Thanks to everyone for reviewing again! I am so glad that you all like my story, so I decided to update again, I feel so motivated. Anyways, here is the third chapter! I hope you like it!
Chapter Three
Hermione looked at Ginny with raised eyebrows. "I'll take care of this," she told Ron and Harry, who were fuming. "C'mon Ginny." Hermione grabbed Ginny's hand and practically dragged her out of Draco's compartment, and into Hermione's private head girl one. Hermione's compartment was the opposite of the one that Ginny had been in with Draco. It was decorated with red floors, curtains, and gold seat cushions. "Tell me," instructed Hermione, pushing Ginny down into one of the seats.
"There's nothing to tell," said Ginny, crossing her arms and staring moodily at the floor.
"Seriously Ginny, it's about time, if what actually happened is what I think happened."
Ginny looked up at Hermione, surprised. "What do you think happened?" she asked.
"I know how Malfoy had been looking at you last year. The lust in his eyes is almost too much for me to bear watching."
"What do you mean, bear watching?" Ginny interrupted.
"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Hermione asked.
Ginny forgot all about getting back at Hermione the moment she asked. Now she only wanted to get back at Harry and Ron. "I promise," said Ginny.
Hermione took a deep breath. "I . . . I can see emotion. It's written all over people faces and the way they hold themselves. For instance, if I look at Malfoy looking at you, I see lust in his eyes, and exceptional self confidence in the way he holds himself. It's as if he knows, somehow, someway, that he will get what he wants. I can't explain it any other way. If I see him looking at, say Harry, then I see hatred and malice, but deeply hidden in there is respect."
"Respect?" Ginny asked incredulously.
"Deep down inside, Malfoy respects Harry. I don't know why, I just know that he does," she added as Ginny opened her mouth. "Anyways, that's why I never visited you or Ron or Harry this summer, Dumbledore had me in extra training for the entire time. He's trying to help me 'refine my gift' so that I can use it to tell if people are for or against the order. Apparently he wants me to scan people as they come into Grimmauld Place."
"Cool," breathed Ginny.
"So, Gin, what were you doing with Malfoy that has Ron all stirred up?" asked Hermione.
"Er, well, I guess I'll start from the top," sighed Ginny. "Ron was snoring, so I went to find another compartment and I ended up in Malfoy's. He came back from the meeting and offered me a deal. If I got Pansy to stop bothering him, he would give me anything I wanted. I agreed to the deal and I told him I wanted a reputation to get back at you, Ron, and Harry, for treating me like I am a five year old instead of a sixteen year old. Always being too overprotective and not letting me live my own life. And sometimes ignoring me. He said okay, and we went shopping. Then Ron came into the compartment and saw me and Malfoy kissing. I guess the reputation thing is working, because Ron seemed really mad."
"To get back at me?" Hermione asked, scanning Ginny for emotion. She found apology, anger, hatred, and love, hidden the most deeply.
"Mostly not you," Ginny said matter-of-factly. "You just don't pay much attention to me. I guess you do, since the emotion thing, but over the whole summer, not one letter, and often, last year when you were in the library studying and I said hi, you would just harrumph and keep studying. I felt really bad, like I'd done something wrong, but I came to realize that I didn't do anything wrong, and you were just ignoring me. I tell you it was a sick realization. You were, maybe are, my only real friend." Ginny looked up at Hermione and was surprised to see that there were tears in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry Ginny," said Hermione, going to sit by Ginny and pulling her into a hug. "I didn't know."
Seeing Hermione cry set Ginny off too. "It's okay," Ginny sniffed, "don't do it again, yeah?" Then Ginny giggled. "Did you see Ron's face?" She giggled some more. Hermione joined in. Pretty soon they were both rolling around laughing, tears still streaming down their faces.
Catching their breath, Hermione looked at Ginny. "You can't keep trying to establish a reputation," she said seriously.
"Why not?" asked Ginny, wiping her eyes.
"Because your brother will tell your parents and disown you, so will the rest of your family. You know that, Gin," said Hermione. "Also, what will the whole of Gryffindor tower say? They will kick you out of your own house. You know that Malfoy is just taking advantage of you. He will get what he wants, he'll have you, and he won't have Pansy. He'll take your flower and leave you for naught. Then you'll come crying back to Ron and Harry and they won't take you. Then where will you be?" Hermione could tell that Ginny was being swayed. One more strong point and she would break it off with Malfoy. "He's a Death Eater, Ginny."
Ginny gasped and fell off her chair. "He isn't!"
"Yes, he is. I overheard it when Crabbe was talking to Malfoy before the prefect's meeting," lied Hermione. In fact, I wasn't entirely a lie. She had heard Malfoy talking to Crabbe, but it was Crabbe telling Malfoy that that he was a Death Eater, not the other way around.
"I can't believe what I've done," Ginny murmured, looking at her feet. "I need to apologize to Ron and Harry."
"Good," said Hermione. "Remember, the emotions thing is a secret. I don't think Harry or Ron would appreciate it if I told them I knew who they each had a crush on."
"Oooh, who?" Ginny squealed as Hermione opened the door to the compartment where Ron and Harry sat.
"Shhh." Hermione walked in as Ron and Harry stood up defensively. "Ginny has something she wants to say," said Hermione, pushing Ginny towards Ron, whose face was going red.
"Urrr," started Ginny. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know what I was doing, I was just so mad at both of you that I would have done anything to get back at you." Ginny's tears were flowing freely now. "Harry, you act like I'm five. I'm not five years old, you don't have to treat me like I'm some delicate butterfly. And Ron, I know everything about sex that you do, you don't have to act like I don't and cover up my eyes or ears whenever someone says or does anything inappropriate." She paused and wiped her eyes. "I'm just going to go tell Draco now."
"Tell me what?" asked a voice from the doorway.
Everyone whirled around to face none other than the previously mentioned Draco Malfoy. They must have been a sight. There was Ginny with tears running down her face and Hermione with a knowing smile, and Harry and Ron, who looked both startled and pleased.
"I can't help you anymore," said Ginny.
"You're breaking the deal, then?" asked Malfoy, reaching into his pocket.
Ginny nodded.
"Well then. You must hold true to the contract that you signed," said Malfoy, looking slightly pleased, though Ginny had just broken the deal. "It says here," Malfoy jabbed his finger at the parchment and handed it to Ginny. "Read it to everyone," he instructed.
Ginny took the paper and began to read with a wavering voice. "If the aforementioned signer of the contract does not uphold his or her side of the bargain, then the creator of the contract gets to keep the signer of the contract for a seven day period to do with as he or she pleases," Ginny's voice fell.
Hermione, Ron, and Harry stared at Ginny. Ron was the first to talk. He did, in fact, blow up. "You signed a bloody contract?" he hollered.
Draco smirked. "C'mon Weasley, you're mine for a week."