Disclaimer: I don't own it and all that jazz.

.:G:H:.

Harry was confused. No, not confused; he was completely lost in the desert. That Hogsmeade weekend (the same day Ginny broke up with Ryan) Harry went to pay Elladora a visit. He knocked on the door and heard a cheery voice yell "Come in!" He went in and sat in front of the desk where Elladora was grading papers. When she saw him, she sighed. "Oh, dear... Harry, about that night, Ginny trusts me, I'm sure she won't tell anyone. No one will fi—"

He held up a hand to silence her. "Ellie, I care about Ginny a lot. And if you didn't notice, she was really upset when she, um, saw us. I, I don't know. If us," he pointed to her then him for emphasis, "being together hurts Ginny then we can't be together. And why does Ginny trust you?" The words came tumbling out of his mouth by themselves. He had been afraid he wouldn't know what to say, but it turned out it was quite the opposite. There were so many things buzzing through his mind that he was afraid that if he opened his mouth they would all escape at once and he would be banging on like an idiot.

"Well, Harry, one night she came to me blubbering like a baby and told me that you had walked in on her kissing someone or other. Then, and this is the killer, she told me about this bet she made with your friend, Hermione, where if she gets you to go out with her, Hermione will ask Ron Weasley out. I said I'd help her anyway possible and I gave her advice about making you jealous by going out with some guy," she shrugged as if it didn't really matter that she had betrayed a sixteen year old girl that really trusted her. Harry gaped at her. So Ginny didn't really like him; she didn't even like Ryan.

It was all a bet. No! It couldn't have been. She was crying, she wouldn't just cry over a bet, she has to fancy me. Doesn't she? Wait, why do I care? If he thought he was confused before, that was nothing compared to now. He had developed a headache from too much thinking. "I have to go sort things out. We're through, bye Ellie," Harry got up, shook his head to try to clear it, and all but ran out of the room. He was running blindly to the Quidditch Pitch when he bumped into something, or someone.

"Oof; gerroff!" Ginny squealed; Harry had landed flat on top of her. She wiggled out from under him as he shakily stood up. "You," they both said at the same time with an equal amount of anger mingled with a good amount of confusion.

"A bet? You never liked me or Ryan, did you? It was all a flipping bet!" Harry said in a deathly whisper.

"Wait, what? First off, I'm the one who's supposed to be mad. Second off, who told you about the bet? Third off, why would you think I don't like you; wait, no, why would you think I do like you?" Confusion seemed to be contagious.

"Why the hell should you be mad? Elladora told me that you bet I would go out with you; well, let me tell you, I'd never, never, go out with a bitch like you. You used people just to win a stupid bet," he glared at her.

"Harry, I did not use Ryan! I did like him! Harry, Harry—" Ginny yelled as he stormed off to who knows where. She growled in frustration. He hates me! He'll never believe me if I tell him I love him. It's all her fault! Ginny decided it was time to pay Dumbledore a little visit.

She ran through the winding halls until she came to the statue of a stone gargoyle. Whoops. I don't know the password. "Shebert Lemon?" No luck. She racked her brain for muggle candies. "Snickers. Kit-Kat. Mars Bar. Um, uh... Skittles, M&Ms, Crunch bar, Twix. Ice cream, Fruitcake!" she added the last one in desperation and kicked the statue. It opened to reveal the winding staircase.

She stepped onto the bottom step and rode to the door. She knocked and was answered with, "Come in." She walked into the office and sat in the chintz in front of Dumbledore's desk. "Ah, Ms. Weasley. What can I do for you, my dear?" he asked, the twinkle in his eyes working over time. It took all she had not to curse his eyes off for being so merry and in-control looking.

"I saw a teacher in bed with a student," she said, trying to sound as formal yet shaken as possible. Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. He seemed to become a little more concerned.

"This is serious, Ms. Weasley. Who did you see?"

"I went to ask Professor Bell a question about the homework, when I saw her abed with," she paused; she didn't know whether to turn Harry in or not, "some student. I couldn't see who it was."

"You do realize that if this is true, Elladora will have to be sacked?" She nodded gravely. "Very well. Thank you, Ms. Weasley." She took that as a dismissal and walked out of the room and to the Gryffindor Tower.

She just didn't get it; why was Harry so mad? Wasn't she the one who should be mad? She was the one who walked in on a person she cared about shagging a person she trusted. She was the one who was ignored just because she was 'Ron's little sister'. She hadn't meant to hurt anyone, she just wanted to get Hermione to ask Ron out... and maybe try to fall in love.

She walked into the common and collapsed on a couch with a defeated groan. "Um, Ginny, have you seen Harry lately? I could be wrong, but I think he just might be pissed at you..." Hermione said from a crimson armchair close to the fire. "He walked in mumbling something about 'using people', sent me a death glare, and when I asked what was wrong he said, and I quote, "Get on the train to hell, Ginny's driving". Did something, um, happen?" she asked the red head. Ginny groaned once more.

"He found out about the bet from Elladora. Oh, and by the way, Elladora should be sacked by Monday. I turned her in to Dumbledore. So, this means the bet's over. It's kind of ironic when you think about it; I break up with Ryan for Harry the same day Harry announces his undying hatred for me," she threw her hands up in an exasperated gesture. "I'm through with Harry and he's through with me."

"Uh-oh. Um, I'm sorry Ginny. But, I mean, you didn't like him that much anymore, did you? No big deal," Hermione said with a nonchalant shrug. Ginny barely kept herself from screaming at her. Didn't like him that much? I loved him! I've loved him for six bloody years! She didn't know why she was so shook up over this all of sudden, but she was. She immediately got up and fumed out of the room.

Without knowing it, her feet had carried her to a pub in the back of Hogsmeade Village. It was shabby red brick and smelt of the acrid smoke from cigarettes. A sign hung over the door read The Blue Dragon in fading navy letters. She pushed the door open, strode up to the bar, and said to the barkeep, "Firewhiskey, and a lot of it." She threw a few sickles on the bar and the haggard man obeyed. She had come here because they would serve her alcohol no matter her age.

The barkeep slid the drink to her and she downed it in three gulps. "What's the strongest thing you've got?" she asked him as she felt warmth tingle through her.

"Aye, it just came in, milady. It's called Oliver's Relaxin' Rum," he poured her a shot and she downed it. She blinked. It tasted of herbs, vodka, and corn whiskey. She grimaced and asked for another. Four shots later, Ginny was dead drunk.

"Never thought I'd see you here," a silky voice whispered in her ear. She turned around to see who it was and was greeted by a smarmy Malfoy, who, sadly, was looking very sexy...

"Oh, and why's that?" she asked sweetly (as sweetly as possible with her words slurring) as he took the stool beside her. He raised an eyebrow.

"You're such a little angel. So, what's a girl like you doing in a place like this?" He was lucky Ginny was too drunk to notice how cheesy that last line was.

"I'm celebrating the fact that love's a sadistic bitch."

"Amen." Draco smirked and let his eyes trail over her body, lingering on her legs.

"You checkin' me out?" she asked and leaned closer to him.

"Maybe," he whispered and captured her lips with his. They barely managed to check into the nearest hotel before they ripped each other's clothes off hungrily.

.:G:H:.

Ginny woke with a pounding in her head and a churning in her stomach. She whimpered as she ran to the bathroom and emptied her stomach contents into the toilet. She realized she was stark naked and grabbed a dressing gown from a hanging hook and wrapped it around herself. It was then it occurred to her that she wasn't at Hogwarts. She sat on the bed and suspiciously poked the blonde man that was lying beside her. He looked up lazily at her. "Mornin' Love," he sat up and kissed her full on the mouth.

"What the—? Please say what I think happened didn't happen..." Ginny had a bad feeling about this... and it wasn't just the hangover.

"I'll just say that last night was great," Draco confirmed her worst thoughts with a wolfish grin. Ginny moaned in despair. This was the worst thing that could have ever happened to her. "Ah, Love, before you say anything, I have a proposition to make. I propose that you go out with me; all of your Gryffindor friends will realize that you're a big girl and can make your own decisions. Who knows, I might even make Potter jealous," he gave her a wink and lay back down.

Ginny was stunned. Hm... if I say yes, it would show them I'm not just 'Ickle Ginny'. But it would also be selling my soul to the... She never got to finish her thought because she was hit with a rush of queasiness and had to rush to the bathroom. She looked up from the linoleum to find Draco (clad in only a hastily wrapped towel, mind you) holding her hair back and holding a bottle of some sort of medicine.

"Here," he said, opened the bottle and handed her two capsules. She cautiously read the bottle: Drunkernisherish Pills (Cures the worst cases of drunkenness or hangovers). She downed the medicine without water and automatically felt the headache and stomachache subside.

"We better get back to the school; everyone'll be worried about me," Ginny said and began to get dressed, not caring if Draco watched (after all, they had already shagged). Draco did the same.

"So, what do you say? Will you go out with me?" he asked her as they checked out.

Ginny sighed and said, "Yes, I will." So, hand in hand (Ginny resisted the urge to shudder), they made their way through the entrance hall where many a student did a double take or fainted on the spot. They were lucky it was Sunday morning, because only a handful of students were awake and witnessed Ginny sit down at the Slytherin table for breakfast.

.:G:H:.

"Ron, have you seen your sister anywhere? She left last night and never came back!" Hermione ran into the boy's dormitory just as Ron finished buttoning up his shirt.

"Who cares?" Harry grumbled.

"Well, Mr. Moody, I think you do! The only reason you're bitter is that you finally realized you have feelings for Ginny, but you won't admit it because you think she doesn't like you and was using you for a bet! She was not using you, or anyone for that matter! You're just too proud to admit that you were wrong for cavorting around with Elladora so you blame it all on Ginny! Now, because she thinks you hate her, she's run off to Godric-knows-where!" Hermione predatorily backed him up against a wall as he spluttered like a fish out of water. As Ron, Neville, Harry, and Dean gaped open-mouthed at the new information they just learned about Harry, Seamus came running into the room.

"Hurry- Ginny- Slytherin table- Draco!" Seamus babbled and led them out of the room. As they darted through corridors and around suits of armor, they heard 'Ginny and Draco...' being whispered excitedly by students. They burst through the tall oak doors, and saw Ginny seated at the end of the Slytherin table, talking animatedly to Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson.

"Ginny, come on. I believe you're sitting at the wrong table!" Harry pulled her up by her wrist and started to drag her away when someone pushed him from behind.

"Let go of my girlfriend!" Malfoy said as Harry let go of Ginny and whipped around.

"What- girlfriend?" Ron squeaked.

"Yeah Ron, I'm his girlfriend. Of course, you wouldn't know what a 'girlfriend' is, seeing as you've never had one. Let's go, Draco," Ginny sneered at the gathered Gryffindors, grabbed Draco's hand, and they walked out of the great hall.

"What the ruddy hell does she think she's doing?" Harry kicked the leg of the table as they sat down to eat.

"She's trying to show you that she can do what she wants. Harry, you're always putting her down as just being 'Ron's little sister'. She's showing you she's her own person while hoping to make you jealous. It seems to be working," Colin Creevy answered him. When everyone stared at him, he said, "What? It's what always happens in romance novels."

.:G:H:.

A/N: My writing style as well as sentence structure have changed slightly, if you haven't noticed. And I am soo sorry for not updating for so long! I've been writing a lot of poems (check me out on fictionpress! The link's on my profile) and I have a bunch of original stories I'm working on. I apologize so much! I'm working on updating my other stories, so try to be patient!