Disclaimer: Anything you recognise is not mine. It belongs to JK, Shakespeare and possibly some other people.
Also, I apologise muchly for not having updated in so long, but I have a great problem that many like to call laziness. I prefer to call it being busy doing nothing. I also apologise for the shoddy ending, but my mind truly went blank.
Chapter 4This seems somewhat familiar, Ginny thought as she pulled away from the boy in front of her and brought her hand up in slow-mo. The pale skin that perfectly matched the blonde hair, the amazingly long lashes curving down his cheek as he opened his steel grey eyes in shock. Everything speeded up then, as he too brought up his hand to rub his cheek.
"Déjà vu," he said ruefully. "You know, you could at least have hit the same cheek."
"Why?" she said, a little too brightly "Now they match. Anyway, about that talk…" She trailed off, clearly waiting for him to fill in the gap. He sighed inwardly. The kiss and the slap had taken his mind so far from where it was he couldn't even remember wanting to talk to Ginny, only wanting to kiss her beautifully plump lips… No. That was not the way forward. All it would lead to was more slaps and if she wanted to make him match… A smirk grew as he considered the possibilities.
"Great, now he doesn't want to talk, when I so sorely do." continued Ginny, dramatically flinging herself down on a stone bench in the corridor.
"'What, my dear Lady Disdain! are you yet living?'" countered Draco, still smirking. Well if she wants to get all dramatic. Her look of confusion made it all worthwhile. "Oh, come on. Even muggles have heard of Shakespeare."
"Well, yes, but I was wondering if you knew the context behind that. It's from Much Ado About Nothing, and Benedick says it to Beatrice in the beginning. They end up falling in love." It was Draco's turn to look puzzled. "Just wondering if you knew. That's all." She added sweetly. Then, turning vicious, "Or did daddy just give you a book of quotes to read? After all, even I've seen Shakespeare performed."
Now it was back to more familiar ground. Draco knew what to do here, and he blessed her for giving him an opening.
"Of course I've seen it performed. I was just… surprised that you knew anything remotely…" Here he struggled to find a word to fit. He couldn't seem to manage it. Ginny's look of supreme satisfaction goaded him into saying the first thing that came into his head: "I'm going!"
Ginny's smug look rapidly disappeared.
"Well, if you want to act the baby, go ahead, I'm not stopping you. But I thought you wanted to talk to me. Next time you ask for a private moment, I won't be anywhere near as accommodating as I was tonight."
"But you weren't accommodating at all!" He protested, as she nodded grimly. "Let me guess; precisely your point? Fine, let's talk now." Draco sat heavily on the stone bench beside her, and tried to gather his memory of what he had actually wanted to talk about.
"Well, let's see… You were under a curse earlier tonight, weren't you?" He finally managed to say. He shook his head inwardly in annoyance. This wasn't at all what he meant to bring up, but he was grasping at straws now. Anything to avoid what he had meant to talk about, especially after that slap.
Ginny nodded, a little confused. Draco's mask had seemed to slip, albeit for a split second, and she could have sworn she'd seen some feeling under those cold, grey eyes. What that feeling was she couldn't tell; she didn't know him well enough to be able to know his expressions. Yet. Wait, that was wrong. She didn't want to be able to know him that well. Did she?
Whatever her feelings were, Draco had started talking again, so she had better pay attention.
"… told me that you thought it was me that did it to you. I know what you think I'm like, but trust me I'm not." Ginny snorted at this point. It may sound like he's being disarmingly honest, but it's just an act, she told herself. "What? It's true." He told her.
"Prove it," she replied. "I think you're a no-good Death Eater, just like your father, so prove that you're not."
"I can prove that I'm not a Death Eater," he said, rolling up his left sleeve, "But I can't prove that I'm good. That's just a matter of opinion. You have to make up your own mind on that count. Let me know when you've decided. After all," he continued, holding up a hand to silence her, "Evil, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. I know you think you already know, but how sure are you that you fight on the side of good? I'm sure even the Dark Lord thinks he's doing what's right." He looked deep into her cinnamon eyes. "Figure yourself out, before you judge me, that's all I'm saying."
Ginny caught her breath. That was the most she had ever heard him say in one go, and in such a genuine voice, too. She stared straight back at those grey eyes that were really more silver, and…
A figure in black jumped out from behind a pillar and went BOO!
(I'm sure not one of you saw that coming. But, seriously.)
A robed figure stepped out from behind the pillar sharing the corridor with them, applauding while he did so.
"A most stirring speech, young Malfoy. But I'm not sure your father would approve of you talking like that to blood traitors like this one." Said cultured tones from under the hood. Draco sucked in a breath through his teeth.
"Lestrange." He hissed.
"Well done, young nephew. But I'm afraid I will have to break this little party up. I can't possibly allow you to speak with this little bitch any longer, especially when the Dark Lord wants her so badly." Rodolphus Lestrange pulled down his hood to reveal proud features. Ginny, who had been frozen to the spot until this point, suddenly made a break for it. Lestrange easily caught with one arm and held her while she struggled.
"You bastard! You planned this!" She spat at Draco, "You lured in me in with that speech so that your uncle here could come and grab me and take me to You-Know-Who! I knew I was right. You should never listen to a Slytherin!" She continued kicking and scratching at Lestrange until he stupefied her.
"My, my, she's a bit of a wildcat, isn't she? How on earth did you manage to attract her like this?" Lestrange looked at his nephew interestedly.
"Get out of my sight." Draco said disgustedly.
"What? Aren't you even going to try and get the girl back? What kind of hero are you?" Lestrange shook his head.
"But I'm not a hero. That's the whole point. If you want a rescue attempt go and talk to Potter. I'm going to bed." He started to walk off. "Good night uncle." He called back over his shoulder. Lestrange shook his head again, this time with amusement. For all his faults, Draco was a good boy really.
By the time Draco got back to his bedroom he was ready to drop with exhaustion. He was even willing to forget his uncle had abducted Ginny for the Dark Lord. But God forbid he have a decent nights sleep. No. Instead Blaise came to interrupt him whilst he was changing.
"Did Ginny find you?" He said abruptly, closing the door behind him. Draco nodded curtly. "Good. That relieves me somewhat."
"Only somewhat?" Queried Draco mildly. Blaise nodded agreement.
"Your reputation is bad enough as it is without her telling the entire school that you put a curse on her. Not that Potter and his friends won't guess it soon enough."
"I resent that. I honestly didn't put that curse on her." Draco replied. His voice got harder, "It was the Death Eaters."
"How do y…" Started Blaise.
"Lestrange took her. Right in the middle of a moment as well." Complained Draco.
"And you don't mind?" Blaise was clearly astonished. "I thought you liked her… Wait a minute… You had a moment?" Draco smirked, albeit tiredly. "And you aren't going to rescue her, be her knight in shining armour and all that jazz."
Draco sighed. "I'll tell you what I told Lestrange. If you want the white knight upon a fiery steed go find Potter. I'm not cut out for rescuing damsels in distress."
"Well, I am. I think. But if I'm going down you're coming with me. It's the perfect way to polish your tarnished reputation" Blaise grabbed Draco's hand excitedly and started dancing round the room. Draco followed, dragging his feet.
"Why is it everyone cares about my reputation more than me?" Draco grumbled to himself as Blaise continued his mad dance across the floor, only stopping to collect their brooms. "After all, I'm the one who has to carry it around with me." At this point, Blaise flew out the window, gesturing furiously at Draco to follow.
So, without many real objections, Draco left Hogwarts in search of Ginny Weasley and the Death Eaters.