A/N: 2020 - Revised

2006 - Wow, the deci-chapter come and gone, and here we are with chapter eleven! It's only been what, three days? I'm quite proud, if I do say so myself. I realize there are some unanswered questions from the previous chapter - things like, "Who is the mysterious flyer?" and "What was going on with Harry and Ginny?" Well, I admit, THAT one was rather obvious, but the other one… muahahaha! Thischapterisdedicatedtomydearlyboychallengedfriend'Luca'.

Moving on to the disclaimer: Put the pens and autograph pads away; I am not the goddess people know and love as J.K. Rowling, merely a twitty little fangirl obsessed with Draco Malfoy. lol

(Quite possibly the longest disclaimer I've ever done..)

The week following the perfume incident had been rather marvelous for Ginny, all things considered. She soon found out what was in the chocolates, and it was all thanks to Neville, who had the misfortune of sampling one when he came across the box in the common room one evening. Poor guy, Ginny had thought at the time. Won't stop talking about his Gran and Uncle Algie…

Ginny and Luca were by the window in the common room Saturday afternoon, discussing the upcoming Quidditch tryouts.

"I really want to see if there's anything I can do in the sport!" Luca declared in earnest.

"So why not try out?" Ginny asked, only mildly surprised at her friend's fervor for the subject.

"Honestly? I don't want to risk making a fool of myself," Luca explained with a small shrug. "It's been forever since I've been on a broomstick. I'd need some practice first."

Ginny grinned. Now this is my area of expertise, she thought. "Don't worry. Meet me at the Quidditch pitch tomorrow after breakfast, okay? We'll see what you can do."

Luca smiled at her friend.

"Hey," Ginny's eyes perked up. "Do you want to play Exploding Snap with Ron and the lot?"

Luca glanced over at the trio, who were sitting by the fireplace laughing together. "Sure, why not?"

Soon the cheery bunch of five had almost doubled in size, until the whole of the common room was participating in the game.

The next day, Ginny woke up early. Staggering bleary-eyed to the window, she peered out at the grounds. Though the sun could be seen peeking over the edge of the horizon, the sky was cloudy and hinted at rain. Oh lovely, she thought without a trace of sarcasm. My favorite weather for flying! Come to think of it, a little rain would be just the thing to put Luca through her paces… Glancing over at Luca's sleeping figure, she idly wondered how she'd do. Despite Ginny's avid participation in the sport at school, she hadn't actually seen her friend do any flying outside of class with Madam Hooch. All traces of her earlier sleepiness disappeared as with an evil grin, she tiptoed over to her sleeping friend's bed. Carefully, she mounted the foot of the bed. With a great holler, she began bouncing mercilessly, until all the girls in the room were awake. The situation escalated quickly, with girls giggling madly as they beat one another with pillows.

This was how Professor McGonagall found them several minutes later, having been called upon no doubt by one of the other years. Her deeply accented request that they please try to control themselves was met with stifled giggles and a breathy "Sorry, Professor" or two. As soon as she was gone, they all made a mad dash to the bathroom for showers.

Luca and Ginny left the Great Hall early, heading first to the broom shed, then out to the pitch.

"Right, so it might get a bit wet up there. Think you'll be alright?" Ginny asked.

Glancing up at the sky, Luca nodded. "Wouldn't have great odds for making the team if I wasn't, would I?"

Together, the two mounted their brooms. They started with laps around the field, sticking to a reasonably low altitude. Soon however, Luca became more sure of herself and pulled her broom higher. Her face hid nothing, and Ginny could easily recognize the pleasure Luca felt at the wind whipping through her hair, and the icy sting it left on her cheeks. Blimey, Ginny smiled to herself. She's a natural! She watched Luca perform a couple of loops in the air. Why am I only seeing this side of her now?

Ginny's mouth dropped open as Luca took a sudden dive. Shite, that girl better know what she's doing! Luca's earthward trajectory had her coming right towards Ginny. Just as she was about to hit her mildly panic-stricken friend, she pulled up. Sighing with relief, Ginny let out a small chuckle before shooting off after Luca. The girls raced one around the pitch for a few laps, before Ginny pulled up to resume her role as observer.

Ginny watched her friend show off in the air, no longer doubting her ability to make the team. Just when she was about to call her to come back down, Luca stopped. Ginny tried to follow her gaze, but the stands blocked her view. Luca turned abruptly and sped towards Ginny.

"That's it for now folks, Head Boy headed this way," Luca said by way of explanation.

"Stupid git, he's prbably heading over to tell us off." Rolling her eyes, Ginny tailed Luca to the broom shed, where they locked their brooms up before heading back to the castle.

During her patrol that night, she ran into Harry.

"Hiya Harry," she greeted, her voice friendly - but not too much so. "You don't need me saying so, but it is past curfew."

"Hey, Ginny! I'm so glad I found you. Look, we need to talk," he said, taking her by the arm and guiding her somewhat forcefully to the side of the corridor.

Though she found his behavior strange (It's not like there's anyone else in this particular hallway), she bit back the reprimand that sprung to mind.

"Uh, okay, what's up?" she asked instead.

"I, er, I was wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me the next trip?" He looked somewhat nervous.

Ginny eyed him speculatively. The feelings this invitation brought forth were not ones of excitement or butterflies. In fact, she found the idea left her feeling rather… lumpy.

"Oh, gosh," she said, not entirely sure how to begin. Truth be told, not only had she ceased imagining this moment long ago, but she'd also given no consideration to the possibility that such an offer would be made once she'd decided she was no longer interested. "Harry, I'm sorry. A couple years ago, maybe even last year, I would've been jumping for joy if you asked me that. The thing is, it's different now-"

Harry didn't give her a chance to finish. "Gin, Ginny, hey, come on. I know I've been an idiot, not seeing you sooner. Just - please, give me a chance!" His eyes were pleading, but his grip on her arm had grown uncomfortable.

No means no, even for you - now let me go before you regret it… Again, Ginny held her tongue. She started to pull away, but Harry must have misinterpreted her shifting for he stepped even closer. One hand came up to cup the back of her head, as if to pull her into a kiss. Recoiling, Ginny jerked her arm out of his grasp.

"Look, I'm sorry Harry. I can't." Unwilling to allow herself to feel guilty for the pained look on his face, she bolted. Don't touch me don't touch me don't touch me, cycled through her mind on repeat. Rounding the corner at the end of the corridor, she slammed into a hard body. She barely heard the harsh voice. Muttering her apology, she picked herself up and dashed off.

A/N: 2020 - Those who read the original version all those years ago might note a definite change in tone, regarding the interaction at the end of this chapter. I guess that's what you get when a 27 year old decides to revise a 13 year old's take on a 16 year old's mind… especially one who in the intervening years has been subject to unwanted advances from 'gentlemen' who really can't take a hint. Or a "No, thank you, I'm not interested."

Ahem. I digress.

2006 - Well, there you have it, chapter eleven! Oh, and HA! I'll bet you wouldn't have guessed that it was NOT Ginny's flying that intrigued Draco (SWOON) It was in fact her dear friend LUCA! Muahahahahahahaha! Don't blame me, blame FreakyHOTGeek..lol (Sorry for pushing the blame onto you, dear)

Reviews, please, because I lurve them so!