Disclaimer: I would think of a witty disclaimer but my brain isn't exactly
functioning properly. I don't own Harry Potter or any other characters you
might recognize in this story. Now you can't sue, you psychotic lawyer. I
know you're out to get me!
Draco Malfoy gazed out the window of the Slytherin common room. Snow was thick in the air, like dust. Everything was covered in a gleaming white blanket of untouched -except for a few footprints here and there- snow. The lake was frozen over with very thick ice, it seemed, and some students were trying to ice skate on it. Draco rolled his eyes as one girl fell on the ice, laughing merrily. What was so funny about falling on the ice? Why was everyone so merry? Christmas cheer, they all claimed, well he'd give them Christmas cheer. This "Christmas cheer" concept would be more believable if everyone wasn't so damn cheery throughout the whole year, excluding Christmas time. Feeling restless, Draco gathered his textbooks got off the couch he was sitting on. Immediately, Crabbe and Goyle sprang up.
"No, you guys stay here to make sure nobody sabotages my things in the dorm," Draco said to them.
"Sure thing, Draco. What's sabotage?" asked Goyle stupidly. Draco rolled his eyes once again and did not answer, but walked out of the common room and headed in the direction of the library.
~
Ginny sat in the library working hard on a Potions essay. She was so immersed in it that she didn't see Draco swagger up to her.
"Working hard, I see. Now that's a first," he said sarcastically.
"Do you find entertainment in stalking me? You seem to be doing it more than usual," she said without looking up. A smirk played across his lips.
"Stalking you? I'd hardly call it that. I'm simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, I only came to check out this book." Draco picked up a random book that had been lying on the table. Ginny read the title.
"Gryffindors: A history of their great deeds? Do I sense treachery?"
Draco quickly glanced at the cover. "Oh no, you see, I plan to burn it later," he said. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"So why did you come here, if not to stalk me?" she inquired.
"Oh, because I am positively smitten with you and wish your hand in marriage. To do homework, brilliant one, why else would I be in the library?" he brandished his textbooks in her face.
"Take a seat then, if you insist on staying," Ginny replied. They worked in silence for a while, then Draco broke it by asking,
"Are your friends gone for the holiday?" Ginny looked at him with mild surprise.
"Well yes, if you must know, Tina went home to America and Sarah's staying with her Muggle parents. And don't you dare make a snide remark about Muggle-borns; I don't want to hear it. So why are you staying at Hogwarts, anyway?"
"My father had urgent business to attend to, I couldn't come. What about that-" Draco paused, reminding himself that he had to stay on Ginny's good side and not upset her. "What about Granger, aren't you two friends?" he asked.
Ginny rolled her eyes in disgust. "Are you kidding me? I loathe Hermione. She thinks I'm the little sister she never had, in other words, she thinks she can boss me around. She's such a know-it-all, too. Whenever I attempt to ask her for help on homework, she goes "Oh, you didn't know that?" like I'm stupid or something. And she thinks my whole world revolves around her. She just doesn't understand that, contrary to popular belief, I actually have a life." Ginny finished and took a deep breath. "Why did I just tell you all that? You'll probably tell her or use it as blackmail."
"No, I promise I won't." But that would be a good idea, except that Granger probably wouldn't believe me, he thought.
Ginny laughed derisively. "A Slytherin's honor? Like my dad says, 'Only trust a Slytherin as far as you can throw them, if you can get close enough to even pick them up.'"
"Ah, very wise. Your father seems like a regular sage," Draco said unenthusiastically. "If only he were paid for his wisdom, you might be able to afford some better robes."
Unable to help herself, Ginny reddened and clenched her quill. "Don't you talk about my dad. He works harder than your father, and at least he doesn't make a living from threatening people," she spat.
Draco should have stopped there, but his first instinct was to fight back.
"You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about, it'll get you in trouble one of these days. Anyway, at least my father makes a reasonable sum of money. What, is your father too noble to make a sufficient living?" he said icily. Ginny clasped her quill so tightly that it cracked. She was too angry to think of anything the say back. Smiling smugly, he looked down at her with an air of maddening superiority and walked away.
~
Back in the Slytherin common room, Draco was slightly annoyed. Ginny seemed to not like him at all, whereas it was common knowledge that any girl would be totally ecstatic if Draco so much as talked to them, and any girl would kill to sleep with him. Why wasn't Ginny fawning over him, like all the other girls did? This was quite bothersome, but she'd fall for him eventually. No girl could possibly resist the Malfoy charm.
~
Ginny stalked out of the library and headed toward the Gryffindor portrait hole. Draco Malfoy made her so mad, which was quite hard to do. No one had ever made her this angry before. She arrived at the portrait hole and muttered the password ('pixie dust'), quickly making her face vaguely friendly as she entered the Gryffindor common room. It was so nice not to have Hermione around to annoy her, but she missed Tina and Sarah too. The common room was almost deserted, except for Harry (who she used to have a crush on, but gotten over it) and Ron playing a game of wizard's chess and a few other people who had decided to stay for the holidays.
"I'll play you next, Ron," Ginny said. She was actually rather good at chess; she had beaten Ron more times than he had beaten her.
"Sure thing, Ginny. Where've you been?" Ron asked.
"Library," Ginny replied and quickly changed the subject. "Are you guys going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
"Yeah, of course. Harry, your king's in check," Ron said.
"Oh right. You going, Ginny?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, definitely," she said. "You know what, I'm actually going to go to bed. Good night."
"'Night," said Harry and Ron in unison.
That night, Ginny had a nightmare. She dreamt that she had fallen through the ice in the lake, except that this lake was much bigger than the one at Hogwarts, it was huge. She tried to scream for help, but her mouth filled instantly with gelid water. She woke up with a start, pale and sweaty. In the morning she forgot all about her dream.
A/N: Well, I hope you like this chapter. I think its rather crappy, but to each his own. And sorry I took so long to update, I write in spurts, so it could take forever for the next chapter. But it probably won't. Thanks to all my reviewers, I'll probably put thank-yous in the next chapter, when I get more reviews. :o) Oh, and if this chapter isn't long enough, sorry, I tried to make it as long as possible but it seems longer on Word than when I post it. I'll try to make it longer next time. And sorry about the cruddy chapter title, I couldn't think of anything good to name it. Thanks! ~Snolive~
Draco Malfoy gazed out the window of the Slytherin common room. Snow was thick in the air, like dust. Everything was covered in a gleaming white blanket of untouched -except for a few footprints here and there- snow. The lake was frozen over with very thick ice, it seemed, and some students were trying to ice skate on it. Draco rolled his eyes as one girl fell on the ice, laughing merrily. What was so funny about falling on the ice? Why was everyone so merry? Christmas cheer, they all claimed, well he'd give them Christmas cheer. This "Christmas cheer" concept would be more believable if everyone wasn't so damn cheery throughout the whole year, excluding Christmas time. Feeling restless, Draco gathered his textbooks got off the couch he was sitting on. Immediately, Crabbe and Goyle sprang up.
"No, you guys stay here to make sure nobody sabotages my things in the dorm," Draco said to them.
"Sure thing, Draco. What's sabotage?" asked Goyle stupidly. Draco rolled his eyes once again and did not answer, but walked out of the common room and headed in the direction of the library.
~
Ginny sat in the library working hard on a Potions essay. She was so immersed in it that she didn't see Draco swagger up to her.
"Working hard, I see. Now that's a first," he said sarcastically.
"Do you find entertainment in stalking me? You seem to be doing it more than usual," she said without looking up. A smirk played across his lips.
"Stalking you? I'd hardly call it that. I'm simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Besides, I only came to check out this book." Draco picked up a random book that had been lying on the table. Ginny read the title.
"Gryffindors: A history of their great deeds? Do I sense treachery?"
Draco quickly glanced at the cover. "Oh no, you see, I plan to burn it later," he said. Ginny raised an eyebrow.
"So why did you come here, if not to stalk me?" she inquired.
"Oh, because I am positively smitten with you and wish your hand in marriage. To do homework, brilliant one, why else would I be in the library?" he brandished his textbooks in her face.
"Take a seat then, if you insist on staying," Ginny replied. They worked in silence for a while, then Draco broke it by asking,
"Are your friends gone for the holiday?" Ginny looked at him with mild surprise.
"Well yes, if you must know, Tina went home to America and Sarah's staying with her Muggle parents. And don't you dare make a snide remark about Muggle-borns; I don't want to hear it. So why are you staying at Hogwarts, anyway?"
"My father had urgent business to attend to, I couldn't come. What about that-" Draco paused, reminding himself that he had to stay on Ginny's good side and not upset her. "What about Granger, aren't you two friends?" he asked.
Ginny rolled her eyes in disgust. "Are you kidding me? I loathe Hermione. She thinks I'm the little sister she never had, in other words, she thinks she can boss me around. She's such a know-it-all, too. Whenever I attempt to ask her for help on homework, she goes "Oh, you didn't know that?" like I'm stupid or something. And she thinks my whole world revolves around her. She just doesn't understand that, contrary to popular belief, I actually have a life." Ginny finished and took a deep breath. "Why did I just tell you all that? You'll probably tell her or use it as blackmail."
"No, I promise I won't." But that would be a good idea, except that Granger probably wouldn't believe me, he thought.
Ginny laughed derisively. "A Slytherin's honor? Like my dad says, 'Only trust a Slytherin as far as you can throw them, if you can get close enough to even pick them up.'"
"Ah, very wise. Your father seems like a regular sage," Draco said unenthusiastically. "If only he were paid for his wisdom, you might be able to afford some better robes."
Unable to help herself, Ginny reddened and clenched her quill. "Don't you talk about my dad. He works harder than your father, and at least he doesn't make a living from threatening people," she spat.
Draco should have stopped there, but his first instinct was to fight back.
"You shouldn't talk about things you don't know about, it'll get you in trouble one of these days. Anyway, at least my father makes a reasonable sum of money. What, is your father too noble to make a sufficient living?" he said icily. Ginny clasped her quill so tightly that it cracked. She was too angry to think of anything the say back. Smiling smugly, he looked down at her with an air of maddening superiority and walked away.
~
Back in the Slytherin common room, Draco was slightly annoyed. Ginny seemed to not like him at all, whereas it was common knowledge that any girl would be totally ecstatic if Draco so much as talked to them, and any girl would kill to sleep with him. Why wasn't Ginny fawning over him, like all the other girls did? This was quite bothersome, but she'd fall for him eventually. No girl could possibly resist the Malfoy charm.
~
Ginny stalked out of the library and headed toward the Gryffindor portrait hole. Draco Malfoy made her so mad, which was quite hard to do. No one had ever made her this angry before. She arrived at the portrait hole and muttered the password ('pixie dust'), quickly making her face vaguely friendly as she entered the Gryffindor common room. It was so nice not to have Hermione around to annoy her, but she missed Tina and Sarah too. The common room was almost deserted, except for Harry (who she used to have a crush on, but gotten over it) and Ron playing a game of wizard's chess and a few other people who had decided to stay for the holidays.
"I'll play you next, Ron," Ginny said. She was actually rather good at chess; she had beaten Ron more times than he had beaten her.
"Sure thing, Ginny. Where've you been?" Ron asked.
"Library," Ginny replied and quickly changed the subject. "Are you guys going to Hogsmeade this weekend?"
"Yeah, of course. Harry, your king's in check," Ron said.
"Oh right. You going, Ginny?" asked Harry.
"Yeah, definitely," she said. "You know what, I'm actually going to go to bed. Good night."
"'Night," said Harry and Ron in unison.
That night, Ginny had a nightmare. She dreamt that she had fallen through the ice in the lake, except that this lake was much bigger than the one at Hogwarts, it was huge. She tried to scream for help, but her mouth filled instantly with gelid water. She woke up with a start, pale and sweaty. In the morning she forgot all about her dream.
A/N: Well, I hope you like this chapter. I think its rather crappy, but to each his own. And sorry I took so long to update, I write in spurts, so it could take forever for the next chapter. But it probably won't. Thanks to all my reviewers, I'll probably put thank-yous in the next chapter, when I get more reviews. :o) Oh, and if this chapter isn't long enough, sorry, I tried to make it as long as possible but it seems longer on Word than when I post it. I'll try to make it longer next time. And sorry about the cruddy chapter title, I couldn't think of anything good to name it. Thanks! ~Snolive~