Mud brown eyes slowly focused on a pair of pale blue eyes. Ginny's senses slowly came back to her as she realized she was lying on the hard concrete ground looking into David's concerned face.
"You passed out for a second, how's your head?" David asked.
Ginny slowly shook her head, gathering her wits together and she looked into David's face. His face seemed to be radiating a golden shine from the sunlight and Ginny quickly averted her head to avoid the bright glare.
"It's ok, I've had worse injuries," she said as she stood up shakily. She gingerly placed a hand on the back of her head to feel for any bumps, thankfully there were none.
"No to the infirmary then?" David clarified as he looked inquisitively at her, squinting his eyes.
"I'm fine, I'm fine," she insisted. Luckily no one had seen her embarrass herself, there were very few students around at the moment, and they all seemed to be engrossed with themselves.
Suddenly remember why she had fainted, she turned to David with an evil look.
"What exactly do you mean by Goyle?!" She rounded on him suddenly, poking him in the chest with a finger.
"Well, your tongue seems to be perfectly uninjured," he commented dryly, as he took a step backwards from the menacing redhead in front of him.
"Goyle?! Goyle? As in the person who feels it imperative to eat 16 times a day? The same Goyle who's greatest ambition in life is to be a dessert tester? Goyle who could sleep through a death eater attack? The very same Goyle who worships the ground Mal-ferret walks on?!" Ginny exclaimed outraged, barely able to constrain herself from wringing David's neck.
"Your tone suggests that you're not too happy with the match, Ginnifer," David said feigning a hurt voice.
"Don't you trust my matchmaking skills?" He asked, placing his hand dramatically on his heart.
"No. If it were up to you, I'd be married to Nearly Headless Nick by midnight tonight!" Ginny's said with a cynical look.
She picked up her pace and started heading towards the Great Hall to pick up something for a quick lunch.
"Hey! That's not such a bad idea you know…I'm sure he's old enough to meet the age requirement!" David was soon silenced by Ginny's piercing glare. He let out a nervous chuckle.
"Look, you need to give Goyle a chance. He's really sweet and caring," David tried to reason with her. "And he'll be really easy to bribe. A dozen cupcakes and we're set!"
"I absolutely refuse."
David and Ginny turned inside the corridor, while David continuously argued on Goyle's finer traits. He was determined to make Ginny see Goyle for the great person that he supposedly was.
"Quidditch! That's a plus, isn't it? He's a beater on the Slytherin team. And the next time we have a Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, you two can declare your undying love for each other in front of the whole school! Boy, won't Harry be red from a jealous rage!" David said excitedly, thinking he had stumbled onto a good reason.
Ginny couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Hmm, yes yes, he's very likely to turn red…FROM LAUGHING TOO HARD!"
Ginny gave David another exasperated look and she continued walking down the hall.
Her mind drifted off to other matters; three long essays awaited her, she had to write back to Bill and Charlie, Colin Creevey needed to borrow her Charms notes and she had to volunteer this week in Professor Sprout's extra help session. So lost was she in her thoughts that she was startled when David gave a gleeful laugh. He guffawed in a truly alarming fashion and Ginny wondered again if he was on any pills.
He pointed towards the Great Hall with a maniacal laugh, had she not been scared out of her wits, she would have laughed at him. But now, she was more concerned for his well being.
"What has gotten in to you?! Does someone have you under the Imperius?" Ginny asked wide eyed.
She turned her head and followed David's line of vision; Crabbe, Goyle, along with Draco Malfoy were coming out of the Great Hall. Draco wore a blank gaze as he strolled along, Crabbe and Goyle right behind him. The three had obviously just finished lunch, and Crabbe and Goyle were carrying slices of raspberry pie as they walked. They devoured the pieces of the dessert like they both hadn't eaten in years. Red gloop stuck on the side of their faces made her lose her appetite and she inwardly gagged.
"Great Gryffindor! Look! It's a sign, I'm telling you. The fates up above had this planned!" David pointed his finger at the trio, arm waving wildly. He shot Ginny an eager smile, hoping to see some of his mirth on her face as well.
Ginny looked at them like they were suffering from a severe case of Splattergoit.
"No need to look so happy," David commented dryly. He had seen people glance more kind-heartedly at Flobberworms.
Ginny started in an urgent whisper, "David! I absolutely forbid you to go through with that lunatic plan of yours!"
"Listen, do you want to be attending Cho's bridal shower?" David gave her a pointed look.
"OY!" David waved his arm in their direction, beaming at them like they were his long lost friends.
Malfoy looked at them first, Crabbe and Goyle soon followed suit. He gave them a cold, calculating look as he seemed to ponder why they were addressing them.
Ginny was looking at her shoes like they were the most interesting things in the world. David, wholly unconcerned by Malfoy's death glare, stood his ground and smiled widely.
"Goyle? We need a few words with you," David said looking at Goyle with a very large, if not scary grin.
Goyle looked back at him slightly stupidly, his mouth still busy chewing.
"Heh," Ginny gave a nervous chuckle, "Ignore my friend here. He hasn't had his medication." Ginny said with a bright smile as she grabbed David and started pulling him away.
"No! Unhand me you over grown carrot!" He pulled free of Ginny's grasp and walked over to where Goyle was.
Ginny smacked her forehead in frustration and she prayed that the ground would sallow her whole.
"Monsieur Goyle, I have a proposition for you," David began excitedly, Goyle looked on bemused.
"How would you like the opportunity of a life time? A chance millions wish for but none can achieve?"
"Does he host game shows?" Malfoy asked in an undertone to Crabbe, but Ginny heard him as well.
"Don't even ask," she supplied and rolled her eyes skyward.
"How would you like to have an opportunity to annoy the heck out of Harry Potter? Any Slytherin's dream come true." David put an arm around Goyle's shoulder, as though he was an old friend. "That's right, you heard me correctly. The Boy-Who-Annoys-Us-All. Plus, I'll tell you how to sneak in to the Hogwarts kitchens as well!" At the last part, Goyle's face lit up in a smile, he started imaging midnight raids of the Hogwarts kitchens.
Malfoy's face on the other hand seemed to light up at the first words, "Wait, how is that four eyed freak involved in this?" He seemed unable to control his curiosity.
David looked at him like he had seen him for the first time. "Oh? Hmm, easy, we have a way to irritate the living daylights out of him."
He turned his attention back to Goyle again, forgetting Malfoy's existence. "Now as I was saying, all you have to do is—"
He was interrupted by Ginny's loud shriek. That momentarily distracted all of them, and they glanced at her.
"David, on second thought, I can't wait to attend Cho's bridal shower!" She gave an overly cheery smile and she tried to pull David away from Goyle again. "Really, I've thought this through, and the only logical thing left for me to do is move to Siberia. Now, lets not bother these gentlemen anymore, and let's make our way to class!" She finished in a high pitched voice, too nervous to wonder what they were thinking of her.
"Siberia? And you think I'm on pills?" David raised an eyebrow at her and he pulled free of her grasp again.
"Wait now, if it's something that'll irritate Scarhead, then we want a part in it too," Malfoy added quickly gesturing to Crabbe and himself, unable to resist an opportunity to taunt Harry.
"Sorry, it's a one man job," David explained.
Suddenly, a bright idea dawned on him, "Or wait, you can have THREE boyfr—" his bright idea was interrupted as Ginny smacked him in the head.
"Don't even go there."
David gave her a slightly exasperated look, "You're interrupting me too much, go get your lunch." David pushed her in the direction of the Great Hall. Ginny was now far too hungry to argue with him. She reluctantly went away, giving him a glare over her retreating back that seemed to say "Watch what you say – or else."
David turned his attention back to Goyle, "What you need to do Goyle to anger Mr. Potter a bit, is to—" David was interrupted yet again, though this time it was Malfoy.
"But I'm telling you, if it's Pothead you want to annoy, I'm the best man for the job!" Malfoy explained patiently, like he was talking to a four year old. "I have seven years of experience."
David's face formed into a little 'o'. Why hadn't he considered this option before? Compared to Goyle, Malfoy really did look more daunting. And at least Malfoy didn't have raspberry pie stains on his robe.
David gave Malfoy a shrewd and calculating look.
"Ok, done!" He declared.
"You two can go away now, Mr. Malfoy and I have some business to discuss here." Crabbe and Goyle wiped their sticky hands on their robes, and David and Malfoy both grimaced.
"But what about going to the kitchens?" Goyle asked David.
Thinking quickly, David said, "I'm sorry, that was a joke."
Goyle's face dropped slightly and they both left.
"Now, what you need to do is…" David started explaining his plan thoroughly to Malfoy.
At the end of his ten minute talk, he was slightly surprised to hear him say "Okay, I'll do it."
"It's decided then," David confirmed. "Now I want you to meet Ginny and me in the courtyard before dinner." Malfoy nodded his head and he was unable to hide a slight smirk from appearing. Taunting Potter had never been this much fun.
They both parted ways, Malfoy went off to his next class and David made his way to the Great Hall to find Ginny. He could hardly wait to tell her the excellent news.