Disclaimer: I am not JKR and I am not making any money whatsoever from this.

Chapter 3: The Badger and the Snake

Ginny found herself in the Hogwarts Common several more times over the next few days and began to understand why Luna preferred it to the library. It was quiet and was always empty, that is until the following week. She'd just come out of her last class and was about to return to Gryffindor Tower, when she remembered that she had left the book Hermione had lent her in the common room the night before, so she decided to stop and pick it up on her way to the dormitories.

"-made him switch roots with me." She heard a boy say as she walked in. "Then he made Potty skin my shrivelfig." The boy exclaimed and she knew immediately who it was.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" She said angrily walking towards the fireplace where he was seated in the Slytherin chair.

He looked conflicted for a moment, but then as if he had made up his mind, he leaned back and folding his hands over his stomach, he answered. "Having a chat. What's it to you Weasley?"

That's when she noticed the other person. It was a boy, seated in the Hufflepuff chair and wearing a yellow robe underneath his Hogwart's robes. Since it was beginning to feel normal to be confused when dealing with this common room, she ignored the boy and turned back to Malfoy. "You can't be here."

"Says who?" He asked.

"I say so. No one wants to talk to you or anyone from your filthy family. So, why don't you leave him alone and get out of here." She said fervently.

"If I were you, I'd watch how I talked to my betters. Just remember: my shoes are worth more than you." He said standing up elegantly. "See you Ernie, Weaslette." He walked past her and out the door without looking back.

Ernie walked up to her, as arrogantly as Malfoy ever had and looked in her eyes angrily. "Just because I'm in Hufflepuff doesn't mean I need protecting." He said furiously. "Mind your own business next time Weasley." He said this and swept out of the room much like Malfoy had.

Ginny walked to the sofa and lay down, not quite sure what to think.


Ginny continued going to the common room without running into anyone until the following Saturday when she had gone to meet Luna. She walked inside to find Ernie sitting on the Hufflepuff chair near the fire. She walked up to him purposely and sat on the Ravenclaw chair, she cleared her throat. He looked up from his book and scowled.

"I'm sorry." She said quickly not giving him a chance to speak, "I shouldn't have assumed you needed defending."

"It's okay," he said, "I was out of line too, but Draco's my friend and I didn't appreciate you screaming at him."

"Your friend?" Ginny asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Ernie said smiling. "He's not so bad once you get used to him and if you ignore his insults."

Just then Ginny heard someone coming into the room and thinking it Luna she turned around and smiling.

"Weasley, are you hoping that if you sit there long enough you'll get smarter?" Malfoy asked with a sneer.

In deference to Ernie's feelings she tried to calm down but she felt her ears reddening and knew that before long her whole face would be flushed in anger. "Malfoy, I think we ought to at least try to be civil with each other, if we are both going to be sharing this room."

Malfoy scoffed and said, "What, are you trying to get in my good graces? Hoping I'll drop a knut or two?"

Ginny stood ready to fight if she had to when she heard a very familiar dreamy voice say "Draco." She turned around and saw Luna striding into the room as calm as ever.

"Luna. How are you?" He said. Ginny was shocked she was quite sure that was the first time she'd ever heard him speak without insulting someone.

"As happy as a Jumping Shurfig. You know Ginny?" She asked.

Malfoy looked confused for a moment and then smiled as he looked at Ginny, "You mean the Weaslette? I guess you could say that." Then he turned back to her and asked shocked. "You don't mean you're friends with her?"

Luna walked around the sofa and sank into it. "She's my best friend." Ginny couldn't help but smile at this declaration and sat back down on the Ravenclaw chair.

"Father did always say your father was crazy. He must be; to allow you to associate with riff raff like this." He said gesturing towards Ginny.

"Draco." Luna said her voice suddenly sounding quite normal. "Do not speak badly of my friends."

"Friends? She's probably the only one!" He exclaimed as he sat on the Slytherin chair.

"All the more reason for you not to treat her badly," she said once again resuming her dreamy tone, either ignoring or not picking up on the insult.

Ginny had heard enough, "Luna, why are you talking to him like that?" she demanded.

"He's my cousin." She said.

"Cousin?" Ginny asked, upset that her friend was related to such a horrible family and for the first time truly noticing her blond hair, grey eyes and slightly pointed chin. She was definitely a Malfoy.

"Yes, cousin. You of all people should know what a cousin is, the way you weasels reproduce, I was sure you had quite a few." Malfoy said grinning as if enjoying the discomfort this knowledge was causing her.

"My mother was his father's sister." Luna said.

"Yes, such a shame, marrying Lovegood was the biggest mistake she ever made." He said. "So Weaslette, I thought no one wanted to talk to anyone from my filthy family."

Ginny who was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that Draco and Luna were cousins became enraged at the perceived insult towards Luna and yelled "Luna isn't like you and your evil father."

"My father isn't evil, he's a good man!" Draco yelled indignantly.

"Good men don't try to kill little girls!" Ginny screamed angrily, standing up and moving towards Draco; her face was as red as her hair.

Luna stood up and pulled Ginny away, "Let's have a game of chess." Ginny didn't respond but allowed Luna to lead her away.

Draco stood there angrily and it seemed to be the first time in his life that he was unable to come up with a comeback.

"That sounds like a good idea." Ernie said with a forced happy voice. "Show me that new gold Gobstones set you have, Draco."

Luna and Ginny played several games; Ginny lost all of them and Draco didn't seem to be faring much better with the Gobstones.

A/N: This chapter was really hard as all chapters including Draco undoubtedly will be, because I want him to be just as nasty as ever and I don't think I'm all that clever when it comes to insults. Plus, I'm going to have to make it quite realistic for Ginny to start seeing Draco as Draco and not a copy of Lucius.

HRInuyashaFan16, thanks for being my first reviewer, by the way the reason I had Godric and Salazar as friends is the Sorting Hat as much as said so in OotP. I figure even if they didn't make up in real life, their paintings might, if they are hanging next to each other for 1,000 years.