Madame Josephine's Love Calculator

Draco backed away from Ginny as she popped open her eyes and stared into his murky gray ones. The expression that swept over her face was not even describable but it was between anger and complete shock.

The color of her face had drained to a pale gray and her brown eyes just stared unblinking at him. She didn't speak, she didn't move, she just stood there like a stone statue.

The boy who had just yelled that very rude statement was none other than a very scarlet Ron Weasley.

He stormed towards the two and practically threw himself on Draco, though Hermione put her arm on his shoulder to restrain him.

All the students had stopped what they were doing and gawked at what was occurring between Draco and Ginny.

"How dare you touch my sister you bastard!" shouted Ron, his blue eyes blazing with fire.

"Ron shut up!" cried Ginny, who seemed to have awakened from her trance.

She turned to Draco.

"You," she said.

"Look Ginny I know that-" began Draco but she immediately cut him off.

"I am in just utter shock to know that it was you all this time but you don't seem that bothered about seeing me, why?" she asked him.

For the first time in his life, Draco did not know what to respond.

He thought for a moment and then said, "I'm not that surprise to see you because- because I knew for a while that you were witch_ginger19."

"You knew all this time and you didn't even stop my sister from- from yourself!" spat out Ron.

"Yeah Weasley I have to protect your little sister from my big bad wolf self," Draco replied sarcastically.

"More like your big bad gritty self," retorted Ron.

"I'd watch your mouth if I were you Weasley if you don't want it puckering behind your head," snarled Draco.

"Stop it both of you!" cried Ginny but both of them ignored her completely.

"Is that a threat?" Ron said.

"Now I know that you are poor and not very fortunate in looks but honestly Weasley I thought that you could recognize a threat when you hear one or did your mother just thicken that fat head of yours," sneered Draco.

In a split second, Ron was in the air and then on Draco. They toppled over and Ron threw a punch, which collided with Draco's cheek. Draco threw his fist up and it hit Ron right in his jaw. There was a loud crack from Ron's jaw as he fell over.

Harry whom had been behind the thick crowd all this time, finally arrived to pull Ron away from Draco.

"Are you all right?" asked Harry immediately.

Ron grunted. He couldn't speak. Harry examined Ron's jaw. Draco had dislocated Ron's jaw when he punched him.

"You fucken jerk!" yelled Harry. "You broke his jaw!"

Draco stood up, slightly flushed and a black and purple bruise had appeared on his left cheek.

Professor McGonagall and Snape pushed through the crowd of students, but they were slightly late.

"You two!" barked Professor McGonagall as she pointed at Draco and Ron. "Mr. Weasley you may go to the Hospital Wing and we'll discuss your punishment later, meanwhile Mr. Malfoy you come with me."

Draco glanced at Ginny but she looked away. Her eyes and face were unreadable.

***

"Take a seat Mr. Malfoy," barked Professor McGonagall and she seated herself at her polished desk. "Inappropriate language, fighting and dislocating Mr. Weasley's jaw, what do you have to say for yourself?"

"It was self defense Professor," replied Draco, tilting his chair slightly.

"Be that as it may Mr. Malfoy, it was not obliged of you to provoke him," snapped Professor McGonagall. "You will be serving detention and fifty points will be taken from Slytherin."

"WHAT?" yelled Draco who stood up so quickly that his poor chair toppled over. "AND WEASLEY?"

"Mr. Weasley will receive the same punishment as you Mr. Malfoy and for God's sake stop yelling!" said Professor McGonagall sternly. "This conversation is over. Go back to your common room and stop at the Hospital Wing for some ice to put on that bruise."

Draco shut his mouth and left before he would lose any more points from Slytherin.

He reluctantly dragged himself towards the Slytherin common room, ignoring the Hospital Wing. There would be too much of a crowd there any way.

"PigWig," murmured Draco as he entered the Slytherin common room that was filled with outraged Slytherins.

"GINNY WEASLEY!" screeched Pansy, her ugly brute of a face storming purple. "HOW DARE YOU DRACO MALFOY! HOW DARE YOU!"

"Now Pansy really I'm not in the mood for your usual nagging," said Draco, brushing her off.

"EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE A DISGRACEFUL SLYTHERIN AND MALFOY!" Pansy continued, still not lowering her tone of voice and it seemed even more painful to Draco's ears. "YOU REALLY HAVE DONE IT THIS TIME MALFOY!"

Draco ignored her and walked towards Blaise who was seated quietly in an armchair. He seated himself in the opposite armchair.

"Blaise," he said.

"Draco," she answered her face expressionless.

"Look Blaise I know you're probably part of the 'Kill Draco Mob' but please let me-" began Draco.

"Draco I'm not angry with you," she answered interrupting him. "Sure you destroyed your Slytherin and Malfoy pride by going out with a Gryffindor not to mention a Weasley and you'll probably be the greatest git in Slytherin and- "

"Blaise get to the point." Draco interrupted impatiently.

"What I'm trying to say is that I don't care about you and Ginny," said Blaise. "After all we don't all have to love Slytherins..."

"What?" asked Draco.

"You're not the only one who's going out with someone outside of the Slytherin house," grinned Blaise in an evil way.

"Okay who's the guy?"

"Does the name Terry Boot sound familiar?"

"A Ravenclaw?!" cried Draco in amazement. "I never thought I'd see the day when Blaise Zabini would eye someone from another house."

"Hey I have to admit that Ravenclaw boys are sexy and well Terry Boot... I don't know we sort of just clicked," answered Blaise. "And if you tell anyone Malfoy I swear that I'll cut your tongue off and feed it to a pack of raging Hippogriffs!"

"All right Zabini I won't tell," replied Draco. "It's been a long night... I'm going to bed, see you in the morning."

He stood up and walked past Pansy who was still shrieking rude remarks. He stopped at the foot of the staircase and turned around to face Pansy.

"You know Pansy I've been waiting a really long time to say this," said Draco calmly. "Shut your ugly mouth up before you intoxicate everyone in the common room with that breath of yours."

Pansy turned purple and the Slytherin common room shock with laughter. Draco smirked and climbed the staircase to his dormitory.

***

"DRACO MALFOY!!" yelled Ron at Ginny who stood beside him.

"Mr. Weasley don't talk it'll only make the pain worse," warned Madam Pomfrey.

"With all the anger in me I can't fell the pain," answered back Ron.

"First of all Ron I did not know it was Malfoy and second of all it's my life and I can date whoever the hell I want to," snapped back Ginny.

"No Malfoy is not just any guy you can date," said Ron. "He's a low life, idiotic, self-centered, brainless, moronic, snobbish... uh..."

"Bastard?" suggested Harry.

"Right bastard!" finished Ron.

"Lay off Ron," said Hermione sternly.

"No I will not lay off because my sister is going out with Malfoy!" cried Ron.

"Your sister was going out with Malfoy," snapped Ginny. "And your sister can take care of herself; she doesn't need her stupid brother's advice or help because it only makes things worse!"

She stormed out of the Hospital Wing leaving Ron alone with Harry, Hermione and Madam Pomfrey who was attending to another patient.

"Well thank you Ron for complicating things even more," said Hermione.

"Hermione, Ron did not make things anymore complicated, it's just Ginny who has a very thick head and cannot process correctly at the moment," replied Harry in Ron's place.

"And why are you siding with Ron's side Harry?" asked Hermione.

"Why are you siding with Ginny's side?" answered Harry.

"Because what she is saying is true!" cried Hermione.

"No what Ron is saying is true!" retorted Harry.

"You know why you're siding Ron's side Harry?" said Hermione. "Because you can't stand the idea that Ginny might actually like someone other than you!"

She too left the room angrily.

Harry remained silent after Hermione left, what she had said kept ringing in his head.

Ten minutes had passed before neither of them spoke.

"Harry go back to the Gryffindor common room, it's nearly one," said Ron.

"Okay," he said tiredly and he stood up. "Good night Ron."

"Good night Harry."

***

Harry entered the common room to see Hermione still up sitting by the fireplace. An anxious expression was drawn over her face like a curtain.

"Hermione what are you doing still up?" Harry asked.

She stood quickly and faced him.

"Harry I thought about what I said to you and I-I feel terrible," said Hermione biting her lower lip. "I'm sorry and I know that you were just trying to stand up for Ron and you're right. Both of you I mean. This is Malfoy Ginny's been dating and he's the most disgusting git I've ever met."

"Thanks Hermione," he said smiling slightly. "You can go to bed now."

"Oh right," she said blushing.

Harry walked towards the staircase when Hermione called after him.

"Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"You're not the jealous type."

"Hermione go to bed now."

"Right!"

They both left separately to their dormitory rooms.

***

Ginny had been tossing and turning for about hour. It was no use. She could simply not fall asleep. She sat up in bed. Heather, Maria, Monica and Laney were all sound asleep.

She slipped on her bathrobe and slippers and quietly crept past her friends and down the staircase. The common room was deserted and the fire was burning low.

She left the common room, waking a very grumpy Fat Lady.

"What are you doing at this time of the night waking me up like that?" snapped the Fat Lady.

"I'm going to get a glass of milk," lied Ginny.

"Well hurry up," she replied angrily.

Ginny strolled down the candle lit corridor. She turned right and walked more hastily. She had no memory of this hallway. The paintings were grim and dark. A cold breeze past through Ginny. She shivered. She was lost.

She turned and crashed into somebody. They both fell on the floor.

Ginny's heart skipped a beat. What if it were a teacher? She would never hear the end of this one.

"Who is it?" said the person.

Ginny glimpsed through the darkness. A blond vision appeared through the thick black mist.

"Draco?" Ginny asked.

"Yeah?" he answered.

Ginny quickly stood up.

"What are you doing out of bed?" demanded Ginny.

"I should be asking you the same question," he answered.

"None of your business," she snapped back.

"Well then let's keep our matters to ourselves then," he said.

"All right."

There was silence between the two for about five seconds.

"It's hard to believe that you are actually the same Draco I went out with in Madame Josephine's Love Calculator." spoke up Ginny.

"Well then I'm a pretty good actor, am I not?" sneered Draco.

"Why are you so mean?" asked Ginny frowning.

"I'm mean? I'm not the one who pounced on Ron or who started this whole nightmare!" retorted Draco.

"Does that mean that there's some good in you?" replied Ginny.

"That's not what I said!" cried Draco.

"That's what you meant isn't it?" asked Ginny.

Draco didn't answer.

"So I'm right!" said Ginny now grinning.

"Oh shut up," replied Draco crossly. "And leave me alone."

"I can't leave you alone!" she said.

And then she kissed him. It caught him slightly by surprise but he accepted the kiss and returned it. He placed his hands on the sides of her face.

Ginny pulled herself closer towards Draco but he suddenly jerked away from her.

"We can't do this Ginny," he said.

"Why?" she asked.

"We can't and aren't supposed to be together," he said.

"I don't understand," she answered. "I mean we love each other, we can't we be together?"

"Look Ginny, I don't love you that way, I'm sorry," he said, his gray eyes turning away from her sadly. "I'll take you back to the main hallway."

Draco led her to the main hallway silently. He turned around and opened his mouth to say something but shut it back quickly. He turned away and left her there.

Tears cascaded down Ginny's cheeks as she watched him disappear into the darkness.