Chapter 17: Token of Admiration

Sitting in the dark common room, being only lit by a single fireplace, Draco could feel himself falling asleep. But he couldn't, he thought to himself as he shook his head, making his hair fly all over while rubbing his eyes. He had stuff to do. Finish essays, plot the seduction of Ginny, finish more essays…

Just as he finished scribbling some chicken scratch writing in an attempt to quickly get the History of Magic essay completed, Blaize came jumping in. As he looked around and his gaze found Draco's form, he smirked to himself, stuck his hands in his pockets and nonchalantly walked over.

"So." He simply said.

"So what? Speak. I have a lot of essays to write so if you can't go five seconds without being a complete wanker, I don't care," Draco snapped groggily.

"Well aren't we cranky tonight… Fine," Blaize sighed, as he pulled a small box from his pocket, "If you don't want what I have from this mysterious girl you're pursuing, I'm just going to take it to our room and wait till you're on hands and knees groveling for it. You know I've been in a need to hear some groveling lately…" But before he could finish, Draco had jumped up and had snatched the box from his out stretched had that he had used to dangle the parcel over Draco like a bone to a dog.

"Give me that. Leave the groveling to Parkinson…" Draco replied with a smirk. He situated himself in on the couch and unwrapped the box, but as he lifted the lid, he was slightly put off.

"Hey that's pretty cool, can I have it?" Blaize asked, sitting on the arm rest of the couch.

"A, it's a girl's quill, B, I plan on sending it back, and C," Draco said slowly, pausing before he smacked Blaize in the forehead, "You're a prat."

"And you're ridiculously persistent and unyielding. Don't you get it, this woman poses the talent of not being taken in by expensive gifts and stupid flattery. I am slightly appalled by this but at the same time, intrigued."

"And that is why I'm sending it back. But with a little bonus."

"Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, she won't respond to flowers and useless gifts?"

"So I should send her a mop with a note saying 'Here's something useful, with love from Draco'? Get real Blaize, girl's don't want that. They want useless crap."

"Well aren't you confident for someone who's been shut down twice that I've now seen. I'm assuming this is the same girl that send you the maimed flowers."

"Assume away, but I need to find where I put the other part of her gift," Draco smiled sweetly at his friend as he patted his head. Blaize smacked his hand away.

"OOH! You were prepared to be shut down! Okay now I don't feel bad for you, but for the girl. God knows what you're planning now…"

---------------

The next morning Ginny didn't go down to breakfast. She didn't want to do anything. All of the pretending like she was fine and "I am girl hear me roar" caught up to her. She wasn't fine. She felt like she was missing something. Whether she wanted to face it or not, Draco Malfoy had turned into a sort of friend. Always there to annoy her, something to depend on and expect. She smiled to herself. Yeah, Draco was like a friend. He pestered her, he helped her, he was there to talk to. And before… she sighed. Before she had started to feel things for him that she shouldn't have, it was good. Just then, as Ginny sat on the floor by her trunk, Bella ran in.

"Sorry, but I have to give this to you. The owl almost ate my finger because I wouldn't take it in the first place. I don't want it to go get it's friends if I don't give it to you," She said giggling as she handed Ginny a medium sized box.

"What is it?" Ginny asked, getting up and taking the mysterious package.

"No clue, but I'll leave it to you to find out. Never really got to finish eating thanks to you…" Bella replied, hands on her hips. "You going to come down too?"

"No not really hungry. Thanks for bringing this," Ginny said, waving at the door as she sat down on her bed and began unwrapping. When Bella had left she lifted the lid and found a note resting on some tissue paper. She frowned at it and read out loud to herself, "Well, a normal person with manners would have accepted the gift graciously, but seeing as it's you, I decided to piss you off and send it back. With a bonus, Draco."

She crumpled the note and mumbled, "Stupid prat…" She sat with her arms crossed for a moment, debating just sending the thing back before looking at it. But, curiosity got the better of her. Pushing the tissue paper back, she found the original quill on top of a leather bound, rich mocha colored notebook. She opened up to the first page where the satin ribbon was holding a spot. Again, a lovely note from Draco was present to haunt her. "A place to write down all the things you won't tell me. I know you have a lot more in your head than ideas of physically kicking me right now. Thought you could use it."

At first Ginny didn't know what to say. She had expected worse. Money, jewelry… But something sentimental as a notebook? No. She suddenly began to scowl. Oh what did he know! There wasn't anything she couldn't tell him to his face. Why did he have to so arrogant all the time and think he knew anything about her! She dumped the contents of the box out onto the bed. Along with the notebook and quill, there were 2 daisies. She screamed in anger. Grabbing some parchment she wrapped the quill and book in it, and tied one of the daisies on the outside. The other she tossed carelessly into her trunk which already had 3 roses, 2 orchids, and Draco's cloak. She pulled another sheet of parchment out and wrote a quick note, ran out of the portal and up to the owlery.

--------------------

5 minutes later, in the Great Hall at the Slytherin table, Draco, while eating his toast and bacon received a sloppy bundle in his lap.

"What's this? A token of admiration?" Blaize joked as he stabbed at his eggs while looking at Draco.

"I seriously doubt that…" Draco replied cautiously as he noticed the battered state of the flower. As he unwrapped the package, the first thing that fell out was a note. He picked it up and said, "Yes as I expected."

"Well go ahead, don't leave me in suspense…" Blaize replied not really paying attention to Draco or else he would have noticed that the quill was in the bundle.

Draco cleared his throat and read out loud, "I have no problem telling you my deep thoughts. So here's one, kiss my… (Blaize you have sensitive ears so I'll skip that part)… you waste of air." He folded the note and stuck it in his pocket.

On his left Blaize spit out his orange juice at a first year before he fell out of his seat laughing.

Draco looked down at his friend and said, "Yes. You're a great comfort. Now come along, this calls for a dig into the other gifts."

"You mean the 'I'm sorry for being such a pain in the uh oh' gifts?"

"You get more and more clever by the minute, did you know that, Blaize? More and more clever…"