A Blank Verse Romance

Chapter Six: The Unexpected Letter About Prince Charming

"Ginny, there's something I need to ask you." Ginny's head rested on Marc's shoulder in the cozy dim lighting of the library. They had already been relaxing together for a good part of an hour already, if it was possible to do so under the eyes of Madame Pince, the nosey librarian. Her eyes were closed and she was thinking about when they had first met and she had stared up into his gorgeous face and seen him smile.

"Hm?" she said, looking up at him awkwardly.

"I'm trying to be serious here," he teased. She grinned and sat up to look him dead straight. He has such gorgeous eyes, she was thinking.

"Our one month anniversary is on October 11^th right?" Ginny was surprised, She didn't think he would remember. Especially not to the day. Marc was so incredible. No guy every remembers things like that. We've got something special here, Ginny thought.

"What about it?"she asked casually.

"I wanted to know if you --" He bit his lip. "If you wanted to ... go steady? Officially?" Her heart leapt into her throat with wild joy, but she kept her cool.

"Of course I would! I love you Marc." She looked adoringly into his face. He cupped her chin in his hand.

"I know, I love you too. But there's something else." Curiously, she wondered what could be bothering him to make him look so uncomfortable. "Does your brother know about us?"

"Marc, are you insane? Tell me you did not just ask me that," she said with a look of revulsion on her face. "Do you know what he would say? Do you know what he did the first time I had some of my boy mates over at our house? He'd go mental. Don't tell me you feel like you need permission from him," she added, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, no, it's just. Ginny, are you ever going to tell him? I don't want to be some shameful secret."

"And you aren't. You're a very sexy secret." She leaned in to kiss him when a cold voice drawled out of the silence.

"Sorry to interrupt this ... eh, tender moment." Draco Malfoy was casually leaning on a nearby bookcase, studying his nails and not looking at either of them. "I believe we have a booked appointment, Virginia."

"Am I missing something?" True to her temper, Ginny's face had become scarlet. She could not believe he had done this. Could not! They had had a deal! She was supposed to meet him in the entrance hall.

"In my opinion, you're missing quite a few things Davies, and not just in the head. Shall we?" Nodding towards the door, Malfoy left.

"Ginny, what's going on? And why did he call you Virginia? What are you --" She put a hand to his mouth. Her face was still beet red.

"I -- I can't explain now, but believe me it's not what it seems." At his indignant look and protests, she added, "I trusted you with Bonnie. Please believe me, this is nothing." Giving him a last kiss, she swung her grey bag on her shoulder and followed Malfoy, fully intending to give him quite a lecture.

"Did you ask her about Mona?" said an urgent voice as she left to follow Malfoy. She found him leaning against a pillar. Before he could react to her presence, Ginny grabbed him by his necktie and dragged him into a convenient broom closet.

"I didn't think we'd be making out in closets for at least another two months, but--"

"Shut it right now Draco," Ginny said dangerously, all resolution to not lose her temper forgotten. "You may be blackmailing me, but we made a deal. You promised me secrecy in exchange for this -- this story. There is no way you have the right to make my boyfriend suspicious of me when I have absolutely nothing to --"

"What about Potter?" Shocked, Ginny spluttered for a moment.

"We're not here to discuss my love life," she recovered.

"Really? I was under the impression that we were." Ginny banged the closet open and stormed out. Malfoy followed, with a look of keen interest on his smirking pale face.

"Well, how is it with Potter? Using Davies as a --" Both were striding down the corridor at a quick pace, Ginny with unrivaled fury and Malfoy with unsuppressed glee. "I don't rate Harry anymore than I do you, Draco," she muttered, not looking at his eye and walking even faster. "It was a school girl crush and I got over it. End of story. You just keep your end of the deal, and I will mine. There's no need for a messy conference of talking in between." Malfoy made no reply to this statement. Unknown to Ginny, he was quite literally floored at her boldness and temper. After walking in silence for a few minutes, Malfoy grabbed her elbow and steered her down a dark corridor.

"Where are we having this meeting, anyway?"

"My dormitory, where else?" Expecting to hear an answer such as some moldy old dungeon, Ginny now paused.

"No,"she said, her eyes narrowed. Malfoy looked puzzled.

"No what?"

"Not in a million years will I set foot in your dormitory. What about the other boys?" Malfoy laughed shortly but it didn't reach his eyes.

"I believe it was you who reminded me earlier this year that Crabbe and Goyle have both been expelled. There are no other boys in my year." This discovery made Ginny blink for several minutes.

"You have it all to your self?"

"Good deduction skills, Virginia. We should sign you up as a detective straight away. Waning Gibbous." A squared block of stone moved back and slid away with a satisfied grinding noise. "I've got my own secret entrance," he said to her dumbfounded look. "I can't have you going in through the Slytherin Common room, now can I? That'd rise suspicion before I want it." Making no answer to this absurd remark, Ginny followed behind Malfoy, bending low in the crumbling tunnel.

Ginny was about to ask how far the tunnel went when Malfoy pulled away a deep green curtain designed with silver. His dormitory was much like all school dormitories except there was only one bed. Malfoy had made use of the space by adding a couch and some other decorative furniture, all in green and black. The night stand seemed to be covered in pictures of Draco, all smirking placidly in their glinting frames. The entire room was lit by black candles that glowed with a silvery light, reminding her of the moon. Draco laid careless yet gracefully on the couch and motioned to a chair opposite.

"So what ideas have you got for me Weas -- Virginia? I want to get the planning done tonight." Silently, Ginny opened her bag to pull out a piece of parchment that she had written ideas on. Malfoy scanned it quickly before tossing it to the floor.

"Is that all you've got? Virginia, you have to do better than that." Silence. Ginny was still very miffed and was not going to speak unless it was completely unavoidable.

"Do I have to kiss you to get your mouth open?" he drawled, smirking. She cracked and stood up from the seat.

"Look. Do you think that's the way to treat girls? Mocking their love lives and begging for a snog? You may think you're something cut above the rest of us, Draco Malfoy, but you don't know a thing about how to treat girls. Riches won't buy you charm and a pureblood name won't give you class." Malfoy looked amazed, if not slightly hurt by this speech. He opened his mouth and closed it again.

"Look, I'm sorry," she said, trying to keep her temper. "But I'm not going to take this lying down. Now, back to the story." Snatching the parchment from the ground and smoothing it out she began explaining her idea more thoroughly, but no sooner had she read the characters names when Malfoy stopped her.

"Our babies can't have such foul names as that."

"Our what?!" Ginny almost shrieked. Malfoy coked a lone silvery brow.

"Isn't that what you writers call your characters? Your babies?"

"Well," Ginny said, still flabbergasted, "They're not ours. If anyone's, they would be mine. And what is wrong with their names?" She happened to be quite fond of their names.

"Richard and Tabitha? No one has such stupid names anymore."

"Oh really? Do enlighten me Draco," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. He glared at her.

"Watch it Virginia. And does your brother know?" She looked puzzled.

"What?"

"Does that waste of a piece of human hide called Weasley know about you and Marc?" he said slowly, enunciating as though talking to a baby.

"Look," she said, exasperated. "What is it with everyone and my brother? He doesn't own me or anything. And anyway," she said pointedly, "You're changing the subject. Let's just get this over with."

"You think he wouldn't mind. After all, Marc is a um," Malfoy continued, thoughtfully stroking his chin, "half decent fellow, as you seem quite taken with him. Even if he is a wally on the quidditch field."

"What's that supposed to mean Draco?" His sordid comments were starting to really get under her skin. Remembering the resolution to not show her annoyance, she tried to look uninterested.

"Let us just say he might not be the most honorable guy. Look what he has for a brother? It's a wonder he didn't turn out worse and with a gob the size of Wales."

"You're just jealous that --"

"That what, Virginia?"He smiled shortly. "Don't tell me you truly believe we're the most unlikely couple of the century. Yes," he said to her look of embarrassment, "I did read your amusing sentiments about me. But do take into account other unlikely couples, like Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. They turned out quite cozy and happily ever after and the lot I believe."

"I thought you hated Pride & Prejudice," she said in amazement, forgetting her anger for a moment. He waved the comment aside.

"I may have read a bit more than I let on, but don't go saying I'm some literature nut like Granger." Ginny stiffened at the comment. "And anyway, I can't seriously believe that you don't find me extremely attractive. I've seen the mirror and my love life. Even Gryffindor girls --"

"Like me?" she said, sarcastically.

"Like Josceline," he finished. Smugly, Ginny was thinking about the lipstick mark on his cheek, willing to bet it had been Josceline's.

"Are you two going out?" she asked, honestly intrigued. By his look, Malfoy could sense it and was watching his words most carefully.

"Piss off. It's none of your sodding business what I do," he snapped. "Just get back to work Virginia." The next two hours were spent in arguing over the plot and aforesaid names of characters. On a compromise, Ginny scribbled down the acceptable plot as quickly as she could, wishing to be rid of the presence of Draco. Without a goodbye, Ginny got up to leave when Malfoy put out a hand. She stared at it blandly.

"I believe it's called a handshake, Gin -- Virginia," he said quickly. Staring at him in wonder, she took his slimy hand without thinking and shook it. She recoiled at the touch and left the way she had come. Had he almost called her Ginny? After making such a fuss over Virginia? Unable to think on it any longer, she slipped up to her dormitory unnoticed by Filch.

-*-*-*-

It took a few days for her to realize, but Ginny noticed that Malfoy was not annoying her. In public, anyway. He hadn't called out to her during meals or in the halls as he had been doing the week previous. However, his heated gaze was always on her and she seemed to be unable to avoid him. Or Josceline.

Although Josceline wouldn't confide in her, Bonnie and numerous others had informed her that she and Malfoy were dating. It wasn't much of a surprise as Ginny never saw them further than a centimeter apart, usually lips completely locked. She didn't mind as it seemed to be keeping him away from her.

At an early breakfast on Thursday, Ginny received two owls. One was from Malfoy, telling her to meet him at nine in his dormitory. The other was a more interesting piece of news. It was from the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley and having no idea why they would be owling her, she read:

Miss Virginia Weasley:

We have been informed of a grievous error on our part in the transaction made in our shop on August 23^rd. You were informed that the cat you purchased (soft grey, green eyed, miniature) had no magical powers whatsoever. However, upon confirmation, it seems that your cat does indeed possess some signs of magical aptitude.

Please consider the following a warning as to the behavior of your cat:

- Audible speech and/or mind speech

- Fire Breathing

- A hobby/career of match making

We again apologize for the inconvenience and error on our part. If necessary, the purchase may be returned or exchanged free of charge.

- The Magical Menagerie Management

"Ginny? Wait up!" called Mona from the table, but Ginny was already out of the hall. Her cat could talk! Her bloody idiot of a cat that had attacked Harry could talk?! The sixth year girl's dormitory door opened with a loud bang as Ginny stormed in and roughly snatched the dozing animal by the scruff of it's neck. He gave her a sleepy look in return for her blazing gaze.

"You can talk?" she said quietly, shaking slightly. The cat's eyes widened.

"Yes," he said. 'Mind reading as well,' he said in her head.

"You can breath fire?" Her voice was softer.

"Only in the spring time mostly. Or when I get the flu. I have a very sensitive system. On occasion I can do it when I feel the need." His green eyes danced merrily at her. Ginny sat down on the bed, letting go of her cat who began to lick himself.

"And you're a match maker?" she asked in a slightly questioning voice.

"I've made some real Romeo and Juliets in my day. Not that I'm bragging or anything, but --"

"Then why did you attack Harry? You jumped on his head and I happen to like him a lot. At least, I did ..." she trailed off, still faintly shocked at this realization.

"I was trying to show you that he's not the one for you and you obviously got the message. Besides, I never did trust anyone with green eyes. Myself not included," he added haughtily at Ginny's raised eyebrow. "Besides, he's a very unstable bloke, mind. Not just mentally either."

"And do you approve of Marc?" Ginny asked, wondering how on earth her room mates were going to take this.

"Him? He's alright for now, but it won't last long I say. He's a swatty prat boy, pretty and athletic. It's his type that are always a bit flaky. Like pastries really. Besides, I've got my eye out and I think I've found the guy for you. Won't say anything just yet," Ellipsis added, as she opened her mouth, "but you'll see. He'll get you in the end. Already got plans, he has."

"Would you stop slandering -- " she began as the dormitory doors flew open. Mona and Bonnie both looked at her with relief.

"We thought you might have been sick, they way you stormed out of there so fast."

"Just talking to me,"said Ellipsis. The two girls looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. When they realized the cat was talking, they look at Ginny questioningly.

"I got a letter this morning. Seems they gave me the wrong kind of cat. Is there some other name you'd like to be called, now that I know you can talk?" she asked Ellipsis.

"Could you call me P.C.?" Ginny blinked. "As in Prince Charming. You think only kissing frogs will get you a prince?" he added, hopefully. Picking him up, Ginny kissed his nose.

"Yes,"she said, giggling. "Listen, I need to get to class, but I have one more question."

"Shoot away," P.C. said, flashing a tiny cat smile at the two mystified girls.

"If you could talk and mind read all this time, why didn't you ever tell me?" P.C. looked thoughtful.

"I think I wanted to get to know you for a while before I began talking, see what you treated animals like first. I told you, I'm very suspicious. Now get off to class, hasn't anyone ever told you to mind your elders?" Ginny got up and slung her bag over her shoulder. After turning the corner, she began thinking about what P.C. had said.

'Three hundred and seventeen if you must know,' a voice echoed in her head. She smiled to herself at her new secret and headed off to Herbology.

-*-*-*-

"Can we make this quick, Draco? I have an Astronomy lesson at midnight," Ginny reminded him as he ruffled some of the now growing collection of papers. The clock read a quarter past eleven. Malfoy snorted.

"No. You wouldn't want to be late for your boyfriend now would you? Got to get all dolled up first?" She opened her mouth to make a cutting comment, but stopped mid-thought. Remembering the night Malfoy had blackmailed her, she had promised to not let him see how much he annoyed her. Well, I've done quite less than brilliant so far, she thought. 'Never too late to start. He's not half bad once you get to know him,' said a newly familiar voice in her head.

"You've got to be kidding!" she said out loud before thinking. It had been so long after his last comment that he looked thoroughly startled.

"Have you gone mad Virginia?" asked Malfoy, eyeing her with a look of ... was it worry? No, it must have been the lighting. He was smirking at her, as usual.

"I-it's nothing,"she mumbled, loading her quill with ink and settling down to write some more. It wasn't as if Ginny only wrote the story in the presence of Malfoy, but whatever she did write without his supervision he seemed to throw out, demanding that she could do better or write more honestly.

When did he become such an expert critic of my work anyway? she thought. She glanced at her watch again. She had a half an hour before her class.

"Draco, I've been here for over an hour. I really need to be getting along to my class."

"Fine," he said, distractedly. "Go away Ginny." She stared at him for so long that he looked up.

"What? Change your mind?"

"No, it's just -- you called me Ginny." Now he looked worried and put a hand to his forehead.

"I-I did not," he said. She had never seen him look more panicked. "You must be coming down with a fever to hear that. Let me see," and without a by-you-leave he slapped the back of his hand to her forehead. His touch was warm and his hands were soft. Ginny's immediate reaction was to leap back but as she was sitting down the chair just fell over, with Draco on top of her.

Malfoy! MALFOY! she reminded herself again. Why did she keep doing that? Malfoy's hands were on the floor beside her, holding him above her. A strand of his hair had fallen and was brushing her cheek.

"Well, this is awkward," Ginny said, stating the obvious.

"Yes, well ..." and then he pushed himself up. After straightening his shirt, he reached down to give her a hand up, but she preferred not to take it. Her cheeks were flushed as she walked quickly out of his dormitory. She hadn't even said goodbye.

What scared her was the fact that his hand on her forehead and brush of his hair on her cheek had felt, to be honest with herself, quite nice. It had given her those tingly shivers down her back. And he had called her Ginny as well.

"Nice, isn't it?" said a voice behind her as two arms snaked over her shoulder.

"What?" she said, startled.

"A nice night." Marc withdrew his arms and stood beside her. He motioned towards the huge window in front of Ginny. Apparently she had been staring at it without realizing where she was.

"Yeah, it is. You want to go to the tower a bit early? Look at the stars?" She smiled sweetly at him and they headed off.

"By the way, I've been meaning to mention something to you. You know my mate Tom, don't you?" Ginny nodded. "He wants to know if you'd set him up with your friend. The one with the long brown hair?"

Ginny almost laughed out loud. "You mean Mona?"

"Yeah, he was her with you in the halls a couple times and, quite frankly, is too shy to ask her himself the blithering idiot." Ginny did laugh at this. It was too ironic. Mona had been moaning on to her about Tom for quite some time, indecisive about a direct course of romantic action to take.

"Of course. In fact, Mona was asking me just the same thing the other day. We could make it a double date,"she added, taking his hand. He smiled at her and she felt her knees go weak. Again, she cursed his smile without meaning a word of it. It always made her go weak in the knees.

As they sat by one of the walls, chatting lightly the rest of the class filed in. Marc went over to tell Tom the good news and Ginny to Mona.

"He said that he says he likes me?" Mona squealed, grinning madly at her and glancing over at where Tom was. He waved and she waved back. Ginny felt the blossoming of a good romance coming when a voice in her head said, 'Bad move. They're total opposites. I'd stop it before it's too late.' What nonsense, she thought back, trying to shake the voice from her head.

Class was uneventful and full of sleep teenagers until mid-lesson when Ginny felt a tug on the hem of her robed. She looked down to see Draco Malfoy sitting placidly on the downward spiraling stairs, looking up at her very seriously.

"I need to talk to you,"he said quietly. Ginny looked wildly around and was grateful to see no one had noticed him.

"I just saw you an hour ago Draco," she hissed, "Can't you talk to me later?"

"No, I need to say it now," he said firmly. "In private." Ginny looked at him as though he was insane but asked Professor Sinistra if she could pop off to the loos. Quickly going, she met Malfoy.

"Whatever you've got to say, say it so I can get back to my lesson." He nodded and opened his mouth and closed it. He repeated this a few times before anything came out.

"I -- I wanted to say I'm sorry." Whatever Ginny had been expecting, it wasn't this. She goggled at him as he continued quickly, "I have been really mean and unfair to you, even if I am blackmailing you. I'm a better guy than that. And I think -- I feel," he amended, "that it's wrong of me. What I'm trying to say is that I'll try to be ... erm, nicer in future. You deserve better than that, Ginny." He looked as though it had taken a lot of courage to tell her all this.

"You called me Ginny," she said stupidly. His smirk crept into his face for a moment.

"You called me Draco. You scratch my back, and I'll scratch your's. Truce?" he held out a hand. Ginny took it.

"And I'm sorry as well. I have no excuse for my rudeness either ..." she trailed off vaguely. He hit her shoulder lightly.

"See you later then," he said, turning quickly and taking the steps a few at a time.

"Yeah ... later." Ginny couldn't believe she had just gotten an apology from Draco. As she went back up the tower, she realized that she no longer thought of him as Malfoy either. Had P.C. been right? Was he an okay guy underneath that horrible shroud of sadistic sarcasm?

"You okay, Ginny?" asked Mona, coming over to her. "You look kind of flushed. You aren't really sick are you?" The class seemed to be over and everyone was packing up their bags.

"Yeah ... fine,"she said, grabbing her stuff and heading back down the stairs. As they exited the tower, Marc came up and put an arm around her waist, pulling her close. He didn't say anything, but held her tightly to him.

"Marc, what are you doing?" she asked but then she saw the reason for herself. Draco was skulking by a pillar, staring at them as they passed. Marc was protecting her, making his claim know to Draco. It made Ginny think of something she had read about deer fighting over the doe and it made her giggle. Draco did a lazy sort of salute and stalked away.

"You never did tell me what you two were doing that night," Marc said, still staring off where Draco had been, look suspicious.

"Oh that. He -- I mean, I had gotten him to help me with potions. I can't seem to get this new potion quite right and he's the best in his year. Nothing else." Marc still looked skeptical, but accepted her story without question. He was, after all, very trusting. Ginny felt a twinge in her stomach for lying to him, but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

Before heading off toward his dormitory he kissed her, rather fiercely and added, "I love you and I trust you completely. It's just him that I don't trust. I know you won't do anything stupid." Ginny only smiled as he walked away, but felt a weight in her stomach. Upon entering the dormitory, Ginny flopped onto bed. It had been such a long day and it was almost one thirty. She turned over and looked at her cat.

"We need to make a policy about you toying with my mind like that. It's really annoying. And not very gentlemen like, Prince Charming,"she said, grinning. P.C. narrowed his eyes at her and continued to wash his face.

"I can't help it. I have to stop you from doing stupid things all the time. You just don't see the big picture."

"And you do?" she asked, watching as he began to wash his bottom.

"Of course I do." She scoffed and reached for her nightgown. As she began to undress, she eyed her cat.

"Don't watch me."

"You watched me," he said placidly, smiling. It was very unnatural to see a cat smile like that. She gave him her worst look. The cat trotted onto her night stand and she pulled the hangings closed. "Don't know what the fuss is about. I'm naked all the time and you don't see me asking for privacy," yowled her cat.

"Stop it. And anyway, you're covered in fur. That makes a difference." She pulled the hangings apart and snuggled into the covers. P.C. curled up on her chest and began to snore slightly. As the other girls crept in for the night, Ginny made certain P.C. didn't talk to Josceline. It would be mighty surprising one of these days for her to see Ginny talking to her cat. And today wasn't that day. Josceline would be too tired to get a good reaction out of her.

Probably too tired from snogging Draco all over the entire school, she thought. What was so good about kissing him anyway? How good could that Slytherin be at snogging anyway?

'Don't think so loud, I'm trying to sleep,' came P.C.'s remark. 'And anyway, I'm sure you'll find out for yourself sometime.'