"If I may ask, Professor, do we get anything out of this?" Draco asked. After the accident with Ron, Ginny had successfully conjured over three-quarters of spilled potion back into the cauldron. The rest of it, well, it was in an unreachable place. "Like extra credits?"
Beside him Ginny nodded slowly. Surely she thought of this too!! We did work our bottoms off! Draco didn't know why Ginny had been ordered to make the potion, but Draco--he was compelled to. So, he had to have some sort of reward, for all the work. They didn't tell anyone about Ron of course. If anyone knew about it, he was doomed. His reputation, his position, not to mention what would happen if his father would know. He shivered invisibly. So the two of them --plus Potter-- resolved to find the way out and reverse Ron's condition themselves, since Ron was not talking—literally— and he seemed not to bother at all about his condition.
Ron's state had been worrisome; he was not talking at all, even when exhorted. He seemed to be in his own world, but he treaded through his routine like every typical day, just with a lack of conversation. He didn't talk to anyone, of course, even Potter and Granger, but he did hang about them. Granger was outraged when she found out what happened. She wanted to get a teacher's help, but the repercussions had imposed Ginny and Potter to cast an Obliviate on her. Now, she was satiated with, "Ron had a fight with Ginny. Let him be, Hermione," from Potter. Any argument from Granger, Potter had taken care of.
Ginny had been in the right state, of course. Searching information on the potion and how it worked until late at night. Only, the thing was, she had practically dragooned Draco and Potter to do it too. So, the three of them now memorized other names for the potion, how it would work with different ingredients, the consequences of taking extra doses, warnings of fatal accidents that could occur while concocting the potion, its side effects, its other uses, and the variety of colours of the right concoctions. But NONE of them found out how to reverse the potion's effects.
"Extra credits, Mr. Malfoy? Whoever mentioned extra credits? I certainly did not." Snape's lips tugged upwards. What is so amusing?
"No credit! No reward!" If eyes could kill, the squawking green and yellow feathered parrot--perched on Snape's chair--would've been mangled, sterilized, and strangled to death by now. The annoying little creature had been all but likeable. It seemed that the parrot had practically done it all to Snape; Draco was almost convinced that the Potions Professor and the bird had some psychic connection.
"So none of this is for anything?" Draco could tell Ginny was furious. He could SMELL it. Draco heard that the Potion Master had ordered a pet –or more accurate, a tester. But that was yesterday. Surely, deliveries aren't this fast. Anyway, couldn't Snape choose other pet? The bird would live the hell out him, even if the bird would probably die in any time soon. Draco smirked --despite the situation— knowing the sorts of potion that Snape had always been brewing.
"No! Deaf Weasley!" the parrot squawked--again.
"Drop dead, you ugly winged-worm." Usually, Draco would say, "That was childish," but he held nothing towards the bird for not agreeing with Ginny. That bird is just fecking annoying.
Ignoring the, "Drop! Weasel!" by the bird, Snape said "Now, now, Miss Weasley. It is just a helpless bird," stroking the parrot's feathers none too gently, causing the bird to squeak. "You both did gain a little with having the potion done."
"Which is..." Trying very hard not to pay any heed to the "Blondie! Blondie!" squawk, Draco hoped that whatever answer Snape would give, could let him leave the room, at least satiated. But...
"Mr. Malfoy, you did get to play all your Quidditch matches, didn't you?" All the respect he held for Snape dissolved like a piece of bread in a pool full of vegetarian piranhas. What the hell? "And Miss Weasley, YOU..." he paused dramatically and smirked, "got your punishment."
Ginny was shaking in fury right now. She clenched and unclenched her fist so many times. Draco was not sure why she was so madly raged. Everyone in the school knew by heart how difficult Snape is. She shouldn't take it seriously.
"That was... very generous of you, Professor," she spat, "Next time if I would want a parrot-in-your-face valedictorian to give me a punishment for showing a proper way to do a simple cleansing spell without having the glass flagon brittle, I would seek you, Sir." And with that she made a storming exit, slamming the oak door and left the parrot with its, "Annoy! Red! Weasel!" despite the squeaks.
Draco managed to hex the parrot all the while without Snape noticing. He didn't dare to linger, so he gave a tight self-withdrawing nod to Snape before he ran off after her.
-------------------
He ran from the room and found her walking down the other hall in quite a pace. He jogged stealthily to step beside her.
"So Weasley, care to talk about it?" By the sudden out of place jerk, he assumed that he had shocked the hell out of her. She stopped and turned to glare at him with mentally-killing eyes
"Why are you here, Malfoy?" she hissed. And Draco-- Don't look at the lips. Don't look at the lips. Ooh the lips. Can't get enough of that, can we? Shut up! --wasn't really paying attention. What is wrong with him?
"Why Weasley, can a man display an act of caring?" he asked and continued matter-of-factly, "After all he DID snogged the girl senselessly once". He smirked. It's not that he cared at all. Another round of kissing would do a better ending for this day. Draco mentally knocked himself off with suicidal thoughts. You're disturbed.
Ginny snorted and rolled her eyes. "Like you can care at all. Please, Malfoy, save me from hearing your petty comments. I had enough imbeciles yapping idiotic comments that they don't even understand for the day." She continued to walk, then, before he even had the time to register what she had just say. Can you concentrate now?! Libidinous Idiot.
When he finally does, he called, "Weasley! I'm not finished. Come-- Don't you walk--!" He ran off after her. "Do I have to run every bloody time-- I'm talking to you!! Stop, you bint!" He jumped and grabbed her by the waist, causing both of them falling ungraciously onto the stone floor.
"Oof! Gerrof me, Malfoy!" She shouted from under him, shoving away his hands and heavy body away. She got up so fast; it was as if she was just here, then there. "What is the matter with you?" She yelled down at him. He sat up, massaging his head with palm. Oof, bloody stone floor. Did it have to so damn hard?
"Can you not shout for once? I'm just bloody here!" Merlin! If she doesn't shut her trap --the Reticent potion--. He thought evilly. Then, he look up at her; daring her to speak one more word.
"Just tell me what you want, Malfoy. I'm tired and I want to go to bed," she said exasperatedly. She meant HER bed.
He opened his mouth to speak, but --What did he want? --he questioned himself. The kissing, you fool! Oh, right.
Draco really thought that it wasn't appropriate to say for such thing right now. Somehow, he didn't feel like kissing right now. However perverse he had gotten.
"Mr. Malfoy? Miss Weasley?" a deep voice reverberated throughout the hall. The both turned to see Snape pacing towards them. He was eyeing both of them suspiciously. Draco was sitting on the floor and Ginny was looking down at him with her hands on her hips. Merlin! I wonder how this looks from his point of view. Draco hastily got up and composed himself to the perfect manner. "Yes, Sir?"
"Why are you not in your common rooms?"
"We are on the way, Sir," Draco answered honestly.
Snape eyed both of them again. There's something about the look that makes Draco uneasy. "If that is true," he paused looking straight into Draco. "I suggest you move faster, before I start to take points away. Go. Now. Both of you." He shooed them.
Ginny started first by going to the end of the hallway and turned left to the marble stairs, while Draco headed right to the dungeon stairs, glancing to his back all the while. What the hell is the matter with him?
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The morning after, Snape had called them into a potions class- Gryffindors and Slytherins- just to give Ginny three nights' detention, and Draco was to help her; for being unrespectable towards a teacher and for being a nominated know-it-all after Granger, in front of the class. It was a wonder how Ginny could control her temper this time. And of course, he; the Head Boy received no detention. That would scar the position's reputation --and his as it.
Tonight was the last detention night; and Draco and Ginny were sitting in the middle of rusted stacks old trophies and they were supposed to polish them all, without magic of course.
Draco was fervently wishing for peace. "After we snuck him until the Ostracised Oak, we'll leave him there. So, then, the tree could transport him to Yugoslavia," Hearing this, Draco rolled his eyes. Ginny continued, "And naked –-no one will find him or if they do, they won't even bear to look at him and touch him. Then, let us pray that he would get eaten by a Tigger and would be signed in for the first trip to see Hades in the closest ride hour".
"Could you stop it, Weasley? It is getting outrageous," Draco scolded. She's been at it –scheming Snape's payback- for the last hour. She had come up with kinds of atrocious, shameful, relentless ways, but could not set her foot down on one. She kept coming up with new ideas, and some of them really did impress him. She really would do well in Slytherin. But this is ridiculous! "And the Tiggers are herbivores."
"Malfoy!" She leapt. Seemed she didn't notice him there all along. Then, it looked like a thought came to her, that she gave a malicious upward tug of her lips –and he wanted to know nothing about it. "You're Slytherin. Captain." Obviously. Is the girl really so slow?
"That, in Quidditch, I am. What do you have in mind, Weasel?"
"YOU are going to help me to come up with a- a plan," She stuck out both her hands, as if presenting something invisible.
"Absolutely NOT! If you are going to play any this out, you could be most very well plan and do it yourself! "
"Aw, come on, Malfoy. Of course you could come up with an excellent idea, with that nature of yours." She, then, took back her hand and gave a sly grin. "You're not telling me that you're just going to let Snape, and that damned parrot, get us. Get you. We have to fight back! Or is it you're scared of the old greasy Potion Professor"
Draco rolled his eyes. Did the girl really think she could play the 'Are you scared' card on him? HE, practically, the one who had invented it. "First, Weasley, I'm not telling you anything. Second, what fight? Snape would be smug for a week, if he knows you're taking him seriously –-I could not ever stand THAT-- and if he finds out you're actually planning on killing –-better yet, humiliating-- him. It is not you who would have the last laugh, Weasel. This, ludicrous, could go on forever. Plus, you're no match for Snape", he paused to think, "I should have told that earlier." He shook his head and sighed.
Ginny just stared a few moments and gave a non-admittance nod. "You were probably in the tiniest bit right"
"I WAS right, Weasley. Do try to rein your temper each time around Snape again, Weasley. You'll get us in trouble faster than lightning."
"I can't help it! He is just so..." she trailed of, finding the right word.
"Immensely annoying belligerent grease-haired fatuous ever immanent?" he suggested.
She looked at him and answered an awed "Yes".
He grabbed a trophy –-Awarded to POLORY JOHNKING for an amazing year he as the boy who excelled in transfiguring water into rum. He had helped save the Halloween Year of 1574- and a piece of cloth, immediately started scrubbing.
Draco really had thought about what happened- almost happened the night in the Potion Room. What was he thinking kissing a Weasley? He came up with kinds of reason, but not one seemed to really put the matter perfectly understandable. He was utterly confused and was utterly angry for it. Malfoys aren't confused. They always articulate and understand their actions and the repercussions. He was really disturbed by the always-sudden libido arousal, whenever he got around Ginny. A kiss. That's all! For god sakes, I didn't even touch her skin.
He was lost in the tiny black dot that seemed would not go away, however hard he scrubbed. He was so deep in thought and wasn't aware of Ginny moved behind him until she took the trophy from him and cast a Rust-Away spell.
"You shouldn't do that, Weasley" He turned and was pretty much aware of her closeness. Shouldn't do what? The spell or the closeness?
"And who is going to tell? Hmm? You?" she dared. Draco was unable to reply with her being so close. Moments in the Potion Room came tumbling back to his mind and he prayed that his body would obey him this time. His muscles were really giving a good impression of obedience when Ginny moved closer, and this time he wasn't the one who made the first move.
She pushed him gently on the floor and instantly was on top of him. She held her face enticingly close. Their lips were just merely an inch away and Draco strained his neck a little to capture it...
A low cough interrupted them. "I hate to interrupt this lovely... session," Damn Filch!! Ginny quickly get off of him, patted her skirt a little and nudged him a bit with her feet when he made no move to stand up. "But Professor Snape demands for your presence in his study now", he turned away and said, "Come on along now, sweetheart", to Mrs. Norris. He glared cocked his head over his shoulder and glared down at the now sitting Draco, "Hop, Mr. Malfoy! Didn't you hear me?!"
--------------------
"I'm glad that now, both of you are free of any obligation", Snape was saying. Obligation. Ha! "However, I believe, you both owe me an explanation to why the potion is not at the right amount". He stared at the best potions student ever- Draco- then to Ginny; waiting for either one of them to answer.
Well, you see, Professor, we had an accident where Weasley's brother tried to hit me, but instead he knocked down the cauldron and had swallowed some of the potion. I'm sure it's nothing, I did work my butt off and I AM your favourite student. Punish Weasley if you will.
"You would think that a small partake would have gone unnoticed, and unfortunately for you both it didn't. Would you care to tell me what happened to it?" Snape paused for a moment, deciding what to continue. He looked at Draco from Ginny. "Mr. Malfoy, do you notice how my parrot had been extremely... er... provoking?"
"Er... Yes? Sir". We hadn't managed to conjure some of it--.
"Sure you do", Then, all superior disappeared, Snape continued in an almost small voice. "I need the potion to shut the parrot. And that small amount does matters",
Yes, sir. But it wasn't my fault. Weasley tried to tackle me----- WHAT THE HELL?! SHUT THE PARROT?
"Pardon?" Ginny's mouth was slightly agape. Face turning scarlet, body trembling. "The whole two bloody months was for a— a parrot?!!" Her tone got higher by the words, so she was screaming at the end. Draco frantically looking everywhere for cover, whatever ensues next he was dead sure he didn't want to be part of it.
Ginny was already trembling and clenching her hands. Signs for an outburst. Draco was desperate, he looked everywhere--
"I'LL TELL YOU WHERE THE POTION HAD GONE, YOU-- YOU SLUG!!" Snape raised one eyebrow.