The two girls watched interestedly as four barn owls flew their way, landing right in front of them, and splattering Ginny with orange juice as Errol collided with her goblet. The red head hastened to untie the letter attached to its leg, ignoring Hermione's hearty sniggers. She had been in a good mood ever since she'd gotten Travis' letter promising her he wouldn't let her down, and assuring her he would be there on Friday evening.
"Bad news?" Hermione asked worriedly as she saw her friend's face fall.
Ginny didn't answer but merely kept on reading, her expression growing more sombre by the minute, and when she'd finished the letter, she looked ready to kill. Or maybe just physically injure someone quite badly. Either way, Hermione was now 100 percent certain that it was bad news. Very bad news.
Even as she watched, Ginny glared across the hall at Draco, who was now munching on a jam toast, talking to a slytherin that she recognised as Frederic.
"Ginny? Ginny what are you doing?" For Ginny had just gotten up, the letter still clutched in her hand, although it was now shaking with rage, and had started walking across the hall in the direction of the Slytherin table.
Many heads turned as she crossed the hall, glaring determinedly at Draco, who didn't seem to notice the murderous red head until she'd thrown the letter in front of his face and demanded to know "what the fuck."
His eyes scanned the paper and his facial expression went from disbelief to shame – although that changed pretty quickly to content.
"I want to speak to you. Outside." Ginny snarled at him, following him at wand point.
By this time, every single student in the hall was watching, and many cried out in alarm as Draco unexpectedly drew his wand out and quick as a flash yelled "stupefy!"
Ginny keeled backwards, hitting the cold stone floor with a thud, and a cracking sound as her head follow suit. Before Hermione knew what was happening, blood was flowing from the wound in Ginny's head, and Mc Gonagall, Snape, Dumbledore and Hagrid were on their feet, hurrying towards Draco. Or at least, Mc Gonagall, Snape and Hagrid were. Dumbledore was already crouched down next to Ginny, and examining the wound with interest before muttering the words "enervate."
Ginny's eyes flickered open, and her face screwed up in pain. Then she saw Draco, standing next to Hermione, looking down at her worriedly, and as Ginny looked into his eyes, she could see guilt and sorrow behind the faked look of disgust. He really was quite hot with his hair hanging in front of his face Ginny thought, before remembering the letter and all the other unpleasant memories, and she shot him a look of disgust.
"Are you okay?" Ginny heard Hermione ask, except that there was something strange about her voice. It seemed distant, as if she was talking from somewhere very far away, and Ginny couldn't hear her properly.
"Fabulous," Ginny said sarcastically, and she could almost have sworn she saw Draco smile a little before he was pulled away by the ear by Professor Mc Gonagall. Ginny grinned at Hermione and stood up, swaying slightly.
"Aw fuckin hell," Ginny moaned, and then everything went black once more as her knees buckled and she collapsed onto the floor.
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"Just ASK her Ron, for God's sake. Hermione said she fancied you so just fuckin ask her."
"All right, just give me a minute will ya?"
"Ron just go! Hurry or else she'll be gone soon. I should know - whatever, just go!" He added as Ron looked at him questioningly.
Ron looked away, took a deep breath and stepped forward, walking resolutely toward the black haired girl, his jaw set.
"Raven?" He asked her, and she turned around, blushing as she saw who it was.
"Yeah?" She replied, stuttering ever so slightly.
"Will... um... will you um, do you... ah whatever. Are you going to the ball with anyone? Because, um, if you're not, do you want to come with me?"
Raven turned scarlet and refrained from screaming YESSS! Instead she smiled, shrugged slightly and said "sure, sounds fun. You coming to pick me up then?"
Ron turned around hesitantly to Harry, but he was gone. BUGGER. HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DEAL WITH THIS ON MY OWN? DOESNT HE KNOW I NEED MORAL SUPPORT? "Um, yeah, sure, what time?"
"Oh. Um, I don't mind anything works for me."
Ron swung his arms in an embarrassed sort of way. "Shall I come at around eight-ish?"
"Yeah, sure, great," and Raven smiled, a genuine smile, not an embarrassed smile this time. "See you then."
"Yeah," Ron agreed. "Okay."
And then with a final smile she was gone, and he turned around and climbed the stairs to Gryffindor tower alone, yelling at Harry for leaving him alone in his head.
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"Ginny... Ginny wake up!"
"Whaswrong?" The red head asked groggily, sitting up in her bed, and then falling back onto the covers with a groan. "Why does this always happen to me?"
Hermione shook her head impatiently. "I don't know. But listen Ginny, you've got to help me, I've -"
"What time is it?" Ginny asked suddenly, very aware that the only light in the room was coming from the light on the nightstand next to her.
"Um, six in the morning, but listen-"
"Six in the morning?" Ginny cried indignantly. "I don't know how you got in here and I don't care but you better clear off and let me sleep or else I swear I'm calling madam Pomfrey."
"But Ginny, this is an emergency!"
"Is the castle being attacked by death eaters?"
Hermione looked startled. "No, what-"
"Is anybody in mortal peril? Apart from Draco Malfoy that is when Madam Pomfrey lets me go, that is."
"No."
"Is Derek getting married?"
"No! But listen Gin-"
"Death eaters are NOT attacking, no one is about to die and Derek is not getting married, nothing to worry or fuss about, so if you don't mind-" Ginny pulled the covers back over herself "I'm going back to sleep. Goodnight."
And then Ginny was rolling over, pulling the blankets with her and nothing Hermione said made her turn around or decide to talk to her. In fact, the more Hermione tried to get Ginny to talk to her, the more Ginny ignored her, so she figured she might as well wait until breakfast to ask Ginny, if Ginny wasn't mad at her, that was.
Hermione sighed and left, knowing full well that she shouldn't have come in the first place but feeling let down all the same. "That's Ginny for you," she mumbled when the hospital wing door had closed shut magically behind her, and she then directed herself towards the kitchens for a cup of coffee and hopefully a donut, a slight scowl on her face.
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Ginny shut her eyes tight and hoped Hermione would go away. She had had barely any sleep and she was dead tired, and here she was AGAIN, 10 minutes later, probably demanding Ginny to help her pick out what earrings to wear with her dress tonight.
The footsteps came closer to her apparently sleeping form, and then stopped at her bed. Ginny rolled her eyes and rolled over.
"Hermione I told you, I am NOT helping you pick out outfits for the-" She stopped short and then sat bolt up right in the bed, clutching the covers and bringing them up to her chin.
"What the fresh hell do you want NOW?" She whispered loudly, and glaring at the boy with blonde hair before her.
He however remained silent, a small smile evident on his lips.
"Listen, I want you to clear off. Once and for all. Just... go away. You can keep your ruddy potion, I don't care. Just stay away from me and my friends, and if you want classified B products, contact Mundungus Fletcher."
Still Draco did not move, although his good humour seemed to have been replaced by sadness.
"You heard me." Ginny said, grabbing her wand and pointing it at him. "I'm giving you three seconds to clear off. One." She raised her wand. "Two," higher it went. "Three. Mungdl-"
"Expelliarmus!" And Ginny's wand, for the second time that day fell out of Ginny's hand, and soared into Draco's.
"Listen, Ginny," Draco began but he was cut off by Ginny once more.
"DONT call me Ginny." She hissed, her voice full of venom.
"Listen-"
"I don't see why I should. I told you to clear off, and you didn't. Then you stole my wand. If you don't move NOW I SWEAR-"
"Silencio." Draco muttered simply, and Ginny gave up talking. However, it did not stop her from glaring at him and raising a rather particular finger up at him.
"Just hear me out, please?" Draco pleaded as Ginny rolled her eyes furiously and clamped her hands over her ears, reminding Draco forcefully of Dobby, his previous house elf.
When Ginny did not respond, he reached out and grabbed her hands in his, drawing them away from her ears. This worked pretty well until Ginny realised that she had legs and feet and if her foot collided with a certain part between his legs, she wouldn't have to be in his presence much longer.
Luckily for Draco however, he sensed what she was about to do and pulled away just in time.
"Tut tut tut. Just who do you think you are?" He said, his voice no longer pleading but rather matching Ginny's anger. "Just fuckin listen to me okay? I'm trying to give you a heart felt apology-" Ginny's eyes widened considerably at this amount of information "and you're just trying to cause me more pain. So just STOP MOVING" he let her hands go, and she stopped struggling, "and LISTEN to me for a second."
Ginny crossed her arms, and glared at him once more. "Fine," she spat.
Draco smiled slowly, and then took a deep breath. "Okay. Um, first of all, I'm sorry for stunning you this morning. I saw the letter, and, well... I don't know what to say. But Blaise had been reading it over my shoulder, and it was the only logical thing to do..."
"For your reputation you mean?"
"Listen Ginny-"
"Weasely."
"Right, sorry. I mean that... well... I knew I shouldn't have stunned you the moment I did. I don't care about getting a weeks worth of detention, but you weren't supposed to get hurt, W. I'm sorry. I really am. I mean, I know you think I'm an insensitive bastard, and I probably am, but I didn't want you to get hurt."
"Which would be the reason why you stunned me," Ginny said slowly, comprehension dawning on her face. "You knew that if you just went along people might think we were friends... Oh my God."
Ginny looked up at the 17 year old boy who was watching her intently.
"I didn't mean for you to hit your head or get hurt at all W. I was just trying to help."
Ginny cocked her head at him and then said. "Double u?"
Draco grinned, and Ginny noticed again how straight and even his teeth were. "Yeah. I'm not allowed to call you Ginny, and Weasely sounds so formal."
Ginny nodded. "So you're saying we're friends?"
"Oh no! By all means no! But lets say... we have to be on speaking terms for the potion to work out."
Ginny grinned. "All righty Malfoy-ee."
Draco grimaced. "Just one thing. Don't call me that."
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Sorry, no kissing just yet... however... Christmas DOES seem to be coming up doesn't it? Review!