AN: Alright, I'm just lost for words. When I checked my email today and
read what all of you had to say in your reviews, I practically broke down
in tears of happiness. I know that sounds cheesy, but thank you , thank you
SO much for doing this. You have no idea how great it feels to know that so
many people care about my fic, and its future. That particular review is
now completely out of my mind, and you guys are the ones who helped that
happen. Now, on with the fic, I'm pleased to see that the weird symbol
thingys aren't appearing now, so I can write dialogue properly again. Hope
all of you enjoy this.
NOTE: I know I'm being a bit slow with the snogging, but I just want to make it worthwhile when I finally put it up ya know? Don't worry, its definitely coming up soon!
As Ginny made her way across the room, Draco set his mouth in a grim line and decided to be completely disconnected. He wouldn't show any emotion, but he wouldn't be rude either. He would just ignore the Weasel's presence unless required to acknowledge her.
Ginny walked towards Draco, growing perturbed as she came closer, noticing that his eyes stayed fixed on the desk in front of him. He didn't so much as look her way, even when she smiled! He seemed to be adamant on ignoring her. Ginny then felt a hot burst of anger. Her temper only alleviated when she realized that she was angry because she WANTED Draco's attention.
" Alright. If that's the game he wants to play, I'll do the same." She
muttered to herself.
She then bent under the desk for a second to compose herself, and then resurfaced, her face a mask of casual boredom.
Draco meanwhile had looked her way curiously when she slid under the table, the moment her head withdrew though, he whipped his gaze away from her and fixed it on the back of Goyle's head.
Lupin had been avidly observing this scene play out before him. When he saw what the two of them were doing, he shook his head bitterly, thinking that it was just his luck to have to pair up the most stubborn students in Slytherin and Gryffindor.
" They've decided to ignore each other I see. At least the good thing is
that both of them seem to be angry about not being noticed. Well, this
little act won't last for long, we'll see just how well they ignore each
other when they have to perform this spell."
So saying, Lupin turned around to face the class, pasting a fake smile
of cheerfulness on his face.
" Alright class, I presume you are ready to begin? Mr.Malfoy, if you
would be so kind as to give Miss Weasley the instructions required, we
will get started."
Draco took a deep breath. He turned towards Ginny, who had a look of long suffering patience on her face. This irritated him, and when he spoke, he couldn't keep the tone of annoyance out of his voice.
" You put one of your hands on my wand along with mine, and then I say
the spell. Then you have to get into the shield so we can test it." He
said shortly, pulling out his wand from his bag and laying on the table
in front of them.
Ginny didn't reply. She was determined not to say anything unless she had to. Draco was being his rude best, so there was no reason for her not to do the same.
Draco polished his wand and snuck a look at Ginny. Although she had composed her features into the same expressionless mask that he often used, he saw a stubborn spark in her eyes. This was when he understood that Ginny had figured out what he was doing and had decided to emulate his reactions and fight "fire with fire."
He was then surprised by a sudden twinge of regret that passed through him. While quashing this feeling, he decided that perhaps it was all the better for both of them to behave this way, because that would sort out any unresolved feelings. Not that there were any on his part, Draco hastily added.
" Put your hand on the wand." Draco asked her curtly.
Ginny shrugged and complied. Draco put his hand just above hers and recited the spell. Nothing happened. He tried again, twice, three times and there was no result.
Lupin meanwhile had been trying to suppress a grin when he watched Draco's efforts to ignore Ginny and perform the spell at the same time. He couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces when he told them what exactly they would have to do.
" Mr. Malfoy, Ginny! This is not the way to perform the spell!"
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked up at Lupin.
" Then what is Professor?" she enquired, as politely as possible. Inwardly she was q still seething from Draco's behavior.
Lupin smiled at the two of them and replied
" You see, in order for the shield to be created, a large amount of
energy is required. That is why you need two people to perform the
spell together. ( He knew this from watching James perform it with
Sirius) What you will need to do, is hold each other's hands, and
interlace your fingers. Then put the wand in between and perform the
spell."
The expectations Lupin had built up about Ginny and Draco's faces were completely fulfilled. He had to turn away to suppress the guffaw that welled up in his throat when he saw the gamut of expressions run across their countenances.
Ginny's face went from boredom to astonishment, then to exasperation and lastly to fright. Lupin also couldn't help but notice the slight flash of excitement that passed through her as well.
Draco's expressions mirrored the redheads', however one of them made Lupin slightly wary. Instead of looking exasperated, Draco's face grew slightly suspicious and he threw the teacher an apprehensive glance.
Upon noting this, Lupin gave them a quick "Good luck!" and hurried away back to his desk, where he pretended to be engrossed in a book, and silently watched the interaction between the two.
Ginny's idea of ignoring Draco had completely broken down in the face of this latest task. She was now feeling extremely nervous and awkward.
Draco had kept his eyes on the wand throughout Lupin's speech. He now looked up at Ginny and was gratified to see that she was as worried as he was.
" Er, alright then" Draco mumbled, extending the wand to her.
" Your hand" Ginny muttered back, pushing the wand to him.
" Oh! Right."
Draco then proceeded to extend his right hand to Ginny, who placed her left palm gently against his. They were barely touching, but that one brush of skin was enough. It was almost as though an invisible spark had flown when they touched hands, and the electric sensation that jolted down Ginny's spine caused her to withdraw her hand quickly. Draco had done the same, and for a moment they just looked at each other, silently analyzing what had happened.
The feeling that had shot through Draco when he touched Ginny's hand was unlike any other. Even though the touch was brief, it was enough for him to feel the softness and warmth of her skin. He knew he wanted to hold her hand again, regardless of the spell. He decided to quickly get it over with, before anything more happened.
" Its just physical, its just physical" Ginny was chanting to herself as she looked at her palm. Yet, try as she might she couldn't get the feeling of Draco's hand out of her head. His skin had been cool and smooth, and the bolt of shock that ran through her wasn't entirely unpleasant. She was surprised however to see Draco take a deep breath and then once again extend his hand to her.
" Might as well get this over with." Ginny thought to herself, and met
his right palm with hers, this time applying more pressure.
Their fingers interlaced almost automatically, without command from their owners. Draco involuntarily pressed his fingers against hers and tightened his grip on her hand. When he did this, he felt her racing pulse and smiled ever so slightly. Ginny's eyes had fluttered shut of their own volition, and both of them found their breathing to be short and irregular.
" Ginny, its just his hand against yours. Why are you getting so worked
up?" Ginny questioned herself fiercely.
The truth was, it wasn't just a hand, it was Draco's hand. The feel of his skin against her skin, his long slim fingers entertwined with her fingers and his tight but gentle grip on her hand sent sparks shooting down her arms and put butterflies in her stomach. Ginny bit her lip slightly and looked up into his face. Draco was looking down at their hands, his expression inscrutable.
Draco was looking at his hand, linked with Ginny's. He came from a long line of artists and was quick to spot beauty or distinctive characteristics of any sort. There was something.. unique about the way their hands looked together, he admitted to himself. Ginny's hand was neither big nor small, with fingers of a medium length. Her skin was a creamy peach, with a slight tan giving it a golden tint. The littlest finger on her hand was dotted with a line of three freckles.
Draco's hand was a little larger than hers, thus enveloping Ginny's compactly. His skin couldn't be called pale; it had a more luminous coloring to it. The tan and freckles of Ginny's hand contrasted with the flawless ivory of his own, and created an exceptional union.
" Strange", Draco thought, " Why does my hand go so well with hers?"
He was deep in contemplation, unaware that Ginny had been watching his reverie. There was just something about him when he was thinking, Ginny reflected to herself. His face softened almost imperceptibly and his gray eyes, which were usually so bright and clear, slowly clouded over, turning them a dark blue. It took her breath away, and she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. But this would give away how she felt! So she decided to finish the spell.
" Draco?"
Draco snapped out of his thoughts and looked up straight into Ginny's face, their eyes met and he noted the curious look in hers. He instantly broke the eye contact, and took the wand with his free hand and slowly pushed it between their hands. This of course separated their skin, and it was Ginny's turn to smile when she saw the ghost of a frown on Draco's face.
Holding Ginny's hand even tighter, Draco said the incantation. This time it worked, and a white glowing circle formed on the floor.
" The shield is invisible," Lupin said, his eyes amusedly flicking to
their hands, which were still joined.
" Once you step into that circle, you are in the shield, and only this
wand can bring you out. Ginny, please go inside."
Ginny looked up at Lupin, her eyes wide with worry. What if something went wrong? Would she be stuck in there forever?
" It's alright Ginny, nothing will happen." Lupin said, in a gentle tone.
Ginny nodded, then started when she felt Draco's hand giving hers a comforting squeeze. She looked up at him, only to see him widen his eyes slightly and then look back down at their hands.
Shit! Draco thought as he felt himself give Ginny's hand a squeeze. He'd forgotten they were still holding hands! She looked up at him and he immediately looked away, quickly loosening his hand from hers, feeling strangely incomplete as he did so.
Ginny then stepped into the circle, with one last backward glance at him. They didn't seem to be separated, Ginny was still standing in front of him. But when Draco put his hand out to touch her, a strange force repelled him back.
" Mr.Malfoy, I now want you to try and put a hex on Ginny." Draco looked
up at Lupin sharply, and shook his head.
" Come on Mr.Malfoy, if the shield works, it won't even touch her. Even
if something goes wrong, it can be remedied."
Draco looked at Ginny, who nodded at him. He then withdrew his wand and cast a Furnunculus hex. A light shot out from his wand and sped toward Ginny, who closed her eyes and braced herself. But it didn't hit her. When the hex reached close to Ginny something pushed it backwards and the light merely disappeared.
" Very well done you two! It takes a lot of group work and interaction to be able to make this shield. The makers have to have a good relationship in order to do this." Lupin said, keenly looking at the two of them. When they heard the end of his sentence, Ginny and Draco looked up at each other and then looked away.
" First time I've ever seen Malfoy look shy" Lupin mused to himself, as he asked Draco to get in as well.
" But Professor, who can take Ginny out then?"
Lupin smiled at his look of worry, also at the fact that he had said "Ginny."
" Don't worry Draco, I will have your wand and be able to pull you both
out. Trust me."
" Trust." Draco disbelievingly muttered to himself, still looking
doubtful. He then stepped toward the shield and suddenly found himself
in it, almost pressed against Ginny. He leaned on the other side of the
shield, feeling it widen when he pushed.
" Professor, can you take us out now?" Ginny enquired.
Lupin shook his head at them, his eyes twinkling.
" I want to see how long this shield lasts." " Don't worry! I will take
it out at the end of class." He hastily added, seeing the looks of
dismay on their faces.
" Till then, just sit in here and wait." He finished, walking away to
inspect the rest of the Slytherins.
Ginny slithered down her end of the shield and sat down, her knees drawn up to her chin. She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked up at Draco above them.
" So" she said.
" So?" he replied back, leaning casually against his side, his arms
folded, one leg crossing over the other.
They were silent for a minute. Draco then decided to needle her a bit.
" You know Weasel, you say that you don't like Potter, but why is it
that you lead him on?"
Ginny gaped.
" What do you mean lead him on? Of course I don't!"
" Oh yes you do, Potter AND the rest of your fan following." Draco responded
Ginny frowned in confusion and tried to quell her annoyance.
" No I do NOT Malfoy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.
What fan following?"
" What fan following?" Draco thought to himself. Had she been hiding
under a rock for the past few months?
" You mean to say you really haven't noticed your ahem, trail of
admirers?" Draco asked.
" What trail of admirers? People have been nice to me, but that's only
because of Ron!" Ginny snapped, not having a clue what he was referring
to.
How thick you could you get? Draco wondered to himself. Ginny was practically swamped on all sides by Hogwarts males, and she didn't notice? It then dawned on him.
" You know Weasley, you seem to have a disturbing lack of self
confidence. So low that it borders with the ground level."
Ginny was furious now. Draco was behaving like a complete ass, and was talking to her in riddles. She HATED anything to do with "riddles" and answered with the first thing that came to her head.
" I don't think I need lectures on self confidence from an ex- Death Eater thanks!"
She then gasped when the full realization of what she had said dawned on her. Draco's face grew extremely angry, and he gritted his teeth.
" Don't you dare, call me that again." He ground out, enunciating each
word strongly.
Ginny's temper flared again. Who was he to tell her what to do?
" And just why not?" she asked mockingly, folding her arms, and looking
up at him.
" Because-" Draco was interrupted, by the shield suddenly being taken
away. He fell backwards against a desk and groaned.
" Hurry up! You two are a little bit late" Lupin announced, looking
slightly guilty. The look Ginny turned on him was nothing short of
murderous.
" I have Potions next!" she squealed, dashing out of the room, grabbing
her bag on the way.
Draco, rubbing his head, watched her go and then looked up to see Lupin looking quizzically at him.
" You always seem to be falling when your around her." He remarked
casually, then upon realizing what he had just said, quickly turned
around and walked back toward his desk. (A/N, Yes, Draco DOES remember
Lupin saying this later on in the story)
Draco's head hurt too much for him to puzzle over that comment. He got to his feet, wincing and made his way out of the classroom.
The Potions class that followed was a nightmare for Ginny. Snape looked at the clock as she walked in and promptly informed her that she would have detention that night.
" Scrubbing cauldrons is always an effective way to end tardiness Miss Weasley" Snape said spitefully, before going to berate a student about the state of their potion.
Ginny sighed and buried her head in her hands. Her very first detention! On a FRIDAY night too!
" Gin, you're never late! What happened?" Colin questioned.
Ginny's reply was slightly muffled. All he caught were the words
" Lupin, shield and Malfoy."
She then pulled her head out of her arms and said
" I'll tell you all the details at dinner Colin."
Ginny then vented by brewing her Potion perfectly and enjoyed the expression on Snape's face when he inspected it and was forced to acknowledge that it was correct.
" Ginny are you sure you feel alright?" Colin asked, slightly perturbed
at finding his usually mild mannered friend look so angry.
" No I'm not, what gave it away?" Ginny asked wryly.
Colin took her at face value and answered seriously.
" First of all, you've pulled all your hair to one side of your head and
brought it over your right shoulder. There is also the large amount of
fiddling your doing with the potions ingredients, and the last time you
put so much effort into brewing a potion was when Draco Malfoy teased
you about Harry asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball."
As he paused for breath, a sudden light dawned on his face.
" This is about Malfoy isn't it Gin." Colin didn't even question, he stated it flatly.
Ginny sighed, and cleared her throat. Just as she was about to tell Colin about what happened, she noticed Snape's eyes dart her way, so she opted for writing it instead. Scribbling furiously, she quickly told Colin what had transpired over the past week, excluding the part about her emotions. As it turned out, she needn't have done, because Colin knew her too well and figured out everything himself.
" Do you have feelings for him?" Colin wrote in his customary scrawl
" What? No! He's just a complete git!" Ginny wrote back indignantly
" I see. Well, may I just point out that he wasn't a complete git when
he protected you from Peeves, defended your honor and not to mention,
gave you that rose! Ginny, from what I can tell, you don't seem to
think so either." He finished, smiling slyly.
Ginny sighed again and pouted slightly.
" Alright. I will admit that Malfoy wasn't a git in all those
situations, but today when I was with him in DADA class, he was
completely cold. We got trapped in the shield and he was an absolute
prick!"
" Ginny, Malfoy behaved exceptionally nicely to you, and that's quite
out of character for him. He probably realized this as well and is
trying his best to suppress whatever feelings he has for you, the same
way you are." Colin wrote back
Ginny shook her head and chuckled.
She then whispered,
" Colin, that's rubbish. But I am curious about one thing. When we were
stuck in the shield, he commented on my "fan following". I of course had
no idea what he was talking about and threw something about being a ex-
Death Eater at him. All of a sudden he got raging mad and asked me never
to call him that again!"
Colin rolled his eyes and tore out a fresh sheet of parchment, his hand whipping over the paper.
" Ginny, by fan following he meant the bevy of delightful male specimens
that are constantly on your trail, (providing me with excellent eye
candy I might add). As for the Death Eater thing, no wonder he got
furious, don't you know that he was on our side during the war?"
Ginny's jaw dropped.
" Our side? Was he really?" she wrote back in big capital letters.
" Yes dear, he was. So he was justified in being 'raging mad' as you
put it. Though tell me, just how angry was he? Did he pin you to the
other side of the shield, hiss at your face, and then snog you
senseless? Or did you slap him and in revenge he kissed you?"
Colin was all-agog to know what had taken place.
Ginny shook her head and rolled her eyes, her bottom lip curling.
" Colin, all I can say is that you've been reading far too many of my
romance novels! How many times have I told you that it is rather unseemly
for a boy to enquire about passionate snog sessions? As for those, there
were none. You seem to forget that this shield was invisible and we were
in front of the entire DADA class."
Colin had only one remark to write in exchange for this.
" What I find quite interesting is that you don't give the impression
that you don't WANT to indulge in a snogging session with Malfoy. I
wouldn't blame you, he is absolutely edible!"
Ginny frowned.
" Maybe I haven't made myself clear, I DON'T like Malfoy. However edible
I think he is," she conceded reluctantly
" Alright Ginny, you keep telling yourself that," Colin patted her back
as they got up, ready to go for dinner.
At dinner Harry insisted on taking the seat next to Ginny, forcing Colin to sit next to Hermione instead of Seamus, like he'd planned.
" Ginny, I haven't seen much of you lately" Harry said, as he poured a
generous amount of gravy onto his plate.
" Ah well, I've been working a lot Harry, you know Potions,
Transfiguration all of that."
" Speaking of which, how did Transfiguration with the Slytherins go? I
heard you were partnered with Malfoy, bad luck."
Ginny blushed slightly
" Er yes, bad." She replied absentmindedly, too preoccupied with the
face that Colin was making behind Harry's back. Ginny then burst into
laughter at the spectacle before her.
Colin had taken Hermione's fork and put it into his own hair, attempting to look coy and feminine. He pouted and batted his eyelashes at Ginny, causing her to giggle. She wasn't giggling at Colin however, it was the expression on Hermione's face that was causing her amusement. The poor boy didn't know that Hermione had turned to look for her fork and was gazing at him with a mixture of confusion and pity. When he realized that Hermione was looking at him Colin hastily stopped pouting, removed the fork from his hair and gave it back, laughing sheepishly.
" A little off, that one." Hermione muttered to Ron through the side of her mouth.
" Yep. That's why he's so perfect for Gin" Ron responded, shoveling
potatoes in at a breakneck pace.
" I heard that Ron!" Ginny called out.
" Anyhow Ginny, since you've been cooped up with Malfoy all week, I'm
sure you could use a rest."
" Umm, what exactly do mean Harry?"
Harry now turned slightly red and looked down at his lap.
" I was wondering, maybe we could go to Hogsmeade together tonight?"
He asked softly, looking up at her.
Now it was true that Ginny didn't like Harry anymore. But there was something very endearing about his puppy dog expression, and she would probably have consented just to not hurt his feelings. Luckily, Colin came to the rescue.
" She can't." Colin cut in
" And just why not? Not going with you is she?" Harry bristled.
" No, I'm going clubbing with Seamus," Colin paused to beam at the
said person, " Ginny can't because she has detention."
" Detention? With who? Maybe I can talk to them," Harry said, showing
off a little. It was true. He exerted a large amount of influence over
most of his teachers and could usually talk them out of disciplining
others.
" Snape." Colin replied, knowing that Snape was among the select few
who disregarded Harry completely, grinning secretly at Ginny.
" Trust that slimy git to ruin my good time!" Harry said, frowning.
Ginny looked up at him indignantly
" Your good time? I'm sorry, but I'm actually the one doing the detention here!"
" Yes, but it's my good time being ruined because I'm deprived of your
presence." Harry said, smiling.
" Cheesy!" Colin coughed loudly.
Ginny stifled a grin and replied,
" I'm flattered Harry, but now if you'll excuse me, I must head off to
the scintillating night of cauldron scrubbing that awaits me."
With this she clapped Colin on the shoulder(her unspoken thanks) and walked out of the hall.
When she got into Snape's classroom she looked around her. There didn't seem to be anyone in there.
" Not YOU again!" Or maybe there was.
Ginny whirled around when she heard this, and looked straight into a pair of gray eyes that were growing increasingly familiar.
" Why are you here?" She asked, getting the cauldron cleaning fluids ready
" Because Snape asked me to supervise this detention." Draco replied,
sounding increasingly thoughtful.
" Malfoy, about what happened in the DADA class" Ginny said, hesitating slightly.
" Yes what about it?" Draco's guard was up and he sounded rather hostile.
" I, I just wanted to apologize"
" Oh."
Ginny left Draco standing there, his mouth in a perfect O as she began her tedious night of cleaning.
AN: Yep, this is getting to be a habit with me isn't it? Although I have a penchant for leaving off at the juicy part, I promise you, I will update pretty soon. My ideas are running amok and I can't wait to get them on screen. There is definitely more to this detention, and that's what the next chapter will be based on. A lot more conversation between Ginny and Draco. Many of you have emailed me asking me if they find out about the bet. Ginny doesn't have a clue what's going on, while Draco suspects something is. Neither of them have put two and two together yet however, and probably won't do so until I see fit(muahhaha and you don't know when that is, but you will). Till then..please continue with this great trend and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
NOTE: I know I'm being a bit slow with the snogging, but I just want to make it worthwhile when I finally put it up ya know? Don't worry, its definitely coming up soon!
As Ginny made her way across the room, Draco set his mouth in a grim line and decided to be completely disconnected. He wouldn't show any emotion, but he wouldn't be rude either. He would just ignore the Weasel's presence unless required to acknowledge her.
Ginny walked towards Draco, growing perturbed as she came closer, noticing that his eyes stayed fixed on the desk in front of him. He didn't so much as look her way, even when she smiled! He seemed to be adamant on ignoring her. Ginny then felt a hot burst of anger. Her temper only alleviated when she realized that she was angry because she WANTED Draco's attention.
" Alright. If that's the game he wants to play, I'll do the same." She
muttered to herself.
She then bent under the desk for a second to compose herself, and then resurfaced, her face a mask of casual boredom.
Draco meanwhile had looked her way curiously when she slid under the table, the moment her head withdrew though, he whipped his gaze away from her and fixed it on the back of Goyle's head.
Lupin had been avidly observing this scene play out before him. When he saw what the two of them were doing, he shook his head bitterly, thinking that it was just his luck to have to pair up the most stubborn students in Slytherin and Gryffindor.
" They've decided to ignore each other I see. At least the good thing is
that both of them seem to be angry about not being noticed. Well, this
little act won't last for long, we'll see just how well they ignore each
other when they have to perform this spell."
So saying, Lupin turned around to face the class, pasting a fake smile
of cheerfulness on his face.
" Alright class, I presume you are ready to begin? Mr.Malfoy, if you
would be so kind as to give Miss Weasley the instructions required, we
will get started."
Draco took a deep breath. He turned towards Ginny, who had a look of long suffering patience on her face. This irritated him, and when he spoke, he couldn't keep the tone of annoyance out of his voice.
" You put one of your hands on my wand along with mine, and then I say
the spell. Then you have to get into the shield so we can test it." He
said shortly, pulling out his wand from his bag and laying on the table
in front of them.
Ginny didn't reply. She was determined not to say anything unless she had to. Draco was being his rude best, so there was no reason for her not to do the same.
Draco polished his wand and snuck a look at Ginny. Although she had composed her features into the same expressionless mask that he often used, he saw a stubborn spark in her eyes. This was when he understood that Ginny had figured out what he was doing and had decided to emulate his reactions and fight "fire with fire."
He was then surprised by a sudden twinge of regret that passed through him. While quashing this feeling, he decided that perhaps it was all the better for both of them to behave this way, because that would sort out any unresolved feelings. Not that there were any on his part, Draco hastily added.
" Put your hand on the wand." Draco asked her curtly.
Ginny shrugged and complied. Draco put his hand just above hers and recited the spell. Nothing happened. He tried again, twice, three times and there was no result.
Lupin meanwhile had been trying to suppress a grin when he watched Draco's efforts to ignore Ginny and perform the spell at the same time. He couldn't wait to see the expressions on their faces when he told them what exactly they would have to do.
" Mr. Malfoy, Ginny! This is not the way to perform the spell!"
Ginny rolled her eyes and looked up at Lupin.
" Then what is Professor?" she enquired, as politely as possible. Inwardly she was q still seething from Draco's behavior.
Lupin smiled at the two of them and replied
" You see, in order for the shield to be created, a large amount of
energy is required. That is why you need two people to perform the
spell together. ( He knew this from watching James perform it with
Sirius) What you will need to do, is hold each other's hands, and
interlace your fingers. Then put the wand in between and perform the
spell."
The expectations Lupin had built up about Ginny and Draco's faces were completely fulfilled. He had to turn away to suppress the guffaw that welled up in his throat when he saw the gamut of expressions run across their countenances.
Ginny's face went from boredom to astonishment, then to exasperation and lastly to fright. Lupin also couldn't help but notice the slight flash of excitement that passed through her as well.
Draco's expressions mirrored the redheads', however one of them made Lupin slightly wary. Instead of looking exasperated, Draco's face grew slightly suspicious and he threw the teacher an apprehensive glance.
Upon noting this, Lupin gave them a quick "Good luck!" and hurried away back to his desk, where he pretended to be engrossed in a book, and silently watched the interaction between the two.
Ginny's idea of ignoring Draco had completely broken down in the face of this latest task. She was now feeling extremely nervous and awkward.
Draco had kept his eyes on the wand throughout Lupin's speech. He now looked up at Ginny and was gratified to see that she was as worried as he was.
" Er, alright then" Draco mumbled, extending the wand to her.
" Your hand" Ginny muttered back, pushing the wand to him.
" Oh! Right."
Draco then proceeded to extend his right hand to Ginny, who placed her left palm gently against his. They were barely touching, but that one brush of skin was enough. It was almost as though an invisible spark had flown when they touched hands, and the electric sensation that jolted down Ginny's spine caused her to withdraw her hand quickly. Draco had done the same, and for a moment they just looked at each other, silently analyzing what had happened.
The feeling that had shot through Draco when he touched Ginny's hand was unlike any other. Even though the touch was brief, it was enough for him to feel the softness and warmth of her skin. He knew he wanted to hold her hand again, regardless of the spell. He decided to quickly get it over with, before anything more happened.
" Its just physical, its just physical" Ginny was chanting to herself as she looked at her palm. Yet, try as she might she couldn't get the feeling of Draco's hand out of her head. His skin had been cool and smooth, and the bolt of shock that ran through her wasn't entirely unpleasant. She was surprised however to see Draco take a deep breath and then once again extend his hand to her.
" Might as well get this over with." Ginny thought to herself, and met
his right palm with hers, this time applying more pressure.
Their fingers interlaced almost automatically, without command from their owners. Draco involuntarily pressed his fingers against hers and tightened his grip on her hand. When he did this, he felt her racing pulse and smiled ever so slightly. Ginny's eyes had fluttered shut of their own volition, and both of them found their breathing to be short and irregular.
" Ginny, its just his hand against yours. Why are you getting so worked
up?" Ginny questioned herself fiercely.
The truth was, it wasn't just a hand, it was Draco's hand. The feel of his skin against her skin, his long slim fingers entertwined with her fingers and his tight but gentle grip on her hand sent sparks shooting down her arms and put butterflies in her stomach. Ginny bit her lip slightly and looked up into his face. Draco was looking down at their hands, his expression inscrutable.
Draco was looking at his hand, linked with Ginny's. He came from a long line of artists and was quick to spot beauty or distinctive characteristics of any sort. There was something.. unique about the way their hands looked together, he admitted to himself. Ginny's hand was neither big nor small, with fingers of a medium length. Her skin was a creamy peach, with a slight tan giving it a golden tint. The littlest finger on her hand was dotted with a line of three freckles.
Draco's hand was a little larger than hers, thus enveloping Ginny's compactly. His skin couldn't be called pale; it had a more luminous coloring to it. The tan and freckles of Ginny's hand contrasted with the flawless ivory of his own, and created an exceptional union.
" Strange", Draco thought, " Why does my hand go so well with hers?"
He was deep in contemplation, unaware that Ginny had been watching his reverie. There was just something about him when he was thinking, Ginny reflected to herself. His face softened almost imperceptibly and his gray eyes, which were usually so bright and clear, slowly clouded over, turning them a dark blue. It took her breath away, and she desperately wanted to know what he was thinking. But this would give away how she felt! So she decided to finish the spell.
" Draco?"
Draco snapped out of his thoughts and looked up straight into Ginny's face, their eyes met and he noted the curious look in hers. He instantly broke the eye contact, and took the wand with his free hand and slowly pushed it between their hands. This of course separated their skin, and it was Ginny's turn to smile when she saw the ghost of a frown on Draco's face.
Holding Ginny's hand even tighter, Draco said the incantation. This time it worked, and a white glowing circle formed on the floor.
" The shield is invisible," Lupin said, his eyes amusedly flicking to
their hands, which were still joined.
" Once you step into that circle, you are in the shield, and only this
wand can bring you out. Ginny, please go inside."
Ginny looked up at Lupin, her eyes wide with worry. What if something went wrong? Would she be stuck in there forever?
" It's alright Ginny, nothing will happen." Lupin said, in a gentle tone.
Ginny nodded, then started when she felt Draco's hand giving hers a comforting squeeze. She looked up at him, only to see him widen his eyes slightly and then look back down at their hands.
Shit! Draco thought as he felt himself give Ginny's hand a squeeze. He'd forgotten they were still holding hands! She looked up at him and he immediately looked away, quickly loosening his hand from hers, feeling strangely incomplete as he did so.
Ginny then stepped into the circle, with one last backward glance at him. They didn't seem to be separated, Ginny was still standing in front of him. But when Draco put his hand out to touch her, a strange force repelled him back.
" Mr.Malfoy, I now want you to try and put a hex on Ginny." Draco looked
up at Lupin sharply, and shook his head.
" Come on Mr.Malfoy, if the shield works, it won't even touch her. Even
if something goes wrong, it can be remedied."
Draco looked at Ginny, who nodded at him. He then withdrew his wand and cast a Furnunculus hex. A light shot out from his wand and sped toward Ginny, who closed her eyes and braced herself. But it didn't hit her. When the hex reached close to Ginny something pushed it backwards and the light merely disappeared.
" Very well done you two! It takes a lot of group work and interaction to be able to make this shield. The makers have to have a good relationship in order to do this." Lupin said, keenly looking at the two of them. When they heard the end of his sentence, Ginny and Draco looked up at each other and then looked away.
" First time I've ever seen Malfoy look shy" Lupin mused to himself, as he asked Draco to get in as well.
" But Professor, who can take Ginny out then?"
Lupin smiled at his look of worry, also at the fact that he had said "Ginny."
" Don't worry Draco, I will have your wand and be able to pull you both
out. Trust me."
" Trust." Draco disbelievingly muttered to himself, still looking
doubtful. He then stepped toward the shield and suddenly found himself
in it, almost pressed against Ginny. He leaned on the other side of the
shield, feeling it widen when he pushed.
" Professor, can you take us out now?" Ginny enquired.
Lupin shook his head at them, his eyes twinkling.
" I want to see how long this shield lasts." " Don't worry! I will take
it out at the end of class." He hastily added, seeing the looks of
dismay on their faces.
" Till then, just sit in here and wait." He finished, walking away to
inspect the rest of the Slytherins.
Ginny slithered down her end of the shield and sat down, her knees drawn up to her chin. She wrapped her arms around her knees and looked up at Draco above them.
" So" she said.
" So?" he replied back, leaning casually against his side, his arms
folded, one leg crossing over the other.
They were silent for a minute. Draco then decided to needle her a bit.
" You know Weasel, you say that you don't like Potter, but why is it
that you lead him on?"
Ginny gaped.
" What do you mean lead him on? Of course I don't!"
" Oh yes you do, Potter AND the rest of your fan following." Draco responded
Ginny frowned in confusion and tried to quell her annoyance.
" No I do NOT Malfoy, and I have no idea what you are talking about.
What fan following?"
" What fan following?" Draco thought to himself. Had she been hiding
under a rock for the past few months?
" You mean to say you really haven't noticed your ahem, trail of
admirers?" Draco asked.
" What trail of admirers? People have been nice to me, but that's only
because of Ron!" Ginny snapped, not having a clue what he was referring
to.
How thick you could you get? Draco wondered to himself. Ginny was practically swamped on all sides by Hogwarts males, and she didn't notice? It then dawned on him.
" You know Weasley, you seem to have a disturbing lack of self
confidence. So low that it borders with the ground level."
Ginny was furious now. Draco was behaving like a complete ass, and was talking to her in riddles. She HATED anything to do with "riddles" and answered with the first thing that came to her head.
" I don't think I need lectures on self confidence from an ex- Death Eater thanks!"
She then gasped when the full realization of what she had said dawned on her. Draco's face grew extremely angry, and he gritted his teeth.
" Don't you dare, call me that again." He ground out, enunciating each
word strongly.
Ginny's temper flared again. Who was he to tell her what to do?
" And just why not?" she asked mockingly, folding her arms, and looking
up at him.
" Because-" Draco was interrupted, by the shield suddenly being taken
away. He fell backwards against a desk and groaned.
" Hurry up! You two are a little bit late" Lupin announced, looking
slightly guilty. The look Ginny turned on him was nothing short of
murderous.
" I have Potions next!" she squealed, dashing out of the room, grabbing
her bag on the way.
Draco, rubbing his head, watched her go and then looked up to see Lupin looking quizzically at him.
" You always seem to be falling when your around her." He remarked
casually, then upon realizing what he had just said, quickly turned
around and walked back toward his desk. (A/N, Yes, Draco DOES remember
Lupin saying this later on in the story)
Draco's head hurt too much for him to puzzle over that comment. He got to his feet, wincing and made his way out of the classroom.
The Potions class that followed was a nightmare for Ginny. Snape looked at the clock as she walked in and promptly informed her that she would have detention that night.
" Scrubbing cauldrons is always an effective way to end tardiness Miss Weasley" Snape said spitefully, before going to berate a student about the state of their potion.
Ginny sighed and buried her head in her hands. Her very first detention! On a FRIDAY night too!
" Gin, you're never late! What happened?" Colin questioned.
Ginny's reply was slightly muffled. All he caught were the words
" Lupin, shield and Malfoy."
She then pulled her head out of her arms and said
" I'll tell you all the details at dinner Colin."
Ginny then vented by brewing her Potion perfectly and enjoyed the expression on Snape's face when he inspected it and was forced to acknowledge that it was correct.
" Ginny are you sure you feel alright?" Colin asked, slightly perturbed
at finding his usually mild mannered friend look so angry.
" No I'm not, what gave it away?" Ginny asked wryly.
Colin took her at face value and answered seriously.
" First of all, you've pulled all your hair to one side of your head and
brought it over your right shoulder. There is also the large amount of
fiddling your doing with the potions ingredients, and the last time you
put so much effort into brewing a potion was when Draco Malfoy teased
you about Harry asking Cho Chang to the Yule Ball."
As he paused for breath, a sudden light dawned on his face.
" This is about Malfoy isn't it Gin." Colin didn't even question, he stated it flatly.
Ginny sighed, and cleared her throat. Just as she was about to tell Colin about what happened, she noticed Snape's eyes dart her way, so she opted for writing it instead. Scribbling furiously, she quickly told Colin what had transpired over the past week, excluding the part about her emotions. As it turned out, she needn't have done, because Colin knew her too well and figured out everything himself.
" Do you have feelings for him?" Colin wrote in his customary scrawl
" What? No! He's just a complete git!" Ginny wrote back indignantly
" I see. Well, may I just point out that he wasn't a complete git when
he protected you from Peeves, defended your honor and not to mention,
gave you that rose! Ginny, from what I can tell, you don't seem to
think so either." He finished, smiling slyly.
Ginny sighed again and pouted slightly.
" Alright. I will admit that Malfoy wasn't a git in all those
situations, but today when I was with him in DADA class, he was
completely cold. We got trapped in the shield and he was an absolute
prick!"
" Ginny, Malfoy behaved exceptionally nicely to you, and that's quite
out of character for him. He probably realized this as well and is
trying his best to suppress whatever feelings he has for you, the same
way you are." Colin wrote back
Ginny shook her head and chuckled.
She then whispered,
" Colin, that's rubbish. But I am curious about one thing. When we were
stuck in the shield, he commented on my "fan following". I of course had
no idea what he was talking about and threw something about being a ex-
Death Eater at him. All of a sudden he got raging mad and asked me never
to call him that again!"
Colin rolled his eyes and tore out a fresh sheet of parchment, his hand whipping over the paper.
" Ginny, by fan following he meant the bevy of delightful male specimens
that are constantly on your trail, (providing me with excellent eye
candy I might add). As for the Death Eater thing, no wonder he got
furious, don't you know that he was on our side during the war?"
Ginny's jaw dropped.
" Our side? Was he really?" she wrote back in big capital letters.
" Yes dear, he was. So he was justified in being 'raging mad' as you
put it. Though tell me, just how angry was he? Did he pin you to the
other side of the shield, hiss at your face, and then snog you
senseless? Or did you slap him and in revenge he kissed you?"
Colin was all-agog to know what had taken place.
Ginny shook her head and rolled her eyes, her bottom lip curling.
" Colin, all I can say is that you've been reading far too many of my
romance novels! How many times have I told you that it is rather unseemly
for a boy to enquire about passionate snog sessions? As for those, there
were none. You seem to forget that this shield was invisible and we were
in front of the entire DADA class."
Colin had only one remark to write in exchange for this.
" What I find quite interesting is that you don't give the impression
that you don't WANT to indulge in a snogging session with Malfoy. I
wouldn't blame you, he is absolutely edible!"
Ginny frowned.
" Maybe I haven't made myself clear, I DON'T like Malfoy. However edible
I think he is," she conceded reluctantly
" Alright Ginny, you keep telling yourself that," Colin patted her back
as they got up, ready to go for dinner.
At dinner Harry insisted on taking the seat next to Ginny, forcing Colin to sit next to Hermione instead of Seamus, like he'd planned.
" Ginny, I haven't seen much of you lately" Harry said, as he poured a
generous amount of gravy onto his plate.
" Ah well, I've been working a lot Harry, you know Potions,
Transfiguration all of that."
" Speaking of which, how did Transfiguration with the Slytherins go? I
heard you were partnered with Malfoy, bad luck."
Ginny blushed slightly
" Er yes, bad." She replied absentmindedly, too preoccupied with the
face that Colin was making behind Harry's back. Ginny then burst into
laughter at the spectacle before her.
Colin had taken Hermione's fork and put it into his own hair, attempting to look coy and feminine. He pouted and batted his eyelashes at Ginny, causing her to giggle. She wasn't giggling at Colin however, it was the expression on Hermione's face that was causing her amusement. The poor boy didn't know that Hermione had turned to look for her fork and was gazing at him with a mixture of confusion and pity. When he realized that Hermione was looking at him Colin hastily stopped pouting, removed the fork from his hair and gave it back, laughing sheepishly.
" A little off, that one." Hermione muttered to Ron through the side of her mouth.
" Yep. That's why he's so perfect for Gin" Ron responded, shoveling
potatoes in at a breakneck pace.
" I heard that Ron!" Ginny called out.
" Anyhow Ginny, since you've been cooped up with Malfoy all week, I'm
sure you could use a rest."
" Umm, what exactly do mean Harry?"
Harry now turned slightly red and looked down at his lap.
" I was wondering, maybe we could go to Hogsmeade together tonight?"
He asked softly, looking up at her.
Now it was true that Ginny didn't like Harry anymore. But there was something very endearing about his puppy dog expression, and she would probably have consented just to not hurt his feelings. Luckily, Colin came to the rescue.
" She can't." Colin cut in
" And just why not? Not going with you is she?" Harry bristled.
" No, I'm going clubbing with Seamus," Colin paused to beam at the
said person, " Ginny can't because she has detention."
" Detention? With who? Maybe I can talk to them," Harry said, showing
off a little. It was true. He exerted a large amount of influence over
most of his teachers and could usually talk them out of disciplining
others.
" Snape." Colin replied, knowing that Snape was among the select few
who disregarded Harry completely, grinning secretly at Ginny.
" Trust that slimy git to ruin my good time!" Harry said, frowning.
Ginny looked up at him indignantly
" Your good time? I'm sorry, but I'm actually the one doing the detention here!"
" Yes, but it's my good time being ruined because I'm deprived of your
presence." Harry said, smiling.
" Cheesy!" Colin coughed loudly.
Ginny stifled a grin and replied,
" I'm flattered Harry, but now if you'll excuse me, I must head off to
the scintillating night of cauldron scrubbing that awaits me."
With this she clapped Colin on the shoulder(her unspoken thanks) and walked out of the hall.
When she got into Snape's classroom she looked around her. There didn't seem to be anyone in there.
" Not YOU again!" Or maybe there was.
Ginny whirled around when she heard this, and looked straight into a pair of gray eyes that were growing increasingly familiar.
" Why are you here?" She asked, getting the cauldron cleaning fluids ready
" Because Snape asked me to supervise this detention." Draco replied,
sounding increasingly thoughtful.
" Malfoy, about what happened in the DADA class" Ginny said, hesitating slightly.
" Yes what about it?" Draco's guard was up and he sounded rather hostile.
" I, I just wanted to apologize"
" Oh."
Ginny left Draco standing there, his mouth in a perfect O as she began her tedious night of cleaning.
AN: Yep, this is getting to be a habit with me isn't it? Although I have a penchant for leaving off at the juicy part, I promise you, I will update pretty soon. My ideas are running amok and I can't wait to get them on screen. There is definitely more to this detention, and that's what the next chapter will be based on. A lot more conversation between Ginny and Draco. Many of you have emailed me asking me if they find out about the bet. Ginny doesn't have a clue what's going on, while Draco suspects something is. Neither of them have put two and two together yet however, and probably won't do so until I see fit(muahhaha and you don't know when that is, but you will). Till then..please continue with this great trend and REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!