Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot, all characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling

A/N: sorry i didn't do this on the first chapter. this story does not follow the sixth book, but i have kept major events even if i have changed them a bit and adjusted the time line.

Warning: contains reference to self-inflicted wounds (cutting), a suicide attempt, and later chapters will have violence and character death. there will also be sexual references.

Chapter Two: Name Games

Finally, she had escaped them. Well, for a little while at least. Ron and Hermione were in prefect meetings at the front of the train and Harry had gone off who knows where. She had the compartment to herself. Unfortunately they would all return. Oh well, she would enjoy it while it lasted.

Or maybe not.

Malfoy had just stuck his head in the door. She ignored him. It didn't work.

"All alone weasel?"

"Gone blind, ferret?"

Malfoy sneered, something was different about the girl, she was stronger, well, harder to get a rise out of at least.

"Where's scarface, Gryffindork? I'm surprised you aren't attached to his shadow."

"I don't know Malformed, you're the one obsessed with him."

How did she have such an easy response to everything he said? Her nonchalance rivaled his own.

"Listen, Red..."

She interrupted him, finally looking up from her book. "Yes, blue?"

"Blue?" He was thoroughly confused.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ice?" she offered.

"Oh." He responded dully. How had she won? That she had was no question. Not that this could really be called a battle of the wits, but somehow, she had won.

"You wanted something?" He just walked away.

The rest of the train ride was uneventful. Harry returned, followed by the arrival of Neville and Luna. Ginevra liked Neville and Luna, she supposed they were her best friends. They didn't really ask a lot of questions, or much of anything for that matter. The three of them could sit in comfortable silence or hold pointless conversations for hours. The had become close when Ginevra had begun helping Neville with his homework and studying in the library. Luna had randomly sat down at their table one day and joined the study group. They were the only ones who knew she had been studying for her OWLs along with Neville. Luna was glad she had been given the chance to skip, something about missing the opportunity to, well, Ginevra wasn't sure what the girl had said but she knew it involved something 'Mi would have scoffed at as non-existent.

Today was one of the days they felt like sitting in silence and it was obviously making Harry nervous. Ginevra finally decided to take pity on him.

"Di', your father find any snorkacks this summer?" Ginevra had started calling Luna Di', after Diana, goddess of the moon, when she grew tired of hearing her friend called Looney. Neville, likewise, had undergone a name change upon befriending the redhead. He was now known, at least to her, as Dare. His middle name was Darien and she thought the name might inspire some backbone in the boy. Whether it was Voldemort's return or the name or a combination of both, the boy certainly had developed something resembling confidence over the last year or so.

"No," Luna answered dreamily, "but he did come across a colony of mifermice."

Harry had visibly relaxed as soon as the silence was broken. Ginevra couldn't figure out what the guy against silence, but was spared the need for sustaining a conversation she was not interested for his benefit by the return of Hermione and Ron.

The three talked amongst themselves with occasional input from Neville for the rest of the trip. Ginevra and Luna remained in their own worlds relatively undisturbed.

When they got to the station Hermione and Ron had duties to perform and Harry waited for them, telling the others to go ahead and find a carriage, not that Ginevra was really going to wait.

They found an empty carriage and climbed aboard. A few people opened the door, saw the carriage was half full, and moved on. Eventually the door was opened by Malfoy, Zabini, and Parkinson. Ginevra ignored them. It was beginning to get Malfoy's nerves. Zabini climbed in. Parkinson shrugged and followed. Malfoy glared.

"Come on mate, unless you want to walk." Zabini sounded as though he just might prefer it if his 'mate' chose the latter. Malfoy however climbed aboard.

Neville blanched at their company but other then the loss of color in his face showed no signs of discomfort. Ginevra was proud of him. Luna didn't seem to notice anyone had joined them, much less who. Typical Luna.

"So, Barebuttox, you must be relieved that your girlfriend moved up a year, now you won't even have to take notes for her to decipher."

Ginevra sighed and closed the book she was still reading. "First I'm mooning over Potter and now I'm dating Dare? Honestly, Alloy, tell the truth, you're just jealous I'm not fawning over you." She was extremely bored with these exchanges, but she would rather play name games with Malfoy than talk Neville's way out of a detention for fighting.

Malfoy growled at the alloy comment. She had just called him a mutt, and in a clever way at that! Alloy, mixed metal, Malfoy, pureblood, big difference.

"Me, jealous of you, Ms. Pittance? In your dreams." Okay, so Ms. Pittance wasn't exactly lame, but the over all comeback was. Something must be done about this. Not to mention the fact that Zabini was trying not to laugh.

Ginevra raised an eyebrow. She had expected more of a challenge. "Come, come, Mr. Midas, surely you can do better than that?"

"Mr. Midas am I? Shall I touch your brother so your family can eat? Oh, wait, Guinivere would rather I touched her, wouldn't she? Self-sacrifice and all that..."

Guinivere? Ginevra almost laughed, sure, the woman was known for infidelity that ultimately led to war and Merlin's decision that Muggle and Magic should not mix, but she was also known for her beauty. What was wrong with Malfoy, that could be a compliment as easily as an insult, depending on to whom it was said.

Well, if he was going to accuse her of being an unfaithful lover, "The only problem with that, Oedipus, is that the last thing I would know would be your touch. Even I am not that self-sacrificing."

Zabini stopped trying not to and started laughing openly. Even Parkinson failed to hide a giggle. Neville eyes were about to pop out of his face. Luna was blissfully unaware.

The rest of the carriage ride was silent. For the third time in two weeks, twice in one day, Malfoy had left an encounter with the female Weasley feeling disgruntled and she didn't seem to register that an exchange had even taken place. Shock, that's what it was, it was just shock that the weasel could think; the next time would be different; he knew what to expect now.