened a bit. She couldnt help the secret delight she felt at Dracos defense of her.
" Calm down Gin, he would probably do the same for anyone else." She
reasoned with herself.
Draco was thinking something along those lines too, but he knew very well that this was not the case. He would not have felt and reacted that way if it had been anyone else, but Ginny.
" Alright, are you ready?" Ginny looked up at him, suddenly determined to do her best on the spell.
" Yes. Lets say the spell at the count of three shall we?"
" One, Two, Three…Transformera!"
It seemed to work. Suddenly, the jar of bath salts rose into the air, surrounded by golden sparks. Ginny gazed up at it, enthralled, then the object began to fall to the table, and Draco caught it in his hand.
It was a beautiful white rose. Draco held it up in front of him, admiring the pearly color of the petals, and then inhaled the scent. When he did so, a bolt of shock ran through him. It smelt exactly as Ginny had the other night! Of roses and peach! His hand shook for a moment, and he quickly placed the rose on the table and walked towards Blaise.
" Blaise, can I see your bottle for a minute?"
" Not a problem"
Draco looked at Blaises bottle. The bath salt type was seaweed and mermaid musk which was the same as his, but it smelt quite different. Draco was extremely puzzled. Why was it that only his flower smelt the way Ginny did? He looked back at the table to see Ginny holding the rose, the expression of tenderness on her face making it even more beautiful. He slowly walked nearer to her, watching her gently stroke the petals and inhale the scent.
Ginny took a deep breath, the smell that washed over her was of roses and peach. Roses and peach! That was the same bath foam she had used yesterday! Was this why Draco had reacted so strangely when he had done the same? She turned around and looked for him, only to see him standing right behind her, his eyebrows raised.
" Smells familiar doesnt it", he managed to say.
" Y-yes, it does."
" You know what I find confusing Weasley? The fact that everyone elses smells quite unlike ours."
Ginny frowned. So he was back to calling her Weasley was he? She hated this, how could he behave so tenderly one moment, and go back to being a superior prick the next?
" Well Malfoy", she glared at him, " I wouldnt really know!"
Mcgonagall who had been observing them keenly all this time, was glad to see that her idea about the smell had taken effect. However, it seemed like Draco was going to great lengths to makeup for his momentary slip in defending Ginny. Mcgonagall realized that he was upset with himself for revealing his feelings for Ginny in such a manner, and was behaving like an ass to cover it up.
She sighed wearily and made the conclusion that the hormones and emotions in those two were far more complicated than any spell ever made.
When the class ended, Draco and Ginny were the only ones to have gotten the white rose as a result. Mcgonagall drew attention to this and talked about how a good relationship between partners was key to getting the object of importance. This of course drew many curious stares from the Slytherins; the star of their house had performed well as usual, but with a Gryffindor? Ginny refused to meet anyones eye and was just about to run out of class when Draco called her name, and she turned around and walked towards him.
Draco was cursing himself for what he was doing.
" What is wrong with you man? One moment you are her knight of honor, and the next your being a complete prick! Why cant there be one indifferent medium?"
As he was thinking this to himself, he noticed that the rose was still lying on the table and that Ginny hadnt yet gone out of the classroom. He called her name, immediately regretting doing so. As she walked towards him, he sighed resignedly and held the rose out in front of him.
" Here."
Ginny looked confused.
" Are you..Are you giving this to me?"
" Well it doesnt really look good with my outfit does it?" Draco replied
testily, thrusting the flower towards her.
" We can just leave it here" Ginny shrugged, trying not to take it from
him, and testing him to see what he would say. Draco sensed this, but
played right into her trap.
" No, you should keep it." He said, smirking slightly.
" Why dont you give it to Parkinson?" Ginny was being annoying now, but
she had her reasons.
" Why dont you give it to Potter?" Draco replied, mimicking her.
" Because I dont like Harry!" Ginny burst out, clapping her hand over
her mouth after she said this.
" Well neither do I, and Im not particularly fond of Pansy either, so you should have it." Draco replied, smirking more than ever, until he realized that he had just admitted that he was fond of Ginny.
He hoped fervently that she wouldn't figure it out as well.
Ginny hadnt figured it out, but she was unreasonably pleased that Draco did not want to give the flower to Pansy. She smiled at him and reached for it, he smirked back and drew it out of her reach. Ginny stopped, frowned and waited for him to lower his hand, when he did, she lunged for it, only to find herself snatching at thin air again. Dracos laughter echoed around the classroom.
" Fine then, Malfoy. You can KEEP the bloody flower, I dont have time for your stupid games!" Ginny snapped in a huff, stomping off. She was stopped in her path by Draco who grabbed her hand, turned her towards him, and gently pushed the flower into her shining locks of hair.
" I cant think of a better place to see it." He whispered, and practically sprinted out of the classroom, leaving Ginny open mouthed with shock.
" Shouldntve done that, shouldtve done that, shouldtve DONE that!" Draco muttered to himself as he ran frantically down the corridor.
Ginny touched the rose in her hair, and was about to take it out. She hesitated, and then pushed it back in, picking up her bag and walking slowly out of the classroom.
Mcgonagall, who had been hiding out behind her storage closet, had observed all that occurred. She crept out, and heaved a sigh of relief. Her plan had worked somewhat the way she wanted it to. It had removed all the awkwardness between the two of them, but the fighting seemed to have returned full force.
" It is SO obvious that the two of them have feelings for each other. Why dont they just see it and act on it? What is Draco going to do when he sees her again? Does Potter like Ginny as well? Why am I asking myself so many questions?"
" I think the main question is, why are you talking to yourself?" came a voice from the doorway.
Mcgonagall snapped around, and there, lounging against her doorframe was Professor Snape.
" Well Severus, Ive done my part. We now definitely know that the two of
them are harboring suppressed attraction for each other. At least we
didn't have to make them like each other!"
" Making them admit it that they do will probably be far more difficult," countered Snape
" Thats not my problem anymore. You and Remus have to devise a way in which to bring them together."
" Its all very well for you to say Minerva! You could put them in a same class! How can I help it if Weasley is so good at Potions she doesnt need tutoring, so polite she doesnt need teaching and so on time that she cannot have detention?"
Mcgonagall was openmouthed.
" What is it?" Snape questioned irritably
" You do realize that you just complimented a GRYFFINDOR dont you?"
Snape looked astonished, then he rubbed his forehead.
"This work is getting to me."
" Talk to Remus, Im sure the two of you can figure something out together."
Mcgonagall replied as she breezed out of the room, leaving Snape dismayed at the idea of working with an old enemy alone.
Surprisingly it went far better than Snape expected. Lupin was sympathetic to Mcgonagalls don't care attitude and the two of them agreed that Women didnt know a thing about working together. This established, Lupin volunteered to be the next in his shot at bringing Draco and Ginny closer to each other.
" I have a particular lesson that just might work" he replied, grinning slightly.
" What is it?"
" The force shield charm" Lupin replied.
Snape frowned for a minute.
" That sounds familiar, two people got stuck in it during our time. Wait it was a prank wasnt it? Someone made the shield, and another person went into it, unfortunately the person who performed the spell somehow found himself stuck in the shield as well! Who was that?"
Lupin was very quiet for a second, he then muttered something inaudible.
" Yes?"
" I said, James and Lily Potter!"
Snape was taken aback, then it came back to him. For some inexplicable reason, the school had been in a furore after this event. He certainly remembered that!
" I remember."
Lupin looked up, amazed.
" You do?"
" Hogwarts worst enemies were walking into the Great Hall holding hands! This was something even a boy usually buried in his books noticed."
Lupin grinned.
" Well all you have to do is tell Draco that he is in charge of a certain
detention. Ill handle the rest."
" Right."
They parted ways, marveling at how they had cooperated with each other. Snape found it rather unnerving
" Things will go back to normal the MOMENT this blasted problem gets solved." He muttered to himself as he walked to his office.
The next morning Ginny and Draco both woke up feeling guilty. They had broken their resolve to avoid each other! This time however, it was going to work. No words were to be said and no emotions (in Dracos case) were to be displayed.
Unfortunately, they had Lupin to contend with this time. He had sent a message to Binns that he needed Ginny for a quick errand during her History of Magic class.
Binns asked Ginny to take a message to Lupin, and she made her way to the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, curiously wondering what the message was, and why Binns had chosen her of all people. The moment she entered the classroom however, her stomach jumped, and her heart entered her throat.
There, staring straight at her with an expression of confusion on his face, was Draco Malfoy. She cursed Binns for sending her, Lupin for demanding her, and Draco for looking so delicious.
Lupin pretended to be engrossed in some papers on his desk, while he was actually observing the two of them.
" Minervas right. You can cut the chemistry between them with a knife!"
He then looked up and smiled.
" Ginny! Just who we need."
" Yes Professor?"
" You see, the 7th years are performing a charm called the Force
Shield charm, and Draco has no one to practice with. Do you mind
volunteering?
The corners of Ginnys mouth turned down. This was like some horrible nightmare! Why was it that no matter HOW hard she tried, she could not avoid him? She felt worse however, upon noting that she was actually happy to see him.
Draco was staring at her, trying to absorb what Lupin was saying. Surely, surely he wasn't a partner with Weasel AGAIN? He narrowed his eyes. What exactly was going on? Why did he seem to be encountering her all over the place especially when he had decided to avoid her?
" But Professor, I left my wand in the classroom" Ginny replied, trying to make an excuse.
" Thats alright Ginny. You only need one wand to perform this spell. All you need to do is put your hand on Dracos wand as he says the spell, and get into the shield."
Draco gritted his teeth. Lupin of course, made this out to be the easiest thing in the world, while actually it was more difficult than all his subjects combined!
" Arithmancy included!" he thought to himself as he watched Ginny make her way towards him, her hands twisting into each other.
***************************************************************** AN: Ok, Ill leave off here shall I? Sorry I couldnt put in any Colin, Harry, Ron or Hermoine in here. It's just that I felt like I should focus on the teacher's attempts to get them together. Next chapter will involve the actual performing of the charm, Snapes part to play in the game, and another plan made by all three of the teachers. It also features Harry putting the moves on a (resistant) Ginny, and Colin bailing her out as usual!