Chapter Seven: A Day to Remember or Forget

The three, Ginny, Ron, and Harry walked into the Great Hall to find it pleasantly empty besides the house elf here or there readying the room for the crowd of students. By that time the sun had risen over the terrain around the school and was shining in the most pleasant way through the glass onto the long wooden tables decorated with the house colors.

Gryffindor house had red napkins around the silverware tied with golden ribbon, green and silver for Slytherin, blue and bronze for Ravenclaw, and yellow and black for Hufflepuff. Long draperies hung over each table displaying the shields of the houses; the lion, the raven, the snake, the badger. Ginny was always amazed by the amount of spirit each house held.

Smiling, the littlest Weasley made her way to the Gryffindor table and taking a seat between Ron and Harry, sighed happily. This wasn't going to be that bad of a year… It might not even be a BAD year. It might be… dare she say, good?

As the rest of the student population began to file into the room Ginny looked up at the ceiling and to where a floating drapery hung above her. The Gryffindor crest was depicted above her head in all its glory. The red and gold showed off the valor and honor of the house and for a split second, Ginny felt overwhelming pride to be in that house.

Hermione sat down across from her at the table closely followed by Seamus who scooted his chair closer to Hermione's then set his arm around her shoulders. Needless to say Hermione looked elated.

Ginny grinned at her friend. "So 'Mione, what are you planning on doing for your N.E.W.T.s next year? Or has your mind changed again?"

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Ginny but laughed as Seamus tickled her side. "The latter I'm afraid." She giggled slapping at Seamus' hand.

"In the name of Merlin's beard, Hermione, aren't you going to pick one some day?" Ron questioned, though his mouth was full so it sounded something more like "I' eh ay uh er-ih's ear, Eree, n' oo oin oo ih uh um ay?"

Everyone turned to look at him questionably. To this he raised his eyebrows. "Uht?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Why don't you finish chewing and swallowing your food before you try to talk so you won't cover anyone with the bits that just came flying out of your mouth, dear brother?"

Ron glared at her and swallowing repeated himself. Hermione blinked at the question. "What do you suppose me to do Weasley? Just gamble my future like that?" She snapped her fingers for emphasis.

Harry smiled and leaned back in his chair, looking over to Ginny, he spoke in a low voice so only the two could talk. "What about you Weasley number seven?"

Ginny shrugged and leaned into her chair, munching on a grape. "What do you suppose me to do Potter? Just gamble my future like that?" Mocking Hermione she snapped her fingers. She and Harry shared a laugh.

"You know what I meant Ginevra…" Harry whispered, speaking Ginny's real first name. She blushed and shoved his arm.

Ginevra was an odd name to her and so she rarely used it. She mostly said her name was Virginia. But Ginevra it was. "Well what did you mean Harry James Potter?" She asked with a small smile.

Harry pulled Ginny close and started to rub her arm lightly. "I mean what you want to do with your life Gins."

"Oh I don't know… be happy I suppose…"

Across the Great Hall two steely grey eyes watched the two at their flirting games. He was amazed and bitter at how comfortable she was with Potter as compared to him. Potter was no better, only closer. In the same house. Blah blah blah. Draco scoffed and turned around in his seat.

Goyle looked at him quizzically. "What's up Draco?"

Draco glared at him. "Do you see that Goyle? Huh? I threw all my best stuff at that girl and nothing. I mean come on, Pansy fell for that."

Goyle scratched his head. "Maybe she's not like Pansy."

Draco smacked his forehead. "Of course she's not like Pansy you oaf, that's why she's there and Pansy is here with me in Slytherin."

Goyle looked around for the girl named Pansy and not seeing her leaned over the table. "Well I mean Ginny's smart and pretty and nice."

Draco laughed. "I do see your point fellow." Turning back around in his chair Draco looked again at the two cuddling up to each other. It was so normal to see that now for everyone else but he found it repulsive.

Obnoxious.

What was this? Was Draco Malfoy jealous of Potter? HA! Absolute poppycock… And yet…

Draco looked a little bit longer at the girl. Her red hair tied back in a pony tail, the curls creating little bumps in her hair. Small strays fell against the side of her face and her freckles dotted her cheeks angelically. If he wasn't good enough for at least Ginny Weasley he needed some working on.

That's why it was such a big deal. He couldn't be turned down is all.

Turning back he saw Goyle blinking. "You know Draco, Ginny sure ain't like Pansy. So maybe you should do a lot of things different with her than when you did with Pansy, you know?"

Goyle's grammar was shot and his speech incorrect but Draco took the advice to heart. He would. He would treat Ginny Weasley the way he thought any woman would want to be treated.

Too bad he was wrong.

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Draco waited outside the Gryffindor tower for hours, well, half an hour really but for his soar feet it felt like hours. Ginny was up in Astronomy at the time, looking through the telescope at the various moons of Jupiter and had been late getting down. This caused Draco's mood to darken but seeing the redhead bound down the hallway in a joyous manner caused his demeanor to change and he stood upright and pasted a smile on his lips.

Ginny skidded to a halt seeing the Slytherin outside the entrance to her tower and was almost half sure he was there to murder her, not woo her. "Malfoy? What in Merlin's beard are you doing here? There? In this general area?"

Draco was stunned. She had said all that without a single stutter and seemed genuinely surprised at his being here. It was as if she had grown up in a sense. "Well Miss Weasley, I've decided to ask your brother for your hand in marriage."

And what he thought would've won her over… or scare her,

Made her burst out into laughter. Loudly. In fact she tried to balance herself against the stone walls but fell down and dropped her books all over the place.

Inside he felt like exploding but outside he merely showed minute disbelief or confusion.

Ginny slapped her knee. "You… you must be jo-joking!" She coughed out as she attempted to recapture her breath. Draco blinked at her and she calmed down at once, seeing the seriousness in his expression. "Joking? Ha ha? Like, as in not serious?"

Draco shook his head and shrugged. "Well I was going to ask dear old Ronny boy if I could take you out sometime but don't get ahead of yourself Ginny darling, I wasn't going to ask to marry you, you have won me over that much yet."

Ginny blanched and she looked at him with her jaw brushing the ground, despite her relief she was offended. "That's not funny Malfoy, it's rude to say things like that."

"I'm not meaning to be rude Weasley, I'm serious."

"You know what," Ginny began gathering up her books from the dirt floor and standing herself straight. "I'm gonna walk into that commons and into my dorm room and forget that this conversation ever took place, so don't you worry. You won't be humiliated. I swear." And with that she ran to the fat lady, whispered the password and was gone.

Well, for what Draco could see. Really she was just on the other side of the painting, grasping at her heart which was attempting to escape from her chest. He couldn't have been serious, she thought, couldn't have.

But… what if he was?