~*~ Unadulterated Bliss~*~ SLOW NEEDS WORK

A/N: Famous characters belong to JK Rowling..even though I'm tweaking their personalities for my story

Ch 3 (continued): In the Slytherin Common Room

Draco lounged in a chair facing the fireplace, staring into the fire and thinking deeply about the past days events. He'd caught Ginny glancing over at him during dinner, and he wasn't sure if it irked him more that she kept looking at him, or that he kept noticing that she kept looking at him. With a resolute shake of his head to banish thoughts of Ginny Weasley out of his head, he took a long draught of his pumpkin juice, while Pansy Parkinson strode in.

"So Draco, whatd'you think of this whole Fall Ball deal? Are we still going together, or have you finally found some hot new girl you want to pursue and fall madly in love with?" Pansy inquired, with a sly glance towards Draco. She'd noticed his frequent glances at the Gryffindor table. They had had an understanding that they were each others' date to each function unless one of them found someone they'd really like to go with.

"Nah, not really. No one special." Draco uttered while standing up and stretching. He walked over to the table where Pansy sat at, and sat on it. "Why? Are you ready to dump me for some new bloke?"

"Not especially.Although Blaise is looking really good this year. Or that new kid. Ryan something? He looked decent." Draco's ears twitched at the sound of Ryan's name.

"Trust me Pansy," he growled, " you don't want to be going with Ryan. Or you'll seriously regret it later."

"Oh?" She said raising her eyebrows at him, "And why not? Do you know him?"

"The guy's a bastard. Enough said," he said curtly.

"Oooh, what'd he do? Did he steal one of your girls?" She asked eagerly, her interest piqued.

"No," he said rolling his eyes. "Seriously, is that all you think I care about?"

She snorted. "That's all YOU'VE seemed to care about lately. Or need I remind you of how all of Lita, Regina, Jenni, Tracy, Sandra, Daisy, and Hayley's magical fairy tales went?"

"Just don't go for Ryan." He muttered, throwing a glare her way. She smiled brightly back at him.

"So-ooo," she started as she hopped off the table, "really, what'd Ryan do?"

"Nothing," he retorted.

"Draco." she warned.

"Alright, alright. He was- uh, forcing his attentions on a girl, in a way that I did not appreciate. And in way, I think that you would also would not appreciate if you were the girl."

"Uh oh," her eyes grew wide, "did he-?"

"No," he growled, "but he tried his best to. I had to knock the little shit unconscious before he would stop." He half-smiled as he heard Pansy emit a low growl.

"I hate people like that. I hope you knocked him out hard!" Her eyes narrowing.

He smiled a cold smile as he thought back on him, "Of course."

"Good!" She started absent-mindedly to fold her paper into pieces. "What did you say the girl's name was?"

"I didn't say."

"Oh, well who was it?" She looked up at him.

Draco hesitated for a moment, before muttering, "Ginny Weasley, although it really is none of your business."

"Well, I'm glad you saved Ginny, although she is one of Potter's friends." Her tiny nose flared a bit at Harry's name. She looked curiously at the thoughtful look on Draco's face. "It's too bad she doesn't have better friends."

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Yes, it is unfortunate that she has that connection with Potter."

She concentratedly looked at him, "Yes, very unfortunate."

"What are you getting at?" he asked suspiciously.

"Who said I was getting at anything?" she asked innocently.

"Pansy, I've known you since you wore nappies and had your hair in little pink pigtails. Don't tell me I don't know when you're up to something or not. Now what is it you want?"

"I don't want anything. I'm just helping you find out what it is you want."

"That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever."

"Of course it does. You subconsciously want to go to Fall Ball with Ginny Weasley." She proclaimed with a triumphant look upon her face.

"I what?" He glared at her, "I can assure you, that I don't want to go with Ginny Weasley, or anyone else in particular."

"Well Draco, it just so happens that I've known you since you were also in nappies, and I remember how you used to throw a fit when you didn't get the cookie with the pink frosting. So you can't tell me that I don't know what you want, when it's so obviously spelled out on your face. You forget that I can read you like a book."

"Will you give up that pink frosting story." he muttered. "And I still don't want to go with Ginny."

"Mmhhhmmmmmm.Riiiiiight." She said airily as she started to walk out of the room.

"I don't," he said firmly, trying to convince himself. "Anyway, let's stop talking about Ginny Weasly."

"There's nothing to talk about. You want to go with her. So don't let me stand in your way." He stood up, with eyes narrowed. "No need to stand, I can throw myself out!" She said gleefully as she dashed out of the room before he could say another word.

Draco sighed and plopped back onto the couch. Rubbing his temples, "There are no words for her." he said resignedly, too bad she was one of his best friends, and really could read him like a book. "There really is nothing to me and Ginny Weasley." He paused as he noticed how smoothly her name glided off of his lips. With a groan, he laid back on the couch and pummeled his head with a pillow as the ghost of her smile haunted him throughout the night.