Disclaimer: The characters in this story that are from Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling, if they aren't from Harry Potter, they belong to me. (Obviously)

A/N: Sorry it has been so long since I have updated. I have just had seriously bad writers block with this story. But now it is back on track and will be finished soon. Thank you to everyone who stuck with me on this story. I know it has been a long time coming.

If anyone has any questions on this story, email me at acisseji@hotmail.com

Chapter 7

Three months later. Christmas holidays.

Ginny wandered about Hogwarts, her heart rendered into tiny pieces. But beneath the splintered mosaic of her feelings was a burning fire of hatred that existed for three people: Harry, Hermione and Draco.

Hermione had stayed back for the Christmas holidays frantically studying for her NEWTS. Ginny discovered that Hermione had a special look reserved for her, a dark glare that she shot Ginny's way almost constantly, as if accusing her of not accompanying Ron and Harry to the Burrow for Christmas and staying out of her hair. In stead of fearfully looking away and heading in the other direction, Ginny shot back a disdainful sneer of her own, which incensed Hermione even more.

Hermione eventually learnt to avoid Ginny, and Ginny, in turn, avoided Hermione. When they did occasionally pass each other in the hallways, they ignored each other. Their war, at least for now, lay dormant in the face of the coming semester.

Harry, mercifully, wasn't available to bear Ginny's wrath, just as she wasn't subject to his persistent mistreatment. That left only one person for who her torch of hatred burned.

Draco Malfoy.

By some twist of fate, he had stayed at Hogwarts for the holidays, although he and Ginny had yet to cross paths. A part of Ginny thanked who and whatever was responsible, while another part compelled her to seek him out and give the blonde imbecile a piece of her mind.

But fate, it seemed, had more in store for Ginny Weasley. Early on Christmas Eve Ginny headed to the library to finish her holiday assignment. After receiving a piercing glare from Madam Pince for merely entering the library, she walked down the endless aisles of books searching for Tales of the Goblin Wars for her History of Magic essay. She glanced up at the higher shelves and to her consternation, there it was, sitting on an impossibly high shelf between Tainted and Cursed Muggle Objects and Tall and Terrifying: How To Engage a Giant in Battle. Even if Ginny stretched her arm as far as she could and stood on her tiptoes, she could reach the darn book.

Just as she decided to abandon her attempt to reach the book and go fetch a chair, she felt someone behind her. Ginny froze and stared determinedly at the shelf. She felt the person behind her brush against her back as they leant forward and plucked Tales of the Goblin Wars from it's elevated position. The person stepped away from her. Ginny whirled around.

"Draco…" she breathed.

Silently he handed her the book. Her resolve hardening she snatched it from his hands and glowered at him.

"Don't help me again," she hissed.

"Ginny, listen…" Draco began. He paused and ran his hand through his hair. "Can we just talk?"

"What about?" she shot at him spitefully. "Do you love me?"

Draco gave her a startled look and glanced about huntedly. He opened his mouth as if to speak but his hesitation had spoken volumes.

"Thank you for getting my book," Ginny bit out, then spun away and stormed out of the library.

* * *

Harry spun lazily in a loop on his Firebolt. Too bad Ginny wasn't here, he thought to himself. Then maybe he wouldn't be so bored. Ron and he had already de-gnomed the garden twice, hurtling the stunned gnomes into the air so Fred and George could smash them with their Beater's bats into the distance. Tomorrow was Christmas, and Mrs Weasley had planned a spectacular meal.

Harry's thoughts turned to Blaise. Sirius would have liked her, he thought. She was everything Sirius admired: she bent the rules to suit her, and Harry would bend the rules to be with her. Sirius was all about bending the rules. Just thinking about Blaise made Harry refute his prior thoughts about Ginny. Ginny was incomparable to Blaise. Harry was well rid of the whore.

"Oi! Harry!"

Harry looked down to the ground where Ron was jumping up and down, waving his arms. He pointed his broom at the ground and dove into a Wronski Feint. Just before he hit the ground he pulled his broom into a loop and landed neatly beside Ron, who was cheering madly.

Harry grinned at his friend.

"Dinner's ready, mate," Ron grinned back. "Do you reckon I might have a turn afterwards?"

"No problem, Ron," Harry said. Suddenly a thought popped into his head. "You know, Ron. I think we're a lot like my dad and Sirius were when they were our age."

"You mean, you're like your dad and I'm like… Sirius," Ron said, with the familiar pause before anyone mentioned Sirius around Harry.

"Nah, the other way round. I'm like Sirius."

Harry smiled at him and headed inside. Ron followed, a worried frown on his face.

* * *

Draco stared after the short red head as she stalked away.

"Do you love me?" she had asked. Draco didn't know what love was. His father was a craven opportunist, who served a selfish, sadistic master and his mother was a heartless beauty who despised her son fro the stretch marks that marred her otherwise smooth perfection. Neither loved him. Neither had shown him anything but indifference.

Perhaps he did love her. All he knew was that he felt something for her, and it wasn't the usual disdain or unconcern he felt for other people.

Listlessly, he aimed himself at a table where some Slytherins were seated and sat down.

"Draco?" someone asked.

Draco lifted his eyes to see who was speaking to him: Blaise Zabini. Resident Slytherin misfit. He grunted to show he had heard her.

"It's the Weasley girl isn't it?" she smirked. "You know you shouldn't lust after a Gryffindor. Snape would castrate you and make a potion from your balls."

Draco winced. "It isn't lust."

"Love then?" Blaise inquired with an arched eyebrow.

"That's the problem. I don't know."

"You really are being a miserly git aren't you, Malfoy?" she drawled. "Don't you have any feelings at all?"

Draco looked at her.

"You really don't know," she said softly. "Listen Draco, there's nothing worse than being shut out from someone's feelings. Even if you do eventually figure out that you're madly in love with her, she'll be long gone. Probably married to that git, Potter. Though she'd have to be rather stupid to do that."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because, Potter took me to the Yule Ball once. He offered me a very prized position in his bedroom and I declined. Told the prat he'd have to get rid of his bony Weasley girlfriend…"

"She isn't bony," Draco protested, then flushed red. Blaise grinned wickedly at him.

"Anyway, he said no, but he loved me and would try and 'get her out of his system'. He really is an insensitive wart."

"And your point is…" Draco sighed.

"She's obviously been sorely mistreated before and you're probably crushing her tender heart with your lack of emotion."

"But I don't know how I feel," Draco said with frustration.

"Don't be pathetic, Draco. We are all the heroes of our own stories. You know how you feel, you just don't want to know," Blaise said irritably. She rolled her eyes at him when he gave her a blank look and tapped Theodore Nott on the shoulder.

"Walk me to the lake, Theodore?" she asked prettily, batting her eyelids. Theodore grinned and winked at Malcolm Baddock, his younger cousin. The pair left the library hand in hand.

Draco watched them go with a single thought echoing in his mind.

"Do you love me?"

* * *

Hermione missed Ron. His bitch sister was irritating Hermione beyond belief and Harry hadn't so much as written a word to her. She had gotten a sweet note from Ron though and it made her smile, despite herself.

Dear 'Mione,

Missing you lots, the Burrow is pretty lonely with only me and Harry. Wishing you were here, though you and Ginny are probably having lots of girly bonding sessions. I'll send your Christmas gift along soon.

Lots of love, Ron.

Ron had never shown an ounce of subtlety or endearing tenderness two years ago. As much as she loved Harry, she would always have a special place in her heart for Ronald Weasley, despite what she said to his moronic sister.

Hermione's thoughts shifted back to Ginny. Ginny and Harry didn't seem as close anymore, but what if they had reverted back to meeting in secret. Jealousy burned Hermione. She couldn't bear Harry being with anyone else. She knew what she would do. She would confront Ginny. Her eyes narrowed. It was time that Ginny learnt to respect her feelings. She obviously had no thoughts of other people, the selfish cow.

That was it. She would confront the exacerbating red head.

* * *

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