Chapter 4: Schemes

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He was pissed.

Draco Malfoy clenched his fist as he watched his best mate flirt with his witch. She was twirling her damn hair between her fingers, and laughing at the exaggerated tales Blaise told. She wasn't supposed to be with his mate, damnit. She was his.

The encounter had occurred so quickly and innocently. When he and Blaise had entered the library, she was sitting at the table hidden from Pince with her back facing them. Her garnish, red hair tumbled down her back in soft curls as she had bent her head over the thick Potions book. The blond one- Loony, as she was dubbed- had been lying atop the table staring at the ceiling.

Draco had seated himself at a table where he was able to examine the redhead. Blaise had positioned himself in the chair opposite of him and had propped his feet atop the wooden structure. The Charms book that Draco had extracted from his school bag was a decoy to distract his fellow classmates while he ogled the Gryffindor. His plan would have succeeded, if the wench hadn't felt the need to waltz up to his Slytherin companion and seduce him- or at least try to.

And now, he had to endure their repulsive presence. He observed the annoying bint as she gasped at the story Blaise was recounting from their childhood- tweaked, of course, so that Blaise was the hero while he was the victim.

"And then what happened?" she asked in a breathy voice. Her eyes were wide and naïve, her cheeks tainted with the blush that had appeared on her face.

Blaise smirked. He had this witch in the palm of his manly, calloused hands. "I jumped in after him. He was- and still is- my best mate, after all. Draco couldn't swim and was slowly sinking towards the bottom of the lake. I swam towards where he had fallen in and felt as if the water was pulling me down, trying to drown me," he related dramatically, wildly gesturing with his hands, before continuing, "But I didn't give up. I reached in the water for him and felt around. I was able to grab his shorts and hauled him up. He was spluttering and coughing, but he was alive."

"Oh my. Were you two alright?"

"We weren't hurt, except that Draco was now afraid to swim. We didn't go swimming together until the summer after our 1st year."

The blond was fuming. Blaise was making him out to be a ponce! How was she supposed to fall for him when all she could think about was his seven-year old self drowning in the lake at his estate?

The Weaselette had an amused glint in her eye. With the story Blaise had just told, she could blackmail him and ruin his notorious reputation. From all the years of taunting her, she could get her revenge on him with no mercy. Oh, Draco was going to murder Blaise- slowly and painfully.

Draco glanced at the redhead. She had turned around in her seat and had tried to get her friend's attention. Blaise had resumed studying for the Transfiguration, as he had been doing before she interrupted him. Loony was still resting on the table, a Quibbler article laid upon her chest. She raised her head to speak to her friend, and for a few minutes, the two were exchanging words. For all the gold in his vault, he hoped that she was leaving soon with her friend. He had made a complete and utter fool of himself. While Blaise had been flirting with the Gryffindor, he had simply sat there, of no importance. Neither had glanced in his direction to acknowledge his presence or to ridicule him with the childhood memories being retold. Merlin's Beard! She didn't even seem to realize that he was merely inches away. The stupid wench just situated herself across the table from him, while ogling his best mate- gazing at him with a seductive smile upon her lips.

The redhead stood up and spoke to Blaise. Her friend jumped off the table and approached her. "Sorry. Luna and I have to go. It was nice talking to you." And then, he couldn't believe it. She bent her head and pecked Blaise on the cheek. "See you later, Lover boy," she whispered before straightening herself up. She sauntered out of the library, swinging her hips; Lovegood following her, casting one glance back at the table.

Stupid Blaise! How could he win now?

Draco had stayed calm and peaceful, only casting threatening glares at his friend every five minutes. Of course, Blaise didn't notice, as he was too occupied being cocky that a lovely, voluptuous redhead had flirted with him. "No one is immune to the Zabini Charm" was the mantra that kept replaying in the olive-skinned Slytherin's head.

The two prefects had continued to study- or at least try to study, in Draco's case- for another hour before packing up. They walked in relative quiet; Draco, still quietly seething, and Blaise, too self-satisfied to notice his friend's inner turmoil.

It wasn't until after Blaise and Draco had returned to the Head Dorm that the blond decided to release his fury.

"Zabini, you idiotic, moronic, bloody pillock! Do you know what you just cost me with your ignorant trifles?" the blond questioned menacingly. He was pacing in front of his bed, where Blaise was comfortably resting with his hands behind his head.

His friend just cocked his head. "No need to be jealous. If you want her that much, you can have her. I'm through with her," he said smugly. If Draco had been fancying the redhead, and Blaise had received her attention and a kiss, than Draco was probably furious. His friend was always so protective of things that were labeled "his."

"I don't want her, you fool. I need her."

"Well, that's slightly obsessive, isn't it? Since when have you fancied her- or anyone for that matter?"

"I don't fancy her! Why would I choose her to fancy? The thing is, I didn't choose her."

"I know that. You can't choose who you like."

"Blaise, listen carefully. I. Did. Not. Choose. Her. She was chosen for me."

"That doesn't make any sense. Did your father want you to marry a Gryffindor and a Weasley? Or has this been prophesized and you just forgot to tell me?"

Draco stopped pacing and looked at his friend in disbelief. Slytherins were supposed to be cunning and quick-witted, weren't they? "Blaise, you idiot. She's the one! The girl you've been trying to get out of me all day? Are you always this slow?"

What girl? Blaise sat up, his eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't been pestering Draco about any- Oh. Realization dawned on him. That girl. Well, Draco sure got one hell of a witch- who just happened to have been flirting with him hours ago. No wonder why his friend was so angry.

"Oh. That girl."

Draco sighed. "Yes. That girl; the stupid, Muggle-loving Gryffindor. A Weasley for Merlin's sake!" He threw himself in the oversized chair that was across the bed and looked up at Blaise. "What am I going to do if she's got only you in mind?"

The two sat in silence. They needed a plan; a plan that would make a Weasley fall for a self-righteous Malfoy.

"I got it!"

Draco turned his head from where he was attempting to burn a hole into wall. He waited expectedly, but when Blaise didn't continue with his plan, he snapped. "Well?"

"I just like seeing you agitated," Blaise said sheepishly, and then ducked when a bottle of ink was thrown at his head.

"Get on with it."

Blaise smirked. For now, he held the power. He cackled in his head. Or so he thought.

"Stop the cackling, Blaise. It's creeping me out, and get to the plan already. I have plenty of ink bottles," Draco reminded him, annoyed. He was not a patient Head Boy. He tapped his fingers on the mahogany countertop of his desk. He always got what he wanted, and at this moment, he wanted a plan.

Blaise sobered up at the thought of more glass bottles of ink being hurled at his head. He scooted to the edge of the bed to speak to Draco. "Okay, okay. She likes me right? So, if I was mean to her, you could be there for her when I break her heart. Or bruise her ego."

That was the most ridiculous idea ever! As if she'd cry on the shoulder of a Malfoy. Was Blaise kidding? No, Draco thought. Blaise was completely serious.

"What would make you think that she'd go to me for comfort?" he asked.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "She's not going to go to you. You're going to go to her. You have to make the first move," he clarified, exasperated.

Draco huffed. "Fine. But it has wait until next week. I can't talk to her this week because of those bloody rules."

"I can put off breaking a Gryffindor's heart. But now you have to help me with my girl. I think she might be tough to break."

"Who do you have?"

"The one and only: Luna Lovegood."

And with that, Draco fell out of his chair laughing. Blaise just sneered at him and chucked a pillow at his friend's head.

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Harry was sprawled on the couch in the common room. He had spent two hours in the library watching Daphne. She was with Tracey Davis and the two witches were gossiping. He had learned nothing about her, except that she preferred Tracey's company to Pansy when Pansy had invited her over to another table. And then, Ginny, who was studying with Luna, had approached Zabini. Ron had started to shake with rage and had whipped out his wand. When he had seen what his best mate was doing, Ron had already started to mutter hexes under his breath. He had had to stupefy the temperamental redhead and drag him back to the common room. Ron was heavier than he appeared, and none of his classmates had bothered to offer to help. Instead, they had just gazed at him oddly.

Ginny had returned to the common room fifteen minutes ago, and now the two youngest Weasleys were having a screaming match. He should have stopped his best mate and his mate's sister from getting into such a heated argument, but after watching Ron pace around the room muttering curses, he had no desire to. It was tiring, being forced to nod his head while pretending to agree with whatever Ron had said during his fit.

"Ronald Weasley! You inconsiderate prat! I am not after Blaise for his money! Do I look like a slag to you?" Ginny screeched at her brother.

Ron yelled back at her. "You were flirting with the enemy! He's only going to use you. You don't know what he's planning! How could you be so stupid as to trust a Slytherin?"

"Me? Stupid? Because I don't classify Slytherins as evil until proven to be? Not everyone in Slytherin is evil. You just assume they are."

"Everyone in Slytherin is evil, Gin. They never do anything without an intention!" They were glaring at each other. Ginny's hair was sticking to her face as she spoke.

"Have you ever tried to befriend a Slytherin? Not everyone in Slytherin is evil and not everyone who isn't a Slytherin noble. It would do you wise to remember that."

Ron spluttered indignantly. "I know that. But with Slytherins, you have to be more careful. You can't just walk right up to them and have a friendly conversation!"

Ginny crossed her arms in front of her chest. "I am careful. And you just watch. I'll show you that not all Slytherins are evil. Blaise isn't going to hurt me." She turned away from Ron and stomped up the stairs to the Girl's Dorm. Ron sat down next to Harry on the couch. From the girl's tower, they could hear a door slam.

"Well, that was interesting," Harry commented.

Ron sulked. "She doesn't know what's good for her. She's going to get hurt."

"Just let her be. Zabini isn't as vile as Malfoy."

"Right now, I prefer you to Zabini."

Harry chuckled. "I don't think that she would appreciate that." He mockingly craned his head to search for Ginny. "Better make sure she doesn't hear you."

"Ha ha. You're hilarious, Harry," Ron remarked dryly. "I'm sure Greengrass would love your humor."

Harry bent his head. "I hope so, Ron. I hope so."

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"Stupid! He's so stupid. No one told him to stick his big nose into other people's business. Argh." Ginny was in the bathroom washing her face. She was brutally scrubbing her face, trying to get rid of all her anger.

"I can too take care of myself. I don't need a bloody guard. Honestly. Who does he think he is?" she grumbled. She entered the dorm and wiped her wet face before jumping in bed. She needed a nap. "Blaise isn't going to hurt me." He was such a wonderful bloke.

Ginny had been nervous as she waited for Blaise and Malfoy to show up. How could a Gryffindor approach a Slytherin without engaging in battle? Or alerting the media for that matter? The dare was startling, especially coming from Luna. She had thought that Luna was kidding, but apparently she wasn't. It didn't matter though, because the two Slytherins entered the library twenty minutes after Luna and her. She didn't have any grand schemes and the twenty minutes she had had passed by with a Woe is Me attitude. She had waited five minutes before approaching Blaise; she didn't want to appear desperate, after all. She had swung her hips hoping to attract his attention, and it had worked. Blaise had warmly greeted her, instead of sneering at her like she'd assumed. He had such a lovely voice as she listened to him recount stories from his and Malfoy's childhood.

Every time Malfoy was mentioned, her gaze would stray to the blond. She wasn't very skilled at perceiving people's emotions, but she could tell he was irritated about something. Maybe it was her presence, or maybe he just didn't like the library. When he thought that no one was watching him, he would glare at Blaise. It was a very strange occurrence. Was he jealous that she was talking to Blaise and not him? Or was he annoyed that Blaise made him out to be such a wimp in the stories? She had decided on the latter because the notion that a Malfoy would be envious over a Weasley was preposterous.

She had unabashedly flirted with Blaise, and it was exhilarating. Not because it was Blaise, but because it was fun. He played along, and not many blokes would do that. The winks and laughs that were passed between them were meaningless. She wasn't in love with him, and she certainly didn't fancy him. She was glad that Luna had dared her to befriend Blaise, as he was a wonderful person to talk to. She would complete this dare, and might just get a new best friend out of him.

She had left the two Slytherins since Luna wanted to go visit Hagrid, but not before calling Blaise a Lover boy. Her plan was to gradually force Blaise to be accustomed to being called by some ridiculous term. The kiss on the cheek, though, was unexpected- even for her. Did she fancy him? No, but she wanted to know how far she could push his limits. If he had said something cruel to her, than that would imply he was toying with her. Instead, he had just raised an eyebrow.

The visit to Hagrid would have been entertaining, if she had been able to concentrate properly. Luna and her had left after thirty minutes since Ginny had not been paying attention to anything Hagrid had said. Luna had claimed that Ginny had a horrible headache, and therefore, she should be escorted back to the Gryffindor Common Room. Luna had dragged her the whole way back to the castle and through the halls. The Ravenclaw had then dumped Ginny at the portrait entrance and had advised her to take a nap.

The nap had sounded wonderful, but then Ron was there. He had chastised her like an eleven-year old who had a crush on a 7th year. She didn't need his opinions about Slytherins; she had her own. They were misunderstood, not evil. Too bad Ron was too thick to realize it.

"I'm not going to be played," Ginny murmured, sleep slowly overtaking her. She pulled the warm blanket over her head.

"Stupid Ron. I'll show him. Just he wait."

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A/N: Leave a review. They make me very happy. And, yes, I know that these chapters are slowly- very slowly- progressing, but life isn't meant to be a nonstop action game. Even if you've got cool wands.