A/N: Sorry it takes me forever to post! But, I hope you enjoy this chapter! I know it moves kinda slow, but it's necessary so that the story's believable. Anyways, please review(: it's motivation. Thanks so much for everything (reading, reviewing, etc.) btdubbb, am I the only one who thought Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 was amazing? (: hahah.

A few days later, Draco was ready to start phase two of his seduction of Ginny Weasley. He traveled into the library at the exact same time he had during his first attempt to woo the red-head, and was lucky to find her at her usual table once again. This time, he headed over immediately without hesitation and took a seat across from her. He wore a smug smile on his face as she looked up at him with disgust.

"What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she asked, sounding more curious than angry at this point.

"I saw you sitting here all by your lonesome again, and I thought maybe we could shoot the breeze," he returned casually with a shrug. She shot him a glare.

"You did not."

"Why're you questioning me?" Draco responded as he cocked an eye brow.

"Because there is no way on this earth that you would ever considering 'shooting the breeze' with me," she said matter-of-factly.

"Don't be so sure of that," he countered.

"What'd you mean?" Ginny narrowed her eyes.

"Well from what I've gathered, you're an intelligent girl…well, that is minus your decision to date Harry Potter…but that's a whole other story. Anyway, you're intelligent, beautiful…why wouldn't I wanna talk to you?" he asked, his smirk only growing as he continued on and on in his speech. There were a few moments of silence where Ginny seemed to consider what he was saying, and then suddenly the same accusatory expression resurfaced on her face.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" she demanded bluntly.

"No dear, we've just established that I don't think you're stupid," he corrected, "Let's try to keep up now."

She shook her head at him as her eyes turned to slits on her face.

"Get out of here, Malfoy."

"Nope, sorry can't help you."

"Why?"
"Because I don't want to go…and I typically get what I want," he explained cockily.

"What do I have to do to get you to leave me alone?" Ginny asked with desperation.

"Now you're talking my language," Draco said, "Let's have a conversation…"

"About what?"

"Hmmm…I dunno…weather, school events? Or maybe we could talk about that nasty little split you had with our dear friend Mr. Potter?" Draco smirked as Ginny's expression turned to pure rage. Then, all of a sudden, she seemed to calm down. She was either ready to leave, or finally starting to crack. He truly hoped it was the latter.

"What do you wanna know about it?" she asked through pursed lips.

"I just want details, honestly," he answered, "What happened?"

"It just…wow, I can't believe I'm having this conversation with you…" Ginny trailed off.

"Come on, Weasley. It seems that I'm all you've got. Besides, like I've said, I can be impartial," Draco reasoned.

"Fine…well, it just wasn't working…I dunno…"

"Don't gimme that bullshit," Draco chuckled darkly, "Every break-up has a legitimate reason for occurring…now let's hear yours."

"Well, you know how Harry is, he's just expects so much out of everyone because he expects so much out of himself, so it makes it hard to live up to expectation, you know?"

"Yeah, he's a prick," Draco said plainly, "What's that got to do with him dumping you?"

"He just didn't like how I would flirt with other guys and it was just like he expected me to be perfect all the time, and so he finally got fed up and just ended it instead of trying to work through the problems," Ginny explained, her voice void of emotion. It was obvious she was still far from over the break-up. This was perfect for Draco. Her vulnerability was the key.

"I see," he said as he pretended to ponder her predicament.

"See? You don't even care, so why're we having this conversation?" Ginny demanded angrily.

"Actually, what I was just about to say was…he's a git and you're better off without him," Draco told her, "You don't need that. If he can't handle that you're a valued commodity at Hogwarts, than he doesn't deserve you."

"Well no, I could see how the flirting was annoying—"

"No, no Weasley, don't doubt yourself. Harmless flirting…even harmless screwing is no big deal when you're in a relationship," he smirked, "Trust me, I know."

"Yeah, because you're a cheater and a bastard," Ginny shot back, "Ugh, I don't know why I even talked to you about this. You don't understand…" She stood up to leave, but Draco had a tactic to stop her from bolting.

"Weasley, come on," he interrupted her rapid collection of books, "I've been there, haven't we all? I've recently gone through a break-up myself—"

"Please," Ginny scoffed, "You didn't even like the pug-faced bitch you were dating. You just used her for sex anyways."

"Why would I use her for something I can get anytime, anywhere?" Draco countered as he raised his eye brow. Ginny sighed, knowing that he had a point.

"Okay, true," she agreed, "Well then Malfoy, why did you date Pansy if not for that reason?"

Draco shrugged, "I dunno…seemed like a good idea in theory, but not such a good one in execution."

"I know whatcha mean," Ginny said as she sunk back down into her seat, "Me and Harry seemed like such a perfect couple, but when it came down to it we couldn't get it to work."

"Eh, you don't know that. I betcha anything you'll be popping out his kids in a few years from now."

Ginny rolled her eyes but smiled nevertheless.

"Anyways Weasley, you need to explore your options while you're single," Draco advised deviously, "You never know who could have their eye on you." He allowed his eyes to linger down to her chest before they traveled back up to her face. She noticed this action and merely stared at him as he raised his eye brows at her. "Think about it." With that final line put into place, Draco retreated from his place at the table and headed out of the library with his hands in his pockets. Phase two: complete.

"Hey Esther, can I talk to you for a second?"

Esther was stunned when she heard Harry Potter call after her as they exited out of class that afternoon. It had been a few days since she had laid her grand speech on him, and she was surprised that he was suddenly approaching her out of the blue. Well, she had noticed him staring at her in class, but she figured it was more of a lust thing than anything else. However, she was grateful for this turn of events. It saved her the trouble of having to approach him for the third time in a row.

"You know my name?" she asked as she cocked an eye brow, "Well how about that." Harry turned a light shade of pink and smiled awkwardly.

"Is that so strange? I mean, you knew my name, after all," he said.

"Yeah, but you're Harry Potter. Everybody knows who you are," she returned smoothly. She figured that would win her some points, at least. He was a guy, and guys loved to have their egos stroked.

"Well anyways…" he trailed off, "Er—I just wanted to apologize for being rude to you before. You don't typically meet many Slytherins who like to make nice with Gryffindors."

"Don't worry about it," Esther said with a shrug, "I'm a big girl, I got over it." Harry merely smiled, uncertain of how to respond. She had to keep him hooked though, so she pressed on. "So, how is it that the famous Harry Potter knows who I am?" He laughed softly.

"Well, uh…I've heard things," he explained with an amused yet uncomfortable expression on his face.

"Ooh, rumors…I love it. Care to clue me in?"

"Er—" he stopped himself, seeming more uneasy at this point. "Well, uh…just that you're…"

"A slut? A tease? Don't worry about hurting my feelings, I've heard 'em all," Esther assured him, amused at the labels she had acquired over the years.

"It doesn't really matter," Harry said with a shrug. He seemed to feel bad.

"Exactly," she agreed, "because talk is really just a bunch of noise. "

"Well put."

At this point, the two had already reached the end of the hallway and it was apparent that they were both heading in separate directions. Esther knew she had made some progress, but not enough. She had to find a way to keep this kid wanting more.

"So Golden boy, would you be willing to walk me to my next class? It's not too far, I promise." She shot him a cunning yet soft smile. She hoped he was like all the other boys at the school and was unable to resist it.

"I have to meet a friend," Harry said apologetically, "Maybe another time."

Esther was beyond pissed, and shocked that he was still somewhat resistant to her charms. However, she wouldn't let this show in her face. She'd have to play it cool.

"No worries, Harry. I get it," she said as she folded her lips, "See you around."

She backed up slowly, a sexy smirk covering her face as she kept her eyes fixed upon his. With that, she turned back around and headed down the hallway. Things were getting better, but she had to put in more effort if she wanted to get him to crack. This was proving to be a lot harder than she originally expected.

As Esther continued to ponder her predicament, she felt the presence of another beside her in the hallway. She turned and hoped for a moment that it was Harry reconsidering her proposal, but instead it was none other than her adversary in her current bet, Draco Malfoy. He wore a smirk on his face as he sauntered next to her with his hands in his pockets. Obviously, he had just made some head-way with Weasley. She rolled her eyes, not in the mood to hear about how great his end of the bargain was going.

"Hello Sinclair."

"Draco," she returned coldly, "What can I help you with?"

"Oh, nothing," he said smoothly, "Just curious to hear if you've made any progress with Potter these days…"

"If you must know, I have," she told him as a cool smile graced her lips.

"Hmm, well how about that. Well done. I've also had some luck with the Weasley whore as of late."

"Good to hear it," Esther complimented with confidence.

"Thought you would be," he returned, "You better hurry Sinclair, I pretty much have this one in the bag."

"Don't be so sure of that, Malfoy," Esther countered, "Did you not just see me walking with one Harry Potter just a few moments ago?"

"Yeah, but I also noticed he bolted five seconds later."

"Not the point."

"I guess you charms don't work on everyone, do they Sinclair?" Draco questioned with a devious smirk. Esther shot him a dirty look, but then also began to smirk. She cocked an eyebrow before grabbing him by the front of the robes and dragging him into the adjacent hallway. After pushing him up against the wall roughly, she pressed her lips against his till they went numb. Draco was beyond surprised. He didn't even really have a chance to react. After a few moments of being in the position, Esther released him and began to back away.

"Yeah, but they work on you," she commented sexily, "That's just a preview of what you'll get if you win."

With that, she disappeared down the hallway. As always, she had left Draco amazed. He regained his breath and straightened up his robes before descending down the hall himself.

"That's the girl for me," he said out loud as he exhaled deeply and ran his hands through his hair.

The following day, Esther had chosen to take a day off from working towards winning the bet. She was making minimal progress anyway, so she figured she'd need a day or two to regroup. She decided to head to the library to get some studying done, that way she'd have less work to do during the week. As soon as she reached her destination, Esther planted her belongings down on a table that was secluded from the rest and headed towards the book shelves. She was absentmindedly sorting through volumes for quite a while and for some reason she was lost in deep thought. However, she made herself snap out of it and turned to exit the aisle with a book in hand when suddenly she stopped dead in her tracks. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her, for she was shocked when she saw Harry Potter in the aisle across from her. Of course he was probably there for a book, but instead she caught him staring at her before he blushed and awkwardly turned away. She smirked. It was almost as if fate was trying to give her a chance to win this bet. There was no doubt she was going to take the opportunity.

"Harry Potter…" she called out loud enough for him to hear her. His head snapped back towards her and he looked both surprised and embarrassed. "…lucky me," she added on. He smiled softly.

"Hi Esther," he replied quietly, "What're you doing here?" Following this, he shut his eyes as if to non-verbally call himself and idiot for asking such an obvious question. She laughed and walked towards him.

"You know, just getting some studying out of the way. It's the same for you I suppose?"

"Er…yeah," he said.

Esther merely offered him a smile. She wasn't quite sure what to say. Maybe this wasn't a second chance from fate, and Draco was right…her charms didn't work on Harry as easily as they worked on everyone else. Luckily for Esther, Harry continued their interaction.

"So…uh…would you might want to share a table? I've looked around, and most of the others are full."

Esther lit up at this prospect. Her idea to go to the library that day was looking better and better by the minute.

"That'd be lovely," she told him. Though, she smirked when she noticed something in the background. Something that would definitely start a conversation that could work to her advantage, "Well, there is a table over there that's unoccupied." She gestured behind him.

Harry turned to see a vacant table that was a few feet back from where they were standing. However, this table happened to be adjacent to the one his ex-girlfriend, Ginny Weasley, was occupying. They made eye contact, and Esther was sure that he noticed that her eyes were watery. She was feeling like such a genius at this particular moment.

"Er…I don't think that's the best idea," he commented solemnly after a few moments of silence.

"Why?" Esther asked, feigning ignorance.

"It's a long story."

"I've got time," she replied with a grin. Harry offered her a smile in return before they headed over to the table Esther had secured for them. She was definitely feeling good about this.

Harry and Esther spent the remainder of the afternoon together. Most of the time, they just sat quietly with one another while they worked. However, some of the time was spent talking, flirting and catching each other's eye as they pretended to be reading. Yes, Esther was quite certain that she was the frontrunner in this bet judging from how well her afternoon went. Harry even offered to walk her downstairs after they were done in the library.

"So, you never did get to that story…" Esther pointed out as they treaded through the halls.

"Story?" Harry furrowed his brow.

"You know, the long one…it had something to do with why you wouldn't sit at that empty table," Esther laughed.

"Oh…that…" Harry trailed off. Esther folded her lips and allowed her eyes flicker over to him. The pain in his face was actually visible, which surprisingly made her feel a little guilty. That was something she definitely wasn't used to.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," she said.

"No, it's okay," he replied as he shook his head, "I just didn't want to use that table because my old girlfriend was sitting over there…and…er, it just would've been too weird."

"Ahh, I see," Esther said, "Bad break-up?"

"Well..I guess you could say that."

"I'm sorry, Harry," she told him, the sympathy in her voice legitimate. She wondered why she actually felt bad, normally she would find amusement in the situation.

"Don't be," he answered, "It was for the best."

"Judging by her face when she saw you, I don't think she'd agree…" Esther commented.

"Yeah, well what's done is done."

There was a bit of awkward silence between them, and Esther feared that she had blown all the progress she had made in the last few hours. She had to find a way to fix the bad mood she had gotten Harry into.

"Well, on the plus side…I actually got to talk to you for longer than five minutes."

Harry laughed softly and offered her a smile.

"Is that what you were aiming for?"

"Yes," Esther returned bluntly, "I find you fascinating." She cocked an eyebrow as he turned to give her a look.

"Why? Because of my reputation, I suppose…"

"No," she corrected, "because I can't quite figure you out. And trust me, I can figure out pretty much anyone."

Harry chuckled and gazed into her eyes warmly. It seemed as though she was finally starting to crack his armor.

"You know, you're a lot different than I thought you'd be," he told her.

"Oh? How so?"

He seemed to get a little uncomfortable at this point, but pressed on anyway.

"Well…er…I was just under the impression that you were…"

"A dumb whore who only talks to guys to mess with their heads? Manipulative? Slutty? Like I said Harry, it's nothing I haven't heard before."

"Yeah…" he trailed off awkwardly, "but it seems…wrong…"

"Most people's opinions of me are," Esther said with a shrug. "Well, I suppose I'll head back to my dormitory."

Harry shook his head, but seemed a little disappointed at the thought of her absence.

"I want to spend more time with you, Harry," she told him, "I hope that's okay." He merely gave her a small smile and shook his head. She grinned in return and gave him a nod before heading down the hallway. Esther was quite certain that this was going to be a breeze from this point on.

"Get ready to lose, Malfoy," she said out loud to herself as she smirked and turned down another corridor.

Draco was surprised when Ginny Weasley approached him in the courtyard with a tear stained face and red cheeks. The two exchanged a look, and it was almost as though they were communicating telepathically. He slyly shut his book and smirked before patting the space on the bench beside him for her to sit down. Ginny did as she was commanded and tucked her hair behind her ears as more tears fell down her cheeks. There was a small span of silence between them and Draco was about to speak, but Ginny did so before he had a chance.

"I saw him with another girl," she said. Draco smirked at hearing this.

"Was she tan, scrawny and brunette?" he asked with curiosity.

"Yes…and bloody beautiful," Ginny sighed, "Wait…how did you know that…?"

Draco's smirk grew as he seductively placed his arm around Ginny, "Let's have a conversation…"