On a positive note, I've taken the advice of gwis and turned my homepage into the first nine chapters of the story. The rest should be up by Wednesday and I'm sorry I don't have a copy ready to send. The bomb threat sort of threw things off for me.
Sorry about the chattering. I'll continue with my story now.
No, no more
Ginny felt the back of her hair self consciously. Someone had cut a big chunk out of it and she didn't notice until right before Potions. Thankfully Lavender knew a spell that could remedy the mess. Ginny vowed to pay more attention to her studies if she could learn something as handy as that.
She was also quietly fuming over the stunt Draco pulled in the Great Hall. A few more seconds and she would have been completely humiliated in front of the entire school-again. Had he been that mad over the incident on the Express?
The sound of a ruler being brought down on a hard surface was enough to jar Ginny from her thoughts.
"Ms. Wealsey!"
The uneasy silence that followed told Ginny that the very irate Professor Snape expected her to answer.
"Yes…Professor Snape?"
"I do not like to repeat myself, especially when I'm addressing a student who obviously has no interest or consideration for why I'm saying."
"I'm sorry sir, I…" Ginny squirmed in her seat.
"Yes?"
"I'm…a little flustered."
"Well," said Snape, "I suggest you get unflustered and start paying attention. Though given your little misadventures since the start of the year, I guess I can be a little forgiving. That is why I'm only going to take forty points from Gryffindor."
Someone clapped sarcastically at the back of the class.
"And Ravenclaw."
Gryffindors and Ravenclaws groaned and Ginny received a few dirty looks. As soon as the class ended, Ginny was the first to leave, practically running out of the door. She hadn't gone far when she ran into someone; hard.
"Oh I'm sorry." Ginny said, rubbing her sore nose.
"It's fine…Gininne."
Ginny looked up sharply. It was Draco. Ginny made it a point to walk around him, but Draco grabbed her arm.
"Hey! Let go off me!" Ginny demanded, trying to free herself.
"Careful precious," Draco said smugly, "you're making a scene."
"You're the one making the scene. If you don't let go-"
Draco let go of Ginny's arm abruptly, so abruptly that she stumbled backwards a few steps.
"Well, what are you going to do?" Draco asked teasingly, "I'm quite curious."
Ginny stooped down to pick up a fallen notebook.
"Nothing, Draco. I'm through playing games with you. No more. Just…leave me alone." People were staring as they passed and Ginny didn't like it. She'd had enough attention drawn to her for one day.
"Me the one playing games?" Ginny blinked. He actually seemed angry. "It was you who kissed me on the train. Or did the chocolates completely screw your mind up?"
Ginny didn't know what to say to that. Maybe her mind was screwed up.
"Maybe," she said, "but what you did in the Great Hall was lower than anything I could have done to you."
Draco didn't seem to have a response to that.
"Gin?"
Ginny turned around to see Hermione standing directly behind her.
"Well, well, if it isn't everyone's favorite Mudblood." Draco cooed. "How is everything in Muggleville?"
"We need to talk," Hermione said, completely ignoring Draco. She grabbed Ginny by the arm, the one that was still very sore from Draco's grip, and led her away. Ginny was grateful. She did not know where that conversation with Draco was going….or even if she wanted to go there.
Hermione led Ginny to the entrance to the common room and stopped. She turned to face Ginny looking very somber.
"What?" Ginny said. "Is there something wrong?"
Hermione bit her lip.
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"I can't believe you dragged me in here?!" Ron exclaimed. "That creep had my sister in a death grip, and I'm the one you tackle!"
"I didn't tackle you Ron," Harry said quietly, "I simply brought you to the common room and let Hermione take care of things."
"I'm not a simple-minded hothead!"
"No one said that you were Ron, it's just that you've been touchy lately and…I didn't think you needed to get into trouble for beating up Draco, which was what would have happened."
"I was not going to beat up Draco," Ron muttered. Harry gave him a "the hell you weren't" expression and Ron sighed.
"Okay, maybe I was going to punch him….hard enough to remove his front teeth, but one hit isn't exactly beating someone up."
"Sure it isn't Ron. I wonder what's taking those two so long."
"You should have let me handle it. He's probably humiliating her, the bastard."
Ron started for the door and Harry practically leapt in front of him.
"No Ron! Herm can handle it, she doesn't need our help. Besides, if something happened, she would tell us. She is our best friend, right?"
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Ginny tried to keep her hands at her sides, lest she wring her hands completely off. Hermione knew about the kiss, and as smart as she was, she probably figured everything else out by the time they arrived at the
"Gin," Hermione said, her voice as grim as her expression, "as you probably realize, I have quite a problem on my hands. I can tell Harry and Ron everything I heard and witness the chaos that's certain to unfold or say nothing of what I heard and risk having my silence found out, and possibly ruin my friendship with Harry and Ron."
"But what about our friendship?" Ginny asked quietly.
"You've lied to us, to me." Hermione shook her head. "You've gotten yourself involved with that creep Draco and have put your brother-all of us, through all kinds of changes. You've acted irresponsibly and even after the conversation we had on the train, you've continued to do so. Friendships are based on trust, Ginny, and your actions have not only put ours in danger, but my friendship with Harry and Ron and I really don't appreciate that."
Hermione sounded as if she were on the verge of tears.
"Herm I'm so-"
Hermione held a hand up, and Ginny stopped talking. Ginny had never felt so numb.
"Just…don't say anything."
Hermione took a couple moments to compose herself and Ginny waited. Hermione said the password and then moved, allowing Ginny to go in first.
Ginny was finding it incredibly hard to walk. Maybe it was the guilt that was weighing her down.
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End of chapter. Thanks so much for your patience and I hope this chapter was to your liking. I'll be updating again Wednesday, and hopefully I'll be completely caught up.
~Black Pearl