Chapter Seven: I'll haunt the world inside you

previous chapter: she was through with the embarrassment of being carried every time. So on this evening, almost a week later, there was an awkward…thing in the air because she was actually consenting and this meant they had to walk together.

Draco was content to walk in silence, but there was an annoying tension between them as they wandered the dark corridors together that kept telling him to think of something to say.

"So what is it you do little Weaslette, while wandering the castle at night? I'm really rather surprised that Filch hasn't caught you enough times to hang you by your ankles."

Ginny's eyebrows hit her hair, was he trying to have a normal conversation?

"I walk. I explore parts of the castle that I wouldn't usually. As for Filch, well Fred and George taught me better than that." She said simply.

In his head Draco smiled, thinking of the secrets that had probably been passed down to her by those two pranksters.

"Why not just get all your homework out of the way if you insist on being nocturnal?" He asked.

She furrowed her brow trying to decide if she should tell him anything but since they had already been at this crazy game a whole week and as he had never before tried to talk to her she thought she should take what she could get. Besides, his civility was unnerving.

"Sitting still for too long or doing something as boring as homework would put me to sleep." Ginny said, having tried this herself before.

"So you fight it?" Draco turned to her, the curiosity in his voice breaking through. "If your body wants to sleep why not let it?" He didn't take his eyes off of hers.

Ginny bit her lip but said nothing. If he could avoid telling her why he made sure she slept then she too could be silent about why she didn't.

"Too many dreams about Potter?" He sneered suddenly, "Did the disappointment of waking up alone, without him, prove too much to handle?"

"Oh sod off Malfoy!" Ginny said irritated, pulling a face at his accusation. "And for your information, not that it's any of your business, I don't like Harry anymore."

"Ooh, lovers quarrel? Did you have a falling out?" He couldn't help it; it was a force of habit.

"We never had a falling in," Ginny said, then wished she hadn't because it made her sound rather pathetic. "Don't even say it Malfoy." She added just as he opened his mouth.

"Okay so it's not Potter and it's not insomnia. I will figure it out you know," he smirked at her and she scowled which only made his smirk wider. When they reached the frog portrait Draco inclined his head towards her for a second before he said, "caput draconis" obviously not bothering to keep his voice down. Ginny was slightly taken aback by his act of faith, how did he know that she wouldn't invite the whole of Gryffindor tower in for a party? But Draco took no notice as he walked in. While Draco was in the other room Ginny sat down on the end of the bed and wondered if they were going to talk some more.

She didn't really know what to say to him, he was apparently a very tight-lipped individual or at least when he talked he had a way of avoiding any meaningful topics about himself. Much like with Geoffrey, Ginny felt she was divulging too much information about herself. Geoffrey Hooper had become a good friend, especially when you considered that she didn't really have many good friends. They often studied in the library or took walks out on the grounds. He was very easy to get along with. But Ginny found that more and more her mind drifted over to Draco and it disconcerted her. Mainly she was just deathly curious as to why this had all come about, but that lead to further questions about him and she tried many times in vain to figure him out. They didn't talk outside of their odd-hour-rendezvous' it was just some odd development that they both seemed to have accepted even though there was so much left unanswered and unknown between them.

Being perfectly honest with herself, it gave Ginny a little thrill every time she thought about what they did. It was secret and it was new and she was actually a little bit glad to have something exciting going on in her life for once. Not that anything exciting happened in Draco's room.

Draco walked out; his Green fleece pants had been traded for black ones and Ginny noticed with an odd sense of intrigue that Draco had very nice feet. She looked up at him to see if he was going to say anything more. He was adjusting his blankets so Ginny opened her mouth first, taking a breath to speak right as he clapped and she was once again left in the dark. She really had to stop letting that happen.

It was three am. Draco tried to figure out why he was awake all of a sudden.

"Bloody sofa," he muttered, wondering if they couldn't trade off. Then he heard an odd gurgling noise; it made him jump until the noises turned into words.

"Mmmalfoy…" he heard Ginny mumble and his ears immediately perked up. He turned to her in the darkness and waited for more.

" Mmaggrrnn…dirty!" she shrieked. Draco's eyes widened and he leaned in closer.

"Mmm yess it's nice. Yerr fantastic!" Fantastic really sounded more like fatasmic but he got the idea and his eyebrow was hooked so high it was in danger of coming off his face.

"I'm fantastic huh?" he asked quietly and chuckled to himself.

"Ooooh, yor going too sloow, let me!" Draco jumped off his settee and crept over to his bed to get a look at Ginny. She was smiling and had one of her hands reached up slightly, clutching something that only she could see.

"bllmmmsg…balllss.." Draco was blushing but he didn't care one bit.

"Little Weasel has a dirty mind." He smirked, looking at her with interest. Her deep red hair was splayed out on the pillow and her arched neck was being displayed perfectly in his half buttoned silk shirt, exposing her rich white throat and the shadow of her collarbone.

"Malllfoy meyowani ride?"

" Ride?" he choked out and grinned.

"Don't you llove Quidditchchc?" She spouted next, unaware of the boy next to her as his face fell.

"Quidditch?" he asked confused. "Who said anything about Quidditch?"

"Gett the ball!" she shouted and Draco gave her one last disapproving look before climbing back onto the sofa and muttering dejectedly, "What kinda girl dreams about bloody Quidditch?" Although, for some reason, a small smile played at his lips when he realized that she had been dreaming about him.