Chapter Eleven: Plans

It wasn't long before it was Valentine's Day. Almost no progress had been made on the cabinet and they had decided it was time to kick the rumors up a notch.

Draco would be seen walking down an empty corridor alone and Ginevra would be seen in the same corridor, alone, about an hour later. Someone would glance a bit of red and white together down on the other side of the lake. They didn't even spar in the halls anymore, they merely nodded to each other. In other words, "Have you heard? Malfoy and Ginny are secretely dating."

Ron's mood was dark, to say the least. Hermione was nervous all the time, and Harry looked like he would hex the next person he caught spreading rumors.

"I know what happened last time we listened to the rumors, but come on Hermione, you have to admit, it looks bad." Ron was whining.

"He's got a point, Hermione. We don't see her around as much as we used to, and she's quieter when she is, like hiding something." Harry knowingly put his two knuts in.

Ginevra listened on one of her brother's extendable ears.

"Why do you both have to act like I'm helping her run around with the ferret? I just think we should think before we confront her about rumors again." Hermione used her martyr voice.

"Fine! We've thought about it! I want to hear her side of this and now!" Ron was turning red, Ginevra could hear it. She sighed. Time to take preemptive actions.

She ran to her bed, pulled the curtains, and started crying. That was how Hermione found her when she went to gather her for the inquisistion.

"Ginny! What's wrong." Excellent, Hermione was in mother mode.

"It's...It's...It's just that everyone thinks I'm dating Malfooooooooooooooooy!" Ginevra wailed. She sat up and looked as though her world was in ruins around her. "I just...I just...I just dont'...I got tired...of the other...rumors...so I...started...avoiding people..." she paused to sniff a few times "and stopped...returning his...insults...in the halls...and now..." She stopped talking and just broke down into sobs. Dray would appreciate this when she told him about it later. Wait, when did he stop being Malfoy and became Dray in her thoughts? Shouldn't be the other way around?

Hermione held her friend and let her cry. When Ginny had calmed down some they made their way to the common room where Hermione explained to the boys why the slender red head was in tears. Ron immediately kicked into overprotective big brother gear.

"You can't let them get to you! You do what you want. You don't have to hang out with a bunch of gossips if you don't want to!" He gathered her in his arms and she strangled down her anger and his abrupt change. "Just tell us if anyone bothers you and we'll take care of it." She wanted to laugh. A minute ago he had been ready to lay into her about dating a Malfoy and now he was threatening the whole school. Gryffindors were too easy to manipulate. Gah! She was a Gryffinor! When had she begun thinking of herself as an outsider? Well, she suppposed she was, but still...

March was almost over and they had finally begun to make progress on the cabinet. They were happy with the rumors the way they were. They barely had to do anything anymore. If they looked at each other across the Great Hall at dinner the school debated for another week. Ginevra was quickly losing her "perfect" reputation. She had rarely landed dentention before this year, mostly because she knew how to avoid getting caught, but this year was different. She was caught out of her dorm after curfew. She talked back in class. She failed to turn in classwork. Whenever the trio questioned her she either blamed the stress of the rumors, which they swallowed hook, line and sinker, or she told them it was none of their bloody business and she was sick of them always standing over her and suffucating her and she had never said she was perfect in the first place and people should just get over that fact that she wasn't! That usually shut them up too, but more from shock than anything.

Draco enjoyed watching Ginevra manipulate those around her. She truly was a master. The golden trio never knew what to expect and the constant parade of confusion, concern, sympathy, and disbelief was highly entertaining. She always knew where the line was. Just when they were about to believe all the rumors and call her on her attitude she snapped back to their little baby and had them all understanding and sympathizing and protecting her again. Even the teachers were wrapped around her finger. Sure, McGonagal gave her detention, but from what he understood they spent most of the time talking about all the stress and injustice in her life. And obviously when Snape gave her detention she did whatever she felt like to pass the time. His favorite part, though, was when she would randomly hex younger students in the hall. It was never anything drastic, just a jelly-legs here or a tickling curse there, but it was always fun to watch the crowd to see who had noticed she was the source of the hex. Inevitably, those that did had one of two expression, pure disbelief and concern or a knowing "I told you so" look as they nodded to their friends.

All in all, however, things had been pretty steady since Valentine's and stayed that way until mid April when Ron ended up in the hospital wing. Draco hadn't heard what had happened and was quite angry that Nevra had never showed at the Room of Requirement. It wasn't until she failed to show up at dinner that he grew concerned. It didn't take him long to learn what had happened though. He wished he had her control when he felt the color draining from his face. He had forgotten about the poison when nothing had come of it. How in the world had Ron gotten a hold of it? Bugger. He wasn't looking forward to Nevra's reaction.

Ron recovered easily enough after the bezoar Harry had stuffed down his throat and life continued, but it had a strange effect on Ginevra. She didn't talk to Draco for two weeks and Snape was just about to intervene when she returned to the Room of Requirement one day and began working as though nothing had happened. Draco was wiser than to question her. The interesting thing was how she turned it to her advantage. She hadn't spoken to anyone in two weeks. She had refused to answer questions in class, refused to do any spells she could not cast silently in Charms and Transfiguration, she refused to acknowledge her friends when they spoke to her. She even acted as though she couldn't hear Ron, almost as though she couldn't see him. Some said the mere thought of losing her brother had terrified her so badly she didn't want to be close to anyone because they might be killed. Some said she had been disappointed he had survived. She had the whole school talking about her again and admitting that they had absolutely no idea what went on her head.

The same day that she turned up to help Draco with the cabinet she became the Gryffindor Princess again. The detentions and attitude disappeared. Draco wasn't the only one who caught the subtle differences, though. She intentionaly let it be noticed that she was acting. She smiled a little too wide when greeting friends. She laughed a little too loud. She talked a little too much. She even began to gossip. She was a little too perfect. Finally Draco had enough.

"Look, we're supposed to be partners. You want to tell me what you're up to?" They were in Snape's classroom working on homework. She had detention with Snape again, a relic from before Ron's close call, and he had stopped by to escape his common room.

"Just messing with their heads."

"Your messing with mine too and I wish you wouldn't. Let a man know what's going on." He was marking first year essays as he spoke.

"Just figured that if I really turned I'd try to cover it up, you know? These couple of weeks will give them something to look back on and say 'should have known.' Another week or so and I'll slack off the over acting or they'll get suspicious. I mean, after I realize no one suspects I'll get more natural. They may underestimate me, but they don't think I'm stupid." She put the finishing touches on her herbology homework and looked up.

"Makes sense. Did you know that cinnamin can turn a salamandar tale purple?" Draco almost laughed as he read the essay before him. He liked the way they discussed things. They almost always used nonchalant and distracted tones while they were doing something else as though what they were discussing had no importance at all. A complete antithesis to the way they engaged in "small talk." If they weren't discussing something important the conversation almost always became heated and emotional. It was quite strange, but it worked.

"No, I didn't," Ginevra laughed as well. She took half of the stack of essays in front of him over to herself. "Anyway, by the time my latest escapades die down, say, a week more for the over acting and week of good ol' Gin and it will be May. Probably time to stir the hornets again. Even my fortnight of silence barely inspired more than a dull rumble. Hah! Adding a newt's eye before the toad's toe will ruin any potion containing both ingredients. I'll have to tell Fred and George their rather successful line of day dream creams are brewed in a rather impossible way and they must stop selling them immediately."

Draco chuckled, yes, chuckled. "So, two weeks and we give them something to roar about?" He looked over at her with a evil glint in his eye.

She looked at him deadpan. "You realize there is only one thing left that will do that, right?"

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "Public displays of affection?" She nodded. "How far? I mean, we can be seen snogging or we can be seen dragging each other off while we rip each other's clothes off."

She thought for a moment. "I think insinuation at first, that gives me some deniability if Ron goes off the deep end, which he will. I can always say he heard me wrong or imagined it or you were attacking my honor or some such sludge and he'll buy it. A couple of shouting matches in the halls a few days a part and then we decide where to go from there. What do you say? Feel like bespudging my honour in public?" The evil glint was now in her eye.

He looked wary. "Sounds good, but on one condition."

"Fine," she rolled her eyes, "all references to performance will be positive. Negative remarks will be restricted to willingness and promiscuity. Happy?" He looked uncomfortable and she looked amused.

"Perfect." Why had she assumed that was what he was going to say? It was, but how had she known?

A/N i have finished writing this story. it is 25 chapters long and will update three times a day until its finished. i'm thinking about starting another story to post when this one is done, but i'm not sure.