Deadlock

"You just couldn't help yourself could you?" Ginny Weasley glared at her boyfriend, her face as red as her hair from shouting at him. "It's okay for you to break the rules, because you're you, but it's not okay for me to break the rules is it?"

"What's that meant to mean?" Harry Potter sounded as incensed as Ginny, both of them ignoring the fact that they were gathering a crowd of curious first-year Gryffindors, who were obviously wondering why the perfect couple were...acting so imperfectly. In fact, the whole Gryffindor Common Room had fallen silent to listen to Harry and Ginny's loud bickering.

"Well," Ginny said sarcastically, folding her arms, "it means that it's okay if you break the rules because you're doing it to save the world. If it doesn't have anything to do with that then you just have to let it slip to Hermione who you knew would tell McGonagall...and you don't even like Malfoy!"

Harry stared speechlessly at his girlfriend, mouth opening and closing in shock. Finally, sound emitted from him, in the form of a frustrated, "Ugh..." Patiently, Ginny waited for him to recover and say something, her face slowly returning to its normal shade, while Harry's face grew redder at his in-held anger. When he next opened his mouth, Ginny braced herself, and Harry let it rip. "OF COURSE I DON'T LIKE MALFOY, BUT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU CAN TAKE MY STUFF TO SNEAK ROUND TURNING PEOPLE'S HAIR PINK WITH PURPLE POLKA DOTS THOUGH!"

Titters passed through the Gryffindor Common Room as they remembered seeing Draco Malfoy's horror when he had realised that his hair had turned pink and purple. Ginny herself could not help letting out a grin despite her predicament.

She had gotten up early, and sneaked up to the seventh year boys' dormitories to "borrow" Harry's Invisibility Cloak, which had been used countless times in the quest for make-out spots. That morning though, discovering a place to suck face with her boyfriend had not been on her agenda - instead, her plan had been to get revenge on Malfoy, who called her a "skinny, penniless brute who Potter goes out with because he pities her."

Needless to say, it had been humiliating, and Ginny was a girl with pride.

Harry, of course, had placatingly told her to ignore Malfoy, but it seemed that everywhere she turned; Malfoy was there, staring at her, smirking at her. Since her boyfriend seemed disinclined to take Malfoy on for the slight towards her, as it didn't involve him, Hermione or Ron, Ginny had decided that the only answer to her humiliation, was to get retaliate, Ginny-style.

Ginny had sat in the Great Hall, the Invisibility Cloak covering her, as she waited for Malfoy to appear, a bottle of Fred and George's latest invention in hand - Permanent Stick Hair Dye, in pink and purple. When Malfoy had sat down, Ginny had walked up behind him and poured the dye over his head, while Malfoy calmly ate his breakfast, not realising what was happening to him. When he finally noticed, however, he had leapt up from his seat yelling and cursing that his good looks were forever ruined. This had made everyone who wasn't a Slytherin or a teacher laugh raucously, since Crabbe and Goyle weren't there to threaten people into silence with their meaty fists - Malfoy's sidekicks had not managed to pass sixth-year.

"WHAT ARE YOU GRINNING FOR?!" Harry seemed to still be thoroughly enraged at Ginny, bringing her back to the present.

Ginny renewed her glare at him, annoyed at Harry, who had mistakenly told Hermione, who had, predictably enough, gone running off to McGonagall. While Ginny knew she was being totally irrational about the situation and blaming the wrong person, she couldn't care less at present. "I'm grinning at what an idiot you are." Her voice was so cool that it was arctic.

"Oh? Is that how you feel?" Harry had simmered down slightly, but his face was still redder than usual.

Ginny raised an eyebrow, her arms still crossed. "It's not like you seem to care that I'll be doing detention with McGonagall for the next week."

Harry's head jerked up. "What? Of course I care...it's just...well...I just don't think what you did was right. Even Hermione agreed with me."

Ginny could feel her arctic cool melting at the mention of Hermione. "Hermione?"

"What?" Harry asked, suddenly defensive.

"You know what?"

"What?" Harry looked suspiciously at Ginny, obviously aware that he was treading on dangerous ground. Everyone in the Common Room leaned towards them slightly, eager to hear Ginny, whose voice had gone very soft.

"I think, that if Hermione's opinion means so much to you...you should go snog her."

"WHAT?!"

Ginny glared at Harry. "Are you capable of only one word? Why don't you go to Hermione? Maybe she'll be able to teach you something. After all, she's just so noble, like you." Her last words had a sarcastic bite to them, her voice had growing louder and louder at each word.

"Is that how you really feel?" Harry ran a hand through his hair, making it stand up even more.

Ginny stared at him wordlessly, still maintaining her irritated expression.

"So this is it?"

Ginny raised an eyebrow in response, irritation still marring her features.

"Fine then. If that's how you want it to be, fine."

"Fine." Ginny's voice was light, belying her frustration.

"Fine." Harry turned away before Ginny could reply, and stomped up the staircase to the seventh-year boys' dormitories, his hair sticking up in every direction. Glaring at his retreating back, Ginny turned around and gave a pointed look at the other Gryffindors, who instantly pretended to be working.

Resisting the overwhelming urge to follow Harry up the staircase and club him over the head, Ginny whirled around on her heel, and walked out of Gryffindor Common Room before her rage turned into tears.

***

The moment Ginny climbed out of the portrait hole, she could feel her anger suddenly collapse and give way to tears. Taking frantic gulps of air and ignoring the Fat Lady's concerned calls, Ginny began to sprint down the corridor, skidding around the corner so quickly that she nearly fell.

Slowing down her sprint to a frantic walk, Ginny could feel annoyance welling up at Harry's treatment of her. This didn't stop the tears from tracking down her face though, and Ginny lifted her arm to swipe her eyes, regardless of the fact that her mother was constantly telling her not to do that. Giving an inelegant snort at the direction her thoughts were wandering, Ginny returned to the problem at hand - what was she going to do now?

Certainly, Ron would hear of the very public break-up, most likely from Harry, who, Ginny supposed, was probably moping around in the seventh-year boys' dormitories. It had been lucky that Ron hadn't been in the Common Room at the time though - if he had been there, Ginny did not doubt that he would have added his two Knuts. He would, of course, be disappointed about the break-up, and although he was her favourite brother; Ginny had to admit that he was, at times, quite insensitive. Ron's reaction would probably pale in comparison to her mother's own response though.

Mrs. Weasley had been ecstatic when she learned that her daughter had finally got together with Harry Potter. She had, it seemed, already planned their marriage. After the scene in the Common Room, though, Ginny was sure that a marriage was not going to be happening anytime soon, much less another date between her and Harry.

Sighing, Ginny rounded a corner, before realising that she was completely and utterly lost. Muttering in frustration, she decided to continue walking along the corridor, since the path she had walked to get to her present location had probably shifted. Wherever this path ended up though, Ginny hoped, with a shocking fervour, that it would take her far away from Harry and her family...

***

Ginny winced as she shifted, wondering how she had got into this situation.

She was wedged between a door and a wall and, considering she had been there for two hours, it was completely understandable that she was starting to get pins and needles. Peeking around the door, she watched as her ex-boyfriend made out with Hermione, feeling slightly sick. Harry's moping time for their break-up, it seemed, was as long as it took for him to find Hermione.

From her position, it seemed as if Harry was literally trying to resuscitate Hermione, since every time she thought she might make an escape, Harry would lift his head, and take a deep breath. It would have been amusing if her ex-boyfriend whom she had broken up with three hours ago wasn't involved, and if Harry and Hermione weren't breathing so heavily. Their heavy breathing had covered any minute noises she made though, and for that, Ginny supposed she ought to be thankful.

The horror and shock that she had first felt when she saw the two of them had faded with her quiet sobs, and all she wanted to do was leave without being caught. In any case, Ginny reasoned, they had to stop making out sometime...

***

"Oh..." Ginny let out a quiet moan as she attempted to stand, her legs wobbling with pins and needles. Stamping her feet to get some feeling back into them, she felt them tingle, nearly making her collapse. Tears welled up, and she gave them a hurried swipe, and gritted her teeth, determined not to show any trace of weakness.

Hoping that her brown eyes weren't red from crying, she smoothed her crumpled robes and her flaming Weasley hair. Leaving the room, in what she hoped were confident strides, she walked towards the kitchens, in search for food, a large, fake smile pasted on her features in an effort to show herself that she was feeling fine.

Her plastic smile immediately melted into a frown though, when she ran straight into one of the people she did not feel like dealing with at the moment. Draco Malfoy.

"So." His voice was cool, as he folded his arms, smiling mockingly at her.

"What Malfoy?" Ginny snapped out, wishing he would move out of the way.

As if he knew her thoughts, Malfoy leaned casually against the wall, insinuating himself between Ginny and her destination. "Heard you broke up with Potter."

Ginny glared, wondering how fast the news had travelled, and shot back, "Heard you're having hair problems."

"Oh...playing low there aren't we?"

Ginny noticed that his eyes had flickered slightly at her comment despite his reply, and she felt a thrill of happiness run through her. His smirk, Ginny noted triumphantly, had been wiped off his face too, and was replaced with a tight, un-Malfoy-like smile. Combined with his newly acquired pink and purple polka dot coloured hair, Draco Malfoy looked quite uncomfortable, something Ginny didn't believe was possible. It had, after all, always been him who had discomforted her with his appraising looks and cool smirks.

"Well...how low is low?" Ginny smirked as Malfoy's eyes widened slightly, before narrowing into slits.

"What's that meant to mean?" Ginny nearly choked, he sounded exactly as Harry had earlier that day, with the exact same question. At her near-choking, Malfoy seemed to recover his calm, and re-folding his arms, he planted himself more firmly in front of Ginny.

"Well," Ginny said in a slightly strangled tone, "it means whatever game you're playing, I don't want to be part of it."

Malfoy gave Ginny one of his appraising looks, along with an impressed smirk. Shaking his head, he muttered to himself, "Then I'll just have to convert you won't I?"

Before Ginny could vent her rage at Malfoy for his comment, he gave one last smirk and brushed past her, to leave her fuming in the corridor.

***

"Why is the light so bright?" Ginny groaned out, her eyes watering slightly as sunlight shone very brightly into her eyes.

"Possibly because it's morning Gin?" came the sarcastic reply from her left.

"Ugh!" Throwing a pillow towards her fellow sixth year, Ginny rolled out of bed, rubbing her eyes, which felt gritty from all the crying she had done last night. Grabbing her bath towel, she wandered off, hoping that a shower would make her feel better.

As she wandered back to her dormitory, though, Ginny heard her name, and without thinking, she paused outside the door, listening as some sixth year girls talked.

"-don't understand Gin sometimes. I mean, she's nice, but...who in their right minds would want to break up with Harry Potter?" The girl's emphasis on Harry's name was evident, and only served to irritate Ginny.

"I know, and in public too. Wonder how her brother's going to react." This was punctuated by giggles, which Ginny knew meant that some of the girls were crushing on Ron. Wrinkling her nose, and knowing that it wasn't exactly a good idea to eavesdrop, Ginny attempted to make her escape. The next words made her pause once more though, and listen.

"I wonder if Draco's the reason she...you know..." A nauseating high pitched voice Ginny knew all too well left the sentence hanging coyly, goading the other girls into asking for more information. Groaning inwardly, but still intensely curious, Ginny wondered what sort of scandal Colette Fenwick had invented about her and Malfoy.

"What?" Several voices asked, simultaneously, rising up to Colette's bait.

Colette's voice lowered, and Ginny wished that she had one of Fred and George's Extendable Ears.

"Well, you know how Draco said that she was ugly, and that Harry was using her...?"

"Yes!" everyone hissed out, impatient. Suddenly, Ginny herself couldn't help feeling impatient herself, and before she could stop herself, her foot began to tap.

"Well, maybe he was trying to hide his real feelings for her! No, really, think about it," Colette hissed hurriedly, trying to convince her audience, "he's been staring at Gin ever since he said that, more obviously than he used to. And you know that Gin's one of the most beautiful girls in the whole school, even if she doesn't know it, and she's smart. Okay, so her family's poor, and she's got a couple of annoying habits, but, so what? Admit it, she's a catch for any guy, she'd be perfect with Draco..."

"What, because he's totally hot?" a bitchy voice rang out clearly. Wincing, Ginny now wished she hadn't been eavesdropping, realising that whoever had spoken had been right. Malfoy was totally hot, at least before the pink and purple polka dot hair incident. Whether he liked her or not was another matter, but Ginny thought determinedly, she did not like that arrogant bastard. In any case, it had hardly been a day since her break-up with Harry, and although he had found comfort in resuscitating Hermione, Ginny had no wish to get involved in a relationship anytime soon.

Nodding decisively, Ginny reached for the handle of the door, and pulled it open, ignoring the smirks on some of her housemates' faces.

***

He was looking at her. Again. Ginny suddenly couldn't take staring docilely at her porridge anymore, and lifting her head, she shook out her flame-coloured hair, and glared right back at Malfoy, who promptly smirked at her. Ginny returned the smirk, and gave a pointed glare at his hair, which glinted bubble-gum pink in the torchlight, the purple spots showing up even more. Malfoy's gaze dropped and Ginny's mouth stretched into a wide grin.

Obviously, Malfoy was trying to "convert" her as he put it, but she was not going to make it easy for him, especially since she didn't want to be converted. In any case, Ginny thought, throwing another smirk in the direction of the Slytherin, this was going to be fun.

***

"Why were you grinning at Malfoy?" Ginny jumped as Harry came up, his hair in a mess as usual.

"Why do you care?" Ginny asked automatically, shooting a glare at Harry. It sometimes felt as if she was perpetually glaring at people, ever since she broke up with Harry.

"Oh I don't know," Harry said, sitting next to Ginny, "maybe it's because I still care about you?"

"Right, which is why you go snogging three hours after I break it off with you."

"What?" Harry looked puzzled at her, but she knew him too well -his face had gone deathly pale, and Ginny knew she had caught him out.

"Is that all you can say?" Acid was poured into her tone, and Harry openly winced, his nose screwing up.

"Er..."

Ginny simply rolled her eyes in exasperation; annoyed that Harry had interrupted her, just when she had caught Malfoy off balance. Through her irritation though, Ginny realised that her ex-boyfriend of one day, the famous Harry Potter who she had worshipped from when she had first saw him, no longer gave her tingles up the spine. Shock coursed through her, and Ginny jerked a sharp glance at Harry, blue eyes narrowed.

Harry himself looked extremely discomforted, shifting under Ginny's penetrating gaze. His face had turned bright red now, and although Ginny tried to remember how much she loved him, she couldn't think of him other than being the famous Harry Potter, her favourite brother's best friend, who was, she realised, entirely human.

Ginny felt as if a lightning bolt had shot through her. It was hard to believe, but her relationship with Harry had been a farce - she had somehow managed to build an unreal image of him, someone who was perfect, a near-god. The love and infatuation she had felt had been for someone who had never really existed, and whatever she had felt for him had now gone.

In a way, their relationship had been to placate her parents, and Harry, being the noble Gryffindor that he was, had started to date Ginny out of respect for her parents...and, Ginny thought ruefully, it helped that she had been besotted to start with. Looking over at the young man who had always seemed to be perfect to her, Ginny sighed, knowing that Harry would continue to follow her and interfere with her life as long as he felt he had an obligation.

Standing up, Ginny made a decision, and looking down into Harry's pleading eyes, Ginny announced, "I can take care of myself Harry. I don't need you anymore." Her voice was that of a calm young woman, carrying and in control. The Great Hall was silent for a moment, resounding from her announcement, before it broke out into pandemonium, with everyone whispering and pointing at the very public drama that appeared to be unfolding before them.

Harry sat in shock as he watched Ginny walk away calmly, her head held up regally, and inwardly began to curse himself.

***

"Well, well, well, Weasley, that was quite a scene you caused back there." Malfoy was blocking the corridor, and Ginny seethed - why did the Slytherin insist on following her everywhere with his smirks and glares? True, Malfoy hadn't said anything to her in the past, he had simply made her uncomfortable from afar, which was how she had liked it. Since her break-up with Harry though, he seemed to want to talk to her at every opportunity, never mind that this was only the second time she'd been cornered by him. While she had accepted her feelings for Harry, she still did not understand Malfoy - and she didn't intend to understand him either.

"Go away." Ginny didn't bother masking her anger at Malfoy, who simply shot her a lazy smile as he casually lounged against the wall.

"Oh?" He arched a perfect eyebrow, and Ginny wondered how he could be so arrogant, especially when his father was in Azkaban, the wizarding prison. "Touchy today are we Weasley? Shouldn't really be surprised, this mini-drama between you and Potter is quite-"

"What do you want with my sister Malfoy?" Ginny jumped in surprise as she swivelled her head around to face an incensed Ron, who was glaring at Malfoy, one hand gripping her shoulder, the other gripping his wand. The red flush on Ron's face was evident, and spelt danger for Malfoy.

Malfoy, however, seemed oblivious to Ron's somewhat dangerous temperament, although he reached for his own wand. "Weasley senior." Was it just her, or had Malfoy's voice cooled by several degrees towards her brother? Ginny stared at Malfoy, anger forgotten for a time. Why was it that Malfoy had a grudge against Ron, but not her? Certainly, Harry and Ron were best friends, and Malfoy hated Harry, which reflected onto Ron, but if hate was by association, shouldn't Malfoy hate her too? After all, she had been Harry's girlfriend, albeit a short-lived time.

A tightening on the grip on her shoulder brought her back to the present, and she realised that Ron was about to do something that would most likely get him into a lot of trouble. Opening her mouth, and hoping whatever came out was distracting enough, Ginny said the first thing that came to mind.

"I think that the hair colour really suits you Ma- Draco," Ginny quickly corrected herself; hoping Malfoy hadn't noticed her slip.

"What?" Malfoy and Ron said incredulously, before glaring at each other. Her comment about Malfoy's pink and purple polka dotted hair had certainly distracted them, but she knew that both Malfoy and Ron were wondering what Ginny was on about. Ron's shoulder grip had become excruciating, but Ginny ignored it, frantically thinking up a way for her and Ron to get away from Malfoy.

"Well, long story short, I sort of...I really like you Draco," Ginny gushed out, strangely pleased to see Malfoy's eyes widen in the torchlight. "You're just so handsome that I...I had to do something about it...so I dyed your hair. I swear, it had nothing to do with Harry or...what you said." Ginny's fingers had been crossed behind her back, as she furtively hoped that the two males were sufficiently diverted from their bloodthirsty thoughts. However, now that the words were out of her mouth, she couldn't help but wonder if they were true, and she realised that her fingers had, throughout her rant, somehow become uncrossed.

Malfoy's mind seemed to be racing, and before Ginny could push past with Ron, he reached out to grab her, his slim fingers closing around her wrist. "If that's how you feel Weasley...then meet me at the Astronomy Tower, tonight at ten. Be there." His voice was quiet, confidential, pitched so that Ron could not hear.

Up close, Ginny noticed his eyes were a clear, intelligent grey; she could see her own reflection in them. Combined with the surprisingly gentle grip on her wrist, Ginny wondered, her face heating up, if everyone could hear her increased heartbeat. Malfoy held her for a moment longer, before smirking and letting her go, as Ron shot him an angry glare, steering his bewildered sister down the corridor.

As soon as Malfoy was out of sight, Ron rounded on Ginny, his grip convulsing, causing Ginny's eyes to widen - if Ron gripped her shoulder any harder, it would probably pop. She would have dark bruises as it was, and, Ginny realised, she needed this arm to write with. Although Madam Pomfrey, the school nurse, could heal her in less than two days, she would be feeling disorientated for a while. It was only when Ginny really began to tug at her arm in panic that Ron released her arm, his face a fantastic puce colour.

"What were you doing with Malfoy Gin? Harry was frantic about you, he still is in fact. I can't believe you did that to him this morning, and does mum know yet? Honestly Gin-"

As Ron lectured her though, Ginny was thinking of other things...namely about one Draco Malfoy...

***

The day seemed to drag by for her, and, to her chagrin, she discovered that her shoulder was very sore, and inwardly she had wished that Ron wouldn't care for her so much. She had instantly regretted it, but her shoulder hurt. Somehow, Ginny had pushed aside the pain, and instead, she was counting down the time to which she would meet Draco

Everyone had noted her absentmindedness, but they all assumed that, despite her announcement earlier that day, she was still hung up on Harry. It had, after all, only been yesterday when they had broken up, and the older population of Hogwarts seemed to remember Ginny as a little girl, looking up in adoration to Harry. The excuse was a handy one though, and Ginny used it to her advantage, although Snape, the Potions Master, seemed to have picked on her with a particular maliciousness that day.

When the final bell rang, and she was dismissed from, ironically enough, Astronomy, Ginny raced towards the Gryffindor Tower, willing the second hand on her watch to move faster. Her whole day, it seemed had been filled with thoughts of Draco, his elegant hands, his grey eyes...and his polka dot hair. Ginny let herself smirk at that last thought, but she had to admit that he wore it with more grace and style than she thought was possible of anyone.

Surprisingly enough Malfoy had somehow transformed into Draco as the day progressed, and Ginny had, at the start, wondered if her sore shoulder was causing her to not think straight. During Charms though, Ginny took the time to examine her feelings, ignoring all the activities that were going on, and realised that she was attracted to the Slytherin, as painful as it was to admit. She had stewed on the Gryffindor/Slytherin topic for a while too, before concluding that the more unsuitable others deemed him; the more suitable he must be for her.

As she sped into the sixth year girls' dormitory, Ginny set out to find her sexiest clothing item... Tugging it out of her trunk, Ginny's mouth split into an even wider grin.

Ginny Weasley, rebel, she thought happily.

***

Ginny stared at her image in the mirror, giving an absent tug at the shimmery dress beneath her school robes. It just passed her knees, and the silky fabric hugged her petite figure, showing off her curves to the fullest. Grinning at the scandal it would've caused if she had told her mother what she had really spent her pocket money on, Ginny turned to grab her hairbrush, to drag it through her hair. She attempted to do one hundred strokes, but after losing count several times, Ginny set her brush down, her knees jittery with nervousness.

The dormitories were empty at present; everyone had gone down to dinner, leaving Ginny to prepare for her meeting with Draco in peace. Not wanting to see Harry, or for that matter, Ron, was another reason for not attending dinner. Despite the long ranting-lecture he had given her, venting his pent-up rage, he still seemed slightly volatile, especially at Ginny's words to Draco. Ginny had managed to avoid the two of them and Colette Fenwick for the whole day, as Colette had, throughout their first class, been attempting to gouge out more news on Ginny's love life.

Realising that she was only going to sit there and not do anything for the next three hours until she saw Draco, Ginny stood up, and decided to go down to the kitchens. At times, being Fred and George's little sister had its perks, and being privy to Harry's Marauders Map had helped her discover the various secret passageways in the school.

Walking into the kitchens, Ginny hoped that her robes covered her dress, as she didn't feel like being questioned about her choice in clothing. The house elves, as ready to help as ever, jumped at Ginny's request for food, piling on cakes and biscuits, until she was forced to retreat, her pockets bulging.

Exiting the kitchens via the portrait with the giggling pear, Ginny wondered at which route to return to Gryffindor Tower, as students were now probably finishing up dinner. Mentally, Ginny checked off the many passageways that she could take, before deciding to simply go straight to the Astronomy Tower and wait for Draco. Being fashionably late, Ginny told herself placatingly, was a Muggle tradition, not a wizarding one. So, with pockets bulging with food, and dressed to kill, Ginny turned towards one of the tapestries along the corridor. Muttering the password to a tapestry of Merlin bathing, Ginny muttered the password to it. Instantly, the tapestry melted away and Ginny entered the dusty passageway that would lead her to the Astronomy Tower and Draco Malfoy.

***

The wait had been excruciating, and Ginny wondered if Draco was trying to be fashionably late, or if he was simply standing her up. Already, Ginny could hear the sounds of several couples sucking each other's faces off; their heavy breathing a reminder of the scene she had witnessed between Harry and Hermione yesterday.

Ginny let off a quiet laugh as she sat on one of the desks in her sexy dress, her robe at her feet, wondering if it had only been yesterday that she had thought Draco Malfoy was an annoying git and Harry was the most amazing person that had ever lived.

"That's the first sign of insanity you know."

"Wha-?" Ginny whirled around on the table, nearly falling off it in her haste to see Draco. Reaching out a steadying hand, Draco gave her a cool smirk.

"Laughing to yourself is the first sign of insanity." Seating himself next to her, his hand still on her arm, Ginny wondered what he was doing - weren't they meant to be kissing each other already? This was the Astronomy Tower after all, unless Ginny had got the wrong location.

"Why are you staring at my hair Weasley? Weasley? Are you-"

Weasley? Weasley?! Was that all he could say, after Ginny had gone all out for him, bothered to actually think of him in that way? Needless to say, Draco Malfoy had managed to ruin the romantic fantasies she had been daydreaming about all day...starting with "That's the first sign of insanity you know."

Wordlessly, Ginny pulled herself out of his grasp, and ignoring his amused grey eyes, she slapped his face with all the strength. The sound of the slap seemed to resound throughout the Tower, and Draco's head snapped back from the impact with a sickening crack.

Sliding off the table, Ginny turned on her precariously high heels, stalked out of the Astronomy Tower, and towards the Gryffindor Tower, her anger and pain spilling out of her in the form of tears as she began to run.

Back at the Astronomy Tower, Draco Malfoy nursed his aching cheek, pleased that he had managed to get a reaction from Ginny.

He had to give it to that girl - even though she was a Gryffindor and a Weasley she was feisty. The fact that she was extraordinarily sexy didn't hurt either, and giving a painful smirk in the darkness of the Tower, Draco made up his mind. Ginny Weasley would be his girlfriend whether she liked it or not.

***

Three months later:

"Draco!" Ginny squealed, revelling in her boyfriend's attention as he attempted to make her eat some squid, which he was dangling in front of her.

"You'll like it, honestly." Draco smiled at Ginny charmingly, as his other hand ran through his blond hair - he had managed to grow out most of the pink and purple polka dotted colouring.

"Hmmm..." Ginny gave a coy grin before deliberately stretching out on her stomach on the blanket where they were having a picnic. Staring out towards the lake where the Giant Squid resided, Ginny pretended to ignore Draco, a smile playing over her features. They were both silent for a moment, Ginny from patience, Draco from admiration. When he pounced onto her, Ginny was ready, and rolling over so that she was face-to-face with her boyfriend, Ginny parted her lips, eyes closed, waiting for his kiss. Instead, she felt something being gently pushed through her lips, ands instantly, Ginny's eyes sprang open.

Directly above her, were Draco's grey eyes, full of triumph and Ginny realised what had happened. The squid. Ginny shot him a petulant glare, considering her options - it was either chew or spit it into his face, but since she was planning to do something with that face later, especially the mouth part of that face, Ginny decided that spitting was not an option. Besides, it wasn't very dignified or sexy, so with another ungracious glare, Ginny began to chew. It didn't actually taste all that bad, Ginny realised, squirming from Draco's grasp. Twisting her head towards the lake again, Draco's arms still around her, Ginny saw the Giant Squid's tentacle lift from the lake...

"Uh...Draco?"

"Um?" He was busy nuzzling her neck, not paying attention.

"I think we should move."

"What?" Draco lifted her head at Ginny's urgent tone, and saw one of the Giant Squid's eyes, narrowed menacingly towards the couple, one tentacle lifted into the air as it glared.

Without further urgings from his girlfriend, the two of them turned tail and ran from the lake's edge, as the Squid brought its tentacles down with a hard slap on the water. Despite the fact that the couple had retreated a good distance from the lake, the wave the Squid caused still managed to knock them flat, drenching them with water.

Ginny gave a squeal as the water hit her and Draco, and when she recovered, she looked up at her boyfriend. "I don't think it likes us eating squid."

Draco, who looked very cute even as a drowned rat raised his eyebrows. "You think?"

"Oh? So you can think Malfoy." Ginny looked up from her position beneath Draco, and saw messy black hair in her line of vision. Harry. Suppressing a groan at her ex-boyfriend, who seemed to constantly have a stick up certain parts of his anatomy, Ginny attempted to lever Draco off her so she would, at the very least, be on the same footing as Harry.

"Ginny." Harry sounded cool, but she knew that he was probably saving up his annoyance for another time. In the ensuing months where Draco had relentlessly chased her, and she had moved between confusion, love and hate for him, Harry had been snogging with Hermione. That romantic venture had obviously not worked out, instead, Hermione was dating Ron now, and needless to say, Harry felt like a third wheel.

For a time, he had competed with Draco for her affections, but Ginny had made it clear from the second day of the break-up that she didn't need him anymore. Sad as it was, Ginny refused to budge from her stand on the issue, causing more friction between Draco and Harry. While Harry had accepted her decision to be with Draco with an ungraceful grunt, she knew that he wasn't too happy about it.

Her family hadn't been too ecstatic either, but Ginny's mother had finally decided that "As long as you're happy, we're happy." Ginny was sure the "we" her mother had used was the royal "we" but none of her overly protective brothers, as of yet, had tried to do anything unduly to Draco, even Fred and George had managed to restrain themselves.

"Gin? You alright?" Draco was looking at her in concern, and Ginny realised that she was still lying on the ground, staring aimlessly at the sky.

Scrambling up, with the help of Draco, Ginny gave Harry a fake cheery smile, which she was sure both boys could see right through. "So, how've you been?"

Harry shrugged, eyeing Draco in distaste. "Same old. You?"

Ginny tried not to roll her eyes as Draco draped his arm casually over her, obviously informing Harry that she was his. Doubtless, from the rigidness of his body next to hers, he was eyeing Harry with the same dislike and intensity Harry was eyeing him with, even though he was making polite small-talk with Ginny.

Ginny had to admit though, the arm was a comforting weight around her shoulders, and as if he sensed that she liked it, Draco drew her closer. Looking up at her boyfriend, Ginny noticed that Draco was all out smirking at Harry, who was, Ginny realised, ready to short circuit and blow a fuse. Inspiration hit her as a breeze tugged at her damp clothes, and despite the sunny day, Ginny pretended to shiver.

"Gin? What's wrong?"

"C-c-cold." Ginny chattered out, hoping that her acting and lying skills were still up to par. Much as she wanted to avoid Harry, she didn't hate him. In fact, she wished him all the best, but she always felt uncomfortable when she was around him.

"Ah." From Draco's tone, she gathered he had figured that she actually wasn't cold; she just wanted to make a quick getaway. "Come on, I'll take you back in. Until next time Potter."

"Right." Harry sounded as cold as Pluto, and as distant.

Taking her arm, Draco guided her towards the main entrance of the school. When Harry was out of sight, Draco flashed her a knowing grin, before leaning over to kiss her. Savouring the minty taste of his mouth, Ginny immediately responded as he pushed her against the wall of the castle his hands wandering over her, leaving traces of fire behind. Locking her arms around his neck, Ginny smiled against Draco's mouth, before resuming tonsil contact. When they finally broke apart, Draco's eyes were gleaming, and both were breathing as if they had run a marathon.

Draco was the first to recover though, and running his fingers through his now messed up hair, he said, "Oh so that's why you wanted to leave Potter behind so quickly."

With a mumbled reply that sounded suspiciously like, "Who cares about Harry?" Ginny pulled her boyfriend's lips down to meet hers again...and for a time, talk was suspended...