I was bored in English today…

I feel bad for anybody who has to read Hard Times in their English class and then watch the movie. Seriously:::puts hand over heart::: I feel for you.

Read: after chapter fifteen, the title will be changed to Imagine. Word.

Chapter Twelve—Damn Those Eyes

Ginny backed out of the embrace after a few moments. Sniffling, she looked down at her shoes while wiping the remnants of tears from her face. She looked up at Draco and saw that he was staring at her. Offering him a weak smile, Ginny began to head to her Tower, but Draco stopped her.

"Ginny, do you want me to walk you back?" He asked her.

Ginny nodded her head, "Yes that would be great, thanks."

They walked in an uncomfortable silence. For Ginny, she was wondering why moments ago she and Draco Malfoy, Prince of Slytherin, were hugging after they had a little heart-to-heart.

Draco was having similar thoughts. He had just told Ginny Weasley, Princess of Gryffindor, about something that he wished he could erase from his memory forever.

Draco didn't know how long they had been walking, nor did he know how much farther they had to go. They were walking down a hallway that had a great collection of paintings. Each painting had a great Wizarding Achievement depicted in it. The pictures showed things that the Muggles called 'The Great Wonders of the World,' but these 'Wonders' were actually created by wizards. Draco and Ginny were passing a particularly large painting that showed the Great Pyramids in Egypt.

Ginny looked over at the painting and froze. Egypt… That was where her brother had worked before he met his untimely demise. She backed away from the painting until she hit the opposite wall. Sliding down the wall, Ginny barely even noticed as Draco walked over to her and knelt beside her. Draco had seen Ginny look at the painting and remembered something about her brother working in Egypt.

Ginny was breathing deeply, trying to will the tears back. Her efforts were futile, however, because the tears swam down her face in thick streams. Her heart was constricting painfully and she felt like she was going to lose her breath again.

Draco was kneeling there, without an idea as to what he should do. Gently, he grabbed her left shoulder and angled her body so that she wasn't facing the painting anymore. Draco stared down at her and she gazed back at him. A tear started to make its way down her cheek and Draco, without thinking, brushed it away with his thumb. He stared into her eyes and he could see all the pain in the dark brown orbs. The hand that held her face slowly moved downwards, over her neck and it rested on her shoulder. He gave her a reassuring squeeze. She nodded and took a deep breath to regain composure. Draco stood up and offered a hand to Ginny, and she gratefully took it.

Wiping her face once again, Ginny continued on her way to Gryffindor Tower with Draco in tow. When they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Draco couldn't help but chuckle.

Ginny turned towards him in confusion. "What could possibly be so funny?"

Draco immediately sobered, but Ginny could see laughter in his eyes. "Oh, sorry, it's just, that's the entrance to your tower?" He asked, pointing to the Fat Lady.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Yes, as a matter of fact, it is." She sighed. "Draco, I want to thank you, really."

He shrugged. "Don't mention it." He was about to say goodnight, when he remembered something. "Hey, Ginny, there's a Hogsmeade visit next Saturday and—"

Ginny laughed lightly. "Sure, I'll go with you. This was all Blaise's work, I suppose?"

Draco grinned. "You bet it was. He's going with some girl Catherine from Ravenclaw and I guess he thought it would be fun if we went with him together." He shrugged again.

Ginny smiled a little. "Goodnight, Draco."

"'Night, Ginny," Draco responded and began to head back to the dungeons.

Ginny waited until he was out of earshot to say the password. She didn't think that her brother, or anyone else in Gryffindor for that matter, would be happy to find out that Draco Malfoy knew their password.

The red-headed girl crawled into bed and tried to fall asleep. The memory of Dumbledore's office kept playing in her mind, and she was soon crying again, and that is how she fell into a restless sleep.

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Before Ginny knew it, it was Saturday and she was getting ready to go to Hogsmeade. Her week had been anything but uneventful. On Monday, she and Ron were excused from school to go to Bill's funeral. Tuesday, they were able to spend the day with their family, but they were to return to school the next day. Blaise had talked to her a bit about their plans for Hogsmeade. She was to meet Blaise, Catherine, and Draco outside of the Hog's Head at eleven. It was now quarter of and Ginny was scrambling to get her act together.

Ginny wasn't too nervous. She didn't really think that she was on a date with Draco, but just that they were keeping each other company while Blaise was on his date. Okay, it did sound like a date, but Ginny didn't really want to think that she was going out with her brother's enemy.

Sighing, Ginny quickly dried her hair and donned her outfit for the day. She was wearing jeans and a thick, black turtleneck. After throwing her hair up in a ponytail, Ginny grabbed some money and ran out of the door. She was running late and she knew it.

In the Common Room, Ron stopped her to ask her why she was running as if the devil was on her heels, but she barely managed to say "late meeting friends" in between pants.

Ginny raced through the halls of Hogwarts and was soon in the Entrance Hall. She looked around briefly at the decorations and then remembered that it was Halloween. Filch checked her name off and she took a minute to take some deep breaths. Reenergized, Ginny ran across the grounds to the road that led to Hogsmeade. Ginny was never too athletic, but she supposed that Quidditch training had got her in shape and that was why she seemed to have a lot of endurance.

Noticing that the village was very crowded, Ginny decided to walk the rest of the way; she didn't want to trip over anybody. Slowly, she pushed through the crowd until she could see the sign for the Hog's Head come into view. Outside of the pub, Ginny could make out Blaise's dark head, and Draco's light one. Smiling, Ginny walked up to them.

"I'm sorry I'm late, you guys." She apologized.

"Ah, Ginny it's all right," Blaise told her. "Now, I don't want to be rude, so I shall introduce you to Catherine." Blaise stepped aside and motioned back and forth between the two girls. "Catherine, Ginny, Ginny, Catherine."

Ginny smiled. "Hello, Catherine."

Catherine returned her smile. "Hi, Ginny, Blaise has told me a lot about you."

Ginny laughed. "I bet he has." Ginny looked at the Ravenclaw girl before her. She guessed that Catherine was in her Seventh Year, because she hadn't really seen her before. Catherine had shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair, pale skin with a few freckles, and big green eyes. She had a great figure and was about Ginny's height. "So Catherine, what kind of spell did Blaise put you under to make you go out with him?" Ginny asked with a slight smirk on her face.

Catherine giggled a bit at the look on Blaise's face and Ginny rolled her eyes. She turned to Draco, who she still hadn't acknowledged.

"Draco," she nodded to him.

"Ginny," he nodded back.

Blaise looked between the two, and threw his hands in the air. "For the love of Merlin, you two are impossible."

Confused, Ginny looked at Blaise. "Blaise, what did you mean by that?" she asked suspiciously.

"Well," Blaise started, but then stopped when he received a bone-chilling glare from Draco. Blaise cleared his throat, "nothing, nothing at all, Ginny."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing. After an awkward silence, Ginny motioned to the pub they had been standing in front of. "Shall we?"

Catherine looked skeptical. "I don't think we should go in there. I think it's too shady." She looked to Blaise for support.

"Yeah, Catherine's right. A bit too sketchy for my liking," Blaise shuddered, and then clapped his hands together. "Okay, where shall we go then?"

Ginny spoke up. "Um, I think there's a little tea shop over that way," she said, pointing down a side street.

Draco looked worried, "It's not that one with the hearts and cupids everywhere, is it?"

"Merlin, no," Ginny answered.

"Well, that's settled then." Blaise said, and they all went down the side street that Ginny had pointed to moments before.

Blaise and Catherine led the way and Ginny walked with Draco behind them. Ginny was starting to feel more uncomfortable because it was starting to feel like a date. Then, she started to think that if this was a date, and Draco had been the one to ask, then did that mean something? Did he like her? Or was he just looking for friendship? Ginny nodded at the last theory and relaxed a little. Another doomed relationship was the last thing that Ginny needed right now.

"Um, Ginny, where exactly is this place?" Blaise asked her from the front.

Ginny looked around and didn't recognize her surroundings. She cursed under her breath. "Blaise, sorry, I think it might be the other way."

"C'mon, Blaise, you should know not to let a Weasley give directions," said Draco with amusement.

"Oh, shut up, Draco." Ginny swatted his arm playfully. "Okay, let's get out of here, it's creeping me out a bit."

"Me too," said Catherine.

They turned around and headed in the opposite direction, this time with Draco and Ginny leading. As they stepped back onto the main street of Hogsmeade, Ginny immediately wished that they had gone in the right direction the first time.

Walking right by her and Draco were her brother, Harry and Hermione. Ron looked up as he saw her and stopped when he saw who she was with.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Ron asked her suspiciously.

"Oh, relax, Ronald. I'm just enjoying a day in Hogsmeade with my friends."

"Yeah, yeah I know how you and Zabini are friends, but why is Malfoy with you guys?" Ron spat the name as if it were a disease.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Because he's friends with Blaise as well and we're just hanging out. And I would really appreciate it if you weren't so defensive all the time."

"I'm not being defensive," Ron said. Ginny raised her eyebrows. "Okay, maybe I am, but what am I supposed to do? He's a-"

"Don't say it," Ginny pleaded.

He didn't hear her, "-Death Eater." Ron concluded. Catherine gasped, but Blaise shushed her.

Ginny groaned and looked at Draco. His eyes were swimming with fury at Ron's implications. Ginny touched his arm lightly, "Draco, let's go. Come on just forget it." She turned to Ron. "Ron, you shut your big mouth and leave right now." Ron looked at her incredulously. "Just go!"

Ron looked at her as if she were crazy, turned to Harry and Hermione, and they left.

When Ginny turned back to Draco, she saw that he had relaxed a bit. "I'm sorry Draco. You know how much of a big mouth my brother is."

Draco looked down at her and saw her pleading with her eyes. Damn her beautiful brown eyes, he thought to himself. I could never be mad at those eyes. "I'm fine," he told her.

Ginny smiled at him. "Good. Now about this tea shop…"

"I have an idea," Blaise exclaimed. This time Draco groaned.

"Knowing you, Zabini, we should be running for our lives about now."

"Very funny, Draco. Now, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I think we should spend a nice, relaxing afternoon in our Head Boy's spacey, comfortable dormitory." Blaise grinned.

Draco glared at him for a moment but then he looked at Ginny and his anger dissipated. "Fine," he sighed. "But if anything happens to any of my things, it's your head." He said, pointing to Blaise.

"Oh, come one, Draco. We wouldn't dream of it," Blaise finished dramatically, and Ginny giggled.

Draco rolled his eyes and they made their way out of Hogsmeade. Once again, Ginny started to feel uncomfortable when Blaise took Catherine's hand. Ginny crossed her arms as to avoid a similar situation with Draco.

Draco noticed this. "Relax, Weasley. I don't want to touch your filthy hand," he smirked.

Ginny rolled her eyes and hit him upside the head. She knew that he really didn't mean anything by his insults. They were past that now.

Ginny and Draco continued to bicker playfully all the way up to the castle. Once inside, the group began to make its way to the dungeons, where Draco's room was located. Blaise and Draco approached to painting of the sea and the dragon with familiarity and the two girls followed. Draco mumbled the password and the four teenagers entered. Ginny looked around. The last time she was here she was a bit too distraught to admire the sophistication of the room. The woodwork was a deep mahogany and when Ginny looked at the color of the plush sofa and the bedspread, she turned to Draco, confusion written on her face.

"What? It's my favorite color." Draco said defensively. Besides those brown eyes, of course…

Ginny smiled at him and looked back at the midnight blue color of the bedspread and walked over to it. Touching the fabric, Ginny thought it was the silkiest thing she's ever felt. She grinned and plopped down on the bed. Looking up, Ginny saw three pairs of eyes looking at her curiously. "What? It just…looked so comfy." Ginny said.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. "Is it satisfactory, Miss Weasley?" he asked.

"Definitely, I could sleep in here every night," she answered. Realizing what she said, Ginny's eyes widened in horror and she began to blush furiously.

Blaise began to grin wickedly. "Well, Catherine and I will go to the kitchens for some nibblies and you two can," he paused, feigning concentration, "um, have a pillow fight?" Ginny gaped at him, feeling as if her embarrassment had increased tenfold. Blaise chuckled and grabbed Catherine's hand again. "Ciao!" Blaise called as he exited the room.

Ginny looked over to Draco and saw that he looked sufficiently uncomfortable. Draco Malfoy, uncomfortable? She thought to herself. Never thought I'd see the day. Though, Ginny had to admit that Draco had been acting unpredictable.

She heard him clear his throat and looked up to see him shake his head. "When do you reckon we should kill Blaise, eh?" He grinned.

Ginny laughed. "Let's attack him the second he gets back. I'm afraid I didn't realize what I would be getting myself into when I became friends with him."

"I felt the exact same way when we first became friends in our first year." Draco laughed slightly, grinning at the memory. "Yeah, he sort of has a thing for playing matchmaker, I suppose. My first kiss was at Hogwarts. Pansy Parkinson, to be exact." His grin suddenly turned into a frown.

Ginny walked up to him, a serious expression on her face. When she was standing in front of him, she put her hands on his shoulders and said, "I am so dreadfully sorry." Then she burst out laughing and stepped back a bit, dropping her hands.

Draco grabbed her hands and held them lightly in between them. She raised her eyebrow at him. "What?" he asked.

"I thought you didn't want to hold my filthy hands, Malfoy," she smirked at him.

"Blaise's back! And he has food!" came a sing-song voice from the entrance to the room.

Draco dropped Ginny's hands and rolled his eyes at Blaise. "That's just fabulous," he said sarcastically.

Blaise chortled, "Oh, I'm sorry, was I interrupting something?"

Draco rolled his eyes again. "No, Blaise, you weren't. We were just discussing how we're going to kill you. Isn't that right, Ginny?"

Ginny smiled wickedly. "Indeed it is. You watch your back, Zabini." She told him seriously.

Blaise suddenly looked less cheerful. "Aw, come on, guys. What did I do?"

Draco glared at him. "A pillow fight, Blaise? Honestly, you would think that after my first year you would stop trying to torture me."

Blaise suddenly laughed. "Are you talking about the time you and Parkinson-"

"Enough!" Draco roared. "We do not talk about that." Draco shuddered.

Ginny laid a hand on his shoulder. "Once again, I am so very sorry for you."

Draco looked into her damnable brown eyes again and his annoyance with Blaise vanished. He looked away quickly. Damn those eyes…

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A/N: yeah, sorry for all the cutesy-ness. i just couldn't resist. REVIEWS ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED.