Envy and Manipulations: Rewrite 36

by rrabbit

Sixteen year old Ginny Weasley has her first summer job at the Folk Hills Country Club, the most prestigious high society club in the wizarding world. When Draco Malfoy comes home from his summer internship at the Ministry of Magic things get complicated, dark, and twisted. Rewrite.

3. Chapter 3

"Look at this dress!"

I hand the catalogue over to Hermione, pointing out the red dress I circled with a blue ink pen. There's no way she could miss it, really. I even put stars all around it.

"Isn't it lovely?"

"It is a cool dress," Hermione nods in agreement. I bite on the corner of my lip, leaning over her shoulder so I can look at it as well. I have to fold back the brim of my sun hat so I don't hit her with it. "I like it."

"They have it on sale at Julie's," I say in excitement and she gives me a small smile. I know she doesn't really care, but I'm too excited about it to have her 'I don't care about clothes' thing damper my mood. "I have it on hold there and the woman said if my mum picks it up by Friday then it will be forty percent off the sale price."

Julie's is a small clothing store my grandma used to take me to when I was younger. It's not on the Golden Road or anything crazy like that but it is a nice shop. It's definitely an affordable option, in any case, and I want some more nice clothes that aren't homemade.

"That's a good deal," she says.

She doesn't care. I can tell. There are more important things in Hermione's world than a nice dress on sale- but I make an agreeing sound anyways.

"I told my mum I want to wear it on my birthday," I smirk as I take the catalogue back. I place it open on my lap so I can get a better look. It's a candy apple red mini dress with a three-tiered skirt and shoulder straps that are tied into bows. I've already tried it on and I love the way it fits. The material is lightweight and stretchy so it's actually really comfortable too. Maybe Pansy will think it's too short but I'm not going to let her alter it. "I like it a lot."

"I think you'll look pretty," Hermione says.

She's bored with me but I do not care. She's the one who came out here to see me. I cross my legs and flip through a few more pages as I run my fingers over my lips. It feels good to take a break from the gardening I was doing. I've been taking a lot of breaks, to be honest, but it's just so hot and the wellies I'm wearing are rubbing blisters on my toes.

"Do you want to talk about anything?"

"Like what?" I ask, not looking up from the catalogue as a nice breeze sails through the garden.

"Oh, I don't know," she says as she stands up and yanks the catalogue off my lap. "Maybe we can finally talk about what happened the other day."

She folds the catalogue under her arm and watches me with a hand on her hip. I narrow my eyes and turn away, staring at my mother's pitiful hydrangeas that are wilting and dehydrated.

"I can tell something is bothering you," she says gently, like she realized her harsh tone wasn't going to get me to open up. "I know you well enough that I can tell something is wrong."

I think about Draco Malfoy and how it felt to have his lips against mine.

"Nothing is wrong," I say shortly.

The heat makes my legs stick together and I make a face as I uncross them.

"I don't believe that."

I get up from the concrete bench and walk over to the hose to avoid her. It's attached to the side of the house and I can feel her eyes on me as I fill up the green plastic watering can, letting my hat flop back into place to protect my face from the sun. The can is heavy so I have to carry it back with both hands.

"Too bad for you," I say.

I told my mum at the beginning of summer break that I would split and move a few of her larger hosta plants. They were starting to creep too far away from the shade of the house and burning in the direct sunlight- their green leaves starting to brown and curl. Why today? When it was so damn hot? Really, I just wanted to get out of the house. Ron and Harry were playing chess in the living room and Ron is so fucking loud I can't even hear myself think.

"Did…." She trails off for a moment as she watches me water the flowers. "Did Greengrass and Parkinson do something to you on that bike ride?"

I look at her.

She took the time to braid her hair this morning, but some of her unruly curls have broken free and they frame her face in frizzy ringlets. Her cheeks are flushed despite her not lifting a finger to help me and her eyes seem worried. It's funny. I have brown eyes. Hermione has brown eyes and Pansy has brown eyes… but they all read so differently.

"No, they didn't."

I go back to watering the hydrangeas. It's clear she doesn't believe me, but what can I do? I can't tell her about Malfoy. I can't describe how he had kissed me so well that I had no other option but to kiss him back. I'm trying to convince myself it never happened. If I say it out loud it will make it too real and Hermione would never understand.

How could she?

"I don't understand why you hang out with them," she says crossly.

"Because I like them," I counter. I put the watering can back down and grab the bottom of my tank top. I pull it up to wipe the sweat off my forehead.

"Why do you like them?" she asks after a heavy pause.

I grab my discarded shovel off the ground and walk back towards the hosta garden.

She follows me.

"They're terrible people," she lectures as I rest the shovel against my chest so I can put on the work gloves. "You know what they say about Ron and Harry… about me. It's disgusting, Ginny. On top of everything else- they're friends with Draco Malfoy!"

At the mention of his name, my heart skips a beat and I try not to let it show on my face.

"It's not like you guys are nice to them," I state, shoving the shovel in the ground between the leaves of the large green plant. "You guys make fun of them all the time," I add as I push my foot on the shovel to dig it deeper.

"But Ginny," she says as she itches her arm after a bug lands on it. I hop on the shovel because my arms are so weak. "They're… they're so mean."

"They're not mean to me."

Shut your damn mouth.

I shake my head and pull up part of the plant.

"They call me the 'M' word," she says flatly.

That does make me pause.

It's a terrible slur and I look at her from the corner of my eyes. I can't justify that, but maybe they won't be so awful to her now that we're friends. I don't know what else to say to that. I can't defend them and I don't want to give in to her either… so I say nothing instead. I split the plant and pick it up with my gloved hand, looking down at the dangling roots as I shake some dirt off.

"You need to be careful, Gin…. You're pretty gullible when it comes to people."

Gullible.

The word annoys me… but still I keep my mouth shut. I walk over to the shaded spot by the shed where I had already dug a hole and I drop the hosta in.

"I know you don't want to hear that… but you have to question why they want to be friends with you…" I clench my jaw. Friendless little Ginny. No one would ever want to be around you. "Remember how weird it was that Malfoy took such an interest in you?"

I blush, but hopefully the heat hides it as I sink to my knees and start filling in the dirt around the plant.

"Now all of his friends want to be friends with you too? Ginny, it's weird," she says seriously, standing over me and staring until I look up. "You have to really rethink this. If you like them… okay, that's it… but don't be naïve. Be smart and really question whether their intentions are good. Be the smart girl I know you are. You know who's out there and you know Malfoy's family has been heavily involved with the dark arts." I look down, feeling bad about everything. "I just don't want you to put yourself into a dangerous situation."

"You sound like Ron," I say bitterly.

"Well, he's not wrong," she says, sounding much older and wiser than I am. "At least not this time," she adds quickly.

I sit back on my knees.

"They never…" I exhale slowly as I try to figure out what I want to say… how I want to explain this to her. "They never ask me anything about Harry or what you guys are doing, if that's what you're worried about," I say. "Not that I would know anything anyways…" I mumble.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

How could she not understand that she hurt me all the time? Every time they left me out… Every time they walked away to speak in hushed voices to tell their secrets and make their plans… every time she chose my brother over me?

"I'm a big girl, Hermione," I say, standing up and dusting dirt from my legs. "I can handle myself."

Unless Draco Malfoy comes at me and pulls my hair, apparently.

"Just be careful…" She hands me the dress catalogue. "Okay?"

I nod my head but say nothing. What I do is none of her business and she doesn't know everything despite what she thinks. I put the shovel and gloves back in the shed and then I glance at my bike resting in the darkness against all of my dad's boxes of useless junk. The sparkling pink embarrassment that brought me to the front of Draco Malfoy's house and just sat there useless while I let him do that thing that he did. I shake my head. I will not think about it anymore.

Hermione is waiting for me when I come back out and we walk to the back door together. Heads down and quiet, we go to the living room where the boys are and we don't speak on it again.

"Who's winning?" Hermione asks as I take off the sun hat and throw it on the coffee table.

"Ron," Harry answers, his finger up to his lips as he concentrates on the board. I slip off the dirty wellies and place them against the wall so my mum won't yell at me for tracking mud into the house. "Who else?"

"It's nice to be better than you at something, mate," Ron says with a smirk as he instructs his knight to take one of Harry's bishops.

I watch them play for a moment before realizing that I don't want to.

Chess is boring and the way Ron plays is irritating.

I sigh and plop down on the couch, leaning back with my eyes closed as I try to cool my body. I wish my parents were better at cooling charms. Luna's house always feels like an icebox and I definitely prefer that feeling to being all hot and sticky all the time. I spy the strap of my bag under the table. I lean forward to grab it and decide to pull out my notebook.

I put my feet up on the couch and place my notebook against my knees so I can start writing. I can't stop thinking about Malfoy's great house and how metallic his eyes seem in the sun.

I could kill you and no one would know.

I start writing about murder in a secluded mansion, pulling in descriptions of the wealth I had very recently been exposed to. They play well into the hour, hissing insults and cussing at one another until Harry finally loses. I ignore it the best I can as I chew on the end of my quill. My brother gets up after a few moments of gloating and stretches his back with that look on his face. That annoyingly smug smile he gets every time he wins something… which isn't very often.

"I think that calls for a victory sandwich," he says, smirking. Harry leans back and crosses his arms like a pouting child. I smile a little at it before remembering myself and turning back to my notebook. "Would the loser like anything?"

"We just had lunch," Harry says stiffly and I laugh a little as I turn my page so I can start another paragraph.

"Your loss," Ron shrugs. "Does anyone else want anything?" he asks and when he passes me, he tugs on my pigtail. "Something to drink or something, Gin?"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," I say, a thoughtful tilt of my head. Would it be bad if I described Malfoy's summer home exactly as it was? No one will read this… but what if they do someday? What if I become famous and I die and then they publish my journals and short stories?

Oh, I cringe to think of it. When I'm done- I should burn the lot of them.

"Do you have a thesaurus?" I ask Hermione, trying to find another word for beautiful. I can't just keep saying things are beautiful.

… but Malfoy's home is incredibly beautiful.

"What are you writing about anyways?"

Ron snatches the notebook from my hands.

"Ron!" I yell as I jump to my feet.

He knows better than to touch that.

"I thought you learned your lesson about writing in diaries," he says as he dangles it over my head.

What a prick he is. Bringing up what happened in my first year was something off limits and he knows that. I haven't told anyone about how he used to pee the bed until he was nine years old. Bet he wouldn't like it if I shared that.

"It's not a diary, you sod," I tell him as I stomp on his foot. He yelps and I feel satisfaction from the noise. "Now give it back."

"I just want to know what you're writing all the time." He turns around and flips it open.

I try to make a grab for it but he maneuvers his body so I can't quite reach it. I continue trying to wrestle it away from him as he starts to read it out loud.

"I looked across the room and found him leaning against the wall with his head turned down and his arms crossed over his chest…" he starts and I fight even harder to get it away from him as my cheeks deepen in a blush of embarrassment. I'm sure Harry and Hermione are getting a pretty good show right about now and of course they don't intervene. They just let Ron do whatever he wants. "I wondered what he was thinking. Was he thinking of Mr. Greyson like everyone else? Did he realize that everyone in the room had some level of suspicion towards him and his connection to the murder of his uncle… Murder?" Ron stops reading and looks at me. "What is this, Ginny?"

"Just stories," I tell him. I take advantage of his slip up and I get a hold of my notebook. "Stories you had no business looking at!"

"Why are you writing weird stories about murder?" he asks with a raised eyebrow. "You think you'd write about something more pleasant."

"Well, living with you just brings me down," I tell him as I flip through the book to make sure he didn't damage it. A few pages fall out and I narrow my eyes. "Ron, you broke the spine," I tell him as I quickly pick up the pages that are scattered across the ground. "Merlin, you're so annoying!" I yell as I stuff the pages back into the notebook and glare at my idiot of a brother.

"I'll get you a new one, Ginny. Jesus," he says as he starts walking towards the kitchen again, like he didn't just ruin my whole damn day. I look to the side and see a vase sitting on one of the tables. I would give up the world to find enough courage to throw it at his head right now.

"He can be an idiot sometimes," Hermione says and I roll my eyes as I put my broken notebook back into my bag.

My ears are burning, but I try to ignore the embarrassment my brother just caused me because it will do me no good. It's not like either of them care.

"Understatement of the year," I mutter as I zip up my bag. Once it's safe, I slump against the sofa and cross my arms, thinking of ways to get back at Ron for being such an annoying git.

"So, do you have plans tonight, Ginny?" Hermione asks and I glance at her as her eyes slide to Harry who is playing with the discarded chess pieces. I let my bitterness towards my brother cool and I raise my eyebrows at her question. What a weird thing to ask.

"No," I answer as I uncross my arms. "Why?"

She shrugs and then gives Harry a meaningful look that's lost on me. I look at him too just because she keeps on doing it and his eyes snap to mine for a brief second before his cheeks start to darken. Is he blushing?

"No reason," she says as she stands up and dusts off the back of her pants. "I think I am going to get something to eat." She says, giving Harry another significant look. Why does she keep looking at him like that? "I need to talk to Ron about something anyways. It might be a while."

Why did she put so much into that last word? No one says anything for a few moments so I give her a funny look.

"Uh, okay?" I say and then she leaves. "That was weird."

Harry laughs a little… or, I think it's a laugh. It kind of got stuck in his throat and turned into a cough.

"I think I'm going to head up to my room," I tell him as he hacks into his hand. "I'll see you later."

I stand up and put my bag over my shoulder, wanting to get as far away from him as possible.

"No, wait," he says once he clears his throat. He stands up as well and I stop walking. "I was thinking maybe we could…" he puts his hand on the back of his neck. He seems nervous. "I thought we could talk for a little bit?"

"Oh," I say as I look at the couch. "Uh, yeah… sure."

I sit back down and put my bag on the floor.

He sits on the opposite end of the couch and we both stare straight ahead of us for a while until the weirdness of it becomes too much for me to bear.

"Are you having a good summer?"

I close my eyes and inwardly scold myself. Stupid informal question, Ginny. He's practically been living at our house every summer since he was twelve. You would think I could come up with a better conversation starter.

"Yeah, I like it here," he answers. I nod my head and tap my fingers against my knees. "It's the closest thing to a home I've ever had."

I think that is the sweetest thing and I give him a fond look. Harry was so kind. Sometimes I wonder how he would have turned out had he not been raised by his awful family. Had he been loved and coddled his whole life- would he still be so nice and humble? Or would he be like Draco Malfoy?

Shut up.

Harry would never tell me to shut up.

Ron was also loved and coddled and look how awful he turned out.

I nod my head when he looks at me and then I glance down at the woven rug. It's brown and yellow and all the other awful colors that come with dirt and age. I make a face at it. Draco's summer home had these grand green and gold rugs on top of polished wood floors. There wasn't a speck of dirt in that whole place.

"I'm sorry about your notebook," he says gently. "Ron can be really careless sometimes."

"It's fine," I say stiffly, thinking of it.

"I didn't realize you liked to write stories like that," he says, giving me an endearing half smile. "I'm not creative at all." I don't know what to say… So I just nod my head. "What did you and Hermione do outside?" he asks after a long bout of silence.

"I was doing yard work for my mum." I say with a shoulder shrug as I bring my hands up to my hair to tighten my pigtails. Why did I put my hair in pigtails today? Because it would be easier under the sunhat and off of the back of my neck. There was a reason… but I can't help but feel stupid for it now. I send a look towards the door, hoping Hermione will come back soon. "Hermione just kind of followed me around."

"Yeah," Harry nods. "She doesn't like sweating."

I don't either, honestly.

I look at him. He looks at me. When our eyes meet I face forward again and try to ignore the flush in my cheeks.

"I'm glad I have a chance to talk to you," he says as he stares at my profile, burning a hole into the side of my head. "The other day… by the garden..."

"It's okay," I say as I spare him a little glance. I don't want him to feel guilty for not liking me like that. That just makes me feel pathetic. "Let's not worry about it," I tell him, giving him the fake smile that I give to the people at Folk Hills.

"You don't understand," he says. He scoots closer to me. I have to stop myself from moving away just because I'm not sure what's going on "I'm sorry… it's just that… " He trails off. "Things are complicated right now."

"I know that," I tell him. I'm not stupid about the whole thing. I know that he has a lot on his shoulders and I don't want to make his stay here uncomfortable. "I don't want anything from you, Harry," I reassure him. "I don't like you."

"You don't?"

I look at him again. What was that tone in his voice? Was it sad? Surprised? I can't tell but his face looks… confused? Is he confused that I'm not head over heels in love with him anymore? Am I that pathetic? Was I always the sure bet?

"I mean, I do like you," I say quickly when I realize what I actually said. "You're my brother's best mate. I don't not like you, if you know what I mean."

Do I even know what I mean?

"I mean that I am glad that you're here, is all. That is all I mean."

I exhale slowly. God, that was weird.

"I had this planned out… what I was going to say to you," he whispers and then he looks at me again. His green eyes… I've never quite seen the coloring in anyone else before. "I'm not very good at talking."

"I think you talk fine," I tell him with a little smile and he smiles too before looking down at my hands. Hands that are incredibly dirty from gardening.…. I hide them quickly under my thighs.

"Ginny, I…" he trails off again and his neck snaps forward. The sudden rigidness surprises me.

He's staring straight ahead with his eyes glazed over and his mouth slightly open.

"Harry?" He doesn't move. "Harry?" I say, a little more panicked as I wave my hand in front of his face. "Are you okay?"

He furrows his brows and then snarls with his teeth showing like a rabid dog. I widen my eyes and sit back as he hisses and spits at the air in front of him. He looks crazed… His eyes are dark and his movements are odd. Stilted, like he had no control over them. His back arches and his muscles become tense as he lets out the strangest growl that I've ever heard.

"What are you doing?" I shout as he starts to snap his neck from side to side.

I stand up in a panic as he falls to the floor and starts convulsing.

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione comes running into the room and kneels by his side. "Not again."

"Not again?" I say in disbelief. I cover my mouth because what's happening to him looks so painful and scary. "This has happened before? Is he having a seizure?"

"No, he's not," she answers quickly as her eyes tear up. She rolls him on his side and holds his hands down because they're flailing around.

"It looks like a seizure," I say worriedly. "Should I get Dad? Does he need to go to hospital?"

"Harry!" Ron comes rushing into the room, pushing me to the side. "Oh, not again, mate," he says as he puts his hand on Harry's shoulder.

"What's going on?" I ask. Hermione gets a cloth to put in-between his teeth and Ron rubs his back, saying encouraging things to him. "Why is he hissing like that?"

"Ginny, go away," Ron says. "Just go upstairs or something."

"Not until you tell me what is happening."

"Just go, Ginny," he snaps. When I don't move, he stands up and shoves me. I stumble back and then give him a furious look. "You're not a part of this."

I look down at Harry as he shakes and convulses on the floor and I feel tears in my eyes. Ron moves as if he was going to push me again and Hermione hisses his name for it… but I don't stick around to see if he listened to her. I turn and run to my room. I'm angry. I'm upset with Ron and upset about Harry. I start pacing, my fingers clenching and unclenching. I'm not sure what Harry wanted to talk to me about and I guess I'll never know now. They never tell me a goddamn thing and then my brother thinks it's okay to just push me around like I'm some idiot… some child… some useless thing that just gets in the way.

I can't stay here. I won't just wait in my room while they do whatever the hell it is they do.

So, I leave. Running down the stairs and out the front door. I get my bike from the shed and I wheel it down the pathway just outside of our ward gate where I hop on. My heart is racing and I realize I am afraid. I am afraid for Harry and I'm afraid of the unknown because there were so many things I didn't know in this world. I pump my legs and ride as fast and as far as I can, realizing too late that I didn't grab shoes and the pedals are starting to hurt my feet…. but I'm not turning back. Not now. I roll down the dirt roads… past the fields and through the woods.

After some time, I realize I'm headed towards Yellow Springs.

A dark cloud rolls in overhead and I stop my bike to look up at it.

The world now smells of rain and I feel a few little sprinkles before it starts coming down heavier, soaking my hair and my clothes. Great. I look behind me… to the road that leads back to The Burrow and then I look ahead… to the road that leads to the posh section of Yellow Springs where the houses are large and the people are rich. I hesitate a second before kicking off again and riding my bike through the heavy rain until I reach the outside of Pansy Parkinson's large summer home.

I want us to be the best of friends.

I take in a deep breath as the rain slips over my body. My hair feels heavy against my neck and I look up at that large house that is full of everything I've never had. I hop off my bike and I wheel it to the gate. The magic remembers me and the gate opens slowly- letting me pass after I punch in the ward code. I walk up slowly… shivering as I put my bike against the porch and go up the stairs. I glance at the beautifully full hydrangea flowers before pressing the doorbell.

A house elf with impossibly large eyes answers with a trembling lip and I raise my eyebrows. I have never actually seen a house-elf answer a door before.

"Um, hi," I say awkwardly as he stares at me. He looks ancient, with wrinkles around his eyes and a drooping nose that reaches his chin. He's staring at my bare feet and then at my wet clothes. I feel judged under his gaze and I cross my arms uncomfortably. "Is Pansy in?"

"Yes, the Miss is in," he answers with a raspy voice.

Nothing happens for a few moments so I try again. "Well… may I see her then? Please?" I add for good measure and then the elf pops away.

Lightning strikes nearby with a thunderstorm crack. I look over my shoulder at the rolling hills in front of the house and then I look up at the gray sky that's spitting out heavy rain.

"The Miss will see you now."

I jump and put my hand over my heart. The elf is standing back in the doorway with a fluffy red towel.

"Geez, you frightened me," I say with a laugh. He doesn't laugh… He doesn't even crack a smile.

He's looking at me like he hates me.

I gulp.

"Follow me."

He hands me the towel. I guess to dry off so I do just that, making sure to clean my bare feet and try not to be embarrassed as he stares at me.

I follow the unpleasant creature into the house.

How can something with such little legs walk so incredibly fast? I have to jog to catch up with him as he moves up the curved steps. He keeps sending me irritated looks over his shoulder like I was annoying him by being too slow.

"This way, miss," the elf urges. I make a face and jog again until we stand in front of Pansy's bedroom. I peek in after the elf announces me and I find her standing in front of a large three way mirror.

Two elves are hovering around her, making changes to the beautiful white dress she's wearing with sewing needles and magical snaps of their bony little fingers.

"Ginny?" She turns to me. "My God, did you walk here?"

"I rode my bike," I say, like that made it better.

"In this storm?" she glances out the window at the overcast sky.

"It wasn't raining when I started," I explain as she looks me over, her dark eyes settling on my feet.

"Farley," she looks at the grouchy house elf to my left. "Get Ginny some clothes, will you?"

The house elf looks at me.

"We don't have anything that will fit, Miss," he says and I frown.

What a mean little thing.

"Stop being rude," she says, leveling the small creature with a glare. "Just go away. I'll get it myself."

She steps off the small podium and hikes up the white dress.

"Sorry about him," she says, going into her closet and coming back out with a blue skirt and white top. "He's always been like that."

"It's fine."

She hands me the clothes and goes back to the mirrors where the other elves continue their work. I look around for a moment before slipping into her closet and taking off my wet clothes. I slide on the royal blue skirt and look around at her well organized clothes hanging up on nice wooden hangers. The skirt is pleated and made out of a stretchy material so I don't have to worry about it being too tight- but it is short… like incredibly short. I frown before peeling off my wet tank top and putting on the white shirt she grabbed, but it's short too. I try to tug it down a few times to cover my stomach but when I do that I spill out of the top more.

"Um… Do you have another shirt?" I call. "This one's a little small."

"It's a crop top, Ginny," she says like I was stupid.

"I know that it's just…" I sigh. "Never mind."

I cross my arms and walk out of the closet. She snaps to one of the elves to take my wet clothes away.

"Not that I don't love seeing you," she says, her dark eyes finding mine in the mirror. "But why are you here?"

She puts on a pair of elbow length gloves and then turns back to admiring the dress.

"I just was in the neighborhood," I lie.

She arches her brow, clearly not believing me

"You wear the same size shoe as Ivy." She snaps again to another frail looking elf. "Get Ginny a pair of Ivy's shoes." The elf asks which ones and Pansy makes a thoughtful face. "I don't know. Something she won't miss right away… how about the brown sandals she bought last week? The strappy ones?"

She smiles at me when the elf disappears with a pop.

"Ivy is a shoe whore. She has more than she could ever possibly wear."

"Thank you," I say, sitting down on her bed and pulling a pillow to my lap. "I'm sorry I came over like this."

"It's okay," she says with a shrug then she glares down at one of the elves that's sewing the hem of her dress. "Are you almost finished with that?" she asks sharply. "You've been working on that for ages."

"Sorry Miss," the poor creature whispers before going back to work and Pansy glances at me over her shoulder.

"You want to talk about it or not?" she asks, turning back to the mirror and running her gloved fingers over the crystals gathered at the bust. "I can be quite a good listener, you know."

"It's just," I hug the pillow to my chest. "Ron was being a jerk."

"What else is new?" Pansy says with poison. "I know he's your brother but he is awful and that temper of his…" she trails off with a head shake. "I have no idea how you're related to him."

Maybe I should defend my brother… but I agree with her so I don't.

"He shoved me," I admit. "Hard. He acts like the entire world revolves around him and his friends…I just, I really hate him sometimes."

She says nothing. She just looks at me from her reflection in the mirror.

"He shouldn't have touched you like that," she says. "That's some dirt bag shit."

I think about Harry…. About the rigidness in his body and all the awful noises he was making. I don't feel comfortable talking about that with Pansy just yet so I keep it to myself.

"What do you think about my dress?" she asks after a moment. "I'm going to be wearing it for my coming out party."

"I think it's lovely," I say and it's the truth. It's sleeveless with a tight bodice and a loose fitting skirt that reaches her feet. There's a large cluster of tiny crystals that gather right around her chest and they rain down through the rest of the fabric, making it look like some kind of shimmering diamond dress.

"It looks like a wedding dress," she says with a sigh. "But I guess that's the point… I don't understand why we all have to wear white," she says as she starts peeling off the elbow length gloves and throwing them behind her for one of the elves to pick up. "Heaven knows none of us deserve to wear the color."

I laugh at that and she smiles as her eyes find mine in the mirror.

"I can't wait to be debuted," she sighs. "I know it's silly, but it will be nice to go to some of my father's parties. Girl's aren't allowed at certain functions unless they've been introduced into society, of course. As stupid as that is," she says with an eye roll. "I can't wait to finally be a part of it all."

"When is the ball?" I ask curiously as the timid elf comes back into the room with a pair of brown leather sands.

She drops them by my feet and I give her a grateful smile.

"The week before Hogwarts starts up again," she answers as she turns around to look at herself over her shoulder. "I want this seam straightened," she says to one of the elves as I slip on the sandals. Pansy was right- they do fit. "By the way," she starts. I look at her and I start twisting the tassel at the corner of the pillow. "We're going to go to a pub on Friday to watch the game if you want to come. I was going to write you an invite, but you're here so I might as well pass it along."

"What game?" I ask and she raises an eyebrow.

"The first quidditch game of the season." she says slowly, like I was an idiot for not knowing. "The Falcons versus the Cannons? Geez, Ginny, I thought you were into all that quidditch stuff."

"Oh," I say, feeling stupid. I had forgotten all about it. "I don't think so…"

"If it's because you're hanging out with that Luna friend of yours, she can come too," she says and I make a face when I remember what happened the last time we all hung out together.

"I don't know if that's a good idea.".

"Listen, I know last time I wasn't exactly the most welcoming person to your friend. She said that thing about my nose and I thought she was being mean like your brother… so… anyways, I promise that if you bring her, I'll be better. A friend of yours is a friend of mine," she says with one of her hands on her heart like it was a pledge. "It'll be fun."

"I don't know," I say as I think about Harry. Why was it fair that I should go and have fun while he was in such a dark place?

"What else are you guys going to be doing?" she asks. I replay Ron's shove in my head… the ugly way his face twisted and the way Hermione cried. "You might as well come and watch the game with us."

"Will…" I swallow the lump in my throat. "Will… Draco be there?"

There's a moment's pause and when I look up, she's looking right at me.

"Do you want him to be?"

"No," I say quickly. Too quickly, because she gives me a sly smile.

"Really?" is all she says before turning back to the mirror and shooing the elves out of the room. She starts to take off the dress so I look away to give her privacy. "You know," she says as she unzips the dress and lets it fall into a white pool at her feet, leaving her in the white strapless bra and lace hemmed slip. "There are a lot of benefits to being in a relationship with Draco. He's a good boyfriend to have."

I make a disbelieving sound and she gives me a look as she picks up her dress and sets it over the white settee under the window.

"He is," she confirms. "You have no idea how good it can be."

"I doubt Cho would think so," I whisper as I cross my arms. He did cheat on her when he kissed me, after all. I don't think that's something a good boyfriend does.

"They aren't officially together," she states hotly as she goes to her closet and pulls out a dress to tug over her head. "I mean, they fool around and all that, but they aren't official. Chang collects famous boyfriends like it's her job and I don't think Draco takes her very seriously."

I don't say anything… I don't like thinking about him.

"But if he is with someone, he's fully committed. He isn't like other guys," She makes a face for a moment and I wonder if she's thinking of Zabini. "He likes being in a relationship." She sits at her vanity and starts taking the pins out of her hair. I stare at her as hair falls piece by piece down her back. "He'll take care of you. In every way possible, if you know what I mean."

She waits for me to look at her before she picks up a brush and starts pulling it through her hair.

"And he's an excellent kisser," she adds and my eyes snap to hers. "Of course," she starts as she turns in her seat to look at me head on. "You would know all about that. Wouldn't you, Ginny?"

"What?" I say like an idiot and she rolls her eyes as she sets her brush down.

"Don't be coy, now. I know."

"You saw?" I gulp.

I had my suspicions whether Daphne and Pansy had seen the terrible thing that had happened between Malfoy and I… but actually knowing that they know makes me feel… dirty.

She shrugs her small shoulders and turns back to the mirror. "He told me."

"He told you he kissed me?" I question and her smile becomes wolfish.

"He told me you kissed back."

I don't say anything for a while and she starts laughing.

"God, Ginny! You look like someone just smacked you. Is it so terrible to kiss a fit guy?" I don't answer. "And Draco is good looking. Don't you think so?"

I feel my face flush and I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know."

"Come off it, Ginny," she says in annoyance and I spare her a surprised look as she stands up and walks towards me. "Draco may be a lot of things, but ugly isn't one of them. It's okay to think he's attractive, you know," she says as she grabs my safety pillow. She throws it behind her and sits down uncomfortably close to me. "You do think he's handsome… don't you?"

"I guess so," I whisper.

"You guess so?" she arches one of her perfect brows again.

"Well," I lick my lips. "I mean it's obvious he's handsome."

There's no shame in that. Awful people can be fit too.

"Obviously," she says, her eyes shining. "You liked it, didn't you?" I look at her and she smiles again. "Didn't it feel good?" She tilts her head and looks down to my lips. "To be kissed by someone who knows what he's doing? By someone who knows what he wants?"

"What does he want?" I ask nervously at the predatory way in which she looks at me.

"Apparently, he wants to kiss you," she says with a smirk before pulling back and laying on her bed. She stares up at the canopy with a hand on her stomach. "You're so lucky and you don't even know it."

I don't feel lucky and when I tell her so, she just shrugs her shoulders.

"You will."

You will. Those words come back to haunt me again and I give her a suspicious look.

"Why are you friends with me?" I ask, looking at her profile and leaning back on the bed.

"What?" she asks dryly and I swallow the lump in my throat.

"I mean…" I avoid looking her in the eyes. "I mean why are you friends with me? It doesn't make sense."

"Why doesn't it make sense?" She asks as she sits up on her elbows. "What does that even mean?"

"My brother…"

"Your brother," she cuts me off spitefully before I can finish. "It's sad that your brother is making you question your friendships. What? Just because we don't get along with him we're not allowed to like you? What kind of bullshit is that?"

"No… it's not…. I mean…" I start falling all over my words as I try to organize my thoughts around them. "I mean…. I don't know why you want to hang out with me all of a sudden."

"I like you, Ginny," she states. "Is that so hard to believe?" When I don't say anything she rolls her eyes. "You need to work on your self-esteem, girl." She sits up and turns more towards me. "I think it's really shitty of your brother to make you feel bad about being my friend. Trying to cut you down so you feel bad about yourself and then literally physically assaulting you…. That is abuse."

"He isn't abusive," I say, surprised she would say so but it's clear she doesn't believe me. "I mean… you only started talking to me after Malfoy–"

"After what?" She cuts me off. "After I decided I wanted to get to know you because I needed new friends in my life too. There's nothing wrong with you. There's nothing wrong with me and there's definitely nothing wrong with Draco. Who, by the way, can be really charming if you give him half a chance. People rarely ever give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe you shouldn't judge someone before you truly know them."

Maybe she's right. I feel bad for questioning it and I look away.

"I like you, Ginny," she reaches out and takes my hand. "You believe that, right?"

"Yeah, sure," I say with a head nod and she smiles.

"And…." She pauses a second. "You like me, right?"

I nod my head and give her a little smile.

"See? We understand one another." She smiles as she puts her arm around me. "Don't let other people tell you who you get to be friends with. You're better than that."

She stands up and goes over to her window, looking out over the lake.

If you told me you wanted me- I wouldn't be with anyone else.

"Pansy" I stop, but push myself into speaking again. "Does Draco like me? Or is he just messing with me?"

It was such a silly thought… never in a million years would I ever think someone like him would like someone like me.

"What do you think?" She asks.

"He doesn't even know me."

"How could he?" She asks, raising a brow. "You've already decided who he is." I don't like her thinking that I'm so small minded. So judgmental. But this was Malfoy- not some strange guy I didn't know anything about. "You hate him for not hero worshiping Potter and not thinking Granger is all that great. You hate him for being well off and spoiled… but I'm sure your parents would spoil you too if they had the means."

"I don't hate him," I say.

Hate is such a strong word.

"Hm," she says, giving me a look. "You won't even give someone like him a chance because he won't let your brother shove him around, is that it?"

"It's not…" What was it? It was all just too much and too fast. He was so sharp with his words and his actions… and he was just so goddamn mean. "He just scares me sometimes." I finally admit, remembering the Malfoy that had pressed his wand to my brother's throat and told him that he would kill him if he ever tried to touch him again.

He could be vicious and he had the money and family connections to get away with it.

"I know," she says with a sigh, finally understanding. She sits down beside me and curls her fingers around a strand of my wet hair. "But try to imagine what it's like standing next to someone like that… and not on the other side of their wand."

I'm sure that's what people said about you-know-who.

"You can keep that outfit," she says, standing up to walk away from me. "You should wear it on Friday. We're all Falcons fans," She explains. "And those are their colors."

"Isn't this a little…" I stand up and try to pull the shirt down again. "A little revealing?"

"No," she says, smiling. "It's perfect."

Then why did she insist on lengthening the dress I bought for the nightclub? I look over at her mirror and try to tug down the top again, frowning and then covering my stomach with my arm.

"Your body is a weapon, Ginny," she says. I look at her in surprise as she stares at me with darkened eyes. "One day you'll be old and ugly and wish you had used it more. So wear the outfit and use it. Draco's not the only one who can intimidate people, you know."

I let my arm drop.

"I have to meet Millicent," she says as she checks the clock on her wardrobe. "Do you want to tag along?"

"No," I say quickly because I hate Millicent. "I have some stuff to do anyways," I lie. "Thanks for letting me hang out for a little bit."

"Here," she says as she tears off a bit of paper from a notebook on her desk. "This is the address for the pub…" She says as she writes something down with a pink quill. "These are the Apparition coordinates." She hands it to me. "I really hope you come and remember what I said about your friend. I promise to be more welcoming."

I go to leave and the grouchy house elf comes out of nowhere to hand me my freshly washed and dried clothes.

"Do you happen to have a green dress somewhere around here too?" I ask as he glares up at me. I try not to glare back. "I think Pansy had it washed. It's green with a satin sash around the–"

"Trash."

"What?" I blink.

"Trash," he says again before popping away.

I frown before leaving the house. The rain has stopped and the sun is finally out, making the world look fresh and new. I look up at the sky and spot a faint rainbow just over the hills. I smile to myself before walking my bike out to the gate, putting my clothes in the pitiful woven basket in the front. I ride home at a slow and leisurely pace as I think about everything and nothing at all, letting the wind dry my hair. I weave back and forth over the dirt roads and sing a few songs to myself before I make it home.

I put my bike back in the shed before walking inside. Mum is in the kitchen organizing the pots and pans under the sink.

"Is Harry alright?" I ask as I close the door behind me.

"Of course he is," she says, not even looking up. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"No reason," I say, figuring they were keeping it a secret from her as well.

I go upstairs quickly so my mum doesn't ask me to help her with whatever she's doing and I pass by Ron's room. The door is open but no one is inside. I frown at that before going to my room, but it's closed and I press my ear to the door when I hear voices.

"Do you need any more water?" That's Hermione's voice. Why are they in my room? There are a thousand other places they could be right now. "Harry, we have to do something about this. You can't keep on having these episodes. You have no idea what they'll lead to."

"I know," Harry answers and his voice sounds odd and scratchy. "That's why we're leaving soon."

I hear Hermione sigh loudly and her cot makes that annoying squeaking sound it always makes when someone sits on it.

"Did you get a chance to talk to her at least?"

He doesn't answer. Are they talking about me or someone else?

They're silent for a long time until Harry speaks again. "Maybe it was a sign," he says and I hear Hermione sniffing.

Is she crying?

"I'm not normal, Hermione. I never will be and I was stupid to think I could be."

"Harry, that's not true."

"Yes, it is," his voice cracks. I think he might be crying now too. My heart aches a little at the realization and I lean against the wall as I turn my face towards the door. I can hear him trying to catch his breath. "It's not even worth it to try."

"Everyone deserves to have something normal in their life, Harry," Hermione whispers in her motherly voice. "This won't be forever… We'll find out what's happening to you and we'll fix it. We always do. We can win this."

"I'm glad you're so confident," he says.

"I just have faith in you."

"Where did Ron go?" he asks, trying to make his voice steadier.

"He went for a walk," Hermione answers. "You know how upset he gets when he sees you like that."

"I'll make you a deal, Hermione," he says and the cot creaks again. "If you can get the courage to finally tell him how you feel, then I'll try again."

"He doesn't even like me like that," she whispers and I realize now how close Hermione and Harry truly are.

I wasn't her best friend. Harry was.

"Of course he does," Harry says with a little chuckle. "He just doesn't know it yet."

"Well, we'll see how it goes," she sighs. "Ginny's going to ask me what happened to you, you realize that right? What do you want me to tell her?"

"Don't tell her anything."

I hear footsteps coming to the door so I turn and scurry to the bathroom to hide myself. Don't tell her anything. That should be the family motto and our crest would just be a picture of my face looking confused and stupid. When it's all clear I go to my bedroom to change into my usual clothes. Then I spend the day there, listening to music and reading as I try not to think of Harry Potter or Draco. Completely different boys… both incredibly frustrating.

I dig under my bed and pull out the pamphlet for the writing retreat.

It has a picture of the pink Victorian house by the sea and I flip through it to read about the town and biographies of the various writers who will be holding workshops there. Eye on the prize, Ginny. I lay on my back and hold the pamphlet to my chest with a small smile on my face. I just need to forget about boys and focus on what truly matters, and what really matters is getting the hell away from here next summer.

After dinner and after hanging out with my dad in the den as he listens to his favorite comedy show on the radio, I find Hermione already laying on her cot as the moon shines in from my bedroom window. I ask what happened to Harry and she tells me that he had eaten something that upset his stomach. I knew it was a lie….A terrible one at that… but she said it so convincingly that I let her have it.

I pull out the pamphlet again and stare at the Victorian house in the moonlight, imagining what it will be like to meet Elle Lyons and fantasizing about the retreat. I'll meet people like myself… I'll make friends and find a place of my own… and then my mind gets carried away and I start thinking about the way Draco Malfoy looked as he came stomping towards me outside of his house. How, instead of cursing me, he grabbed my hair and kissed me in a way I had never been kissed before.

I bring my fingers up to my lips and I inhale a deep breath.

"Ginny?"

"What?"

"What was that noise?"

"What noise?"

"You just made a noise."

"No, I didn't," I whisper as I turn my back on her, realizing that I might have moaned a little at the memory. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she whispers.

Maybe it would be nice to talk it out, but I know how she'd react…. So I decide I'm not going to tell her anything about it at all.

xXx

---

XxX

I stare at Luna in her blue dress as she rolls on her toes. She has her hair in a style she calls "spin tails" which looks like a very weird and complicated set of pigtails held up by butterfly clips and a silver ribbon. I can't believe she actually wanted to go to this. To be honest, when Pansy invited me to the game, I kind of knew we wouldn't go…..but Luna came through our fireplace in a tizzy. Overly excited and asking what time we wanted to leave.

"Are you sure you want to go? I mean, we don't have to."

"No, it's okay. I'm all for second chances." She says with a smile. She pulls something from her pocket and hands it to me. "Pansy wrote me an apology letter that I thought was quite lovely."

I take the parchment and unfold it, skimming the smooth, loopy handwriting.

"She sent this to you?" I say as I read it over and Luna nods her head.

It was a nice letter… very sweet and unlike Pansy Parkinson.

"Yeah, I got it this morning," she says as I fold it back up. "I thought it was very kind… " She takes it and places it in her bag. "People never send me apology letters, you know."

"I thought you were upset because of the whole alcohol thing."

Luna makes a face and then shakes her head. "I may have been wrong about that."

"If you're sure…" I trail off.

"I'm sure," she says. She's wearing silver eyeshadow- layered with different shimmering shades that define her large eyes and make them stand out even more. She always has fun with make-up. "If it's weird- we'll leave." I nod my head. I start changing into the outfit Pansy had given me and then I look at myself in the mirror. It's just so tiny so I dig through my closet to grab a sweatshirt to wear over it. If my body is a weapon I don't want to use it just yet. "If I want to leave, you have to promise me you'll listen."

I feel bad about that, and I nod my head as I tie half of my hair up, letting some fringe hang down. "Yes, I promise. If you want to leave…. We'll leave."

"Good," she says with a lopsided smile. I lean over my vanity to put on makeup and I can feel her looking at me. "Eh, Ginny…" I glance at her. "That skirt is very short."

"I know," I say with a frown as I stand straight and try to tug it down a bit. "Should I put on something else?"

"Maybe just don't move around too much," she says with a smile.

I put on my white trainers and tie them with my foot up on the windowsill. Luckily no one is outside or else they'd get a good view of my underwear. Hermione comes in as I'm double knotting my right lace and she glances at Luna.

"Where are you guys going?"

"We are going to watch a quidditch game," Luna says, smiling proudly. "You should–"

"Luna," I say quickly, giving her a look. In no world would that be okay.

"I don't like quidditch, really," she explains, having read my tone. "But maybe you could ask Harry to go." I put my foot down and glance at her. "I bet he'd like to get out of the house."

I try to imagine what that would look like. Harry Potter sitting at a pub with Pansy Parkinson and all her bitchy friends.

"That might be a good idea," Luna says, smiling at me. "We could invite Ronald too."

"No," I say quickly, grabbing my purse and stuffing my wand in it. "We gotta go or we'll be late."

I grab Luna's wrist and pull her up.

"Ginny."

I turn to look at Hermione from the hallway. She's giving me an exasperated look, like she just didn't understand me at all anymore. I ignore that feeling in my chest and pull Luna along. Outside, Ron and Harry are flying on our practice brooms. Before I make it to the gate, Ron lands in front of me.

"Where are you going?"

"Hi Ron!" Luna waves at my brother. He spares her a glance.

"Does Mum know you're leaving?"

"I already asked," I say shortly as I dig into my purse to get my wand.

Harry lands behind us and I glance at him over my shoulder. His hair is windswept and he gives me a shy smile.

"Where are you going, then?" Ron asks as he leans against Charlie's tired old broom.

"We're going to go watch the Falcons play," Luna answers and I shoot her a look.

"There's a quidditch game today?" Harry says curiously. He sounds so hopeful and I feel bad that I can't invite him. He would probably love it.

"Where at?" Ron asks but I tell him it's none of his business.

"At the Black Horse Tavern–"

"Luna!" I hiss, giving her a nasty look. "Stop telling him things."

"Well, maybe me and Harry will go too."

"No, you will not."

"Why not?" he asks sharply. "You don't get a say on where I go."

"Ron," Harry sighs and walks around us. "Just leave her alone."

"You know who she's been hanging out with, don't you?" He gives Harry a look. "Draco Malfoy's girlfriend."

"Pansy isn't Draco's girlfriend," I say with an eye roll.

"Well, you would know," Ron says spitefully. Then he looks at my skirt. "Makes sense you've been hanging out with Parkinson because she also dresses like a sl–"

"Do. Not." I say darkly, gripping my wand. "Finish that word."

He has the sense to stop before he crosses the line.

"Come on," Harry nudges his shoulder and starts walking away. "I want to keep practicing."

Ron gives me one more nasty look before moving to the side to let me pass. I look over my shoulder only once to find Harry looking at me.

We apparate to the safe zone across the street from a two-story sports bar outside of Surrey. Luna steps right up to the door and opens it with confidence. I stay a few steps behind her. I hate walking in first to a place I'm not familiar with and I'm glad Luna's not as weird as I am about things. She's just weird about everything else.

There's an incredibly large man sitting on a stool just beyond the doors. He's intimidatingly big. More of a ball shape than anything else and he's dressed in an all black. His wand is tucked behind his ear and he has gold rings on his thick, fat fingers. He stares at Luna and then puts his foot out to keep us from going any further.

"I.D.'s."

"Oh, yes…" Luna grabs her wallet and starts sorting through it. I open my purse to take out my own to hand over.

He takes one look at my birth date and shakes his head.

"It's seventeen and older tonight, ladies," he says in a gruff voice as he hands them back. "Sorry."

"Couldn't you just mark our hands or something?" I offer and he raises an eyebrow. "We won't drink or anything."

"Nothing I can do," he says with a head shake. More people come in behind me. I move aside so they can get in. All of them seem to be of age because he nods them along.

"I guess we should just go," I say to Luna. "It was worth a try," I say with a shrug as we hit the humid air on the sidewalk. I push up the sleeves of my sweatshirt and pull on the collar. "What do you want to do now?"

"We could always go back to your place," she offers with a shrug.

Back to Ron. No, thank you.

"Let's walk around for a little bit."

We start walking off. To where? I have no idea but I refuse to go back to The Burrow right now. I keep my head down and start biting my pinky nail, lost in thought. The walkway is a bit crowded… People are excited for the game and it's dinner time so the restaurants around us are filling up with wizards and witches popping in from the app zones and flooing in from the public fireplaces by the railway. Luna starts talking to me about something… I don't know. I'm not really listening… but I do stop when she says my name.

"What?"

She nods ahead.

Draco Malfoy is walking our way. At first it seems like he doesn't see us in the crowd. He has his head tilted down and his brow furrowed… but suddenly his eyes snap to mine like he could sense we were near and he changes course. The suddenness of it surprises me and I stop walking. A small smile plays at the corner of his lips when he sees the surprise on my face.

"Are you leaving already?" he asks, glancing at the pub behind us.

We're blocking the path. People have to walk around us and they aren't happy about it but Draco doesn't seem bothered. He just stands impossibly straight with his hands in his pockets like he was used to people being inconvenienced by him. I remember the last time I saw him… and what happened. I look down in embarrassment before finding the courage to actually look at him again. His eyes flick over my outfit and then he lingers on my skirt. The look he gives me… I nervously tug it down, uncomfortable under his gaze.

"What are you doing here?" I blurt out.

"I was talking to some friends," he says, nodding behind him to two suspicious looking people in black cloaks that are huddled against one of the buildings.

"Those are your friends?" I say disbelievingly.

They look like the kind of low lives that skulk about the shadows of Knockturn Alley. The kind of wizards that try to sell you counterfeit watches and baggies full of drugs.

"I have many friends," he says, then he looks at Luna. "It's good to have friends, isn't it?" he says with a wink.

She readily agrees with him and I glance at her to see a blush playing on her cheeks.

I make a face at it.

"Why aren't you two at the pub yet?" He checks his fancy watch made up of shining silver and emeralds. "The game is about to start."

"We're not of age yet," Luna explains. "They won't let us in."

"We can't have that," he says, giving her a charming smile.

He did have a beautiful smile when he decided to use it.

She giggles.

My eyes snap to hers. Why is she giggling like that? Why is he being so nice to her and why is she acting so weird?

A group of tweens pass by us and one of them knocks Luna in the shoulder. She falls forward but Draco catches her from falling on her face. He sends an annoyed look over his shoulder before reaching into his pocket.

"What are you doing?" I say sharply when I realize he's going for his wand. I grab Luna and pull her against one of the buildings to get us out of the way. Draco follows and I give him a look. "Were you going to hex some twelve-year-olds? It was an accident."

"You think that was an accident?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

Maybe he knew something I didn't so I don't question it. I ask Luna if she's okay and she says she's fine before looking at Malfoy with soppy eyes and thanking him. He just smiles at her… that beautiful one that shows his teeth and I find myself… not liking it. I might even be making a face because he gives me an amused smirk.

"We're leaving," I say, watching Luna's profile as she looks up at Malfoy. "He already checked our I.D.'s" I explain, not liking whatever it is that's happening right now. "He won't let us in."

"Well," he looks at me. "You didn't have me last time, did you?"

"No," Luna says with a pleased sigh. "We did not."

He smiles again and then makes a motion with his hand.

"Come on."

He starts walking ahead of us. His legs are longer and he is a few paces in front of us as Luna grabs my arm.

"Malfoy is quite handsome when he's not being a terror," she says, watching his back. "Don't you think?"

I don't answer.

Malfoy waits for us to catch up and he opens the door, motioning for Luna to step inside when we get to the pub.

"Ladies first," he says, that smile back on his face.

I give him a suspicious look.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you mean?" he asks, tilting his head as I walk past him.

He lets the door close behind us and then we have to wait in a small line while the bouncer checks I.D.'s

"You're acting strange."

"Am I?" He raises an eyebrow and tilts his head down to see me. "How so?"

Should I tell him it's strange that he's smiling so much and being so nice to Luna? Why does that sound so mean to say out loud? Of course he should be nice to her- she's wonderful. I shake my head instead of answering.

"You don't know me at all," he says. The pub is crowded and it's incredibly loud. Full of a hundred different voices all working together to form a big chaotic chorus. "You just think you do." He glances at me. "Now, what does that say about you?"

I don't have an answer for that. The line moves forward and he reaches down, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me against his side.

"What–"

"Be quiet," he says shortly, looking down at me. "I'm getting you into a place you're too young to go to so how about you just shut your mouth for a bit."

I clench my jaw.

I guess charming Draco is only for Luna.

The bouncer must know Malfoy, because he smiles when we approach and even stands up to shake his hand.

"They're underage, Malfoy," he says, motioning to me and Luna who is looking at the crowded bar behind him with wide, open eyes. "I can't let them in… I'm sorry. You know the Aurors busted all the pubs on this street last month for underage and they'll all be out tonight because of the game."

"I understand," he says as he takes something from his pocket and hands it to the bouncer.

I can't tell what it is, the movement was so quick. I try to move away, but Draco's hand keeps me firmly in place.

"But she's my girl," he smirks down at me. I'm not sure what my face is doing, but it feels unpleasant. In fact, whatever look I'm giving him makes him bite back a laugh. "I'm sure you can make an exception."

"Wait… I'm not…" I don't want to go into this pub that damn badly. No one needs to think I'm in any way affiliated with Draco Malfoy.

Benefit of the doubt be damned.

"Shut your mouth," he whispers in my ear and I narrow my eyes at him.

"No. You shut your mouth," I snap back.

He looks down at me, amused as his hand moves down my hip and then his fingers brush the top of my thigh. I inhale a short breath at the contact but I don't move. I should have worn a different skirt. His eyes flick to the bouncer. They share a look as if to say women, am I right? But of course that fucking guy doesn't understand what's happening.

I don't even understand it.

"She's not going to drink," he promises, looking into the pub. He must spot someone he knows because he smiles over the bouncer's head. "They just want to watch the game."

The bouncer eyes me and Luna for a moment before nodding his head and pocketing whatever Draco handed him.

"Don't let anyone know they're underage."

"Of course not."

He looks down at me and then to Luna.

"Let's go."

The pub is so crowded we have to walk through in a single file line. Draco drops his arm from my waist and I am relieved to be free of it, but then he surprises me by reaching back and grabbing my hand. His hand is larger and his grip is firm- it doesn't even matter if I'm holding back as he navigates us through the crowd. He's so tall. I focus on his back and how strong he looks. When did that happen? When did his shoulders get so broad and his waist so narrow?

"Look, Luna and Ginny are here!"

I hear Daphne's voice in the crowd. She comes running over to us, her blonde hair in a high ponytail that bounces with each step. I can't help but smile at her. She just has one of those pleasant faces that you enjoy smiling at. She gives me a hug when she's close enough and then she turns to Luna with a large grin.

"I'm glad you two could make it," she looks at Draco and the hand that's still holding mine. Oh, right. I pull my hand back and he rolls his eyes. "And Draco…" she adds with a small smile as he passes by her without greeting. "Come on, we saved you some seats."

She starts tugging on my hand until we get to two standing height tables that are pushed together. There are a few bar stools around them with their group of friends already seated. They're all holding onto beer bottles, pints, and mixed drinks, talking loudly to one another over the roar of the pub.

"Hey, Gin," Pansy says, smirking when she sees me struggle with the skirt as I climb onto the tall stool. "Glad you came."

"Has the game started yet?" I ask as Luna takes a seat on the other side of me, by Theodore Nott who spares her a little glance before turning and whispering something in Zabini's ear.

"Not yet," she says as she takes a drink from her pint glass.

I go to lean towards Luna to ask her what she thought about what just happened, but Draco slides in-between us before I can. I sit straight and raise my eyebrows as he stands there, leaning against the table with his legs crossed at his ankles.

"What do you want to drink?" He asks, taking out his wallet.

"I'm not supposed to drink," I remind him and he gives me an irritated look like I was annoying for even bringing it up.

"You can always have water, if you'd like," he says with a shrug. "But when surrounded by drunk people watching quidditch- I find that it's always best to have some kind of alcohol in your system."

"I'm fine," I say flatly, looking out at a sea of blue Falcons fans as the walls become illuminated with magic.

The game trumpets start and the teams are introduced. I watch the captains fly onto the pitch as the pub erupts into cheers and boos. I can feel Malfoy staring at me. It makes me uncomfortable. I grab a napkin and put it on my lap so I can shred it with my fingers.

"You know," I glance at him as he bends down to get closer to me. I smell his cologne again. It's such a nice smell. "You don't have to drink like a child to have a good time," he says, his voice chastising. Any goodwill I had because of how nice he smells vanishes. "I can teach you how to pace yourself. I don't mind you having a couple drinks when I'm around."

"You don't mind?" I say, blinking a few times with anger scratching in my chest.

The gall of him, I swear.

"No," he says simply like he had every right to be the way he is.

He looks over at the bar at the center of the room, squinting his eyes like he was trying to gauge what they had on tap. He has such a nice profile- his nose is straight and he has high cheekbones that look so well defined on his face. His hair is parted and styled- clean and neat like he usually wears it and his eyebrows are darker like his eyelashes giving his face an overall striking appearance.

You think he's handsome…don't you?

"You don't own me, Malfoy," I say, trying to stick up for myself.

He tilts his head, catching my eyes like he was surprised I would say such a thing to him. The pub is poorly lit but there is a low hanging light right in front of us that causes shadows to play off his face.

"Not yet," he says as his eyes flick down to my lips.

It was like he was remembering our kiss and it made me remember too. Angry and confused with my own feelings, I huff and turn away from him, only to find myself staring at Pansy who's giving me an odd kind of look that I don't like.

"What is wrong with you?" I hiss, feeling uncomfortable as I throw the napkin shreds in front of me. "You can't say stuff like that to people."

"Why not?"

"Because…" What is the reason? Why can't I think of a reason? I put my elbows on the table and put my head in my hands. "It's just not appropriate."

"Appropriate?" He raises an amused eyebrow. "Well, neither is this skirt." he reaches down and tugs on one of the pleats. "I told you not to wear short shit like this anymore. But here we are."

"You're not my dad."

I've said that to him before but now others were watching. I could practically feel their eyes and I glanced around, only to see Millicent glaring at me from behind a pint glass. I glare right back and she blinks before looking away.

"I am well aware," he smirks.

Let daddy fix it.

I scrunch my face up at the memory.

"Will you leave me alone now?" I say, my voice sounding mean and petulant. "I've had enough of you already."

"Have you?"

Why is he smiling?

"I'm serious. Go away from me."

"You're not my boss," he says, clearly making fun of me and I narrow my eyes. "You don't own me, Ginny."

He moves as if to touch me and I smack his hand away. Someone gasps. Whether that was at me or the game, I'm not sure.

"Don't do that again," he says darkly, his tone no longer playful.

Now I know everyone is looking at me and I swallow hard. I feel an embarrassed blush creep up my neck and over my cheeks. I look across the table and I see Daphne looking at Draco from the corner of her eyes, her head tilted down. Her eyes slide to mine and then she gently shakes her head before looking away. There was no bubbly smile or shining eyes… She looks worried and she brings a hand up to her neck nervously.

I press my hand to my forehead and look down at my lap, willing him to go away but then I feel his hand on my back and he says my name.

"Sit up."

The rage comes quickly. I can't stand that he keeps telling me what to do.

"Will you just shut up?" I snap and he stands straight. I bet he doesn't like it when people say it to him and I hope he hates it just as much as I do. "Leave me alone."

Then I call him a name. One I'm not all together proud of saying but with it the air gets sucked out of the room.

He gives me an unpleasant smile and then looks over my right shoulder before walking off. I huff and sit back, crossing my legs as I glare at the table.

"Jesus, Ginny," I hear Pansy whisper from my side. "He just wanted to buy you a drink. Benefit of the doubt, remember?"

I look at her before glancing at Luna. She seems to be having a pleasant conversation with Theodore Nott and she even laughs at something he says. Benefit of the doubt, I guess. I lean towards her to try to hear their conversation, but Pansy yanks my arm.

"He's trying so hard to be nice to you. Why are you being so fucking mean?" Pansy scolds me and the guilt starts to weed its way into my brain. Was I out of line? Maybe I was being a little too harsh…. But the things he was saying to me…. "You don't have to like him, but at least be civil. You're being so gauche."

She sniffs and turns her head from me.

I don't even know what that word means, but it doesn't sound nice.

I don't say anything to that and I just stare at the table, conflicted. I thought I was just sticking up for myself but maybe I wasn't. Maybe I read the situation wrong. I shouldn't have called him a pretentious twat. I don't even like that word, but my brothers fling it around so often that it just kind of slipped out. I feel bad now… and I feel like everyone is mad at me. I look around the table and catch side eyed glares being thrown my way but my only real friend doesn't even notice. She's too busy with a boy.

Luna laughs loudly. I frown and give her a sideways look. I don't like Theodore Nott, to be honest. The last time I was around him all he did was stare at my breasts the whole time.

I look towards the bar and spot Draco's head of blond hair as he stops to chat with some bloke in a Falcon's hat. I look down at the table again, feeling bad as I let my fingers follow the imperfections in the wood, tracing the deep grooves and scratches. Why did I do that? What is it about him that makes me so uncomfortable? I glance up and see Daphne giving me a sympathetic look.

She leans over the table.

"Maybe you should go apologize to him. You won't feel so bad then," she says gently.

"Who said I feel bad?"

I know I sound like a bitch and that makes me feel bad too. I just can't seem to figure myself out right now.

"It's written all over your face, Gin. You don't have a filter… that's what makes you so likable." She puts her hand on mine and smiles. "Go talk to him."

I don't think I should have to do that.

"I didn't do anything wrong," I whisper, taking my hand back.

Draco was mean. He said terrible things all the time to the people I loved so why should I feel bad for what I said?

"Maybe not," she says, giving me a sad little smile. "Draco can be very charming if you let him. Just let him be good to you."

Let him be good to you? What did that even mean? Just let him say and do whatever he wants?

I turn towards Luna and I tap her shoulder. "Hey, do you think it's odd that…"

"Ginny, have you met Theo before?" she asks, totally cutting me off. She leans back so I can see him better.

He's lanky with shaggy brown hair and rather pronounced Adam's apple. He has droopy brown eyes that give him a puppy dog look…. But not a cute puppy dog. One of those ugly ones that would bite you in the face if you pet it too much.

"Yes," I say sharply because he's giving me a smug smirk… like he knew I was thinking about how uncomfortable he made me at Folk Hills.

"Did you know that he likes snorkel hunting?" she asks and I give him a suspicious look.

"I do," he says as he lifts his glass towards me. "I can't help it."

"Do you even know what a snorkel is?' I ask snidely and he raises his thick brows.

"Do you?" he counters.

I open and close my mouth a few times before realizing I actually don't know what a snorkel is, but Luna is right there with the answer.

"A snorkel is a puddle dwelling creature that only comes out during afternoon tea…." She starts droning on about it and I look away to see Draco.

He's done talking to the guy in the hat and he's headed towards the bar now. I look at Pansy… I can tell she's mad at me. It's a cold, isolating feeling and I don't like it. I inhale deeply. It's awful being surrounded by so many people and realizing no one wants to talk to you anymore. I lick my lips nervously and then look down at my legs, fiddling with the end of the skirt as I listen to the game playing off the walls.

"Ginny." I look at Pansy. She's giving me an awful look and she said my name sharply. "Will you hand me my bag, please?"

I nod my head and reach over the table, grabbing her black purse and handing it to her. She doesn't even look at me as she takes off into the crowd. I bring my hand up to my forehead, running my fingers over the furrow of my brow and I glance up to Daphne again. She gives me another sad smile.

"Go on," she says, nodding behind her to Draco.

I swallow hard.

"I'll be right back," I whisper to Luna but she doesn't care. She's too busy with Theodore Nott.

I can see his strong back as I approach. He seems to stand out in a sea of fairly average looking people and I can tell other girls are checking him out as he leans against the bar. I hesitate a second and then I look over my shoulder to find Pansy's dark eyes glaring at me from across the room. I turn away and then touch his arm when I get close enough. He turns quickly and seems surprised to see me. I scoot in beside him and a large man wearing a derby hat.

"I thought you wanted me to leave you alone," he says flatly, glancing down at me.

I can't bring myself to apologize… not just yet… and he reads the struggle on my face before he sighs.

"Alright," he says softly. He turns his body more towards mine so his hips are pressed against my own. His closeness does something strange to me and I try not to let it show. "What do you want?"

"What?" I whisper as I look up at him.

"To drink," he says as he flags down a bartender. "What would you like?"

"Oh." I open my purse to dig out a few coins from my wallet. "I'll just get a cold butterbeer."

"Really?" he says sarcastically. After I have my money I look up at him. He rolls his eyes before turning to the bartender. "Can I get two seven and sevens and a shot of firewhisky?"

"What's a seven and seven?" I ask as I try to get the bartender's attention so I can order my drink, but he just walks on past like I was invisible.

"It's kind of like a whiskey sour," he says like I would know what that is. "If you don't like it, I'll drink it. I'm not much of a beer drinker, anyways" he admits. "And it's always good to start with liquor first."

"Here you are, Mr. Malfoy," the bartender says, sliding two highball glasses towards us full of a cloudy yellow liquid on ice. He puts a shot glass on the bar and fills it up using a half empty firewhiskey bottle pulled from the island shelf behind him. "Do you want me to keep a tab open for you?"

"Yes," Draco nods as he picks up the shot glass. He brings it up to his lips before giving me a thoughtful look. "Do you want to try this?"

He offers me the drink. Even from a distance it makes my nose burn.

"No," I shake my head.

"That's probably for the best," he says before he shoots it back. He puts the empty glass on the table and then picks up the two highballs.

He hands one of the glasses to me.

"Hey," The bartender stops and looks at him when he flags him down again. "Make sure someone comes to our table every once and a while to take orders. I don't want to have to come to the bar every time I want a drink." I sniff the drink and crinkle my nose. "Just try it." I hear him say and I figure he must see my hesitation.

I take a small sip as he watches and I make a face. "It kind of tastes like 7-up," I say. Kind of… if 7-up burned on the way down. "It's not too bad."

"I thought you might like it,"he says with a little smile.

"Um…" I say as I play with the coins in my hands. "How much was this?" I ask as I show him my money. "I didn't bring much with me, but you can have what I brought…" He puts his hand on mine and closes my fist.

"Girls don't pay," he says simply.

I'm not going to argue with that. I put my money back in my purse. Some hair falls over my shoulder and gets in my way as I put them back in my wallet. I try to flick it out of my face as I zip up my bag…but then his hand comes up and he moves the hair over my shoulder.

I look up at him in surprise as he tucks the loose hair by my face behind my ear.

"Better?" he asks.

I nod my head. His hand lingers there and then he brings his fingers to my chin, gently tilting my face up so I'm forced to look at him. His eyes dance over my face but then the guy in the derby hat accidentally bumps into me and I fall against his chest.

"I'm sorry," I say quickly as I stand straight and glare over my shoulder.

"Sorry, hunny," derby hat says with bloodshot eyes and a sweaty face. "Didn't mean it."

"It's okay," I say but when I look back at Draco, I realize my drink spilled a bit on his shirt. He's already dabbing it with a napkin.

"I'm sorry," I say quickly, grabbing a napkin to help him. "I wish I knew my mum's drying spell."

"Why?" he asks with a brow raised. "You're not supposed to be using your wand, anyway."

"I have my apparition license," I say, like that mattered. "I'm approved to do simple spells with my work permit." I glance up at him. "Not that you would know anything about that."

"You can't use magic in here," he says, rolling his eyes. I look up as he points to the sign over the bar.

Put your wands away, the red letters glow. No magic zone.

"Magic and drunk morons don't mix well," he says stiffly.

He rests his hand on the bar and lets me try to dry the rest of it. I grab a couple more napkins to press to his chest and I even blow on it like that would help. His body feels so hard under his jersey and I lick my lips nervously before looking up. He seems amused and he smiles.

"I shouldn't have called you that name." I say, balling the napkins up and putting them on the bar.

"No, you shouldn't have," he agrees as he takes a drink from his glass, unbothered. "Anything else you want to apologize for?"

"I'm sorry I smacked your hand too."

"It was childish," he says and I look away, embarrassed. "But maybe not completely unwarranted. I'm used to just doing what I want. Apparently, that's something I have to work on."

He shrugs like he just couldn't help it and then the bartender puts two shots of firewhisky in front of us.

"From your neighbor," he says, nodding to the derby hat.

Draco hands one to me and then picks up the other. He looks over my shoulder and I follow his gaze to the sweaty man in the derby hat. He raises his pint to us.

"Apologies," he slurs.

Draco smirks before looking down at me. "Now you have to take it."

"I've never…" I swallow hard. I can smell the firewhisky already and it is unpleasant. "I've never done a shot before."

"There's a lot you haven't done," he says flatly. I know I'm a lot more inexperienced than he is in most things and I wonder if that bothers him like it bothers me. "It's just like taking medicine. I've seen you do that before," he says, his eyes shining. "Just throw it back and try not to taste it."

He clicks his glass against mine before he downs his quickly. He places it on the bar and then looks at me expectantly.

"Go on, then."

"I don't want to get sick," I say because it was so very embarrassing last time.

"You won't," he says, confident.

I take in a deep breath before throwing it back. Just like medicine, it goes down my throat quickly… but it burns and tastes awful and I cough a bit when I hand him the glass.

"That was bad," I say tightly. I even shudder a bit. I take a large drink from the seven and seven. "That didn't help," I admit and he laughs at me before asking the bartender for a glass of water.

"You really are a sheltered little thing, aren't you?"

"I guess I am," I whisper, exhaling slowly.

The firewhisky instantly makes me feel hot and I tug on the collar of my sweatshirt.

"Are you even a Falcons fan?" he asks suspiciously.

I take a couple more sips of the seven and seven before I realize I just can't do it anymore. I set it down on the bar and pick the water up instead.

"I'm a Cannons fan, actually," I admit as I put the glass against my cheek. He smiles.

"Well, don't say that too loudly," he replies. "You're in Falcon territory."

"Yes," I say as I glance around the pub. It's a sea of blue and white. "I see that."

"Are you going to try out for quidditch again this year?" he asks curiously and the question surprises me.

I try not to let on how pleased I am that he remembered I played.

"Of course," I say proudly. I'm good at quidditch. At least I have that going for me.

"So, you're going to be my competition. You're looking at the new Slytherin team captain."

"You know that already?" I question with a frown. "Don't you guys have tryouts to decide that?"

Of course, Harry is a shoo in this year for the role but there usually is some sliver of a chance for other people.

"No, it came with my Head Boy letter," he says and I have the feeling he may be trying to show off.

Why do I find that endearing?

"I can't believe you've gotten all of that stuff already. We haven't gotten our letters from Hogwarts yet."

"That's because Slytherin's are more efficient," he says smugly and I roll my eyes.

"That or you're just assuming you're getting those titles. I wouldn't pass it by you."

"Oh, look at you making assumptions," he teases. "Would you like to hear some assumptions I have about you."

"Not really," I tell him as I take a drink from my water.

Draco finishes his mixed drink and then picks up my abandoned one.

"That's a lie," he says. The bartender is right there to replace his empty glass like he didn't have a line of people waving him down.

He looks down at me. When did he get so tall? He puts his hand on my waist. I inhale sharply and my heart quickens as his hand travels to the exposed skin under my sweatshirt.

"I assume that you're uncomfortable that I'm touching you right now," he says as his fingers dance along the turn of my waist. "But you haven't done anything to stop it because deep down you know you like it."

"That's not true," I tell him as I remove his hand from under my shirt.

"Just an assumption," he says with a smile as my stomach flutters. Why is it doing that? Stop doing that! "I'm also assuming that you don't want to like me… but you did like the way I kissed you because it made your knickers wet."

"Draco!" I hiss. I can't believe he just said that and he laughs as I look around to make sure no one heard him.

"You think I can't tell?" He asks with an amused smirk.

"Guys can tell that?" I whisper worriedly and he looks at me like one would a small child or a puppy.

"If they're not total idiots." He says seriously and I look away from him, hoping he's lying.

A couple of good-looking girls are huddled together on the other side of the bar. I can see them behind the bartenders as they work mixing drinks and taking payments. They are looking at Draco and whispering behind their hands, smiling. One of them very clearly checks him out as she bites her lower lip and I make a face. It does something strange to me… I'm annoyed with them… I glance at Draco. He is oblivious to the attention he's getting and he smirks down at me. Maybe I feel proud that he's giving me so much attention?

Is that what this feeling is?

It's such a strange combination that I try to shake away.

"It was just an assumption, anyways" he defends himself as he takes a drink. He hands it back to me and I just take it because… why did I take it? I don't know. He picks up the new drink the bartender brought for him and I set the water glass down. "But," he says as he leans down so his lips are right against my ear. It makes my body tingle. "Closer to the truth than you would have liked, right?"

"That's just disgusting," I say and he laughs again as he pulls back.

"I'm just joking," he says. I flick another glance to the girls. One of them is now glowering at me.

I turn away and take a very large gulp of the seven and seven.

"We should go back to the table," I tell him.

I forgot I left Luna stranded there by herself.

"You're probably right," he says. He takes the drink from my hand. "I'll carry these. You lead the way."

His friends move quickly to free up two seats for us when we reach the table. I smooth down the back of my skirt before climbing onto the tall stool and Draco waits for me to get settled before handing me my drink. His long legs make it easy for him and he sits on the stool with ease, putting his other arm across the back of my chair as he sits back.

I look around for Luna as I try to ignore how familiar he's being with me. I see her standing at the far end of the table with that Theo Nott weirdo, laughing and making hand movements like she was telling him a story. I stare at her for a while, trying to judge her hand gestures and I widen my eyes when I realize she's telling him about how she spends three hours meditating each day with her father in the muddy swamp behind her house. I glance at Theo… he looks interested and not in the least bit put off by it.

This whole thing is just weird.

"Your friend and Nott seem to be getting on quite well," Draco points out and I nod my head.

I take another drink. It goes right to my cheeks again and I start to feel that buzzing feeling that the alcohol gave me the last time I drank.

"Yeah, it's a bit odd." I add as I watch them, waiting for him to say something mean.

"Why is it odd?" Draco asks by my side. I see Pansy, she's leaning over the table, speaking with Zabini. He inhales deeply through his nostrils and turns his head away like he was annoyed. Daphne is chatting up some older bloke who's buying her a fruity looking pink drink. "Your friend is cute." That gets my attention. "What? Do you not think your friend is good looking?"

"No, I know she is," I say… I actually don't know why I'm bothered, to be honest.

I put the drink on the table, watching the ice cubes clink against each other inside as I sit back.

"Are you jealous?" he asks and I scoff at him. "You have nothing to worry about," He says seriously and I look at him again, trying to read his expression as he taps his fingers against my shoulder. "You are the prettiest person here," he says and I know that's a lie so I give him a look. "You don't believe that?"

I look at Daphne with her blonde hair and then I glance at Pansy with her perfect body.

"No," I say honestly. I feel his fingers playing with my hair and I glance at him.

He smiles again, letting his hand move to the back of my neck.

"That's a shame," he says, leaning in close. "I enjoy the way you look." He smirks. "It's the only reason I let you talk to me the way you do."

He leans in even more so his face is right in front of mine and he tilts his head as if… as if he would kiss me… I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"Beautiful little Ginny," he whispers… and then he jumps back quickly.

"Sorry I'm late!" Cho Chang comes running up to the table and bitterness pools in my stomach as Draco sits back and removes his arm from the back of my chair. "It was a real bear to get here," she says as she puts her purse down on the table in front of me. "Oh, hello Ginny," she smiles when she sees me and I give her an artificial smile back. "Do you mind if I sit there?"

"Oh," I look back at Draco. He gives me a challenging look and I sigh. "Yeah, sure," I say uncomfortably as I move off the seat.

There are no other stools open so I stand there awkwardly before Daphne grabs my hand and pulls me to her.

"Why did you move?" Daphne asks. "I thought you were going to kiss him just now." I give her an annoyed look. "You looked like you were going to jump his bones."

"No, I wasn't," I say sharply. The pub starts cheering and I look at the wall. The Falcons just scored a goal and people are going crazy.

Daphne pulls me to the other side of the table where there is an open spot for us to stand.

"Do you want another drink?" she asks as a waitress makes the rounds at the table. I shake my head because I already have a drink.

I realize I left it by my stool and I look over to see Draco and Cho…

Oh, my god. She's kissing him.

I must have gasped because Daphne grabbed my arm.

"It's okay," she says quickly. "Don't panic."

"I'm going to get some fresh air," I say as I grab my purse and start heading for the back exit.

"Do you want me to come with you!" I hear Daphne call after me, but I shake my head and keep going until I reach that back door.

I'm hit with a wall of smoke.

So much for fresh air.

All the smokers are outside, standing in circles and leaning against the walls by the dumpster. I make a face at it… but I can't go back in just yet.

I find a secluded spot away from everyone else and I inhale a deep breath. I'm hot from the alcohol and from the humidity that seems to be forming a wall all around me so I take off my sweatshirt. Why am I breathing so hard? Why do I feel so angry? I want to leave. I need to grab Luna and leave this damn place right now.

"He is not going to like that."

I turn to that voice.

Blaise Zabini is leaning against the brick wall of the opposite building. He watches me as smoke curls above him, the end of his cigarette glowing red as he inhales a deep drag.

"Well," he says as he looks me over. He blows smoke from the corner of his mouth with a thoughtful tilt of his head. Taking in my too short skirt and the tiny crop top that Pansy gave me, his eyes seem to darken in a way that makes me uncomfortable. "I mean, he will like that," he says with a smirk as I bring the sweatshirt up to my chest to help cover all the exposed parts. "He's just not going to like that everyone else will like it too."

I don't say anything to that. I just stare at him.

"Are you hiding out here?" he asks curiously.

"I'm not hiding," I say sharply, not liking the implication of being a coward.

He laughs like he knew I was lying before reaching into his pocket and offering me his pack of cigarettes. I make a face and turn away… but I can't help but look at him from the corner of my eyes.

Being around Blaise Zabini just makes me uncomfortable. No boy should be that beautiful. He's wearing a Falcons jersey too, but his was more form fitting and his hair looked perfectly disheveled. It looked like he was wearing makeup but I knew better. He was just blessed with perfect skin and incredibly long, dark eyelashes.

Draco was wrong- I am not the prettiest person at the bar… That title belonged to Blaise Zabini.

"Then what are you doing?" He asks.

"Where's Pansy?" I ask to change the subject and he laughs a little as he flicks ashes on the ground.

"Inside," he says with a shrug. "Not that it matters right now. Are you looking for her?" he asks. "So she can properly guilt you into doing whatever the hell she wants?"

"I'm sorry, what?" I say sharply, glaring at him but he just smiles.

"Just joking," he whispers, taking another drag of his cigarette with a laugh. "So, if you're not hiding and you don't smoke, then why are you out here?" He stares at me when I don't answer and then I can see a smile curling on his perfect, pouty lips. "Is it because Cho is all over Malfoy and you can't stand to watch it?"

I make a 'spft' sound with my lips. I'm not really sure what it meant, but I was going for a disbelieving sound.

"I don't care about that," I say as I tug my skirt down when I find his amber eyes focused on my thighs.

"Of course not," he says after a few silent moments. He throws his cigarette down and snuffs it out with his shoe. I watch as he props his hand against the wall, giving me his full attention. "Can I give you some advice?"

"I'm sure you will give it to me no matter what I say," I answer and he smiles at me, like he thought I was funny.

"Stop fucking hanging out with us," he says.

"What?"

"I mean, what are you even doing?" He motions to the pub. "What in the hell is going through that head of yours?"

I open my mouth to defend myself…. Maybe yell at him like I did Ron… but I can't seem to say much of anything. Not when he is looking at me like that-with his eyes narrowed and his face so set and serious. I know I don't belong. I know that… but it hurts to have someone like him say it out loud.

"We're just at the start of this game," he says, giving me a serious look. "And you have no idea how to play."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know," he says, looking away. "Forget it." He brings his hand up and runs his thumb down his perfect jaw. "We always get what we want in the end, anyways, don't we?"

"I have no idea what you mean."

"Don't worry about it," he says with a shrug. "I'm headed in."

He walks past me, but stops. He's standing so close to me now and I can't help but look at him. He's not as tall as Draco, but he was still tall enough that I had to tilt my head to see him.

"Put the sweatshirt on before you come back in," he says, nodding to the shirt cradled against my chest. "Or don't," he says, turning away again. "I don't fucking care."

He goes back inside and I make a face at the door.

I cross my arms again and stare at the other smokers before deciding that I am going to ask Luna to go home with me after all. I tie the sweatshirt around my waist and go inside. I get a few side eyed looks from some drunk guys on my way through and I realize it's because of the top. It's cut low in the front and you can see the top of my breasts.

On my way through, I see a couple of familiar faces. Seamus and Dean are at the end of the bar, watching the game and eating the peanuts that are in a bowl in front of them. I grin when I see them, relieved to find someone I know.

"Dean?" I say as I walk towards them. "Seamus… What are you guys doing here?"

When Dean turns, he takes only one second to look at what I'm wearing before shaking off his surprise. He stands up and gives me a big bear hug that lifts me off the ground. He must be a little drunk… He's usually never so forward.

"We're Falcons fans, you know that," Seamus says with a smirk after I give him a small side hug. I'm not as close with Seamus as I am with Dean, so it isn't as enthusiastic. "What are you doing here? Your brother would be out for blood if he knew you were fraternizing with the enemy on game day."

I shrug one shoulder. "What Ron doesn't know won't hurt him." He'd probably just push me out of this place if he was here… that's the way he does things.

I look at the front door… What if he showed up? God, that would be awful…. But Harry isn't of age yet so he couldn't get in… but… he is Harry Potter. I feel like he could get in anywhere if he wanted and Ron would have no problems taking advantage of that.

"Here," Dean gets up and offers me his seat. I hesitate a second, looking over at the table where Luna is still talking to Theo Nott.. "Who are you here with?" he asks, looking around as I sit down.

"Luna and some friends…" I say and then I remember the whole benefit of the doubt thing. "Would you guys like to come and sit with us?"

"Um…" he looks over to the table I was staring at and he raises an eyebrow. "Is that Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson?" he asks and I nod my head. "You hang out with them now?"

"Yeah," I say, trying not to be embarrassed by it. "They're not so bad."

"Is Theodore Nott hitting on Luna Lovegood?" he asks as he squints his eyes.

"Probably," I answer honestly and he shakes his head before turning back to me.

"I thought you hated those guys?"

"I changed my mind," I say. I don't want to have to get into a fight about how naïve and stupid I am. I'd rather not fight with Dean and Seamus. Seamus shrugs his shoulders before taking a drink from his bottle.

"You're the boss applesauce," Dean says as he leans his elbow against the bar.

I smile at him. He would always say that when we were dating. I was always the boss. He never made any decisions and it was maddening. To constantly have to choose what we were doing, where we were going, and what we talked about… It was exhausting.

I send a look over to Malfoy- I have a feeling that wouldn't be the case with him.

"So, how did you both get the day off?" I ask as I lean back to hear them better. "Delsia said that the club was going to be busy tonight."

"We asked off for this day at the beginning of the summer," Seamus answers as they both look at the wall to watch the game.

"That was smart," I say with a head nod. One of the Cannon chasers scores a goal. The whole pub boos but I smirk and give Dean a playful punch to the arm. "That's how it's done," I say and he rubs his arms as he smiles at me.

"Says the girl wearing blue and white," he says and I smirk.

"Blue looks good on me," I joke and he smiles again.

Dean always had such a beautiful smile. It's too bad that I never felt anything more than mild affection for him because we would have been a smashing long term couple.

"Everything looks good on you," he says and I laugh because he hasn't tried to hit on me in months but every once and a while it will slide out and it's always so awkward.

"Of course," I say with a smile as Seamus flags down the bartender.

"Eh, do you want anything to drink, Gin?" he asks as he gets the bartender's attention.

"Could I just have water, actually?" I ask and he gives me a funny look before ordering one for me.

"Ginny," I turn on the stool and see Pansy there with her brows furrowed and an irritated look on her face. My heart drops… but why does it do that? I'm not doing anything wrong. "What are you doing?"

"I'm talking to Dean and Seamus," I say. "You guys know Pansy, right?"

They both look at her and give her nods of their heads in greeting. She gives them an uncomfortable smile.

"Hi," she says shortly and then she takes my arm. "Let's get back to the table," she says as she goes to move me off the stool and I smile before pushing her hand off of my arm.

"I'm talking to Dean and Seamus," I repeat. "I'll come back a little later."

"Ginny," she says with an unpleasant laugh. "Come back to the table."

"No," I say with a furrowed brow. I don't want to go back there. Why is she trying to make me? So Pansy can guilt you into doing whatever the hell she wants… I shake my head at Blaise's words and sneer a bit. "I said I'll come back later."

"Ginny," she says again, leveling her dark eyes at me.

"Pansy," I answer with an uncomfortable smile. I glance over at Dean. He's watching the exchange with raised brows. "What are you doing? I'll come back later."

She stares me down for a few moments then she grabs my arm and yanks me towards her.

"Put on your shirt, at least," she hisses in my ear. "Your tits are hanging out."

I blush scarlet and pull back from her. She was the one who told me to wear this shirt. I look down at what she's wearing.

"So are yours," I say sharply. "What's the difference?"

"I can do what I want. That's the difference."

"So can I." I say, leveling her with a glare before turning my back on her. "Actually, I will have that drink," I say to Seamus as I wave down one of the bartenders. "Give me something that tastes like candy."

"I have just the thing," he says with a smile.

Pansy eventually leaves, and I feel an odd prickling at the back of my neck as she stomps away.

"That was weird," Dean mumbles and I nod my head in agreement.

The bartender hands me a purple drink with some kind of fluffy looking candy floss on the top. I reach into my purse to grab money, but he tells me that my drinks are already paid for. I make a face at that but don't question it.

I look over at the table again. Pansy is by Draco looking exasperated as she speaks to him and he glares at her as she makes hand movements…. and then she points at me. I look down quickly. Then I look up again. Oh, crap, why is he getting up? Maybe I should go back to the table. I bring my hand up and tug on a strand of my hair as he starts walking this way and I look at Dean and Seamus again, shyly tucking some hair behind my ear as I try to ignore Malfoy and his approach. I hold my breath as he passes by, but he doesn't even look at me. I watch him walk all the way to the toilets. I let my shoulders sag as I turn back to the bar.

Why am I disappointed?

My drink tastes like a grape flavored hard candy. I take a few sips before realizing it's a lot stronger than it tastes and I end up giving it to Seamus. Luna comes up to me with a smile on her face and a very uncharacteristic blush to her cheeks as the buzz of alcohol warms my body.

"Oh, Ginny," she says as she says a hello to Dean and Seamus. "I am just having the best time!"

"I'm glad," I say honestly and then I glance at that Theo kid again. "Are you and that guy getting along?"

"Very well, indeed," she says with a grin and I look towards the men's room. I tell myself that I'm not looking for him… but I guess I am. "He thinks I'm funny. Can you believe that?" I've never seen Luna act like this kind of girl before and it gives me pause. "I don't think anyone has actually thought that. I mean, people thought I was funny as in weird funny, but not witty. You know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"I think I'm going to ask for his floo number. Would that be too bold do you think?"

"I think that is very brave," I tell her honestly as I look back at Theodore Nott. He's in a deep discussion with Pansy now and I make a face at them. "Are you sure you like him? He seems a little creepy."

"I like creepy," she says with a shrug.

"Then I think it's an okay idea." I did snog Draco Malfoy… no judgments here, really.

"I want you to talk to him too. He's really smart, you'll like him."

She pulls me from the stool and I can barely get a farewell wave to Dean and Seamus before she tugs me along to the table. On the way, I accidentally step on Millicent's shoe and she gives me a glare that could kill. I try to ignore it and Luna forces me in front of Theodore freaking Nott who has a hand on his slim hip and the other is holding a bottle of beer.

"Hey," I say awkwardly with a wave once he notices me.

"Hello," he answers back and then he smiles at Luna.

Okay, then.

"Do you like quidditch, Theo?" I ask just to say something and Luna gives me a goofy, happy grin when he smirks at her.

"Yeah, I like it alright."

"Good."

"Good," he says back.

He looks down. I look down too and realize just how revealing my top is.

"Okay, well this was fun." I just can't stand to be this close to him anymore. "I'm going to talk to Daphne. Luna, would you like to come?"

Luna, please come!

"No, Theo and I are going to go upstairs."

"Oh." I look at Theo as he laughs at something someone else says. Then he looks at me again. I untie my sweatshirt and cradle it to my chest so he'll stop looking. Totally normal. Totally casual. "Well, if you need anything, come get me."

"Ginny, come sit by me!" Daphne's cheeks are pink and I know she's getting drunk, because she stumbles as she tries to move one of the chairs out of the way.

"Are you alright?" I ask as I grab her arm to steady her. "You're kind of out of it."

"I met two of the cutest guys," she says as she looks behind her. "They're cousins."

"That's nice," I tell her and she nods her head.

"Hey, Ginny," she says, leaning in to whisper to me. "Can I just tell you something?"

"I think you already are," I fake whisper back as she pulls on my arm so we're both sitting in the chairs around a table half occupied with middle aged women.

I glance up once and see Draco watching the game, his face serious as Cho runs her fingers through his hair. My insides freeze and I look away quickly, feeling something unpleasant and dark in the pit of my stomach.

"I just… we're friends now, right?" she says and I nod my head. "I just wanted to tell you something…."

"Okay, what is it?" She looks down and I look down too. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry," she says, blinking at me. "I just didn't realize how big your boobs were."

I blush and cover my chest again.

"That's a good thing!" She says, smiling for a moment. "It's great. I'm jealous… anyways."

She shakes her head.

"Come here," she whispers again, pulling me near so that our heads are so close together that we're actually touching. "Don't make Draco jealous."

"What?"

"Shhhh," she says and she pulls me even closer against her so that her lips are right up against my ear. It makes me shiver and I try to pull back, but she puts her hand on my shoulder to keep me in place. "I mean… I know you can't help it sometimes…. but Draco… Look, I know that you don't like seeing him with Cho, but going over and flirting with that other boy wasn't a good idea."

"Flirting? I wasn't flirting with Dean."

I pull back to look at her. Her blue eyes are glassy and her lips are slightly parted.

"Yes, you were. We all noticed and so did he," she says and then she puts her hand on my arm when I try to protest. "But don't do it again. Draco gets jealous very easily," she says, her breath warm on my ear. I furrow my brows and glance at him again. He's tapping his long fingers against the table and his jaw twitches when Cho whispers something in his ear. "He can't help it. He's always been that way and it's not good for anyone when he's upset."

"What do you mean?" I ask uncomfortably.

"Draco is intense," she says and then she scoots back and nods at me. "He's intense," she repeats as our eyes meet. "He's just really vicious sometimes," she whispers, biting her lip like she was upset that she let herself admit it. "I worry…" she trails off. Stopping herself from saying more.

The look on her face…. Is she going to cry?

"Just, um…. Just don't go out of your way to make him mad… even if it's something silly like trying to get his attention by flirting with someone else. You already have his attention and everything Draco does is very specific," she says. "He has a plan for everything and he doesn't like it when his plans get messed up if you know what I mean."

"No, I don't know what you mean."

"And I'll give you a little advice," she says as she leans against me again, ignoring what I said. "You'll need this for the future," she adds with a head nod and she glances at Draco... so do I. "Draco's cheeks only get flushed like that for two reasons," she says. I notice his face now, the splotches of red on his cheeks make him look so…. sexy?

Oh, for fucks sake.

"What are those two reasons?" I ask as I look down at the table so I don't think any more disgusting thoughts about him.

"Either he's really turned on," she says. I look at him again and his silver eyes snap to mine. Fuck. I look away, staring intently at Daphne so I won't look back. "Turned on…Or he's really pissed off. Notice," she says as she nods towards him. He's watching the game again. "How he's watching, but not really seeing anything? If he was turned on he would have just pulled you out of here to have his wicked way with you... no questions asked," she says. I make a face at that… no one has had their wicked way with me and it wasn't going to start with him. "Guess which one he is?"

"Pissed off," I whisper uncomfortably and she nods her head.

"Now, if you see him get that look on his face," she says, nodding her beer bottle towards him. "That cut off, stony look... avoid him at all costs...or keep apologizing and hope he forgives you… "

"He's not even my boyfriend." I glance at him again. "What I do shouldn't affect him in any way and it's not fair that I should have to worry about how he feels about anything."

"Yeah," she says, nodding her head. "Yeah, but—"

"Daphne," Pansy is over us in a second with an eyebrow arched, cutting Daphne's little speech off. "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, nothing!" Daphne sings with a smile. She tries to hide her emotion- but it still lingers under her skin. "I was just letting Ginny know that it isn't a good idea to try to make Draco jealous because you know how he gets."

"You're drunk, Daphne," Pansy says flatly as she grabs her arm and pulls her up. I stand up quickly to grab her chair because it's about ready to hit the floor. "Stop saying stupid drunk things to Ginny."

"But, Pans, you remember when he was dating that French girl last summer and she kissed that boy at your party. Do you remember what Draco did….Ow, you're hurting my arm."

"Come on, we're going to the bathroom. You're getting sloppy."

"Pansy, what does she mean?" I ask. "I don't understand what's going on anymore."

"She's drunk, Gin, just ignore her. Come on, Daphne," she says as she forcefully pulls Daphne towards the bathrooms.

When they're gone, I go to find Luna to make sure she's okay. She's playing pool with Theodore Nott on the second level and she runs to me, giddy again.

"This is the most wonderful day!" She says.

I give her a look but say nothing.

She asks me if I want to play with her and Theo but I tell her no. I watch them play a few rounds but their flirting makes me uncomfortable so I go back down stairs. I feel like the extra wheel again… someone just kind of there but not all that welcomed. I never thought I would feel that way around Luna. I find myself sitting alone on one of the bar stools, staring at the wall to watch the game. I grab someone's abandoned beer bottle and start peeling off the label.

A couple guys come up to me one after the other. One offers to buy me a drink and one invites me to his table but I refuse both of them, trying to be kind about it but they both seem annoyed with me anyways. It makes me feel bad so I start focusing on peeling the label off of the bottle until I have it rolled up on my fingers.

I put my head down and start rolling it against my thighs until I feel eyes on me and I look up.

Draco is staring at me from the other end of the table. Cho is still at his side and she seems to be having a deep conversation with one of her girlfriends. I stare right back at him but resist making a nasty face. Instead I sigh and turn away. I go back to the label on my thigh, hair falling in my face.

"Hey, luv."

I look up and see a stocky looking man leaning against the table beside me. He has a backwards cap on and he's all sweaty.

"Why do you look so sad?"

"I'm not sad," I say, looking back down so he will go away.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asks. "Will that cheer you up?"

"No thanks."

"How old are you?" He questions. "My mates think you're at least twenty." I look up at the mention of his friends and see the lot of them at another table- some watching the game but a couple are watching us and they hoot and holler when they see me looking. "But I told them you couldn't be older than seventeen."

"How old are you?" I ask, just to stay pleasant because the other two guys had gotten so pissy when I turned them down.

"Twenty five and you?"

"Too young for you, mate," Zabini steps up on the other side of me. "Walk along, then."

The guy narrows his eyes. "This your boyfriend?" He asks as Zabini sets a drink down in front of me. I find most blokes don't like Zabini just because of the way he looks and I could feel the jealousy in the stranger's voice as he glares down at me. "You could have just said you had a man before I wasted my time," he says sharply before walking off.

I glance at Zabini.

"Thanks."

He pushes the butterbeer closer to me and raises his eyebrows.

"I told you to put the sweatshirt on."

He walks away after that. I glance at Draco again. He's still staring at me like he was expecting something. I look away and put on my sweatshirt, pulling it down so it covers everything. The Falcons score- the pub erupts into cheers and I wince at the noise.

I take little sips of the butterbeer. Every once in a while, I will look up and watch the game but my heart really isn't in it. I want to get Luna but she's having such a good time… I want to go back to Dean and Seamus but… I don't know…. I just want to go home.

I hear a loud laugh and I look over to see Draco whispering something into Cho's ear. She laughs loudly again with a blush and pushes his chest playfully.

He's probably telling her she's the prettiest girl here….. But this time he'd be right.

Jealousy isn't hot- it burns cold and I felt like my whole heart was frozen over.

My jealousy turned to anger and I glanced at them again, my eyes narrowed as I decided that none of this was fair and none of this made sense. I don't care about anything Daphne has to say or Pansy. Draco Malfoy doesn't get to treat me that way… tease me like he does… and then sit there all over Cho Chang.

No. I will not wilt to that.

I stand up and I take off the sweatshirt. I throw it over an empty stool and roll my shoulders back to stand straight. I adjust the top and my ill fitting bra before flipping my hair over my shoulder and walking through the crowd towards the bar.

Your body is a weapon. Pansy was the one who told me that so I was going to use it.

I go up to the bar and get the bartender's attention.

"Can I have a shot?" I ask. "Of something that tastes good and not like firewhisky?"

"Make that two."

I don't even have to look to know who it is.

"Go away," I say, not even looking at him.

The bartender comes back with two shots full of some bright red drink. I pick it up and sniff it and then I glance at Draco.

"What is so funny?" I ask, glaring at his smile.

"This shot," he says, picking up the other one. "It has a good name."

"What is it called?"

He looks at me and then his eyes go down my body.

"Red Headed Slag."

"It is not called that," I say, feeling the anger crawl up my chest.

He shrugs. "Otherwise known as a Ginger Bitch."

"You're messing with me," I say flatly, putting the shot down on the bar. "That's not funny."

"I'm not joking," he says. "That is really what it's called."

I glare at the shot glass and then I glare at the bartender.

"Rude."

"It is rude," he says with a laugh in his voice. "But you are dressed like one."

He downs the shot quickly as my neck snaps to him.

"So, you know," he picks up my shot from the bar and takes that one as well. "Maybe don't dress like that anymore."

He leans against the bar to look at me. I give him an annoyed look and he raises his eyebrow.

"What?" He says flatly. "I'm the one paying for it."

"You don't pay for anything." I say hotly. "You don't have a job."

"Right and I'll never need to get one if I don't want to. So how does that make you feel?"

Not great.

"It was your friend who told me to wear this outfit, you know," I say, feeling betrayed by everyone.

"I bet she did."

"But I look great," I say, willing it to be true.

My body is a weapon or a temple or whatever…

"Of course you do," he says, his face is flushed and his eyes look a little glassy. The alcohol must finally be getting to him. "That's the problem."

"It's not my problem."

"Then who's problem is it?" He asks.

"Yours, I guess."

"Hm," he says thoughtfully. "Then you're my problem."

I give him a nasty look.

"There you are." Cho comes up beside us and she smiles at me. "Ginny, you look so pretty. I've never seen you dress like that before."

She threads her arm through Draco's and I find my face twisting up in a scowl.

I lean over the bar to get the bartender's attention and when he comes over to me I give him a tight smile.

"Do you have a shot called a blond headed prat?" I ask.

He snorts.

"No," he says with a laugh. "But I have a drink called a French Blonde if you want it. It has a citrus flavor to it."

"French Blonde." My eyes slide to Draco as Cho worries herself with his jersey. "I'll have that."

"She will not." Draco looks at the bartender and shakes his head. "She's done drinking."

"I am not," I say sharply.

The bartender looks at me and then to Draco.

"Hey," I say, annoyed. "Don't look at him." I dig into my purse. "I'm going to pay for it."

"You're not drinking anymore," he says sharply, pushing Cho's hand off of him.

I look at the bartender and slam my entire wallet on the counter. I don't even know how much I have in there but I'm sure it's more than enough. A couple galleons and a handful of knuts and sickles.

"Make me that drink."

"You will not."

"You will."

Draco inhales deeply before slamming his hand down on top of my wallet.

"She's underage," he says sharply, his eyes never leaving mine. "She's not drinking anymore or I'll report you myself."

With that the bartender backs off and I give Draco a furious look. Then I look at Cho Chang who looks confused and uncomfortable.

"Tell your boyfriend to leave me alone," I say hatefully before turning around and stomping towards the table.

I grab my sweatshirt and then I run upstairs to get Luna.

"We're leaving," I say, grabbing her arm.

"But—"

"I said we are leaving," I shout and she must hear the anger in my voice because she doesn't question me again. I pull her down the stairs and through the crowd.

They're all watching the game. The Falcons' seeker is close to the snitch and everyone is on the edge of their seats. I push through them and I don't even look at Luna until we get outside.

"Are you alright?" She asks once we get to the road and I put the sweatshirt back on with an angry jerk and tug.

"I'm fine."

I dig through my purse to grab my wand and then I speed walk to the app zone with Luna struggling to keep up with me.

"Weasley."

I look over my shoulder and see Zabini jogging towards me. I roll my eyes.

"Wait up a minute."

"What do you want?"

He blinks at me.

"I don't want anything," he says, amused. "I'm just a messenger." I level him with a glare as he digs into his pocket. "You forgot this," he says, handing me my wallet. "Draco said you might want it back."

I snatch it from him, but I will not say thank you.

I put it in my purse and Zabini watches me for a moment before going back to the pub. As he walks away I hear Luna sigh.

"He's so pretty, isn't he?"

"If you're into that kind of thing," I say hatefully.

"Who's not into that kind of thing?" she whispers to herself before we apparate away.

When we get back to The Burrow- I shut us up in my room to avoid any questions. Luna lays down on my bed and tells me all about how wonderful Theodore Nott is with a little girl giggle and sigh. I don't say anything. I just let her live in her fantasy as I go under my bed to pull out the large jar of coins I've been saving. It's still messy under here… there's some dust bunnies… clothes… and is that a stick? Hermione hasn't gotten to it yet.

I pull out the jar and unscrew the lid.

My checks go to Gringotts- but my tips go in this jar and I pull out my wallet to put the money back. I open the zipper at the top and turn it upside down, but what falls out is not what I had brought with me.

Gold coins fall into the jar… one after another and I stop, pulling the wallet up before dumping it all on my bed.

"Wow," Luna sits up as I look at all the galleons. I dig some out of the jar too and put them with the others. "Why did you bring that much money to the pub, Gin? That's so dangerous."

"I didn't," I whisper.

"There has to be fifty galleons here," she says as she picks up a few of them and holds them up to the light.

"Fifty four," I correct her after I'm done counting…. With five sickles and twelve knuts.

I look at my wallet and reach inside. He must have used magic to deepen the pocket and I frown at that.

I look at Luna.

"I think Draco put all this money in here."

"Why would he do that?" She asks, tilting her head. "I know he's wealthy but this…." She motions to the gold coins. "This is a lot of money to just give someone." She's thoughtful. "Do you think it's cursed, maybe?"

"Probably," I mutter, scooping them all into the jar. I screw the lid on tightly and shove it back under my bed.

I sit back and try to understand why he would do such a thing. None of my theories make me feel all that great. I take off my sweatshirt and flop onto my stomach beside Luna, my face still feeling flushed and my body still tingling from the bits of alcohol I had.

"Did you have a good time?" I ask Luna, watching as she smiles at the ceiling.

"The best," she answers. "What about you?"

"It wasn't great," I admit, frowning.

"But you did make some money," she says, smiling at me. "So maybe it was worth it?"

"Maybe," I whisper.

Someone knocks on the door and I look at Luna.

"Don't say anything," I warn her. "Not one thing to anyone."

She makes a motion like she's locking her lips.

I go over to the door and open it- surprised to see Harry on the other side.

"What do you want?"

That sounded harsh. I make a face at it.

"Sorry, I just meant… what… do you want?"

That wasn't any better.

"How was the game?" He asks.

"Good."

"Who won?"

"Oh," I glance at Luna. "I'm not sure. We left before it ended."

"Oh."

We stare at one another.

He's polite. He's trying not to look down at my chest so I make it easier for him by turning around and grabbing my sweat shirt.

"I think my wand is in here," he says.

I look at him after tugging it over my head.

"Hi Harry," Luna sits up.

"Hey Luna." He gives her a weird smile. "Do you mind?" He asks, glancing around my room. "Can I look or have you seen it?"

I open the door more as an invitation.

"Is Hermione not here?" I ask curiously as he comes in and looks under her cot.

Why didn't he just have her come look for it?

He stands up and looks around.

"Why were you in Ginny's room?" Luna asks curiously.

"Oh, uh…" he struggles.

"Probably hanging out with Hermione," I finish for him. It definitely wasn't to see me. "I think I saw something under my bed."

I get down on my hands and knees and crawl under. There are a few socks and a pair of pajama pants that I push aside. I see the thing I thought was a stick and I grab it.

"Found it," I whisper as I come back out.

Everything is quiet and I look at Luna first to find her giving Harry an odd look.

"I'm going to go to the loo," she whispers.

She leaves and closes the door behind her. I feel weird now and I hand Harry the wand.

"Are you okay?" I ask. Watching as he sits down on my bed.

Harry Potter sitting on my bed was once a girlish dream of mine, but now it felt… weird.

"I'm fine," he says quietly.

I glance at the door. It was one thing to have Hermione and Harry be alone in a room. But I have to wonder what my dad would do if he knew Harry was sitting on my bed. He always had a keep the door open policy with my older brother's when they brought girls home but Harry seemed to be different… Hermione too… they seemed to be able to do whatever they wanted.

"I should have invited you to watch quidditch with us," I say. Imagine how different the day would have gone had he been with us. "I'm sorry."

He looks at me.

"You don't owe me an apology. You have your own life."

Then why is he here?

"Your cheeks are really red," he points out. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine," I say quickly, getting off my knees and walking over to the mirror to see how bad it is.

I can't exactly tell Harry Potter I've been drinking at a pub.

"I'm sorry about the other day," he says and I look at him over my shoulder. "With that… thing that happened. I wish you didn't see that."

"No need to apologize."

I watch him from my mirror. He seems to be struggling. He was so different from Malfoy who never seemed shy or embarrassed… or anything less than confident.

"Is there something else?" I ask, turning around and leaning against the vanity.

I glance at the closed door again.

"It's your birthday on Sunday." He says.

The abruptness surprises me and I blink a few times.

"Yes," I confirm.

"Well…" He inhales deeply and I tilt my head. "Hermione says there's an outdoor concert at Yellow Springs on Saturday…. tomorrow night." He's not looking at me. He's fiddling with his wand. "Some band she said you liked is playing."

He glances around my walls and spots a poster of Eternal Siren…. An indie band I was fond of that had a female lead singer who was part Veela.

"That one I think," he says, standing up and walking over to it.

"I do like their songs," I admit, crossing my arms.

"Well, um…"

"What is it?" I ask as he pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Do you want to go?"

He looks at me and I blink a few times.

"Yeah, of course. Can I invite Luna too?"

"Oh," he looks flustered but he doesn't get to answer because someone knocks on the door and then my dad peeks his head in.

"Hey, Ginny Bean, have you seen my…." he trails off when he spots Harry by the window and then he opens the door all the way. "Well," he exhales slowly. "Not that I don't love that you two are getting along," he says, giving me a look that makes me blush. "But this door needs to stay open if you're in here, Harry."

"Oh, Dad… It's not–"

"That's the rule, Gin," he says.

I can't even look at Harry right now.

"Yes. Mr. Weasley." Harry says and I shoot him a look for the strange way he's speaking. So formal and his back so straight.

"Anyways," Dad taps his fingers against each other. "Have you seen my polishing cloth? I know you cleaned the living room the other day and I thought I left it in there."

"I don't think so," I say. "Sorry."

"No, issue," he says, smiling at me. He goes to leave and shuts the door before remembering himself and opening it wide. "This stays open," he says, rapping it with his knuckles before leveling Harry with a look I have never seen him give before.

Luna comes in after he leaves and then she looks between me and Harry.

"Do you want to go to Yellow Springs tomorrow?" I ask her. "Eternal Siren is playing an outdoor concert." I look at Harry. "How much is it?"

"Oh," he coughs. "I think it's free? I think that's what Hermione said."

"Oh!" she says, smiling at Harry. He seems weird… uncomfortable and he looks like he'd prefer to crawl out of his skin. "That would be so much fun!"

"Right," Harry nods and walks to the door. "I guess we will all be going then."

"That was strange," I say, watching him walk down the hallway.

"Very strange indeed…." She trails off then she gives me a thoughtful look. "Think I could invite Theo to go?"

"No," I say quickly. Too quickly because she tilts her head in question. "Well…" I try to find words to make it kinder but I can't. "Just no."

She frowns at me but says nothing.

The rest of the night we lay down on my bed and I listen as she reminisces about her perfect day with Theodore Nott. I try to be supportive and I nod where I need to and uh huh where I should. I am happy for her. I truly am because Luna has never liked anyone like she seems to like Nott… but he's just so… gross.

My mum makes homemade pizzas on naan bread when she realizes we didn't eat dinner but my brother and his friends don't come down to eat. They are doing their all important things in his room… but my dad doesn't make them keep it open even though they have a girl in there.

Hermione comes to my room in the middle of the night, slipping on her cot as Luna sleeps beside me on the bed, gently snoring. I can feel her looking at me so I pop my head up.

"You okay?" I whisper.

"You do realize that Harry was asking you to go to that concert."

"He did ask me," I say, confused by the annoyance in her voice.

"Well," she says flatly as she punches her pillow into shape. "It doesn't matter now because we're all going."

She huffs and lays back down. I frown at the silence. I can't even wonder about Harry Potter or think about Draco Malfoy because now all I can think about is Pansy Parkinson and how very similar she now seemed to Hermione… and I wonder if I will have a friend as loyal to me as they were to Harry and Draco.

XxX

---

XxX

There is a stage set up at the end of the boardwalk.

We are standing towards the back as it's pretty crowded and I get bumped into a few times by over-excited people trying to make their way to the front of the stage. Three different bands are playing but I only know of Eternal Siren… the other two seem to be harder bands… Their fans dress a little edgier and there are a lot more piercings than I'm used to seeing.

Ron gets himself a beer and tells me not to tell Mum or he will tell her about the girls I've been hanging out with. I just roll my eyes at him. He was of age. He could do what he wanted.

Hermione and Luna had gone off a while ago in search of a restroom leaving me with Harry and my brother standing under one of the red street lamps that's already burning. The sun is setting, slipping on the horizon and coloring the sky pink.

"Blimey, it's hot."

I look at Ron. His cheeks are red and he's already sweating. He takes a drink of his beer and then looks around with his eyes narrowed.

"I don't even like this type of music."

"Go back to that pub, then," I say, annoyed with his constant complaints.

"Maybe I will," he says sharply. He looks at Harry. "You want to go in with me?"

Of course, he has no problem leaving me by myself. Harry glances down at me and shakes his head.

"I kind of want to see the show."

"Suit yourself," he says with a shrug as he walks away from us, moving through the crowd and disappearing into one of the brightly colored pubs.

I look up at Harry.

He looks uncomfortable. There is always a chance people will recognize him and I notice him messing with his hair to cover his scar. Before, he could move quite easily through our world but ever since the triwizard tournament and Rita Skeeter's invasive articles, most magical folks know his face. The ministry had been releasing articles about him all summer that weren't all that pleasant either and people had a lot of opinions.

"You can go with Ron, if you want," I say as he looks around with a furrowed brow. "I'll wait for Luna and Hermione."

"I don't want to leave you by yourself."

"I don't mind."

I'm by myself a lot.

He looks down at me, trying to read my expression.

"You look nice," he says quickly and I press my brows together at the oddly timed compliment. "I like your…" he looks down at my t-shirt and I look down too just because he is. "I like your clothes."

"Thanks," I say, tugging on my top uncomfortably. It's a red Gryffindor t-shirt. He walked out wearing the same one and I realize now that we must look like brother and sister. It was funny at first, but we definitely look silly standing together. "I like your clothes too."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," I say.

"You're welcome… too." He makes a face and turns away.

The band starts warming up and it's pretty loud so I wince.

"Do you want to go somewhere else?" he asks when he sees the look on my face.

"No, I'm good," I say, glancing up at the flickering light in the lantern above. "We told Luna and Hermione we'd be here when they got back."

"Right."

"Right."

"Yes."

"Yes…."

God, this is awkward.

I cross my arms and start picking at my lip.

"Um," I glance up at Harry again. He's also tall. I used to be tall… until this year. It seems like all the boys around me finally got their growth spurts and I keep having to look up at people I was once eye level with. "You're a good flyer, you know."

I nod. "So are you." He smiles a little. "And you didn't even grow up with it. You're a natural."

"So are you," he replies quickly like the words couldn't wait to come out of his mouth. "Your dad said when he watches you play it reminds him of Bill… because… you know… I guess Bill was really good too."

"He was…" I say nodding my head. "He was a really graceful flyer. I guess he still is," I blink. "I don't know how often he gets on a broom anymore."

"Yeah."

"Yeah…."

Will this night never end?

"There you are!" Hermione comes up behind me.

"Oh, thank God," I whisper, turning to see Hermione and Luna.

"Where's Ron?" She asks, frowning.

"It was too hot and crowded so he went to the pub."

"It is hot and crowded," she says, fanning her face.

"You can go find him," I say flatly, annoyed for some reason.

"I think I will. Come on, Luna."

"I'm good," Luna says, climbing up on the lamp post base so she can see the stage better.

"Luna, will you just come with me?" I give Hermione a look.

"I'll go with you," I offer but she shakes her head.

"This is the band you like." She says hotly.

"I'll go with you," Harry says and she throws up her hands.

"That's not—-" she stops and she looks at the three of us like we were complete morons before rolling her eyes. "I guess I'll just stay."

The band starts up and I get on my tiptoes to try to see… but it's no use. We are too far back, but I hear them well enough. They don't sound as great live but maybe it's different if you can actually see them play. I sigh loudly and sit back on my heels, resigned to my fate.

"Do you want to sit on my shoulders?"

"What?" I look at Harry and blink.

He motions to a few blokes who have their tiny girlfriends on their shoulders to see the stage better. I have to think about what that could mean… the fact that my crotch would be so close to his face and he'd have to bear the brunt of my weight…I glance at Luna. She was the kind of girl that could say yes to that request. I would probably make him fall over.

"No, that's okay." I say quickly with a blush.

"I don't mind," he says gently, smiling at me.

Why is he smiling like that? I narrow my eyes a bit. I've read him wrong before and I'm not going to make that mistake again.

"I think that's Harry Potter."

I hear someone near us say and I look over at a group of women whispering behind their hands.

"That is him."

I see Harry's body language change when he notices. His back stiffens, his hand clenches… his face loses all emotion.

"You know, I think…" He starts walking backwards. "I'm just going to go somewhere… else."

He turns around and starts walking away.

I glance at Hermione. She has climbed up beside Luna and is trying to see the band too. Maybe I should tell her to go after him…Or maybe I should? Is that something I should do? I bite my lip before deciding to follow him. He's not going to the pub where my brother is and he's not going back to the main entrance where we came in. I shake my hands out as I follow him down the boardwalk and to the stairs that lead to the far side beach. The dusk gives way to a blanket of darkness and I follow him down to the sand where a rope is put up to block the pathway.

"It closes at night," I explain and he turns around to look up at me in the darkness.

He doesn't say anything. He seems uncomfortable and he clenches his jaw. The lanterns on the boardwalk shine down on us from above, leaving most of his face in shadow.

I slip off Ivy Parkinson's nice brown sandals and pass by Harry to go under the rope. I hold it up for him to come too and he has to bend down low to go under. I wait for him to remove his shoes and then I walk towards the lake. You can still hear the music and see the lights the stage is giving off, blue and purple beams shining in the darkened sky.

We walk in silence and, every once in a while, I will catch him looking at me. When we get far enough away from the music, I stop walking and turn to face him. It's a full moon and I can see his features outlined in the pale light.

"I feel like I'm going crazy," I admit, finally finding the courage. "Is tonight weird or am I just imagining things?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like the way Hermione is acting… The way you're acting."

"You think I'm acting weird?"

He seems troubled by that. He truly does.

"Look, I know you guys have a lot going on. You don't have to pretend to…" What did I want to say? I'm not even sure anymore. "Anyways… I know Hermione needs a room to stay in when she comes over. I get it."

"I don't think you do," he says. He takes a step closer to me and hesitates a second before reaching out like he wanted to take my hand but thinks better of it. He lets his arm fall to his side and I narrow my eyes. What is he doing? "There are a lot of things I have to do," he says seriously, his green eyes shining in the pale moonlight behind his glasses. "I will…." He trails off. "It would not be fair of me to…"

"What wouldn't be fair?" I ask. I suddenly feel nervous. Is that the feeling? My hand feels sweaty so I wipe my palms against my shorts.

"You're Ron's little sister, you know," he says.

"I do know that," I say, squinting my eyes as I try to understand where he's going with this.

"I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about what?" I ask, trying not to be annoyed by his vagueness.

Before he answers… a smell wafts by us and I crinkle my nose.

"What is that?"

"I know what that is," he says, reaching into his pocket to take out his wand. "Someone's getting high."

"High?"

There are voices coming from around the boardwalk and loud laughs. I look over my shoulder and see a few shadowy figures come into focus and the red burning end of a cigarette… but it's not a cigarette. They are passing it between each other but they stop when they notice us.

One of them lights their wands in a Lumos spell and I see Theodore Nott.

I blink at him and he blinks at me and then a very unpleasant smile creeps to his face.

"Is that Ginny Weasley?" He says, walking near until his light falls on me too. I turn around to face them. He has his arm draped over the shoulders of Ivy Parkinson and she gives me a confused look. "With Harry Potter?"

He seems surprised at first. Maybe even intimidated as Harry drops his shoes and steps beside me. To my surprise, he grabs my hand and holds it.

"Isn't this quaint?"

When he gets closer he looks down and sees Harry holding my hand. The other person with them steps out of the shadows and I swallow hard when I see Millicent Bulstrode. She's wearing an off the shoulder top and her shorts might as well be underwear.

"My God," Nott says, he shares a look with Millicent before his dark eyes flick to mine. "You are going to be in so much trouble."

"Go away," Harry says sharply. "We're not bothering you."

"Not me," he says, looking at me again like he knew something I didn't. He inhales deeply from that bad smelling thing and then hands it to Ivy to smoke. I think it's weed. I recognize the smell now because Bill used to smoke it in the garden shed when he still lived at home. "What are you two doing down here in the dark?"

"Nothing good," Ivy says, her eyes narrowed when she notices the shoes in my hands. I hide them behind my back. "I knew you fucking cheated at that game," she says nastily. "Playing up that whole innocent bullshit because you knew he'd like that. You've probably shagged half the blokes in Gryffindor tower."

"Watch your mouth," Harry says darkly.

He's angry now and she looks alarmed for half a second before covering it with a stony indifferent expression.

I'd be afraid of Harry too. He's been through it.

Anger gave him a clarity he didn't have before. No longer awkward and fumbling, it was like he grew taller right before my eyes. He looks up at the boardwalk… There are enough wizards and witches here that the ministry wouldn't even notice the use of underage magic and I know that is what he's thinking.

"Are you two matching?" Millicent asks with a brow raised as she looks at our shirts. Then she laughs unpleasantly. "This is like Christmas."

"Let's go, Harry," I whisper, gripping his hand a little tighter to pull him away, but Millicent draws her wand.

"Do you think he'll mind if I hex her?" She asks, her wand pointed at my chest. "He's going to be livid anyways—"

"You won't be hexing anyone," Harry says, pushing me behind him.

It was clear that Theodore, Millicent, and Ivy knew they were no match for Harry. Sometimes it was hard to remember that the awkward, teenage boy that Harry sometimes was-was actually a powerful wizard underneath it all. They weren't like Draco and Zabini who could go head to head with him all on their own. They were mediocre at best and incompetent at worst.

Millicent pocketed her wand and then glared at me before giving me a nasty smirk like she was pleased about something. Ivy flicks the spliff into the lake and then tilts her head at me. She didn't look much like Pansy. She was pale where Pansy was tan… her eyes were light where Pansy's were dark… but they had the same facial expressions… the same full lips and the same piercing glare.

Theodore Nott let his arm drop from her shoulders and he just smiled at me like the creep he is.

"Let's go," I say again, tugging on Harry's hand because I don't want to be around them for one more minute.

He shoves his feet into his shoes and gives them one final glare before following me. I can feel them looking at us as we walk away.

"What was that all about?" Harry asks sharply when we get to the stairs. I drop his hand to duck under the rope. "What were they even talking about?"

"I don't know," I answer honestly but I'm sure it has something to do with Draco Malfoy.

My heart is thumping and my stomach is in knots. Why do I feel like this? I stop for a minute on the stairs with my hand on the railing as I look out over the lake. I can still see the three of them on the sand… Nott's Lumos spell still burning as the three of them huddle together. I frown and turn away, feeling like I did something wrong. What did he mean when he said that I was going to be in trouble?

Don't make Draco jealous.

That's so ridiculous. What I do and with who isn't his business or anyone else's for that matter. Maybe I misheard what he said.

"Hey," I look down at Harry when he tries to get my attention. "Don't worry about those guys."

I nod my head.

I shouldn't have just stood there. I should have pulled out my wand and done something. Why did I let him just push me behind him like I was some useless thing? What is wrong with me?

"Who was that girl?" He says sharply. "The tall one?"

"That was Millicent Bulstrude," I answer and he gives me a surprised look. "Yeah, I know," I nod my head. "She looks different."

"Still a harpy, though," he says and I find myself smiling a little.

The lights from the boardwalk above illuminate his face in a warm glow and I can see the scar on his forehead. I want to move the hair off of his brow to see it better but I don't think he'd like it if I touched him.

"I know you're leaving soon," I say. At first, he says nothing… his expression doesn't change as he puts his hand by mine on the railing. "I heard you talking about it." I admit.

He blinks a couple times and looks down, but doesn't reply.

"It's okay," I say, glancing at him again as another song starts and the music soars around us. "I just wish you guys didn't feel like you needed to keep things from me."

"It's for your own safety," he says, his eyes looking over my face. I would scoff if he didn't look so sincere. "There is a lot of stuff going on," he admits. "And it would be easier for me if I didn't have to worry about you too."

"You don't have to worry about me," I say flatly. "I can handle myself."

"I know," he says gently.

I look back at the beach and watch as Malfoy's friends move further down… away from me… and away from Harry.

"You haven't told your parent's, have you?" he asks, looking worried for a moment and standing straight. It makes us eye level. "It's really important to me that few people know."

"I haven't told anyone," I say quickly. "I'm not that annoying."

"I don't think you're annoying," he says, tilting his head.

Maybe he wasn't the one who said it but he didn't exactly defend me either. But why would he? There would be no reason.

"You know, you aren't the only one who's been touched by you-know-who," I say, surprisingly angry for a moment as I look back at him. "Don't you think I would be a little more understanding about what you're going through?"

The look on his face tells me that the thought never crossed his mind. That our shared trauma from my first year wasn't even on his radar. That upsets me more than it should. It made me angry. It embarrassed me. It made me feel small and insignificant. It made me want to snap at him.

"I'm sorry," he says, sounding genuine but what is sorry going to do? It doesn't change anything. "I think…" he trails off trying to find the right words. Suddenly that bumbling boy was back… unsure and awkward. "Well, I guess I just wanted you to know that I think about you a lot."

"You think about me?" I ask, a brow arched.

"All the time."

"All the time?" I whisper, giving him a suspicious look. "Why?"

"Why do I think about you?" Now he sounds as confused as I feel. "Oh, um, well…."

"There you two are!" Ron comes barreling down the stairs. "Harry, I've been looking all over for you, mate. I heard some people talking about you at the pub. We need to leave," he says. "Now."

"What's going on?" I ask but of course he doesn't answer.

Ron jogs back up the stairs and Harry looks at me, motioning for me to go first. I follow my brother and find Hermione looking worried on the boardwalk.

"Where's Luna?" I ask over the music.

"She saw someone she knew," she says loudly, plugging her ears. "She ran off before I got a chance to ask her who it was."

"I'll find her," I say, glancing at Harry as my brother gives me an irritated look like I was messing everything up. "You guys can go without me."

No one cares who I am.

"We'll meet you at home," Ron says, giving me a look. "You be careful, alright?"

I roll my eyes and turn to walk away in the direction Hermione pointed.

I hold onto the strap of my purse and put it in front of me as I push through the crowd. I try to spot Luna…but there are just too many people. I go to one of the lamps and climb on the concrete base so I can see over the crowd all swaying and head banging to the music. Eternal Siren is already done and some heavy metal band is playing now. People have formed a mosh pit at the center and it all looks so chaotic.

I squint my eyes and try to find her. She's hard to miss. She's wearing a neon green blouse that she found buried at the back of my closet. One I refuse to wear because it's so bright and clashes horribly with my hair. She has her spin tails in again and a couple blue streaks in her hair from a potion she brought last night and forgot to drink before the quidditch game. I spot her walking by the stage. I can just see small teases of the neon shirt before it disappears into one of the shops.

I hop off the light base and push through the crowd to follow her.

She's in an oddity shop that sells taxidermy animals and alleged cursed objects, but it's all fake. Just a money trap for susceptible tourists. The store is mostly empty because of the concert but there are a few people moseying about and I spot Luna disappearing behind one of the shelves full of magicked lanterns all glowing in a ghastly green light.

"Luna?" I sigh when I see her, relieved. She turns around in surprise and then I see who she's with. "Nott." I greet flatly and he smiles.

"Hello, again," he says, leaning against a bookshelf as the green light plays off of his face. He has acne on his cheeks. Hard to notice to the naked eye but the green light shows them for what they are.

"Again?" Luna looks at me. "Did you guys see each other before?"

"Down on the beach," he says, smiling at her. He still smells like weed. It's strong and it makes my nose crinkle. "She was snogging Harry Potter."

"I was not," I say, offended that he would lie.

"Ginny," Luna looks at me and smiles, the glitter on her cheeks look strange in the lantern lights as well. They looked like freckles. "You were with Harry? I had a feeling something like that would happen."

"Nothing happened," I say, sparing Nott a glare.

"You better hope not."

I turn to find Millicent standing behind me.

"You really are stupid, aren't you Weasley?" She says, snapping the book she was looking through closed and putting it back on the shelf. "Just a real bloody moron."

"Hey," Luna steps forward. "Don't talk to her like that."

"Yeah," Nott says with an amused turn to his lips. "Don't talk to her like that."

"This is just so perfect, isn't it?" She looks at Ivy who's on the other side of the lantern wall, spying on us from between the paper bodies. "Your sister thinks she's got this whole thing under control yet here we are right where I bloody told her we would be."

I unzip my purse and take out my wand. I won't be so useless this time.

"But no one fucking listens to me."

"No one listens to you because you're awful," Luna says bravely. "You're a mean old bully."

"Yeah," Nott says with a smile. "You bully."

"I don't want to do this anymore," Ivy sighs as she comes around the corner of the shelf. "Let's leave."

"You're just afraid Pansy's going to rip your head off. I'm not afraid of your sister."

"Come on, Luna," I say, reaching out to take her hand. "We're leaving."

"Why don't you stay and hang out?" Nott says, giving Luna a puppy dog pout. "We can play nice. Can't we, Millie?"

"No," she answers with blood shot eyes. Nott laughs at her answer.

"Get out of the way," I say, clenching my jaw when I realize she's blocking the path. Ivy moves, but Millicent does not. "I'm serious, get out of the way."

She gives me a nasty look… A really mean glare. I don't understand her level of disdain. She's never liked me, but I've never felt this absolute hatred being directed at me before. I tighten my hand around my wand and glare right back… but I don't think anything could match the fire in which she looks at me. The green light of the lanterns makes her face look ugly again… like it used to before she changed everything about herself. Her disdain was thick… it was cutting… it made me want to crawl into a hole and never come back out… but it also pissed me off because I have never done a damn thing to her.

"Unbelievable." She shakes her head and laughs a little. "You have no idea what you're doing, you dumb bitch."

I lift my wand and hex her.

With a flash of bright light- large green bats start flying out her nostrils. Gooey and gross, Charlie had taught me the bat bogey hex last summer. He told me it would help keep the boys away… but I hope it makes Millicent rethink the way she speaks to me. I run past her, pulling on Luna as Millicent screams curse words at me and slams into the lantern shelf, making them all crash to the ground. We run through the crowd, pushing against the bodies all packed tightly together. When we get past the boardwalk and back on the dirt path that leads out of the village, I find myself laughing.

"She's going to kill you," Luna says, smiling at me.

"She deserved it," I say, breathless as I put the wand back in my purse.

"I mean," Luna nods as I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath. "She sure did. Why was she saying all that stuff?"

I shrug.

"Why does she hate you so much?"

"I literally have no idea," I admit.

We start walking back home. The road is a lot more menacing in the dark but my adrenaline is pumping and I feel almost giddy. Luna doesn't ask me about Harry… She doesn't say anything about Theodore Nott either, which I'm glad about because then I would have to tell her my honest opinion, which is that he is a scumbag. We mostly talk about my birthday. How excited I am and how I just can't wait to be sixteen.

Birthdays meant a lot to me because it was the only day that I felt was completely my own. It was hard being the youngest child in such a big family… Where we shared everything and lived so close to one another…. But my parents always made sure that birthdays were special. Even Fred and George were treated to separate celebrations.

"Harry's birthday is soon too, isn't it?" she asks and I nod my head. "It's weird thinking he's going to be of age. It's like he's almost a man."

I nod, but say nothing. He does look like a man now.

She walks ahead of me and turns around, walking backwards.

"I saw Harry checking you out when you were looking for his wand under your bed," she says teasingly. "I told you that the skirt was too short."

"Hey," I say with a frown but she just laughs and turns around.

I run up beside her… and then she starts walking faster… so I start walking faster… then she starts running…. So I start running too. I'm a lot faster than she is. She's not athletic and she ends up having to stop because her side hurts and she says she can't possibly go on. Breathless and laughing, I stop to wait for her, leaning against a tree in the woods by my home. I hear whispers in the dark and I turn quickly…. But perhaps it was nothing… the trees make strange noises in the night anyway so I ignore it.

At home, Luna gathers her things and goes to floo back to her place as I help myself to a large glass of water.

"I'm keeping this shirt," she says, sweating and red faced as she passes me to go to the den. "Until you give me my green dress back."

"You can keep that thing forever," I say with a smirk, but I do tell her I will get the dress back for her eventually.

I send her off with a hug and once she's gone, my mum calls my name from the living room.

She's listening to the radio. Her feet are up on a footstool and she has her darning spell working on three different projects in the corner.

"Did you have a good time?" she asks, motioning for me to sit down on the plaid couch.

"Yes," I say with a shrug. Not completely a lie but not exactly the truth.

"Good!" She smiles. "I have a surprise for you."

She gets up and all her darning needles fall to the ground when her attention shifts away from her magic. I jump excitedly when I see her pull out a large white gift box from behind the overstuffed armchair.

"I know you wanted to wear the dress on your birthday. So I thought it wouldn't hurt to open one present before the big day."

"Oh, Mum," I whisper as she hands it to me. I set it on my lap and make quick work of taking off the pretty red ribbon.

I'm so excited for my birthday! The dress is going to look so good with those heels Pansy had given me. I take off the lid, the anticipation making my heart flutter. There's a bunch of pink tissue paper and I smile at my mother before pulling it aside to reveal a red dress…. a red dress with white polka dots on it.

Oh…

The dress I picked out didn't have polka dots on it. I try to hide my disappointment as I pull it out of the box to get a better look. I must have made a face because my mum jumps in quickly.

"I know it's not the one you wanted," she says as I look it over.

It's cut like every other dress my mother has ever made me. It's a typical cotton based sundress with short flutter sleeves and a loose fitting skirt. Only this one is bright red with white polka dots of varying sizes on the fabric. It has a zipper down back and strange white piping along the seams. There are a couple bows tacked onto the shoulders and it had an attempt at a tiered skirt but it just looks like a bunch of oddly cut fabric sewn against each other.

It looks like a clown dress.

"I went to the store and had a look at that dress you picked out. I don't think you realized how short it was, sweetheart. I looked at the material and I knew I could make something that was a little more… you."

I feel like crying.

"Do you like it?" she asks as I carefully put it back in the box. I look at her, trying to hide my disappointment because she's sitting on the edge of her seat, looking worried.

"Yes, of course," I say and then I give her a side hug. Any gift is better than none, I suppose. "Thank you, Mum."

"And you'll wear it?" she says and I nod my head. "Why don't you go try it on, make sure it's perfect."

"Right," I say as I take the dress and walk towards the stairs with heavy steps.

"Come down when you have it on," she calls as I start walking up the stairs like it was a death march. "I want to see how it looks!"

"Alright," I say and when I reach my room, I shut the door behind me and resist slamming it… I run over to the mirror, holding the dress up against my body. It looks like something a toddler would wear. "Mum, what were you thinking?" I whisper as I take off my clothes and shimmy into the dress.

Of course, it fits perfectly. My mum knows my body and how to fit it, but I feel anger boiling to the surface. I wanted that dress and I made sure it was affordable and I even had it on hold. I clench my fist and try to swallow my anger and disappointment. Any gift is better than none I tell myself over and over and over again until I believe it.

I am not the kind of girl that would get upset about this.

I am not spoiled. I am grateful for all that I have.

That's what I'm supposed to think, right?

I can't reach the zipper in the back, so it stays open as I go to my closet and I pull out the shoe box that's home to the heels Pansy had bought me. I think they may be the most expensive thing I own. I slip them on and go back to the mirror to see how it looks. I frown. The edgy heels with the studs don't mesh well with the cut and pattern of the dress and I cuss to myself before kicking them off.

I grumpily open my bedroom door and I pass Ron's bedroom where Hermione, Ron, and Harry are having one of their top secret no Ginny meetings again. I glare at the door and hesitate just outside. I bring my hand up to knock… to ask what happened… to see if everything is alright but then I let my hand drop.

What's the point?

I go downstairs instead. My mum stands up and grins when she sees me.

"What do you think?" She asks as I turn around and hold up my hair so she can zip it for me.

"I love it," I lie to spare her feelings and she kisses my cheek when I turn back around.

"I can't believe you're going to be sixteen," she says with a sigh as she looks me over. "You're growing up!"

"I know. It's crazy," I say, trying not to pout.

"You know, my first kiss with your father was on my sixteenth birthday." She smiles at the face that I make. "He was so handsome then," she sighs wistfully. "Anyways," she says as she looks at me. "That was a long time ago…" she runs her hands over the dress, looking at the seams to make sure she did a good job. She always does. "And here we are seven kids and a house later. Funny how life works out."

"Yes," I whisper. "Funny."

"So," She sits back down and grabs her wand to continue her darning spells. "What is the plan for tomorrow?"

"Well, Luna works until five and then I think she's going to come over so we can all go out to eat somewhere."

"Have you decided where you want to go?" she asks as she flicks her wand to the darning needles in the corner. "Your father would like to know if we can floo or Apparate."

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "Nothing too fancy, I guess."

"I told your brothers what was happening. I think Bill and Fleur are going to come and George and Fred… I don't know if Charlie can make it, though." Of course, I like Charlie the best. "So, let us know by tomorrow morning where you want to eat so we can let the others know."

"I'll think on it," I tell her and then I give her a forced smile. "I think I'm going to take a shower, get ready for tomorrow."

"Alright, sweetie," she says. "Make sure you hang up the dress, you don't want to wrinkle it."

"No, I don't," I sigh as I go back upstairs.

I hang the dress on the back of my closet door and I stare at it for a few sad moments before putting on an oversized t-shirt. I reach under to unhook my bra, glaring at the offending dress. Why does this bother me so much? My mum obviously loves me… obviously put time and effort into making it… but I put time and effort into finding that dress and I very rarely get what I want. I throw my bra in the corner before walking towards the bathroom to run myself a bath.

I wash my body and shave my legs as I try not to think about that stupid dress in my room. My mum can be so dense sometimes. I really wanted to look grown up and pretty on my birthday…Now I'm just going to look like a kid who was trying too hard to be cool. I shake my head and dunk my head under the water. Maybe I'll just drown myself right here and never have to worry about another thing.

That's depressing.

I try not to be so negative. Tomorrow is going to be a good day no matter what.

I drain the tub and then brush my teeth at the sink, avoiding my reflection. I don't think I could bear seeing the disappointment. I sigh loudly to myself and wrap one of those scratchy towels around my body so I can walk back to my room where I find Hermione sitting on her cot.

"Is the top secret meeting over?" I ask as I go to my closet so I can change into pj's. She doesn't say anything. I really didn't think she would because my tone was so derisive.

"Is that dress new?" she asks when I come back into the room in sleep shorts and a tank top.

I look at the red polka dot dress hanging on the back of the door.

"That's my mum's birthday present," I say as I fall down onto the bed.

"I thought you wanted that dress you showed me," she says curiously.

"I did. But she made that one because she thought it was more me," I answer, making air quotations.

"Oh," she says as she looks at the dress. "It is cute."

"If you're five, maybe," I say and she gives me a sad smile. I glance at her. "Everything alright?"

"Yes," she says shortly. Obviously lying.

I want to ask about what Ron heard at the pub… about what caused them to leave Yellow Springs so quickly…. But what's the point? I've been asking them questions my entire life and no one answers. Why even try anymore?

It doesn't matter if Harry Potter thinks of me all the time when it is clear he doesn't think that much of me at all.

"So," I look at her again. "I was thinking maybe you'd like to open your birthday present from me tonight," she says with a nervous smile as I sit up to face her.

"Why not just give it to me tomorrow?"

She stands up and reaches into one of her bags. "I just want to give it to you tonight," she says as she hands me a present wrapped in gold wrapping paper.

"Thank you, Hermione," I say as I run my fingers over the paper. Hermione always gets me the best gifts.

"Open it," she says as she sits beside me.

I start tearing the paper and I smile when I see the leather bound journal with my name embossed in golden letters in the bottom right corner.

Ginevra Weasley.

"I thought you'd like a more professional place to put your writings," she says as I flip through the pages. I love the smell of new parchment and I press the blank pages to my nose. "And I noticed your other notebook was falling apart thanks to Ronald."

"Thanks," I tell her with an honest smile. "I love it."

"And," she says as she pulls three blue quills from behind her back. "I also got you auto correct quills. It's perfect when you're writing with ink."

I take them and smile at her.

Sometimes I forget how much I love her.

"Thanks Hermione. I really appreciate this."

"You're welcome. I hope you have a good birthday tomorrow."

I give her a hug and she holds on tight. In fact, she only lets go when I pull away.

"I also have one more thing," she whispers, her eyes glistening. She reaches under my bed and hands me a letter. "It's from Harry," she says, giving me a sad smile. "Don't open it until tomorrow, will you?"

"Sure," I say, placing it on my bedside table, but the mystery of what could be inside is too much and as we lay down to sleep I find myself staring at it in the dark.

He has bad handwriting. I can barely make out some of the letters in my name as it all looks like random squiggles. There was something sweet about that.

I stare at it until I fall asleep and when I wake up, Hermione isn't on her cot. I shrug it off, figuring she's down stairs helping Mum make the birthday pancakes. Everyone gets birthday pancakes on their birthday… It's a Weasley family tradition.

I smile as I think about it and get up to get ready. I put on that stupid polka dot dress before doing my makeup for the day. I braid my hair to the side so it falls in front of my right shoulder and I smile at myself in the mirror, wondering if I look older. I smooth down the skirt of the dress before zipping up the zipper as far as I can get it on my own, which isn't all that far.

It doesn't look too bad today, actually. I guess I'm in a good mood.

I skip down the stairs and wait for the song that usually greets me the morning of my birthday, but I don't hear it. In fact, I don't hear anything. When I enter the kitchen it's uncommonly bare… no Mum or Ron or birthday pancakes. I take tentative steps around the house until I reach the back room, where I find my mum crying as she reads a letter with my dad hovering by her side.

"Hey?" I say when I enter the room, stopping in the doorway because I don't want to get closer. Nothing good can make my mother cry like that and it makes me nervous.

"Oh, Ginny Dear," Mum tries to wipe her eyes as she stands up. "What a state we're in."

"What's wrong?"

"Your brother left last night," she says as she shakes the letter. My heart drops. "With Hermione and Harry. We have no idea where they are. Oh, Arthur, they know how dangerous it is out there."

"We're going to talk to Remus," My dad says as he stands up and puts on his cloak. He gets one for my Mum as well and puts it over her shoulders. "This is important, Gin. Do you think you can stay here for me? We'll be back in a few hours. We just need to speak to the Order about this. They could be in danger."

"Yeah… sure…."

They start walking towards the front door and I follow them the whole way with a frown on my face. "Alright, Ginny," my mum says as she kisses my forehead. "Be good."

"We'll be back soon," my dad adds as they start walking towards the Apparition point.

"Happy Birthday, Ginny," I say to their retreating backs.

They pop away and then I slam the door shut.

I narrow my eyes and breathe deeply through my nose, trying to keep the anger down.

How could they leave on my birthday? Suddenly that whole 'giving you your present early' thing Hermione pulled last night makes me feel bitter because she knew! She. Knew. Ugh. I slam around the kitchen to make myself something to eat, but I'm not even that hungry. I chew my toast and glare at the checkered curtains above the sink before leaving it abandoned on the table.

What can I do now? Luna is working…who else do I have? Ron was right. I need to get more friends. I call Fred and George on their floo line… no answer. I even try Charlie in the hopes of talking to someone I like, but he's not home either. They might be at that Order thing as well… talking about Harry and Ron and Hermione. Everyone is always talking about them. It's my sixteenth birthday! Couldn't they let me have just one day?

I close my eyes and try to steady my breathing.

This is bigger than me. I have to tell myself that. What kind of person would I be if I let myself get angry over something like this? The world is shifting and Harry is in danger, so who am I to be upset about a birthday? It's just another day, after all.

So why do I want to cry?

After a ranting journal entry in my new notebook, I pick up the letter Harry left me. I spin it around in my fingers and bite the corner of my lip. I wonder if it's a letter of him confessing his undying love for me. I snort at the thought as I slip on my flip flops. If he had any sort of feelings for me he wouldn't have kept me constantly in the dark. He would have wanted me there... He would have at least said goodbye to me. What am I even doing? I don't even like him anymore. It probably just says I like your clothes. Bye.

I can't open it. Not just yet.

I carry it with me as I go towards the shed to get my bike and I put it in the basket as I walk it down the garden path. Maybe I'll find a quiet spot in the woods to read it. Maybe I'll throw it into the lake at Yellow Springs… Maybe I'll go see Pansy. Of course, there is always a chance that Ivy will be there. I can still see her narrowed eyes as she looked at me with Harry on the beach. Listening and watching as Millicent called me all those names. I shake my head as I pass our ward gate and hop on the bike.

It rained at some point in the night and there are deep puddles on the dirt road. The mud flicks onto my bare legs as I pump my legs as fast as they'll go. It's kind of chilly this morning. Not at all humid like the prior night. I have to wonder where my brother is. If he is cold or if Hermione thought to grab food before they left. My anger soon gives way to worry. Why was it fair that they had to do so many things? They were hardly adults at all. I glance down at the letter in the basket.

Perhaps I'm too harsh on them… too harsh on Harry. He deserved the world but he didn't know how to ask for it.

I follow the winding road and decide I will go see Pansy after all. She was dark and mean and hard to read… but I liked her and she told it to me straight. I set my bike against their ward fence and walk up to their front door, clenching and unclenching my hand nervously before I ring the doorbell. The same grumpy elf answers and when I ask if Pansy is home he shakes his ancient head.

Figures.

I don't know where Daphne lives so I get on my bike and try not to cry like a baby as I ride around the village for a while. I pass by Blaise Zabini's house before turning around and going even deeper in. My head tilted down and my eyes wet with unshed tears, I tell myself that I am fine. I am sixteen. I am okay. I am completely and totally unbothered.

I stop when I pass by Malfoy's large summer home- the log mansion monstrosity that had no business belonging to one family. I remember Malfoy's viciousness… his demanding voice and his confidence as his gray eyes looked me over. He was different from me… so different from anyone else I knew. I shake my head before taking off … only to turn right back around to stare at it again.

I bite the corner of my lip before wheeling up to the gate and pressing the red button.

If you told me you wanted me- I wouldn't be with anyone else.

I have no idea why I'm doing this. It's just… I know he kind of might like me… and I don't want to be alone on my birthday.

"Malfoy residence," Some squeaky voice answers and I clear my throat before leaning towards the speaker.

"Hi," I say softly. "Is, um, is Draco home today?"

"Yes, the Master is home. Who is calling?"

"It's… It's Ginny," I say uncomfortably as the bike rests between my legs. "Ginny Weasley."

There's a quiet moment and then the gate starts to slowly creek open. I hesitate. I almost turn around but decide against it because I am brave. If I say it- it has to be true. I ride my bike up the white stone pathway that winds around the front of the house and then rest it against the porch post. I look up at the front door… or doors, actually… there's technically two of them pressed against each other and each has a semicircle carved into the wood, creating a ring when they are closed like they are now. I gather my courage and stamp down the knots in my stomach before going up and reaching out to ring the doorbell…. But the doors pop open before I even get a chance.

"What?" I whisper to myself, stepping back.

There is no one there to greet me. Not even an unhappy house elf. I take a tentative step inside and look around the front hall. It's a rounded shape with openings on each side like the points of a compass. The ceilings are impossibly high and arched, with wooden beams decoratively carved, holding it all up. The walls are dark and there are staircases on each side of the hall that curl up to a second story landing.

I jump when the doors close behind me.

There are no doorknobs.

How did I never notice that before?

The floors are polished wood and the planks are laid in an intricate pattern that forms a twelve pointed star. At the center of the room, a table rests with a vase full of fresh flowers. I step towards it. It's a large bouquet of pink roses, dried lavender, and very vivid blue hydrangeas. I have never seen them that color before so I step closer to pull one from the vase to see if it's actually real.

I hold it up to the light and try to see if I can sense the magic- but I can't. It seems real to me. Our hydrangeas were pink and sometimes a faint purple…. Mum said it was because of the soil but I don't remember what can make them blue… and I have never seen them this blue before. I hear footsteps on the stairs and I jump back as Draco makes his way down, looking at me with a raised eyebrow. I feel like he caught me doing something bad, so I stuff the hydrangea back in the vase, breaking it and making a few of the petals fall on the table.

"Why are you here?" he asks, stopping to look down at me with his hand on the railing.

I attempt to fix the broken flower.

Why am I here? Suddenly I don't remember.

I shove the flower deep into the vase and then I gently sweep the petals into my hand before looking up at him again. He's wearing a pair of dark gray slacks and a crimson dress shirt with a dark patterned tie under a matching waistcoat. Why is he so dressed so nicely? I resist asking because it's none of my business, but I can't help but notice how posh he looks. How incredibly well off and handsome against the stained polished wood and dark walls.

I must look ridiculous to him.

He gives me an expectant look and asks again.

"I don't need your money, you know," I say the first thing that pops into my head. The galleons stuffed under my bed are suddenly on the forefront of my mind now that I'm surrounded by the splendor of his summer mansion. Why do I sound so angry? Well, I am angry with him, aren't I? Of course I am. He was a foul git to me at the pub and… something. I don't remember. "I don't want it."

"Fine," he says, narrowing his eyes. "Have you come to return it?"

"Well," I clear my throat and smooth down the skirt of my dress. "I didn't bring it."

"So you just came here to yell at me?"

"No," I say awkwardly, my left hand holding onto the bright blue hydrangea petals. "I'm not yelling."

"Then what are you doing?" he asks, tilting his head and sounding annoyed.

There is a heavy pause between us as he looks down at me. I know he's waiting for me to answer and he holds my gaze, never once looking flustered or put out by the awkward silence.

"I don't know," I admit after a time.

"You don't know?"

"It's my birthday," I say like that would explain everything. I don't think I can look at him anymore so I look at the flowers. "It's my birthday and no one seems to care."

He watches me for a second, his eyes narrowed and suspicious like he thought I had another motive… but something on my face must have told him I wasn't lying because his expression changes. He relaxes a bit and walks down a few more stairs.

"So you came here?"

"No one else was home," I say honestly and he smiles a bit, like it amused him I would say so. "I'll leave now…" What the hell am I even doing? "So…. Bye…" I turn to leave, feeling stupid.

"Stop." I look over my shoulder as he jogs the rest of the way down to catch me. "Your dress is unzipped," he says as he walks towards me. "You left the house like this?"

"Yes," I say with a blush as he makes a motion for me to turn around. Riding my bike made it go down even further and I know he can see my bra. I try not to let that bother me as I turn around and put my braid over my shoulder. It wasn't lacy, or pretty, or beautiful at all. "I couldn't reach the zipper by myself this morning," I admit. He zips it up and then he lets his fingers linger there for a moment before letting them fall. "Thanks," I whisper, turning around to face him.

He's looking down at me so oddly right now. I don't understand his expression and I narrow my eyes as I try to read it.

"Where are your friends?" he asks. "If today is your birthday?"

"I don't have any," I say softly, bitter and sad as I think about my brother.

"I don't believe that," he replies, his tone almost kind.

"Well, apparently it is because I am alone right now. Even my family… "I trail off. I don't think it would be right to tell him about what happened. I'm not that stupid.

"You're not alone."

I look at him in surprise because of the gentle way he's speaking to me. His eyes flick down to my hands and then my feet.

"Did you bring your wand?"

"No," I admit, suddenly uncomfortable.

What kind of witch am I?

"Good," he says as he steps back and starts unbuttoning his waistcoat. "Then I don't have to worry about you hexing me with literally the grossest spell in history."

I think of Millicent screaming in that shop and his eyes flick to mine. I must look surprised because he gives me a look that tells me he knows exactly what I did to his friend.

"Are you mad at me?" I whisper as I watch his long fingers push the buttons through each hole.

Why did I ask that? Why did I even care? And why is he getting undressed in front of me? I gulp nervously and step back.

He will be livid anyways.

"No," he says simply and he says nothing else. "Are those the only shoes you brought with you?" he asks, nodding to my cheap flip flops. I look down… All the mud over my legs… Good God, I'm a mess.

"Yes?"

"Alright, then." he calls out a strange name and I jump in surprise when a house-elf appears at my side with a loud pop! I don't think I'll ever get used to that. "Have Linny bring out the bike and then find some decent riding shoes for Ginny."

The small elf looks at me, eyes wide and face pinched.

"What size do you wear?" he questions with an eyebrow raised as he takes off the waist coat and drops it in the elf's waiting arms.

"A size eight," I say, confused. He has braces under the waist coat and he looks… he looks so sharp.

"You heard her, then," he says to the elf as he loosens his tie. "Size eight."

The elf pops away.

Draco undoes his tie and puts it down on the round table by the flowers. Watching him take pieces of his clothing off made my body tingle and I wondered if he noticed.

"Are you keeping those for some reason?" he asks, nodding to my left hand where I'm holding the petals.

"Oh," I forgot I was holding them and I shake my head.

"Then drop them."

I look around for a bin to place them in but he rolls his eyes.

"Just drop them on the table," he says quickly before walking over to a closet hidden under the left staircase.

I drop the petals like he said and I take a moment to touch his tie. I think it's silk. It feels cool and smooth under my fingers and there's a hard to see swirling pattern on it. I pick it up. What did my mum call this type of pattern? Was it paisley? I think it was paisley…

"What's wrong with my shoes?" I ask absentmindedly, running my fingers over the print that's slightly raised.

He takes out a pair of high top boots from the closet.

"Besides the obvious?" He says and I shoot him a look.

He ignores it and unbuttons the first couple buttons of his shirt. He sits down on the stairs to slip off the expensive looking loafers and he must sense me staring at him because he looks up. I'm wrapping his tie around my hand and his eyes flick down to the nervous movement with a furrowed brow. I blush and put it back down on the table.

"You need something to protect your feet," he explains as he pulls on the boots after tucking and rolling his pants in such a practiced way.

"Why?"

"Because I said so," is all he says as he stands up. He looks at me as he walks past and then he pushes open the front doors. "Come on."

I refuse to move for a few seconds. He comes across as so rude sometimes. He doesn't apologize. He doesn't adjust his tone. He just gives me a challenging look before making an impatient movement with his hand for me to get moving. After a second of silence, I huff and walk outside, giving him the win.

I follow him around the house where there's a large three-story garage. My eyes flick to the left… There is a pool with a fountain and a large concrete patio with stone steps that lead down to the lake.

They have the most beautiful view…

One of the garage doors open and I turn back to the building as a small elf with sparse graying hair wheels out a magnificent looking motorbike.

"That's really cool," I can't stop myself from saying.

It wasn't Hagrid's old and battered one… It was sleek and beautiful with polished chrome siding and black leather seats. Draco smirks at my reaction as the elf hands him a pair of sunglasses. He slides them on as another elf tugs on my hand. I look to my left at the little creature as she hands me a pair of closed toed boots.

"Thank you," I say as Draco hops on the bike.

He looks really good right now.

Oh, for fucks sake.

"Put them on," he says as he fidgets with the handlebars and he uses a key to turn it on, revving it to life. It has magic swirling around it. I couldn't tell what it was but I could sense the spells placed upon it as soon as it started. "You'll want your toes covered, trust me."

"Isn't this…" he looks at me. "Isn't this a muggle thing?" I ask, looking over the bike and remembering my brothers getting in so much trouble for flying the Ford Angelia.

"Why?" he asks, giving me a look. "Are you going to tell your daddy on me?" I blink in surprise and he laughs. "It is not a muggle thing. Could you imagine what my parents would do…" he shakes his head. "You'll see."

He hands me a helmet. I take it and lick my lips nervously as he kicks up the stand and waits for me to make a decision. I could say no. He can't really make me do anything but what else do I have going on? I could go home to an empty house and wait around for my parents to remember I'm important too. I could hop back on my bike and ride around until I got lost and just never go home again.

Draco is patient as I struggle within myself and I watch his profile. His fine nose... His lips…the entire world he occupies that's so different from my own… His anger, his jealousy, his control. He didn't fumble or stumble or disappear all the time. He kissed me and told me that if I wanted him- he wouldn't be with anyone else… and he was the only one willing to answer my call.

I try to imagine what my family would say if they saw me right now. How my brother would rage and my father would be disappointed. Maybe my mum would cry. Remember what his father did? She would yell at me. Remember what happened? My parents would hate this... Ron would hate this... Harry would too...

Alright, I am going to get on the bike.

"Are you wearing one?" I question as I put the heavy helmet on and buckle the strap under my chin. I push hair out of my eyes and catch him rolling his eyes. "Why not?"

He pushes his sleeves up to his elbows, folding it over with jerky little motions to reveal his well formed forearms.

Well formed forearms?

I make a face… Now I'm disappointed in myself too.

"I don't need one," he answers, like I was a moron. "Once you're all in order, hop on behind me."

"What should I do with my sandals?" I ask as I take them off and slide on the brown suede boots.

"Throw them in the garbage," he says, thinking he's funny and smiling when I give him a look.

"I don't want to wear this," I say because the helmet is too big and it keeps sliding over my eyes. "I don't wear a helmet when I'm flying a broom."

"Well, you're going to wear one now," he says flatly, annoyed that he has to explain it to me. "We're closer to the ground and we'll be going fast. There won't be any time to right yourself like you would if you were flying and there aren't any protections on the road we'll be on. If we crash, your head is going to break and splatter into a million different pieces."

That's a great visual.

Not the greatest thing to say to the person you want to ride with you, though.

"You're wearing the helmet," he says, finality in his voice.

"Your head could break and splatter into a million different pieces," I point out with a frown and he smirks a little when the helmet falls over my eyes again.

He reaches out and helps me push it back up.

"My head isn't as pretty as yours," he says and I feel my cheeks heat up at the compliment. "Get on the bike."

"I don't…." I stop. I stare at him as he checks the gears and the gauges with his sunglasses halfway down his nose. His silver eyes flick to mine and my cheeks heat up again. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Ginny," he says seriously after a long pause.

"Yes?" I answer when he doesn't continue right away.

He pushes his sunglasses up and sits straight. "Get on the damn bike."

I bite back my hateful comment before hopping on behind him, trying to adjust my dress so it doesn't show anything it shouldn't. I imagine my parents watching me put my legs on either side of Draco Malfoy and the thought makes me want to laugh. They would be so upset.

Once seated, I try various ways to scoot back so I don't have to touch him… so that my thighs aren't cradled around his waist, but it's not working very well for me. When he starts moving the bike forward, I panic and wrap my arms around him.

"Don't go so fast," I say, not trusting him as he takes off down the curved stone path and through the already opened ward gate.

"Relax," he says over his shoulder. I grip the front of his shirt. "You're not going to die."

"Where are we going?"

"Stop talking," he demands and I bite my cheek to stop myself from snapping at him.

I'm glad about the whole boot thing… The rocks are kicking up from the road as we pass them and the mud is brutal, splattering all over our feet. Draco smells nice. He's wearing that nice cologne again and I inhale against his shirt, glad that he can't see me acting like such a creep.

I try to keep track of where we're going as I squint against the wind and sunlight. We pass by the Village of Yellow Springs and we pass by another small town before I start seeing larger buildings and crowded streets…. Dirt roads give way to concrete pavement and kerosene lamps. I hold onto him a little tighter as he swerves in and out of the heavier traffic. Magicked buses and charmed vehicles approved by the ministry with their official stamp slip past us just blurs of color on cobblestone roads as we make our way to an ancient looking bridge.

I liked dangerous things… I liked thrilling things… and I found myself liking this as well.

"This is where the magic is," he whispers as he veers off the road and down the embankment that leads to a wide, pulsing river.

The slope is very steep and I do end up shutting my eyes because we're barreling straight towards the water. I can run, I can fly, I can ride a bike… but I can't swim. I clench my legs around him and tense my body a little tighter as he drives us straight into the river… but instead of a large splash and dunk of water…. the ride becomes impossibly smooth. I open my eyes in surprise and find us gliding on the top of the river like it was glass. The wheels of the motorbike spark with a magic that makes the water underneath it as solid as stone.

I smile at it. This was an Everywhere Bike. I have read about them in magazines but I didn't know they were out yet.

When we get across the river, the motorbike sparks again before climbing the slope on the other side and he zooms back onto the road. He takes a few turns before pulling the bike into a darkened garage and parking along a wall of brooms all secured in place with protection spells.

"Where are we?" I question as he turns off the bike.

"You'll see," he says as I climb off and remove the stupid helmet.

I look around, seeing odd words written on the walls with yellow, glowing paint. I can't read them… but it looks like some kind of advanced rune work.

He smiles as he takes the helmet from me and places it in the compartment under the seat.

"Can this bike really go everywhere?" I ask, looking at the wheels and wondering what magic they used to make such a thing.

"So far," he says as he climbs off the bike. "Come on." he nods his head to a nearby exit door. We take the stairs to go up and his legs are much longer than mine. He has to stop a couple times for me to catch up with him.

When we get outside, he grabs my wrist and pulls me across the road to a glass building situated along the river. It's an Aquarium. Large painted whales are swimming around the sides, moving around the glass with other magicked sea creatures in bold, impossible colors.

"It just opened a couple weeks ago," he explains when he sees me looking.

I follow him up the stairs and give him a tight smile when he opens the door for me.

The lobby is big and painted ocean blue with flowing fabric covering the lights. It gives the illusion of being underwater and there's calming music playing from the speakers in the ceiling. The floor is glass and it has the same painted fish swimming around. Flipping and spinning and moving along a painted current. I watch it for a moment, marveling at the artwork.

There's a long line at the ticket booth and I have a moment of panic.

"Draco," I say and he looks down at me, his sunglasses hooked on the front of his shirt. He has a curious look on his face like he was surprised I said his name. "I didn't bring any money."

"Obviously," he says.

"I don't like other people paying for me for stuff like this," I say honestly. "It makes me uncomfortable."

He didn't understand that. I could tell by the way his eyes narrowed as he looked over my face.

"Well," he says as we get in the line. "I think I already told you that girls don't have to pay," he says, completely disregarding what I said. "That might not mean much to you, but it was the way I was raised. Ladies do not pay when a gentleman is present."

"There's a gentleman present?"

He smiles at me. That charming one he gave to Luna that showed his teeth. It catches me off guard and I find myself staring at him a moment too long. How handsome was that smile?

Now I understand why Luna giggled for him because I wanted to giggle for him too.

"If I'm not a gentleman," he whispers against my hair. "Then what kind of girl are you, I wonder?"

"A stupid one," I say and he glances down at me, ignoring the comment.

He pays for the both of us and then we walk through the entrance doors into pitch black darkness.

It takes a second for my eyes to adjust before we move forward and then see the first exhibit.

An entire domed room full of bioluminescent jellyfish swim around us. They are huge and glow in the darkness in greens, pinks and shocking blues. I look up at the domed ceiling as they move overhead, gently floating through the darkness. Some are as big as horses. I've never seen anything like it.

"Have you been here before?" I ask, looking at Draco to find him already staring at me.

"Yes," he answers as he starts walking. I follow him to the corridor beyond where brightly colored fish swim past us behind thick curved glass. "My mother was here for the ribbon cutting. She loves this kind of thing."

"Does she like fish or something?"

"No," he laughs like my question was silly. "I doubt she has any opinion on them but she's a bleeding heart for a charitable cause." He looks down at me when I give him a questioning look. "This isn't just an aquarium," he explains. "It's a rescue."

"Oh," I say, walking beside him, picking at my fingers nervously.

"The goal is to release them back into the wild," he says as we walk through winding underwater tunnels where dead eyed sharks swim overhead next to impossibly big sea turtles.

"Most of the animals have had their homes and habitats destroyed by muggles. Ticket sales are supposed to go to rehabilitation but I guess we'll see. Mother never stays long enough to see her ventures through. But," he sighs. "It does give her something to do."

"And your dad?" I ask, glancing at him from the corner of my eyes. "Is he as charitable?"

Draco scared me sometimes but Lucius Malfoy frightened me all the time. He was a ridiculous man. Prideful and sneering- but his actions had left their mark on me. When he placed Tom Riddle's diary in my cauldron all those years ago he changed me forever.

And a part of me hated him for it.

"No," he laughs. "He doesn't give a fuck about anything."

"I feel like he gives a fuck about you," I say honestly because if there was one thing Lucius Malfoy was- it was an involved father.

Whether that was a good and healthy thing- I don't know.

"Yeah, well…" he trails off with a shrug. "Sometimes I wish he didn't."

I look at him. That seemed to be a real admission- something true from the heart and it surprised me.

The darkness of the tunnels gives way to a large room with tall windows. There's a bean shaped pool full of sting rays swimming about inside.

"You can touch one, if you want," he says, nodding to the sign that shows you the proper way to hold your hand in the water as a worker walks around with their wand pressed to their throat to amplify their voice. They give off facts about the stingrays and describe where they were found.

"I'll pass," I say as I watch them flick and flip around inside the tank.

"I see you care for them about as much as my mother does," he says with a smirk. "Anyways, this year it's sea life. Last year it was cervical cancer and the year before that was starving magical children in third world countries… She'll eventually find something else to throw money at."

"So… your mother was only worried about starving magical children?" I say, watching him from the corner of my eye. "Not all children?"

"I think you know the answer to that," he says and I nod because I definitely do. "Alright," he says once we reach a split in the hallway. "If we go to the right we'll see squid and whales. Or we could go to the left and see magical sea life."

"What kind of magical things are here?" I ask curiously as I look down the left hallway.

"Well, they have some rare sea monsters and some mermaids, I know that," he says as he crosses his arms.

"Mermaids," I say happily.

"They're actually really ugly," he says, making a face as he thinks about it.

"I know," I say with a bounce to my step as I start walking that way. "But I just would love to see one."

"We don't have to run there," Draco says, trying to keep up with me. "They're still going to be there if we walk at a normal pace."

I ignore him until we get to the mermaid exhibit.

The first room is floor to ceiling glass, the entire room part of the tank.

"They have three types right now, I think," he says, rubbing his forehead. "These are freshwater," he says, motioning to the glass. "Merrows, like the ones at Hogwarts."

I walk over to the tank and squint my eyes. The water is greenish like a dirty lake and when I finally see something in the water, I roll on my toes in excitement.

"Can mermaids understand English?" I ask curiously.

It would be nice to talk to a mermaid, I imagine.

"They have their own language," he says. One swims by the glass and I gasp. Draco was right, they aren't very pretty. In fact, the one that just swam by us was pretty freaky looking with protruding needle teeth and green skin. The mermaid flicks its tail and swims by again before disappearing into the murky darkness. "They're too stubborn to try to learn anything else."

That sentence makes me feel kind of guilty for some reason… like perhaps they shouldn't be here… If they have their own language and are stubborn enough to not want to learn another… they probably shouldn't be on display.

The next room held the Sirens. They lived in the darkest parts of the ocean and I could hardly see anything at all when we went inside. I walk up to the glass and I stand there for a few minutes, seeing nothing until suddenly something smacks against the glass. I jump back, right into Draco's chest.

This one is a little better looking with a more humanoid face… but her whole body is silver and scaly, from its neck all the way down to its tail. She is definitely a female and I blush as I try not to look at her breasts. Her hair is as black as the water and her eyes are a glowing yellow.

"What is she doing?" I ask uncomfortably as I slide behind Draco so she's not staring at me anymore. "Why's she looking at us?"

"She's not looking at us," Draco says as I peek at the mermaid from behind his arm while other people from the aquarium start gathering around to look at her as well. "This glass is a two way mirror," he explains with a little smile, like he was amused by me. "She's looking at herself."

"Do mermaids like being here?" I ask as she starts swimming from side to side in front of the glass as people take pictures with their cameras. "I thought they were similar to people… like centaurs."

"They don't know," Draco says. "Their homes have been destroyed or devastated. Oil spills, pollution, dredging…Muggles aren't as great as you think they are," he says, giving me a sideways look. "Anyways… They were transported magically and their habitat was replicated until a new permanent home can be found. If they knew, they'd probably try to kill us."

"That's pleasant," I say and he laughs. "I suppose I would want to kill someone too if they put me in here."

The last merpeople exhibit isn't nearly as dark and I look at the water, seeing a handful of brown seals swimming about. The lights overhead shine in a kaleidoscope of different colors that twirl about the room. I look at Draco. Yellows, blues, and reds play off his pale skin and he glances down at me.

"They don't look like merpeople."

"Just watch," Draco says, nodding to the glass.

I stare at the creatures for a few moments before I see one of them change into a human and then flick right back into a seal.

"What was that?" I ask, not sure if I really saw it as I step closer.

"They're kind of like shape shifters," he says. "They can change into humans, but it never lasts very long."

I walk over to the information plaque to read about them. Selkies, they're called. They live mostly off the coast of Scotland. I've heard of them before, I think… I'm sure my mum told me about them but I probably wasn't listening.

I watch as they flicker back and forth. The lights move a rainbow of colors over the room and I cross my arms, tilting my head as I try to make out what they look like as humans. Some are fat… Some are thin… all are beautiful. I squint my eyes as I try to focus more on their faces, but then I notice Draco's reflection in the glass as he stands behind me. He's not looking at the creatures… he's looking at me. I watch as his hand reaches out and he grabs some of the fabric on the back of my dress. I barely feel it, but I can see him run his fingers over the material, his head tilted and thoughtful. He looks up at the back of my neck before his eyes find mine in the glass.

I look away quickly and try to ignore the flutter in my stomach.

I look at his reflection again. He's not holding my dress anymore. His attention is on the tank on the opposite wall where two bloated manatees float around lazily. That strange nervous feeling is back again. That one that makes me feel almost sick and I place a hand on my stomach. It's not a bad feeling… it's just… I don't even know because I don't think I've ever actually felt it before. He walks away from me and goes to the other side of the room. I follow him, watching his strong back and liking the shape of his body.

I open my mouth to say something- but then I stop myself. What was I going to say, anyways? I already forgot.

We walk along in silence down the darkened halls and the impossible rooms made of magic. There are giant sea serpents and a young kraken missing one of his tentacles. Whales and squids and crabs and golden sea horses the size of elephants…. It was almost calming, in a way. The music was mellow and the lights were low… I could probably take a nap here.

When the crowd thins out, I sit down on one of the benches in front of a tank that's home to a really ugly looking eel. Draco doesn't sit with me. He walks over to the glass and looks at the eel inside with his hands clasped behind his back. I almost like him better when he's not talking. I appreciate him more, I think, when I'm not worried about what he'll say next.

I hesitate a second as I stare at him, wanting to approach him but also not wanting to mess up the peace between us.

After a while, I stand and step beside him.

"Draco," He looks down at me. "Thank you for bringing me here."

He smiles a little before turning back to the eel.

"Even though I was your last choice."

"Well," I sigh. "Yes… but I'm sure you can understand why."

"I don't think I can," he says. "I'm wonderful."

I look at him and then I laugh a little. He has been wonderful today but I didn't need to admit that to him just yet. A large group passes us to move on to the next room and when they're gone it becomes quiet enough to where he can hear my belly growl.

It was embarrassingly loud.

"Was that your stomach?" he asks, blinking in surprise. "Have you not eaten today?"

"I ate the corner of a piece of toast this morning," I admit, embarrassed as I cross my arm over my middle.

"Now I have to feed you too."

"I'm not a dog," I say. "I can get my own food."

"There's a cafe down the street that I like. We can go there."

We walk through the rest of the exhibits barely talking. It's crowded by the dolphins and I start to lose him in the crowd as his confidence… or arrogance… makes it easier for him to just push through people. I try to keep up with him and I end up reaching out and grabbing his hand.

He stops and turns around to look at me.

He searches my face for a moment as the blue ocean lights make waves across his face and then he glances down at my hand holding his. I start to let go but he grips my hand even tighter.

"Too late for that," he says with a smirk like I had opened a door that couldn't be shut again.

He leads us through the crowd, his hand still holding mine as we leave the building.

When we get outside, I blink against the sunlight.

"It's just this way," he says, his grip tight on my hand and refusing to let go.

I don't think I'd want him to anyways. I like the way it feels. There was something so sweet about holding hands with someone. It made me feel good about myself and wanted in a way that wasn't too intimidating or overwhelming. It was affection I could handle. Something my inexperienced self was comfortable with even though the way he looked at me promised more. I don't even pay attention to where we're going… I just follow his steps and send him little looks every once in a while. Was it possible that he actually liked me this much? Was it possible that I could like him back?

"Here we are."

When he said cafe, I thought he meant an actual little cafe with coffee and scones…. Not the black painted brick building he brought me to. It had overflowing flower boxes hanging off of each window and a bright pink door…. But there was no sign to tell the name of it and Draco didn't offer if up.

A host is waiting to seat us when we step inside. They know Draco and call him by name with a smile, asking of his parents and how his summer has been. He is polite and vague with his answers, sparing me a little look like he was perhaps annoyed by it. He's still holding my hand as the host leads us into the dining room and I stop abruptly when I see what's inside.

"This is…." Draco turns around when he notices I stopped walking. "This is not a cafe."

"Perhaps not," he says, finally letting go of my hand, only to place it on my back to guide me to our seats.

I have never been around someone who is so comfortable leading people all the time.

The walls are gold plated, arranged in bold geometric designs that Draco says is an art deco style, original to the building. There's a mosaic ceiling of swirling blues and greens… and the windows are large and curved at the top. The host pulls out a chair for me. A nice upholstered chair…. I sit down and he scoots the chair in behind me as Draco takes his seat across the round table. There's a small vase of flowers between us and a stark white table cloth.

I have never been to a place like this before.

I glance around the room and the host hands a menu to Draco…. It was full of well-dressed men and women in robes and fancy suits…all of them well put together and dripping in wealth.

"Draco," I look to him with a frown "Why did you bring me to such a fancy place?" I ask, looking down at my stupid dress.

"This isn't fancy," he says, like I confused him for even saying so.

"It has a chandelier," I say, nodding up to the monstrosity dripping in crystals hanging down from the mosaic ceiling.

He looks up as well.

"Only one," he says like that made all the difference. He looks at me and sees the distress on my face. "It's only lunch, calm down."

Of course he's calm. He fits right in with his nice crimson shirt and black braces that make him look so smart… I look ridiculous and I cross my arms over my chest. He doesn't seem to be bothered by how uncomfortable I am and I keep sending shy looks around the room…. Like one of these well-dressed people will stand up and start yelling at me to leave. He looks over the menu with a couple fingers pressed to his temple and I realize the waiter didn't hand me one.

"What do you like?" he asks, glancing up at me. "Do you like fish?"

"I think it would be weird eating fish after seeing so many of them alive and well," I admit, leaning across the table. "Is there another menu?"

"No," he says simply when he feels my questioning look. "I'm going to order for you."

"Why?"

"It's just an old fashioned place," he explains.

"What do you mean by that?" I ask, frowning. "I can't have one because I'm a woman?"

"No," he says flatly. "You can't have one because you won't be able to read it."

"What do you mean I won't be able to read it?" He looks up at me. "That sounds stupid."

"Does it?" He asks. When he sees how serious my face looks he hands me the menu.

I snatch it from him. He sighs, scooting his chair back to cross his ankle over his knee. I open the menu and then look down at the pages. If it's in french I might be able to work my way through it… but it's all symbols…. Symbols I don't recognize and I flick my eyes to his. He looks smug so I look back down, biting the corner of my lip.

"Well?" he asks. "Do you know what you want?"

"Not yet," I say, turning the page. More gibberish symbols. "Just give me a second."

The waiter comes and introduces himself as Marcus and places two water glasses in front of us. He asks for our drink order and Draco asks for some seltzer water with lemon.

"What would you like, Ginny?" he asks, smirking at me. "Or are you ready to order already?"

"No," I say quickly, glancing at the waiter with his smart black dress shirt. "I will stick with water."

The waiter and Draco share a look that I don't like. When Marcus the waiter leaves, Draco starts tapping his fingers against the table impatiently.

"I don't…" he stops tapping to look at me. "I can't read this," I admit defeat as I hand it back to him.

"You don't say?" He says in fake shock.

"What do all those symbols mean?"

"They don't mean anything," he says, opening the menu again. "You can't read it because you aren't a member."

" This is a restaurant with a membership?"

He nods.

And he said it wasn't fancy.

"Do you have a preference for something or can I just order what I think you'll like?"

"You can just order," I say, looking around the room again. There's a fountain against the far wall. It's tall and flows down from sprouts in the ceiling and… is that Gwenog Jones?

I suck in a breath. I have a poster of her on my bedroom wall. The team captain of the Holyhead Harpies sits only tables away from me, eating a salad.

"Are you okay?" He asks, lifting an eyebrow and then following my gaze. "Oh." He says gently but says nothing else.

I try not to be star struck. I've seen how annoyed Harry would get when people ogled him so I looked away and tried not to be weird about it. Draco just watched me, a curious tilt to his head.

When the waiter comes back, I'm not even paying attention to what he orders because a plate and silverware appears on the table. I sit back as I watch the magic arrange the forks and spoons and knives right in front of me… Why are there so many utensils? I pick up one of the forks. It's a weird looking thing… more of a mini trident and I look at Draco.

"That's a fish fork," Draco answers when he sees the confusion on my face.

I put it down in between the two others on the left side of my plate. It looks overly complicated and I must seem distressed because I hear Draco sigh.

"Salad fork," Draco reaches over the table and points to the first fork to my left. "Fish fork," he points to the trident beside it. "Dinner fork." His fingers move to the other side of my plate. "Salad knife. Meat knife. Fish knife. Soup spoon. Tea spoon. Seafood fork." He touches the fork and spoon laid sideways at the top of the plate. "Dessert fork. Dessert spoon."

When he's finished he sits back.

"Will there be a test later?" I ask and he laughs.

"You think it's funny, but I actually did have to take a test on it when I was little."

I smile at the thought of little Draco having to memorize place settings.

He asks me a few questions about school as I worry about all the stupid forks in front of me… What my favorite subject was and which teachers I preferred. He asked me about my roommates and if Gryffindor Tower was as terrible as he had heard it was.

"It's not terrible at all," I said, almost laughing. "Your common room is in a literal dungeon."

"Yeah, but it's nice," he says, smirking. "There's a lot of money in Slytherin house. It might be a dungeon but it is a really classy one."

I smile at hm.

Draco was good at conversation. He read social cues well and I found it easy to talk to him. He wasn't like Harry who fumbled around for words and seemed to never know what to say. Or like Dean who always asked me what do you think? While having no opinions of his own.

Draco had a lot of opinions.

He had opinions on the people we went to school with… the teachers who taught us… the creatures who lived there… the classes he took… He had opinions on the curtains in the room and the married couple two tables over.

"Her first husband was a squib," he explained as the woman gently sipped her tea. "But that didn't last long."

He also has an opinion on the way I fly.

"I can tell you're self-taught," he says. "You sit too far back. I could teach you," he says with darkened eyes as he leans forward. "How to ride it properly."

My words got caught in my throat and I couldn't reply after that because of the heavy way he looked at me.

He ordered me some kind of salad… with a lot of green and red things in it… . and a bowl of orange soup. I don't ask what it is, I just pick up my fork and take a few bites. It tastes good. The dressing is nice. The soup is cold and tastes weird, but it's not too bad. I look across the table to find Draco staring at me again.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" I ask, bringing the cloth napkin up to my mouth.

"I like looking at you."

I feel the blush creep on my cheeks and I hope he doesn't notice. I glance down at his plate. He has some kind of beef with a red drizzled sauce over the top. It was a really small portion and it had some kind of green garnish on the side.

"Where were you today?" I ask, looking at his shirt. "When I came to your house you were dressed so nicely."

"I was supposed to do something at the ministry," he answered, sitting back and not touching his food. "But I technically didn't need to be there so it's no issue."

"Draco Malfoy?"

A woman comes up to our table. She's older… tall and slim, with dyed black hair and a rather unpleasant looking face. Draco places his napkin on the table and stands up to greet her.

"Hello, Mrs. Yaxley."

"How is your mother doing?" She asks as she air kisses his cheeks… and then her eyes slide to mine as she fiddles with a silk scarf around her neck. "I feel like I haven't seen Narcissa in ages."

"She's well," Draco answers, sitting back down. "Mrs. Yaxley, this is Ginevra," he motions to me.

I'm surprised he knows my actual given name and I lift my brows in surprise.

"You're not one of the debutants this year," she says, squinting her eyes at me. "I would have remembered you, for sure."

"She's still a year from being introduced," he says, looking at me and winking.

I look away, right at her as she adjusts the large sapphire ring on her middle finger. She's looking at me closely now. Her eyes are deep set and lined with dark eyeliner.

"I'm sorry," she blinks at me. "What family are you from?"

I look at Draco before I go to answer, but he cuts me off before I can.

"She's the daughter of Molly Prewett."

I blink in surprise. I didn't know that Draco even knew who my mother was let alone know her maiden name.

"Oh, the Prewetts," she looks at me, giving me a sad look. "So awful about what happened to Hugo and Winnie," she sighs. "But it will be nice to have a Prewett back in society… after that whole ordeal with, well…" She looks at me again and I furrow my brows. "Will your mother be sponsoring her next season?" she asks, changing course.

"I'm not sure," Draco says, taking a drink from his glass.

"Well, how lucky are you?" she says, reaching out and pinching my cheek. "Not out in society and you're already here unchaperoned with a Malfoy?" She smiles at me. "Times have changed, I suppose… but your father was the same way." She looks at him. "So impatient."

She laughs like it was funny.

"It was lovely to see you," she tells him, touching his arm. "Give my regards to your mother, will you?"

She walks off and Draco watches her leave with his eyes narrowed.

"Everything alright?" I ask, trying to read his expression. I resist asking him more questions because he looks so annoyed.

"Yes," he says shortly, looking to me. "Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know," I say with a shrug. "You seem kind of angry right now."

"I'm not angry," he says shortly. He's thoughtful again and he looks me over as I eat more of the cold soup. "You shouldn't leave home without your wand."

I look at him, surprised by the sudden change in conversation.

"I just forgot it," I admit, putting my spoon down.

"I know," he says. "And here I am reminding you to not leave home without it again. What if you ran into a dark wizard on your little bike ride?"

"I did and he took me to see some fish."

He smirks at my joke and the tension in his shoulders seems to slip. A thought comes to me and I look around again. Mrs. Yaxley had mentioned the girls being debuted this year…

"Are you worried that word will get back to Cho about you being here with me?" I ask.

"Who?" he asks, clearly not listening to me as he puts his napkin back on his lap.

"Your girlfriend?"

Is that why he didn't give her my last name?

"I told you I don't have a girlfriend."

"That's not what it looks like to me," I say, the jealousy creeping up my throat when I remember how they kissed at the pub right in front of me. He levels me with a stony look that I want to shrink away from… but I hold my ground the best I can. "If she wasn't your girlfriend then you wouldn't be snogging her and letting her hang all over you all the time."

"Well, if you weren't dating Potter than you wouldn't be letting him fuck you on the beach at Yellow Springs." I inhale a sharp breath at his words but he doesn't seem to mind the shock he caused. "So I guess we both have our faults."

He takes a drink and I feel my heart thumping in my ears again.

"I didn't let him… We didn't…" I'm so embarrassed that he would say such a thing. " I swear…" Why should I swear anything to him? I narrow my eyes. "Your friends had no business telling you that."

He shrugs.

"You had no business being out there with him."

"If Nott and Bulstrode told you that I was doing that….." I can feel myself getting angrier. He's keeping calm, watching me struggle as I try to explain something I don't think I should have to explain to him. "It's not even true. They had no idea what was going on and they just assumed–."

"Sometimes the truth doesn't matter," he says, cutting me off. "All that matters is how things look. That perception becomes reality."

I don't even know what to say to that. I look down and start fiddling with the napkin, sparing him a little glance.

"You said you weren't mad at me."

"I'm not mad at you," he says. "I'm mad at him."

"At Harry?" I question and he glares at the mention of his name. "Why?"

His eyes become hateful and a faint blush rises on his cheeks.

"Because he doesn't get to have another thing that I want."

I gulp at the tone of his voice.

"Are you done?" He pulls out his wallet. "I'm ready to leave."

I nod my head, looking down at my half-eaten salad and weird soup. He pays for our meal and then we leave. I send one more look over my shoulder before we step outside. There's a tension between us… something unpleasant and uncomfortable. How am I going to get home now? Maybe I can find a public floo network to go home… Draco was right… It was stupid of me to leave my wand at home.

"What time is it?" I ask as I see him check his watch.

"Half past three."

Half past three? I've been gone for five hours?

"I need to go," I say, panicked. "My parents have to be home by now."

"They weren't home?" he says, raising an eyebrow.

I'm not explaining that to him.

"Can we go back?" I look up at him. "Will you please take me home?"

He looks over my face and his expression softens.

"Come on, then," he says, surprising me by taking my hand, intertwining our fingers.

When we get to the parking garage with the weird yellow runes on the wall, he makes me wear the helmet again. He's being so nice that I almost forgot how awful he was at the restaurant.

"You can get your bike another day," he says as he straddles the seat. "I'll just drop you off at your house."

"No, that's okay," I say quickly because I don't want him to see where I live. I slide behind him and put my arms around his waist as my legs cradle his body. "I can just ride my bike."

"You will not be doing that," he says.

I don't get a chance to say anything else. He zooms into traffic and I put my chin against his shoulder as he swerves in between the cars and buses.

"Be careful, please," I whisper against his neck because he's speeding and he knows it. "Oh, Draco, you have to stop at the red lights!" I scold.

"I don't need you screaming in my ear every second," he says when we reach a stop sign. He puts his feet down to balance the bike and exhales in annoyance. "If you don't like the way I'm driving, then just close your eyes until we're home, alright?"

"But you're going too fast."

"If you keep talking, then we are going to crash."

"Fine," I whisper as I close my eyes and press myself into his back.

When we get to the bridge, he goes down the embankment and he glides across the water again. I reach my hand down and let some of the water flick against my fingers before putting it back around his middle. I close my eyes when we make it to the other side… because he is driving like a lunatic and I like to imagine that we're flying instead. The sensation feels the same. Only this time I don't have to be the one controlling it.

After a while, I crack my eyes open and realize we're on the dirt road headed to the forest that's by my house.

"Right here is fine," I say, panicked.

He shakes his head and turns his face so I can hear him better.

"You don't live in the middle of a field, babe," he says and I make a face at the name. "I'm going to drop you off at your house."

"No, really, this is fine. If my parents see you pulling up on a motorbike they really will kill me."

And probably him too.

He starts slowing down and comes to a stop in the middle of the woods.

"It's not too far from here," I say as I get off and unbuckle the helmet to hand it to him. "I can give these boots back another time, yeah?"

"No," he says flatly, taking off his sunglasses to hook on his shirt again. "You have to walk home barefoot."

It takes me a moment to realize he's joking and I smile a little.

"Thank you for today," I say. "I really do appreciate it. You made a bad day a lot more bearable."

"That's what I aim for," he says, leaning back on the bike seat and looking so fit. "Just bearable."

I laugh again as he hangs the helmet on the handle bar.

"I meant that you made it a lot better." I look at him and he looks at me. I'm not sure if I like the heaviness between us. "Okay, well… bye then."

"Hey, now," he says as he grabs my hand and pulls me back towards him. "That's it? That's all I get?"

"What do you mean?"

"Come here," he says as he pulls me closer. "I have been good and not mentioned this dress once all day," he says with an amused smile and I look down at it, frowning when I remember how much I don't like it. "Not that it's not great or anything…. but what is going on?"

"I know it's terrible," I say with a sigh. "My mother made it for me. It's nothing like the dress I actually wanted."

"Why didn't she just get you the dress you wanted?"

I'm sure that's such a weird thought to a person who has always been given everything he wanted.

"I don't know," I say with a shoulder shrug. He looks over the dress and runs his right hand along the skirt before letting it settle on my waist. "At least she tried," I whisper, trying to ignore the way he's touching me.

"She definitely tried something," he says and I smile.

I look into his eyes for a moment, biting the corner of my lip and then I place a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Happy birthday," he says, his voice deep and full of something I don't fully understand yet.

I swallow hard and then lean down. I'm going to kiss him. I am actually taking the initiative and I am going to kiss Draco Malfoy. On a dirt road by my house where my family lives. What in the hell am I doing? What is wrong with me? He seems surprised for half a second as I press my lips to his and then he deepens the kiss with a vengeance. My kiss seemed to give him the permission he needed to touch me however he wanted. Suddenly his hand was on my face, and then my waist, and then down on the back of my thigh where he moved it up my skirt.

I stiffen, thinking he's going to touch me in a place I'm not ready for, but instead he scoots back on his seat and hooks his hand behind my knee to lift it up. It takes me a second to realize what he wants. I hesitate, unsure, but then I decide to do what he wants becauseI am brave and I am now sixteen. I straddle his bike right in front of him and continue to kiss him with my legs over his.

That thrill I get when I do dangerous things is back.

It was there when I first flew a broom. When I first rode the Ferris Wheel on the boardwalk and the first time I shot a hex at someone who pissed me off.

God, he is such a good kisser.

He pushes slightly into me, making me lean back as he presses between my legs with my dress hiked up around my thighs. Another familiar sensation comes to me and I wonder if he can tell like he said he could at the pub. He leans back to look at me and I find myself breathing heavily as I stare at his lips.

"You have such smooth skin," he says, running his hand up my arm. Then he grabs my hair and tilts my head to the side so he can kiss my neck. "And you always look so clean."

I don't even know what that's supposed to mean but I like the way he said it.

He says other things against the shell of my ear. Adult things. Sexy things that really do make my knickers wet and he pulls back, pleased with himself as I run my hands up chest, playing with the straps on his shoulders.

"I'm going to be honest with you," he says- his eyes dark and his face flushed. "You and I could do great things together."

Great things.

He starts kissing me again, his hand on the back of my neck directing the rhythm of the kiss with his firm authority as his other hand moves to the zipper at the back of my dress. Shy at first, I decided to bring my hand up to his face and then I thread it through his hair. He seems to like that because he pulls back, looking at my lips with darkened eyes and a smile.

Pansy said he knew what he was doing and she was right. I was almost intimidated by his confidence and the way he touched me, and kissed me, and the power between his legs that I felt pressed against me. Pansy was right about him. Pansy was right because maybe she had kissed him too. Cho Chang gets to kiss him whenever she wants and I have to wonder if he says the same things to her. The jealousy eats away at me and I pull back.

"I don't want you to be with Cho anymore," I say as he kisses the other side of my neck.

I don't know why I said that. It came out before I had time to properly think and he pops his head up to look at me.

"Then you know what you have to say to me," he says darkly, his chin tilted down.

If you told me you wanted me….

He leans back and waits.

"I…" I try to think of the reason why I shouldn't.

Who he is, what he's done and what his family is like seems like a distant memory now. No longer real. No longer valid. His cruelty and mean words didn't seem to matter anymore. The sun breaks through the trees and freckles our skin and the ground around us. There are birds in the trees and they sing to each other overhead. I bring my hand up and play with the collar of his dress shirt because I can't quite bring myself to look in his eyes just yet.

My brother and his friends are always dismissing me…that was still a jabbing pain in my heart. My parents always put me below everything else. There's my lack of friendships and my need to fit in… but the truth is I can't really think of much of anything when he is looking at me like that. In his fine clothes with his perfect hair and handsome face… Maybe I can say it because it's clear to me that there was something in him that wanted me too. He couldn't have kissed me like that if it wasn't true.

"I want you." I say quickly before I lose the courage.

He smiles.

"Okay."

"Okay?" I question. "That's it?"

"That's it," he says as he kisses the corner of my mouth. He pulls back and moves the braid over my shoulder. "Now," he wets his lower lip. "You have to do something for me."

"What?"

"You have to admit you were lying when you said you kissed Potter." I furrow my brows at the request. This again? "It's still true, isn't it?" He asks me with his eyes slightly narrowed. "You haven't?"

"I haven't," I answer. "I was…" why does it matter so much to him? Draco's intense, Daphne had said. He can't help it. "I was lying. I'm sorry."

Why did I apologize to him? I look down at his chest, not liking how I handled myself.

"Good girl," he whispers, kissing me sweetly.

I give him a shy smile, happy that he's pleased with me.

"I should go," I say, sliding off the bike, and his lap, and his arousal as I try to right my dress.

"Do you work tomorrow?" he asks.

"In the morning," I answer, tugging the skirt down.

"I'll probably stop by and see you."

"I'd like that," I smile.

He smirks and puts the helmet back inside the compartment under the back seat. I watch as he unhooks the sunglasses from his shirt and puts them on.

"Can I ask you a question?" I say quickly before he can take off.

He raises his eyebrows before pushing his sunglasses up to give me his full attention again.

"Yes."

"Daphne mentioned some French girl you dated last summer."

"Why would she say anything about that?" he asks, his voice sounding harsh and unwelcoming.

"She just mentioned it," I say with a shrug, not wanting to get her in trouble... But his insistence on me admitting I was lying makes me think about it and now I wanted to put him on the spot too. "But she said you did something to some bloke who kissed her... What did you do?"

He's silent for a moment and then he puts his sunglasses back on.

"I have a temper," he admits.

He doesn't keep going and I'm not sure if he will so I ask again.

"What did you do?"

"I might have punched his teeth in," he says and I cringe. I didn't expect him to say that. "She was my girlfriend and they kissed at a party at my house. I overreacted maybe, but at least I did something." I'm not sure if that's sound logic… And I look away uncomfortably. "Why did Daphne feel the need to tell you that?"

"Will you punch her teeth in if I tell you?" I question and he tilts his head to the side. I don't like that I can't see his eyes, so I bring my hands up and slowly pull them off of his face.

"It wouldn't be a fair fight," he says seriously. "I don't hit girls… no matter how annoying they are," he adds. "Even if they deserve it."

I think he could have left that bit off, actually.

"She was just drunk," I say with a shrug as I fold up his glasses and hand them back. "I don't think she knew what she was saying."

He eyes me for a moment like he was trying to decide if I was telling the truth. Then he takes my hand.

"My anger can get away from me sometimes," he says, bringing my hand up to his mouth. "I'll try to work on that," he says, kissing my knuckles. "Okay?"

I nod my head, feeling a little better. "Okay."

He drops my hand and puts his sunglasses back on.

"I'll see you," he says, starting up his bike. He looks at me again like a thought just occurred to him. I can feel his stare behind his dark glasses. "Show me the dress you actually wanted tomorrow," he says, his voice loud over the revving engine. "I'll buy it for you." He smiles that charming smile again. "I'll buy you anything you could ever fucking want now."

With that the leaves. I watch him turn the bike around and disappear in the distance.

Once he's gone, I bring my hand up to my lips before turning to make my way home. I smile a little to myself as I think back on the day and I'm still smiling as I walk in the front door of the Burrow.

"Ginevra, where have you been?"

I look up at my mum. She runs over to me and envelopes me in a tight hug before pulling back to glare at me with her hands tight on my shoulders.

"Your brother goes missing and you just up and leave when we specifically told you to stay in the house? What is wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry," I say as I try to pry myself away from her.

"Arthur!" My mum calls him into the kitchen. "Your daughter has decided to return home."

Moments later my dad steps in, looking relieved.

"You gave us a scare," he says, pulling me into a hug.

"Where did you get those?" she mum asks, eyeing the boots when she notices. "Those aren't yours, are they?"

"I was just out with a friend," I say.

My dad gives me a tight smile. I can tell he wants to say more… he wants to scold me about it- but he stops himself.

"Bill and Fleur are here," he says. "The twins will be coming soon," he says, looking at my mum. "I thought we could stay in tonight."

"Okay," I say. I'm not going to fight him on it. I'm sure there's a reason and I'm sure he won't tell me.

"I thought I could cook tonight," he says, smiling at my mum. "And Fleur brought a cake."

"Oh, Gin," Mum goes over to the counter and picks up a blue box. "It is beautiful. You will love it."

She brings it over to me and sets it down on the table. I open the lid and find a round cake with white icing and pink and red piped flowers.

"It's lovely," I say, giving my mum a small smile. "I'm going to go to the bathroom" I say, still trying to smile.

I take off the boots and put them by the front door before going upstairs.

Instead of going to the loo, I go to my room and lay down on my bed, staring up at the peeling ceiling. My hands go to every place Draco touched and then I find myself thinking about how close we were and how all-consuming his affection was. I smile and turn on my side, tucking the skirt of my dress between my thighs.

We could do great things together.

I don't know what that means but I like the possibilities. I turn again to face my room. Hermione's cot is still up and she had made her bed before she left. My eyes flick to my night stand and then I sit up straight in shock, realizing I had left the letter from Harry in the front basket of my pink, sparkly bike.

The bike that is currently sitting in the garage of Draco Malfoy's summer home.

Nothing great could come from that.

---

A/N: I feel like I'm writing a fan-fiction of my own fan-fiction.

I just wanted to thank everyone who reached out and commented on the story. It makes me want to keep going knowing people are actually reading it. I told myself I would reply to any PM that came my way- but now I feel like my PM's have been acting weird. So if you did message me- I either didn't get it or I did and my reply didn't go through. I'm sorry. I'm not ignoring anyone.

I plan on trying to update every other week. Sometimes sooner sometimes later but that's the goal. I don't plan on leaving a rewrite of a finished story unfinished if I can help it.

As always- I am winging it without a Beta. Hopefully I catch mistakes faster this time around but I'm sure there will be some sprinkled in. I will try to fix them when I find them.

Thanks again,

rrabbit