Caught Unaware

"He just infuriates me! I mean the only thing he does is make fun of my clothes, or how poor my family is." Ginny continued to search beneath her bed. "I mean what's with the staring; do I have something on my nose?"

Daveigh looked over at her friend. The only blemish on Ginny's skin was a line of freckles which were all over her creamy skin. She shook her head.

"I just can't find that bloody book!" Ginny sighed and sat down on her bed "…why am I so crazy about him?"

"I dunno," Daveigh answered. She took a look at her reflection. "Gin, what would you think if I cut all my hair off."

Ginny came out of her thoughts and stared at her friend. "Are you crazy? Do you know how gorgeous your hair is?"

Ginny was right. Daveigh's hair is of legendary proportions. Her ebony hair hung just past her knees and was always kept in a single braid down her back. Even Parvati Patil was jealous of how guys stare at the ponytail which always swings and hits her bottom seductively when she walks. One time in transfiguration in her 4th year, a boy sitting behind her aimed wrong and transfigured her ponytail into a snake. McGonagall was all frenzy at this and gave the boy detention for a whole month, ("You and Ms. Porter could have been seriously hurt!") Now she sits on her hair to avoid any 'unnecessary accidents.'

"It was just a thought," Daveigh answered after some time, "I mean it just gets boring wearing it the same way each day."

"Well maybe you should wear it loose or something. I bet it would make all the guys keel over."

"Oh well, Gin we better get to class. Hopefully this time you won't fall asleep." Daveigh's piercing violet eyes gleamed with laughter as she gathered her charms materials.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Oh I still haven't found my book. Guess you'll have to share with me!"

"All right, as long as you don't talk about Malfoy again."

Ginny nudged her friend lightly as the pair walked out of the girl's dormitory.

"What was with the display at lunch?" Geoffrey Lovegood said to Draco. The two were potting water plants side by side in Herbology.

"Talking to Pansy, not that it's any of your business," Draco answered, "Goyle you idiot, you're going to drown that thing if you put it in all that water."

Goyle stopped soaking the water plant, looking confused at Draco, "But I thought a water plant lived in the water."

Draco and Geoff both turned to look at each other.

"Goyle I swear, if you were any slower I'd think you were a snail trying to race itself," Geoff commented, "How you passed your O.W.L.S. for this course is beyond me. Were you listening at all to what Sprout was saying to us?"

Draco rolled his eyes at Geoff. "Enlighten us big head."

Geoff cleared his throat. "Well, like Sprout was saying, water plants are only called such because their leaves are filled with water used only to quench the thirst of someone who is dehydrated. It is found in the rare dry jungles in South America. They don't grow near water."

"Gods, you sound like Granger," Draco commented, "are you sure you shouldn't be in Ravenclaw with your loony cousin?" Crabbe and Goyle chortled with laughter.

"If you compare me to that mudblood again Malfoy, I'll pound your face in and then feed you to one of Hagrid's creatures. And anyway, my 'loony' cousin as you say isn't all that bad. Yes, she may believe in things that don't exist, but she's all----"

"And now, your water plant should be firmly planted in the rich soil. Make sure that the soil is nice and dry, otherwise your plant won't survive," commented Professor Sprout who made her way through the room checking up on her pupils.

When she reached Goyle's area, she gave a loud screech.

"Mr. Goyle, this is the third time you have destroyed my plants since term began! Since taking points or listening doesn't seem to get through your thick skull, I think coming here everyday for a month to help me out in here will perhaps teach you not to destroy others property," Professor Sprout yelled.

The whole class stood still as Goyle held the dead plant in his hand. Malfoy had an amused expression. The Gryffindors in the room had either shocked expressions on their faces like Hermione, or trying to hold in a loud guffaw like Harry and Ron. The other Slytherins looked on with defiant expressions on their faces. Ron looked like Christmas had come early.

Professor Sprout crossed her arms and suddenly said, "Longbottom!"

Neville looked over at her with a shocked expression, "Yyyy-yes professor."

"You will tutor Goyle for one night a week while he completes the terms of his detention. You are a superb student in Herbology, and I think with your guidance, maybe Goyle can make a decent grade in this class and get prepared for his N.E.W.T.S."

Neville looked over at Goyle, whose neck had stretched to thicker proportions after Professor Sprouts' brief attack. Goyle cracked his knuckles, and stared at Neville.

"Class is dismissed. Mr. Goyle, please come and see me."

The class began to file out of the room with students avidly talking about the scene they just witnessed. Geoff stepped over to the sink and washed the dirt and soil off his hands. He looked over at Draco who was still patting the remaining soil for his water plant.

"So Malfoy, back to what I was saying earlier, I saw what you were doing."

Draco looked up with a semi-confused expression, "What?"

"Well, I mean if you would have picked any girl to want to shag, did it have to be Weasley?"

Draco looked over at Geoff and began to laugh. The last time he saw Draco laugh like that was when Hagrid's hippogriff got sentenced to death in their 3rd year.

"Shag little miss 'Princess of Gryffindor?' Nah, I got better things to think about or shag than that muggle-lover." Draco made his way to the sinks to wash his hands.

"What was with the staring then? You couldn't keep your eyes off her all through dinner. Even Pansy looked up from her worshipping to notice."

"Just trying to intimidate her, I got to keep up my reputation," Draco said haughtily as they walked out of the greenhouses and made their way back up to the castle doors.

Geoff followed behind his friend with a look of disbelief, 'There's more to this than he even knows,' Geoff thought, 'And he doesn't know what hit him.'