A/N I don't own it. I don't chapter it. I don't always update it. All I do is write it.
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She walked down the long corridor. It was completely consumed in darkness, and she was amazed that she could even still make out the figure in the distance. Him. It had to be him. Walking up to him, she stopped. He closed the distance between them, and she looked up into those startling silver grey eyes.
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Ginny woke up with a start. She was covered in sweat, and could feel beads of it rolling off her forehead. Getting out of bed, and walking to her dresser to grab some fresh clothing; she stole a look at the clock. It read 2:27 am.
"Great…" she mumbled before taking her clothing and going into the bathroom.
Peeling off the clothing, Ginny stepped into the shower, letting the pearls of hot water dominate her. It wasn't the first time she had had that dream. 'And,' she thought, 'it won't be the last…'
Ginny had been having the same dream off and on now for a few months. It was always the same; pitch black corridor, random figure in the distance, and silver grey eyes. Then she would wake up covered in sweat, take a shower, and continue with her day. She always woke up at the same time, and it happened whenever she actually fell asleep.
"That's what I get for being an insomniac." Ginny said out loud as she toweled off and got dressed for the day.
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"Good morning, darling would you like something to eat?" asked Molly Weasley. The aging woman was always the motherly type, and never really saw when there was a problem. Thus why she never realized her daughter had always been an insomniac.
"No thanks mom, my tea is just fine. I was actually just about to head to work." Ginny never had anything but her soy chi tea in the morning, and her mother always asked if she wanted a breakfast despite it. She worked at a book shop in the town by her house, only sometimes writing anything of her own, but reading everything in the store. If it took her fancy enough she would paint it, or draw it in one way or another. She also loved to photograph; almost never leaving home without her charcoals, pencils, and camera.
"Alright then, if you want something, just ask." With that, Molly went on with her morning work of making breakfast and starting the mending she hadn't finished the night before.
Ginny quickly got ready, just going upstairs and grabbing her bag and stuffing in her things, then left with a quick 'bye' to her mother.
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"You know Izze, you're not on for another couple of hours, and you seriously don't need to the overtime sweetie." said Ginny's boss, Madeline, who'd nicknamed Ginny Izze. Madeline was an extremely out there type of girl in her mid twenty's. She'd inherited the bookstore from her grandmother who had passed while Madeline had been in America. Coming back to take over the bookstore, it had gone through a little bit of eccentric remodeling, thanks to Madeline, but had ended up turning her half-assed business degree into a good cause. She and Ginny got along great, and were the best of friends, despite the age gap and job.
"Yeah well, you know how my mom is. I had to get out of there; besides I had The Dream again and figured getting out of there a-sap was in order. Where else would I have gone?" Ginny replied with a mock tone toward the end.
"You had The Dream again eh? Well, figure out who it is yet?"
"Shut it Lynn'y you know I haven't a clue who it could be."
"Well, since it's still pretty early, why don't you go into the back and organize it. We got a new shipment of those kids' books plus a ton more of that one about some vampire or something like that. Apparently the whole groups of them are best sellers; we'll see."
"Ha-ha, yeah…I'll be in the back." Ginny went into the back and immediately began to organize the mess that was the Backroom.
Madeline, or Lynn'y as Ginny called her, was a very unorganized person until it came to money. She could recite every single transaction all the way from the time she'd taken over until the last one from yesterday. Which was why she and Ginny got along so well; Ginny, who'd been upped a grade at Hogwarts, and would be in her seventh year starting tomorrow, had even taken a bunch of classes at the town's local high school, and was very well organized, and kept track of things very well. Ginny's organizational skills were often questioned by everyone, as no one could ever make out what went where or how Ginny could conclude that the spot it was in was the right one; this was why no customer could ever find anything and always had to ask for help. Madeline had gotten the hang of where things were in her store, even if she didn't understand why they were where they were, but could help the costumers well enough. Only the two of them worked in the shop and during the year while Ginny was off at school, Madeline was often begging for her to come home on the weekends to help out in the back.
Madeline was a witch, as was her entire family. So Hogwarts was nothing new to her. She and Dumbledore, in fact, were on very well terms, Madeline having gone to Hogwarts herself. This relationship often helped Ginny find herself a port key home for the weekend.
"Hey Izze get your butt out here!" shouted Madeline from the front. Ginny got up from where she'd been sitting sifting through the order forms and checking to make sure everything had been right, and walked into the front.
"What is it Lynn'y?" she asked.
"Well, you need a boyfriend, and he's hot as hell. Plus, he gets your organizing better then I do."
"Bull, how do you know?"
"Babe, all he did was ask if we had some book, I said I didn't know I'd have to look, and he went and got it."
"Did he pay and leave then?"
"No, he put it on the counter and went to look for another one." Madeline pointed to a book.
Ginny picked up the book and examined the cover. She knew what is was without flipping it over and reading the title, since it was one of the few she'd written. Of course, no one actually knew that other then Madeline, since it was under a different name.
"Sparkling Animosity: This novel about a young boy on a quest to find at least a little of his real family, ends up finding himself as much as losing it. 'A great interpretation of life for the young and old alike –London Times'. 'A fascinating tale of trying to find something that was there the whole time and then losing yourself in it –Rolling Stones'. Wow, I never bothered to look at the back of these before…hmm." Ginny read off the back of her first book.
"Have you read it then?" startled, Ginny turned around to face the person, and almost fainted with the pure shock of who it was. "Well, Weasley; have you read it or not?"
"I know it better then you would know." She snapped back, letting instinct take over. Around Draco Malfoy, Ginny never seemed to hold her tongue like she would with other people. This alone was the reason Draco Malfoy liked to antagonize her; she had an aptitude for comebacks and sly remarks.
"I doubt that. Look, I'm looking for anything else by Izze Sprit. I could only find these three, but I heard that a new one had just come out. Do you have it?" Draco was talking in complete earnest, that Ginny had never heard him use before. At least not in front of her.
Madeline looked at Ginny with a look that clearly read 'You answer, miss I'm the secret author who was dumb enough to use my friends nickname for me'.
"Actually there are four, and there is going to be five soon. We have the first four, Sparkling Animosity, Green Innocence, Malevolent Sprig of Joy, and Tree Blossom Drug. And the new one isn't due until Christmas." Ginny said this in a very guarded voice, which held almost a quiver of fear.
"I didn't see Tree Blossom Drug, are you sure you have it?" Draco was being completely honest, and was confusing the heck out of Ginny.
"Um, yeah actually I am. Look, I'll go get it. You probably don't get this organization anyway."
"No-I get it Weasley, what I don't get is why you're acting like it's impossible to get. The book isn't there, I looked."
"Please Malfoy, no one gets my organizing, don't try and pretend you're special just because you lucked out and found a couple of m- of books." Ginny had almost said 'my books', and was hoping that Draco wouldn't notice for the sheer fact that Ginny knew he would hold it against her in some way.
"What's not to get? I mean please Weasley; it's really not all that uncommon."
"What are you bent or something? I own the place and don't understand why it's all screwy like it is!" Madeline snipped at Draco. She may not have known who he was at first, but now that she saw him up close, it wasn't hard to make out the most sought after man in the Wizarding World. Not necessarily the most liked, or welcomed, but just about every woman and girl between the ages of 10 and 30 wanted him; even if he was only 18 and just about to begin his last year of schooling.
"That's your own fault you don't understand things that are all but meant for a first year."
"Alright then Malfoy-exactly how is it organized?" Ginny was just waiting for him to get it wrong. They all did, and sure, it was arrogant of her to just know he would get it wrong, but he would, it was like a rule to get it wrong.
"Author by first name according to their first three middle initials, then the date the book was first published, then by the first letter of the third to last word on the second page of the actual story, then by the amount of chapters in the book, followed by the birthplace of the author and then where they live now, and then, it is alphabetized the title of the last chapter, or word, of the book, oh and then by color of the book."
There are exceptions to every rule. Thought Ginny as she looked on in amazement, as Draco finished listing the exact way she organized her things. It wasn't only the store she organized like that. It was everything; all of her things were organized in a way that not a single person had ever figured out completely, even Madeline didn't always know where to find a book. And sometimes, when Ginny had got sick of doing nothing around her house on one of her nightly insomniac nights, she would go to the store and completely reorganize everything from one direction to the other.
"How in bloody hell did you know that!" Ginny was shocked.
"It doesn't matter;" Draco said in a very indifferent and dismissing tone, "What matters is where the book is. Because I checked, and double checked, and I only found three of the books."
"There were five out yesterday total. I put them there when I restocked the night before last." Ginny told him, "They're there."
"What'd you say the title was again?" asked Madeline.
"Tree Blossom Drug; and look there is no way that five of the exact same books sold in one day, come on Lynn'y there's just no friggin' way."
"Actually two sold yesterday morning, around I'd say ten and eleven-thirty; another two sold together at about three, nice old man, bought a copy of some romance novel for his wife too; and then there was the one right before we closed at nine. Sorry Izze, but he's right, they're not there." Only after calling Ginny by her nickname of Izze, did Madeline realize that Draco was listening to them.
Giving her a calculating look, that was carefully blank, Draco said, "There you have it from the mouth of your boss Weasley, now, get me the book out of the back so I can be on my way without any more trouble. I'm late enough for a meeting as it is."
"Didn't your mother ever teach you to say please, Malfoy, or was it that your nanny didn't bother?" Ginny knew she shouldn't be rude to the customers, especially in front of other customers, but this was Draco Malfoy, and she stopped caring as soon as he figured out her organizing code; but only because it really creeped her out.
Draco's face went from carefully blank to very cold and disconcerting. "My mother's dead." was all that he said.
Ginny didn't know what to say. She'd forgotten that it had been in the news, and that it was rumored that she'd killed her self rather then become a ploy in Voldermort's claws.
"I'll give the book to Madeline." Ginny said before going into the back and getting a couple copies of the book from the shelf. Returning to the front counter, Ginny handed the book to Madeline and with a sidelong glance at Draco, went and put the books on the shelf.
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"Bye, have a nice evening!" Ginny waved goodbye to the last customer of the day before flipping the open sign to closed.
"You know Izze, I wonder who he was buying the books for. He doesn't seem the type to get presents for other people, and even so, who would he be getting a book for?" asked Madeline.
"Who know Lynn'y he's a jack and has jack for friends as far as I'm concerned." Ginny replied.
"So I've heard you complain of, on many occasions, when you come to help me for the weekend."
"I can't help repeating the truth. Besides, what's it matter who he's getting the book for? It's not like he's the one who's going to be reading it."
"You never know Izze, you never know."
The girls were quiet for a while, doing their own thing while cleaning up and putting things back where they belonged.
"Hey, I'm going to head home. I still have a ton of packing to do. Plus I've got a little itch to scratch, if you know what I mean…" Ginny only ever had 'an itch to scratch' when she had a very good idea for something she'd been writing about.
"Yeah, I'll bet you're itching all over after that run in with Malfoy. Say-what's the new book called anyway, Miss Izze Sprit?"
"Actually I haven't named it yet. I only really just started it a couple months ago and I've got until Christmas to finish it."
"Well, good luck with school tomorrow darling. Oh and don't forget your paycheck. I left it in your box."
"I thought we agreed this last week was purely me helping you out."
"Psh-you decided that, not me. Besides, if I'd have canned you who would I have to come help me on the weekends."
"I can help without getting paid you know."
"I'd never hear of it. Especially since I know writers make crap, and as an artist, you make crap too. So, even though you are brilliant at everything artistic, you refuse to sell anything but your writing; and for that, I must say, you are dumb."
"I won't let my work become some manufactures dream of a new way to do things. Besides, you know I only sell my writing because you practically force me to do so." Ginny said this with a smile, and knew that it wasn't entirely true, or untrue.
"Yes well, your paycheck is in your box, and while you're in the back, grab me a copy of every one of your books."
Not wanting an argument at the end of the day, Ginny did as she was told, and came back into the front, without having glanced at her paycheck; she trusted Madeline.
"Now what are you going to do with copies of my work Lynn'y?" asked Ginny.
"You are going to sign them, and no, not with the name of the author that I helped make up. With your real name, and a note saying who you really are." Madeline had an impish look about her while saying this.
Ginny looked mortified. If there ever was a thing she feared, it was people finding out who she really was, or at least who really was her. "No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. No Madeline I will not." It was the first time that Ginny had called Madeline by her real name in two years.
"Ginny, it's for me ok. I'm not going to show anyone, hell, these copies are going home with me and into my personal library as soon as I get home. You have nothing to worry about at all. Alright Izze, I promise…please, for me?"
Ginny looked at her friend long and hard, for about five minuets, before she opened a drawer, and pulled out a fine permanent marker, and took off the top book; which just happened to be Tree Blossom Drug, and began her own little note to Madeline in each one.
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The first couple days of school were hell for Ginny. Being bumped into her seventh year was no problem at all. The problem was that her brother, Ron, Harry, and Hermione, wouldn't leave her alone about it. Hermione was especially ticked that Ginny would have been named Head Girl, had Dumbledore not decided to get rid of them, as well as prefects. This alone, thoroughly bothered Hermione, but the teachers had come to a unanimous vote that the totalitarianism of it was to similar to keep.
It didn't help that, while Ginny was a girl, her favorite thing to do was to play hockey, rugby, and lacrosse with the other guys in the school. Practically daily you could see groups of guys mixed with the one girl, Ginny, running around playing competitively with another house or a mixed group of people. This didn't please Ron at all, but it made just about every other guy in the school happy. Sometimes even a few Slytherin guys would join in on a game or two.
With Harry it was a completely different story then with Ron and Hermione. Harry never shut up about how brilliant she was on the field and that she should try out for the quidditch team. Or how he would go on about how with a little training, Ginny would make an excellent chaser for Gryffindor.
Finally during breakfast, the Monday of the third week of school, and also the day of quidditch tryouts for Gryffindor, Ginny had had enough.
"I mean, just how can you get rid of the Head Girl and Head boy? Or the Prefects? Just what was Dumbledore thinking on this one? I thoroughly disagree with it. In fact, as much as it pains me to say, I truly do not agree with Dumbledore on this. He can have his reasons, but posh to them." Hermione babbled on to Ginny.
Ginny sat eating her eggs in peace until Ron, Harry, and Hermione, had come into the Great Hall and decided to sit next to her. Instead of peace, her eggs became pieces.
"You really shouldn't be playing such tough sports Gin, plus look at what you wear when you play. You're showing all of you stomach, and as a guy I know, most of the guys play only so that they can get a feel of you Ginny. You should really quit playing with them. In fact, if you don't quite I'm going o have to owl mum and dad and tell them what you're up too. It's just not ladylike of you to be playing such sports." Ron went on and on about how she shouldn't be playing her three favorite pastime sports.
"I mean come on Ginny, you know you love quidditch. Heck, who doesn't love quidditch? Well, as long as they've actually seen a game or two. You would be great, with just a little training. And Gryffindor could really use a great chaser this year. Come on Ginny, come to tryouts, please…you know you would be a great chaser with just a little work. Why don't you just come and check it out, eh?" Harry hadn't shut up since he sat down next to her.
With Harry and Hermione on either side of her, and her brother in front of her, all thinking that she was giving them her undivided attention and not realizing she really didn't give a flying monkey, Ginny got very frustrated. For half an hour she held it in, saying over and over in her head that they would catch on and leave her alone. But they didn't, and Ginny all but yelled 'SHUT UP' in their faces.
"Shut up you guys, I don't care." Ginny said this through clenched teeth. It didn't help; it only made them promote their own things even more.
"Shut. Up. Now.' Ginny gritted out. Again, not taking heed to her warning tone, and only prompting their ideas more, Ginny got fed up.
"SHUT UP!" Ginny screamed. This got their attention. Ginny stood up from the table, with the eyes of everyone, including the professors, in the hall. "S-H-U-T-U-P! Shut up! Alright! No, Hermione, Dumbledore wasn't wrong in his choice of getting rid of the stupid heads and prefect, alright. You're only mad because it means that you didn't get it, and either way you wouldn't have. No, Ron, I will NOT quite playing my three favorite sports ever just because you think every guy in the school seems to think only with his dick! And Harry-I will not EVER be on the quidditch team AGAIN! So quite trying to make me out to be some great chaser when I HATE THE STUPID GAME! All three of you just LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!" Done with her tyrant, Ginny grabbed her bag and left everyone very shocked.
This shock lasted all of thirty seconds before rumors of every kind, from Ginny's sleeping with Dean Thomas, and Ron found out to Ginny was going all out to beat Hermione in any way possible, and that she was obsessive about it, began to fly around the Great Hall.
Thus, no one took any notice of Draco getting up and walking out of the Great Hall.
"So, Weasley, finally cracked did you?" Draco leered at Ginny.
"You try having three incessant flies following you around absolutely everywhere they possibly can to criticize you about absolutely everything. It's really rather annoying actually, I'd like to see you handle it."
"I lucked out; I have my father and every one of his minions to do that for me. However I will say that I applauded you for it taking so long for you to cave. It is awfully annoying.
"I'll say. Ugh, and now I have to go to class. I don't mind too much, we have potions, not even Hermione is in double advanced potions; well not many are actually. There's only the ten of us. But I really don't feel like Snape today…oh well." Ginny picked up her bag from where she'd dropped it just outside of the Great Hall and began to walk towards potions.
"You know, I could get you out of class today, of you want." Draco said catching up to Ginny.
"How could you ever get Snape to agree to let us get of class with out giving us detention for it, or at least me?"
"Because I'm Draco Malfoy. Please Weasley, like you didn't know I'm his favorite."
"I don't know, what's in it for you?" Ginny was being cautious of him, not forgetting about the fact that he'd wanted to read her work.
"Nothing Weasley, I'd only be helping you. What can't a Slytherin do something without receiving something in return? Oh wait I forgot, only Gryffindors can do that."
"Slytherins can, Malfoys can't."
"Nice; so do you want me to get you out of class or not?"
All of a sudden Ginny's began to get much larger then they should be. "Yeah, yeah sure but can we just-"
"JENNIFER MULANI WEASLEY YOU GET OVER HERE NOW!" screamed Ron from across the corridor. Ginny and Draco had made it out of the main entrance and down the potions hallway a little bit, but not far enough for Ron, Harry, and Hermione to not be able to see them.
"Nice name, Weasley." Draco smirked; but, Ginny briefly noticed, that this smirk held no malice.
Ginny wasn't given a chance to register much more after that, since before she really had the chance to tell off Ron, he was dragging her back toward the entrance hall.
"What do you think you're doing with him! First, you completely ignore Hermione, Harry, and me, then you embarrass both yourself and us in front of the entire school, then I hear you're sleeping with Dean, not to mention just about every other guy in this blasted school, and now you're gallivanting off with Malfoy? What the hell has gotten into you?" Ron spoke as her dragged, making Ginny lose her balance while trying to grasp what exactly had happened. When Ron stopped, just at the gap from the potions hall and the entrance hall, Ginny caught her balance; and slapped Ron.
"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! Are you bent or something Ron? Last I checked my sex life was absolutely NONE of you concern! You, Harry and Hermione need to learn to stay the bloody hell away from me before I hex you into next week permanently. Oh-and since when did you have any control over who I walked to class with? Oh yeah that's right I forgot-NEVER!" Ginny had long ago turned red in the face and no one but Draco had noticed that Snape had come up behind Ron, Harry, and Hermione. "I'm going to tell you something, and I'm only going to say it once Ron-Harry-Hermione, so you better fucking listen: LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE FROM NOW ON! Never fucking even think about speaking to me, or so help me, Merlin, you won't live through the day. Got it?" Ginny stopped in a flourish of frustration and merriment. She had just noticed Snape at the end of her speech and was waiting for the punishment she knew she would get. So much for ditching his class…she thought.
"Well, Mr. Weasley, Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy, and Ms. Weasley; just what do we have hear? Mr. Malfoy, if you would, as it appears you weren't involved in this for once." Snape said it all in a crisp businesslike voice that chilled Ginny.
"Well sir, Ms. Weasley and I were just walking to your class, I happened to fall in step with her and we were chatting, when he came up and began to drag her away while yelling at her. Now I will admit neither Potter nor Granger did anything to aid Weasley, however they also did nothing to hold him back. When Ms. Weasley regained balance she simply retaliated. I do believe that she is under plenty of stress lately, as I hear that those three won't give her any space to enjoy herself. And those she does hang around are always hearing it from these three." Draco said this all with mock innocence.
"Then that settles it; Mr. Weasley, Potter, and Granger, you will report to my office at exactly 7:30 this evening, and every evening this week, for detention. You need to learn to stay out of other's affairs, but seeing as you seem to lack the capacity to, detention is entirely in order. Now get to class before I dock points." As Snape began to walk forward, Ron, Harry, and Hermione ran off to their class. "And yes Draco, I agree with you completely, Ms. Weasley is under to much stress at the moment, and as you are two of the more competent in the class, you may skip this period; but try not to make a habit of it." Snape walked away without another word to Draco or Ginny.
"How did he…" Ginny questioned.
"He's Snape, what do you expect? The man doesn't know how to keep his nose to himself." Draco took Ginny by the hand so she would continue to walk. "Not always a bad thing, mind, but it can get rather annoying. I had a good excuse all made up in my head and everything. Stupid prat, it's ok. I'll get him next time."
Ginny had realized that she and Draco were holding hands, and walking simply, at a somewhat slow pace. It seemed that Draco hadn't. It also seemed that there was much more to Snape and Draco then either ever let on. Sure, Draco was his favorite, and practically always showed it, but not ever had Ginny heard Draco talk of him like he was now. Then again, Ginny thought, it's not like I've ever walked slowly down the corridors hand in hand with Draco Malfoy either.
"What are you going on about exactly?" Ginny asked him. Looking around, she noticed that they had gone much deeper into the dungeons.
"Nothing that matters, and in any case, we're here." Draco looked down and saw that they must've been holding hands the entire way. Not that it was a long way, about five minuets, ten probably with the pace they had been walking, but it was strange to see his larger hand holding her smaller one. He dropped it. "Innocence perdue."
Ginny looked at him quizzically. "What? It's my password, which you will never tell to anyone. It's not like anyone would actually guess it."