Chapter Five: I see in different lights
The morning after, Ginny rolled over and nestled further into the soft Egyptian cotton sheets. She inhaled the scent of soap and cologne and boy…wait a minute. Ginny's eyes flew open when she realized where she was. It was bright, did that mean that he was up and she would have to have an early morning conversation with Malfoy? Cautiously Ginny sat up, still clutching the covers under her chin, and peered around the room. It didn't look like he was still there although she was looking at his settee from an odd angle. Her eyes scanned a dark leather chair adjacent with the emerald velvet of the settee; the windows were adorned with yards of silver silk material and a heavy mahogany desk sat next to a towering bookcase that held an extensive collection of thick leather-bound tomes. The room exuded dark luxury. She marveled for a moment at how spoiled the Head boys and girls must be before realizing it was probably just Malfoy who's room was decorated this lavishly and the others were most likely content with just having their own rooms.
"Hmm." She mused quietly aloud, almost wanting to laugh at having woken up where she did. She stretched her arms high above her and decided she'd better get dressed and leave. After she pulled her sweater over her head and moved on to tie her shoes she contemplated a brief snoop around. How often was it that anyone got a free shot at rifling through the belongings of the most notorious boy in Hogwarts…other than Harry Potter? But she shook her head and thought better of it. The idea of being caught or questioned about it was unbearable and she really did need to get down to breakfast.
She climbed ever so quietly out of the portrait hole and tried to be nonchalant until she reached the Great Hall. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table she tried to peek over her goblet at Malfoy but he looked exactly the same as always. He didn't look at her and he didn't look particularly guilty, just sat in his chair with perfect posture-elbows nowhere near the table, and commenced with his chocolate chip pancakes. She smiled a little as he also proceeded to drizzle syrup on top, as if they weren't sweet enough. Was that powdered sugar he had now? Ugh, her teeth ached just thinking about it.
"Mind if I sit here?" A tall boy with tan skin, dark hair, and ocean blue eyes, stood next to her implying towards an empty seat.
"Oh no, not at all." Ginny's eyes pulled away from the Slytherin table and turned to the boy.
"You looked like you could use a neighbor." His hair was flopped over his eyes and he smiled easily at her.
"Oh, well thanks." Ginny smiled back, he already had a very friendly nature about him.
"My name's Geoffrey by the way," he said "Geoffrey Hooper."
"Yes, I'm-"
"Ginny Weasley of course," Geoffrey finished for her.
"I'm afraid my hair must have introduced me once again before I got the chance," Ginny said, fingering a lock of her long red hair.
"Yeah," he chuckled lightly, "I guess the name most often precedes your personality too huh?" Ginny noticed how the question was both obvious and very personal.
" I'll have to admit to that too," she said, still playing with her hair, "my family's friends are my friends and my family's enemies are my enemies. Apparently if you've met one Weasley you've met them all." She didn't mean for her tone to sound so bitter, but Geoffrey looked sympathetic.
"That must be a real pain in the arse. It hardly seems fair."
"It's not." She admitted.
"Do you want to know why everybody talks about your hair?" Geoffrey asked suddenly. Ginny waited curiously for his answer.
"It's not like you're the only red-heads to ever walk the halls of Hogwarts, but at the same time you are. Because most people don't have red hair they have orange. It really amazed me the first time I met one of your brothers because…it's not carrot, but tomato."
Ginny laughed, "Not campfire flames but blazing fires of hell flames." They both laughed.
"It's really brilliant," Geoffrey concluded, looking intently at Ginny's hair now, making a blush creep across her cheeks. "You know I think the only other people with an equally curious shade are the Malfoys."
"Malfoy?" Ginny blurted out, her blush deepening when she reflected that she had woken up in his pajamas.
"Well yeah, now that I think about it. I mean yours is like fire right? And his is like…ice. It's really odd, I'm never sure weather to call him a blonde prat or a whitey-silverish-maybe-just-a-bad-dye-job prat." Ginny giggled and Geoffrey grinned.
"Well as long as mine is prettier," She joked.
"It is," Geoffrey assured her nonetheless, not breaking eye contact for a moment till he turned to reach for a pitcher of juice. Ginny felt herself grow warm again and turned to her own toast, remembering that at breakfast you were supposed to eat.
"So you know all about my family, what about yours?" Ginny queried, munching and smiling gently.
Draco watched as she entered the room and was pleased to notice a definite freshness and exuberance in the way she walked. No more dragging her feet. He smiled smugly and picked up his fork. They were having chocolate chip pancakes today and he had been anticipating it all week. As far as he was concerned they had far too many days of porridge or bacon or cereal. He never wanted those bland foods, he wanted sugar and he wanted it all the time. He greedily drizzled syrup and powdered sugar onto his babies and reflected on the night before. Perhaps he should have made it seem like she had more of a choice. For example giving her the option to at least walk to his room rather than being carried right away although it was really for convenience sake because he didn't think she would ever go willingly.
Perhaps the less she knew the better. He didn't want to have to explain himself to her, like how he had followed her around and how he couldn't sleep when she couldn't. Actually he didn't even want to think about that himself. If one night's sleep could get her to pick up her heels he wondered what a weeks worth would do.
Draco looked up for a moment and noticed that Ginny was now talking to a rather good-looking (not near as pretty as he of course) seventh year and they were laughing. Draco frowned, that boy was reaping his benefits. If he had seen her glassy eyed and snoring into her cereal he probably wouldn't be looking so friendly. For some reason this bothered Draco but he left the thought alone so he could focus on his plate of sugar.