Chapter Four: Early Bed, Late Thoughts

" Take the shade from the canvas and leave me the white"

Draco went about his daily tasks and when night came he went to bed with every intention of actually getting some sleep. But as he lay down at a decent hour and tried to empty his mind, thoughts of the littlest Weasley kept creeping in because she intrigued him so. He had followed her almost every other night for two weeks and she was always somewhere to be found, doing something that meant nothing to everyone but her. He got to visit the garden a few more times and once even caught her in the lake! Naked! Sometimes she would scan the books in the library but that never lasted long because Filch and Mrs. Norris often walked by there and there had been some odd visits to a haunted girls toilet where she would just stare at a sink while a hideously annoying ghost demanded sympathy. But he wasn't any closer to figuring out why she did this.

And so were his thoughts all night long. Try as he might Draco had to admit to himself that there was something about this odd girl that itched and bugged him, so that when he actually wanted a rest this something in him couldn't be bothered to allow it.

He turned on his side and clutched a fat feather pillow, then flipped over on his stomach only to flip over to his back. He shoved the pillow over his face and tried to lie perfectly still. With a groan he threw the pillow across his Head Boy room and sat up, deciding that if he wasn't going to sleep than he could at least get some work done. So he landed his feet on the ground and walked over to a large desk where a pile of books and parchment were waiting for him.

As far as he could see she NEVER slept. It was insane, she dragged her feet and looked like a zombie and yet she didn't even seem to make the effort. Worse yet was that he had also developed a bizarre habit; when Ginny Weasley didn't sleep, neither did he. Draco's mind had turned against him and no matter what tricks he tried there was no convincing it, sleeping droughts left him feeling nauseous and being knocked out didn't sound like much fun. Following the girl wasn't even just a curiosity anymore it was something to do during the long hours of the night when he had nothing else.

What was more, Ginny was apparently a very practiced nocturne, because all over the castle she had little projects and secret hideaways and Draco became more and more involved with her life without her knowledge as he trailed behind her night after night. It couldn't be helped really, when you followed someone for almost eight hours every night they had a way of creeping into your thoughts even when not around. And when Draco dozed off during class, guess who occupied his dreams?

Finally he had had enough. "Alright Weasley, your coming with me," he said at last one night, stepping out of the shadows.

"What?" She was completely startled and started to back away

"Don't worry I'm not going to give you detention, I just need you to get some sleep."

Acting as if that made any sense to her he picked Ginny up and carried her rigid body till they reached a large portrait of a frog holding a golden ball and he whispered something inaudible to it. It swung open and he stepped inside, walking till they reached the bed which he promptly threw her down onto.

"Now you will sleep or I will give you a potion and make you sleep okay?" Draco said sternly.

Ginny looked up dumbfounded. "Um. Why would I sleep in… your room?" She squeaked, looking around and registering where she was.

"Because if you don't sleep here then I won't be able to make sure that you sleep at all. Now get to it."

They stared at each other, Ginny not moving from where he had dropped her on the soft duvet cover and Draco standing expectantly over her.

"Right, I suppose you'll be needing something to sleep in." he wandered over to the wardrobe and began rummaging through it. He had a massive collection of clothing and indeed there was a chest of drawers and a small trunk in the room as well. He handed her a pair of acid green silk pajamas and continued to give her an impatient look as though she should know exactly what was going on.

"Oh…" suddenly he looked less severe, "I'll um go…over there." He said realizing she probably didn't want to change in front of him.

Ginny really wasn't sure what to think. Draco Malfoy had kidnapped her, given her pajamas, and told her to go to sleep.

In his bed.

Oh god was he trying to seduce her? No…she thought that must not be it because surely he was a little more suave and debonair when he tried to seduce women? At least she certainly hoped so. Quickly before he wandered back into the room and before she gained enough sense to wonder why she wasn't putting up a fight Ginny unbuttoned and unzipped her uniform and pulled the silk over her head. Miraculously it fit her and it felt marvelous. Ginny stood there not sure that she should just climb into the bed and dreading how awkward it would be when he came back. But sure enough the time came and Draco padded back in, this time in pajamas of his own. He was wearing a pair of loose fleece pajama bottoms that were a forest green color.

That was it. No shirt. Ginny's eyes widened, her thoughts going back to the question of seduction when presented with his lean sinewy torso, pale and smooth looking just like the rest of him. For a moment she wondered if that would be such a bad thing but then realized how frightening the situation really was. What the hell did he think he was doing abducting people in the middle of the night and bringing them back to his lair?

Noticing that she was still just standing around and that she looked incredibly tense and scared he took a step forward. She took a step back. He took another step forward and Ginny's legs bumped into a chair.

"Oh for Merlin's sake Weasley I'm not trying to frighten you." she looked dubious.

"I," he began and then stopped. He had a blank expression for a moment before he shocked her further by letting out a brief rumble of laughter. "Wow, Weasley, you know I just realized how weird this probably seems." Ginny didn't say anything but continued to stay perfectly still like a frightened animal.

"Look I just want you to get some sleep okay? That's all; I'm not going to ambush you in the middle of the night or anything of the sort. Just, you know, crawl into bed and I'll sleep on the couch." He motioned to a cushy looking settee that was stationed in front of a small fireplace. He didn't explain why she needed to sleep, and he didn't say anything else to further elaborate this strange situation, but his wishes were very clear and as far as Ginny could tell completely harmless. So she did as she was told and lifted back the heavy coverlet on the bed and climbed under it, pulling the soft shield all the way up to her neck. Draco clapped once and the lights went out while he settled himself on the settee.

There's no explaining the feeling of complete absurdity and strangeness that the unlikely pair experienced then.

Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley were in a room together in the dark for reasons not quite clear to either of them and the silence was deafening while each of their minds registered this and tried to conclude how on earth they had found themselves there.

Draco silenced his thoughts of how odd it actually was by deciding the end justified the means and there was no reason for him to feel completely uncomfortable because he'd gotten what he wanted and she was going to go to sleep. And somehow he felt absolutely sure that if she slept then so could he. Unless she was just going to lay there instead, with her eyes open all night. Shite. Go to sleep Draco.

Ginny was so utterly confused. Sure she hadn't been sleeping but where did Malfoy fit into this and why had she done nothing to prevent it? She just let him do what he wanted-she obeyed him. But somehow it didn't seem like that. It seemed instead that she had merely acquiesced to a very reasonable and in no way condescending request. He had even volunteered his bed to her. The thought slightly amused her that Draco Malfoy had probably never slept on anything short of a king sized bed his entire life and here he was sleeping on his own couch for a Weasley.

Why!

Everything had happened so quickly and she was baffled beyond comprehension. Deciding that if she didn't stop for now that her head would explode, Ginny chose to make herself shut up for the time being and ignore the fact that she wasn't alone and just go to sleep. She really didn't want to know what would happen if she didn't. So she slept.