Well here is another chapter of my story! It took me a while but I needed to get it just right.
Thank you for the reviews and I hope you enjoy! :D
Chapter Three: Round the twist.
Ginny walked down the long spiralling staircase leading from the divination tower, professor Trelwany had predicted her year would become a difficult and trying time. She was thinking about what she could have meant, would this become a difficult year for her? She dismissed the thought, she had also predicted that one of her classmates would become a parent before the year would end, the woman had no idea what she was talking about. What had she been thinking taking another year of Divination?!
On her way down to the dungeons she ran into Hermione.
"Hi, where are you off to?" Ginny asked scooting her bag a bit up her shoulder.
Hermione was smiling brightly. "I am of to my first official lesson as a TA, I have been assigned to assist professor Flitwick in charms!"
"Oh that's great!" Ginny said happy that Hermione got a subject she herself was very good in. "I have to go, I have potions now and Snape is always on the look out for late comers." Ginny waved at her friend and hurried down the stairs.
Just in time she reached the classroom, a few seconds later and Snape would have been there already. The class filled the room and Ginny found a desk halfway down the room to sit at.
Phoebe Summers stood next to her. "Want to be partners?" She asked with a smile.
Ginny smiled and nodded while she unpacked her things, then they all sat down waiting for the lesson to start.
"Welcome to yet another year in my class, I am sure most of you will do even worse then you did last year." Professor Snape started.
"As most of you know there are TA´s being assigned through out the lessons in your year, these TA´s are there to assist the teachings and will be treated with the same respect as I am treated." Snape took a statuesque pose and puffed his chest a bit. "So there for I would like to take this opportunity to stress the fact that Mr. Malfoy will be treated like any other teacher."
Ginny´s hart dropped, this was all she needed! Potions was not her best subject anyway and now she would have to deal with both Snape and Ferret boy!
She watched as Draco stand up in front of the class with a very smug look on his face, when he saw her a smirk appeared on his face. She knew he was going to milk this for all that it was worth.
Snape flicked his wand and directed them to a complicated potion written out on the board they were supposed to make. Ginny got all the ingredients and worked furiously, not wanting to fail and not wanting to give Malfoy any excuse to have a go at her.
While she was trying to shred her daisy roots as well as possible Phoebe leaned in to her. "You are good friends with Harry right?"
Ginny nodded but did not say anything.
"Could you tell me if he............ If he has a girlfriend?" Phoebe asked kind of insecure.
"Why would you want to know that?" Ginny asked louder then she intended.
Phoebe flushed a bit. "Well he is very cute and.........well I like him." She whispered.
Ginny sighed. "So that's the reason you wanted to be partners?"
"No really I like you and thought it would be fun to be working together, I mean there has to be a bright side to this class right?" Phoebe motioned her hand round the dark and very quiet classroom.
Ginny smiled. "I am sorry, but I can not count the amount of girls that have wanted to be my friend because I know Harry."
As they chatted Draco had walked up to them, when he heard Potter's name being mentioned a few times he cleared his throat.
"Now, now Miss Ginevra Weasely, I thought you would have something better to do in this class then to talk about your boyfriend."
Ginny shot him a look. "Harry is not my boyfriend!"
"Well then there is totally no reason for him to be disturbing this class then is there?" Draco raised his eyebrows as he glanced at her work. "Now now Miss Weasely, those roots just wont do! We can not have sloppy work in this potion." Draco said not even trying to hide the smirk on his face. "I think you should start over."
Ginny looked at him in amazement, if she was going to have to redo the roots she wouldn't finish in time! And this she told him.
He just looked at her as if thoroughly enjoying himself. "Well then you should have made a better effort from the start."
Ginny felt herself blush. "You are really having fun with this aren't you?"
Again that same smirk appeared on his face. "I am actually."
"What is the matter over here?" The cold voice of Snape sounded from behind Ginny.
"Miss Weasely will not restart cutting her roots as I instructed." Draco said with a plain voice.
"Well Miss Weasely, I think you will restart as Mr. Malfoy suggested and for being disobedient to a TA you shall also do a detention Which Mr. Malfoy may decide on." Snape smirked at Draco before turning his attentions to the rest of the class.
Ginny furiously tried to make up for lost time, but because she had to redo her roots she didn't finish in time. At the end off the class Professor Snape had announced loudly that she had got a failing grade, the humiliation was very great and Ginny had blushed while Draco smiled widely.
Late that night Ginny was sitting in an arm chair in the common room, she had finished all her home work, including the detention Draco set her. It had been less bad then she had expected. She had to do a 3 role essay on the usages of daisy roots. She had done them with out complaint, if she would have said something he would have thought of something much worse! The only one who knew about the punishment was Phoebe, whom she had sworn to silence. If Ron or Harry would find out they would go looking for a fight and that was not a good thing.
From the bottom of her bag she dug out her diary and picked up her quill, no sooner had she written down the first word a few 3rd years came crashing down from their dormitory.
"Oh you can't sleep either? We are going to play a game of exploding snap, want to join?" The boy asked her with a smile.
Ginny sighed and shook her head, first thing tomorrow she was going to find a place where she could write in peace!
Draco sighed, the steady breathing of his roommates indicated that they had gone to sleep. He reached under his pillow and got out the little red book, as he reached for a quill and some ink a light appeared on the other side of the room. Crabbe had woke up and looked at him. "You can't sleep either?"
Draco scowled as he pushed the book back under his pillow; he lay himself down and pretended to go to sleep.
As soon as he closed his eyes the face of Ginny Weasely popped up in his head, the look she had thrown him when he mentioned Potter being her boyfriend was stuck in his mind. Why had he done that? There had been nothing wrong with the daisy roots but he had wanted to agitate her. When she got angry little sparks shot up in her eyes, something he had noticed in the carriage. He shook his head, Ginny Weasely was a Weasely and therefor he should NOT be thinking about her! He turned round once more and sighed, it bothered him that he had not been able to write in his diary. Tomorrow he would go look for a place where he could write, a place where he could put his thoughts on paper and get rid of them so they wouldn't haunt him at night.
One week later Ginny felt a lot better, She had found the perfect place to write in her diary; the room of requirement! She had thought about it during lunch one day last week, she had shot up and almost ran off, causing Ron, Hermione and Harry to look at each other with questioning looks on their faces.
She had run straight up to the door and thought hard about a place she could write in peace. Then slowly she had opened the door scared that it wouldn't give her the wish. But the room had transformed into a cosy place, with big sofa's and pillows and a fire place in the centre.
She had smiled and closed the door again, ever since then she had gone up to the room to write in her diary in peace.
Draco looked across the common room; everyone was busy so this was the best time to slip out.
He grabbed the little bag besides his chair and made for the exit, last week he had found a room where he could write in peace. He had searched all the corridors and looked into several places. He had just about given up hope and decided that he was going to have to use an empty classroom when he had opened a door and saw the room.
It was a nice room with large sofa's and a fire place, great for him to go and write in peace. For the past week he had gone to it and written there, all alone with no one to bother him. He checked the hallway again and then made his way up the stairs.
Ginny hurried down the hallway, she was running late, normally she would have been in the room of requirement by now, even have left by now. Her homework had been too much though so now she had to hurry, as not to get caught.
She slipped into the room and closed the door; she leant against it with a sigh and looked across the room. It was still the same, on the side table stood a bowl of her favourite sweets, the fire was emitting a soft glow and the blond head of hair was sticking out over the sofa.
A blond head of hair! She gasped at the figure sitting in the sofa, the head slightly bent down.
Draco looked up, it was funny but he thought he had just heard someone! He turned and saw her there. She was perched up against the door a booklet clutched in her hand. What was Ginny Weasely doing here! Quickly he closed his diary and sat up to look at her.
"What are you doing here?" He asked glaring at her, just his luck; she off all people had found the place he had wanted to keep to himself.
"I could ask you the same thing, how did you find this room?" Ginny said taking a step forward.
"I've been coming here for ages." He answered sticking his chin out a bit.
"You have known about the room of requirement for how long?" Ginny took another few steps.
"Is that was this place is called?" Before the words had left his mouth Draco wanted to hit himself in the head, do not show ignorance towards her! She thinks you have known about this for ages!
"So you have been coming here forever but you do not know what it is called?" Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"No Weasel girl I said I had been coming here for ages." He smirked and looked at her.
"Well I found this place first so you should leave." Ginny put her hands in her side and stared at him.
"I should leave? Tell me Ginny who is going to make me?" Draco looked at her amused; she did not really think he was going to leave?
Ginny did not know what to think, he had never used her actual name before, she was always Weasel Girl, redhead, Weasel or any other demeaning name he could think of.
Draco was still looking at her trying to determine if he had actually called her Ginny? It must have been a slip of the tongue!
"Listen Malfoy! I have been coming here for the past week, every night it never misses. I have never seen you here so you HAVE to leave." Ginny said demanding she needed this place to herself.
"Well I have been coming here for a week as well and I have NEVER seen you here so for all I know you could be lying." Draco looked at her, it was the truth, this place was his and he was not going to give it up.
"Who do you think thought this place up? I did!" Ginny felt desperate, he needed to leave!
"Right like you could really think this place up! This was here all along, don not try to get your way by telling fairy tales, I am not a muggle and I do not believe in that sort of thing." He had said it and knew it did not make sense; he was a wizard for Merlin's sake! He lived the muggle's so called fairy tale! But he was desperate; he was not going to give this place up.
"You really are thick! That is what this room does! It becomes what the person who opens it wants and needs most, that is why it is called; the room of requirement! I wanted a place to write in peace, to be alone in, not bothered by anyone. So it became this for me, why it let you in I don not know." Ginny was now standing in front of him, she needed to convince him, she so wanted him to leave.
Draco looked at her and thought about what he was thinking when he had found the room, he had thought the exact same thing! "Because I wanted the same thing."
It was more of a whisper as he said it and he looked at her.
Ginny felt dumb struck, the room had given them both what they wanted! "Well I created this place so you have to leave." She defiantly sat down in an arm chair and looked at him.
Draco looked at her, she was probably right, but he liked this room too much to give it up. In the years to come he would still not be able to figure out what was going through his head as he looked at her and uttered the words: "We could share it......"
Ginny looked at him, as he looked back awaiting her reaction. For the life off her she could not believe it as she looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "What?"
"We could share the room, I like coming here and so do you. If we can figure out some sort of schedule so we don not run into each other. We could both keep coming here and we will not bother each other." Draco leant a bit forward as he talked.
Ginny hated to admit it but he actually made sense, it was a way she could keep coming here. "Lets say, purely theoretical, that I agree. What would you have in mind?"
"We agree on times, that way one of us can be here and the other will stay away. On the set time of one off us the other can not be near here. It is pretty simple, all we have to do is agree on the time's we want." Draco hoped she would agree.
"I hate to say it but you actually have a good idea there. So fine, we will agree on times we each can be here. But you have to stay away if you are not supposed to be here!" Ginny glared at him.
"Like I would intentionally be in a room with you if I do not need to be." He smirked at her as he leant back.
Strangely Ginny was happy he had said that, it was much easier dealing with this Malfoy then with the sincere one. "Well that makes two of us, lets just agree on the times already."
They agreed that on most days Ginny was getting the room at 8 o'clock and Draco would have it 9 o'clock. Except on Thursday's when Draco had Quidditch practice and Ginny astrology, then they would switch round.
That day they would also switch as Draco had been in it at 8, he stood up and looked at her, he was happy they had come to the understanding. Happy he still had a quiet place to go to, a place where he could let his guard down even if it was for only an hour.
A week later Draco looked round the great hall and the breakfast bustle, automatically his eyes went to Ginny sitting down with her friends.
For the past week their plan had worked perfectly, he entered the room as she exited. Occasionally they spoke two or three words but that was all. Some how he liked the fact that the room was their little secret.
Ginny did not look but knew he was looking at her, probably with a smirk on his face. Oddly enough for the past week things had gone great, besides the few words they spoke exchanging the room they had not spoke. But she did notice a change in his behaviour; no longer did he call her names in the hallway, well not all of the time. When he was alone he did not, surrounded by his cronies he did. She sighed as she drank her juice and looked at Hermione.
"Can you help me out with my potions essay? It is really difficult and I need a passing grade?"
Hermione looked at her with a smile. "I would love to, I have a pretty full day today, but I am free tomorrow."
"Oh that is no good, it is due tomorrow! I will just have to manage on my own." Ginny leant her head on her hands, she had been struggling with this essay for a week and still she was not getting it right! She sat back up determined not to get herself down, she would go to the library and then she would go to the peace and quiet off the room! There she would be able to do it in peace.
At 9 o'clock that evening Draco grabbed his diary and made his way up to the room, when he entered it he saw Ginny slumped over the table in the corner. Stacks of books surrounding her and parchment rolled out all over the place.
She was reading a passage in a book and absentmindedly running the feather of the quill down the side of her face.
Ginny was trying to figure out what she was reading but it all looked like Greek to her, she sighed and turned the page. She was going to fail and get yet another bad mark in potions.
"Ahum." Draco cleared his throat too attract her attention.
Ginny looked up and saw Draco standing by the door, what was he doing here?! Her eyes went to the clock and saw the time.
"Oh I am sorry, I forgot the time! This potions essay! Just give me a few moments and I will be out of here."
She quickly started to shut the books trying to clear the table.
Draco saw her pilling the books on each other, as if some one had take over his mouth he said; "You can stay if you like, just keep to your corner and be quiet."
She threw him a grateful smile. "Thank you, I promise you will not notice that I am here!"
Still confused by his own words he nodded and sat down on the sofa. He opened his diary and picked up his quill, he would just write in his diary and then leave!
After about five minutes he kept hearing her sigh as she turned page after page, it was distracting him and he looked up. "What are you doing?"
She looked up. "I am sorry; I am just not getting this stuff! And I need to hand it in to Professor Snape tomorrow."
He saw the desperation on her face but convinced himself he got up to help her so she would stop her sighs.
"It is not that hard to get, look." He flipped a few pages back in the book and pointed at a few critical ingredients.
"These are the key ingredients, when mixed correctly they will become the potion Professor Snape means. You have to switch the merlap root and the powdered bat wings in order and stir counter clock wise or else you will mess it up."
Ginny looked at him gratefully. "Is that it? I have been at this for 3 hours and it is that simple! Thank you!"
Draco looked at her; the smile on her face gave it a different style he had never seen before. He shrugged his shoulders. "Well anything to stop your sighs." He turned back round and walked to the sofa as she started to write fiercely.
After another 10 minutes she was done and she started to pack up her things.
As she walked over to the door she turned back. "Malf....Draco, thanks again, if I can help you out with anything just let me know."
Before he could answer she was gone, he shook his head and returned to his diary.
He dipped his quill in his ink and wrote for a while, every now and then throwing a look at the table in the corner. Why did he say she could stay? Wasn't the whole reason for their schedule so they would not run into each other?
The next day Ginny was heading for lunch with Phoebe, she was in the best of moods, reluctantly Professor Snape had announced that she was one of the few that had managed to correctly write the essay. She had felt so happy when she heard her grade, and she had thrown Draco a look but his face had been clear of any sort of expression.
Draco sat down at the table and pretended to listen to Pansy who was telling how much fun she had been having as a TA in Herboligy. She had given out detention to as much Gryffindor's as possible and everyone who was listening chuckled.
"What about you Draco? Have you given anyone detention yet?" She asked him with a drawl in her voice.
He had never noticed how annoying her voice was before. "No not really, Professor Snape might hate the Gryffindor house as much as we do, but he tries to hide it better then us."
His eyes went back to Ginny; he still had his mind on last night. Malf....Draco, thanks again her voice kept saying in his head. She had called him Draco and had thanked him why did that matter to him?
Ginny sat at the table and smiled, nothing could ruin her day now!
"Ronald, if you do not stop handing out those skiving snack boxes I will be forced to report you. I can not look the other way any longer; I am head girl you know!" Hermione looked at Ron as he sat down.
"Com'on Hemonee!" Ron answered her with a mouth full off Shepard pie.
"No Ron! Just stop it!" Hermione gave him her most reprimanding look.
"Ok." Was all Ron said bending down to his plate again.
"Oh here he comes!" Phoebe muttered excitedly as Harry made his way to the table.
Ginny smiled and followed Phoebe's look, Harry attracted most of the attentions of the girls he passed. His hair stood on end and his smile flashed to several people, as she looked at him she wondered if she would ever look at him again as Phoebe now did.
Her crush made her smile, Harry was a very nice guy and she still liked him but not in that way. For some reason her stomach did not jolt anymore as she thought off him, her look crossed the hall and she saw Draco. Now her stomach did give a jolt, as she felt it her face turned red. What just happened?