Chapter 5: Change in Plans

Draco watched her go her red hair swaying as she walked. He smirked to himself as he gathered up his things. Like the little Weasley could beat him at Quidditch, he'd like to see her try.

By the end of the day, however, Draco's thoughts had gone digging into the deeper meaning behind the conversation. He sat at the Slytherin table at dinner, once again not joining in the conversations going on around him. He stared at Weasley, who was yet again sitting next to the girl with dark hair. He wondered if they were friends. Any facts he could get on her the better. It would make things easier.

Draco moodily stabbed at his dinner; it would all come back to the Quidditch match. Maybe if he won against Weasley after the match she would be so amazed by his Quidditch skills that he could complete the assignment and never have to talk to her again.

No, he would be bound to her until the end.

Draco pushed the plate away from himself, no longer hungry. He was one of the first to leave the Slytherin table, glancing behind him at the Weasley as he went. He grabbed a good chair in the Slytherin common room and sank back into it.

He saw clearly in his mind the Weasley as she confidently claimed she was going to beat him at Quidditch. He smirked to himself. Like that could happen, she was the littlest Weasley.

The littlest Weasley. What was her first name again? Ginny, Ginny Weasley. He pictured again her walking away from him confidently, her hair swinging as she left. Draco shook his head slightly to clear it. Stupid Weasley.

He heard voices entering the common room and turned to see Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle approaching him. Not bothering to explain he got up and headed to his dormitory. They didn't follow and he entered the cool, quiet of the stone dormitory. He lay back on the silver and green sheets covering his bed, staring up into the canopy.

He refused to let his mind wonder and instead focused on specific Quidditch moves he needed to practice. Even this could not distract him because at the thought of Quidditch his brain seemed to connect to a certain ginger hair girl. Extremely frustrated, Draco went to bed early not bothering to wait up for his friends.

*****

The next day didn't go as well as he'd planned. As soon as he arrived at study, fully intent upon firmly convincing Weasley of his Quidditch skill, he saw that her seat was empty. Nott and Blaise arrived shortly after him and took there seats, looking quite unconcerned. He waited all class but Weasley never showed and by the end of the hour he was forced to conclude she didn't have study this period. He sleeked back his hair in his frustration while he gathered up his things. Blaise waited for him and they left the room together.

"To bad Weasley couldn't be here today." Blaise started as they headed down the hall. He appeared to be watching Draco's reactions very closely. "She may be a blood traitor brat but she's nice to look at."

Draco grunted in response. Blaises words had opened up a whole new series of thoughts, ones that he'd been pushing out of his head since he'd first seen her on the Hogwarts Express. For once he stopped thinking of her as Weasley, the blood traitor Weaslette. His mind wondered over the softness of her brown eyes as she sat thinking, or the strangely mystifying gleam that glowed behind them when she talked about something passionate. He saw her confident look as she talked about Quidditch or her weary smile as she thanked him for his help.

Thoughts of Ginny carried him all the way through the walk to the Great Hall for lunch. Whatever Blaise was talking about next to him didn't register in his mind. As soon as he entered the Great Hall he glanced, like always, at the Gryffindor table. He spotted Weasley sitting with a small group of people laughing happily. He smiled to himself and took a seat at the Slytherin table. His new found attraction to the Weaslette bubbled in him and he was able to join in the conversation around him. His friends were surprised but they accepted him into there discussion.

After lunch Draco headed to the Dark Arts class and took a seat up front with Blaise. He let his mind wander throughout the whole lesson. The initial happiness had faded and a slight horror had settled in.

He was attracted to Ginny Weasley. He refused to let his brain even wander down a deeper path in this attraction. He lusted after the girl, nothing more. He convinced himself this was better. It would make things easier on him if he wasn't disgusted by the Weasley. The class had ended and he was still struggling to convince himself that she was nothing more than an attractive red head.

He headed back to the common room alone not bothering to pay attention to were he was going and walking into several people.

"Watch it Malfoy!" His head snapped up at the familiar voice and he looked down to see Ginny Weasley picking up her fallen books. Her red hair fell lightly around her face as she scooped up her books. She stood up straight to face him and he hurried away before she could do more than glare.

She couldn't spring up on him like that; it didn't give him time to prepare his feelings. He murmured the password and the door slid open revealing the Slytherin common room. He hurried to the cool quiet of his dormitory and sat on the edge of his bed.

He cleared his mind carefully of all emotion. Focused utterly and completely on his goal, the task he had been assigned. Occlumency came easy to him and he was able to push his feelings aside. He forced the feelings to remain there, permanently.

By the time the others had arrived he was completely focused and blank. He couldn't postpone his duties any longer. It would have to be done, the sooner the better.

A/N: Sorry its so short! Please review!