Disclaimer: I do not own and did not create whatever this fanfiction is about. I also make no claim to the music, quotes, etc. etc. etc. used in the story. That being said, if I did do/owned/whatever any of that stuff, just what do you think the odds are that I would be writing a fanfic about it? Honestly, people, get your brains straight! Of course, then you might not read… so just… use your common sense…

firefly820: Nice to hear, I hope you keep reading! It'll definitely be Draco/Ginny, but we'll have to see about Draco/Blaise/Ginny… MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! (That's code for: if I can swing, expect me to work it in…) I think I've already said it, but if you're looking for some good Draco/Blaise/Ginny, check out Dracademented. She should be listed in my favorite authors list (if not, my favorite stories list)… course, you'll probably enjoy hers more and completely abandon me… (sobs) YOU'RE SO CRUEL! LOL

Helldarkangel1: I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for the next chapter! I'll try to make it longer this time, and thanks for the compliments on my graphics! (hugs) So happy… oh so happy….

And now…

Contention
By… me
Part 3
Lessons

Ginny Weasley lay back in her bed, the blankets pulled over her face. She tossed and turned, trying to sleep. It was earlier that morning that she had decided to learn the dark arts from two of the most hated students in the history of Hogwarts. Surprisingly, her mind wasn't wandering… completely… Instead, it stayed on task. The fact that that task seemed to be human disembowelment or other such practices made no never mind.

Her first lesson had been… unsettling. With Draco's words still ringing in her ears, her mind continually turned over the history of the dark arts. It was a history she wasn't entirely sure was true, but that she was coming to believe with every time she thought through the process in her head.

It began ages upon ages upon ages ago, before there were even muggles to 'taint the earth' as Draco put it. His voice came strongly to her ears, as if he were in her room, beside her bed, speaking them.

"In the beginning, they were worshipped as gods. They had many names, and many great powers, and they were known through out the world. Some were loved, and some were feared." Draco told her. She heard Blaise laugh from the large window, where he was lounging.

"Hell, they were all feared." Blaise commented. Draco nodded.

"Worshipped as gods?" Ginny asked, confused. "If they were worshipped as gods, then…"

"What happened to them?" Blaise finished for her. She nodded. "Well pet, you'll have to wait 'till Draco gets there." he sneered. Ginny glared at him. She turned back to the one she considered to be her mentor out of the two. Blaise seemed to be the comic relief.

"The muggles grew in numbers, rapidly."

"Almost like rabbits." Blaise muttered to himself, grinning. "One plus one is two. Two and two became four."

"Soon, the muggles that loved and feared them were starting to rise against them. Times began to change. When, in the beginning, they were worshipped, they were turned from for another."

"Another god?"

"Indeed. The god that inspired what the muggles call 'the witch trials'." Blaise said before he spat in disgust.

"What happened?" Ginny asked.

"There was a cataclysm." Draco replied. "Many of our people were murdered; some were lost, some turned against us and hid in the crowds, pretending to be muggles."

"But most of us," Blaise said, sitting up and turning to her, "Most of us left. They found themselves at the top of Olympus, the land they had claimed and raised their families on."

"In one day, Olympus sank into the ocean." Draco told her. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"But what about the ones who ran?" she asked. Draco and Blaise looked between each other. "And what happened to them? Where are they now?"

It was at the sharp sound of a piercing scream that Ginny jumped up in bed, looking around the room and trying to find the source. She grimaced. What the fuck? Doesn't anybody else hear it?

It was strange, but the rest of her roommates seemed completely unaffected, as though they hadn't heard it. She was about to lean back and try and sleep, dismissing it, when she suddenly heard it again…

"GINNY!" it screamed. Ginny looked around wildly. It had to be coming from somewhere! She tossed her legs over the side of her bed, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and instantly went about looking for the source. Through unknown corridors and places she hoped she could find her way back from, she kept turning randomly as the screaming grew louder. It grew more and more deafening by the second, making it harder for Ginny to concentrate on her task. Hell, it was hard just to stand. She found herself leaning against a wall, covering her ears in pain and small, crystal tears streaming down her cheeks as it grew louder and louder.

"GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNY!" it shrieked. Ginny screamed in pain and rocked back and forth, gritting her teeth as her breathing grew more ragged. She shook her head, trying to sort out her thoughts. Have to- … HELP! The shrieking continued, echoing through the stone walls of a hallway Ginny, had she been able to form much of a thought, guess very few knew about aside from her brothers. "It hurts…" she cried to herself. She let out a deep breath, preparing.

"GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" she screamed as loud as she could. It was strange, then. Suddenly, at her command it seemed, everything was silent. Tentatively, she pulled her hands away from her ears. She looked around for a moment, trying to sort out what had happened. Where did it go?

"Does it matter?" she asked herself aloud. "Shouldn't you just be glad that it's gone?" It struck Ginny then… did she hear herself? "Shit, shit, shit…" she murmured. She couldn't hear!

She reached her hands back behind her, steadying herself, as she pulled herself back up. For a long moment, she leaned back against the wall, attempting to relax and taking slow breaths. Her ears ached, her head felt as though someone were trying to pound out her eyeballs with a sludge hammer from inside her skull, and as she wiped away the tears she was sure that the day was going to be difficult. Ginny stared up at the wall. What the hell am I going to tell Draco…?

Ginny stuck her arm out and leaned against the wall as she began to walk down the hall. It was been a strange couple of days. First, she actually had a civil conversation with Draco. That in itself was truly something she had never expected to happen. Second, she talked to Blaise too… As she continued to muse on the duo who had taken up teaching her the dark arts, she concluded that Draco and Blaise were not all bad – and you couldn't seem to have one without the other. They seemed somehow… inseparable. Draco was too serious and Blaise was too… Ginny laughed. Blaise was crazy, plain and simple. There was no other way to put it.

"So…" she mused. "Exactly where does that put me?" she asked herself, grinning. "Am I the faithful student, or the pet project the two have chosen to play mind games with?"

"I guess I'll never know." Ginny answered herself. "It's not as if I can even hear what I'm saying… Then again, I'm not sure I want to." she groaned as she stumbled down the halls. A few hours later, after classes had started, she would curse herself for that.

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"Ron! Ron!" Hermione called after her friend, running to their table at lunch. She bumped into Dean Thomas, knocking the pair down on the floor with Hermione on top, who stared down at Dean stupidly with a bit of a blush on her face. "You're not Ronald…." she stated.

"No…" he confirmed, a blush coming to his cheeks. Hermione laughed nervously,

"Uh… sorry about that." she told him, pushing up with her arms to lift herself straight off him. Hermione headed a few more seats down the table to where Harry and Ron sat. "RONALD!" she screamed, bashing him on the head with her latest copy of the Daily Prophet.

"OW!" Ron screamed. He looked over at her, his face as red as his hair in anger. "What'd you do that for?" Hermione glared down at him.

"Your own sister is in the hospital wing without the ability to hear and you're yelling at me for hitting you with a newspaper!" she snapped in shock. "I'm the one who needs to sort out her priorities?"

"Well, you are the only her in that group." came a casual drawl from behind. Hermione grimaced and rolled her eyes, determined to ignore the ever-annoying Blaise Zabini. It usually didn't work, but she had to at least try.

"Gin's WHAT!" he yelled. "What the hell happened?"

"She's been hearing voices…" came the sing-song voice of Blaise as he walked by. Hermione frowned as she determined that Blaise' voice didn't actually sound too bad. Maybe Ginny's got it lucky not being able to hear…

"Shove off, Zabini." Harry glared. Blaise stopped and looked back at the trio, smirking.

"What's the matter Potter? Jealous?" he taunted. "I thought you heard voices all the time."

"Did you want something, or have you just decided to randomly fling insults at us?" Hermione snapped, turning her glare on the Slytherin. Blaise' smirk grew.

"Oh, Granger, I wouldn't fling a dung bomb at you." he retorted. Hermione brushed off the comment. "It just so happens I was on my way to the hospital wing." Ron jumped out of his seat.

"FOR WHAT?" he demanded. Blaise sighed, bored.

"Oh, I thought I'd see a good friend." he replied. "The fact that she's related to you is strictly coincidental." Ron's glare grew murderous, giving Blaise as the more pleasure as he continued. "In fact, I wonder how she'd feel about changing her name…"

"SHE WOULDN'T!" Ron screamed. He'd had enough. He jumped forward, attacking Blaise, and landing punches randomly.

"Ronald!" Hermione screamed, staring down at the two. A group of Slytherins and Gryffindors instantly rushed over, some trying to pull the two apart and the others joining in on the fight. It seemed back sides had some hotheaded people in their group, itching for a fight and welcoming the chance to beat up a Gryffindor.

By the time Ron had thought to pull out his wand, Blaise had already done it and used at least two hexes on Ron alone. Harry ended up with a few more from the other Slytherins. A few of the Gryffindors weren't fairing too well, while the Slytherins were mostly fine except a select few who'd been the victims of a lucky shot. All in all, more than four students ended up with detention, and more than seven students were sent to the hospital wing – Harry and Ron included. Blaise had run off ahead, accompanied by a few other Slytherins Hermione recognized from their joint potions class, had run off ahead, avoiding the teachers entirely. She was still trying to figure out exactly how they had managed to disappear when she escorted Ron and Harry into the hospital wing, only to find that Blaise was sitting contentedly beside Ginny's bed, making jokes and faces at her while she laughed.

Hermione gasped in amazement. He… HE WAS COMPLETELY UNHARMED! Ron had a black eye, a bloody nose, and a few hexes to work off, Harry's lip was split and his head had been shrunk to the size of a peanut, and yet… Blaise had come out completely untouched?

Of course… she mused to herself. It is entirely possible that Blaise simply looks untouched because he made it here first and was healed. But… what does he want with Ginny?

Mind your own business, mudblood… she heard faintly. Hermione jumped and her eyes widened in shock. She watched Blaise carefully for a few moments, before walking over beside Harry. She sat down on the edge of his bed as Madame Pomphrey made her way over, not at all happy at having so many people suddenly appear and need treatment.

Ginny stared at her new… friend? while he made ridiculous faces and jokes that she knew she probably wouldn't have found so funny had she been able to hear them. She was right about Blaise being the comic relief - that was for sure.

THUMP! The doors suddenly burst open to reveal Draco Malfoy, instantly being glared at by over half the room – though Madame Pomphrey was not secretly hoping for his death, so much as wishing he would respect the patients more and not break down the doors. He ignored them all, however, and made his way over to Ginny and Blaise. He looked down at Ginny and said something, though she was not entirely sure what. As soon as this is over, I brush up on reading lips… Ginny suddenly had the strange feeling that she was not entirely alone in her mind…

Blaise and Draco looked at each and began to converse, arguing, it seemed to Ginny. She wasn't entirely sure, because they usually had a sneer or a scowl for a face, and their faces hadn't changed except that there was a glint in Draco's eye she had never really seen or noticed before.

"Ginny?"

Ginny frowned. She had never seen it or heard it before, she was very sure that she wouldn't like the two of them fighting. A slight smile came to her lips. Last week, she wouldn't have cared. How odd one person can change in only a few days.

"Ginny?"

Draco and Blaise looked over at Ginny, frowning. She opened her mouth to ask what they were frowning about, though she was fairly certain she knew, and she wasn't sure the words even left her mouth.

"Ginny?"

She jumped at a tap on her shoulder and turned around to face Madame Pomphrey. She said something Ginny couldn't hear.

"Huh?" Ginny replied, not expecting an answer. Madame Pomphrey frowned and looked over at Ron as he came and sat by Ginny, on the opposite side of the bed that Blaise and Draco and sat.

"How's it look?" he asked. Madame Pomphrey sighed.

"She can't hear a word anyone says to her or any sound at all." Madame Pomphrey replied. Draco took one look at Ron and burst out laughing. Blaise joined him, along with the other Slytherins, as Harry and Hermione came over. The Gryffindors ignored them.

"So what does that mean?" Harry asked. Madame Pomphrey frowned.

"It means there's not really anything I can do." she explained. "Ginny's deaf."

"WHAT?" Ron asked.

"Apparently, it runs in the family…" Blaise muttered under his breath.

"H-how could this happen?" he asked, dumbstruck. "What happened to her?" Madame Pomphrey's frown grew.

"I don't know, she won't tell me." she answered. "I'm sorry, but… there's nothing really that I can do."

Ginny didn't have to be able to hear to know that a deadly silence spread over the group. Everyone was looking at her, or sharing looks between each other. Madame Pomphrey had her best 'trying-not-to-look-deathly-afraid' face on. Blaise had stopped his jokes and faces… and Draco. Draco was staring at her. Just staring. What must he think of me now? she thought, staring up into his eyes. Crystal blue eyes…

Nothing less than I thought of you before…

Where did that come from?

"So, there's nothing we can do? She's just deaf?" Hermione asked. "Even the muggles have hearing aids to help. There's nothing?"

"Well…" Madame Pomphrey sighed. "There's a special doctor…"

Ginny's eyes slowly closed, feeling tired. She saw the others be shooed off by Madame Pomphrey, being able to hear her from memory saying something like 'she needs her rest'. She wasn't entirely sure she liked Draco and Blaise being shooed off. She had lessons! She didn't want them to think that… She wanted… she wanted them to sit with her….

Ginny rolled on her side and sighed, instantly falling asleep.

"There was a cataclysm." Draco replied. "Many of our people were murdered; some were lost, some turned against us and hid in the crowds, pretending to be muggles."

"But most of us," Blaise said, sitting up and turning to her, "Most of us left. They found themselves at the top of Olympus, the land they had claimed and raised their families on."

"In one day, Olympus sank into the ocean." Draco told her. Ginny's eyes narrowed.

"But what about the ones who ran?" she asked. Draco and Blaise looked between each other. "And what happened to them? Where are they now?"

"Tsk, tsk. Sigh, Draco. You've created a monster." Blaise commented. "So eager to learn." Ginny frowned and then glared at Blaise.

"You're not going to tell me, are you?" she asked. Blaise grinned. He leaned forward so that his face was inches from hers, brushing some of her red hair away from her face, causing a blush from Ginny.

"Shhh, Pet. Soon. Very soon." he replied. Ginny groaned. She looked towards Draco for an answer. When he offered her none, she messed up her face into a pout, causing a grin from Blaise and a strange reaction that Ginny had never seen before from Draco. She sighed discontentedly.

"Well, can't you at least make him stop calling me 'Pet'?" she complained. Draco's lips were pulled into a smirk and a face that said something like 'what, are you kidding?' Ginny leaned back in her chair with a slight thump. "So… the ancestors of the witches and wizards are… the ancient gods?"

"Aphrodite, Ares, Zeus, Hermes. Of course, there's also my personal favorite, Eros." Blaise replied. Ginny looked confused.

"Eros?" she asked him to explain.

"The Greek god of sexual desire." Draco told her, staring over at Blaise. She looked back and forth between them for a few moments, not oblivious to the underlying… tension… being passed between the two.

"Am I… missing something here?" she asked hesitantly. They looked at her curiously. "It's just… " Ginny didn't get a chance to finish her thought. Draco's face became more serious than it had a second ago, though Blaise appeared to be amused.

"Pet!" Blaise exclaimed. "I knew you couldn't stay away. Dreaming about us, were you?"

"What are you…?" Ginny began to ask. Then she understood. "You're- you're inside my dream?" Blaise nodded.

"You really shouldn't take all this stuff so seriously." he murmured, looking around. He looked down at himself. "But you seem to have remembered us perfectly." he commented, looking over at Draco. He grinned lecherously. "Perfectly, indeed."

"Not now." Draco told him. Blaise' face instantly deflated, like someone had just run over his puppy – not that Ginny understood what that term meant to any great extent.

"So… what does Madame Pomphrey say?" Ginny asked, remembering the conversations she couldn't understand.

"You're deaf." Draco told her. "There's nothing she can do."

Way to be blunt. It hit Ginny squarely between the eyes like a ton of bricks. She stared at Draco, feeling a knot in her stomach begin to wrench.

"Bu- but, I can hear you now." Ginny stumbled. "And… and what am I supposed to do? I can't go through life without being able to hear."

"They're calling for a wizard who can treat it." Draco said. "But… there is another way." That caught Ginny's attention. She raised her right eyebrow.

"Another way?"

"What happened before you couldn't hear?" Blaise asked. Ginny turned to him, clenching her eyes closed and trying to remember.

"I-… I couldn't sleep. I was walking through a hall." she replied.

"Nothing else?"

"I remember hearing someone screaming, but I was the only one who noticed." she told them. "What does that mean?" Blaise looked to Draco.

"Did it say anything?" Draco asked. Ginny sighed. She hated being kept out of the loop.

"No. It just called out my name." she told them.

"Banshee." Draco said simply. Ginny laughed.

"Wait, there's a banshee in Hogwarts?"

"It's not like it hasn't happened before." Blaise commented.

"You're serious?" she asked. "I had a banshee following me? But… that doesn't make any sense." Ginny looked back and forth between Draco and Blaise before heavy sighing. "Great, just great. Well, then, what about my hearing?" Draco smirked.

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Ginny opened her eyes and squinted at the light. It was too bright, far too bright, for a person who just woke up. She groaned. Her head throbbed, almost as badly as it had earlier. At least her eardrums didn't feel like there'd been a small nuclear explosion inside her head.

"Morning Pet. I'm sure you dreamt well." she heard Blaise say. She turned her head to look at him.

"You're too chipper." Ginny remarked dryly. Blaise grinned.

"Funny. Draco said the thing when we woke this morning."

Ginny might've been shocked at what that meant, if she hadn't spent the more than five hours with the pair. She had learned very early on that most everything Blaise said was total crap, and to listen to Draco more – he seemed to be the more informative, stoic one of the two. In other words, he was the least likely to pull a prank on her nowadays. Whoa, now there's a thought Ron, Harry, and Hermione shouldn't hear. They would probably die of shock. Besides, Blaise was probably lying.

That's what you think…

"What was that?" Ginny jumped. Blaise laughed.

"So?" Blaise inquired. Ginny glared at him.

"What are you going to tell Madame Pomphrey about suddenly being able to hear again?" Ginny asked. Blaise shrugged.

"I'm sure you'll come up with something." he replied, grinning like a fool.

"You've got to be kidding." Ginny declared. Blaise simply continued grinning as he stood up in his chair and headed toward the door. He opened it and turned to look back at her before leaving.

"Believe me, Pet. You've got bigger things to deal with Madame Pomphrey." he told her. He left. Ginny stared after him.

"Great. That's not very comforting." she said to herself. She closed her eyes again and relaxed. For the moment, everything was quiet.

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"How do you think she'll do?"

"Once she learns control?" Blaise asked. "Excellent." Draco nodded. "You need to relax, Love." Blaise told him, beginning to massage his back. Draco smirked.

"You're trying to seduce me."

"Is that a complaint?" Blaise asked, though he already knew the answer was no. Draco grinned.

"What about Potter?" Draco thought. "He will have to be disposed of."

"Soon, Love. Soon."

A/N: Okay, so it's not any longer than the last chapter, I don't think. Don't worry, they'll get longer. I promise. I'm working on it.
So… do I have you wanting to murder me for leaving off here? MWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! I hope so. That's a good sign. Remember to review, I'll get chapter… whatever it is… up next week. (grins demonically) I've got some good plot twists for this.