First of all, I want to thank HoneyHearts for the review. I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story and that you think I'm not making a total disaster of Draco. ;) I'm on cloud nine now!
So another round of applause for all who have reviewed/read/followed this :) The last review makes me as giddy as the very first.
marinka, hatebelow, SamanthaSparklesInTheSun, roni2010, Icnrmoid, and HoneyHearts
Ya'll are awesome!
One more thing. Since I have only written half of chapter 17, *winces*, the next update might be as much as three or so days later than usual. So sorry! And right after I got the review complimenting me on updating so fast *sigh* But in my defense, I havent just been sitting on the couch eating potatoe chips-not that much anyway. I have been working on later chapters and just plain forgot about needing to finish up chapter 17.
Ginny stared down at the open book, her fingernail massaging her forehead, as she tried to understand just what her eight inch essay was supposed to be about. As soon as the bell rang at five o'clock, she had rushed to the library to find a book to help her with the homework that was due the next morning. Half an hour later and she had still not found anything relevant to her topic.
"I knew I shouldn't have waited to do this," she moaned quietly, laying her head down on her arms. "But I just forgot with that stupid Malfoy, detention, and the fight at Hogsmead. Hmm, I wonder how McGonagall never found out about that. Surely one of the students would have told her, the stupid suck-ups..." Her snort was slightly muffled by her arms, but Madam Pince still shot her a dirty look as she passed by.
"Anyway, maybe I'll just skip doing my homework this time," she continued to herself half-heartedly. "Hermione will have a stroke if she finds out, though. And I guess it would be useful to be able to brew some Veritaserum any time I wanted. It could come in handy."
"I agree, Weasley. You never know when you need someone to tell the absolute truth."
Ginny jerked up, her red hair flying in every direction. She stared incredulously at the smirking Slytherin that was standing in front of her. Draco casually pulled out a chair from the table and sat down, stretching out comfortably.
His silver eyes revealed nothing more than a vague amusement and curiosity. However, she knew that he must have some reason to sit with her. He would have never willingly chosen to do so unless he had dire need of something. Or he could have just been bored and decided to make her his victim of the day. Either way, she was not in the mood for guessing games.
"What do you want Malfoy? I'm kind of busy here," she snapped.
"Weasley, you wound me," he said in mock hurt, splaying a hand over his (non-existent) heart. "But if you insist, I'll tell you. I was minding my own business when I saw you sitting here all alone with such a desperate look on your face. So I, being the kind and valiant person I am, decided to see what I could do to help. And now here I am, awaiting your command."
She snorted again and crossed her arms over her chest, not buying his excuse for one minute. "Yeah right. Come on, what's the real reason you came over here? It's not like you to lower yourself to associating with blood-traitors after all," she said coolly. One eyebrow raised as if questioning her mental health, Draco settled down more comfortably in the seat.
"I sit here as a new man, Ms. Weasley. I admit, I have made some...rash decisions in the past but I have put that all behind me. It would please me very much if you would consent to do the same," he stated smoothly, his face politely impassive. It made Ginny's blood boil to hear his words and see him so calm after uttering them. How dare he suggest that I just forget everything he has done to me and the ones I care about! she thought crossly, drawing herself up in indignation.
"It's just too bad then, Mr. Malfoy, that what pleases you is about as important to me as Merlin's left buttock. Both are, shall I say, rather unappealing to me at the moment," she replied acidly. Her brown eyes sparked dangerously, testifying to her increasing temper at the audacity of the young man before her.
The corners of Draco's mouth lifted ever so slightly. It was not quite a smile but not quite a smirk either. Whatever it was, it made Ginny pause in thought. She had never actually seen him smile before, unless one could count the various times he smirked in malicious pleasure whenever a member of another House was being tormented. Nor had she heard him laugh for any reason other than the sight of Ron puking up slugs after a curse backfired on him or because of some other poor student's mishap.
As a matter of fact, I don't think I've even seen him really happy, Ginny remarked silently to herself. Greedy, yes. Self-satisfied, most definitely. Cocky, all the time. But happy? Never. And here I was thinking I had him all figured out.
"You would have made a very interesting Slytherin, Ginevra. A very interesting one indeed," Draco remarked thoughtfully, one finger tapping the tip of his pointed chin. Whatever he saw in her expression must have satisfied him, for he stood up and strolled away as if he had not a care in the world.
Ginny was left behind, her mouth gaping open in speechless bewilderment. At first, the mere thought of him implying that she would have been a good Slytherin made her want to storm on over to the dungeons and curse his sorry hide all the way to Azkaban. But as she continued musing over his words, she realized that, to him at least, it was not an insult to be called a Slytherin. He was one, after all. So if it was not intended as an insult, then what was it? Surely not what she thought!
"Did he just...compliment me?"
She felt that he had, albeit in his own twisted way. It was a rather unsettling experience for the young Gryffindor. Never before had Malfoy spoken to her in any way other than a cruel taunt or blood-chilling threat.
How strange, she mused as she packed away her books and parchment numbly. How very, very strange. Slinging the heavy bag onto her shoulder, Ginny carefully negotiated her way around a large crowd of fifth year students who were entering the library.
He's different this year, she realized uneasily. More focused and controlled. It's almost as if he's trying to make up for the two years he slacked off because of his newly constricting commitment to Lord Voldemort. He doesn't spend any time socializing anymore. He just keeps his head down and tries not to be noticed.
Before Lord Voldemort's return, and even for a short time afterwards, Draco had enjoyed sprawling out on the large couch in front of the fire in the Slytherin Dungeons, yelling orders to the first years. He also had periodically strutted along the corridors of Hogwarts, his two cronies at his back. The Slytherin was always on the lookout for unsuspecting students to prey on. But now he rarely ventured out of his room apart from traveling to and from class and regular visits to the library. During breakfast and lunch time, he snuck into the Great Hall, wolfed down his meal, and slunk off to the deserted library. He avoided human contact as much as possible outside of class time.
It's like he's had a complete personality change! Sure, some parts of him remain, such as his infuriating superiority. But for the most part, he's more subdued, more introverted. I get the feeling that he's millions of miles away, and that only his body remains bound to Hogwarts. I can't say I blame him though, she mused with a sigh. His family went through a lot, even if they did deserve it. In a way, we're kind of similar I guess. Both of us lost something precious to us that day. For Malfoy it was his family's powerful name and prestige. And for me, it was my brother. I...I understand him more this year. He just wants to get away from it all, put the past behind him and forget.
Yeah, we're kind of similar...
Just to clarify things some, they were caught in the hall after curfew on Friday night, the Hogsmeade fight was Saturday, and this chapter is Monday afternoon right before their first detention in the greenhouses. Hope I didnt confuse anyone! ;)
Preview: After a few chapters, Ginny will be making her first appearence as Quidditch Captain (3rd Saturday in the story I think), and Pami will also be brought back very soon.
And do ya'll think this is going a little too slow? Personally, I enjoy the long stories with lots of twists and turns in relationships. However, I know that not everyone shares that opinion. I won't suddenly make them fall in love out of the blue, but I can speed things up a chapter or so...maybe ;)
