A/N: 2020 - Revised

2006 - So here it is, chapter fifteen. Thank you, all my loyal reviewers, I love you all. M&Ms to all new reviewers!

Disclaimer: *sigh* Needless to say, Harry Potter is not mine. Do stop rubbing it in...

"The nerve of him! I could've bloody well made the team on my own, thank you very much!" No sooner had Malfoy left the library, than Ginny followed suit, catching up to Luca and hauling her up to their dormitory to speak in private.

"Yes, but Ginny dear, the point is that he felt compelled to do it in the first place. You should be thankful that a Malfoy of all people is capable of such… such niceness," Luca pointed out reasonably.

"Now don't you forget, I wouldn't have been there in the first place if it weren't for him!"

"You make a fair point," Luca conceeded.

"But why? And how? Why?" Ginny was pacing the room, hair wildly disheveled from being repeatedly mauled by her agitated hands. Luca, on the other hand, was reclining on her bed, propped up by one elbow and grinning ear to ear.

"You seem rather distraught over this. He probably used some spell or something. He is a wizard, after all. Even if he is a right git of a wizard, he is one all the same."

"You know what?" Ginny stopped her pacing and whirled to face her friend. Luca raised her eyebrows questioningly. "I reckon he's working an angle. Probably hoping this will put me off my guard so he can knock me flat with whatever he and that friend of his cook up next."

"Dear, I don't think Crabbe or Goyle is much of the mastermind type."

"Not them, you goose! That Zabini guy!" Ginny waved her hand vaguely.

Luca rolled onto her back, examining the back of her hand intently. "Oh. Him." Sitting back up to face Ginny she added, "He's quite hot, isn't he?"

Ginny rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a grin. "Do you fancy him?"

Luca did not answer outright, but grinned mischievously as she flopped back down on her bed. "So, what say you to me going to have a chat with this Zabini? I'll just poke around a bit, have a look-see at whatever is cooking, to put it in your own words."

"You sure this is all for my sake?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Of course dear, fear not. This is business." Though Luca was clearly trying to convey a sense of casual solemnity, she failed miserably.

Ginny shook her head in amusement. "I am so going with you."

At lunch a short while later, Ginny and Luca's discussion about how best to get Blaise Zabini alone was interrupted by an awkward cough from across the table.

"Uh, Gin, sorry to disturb whatever it is you're..." Harry trailed off at Ginny's cool stare. "Er, right. Why is Malfoy staring at you?"

Ginny and Luca both twisted around to get a better look at the Slytherin table. Malfoy was indeed looking at her, a wide grin on his pinched face. Ginny's jaw dropped when he blew her a kiss. Eyes wide, she turned to face Luca.

"We have got to get to the bottom of this."

Their chance came towards the end of the meal, when Blaise got up and left the Great Hall. Glancing at one another, they stood in unison, swallowing their last mouthfuls of macaroni.

Out in the Entrance Hall, they spied Blaise just starting down the corridor to the dungeons. Without a word, they hurried up to him, each girl linking one arm through his. Together, they steered him into the closest empty classroom before releasing him.

"He-llo ladies! I know I'm rather fabulous, but don't you think we should get a little better acquainted first?" Blaise chuckled as he backed away, his hands up in mock defense.

"Let's skip the formalities this time, Zabini. We're here on business," Ginny said with little patience. Blaise's eyebrows rose. Rolling her eyes, Ginny continued. "We know Malfoy's up to something."

"Is he now?" Blaise settled onto a desk.

"Yes, and you're going to help us." Ginny and Luca closed in on him.

Glancing between the two, he asked, "So you want me to let you in on this new tactic of Draco's to win the lovely Miss Weasley's heart?"

Ginny blinked. What? Then noticing his playful smile, she snapped back. "No. You're our spy."

Blaise considered this, his gaze unseeingly directed at the far wall. After a beat, he sat up straighter, his attention returning to the girls. "So, what sort of spy work shall I do?"

"Your job is to keep us posted on new developments in this little war," Luca explained.

"Ah, but don't you think it'd be a tad suspicious if I was seen galavanting off with two Gryffindors? Especially," he added, "when one is the very person he's set out to torment? Not very wise, is it?"

"That's what I'm for!" Luca beamed. "We are the- oh, middlemen, I suppose. We are the only connection Ginny has to Malfoy's ideas."

"Perhaps you've forgotten - I'm a Slytherin. How do you know I won't tell Draco about your plots?" It seemed that Blaise wasn't going to allow himself to be complicit quite so easily, after all. Nevertheless, Ginny had accounted for this.

"Well, that wouldn't exactly be in your best interest now would it? We've got things you might not like to see floating around the corridors..." Ginny trailed off, an evil glint in her eye.

Blaise's eyebrows again rose, and Ginny thought she could detect the slightest chink in his carefree facade. Oh, how much fun it would be to make him squirm, she thought.

"What might that be?" Blaise asked, his expression almost too neutral.

"Oh, nothing. Just this picture..." Ginny reached into her robes and produced a small, glossy photograph.

"What is that?" Blaise narrowed his eyes.

Pretending to scrutinize the image, she said, "Well, there's some bloke here- oh, that's you, and he's- well blimey, he's snogging Marcus Flint!"

"Lemme see that!" Blaise tried to snatch it out of her hands, but Ginny held it just out of reach. "I never did that, it's a fake picture!"

"We know that, but the rest of the school doesn't. After all, to see is to believe!" Matching smirks adorned the girls' faces. Blaise sighed.

"I haven't much of a choice, have I?"

"Nope."

A/N: 2006 - Well, here it is! I guess it could be longer, but I like it fine now. Love you, so R&R!