I started writing this chapter on Valentine's Day. Happy Valentine's Day, by the way! Thanks for the great advice, guys. But I'm sorry that all of you said to have her say no. Don't be mad though! You know it's going to be a Draco/Ginny fic anyway. Maybe I'll have some action this chapter, HINT HINT.
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"Howard…"
"Come on, Ginny. I know what you might be thinking of me. Rachel's probably told you that I'm a lying filthy evil dude. I'm not! You don't know me, Ginny! I'm not that kind of person! Really!"
"Exactly, Howard. You barely know me, and I barely know you."
He brought her closer. "Then this will be the perfect opportunity, won't it?" He whispered in her ear.
"I-"
"Just say yes, Ginny. Please?"
"No! I just don't feel that way about you! I don't know you! How am I supposed to know that you really aren't some dirty evil cheating slimeball when I don't even know how old you are? I don't-"
It felt as if out of nowhere, a pair of lips came down to hers. Ginny had no time to protest. She had fallen.
She had fallen into the Howard Parole love trap. And at the end, the answer would always have to be yes.
"This is how you know. And I'm seventeen."
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Draco had watched Howard meet up with Ginny by her class.
But he watched no more.
He didn't know why. Howard was his friend and he seemed to like Ginny. He should be excited and encouraging for him. But all he felt inside of his guts was… something. Something he had not felt before.
"Hey, listen Draco. I've got to tell you a little secret."
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm going to ask her out today."
"Who?"
"You know. The new hot one that came with you, you know. The package deal? Where I get you and a hot girl too?"
"…Oh?"
"Yeah. You think she'll say yes?"
No. NO! She can't say no! She's not something that you can just fondle with. If you want her, and you get her, you've got to give your hundred percent! Draco bit his lips. A word of that, and he was out of their little history book.
"I don't know man. She'll be hard to please. She's still getting over her ex, you know."
"I know. So am I. This is why I think we're the perfect couple."
"What ex?'
"Oh, it's just a thing. Nothing to worry about. You're with me, right?"
"I don't know… I mean, it'll suck if you hurt Ginny badly, especially because I live under the same roof. And I don't think Rachel will like that. She doesn't seem to like you much." Draco said.
"Ah, forget Rachel. This is what I want. And I'm going to do it. I just wanted to ask you if I have a chance or not. You don't have to go all Obie-Wan on me." Howard looked at Draco suspiciously. "You don't… like her do you? If you do, I'll totally back off."
"NO! I mean… NO! No! Definitely not… no… you go ahead and ask her out. Good luck though! She's a toughie! Like her? What… what…"
"Okay! There she is. I'm going now! Wish me luck!" With that, Howard ran off toward where Ginny was walking out of the classroom slowly.
'G-g-good… I hope she says no.'
But obviously, his wishes had not come true for the next time he looked back, Howard's tongue was very much inside of her mouth.
And to Draco, it was not pleasurable.
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"Ginny!"
"Ginny!"
"GINNY!"
Rachel sprinted over to where Ginny was.
"It's not TRUE is it? Tell me it's not TRUE!"
"It… is."
"Ginny! I told you that you can't trust him! And you said YES to him?"
"I don't know, Rachel. It was just… well… you had to be there."
"Ginny, my past with Howard goes a long while past. And from what I know, he's not someone you can trust easily. He's not nearly as good enough for you."
"Thanks Rachel."
"What I'm trying to say is that you're the perfect girlfriend material and he's not."
"Well, maybe I can change that. Maybe it's different this time."
"It's not. I've had an interesting history with him, Ginny, and there is such few things that he's done right." Rachel sighed. "I'm just really worried about you. That's all."
"Well, you don't have to worry, Rachel. I'm strong. I dealt with my breakup with Harry, and I was already picking out my wedding dress. I can do it, Rachel, I really can."
Rachel stomped furiously on the tiled hall. "It's your choice. It's all your choice, Ginny." With a sympathetic look, Rachel slumped off into her Lit class.
'But with Howard, what if I already got my wedding dress?' Screaming, Ginny slammed her backpack on the floor. Only a second later, Ginny grabbed it back and ran to her Chemistry class.
"Melanie Stringer and Ginny Weas- oh. How nice of you to join the class today. We are doing a lab. Take a seat next to Miss Melanie please." The teacher pointed to a girl with brown hair pulled up in a sloppy bun and round black wire rimmed glasses. Ginny plopped down as the whole class began to whisper and murmur about Howard's new fling.
Ginny was not listening. Ginny didn't even hear the instructions. She could not get the conversation with Rachel out of her head.
"What connections does she have with him to determine whether he's bad or not, anyway…" Ginny muttered softly.
"Rachel? Oh. Howard and Rachel go a long way back." Melanie poured the vial with the blue liquid into the tube.
Ginny looked at this unfamiliar girl. "…huh?"
"I used to be a journalist. I'll go snooping around the school, eavesdropping conversations and the darkest secrets. I hear everything." Melanie explained Ginny's puzzled expression.
"D-Do people like that? You sneaking around when they are expressing their deepest secret? Won't they… er… notice that you're there?" Ginny took a yellow vial and looked at the board for instructions on the yellow.
"No. I'm an animagus."
There was a great shatter of glass as the room turned silent.
"Oh dear, Miss Weasley. Can't you be a bit more careful? Go get some more yellow from my desk, and clean this up, please. Everyone else, get back to work! This is due today!"
"You're a WHAT?"
"An animagus. I was born as one. My brother is a metamorphmagus."
"Wait… you are…"
"A witch? Yeah. I know you're one too. I've seen your wand. And I was correcting Lit papers-I'm the aide- and I couldn't use my red cheat correcting pen with yours, so I automatically knew you were using a cheat quill."
Ginny froze. The letter! The 'faithful servant of the dark lord' can be her! "Do you happen to know anything about Rachel?"
"Rachel? Wait! You only need 20 mL of the green. There. Rachel… Yeah. I know Rachel. She's a witch, isn't she? Or, her mother's one for sure. Her mom is one of the most famous witches in the wizarding world, but I guess you won't know her because she's sort of not in the same… group as you guys. You know, social group."
"…oh?"
"Yeah. And plus, if you're staying with her, she must know you're a witch which means she is one too."
Ginny wanted to just strangle her and force the answer out of her. "Do you… er… know anything about a letter I received from a mysterious person?"
"No. It's orange, not red."
"Are you SURE?"
"No."
Ginny waited patiently for Melanie to add on, but Melanie only pushed up her spectacles up and stirred the ingredients slowly in the tube.
"Well… if you're not sure about it, c-can you tell me what you know?"
"No."
"God damnit." Ginny muttered softly. "Why can't you just tell me? This is very important. This… concerns my life! My friend's life! Everyone's lives!" Realizing what she's just said to this almost stranger, Ginny sighed. "Please Melanie? I really need to know this. It's so important."
Melanie slammed the last test tube in the crate. "Look, Ginny. I know a lot of stuff that goes around here. I may just know everything that's going around here. But there are people who need to stay a secret and things to have covered up.
"I come from a bad bad family, Ginny. My innocent father was accused guilty of a crime back in London. He was innocent and it was so obvious but the dumbass wizards in the court are too blind to see the lower people and their truth, and instead, their eyes were only on those people who matter and make some difference. I'm sorry I don't come from that family, but that decision made by the court ruined my life and my family's life."
Ginny's cheeks began to feel warm. So much for making a good impression to get some information from someone that you know is a witch.
"I know that you think you come from a poor and dirty little family. But look down, Ginny. Look at your clothes. Look at the photo of your family in your wallet. I don't have any of that. My family became broken since that trial, and you want to know something special? Your dad was part of it. He was on the bench with the rest of the people who hated my family. I was only ten years old, but I remember the red hair and the angry men standing up and yelling at my poor daddy.
"And let me tell you something else, Ginny. There are people in this school like that, and they do a damn good job trying to hide it. And I'm going to respect that, Ginny."
Melanie sighed as Ginny prayed for the lecture to cease. "Regular muggles and witches may look the same to the naked eye, but we, lower class wizards, know when we see another. We are like one big family. Marked and noted as a dirty little wizard. And that will never change."
"I'm… sorry." Ginny muttered.
"For what? What are you sorry for?"
Ginny was speechless. She had never been in this sort of predicament, with someone chiding at her about how she was too dumb to see the real world and etc.
'What do I say now? I'm sorry for bringing up the subject in the first place-which I totally am?'
"Many witches and wizards like me in this school will not like you. They will all hate Rachel with every inch of guts they have." Melanie wrote their names on the wooden crate. "Be careful. Some of them are quite dangerous."
With that, the silent but heavenly sound of the bell rang as Ginny zoomed out of the classroom into the scorching sun of October.
However nice it was the Melanie had done the lab practically all by herself, Ginny was scared of Melanie Stringer.
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"Do you… er… know anything about Melanie Stringer?" Ginny plopped down next to Tina at the lunch table.
"Who?"
"Melanie Stringer? She has brown hair and black glasses."
"Oh her? The Lit aide? I guess. She's in a class I have. Why?"
"OH. Nothing. She just sort of creeped me out today."
"Yeah… she looks sort of creepy. Like she's going to burst out and start screaming or something. Anyway. I heard about you and Howard."
Ginny slumped. 'Well, everyone heard about that.'
"And all I have to say is that I respect you and everything, but I don't really trust Howard and I want you to know that I'll be here for you if you need any help. Howard's scared of me, and if he messes with you, he'll hear it from me."
Ginny looked around uncomfortably. "Er… thanks Tina. That's really reassuring."
"Howard's cheated on a great number of girls before and he shattered their hearts into a gazillion pieces. I don't want that to happen to you okay? If there's something suspicious, break up with him first."
"I'll keep that in mind. Listen, I've got to go, okay? I'll catch you later, Tina!" Ginny threw away the rest of her lunch as she walked away rather quickly. She's met some odd people that day…
"Hey, hon. You running after me or what?" She felt a hand slide to her waist from her back. How Ginny missed that tingly feeling on her body after Harry had ditched her.
"Hey Howard. I was just getting away from some people who have been scaring me a bit."
"Aw, don't worry. I won't freak you out today… I hope."
"Hah, thanks."
"No problemo babe. Want something to eat? I hate school food."
"Er… Well…"
"Subway? McDonalds?" Howard put his other around her.
Ginny was frozen. It was only the first day of their dating, and Howard was already getting… "intimate."
"Oh look! It's Rachel and…" Ginny pointed toward Rachel and another guy walking to the parking lot.
"Yo! Edwardo!" Howard waved.
"Yo! Howardo! What's up dude? Hey, me and Rachel's gonna go get some food. Wanna come? Hey Ginny. How's it going?" Edward nodded at Ginny.
"Aw, Ed, get off my girlfriend. Me and Ginny were just about to go out too. Let's save some gas and go together, eh?"
"Awright. Your car though. You've got more moolah than I do. Hey, here's Draco. Hey! Yo! Draco! Over here!" Draco turned, grinned slightly and ran over to where the two couples were standing. "We're gonna get some bling. Wanna come?"
"Yeah, sure. Do I need to bring a girl, though?" Draco smirked.
"Oh, HEY! Yeah, how about that? That's a nifty idea. Take… hey! Waver! Over here!"
'They must be used to yelling across campus to call someone over, huh…' thought Ginny as she watched the third addition to the date. Waverly stopped and looked at the five-some before walking nonchalantly over. "Sup guys."
"Let's go eat! I'm starving. Draco needed a girl to come with him… I'm pretty sure he'll pay for you. Right Drakie?" Howard punched him in the arm. "R-Right." Draco peered over at the blonde. Slowly, he draped his arm around her shoulder. Oddly enough, Ginny felt her ears go red.
"That's hot stuff, man. Let's go." Edward led Rachel to the front of the car as he jumped in.
"Are… are we allowed to just leave in middle of lunch?" Ginny asked nervously.
"Yeah. Why not? It's not like we're driving illegally or something."
"Oh. I see."
Throughout the ride, Howard just didn't seem to get his hands off her. He would put his arm around her back seat or drum his fingers on her legs.
Harry hasn't done that since after a week or two.
With Howard, it hasn't even been half a day.
Ginny glanced around the jeep. Edward and Rachel were off in their own world, Waverly was joking around with Draco and Howard. Ginny was sitting there alone and listening to their quirky conversation.
Wait.
Was that an arm around Waverly?
Draco's arm.
'So what? You have Howard. Why should you feel anything about Draco with Waverly?' Ginny tried to assure herself.
Obviously, it wasn't working.
Because Ginny Weasley was dead jealous.
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I was going to have some ACTION I guess, but it was getting long (for me.)
I guess the chapter was a bit er… not as fun because of all the emotional and DEEP stuff that Melanie says. But it's alright.
Okay okay. I thought it was boring. But I really only wanted the Melanie part and Ginny's jealousy there. At least the story's almost reaching its climax. Hah. Like two chapters later.
Okay. I'm done. Hey, I might actually get in another chapter after this because I have break this week. Yay!
Toodles!
