Allstar

Ginny stalked down the corridor towards the Gryffindor Tower. Honestly, she couldn't believe that Malfoy. Making her look bad in front of Mrs Pince...She was utterly humiliated. And who did he think he was, anyway, saying things like that about Harry?

Well, he was a Malfoy, that's who, and as such, Ginny decided he wasn't worth her time. Not at all. She was now going to start her Life Without Malfoys by going up to the common room and finishing her Charms homework. She wasn't even going to think about him any more. In fact, as of that moment, he was officially banned from her thoughts. He was completely thought-less. He was--

"Hey, Weasley."

Ginny stopped. It couldn't be. Slowly, she turned around. It was.

"Uh....You know, in the library..." Draco paused, looking down.

Ginny frowned to herself. Didn't he realise he couldn't just appear like that? He was ruining her resolve not to think about him. But then, she reasoned, she couldn't be blamed. It was hard not to think about someone when they were talking to you. Oh right. He was talking.

"...mean to get you in trouble. Really."

Forcing herself to stay calm, Ginny looked the blond straight in the eye and arched an eyebrow. "Really," she said sarcastically. "You didn't. And that must be why I got thrown out, right?"

Draco's face clouded over. "Well if you're going to be like that, Weasley...Merlin, I don't know why I bother."

Ginny looked at him uncertainly. Had he been trying to apologise? But Malfoys didn't apologise. He had been acting rather oddly, though. And she hadn't been listening. She sighed. "Look, Malfoy, I don't know what kind of home situation you have, with your Evil-Underlord-Prototype father and your...well honestly, I've never seen your mother do much other than sniff at people. But whatever, I don't care what your home life is like; it still doesn't give you the right to..." She trailed off. Was he laughing at her?

She peered at him closely. He was definitely hiding a smile. Git. "Malfoy..." she growled. Draco looked at her, eyes dancing. He cleared his throat.

"Yes?"

"Malfoy, what is so funny?"

Draco snorted. "Evil Underlord?" he shook his head. "If my father ever heard that...Merlin. Evil Underlord," he repeated to himself. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"It wasn't meant to be funny, Malfoy. I was trying to make a point." Draco only laughed. Shaking her head, Ginny brushed past him. "I'm for bed. This day has been too long."

* * *

Harry Potter made his way to the library, somewhat nervous. He had one of those nagging, uncomfortable feelings that you get when you just know that something isn't going to go well, but you have to do it anyway.

Taking a deep breath, Harry steeled himself and strode into the library. Ginny wasn't there. He frowned; she'd said she'd be there. Why would she have left? Maybe she was still mad at him...Harry swallowed guiltily.

"Madam Pince?" he approached the austere librarian. "Could you tell me if Ginny Weasley was here earlier?"

"She certainly was," Madam Pince sniffed. "Made a terrible racket. Seemed to be upset with that Malfoy boy. I had to ask her to leave."

Harry stared, caught off guard. What was that about Malfoy? And since when did Ginny get thrown out of libraries? That was almost as unlikely as Hermione getting thrown out of a library, for Merlin's sake. "Oh...well, thank you."

Madam Pince nodded regally and turned to other matters. Harry shook himself, collecting his thoughts, and left the library. Perhaps Ginny had gone to the common room.

* * *

Harry climbed through the portrait hole and immediately spotted Ginny's red hair in one of the armchairs. "Ginny!" he greeted her. "You wouldn't believe what I just saw in the hallway."

"What?" she lifted an eyebrow. "Did Hermione and Ron finally give in and snog each other?"

Harry gave her an odd look. "Nooo...Actually, it was Malfoy."

"Well, what's so strange about him? I mean, besides the obvious."

"I'm not sure, but it looked like he was laughing."

Harry blinked. He couldn't have just seen Ginny hide a smile. Maybe he'd got some dust in his eyes.

"Was he?" Ginny inquired politely. "I wonder what about." Harry shrugged.

"Who knows? It is Malfoy, after all. I'm sure I couldn't predict what he'd find funny."

Harry shook his head. There was simply no reason for him to keep thinking that Ginny was laughing. Obviously she wasn't; there wasn't anything to laugh about.

"Anyway," she said, "Did you have a good time?"

"Sorry?"

"With Ron and Hermione," Ginny said in the tone she might use to explain something to a rather dull child. "Didn't you just get back?"

"Oh! Er...right. Yes, of course. Um, it was fine."

"And?"

Harry winced. Here it comes.. "Well, I talked to Ron and Hermione about what we discussed..."

Ginny was looking up at him with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. She really is beautiful...

"And what did they say?" Her voice brought him back to reality.

"Well...uh...I'm sorry, Ginny, but they don't want me to tell you," he said in a rush, cringing when her face fell.

"Right," she said, voice flat. "Listen, Harry, I'd better get to bed. Charms test tomorrow and all."

"Ginny, please..."

"Please what?" She shut her eyes. "Please forgive you? I'll always do that, Harry." She glanced down, and Harry could see tears in her eyes when she looked up again. "But...sometimes it isn't enough." She whispered the last, then turned and fled up the stairs. Harry watched her retreating back, feeling helpless. It wasn't a feeling he was familiar with, and it made him feel like crying himself.

* * *

Ginny threw herself in her bed and buried her face in her pillow, finally allowing the tears to fall. Why did he have to be like that? All uncertain and pleading, like he was afraid of what she would do. Maybe he was. This thought caught her unawares and she paused in her crying to consider it. Harry was afraid of her? Or, more likely, afraid of her reactions. Afraid of how she would make him feel.

Now why did Malfoy come to her mind like that? He wasn't afraid of her, Ginny reflected. Not the way he'd taunted her in the library. In fact, he seemed to enjoy getting her angry. Whenever she got angry with Harry, he looked at her with a kicked-puppy expression that made her feel horribly guilty. She wondered which reaction she preferred.