Chapter Nine: A Small Talk

The party in the Gryffindor Common room was going in full swing. Everybody was laughing and chatting about the Quiddich victory of the Gryffindor. Butterbeer was flooding the throats and stomachs of happy and proud students. Ginny was sitting and talking to her friend Della Chatter.

"You did a great job, Ginny!" said Della enthusiastically.

"Yes, we all did." But Ginny wasn't that enthusiastic about it. She kept looking at the clock on the wall, trying not to be late to her potion session and have a small talk with Malfoy.

"But you were hit by a Bludger, you were exquisite. What have you done there? All this turning and stuff?"

"And that's, my little secret," Ginny answer mischievously.

"Oh common! This must be really rich, all slytherins wanted to strangle you to death with their glances after your trick back there!"

"They were? I wonder why," she added as an afterthought and then looked at the clock again. "Ok, I should be going. I need to finish some homework in the library."

"Homework? Today? Are you crazy?"

"Yes, out of my mind!" she shouted running towards the Portrait and storming to the laboratory. When she entered, Draco was already there, mixing a potion, but was definitely in a very bad mood because he didn't pay much attention to the potion he was stirring and that was practically impossible. 'How else could he be, if he has just lost a game to Gryffindor? Again.'

"Good evening," she greeted him, trying to be polite and neutral at the same time.

"If it is good to you," Draco snapped.

"What is our assignment today?" He pointed to the paper on the desk, without saying anything.

Ginny came to the desk and stood behind him. "Maybe I should do the brewing tonight. You are not in a good condition."

"And you are?" he snapped again.

"You know yourself that emotions affect our work, and you are not in a good mood to do it."

"And should I be in a good mood today, hah? It is only the beginning of the season and I am already in mud."

"Told you so. Maybe you should sit and give me instructions and I will do the practical part."

"Ok," he sighed and dragged himself to the couch falling onto it with a "bumpth", but still with Malfoy's grace.

When the potion was almost finished Ginny took her bravery in her small fist and asked, "Why were the slytherins so angry with me when I did the Corkscrew?"

"That's a difficult question to answer," Draco's head was now tilted backwards, supported by the backside of the coach.

"You should try. You are soooo smart," she tried to lighten the mood somehow.

"Oh, I can't even sly out of this because I know that you will ask me again and again and I will surrender. Why do you want to know?"

"Maybe it never occurred to you, but if a bunch of slytherins have a tooth for you, you better watch your back, but at least you need to know the reason of such attention to your humble persona."

"Speaking from experience, aren't you?"

"Don't jump around the bush, just spill!"

"Death Eaters should use you to torture people for information. They will say anything to you, just to shut you up."

"I'm waitiiing," Ginny said in a sing-song tone.

"I told you it's a Malfoy family secret."

"What? What secret?"'How could he have told her such an important blackmail material and it flew pass her ears?'

"About the broom."

"I still don't understand, stop speaking with riddles."

"Slytherin habit," he paused. "One part of the Malfoy's enterprises is broom's production, only me and the slytherins know the secret of a Corkscrew, or should I say only the pureblood know it."

"I am a pureblood, so they can stop bothering."

"Yeah, but it was slytherins' privilege and they don't like their privileges to be taken."

"It is all your fault, you told me."

"Because you asked me."

"Blah, blah, blah."

"And what about your behavior after your so called performance?"

"What do you mean?"

"And now you are jumping?"

She blushed a little looking at her very interesting shoes. "You mean my winking?"

"You are developing a brain? Yes, I was talking about your winking to me of all people."

"I was just happy that I did it. I managed to concentrate and do it and stay alive. It was a thank you, or something like it."

Draco was startled and then confused by her answer. If he asked and received what he considered to be an answer, then why was he confused?

"I can assume that you won't have any problems with your broom, if you have a whole production," Ginny supposed.

"What broom?"

"The broom that is lying on the pitch now, broken into pieces."

"Huh, that broom..." he stood up and went to the cauldron. "Maybe I should handle the next one."

"Avoiding the subject? Play your stupid game. I'll do research on the next two," she turned on her heels and marched to the bookshelves.

Another hour passed and another. They were ignoring each other, minding their own business. Reading, brewing, writing, stirring, chopping, page rustling, powder making, and note taking, on and on until "bang"; Ginny smashed an ancient volume on the table.

"I want you to talk about it. You can't hold it in yourself like in a bottle with a seal! You must go on with your life! It is just some stupid game!"

"Stupid game!" he swiftly turned and looked at her with burning rage which was inside his eyes, but his face stayed emotionless. "A game like this costs far too much for me to be stupid! My dignity, my reputation, everything. Today was the greatest Quiddich game played by Slytherin, even that good-for-nothing commentator what's his name admitted it. And why was this? Because I lead them to the victory, I planned the tactics, which wasn't ever used in this school, but nobody even mentioned it, not once! And when I already felt the Snitch in my hand, when I hoped that I would win instead of Potter for once in my life, that bloody Bludger came! He'd better kill me, then just hit the end of my damn broom and misplace me on a few millimeters playing right on Fate's hand and let me die from embarrassment and my team mates' rage, who were already sure that they'll win and planned the party in the dormitory. And then their dear Draco messes everything up, by losing to Potter, bloody perfect Potter! Again! This you call a stupid game!"

Ginny was more then startled by his sudden outburst. Of course she wanted him to talk about it, but in a much calmer manner, but she had forgotten that everything connected with Potter, provoked Draco to explode.

"Calm down, calm down," she patted him awkwardly on the back. It wasn't a familiar touch to her. "Now that you've spilt everything out, you can analyze the situation and find the solution."

"Merlin, what are you babbling about, Weasley? What solution? To practice even more, to bribe luck and fate, so they will be on my side next time?"

"There is a point in this," she smiled slightly. "Let's finish this assignment or Snape will be angry. Remember the last time we made a mistake? I thought it was an earthquake, not a man yelling."

The tension soon thinned out and they finished their work in silence, without mentioning Draco's outburst like it never happened. But it never left Ginny's mind. Draco was her partner and her mystery at the same time. There is a saying that partners must know everything about each other. And she would.